#*quietly overhauls blog while no one is looking*
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Have a collection of Nightshift sketches from over the last few days.
#nightshift kody#nightshift ink#nightshift leo#Talia doesn't show up because I didn't feel like dealing with human drawings lol#*quietly overhauls blog while no one is looking*
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Magnolia Road is Moving + Exciting Projects!
Hi there - Rizu here! It's been about a year since I last posted an update here. Life got really busy and pulled me away from Petz. As life calmed down I had the itch to return to some unfinished petz projects! Here's a look at some of the things I've been working on. The major one being the launch of my new home - Magnolia Road on Neocities! Keep reading for more details!
When I first launched this tumblr blog, I wanted a platform that didn't require a whole lot of set-up to get started. While it has served its usefulness as my first home in the Petz community, I need more room for the amount of content that I'm planning on making.
So I've been quietly working on a complete website overhaul and it's been such a blast. I think it will serve me better as a home for my crew and petz content. For the foreseeable future I am planning on keeping this tumblr for long-form write-ups on Petz things.
Without further ado, check it out here.
Not everything on the website is finished but I've put the 'good enough' stamp on it for now. I'm looking forward to fleshing out the pages more with some exciting content.
On that note...
Projects!
Something that I've wanted to do for a while is to create more custom content for Petz 5. Though Petz 4 is the community favorite, I feel Petz 5 has a lot of nostalgic charm and a lot of potential for quality of life upgrades. Despite Petz 5's glitches and bugs, I've by and large have learned to live around them without too much trouble and largely prefer some aspects of Petz 5 over Petz 4, such as the expanded color palette for playscenes, weather, day/night cycles, being able to carry all the toyz with you, etc.
With the new content that I am working on, I hope to inspire some more love for Petz 5 and make it a more welcoming home for your Petz!
So what am I working on? I've been working on a MASSIVE rework of the Petz 5 playscenes. They are quite dated and an eye-store in some instances.
So here's a sneak peek of what I've got going so far. These are not finished yet so these may change a bit!
I'm going for a Luxury Living theme based off of neutral beiges, greys, and gold, with a touch of rococo. I've painstakingly fixed the window sprites (they're a pixelized mess in the original), replaced the garden backdrop with my renovated back yard (see below), and gave the night scene some gentle spot lighting. No more ugly orange floor and yellow fridge.
Continuing on the Luxury Living theme, the family room gets an upgrade.
This one definitely needs more work before it is done but here's my Cozy Cabin themed room.
I've always disliked the original snow scene in that all the trees look like lifeless lumpy snow blobs. I wanted to bring back some greenery and make the scene look more vibrant. I replaced the really bland skyboxes with more realistic skies, with the night scene featuring an aurora borealis.
Inspired by my love for Lilly Pulitzer prints, this beach remodel is a more colorful upgrade over the original. I've recolored the sand to look more like....sand and less like this weird ugly yellow sand the original had. I'm planning to make a daytime one as well.
Salon upgrade. This one is very incomplete, so expect this one to change a bit. The original dresser is so hideous that it's hard to make it look "better".
And finally, perhaps my pièce de résistance and my most time consuming overhaul was the backyard. The original looks so junky with its broken fence, muted colors, and lack of landscaping. It definitely needed some more life to it. I hope I achieved that with my 4 seasons remake of the back yard. To say it was a challenge is an understatement. I had to make 3 versions for EACH season. Day, night, and stormy versions. So 12 BMPs along with the edited leaf sprites. The fall leaves are not stills - they are recolors of the original animated sprites and move in the actual playscene! I was excited to be able to pull this one off and I'm happy with how it turned out.
And lastly I've reworked the Petz 5 carrying case skin with a template that makes it easy to come up with new carrying case skins quickly.
Here's just one of the many carrying case skins that I have planned. This one matches the pattern featured in the beach remodel.
And there you have it! These are all works in progress and I can't wait to share more updates with you all. As always, thank you for stopping by!
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ꜰᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ɴᴏᴛ | ᴋᴀɪ ᴄʜɪꜱᴀᴋɪ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | ᴏɴᴇ-ꜱʜᴏᴛ
Y’all thought it was oVER? lolol Blame Admin T--- I asked her who I should write for BNHA and she said this SO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ As always, thank you all so much for the love and support for this blog~! I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did with writing it~!
I do apologize if I don’t capture his character the best ;;”
I won’t lie, I was listening to Might U as I was writing this.
» » Admin Ko
Tedious. At least, that’s what it should’ve been. Yet instead of feeling the normal bouts of irritation at the lack of control he had over the situation at hand, he felt...unnerved. The imaginary seed that was implanted in his stomach all those months ago seemed to only gain in mass.
“...Who are you?”
He shouldn’t have allowed himself to grow these...feelings. Not only did he feel contaminated and utterly sick to his stomach, but the strange ache in his chest did nothing to help soothe his frazzled nerves as those curious yet dim (e/c) hues peered into his sorrowful golden ones.
“...My name is Chisaki Kai...”
“Oh! Hello Chisaki.”
A bout of coughing and another grimace as the pain in his chest amplified tenfold at the horrifying sound. It disgusted him. It truly did, yet instead of feeling the need to get away, he wanted to get closer to her. To comfort her-- hell to shake some common sense into her. Even if it meant he would break out, he just had to do something.
“I...apologize if this seems rude...”
“What is it?”
“...what happened to your arms?”
“...I lost them because I was careless. This...I suppose, is my punishment.”
Her curious stare continued to wash over him as he felt the prickle of goosebumps rise on his shoulders. Turning away, he kept his gaze on the vacant wall of the hospital ward. This was torturous. She was torturous.
Yet still she managed to worm her way into his heart, and he didn’t know whether or not if he wanted to ask for cardiac surgery or to embrace this newfound emotion.
All he really knew was that if he had only been smarter-- hell maybe even faster at coming up with the quirk-destroying drug he could’ve prevented this. He could’ve gotten rid of the parasite that lurked in her veins.
➽───────────────❥
6 Months Ago
“Patient name: (y/n) (l/n). Quirk: Amnesiac.”
Trudging down the corridor, the man once known as Overhaul, walked in step alongside his parole officer / attending doctor. It hadn’t been too long since his arrest and...amputation. In all honesty, he wondered why he was being granted this rare privilege.
An assistant for a patient. That’s all they had told him. Of course Kai had to scoff. How on earth was he supposed to help? With the lack of usable limbs and knowledge limited to that of basic medical needs he didn’t really find a real necessity in this patient’s apparent ‘recovery’.
“...Amnesiac?”
“As it’s name implies, it’s a quirk that deals the user amnesia--- yet in our patient’s case it not only forces her to lose her memories, but practically breaks down her body’s physical state.”
“...In simpler terms?”
“In short every time she loses her memory her body deteriorates along with it. It’s as if her body is, in a sense...rewinding itself forward to make up for the fact that she lost those memories.”
A grimace. If he could, he would’ve spat out that he had been right in his assumption that quirks were just an infestation to the world, this patient clearly being a poor victim of it.
“...And what is my purpose of ‘assisting’ you?”
“As far as I’m aware, you’re pretty damn heartless and selfish. So it should be easy for you to not catch feelings for her whilst being a constant in her life right?”
“A...constant.”
“Yeah, just someone who she sees everyday until well...”
“She passes.”
“I mean...yeah. Damn you really are heartless.”
“Tch. This is a waste of my time is what this is.”
“Hey, you’re helping me whether you want to or not man. It’s just a visit everyday for like, an hour or two at most.”
Another grimace was given as Kai felt a shiver run down his spine. Despite the place he would be in was a hospital, it still brought the ex-yakuza boss a sense of dread. Especially with the amount of infested bodies that littered the place.
“...how long?”
“Holy shit dude, I get that you don’t want to do this but seriously---”
“How long until she loses her memory you dumbass.”
“..Oh. Well, from what we gather they can last from a day, to a couple of months. Though the longer she stays in a...well, let’s call it a session, the more it harms her body.”
“So say she forgets me tomorrow.”
“Then her body moves forward a day.”
“....After a month?”
“She lurches forward a month.”
“Thus leading to a quick progression in her deteriorating health.”
“...Exactly.”
It was, to say the least, unsettling to hear. Never had he heard of such a sickening twist for a quirk. No matter, the deal was simple. If he was lucky, this would last a year-- as fucked up as it sounded, the sooner she passed the less she would suffer in the long run.
As they neared the door, the clear unease that settled on his features was one that his parole doctor could see from a mile away.
“Chill dude, it’ll be fine.”
With that, the door cracked open, and there seated quietly whilst reading a book was a woman. By any standards she was normal, average, easy on the eyes with a slight fae-like feel. Though really it was most likely the early evening glow that cascaded into her room the moment they entered.
All Kai really knew was that it was the moment when gold met glittering (e/c) hues that a seed lodged it’s way into his stomach.
➽───────────────❥
It had started off easy-- well in Kai’s opinion it had. Every other day seemed to be a new start to the ritual that was re-introducing himself to her and making small talk.
In all honesty, he wouldn’t admit it, but the simplicity of being able to have a normal conversation with someone brought a sense of peace in him. Of course this didn’t mean his usual snark and calculating ways-- or so he says.
For Kai, this change in routine was oddly enough, welcomed. With everything he had gone and the collogues he had imprisoned god knows where, the opportunity to engage in small talk was to say the least, enlightening. It had surprised him. As someone who sought out tactical moves in reading his opponents, he found himself at ease with the simplicity of where he was at.
Granted it was albeit dull in comparison to the interrogations he goes through, it was still a part of his routine that he refused to change. Not when he’s been so invested in it.
That changes when the day he enters her room to find that instead of having to reintroduce himself to her, she remembers him. She flashes him a gentle smile with an endearing, “How are you?” and that in itself has the former yakuza leader lose his breath as he can only comically blink at her before forcing himself to adjust to this strange change.
No later did another change occur that brought a wave of new emotions in him. She had touched him. A caress to his cheek, and unsurprisingly in that moment he broke out in hives. His sight blurring as panic shot through his system at the abundance of thoughts that struck his head as the irritation from the hives had him reeling away from her.
He didn’t see her distressed face. Nor did he see the tears that streamed down her cheeks as she desperately sought out someone to help him. Instead, he awoke to his room laying down with his hives treated.
He felt violated. Disgusted, yet still. Even with that he found himself at her door a week later. Prepared to start a new with her and a possible replay of what had happened a week prior. Instead, he found her bowed deeply at the waist as she tightly clutched at the thin fabric of her hospital gown.
“I’m so sorry Chisaki! I didn’t know...I deeply apologize for what had happened!”
“...You...remembered?”
“Of course! You’re someone I can never forget.”
The pit in his stomach grew tenfold as his feet began to walk towards the awaiting lounge chair. Golden hues met truthful (e/c) ones as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat before once again bowing.
“I really am sorry...I shouldn’t have reached out to you like that...”
“...just be more aware next time.”
And like that, the pit in his stomach continued to grow. With each passing day she retained her memories, the more the pit swelled in size, and the more she began to work her way into his heart.
➽───────────────❥
Present Day
He didn’t know why he felt an overwhelming pressure in his gut. The lack of food he ate was odd enough, but to actively avoid something out of his daily routine? It was unheard of. He even made that stupid request to ask his parole doctor to grab (y/n) that stupid drink she liked.
Mentally shaking his head, Kai lightly tapped his shoe against the door before sliding it open.
The sight bestowed upon him though was one that could’ve brought him to his knees as the pang in his chest seemed to duly ache as he dragged his feet into the room.
“...(y/n)?”
It was quiet. The warm beams of the spring sun settled on her pale features as dim (e/c) orbs glimmered at the sight of him. He should’ve seen this coming. Especially after she had remembered him the day it set everything out of pattern. Instead, he turned a blind eye. Out of pure ignorance? He wasn’t remotely sure anymore. All he knew was that she shouldn’t be like this.
She should be her stupid lively self, cracking jokes and sharing her stupid stories with him. Not laying there like a corpse.
“Ah...Chi-- Kai, sorry you caught me waking up from a nap. I’m sorry I don’t look more presentable...”
“Nonsense. Now, tell me what you’ve done today.”
“Straight to the point huh? Sometimes I wonder how you’d ever date anyone.”
Though weak, the teasing tone she held in her voice was one that added more weight to his chest as he seated himself in what she declared the ‘(y/n)’s best friend’s chair’. A stupid name if you asked him, but he wouldn’t tell her that.
And like that, she spoke of her day, simple tasks and duties she’s done during her stay at the hospital while Kai listened to her as the best friend she claimed he was.
As for the new name basis, Kai couldn’t tell anyone when it picked up. All he knew was that it didn’t piss him off as much as it should’ve.
As the time neared for him to leave, she stopped him. A look of hesitance on her face as irritation seemed to grow on his own.
“What is it?”
“....Can I hold your face?”
“What?!”
“With gloves on!”
The statement caught him by surprise. Already he felt the disgusting voices in the back of his head whisper at him yet instead of acting on those voices he found himself mutely staring at her as she fumbled over her words.
All he could really pick out was the light blush that was on her cheeks. The spark of color that brought his feet towards her bedside as she stared up at him with shock in those (e/c) eyes.
“Tch. What are you waiting for?”
Caught off guard, she could only stare at him for a moment before giddily shifting herself to get off the bed. A noise of distaste left his throat at her motion as she merely rolled her eyes and shushed him as she went to fervently clean her hands before snapping on the gloves.
Yet as she did this he couldn’t help but feel the ache in his chest grow even more at the sight of her frail hands and the subtle appearance of a bruise around her wrist at her careless motion of snapping the gloves on. This was immediately forgone as she walked up to him, mindful to keep a distance before she hesitantly held her hands out in a flower cup motion.
At first, Kai had no idea what she was doing, but as he grew to analyze the situation-- as well as remember the odd videos and photos she decided to show him as she sought a sort of relationship herself-- he carefully put his chin into her hands. The hesitancy of her fingers brushing his cheeks pulled a new sort of fondness in his chest as he finally relaxed his cheek against her shy hand.
Golden eyes peered deeply into glimmering (e/c) as he watched her face light up with the most color he had see on her that day. Satisfied, he waited until she finally let go.
“...Thank you, Kai.”
“No problem.”
“No really...thank you...for everything.”
Unease quickly overtook the fondness in his heart as he straightened himself out. Confusion was clearly matted onto his features as he stared down at her.
“...Why are you saying that?”
“What? I can’t say what I want for once? You let me all the time so just let me say this too!”
Finding the whole situation uncomfortable, Kai made his way to the door once more. Though before he left he motioned with his head for her to get back into bed. In response, he got her usual snark as she stuck her tongue out before carefully getting back into bed.
“If you’re on good behavior tomorrow, I’ll have your doctor bring you that drink of yours.”
The light in her eyes was enough to satisfy him and his worries as she nodded quickly before giving him a mock salute as she excitedly got herself comfy in the bed.
“Alright, you promised Kai~!”
➽───────────────❥
“Who are you?”
It should’ve have hurt him as much as it did, but after 6 fucking months. 6 months of her being a daily part of his life where she did not forget him for a single moment came crashing down. The tremble that clutched tightly to his words as he re-introduced himself went unnoticed as he slowly made his way towards the lounge chair that was once considered to be (y/n)’s best friend’s chair.
“...My name is Chisaki Kai.”
“Oh! Hello Chisaki.”
He could tell she was straining with keeping up a happy front. Her appearance was frail. So delicate that he feared anyone who touched her would be the cause of her disappearing before his eyes. The drink he had requested for her sat innocently on the bedside table as she gave him a reassuring smile.
“It’s going to be okay...”
“...what?”
“You look...distressed, I wanted to just reassure you things will be okay.”
No they won’t. He wanted to scream it at her, that the rasp in her voice was punching holes into his gut. That the frail breathing she had was worse than his quirk being taken away from him.
And in that moment, they stayed in silence. Merely watching one another with mixed emotions before he broke back into the routine he once thought would be meaningless.
“...What did you do today?”
Her words, though slow, told him of a peaceful day. One with little adventures and many simple moments that he’s come to slowly appreciate in his own life.
Though as the hour of his leave came, he found it hard to get up from the chair. His feet staying practically cemented to the floor as he watched her peer out the window as the warm rays of the early evening sun cascaded over her. Much like it had that day he first saw her.
Forcefully pushing himself up from the chair, he made his way towards the door. Yet each step he took towards it the more the aching feeling in his chest grew as the fear of his last day in that room came to it’s due date.
“...Kai? Can you turn around for me...just once?”
The words caught him completely off guard as he turned to face her. Those eyes no longer were filed with guarded walls. Instead he was met with the face of (y/n). The woman he came to slowly adore within the past 6 months.
He didn’t even think. Instead he surged forward, practically bruising his legs at the force he decided to stop himself with. Though he didn’t care. The bruises be damned, she remembered him.
“...Can I hold your face? One more time? I promise I won’t ask again. I’ll even wear gloves!”
“...No need.”
The aching in his chest grew tenfold as he found it hard to speak. The overwhelming emotions that sat in his chest were ready to burst out of him. Though he wasn’t sure how. Instead he bent down slightly, finding her confused face even more endearing before he rolled his eyes.
“Well?”
“B-But...the hives---”
“I don’t care. Hurry the fuck up.”
Like that, the confusion vanished as she gently put her hands together in that familiar flower cup motion. Worry was clearly evident in her eyes as she looked at him, but before she could even question again he placed his chin into her awaiting hands. Already the prickly sensation of the hives began to pool as he could feel them form across his skin.
“K-Kai--”
“It’s fine. Shut up. You said you won’t ask again.”
“T-That’s true...”
“Tch. You can make it up to me by getting better so I can show you the world.”
“...when you’re not in prison anymore, right?”
“Right...”
It was hard to speak now. The lump that once was in his stomach had traveled to his throat as he watched her warm (e/c) glisten with unshed tears as she gently caressed his cheeks, ever so mindful of his hives as she tried to at least move her hands. Instead, the male pressed himself further into her touch as the tears began to fall. If anyone noticed the strain in his voice, they didn’t mention it.
“...If you’re gonna be greedy that do what you’ve been wanting to do you romantic obsessed moron.”
With that, she shifted forward before pressing a sweet kiss to his forehead as the tears came down harder. The lump in his throat making it almost unbearable to talk.
“...Thank you Kai...thank you so much for these six months...”
“.....”
“Don’t forget me...okay?”
“Idiot...as if I could even forget the one dumbass that made me breakout after my imprisonment.”
A weak laugh was given as she finally pulled away. With her eyes rimmed red, she shifted to make a call for a nurse, though that was cut short as Kai surprisingly climbed into her bed. No words were exchanged as she reluctantly shifted herself down into the bed-- though it did take time, she managed to curl herself in a way where she left distance between them.
“...aren’t you supposed to go?”
Featherlike and faint, he strained to hear her as he shifted himself down to properly face her as he melted in her (e/c) gaze. The slow dimming of life in her eyes was enough to tell him that it was time. However, he refused to believe it. If anything he’d find her awake the next day with that silly smile on her face. Yet even as he thought about this, the tears that he once thought were impossible for him, slowly began to stream down his cheeks as he nestled himself closer to her.
“....one day won’t kill them.”
“...mmm...”
“....go to sleep angel, I’ll be right here...”
“...and...you’ll be next to me?”
“...always.”
➽───────────────❥
Patient Name: (y/n) (l/n) Chisaki Quirk: Amnesiac
Time of Death: 6:05PM
#bnha x reader#mha x reader#overhaul x reader#kai chisaki x reader#chisaki kai x reader#chisaki x reader#mha scenarios#bnha scenarios#mha imagines#bnha imagines#chisaki angst#we about to drop more angst in this bish#i know i should be working on wips and requests but i can't help it ksksksk
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if you have requests open, could you please do a blurb/scenario where overhaul is too needy and clingy for touch ? it would be nice to see him be normal once. like the s/o is doing something like reading, and then suddenly he starts smoothering her in kisses, wanting to cuddle and etc. ?
how dare you come into my inbox and request something so gosh diddly darn soft anon, this is a yandere blog for crying out loud. also i’ve never really written fluff before, so i hope this lives up to your expectations given where i took this. i really spent a while trying to make this so i’m sorry if it wasn’t what you imagined. anyhoot―thanks for requesting my fav villain!
warnings: implied kidnapping and stockholm syndrome
_____
Yandere Chisaki Kai/Overhaul x f!Reader
(2.9k words) Title: affection
Time seemed to pass quickly in an unchanging environment. Having lost yourself long ago to the stagnant surroundings and uncompromising directives, existing was now a calm, passive experience.
Gradually, your mindset began to shift. Likely for the better, you acknowledged and accepted the proclamations of Chisaki Kai.
It was peculiar―there was a certain attachment he had to you, and it was quite evident. He cared for you, but it was on a detached level. Few times existed in your memory in which he had displayed innate affection, something with physical warmth to it. Mostly, his devotion was shown in the act of providing for you―maintaining your good health, a comfortable place to rest, relaxing pastimes―anything to make your life with him more pleasant.
When it came to more personal exchanges, Chisaki was lacking deeply. On the rare occasion he’d indulge you in closeness, but something seemed to be holding him back. Contact was limited―a hand on the small of your back, moving a strand of wayward hair from your face. If he was feeling particularly bold, he might gently cup your cheek as he admired the details in your irises for a fleeting moment.
It never moved beyond these happenings though, whether you wished they would or not.
You took them as they came, but slowly the lack of contact was having its own effects on your health. It was more of a mental than physical affliction―the loss of touch meant the loss of an irreplaceable comfort.
Unfortunately, Chisaki had his boundaries, something you were well aware of. It was the driving force preventing you from bringing up the concern. Instead, you continued to subsist day in and day out. By now the need to resist had faded completely, and you were left to the subjection of his will.
Today, that will had you occupied in his office. The yakuza leader seemed to take solace in your company, although distant, thus having you frequently stationed in his proximity. Novel in hand, leaning against the armrest behind you, your mind drifted from the contents of the pages as you relaxed against the soft leather. Always in his line of site, the couch you were laying on was positioned against the wall to Kai’s right as he worked diligently at his desk.
If there was one trait of his that prevailed over all others, it was his attention to detail in your condition. He picked up on everything before you comprehended the reality yourself. It was because of this you eventually began to willingly let him make all the decisions, knowing you’d never be on the same level of proficiency.
His office was normally a quiet environment―you deduced it was something he maintained when you were around. It was easier to immerse yourself in a good book like this, devoid of distractions. Yet, every so often your thoughts departed from the story, taking up residence in the details of your surroundings.
The warm yet sufficiently illuminating lighting, crisp and sterile scented air, ambient noises of a quietly ticking clock or the typing of a keyboard. It all served to subdue your nerves, letting your mind ease into placidity. Your eyes drifted to the wall on your left, lost in the grooved details of the high-grade wooden panelling.
“Angel.”
Your head turned to the source of the sound, pulling you out of your thoughts. Chisaki had moved to seat himself on the edge of the couch next to you, a look of worry in his eyes coupled with slightly furrowed eyebrows. You offered a hum in response.
“How did you sleep last night? You tend to get...distracted, when you’re tired.” He must’ve noticed the wandering look in your eyes―eyes that should've been focused on your novel. As always, he knows you better than you know yourself.
“Well enough, I guess.” You gave a warm smile in hopes of easing his concerns.
He continued with an inquisitive look. “How many hours?”
You knew the question to be an order to tell the truth, despite it sounding harmless enough. “Maybe five. I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep.”
Chisaki let out a sigh, likely disappointed at the response.
Yet, it would seem today he was feeling generous with affection.
His gloved right hand drifted to your face, settling on cupping the side of it while his thumb lightly caressed your cheekbone. “You know to wake me up if you're having trouble sleeping.”
“I didn’t want to bother you Kai. I’m really not that tired, so you don’t need to worry.” Upsetting him was the last thing you wanted to do, knowing how it affected his ability to work sometimes.
“We’ve been over this before, angel. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing. If something is wrong you’re to tell me immediately.”
But you couldn’t tell him what was wrong. The truth was something even he wouldn’t be able to fix as far as you were concerned.
You could have woken him up last night, and you probably would’ve been met with sleeping pills to ease your affliction. It would’ve done the trick, but in reality it wouldn’t have been what you truly needed. Even after all this time, admitting it to yourself was difficult. But you couldn’t deny the comfort you felt in his touch. The two of you even slept in the same bed―it wouldn’t take much for him to fix the issue if he wasn’t so insistent on ‘giving you your space.’
For now, you resolved to lean into his hand, silently conveying your feelings. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think I’d be up for so long.”
He must’ve picked up on the movement, seeing as his eyes widened ever so slightly. Much to your surprise, he didn’t withdraw his hand.
Once again he regarded you with mild distress. “Your health will deteriorate if you remain exhausted. Tell me next time, I’ll give you something to help with the restlessness.”
That’s not what you wanted. “I don’t like taking the pills though. They make me feel...weird.”
He gave a small laugh, “How else am I supposed to put you to sleep?”
You bit down on your lower lip nervously, looking away from his gaze. He’d likely never understand, and it was a reality you would have to get used to―just as you had with all the other difficulties he presented you.
“Hey, look at me.” Your eyes immediately followed his command, seeing him now glaring down at you. “You’re acting strange, what are you thinking about?”
What were you supposed to tell him?
You’d have to lie your way out of this one and pray he didn’t pick up on it. You opened your mouth to speak, but a knock at the heavy wooden door effectively cut you off.
“Just a minute.” Chisaki called out to whoever provided the interruption before regarding you again. His hand slipped to the top of your exposed knee, given that you were wearing a dress that came just above it. “Whatever’s wrong―you're telling me later, understand?”
You gave a small nod in response, which he deemed satisfactory enough.
Giving your knee a small squeeze, he stood from the couch, moving to retake his place in the chair behind his desk. He invited the individual waiting on the other side of the door in, and you returned to the company of your book.
Yet, as hard as you tried to focus on its contents, you couldn’t help but fret over the prospect of having to tell him exactly how you were feeling.
_____
The following couple of hours were spent in the continued presence of Kai as he dealt with a few of his subordinates in the office. Since the interaction you picked up on his brief glances in your direction, doing what you assumed was making sure you weren’t falling asleep.
Eventually, dinner had rolled around. The two of you ate in almost complete silence, save for a few comments made here and there regarding your opinions on the new novel you were reading, and him on having to deal with some incompetent underlings.
It would seem for the moment he had disregarded his promise to interrogate you on the topic of your change in behaviour. Maybe for once he wouldn’t be so painfully thorough, and instead let this one incident slide.
That’s what you hoped for, not being able to come to terms with the reality of having to tell him the truth. But you knew better―he was never one to go back on his word, not even with you.
Chisaki returned to the office for a few hours after dinner, letting Kurono accompany you on a walk through the compound's courtyard.
The place was by far your most favoured area in the base. It was the only thing that really changed in your life―the seasons, weather, anything nature had to offer―the only constant that was inconstant. You always took as much time as possible to relish in the environment, and were never truly satisfied by the time you were escorted away, back to the shared bedroom.
Kai was already in the room when you returned, some unidentifiable files in hand as he sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over the papers.
It was fairly late, nearing when he had designated an appropriate bedtime for yourself.
He lifted his head as you entered the room, watching as you shut the door behind you.
“I drew you a bath. We’re having that talk once you’re ready for bed.”
Following his unspoken commands, you headed into the bathroom, not before picking out a pair of pyjamas for the night.
Naturally, you spent as long as possible soaking in the gradually cooling off water. Having scrubbed your body down long ago, it was now a matter of biding your time until you could work up the courage to return to him.
Unfortunately that courage never came, rather it was more of an inescapable dread that you had no choice but to deal with. If you waited any longer it would only make things worse for the both of you.
Coming to terms with the situation, you finished up with your bath and finished getting ready for bed.
Upon exiting the bathroom you saw Kai was already in bed, sitting up against the headboard on his phone. By the end of the day he never truly finished his work as far as you could tell, leaving times like this to be spent tending to emails or occasionally answering a phone call. He never bothered to hide his occupation from you. It wasn’t always a bad thing, but some of the discussions he had were, for lack of better words, alarming. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.
The only light left on in the room was that of the lamp on his bedside table. His eyes never strayed from his phone as you made your way over to your side of the bed. You settled for lying on your side, facing away from him under the blankets.
It was around 9:00 pm at this point. Normally Chisaki stayed up for a couple of hours, either in bed on his phone or at the small desk just to the side of the room. He insisted that you go to bed at the same time every night, and remained in the room to make sure you actually fell asleep.
Like usual, the two of you never talked in these moments. That continued to be your reality for a few minutes, but his promise was more than enough to keep the exhaustion away for the time being.
You heard a deep sigh from his side of the bed, followed by the gentle thud of a phone being laid on the nightstand. There was a slight shift in the bed before movement ceased once again.
“So, what’s on your mind?”
You really didn’t want to open up to him about this. “Nothing really, I guess.”
For the most part you’d been good at hiding it, but last night was just one amongst many that had you awake for long hours. Keeping the issue from him wasn’t the easiest, but it was better than the alternative―than this.
“Angel, I’m going to need you to cooperate here. I can tell your behaviour has changed.”
Maybe you weren’t as good at hiding it as you thought.
“Just a little tired is all, I’m fine.”
You’re definitely not fine.
“How long have you felt like this.”
Longer than you could feasibly remember, but you digress.
“Maybe a month...or two.”
The pause suggested that, like you expected, your answers tonight would likely irritate him.
“I’ll pick up some medication to help you stay asleep then.”
Again with this, it’s like he has selective memory or something.
“I don’t li―”
“You don’t like the way it makes you feel, I know. But you’ll fall ill if you remain in this state.”
You never had the room to be demanding with Kai. Realistically, you never needed to. Somehow he always managed to take care of everything―even things you didn’t realize were a problem. Not when it came to this however. Nowadays, he just barely missed the mark, and it was enough to cause issues of its own.
“It’s just...not everything can be solved with pills.”
God, what were you saying? It would be so much easier to just accept his answer and move on.
That’s what you thought, but something was causing you to reply against your will, for better or for worse.
“You’re going to have to be a little more specific, my love.” You felt the bed shift once again, the only light going out with a click.
You’ve already dug yourself deep enough into this mess, where’s the harm in going a little further?
“I guess I’m just...lonely?”
There was a moment of silence that felt like it lasted an eternity. You’d never discussed this topic with him before―at least you think you hadn’t. A lot of your memories felt foggy due to the almost completely unchanging routine you’d been subjected to for who knows how long.
You heard another sigh from his side of the bed. It was already something you’d anticipated―him not being able to provide for you in this way despite being more than capable of doing so with all other concerns. All you could do now was wait for the inevitable, medically approached solution he had conjured.
“Well, if that’s the case…” Yet, in a swift motion you felt an arm wrap around your waist, pulling you back from your position on the edge of the bed, “...I suppose it’d be quite irresponsible of me to neglect this problem any longer.”
He slotted you securely against his chest, arm remaining firmly draped over your frame effectively keeping you from moving even an inch out of his grasp.
The sudden contact sent your mind reeling, while your body was seemingly unable to put up resistance―but at this point there wasn’t much need to resist anyways. In fact, you were more concerned with Chisaki, him stepping way outside of what you perceived to be his comfort zone.
“I―y-you don’t have to―”
“You should know that I’ve been holding back for your sake. Had I known you were so afflicted I would’ve indulged myself much sooner.”
Naturally, this only confused you further.
“I thought you didn’t like touching people?” Your voice was quiet―small even.
He almost laughed at the comment, but it came out as more of a breathy exhale. “That’s correct, angel.” Almost tantalizingly slow, he started leaving a trail of light kisses down your neck, pausing only to speak. “You however...I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I laid eyes on you.”
You felt the grip around your waist tighten ever so slightly. Not in a threatening way―more so to bring you closer to him, if that was even possible.
“Why did you wait?” For as long as you’ve known him, Chisaki was a man to take whatever he wanted without question. So the prospect of your current situation was baffling.
You could almost feel the slight smile he had against your skin as he lightly hovered over it. “I wanted you to come to me first...and now that you have,” his lips ghosted the shell of your ear, “I don’t plan on keeping the same restraint any longer.”
A shiver ran up and down your spine, you inwardly cursing yourself for having sensitive ears.
He continued, “But I suppose for now I should let you sleep, seeing as I’ve been preventing you from doing so for quite some time.” You felt him plant a final, gentle kiss atop the crown of your head.
It had been so long since someone had held you―made you feel genuinely loved―that it had your heart beating a million times a minute. Chisaki must’ve picked up on it, being so close, as his hand drifted to rest atop yours, rubbing small, soothing circles into it with his thumb.
This is what you wanted, right? For him to take this extra step?
Vaguely, you could register a slight feeling of...apprehension?
But, surely there was no need to feel worried anymore. Not after he’d looked after you―cared for you―for so long.
You tried to connect the sensation to reasoning. And yet, no matter how hard your brain searched for answers, a correspondence never formed. Rather, the sentiment faded as quickly as it arised, and was replaced with the comfort of his closeness to you―his affection.
So, you let it gradually lull you into sleep, knowing it’d be there―he’d be there―when you woke up. And it would still be there whenever you needed it, just as everything else was provided for you without you even having to ask.
#yandere bnha#yandere overhaul#yandere chisaki kai#yandere my hero academia#yandere#yandere mha#yandere bnha x reader#yandere mha x reader#yandere overhaul x reader#yandere chisaki kai x reader#yandere x reader
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Time and Time Again (Part 1) 1930′s Yandere!Overhaul x Fem!Reader
Prologue TBC in Part 2
Summary: An accident that should have killed you has instead left you stranded decades in the past with no apparent way to get home. You are saved and offered assistance by Kai Chisaki, a charming young man at the head of a powerful yakuza organization, who oddly enough believes your story. But Kai seems to have more on his mind concerning you than simply lending a helping hand, and as the days turn into weeks, you begin to wonder if he’s ever going to let you leave.
Warnings: None for this chapter. Warnings and tags will be updated as the chapters progress.
Side Note: I do NOT and never will condone the actions committed in this and future chapters, please be mindful and respectful of the fact that all of this is purely fiction.
And as always, I want to give a BIG thank you to my amazing friend @talpup for all the brainstorming and encouragement on these stories! I’m sure I would have given up on this blog a while ago if it wasn’t for all of their help. I highly encourage anyone who takes the time to read this to go over to their page or their AO3 account under the same name and check out their works, especially Chaos and Erase The Shadow. They are two of my favorite BNHA fics of ALL TIME!
Frigid and stiff.
Those were just a few of the words that came to you as your eyes began to flutter open, the slight facial movement causing the splitting pain in your head to become the forefront notice of your mind. The rest of your body was sore and stiff as well, but your head was where the pain was the worst. You were wet, your clothes drenched, the cloth water logged and heavy as you tried to push yourself up. It hurt to move, but at least it didn’t feel like anything was broken or dislocated, that was a plus in your book.
Gingerly turning your head to look around, it took your brain a few moments to process and catch up with the events of what happened before you woke up in this state. It all came rushing back to you at once, the walk, finding the old path that led to the cliff and then the sudden breaking of the ground under your feet as you screamed and fell over the ledge. You tried to recall if you remembered hitting the water, but the rest up until now was blank, meaning you must have passed out during the fall. Your vision was blurry and your brain felt like mush, but even those handicaps didn’t get in the way of you determining that this place was nowhere near the spot you originally fell from. From what you could recall of the spot where you were before, one side of the river had been right up against the cliff wall that you had fallen from, you still had no idea how you survived a fall like that, and the other was along a rocky shore and a forest. Now though, the waters of the river were much calmer and the stretch of water was flanked on either side by sand and thick forest, the current having likely carried you quite a ways down before you washed up on this little shore.
On pure instinct, you reached into your still zipped up pocket for your phone, along with its accompanying solar powered charger and were amazed to find that the expensive waterproof/shock absorbent case had done its job and protected the delicate tech device’s. It turned on just fine and there wasn’t a scratch on it, but it was telling you that you had no service, so you would still need to find some sort of civilization or an area near a cell tower before you could get help.
“This is bad.” You said to yourself as you finally stood up on shaky legs. The movement caused your already splitting head to pound even harder and when you pulled your hand away from your temple, you were unsurprised to find that what you’d been hoping was just water running down your face was actually blood. “And it just keeps getting better and better.” You groaned, internally chastising yourself for not having brought a little first aid pack just in case and vowing to do so from now on no matter what.
Looking around, it was impossible to tell where you were or how far down the river had carried you, but you figured that your best option would be to follow the flow of the water and hope that it would eventually lead you to some place you could get help from.
As you slowly began making your way along the bank of the river, it didn’t take you long to realize that the sun was beginning to set already and what very little warmth the day had to offer was quickly disappearing as the sun sunk lower and lower behind the mountains. Your clothes were still saturated with water and you were so cold that it physically hurt to move, it was impossible not to focus on it when every move you made brought the reminder to the forefront of your mind as the bitter cold material clung to your body and made you shiver to the point that your teeth were chattering uncontrollably. If you didn’t find help soon, it was likely you wouldn’t make it to see the morning. If the exhaustion didn’t make you keel over first, then the next option you’d have to take a guess at would be hypothermia setting in, but you needed to keep going, you had to find someone to help you or you were a goner.
So, despite how painfully cold you were, you did what you could to ignore it, along with the throbbing ache in your head and pushed on further into the darkening forest.
—————
Something was wrong...
It was pitch black out and it took about two hours of near painful and freezing walking, but you did eventually manage to find a road. There was a distinct lack of streetlights though and if it weren’t for the headlights of the occasional passing car, you may have missed it entirely, but that wasn’t what was bothering you, not entirely at least.
No, what you were finding odd were the types of cars that were passing you.
Oldsmobile was the word that came to mind when you managed to get a decent look at them. Every single one looked like they were brand new, like they were from the turn of the century or something straight out of a period piece style movie. Not that there were many cars out and about, but of the few that had passed by, not a single one seemed to be a newer model. It made you wonder if there had been some kind of event going on nearby, like a car show or something similar, but that didn’t explain why every car driving by looked like it was from a different era.
However, the model of the cars wasn’t your biggest concern right now, what was truly your greatest dilemma was that none of them were stopping to help you. You had tried to flag down every single one that passed and they all either just kept going or outright picked up speed. Your cell phone still wasn’t picking up a signal either and by this point, what little bit of adrenaline you had been running on before was now gone and you could feel the stress and fatigue finally starting to hit you. Walking was becoming increasingly difficult and with every meager step you took, you could feel your head pounding harder and harder. All you wanted to do was pass out and sleep for days, but doing that here would more than likely mean a death sentence.
Tears brought on by both fear and frustration began to roll down your cheeks as you took another painful step, your knees locking up and almost buckling under your weight. A broken sob escaped and that one sob led to more and more following in its path as you stumbled down the darkened roadside.
“Please… someone help…”
—————
“I want this leak taken care of by morning Hari, the last thing we need right now is the police sniffing around where they’re not wanted.”
��Understood Sir, I’ll inform Rappa that he’ll need to pay them a visit tonight.” The driver of the sleek black Packard replied, his gaze briefly shifting to his rear-view mirror to make eye contact with the handsome golden eyed male in the spacious back seat.
“No. Rappa’s too messy and we need this handled quietly and efficiently, but it still needs to send a message to anyone looking to capitalize on our name and turf that this kind of behavior won’t be overlooked.” The man’s gloved fingers tapped against his knee in thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion. “Send Nemoto instead. Tell him to make it look like a generic hit, like another organization was icing out their competition. Execution style should look standard enough.”
“I’ll handle it as soon as we get back.” Hari replied. “It’s late, but is there anything else you wish for me to handle before tom- what the hell?” Hari’s voice trailed off as he spotted something, or rather someone, walking along the roadside as he slowly drove by. It was too dark to make out the features while in a moving vehicle, but whoever it was, they were far too shapely to be a man as far as he could tell.
Kai heard the way Hari’s sentence had trailed off and he glanced in the same direction his lieutenant’s gaze was briefly focused as he continued to drive and watch the roadway. It took a moment for his eyes to spot what had caught his attention but when he did, he was rather surprised.
Walking along the side of the road was a strangely dressed woman. It was hard to tell what she really looked like in the brief moment that the headlights had hit her, but she appeared to be in trouble. She had her arms wrapped around herself as she shivered from the cold mountain air and it looked as if she was soaking wet, not a good combination in these kinds of open elements. Normally Kai wouldn’t have cared about some nobody, but this was an isolated mountain road miles and miles away from any towns or people and she didn’t appear to be prepared to handle this kind of terrain or temperature. Her clothes, while strange looking and not normal for a woman, seemed to be ill equipped for being out here and her shivering posture only added to that conclusion.
As a young child, Kai had been abandoned and left for dead on the streets, surviving on nothing more than his wits and determination to stay alive. This was how his life had stayed for a good number of years, but that all changed one summer when he’d met the man that helped forge him into who he was today, the man that took him in and raised him up to be strong and confident, the man who gave him everything.
Pops.
Pops had found him on the streets and gave him life again, had fed and clothed him, hired all the best tutors to teach him how to read and write as well as an assortment of other curriculum's, had treated him as if he were his own son. And one of the most important lessons that Pops instilled in him was to always treat a woman with a certain amount of respect and dignity, to be a gentleman. Kai took everything Pops taught him very seriously, and that included this. So while Kai himself wasn’t some paragon of virtue or that good of a person by any stretch of the word, seeing a cold and lost young woman alone on an empty mountain road, he couldn’t help but flash back to all those lessons and feel the need to help her. Though his curiosity over her strange clothing and wanting to know what exactly she was doing out here definitely played a part in deciding his next decision.
“Hari, pull over.” Kai ordered, his tone firm and commanding.
Hari did as he was told without question, the moment he had seen the woman he knew that this was more than likely going to happen. Kai was nowhere near being a model citizen, but he wasn’t a complete monster like most believed him to be, his acts of kindness were simply very selective and few and far between. In many ways, Kai’s anger was like an irritable cat having its fur stroked in the wrong direction; if one played by Kai’s rules and did everything as he expected, then he would remain content, if one didn’t play the game by Kai’s standards… well then they better pray that his claws were the worst of their punishment.
Kai told Hari to stay put in the car and to keep it running as he stepped out to look towards the young woman who was now illuminated by the headlights. She was a tiny little thing already, but the way she was shivering and huddled in on herself made her look even smaller. She was half soaked to the bone, desperately in need of a bath and beat up as well, he could already see the dried blood that coated the right side of her head and long (h/c) hair as well as other numerous little cuts and scrapes that were littered across her face and bare hands. Cleaned up she would be quite the beautiful young woman all things considered. He was definitely right about her clothes though, they were some of the oddest garments he had ever seen on a woman. From the damp black coat that looked like it was more for appearance than practicality, to the provocative skintight trousers and fitted leather boots that both concealed her body and showed it off, it was a far cry from the usual long skirts, baggy pants and pressed blouses that most women wore, but still very flattering on her.
But it wasn’t until she lifted her head to meet his gaze that he truly became captivated.
It was her eyes, they were big and (e/c) and they were staring at him as if he was an oasis in a vast desert, as if he was her god given solace and it left a strange feeling chorusing through him. The best way he could describe it is by remembering a time from his childhood, when he was still very little and his aversion to all things filthy had not quite set in as strongly yet, when he had fallen out of a tree he had climbed. He remembers how it had seemed as if time slowed down around him as he plummeted down towards the ground, how he felt weightless and it left a tickling sensation in his stomach right before he impacted with the ground. It was a rush and his desire to find out who this woman was was even more consuming now than it was a few seconds ago.
“Are you alright Miss?” He asked smoothly, trying his best to sound as cordial as possible so as not to spook her. “You appear to be injured.”
Finally, after what seemed like forever, a vehicle had stopped for you and a seemingly handsome young man stepped out to ask if you needed assistance. Your head was pounding and your vision was so blurry though that all you could tell about him was that he had short dark hair and was dressed in a stylish dark suit with a slight vintage look to it and a black dust mask that covered his face from the nose down.
“I-I had an accident…” Your voice sounded hoarse and weak when you spoke and it took everything you had to stay standing upright as you wobbled on your feet. “Fell in the river while… while on a walk.”
Well that explained why you looked half drowned, Kai thought, his concern rising when he saw the way you were swaying from side to side. Just as he was about to speak again, you beat him to it, but what you said left him confused since he had no clue as to what you were speaking of.
“Pardon me Miss, but what did you say?” He calmly inquired.
You shook your head, trying to clear away the cloudy haze and black spots from your vision as you fought to get the words out through your dry mouth. “My-My cell phone is acting weird, can’t-can’t get a signal… could I borrow yours?”
Cell phone? What was that?
Kai knew what a telephone was, they were still relatively new though and very expensive. But he had never heard of a cell phone before, and what was that you had said about a signal? This was becoming more and more intriguing by the second. Were you speaking of something real or were you merely hallucinating and babbling nonsense?
“I am afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about Miss. I’ve never heard of a cell phone before, but if you have someone you’d like to get in contact with, you’re more than welcome to use the telephone I have back at my home.” He gestured towards the still running car, fully expecting a heartfelt thank you and for you to get in without further questions, what he got instead was not at all what he had been expecting.
His head shot up when he heard you scoff and a rough, humorless chuckle fall from your pretty mouth. “That-That’s just great…” You mumbled sarcastically, just loud enough for him to hear. “First car to stop and help and it’s some jackass wanting to play fucking mind games with me.” You looked him in the eye, you gaze hard and unflinching. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll take my chances with walking. The last thing I need right now is help from some asshole who just wants to fuck with my head.” You spat bitterly and began to make your way past him to continue on down the road, but stopped when your movement brought on a sudden dizzy spell and before you knew it, you were slumping to the ground as dead weight, your vision going completely black as you quickly lost conscience. Your anger and frustration had cleared your head for only a moment, but just as quickly as the clarity had come, it was gone again, and it took your waking mind right along with it.
If he was a more sensitive man, Kai may have been appalled and shocked at the way you had just spoken to him. Most women who met him saw his wealth in the way he dressed and carried himself and most threw themselves at him in an effort to gain his attention, some succeeded, some were cast aside, but what they all had in common was a more conniving way of going about it. They were flirty, trying to sway his opinion of them by stroking his ego with pretty words and coy smiles, and it had become boring. When he was younger, he had taken women to bed only to avoid being looked down on by his peers and other members of the organization, and while he had made sure the ones he chose had greatly enjoyed themselves, he himself had never gotten much more than a weak release out of those moments.
But you didn’t appear to notice or care about his appearance or the visible signs of his wealth. Instead, you simply ignored him as if he was just some random nobody you had met on the street, even going so far as to speak to him in a disrespectful tone and use crass, unladylike language on top of it. He knew he should be feeling slighted and angered by your lack of respect, but instead, all he felt was elated and proud. You were already a pretty little mystery that he wanted to solve, but now you were proving yourself to be a challenge for him to conquer and break.
But before he could do that, he needed to find a way to get you back to the compound and under his care and supervision. You were obviously hurt, disoriented, and lost, so his fist order of business was seeing to it that you got proper care and were back on your feet first and foremost, that would give him time to plan out how best to go about this new pet project of his.
Luckily you passed out before making it too far and he quickly ordered Hari to get you into the backseat of the Packard, to which his lieutenant did without question. A spare blanket from the trunk was draped over your small frame and as he took his place in the passenger seat up front, he reached back and placed his still gloved hand against your forehead and even through the material he could feel that you were burning up with a nasty fever. Once back at home, he would need to have Dr. Takani take a look at you after the maids gave you a bath and changed your clothes. It wouldn’t be right to let his new little curiosity become too ill after all.
He had found you and now you were his responsibility to care for. He was a man that took pride and care in all his possessions, and already you were becoming his new favorite. He didn’t know a thing about you, not even your name, but that was part of it, finding out everything he could about you was going to be half the fun of it.
“Where would you like to go Kai?” He heard Hari ask, but he never took his eyes off of you beautiful face as he replied.
“We’re going home.”
Sorry if this seemed a bit rushed, I was too excited to post it and didn't do a whole lot of editing besides a quick once over. lol
#yandere!overhaul#yandere!overhaul x reader#kai chisaki#kai chisaki x reader#fem!reader#reader insert#1930's au#time travel#no quirks au#yakuza#the beginnings of yandere behavior#typical yandere behavior#yandere bnha
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hi, i wanted to say you're one of my favorite villain blogs !!! 💞 bless you and your blog ! i wanted to request some headcanons of tabe,hojo, setsuno and tengai with a s/o that is suffering from an illness, where s/o can't say anything until s/o meets soulmate of their's. like, the reader is a new member of the shie hassaikai, and that's where they will meet. ( you can choose who, which one of those four, but i would be glad if you could do them all !
// Are you kidding? These are my favorite yakuza characters, of course I am doing them all! I’m really sorry it took so long though. //
// General Background: You were recruited by Overhaul for your extraordinary abilities, in spite of not being able to speak. You had communicated to him (through writing) that you were mute, not really wanting to bother him with the romantic details of your disability. He introduces you to the others and briefly explains your situation. //
// I really am sorry this took a short forever. //
~Hekiji Tengai~
Really doesn’t think much of it. He’s not one to judge or get suspicious, so he sort of just takes it at face value and doesn’t make much of an attempt to communicate with you.
That being said, it’s not like he avoids you or doesn’t want to be around you. In fact, it’s much the opposite. Every second Tengai spends around you makes him appreciate you more, but he’s still a bit worried about making you feel awkward about being mute.
Seeing you ‘talk’ with others gives him a little more confidence, you usually carry a notebook around for that reason, but a few members have gone out of their way to learn to recognize basic sign language so you can communicate faster.
This is what he ends up doing too, even before he’s approached you.
When he finally goes to talk to you, he sort of just inhales and spits out his heavily rehearsed introduction, before putting out his hand to shake.
You smile and shake his hand, mouth instinctively forming the words ‘nice to meet you too.’
When sound comes out of your mouth, you both kind of freeze for a minute and he starts to doubt if he was correct in thinking you were mute.
“You… You’re my soulmate!”
It’s rare for him to get caught off guard, but these two sentences from you seem to do it.It takes Tengai a minute to find the right questions to ask you.
Eventually you explain the specifics of your muteness, and he’s torn between feeling unprepared for a relationship and extremely happy about finding you.
He settles on being happy for now and saving the overthinking for later.
~Soramitsu Tabe~
Sweet baby is shy and quiet so he probably won’t go up to you right away
Plus, he thinks you’re pretty, so it’s just an added dose of adorable shyness.
It’s his friends who insist that he hang out around you, once they find out about his crush. After all, they wouldn’t want someone else to start dating you and have to deal with a sad Tabe.
When he eventually tries to get closer to you, it’s pretty much just him constantly watching you from a few meters away. It’s a little intimidating, but the other members assure you that he means no harm.
Honestly, it’s probably weeks before you’d ever be in a position where conversation with him was even on the table, so I’ll give you a likely scenario.
Someone mentioned that your birthday was coming up that weekend, so Tabe practically begged Hojo to help him bake a cake for you.
He gave in, of course, and that’s how he ended up covered in flour, trying to learn how to properly use a mixer while one of his closest friends looked at him expectantly, also covered head to toe in flour.
But this section isn’t about him.
The cake was… edible… when it was finished, and it actually looked okay thanks to Setsuno’s decorating skills.
Tabe was nervous about going up to you, but he was so close to finally getting you to notice him, so he wasn’t about to quit now.
When he shoved the plate into your arms and smiled awkwardly, you couldn’t help but smile back and mutter a ‘thanks’, before your eyes went wide as you realized that you could speak.
You set down the cake and hurried to explain your condition to him as he tried to comprehend what he was being told.
He had a soulmate? And it was someone as wonderful as you? How??
The first thing he did after you finished your explanation was wrap you in a tight hug.
As he pulled away, you could swear you heard him mutter “I love you” almost too quietly to hear.
~Yu Hojo~
Hojo won’t go out of his way to introduce himself at first, either. It’s mainly because he’s so awkward and doesn’t really see the point in putting you through painful small talk when you’ve already been informed of his, and everyone else’s, existence by Overhaul.
He still watches you from afar, and probably falls in love with you by watching you interact with the others.
The first time you actually meet is probably an accident.
He was coming out of Overhaul’s office, and you were coming into Overhaul’s office, and you literally ran into his chest.
He instinctively reached out to catch you, and you automatically tried to apologize, but immediately quieted down when you realized that you could speak.
You sort of just stared at him while processing what this meant and he quietly worried that he’d broken you.
When you finally explained what happened, he was shocked into silence, but soon recovered, wrapping you in an uncharacteristically excited hug.
He’s a little awkward around you at first, but can you blame him? He gave upon having a meaningful relationship a while ago, and now he has a soulmate!?
Despite that, he’s never cold to you, and he really tries to be the best soulmate he can.
~Toya Setsuno~
Setsuno realizes from the first time he sees you that he’s attracted to you, which is a problem.
He tries to ignore his feelings as much as possible, and in turn, starts ignoring you.
It doesn’t take long for his friends to figure out what’s going on. Hojo might strike up a “conversation” with you to get a sense of if you’re right for Setsuno.
Assuming that he decides you are, Hojo will pressure Setsuno to go over and talk to you.
He’s fidgety and awkward, but he manages to introduce himself and waits for a response before realizing that you can’t talk and beginning to frantically apologize.
It’s at this moment that you tell him it’s okay in hopes of putting him at ease, and you both sort of freeze up.
After you explain to him that you’re soulmates, he tears up a little. ‘Is she really the one? Am I finally going to be happy?’
It takes a while for him to calm down, but when he does, he’s a mixture of joy and anxiousness. He’s so happy to have a second chance at love, but he’s still nervous about messing up.
(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)
#shie hassaikai#bnha tengai#tengai hekiji#tabe soramitsu#bnha tabe x reader#tengai x reader#bnha tabe#toya setsuno x reader#bnha setsuno#setsuno toya#Hojo x reader#bnha hojo x reader#bnha hojo
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Hiiiii! Love the content on here. It’s one of my favorite BNHA blogs! If you have time, could you please write about Overhaul taking his SO on a date for the first time? Maybe Kai over does it and takes them to a really high end restaurant but his SO is barely middle class, under dresses, and very intimidated by how expensive and fancy everything is. Feeling like they don’t belong there.
You nervously patted your clothing just to prevent any possible dust to have sticked on it, Overhaul would probably be really angry if he found that, especially on something he gave it to you specific for this occasion...
It took you longer than expected to realize the young leader of the Shie Hassaikai had founf some interesting on you; actually it was rather understandable since he doesn't express anything with that face of nothing more than boreddom or irritation.
But in the other hand, bunch of people had noticed how the man looked at you with complete different eyes than normal... a certain admiration or even care expressed on the usual cold golden eyes of his.
Although... there was sometimes he was a bit... exaggerate on his way of expressing his "care".
But you couldn't help but slowly fall for this gorgeous man.
Now, you were here waiting for Overhaul to make his appearance, but when you saw him your jaw almost hitted the floor.
You knew that he wasn't a simple man at all, but you definitely didn't expect Overhaul to appear in a freaking expensive as hell black car, driven by someone else, getting out from the passenger seat.
We started well...
You already knew how he was gorgeous and magnificent but... holy shit.
Overhaul was wearing instead of his usual social black dress shirt for a white one with a black tie and to finish his open black tuxedo. His hair perfectly combed whith the usual black mask of his; it keeps away the filth don't judge him.
He was beautiful and all, but was he going to a weeding or some kind of social event instead of you guys date?
"I see that you followed my instructions." He aproached you, looking up and down at your figurine, surprisingly seeming pleased at your sign.
"Uh.. yeah. Although it isn't a bit too much for a date?" You asked with a nervous smile as he furrowed slightly his eyebrows.
"Nonsense. It's not only a perfect combination with your body and appearance in general but it's sociable acceptable. Not much, but not less either."
Was... was the first commentary a compliment?
You giggled at his actions in both disbelief and adoration at the man in front of you, while he only scoffed in irritation; hidding a certain warmth feeling in his chest and both of his cheeks at hearing that angelic laugh of yours.
"Are you going to just stand there and keeps laughing like a idiot? I will have you know I made reservations and I certainly despise being late for something." He said monotonously while walking towards the car.
"W-Wait what was that part again?" You stopped giggling at hearing that word, but your oh so sweet partner just ignored you as he oppened the door of the car.
"Come." A simple comand, but you noticed the hint of softness on his voice and couldn't help but smile.
A rather peculiar gentleman was he, but you definitely wasn't complaining the slightest.
As soon as you entered the car he close it and got on the other side pretty quickly and comanded the driver to take you two to where he planned.
~
You should have know...
A high class restaurant... indicated with five stars just recently.
You mentally facepalmed and instantly your cheeks went a crinson red color the moment Overhaul opened the damn car's door for you to step out.
Your chest tighten as you felt that the air in your lungs weren't suddenly sufficient at seing the huge amoint of high class people entering on that... luxurious place.
"I hope you don't bother these sick people around us. I tried to make it secluded only for us but sadly the man didn't take my offer... seriously." He mumbled while walking besides you, maintaining a certain comfortable distance.
"Wait. You can't do that with a restaurant!" You whisper yelled with wide open eyes as your mouth opened in surprise at seing the hints of a smirk behind that black mask of his even if his eyes stayed the same as always.
"Try to stop someone from the yakusa dearest. But I decided to simply let it slide... this time. I didn't want it to miss this opportunity to take you on this place."
Your heart skipped a beat at his words, so he was that serious about this, was he..?
You gulped that anxiety and nervousness down your throat in hopes it could go away... it was just a restaurant right? Just a place, nothing to worry abo-
Holy shit, how big is that chandelier on the ceiling? And there was a bunch of people playing the violin and piano on the other side of the room...
Why...?
You felt all your previous feelings coming back again, almost suffocating you at the point it was harf even to breath.
"Are you alright? You seem a little out of breath there..." Your companiom asked numbly while you yelped quietly.
"J-Just-! A little surprised at this place... it's... only high standards come in here apparently." You nervously pointed out before deadpanning at seing a couple of bunch of snobs passing by you guys front with their noses lifted up.
... gross.
He seemed to take that as a compliment as he simply hummed in agreement as he took a look at his front, where a bunch of people were sitting and eating on their neatly clean tables.
"The first time I came in here I was also shocked."
"Really? When was that, if you mind me asking?" He thought deeply for a second before he snapped his gloved fingers at remembering.
"When I was about 9 or 10 year old." You deadpanned at that.
He visited his place when he was a CHILD?! Why was he in here in the first place?! It was YOUR FIRST TIME coming to a place like this and you were already a young adult!
"Here. The waiter will lead us to our specific place." You gulped again, feeling even more nervous when walking through the bunch of rich snobs, who seemed to look you down... like they already knew.
You didn't belong in here. What the hell were you doing in here in the first place?
You need to get out... as much as it angered that you couldn't do one sacrifice for him, you needed to get out of there...
Before you could even turn away the voice of Overhaul invaded your ears again.
"Here. Just passing through this window." You eyed suspiciously before sighing in defeat... following him to the balcony of that place.
You gasped in surprise at seing a perfectly tidy table for two with even a candle holder on the middle.
Rather impressive.
The waiter dismissed himself after receiving a death glare from Overhaul, soon after the man himself pushed a chair and extended his palm at it, only looking at you expectantly.
"What a true gentleman you are!" You giggled quietly before taking a seat and waiting for him to take his as well, not missing the hearted scoff of his.
"I thought chivalry was dead now in these days." He shrugged before leaning his back a bit forward with a disinterested look but his voice was just as soft and sweet as honey.
"Well. I not a bragging man, but I certainly can say that I'm full of surprises."
You giggled again, feeling it more at ease but soon frowning slightest at seing both the menu of that place and the people on inside, who you swear were stealing glances.
"... something is wrong." The voice of his interrupted your thought before you yelped and looked at him.
"What on earth is bothering you?" For the first time you saw his expression turning into one of worry even if his words sounded a bit harsh "Didn't you found this place appealing?"
"I-Is not that!" You waved your hands in front of your body in exasperation "Is j-just..." you sighed, embarrassed of even mentioning this.
"Just..?" He lifted one of his eyebrows up.
"...Overhaul. This place is amazing and I am very grateful and honored that you invited me for a date in here." You montioned with your hand at the glorious room inside before lowering your palm with a frow on your face. "But... I am not... used to this. I'm a middle class ro low after all, so when I saw all of this I kinda panicked... and this must sound ridiculous even, but I swear I saw people inside sending judgments glares at me... like they already know that I don't belong in here, which is honestly true." You sadly mumbled the last part, catching his firm and serious gaze on you shortly after your rambling.
"It is ridiculous." He sighed while you deadpanned.
Well... at least he was honest. A bit bold and rude, but honest.
"First, its the most logical that they were looking at a man wearing a black surgeon face nask rather than yourself; second, they should keep their eyes to themselves and mind their own bussines at the first place." He sighed while closing his eyes, slightly annoyed.
You blinked at hearing his words, that actually made sense...
"Like myself." He opened his beautiful golden eyes, staring directly at yours "I keep my eyes on what only interests me or what is mine."
You blushed crinson red at his words, Overhaul wasn't a man that was good with words, but sometimes he did caught you off of guard... majority of the times.
He chuckled lowly as he looked at the color of your face changing by some words of his... fascinated.
"That blush of yours never gets old." He mused "Next time, just warn me instead of just staying in silent. Next date of ours a more simple then? I don't like crowded places anyway." He monotonously spoked, shortly half smilling at your relieved expression.
"Sounds wonderful. Although let's enjoy ourselves, since you mister, went a bit too far with your money with me... again." He scoffed at your laughing before you brought your hand to cover your mouth.
"Oh gosh did you think that they hear?" You whisper to him worriedly, receiving a eyebrow of his lifted up as response.
"If they did or not, it doesn't matter. Just focus on me for the night, just like what I'm doing."
"... you're going to leave me a mess in this place I swear." You whined while giggling as you covered your face.
He smirked at that. This was going to be way better than expected.
~
Bonus:
"Score for the boss!" Mimic exclaimed on the top of Chrono's head as he adjusted his binoculars.
"Be more quiet before he senses that we're here!" Whisper yelled Hari as he tried to steal a glance at the far balcony, failing miserably due to the distance.
Suddenly Mimic yelped and Chrono from the scare accidentally let both fall on the ground.
"What the fuck Irinaka?!"
"He saw us. We're fucked."
The ground started to tremble and both man cursed already knowing what was coming.
#overhaul x reader#overhaul scenario#overhaul headcanons#fanfic overhaul#overhaul#chisaki kai imagine scenario#kai chisaki x reader#chisaki kai x reader#chisaki kai#kai chisaki#mha chisaki#bnha imagine#bnha characters#bnha villains#bnha#bnha x reader#my writing#zuffer writings
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“TOUCH— THE ULTIMATE GIFT” (OVERHAUL x QUIRKLESS S/O HEADCANNONS)
anon: Yessss a blog for villains and my boi Overhaul 😍 Just as a random thought do u think he (overhaul) would let a quirkless s/o touch him? even a lil bit?
i know you just asked for a simple answer but i got carried away with the idea lmaoo I hate myself
okay, SO
I, for sure, know that at the beginning he would still have that heavy distaste towards being touched due to his ‘phobia’ of germs and this idea his brain has that he’s way too worthy to be touched by anyone
like this boy is on SUCH a high horse that he just doesn’t really deem anyone worthy of ‘dirtying’ his skin
touch just never seemed like a necessity to him
if anything, he deemed it a luxury for his (more than likely, quirkless) s/o to be able to touch him once he finally came around to it
it would take a short while before he would get over the disgust he’d have for touch and as someone who always feels the need to be in control of the situation, he would be the first to initiate it
‘they’re not tainted’ he would reassure himself as his (ungloved *gasp*) hand made its way for your skin ‘it’ll be fine, it won't be too bad’
the sensation, the first few times, would feel weird/odd with him only use to the texture of his skin and to you, it would be horrifying at first
the vast amount of trust you must have to put into him is one thing
trusting that he won't just turn his quirk on right then and there
trusting that this wasn't some sick game of his since he always vowed that everything was disgusting
you’d stare at him as he dragged his fingers down your arm, slight curiosity residing in his (hella gorgeous) eyes as he tried to identify the feeling he was feeling
after the first time, you would notice him touching you here and there
always randomly
most importantly, always when he wanted
but oh boy, the bigger step into you guys’ odd relationship was when he asked you to touch him
actually scratch that
he didn’t ask you to, he gave you permission to, almost ordering you to
your shaking hand hesitantly made its way towards where his face wasn’t covered by the mask he always wore
fearfully looking up at his eyes for any sign of anger once the pads of your fingers rested on his smooth skin, you let out the deep breath you were holding when you felt him quietly lean into your touch
it was a day, for sure
from then on, the touches would always be initiated by him
always on his call and only if he wanted to
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Woke - Chapter 2
Pairing: Eric/OC Fandom: Divergent / Insurgent Rating: M - Frequent bad language and sensitive subjects.
In the middle of corruption, our Leader deviates through a twisted world - and mind. Can he save himself? Does he want to be saved? He isn’t playing a heroes game. But something might just grow on him.
A/N: You can read the first chapter here. And thank you all for reading, commenting, reblogging etc. I know, these are really long chapters, so make sure you grab a cuppa before you start :)
Tags: @2toastersbang @singingpeople @pathybo @equalstrashflavoredtrash @clublulu333 @jojuarez26 @tigpooh67@murmelinchen @vitaevandal @lilu46 @mom2reesie@frecklefaceb @beltzboys2015-blog @ariwolff14 @angelswannawearmyredshooz - this is not letting me tag you? @lunaschild2016 @kirstenisntkirsty - same? @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @lauraaan182 (If I have forgotten anyone please message me.)
Impractical. It’s probably the fifth time I’ve noted the structure as impractical. Trees grow freely, and the tree inside the dome already reaches the very top of the domed ceiling. Dangerous, I scribble to accompany my list of impracticalities.
I’m not as poetic as my father, it appears.
Looking around me, nobody cares that I’m here. They have permanent smiles and greet each other in passing like it’s the best day of their lives. Free love goes a long way. It’s notable by the many children clambering about the place.
It’s like taking a step back in time - before the dinosaurs.
“Mr. Coulter.” I recognize this voice, it’s Joe, and I turn my head over my shoulder to acknowledge him. “Johanna sent me to give you these. Initiate quotas, list of recent emergencies... I think there is a crime record in there too, though, it’s not very big. There are other records in her office that she hasn’t had time to put together.” He shifts through some laminated folders until he finds what he’s looking for. “Ah, here it is. It’s actually quite interesting for me, but for you, I’d hardly find anything troublesome.”
I spot Johanna exiting the barn at last in the distance, Jimmy not far behind. A bird flies overhead that captures my attention, and when I look back, I see the flailing red skirt. I step a little closer to him and keep my voice low. “Joe, what’s her story?”
It takes him a minute to catch up, following my eyeline until he sees her. “Ah, yes, Fleur. An assistant of Johanna’s by choice. A good worker. Far more hours than the average.”
“The average woman or man?” My voice is distant.
“Both,” he tells me and I take a moment to frown at him. “Why?”
“She might be a good person for me to talk to.”
“Oh.” He seems disappointed. “You know, I work closely with Johanna more often than not, too?”
“Everything you have said or done is going into the report, Joe.” My smile is forced, but he seems happy enough. “Now, if you don’t mind. I only have one and a half days left to study an entire faction.” He crosses his arms and stands with me for a long time not realizing I’ve dismissed him. When he catches me, he drops his stance, and motions that he’s going elsewhere. I have every faith he will blab to her that I made an inquiry.
I’ll study the faction on foot, take my notes, and begin writing an official document tonight.
The ease to write comes to me by the time the sky begins to darken and I find myself half invested into it beside me while I eat. It’s back in the dome that the Amity folk cram themselves inside to keep warm and share food between each other; families and single members alike. Regardless of the sunshine in the day, the night is cool.
There is a small band playing old instruments in the corner quietly, and I’m fully aware of the darkness of mine and Jimmy’s clothes along with a small squadron standing out in the array of cream and orange.
I find eating easier by now. I’m used to this place. And Jimmy doesn’t seem to be at all bothered, stuffing as much food in his face as possible. “Try the bread,” I goad him, chuckling to myself when he doesn’t bat an eyelid and takes some from the middle. Between the tables there are servers taking finished plates, replacing food. It’s easy to forget our world in a place like this. But I’m like a dog with a bone. I didn’t realize how deep rejection had hit because I spend one-third of my time scanning the tables.
If she was here, what would I even do? Talk to her? - Most likely not. Apologise for being so bumbling before? - No. Explain how it would be incredible if she would take her clothes off for me? That may have worked one time before when I was twenty, but not now. The memory makes me cringe enough as it is. And besides, this is not Dauntless, and I am nothing but a forgettable face.
I haven’t been interested in sexual encounters for so long that this time it’s slightly thrown me. Usually, it’s kind of a convenience; something I fell into, or on. But she didn’t even particularly show she was interested and I wonder if that’s why I’m so irritated. She was only polite because I am a Leader of another faction. Fleur, it’s a dumb name anyway.
“...come with us tonight, we’ll show you around,” a charismatic soldier speaks mainly to Jimmy, filtering into my thoughts.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he laughs, and the table seems to be on in some joke. I just stay quiet and sip my water. “Few cabins round here get lively at night. It’s all that peace serum. Peace in the woods. Peace in the fields…”
“Eric?” Jimmy asks. “What you doing after?”
“I’ve got work to do.” I wipe my mouth and stand up, claiming my exit.
“You’re going to miss dessert,” he says, but the guy next to him squeezes his shoulder.
“There’s enough dessert to go around.”
Scoffing, I pick up my notes and make my exit without looking back.
There is something therapeutic about viewing my own writing. Usually, everything is computer based; emails and the like. But in my own handwriting, it’s a sense of accomplishment.
Putting an arm over my head, I sigh back on the limp pillows, drawing the pen up to bite it. As therapeutic as it is, my mind is racing. I glance at my father’s book beside me, under the hue of the orange lamp. This time of night I wouldn’t be in bed. I’d be in the Pit, with Frank, or in my apartment throwing back the nearest concoction.
If they could see me now - legs up, jacket off, pen in hand - they would think something is wrong with me.
The thought forces me to my feet, groaning for the sake of my shoulders persistence. I change into my sweats and gym shoes and prepare myself to take on the unpredictable Amity footpaths.
At first, my pace is slow but with time my muscles begin to give way to the point I’m hammering the paths, between the trees, my own breathing and heart pulsing in my ears. I want to feel the burn. I want to feel the pain.
I push myself to go faster until I’m wheezing, to the point of my body’s refusal. And it all happens at once. My breath catching the cool night air, my chest tight, my shoulder screaming, I stop suddenly and bend down, grimacing to myself.
Maybe that’s what my jumbled thoughts were, a pent-up energy. Running in Amity freely sure beats concrete in Dauntless.
Rubbing my face of the sweat that threatens to drip into my eyes, I put my hands on my hips and breathe in deeply, staring up to what appears to be lifeless cabins bar the one or two with the lights still on. Some I can see clearly into, some just brightly lit curtains. And upon my stroll back, I make random scenarios of what the families are doing inside.
I’m drawing my walk home out for the fact that I have nothing to go back to and what lies waiting for me at Dauntless will be careening back to me the moment I’m home in the afternoon. I’m lost here, like a limbo, nobody to bother me. And I don’t know whether it is a good or bad thing to be left alone with a swirling brain like mine.
Even in the midst of pure moonlight, in the dark - a favorite hour of mine - my sense of purpose is questionable.
A flash of light catches me off-guard; a room being lit up, and I miss my step, frowning until the realization hits me of who I’m watching. Looking to the ground, I contemplate moving on, pocketing my hands like I’ve been caught, though it is merely a coincidence.
But in the mirror of her small room, she doesn’t see me as she stares at herself in the reflection, mousy hair draped over her shoulders which she pulls to one side to brush through. Fleur’s face is anything other than impressed by what she sees, kind of sad, like the impression she gave with her shifty behavior earlier. Standing back and gripping the bottom of her white top, she lifts it in a practiced fashion to show her bare back to me, her front exposed in the mirror, braless, and my lamenting scoff to myself is purposely victorious.
Should I knock and tell her I can see her, that the whole neighborhood could? - Maybe she doesn’t care. Checking around me, everything is deadly quiet, not a soul. If I stand here and watch, does that make me creepy or lustful, or plain lucky?
She unzips the side of her skirt and it falls away from her hips, her hands going to the top of her underwear. Whether it’s only in my mind or not, but it’s painstakingly slow, watching the material drag down her skin.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I whisper to myself.
Smirking, I back away, finding the path back to my cabin. My goal is to have that. My mind's made up.
Jimmy’s about to knock but I throw the door open, his hand still caught in the air. “Goodmorning,” I say, quite cheerily, him rightfully frowning at me. He looks a mess. An obviously late night. I roam over his attire critically. “Sort your uniform out.” My shoulder hits his as I pass, and I can hear him stumbling behind me to keep up. “You’re on stock intake this morning. You need to go to the warehouses and get the annual turnover of produce for me.
“There’s like twenty?”
My smile is anything but pleasant. “Good thing we’re starting early... And there is fifteen. Overhaul is stored at the other faction’s warehouses.”
“Where are you going? How will I find you after?”
“I’ll be around.” A group of Amity pass in their bright clothes. “I’m not exactly hard to miss.”
Eyeing up Johanna’s long barn just pass the dome, my practical head is on top form. Just from a look, Jimmy knows to be on his way, and I march across the dirt still slightly damp from the cooler night.
There is no one inside, the place open to anyone who might be even slightly interested. As a start, I head for the main office. Of course, everything is above the stables, so I take the textured steps up, surveying the open landing and all the rooms filtering off into sections. Down the hall I can see the door open to the makeshift boardroom we were in yesterday and it gives me a better sense of the layout.
Off the large landing, I spy Johanna’s room, open with only glass walls and multiple blurred lines that are pointless for privacy. There are drawers upon drawers and one metal filing cabinet.
This is going to take me the best part of the day.
By eleven, there are voices traveling towards me. In the meantime, I’ve been enthusiastically pulling apart her office. When Johanna appears, I welcome her to the devastation. If she is unhappy, she hides it well. Though, any man could see her eyes drifting around, thinking how the fuck she was going to put this place back together.
Concentrating back to the papers in my hand, my overall discoveries are hardly troubling, more irritating. “I’m ready to visit the holding cells. I have reason to believe they are going to be in a lackluster condition as not fucking once have you filed any criminal activity apart from random names. And some of the dates are missing.” Holding up the paper, a second part of it drops down haggardly. “And, taking a guess, it’s about a hundred years old. It pains me to think of what condition the infirmary is in.” It’s also quite clear Max has done a piss poor job in the past - which I scribble down as a reminder.
“Usually our mishaps are very lowkey.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I say sharply, lifting my head to movement. Fleur glances at me, standing just behind Johanna, but I look away feigning disinterest. “Now, the holding cells?” I insist to which Johanna purses her lips. It’s obvious she was not expecting to find me here, not just yet, and not like this. “Is there a problem?”
“Erm, well, no… It’s just, between eleven and twelve I deal with simple law of the land and community problems. I’m expecting a visit any minute.”
Bingo. I knew as much from yesterday. “No problem. Shall we?” I gesture to Fleur with a tilt of my head. She holds my eyes for a second, then nods and looks towards the floor, turning on her heel. Just as I get to Johanna I stop. “I’m sorry about the mess.”
Johanna forces a smile. “No worries.”
When Fleur stops in front of me in the small lobby of the holding cells, her hands ball into fists as I approach from behind and purposefully brush past her. “What the hell is this?” I burst out upon eyeing the holding area, which consists of literally three square rooms and bars like something out of an old cowboy movie. They are all empty, gathering dust. There is even a hole in the roof beaming in sunlight and exposing particles in the air.
“Johanna doesn’t like to keep anyone in here for more than a few hours, if at all. It’s... inhumane.” I forgot the sound of her voice, soft but listless.
“Right…” I sigh. “This needs to be rectified. With no authority at all, it spells fucking trouble.” Grabbing one of the bars, I wiggle it, hearing it swirl in the concrete. “How do you think she’d feel if Dauntless took over the policing completely? A more permanent arrangement?”
“Probably relieved? She can blame Dauntless for the hospitality then.”
Smirking, I turn to look over at her. She wears red again today, this time a simple dress with it tied in at her waist. There are remnants of a fringe she has grown out, lighter parts in her hair that catch. With her in a light-hearted mood, I’m going to try my luck. “Listen,” my voice comes out like velvet, leaning up against the nearest wall. She’s been watching me roaming over her attire and hasn’t moved a muscle, which can only be seen as a good sign. “I have got to admit something.” Her expression never falters - unreadable. “I was jogging late last night... and I got a nice little surprise show from you in return.”
“Welcome to Amity,” she says unenthusiastically. She’s not embarrassed, she’s not scared, she’s nothing other than bland.
I try a different tactic. “Why do I get the expression you hate me and despise the ground I walk on?”
Shrugging, she strolls over to an old desk, black with dirt apart from a few old handprints, and skims a finger across. Her lips rise ever so slightly as she scoffs, “I don’t hate you. I just don’t know you.”
Weird, as Amity seem to be all about meet-and-greets. “We could change that,” I say, taking a step closer.
“I think you have far too much work to be taking part in getting to know me.”
“I’m a great multi-tasker.” Only my boots scuff along the ground, and she turns when I get up close.
She has ‘come get me’ eyes, long eyelashes that seem to sweep when she blinks or avoids my gaze - like what she is doing right now. “You were watching me?” she asks curiously after a pause.
“It was hard not to.”
“Careful, Dauntless aren’t supposed to show weaknesses. Is a lack of restraint your weakness?”
She’s testing me, I can see it. Using that little womanly innocence she has to dare to ask such questions. “I admit, at times I’m impulsive. But that’s few and far between. You were hardly shy last night. If you didn’t want to be watched then you would have made sure to shut your curtains.”
“If you are expecting me to take my clothes off for you, I’m sorry, but you are going to be greatly disappointed, Mr. Coulter.”
“Worth a try…” That was risky on my behalf, but I like the way she finally smiles to herself, slightly blushing, hardly expecting my reply.
“You are so confident…”
“Kind of comes with the job. I would apologize, but I don’t see what for.”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” She bites her lip, and in my third eye, I see myself ripping at her pretty red dress and bending her over the old desk in here. But I resist, using my ‘restraint’.
Fleur breathes in suddenly and moves away, breaking whatever had begun to shift between us. “We should head to the infirmary… to be finished before twelve.”
“Lead the way,” I gesture. At least I’ll have a nice view on the journey.
“We prefer traditional methods and ailments. The older generation are convinced they don’t need the help of Erudite supplying them. Our treatments work to an extent,” Fleur tells me. “For the treatment they do need - which isn’t available freely - they usually get aid from their families or neighbors to be able to afford it. And if you hadn’t noticed, Amity tend to have big families and a ‘what’s mine is yours’ attitude.”
“You speak like you’re not from Amity yourself?”
Fleur crosses her arms and stops in the corridor of the infirmary, gazing into one of the rooms. “This is my faction. I chose this faction.”
“Did I touch a nerve?” I ask, looking up from my notepad.
“No, I’m over it. My family abandoned me the moment I chose.” She looks to me then smiles gravely. “Did you want to see any other rooms while you’re here?”
“What’s your original faction?”
“It’s been so long it doesn’t matter,” she says quietly. “There are surgery rooms further down if you wanted to check them out. As you can see it’s not in the same state as the holding cells.”
She takes a step but I grab her arm and snarl, “I asked you a question.”
“My chosen faction is my faction. Whatever was is forgotten and I intend on keeping it that way.” Uncurling my hand the moment she gazes down at it, she gathers her composure. “What would you like to do?” I frown at her in confusion and she says, “...It is lunchtime.”
There is something compelling about her. Perhaps it’s the inner strength she has - the coldness, the mystery. Perhaps it’s because she doesn’t show any fear and hardly cowers at all, not even when my mood shifts unpredictably to the ways I act out in Dauntless.
“Have lunch with me?” The question tumbles out, so unlike me. But away from Dauntless, my senses have unwinded; those tight coils of suffocation slowly loosening, the gun next to my bed and the urge to pull the trigger, distant. I want to think about something other than work or myself. And what’s more, is that she makes me want to. That is what I find fascinating. “I’ll be out of your way this afternoon. I won’t be coming back.”
“You’re supposed to be working.”
“I told you, I’m a great multi-tasker. Don’t make it sound like a chore now.” There’s a long moment of silence where I begin to doubt myself. “I don't ask twice.”
A nurse passes between us, greeting us both politely. When she is out of earshot, Fleur puts a hand on the doorframe and loosens her stance. “Okay.” I hadn’t thought past her accepting, and now I’m stumped when she cooly roams over my uniform, lingering at the tattoos on my neck. “But I don’t eat in the dome.”
“I’m good with take-away.”
“What about park benches?”
My frown hurts. And then I realize - my shoulder doesn’t.
Bringing the sandwich up to my mouth, I hesitate. Fleur told me the sandwich bread wasn’t laced with peace serum but I’m always unsure. I glance over to her taking a bite and decide it should be okay. When she moves, it brings my attention away from the small pond we sit in front of, fish just viewable through the murky water skimming the surface on occasion.
“You have a lot of notes,” she says distantly, peering out ahead of her. The papers sit like a wall between us. “I hope Amity cracked up to what it was meant to be.”
“Surprisingly, I haven’t been shocked by anything. It’s not my first time here, it’s just been a while.” Tugging at my collar, my body is screaming for its daily dose.
She picks a piece of bread and throws it into the water. “Amity are good people. I like the fact that we are out of the loop with the other factions. I even believe the Factionless view us differently. We don’t get harassed by them as much as I hear from the others.”
“If you’re digging for what I’m writing about, don’t worry. I’m not aware of any changes apart from basics happening here.” Scowling, I take another bite, sitting further back and throwing a leg out while the nuisance pain strikes with a vengeance.
“I’m not digging.” She’s quiet as she chews. “Can I read them?”
I snort, kicking at the dirt with my outstretched leg. “No.” Rolling my shoulder, I shove the last piece of sandwich in my mouth and sit up, putting my elbows on my knees.
“Can I see?”
“I told you, no.”
“Not the notes, where you have pain.”
Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I’m irritated and fidgeting, trying not to show any expression on my face. “My shoulder. It’s nothing. Unless you want me to take my clothes off for any other reason?” I smirk over at her.
“If that were the case, I’d ask you.”
“Mysterious and blunt, what a powerful personality,” I say.
“I could say the same for you… So, you won’t show me anything? Not your writing, not your scars, nor tell me what you are thinking?” There’s a smile to her voice.
“Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking instead?” I brush her off, reaching for my bottle of water and unscrewing the lid.
“Where is the fun in that? And, you wanted to have lunch with me.”
I forgot I have a kink for inflicting torture upon myself. “You wouldn’t like me all that much if you really knew my thoughts.” Taking a long chug of my water, my hand quakes.
“Who says I like you at all?” She smiles mischievously when I glance over to her which tells me the exact opposite.
“For one, you’re still sitting here, asking me passive questions, and eating a dry sandwich. For two,” my lips rise up all on their own. “You’re trying to trick me into taking my clothes off.” She merely bursts out laughing, and it’s contagious.
Clicking her tongue after her laughter filters out, she sighs softly. “I’m thinking you should take your jacket off.”
“So, I was right?” I grin gleefully, feeling a bit lightheaded from laughing, which is weird because I can’t remember the last time I did.
“Partly.” She stands up and I watch her critically, rounding the bench to stand behind me.
“Which part?” I ask, her hands still stained with henna distracting me when they grip my shoulder, the smell of faint perfume, the pale underside of her arm seeming so delicate. She squeezes, kneading into my neck and it’s hard for me to relax. It’s like feeling constricted, bugs crawling up the skin of my legs. I want to stand up and repel away, instead, I opt to just turn my head and shrug her off. “Don’t.”
“I was only trying to help.” Dejectedly, she clasps her hands, the wind kicking up the skirt of her dress, her hair swaying in the breeze. “I should have asked. Maybe I’ve been in Amity too long.”
My laugh sounds somewhat condescending, yet it’s anything but. “I say that to myself about Dauntless.” Putting a hand through the shaved part of my hair, I’m starting to feel like a cunt.
“Is it because… there is someone in Dauntless waiting for you?”
“It’s because,” I begin, standing up and facing her with the bench as a wedge between us. “It’s,” I exhale sharply, instinctively lifting a hand up to feel the pill bottle inside my jacket. The job I do; only the other night putting a bullet between a sixteen-year-olds eyes, the screams, the blood on my hands. “I’m not worth helping,” I finally finish. “I’m a dangerous man.” Fleur’s eyes flash between mine, the crevice of a frown between her two neat eyebrows. “I’m not looking…” I stammer for the first time in a very long while. “I don’t want or need sympathy.”
Fleur crosses her arms and forces a smile, one that does falter. “If you’re ever going to change your mind…” she trails off, gazing back up the path. She gets up, shaking her head. Brushing past me, she says, “You know what? Don’t even bother.”
I scoff to myself in surprise as I listen to her footsteps fading away, popping the pills and swallow. I snort humorously - who does she even think she is? “I’m not bothering, don’t worry,” I say to no one in particular, feeling like a jackass nonetheless.
“Thank you, Eric, for all the hard work you have put in over the last two days,” Johanna shakes my hand. Hard work? She should try getting from one side of the Pit to the other on a Friday night.
Joe is next, shaking enthusiastically, and I hope to damn god I never see any of them again. “It’s been a real pleasure,” he tells me. “It helps to make us feel a part of the city we live in, though we are so far out of touch.”
“That’s great.” I whack his shoulder hard and turn my back on him, looking to Jimmy behind me. “You ready? He nods and jumps up into the truck, leaving me the window seat. As the truck starts, I keep my eyes out to the front, but I know I’m going to be catching glimpses of red for days - whether that is on my hands, or of Her skirt.
Pulling up to the Lot in Dauntless brings a weight upon my shoulders, namely - my bad shoulder as I roll it out. I was hardly expecting a welcoming party, so to see the one lone man, bringing his arms up in a huge gesture towards himself, is somewhat of a surprise. Frank obviously couldn’t wait for me to get back.
When the engine dies and I hop down, he strolls over with his trench coat open, a massive grin that he’s known for. “My boy!” he exclaims loudly over the emptying of the truck, man-hugging me and patting my back like it’s been years. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling.”
“I haven’t looked at my phone since the reception went. I’ll turn it on tonight,” I say, just as Jimmy tiredly steps to my side.
“How was the honeymoon?” Frank laughs, greeting Jimmy in the same fashion.
Smirking, I peer at Jim. “There was a lot of honey.”
“Is that so?” Frank winks before his expression turns serious. “Eric, we gotta talk. Now.” Suddenly thinking of Max, something ice-cold drops down my back. “You be on your way, Jim.” Corralling me away from the truck, there is a shift in his stance; a lowering of his head, but shoulders stiff, glancing around us. “If I’d have known about Amity, there were a few things I could’ve got you to do - check out for me, while you were there.”
“It was a fast arrangement. I didn’t know until an hour before and I had things to organize.”
“I get that.” He pulls out a cigarette and offers me one, which I take. He waits for the people to filter out of the lot before speaking again, keeping his voice low. “This is more of a personal thing. None of the other boys know.”
I laugh sardonically. “You got secret kids you’re not telling me about?”
“No, man.” He smacks my arm. “I got family in Amity.”
I stare blankly at him for a long moment. “You have family... in Amity? Don’t bullshit me.”
“I’m not,” he assures, taking a long drag. “And family as in just one family member…. I hope. Kind of a sweet-sour subject, so if you’d humor me a little bit of low judgment that would be great.”
“What about them?” I’m growing bored already of his long-ass, splintered sentence structures.
“I want to know how my little flower is doing.” I zone out instantly, thinking of Her. The waves in my brain buzz, my ears ringing. “She won’t speak to me. I get a very brief message from a nobody that goes out there on security turnovers. I tried calling you, boy. And this is why.”
My head begins to throb, specifically over my eyes. I rub my eyebrows frantically, feigning tiredness. “She?” Swallowing, my throat has gone dry, and my gut hasn’t caught up with my mind. “You could have sent an email, that would’ve got to me.”
“You know I prefer face to face or voice to voice for professional purposes. And she, as in, my half-sister.” He runs a hand through his dark hair, flicking his cigarette. “It’s a real long story. Daddy had a side-chick. Side-chick has baby. Sister goes Dauntless to Amity.”
“Why?” I cough suddenly, making Frank laugh. “Why have you never told me?”
“No reason to. You know what I said in the past, right? About people finding connections and…” he trails off distantly, staring over at the truck. “...weaknesses. It’s always used against you.” He grips my shoulder, meeting my eye. “Are you going back to Amity?”
“I don’t intend to. But then, I haven’t seen Max. And I won’t know anything until tomorrow. Got some work to do at home to get this finished.”
“So, you’re not heading out with us tonight?”
I shrug, “Duty calls,” knocking his hand from my shoulder.
“You get the word you’re visiting Amity again, you tell me, brother. I mean it.” Come to think of it, as I face him, he looks like he hasn’t slept in days. I wonder if this is what Max had seen in me the night before he sent me to Amity. “Let’s get out of here, it’s freezing. Balls are going to drop off…” He begins to walk away, towards the parking lot’s steel door. “You up for a beer?”
I’m still far behind, hands shoved into my pockets, following a crack in the ground before letting my head tilt up, trying to seem impassive. “What’s her name?” My voice cuts through the chilled air, and Frank hesitates for the best part of several seconds, holding the door open, one foot in, one foot out, like my mind and loyalties. Maybe a sign, an unconscious sign…
“Fleur,” he says. Slowly, he points inside. “Beer?”
“No. Got work to do,” I say.
“Hm, work.” He pouts for a moment, seemingly thinking of talking back but eventually just nods. “I’ll catch you tomorrow morning then.”
My holdall is dumped the moment I set foot inside the door, slamming it shut behind me, looking at the pitiful excuse of the place I call home. It’s far from the freedom of Amity; a dungeon, a place where my most decrepit thoughts linger, hitting me straight in the face.
I pace a few times up and down, past the kitchen island, eyeing up my laptop on the end. The moment I turn it on I know the emails will come flooding in, my initiate reports long and boring. But what I can also do is search the database through my home laptop, using the network accessed by senior members, like myself, Max, Frank…
Running a hand down my face, the realization of spending almost half a day with Frank’s sister; seeing her naked, lusting after her, trying my hand at flirting, is wrong. If he found out…
The thought strikes me that perhaps someone saw me with her. That maybe an informant will give their information to Frank. My part was totally innocent. I didn’t know who she was, and now her first reaction to me makes sense. He called her Flower, a nickname. I asked her about the meaning of it and her mood dampened quickly.
She’s hiding in Amity from him. No contact, he said. No contact on her behalf means she knows more than she lets on about Dauntless, about Frank. She knows things about Frank that could be dangerous.
Was Frank also fobbing me off about his whole weaknesses speech? We all have family. We all come from somewhere. So why would he call it a weakness? I don’t have attachments, but most of the other guys do. So why does that make Frank hold this secret?
The laptop is open and I’ve perched myself in front of it without being completely conscious of it. I type in the passwords angrily, scorning myself. I should have seen it. I should have known.
The Dauntless logo is at the top right of the page, a search bar to place a name or location in the middle. I don’t know her second name, I doubt it will be Frank’s. Fleur and Amity are all I have.
It takes a minute to load while I chew my thumbnail, propping my arms up on the counter. Suddenly the information springs up, her picture - that same mysterious, lost appearance that had me so caught up. Her name, Fleur Morey, Amity identification: 1247745, DOB: July 7th, making her twenty-five, seven years younger than Frank. Other than that, her information is basic. But at least she is legit. Though, there are no specifics on family.
With no email or number, she really has cut herself off from Frank.
I can’t admit to him that I met her because that opportunity had escaped me the moment he told me her name and I stared back blankly. I should have mentioned it then, but I didn’t, and logically, I’m unsure of why.
My phone buzzes loudly, snapping me out of my trance-like state. Grabbing it from my pocket and putting it to my ear, Max talks first. “Eric, I hear you’ve returned. Because I haven’t seen you I guess you’ve gone back to finish up the report on Amity? - And that, because you answered your phone, you’re not out with Frank?”
“I’m just going over the notes,” I lie, with the picture of Fleur staring back at me. It makes me feel a little creepy, stalking her after only recently departing, but it’s within good reason. “I’ll have it done tonight.”
“Other than that?”
I log out, clicking off the database. “Everything was… fine.”
Max sighs down the phone. “No hard feelings for sending you out there?”
“You know me, I’m one for expressing myself quite clearly.”
He chuckles to himself. “See you at the morning meeting.” He ends the call without my reply; the light dying on the face of the phone when I put it on the counter, leaving me to sit here in an eerie silence. Alone again.
Entering into the boardroom for our usual meeting, I take a seat next to Frank. Though, he’s quiet. Too quiet. Barely glancing my way with his legs crossed and watching his own foot bounce impatiently on his knee.
Max is up front, standing authoritatively, the group waiting. “Eric has returned from Amity with a very fine report. It’s believed from the conditions he was met with, that the holding area they have within Amity is in poor condition along with any crime-log or activity, which makes it hard in general for Dauntless to operate.” Frank’s burning stare is at the side of my face but I ignore him, acting like I’m too enthralled with this speech. “He’s advised a permanent fixture. Someone to be named head of the project.” A woman at the front that’s always hovering around Max looks over her shoulder at me and I stare her out until she ducks away. “As we are prominent members of Dauntless, I think this matter should be discussed between us. A decision will be made today.”
Frank taps my leg. “You missed out last night,” he whispers, watching Max carefully. “Two detailed hits sent to Jeanine, deviating Max. She’s dealing with the backlash. Heath banged his long lost love, Pepper. And Jimmy whitied.”
Running my tongue along every individual tooth helps to stop my mouth from getting away from me. For the first time, when I glance at Frank, he irritates the living shit out of me. The nonsense he drawls seeming hardly thought-provoking. I couldn’t care less, but find myself pondering over whether Jimmy is alright or not.
Flexing my hands out, Frank taps me again, and this time I painfully clamp my eyes shut. Maybe Fleur was right, my lack of restraint is terrible. “I want you in on tonight's,” he tells me.
I turn my head and look him up and down slowly. “I’ll be in on tonight’s if I’m not busy. Since when did you feel the need to tell me what I’m doing?” His eyes glint, his top lip quirking into more of a snarl than a smirk. “I don’t take orders from you.”
“Not yet,” he smiles fully, motioning with his head towards Max. “But maybe someday you will.”
“Then that’ll be the day.”
“Eric!” Max’s voice booms suddenly, stopping me and Frank from sneering at each other. Neither of us had heard him calling me for the last couple of minutes, and that the room is quiet. “Eric, this entire boardroom is in favor of you representing Dauntless for Amity. I’m sure, as you have been once already, Johanna would be very pleased with your presence.”
“Thrilled,” I say, and Frank leans back with a scoff in his chair.
“You start immediately. Arrangements should be made for next week.” Max nods to the woman who is his insufferable shadow, handing her some papers. “Meeting dismissed.” The room moves except for me and Frank.
“I saw this coming,” Frank begins, sounding somewhat disappointed. “You’re going to be fucking off to Amity every week. It’s going to be occupying all your time.”
“Get off my back.” I go to stand but he grips my arm, my hand whipping back to his wrist, a defensive maneuver. “You really want to do this?”
“No, but do you?”
“Where exactly are you going with this?” I ask, shoving his arm away and flexing my shoulder. “You’ve been a little bitch all morning.”
“There’s something bothering me about you and I can’t figure out what it is. Maybe it’s just me. But I’ll tell you what I’m thinking, we’ve always been straight with each other, haven’t we?” He purposely smiles with all teeth. “I’m doubting how well you’ll hold up with what’s in store for Max. You know, last night was the first time you put us aside for work?”
“I’m doing my job. The job comes first.” That may be the first time I’ve said that.
“We come first. Or have you already forgotten?”
“I haven’t forgotten anything, but this is new. You’re like a bitter wife I left behind.” Frank’s never vocalized what comes first, it’s always been my guess, but right now I know he’s trying to lay it on, trying to break information from me. He’s looking for a way in, to stab the knife and twist it until I submit. “We are Leaders of a faction.”
“You’re also a sick man. A sick man who relies on medication. That was the deal. If you can’t turn up, you get turned out. And that ain’t pretty. Tonight, Eric.”
My eye twitches, casting a glare at him, one that would make any other person back down, but not Frank. “Fuck you,” rumbles out of my chest without any conceivable thought. “Fuck you. That was low - even for you.” As I stand up, my attention is drawn to a person by the door, leaning up against it - Leroy. He’s heard the tail end of our conversation, it’s written all over his face.
My back is so stiff, my muscles screaming to inflict pain on the next poor bastard. But they won’t get the better of me. As I get to him, he doesn’t move and I purposefully stop, staring coldly, unspeaking. I suddenly fake a large step towards him, causing him to jolt back in surprise and hit the frame. “Pussy,” I say with a smirk.
Heath keeps looking over from the seat next to me in the back of the car. This confirms he probably only knows partly of what’s happening. - Or maybe it’s just the pissed off look on my face
Leroy drives, and it’s Candor we are visiting, the great building in front of us. My mood is sour. I couldn’t care less, and I’m not enjoying being in Leroy’s or Frank’s company. “Leroy should take this one,” I say as the car stops, copying him from the night he elected Jimmy.
“We all go,” Frank frowns back at me.
“Wow, what a different attitude.” I yank on the handle of the door and open it, slamming it shut behind me. They are whispering in there in their few spare seconds and I don’t doubt it’s about my behavior. But I will not be told what to do. And I will act the cunt as much as I fucking want.
Hey, after all, Frank wanted me here tonight. Specifically tonight. And I’m going to make him regret it.
Tapping the window, I smile at Leroy. “Come on, you’re not backing out now, are you? I could really do with shooting some innocents again tonight. We tend to have a knack for it. Get’s me off,” I snarl the last part with a fake grin at his level in the window.
“Cut the shit, Eric,” Frank snaps as he emerges from the vehicle, lighting a cigarette. He inhales heavily and closes his eyes before he speaks. “Two refusements to pay tonight. You know the deal.”
We know the deal. The hand I’ve been dealt is bullshit.
“Please, please, please. I’ll do anything. I don’t have the points right now. There must be something?” The woman begged. Leroy glanced over to Frank while I stood back with Heath with a gun to her husband's head. “The medicine is for me, not him.” None of us moved, nor acknowledged her at first until Frank breathed in and crouched down to her level on the floor where she sat pleading on her knees in front of Leroy.
“You get one warning, sweetie,” Frank said, pushing back some of her hair. The husband moved and I pressed the barrel hard onto his forehead. His eyes met mine, and if only he knew how hard it was in that moment to keep myself passive. I could see the hate boiling under his surface. He would kill me now if he could. Even if the most harmless man was pushed hard enough, they will kill. “Then you get us at your door for your last chance. ...And you still can’t pay up.” He shook his head for dramatics. “What are we supposed to do?”
“Please,” she sobbed.
“She has a beautiful mouth,” Leroy spoke quietly. My eyes slid from the horror in her husbands towards Leroy getting a little closer to her. There was something different, something dark that I’d neither heard nor seen before. Leroy and Frank were pretty close, but from my new understanding, because they were just as sick as each other. Me and Frank had a different relationship - we used our heads.
“Indeed she has,” Frank said, letting a thumb slip across her lower lip.
I knew what I needed to do.
“Eric, you okay there?” Max asks, weaving behind his desk with a coffee. “You zoned out.” I feel cold all over, peering out towards the window.
I pulled the trigger. The backlash of warm blood splattered across my face from point-blank range.
My hand twitches with the noise of the gun in my memory and I whip my head back to Max. “What were you saying?”
“What the fuck, Eric?!” Frank called out, the husband's body slumping on the floor in front of me. Frank stumbled back and Leroy jumped to the side as I swung my gun towards the woman. She screamed, momentarily. But it was for the best.
I grip my hands together, blinking rapidly. Max seems to watch me closely for a minute, sipping his coffee. “Did you want one?” He gestures with the cup and I shake my head. “I have to admit, I’m impressed with the work you did. It’s detailed - can tell it’s your own words, of course,” he chuckles. “You haven’t lost it.”
“He moved,” my voice droned, putting an end to the night.
Raising my eyebrow, all I can think is, ‘Really? Because I feel like I’ve lost my damn mind.’
“You seem to be taking the thought of representing the adjustments in Amity pretty well.”
“Initiation is ending. I need something to focus on.” My thumbs twirl around each other. I need to stop this. I’m being too obvious.
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Don’t criticize me,” I say.
He sits back in his chair and crosses his legs. “I’m giving you full authoritative permission on this. Your word is as good as mine. I’ll let all relevant parties know. But just…” He hesitates, rolling his lips to grimace. “Just don’t let me down.” He scoffs and turns in his chair more to the side. “I know I’m giving myself grief, having to try and coerce Frank into listening to a damn word I say. I was hoping I could work on him. Perhaps try and build a better relationship, if only for work.”
“Good luck with that.”
Max smiles somewhat then goes into a drawer next to him. “Radio, because the reception gives me a headache out there.”
“Add that to the long list of improvements,” I scoff sarcastically.
“I’m pretty sure the folk out there make sure to keep it that way.”
I sigh tiredly. “They are interesting.” The vow I told myself, to never linger in the land of regret, comes two-fold. The words I spoke aloud, saying I didn’t want sympathy, or that I couldn’t be helped were far from the truth. At the time, my back bristled and I responded the only way I knew how. But I brought back that sensitivity from Amity. The book my father wrote, viewing a relaxed life, the touch of someone who cared, which couldn’t gain anything from me, has ignited something. The gun in my mouth seems far away. The will to live harsher. Questioning everything that only a week ago I was passionate about.
The words are out before I can stop them, “Be careful with Frank. He’s a loose cannon at the best of times.” Standing up quickly, I take the radio, heading for the door.
“And like you ain’t?” he smiles. But if he’s smart, he’ll understand.
For the next few days, my life consisted of paperwork leading up to the Amity visit and arranging a new schedule, solidifying that the quota is capable between our security. In the night, I found myself just on simple visitations - premier warnings. Whether I was purposefully back seated or not, I didn’t focus on it. But I did see them afterward, joining them in the Pit. Though, it did feel like there was a distance between us. How they kept themselves to one side and I sat with Jim or Heath. My part as top dog in our faux brotherhood was shifting. I’m not blind to it. The question was, did I care?
...Not if my pain medication still fell into my hand every week.
That all fades into the background when my second official visit to Amity arrives. This time it will take me a few days, three to four to sort out how well this will work. And if what they say is true - that there isn’t a lot of problems with criminal activity or suspicious behavior. Because not only do I want to know why - so I can study it - but also if there is some backhanded business taking place. I have to say, a straggled bunch of factionless, fed and watered, then packed off into the sunrise sounds a little far-fetched.
The trucks are loaded, three to be precise, out in the Lot, ready for departure. I’m opening the cab door, checking whether I have my radio when I hear Frank call my name. I turn and he gestures to himself as per usual, like I should be in awe at the sight of him and says, “What’s up?”
Tightening my belt around my waist, I tap the knife on my leg to make sure it’s secure. “What is it?” I ask him, hardly paying attention while he holds the door for me.
“Shit’s been crazy busy. With the whole…” he rolls a hand out, saying, “Jeanine thing,” quietly. “I’m hoping when you get back we’ll have more of a chance to talk.”
“Yeah,” I say unenthusiastically. “I’ll be gone a few days.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s cool.” He crosses his arms and looks shifty, so I pause, turning to face him. “Look, er... You remember what we talked about before? About family?”
“Oh yeah, a secret sister.”
He smiles and it drops quickly. “Can you find her? See what’s going on? How’s she's doing?”
“Why don’t you go to Amity when you next get the chance?” I brush him off.
Frank laughs. “She’d probably shoot me on sight.”
My eyes narrow in suspicion. “Don’t get along?”
“Brotherly-sisterly love. You know, that old cliche.”
I don’t believe a word of it, clambering up into the cab as he still stands with the door wide open. “I won’t go intentionally looking. But if I bump into her…”
“As long as that’s the only bumping you’re doing,” he subtlety warns me. It’s a normal tone, but I know he means it. He salutes, letting the door close.
When the engine starts and we pull off, I watch him in the side mirror, dragging a hand down his face. For the first time viewing him torn or a little lost at the sight of us trundling towards his precious Fleur. I can’t help but smile to myself. And hope, that when I get back Max is still around.
It’s late afternoon by the time we arrive and have the equipment unpacked. Johanna stands at a distance for the most part with a group of people, some of the Amity getting involved and helping. I am designated the same cabin as before, refusing the assistance of Joe quickly, assuring him I’m not stupid and can remember from the last instance.
We are offered a long table at dinner, and this time it’s quite riveting to see the plentiful uniforms of black swarming around the pinks and yellows. With no tag-along with me, I’m left alone, able to eat without a continuous droning in my ear. I’ve had my painkillers in advance, a full stomach, for once feeling pretty alert to the usual aches as the outside light fades fast with the evening.
Taking a sip of water, I look between the rows of tables, conscious of the fact that I’m not being watched, not by anyone, not like I am in Dauntless.
A wry smile begins to form across my face when I see Fleur enter. Avoiding the rows of tables, she grabs the last dregs of food from the lineup. She doesn’t wear red, but something pale orange. Whatever it is, it’s hideous.
Only when she steps through the archway on her exit do I get to my feet, following in pursuit. I know she knows something. She knows about what Frank does, she has to. And she’s heightened my sense of curiosity.
She takes the main path lit by solar paneled lights while I opt for the cover of darkness. She’s loud and uncaring when she walks, not the slightest clue I’m following. I round the back of the cabins as it merges into the forest, catching glimpses of her, even when she stops and taps something on her leg. Fleur looks behind her this time but continues on.
There is a bend in the path, narrowing next to a dark and unoccupied cabin, and I target that as my point of contact. Stepping onto the path, she suddenly takes a left, past a tree I hadn’t thought about.
I curse softly, I’ve lost her. But I still get to the tree, running along one of these shit built sheds.
My reactions are based on instinct as suddenly an arm with the knife darts out and a little hand tries perilously to grab my jacket. The knife clatters to the ground after a mere tap to the soft underside of the wrist, disarming Fleur quickly. I’m able to pull the balled fist from my jacket, spinning her and restraining it behind her back as her chest hits the side of a building.
“Careful. You’ll hurt yourself,” I hiss, listening to her breathing heavy.
“Why are you following me?”
With her hair in a ponytail, I can see the fine hairs at the back of her neck, the slope to her shoulder and down, leaning purposefully into her. “Now, why is an Amity so jumpy?” I ask sardonically. “So frightened?” I loosen my grip and spin her to face me, pushing back on one of her shoulders to keep her in place.
“How’s my little flower doing?” Her eyes widen, and I can’t help the one-sided smirk on my lips as I finally get a reaction.
#woke#chapter 2#eric coulter#divergent#insurgent#beautifulramblingbrains#jai courtney#fanfiction#fanfic#eric divergent fanfiction
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American Idol creator Simon Fuller seeks $37.5 million in Bel Air
Seems like most Bel Air properties available for purchase these days are of the ultra-contemporary architectural variety, but there are still a handful of old-school classics, too. Though it’s not publicly listed for sale, mega-loaded Idol franchise creator Simon Fuller has quietly engaged one of LA’s most successful realtors to discreetly shop around his historic Bel Air spread as an off-market pocket listing.
The asking price? A very serious (and aggressive) $37,500,000.
Originally designed by legendary architect Gordon Kaufmann — he’s also responsible for the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills — the so-called Fredericks Residence was built in 1928 and has changed hands many times over the ensuing decades. Although it has likewise undergone multiple renovations, the home’s grand ol’ bones remain mostly the same as nearly 100 years ago.
In the 1990s, the hilltop property came to be owned by fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli and his wife, Full House actress Lori Loughlin. The couple had the home’s interiors done up by acclaimed designer Michael S. Smith before selling the place (in 2001) to elderly billionaire David Murdock.
Though our Mr. Murdock is still alive and kickin’ at 95 years old, he elected to downsize in 2014 by selling his big Bel Air spread to Mr. Fuller for the princely sum of $24,000,000.
Here’s how the house looked circa 2014
Now in his late 50s, the British Mr. Fuller has been living mainly in LA (we think) for the past decade or so. And while his name may not be immediately familiar to most Yanks, he is a very big deal in the music industry. He’s the guy behind the careers of the Spice Girls, Annie Lennox, and Amy Winehouse, just to name a few. Billboard has ranked him as the most successful British music manager of our time.
Besides music, Mr. Fuller has a diverse array of business interests that include professional sports and fashion. However, he’s probably best-known for creating the Idol TV show franchise, which has reached 150 countries around the globe and has generated billions in revenue since its 2001 inception. We’re sure even the most ignorant among y’all have heard of American Idol, right? Right.
Current estimates of Mr. Fuller’s net worth vary, but sites seem to think it hovers somewhere right around $500 million. And on a familial note, Mr. Fuller and his interior designer wifey Natalie Swanston recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. The couple now have three tikes. Mazel!
Mr. Fuller & Ms. Swanston
Back to the real estate. From the looks of things, Mr. Fuller has given the ol’ Bel Air gurl a major cosmetic overhaul. Not only has he painted the formerly red brick exteriors a milky white, the interiors are now a very contemporary and sophisticated mix of blacks, whites, and grays. While quite chicly opulent, the trendy look seems a wee bit incongruous when y’all consider the historic architecture here. But to each their own.
And whether Mr. Fuller’s improvements are really worth $13.5 million more than he paid four years ago — that’s a hefty 56% increase — will be for the market to determine. Draw your own conclusions from the photographic evidence below.
Sited on an expansive 1.6-acre promontory, the residence is completely hidden from the street out front by tall hedges and gates. A winding driveway leads to a detached garage and pebble motorcourt that can easily accommodate an additional dozen vehicles. From there, a columned portico welcomes visitors to the blacked-out front door.
To be honest, y’all, we don’t think this vaguely Colonial affair ranks as one of Gordon Kaufmann’s best works, but at least the swollen turret keeps things interesting.
The current listing is stingy with details, but we do know the house weighs in with around 12,000-square-feet of living space — yes, that’s big — and at least six bedrooms and bathrooms. Current photos reveal there’s a living room with a fireplace, a vaulted ceiling and contemporary decor. French doors conveniently lead out to the back terrace.
Oh, and Yolanda strongly dislikes that fuzzy pom-pom chandelier. If we bought this place we’d use that thing as a piñata and have celebratory drinks when it gets destroyed. But we digress.
Gleaming ebonized hardwood floors continue into the formal dining room — that table that can seat 14! — and a family room with another fireplace and more sets of French doors. Again, the decor here isn’t to our personal taste, but it all looks very high quality. if you’ve always wanted to live in a historic estate with uber-mod interiors, Mr. Fuller has something to sell ya.
The mansion sits high enough for clear views of the Century City skyscrapers and much of the LA basin. Out back are several terraces for lounging and al fresco dining, naturally.
The sloped lot means the pool sits significantly lower house. Stairs lead down to a stone terrace (perfect for sunbathing) and to the meandering lawn. Brick pathways encircle the entire estate, and carefully manicured hedges contribute to the lush landscape. Somewhere on the property there’s a guesthouse of unknown square footage (we think).
Before moving to Bel Air, Mr. Fuller and Ms. Swanston lived on a sleepy cul-de-sac in the northwestern corner of Beverly Hills. Records show that Mr. Fuller ponied up $8.5 million for the Tudor-style home way back in 2005, after which he embarked on a major, multi-year overhaul and expansion of the residence. The “contemporary villa” was sold a couple years ago for $14,600,000 to Symantec CEO Greg Clark.
The house Mr. Fuller sold to Symantec CEO Greg Clark
By the way, Mr. Clark quickly got bored with his new Beverly Hills house — or somethin’ like that — because the property is back up for sale with a $15,750,000 ask.
Anyway, while their 90210 mansion was undergoing years of renovations, Mr. Fuller and wifey shacked up in a contemporary Bird Streets nest. Records show the couple paid $7,650,000 for the imposing Hollywood Hills home in 2007. Lucky for them, they managed to unload the crash pad just over a year later for $8.5 million. The buyer? Walmart heiress Sybil Robson Orr.
The house Simon Fuller sold to a Walmart heiress (now owned by TravelZoo CEO Holger Bartel)
Incidentally, that Bird Streets house is now owned by TravelZoo CEO Holger Bartel. Did y’all know that the Ferrari-driving Mr. Bartel has spent the last five years (or so) rebuilding the entire structure? And it still ain’t done yet! Such are the ways of the rich and/or famous.
Listing agent: Drew Fenton, Hilton & Hyland
Source: http://www.yolandaslittleblackbook.com/blog/2018/10/30/simon-fuller-house-bel-air-los-angeles/
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How the Election Cycle Impacts Small Business
While an election will impact your business less than your marketing strategy or a good business plan, you will likely feel some sort of change depending on who occupies the Oval Office. Here is a nonpartisan look at how an election cycle impacts several factors that, in turn, could impact your small business.
The National Economy and Stock Market
It can be easy to mentally link stock market activity to whoever occupies the White House, especially because presidential candidates like to do it for you. However, the market is cyclical by definition, with recession naturally following growth that is defined by a myriad of factors.
How the president acts is one of these many factors, and candidates since at least the 1920s have been heartily pushing this idea. The data shows less of a definitive, direct connection, and it is important to note that the past doesn’t necessarily define the future when it comes to economics. Marshall Nickles of Pepperdine asserted in a paper that of the election years between 1928 and 2000, the return of the S&P 500 Index has been positive for all but 4 of them.
“Major market cycles usually have abrupt ‘V’-shaped bottoms with declines in excess of 10%,” Nickles wrote. “The following stock market recoveries are often created (as suggested earlier) by strong economic stimulus invoked by government officials in an effort to counter potentially unpopular economic recessions.”
The economy has been in expansion since 2009, meaning we are currently living in the longest growth cycle in American history. It also means that we will likely face a contraction within the next few years, and whoever is elected in 2020 would then have to handle it. Interestingly, though, sometimes these short-term actions, like a bailout, can result in other issues in the future.
“Strong doses of fiscal and/or monetary policy stimuli unfortunately often result in creating inflation, which then must be addressed, thereby perpetuating the business and stock market cycles,” Nickles explained. “Given the foregoing scenario, it is not at all surprising to find that the stock market often has made major bottoms about 2 years before presidential elections and has risen through the end of election years.”
The stock market has grown ever since the financial crisis of 2008, and markets have soared since President Donald Trump was elected in 2016—although there has been plenty of whipsawing amid trade war fears and, more recently, worries over coronavirus. Although some investors would tell you to be wary of more liberal candidates, policies benefiting the working class over Wall Street could also result in more consumer spending and stability.
Regardless, how the stock market behaves in the 2020s will be decided by an immense net of interwoven factors, not who wins on November 3, 2020.
Interest Rates
The interest rates you see on your accounts and debts are largely influenced by the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the US. The Fed sets the interest rates banks can charge each other, a process that then passes down to consumers—like small business owners looking into loans.
A president actually cannot do much to influence Fed policy, which is one of the reasons the Fed is sometimes seen as a shadowy force condemned by conspiracy theorists. Trump, though, has tried very publically to bend the Fed to his will, breaking a 25-year period of presidents not commenting on what the Fed does. Trump appointed the current Fed chairman, Jerome Powell, instead of renewing the term of the appointee of former President Barack Obama. He also regularly fires off tweets criticizing Powell and the Fed. The desire to influence the Fed is not without precedent—Lyndon Johnson was said to have complained in person to the Fed chairman.
Does this do much? It’s hard to say. The Fed has increased the interest rates 9 times since 2015, including 7 increases under Trump. Trump has loudly requested that the Fed reduce rates, utilizing a theory that this would further stimulate the economy. In 2019, the Fed cut rates 3 times.
Even though all but one seat of the Board of Governors are occupied by Trump appointees, every vote to raise rates has been unanimous, although some of the cuts were not supported by every governor.
During election years, the Fed attempts to sit on the sidelines and appear as apolitical as possible. However, the board is nearly full of Trump appointees and he has 2 vacancies to fill. As a check, each governor has to be approved by the Senate, which has so-far stymied several of Trump’s nominations.
Considering its history, it is highly unlikely that the Fed would do something out of character with interest rates to attract political ire. Powell himself said at the end of 2019 that staying on the sidelines is a priority for the Board of Governors, although stock traders have said they are preparing for the Fed to cut rates at least twice in 2020.
“Our economic outlook remains a favorable one despite global developments and ongoing risks,” Powell said at a press conference. “As long as incoming information about the economy remains broadly consistent with this outlook, the current stance of monetary policy likely will remain appropriate.”
Small Business Taxes
When Trump was elected in 2016, it was no surprise that one of his first big pushes was to slash corporate tax rates. After a lengthy struggle throughout his first year, Trump and Congressional Republicans passed a bill overhauling the tax code. Although the biggest victors were large companies and the wealthy, each taxpayer now receives a much larger individual deduction, and some of the benefits given to larger corporations pass down to small business owners.
Although all of the Democratic presidential candidates have taken aim at some elements of the Tax Cuts and Job Acts, most of the criticism is over corporate tax rates and breaks for the very wealthy, like the estate tax. The bill limited deductions small business owners and sole proprietors can take for business meals and commuting.
On the whole, unless the expanded individual deduction is dismantled, the parts of the tax code impacting small business owners the most won’t likely change based on the presidential election. In terms of tax code changes, the Democratic candidates have generally pushed for closing loopholes paired with increasing taxes on the wealthy and big corporations.
Healthcare
Healthcare has been a defining issue for presidential elections since at least the 1970s. When the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, was signed into law, it became a landmark of the political arena. Trump tried to repeal Obamacare, but the venture proved very unpopular, and Republicans have generally settled for quietly cutting parts of the ACA where they can.
Since 2016, many on the left have advocated for single-payer healthcare, which would represent a revolution in the American healthcare system. More moderate Democratic candidates have argued for bolstering the ACA and undoing Republican amendments to it.
Of course, the question of cost is the main criticism of single-payer healthcare. The plans released by Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren call for higher taxes in one form or another to pay for their “Medicare for All” ideas—although the increased taxes would be lower than the current cost of health insurance premiums.
When it comes to small businesses, single-payer might not be as devastating as some would believe. Although it would no doubt rile the wider economy, Medicare for All would free small business owners from worrying about employee healthcare issues. It could also lead to a boost in entrepreneurship as people who are staying in jobs only because of healthcare benefits decide to strike out on their own.
Small Business Policy
As a demographic, small business owners like Trump. A survey of some 2,100 small business owners by CNBC and SurveyMonkey published in February found that 64% of those polled approved of how Trump is doing as president. This result is Trump’s highest approval percentage for any quarter since he took office and suggests that many small business owners will stand by the incumbent come November.
“These findings … coincide with increased optimism among small business owners about the current state of their business, along with decreased pessimism about the effect that policy changes may bring in the next 12 months,” Laura Wronski of SurveyMonkey said in a report. “This quarter’s survey was conducted during a pivotal period for President Trump, with fielding taking place [the] same week as his third State of the Union address and his impeachment acquittal.”
The survey found that small business owners are essentially split down the middle as to whether they think a recession will hit this year, with 49% saying a recession is likely.
Respondents also said that their biggest problems were acquiring new customers and finding qualified employees. Interestingly, a majority of them (57%) said that they don’t expect minimum wage increases that occurred in over 20 states at the start of the year to impact their business.
While trade policy in recent years has caused some small business support to wane, it appears that most small business owners approve of Trump and the current economy.
The post How the Election Cycle Impacts Small Business appeared first on Lendio.
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Google Said to Be Quietly Working on a Successor to Android
For more than two years, a small and stealthy group of engineers within Google has been working on software that they hope will eventually replace Android, the world's dominant mobile operating system. As the team grows, it will have to overcome some fierce internal debate about how the software will work. The project, known as Fuchsia, was created from scratch to overcome the limitations of Android as more personal devices and other gadgets come online. It's being designed to better accommodate voice interactions and frequent security updates and to look the same across a range of devices, from laptops to tiny Internet-connected sensors. Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai has set his company in this direction - toward artificial intelligence services that reach consumers everywhere. Yet its prime operating systems, which depend on scores of hardware partners, haven't kept up. Here's what's already known about Fuchsia: Alphabet's Google started quietly posting code online in 2016, and the company has let outside app developers tinker with bits of the open-source code. Google has also begun to experiment with applications for the system, such as interactive screen displays and voice commands for YouTube. But members of the Fuchsia team have discussed a grander plan that is being reported here for the first time: Creating a single operating system capable of running all the company's in-house gadgets, like Pixel phones and smart speakers, as well as third-party devices that now rely on Android and another system called Chrome OS, according to people familiar with the conversations. According to one of the people, engineers have said they want to embed Fuchsia on connected home devices, such as voice-controlled speakers, within three years, then move on to larger machines such as laptops. Ultimately the team aspires to swap in their system for Android, the software that powers more than three quarters of the world's smartphones, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. The aim is for this to happen in the next half decade, one person said. But Pichai and Hiroshi Lockheimer, his deputy who runs Android and Chrome, have yet to sign off on any road map for Fuchsia, these people said. The executives have to move gingerly on any plan to overhaul Android because the software supports dozens of hardware partners, thousands of developers - and billions of mobile-ad dollars. Android is also the subject of regulatory scrutiny and legal squabbles for the company, which means any changes to the software will be closely watched. European regulators on Wednesday levied a record $5 billion antitrust fine against the company for using the mobile software to spread its services. And within Google, Fuchsia already faces some internecine squabbles over how it should be designed and deployed, particularly when it comes to privacy features. Publicly, the company points to Fuchsia as an example of its freewheeling approach to creative products. "Google views these open-source experiments as an investment in innovation," a company spokesman said in an email. In 2015, Lockheimer wrote a blog post that said the company had no plans to replace its Chrome operating system with Android, a position the Google spokesman said still applies today. Still, Fuchsia is more than a basement skunkworks effort. Pichai has voiced his support for the project internally, said people familiar with the effort. Fuchsia now has more than 100 people working on it, including venerated software staff such as Matias Duarte, a design executive who led several pioneering projects at Google and elsewhere. Duarte is only working part-time on the project, said one person familiar with the company. The initiative is focused on better competing with Google's chief smartphone rival, iPhone maker Apple. While Android's roughly 85 percent market share crushes Apple's 15 percent, the Apple operating system has a leg up in areas like performance, privacy and security, and integration across Apple devices. Another key advantage: Most iPhone users quickly update their phones when Apple releases a new version of the operating system, while less than 10 percent of Android users do. This means Google's latest services only reach a fraction of Android users. "Switching away from Android could provide Google the opportunity to hit the reset button on any mistakes they believe they made a decade ago," said Jeffrey Grossman, co-founder of messaging app Confide. "They might be able to regain some power that they've ceded to device manufacturers and telecom carriers." Google relies on phone makers and wireless network operators to push regular operating system and security updates to Android devices. These partners don't have as much incentive as Google to distribute the latest software: Phone makers would rather sell new hardware, and telecom companies have other priorities. Google has tried to address this problem head-on recently. In May, the company modified its agreement with handset makers requiring them to updates devices with security patches multiple times a year. There are some signs that Fuchsia is incorporating even tighter security measures. In the software code posted online, the engineers built encrypted user keys into the system - a privacy tool that ensures information is protected every time the software is updated. They've also recruited expertise. Nick Kralevich, a lead security engineer for Android for nine years, shifted to work on Fuchsia in January, according to his LinkedIn profile. In the code pages, the Googlers working on Fuchsia specify that the software is not finalised. At the moment, Android, which was developed when phones were just beginning to use touchscreens, is also not built to handle the type of voice-enabled apps that Google sees as the future of computing. So Fuchsia is being developed with voice interaction at its core. The design is also more flexible in that it adjusts to multiple screen sizes - an attempt to cater to the new products, such as televisions, cars and refrigerators, where Google is spreading its software. Despite the engineering pedigree and support for Fuchsia, Google has yet to unveil a real-world use of the software. Some developers have toyed with the operating system, but none have set it as the foundation for an app or service on a popular commercial device. Recent code posted on a Google developer site suggested a YouTube application may be in the works, but there are no official Google services running publicly on the system. The company must also settle some internal feuds. Some of the principles that Fuchsia creators are pursuing have already run up against Google's business model. Google's ads business relies on an ability to target users based on their location and activity, and Fuchsia's nascent privacy features would, if implemented, hamstring this important business. There's already been at least one clash between advertising and engineering over security and privacy features of the fledgeling operating system, according to a person familiar with the matter. The ad team prevailed, this person said. Moving away from Android and Chrome could carry other risks for Google. A huge contingent of independent developers and device makers, such as Samsung, Huawei and LG, rely on the operating system. Chrome OS is also important software that runs web-based laptops used by many schools and other organisations. Google can't simply stop supporting Android and Chrome OS and expect this huge ecosystem to move to Fuchsia quickly. Another risk comes from the foundation of the new operating system. Android and Chrome OS are built on Linux. The "Linux kernel" is the core of Google's current operating systems, handling instructions zipping between the hardware and software of smartphones and other devices. Fuchsia uses a different kernel, called Zircon, that eschews many of the older technologies in Linux. This could make some existing devices incompatible. Moving from Linux, though, could have upsides for Google. Android's use of the technology, which is distributed by Oracle, is at the centre of a lengthy, bitter lawsuit between the two companies. Shifting away from using Linux would help Google's legal case that its software isn't reliant on Oracle. Another benefit to Fuchsia: the project offers a technical challenge for several veteran open-source hackers at the company. As it often does, Google has put some longtime personnel on this complicated, long-shot effort rather than risk losing them to rivals. One person who has spoken to Fuchsia staff described the effort simply: "It's a senior-engineer retention project." Read the full article
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Google Said to Be Quietly Working on a Successor to Android
For more than two years, a small and stealthy group of engineers within Google has been working on software that they hope will eventually replace Android, the world's dominant mobile operating system. As the team grows, it will have to overcome some fierce internal debate about how the software will work. The project, known as Fuchsia, was created from scratch to overcome the limitations of Android as more personal devices and other gadgets come online. It's being designed to better accommodate voice interactions and frequent security updates and to look the same across a range of devices, from laptops to tiny Internet-connected sensors. Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai has set his company in this direction - toward artificial intelligence services that reach consumers everywhere. Yet its prime operating systems, which depend on scores of hardware partners, haven't kept up. Here's what's already known about Fuchsia: Alphabet's Google started quietly posting code online in 2016, and the company has let outside app developers tinker with bits of the open-source code. Google has also begun to experiment with applications for the system, such as interactive screen displays and voice commands for YouTube. But members of the Fuchsia team have discussed a grander plan that is being reported here for the first time: Creating a single operating system capable of running all the company's in-house gadgets, like Pixel phones and smart speakers, as well as third-party devices that now rely on Android and another system called Chrome OS, according to people familiar with the conversations. According to one of the people, engineers have said they want to embed Fuchsia on connected home devices, such as voice-controlled speakers, within three years, then move on to larger machines such as laptops. Ultimately the team aspires to swap in their system for Android, the software that powers more than three quarters of the world's smartphones, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. The aim is for this to happen in the next half decade, one person said. But Pichai and Hiroshi Lockheimer, his deputy who runs Android and Chrome, have yet to sign off on any road map for Fuchsia, these people said. The executives have to move gingerly on any plan to overhaul Android because the software supports dozens of hardware partners, thousands of developers - and billions of mobile-ad dollars. Android is also the subject of regulatory scrutiny and legal squabbles for the company, which means any changes to the software will be closely watched. European regulators on Wednesday levied a record $5 billion antitrust fine against the company for using the mobile software to spread its services. And within Google, Fuchsia already faces some internecine squabbles over how it should be designed and deployed, particularly when it comes to privacy features. Publicly, the company points to Fuchsia as an example of its freewheeling approach to creative products. "Google views these open-source experiments as an investment in innovation," a company spokesman said in an email. In 2015, Lockheimer wrote a blog post that said the company had no plans to replace its Chrome operating system with Android, a position the Google spokesman said still applies today. Still, Fuchsia is more than a basement skunkworks effort. Pichai has voiced his support for the project internally, said people familiar with the effort. Fuchsia now has more than 100 people working on it, including venerated software staff such as Matias Duarte, a design executive who led several pioneering projects at Google and elsewhere. Duarte is only working part-time on the project, said one person familiar with the company. The initiative is focused on better competing with Google's chief smartphone rival, iPhone maker Apple. While Android's roughly 85 percent market share crushes Apple's 15 percent, the Apple operating system has a leg up in areas like performance, privacy and security, and integration across Apple devices. Another key advantage: Most iPhone users quickly update their phones when Apple releases a new version of the operating system, while less than 10 percent of Android users do. This means Google's latest services only reach a fraction of Android users. "Switching away from Android could provide Google the opportunity to hit the reset button on any mistakes they believe they made a decade ago," said Jeffrey Grossman, co-founder of messaging app Confide. "They might be able to regain some power that they've ceded to device manufacturers and telecom carriers." Google relies on phone makers and wireless network operators to push regular operating system and security updates to Android devices. These partners don't have as much incentive as Google to distribute the latest software: Phone makers would rather sell new hardware, and telecom companies have other priorities. Google has tried to address this problem head-on recently. In May, the company modified its agreement with handset makers requiring them to updates devices with security patches multiple times a year. There are some signs that Fuchsia is incorporating even tighter security measures. In the software code posted online, the engineers built encrypted user keys into the system - a privacy tool that ensures information is protected every time the software is updated. They've also recruited expertise. Nick Kralevich, a lead security engineer for Android for nine years, shifted to work on Fuchsia in January, according to his LinkedIn profile. In the code pages, the Googlers working on Fuchsia specify that the software is not finalised. At the moment, Android, which was developed when phones were just beginning to use touchscreens, is also not built to handle the type of voice-enabled apps that Google sees as the future of computing. So Fuchsia is being developed with voice interaction at its core. The design is also more flexible in that it adjusts to multiple screen sizes - an attempt to cater to the new products, such as televisions, cars and refrigerators, where Google is spreading its software. Despite the engineering pedigree and support for Fuchsia, Google has yet to unveil a real-world use of the software. Some developers have toyed with the operating system, but none have set it as the foundation for an app or service on a popular commercial device. Recent code posted on a Google developer site suggested a YouTube application may be in the works, but there are no official Google services running publicly on the system. The company must also settle some internal feuds. Some of the principles that Fuchsia creators are pursuing have already run up against Google's business model. Google's ads business relies on an ability to target users based on their location and activity, and Fuchsia's nascent privacy features would, if implemented, hamstring this important business. There's already been at least one clash between advertising and engineering over security and privacy features of the fledgeling operating system, according to a person familiar with the matter. The ad team prevailed, this person said. Moving away from Android and Chrome could carry other risks for Google. A huge contingent of independent developers and device makers, such as Samsung, Huawei and LG, rely on the operating system. Chrome OS is also important software that runs web-based laptops used by many schools and other organisations. Google can't simply stop supporting Android and Chrome OS and expect this huge ecosystem to move to Fuchsia quickly. Another risk comes from the foundation of the new operating system. Android and Chrome OS are built on Linux. The "Linux kernel" is the core of Google's current operating systems, handling instructions zipping between the hardware and software of smartphones and other devices. Fuchsia uses a different kernel, called Zircon, that eschews many of the older technologies in Linux. This could make some existing devices incompatible. Moving from Linux, though, could have upsides for Google. Android's use of the technology, which is distributed by Oracle, is at the centre of a lengthy, bitter lawsuit between the two companies. Shifting away from using Linux would help Google's legal case that its software isn't reliant on Oracle. Another benefit to Fuchsia: the project offers a technical challenge for several veteran open-source hackers at the company. As it often does, Google has put some longtime personnel on this complicated, long-shot effort rather than risk losing them to rivals. One person who has spoken to Fuchsia staff described the effort simply: "It's a senior-engineer retention project." Read the full article
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Text
Google quietly working on a replacement for Android, called Fuchsia, that’s causing some fierce internal squabbling
For more than two years, a small and stealthy group of engineers within Google has been working on software that they hope will eventually replace Android, the world’s dominant mobile operating system. As the team grows, it will have to overcome some fierce internal debate about how the software will work.
The project, known as Fuchsia, was created from scratch to overcome the limitations of Android as more personal devices and other gadgets come online. It’s being designed to better accommodate voice interactions and frequent security updates and to look the same across a range of devices, from laptops to tiny internet-connected sensors. Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai has set his company in this direction — toward artificial intelligence services that reach consumers everywhere. Yet its prime operating systems, which depend on scores of hardware partners, haven’t kept up.
Here’s what’s already known about Fuchsia: Alphabet Inc.’s Google started quietly posting code online in 2016, and the company has let outside app developers tinker with bits of the open-source code. Google has also begun to experiment with applications for the system, such as interactive screen displays and voice commands for YouTube.
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But members of the Fuchsia team have discussed a grander plan that is being reported here for the first time: Creating a single operating system capable of running all the company’s in-house gadgets, like Pixel phones and smart speakers, as well as third-party devices that now rely on Android and another system called Chrome OS, according to people familiar with the conversations.
According to one of the people, engineers have said they want to embed Fuchsia on connected home devices, such as voice-controlled speakers, within three years, then move on to larger machines such as laptops. Ultimately the team aspires to swap in their system for Android, the software that powers more than three quarters of the world’s smartphones, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. The aim is for this to happen in the next half decade, one person said.
But Pichai and Hiroshi Lockheimer, his deputy who runs Android and Chrome, have yet to sign off on any road map for Fuchsia, these people said. The executives have to move gingerly on any plan to overhaul Android because the software supports dozens of hardware partners, thousands of developers — and billions of mobile-ad dollars. Android is also the subject of regulatory scrutiny and legal squabbles for the company, which means any changes to the software will be closely watched. European regulators on Wednesday levied a record $5 billion antitrust fine against the company for using the mobile software to spread its services. And within Google, Fuchsia already faces some internecine squabbles over how it should be designed and deployed, particularly when it comes to privacy features.
Publicly, the company points to Fuchsia as an example of its freewheeling approach to creative products. “Google views these open-source experiments as an investment in innovation,” a company spokesman said in an email. In 2015, Lockheimer wrote a blog post that said the company had no plans to replace its Chrome operating system with Android, a position the Google spokesman said still applies today.
Still, Fuchsia is more than a basement skunkworks effort. Pichai has voiced his support for the project internally, said people familiar with the effort. Fuchsia now has more than 100 people working on it, including venerated software staff such as Matias Duarte, a design executive who led several pioneering projects at Google and elsewhere. Duarte is only working part-time on the project, said one person familiar with the company.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has voiced his support for the Fuchsia project internally, sources say.
The initiative is focused on better competing with Google’s chief smartphone rival, iPhone maker Apple Inc. While Android’s roughly 85 per cent market share crushes Apple’s 15 per cent, the Apple operating system has a leg up in areas like performance, privacy and security, and integration across Apple devices. Another key advantage: Most iPhone users quickly update their phones when Apple releases a new version of the operating system, while less than 10 per cent of Android users do. This means Google’s latest services only reach a fraction of Android users.
“Switching away from Android could provide Google the opportunity to hit the reset button on any mistakes they believe they made a decade ago,” said Jeffrey Grossman, co-founder of messaging app Confide. “They might be able to regain some power that they’ve ceded to device manufacturers and telecom carriers.”
Google relies on phone makers and wireless network operators to push regular operating system and security updates to Android devices. These partners don’t have as much incentive as Google to distribute the latest software: Phone makers would rather sell new hardware, and telecom companies have other priorities. Google has tried to address this problem head-on recently. In May, the company modified its agreement with handset makers requiring them to updates devices with security patches multiple times a year.
There are some signs that Fuchsia is incorporating even tighter security measures. In the software code posted online, the engineers built encrypted user keys into the system — a privacy tool that ensures information is protected every time the software is updated. They’ve also recruited expertise. Nick Kralevich, a lead security engineer for Android for nine years, shifted to work on Fuchsia in January, according to his LinkedIn profile. In the code pages, the Googlers working on Fuchsia specify that the software is not finalized.
At the moment, Android, which was developed when phones were just beginning to use touchscreens, is also not built to handle the type of voice-enabled apps that Google sees as the future of computing. So Fuchsia is being developed with voice interaction at its core. The design is also more flexible in that it adjusts to multiple screen sizes — an attempt to cater to the new products, such as televisions, cars and refrigerators, where Google is spreading its software.
Despite the engineering pedigree and support for Fuchsia, Google has yet to unveil a real-world use of the software. Some developers have toyed with the operating system, but none have set it as the foundation for an app or service on a popular commercial device. Recent code posted on a Google developer site suggested a YouTube application may be in the works, but there are no official Google services running publicly on the system.
The company must also settle some internal feuds. Some of the principles that Fuchsia creators are pursuing have already run up against Google’s business model. Google’s ads business relies on an ability to target users based on their location and activity, and Fuchsia’s nascent privacy features would, if implemented, hamstring this important business. There’s already been at least one clash between advertising and engineering over security and privacy features of the fledgling operating system, according to a person familiar with the matter. The ad team prevailed, this person said.
Moving away from Android and Chrome could carry other risks for Google. A huge contingent of independent developers and device makers, such as Samsung, Huawei and LG, rely on the operating system. Chrome OS is also important software that runs web-based laptops used by many schools and other organizations. Google can’t simply stop supporting Android and Chrome OS and expect this huge ecosystem to move to Fuchsia quickly.
Another risk comes from the foundation of the new operating system. Android and Chrome OS are built on Linux, a widely used open-source programming language. The “Linux kernel” is the core of Google’s current operating systems, handling instructions zipping between the hardware and software of smartphones and other devices. Fuchsia uses a different kernel, called Zircon, that eschews many of the older technologies in Linux. This could make some existing devices incompatible.
Moving from Linux, though, could have upsides for Google. Android’s use of the technology, which is owned by Oracle Corp., is at the center of a lengthy, bitter lawsuit between the two companies. Shifting away from using Linux would help Google’s legal case that its software isn’t reliant on Oracle.
Another benefit to Fuchsia: the project offers a technical challenge for several veteran open-source hackers at the company. As it often does, Google has put some longtime personnel on this complicated, long-shot effort rather than risk losing them to rivals. One person who has spoken to Fuchsia staff described the effort simply: “It’s a senior-engineer retention project.”
Bloomberg.com
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New Post has been published on Titos London
#Blog New Post has been published on http://www.titoslondon.co.uk/what-has-and-hasnt-changed-5-years-since-the-rana-plaza-disaster/
What has—and hasn’t—changed, 5 years since the Rana Plaza disaster
The 24th April 2013 started like any other day. I buzzed around the house getting ready to head into Eco-Age’s London headquarters, when I made out the word ‘Dhaka’ in a radio news report in the background. Anybody who has campaigned for a cleaner, safer fashion industry is alert to hearing the Bangladesh capital—the country is one of the world’s largest exporters of fast fashion, second only to China.
Details were still patchy—a building had collapsed, over 150 people were believed to be dead. Although Rana Plaza was reported as a multi-use complex, when I phoned my friend and fellow campaigner, British journalist Lucy Siegle, we instinctively knew it was a fashion factory. Workers interviewed from banks and shops said they noticed a crack in the building the day before and their companies sent them home. But one group was forced back into the building to continue working—the garment workers.
As the true horror emerged, our worst fears were realised. When the complex folded like a house of cards, killing 1,334 people, it exposed the true cost of our fast fashion habit. How to make sense of that terrible tragedy and the aftermath? I’ve found it almost impossible to reconcile. Rana Plaza cannot be shelved as an ‘act of god’ and, of course. neither was it deliberate. Technically the disaster qualifies as an accident, but to me and the many campaigners who challenge the fast fashion system, it was avoidable. Greed, speed, corporate irresponsibility and a business model built on exploiting the most vulnerable—lowly paid garment workers—were the root cause of the Rana Plaza collapse.
In Los Angeles, when film director Andrew Morgan saw the front page of The New York Times featuring a photo of two young boys—the same age as his own sons—desperately searching through the Rana Plaza rubble for their mother’s body, he was hit by the true cost of today’s apparel industry. “Why would two young kids be looking for their mother amid this chaos? No bomb had gone off, no earthquake…[Behind its] aspirational, fun, carefree aesthetic there was obviously some terrible hidden danger in the [fashion] industry. Immediately I needed to find out what was going on.”
Determined to unravel the $3 trillion global fashion industry, Morgan spent the next three years travelling to 30 countries collecting footage from factories, workshops, sometimes even homes, in garment industry hot spots. His 2015 documentary, The True Cost (available on Netflix) exposes the dark side of an industry that we all contribute to.
Around the crater that Rana Plaza left behind, as international news crews departed the scene, the relentless cycle of fashion clicked back into gear. Orders that couldn’t be completed at Rana Plaza were quietly transferred to one of Dhaka’s many other factories. The manufacturing army of predominantly young women reassembled. Survivors of Rana Plaza, who’d been pulled from the rubble, queued up at the gates of a new factory, traumatised but in desperate need of work.
On visits to Bangladesh I have been privileged enough to meet garment workers. More often than not, these encounters happen late in the evening as the workers stream out of the garment factories at a time when I’d be thinking about going to bed. This is all the spare time they have. At around 10pm I sit on the floor in a circle, with a dozen or so women who have been working since 7am. I learn about their lives—their migration from villages in the north where their kids are being looked after by relatives. I hear of their frustration that even after the Rana Plaza disaster, their hours remain unremittingly harsh, and their low wages and poor living conditions remain unchanged. And that’s before we even get onto the subject of whether or not they feel safe at work. They are quick to laugh despite all the hardship and very frank. “I am bored,” says a young woman. “This is a boring existence.” When I see them at work the next day, they avoid eye contact.
Those with life-changing injuries, who number over 2,500, began the fight for compensation, but in many cases progress was glacial. Over 700 orphans or at-risk children were created by Rana Plaza. The industry’s response was split into two main tracks: The Rana Plaza Arrangement—a compensation fund which brands pay into—and The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh—a five-year, legally-binding agreement between 200 brands and trade unions intended to promote a safer and healthier garment industry in Bangladesh. Some US brands decided to develop their own response known as the Alliance.
On the fifth anniversary of Rana Plaza, expect a flood of hefty self-congratulatory announcements coming from these bodies. In fact, it has already begun. “We are extremely proud of the progress we have made in just five short years,” a spokesman for the Alliance announced last month. “With all of the investments we have made in the training and empowerment of the workers themselves, factory remediation remains on schedule,” he continued. “If these gains are going to be sustained over the long-term, however, they must be owned and led locally, from within Bangladesh.” To me, this sounds like they are passing the buck.
The Accord meanwhile has been extended to run until 2021, but it’s alarming that only 60 brands have signed up for round two, down from 200. Still the message broadcast is that lessons have been learned and that factories in Dhaka are safer. But by how much? And what does less bad really mean? These are questions that have vexed the whole process and it makes me wonder—is it even possible to reform the fashion production system?
According to Siegle, the current approach simply isn’t working. “Progress has been painfully slow,” she tells me. “Research in Bangladesh by Dhaka University academics has flagged up delays and gaps in implementation from the outset.”
Siegle is also concerned that some brands have had to be taken to court to pay up. In January, $2.3 million was finally extracted from a global fashion brand (name redacted by the terms of the settlement) at The Hague to fund overdue remediation to factories. “When Rana Plaza happened it was clear a clock was ticking, but the timescale appears to have been lost and the next generation of garment workers has again been subjected to unsafe, unacceptable and in many cases illegal conditions,” she says. “It’s really hard to [communicate] that to the shopper when the Accord or Alliance says your jeans are made in a factory that could be 84 per cent safer than it was five years ago.” We should, she rightly believes, be aiming for something better.
In my own pursuit for something better, over the past year I’ve worked closely with lawyers affiliated with The Circle,Annie Lennox’s NGO dedicated to championing women’s rights, to compile a report reviewing the minimum and living wages, and the protection of workers’ rights in 14 major garment-producing countries. Our objective? To show brands they have a responsibility to treat garment workers fairly. We are now using trade law to try and implement this.
In the five years since the Rana Plaza tragedy, the industry has often claimed it’s spearheading change to ensure fashion changes forever. In reality, the required overhaul of this unsustainable and corrupt business model has in no way been achieved. While some factories provide safer working environments, they haven’t considered the fundamental right to a living wage, and vice versa.
To see the real engine of change, we need to take an outside perspective. I ask Andrew Morgan if he thinks any progress has been made five years on from the disaster that compelled him to make The True Cost. “In an industry increasingly fixated on profit at all cost, Rana Plaza was an undeniable warning that people ultimately and always pay the price for our careless consumption,” he says, “This warning, while ignored by most major fashion corporations, has ignited a new wave of activists and entrepreneurs dedicating themselves to the belief that we can and must create a more just, humane and sustainable future.” This is the true change ignited by that tragic, fateful day.
1/7 Livia Firth at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards, Italia
Image: Getty
Image: Reza Shahriar Rahman
Image: Reza Shahriar Rahman
Image: Reza Shahriar Rahman
Image: Reza Shahriar Rahman
Film still from The True Cost
Image: The True Cost
Film still from The True Cost
Image: The True Cost
The post What has—and hasn’t—changed, 5 years since the Rana Plaza disaster appeared first on VOGUE India.
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Opening Bell: October 20, 2017
The U.S. Senate voted on a nearly straight-party line vote to approve a budget bill which includes the first steps in a tax overhaul, one of the many legislative accomplishments sought both by Congressional Republicans the Trump White House. The sole Republican to vote against the bill was Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky). The bill closely matches a version agreed upon with House Republicans earlier this week, which means it will likely avoid lengthy negotiations in a conference committee. While the GOP-controlled House and Senate have failed to come together on other previous legislative priorities—the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court remains the only clear achievement which their caucus can point to—passage of this budget measure significantly increases the chances that Republicans will be able to send signature legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk before the end of the year.
Virginia and New Jersey share the distinction of having the first two gubernatorial elections in the year after a presidential election. They are often seen as a measure of how the citizens in the two states view the national political scene, including the party in power in the White House. New Jersey, which is weighed down by the deeply unpopular Republican incumbent Chris Christie—who is also term limited—is seen as definite Democratic pickup. Virginia, however, is a closer call. Current Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam is considered the favorite against Republican nominee Ed Gillespie, but polls have shown a surprisingly tight race, with low voter turnout considered likely. Virginia limits to its chief executive to one four-year term, and historically, has elected the opposite party to whoever is in the White House, a pattern broken when current Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, was elected four years ago during Barack Obama’s second term. The election of Ralph Northam would reintroduce this historical pattern.
In a surprise move, Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH) announced yesterday that he would resign his seat and leave Congress before the next election in 2018. Tiberi, a senior member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, represents a solidly Republican district and was seen as either a candidate for future House leadership or as a challenger to Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the next election. Instead, through his resignation, Tiberi is demonstrating a profound dissatisfaction with how business is conducted in Washington in general and in Congress in particular. Tiberi represents yet another resignation, something which political handicappers look for in the majority party as midterm elections loom; large-scale resignations and retirements can, but do not necessarily, presage large-scale losses for the party in power.
In the aftermath of the 2016 election, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) sought new leadership as it looked to recover from the shocking loss by Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump in the presidential election. Former chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz resigned during the campaign after alienating numerous factions within the party and was replaced by former Al Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile on an interim basis. After the election, Brazile stepped down and a faceoff between former Obama administration Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) developed, with Perez representing the Democratic establishment and Ellison carrying the banner of progressivism and gaining the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Perez ultimately prevailed, but immediately extended an olive branch by bringing on Ellison as Vice Chair of the party. This week, however, Perez purged several rivals in the upper echelons of the party in a move which is widely considered an attempt to consolidate his own position within the DNC.
The U.S. Army has halted the enlistment of legal residents—i.e. green card holders—into the Reserve and National Guard, while pausing the entry of such men and women into the basic training until a background check is complete. This is an abrupt departure from previous policy, which allowed immigrants and non-citizens to enlist in the military as a means to develop an attachment to the United States. There is problematic legal ground for this policy change, as U.S. law requires that the military accept the enlistment from certain territories. The policy, announced as a means to prevent infiltration of the U.S. military by foreign agents, also potentially dries up a previously fertile recruiting ground.
In Spain, the budding constitutional crisis between the central government in Madrid and the province of Catalonia grew in intensity. In the aftermath of a referendum in which 90% of voters approved an declaration of independence—albeit with voter turnout at less than half of the region’s eligible population—Catalonia’s regional government declared the validity of its independence, but then suspended it almost immediately as calls for a dialogue with the government of Prime Minister Mario Rajoy were instead emphasized. Instead, Rajoy ordered the Catalan government to disavow the call for independence and ordered the arrest or two provincial officials on charges of sedition. Rajoy has threatened to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which allows the central government to suspend the sovereignty of regional governments and rule them directly. As this article has ever been invoked, no one is sure of what form its application will take.
Quietly this week, Brazilian President Michel Temer, who himself took office only after his predecessor was impeached for charges of corruption, escaped similar charges when a congressional committee voted narrowly to reject submitting such charges to the national congress. Temer, whose popularity polls in the single digits, is now likely to remain in office as his case is no longer slated to be tried before Brazil’s supreme court. Temer, a conservative, took office when Dilma Rousseff, a progressive, was ousted for corruption just prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Temer has instituted a number of policies which seek to retrench the populist, interventionist actions of his predecessor, thus contributing to his unpopularity.
Many international crisis think tanks identify the Baltic nations as the likely ignition point of a war between Russia and the West. Military policy and affairs blog War is Boring looks at NATO policy in the region in recent years and notes that, while NATO has a qualitative overall advantage over Russia, Moscow has a prominent conventional military advantage in that corner of Europe.
In 2014, former CIA employee Kevin Strouse ran as the Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District. Strouse ultimately lost to GOP Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, and in the aftermath he wrote an informative, interesting, thought-provoking piece on why the skills of a CIA analyst do not translate to the campaign trail. A short read, but an interesting one.
In March 2003, then Army Maj. Gen. David Petraeus was commanding the 101st Airborne Division as it advanced on Baghdad during the invasion of Iraq. At one point that month, while his division was stalled due to catastrophic sandstorms and the unexpected ferocity of attacks by irregular Iraqi militia, Petraeus openly mused “How does this end?” The thought-provoking questions—made all the more so by the intervening fourteen years—is examined by War is Boring in the context of how the U.S. military recovered in the years following Vietnam.
The Brookings Institution looks at how NAFTA affects American jobs and considers that leaving the trade agreement altogether will be distinctly worse for the American economy. That this analysis comes out at the same time that news from the renegotiation attempts is negative, is not a coincidence.
Foreign Policy looks at how Iran has a constrained, and yet distinctively active form of democracy. This view is not popular in the West, which prefers to view Iranian politics as dictated from on high by the ayatollah and his various executive councils who certify and decertify candidates. The truth, it seems, is somewhat more complex.
In Britain, pub dogs are apparently a thing. They range from guard dogs to companions of the owners and patrons. Here are some of Britain’s best pub dogs.
Welcome to the weekend.
#Opening Bell#congress#budget#tax reform#Donald Trump#Rand Paul#Virginia#New Jersey#2017 elections#Ralph Northam#Ed Gillespie#Pat Tiberi#2018 election#politics#Democratic National Convention#DNC#Tom Perez#Keith Ellison#U.S. Army#immigration#citizenship#Spain#Catalonia#independence#Michele Temer#Dilma Rousseff#NATO#Russia#Europe#war
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