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panurei-derogatory · 1 year ago

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Hey guys I can't sleep so you're all going to hear my thoughts/theories about the lore of pizza tower in no particular order

Obviously spoilers to the game, the story is hardly important to the gameplay but I'd highly recommend you go into the game as fresh as possible. In case you haven't heard already, the game's fucking phenomenal and you should've played it yesterday at this point

POINT ONE: The Pizza Tower is something that has existed for a significant amount of time before the events of the game, as it seems The Vigilante has lived here for a while. We see this mostly in the refrigerator level, where it looks like snowmen have been left there resembling his late father/grandfather present as a ghost during his bossfight. Either the vigilante GREW UP here over some time (how long is a cheese blob's lifespan?), or these are left here as a means of honoring his parental figure. Vigilante also knows where to find the Noisette Cafe, which is hidden very well, so he's been here long enough to know the places ins and outs. This explains why he's invested in this place enough to take up an anti-hero role of defense, as he's grown very fond of the place. This ties somewhat into point two:

POINT TWO: The Pizza Tower's purpose is likely some sort of resort, if not a place of permanent residence. At least, that's what it was initially designed as before falling into some degree of disrepair (mainly in the slums). It has everything a guest would need- different kinds of entertainment (minigolf, saloon, beach for swimming, ect) and other essential facilities (plumbing system, cold storage, countless different restaurants, places like the peppibot factory that can supply jobs, housing, even a fucking GRAVEYARD) are strewn throughout the entire tower. Maybe the first floor with all the dungeon levels is some sort of jail area, a punishment zone for misbehaving residents. It has just about everything needed for people to call this place home, and we even SEE the bosses actively living here. The bosses don't just wait in their arenas, we see them sulk off to other parts of the tower after we defeat them. They don't want to leave until they're forced to by the tower's collapse. It's like some massive cruiseship.

POINT THREE: The events of the game are being recorded and broadcast as entertainment. The television in the corner that displays peppino at all times is shown in numerous other areas: the residents of the pig city are seen watching it, the televisions are used in pizzahead's one attack, the resume button in the pause menu is a TV with a play symbol on it.. Hell, even the Noise has an extra camera crew for a portion of his own bossfight, though that could be partially unrelated as the Noise seems to have a media presence completely separate from the tower. A TON of signs point to Peppino's escapades being recorded, but the purpose of this is completely up in the air- it could be televized as a believed-to-be-fictional series to the outside world, it could be a security system monitoring Peppino, hell, it could even just be for Pizzahead's personal entertainment.

POINT FOUR: This is NOT Pizzahead's first attempt at a business venture. Don't Make a Sound's background elements point to the idea that this was Pizzahead's first ever restaurant, which went bankrupt for reasons that aren't ever insinuated (probably the same problems that plague the rest of the tower: poor quality, poor safety measures, poor matinence and upkeep). This gives Pizzahead the motive of being jealous of Peppino's success (despite Peppino himself being in serious debt, although his restaurant IS still standing.. I guess debt like that wouldn't be something Pizzahead would be aware of), wanting to destroy him for being more successful. This jealousy also gives an explanation to why things like the cloning section in WAR and Peppibot Factory would exist in this supposed utopia Pizzahead attempted to create; Pizzahead wanted to replicate the success of Peppino somehow, but always failed. This gives credit to the next point.

POINT FIVE: The story of Pizza Tower contains a moral pertaining to quality over quantity. Pizzahead most certainly has or had a fuckton of money and connections in order to build this massive tower AFTER going bankrupt on his own business, marking him as some sort of corporate conglomerate millionaire figure comparable to someone like Ronald McDonald. Despite all of the money thrown at the Tower, it's all brought crumbling down by a single man and his blazing desire to keep his proper, authentic, mom-and-pop pizza business afloat. Craftsmanship and dedication to what you create will always outshine heartless corporate slop. And then there's the more obvious moral of don't push people's limits and/or don't fuck with Italians (which is probably the moral the devs would adhere to more since they don't really take the lore seriously like my autistic ass).

Do I have a way to wrap this up? No. Did any of this make sense? Probably not. Whatever. Thanks for reading another massive wall of text from Panurei "Autism" Derogatory.

#pizza tower #pizza tower peppino #pizzahead #pizza tower vigilante #pizza tower the vigilante #pizza tower spoilers #pizza tower lore #pizza tower theories #video games

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brokenbluebouquet · 7 months ago

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John Felton engraving 1630s national portrait gallery London.

It should really not be a surprise that we don’t know much about John Felton. We are often in the dark regarding those not inside the charmed circles of power and wealth. Most of what we know comes from Felton’s own confession after he was arrested.

John Felton is believed to have been born around 1595 in Suffolk, the son of a pursuviant (catholic hunter). He may have been a distant relation of the Howard Earl of Arundel, and his maternal grandfather was mayor of Durham. His father lost his position and the family ended up in debt with Thomas Felton dying in debtors prison. His mother was able to secure a royal pension of 100 pounds a year. (I don’t know what that is in modern money - sorry).

Nothing is known of Felton until the mid 1620s when his name comes up in the records of the failed 1625 attack on Cadiz (another Elizabethan throwback - regular readers may notice a pattern). In 1626 Felton began serving in Ireland as a lieutenant, it was here he was turned down for promotion to captain after his CO died.

Felton blamed George for this but given the sheer volume of admin work George was snowed under at this point in his life, he would not known Felton from a proverbial bar of soap.

During the siege of St Martin and Ile de Re, Felton tried again this time enlisting the support of 2 MPs. Again no promotion. Felton was one of the thousands left humiliated and scared physically and emotionally by the failed campaign - and he blamed George.

Upon his return, Felton was according to reports, troubled by dreams and flashbacks to the fighting and an injured arm that limited his employment prospects. His finances were also poor and repeated attempts petitioned the privy council for his backpay and his promotion. Neither were awarded or even given much acknowledgement by the council. All he could in the meantime was think and read. He did a lot of both.

On 23 August 1628, John Felton, after having said his goodbyes to his loved ones, explanation for his actions sewn into his hat, and armed with a cheap knife, made his way to Portsmouth.

It was a Saturday morning and George had just finished breakfast at the Spotted Dog Inn Portsmouth, that he was using as his base of operations before setting sail in a few weeks time. In a last ditch attempt to salvage his reputation and silence his enemies one and for all, George was taking another crack at relieving the siege at Re.

George was coming down the stairs to meet the crowd of petitioners waiting for him. Hated as he was at this time, he was still the best means to get heard by the King. Felton was waiting in this crowd.

The rest, as they say, is history.

He tried to escape in the ensuing chaos but was caught. Charles wanted him put to the rack to see if there was anyone else involved. The judges said no, and besides, Felton had his manifesto sewn into his hat, remember?

Felton was, in my opinion, a disturbingly contemporary figure, the shell shocked vet turned stochastic terrorist; as it was the gossip and propaganda surrounding George that persuaded him to do this - he may have read Eglisham’s book. Despite the negative implications of murdering a crown servant in broad daylight, Felton was for many a hero.

Felton was hung at Tyburn on the 29 November 1628. His remains were displayed in chains at Portsmouth. It was intended as a warning but instead it became a shrine.

#John Felton #george villiers #duke of buckingham #charles i #james i #henrietta maria #famous murders #assassnation #mary & george #mary and george

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analyzecriticize · 2 years ago

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Chainsaw Man Anime - The Quest Narrative

Disclaimer: I have not read the manga. This piece is based solely on the anime and what I could get from that. This is just what I noticed, so I could be completely wrong. All media is open to interpretations.

*This post will contain spoilers*

Chainsaw Man is an anime filled to the brim with symbolism and themes that it is really difficult to pick one thing to focus on. For this post, I want to focus on the quest narrative, since it is a simple introduction. The quest narrative is one of the easiest archetypes to spot because it is so widely used. A few points to focus on when it comes to the quest narrative are this:

1. The hero or person doing the quest

2. A place to go

3. The reason to go there

4. The challenges they face along the way

5. The real reason they went (what they actually learn at the end that changes them)

From the very first episode, parts 1-3 of the quest are already taken care of. Our hero is obviously Denji, the place to go is wherever the boss tells him to go, and the reason is that he has to pay off the debt left behind by his father/he wants the good things in life eventually (like jam to go with his bread). Where the anime currently is would be part 4, the challenges he faces along the way that leads to what changes him (joining public safety, the fights and relationships he has, the Gun Devil wanting his heart). Since only the first season has come out, part 5 is left unfinished.

Denji could possibly have two quests going on at the same time, depending on where you’d like to begin.

If you start from when he joins public safety, then his place to go is public safety. The reasons depend on what perspective you take. To Denji, his reasons to work in public safety are to live the good life, form a relationship/touch Makima, and so he doesn’t get killed by public safety. To Makima, it’s because the Chainsaw Devil is very powerful, especially when wielded by Denji, since he has such loose morals. The reason she wants him on Special Division 4 is because he could defeat the Gun Devil with some proper training. Part 4 would be all the battles they are having along the way, each of them teaching Denji something new. As mentioned in episode 12 by the Katana Devil, Denji is getting better at fighting on a regular basis. Much of this is due to experience, but also because of his recent lessons with Kishibe.

No matter which perspective you take, part 5 is still up in the air. I’m sure manga readers have an idea what Denji’s real purpose is and how it changes him, but I’m just not there yet. The big thing is that Denji will eventually learn something that changes him in a big way and he will use that for some means. I hope to read the manga eventually in the original Japanese, but I need to study a bit more first. I’m already looking forward to season 2 so that I can see how his quest changes. Denji is the first character I have come across whose quest is self-motivated to this degree. Many heroes want to save someone or are aiming towards a bigger picture, but Denji is focused solely on his goals and will do whatever to achieve them. It is very refreshing and I’m excited to see how his story fits into the archetype.

If you have any thoughts or things to add, please feel free to leave a comment! Just remember: I have not read the manga and that I am out of practice with analyzing stuff, hence why I picked something so easy for my first. Constructive criticism is welcome, just make sure you can back it up with evidence. Manga readers - please no spoilers.

More info on the quest narrative: How to Teach Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Anime: Chainsaw Man

Picture: Tower Records

#chainsaw man #anime #the quest narrative #the quest #analyzing anime #narrative archetype #narrative archetypes

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sheetmusiclibrarypdf · 29 days ago

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Remembering Tina Turner (1939-2023)

Remembering Tina Turner (1939-2023)Tina Turner (short bio)Best Sheet Music download from our Library.Please, subscribe to our Library.Tina Turner's 10 best songs and the stories behind them1. River Deep, Mountain High (1966)2. Proud Mary (1971)3. Nutbush City Limits (1973)4. Let's Stay Together (1983)5. What's Love Got to Do With It (1984)6. Private Dancer (1984)7. We Don't Need Another Hero (1985)8. The Best (1989)9. Steamy Windows (1989)10. GoldenEye (1995)Browse in the Library:

Remembering Tina Turner (1939-2023)

Tina Turner (short bio)

Tina Turner (November 26, 1939, Brownsville, Tennessee - May 24, 2023, Küsnacht, Zurich) was one of the most legendary figures in 20th century music. Dancer, singer and songwriter, she was nicknamed The Acid Queen and The Queen of Rock & Roll. With a brilliant career of success that spanned four decades, from the sixties to the two thousand, he always stood out for his magnetic presence on stage, his very powerful voice and his tremendous energy.

She was born Anna Mae Bullock in a small Tennessee town, Nutbush (to which she would dedicate the song Nutbush City Limit ). His parents were African-American and, on his mother's side, he had ancestry from the indigenous peoples of North America, Cherokee and Navajo. As he recounted in his autobiography, his father was a violent man and given to drink. His mother separated from him when he was eleven years old, and together with his older sister, Ruby, they went to live with her in the city of St. Louis, in Missouri. He soon showed his aptitude for music in the choir of the local Baptist church. After graduating from high school, she began working as a nursing assistant, while also beginning to sing in St. Louis' African-American nightclubs. In 1958, she was discovered at the Manhattan Club by Ike Turner , who signed her to his group Kings of Rhythm . Ike was already a well-known Soul composer and performer by then. At that time, she had her first child with the saxophonist Raymond Hill, at the age of nineteen, although their relationship did not bear fruit.

She would be attached to Ike , who would become her husband in 1962, vitally and professionally, for fifteen years, which saw her rise to stardom, but also constant physical abuse. At the suggestion of Juggy Murray , president of the independent R&B label Sue Records, she artistically renamed herself Tina Turner . Like Ike & Tina Turner , they had several hits in the 60s such as A fool in love , I idolize you or Tra La La La La . In 1965, iconic producer Phil Spector saw them perform, and was fascinated by Tina's voice. He insisted on recording a song with her. Ike , who insisted on controlling every aspect of his career, refused at first, and only accepted when Spector paid him $20,000. The result of that session was the song River Deep, Mountain High , which, although it did not obtain much commercial success at the time, would end up becoming a classic in Tina 's repertoire and, according to Spector , her greatest achievement. In 1969, Ike & Tina shared a US tour with The Rolling Stones , and appeared with them in the famous documentary Gimme Shelter . Mick Jagger , Keith Richards and Tina became very good friends. In the early '70s, the Turner duo had their biggest commercial success with their cover of Proud Mary single , a Creedence Clearwater Revival . Likewise, Tina had a memorable appearance in the musical Tommy as “The Acid Queen.” That moment of professional splendor was accompanied by the collapse of his marriage. Ike Turner had increasingly aggressive and erratic behavior due to his cocaine addiction. Tina attempted suicide on more than one occasion. Finally, after a brutal beating in a Dallas hotel in July 1976, she left him and filed for divorce. Ike initially refused to grant it, and the legal battle lasted for two years, until 1978. Tina agreed, to settle the dispute, to pay the debts that Ike had accumulated , she kept custody of the son he had had with her ex-husband, Ronald and, in addition, she adopted the two children that he had fathered with other women, Ike Jr. and Michael.

During the early 1980s, he seemed a forgotten figure, until the musical renaissance that came with the album Private Dancer 1984 , which was produced, among others, by David Bowie and Mark Knopfler , and which represented his greatest success. his career. Thanks to singles such as the title track, What's Love Got to Do With It or Better Be Good to Me , it sold five million units. The following year, she appeared as the villain in the film Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and sang the theme song for its soundtrack, We Don't Need Another Hero , which also topped the charts. from all over the world. His success continued throughout the eighties, with albums such as Break Every Rule (1986) and Foreign Affair (1988), while he went on several world concert tours. was released In 1993, the biopic Tina , where she was played by Angela Bassett, while Ike had the face of Laurence Fishburne . Both were nominated for Oscars for their roles. Among his latest hits, the main theme of the James Bond 1995 film, GoldenEye , stands out . In 1999, he released his last album, Twenty Four Seven , to say goodbye to music with a final world tour in 2000, which is remembered as one of the most massive in history. In 2008 she came out of retirement to collaborate on the Joni Mitchell tribute album , River: The Joni Letters , performing the song Edith and the Kingpin . The album won a Grammy. Since 1986, she was romantically linked to the German music producer, Erwin Bach . Together they lived in Los Angeles, Paris and, finally, in Switzerland, the country whose nationality they adopted after marrying in 2013. Religiously, she was raised in the faith of the Southern Baptist Church in the United States. In the mid-70s, through a friend, she discovered Buddhism. As she recounted in her autobiography, Buddhism had a crucial importance in her professional and personal rebirth, after the traumatic end of her relationship with Ike Turner. about her life was released In 2018, the musical Tina , which has been performed in various countries. In her final years, she began to suffer a series of health problems, and in 2017 she underwent surgery to receive a kidney transplant (donated by her husband). In 2023, his death was announced, after suffering from cancer for several years and suffering a stroke. “With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model,” indicated the statement from her representative who broke the news.

Tina Turner's 10 best songs and the stories behind them

1. River Deep, Mountain High (1966) In 1960, Tina found success with Ike and created one of pop music's masterpieces six years later, when producer Phil Spector approached her about working with her. Although the song was credited to the duo, Spector did not want Ike to control the work in the recording studio, so he paid him not to go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Lehkou2Do Tina was happy to work with someone else. He was surprised to discover that the producer had assembled an orchestra and a choir to create his famous "wall of sound." "She was just a girl from Tennessee who caught up with Ike and became a singer," Tina Turner wrote in her autobiography. "I've never, ever seen anything like it, except in a movie." The song peaked at number three on the UK charts, but flopped in the US. Radio DJs said the song "wasn't 'black' enough to be rhythm and blues nor white enough to be 'pop.'" 2. Proud Mary (1971) After this country-rock song was a hit for Credence Clearwater Revival in 1969, Ike and Tina transformed it into an explosive, epic funk ode to freedom. Tina began her presentation with sensual messages and then exploded with her exuberant voice, in a show that impressed music fans in the United States. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and won a Grammy Award. Beyoncé chose to perform this song when she paid tribute to Tina at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2005. Three years later, they sang it as a duet at the Grammy Awards. https://youtu.be/hzQnPz6TpGc?feature=shared 3. Nutbush City Limits (1973) Tina immortalized her hometown with the lyrics of this song. The cheerful melody was a nostalgic memory of his disturbing childhood, during which he spent some time picking cotton. "You go to the country on weekdays/and have a picnic on Labor Day." Three years later, Tina left Ike after suffering abuse for years, risking her entire career. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I07249JX8w4 4. Let's Stay Together (1983) Tina had to start over and rebuild herself as a solo artist. The crucial moment in that comeback, which would lead to even greater success, came when she met two members of the English electro-pop group Heaven 17. Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory were looking for a singer for a covers album for their British Electric Foundation project and Tina did not have a record contract. When he entered the Abbey Road studios, there were no other musicians. "Where's the band?" she asked, expecting a Phil Spector-style orchestra. But this time the music would be made with synthesizers. First, they recorded Ball of Confusion The Temptations' , then Al Green's Let's Stay Together , which became their first UK Top 10 hit in a decade. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rFB4nj_GRc 5. What's Love Got to Do With It (1984) Turner established himself as a solo artist with this song written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, which had previously been offered to Cliff Richard, Donna Summer and Bucks Fizz. Tina didn't initially like it either, as it seemed too light. However, he agreed to record it if he could do it his way, "with strength, with gravity and pure emotion." Her sexy and defiant performance worked, accompanied by a music video that showed her walking the streets of New York. This song gave Turner his only number one in the United States and won a Grammy. At 44 years old, she became the oldest woman at that time to have a single reach first place on the charts in the United States. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGpFcHTxjZs 6. Private Dancer (1984) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4QnalIHlVc This song was first recorded by Dire Straits and was written by Mark Knopfler, the band's leader, who considered that the song could not be performed by a male voice. Tina later said in an interview that she hadn't realized the song was about a sex worker. "I never had to stoop to that in my life," he wrote in his autobiography. "But I think most of us have been in situations where we've had to sell ourselves, in one way or another." "When I gave myself to Ike, when I kept quiet to avoid an argument, when I stayed with him despite the desire to leave. That's what I was thinking when I sang the song, the sadness of doing something you don't want, day after day. "It's very emotional." 7. We Don't Need Another Hero (1985) It is another song written by Britten and Lyle. The theme and Tina herself appeared in the Mel Gibson film Mad Max : Beyond Thunderdome. As a classic '80s power ballad, the lyrics resonated with the desolation of the film's post-apocalyptic world. Turner appeared in the video as the character Aunty Entity, who she said she connected with because she was "strong and resilient." "She lost so much and then went through so much to get the men in her world to respect her," Turner said. "I identified with their struggles because I lived them." The song was another hit: it reached number two in the United States and won a Grammy nomination and an Ivor Novello Award. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcm-tOGiva0 8. The Best (1989) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC5E8ie2pdM It was originally written for Bonnie Tyler, but was only a minor hit for the Welsh singer in 1988. A year later, Tina added some vocal power and new soft rock production, and made it one of her signature songs, one of the defining anthems of the decade. The song is often mistakenly called Simply The Best , a line from its famous chorus. She has appeared in numerous advertisements over the years, including one for Pepsi with Turner herself. It was also used to promote rugby league in Australia.

9. Steamy Windows (1989)

It appeared on Turner's 1989 album Foreign Affair. The lyrics left listeners in little doubt about what was happening in the backseat. It was another empowering and feminist song from Turner, about taking the initiative in a sexual encounter. Music Week described it at the time as "a delightfully sassy number" with "naughty guitar runs." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e04pzNwIqU8 10. GoldenEye (1995) Singing a James Bond theme is a milestone for any artist. Following the success of What's Love Got to Do With It , Tina's Oscar-nominated 1993 biopic, Bond producers tapped her for Pierce Brosnan's debut as Agent 007. The GoldenEye theme was composed by Bono and The Edge of U2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cMRI3k7TXc Tina Turner discography Ike & Tina Turner discography List of songs written by Tina Turner List of awards and nominations received by Tina Turner Read the full article

#SMLPDF #noten #partitura #sheetmusicdownload #sheetmusicscoredownloadpartiturapartitionspartitinoten楽譜망할음악ноты #spartiti

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theweirdspacejellyfish · 2 months ago

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book recs

eighth grade bites: the chronicles of vladimir tod

summary: vlad has to keep his vampire urges under control while dealing with the pressures of middle school. thirteen-year-old vladimir tod really hates junior high. bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. oh, and vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. with no idea of the extent of his powers, vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. when a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. but then he faces a much bigger problem: hes being hunted by a vampire killer

pacific rim by alex irvine

summary: it has been ten years since the battle of the breach and the oceans are still, but restless. vindicated by the victory at the breach, the jaeger program has evolved into the most powerful global defense force in human history, the PPDC now calls upon the best and brightest to rise up and become the next generation of heroes when the kaiju threat returns

no longer human by osamu dazai

summary: no longer human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. oba yozo's attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a clown to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness

without reservations: with or without by J.L langley

summary: native american veterinarian - and werewolf - chayton wilson dreams of a fair-haired mate. however, hes shocked to find his mate is a man. hes not quite sure what to do with a male mate, but hes more than willing to find out. keaton reynolds wakes up in wolf form and finds himself with a mate. hes instantly attracted, but not thrilled to find out the man is supposedly straight. a past relationship where his partner denied being gay left a bad taste in his mouth. keaton wants to make a break for it and pretend he never set eyes on chay- but chay is not ready to let him go. together they work to battle prejudice and solidify their shaky relationship. when a power struggle in keaton's pack threatens keaton's life, the two men must quickly learn whether they can depend on each other.

bah, hambug by dianna bell

summary: whoever said that money cant buy you happiness hit the nail smack dab on the head. ellis carmichael had made his millions before the age of twenty. he'd launched his patented internet site, hotexpectations.com, which was the main go to social site for gay men to meet other like minded gay men and mingle. it was a very exclusive, members-only website, used by the gay and bi-curious sugar daddies, to discreetly hook up with the sugar babies of their dreams. the website had exploded, becoming an almost overnight success. now, a little over ten years later and with thousands of matches made, ellis was one of the wealthiest bachelors in the world. at thirty-four years old he was feeling very much alone at the top of his world. ellis' mood took a nosedive with the realization that the winter holidays were fast approaching. with it came all the festivities that seemed to rub salt deeper into the gaping wound of his lonely heart. especially christmas, a day that only served to remind him of just how alone he was in his wealthy kingdom. he vowed to skip the tortuous celebrations this year altogether; all those happy people putting themselves in debt by buying gifts, along with all the music and decorations, and especially all the happy couples and loving families that were around every corner you turned. that was ellis' plan until one frigid evening after leaving his office, his driver and car nearly plowed over a little vagrant, with stunning green eyes, who was trying to cross the busy city street. ellis' heart may be a little jaded, but he was human. he stopped to make sure the boy, who was literally swimming in his much larger, threadbare jacket, was uninjured. the little beauty was protectively clutching a little collection pot for the homeless. something inside ellis demanded that he made the young man was alright. little did ellis realize he had just ran into his christmas miracle. there would be no," bah,humbug," for him or his little green eyed elf this year

#book recommendations #my fingers hurt typing #my fingers are cramping help

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notbrokenjustfake · 11 months ago

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Lantern Rite

“Still watching?” Akuji chuckled. “He’s just a stubborn as you, L.” He looked over the blonde woman sitting under a large tree overlooking Liyrue Harbor.

Kites dot the night sky, bobbing and weaving in the winds over the city. Lantern Rite was not anything he intended to participate in, coming simply to meet Lumine. They had met in the depths of the Abyss, the puppet making a concentrated effort to find her after removing himself from the Irminsul. While he had only been curious at first, there is a certain amount of comfort being around someone such as her. Someone who has also been forever changed by the knowledge of Teyvat’s truth.

This time of year, she was easily locatable to a rare few as she chose to watch her brother participate, just as she had… once.

Lumine smiled at the puppet and let out a soft sigh. “Aether will just have to learn the truth for himself. You know as well as I do the truth of this world is not something you simply tell someone. I trust you haven’t told him.”

“Aside from telling him that you are recorded. No and not Buer either, but that was before…” He paused and sat beside her. “There are some things that should be kept secret. I don’t think he’d be too pleased with our little meetings anyway.”

Not that the puppet particularly cares what Aether thinks, the Traveler is dull, naïve, and hopelessly optimistic in his opinion. Lumine on the other hand, was quite steeped in darkness and he enjoyed the chaos she brings to the otherwise mundane and fate-driven world in which he occupies.

“It can’t be helped.” She replied flatly. “I never asked for you to do this nor do I need your company. You persist at your own free will. Is it care or curiosity that drives you?”

Akuji glanced over at her and huffed. “Care? Hardly.”

He does not care for the Traveler, their relationship merely a debt owed in his mind despite what Aether wanted to believe. For her, however, the situation is a bit complicated. She is not a mewing would be hero and her distain for the Gods is only rivaled by his own and perhaps just as equally driven by vengeance.

The blonde rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyes still fixated on the streets of the harbor. “Hmm. A lie? Even so, I’m not going to tell you that I am unhappy to have company.”

The girl’s existence is just as lonely as his, especially since having lost Dain’s company. She moves now in orders and manipulation, pulling and plucking at the strings of Teyvat in the attempt to pull herself toward Celestia. No matter the cost. Surely this is something the puppet boy understands, no?

Akuji’s brows furrowed at her actions, but he made no effort to move her even as his fingers crept closer to hers and allowing them to barely meet the tips of hers. Maybe there is a bit of care or simply he’d just seen himself reflected in Lumine. An understanding and acceptance which had not been found in anyone he’d met in Teyvat.

They sat in silence for a long while just watching until the sun began to creep over the horizon. The little comforts they had ended far sooner than both would wish for.

“I have to go now…” Lumine whispered.

He nodded as he watched her leave though the swirling purple portal she opened. Lumine looked back only once, her gaze ran from the city to him, before stepping through and removing herself once again from the face of Teyvat.

Akuji could have easily followed her had he wished to do so, but some things are better left alone. So instead, he sat alone underneath the big tree. Still watching and still wondering. How will all of this turn out? In the end it may not matter at all, at least for him. The wind will carry him onward, forever just wandering and doing nary a thing more than he pleases.

#short stories #the wanderer #the balladeer #scaramouche #Abyss lumine #in absence of an abyss twin player #nice things just for fun

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phone9098244054 · 11 months ago

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I’m 6ft6in / 198cm tall, 380lbs, FAT, no tattoos, and no piercings. I don’t have kids, I don’t want kids, I definitely don’t want to be a step-dad, and I’ve had a Vasectomy. I’m debt-free, drug-free, and disease-free. I have no criminal record, I don’t smoke, and rarely drink. I spend most of my money on restaurants, and traveling. I live 70 miles east (inland) of Los Angeles, in San Bernardino, and own a barren, empty, 880sqft, upstairs, apartment flat, with no furniture, and a mattress on the floor.

I’m quiet, dyslexic, Pisces, INFP, left-handed, an auditory learner, and an only child. I love museums, tombstones of forgotten heroes, nonfiction audiobooks, podcasts, and SiriusXM. I loathe dogs watching me eat, gravel trucks, political parties, meaningless banter, negativity, hype, and people who project their biases onto me because I have a dumb, grumpy look.

I was 200lbs lighter, and used to spend 3 hours a day doing cardio 7 days a week so I’d be awesome in bed. I’ll have to find another motivation for utilizing my multiple gym memberships; because everyone thinks they’re smart, a good driver, or good in bed. While a good meal has been more rewarding than being thin, I intend on having a 2nd act.

I’ve finished at least 5 nonfiction audiobooks every week for the last 20 years; and in that time I’ve given up on twice as many that didn’t interest me. As I drive for work, commute to work, and commute to school; nonfiction audiobooks are my world away from the traffic, the road rage, and the judgment of those hurried west-siders who probably cringe at the thought of being me.

I love driving because I’m free to spend my time thinking about the things I choose. I could make more money but having a reason to rush home would be preferable. I want to be more than just a steady paycheck, or a sturdy sperm donor to some bored, suburban, working-woman that’s looking for a man to make her laugh. I’d like to think that I haven’t given up on finding a wife, but my 5XLT shirts from KingSize foretell something else.

Before Covid I traveled to more countries than I can remember. I liked researching cheap international flights, and possible itineraries when I was stuck someplace dull. Since my parents are deceased, a goal of mine is to acquire transferable skills so I can live anywhere in the world someday; hopefully before I become a faded copy of the man I am today.

I’m a very hard sell. It seems that money has never gotten me anything more than liberty; and only my own ignorance to that, has ever taken away from life’s freedoms. I value experiencing, and learning new things over possessions, and status. Notwithstanding, I still strongly believe in personal property rights, and the 2nd amendment.

Conversely, as I begin to look back with a broadening vantage onto the meandering path that brought me here. I can clearly see now that at no time did I ever choose; the internal motivations or people, that gave my life the most meaning.

Being born, and living my entire life in the Los Angeles area; has unjustly led me to believe sometimes, that most people don’t know how to be happy with themselves without trashing others; and that the nuclear family was a romanticized notion that never actually existed; supposing I know these things not to be true.

I’ve learned the hard way that thinking the universe was meaningless, and completely random; only led to more of the same wasteful behaviors in my own life. I’m not at all religious; however, I would rather spend the rest of my life alone; than bring one more child into this world that does not grow up in an intact loving home, with a strong connection to god.

While my gifts, choices, and experiences have set me apart, and kept me estranged from others; I’m still hopeful because I’ve learned the most from the people I thought I’d least want to meet. Therefore I try not to believe everything I think.

When I wander from what I know, I feel as though this journey is my own, and in that moment I feel anything but alone. When I think about all the things I love about life, I feel indescribably loved. I’m grateful for the time you’ve given me. I share this awkward writing of a simple life with you in the hope that its beauty is mutually appreciated, for my truths might be the only thing I’ll ever have to offer you. Take care….

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nbmsports · 1 year ago

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Biden and D.N.C. Announce $72 Million in Fund-Raising, a Substantial Haul

President Biden’s campaign announced on Friday a combined fund-raising haul of more than $72 million from April through June alongside the Democratic National Committee and a joint fund-raising committee, a figure that far surpasses what former President Donald J. Trump and other leading Republican presidential candidates have announced.The campaign said that along with the D.N.C. and the committee, it had a combined $77 million in cash on hand at the end of the reporting period. It did not disclose how that money was divided between the campaign and the committees.“While Republicans are burning through resources in a divisive primary focused on who can take the most extreme MAGA positions, we are significantly outraising every single one of them,” said Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Mr. Biden’s campaign manager.While the fund-raising total is well short of the $105 million Mr. Trump and his allies collected during the same period in his 2020 re-election campaign, it is likely to serve as a salve for Democrats who have been privately gloomy about Mr. Biden’s sagging approval ratings. The finance numbers prove that whatever private misgivings Democrats have about Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign, the party’s donor class is fully on board.“This is proof positive that this party and its people and the country believe in Joe Biden and the accomplishments of this administration,” said Henry R. Muñoz III, a former Democratic National Committee finance director. “This reaffirms Joe Biden’s appeal to the working people and everyday heroes of this country.”At the dawn of President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign, he and the D.N.C. raised a combined $86 million between April and June 2011.Comparisons to Mr. Obama’s fund-raising efforts for the 2012 campaign are imprecise, however, because a 2014 Supreme Court decision and other legal changes allowed candidates and parties to form joint fund-raising committees that can accept single donations of hundreds of thousands of dollars.And in Mr. Trump’s re-election bid, he had a significant head start over Mr. Biden. Mr. Trump formally announced and began fund-raising for the 2020 race on the day he was inaugurated in 2017, while Mr. Biden, who at the end of March had $1.36 million left over in his campaign account, did not actively solicit money for his campaign until he made his run official in April.Mr. Biden began his 2024 campaign on April 25 — nearly a month after the fund-raising quarter began. His first major fund-raising event was in mid-May in New York, and he did not do any significant fund-raising himself during the heat of negotiations over extending the federal debt ceiling in late May.In June, Mr. Biden traveled to San Francisco and Chicago to meet with major donors before the close of the fund-raising period.Mr. Biden was never a prolific fund-raiser before he became the party’s de facto presidential nominee in the spring of 2020. Three other Democratic candidates raised more money than he did during the third quarter of 2019, well before his resurgence as the primary season unfolded.But once Democrats unified around Mr. Biden and against Mr. Trump while the pandemic gripped the country, Mr. Biden emerged as a magnet for donors large and small.“Just like 2020 was a record year, I imagine 2024 is going to be a record year,” said Alex Lasry, a former Senate candidate and D.N.C. member from Wisconsin who is the co-treasurer for the Democratic Governors Association.The Republicans vying to replace Mr. Biden will not have the benefit of raising money through their national committee until one emerges as the party’s nominee. Mr. Biden and supportive Democrats also have the advantage of not having to spend much money to get through what for the Republicans is expected to be a rough-and-tumble primary campaign.Mr. Trump said his campaign and his joint fund-raising committee had raised $35 million in the second quarter. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida announced he had raised about $20 million. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, raised $4.3 million for her campaign and an additional $3 million for her affiliated committees. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina said his campaign had raised $6.1 million.Other Republican presidential candidates, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman, have not released their fund-raising totals for the second quarter.Full reports on all federal candidates’ campaign finances, which will include spending and an indication of how much of their money has come from small donors, are due on Saturday to the Federal Election Commission.Rebecca Davis O’Brien contributed reporting. Source link Read the full article

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setarmare · 1 year ago

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:0 (tw death, but treated more a a legacy thing)

nyra is kind, but she's also just as cunning. she may not see herself as a god, but she understands that many do, and that's more than enough to sway things her way. it's a self-imposed talos situation: painting her deeds into myth as champion of kynareth. humility is wasted where she can inspire others to do good with her example otherwise. tamriel will remember a dragonborn, of hair like the pale morning and eyes like the sun, whose justice came swiftly and surely, who brought the land to order where other men and mer failed.

the stories change every century. the nords embraced her as kynareth's daughter, who quashed the stormcloak rebellion yet retained skyrim's independence and spirit. the imperials claim otherwise: she was a politician of imperial birth and a war hero, the very epitome of imperial power. the dunmer claim that she settled in morrowind after the war, and that claim transformed into 'she was of morrowind,' and so claimed the bosmer as well.

there was a house bloodthorne recorded in high rock's courtly history, and the family flaunted this fact until a nasty scandal seven generations down completely erased any notion that these were the relatives of the dragonborn. the court dismissed it all as a political scheme to garner more power for themselves, and the surname was struck from tamriel's memory, leaving only a first name and a thousand aliases behind.

but for what the dragonborn was truly like, that knowledge died long ago, along with the longest-living of her companions. the last ex-thalmor prince recalled, on his deathbed, that he wished to visit sovngarde to see his old friend if shor would allow an altmer like him. given his legacy of aiding tamriel's victory over the thalmor, this was one of his less controversial statements.

a bosmer explorer tended to the dragonborn's grassy tomb with songs, encouraging flowers and life to teem around the monument that would last for centuries to come. nowadays, many travelers marvel at the seemingly undying greenery that could never be harmed, not even by a flame.

there are tales of a mysterious dark-haired altmer tending to this grave as well, between traveling the continent and healing the wounds that the old thalmor had left -- and by the very last of his days, returned to the dragonborn's grave to peacefully join his old friend for one last adventure.

an akaviri warrior was the first to pass, so shortly after her, as if the duty of the last dragonguard had died with the last dragonborn; and though the name of this warrior was lost to time, a strange magic left the akaviri sword standing before the dragonborn's grave utterly immovable. the house of flavius was most diligent in defending the dragonborn's legacy, in fulfillment of a debt generations ago to one brave lucien flavius, the pride of the house.

but that era was gone and done, with only a legacy that tamriel is left to craft until they, too, forget.

When Arngeir says that quote that goes like will you be feared, forgotten, or adored down the line, how do you imagine your dragonborn will be talked about many years later? Like maybe their name, race, gender is well known or maybe people didn’t know anything about them and only their title remained. Perhaps they become another Talos situation. There are many ways it could go and I’m interested to hear about your character!

#i rambled im sORRY #skyrim oc #spot the custom followers #caryalind thallery #auri song of the green #kaidan skyrim #lucien flavius #skyrim taliesin

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politijohn · 4 years ago

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The Stock Market is not the Economy w/ Dan Price

Airlines spent 96% of free cash flow on stock buybacks for a decade, then cut 90,000 jobs when trouble hit. Then they got a $50 billion bailout

GE promised its CEO a huge bonus if stock hit $19. It didn’t, so GE re-did contract so the bonus kicks in at $10/share The CEO cut 20% of aviation staff to increase profits and raise the stock to $10 His bonus: $47M. If it goes up again, he gets $270M

JCPenney - April: furloughed 85,000 employees, May 10: Gave CEO $4.5M bonus on top of $17M/yr in pay, May 15: went bankrupt, Oct: laid off 15,000 people, Dec: closed 150 stores, Now: CEO left with $4.5M bonus after stock fell 88% in her 2 yrs

Boeing spent almost all of its cash on stock buybacks over the prior decade. In the past year, it cut 27,000 employees. It also fired its CEO over 2 deadly plane crashes and ensuing coverup, and gave him a $81 million exit package

On Jan. 6, when the mob stormed the Capitol, the stock market went up 250 points to a new record, handing the richest 1% an extra $300 billion. Also that day, a new report showed employment dropped for the first time since April and a then-record 3,900 people died of covid

Albertsons, US’ 2nd-largest grocery chain: *Profit is up 256% in pandemic *Stock at record high *Owned by private equity *CEO made $29M last year *Fired all California non-union drivers to replace them with gig workers with no benefits/min wage

The stock market for the 500 biggest companies ended the year up 15%, among the biggest gains ever. Also in that span, those companies lad off a record number of people, and wait times for food banks hit a record high

As part of the first stimulus, the Fed pumped about $3 trillion into the stock market, which helped it soar to record highs. At the same time, a record 30% of small businesses failed and unemployment tripled

Since 2009, stock market is up 233%. Since 2009, the federal min. wage is up 0%

Coca-Cola - This decade, it spent $48B on dividends and over $20B on stock buybacks 2018: CEO got 58% pay increase 2019: CEO got 12% pay increase, to $18.7M 2020: Company makes $8.3B profit…and it just laid off 12% of workers

Among the biggest 50 companies, they spent 79% of profits on stock buybacks and dividends in recent years to enrich executives and mostly-wealthy shareholders. Last year, those companies combined to lay off over 100,000 workers

Disney stock is up 21% in the past year to a new record high. In recent months they laid off 32,000 people. One of our employees lives near Disney World. Recently there was a line of cars outside his house for a drive-thru food bank 7.5 miles away

In the pandemic, total stock value has grown by $16.6 trillion. $8.3 trillion of that went to the richest 1%, and they pay a lower tax rate than those who are unemployed and need help

Salesforce - In the last 5 years, it has bought 27 companies for tens of billions of dollars. It just bought Slack for $27.7B. Its stock is at record high, up 23% in the past year after revenue surged 29%. And it just laid off 1,000 people

In November alone, the average member of the top 10% gained an average of $200,000 from the stock market while 7M people plunged into poverty

On one day in November: *The stock market hit 30,000 for the first time *Elon Musk became first person to gain $100B in a year *A Census report revealed 6M people face imminent eviction

Uber + Lyft spent $200M on November election ads to convince Californians they shouldn’t pay drivers minimum wage or benefits. In the 2 weeks after passage, Uber stock went up 39% and Lyft stock soared 52%. In return, all drivers were denied basic benefits

Average stock gains over 10 years CEOs with above-average pay: stock up 160% CEOs with below-average pay: stock up 280% And yet CEOs are rewarded whether the stock goes up or down

AT&T - 2018-2019: bought Time Warner for $100B, cut 29,000 jobs May: gave departing CEO $64M pension ($274K/mo for life), laid off 4,700 more workers August: laid off 600 more workers, Now: laid off thousands more - news sent stock up 2%

Marriott - 2018-2019: made $3.1B in profits, spent $5B on stock buybacks April: furloughed most employees, paid $160M in dividends to shareholders, gave CEO a 8% raise and 200% bonus Sept: laid off 17% of HQ staff Now: made $100M profit

$3B: what Jeff Bezos cashed out in stock in one day, as Amazon profits tripled in the pandemic. $2.1B: cost to give all Amazon warehouse workers 2 weeks paid sick leave and a year of hero pay (they got none of either now)

84% of stock market value is owned by richest 10% “but what about 401(k)s” Half of Americans don’t have one The average 401(k) balance has *declined* $5,000 in 6 years after inflation, because employers put in less & people can’t afford contributions

MGM - Laid off 18,000 people while giving its CEO $700K in stock. The value of the stock doubled to $1.4M after the stock went up, partly because of increased profitability due to the layoffs

Wells Fargo made $10B in staff cuts, meaning tens of thousands of employees lost their jobs. Wells Fargo also made a $2B profit, did $24B in stock buybacks last year, and paid its CEO $36M

Black and Latino Americans make up about 32% of the population but own only 1.7% of all stock value

1948-1979: Worker productivity: up 108%, Stock market: up 603%, Worker pay: up 93%. Since then, worker productivity: up 70%, Stock market: up 2,200%, Worker pay: up 12%. Corporations and workers used to get richer together. Now companies just keep the money

Deere - Construction sales are down 25%. Yet, it is posting a $2.25B profit as it cuts thousands of jobs. The result: Its stock grew 23% in a year to a record high. In the week after it announced job cuts, its stock grew 9%

Walmart - Stock is at record high, up 23% in a year. The Waltons have gotten over $20B richer in the pandemic. Online sales are up 74% and market share has grown…and it cut hundreds of corporate jobs

Macy’s - Its stock was down 60% in a year and they cut 3,900 jobs. So what did it do? Gave its CEO a $3.7M bonus, and gave about $1M each to 5 other execs

CEOs justify huge pay by saying they’re worth it. But there’s no correlation between profit and CEO pay at 61% of corporations. Since 1990, stock market: up 300%, CEO pay: up 550%

Stock for the parent company of Ann Taylor, Loft and Lane Bryant is down 75% in a year. It closed all 2,800 stores. So what did it do? Gave executives $5.5M in bonuses, including over $2M to the CEO

Where proceeds from stock buybacks + dividends went over the last 15 years: White people: $13 trillion, Black people: $0.18 trillion Hispanic people: $0.21 trillion When we talk about the systemic racial wealth gap, this is a pretty good place to start

Amid the early days of the pandemic, stocks grew 38%, the most ever in a 50-day span. At the same time, thousands of small businesses closed each day while thousands of people died from covid

Google - Stock at all-time high. $6.8B profit last year. Founders Page + Brin added $10B+ to fortunes in a year. Offered jobs to over 2,000 people and axed them w/ no severance before they ever worked a day - after they already left their prior jobs

Companies did $62B/year in stock buybacks in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Now they do $730B/year in stock buybacks. Worker pay increases are far smaller now than they were in the ‘80s and ‘90s

Chevron - Its CEO made $33.1M/year. 5 other execs made a total of $59M. It spent $13B on stock buybacks and dividends in a year then laid off 10-15% of its staff

Big companies don’t just spend profits on manipulating stock. They are a record $10 trillion in debt - mostly for stock buybacks + dividends to enrich themselves. When the bill comes due, layoffs typically ensue

In April, a record 30M people lost their jobs and small businesses lost 55% of their revenue. At the same time, the stock market rose the most since 1987 and billionaires gained $308B

#Eat the rich #capitalism #stock market #economic inequality #the left #working class #long post #us politics

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twoidiotwriters1 · 3 years ago

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Copycat & The Spider-man —(Marvel Fem!Oc)

Words: 2,398

Phase two Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next chapter

iv: The Accords

They were called to the conference room, the Secretary of State was waiting for them.

"Five years ago," The man was on his feet, he was projecting a few videos. C.C. was at the back of the room, seated next to Tony. "I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my backswing... Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after thirteen hours of surgery, and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the army had never taught me: Perspective."

C.C. opened her mouth to ask something, but Tony put a finger on his lips, asking her to remain silent.

"The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives— but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word vigilantes."

"What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Nat questioned.

"How about dangerous?"

Pietro scoffed, Steve muttered a warning.

"What would you call a group of US-based enhanced individuals, who routinely ignore sovereign orders and inflict their will wherever they choose, and who, frankly, seemed unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

C.C. sunk on her seat, Tony placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. Secretary Ross moved away and started the video on the screen.

"New York."

She watched as thousands of people ran. Hulk jumped from building to building, dropping giant debris on top of the citizens. Bruce would've hated to watch himself do those things, but he wasn't there to defend himself.

"Washington D.C."

Images of destruction and chaos were on display, it felt like a compilation of their failures, even though she hadn't been present for most of them.

"Sokovia... Lagos."

Wanda caved in, her friend looked away from the screen and hid her face on her brother's shoulder.

"Okay, that's enough," Steve said roughly.

The Secretary turned off the screen. "For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate... but I think we have the solution."

He handed Wanda a bunch of papers.

"The Sokovia Accords, approved by a hundred and seventeen countries, it states that the avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of the united nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

C.C. and Pietro shared a look, she shrugged without really understanding what this meant for them, being the youngest members of the team.

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place, I feel we've done that," Steve replied.

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of thirty megatons nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

"So," James Rhodes began, "there are contingencies."

"Three days from now the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the accords... talk it over."

"And if we come to a decision that you don't like?"

"Then you retire."

As soon as the man left, C.C. turned to Tony.

"Does this mean we're war criminals?"

"You're not a war criminal, kid," Rhodes told her. "You don't appear in any of the records or footage."

"What about Wanda and Pietro?"

The man and Tony shared a look she didn't like.

"So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"

"A hundred and seventeen countries want to sign this— a hundred and seventeen, Sam, and you're just like 'No, that's cool, we got it—"

"How long are you going to play both sides?"

"I have an equation," Vision spoke up.

"Oh, so this will clear it up," Sam said sarcastically.

"You're giving me a headache, Tweety," C.C. groaned from her place on the rug.

Wanda hushed her, tapping the top of her head.

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man," Vision proceeded, "the number of enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve raised a brow.

"I'm saying there may be a causality," Vision explained. "Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict, and conflict... brings catastrophe. Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Tony, you're being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal," Nat pointed.

"It's because he's already made up his mind," Steve responded.

"Boy, you know me so well," Tony stood up. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap, it's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

"Should we mention Pietro's terrible habit of leaving crumbs in the couch?" C.C. muttered, the boy kicked her softly. "Sorry, I'm getting nervous here. If my records are clean then why was I required at the meeting? Do I really have a say in this?"

Tony pulled out a pad from his vest and turned it on, it projected the picture of a young man. He sighed heavily.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid: computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall... but first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor— Guess where? Sokovia."

The discomfort in the room was palpable, Wanda stopped playing with C.C.'s hair and pulled her legs up on the couch. C.C. moved away, but she didn't get up from the floor.

"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass," He pointed at her and the twins. "We have kids under our care. Kids that think four years of freedom are worth a lifetime of service to an organization that never bothered to look for them until they were already out of danger."

C.C. opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her.

"You don't want to live like a hero," He looked at Steve. "These children have abilities kids their age only dream about. Does it mean they should use them? No. The accords keep them safe."

She thought of the night in which she'd accidentally hurt a man without meaning to, shame engulfed her, she could see why the accords were needed.

"There is no decision-making process here," Tony crossed his arms. "We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less and allow these children to risk their lives on wars they did not cause, we're no better than the bad guys."

"Tony, if someone dies on your watch, you don't give up—"

"Who said we're giving up?"

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame."

"Does it?" C.C. asked in worry. "I didn't mean it when I said I liked other people cleaning my mess— it's not right—"

"Calm down," Pietro seized her by the shoulders and gently pulled her towards him, leaning her against his knees. "Stark has a point. I don't like the thought of spending the rest of my life running towards the danger. It'd be nice to live outside of the compound, it's not every day you get a second chance in a nice country..."

"Yeah, but how can you enjoy it if they lock us up for the things we did in Sokovia?" Wanda asked tensely.

"Guys, no one's going to lock you up," Rhodes said, then he turned his attention to Cap. "I'm sorry Steve, but what you said is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about, it's not the World Security Council, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D, it's not HYDRA—"

"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change."

"That's good, that's why I'm here," Tony approached him. "When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."

"Tony, you chose to do that," Steve insisted. "We sign this we resing our right to choose. Do you think they'll let the kids live normal lives? They'll keep them under constant vigilance. C.C. and the twins have abilities that embody the government's worst fears: They control minds, they're faster than any weapon, and change their appearance at will. You think they'll trust them?"

C.C. was torn, and she could see Wanda was as well. None of them knew who to believe, but ultimately, both girls only cared about being free. However, one of them had caused the most damage on two occasions, and she knew what was coming.

"Was if this pannel send us somewhere we don't think we should go?" Steve continued. "What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

"If we don't do this now," Tony spoke lowly, "it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty."

"You're saying that they'll come for us," Wanda responded darkly.

"We would protect you," said Vision.

"Maybe Tony's right," Nat mentioned. "If we have one hand on the wheel we can still steer, if we take it off..."

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam raised a brow.

"I'm just reading the terrain," She said. "We have made some very public mistakes, we need to win their trust back, the kids will be safer if the adults in this room play along, cause if they come to hunt us down, and I'm sure they would if we refuse to sign this, it's not going to be us they'll lock up first, it'll be the underage superhumans that are currently under our care."

"Focus up— I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" Tony blinked.

"Oh, I want to take it back now..."

"No no no," He retorted. "You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented," Tony winked at C.C. "Okay, case closed, I win."

Steve's phone vibrated, he looked at it for a moment and stood up hastily.

"I have to go."

"Is he upset?" C.C. shifted in her place uncomfortably.

"Yeah..." Nat watched him leave. "But I don't think we did that."

The girl finally got to her feet and took Steve's place, she grabbed the accords and examined them.

"I don't understand why I'm here," Her fingers grazed the fancy text. "My file's hidden, there is no mention of my participation in Sokovia... If I don't exist, how do these accords apply to me, and why should I have a say?"

"Oh, trust me," Sam raised a brow. "If we sign this they'll ask for a full report of each member, and even if they don't know who you are, they'll start to wonder why you're here. Maybe they'll run some tests—"

"Stop scaring her," Pietro snapped. "They can't take C.C. without permission and you are her guardians."

"If she signs those papers, the leaders of the world will become her guardians, and God knows what they'll make her do."

"Wrong again," Tony interrupted. "If she agrees to sign the accords once she turns twenty-one, I become her official guardian until then. She's living in my tower, she's using my last name. I don't see why Steve should have any say on her life if he doesn't care about her safety."

"Oh, and you can do better?" Sam scoffed. "You think you can raise a kid like her, Stark? You don't look like father material to me."

"This is where you shut up before I make you," Tony scowled at him. "You don't know anything, okay Big bird? I'm perfectly capable of providing C.C. with whatever she needs, and I'm willing to extend the same treatment to the twins."

"You're truly our savior," Wanda replied sarcastically. "Tony Stark first sells the bombs that killed our family and now pretends this is a charity project—"

"Enough, Wanda," Pietro stood up. "I'm tired of being a fugitive. We're seventeen! I want to have friends and go to parties like C.C. does! I don't want this to be my life..."

"You're saying you'll take Stark's offer?" Wanda asked irritatedly. "Do you think they'll leave me alone after what I did— what we did?"

"We can find a way to keep you safe, I'm sure we can," Pietro started, but Wanda didn't let him finish.

"I'm tired," She stood, Vision quickly following. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Vision only gave them a look as if saying he'd try to change her mind, but C.C. wasn't an idiot, and she was sure they would not let Wanda free without some kind of punishment, though she had faith, she wanted to believe Tony would find a way to protect all of them.

"Am I still going to school next week?" She asked after a moment of awkward silence. "I don't need to go to Vienna or anything, right?"

Tony took a deep breath and shook his head, smiling at her tightly. "You're good to go, but you'll have to give me your definite answer before Monday."

"I'll think about it."

"I don't need to think about it," Rhodes grabbed the accords. "I'll sign right now."

He exited the room at once, Sam also went away. In the end, only Pietro and she remained.

"I know I gave you and Wanda that speech about wanting to live before being taken away, but I wasn't created to have a quiet life. Whether we sign or not, our life won't be normal, so you should do whatever feels right for you and your family."

Pietro sighed, he circled her chair and sat on the couch next to her.

"Wanda's my sister," He pushed his hair back. "But I'm tired of the persecution. We've been nothing but the bad guys since we got our powers. I think that if we sign these accords they'll see us as good people, and that's all I want to be."

"What if Wanda's right and they try to lock her up?"

"We can try to convince them to let her have some kind of house arrest... we make sure she doesn't suffer."

"I don't wanna make the wrong choice," C.C. ran a hand over her face tiredly. "It's not fair that they're making us do this."

The boy shook his head silently.

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@ieatpanicattacksforlunch @jesuswasnotawhiteman @siriuslysirius1107 @greengarsstuff @itsyagirl01 @espressopatronum454 @23victoria @jkthinkstoomuch

#twoidiots writing #marvel #marvel fanfiction #marvel fic #copycat fic #Peter Parker x Oc

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alaskasmonsters · 4 years ago

Text

No Strings to Hold us Down | Takami Keigo

(spoilers for chapter 299 ahead!)

requested by @waffleareniceandfluffy: can I request a hawks x reader where yk how ehe in the car with best jeanist faked his death all that yeah and he says he’s free of his shackles can you do where they’re both free and they discuss his backstory (reader is childhood friend she knows about his abuse) and can you include any other thing chapter 299 with him as like can u make it hella angsty but with a little fluff and definitely a fluff ending.

part two

pairing: takami keigo x fem!reader

w.c: 4.269

warnings: spoilers for ch. 299, some amount of angst (with happy ending), mentions of neglectful parents

a.n: so this took me a hot minute and i’m so sorry you had to wait for so long! it’s also like 4 k words and i don’t know how or when that happened i-... i hope it’s angsty enough and i hope you like it! please enjoy :) <3

The silence hung thickly in the air of the freshly washed car, weighing heavily on you. A glance to the side told you that Keigo was still asleep, head propped up against the window.

He’d fallen asleep as soon as you’d taken off from the hospital, the only sign he was still alive was the even lifting and lowering of his chest.

You knew he was fine, Keigo was the most stubborn person you knew and as long as he hadn’t given up yet, there was nothing that could keep him from going on. Still, there was this little voice at the back of your head, barely an itch, that urged you to make sure just once more, if he was still alive, still breathing, still going.

He’d taken a lot of damage during his battle with Dabi. The villain hadn’t held back, hadn’t even hesitated when he’d burned his wings off, almost ruining the cells in his shoulder blades they were sprouting from beyond fixing, before he had moved on to his face and neck, leaving nasty burn marks behind wherever his hands had reached.

You remembered when you had stormed into his room, ignoring everyone who told you to take care of your own injured first, to take it slow, saying Keigo needed rest now, and you had first laid eyes on his battered form. The bandages covering his body, the absence of his wings, the peaceful look on his burned face as he was still sleeping soundly.

For a moment, a never ending moment, you had thought he was dead. You wouldn’t have known what to do then, when Keigo had actually left you behind, all alone in a big cold world, a world even colder without his silly jokes and genuine smiles. It had been awful, that feeling of dread, heavy and suffocating, that had taken a grip on your throat and squeezed.

Then the beeping of the vital signs monitor had reached your eyes, barely audible through the ringing of your ears and the loud beating of your eyes and you’d been able to breathe again.

Since then you hadn’t left Keigo’s side, even denied Best Jeanists help when he’d suggested to accompany the two of you. He’d wanted to drive, since you were still heavily injured, but you’d denied.

It felt too personal, visiting the house of Keigo’s mother, a woman you’d only met once before but had heard too many stories about, to not be by Keigo’s side when he had to face her after years of separation.

Luckily, Best Jeanist had realized this and instead agreed to meet you back at the hospital later, leaving Keigo and you alone on your ride to your destination.

Out of the corner of your eyes you saw your friend’s body stirring, straightening out of his hunched over position, his eyes blinking open tiredly before he seemed to recognize where he was.

“I’m sorry. I fell asleep,” the robotic voice of the translation app he was using, chimed through the car.

Another reminder of how close Dabi had gotten to him, you thought.

You glanced at him, your eyes falling on the muzzle he was wearing that prevented him from using his voice.

You smiled at him, hands tightening their grip on the steering wheel as you stopped at a red light.

“It’s okay. I’m glad you’re alright.”

You seemed to repeat yourself around him a lot since he’d woken up. “It’s okay.”, “I’m glad you’re alright.”, “How are you feeling?”. At this point you felt like a broken record. If he noticed, Keigo didn’t mention it.

“I’m glad that everything with Best Jeanist went smooth,” the voice chimed back.

You remembered when Keigo told you about it. The plan involved Best Jeanist. Before he’d even asked the man himself about it. He probably hadn’t been allowed, the commission usually forbade any exchange of important information between the two of you, but Keigo never cared.

He had always told you anything, it’s been like that since forever.

The rest of the 40 minute ride was endured in silence. Keigo was looking out of the window, eyes unfocused, and you tried to focus your attention back on the street. The concerned voice was pushed to the back again.

You arrived soon after, parking the car in an empty spot and exiting the vehicle together with Keigo. The mansion at the end of the street caught your eyes immediately and you were once again impressed how much money the commission was willing to spend to keep their little pet obedient.

“Is that it?” you asked, covering your eyes against the blinding winter sun.

“Inside that house,” Keigo assured, passing you without giving you a second glance.

You let out a sigh, sensing his nervousness, maybe even fear to see his mother again. Locking the car, you followed after him, stomach churning with something you could only identify as dread.

When you arrived at the door Keigo rummaged around in his pockets before he pulled out a key card. He hesitated, grip tight around the little piece of plastic, before turning to you and typing a few words into his translation app.

“Before I fully recover and show my face again...you know there is something I need to be sure of.”

Maybe he felt like he had to explain himself, as if you didn’t already know exactly why he came all the way here to see his mom again after he hadn’t even bothered to keep in touch with her the last few years. His eyes were searching your face, hand on the handle and you gave him a soft nod.

“I know,” you replied quietly.

He opened the door wide and you entered the house.

It looked just as spacey and clean as the outside let suspect. The interior was beautifully put together, the furniture was expensive looking and excessive. It looked all very tidy and you knew that the way everything was decorated has probably been the work of interior designers.

Something about the fact that the place reminded you strangely of where Keigo was living stuck with you. His apartment was just as clean, just as nicely decorated by the hands of strangers, just as well put together.

How ironic.

The similarity of it. Mother and son both separated and still connected through the hands of the commission, the organisation the woman sold her son to.

It made you feel sick, no matter how much Keigo acted like it didn’t bother him, it just seemed to anger you twice as much.

How these people working for the Hero Public Safety Commission managed to make it appear all nice and clean from the outside, sweeping all the unpleasant details under the rug. They made Keigo the perfect hero, paid off his mother and ensured their comfort, ensured your comfort to him. Only to have the man in their debt.

The commission loved how close you and Keigo were, if only to use your friendship against you and use it to their advantage. Although it had only been him they had taken in, fixed up and trained for years, you were just as much controlled by them as he was. Due to your friendship.

They didn’t think of you as talented or as perfect as him. Hawks was charming, impressive, loved by the public, the number two hero! You weren’t even in the Top Twenty, your quirk wasn’t as flashy as most of Japan’s Top Heroes’ and you weren’t as loved by the public either.

You were only useful to them when it came to the dirty work, keeping Keigo in line that was (and you hated it hated it hated it), being the one responsible when he had to get punished after a mistake he made because it was on you when you didn’t pay enough attention, wasn’t it?

And only because the two of you had been childhood friends. Because you knew Keigo better than anybody else in this world, even himself. Keigo did have no issue sacrificing himself, burning himself out in the process if that meant he did a good job. You were the one who had to ensure he was at peak performance at all times.

Of course, being the commission, they had also used their sources (you didn’t believe it was Keigo who had told them, he would have never done as much) to uncover your awful past and find out about your family home just to use those things against you. As leverage. As if Keigo’s safety and wellbeing wasn’t motivation enough.

Your past was filled with pain and regrets.

Your mom, who’d left you with your dad after you were born and your dad who’d turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain.

The man had neglected everything. His health, his job, his life...you. So it had been your responsibility to keep the both of you afloat. You had started shoplifting when you were merely old enough to tell the difference between left and right. Everything you’d stolen, you’d taken to keep your dad and you alive.

The commission knew about this and liked to use it against you. It didn’t matter that you’d only been a child, old enough to know better for sure but too young to see any other possibilities for your hopeless situation.

You had met Keigo back then, too, when you’d been 7 and he’d been 8, after you had stolen from a small shop and accidentally caused havoc when you were caught and ran away, causing two cars to crash into each other when you’d crossed the street without looking, which forced one of them to swerve the other way so it wouldn’t hit you.

Keigo had found you hiding behind a group of trash cans in an alleyway crying, saying his feathers had tingled and that’s how he knew something had happened in the city. He had wanted you to return what you’ve stolen but when you had told him in tears about your situation and begged him not to tell anyone he had taken pity on you. Making a promise to not snitch on you if you were being more careful.

That’s how you’d become friends.

Although he’d gotten in trouble for leaving his house, beaten and screamed at by his paranoid piece of garbage of a father, who believed he’d tried to rat him out or something...That didn’t stop Keigo from seeing you again.

You would both sneak out in the middle of the night to see each other, meeting in forests and on playgrounds all around the town. He’d share food with you or bring you little things he’d managed to sneak from his dad’s newest gig.

Since that day in the dirty alleyway, Keigo had never stopped taking care of you. The both of you felt connected through your abusive fathers and (in Keigo's case emotionally) absent mothers. You both had scars you'd rather hide with everyone but never each other and you both felt lost, unable to be yourself in a home you didn't belong in.

You had realized, even at your young age, that you could never let him leave because you’d never find a person like him ever again.

So when the commission got involved, when they took him away, isolated him from his old environment, which involved you as well, your heart broke.

Although Keigo, sweet caring Keigo (who now had to go by Hawks. Commission’s orders.) still never entirely left you. He’d asked the commission for one more favor beside taking care of his mother and him. They had to ensure your safety, get you away from your father and into a better household.

You were the very first person he’s saved and although he tried to downplay it you knew he was proud of the fact that it held him together on days he didn’t feel much like a hero.

These days, it was rather often...

The house remained silent, the calls of the robotic voice for Keigo’s mother echoing through the big room.

No answer followed.

You looked around the room, noticing that what you had called clean before was really just the absence of everything that was supposed to tell someone that this mansion was inhabited. No dirty dishes, no books or newspapers lying around, not even a glass of water on the sink.

“Do you think she left overnight?” you asked, strolling around.

Keigo didn’t answer your question so you turned around to see him standing with his back to you, something clutched into his hand. Curious of what he had found you stepped up from behind him to look over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of what looked like a letter addressed to Keigo.

From his mother.

“Did Dabi use people for this...? How did he even get this far...?”

You hummed softly, reaching up to grasp his shoulder tightly. Keigo had already suspected that it must have been his mother to tell Dabi or people Dabi sent about his real name and family background. Still you knew there was a little part of him that had hoped this not to be true.

Now, though, with the letter that his mom left behind in her abandoned home, there was no doubt about it.

His shoulders sacked and his body hunched over as he let out a deep sigh, barely audible through the muzzle.

“Guess it really was my mother that leaked it then,” for some reason even the robotic voice sounded heartbroken about the fact.

You reached up to card your fingers through the hair at the back of his head, or rather the part that wasn’t covered by bandages.

“I’m sorry, Kei,” you mumbled lowly.

He leaned into your touch and let out another deep sigh, the tiredness that had been edged into his features ever since he had woken up in the hospital bed seemed even more prominent now under the cold lights of the living room.

“When the name “Takami” had been taken from me, the relationship between my mother and i had finally disappeared. I had always thought i was fine with that,” he explained, the robotic voice breaking the silence again.

“What i thought of as being saved was just me turning my back on everything. Even on you, y/n.”

You looked up in surprise at his words, staring at the back of his bandaged head with furrowed brows.

“You’ve never turned your back on me, Keigo,” you assured him, giving his shoulder another squeeze.

How he could even think that he’d ever done as much was beyond confusing to you.

Keigo reached to put his hand on your hand, the skin warm against yours and the touch comforting. He tightened his grip ever so slightly.

“Yes I did,” the speech assistant continued, “After we’ve met again a few years back, I’ve run from you, kept my distance, because you represented what i wanted to be but couldn’t.”

After we met again a few years back.

You’d seen him in the news one day, when you were still training in hero school, and recognized him immediately as your childhood friend, even after all the years you’d been separated.

The huge red wings were a distinct tell.

You had run out of the Starbucks, leaving behind your freshly ordered drink to where you’d heard the incident had occurred. Out of breath and disheveled from all the running you’d gotten there just in time to reunite with Keigo for the first time in years.

Since then you’d never left him out of your sight again, too scared you’d end up losing him again.

Hearing Keigo say that he’d tried the complete opposite, keeping a distance to you because of what you’d represented, something he wanted to be but couldn’t...what did that even mean?

“A guy who helps people...”

Your hand felt cold when Keigo dropped his own again, letting it hang off to his side.

“That’s the only thing that’s returned. Actually it’s refreshing,” he continued.

The air around you felt heavy, suffocating, just like earlier in the car, just like when you’d stepped into his hospital room. Although now the reason for it was a completely different one.

“What do you mean?” you asked quietly, your voice barely a whisper.

“The commission is currently at a stand still, y/n, in total dysfunction.”

You swallowed thickly at the reminder. The commission, the one thing haunting the both of you whenever you were with each other, the organization holding Keigo in an iron clasp and ensuring his obedience with your help...since the Jaku Hospital Raid, since Dabi exposed Endeavor and Hawks, the number 1 and number 2 heroes of Japan, they’d been silent.

Scarily so.

“There is no one to give me orders anymore. And they won’t be able to control you anymore either. I won’t let them.”

You took a step back away from the man when you noticed how violently he smashed the screen, his shoulders tense and the recovering wings under his jacket bulking.

“Keigo...” you tried weakly.

“They won’t get to abuse your kindness anymore, have you chained to me..”

You didn’t have to see the look in his face to know what emotion was displayed on it, neither did you have to hear his voice.

Your heart dropped at the words, at the bitterness he so desperately wanted to put into them but couldn’t because of his injured throat.

“Keigo,” you repeated, this time with more insistence.

“I know why you did it. You wanted to return the favor. I saved you, you save me,” the electronic voice sounded awfully smug all out of the sudden.

Your stomach twisted, a horrible hot sensation built in your chest and you had to clench your jaw to stop yourself from saying the first thing to come to mind.

Which would have been an insult.

You clenched your fists, pinned them to your side as you stared at Keigo’s back, your face twisted into an ugly expression.

“No, fuck that,” you spit, “how dare you?”

His face came into view when he turned half to look at you over his shoulder, eyebrows lifted in surprise at your outbreak.

You snarled, unable to contain the hurt as tears started to build behind your eyes.

You’d always been an emotional crier and you really hated it.

“It’s not about a favor. Don’t say shit like that.”

Hawks cocked his head, eyeing you for a moment before he fully turned towards you. His posture was more relaxed than before but there was a question behind his eyes.

He lowered his glance only to type in the next words...

“What? You care about me so much, sweetheart?”

You scoffed, wiping at your eyes in frustration.

“You know i do, stupid bird brain,” you said, still angry.

How could he even believe for a second that you endured the commission’s whining and yammering out of guilt. How could he not know how much you cared for him after all the years you’d been by his side now, after all the times you’d been there for him.

Keigo grasped your wrist, stopping your frantic wiping to push them away and make place for his own hands, thumbs softly brushing the wetness from your cheeks.

He found your eyes, his own wrinkling at the edges.

“No chains left,” the phone chimed.

You watched in anticipation as Keigo reached behind him, hands moving to his neck, and removed loosened the clasp, pulling the muzzle off.

Now you could see the smile, too.

“To shackle us down,” he told you with a hoarse voice.

“Kei,” you scolded him, looking down at the muzzle between his fingers.

You took a step towards him, closing the distance between you. Then you reached forward to gently run your fingers down his throat. The fabric of the bandages was rough against your fingers.

Hopefully he hadn’t started talking too soon.

“Y/n.”

You looked up at him and caught his eyes that were staring down at you with a determination you’d seen directed at you so often before, but couldn’t deny they had still the same effect on you as if it were the first time. Making your head all dizzy, that was.

“When we’re driven into corners, we find liberation. That’s when a true person’s nature rears its head. That’s why Bubaigawara was such a great guy,” he explained, gripping your wandering fingers into his hand, holding them close.

“At heart, he was desperate to be a help to others. I also want to be like that.”

You smiled up at him, squeezing his skin between yours.

“You’re already like that, Kei. You’ve always taken care of me, haven’t you?” you teased, hoping to ease the tension between the two of you a little.

“I think it was more the other way around, y/n.”

“I don’t-“

“Without you...i would have never known what it is like to have someone care for you. To have someone by your side no matter what. To understand...i think i would have never understood what it meant to love.”

You froze, staring up at Keigo with wide eyes. He tightened his grip around your hand, feeling that you wanted to draw back, instead keeping you close, thumb softly stroking the back of your hand as a way of calming you down.

“I think i love my mother, but that’s more out of obligation than anything,” he explained, searching your eyes but you couldn’t tell what he was looking for, “I never feel like i have to be anything than me when i’m with you. Nothing about being with you feels forced, or like it’s an obligation. It’s just...us.”

The room was spinning suddenly as you felt something cold wash over you. Your chest tightened, your heart daring jump out with every harsh beat against your ribcage.

He couldn’t be saying what he was saying...right?

He didn’t mean that. He couldn’t mean that.

“Keigo...are you saying you love me? As in...in love with me?” you wanted to laugh, just a little, to lighten the mood, but it got stuck in your throat on its way out.

Unlike you the man in front of you looked calm, not at all deterred by your panicked state.

“Yeah, I do. I think I have for a while now, but i didn’t fully realize until recently.”

Still gripping your hand in his left one he raised the other to your face, gently cupping your cheek. You leaned into the touch instinctively.

A faint smile tugged at his lips at your action.

“It’s alright if you don’t return my feelings, but I think you do.”

You frowned in thought.

You’ve never thought of the man in front of you as anything else than just Keigo, the kind hearted boy whom you met in a dirty alleyway, the one that brought a little girl food and presents every now and then. The teenager who wrote letters once in a while to keep you up-to-date. The man who you spend your free days with, eating chicken and watching movies.

You meant it when you’d said you wouldn’t leave his side, not if you had any say in the matter. Now, you weren’t entirely sure what you meant with that.

Stay with him? Forever?

Maybe Keigo was right.

He was always able to read you better than anybody else, just like you were the one to know him best as well. That’s also why he noticed your inner turmoil just by looking at your screwed up face.

“May i kiss you?”

Your breath hitched, warmth spreading through your chest as your heart fluttered in your ribcage.

“Yeah.”

His lips were warm against yours, the touch soft and delicate. Like he was testing the waters, giving you the opportunity to pull away if you wanted to.

The feeling was foreign to you. You had kissed other people before, quick pecks, sloppy kisses, passionate making out...But this, this felt different to all of them.

He kissed you gently, carefully, holding you with a delicacy you weren’t used to.

Your heart pounded in your chest as your knees suddenly grew weak, hand reaching out to curl around the back of Keigo’s head, urging him even closer.

He pulled you in, accepting the closeness happily as he deepened the kiss. The taste of toothpaste invaded your mouth.

Your mind went blank, the only coherent thought you were able to grasp was that you were making out with Keigo...in his mom’s house.

How ironic.

Your lips tingled when the two of you parted again, the aftertaste of peppermint lingering on your tongue. The warmth in your chest had spread to your face and you weren’t sure if you were blushing out of embarrassment or glowing because wow...that was something.

Keigo was staring down at you with an undefinable look in his eyes, but he looked happy, content like this and it made something in your chest flutter softly.

You did that.

“I-“ you started but the wide grin spreading on your face against your will, growing despite your attempts to suppress it with a bite to your tongue, made your voice die with a squeak.

The man chuckled, the outline of his wings moving under the fabric of his jacket and the thought of Keigo ruffling his wings joyfully in response to your obvious happiness...you wanted to kiss him silly.

“I think i love you, too, Keigo.”

He might have been the happiest bird man in the whole entire world when you said those words and for a moment...just one small moment, you really felt like the two of you could be free.

Taglist: @crystal-lilac

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ginanosakka · 4 years ago

Text

We Meet Again

Masterlist

Preview | Next

Updated!

Summary: You set up a meeting with Katsuki after all these years to tell him your little secret.

“Tch. This is getting old fast, and I’m tired of pretending I care about every little thing you do, you know.” Those red eyes you’d spent months studying and trying to figure out the emotions behind them refused to meet your own, but you could assume that was for his own good. . . “You’re nothing but a spoiled brat, and your old man’s money was nice along with his promises, but I don’t need to owe someone a debt to become number one.”

. . . I mean, what kind of sadist would want to watch someone’s world come crashing down right before their eyes?

You took a sip of your tea as you went over everything you needed to say, the dread that continuously washed over you like waves crashing on the sand becoming a part of your daily life. Six years ago, you wouldn’t have imagined facing him, Katsuki, again after he all but ran out of your life. Still, you owe it to Ryu, who wanted nothing more than to meet his father, to at least try and speak to him.

Getting a hold of Katsuki was hard, he was busy doing hero work day and night. You’ve seen his face on your television on many occasions — it still hurt like the day he left to see his face, but you learned to master your own composure — and it was clear that he made no bluffs about chasing number one. It probably didn’t make it easier that he wanted nothing to do with you, so you resorted to getting to him through Mina, finding it easier to contact her again after all these years out of all of your “old friends”.

She was apprehensive about speaking to you in the beginning, but you explained to her that you had no interest in buying her friendship or time. All you wanted was to have a one on one conversation with Bakugou, tell him what you failed to six years ago and see if he’d like to meet the child he never had. Where you’d go from there? You had no idea, but you’d find a way to make this work as long as Ryu was happy. The thought of someone else so close to the son you birthed and raised on your own certainly made your blood pressure rise, but there was nothing reasonable you could do about it that wouldn’t hurt Ryu.

The bell of the diner door rang as Katsuki walked through the door, red eyes scanning the area until they found yours. You looked up and he felt a sense of nostalgia hit him, remembering how different you used to look in your teenage years compared to now. He remembered you used to wear those ugly fancy threads that your mother would force on you like a Barbie doll, but today you were in a fitting long sleeved black shirt and sweatpants With your h/c tied up and your black sneakers on, it was clear that you weren’t dressing to impress him like he’d assume you would, but you still somehow looked better than ever before.

You met his eyes and gave him a nod of acknowledgement as he walked over and took a seat across from you in the booth, feeling odd to be out and about in everyday clothing since he was so involved with hero work lately. It pissed him off that on his day off he had to meet you, but Mina said that what you had to say was more important than him taking a day off to go to the gym or lounge around his apartment for the whole day. You used to talk too much when you were in high school, and he wasn’t looking forward to that. Everything he remembered about you was negative; from how you talked to how much time you spent on him.

“What is it?” Katsuki asked bluntly, red eyes glaring into your e/c ones not really caring how rude he sounded. He didn’t expect you to have a good reaction to that, but was silently surprised to see that your face barely expressed anything you were feeling.

For some reason he couldn’t understand, that bothered him.

“There’s something I’ve kept you from you after we stopped. . being on speaking terms, and I think it’s past time I tell you.” You said, trying to think of the right words to come out with what you needed to say, but he spoke before you could.

“Look, I don’t know what you didn’t get back then, but I want nothing to do with you. Whatever bribe you have, you can keep it. I knew you were going to pull something like this again,” he snapped.

If his glare could get any colder, it did, and you felt yourself beginning to lose your cool. If you had to deal with his hotheaded, above everyone else, attitude for too long, you were sure you’d be tossing the tea you were clutching tightly on the table into his face. You just had to remember this wasn’t for you, because if it was you’d have just gone to the media and presented this information as a scandal where you were the victim.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Dynamight,” you mockingly said his hero name but your face never showed even an ounce of emotion.

“I was pregnant when you left, and I had the baby.”

You watched his face that went from pissed to blank in seconds, and he stared at you like a statue. You leaned back in the booth and took another sip of your tea, waiting for him to regain brain power and glad that he hadn’t immediately started yelling and causing a scene.

“You’re lying,” was the first words out of his mouth when he came to, but the words were spoken in an apprehensive tone rather than belief.

Reaching into the left pocket of your sweatpants, you pulled out a picture taken on the day of Ryu’s birth with you holding him in the hospital bed that was dated. You slid it across the table towards him so he could see the boy that was growing to be his spitting image, inheriting nothing but your eyes and parts of your personality. Even in that photo he resembled his father, the head full of ashy blonde hair he came out with being the main indicator. It was obvious Katsuki couldn’t deny it either as he stared at the picture, feeling like an entire world had just been opened up to him. . .

And he was angry.

“You kept my kid from me?” He growled, and you raised a perfect brow at him with your arms crossing your chest.

“You wanted nothing to do with me, remember?” You responded smoothly.

He slammed the picture on the table but you didn’t flinch, “because I don’t. You’re still nothing but a spoiled brat that can’t handle getting her way! Is that why you kept him from me? Because I told you the truth?!” He began yelling, the eyes of customers now on the both of you who were beginning to record the interaction.

That familiar searing pain in your heart came back, the same one you felt the day he ripped into you and left you to piece yourself together. It was clear he didn’t see you any differently than what he did six years ago, and after years of becoming someone entirely different it hurt like hell to hear. Though, this time you could see that he was projecting his own insecurities onto you because anyone could tell that you weren’t entirely to blame for him not knowing about Ryu. Maybe if he hadn’t blocked you on everything and pretended like you never existed, he’d have met his child a long time ago.

Katsuki didn’t know what to feel after looking at his own son that he had never met before, but he believed anger was the right reaction to this situation. In his eyes, you selfishly kept him from his kid and left him in the dark until it was convenient for you. He didn’t know whether you actually kept him in the dark, or your father did so no one would know his daughter had a child at a young age. You were always under your father, getting whatever you wanted from and doing whatever he asked like a dog.

“I’m nothing like that anymore.” Those words brought him back from his whirling thoughts, and he was the one who nearly flinched at the chilling way you looked at him. “Maybe instead of assuming things about me, how about you actually ask some questions about who I’ve become, because trust me, everything I have is because I worked hard to get it.”

You slid out of the booth and pulled out the paper with your number written on it, ”here. Text me when you’re ready to think about my son and not yourself, Dynamight.”

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#bakugou x reader #bnha bakugou #x reader #bnha #bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo x y/n #bnha fanfiction #bnha angst #bnha x reader

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harrisonstories · 4 years ago

Photo

George Harrison holding a t-shirt which says, “Animals are my friends and I don’t eat my friends” with Lakshmi Shankar during the Dark Horse tour. (1974)

George Harrison + politics

“I think about [the war in Vietnam] every day, and it’s wrong. Anything to do with war is wrong. They’re all wrapped up in their Nelsons and their Churchills and their Montys -- always talking about war heroes. Look at All Our Yesterdays. How we killed a few more Huns here or there. Makes me sick. They’re the sort who are leaning on the walking sticks and telling us a few years in the Army would do us good.” (Datebook, 1966)

“He thinks that his, George’s personal taxes are going directly to pay for F111’s. He sees Mr. Wilson, the Prime Minister of England, as the Sheriff of Nottingham, ‘There he goes,’ George said bitterly, ‘Taking all the money and then moaning about deficits here, deficits there -- always moaning about deficits.’ In fact, he approves of nobody in authority, religious or secular. These people are called Big Cheeses or King Henrys. They should practice what they preach, and, according to George, they do not. ‘Take teachers,’ he said. ‘In every class when I was at school there was always a little kid who was scruffy and smelly; and the punishment was always to sit next to the smelly kid. Fancy a teacher doing that.’” (Datebook, 1966)

“I think if somebody can go and buy a crate of whiskey and drink that and be perfectly within the law then I think somebody, particularly within the privacy of his own home, should be able to smoke a marijuana cigarette. You know. I think marijuana is only as bad as an ordinary cigarette, or alcohol or tea or coffee or any of those things. They’re all drugs, all stimulants you know. The thing is to define between something that is merely a stimulant and something that makes your physical body crave for it. There’s no comparison between marijuana and heroin.” (KRLA, 1967)

“I noticed a police car. It says, written on the door, ‘To serve and to protect’, and that really sort of buzzed me. I was starting to wonder like, who are they serving, and who are they protecting? I mean that’s where it’s really at because maybe they do serve and protect, but you know...themselves or? Like, who? [...] That’s the trick you see. They say, ‘It’s not me. It’s somebody up there telling me what to do,.’ and you can never find like, who is the guy at the top? Because they shift the load, you know? Take a load off Annie.” (1968)

“It’s shocking for anyone to shoot anyone. Some shootings just get more publicity than others. There’s no interest in people who aren’t senators. It’s silly for people to have guns. If they have guns, they’re going to use them, aren’t they? If people get busted for anything today, they should get busted for guns, I think.” (Teenset, 1968)

“[The government] still choose to use the money for military and for weaponry, as opposed to building the inner cities, giving people jobs, or detoxifying the oceans or whatever. I mean it’s just -- it’s in a nutshell greed I think. It all comes down to greed. Y’know industry, commerce, and that.” (RTE, 1987)

“I voted for the Greens because I think it’s more important to um, have a bit of oxygen to breathe. I think that’s one of the most important things, to have something left of the planet.” (1987)

“I know it must sound strange from someone who’s made a lot of money out of selling records, but the present yuppie consumerism spurred on by Mrs. Thatcher and her friends is absolute anathema to me. It is, I believe, amoral and ultimately very corrupting. I despise the politicians -- and there are so many of them like this in the present Government -- who urge us on to new heights of consumerism, who elevate the yuppie to the ultimate pinnacle as the ideal to be copied by all. This idea that profit and the private sector must rule everything is just crazy to me. I don’t accept it at all.” (1987)

“You see, even in a place like Henley-on-Thames there are youngsters who are not from particularly well-off families. Some of them live on the borderline of real poverty. And there’s a limit to how much there is for people like that to do. For some time we ran a special scheme of subsidised ticket prices for such young people and it worked wonderfully well. We asked Michael Heseltine, our local MP, to ask Nicholas Ridley, the Secretary of State for the Environment, to make the cinema a listed building. It is a period piece. But Heseltine said to me, 'It is not a good enough building to save, you know, and quite honestly, George, you cannot stop it from being knocked down.' So I said, 'Well, there is too much traffic coming over Henley Bridge anyway, why don’t we knock that down and make a nice big, wide, concrete one? In principle, I don’t see that there’s any real difference.' And he said, 'George, don’t be so ridiculous! That bridge is an old structure and is so much part of Henley, it’s important to Henley!' I replied, 'But if you take the cinema away, then something else, and then something else, then you slowly change the town. The cinema is just as important as the bridge in that respect, and the cinema has a social function that no bridge can ever have.' And, you know, Heseltine looked at me as if to say, 'Shut your mouth, you ignorant Liverpool git!'” (1987)

“If you have a leader who hasn’t got himself together, then you can’t do anything. Then you see like Richard Nixons, Ronald Reagans -- all these kinds of people are empty. They’re just like a shell with darkness and emptiness inside, and they’re out there leading countries.” (1988)

“[Piggies] was social comment, and it’s still the same today. Especially now, with glasnost, and communism going away, they’ve got to have a good reason not to give that money to the poor, or redivert it into helping the planet become safe and unpolluted.” (Musician, 1990)

“The poison is everywhere, on your potatoes, tomatoes — not to mention the air we breathe. The basic problem is that the agrochemical industries have a stranglehold on the government. They’re all in cahoots [...] What we need is an honest army that goes around busting those guys, because they’re the ones ruining this planet. But what you find is that the people causing the most environmental damage are the industrialists. And the Dow Jones people. Buy buy buy! Sell sell sell! This madness that Reagan and Thatcher created, this idea that everyone is much better off now, everyone is more in debt, there’s more concrete, we’ve sacrificed the planet for the motor car.” (Musician, 1990)

"I earn enough money to be a conservative, but I am not willing to give up my principles.” (El Pais, 2000)

#george harrison #the beatles #lakshmi shankar #dark horse tour #politics #quote compilation

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