#And done!

[imaredshirt]

It made sense, McCoy thought in a daze, that after all the times beings with telepathic abilities had messed around in his head, something would get left behind.

He doesn't realize it at first. Chalks it up to being a people person, having dealt with enough personal and professional relationships as both a civilian and a physician to just know what a person is thinking and feeling. That's all it is.

Until he's working alone with Spock one night, both bent over microscopes in the lab, and he hears Spock say something quietly, with perhaps a triffle more emotion than he's used to hearing from the Vulcan - "This organism may take longer to classify than I had originally thought. Leonard will be sharing the lab with me for sometime, then. I . . . am not averse to this outcome."

"First of all," McCoy says, having perked up at the sound of his first name - not something Spock often addresses him as while on duty. "Kinda rude to talk about a man as if he's not in the same room, just a few feet away. Second of all-" and he turns, grinning at Spock’s slightly startled expression and raised eyebrows. "I'm pretty sure you just said you're enjoying my company."

The startled expression doesn't disappear. "I beg your pardon?"

"Now Mr. Spock, if you think I'm gonna let you take back what you just said-"

"Doctor," Spock says, clasping his hands behind his back and watching McCoy now with an expression more curious than anything else. "I did not say anything."

McCoy's smile falters. He feels an inkling of worry and growing curiosity not his own - he knows, somehow, that it's coming from Spock. It's then he realizes that his ability to pinpoint a person's thoughts and emotions - something that has seemed to grow stronger over the past few weeks - is not just due to his affinity as a people person.

Somewhere along the way, a telepathic being messed around in his head - and left some of their ability behind.

[blackcoldcrackedheart]

And we are done! ❤️

Part 1 here Part 2 here Part 3 here Part 4 here

Stella looked a lot like Kameron.

She was Kameron’s older sister, a pre-K teacher in Ventura. She was apologetic as she jogged into the ICU, looking hurried as she stepped into Tommy’s room. “Buck?” she said in lieu of a greeting, eyeing Buck and Bobby with a sheepish look.

“Yeah, hey.” Buck stood up, noticing how Daniel looked at Kameron with an adoring smile and his little arms out to reach her.

“Stelly!” Daniel cried happily, Stella looked relieved as she took Daniel from Buck’s hold. Not missing how Buck’s shoulders and smile dropped at Daniel hugged his aunt.

“Oh, there’s my little Danny boy!” Stella cooed, spinning Daniel a bit to get the boy to laugh. “Oh, my look at you. Look at all these boo boos!” Stella kissed his cast covered arm, “My Danny boy okay?”

“I’m okay!” Daniel declared, he patted his aunt’s face gently.

“He’s okay.” Buck added, rubbing his hands against his sides to ware off the jittery feeling that was building in him. “The doctors didn’t really tell me anything but the social worker did let me know that’s he’s going to be okay.”

Buck felt gutted, he took a deep breath out as he watched Daniel finally reunite with a family member.

Stella gave him a kind smile, “Thank you. I was so busy today with my class and just school duties that I didn’t even get a chance to even look at my phone and once I did, well.” She shook her head, “It’s pretty hard to speed down here from Ventura during rush hour, I’m just so glad that you were with him.”

“Hi there.”

Buck felt Bobby’s hand touch his shoulder briefly, brining him back down to earth. “Yeah-Uh, it’s not me you should be thanking. It’s Tommy.” Buck nodded over to where Tommy was watching them, clearly feeling awkward as he waved at Stella.

“You saved him?” Stella asked, walking closer to Tommy and causing Daniel to get excited that he was near his “Tummy” again.

Tommy gave a strained smile, “Part of the job.” He replied uneasy as he caught sight of Buck’s eye roll.

“Part of the job, but you still saved him, twice really.” Buck pointed out, touching Tommy’s ankle that wasn’t in a cast. “Daniel’s never going to forget about “Tummy” saving him.” He teased, chuckling as he caught Tommy’s mildly annoyed look.

“I bet.” Stella joked, hitching Daniel up further as the boy tried to grab ahold of Tommy again.

“Tummy!” Daniel squealed as he finally got ahold of Tommy’s arm.

“Hey,” Stella warned kindly, “Careful.” She stepped away from Tommy, causing Daniel to whine a bit as he tried to reach out for the man again.

Buck and Tommy shared a look as they tried to tell Stella it was okay, with Tommy explaining he knew that Daniel was just seeking comfort since they both survived the avalanche.

“Still, I just need him to be careful and I also don’t want him to get too attached, y’know?” Stella noted as though it was obvious.

Buck felt his heart shatter at that, his breath hitched as he saw the light in Tommy’s eyes fade as he too understood what Stella meant.

“Yeah,” Buck said slowly, his bones feeling heavier with guilt and something akin to jealously as he realized what was finally happening. “Maybe we should-uh, talk outside?”

Stella looked confused but agreed happily, Bobby though looked worried as he started to follow them out. “Hey, uh- why don’t you stay here with Tommy.”

Bobby paused, eyeing Stella and Amir who was back at the nurses’ station. Bobby turned back to Tommy, noting that Tommy was shaking his head ‘no’, sending Bobby a pleading look to go after Buck. “I’m sure Tommy wouldn’t-”

“Bobby,” Buck was resolute, “I’m good. Just, uh-give us a minute, okay?”

“So, where they able to tell you anything about Kameron and Connor?” Buck asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he mentally prepared himself to ask the questions that had been swirling in his mind since he found out about Daniel.

Buck slowly closed the door behind them, watching as Stella played with Daniel in her arms.

Stella pressed her lips together, “They’re in critical condition, doctors expect them to live thankfully, but they think that there’s still a chance that they both will need more surgeries. Connor got hit really bad and Kameron, she got pinned and the doctors think that she’s going to have the hardest time post-surgery with physical therapy and just healing in general.” She explained, her eyes getting glossy with every word. “I-I don’t know how Daniel survived that, but I’m also thankful that he did.” Stella ran her fingers through Daniel’s hair, kissing the little boy on his forehead. “I’m so happy my little baby nephew is okay.” She finally looked at Buck. “I’m sorry that Tommy got hurt though, is he your friend or teammate? I remember Connor and Kameron mentioning that you’re a firefighter.”

Buck gnawed on his lip a bit, he kept his answer to a half truth. “I am and he is.” Stella knew more about him than he did her, “Can I ask you something?”

Stella nodded. “Sure.”

“Did-Kameron and Connor, they-uh, they stopped really talking to me after Daniel was born. That was on purpose, wasn’t it?”

Stella’s eyes widened, Buck knew she was trying to figure out if she should lie or not. “I don’t know if I should say.”

Buck shrugged, leaning against the wall as he told her “I don’t mean to pressure you into answering or anything, but it’s just- Connor and I were friends and then he and I drifted and he came back into my life to ask about me donating sperm to him and Kameron and then the next minute I know, he’s gone again. I didn’t expect him and Kameron to be in my life everyday, but this time- it felt personal.” Buck explained, his voice rough with emotions as he looked at Daniel.

Stella nodded, lip jutting out as she looked nervously around for a moment. “They thought it would be better this way.” She admitted quietly, her eyes casted down. “I was the only one who knew about them asking you to be their donor, they felt weird about it and I know that Connor loves Daniel, but he didn’t want you hanging over his head as a reminder that he wasn’t really the dad.”

Buck nodded, flinching as he realized his worst fear came to fruition.

“Right.”

Stell looked at him with a pitiful look, “I-I don’t agree with it, Buck. I think what you did was very selfless and admirable, but I know how much pressure they were getting from the family. I don’t think they wanted that added drama of having to explain to them about you being the donor.”

Buck nodded, rubbing his face tiredly, trying to keep the voices of doubt quiet in his mind. He could feel his anxiety and fears bubbling up as he touched Daniel’s hand, those blue eyes just like his looking back at him with adoration.

“Uh,” Buck swallowed thickly, “One other thing…his name?”

Stella blinked owlishly at him, “What about it?”

“Where did it come from?”

Stella took a deep breath and then out, “He’s named after our brother, Daniel.”

Kameron did mention she had an older brother that passed while they were doing the paperwork during the donation process, but never mentioned the brother’s name outright.

“Yeah,” Buck felt disoriented now, they had an older brother named Daniel. “Kameron, I-I think she mentioned that.”

“He died in 2021, drunk driver accident. He was a doctor, a resident really, but he was hoping to be a pediatric oncologist. He loved kids, it was Kameron’s way of remembering him.”

Buck rubbed his stomach; he was hoping he didn’t look queasy but Stella’s question of “Are you okay? You look pale.” proved he wasn't doing a good job at hiding his discomfort.

Buck felt like had just swallowed bile, he tried not to cringe as his head pounded in that one spot between his eyes. “Yeah,” he breathed out uneasily. “I’m-I’ll be fine.” He didn’t sound sure to either himself or Stella, who gave him an uneasy once over.

The door to Tommy’s room opened, Bobby stepped out. “Everything okay?” he jutted his thumb behind him to where Tommy was, “Tommy and I were getting worried.”

They both gave Bobby a strained smile, their attempts to assuage Bobby’s worries felt half-hearted as they both went back into the room, with Bobby pulling Buck back.

He looked beyond worried as he asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Bobby.” Buck sniffed, avoiding Bobby’s glances as he tried to go back into the room.

“Care to tell your face that, what did Stella say?”

Buck shook his ‘no’, wiping away the tears as he urged Bobby to not push it.

“Hey!” Tommy smiled at him, clearly pretending that he didn’t notice that Buck was on his last rope, “I asked Stella if it was okay for us to take some pictures with Daniel, wanted to commemorate this save. What do you think?”

Buck knew what Tommy was trying to do.

And it made it that much harder not to fall in love with Tommy Kinard.

-

Bobby had insisted he go along with Buck and Stell to Connor and Kameron’s room, Stella had opted to stay in their room and then book a hotel by the hospital till Connor’s mom came to town.

Despite Buck’s best efforts to offer his place to Stella and Daniel, Stella had insisted she could get a hotel since it made sense to be close by the hospital.

Even though Buck was sure he could possibly run into them again, his gut was telling him that this was goodbye for now. He forced himself to keep his emotions in check as he hugged Daniel goodbye, engraving how the boy looked and sounded into his memory.

“Can you say ‘Bye Buck’?” Stella cooed adoringly, waving goodbye to Buck and Bobby as Daniel wavered tiredly at them.

“Bye Buck.”

“Bye Daniel.”

‘I love you.’ He thought wistfully as he waved to the small boy, nodding at Stella with a sad smile as she gave him a wave goodbye herself.

Once they were on the other side of the floor again, Bobby pulled him into a hug.

“Felt like you could use this.” Bobby told him, Buck said nothing- only hugging him tighter as he finally broke down. Sobbing into Bobby’s shoulder and unleashing the guilt and pain he had felt for years about how his parents treated him, about not being able to save Daniel, about now losing this Daniel.

“Buck, you did the right thing.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” Buck admitted, his chest tightening as he felt panic set in. His breathing felt labored as Bobby ushered him into a waiting room chair. “It feels like,” he seethed at the pain, “It just hurts, Bobby.” He cried.

“Look,” Bobby kneeled down in front of him, “I know you said you just think this was just some big coincidence but-”

Buck scoffed, shaking his head in frustration that Bobby would pick now to be religious, “Bobby, I-I don’t think I can handle you bringing up how this is some sort of message from God or something right now.” Buck pleaded, keeled over with his hand to his stomach.

Bobby rolled his eyes, “I don’t think it’s a message from God, I think it’s a message from Daniel.”

Buck frowned at that, “What-You think my dead brother did all this to say what? Screw you for not saving me or something?” he snapped, not meaning to sound so on edge but he was angry and hurt.

Bobby’s expression softened, “No.” he replied firmly, getting up to stand over Buck now, “I think he did all of this to say ‘I love you.” He sat down next to Buck, “I know you’re always going to feel guilty about Daniel, he wasn’t that much older that this Daniel when he died, right?”

Buck nodded ‘yes’ to that.

“Buck, you were baby when all of that happened to your brother, I’m sure your brother wouldn’t want you to carry that guilt, I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to feel like you’re responsible when you didn’t even know about him up until a few years ago.”

“It doesn’t feel like “I love you.”” Buck huffed, sniffing and wiping his nose with his sleeve.

Bobby sighed, “I think bringing Daniel into your life was more of a ‘Thank you.’ Bringing back Tommy? That was 'I love you'.”

-

“Hey, you okay?” Tommy asked, fully alert as Buck came back into the room, sans Bobby who had gone to get them dinner before visiting hours ended.

“You keep asking me that.” Buck fell back against the chair, bone tired as he tried to smile at Tommy with no luck.

“I know, but I’m worried about you.” Tommy confessed, “You didn’t seem okay when we were taking pictures with Daniel.” He noted as he looked over Buck, studying him almost. “Evan, what did Stella tell you?”

Buck braced himself, exhausted from crying. He knew he looked awful, he was sure his face was splotchy and his eyes were red and puffy from sobbing. “She uh,” he cleared his throat, wary that he already sounded pitiful to his own ears. “She uh told me that Kameron and Connor didn’t want to keep in touch with me anymore since they didn’t want to risk their family finding out about me being the donor for Daniel.”

Tommy frowned at that, swearing under his breath, “After what you did for them?” he asked incredulously.

“It’s okay, Tommy.”

“No! It’s not okay.” Tommy snapped, “You did a thing for them, this amazing selfless thing that I don’t think anyone could do for their friend, so called friends really, and they just what? Cut you off? Pretend that you don’t exist?” he spat angrily.

“I’m used to it.” Buck huffed, trying to smile, which only irked Tommy off more.

“Evan, you shouldn’t be! You’re too…kind for this! For them!” Tommy was getting redder with every word, Buck was half worried about his heart monitor going off. “Where the hell do they come off to just come in and out of your life like that.”

Buck shrugged, “People leave. You left.”

That sucked all the anger out of Tommy, “I-I did leave, didn’t I?” he asked, his bravado gone and replaced with something akin to fear.

Buck replied with a soft “Hmm.”

Tommy said nothing for a while, “You’re too good for most people, you’re too good for me.”

“I think I’m too much for most people.” Buck corrected, sounding morose as he stared down at the floor.

“Evan, you can’t believe that, can you?”

Buck shrugged, “I-I don’t get the people that stay. That-that like me. I know I have Bobby and Hen and Chim and Eddie and Maddie, but-they’re-they’re not mine. They have their own lives and family to go home to. I don’t.” he let out a depressing laugh, “You know after you broke up with me, I realized how lonely I really was? You and I were always together, even when we where on shift we would text and then suddenly- I didn’t have you anymore.” He rubbed his jaw, “Everyone kept telling me to move on and that I should just put myself out there, but it’s easy for them to say that when they have someone. I had you.” Buck said miserably, wiping away tears again. “I just wanted you.”

Tommy sniffed, his eyes welling up, “I wanted you too.” He confessed softly, “You don’t know how many times I thought I about going back to your apartment that night or calling you after.  I don’t even remember what I did after that night, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought ‘he’s going to meet the right person and I can’t get in the way of that.’”

Buck flinched, “You said that you were my first, not my last. Why do you think that?”

“Because I’m not the guy that gets picked, Evan. I’m not the guy people choose.” Buck had never seen Tommy so broken and vulnerable before, he looked and sounded so small as he continued, “I could never get anyone to stay and the people that did, they didn’t like the real me. They just could tolerate me till something better would come along, be it my family or exes or friends, or father figures. I wanted to keep you Evan, but you would find someone better. You deserve someone better.”

Buck leaned forward, pulling the chair closer to Tommy’s bed, “Do I get a say here?” he asked, he was getting fed up with his friends telling him the opposite of what he wanted to hear. To hear Tommy make the decision to break up for Buck’s sake was just making Buck’s headache hurt worse. “You keep thinking that you’re doing something noble here and all you’re doing is just breaking my heart, Tommy.”

“Evan-”

“No, you think you deserve to not be happy or not be in love or something, I know you felt like you were the bad guy and that you lied and hurt others to protect yourself and I know you felt like you were never enough- but this, whatever this is, it doesn’t make up or protect you. You’re just punishing yourself and me with this. I-I think I’m too much and you think you’re not enough.” He grabbed ahold of Tommy’s hand, his voice finally breaking when he saw Tommy’s lower lip tremble and tears start to fall, “I think you’re enough. I know you are.”

He watched Tommy swallow, “And you’ve never been too much, to hell with anyone who has ever told you that.”

Buck licked his lips, feeling the dry and cracked skin there as Tommy’s eyes followed his tongue. “I-I know. Can-Tommy, can we try again?”

“Evan-”

“Tommy, I’m dying without you.” Buck pleaded, pressing Tommy’s hand to his cheek and kissing the skin on his wrist, “I-I know we have a lot to learn about each other still, but I’m willing to learn and wait. I think you’re worth that.”

“So are you.” Tommy sniffed, “I don’t want to mess this up, I-I can’t lose you or us. But I’m scared, you’re the first man I’ve ever seen a future with.”

Buck felt a sense of relief wash over him as he felt Tommy’s hand press against his cheek, Tommy’s thumb brushing away his tears.

“I don’t know if can even believe I’m worth staying for.” Tommy confessed quietly. “I don’t know how to believe that I’m worth it.”

Buck pressed his nose against Tommy’s, not caring if his tears fell against Tommy’s face. “I’ll teach you.”

The pressure behind Buck’s eyes finally went away when Tommy kissed him.

-

Four months later…

Tommy groaned as he finally made it to their couch. “Screw physical therapy.” He groused, ignoring how Buck was smiling at him.

“Hey, you did great today.” Buck reminded him gently, giving his boyfriend a chaste kiss as he took the crutches from Tommy and laid them against their side table. “How about lunch?”

“And a nap.”

Buck rubbed Tommy’s stomach, earning him a small smile from the older man who pulled him for another kiss.

They went slow this time, but in the end they still spent every free moment together. Their conversations were deep and meaningful, exploring things together and with a therapist.

Three months later, they agreed to move in together.

They both had their friends in their ears about concerns about moving in together, but both men chose to ignore their loved one’s concerns. This was something that Tommy and Buck had talked about and agreed on. It wasn’t a rash thought that just plopped out between them, they wanted this. They missed each other when they apart and they each could admit that they wanted this - they wanted a forever with each other. They agreed that moving in together made sense and it made even more sense for Buck to move into Tommy’s place.

The first thing they put up together?

The picture of them and Daniel in the hospital, framed and hanging in the wall in their living room.

In the end it was a ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’ from Daniel Buckley after all.

@teabroomsandbooks @exhaustedpirate @bornunderabluemoonbaby @azaharinflames @adian-ua

[throwing-roses-into-the-abyss]

Finished the first sleeve!

[finerandbonnier]

In the Basement of those Cabins is a Princess

100 words for each face of The Princess.

The Shifting Mound; The Princess (Again) - [AO3]

The Shifting Mound

You wait for another fragile vessel. Another piece of you.

A tiny fragment of a greater whole; brittle and empty, ready to be filled with you and fill you up in return.

Warm and fierce and trusting and scared and loving and hurt and wilful and betrayed – more variants than there are words to describe them. All fragile.

All hidden somewhere through space and time in The Long Quiet where you cannot reach them with your grasping hands, cannot pull them into yourself and consume them, subsume them.

So, you wait in the cold and the dark and the quiet.

The Princess (Again)

You’re back in the basement of the cabin. The original cabin. The ur-cabin. The cabin from which all other cabins deviate.

You’re not a god this time. Nor a beast, nor a witch, nor a wood. You’re not even a princess. You are The Princess. You are the image that word conjures in their mind absent all other adjectives or descriptors.

But perhaps you do not have to be for much longer, perhaps this time the pair of you will walk through that cabin door and shed your labels together. Not the princess. Not the hero. Just you and them.

[bronzeagepizzeria]

He tucks a finger inside his daughter’s palm, watching in awe as it curls around him. The world is hazy, narrowed down only to the two people he holds in his arms. Had he known, then, on that fateful day? The other him? Known what he’d never get a taste of? What he was losing? He doesn’t know. He’ll never know, and he’s eternally grateful.

Part 2 is up!!

[thebirdarts]

Riju, Queen of the Gerudo and Sage of Lightning

[broodsys]

sprawling marionberry; closeup of the strawberry groundcover that spreads all across the side yard; peach tree; nectarine tree; bucket pond; hawthorne tree

[persoc30]

Kinktober Day 8 - Hogtie / Hobble Skirt

(Follows from here)

Nightingale sat perched on the side of her bed, tying up her hair for the night and watching Shining work. After locking the penultimate restraint on her doll she and Shining took a break to strip off most of her costume, leaving only the leotard. Now the sheets on their bed were pulled back and out of the way, and she watched as Shining laid a small leather sheet out over the lower middle of the bed.

“All done?” she asked, “Then bring it here, I’m dreadfully tired and ready for bed.” She finished, patting the bed next to her with an affected yawn.

“Of course Mistress.”

-

Shining quickly moved to the dolls side, lying limply right where they’d left it, cut off from the world under its layers. She effortlessly scooped it up into a princess carry, and the doll let out a noise at the shock of the sudden movement, before nuzzling into its superior’s grip with a satisfied, if muted, hum. Someone was enjoying her restraints. Shining herself was more and more eager for a few hours from now, when she and Liz would dispense with the role-play and she would come back in to join the two of them in bed.

In the meantime she gave the doll a quick kiss on the forehead of its hood, before turning and carrying it back to the bed where its owner waited. She delicately lowered it face down so its waist and legs were over the skirt she’d laid out in preparation.

Liz reached out and caressed the dolls head “Just one last thing and you’ll be perfect, we don’t want you going anywhere after all.” She giggled at her own joke and gestured for Shining to continue, not taking her eyes or hand off her new toy.

The maid pulled the sides of the hobble skirt up and wrapped it around the dolls legs, adding one final layer on top of the bodysuit and boots. A quick pull of a zipper and a tightly drawn belt at the waist and ankles and the hobble skirt was secure on their plaything. Shining was privately cheering at how simple the final piece was after all the lacing and buckling she’d done tonight, but the results should be more than worth the effort for all three of them.

Finally she rolled the doll over to face her mistress and stepped back for further instruction.

-

“Such a beautiful doll you’ve put together for me~”

“Thank you very much Mistress, it was a pleasure.”

“You’ve done very well maid, but as I said I’m tired, and I’m eager to enjoy my new pillow, so you’re dismissed for the night.”

“As you command, Mistress.” The maid gave one final deep bow and turned to depart.

With her faithful servant unceremoniously thrown out, at least until the game was over, Liz turned back to her plaything. She sat for a moment, just enjoying the rise and fall of its breath, before turning off her reading lamp and scooting into bed herself.

She pulled the covers over the two of them and slotted herself against her doll, wrapping her arms around the bulk of its jacket and draping one of her legs over its skirt. She thought about grinding up against it, working out some of the arousal it had so cruelly built up in her just by existing. But no she thought, carefully nuzzling into the crook of its neck so as not to damage the valuable doll with her horns, there’d be time for that later. Once Shining rejoined them. For now she just wanted to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

She sighed, sleepily but content. “I knew you’d make a good cuddle toy~” she whispered, knowing it wouldn’t hear. Nevertheless the doll worked a pleased moan of its own around its gag.

[paintedcrows]

They do this every year...

Happy 25th to Dipdop and Lebam!! and Happy 17th to Hatsune Miku!! 🎉🎉

(comic continued: The M&M stands for...)

[skipppppy]

I was cooking on twitter today

[nb-marceline]

(full article here)

[w1lmuttart]

The lake town

[kiiingsnake]

(college stuff) everyone give it up for the humble arapaima

[kenapiece-main]

Can you believe I'm having to make this meme even after successfully finishing up taxes and applying to job

[inkskinned]

it's extremely critical that you see the photo of the perp walk for luigi mangione as being propaganda. i've seen so many people wave it off and instead fawn over his looks. and trust me, i know it ended up being kind of pathetic and weird - but please don't brush it off as a "modelling opportunity" for him. it's a fucking terrifying message the police are sending.

i want to make a few comparisons here, in case you're not from the US or familiar with why the perp walk thing is something to pay attention to. just to set the groundwork for why this is a purposeful, unusual, and cruel act by the nyc police - for why this is not a common occurrence and for why that matters.

the prosecution alleges the show of force is due to the charge of "terrorism." for comparison, in june 2015, tsarnaev was found guilty for the boston marathon bombing, which killed 3 people and injured hundreds. his actions are considered to be an act of domestic terrorism. i have spent the last hour looking through google for pictures of similar to mangione's perp walk - and so far, i have found zero. i also just do not personally remember a moment like that, despite living in boston at the time.

they allege that luigi is a stone-cold killer who carried out a longterm plan, making him particularly dangerous. again for comparison: in nyc, recently cory martin was found guilty of the killing of brandy odom. the murder was planned and premeditated to steal insurance money. and yet no staged perp walk. why didn't her life matter enough for a "show of force"?

but mangione gets paraded by a veritable army of police officers as if he is a rabid animal. for a single citizen who allegedly killed one other single citizen, the "largest perp walk ever" occurs.

so what is the "strong message" that the mayor and the police were trying to send here? the mayor speaks as if mangione is already convicted of terrorism. there is a very thin number of people who feel threatened by the CEO's death. none of us felt like mangione needs to be under massive armed guard.

the message is that you shouldn't resist. they are trying to "make an example" of him - that if you behave badly and kill a single rich person, you'll be treated as if you killed hundreds of people. you will be treated worse than a man who was found guilty of terrorism. you will be considered guilty without trial. the message is that the rich are a protected class, and you cannot touch them without massive punishment. they are trying to prevent a revolution by showing dominance and force against you.

the message is that the police are a puppet of the wealthy and that the law is not equally applied across class disparity. it is "some are more equal than others." it is "one life is more precious than another."

the show of force wasn't for luigi. it was for us. it was a warning. they are trying to remind us who is really in control.