#Exoneration and Freedom;Main

[ignis-venenatus]

@stella-ignis-rosea​​ [x]

“It’s creepy how fuckin’ quiet yer brain is bein’,”

Erik would keep his eye focused on Kohaku’s face but whenever he wasn’t looking at the younger male he was looking at Stardust. He could tell that whatever was bothering Kohaku was also bothering her. She and Kohaku were linked to one another in an interesting way.

“Come on, ya gotta think of somethin’ at some point.”

It was getting to where he was debating on touching the kid. He knew how much he hated physical contact of any kind but the Poison Dragon was honestly thinking of using one of the poisons that helped with this kind of thing. He’d trained specifically with others to learn how to use poisons to not only harm people, but to help those who were like Kokahu.

“His mind is like a fuckin’ grave...”

[guardianspirits13]

Banana Fish Spoilers

//tw: mention of canon-typical content

Thinking about why Ash didn't go to the hospital... it's kind of symbolic, in how he got so caught up in his dream and the first semblance of hope that for a moment he forgot about the reality of the shitty world he is a part of. The one moment he stopped reflecting on the worst parts of life, was the one when he was the most vulnerable.

From this point on, it's more about Ash's mental state than anything else. His self-worth is notoriosly low and he likely predicted that he would be a burden to Eiji and/or his problems would follow him to Japan. People who target him target Eiji, and if those people still exist then in Ash's mind it's his responsibility to stay here and keep his problems in America so Eiji isn't pulled down with him the moment he finds his freedom.

If Ash's self worth had been any higher, he might still have hope that he could remedy the situation and work through it. As readers we can see any number of ways to get Ash aquitted from his crimes and be given that opportunity for hope once again. Maybe the future isn't as straightforward as Ash (and Eiji) had hoped after he read the letter, but alive and apart is significantly better than one of them being dead. The series was at a good stopping point so it was an all-or-nothing ending, and an open ending leaves hope for a more conclusive one, and it's clear that's not what the author felt like was best for her series.

As far as reader's imagination goes, if Ash did actually make it to the hospital (voluntarily or not) and survived the wound, any number of things could have happened but there's literally no way for the story to go downhill from where it was before.

For starters, Ash could agree to testify against Dino and the whole trafficking ring. That would grant him witness protection, seeing as Ash doesn't seem to have much of a problem sharing the things that happened to him. He would be a main witness in the case, and since it's like a nationally significant ruling, would also likely garner waves of public support for his bravery.

As far as being acquitted for his own crimes goes, he could take a plea deal to be exonerated if he serves as a witness (however likely or unlikely that may be considering the nature of his crimes and how many people he killed), or he would have a seperate case afterwards, and between an uproar of public support and the fact that most of the people he killed were either in self-defense or cannot be directly traced to him, he would still win the case.

Lawyer wise I wouldn't be surprised of he was the sole recipient in Dino's will and was able to purchase the best lawyer available. It's a long year or so of legal hell, but it's a world better than the usual hell on Earth that Ash is familiar with. He refuses to directly contact Eiji because he doesn't want to talk to him until he can in person (Sing talks to Eiji and tells him that Ash is just stubborn like that).

Everyone is supporting him- his gang has his back, cheering him on and starting rallies in his name. Ash has never dreamed of having so many people support him because the world had been violently against him most of his life.

When the verdict breaks in his favor, nobody had ever seen Ash with such an expression, surprised yet innocent, finally completely freed from the chains of his past. He breaks into tears, but the good kind. He resolves to make good on this verdict and stay as far away as he can from his life of crime. All of his friends agree that he's earned it.

Two days later, Ash is tearfully sent off at the airport on his way to Japan. For once in his life he doesn't know what he's doing- navigating through the airport is a whole new experience for him, but it's endearing watching him, excited, curious, and a tad bit nervous, as he steps onto his flight.

[protego-et-servio]

((Not created by me. Copy-pasted, in case it gets taken down from Google Docs. Not linking to keep original safe.))

#blacklivesmatter 

PLEASE SIGN PETITIONS, DONATE, CALL AND EMAIL TO DEMAND JUSTICE, AND SHARE

Reply to this tweet if I am missing anything

Re: the man who maced a young girl at the Seattle protest

Jared Campbell #8470

Office of police accountability: (206) 684-8797 opa@seattle.gov

Chief: Carmen Best

File an anonymous complaint

Re: the woman who drove over a pedestrian during a peaceful protest in Denver

Jennifer Watson

Owner of JP Watson Interiors

Denver sheriff: (720) 337-0194

Hate crime hotline: (720) 913-6458

Re: Trump supporters who ran over protesters

Jacob Robles (jacob_robles98) and Dylan Mota (@dylan_mota_)

8JUK695

Also in the car: Alyssa Mackovitch (@alyssa_mackovitch)

Re: cop responsible for telling others to turn off their body cameras

Tobias Raya

(310) 253-6318

tobias.raya@culvercity.org

*The White House has a history of giving vague, unhelpful responses or ignoring these petitions but I’d still suggest signing and making your voices as loud as possible. It can’t hurt to try.

@icatboy on Twitter: “you guys don’t sign those white house petitions sadly they don’t do shit, those were only effective under obama’s administration and mean nothing in 7rump’s term. they aren’t obligated to give us a statement after 100k signature sadly”

I still have them linked below in the petitions section for those who want to sign

WOMAN KIDNAPPED - LICENSE PLATE EEV701

Stop sharing videos of Black people being murdered. “Seeing all sides” doesn’t mean watching someone’s murder. Believe Black people. It’s gratuitous and exploitative. Imagine being his kin right now.

BLM carrd

BLM doc

If you live internationally and cannot sign petitions without an american postal code feel free to use any of these:

90015 - Los Angeles, California

10001 - New York City, New York

75001 - Dallas, Texas

More resources for international people

Petitions

*Do not donate to change.org

Text FLOYD to 55156 OR sign the petition here: Color of Change - #JusticeforFloyd: Demand the officers who killed George Floyd are charged with murder.

Color of Change - #JusticeforBre: Police officers who killed Breonna Taylor must be FIRED.

Color of Change - #JusticeforAhmaud

change.org - Justice for George Floyd

change.org - The Minneapolis Police Officers to be charged for murder after killing innocent black man

change.org - Justice for George Floyd

change.org - Justice for George Floyd

change.org - Justice for Breonna Taylor

change.org - Julius Jones is innocent. Don't let him be executed by the state of Oklahoma.

Justice for Julius (more info with how to help and where to send emails)

change.org - Prosecute the murderers who killed George Floyd

change.org - Justice for Belly Mujinga

change.org - Justice For Tony McDade

change.org - Hands Up Act

change.org - Justice For Joāo Pedro

change.org - Willie Simmons has served 38 years for a $9 robbery

change.org - Disbarment of George E. Barnhill

change.org - Justice for Regis Korchinski-Paquet

change.org - Justice for Ahmaud Arbery- Pass Georgia Hate Crime Bill

change.org - Free Anthony Wint

change.org - After The Smoke Clears... Arrest Juan DelaCruz for the MURDER of Pamela Turner RIGHT NOW

change.org - #freejeffersonelie

change.org - Exoneration of Albert Wilson

change.org - Justice for Sean

change.org - Reopen Kendrick Johnson's Case #J4Kendrick

change.org - Justice For Tamir Rice

change.org - Justice for Tamir Rice 2

change.org - Censorship of Police Brutality in France

change.org - Fire Racist Criminal Michael J Reynolds from the NYPD

change.org - Mandatory Life Sentence for Police Brutality

change.org - Criminal Charges for Travis & Greg McMichael in the murder of Black Jogger Ahmaud Arbery

change.org - Justice for Alejandro Vargas Martinez

change.org - Make false 911 calls a criminal offense

‪change.org - RAISE THE DEGREE

change.org - Free Siyanda

change.org - Jennifer Jeffley

change.org - Fire Racist Criminal Michael J Reynolds from the NYPD

change.org - Justice for Darrius Stewart

change.org - Justice for Amiya Braxton

change.org - Justice for Dion Johnson

change.org - Justice for Emerald Black

change.org - Junk the Anti-Terrorism Bill and Uphold Human Rights

change.org - Skip to main content    Drop All Charges Against Incarcerated Trafficking Survivor Chrystul Kizer

change.org - Justice for Crystal Mason

change.org - Stop hit and run drivers who kill Innocent people from receiving bond in North Carolina

change.org - Justice for Tete

change.org - Justice for Sean Reed

text “JUSTICE” to 668366

moveon - #JusticeforBre: Police officers who killed Breonna Taylor must be FIRED

moveon - We want justice for 19 year old Darrius Stewart gunned down by a white police officer on last Fri...

Organize For - Take the Pledge: We Are the Movement for Black Lives

Text “ENOUGH” to 55156 - demand justice for Breonna Taylor

Text “JUSTICE” to 55156 - demand DA George Barnhill and Jackie Johnson are removed from office

We the People - Justice for George Floyd Make sure you confirm you signature by checking your email immediately after

We the People - Raise the Degree

We the People - Arrest the Other Three

People's Budget LA Tell your Council Member to reject Mayor Eric Garcetti's proposal to spend 54% of the general fund on the LAPD

reclaim the block - Tell MPLS City Council to Defund the Police

Donate

*Do not donate to any fundraisers hosted by Shaun King - he has an extensive history of collecting funds for pro-Black movements which have disappeared - deleted all petitions by The Action Pac because he is affiliated with them

*Need a Venmo to donate to Minneapolis activists? Donate via Venmo to the Femme Empowerment Project. Be sure to set your donation to "private." You can even specify how you want your donation to be used-- medic training, medic gear, or jail support.

Spreadsheet with places to donate to

gofundme.com - Official George Floyd Memorial Fund (this is the only legitimate gofundme to donate directly to George Floyd’s family)

gofundme - Justice for Kenneth Walker (for his legal representation supporting Breonna Taylor)

gofundme - I Run With Maud

gofundme - Help Coach Steve Parker Get Back in the Game

gofundme - Support Roy Stoddart’s Family

gofundme - Help a front line nurse and baby get proper care

gofundme - COVID19 testing, advocacy & education

gofundme - Jessica Mahone

gofundme - Comfort and Support for the Moncrease Family

gofundme - The Heart of a Chef

gofundme - Marcus Jackson Medical Funds

gofundme - COVID-19 Survivor, Ron's Road to Recovery

gofundme - Greene Family Fire Relief

gofundme - Justice for Regis

This is the only donation page approved by Regis’ mother: gofundme - Justice for Regis

gofundme - RIP Belly Mujinga

gofundme - Homeless Black Trans Women Fund

gofundme - Nadarrius Lundy (Nada) Memorial Fund

gofundme - Destiny Harrison's Legacy (organized by her mother)

Twitter thread full of gofundme’s (most of them were just listed but continue checking in case the thread has been updated)

@theysbianism on Twitter: please retweet! help my girlfriend, a Black trans woman, support her family and get her brother out of prison. the family collectively has been able to get $485 and only $200 more is needed. please boost and donate if you can!

Venmo: @celestialmadonna

Cashapp: $celestialmaddona

the action network - Demand justice for Tony McDade

Donate to Black Lives Matter

Donate to the Northstar Health Fund (medical supplies)

Sybrina Fulton's Campaign (Trayvon Martin’s mother is running for office in FL)

Donate to Reclaim the Block MPLS organization that invests in their community’s safety and fights against the police union

Donate to Black Visions Collective

Know Your Rights Camp their Legal Defense Initiative will pay for legal assistance for people protesting in MPLS + Kaepernick’s charity is funding the project

Oakland Anti Police Terror Project

South Minneapolis food shelves

MN Bail Fund and Relief List

Twitter thread of bail funds

Another twitter thread of bail funds

Pro bono representation of Houston protestors

Minnesota Freedom Fund (on-the-ground bail fund)

Louisville Bail Fund

Brooklyn Bail Fund

The Bronx Bail Fund

Atlanta Bail Fund (atl solidarity fund)

Atlanta Bail Fund (the action network)

LA Bail Fund

Columbus Bail Fund

Philadelphia Bail Fund (philly bail fund)

Philadelphia Bail Fund (philly bailout)

Detroit Bail Fund

Milwaukee Bail Fund

Charlotte Bail Fund: $WereStillHere OR venmo: ResistanceisBeautiful

Silicon Valley Bail Fund

Louisville Bail Fund

Chicago Bail Fund

National Revolving Bail Fund

Gas Mask Fund:

Venmo: @Isak-Douah

Cashapp: $Isakdouah

Paypal: isak.douah@gmail.com

Black owned businesses

Support small online Black owned businesses

Google doc of Black owned businesses

Twitter thread: "here’s a thread of black small businesses that were destroyed that you can donate to to help rebuild"

Donate to the following groups

http://aclu.org

http://joincampaignzero.org

http://nlg-npap.org  

http://blacklivesmatter.com

http://advancementproject.org

http://changethenypd.org

http://M4BL.org

http://themarshallproject.org

Support protesters

For their safety, do not post pictures or videos of their faces

How to properly treat someone who has been tear gassed

Tips for protesters

More tips

More tips

How to extinguish tear gas

How to treat a bullet wound

Disable tanks

Delete your digital footprint

Disable tanks

Twitter thread masterlist of safety tips for protesting

Protester safety tips

Support the woman pushed by the cop at Barclays $Dounyazayer

Thread of Homeland Security words being monitored on social media sites

Twitter thread: Know Your Rights

Location safety thread

Twitter thread: "how to identify an undercover cop"

If you are arrested for protesting in Minneapolis, call (612) 444-2654 and they will bail you out

Legal Rts Ctr: (612) 337-0030

If you are arrested in NYC call The National Lawyers Guild hotline with name and arrest location: (212) 679-6018

Legal Aid Society: (212) 577-3300

Atlanta jail support: (404) 689-1519

Louisville jail support: (502) 705- 0081

The Bail Project: 1 (833) 425-6827

National Lawyers Guild LA - Legal Defense Hotline: (310) 313-3700

Pro Bono Legal Representation doc

Drop Off Sites in MPLS (as of 5/29)

Epworth United Methodist Church, 3207 37th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55406

MN Youth Collective Office, 2161 University Ave W. Suite 100

2161 University Ave is taking a pause on accepting donations - overflowing

CTUL- CENTRO DE TRABAJADORES UNIDOS EN LA LUCHA - 3715 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407

The Coven (Downtown/North Loop MPLS) - 30 N 1st St, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Bethlehem Lutheran Church - 436 Roy St St. Paul, MN (NOTE POLICE PRESENCE OBSERVED)

Please donate and drop off First Aid, Physical Safety, Covid Precaution and Nourishment Supplies

Educate yourselves

Anti-racism resources

Learn about Black history and activism

Books by Black Activists

Books: how to be actively antiracist

Learn about unconscious bias

Twitter thread of mental health resources for Black people

Twitter thread on why protesters attacked Target in MN

Being Black and LGBTQ

Twitter thread of documentaries

Open Yale course - African American History: From Emancipation to the Present

ALEC Exposed

MPLS Protests

JACOB PEDERSON of the St. Paul PD is widely believed to have been the undercover cop vandalizing stores and starting fires during protests.

Report: What Does it Take to Embed a Racial Equity & Inclusion Lens?

Twitter thread of misinformation

Twitter thread: "how can i help from the uk?"

Contact Officials

GEORGE FLOYD is the name of the man who was murdered by DEREK CHAUVIN (badge 1087), TOU THAO (badge 7162), Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Kueng. If you truly care about getting justice, make phone calls to these numbers and express your anger. We cannot let another killer cop walk free.

UPDATE: As of May 29, Chauvin has been charged for third-degree murder. Continue pressuring officials for harsher charges because what he did was clearly not an accident. Also continue pushing for the other cops who were at the scene to be charged.

Contact Outline and Info

International Affairs Division

City Hall, Room 112

350 South 5th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55415

(612) 673-3074

Velma J. Korbel, Director

Department of Civil Rights

City Hall, Room 239

350 South 5th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55415

(612) 673-3012

Mayer Jacob Frey

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/d189a2276e234cacb9f02db60dac0569

(612) 673-2100

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman

C-2000 Government Center

300 South Sixth Street

Minneapolis, MN 55487

https://www.hennepinattorney.org/about/contact

citizeninfo@hennepin.us

(612) 348-5550

MPLS FBI field office

(763) 569-8000

MPD 3rd Precinct

(612) 673-5703

MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

(651) 793-7000

Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis

(612) 788-8444

Louisville Mayor (demand justice for Breonna Taylor)

(502) 753-1784

MN Precinct Inspector

sean.mcginty@minneapolisMN.gov

Commander of Training Unit

katie.blackwell@minneapolisMN.gov

police@minneapolismn.gov

minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov

policereview@minneapolismn.gov

JUSTICE FOR REGIS CONTACTS

City Councillor Gord Perks - Parkdale - High Park

councillor_perks@toronto.ca

(416) 392-7919

MPP Bhutilla Karpoche - Parkdale - High Park

BKarpoche-CO@ndp.on.ca

(416) 763-5630

MP Arif Virani - Parkdale - High Park

Arif.Virani@parl.gc.ca

(416) 769-5072

Mayor of Toronto John Tory

mayor_tory@toronto.ca

(416) 397-2489

Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders

officeofthechief@torontopolice.on.ca

(416) 808-2222

Solicitor General - Minister Sylvia Jones

sylvia.jones@pc.ola.org

(416) 325-0408

(519) 941-7751

Attorney General of Ontario Doug Downey

doug.downey@pc.ola.org

(416) 326-2220

(705) 726-5538

Urge the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) for transparency and accountability in handling her case

1 (800) 787-8529 OR (416) 622-0748

https://www.siu.on.ca/en/contact.php

Address concerns to SIU Director Joseph Martino

Sample Email:

Hello [recipient],

I am writing to you in regards to the incident that occurred at 100 High Park Avenue on May 27th, 2020. A 29 year-old Black woman, Regis, has died after allegedly falling off her balcony, despite police being present.

As a concerned citizen, I am very upset and disturbed at the events that took place and the allegations that this caused on the part of the police. I am demanding justice and answers as to the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet.

A complete and transparent public and independent investigation needs to take place. Charges need to be brought to all the officers involved, as well as all information and evidence should be made available to the public.

Sincerely,

[your name]

JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR CONTACTS

Murdered by Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove

Louisville Metro PD

(502) 574-7111

Louisville Mayor Office

(502) 574-2003

JUSTICE FOR TONY MCDADE CONTACTS

Template

Tallahassee Police dept

ContactUs@talgov.com

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey

mayor@talgov.com

Commissioner Jeremy Matlow https://www.talgov.com/Main/email.aspx?emailto=jeremy.matlow

Officer Kevin Bradshaw - Officer on Tony's case

(850) 556-1726

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

i should’ve been more specific i’m so sorry! i meant aesthetically pleasing as in, the setting, like, beautiful to imagine and that follows a certain “theme” (ex. beach, winter with snow, vintage/retro, etc.) hope you got that?

Under the cut are fics based in an aesthetically pleasing setting. There are three fic recs for each category: Summer, Winter, USA, and International. Happy Reading! - HKVoyage

SUMMER

Rose Island Romance (or, "Cute Boys Don't Grow On Trees But They Do Like to Sail") by @flowerfan2

AU. Exhausted from city life, and frustrated at his inability to get a good part in summer stock, NYADA student Kurt Hummel decides to spend the summer on a small New England island helping his uncle at Hummel Marine. When a cute boy in a tight polo shirt brings in his outboard engine for repairs, Kurt begins to think that summer on the sleepy island might hold some excitement after all.

Note: Also check out How Deep Is The Ocean by the same author.

~~~~~

The Beach House by Cleverboots

Kurt is rushing home in a thunderstorm and finds a small boy cowering in fear from the storm.

Blaine goes to pick up his son from daycare only to find they have left him behind when the storm hit.

Can one little boy reunite two estranged lovers who have lost their way in the world? A trip to an isolated beach house on the coast of Maine might be the answer they’re looking for.

~~~~~

Between the Moon and New York City by jackabelle73

Kurt arrives in a small coastal town in North Carolina to join his dad and Carole for a few days of their vacation, but under duress. He can't imagine that this sleepy southern town has anything to offer him...till a very attractive local goes jogging by on the beach.

WINTER SETTINGS

Perfectly Imperfect by Catcat85

Golden Globe winning actor, Blaine Anderson went to prison for a murder he did not commit. After 5 long years, he has escaped from prison, and in a desperate need to get to a safe house before he can leave the country; he kidnaps Kurt, and forced him to drive him to a secluded cabin nestled in between the snowy mountains in Vermont. For Blaine, it’s his last chance for freedom. Falling in love is the last thing on Blaine’s mind. It’s not part of the plan. And for Kurt, it’s a terrifying situation that disrupts the impeccably perfect life he has created for himself. He’s outraged and angry at Blaine, and yet; he can’t help but believe Blaine is innocent.

Will the truth finally come out and Blaine be exonerated? Will the FBI catch him and put him back in prison? Will he and Kurt fall in love even in the most hopeless situation? Will love truly prevail all at the end?

Based on the novel, Perfect, by Judith McNaught. This is a story about two men who are complete opposites from one another; and yet, they complete each other in a perfectly imperfect way.

~~~~~

There's no such place by pene

When Kurt lost the things he loved the most, he hid himself away from the world - until the night Blaine crashed into his life.

This is an AU. A snowbound cabin romance. And a story where Kurt and Blaine never met, until they did.

~~~~~

The Holiday by afterthenovels

A Klaine AU for the movie “The Holiday” with Kurt as Amanda and Blaine as Graham:

Kurt trades homes for the holidays because he wants to get away from his life for a while. But the last thing he expects to meet in the quiet English town he’s staying in is someone like Blaine.

Inspired by this gifset.

USA SETTINGS

Anderson’s Thick Maple Honey by coopchels [PDF] or [Epub]

Kurt meets Blaine at a farmer’s market in the city, and soon Kurt is whisked away to a life he never would have imagined for himself.

~~~~~

Sotto Voce by GSJwrites

Wine critic Kurt Hummel can make or break careers with his column for Taste Magazine. But when his publisher orders him to spend a year profiling rising stars of California’s wine country and organizing a competition between the big name wineries of Napa and the smaller artisan wineries of Sonoma, his world gets turned upside-down by an enigmatic young winemaker who puts art before business.

~~~~~

Bound For Glory by Cleverboots (Amberlovesocean)

Kurt is assaulted after singing at a school dance and is left for dead, thrown aboard an empty train car at the railroad freight yard to hide the crime.

He wakes up to find he’s been tossed off the car somewhere in an Oregon logging camp, 2500 miles from home. A curly-haired kid named Blaine finds Kurt and protects him by hiding him in his cabin and teaching him how to survive.

Note: Part 1 of the Glory series

INTERNATIONAL SETTINGS

Domus Civita by @jayhawk-writes

While on vacation to a city he's never been to, Kurt Hummel finds himself in a place that he recognized from his dreams. The person he always sees in those dreams is there, too, and they spot him and ask, “Is it really you?”

Note: Part of In Every Lifetime series

~~~~~

Lost With You by stuckontheground [PDF]

When Kurt Hummel goes to Paris over the summer as a graduation gift, he's afraid that he's going to be all alone in the City of Love. Little does he know, a chance meeting in a cafe will change his life forever.

~~~~~

The Seduction by @hkvoyage

Venetian Blaine arrives at Carnival’s masquerade ball, looking for his next conquest. His reputation as a lover is legendary, and no one can resist him. Virgin Kurt captures his attention, but seducing him will require careful planning. As they spend time together, will Blaine be able to carry out his plan successfully? A historical Klaine AU set in 18th-century Venice.

[positive-vibes-news]

(Article:) “Eddie Lee Howard was exonerated on Friday, January 8, 2021, marking the end of his 26-year fight for innocence.

New forensic opinion regarding... powerful alibi witnesses, along with DNA testing of crime scene evidence... excluded Mr. Howard, proving his innocence. He was released from Mississippi’s death row in early December 2020 ahead of today’s ruling.

“I want to say many thanks to the many people who are responsible for helping to make my dream of freedom a reality,” said Mr. Howard.

“I thank you with all my heart, because without your hard work on my behalf, I would still be confined in that terrible place called the Mississippi Department of Corrections, on death row, waiting to be executed.”

[ID: Photo of Eddie Lee Howard holding his hands up joyfully and smiling, with a mask on, at the camera. End ID]

[waywardwrestlewritingwaif]

Shelter (Part Five)

And here it is, the grand finale! Originally, this was actually a little longer but I finally decided that the last part I had in mind didn’t really add enough to the story to warrant including it. I think this ending is better. I also think the story is long enough as it is. I’m pretty happy at how quickly I was able to get this done, considering that I’ve been wrapped up in other (non-writing) things recently. I’m going to put it down to feeling inspired by seeing my delicious rat bastard in the G1. 

Pairing: Jay White x OFC

Word count: 3,841

Content advisory: Smut! Nothing too much beside that other than some significant angst

Alone in my damp little rooms, I did my best to hide the sounds of the sobs that overwhelmed me. I didn't want to give anyone, him most of all, the satisfaction of knowing that I'd been broken. 

It was true that my life had some worth: my father would not let me die a prisoner of another noble if only because it would make him look weak. But if what I'd heard from my sister's servants was true, then she had lied to me and brought me here as a pawn, a cover for her plot. She was the person I had loved most in my life and she had lied to me and put me in danger. Given that I had run away in the dead of night, I doubted my husband would want anything further to do with me. So if I were ransomed, I would live the rest of my life under the strict control of my family. My future lay either as a despised nuisance banished to a few rooms of the family home or as an embarrassment packed off to a convent. I had never known what it was like to feel truly alone until that night.

I felt rage building in me towards all of them- my parents, Elizabeth, her husband, their servants who refused to exonerate me, and most of all towards Jay White. Whatever intrigue had happened with him and my family, I had been blissfully unaware until I had crossed paths with him. I understood that he had only revealed the rot that was in my life but I could not stop from seeing him as the source of my problems. He must have done something to force my family to embark on such a reckless plan. Elizabeth only used me because she was desperate, I told myself. He was the monster. 

I tried not to think about the fact that he had been right about a plot against him, or about me being used as a distraction because my sister knew he had once had feelings for me. Most of all, I tried not to think about what had happened the night before, about the hours I had laid awake remembering his touches, the beauty of his body, and the passion he'd awakened in me. He'd done it to make it hurt that much more when he made me beg for the lives of the others. It had meant nothing to him and I fought to have it mean nothing to me.

Strangely, in the days that followed the departure of my companions, I was afforded a great deal more freedom. One of the guards accompanied me on walks around the grounds, allowing me to breathe fresh air for the first time in what felt like years. Millicent was practically my personal maid and I was allowed to explore certain areas of the castle. I particularly enjoyed being able to read through some of the beautiful books that Jay had commissioned from a nearby monastery, mostly works of philosophy. I took some pleasure in teaching Millicent to read so that she might enjoy the texts herself. After a couple of weeks, I was moved from the sad little corner of the palace in which I’d spent my time there to a proper set of rooms with a real fireplace, a real bed and a sitting room where I could take my meals. The door was still locked when I was not accompanied by a guard but I couldn’t deny that I was a great deal more comfortable. I hesitated to admit even to myself that the rooms were cleaner and in better condition than much of the home I shared with my husband. It was clear that Jay was better off, something that I hadn’t expected. I wondered if this was something that Elizabeth and the rest of my family realized since the old Earl had not been especially wealthy for one of his status.

I tried to avoid Jay as much as possible, seeking to avoid the feelings he stirred in me. I assured myself that the amelioration in my treatment was due only to the fact that I had become a commodity of some value. Like cattle or sheep, I was something he could sell to the right buyers and the right buyers were the people who I had always believed loved and treasured me. At first, I was successful, however the more I took advantage of my newly granted freedoms, the more I seemed to find my way to him. 

On one afternoon, while I was out walking under guard, enjoying the colours of the autumn landscape, we encountered him on the way back from inspecting his troops on the marches. A haughty demeanor flowed from him as he looked down on us from atop his horse that made me feel a burning in my chest and I refused to look at him. 

“How nice that you’re enjoying the air,” he declared, more to my guard than to me. “But be careful of this one. She’s not to be trusted.”

At that, my eyes snapped to his. I wanted to tear the arrogant bastard from his horse. Instead, I spit back at him, “A rich statement coming from you.”

He gave a cruel laugh and continued back towards the castle. My guard and I continued to walk in silence and the entire time, I felt the fire in me build at his casual remark. I struggled not to think of him but my mind continually returned to the look on his face, the obvious way in which he sought to provoke me. Even after I returned to my chambers I was seething and wanted nothing more than to confront him. When Millicent shyly entered, as she always did when she brought me dinner, I frightened her by rushing towards her just out of the frustration I felt at being cooped up. 

“Ma’am, I’m sorry,” she squeaked, curling her body away from me. She carried no trays as she usually did and she seemed extremely afraid of what I might do.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. My mind is preoccupied and it was a nervous reaction, nothing more. You’ve done nothing to vex me or warrant abuse.”

“Thank you ma’am,” she stammered. “I’ve just been sent to tell you that the Master has requested you to have dinner with him, in his chambers.”

“Not in the dining hall?”

“Oh no, ma’am. That’s only used for great events. He always takes his meals alone, unless it’s a night when…”

“When he’s drinking with his friends and entertaining whores,” I huffed. The periodic decadent nights were something I’d certainly noticed, starting with my arrival. The presence of such women, the knowledge that Jay delighted in their company, made me angry beyond my capacity to express. I tried to convince myself that it was my revulsion that a noble of my stature could sink so low. However, I knew in my heart that it was jealousy, unbridled jealousy, that these women got to have him in a way I couldn’t. 

Millicent curled back into herself, blushing. “I’ve just been told to bring you to him, ma’am.”

My heart hurt seeing her like this and I reached forward, holding her cheek in my hand. “You are blameless, my sweet girl. You have made my time here more than just bearable. If I seem harsh, it is nothing to do with you. I only wish that, wherever I might go, that I could take you with me.”

She started to cry and I held her to me until she had recovered herself. I then allowed her to guide me to Jay’s apartments, where I was apparently to dine with him. 

His rooms were, of course, luxuriously appointed, but even more so than I might have imagined. Once again, I was struck by the display of wealth that, while not ostentatious, was more than I would have thought possible in his circumstances. 

The man himself sat at a round table with plates of cured meats and cheeses, along with decanters of wine. As soon as I entered, I felt his lupine eyes lock on me, and my breathing quickened. I took my seat opposite him, still shivering from the chill his stare induced in me, keeping my head turned towards the door even after we were left alone. 

He remained silent until I finally looked at him, shamed at how I cowered under his gaze.  

“Since when are you so quiet?” he gloated, taking a gulp of wine and pushing a full glass to me. 

“Since I understood that my life means nothing,” I snapped, grabbing the glass and emptying it in one gulp. “Since I became aware that I was a commodity like gold or cattle to be used as a commodity in your political games.”

“I suppose I should remind you that it was your choice that I should treat you as such.”

“It was not my choice,” I retorted, grabbing the wine and refilling my glass only to drain it once again. “I merely pointed out that you could use me according to how you already perceived me. You’ve made it clear that I am nothing to my family but a pawn they wish to retain. I have spent my whole life loving people who only wanted to use me in some political gain. I already know that my husband rhinos nothing of me and his family will have no interest in retrieving some fool who abandoned them for no reason. And as for you…” my eyes narrowed as I focused on him, “I am a trinket you can sell, nothing more.”

Once again, I grabbed the wine and poured myself a full glass that was quickly pushed down my throat. Jay and I glared at each other in a standoff until the butler arrived with our main course, a roast with vegetables and potatoes that made me weak with hunger. 

The manservant carved away a portion for both of us and while I fought to maintain eye contact with my gaoler, the moment the servants had retreated, I greedily tore into the meal, the best I had tasted in months. I was embarrassed to see that Jay observed me through his dark eyelashes, drinking his wine and taking judicious bites of his food while I behaved like a wild animal. He laughed at me a little, which was more than I could bear. I stood up, wiping my face with the serviette provided and took an uncertain step towards the door. 

“I want to return to my chambers now,” I stated, embarrassed at the hesitance in my own voice. 

Jay swallowed the contents of his glass and poured himself another, never moving his eyes from mine. “No you don’t.”

He advanced on me like a predator grasping hold of my wrists as I sought to shelter my face from him. I did not fear he would strike me but I knew that my eyes would tell him something very different than what I just said.  

“You don’t want to go anywhere. You want me to drag you into my bed and take you the way your husband should have on your wedding night. You want me to ruin you.”

Twisting my arms behind my back he once again captured my mouth with his and once again I felt a fire consuming me from within. Feeling me respond, he released my arms and I wound them around his neck without a thought, trailing my fingers through his dark hair. One of his hands slid up over the back of my head and he pulled me away from him, grabbing a fistful of my hair. 

“I only wish I could trust you,” he growled. 

“What does that matter? You keep me locked in my room all the time except when you want to use me for entertainment. I told you that I had nothing to do with the plotting against you but you won’t believe me. Once I threatened you and tried to escape because I understood nothing of your political intrigues. Since that time have I ever denied you anything you asked? Did I not beg you on my knees to spare my servants? And as far as...” My throat contracted, unwilling to speak more. 

“As far as what?” he whispered, drawing his lips up the length of my neck, smiling against the skin as I let my head fall back. “As far as this? Is this so repulsive to you?”

I twisted to face him, my breath trembling as I spoke. “You know it isn’t. You know I go to pieces every time you touch me. And so I ask you again, why is it that you think me unworthy of your trust?”

In one rush of movement, Jay gathered me up in his arms and carried me into his bedroom, tossing me down on his beautiful bed, plush with blankets and silk. I was a little frightened, unsure what I had actually asked for, but I felt my body aching to experience the pleasure he’d brought me that one night that seemed so long ago. I was almost as frightened when I saw his face, eyes consumed with lust, his expression ferocious. He pulled and tore at my clothing and I helped, struggling free even though I cringed at the idea of being fully naked before a man. 

Likewise, I tore away at his clothing until he wriggled free of all of it, my eyes hungrily taking in his body, so much like a beautiful sculpture and yet so much more beautiful because it was real. My breath caught as I ran my hand down his chest, feeling each carved muscle, down to the depression on the inside of his hips, stroking the base of his erect member. His whole body shivered and I withdrew the hand, wondering if I’d done something wrong. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” was all I could bring myself to say, my voice like the squeaking of a mouse. 

He gave a small but not unkind smile, shifting onto his side and running his fingers over my stomach to my exposed sex, sliding his fingers around the flesh that had become soaked. 

“You liked this when I did it before,” he rasped. “Have never done it yourself?”

I shook my head, unable to speak as he swirled his fingers along the bone and up to the sensitive little nub that had nearly driven me crazy before. He raised himself a little, alternating between stimulating that spot with his thumb and pressing his fingers into the opening, a little further inside with every touch, until he was brushing against some hidden spot inside me. 

My head fell back and my eyes closed, I was so lost in his touch. My reverie was broken by a sharp bite to my nipple and I came back to my senses to see him glaring at me with a frightening intensity. 

“Keep your eyes open. Look at me.”

He gave a sharp thrust of his fingers and my eyes fluttered shut once again, although I forced them back open a second later. “I don’t know if I can,” I pleaded. 

“You can and you will.”

Just as I had before, I felt something building in me, in my sex, in my stomach, and gradually filling my entire body. I dreaded the moment he was going to stop but he continued, increasing in speed and force until I could feel some invisible thing break inside me, flooding me with the most incredible pleasure I had ever experienced. Fighting to maintain the eye contact he demanded, I was moaning, crying out involuntarily, my breath ragged. I marveled at the look of excitement and pleasure on his face, wanting to kiss him but unsure if I was allowed. 

He slowed the pace of his movements and slid down so that his face rested between my legs. He gave me a little wink and pressed his lips to that aching bundle, licking at the juices pooled there and softly sucking. I felt wave after wave rolling over me, not as intense as the first but sweet nonetheless, until the space became so sensitive that I twisted and mewled in pain. He held me down and continued his ministrations, rougher than ever until I was almost in tears. Once he was satisfied, he licked his fingers clean once again and leaned over me, grabbing hold of my jaw and thrusting his mouth against mine. 

I resisted just a little, shocked at the taste, but relented when he squeezed my throat. As the kiss continued to build in passion, I felt him pressing against me, the tip pushing against the opening that felt swollen with what I’d already experienced.  

Pulling back, he grasped both my arms in one hand, easily pinning them above my head and he leaned down to whisper, “It hurts the first time for a woman. Is that what you want? Do you want me to hurt you?”

“”I want you,” I whimpered. “I don’t even know what it means but I know I want you.”

He guided my legs up so they were around his waist, showering kisses over my neck and chest. I felt his prick brushing against the folds of flesh, the head gently pressing inside. As he’d done with his fingers, he teased a little bit at a time and I wondered if that was how it was done, even though it didn’t feel quite right. Then he grasped my hips, fingers digging into the flesh so hard I could immediately feel the bruises forming. He forced my legs up a little higher and with one strong movement pushed himself all the way inside me.  

As he had warned, it did hurt, enough that I gave a little scream at his first thrust and continued whinnying as he pushed forward. Before long, however, he slowed his pace, his lips capturing mine and then sliding all the way down to my breasts. 

“Just try to relax,” he murmured into my skin. “Relax and it will feel better.”

Breathing in deep, I was able to let myself go just a little more and it did feel better. It continued to feel better and better as he stroked that magical spot inside me with unerring precision and I once again felt the tension building inside me, my core tightening around him as he pushed harder. 

His thumb traced gently along my jaw and as I looked at him I saw his expression untainted by suspicion or anger. 

“Again?” he breathed. 

“Yes. Please.”

And within seconds I was once again in ecstasy, that early pain forgotten, washed away in a tide of mewls and gasps. 

“God,” I panted, “does it feel that good for you?”

“It will. Don’t worry, you’ll know when it does.”

Feeling the increased urgency of his movements inside me, I held onto him as tightly as I could, determined that he should get as much pleasure as I had. Watching his face as he reached his climax, I felt giddy with the idea that I had done that. 

I pulled him close to me as we both caught our breath. The return to Earth, to the castle and the realities of our world was heavy, the looming darkness a crushing force. 

“How much have they offered you for me?” I rasped, once I was sufficiently recovered. 

He raised himself so that he could look me in the eyes. “A great deal. Your father has at least. Your husband has had nothing to say.”

“What if I refuse to go back,?” I asked flatly, shocked at how my mind seemed clearer than it had ever been. “What if I told you that I’d throw myself out of a window here rather than spend my life as an outcast or a nun?”

He eyed me, some of the suspicion returning. “You’d rather spend eternity in hell than your life in the care of your family?”

“Or I’d rather risk hell than leave here. Collect my father’s money and send me off if that’s what you want. It’ll end the same way.”

Once again, his eyes flared. “So I’m supposed to feel afraid of the guilt if I drove you to suicide?”

“I’m saying that while I have no reason to believe that I can trust you with my welfare, I’m willing to do so.”

“You’d be willing to be kept here as my mistress, knowing that I could grow bored and dispose of you at my will?”

“I would rather live here as your wife, since even the Pope would see fit to annul my marriage,” I said, mustering all the pride I could. “But in lieu of that, I would rather live here as one of your numerous conquests than to be returned to any part of my old life.”

His eyes softened a little, and suddenly I could see the young man I had known in my youth again. 

“I think you wanted to marry me once” I ventured. “Perhaps my family rejected the offer because it was not politically advantageous.”

He made no motion to confirm or deny my statement but the way his eyes turned bitter and prideful told me that I had come close to the truth. 

“My family doesn’t have that power now. I am asking that you consider any monetary offer you receive for me against this: I only want to be with you and I would rather die than be sent off to some miserable, lonely fate without you. You’ve already claimed what my husband should have. Anything else is entirely in your hands. And I trust you with that power.”

I felt his body tremble just a little before he spoke. “I want you to know that when I dispatched your companions, I ordered the men to convey Hannah to the safety of a town. Only the men were left on the road.”

“A fair solution,” I mused. 

“I won’t ever make you live in any kind of infamy,” he sighed, dropping his head to my chest. “The fact is that part of me doesn’t want to trust you because I don’t believe I could withstand being rejected again.”

“And you have to choose whether to let that part dictate your future or to believe me.” I took his face in my hands and forced him to look me in the eyes. 

“There is going to be a fight,” he murmured. “Your family is going to come for me.” 

“And they will lose because they underestimate you.”

His lips were on mine once again and I grew dizzy with the intensity of the kiss, my body constricting around him involuntarily. 

“Mine?” he hissed, burying his mouth against my neck and biting at the flesh. 

“Yours,” I sighed, feeling a sense of relief I had never known before. “Yours.”

[creepingsharia]

Another ‘allah akbar‘ shouting Muslim beheads woman at French church, 3 dead in latest jihad

Jihadi Brahim Aouissaoui is seen smiling in a photo taken in the Italian port city of Bari, where he arrived three weeks before his jihad attack.

Woman Beheaded As 3 Killed At France Church, Mayor Says Terror Attack

A knife-wielding attacker shouting "Allahu Akbar" beheaded a woman and killed two other people in what French officials described as a terrorist act at a church in the French city of Nice on Thursday, while a gunman was shot dead by police in a separate incident. Within hours of the Nice attack, police killed a man who had threatened passersby with a handgun in Montfavet, near the southern French city of Avignon. He was also shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God allah is greatest), according to radio station Europe 1.

A defiant President Emmanuel Macron, declaring that France had been subject to an Islamist terrorist attack, said he would deploy thousands more soldiers to protect key French sites, such as places of worship and schools.Speaking from the scene, he said France had been attacked "over our values, for our taste for freedom, for the ability on our soil to have freedom of belief."

"And I say it with lots of clarity again today: we will not give any ground."Tunisia has opened an investigation into the suspected attacker, who is reported to be a Tunisian, said Mohsen Dali, public prosecutor of the anti-terrorism court from the North African country. Nice's mayor, Christian Estrosi, who described the attack in his city as terrorism, said on Twitter it had happened in or near Notre Dame church and was similar to an attack earlier this month. 

"The methods match, without doubt, those used against the brave teacher in Conflans Sainte Honorine, Samuel Paty," he said, referring to a French teacher beheaded earlier this month in an attack in a suburb of Paris.

Estrosi said the attacker had repeatedly shouted the phrase "Allahu Akbar," even after he had been detained by police.One of the people killed inside the church was believed to be the church warden, Estrosi said, adding that a woman had tried to escape from inside the church and had fled into a bar opposite the 19th century neo-Gothic building. "The suspected knife attacker was shot by police while being detained, he is on his way to hospital, he is alive," Estrosi told reporters. "Enough is enough," the mayor said. "It's time now for France to exonerate itself from the laws of peace in order to definitively wipe out Islamo-fascism from our territory.

"Reuters journalists at the scene said police armed with automatic weapons had put up a security cordon around the church, which is on Nice's Jean Medecin Avenue, the city's main shopping thoroughfare. Ambulances and fire service vehicles were also at the scene.

Police said three people were confirmed to have died in the attack and several were injured. The French anti-terrorist prosecutor's department said it had been asked to investigate. A police source said a woman was decapitated. French far-right politician Marine Le Pen also spoke of a decapitation having occurred in the attack.

The attack comes while France is still reeling from the beheading earlier this month of middle school teacher Paty by a man of Chechen origin. The attacker had said he wanted to punish Paty for showing pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a civics lesson.It was not immediately clear if Thursday's attack was connected to the cartoons, which Muslims consider to be blasphemous.

More:

Details revealed about Brahim Aouissaoui’s actions before alleged France attack

[bigfan-fanfic]

The Shadow (Batkid!Reader x Bucky Barnes)

Requested by Anonymous for #19 - Bucky Barnes x Batkid!Reader where after escaping Hydra, Bucky meets the Batfam who help him recover, and he falls in love with Bruce’s eldest son.

Warning - very long length! - I’d be willing to do sequels if anyone has ideas!

“Watch out, everyone. I see something.” you say over comms. Barbara’s hacked you into the CCTV system all over Gotham, so it takes only a second for you to find a better angle. “Oh, no.”

“No? What’s the problem, Brother Eye?” your father asks.

Brother Eye was your codename, like Barbara was Oracle.

“It’s the Winter Soldier. I had heard he escaped the Avengers in Germany, but...”

Bruce sighs. The SHIELD and the Avengers have been a thorn in the side of the Justice League for quite a few years now, their careless actions turning the public against metahumans and superheroes in general.

“He’s dangerous. Prepare to engage.” Damian says, but you stop them.

“No. Something’s different.”

You can hear Damian rolling his eyes. “Brother, there is nothing different. The Winter Soldier is here in Gotham.”

As loathe as you are to argue with Damian (he just started calling you Brother, after all), you point out that he hasn’t attacked yet.

“Oracle, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” you ask.

Barbara’s already hacking and pulling up footage of the interrogation of Bucky Barnes in Vienna, where a dark-haired man uses Russian phrases to turn him into the Soldier. She’s also run facial recognition and determined the photo used by the authorities is of someone wearing a face-altering mask.

“It would appear, Master Bruce, that Sergeant Barnes was being framed, likely to have him collected at the facility so this man could retrieve the Winter Soldier.” Alfred says dryly, uploading the evidence to Bruce’s cowl.

For his own good, it is decided that you will all bring him in.

Bruce allows you to do the talking through comms. After all, you’re the best with people, except for Alfred and maybe Dick.

“Sergeant Barnes? James Buchanan Barnes?”

The Soldier doesn’t look at the source of your voice, but instead at the nearest camera, as if he can see you through it the way you see him.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Y/N Wayne. I want to help you. I know that you are not to blame for the U.N. If you go with Batman, he can protect you and bring you to a safer location.”

“Why should I trust you?” he asks. It’s a fair question, and you pause before answering. You decide to be brutally honest.

“You shouldn’t, yet. I could be lying about everything. All I can give you is my word that I have the ability and desire to help you.”

“...Why?”

“Because that’s what I do.”

The Soldier allows Batman to lead him to the Batmobile

“He your boss?” he asks Bruce.

Bruce chuckles. “My son. My oldest.”

“This is a... family business, then?”

Bruce nods. “Yes it is.

Upon reaching the Batcave, the Soldier’s eyes come to rest on you. You walk up to him, analyzing his every move as has come to be your habit. “Hello, Sergeant Barnes.”

“Bucky. My name is Bucky.” 

You and your father decide together to house Bucky in the Manor for the time being, while Batman brings the evidence you and Barbara collected and shows it to the Justice League

Just take a minute to bask in the glory of solving in two minutes what it took the Avengers and global police several days to even consider.

You have to wrangle Damian and Jason away from him most of the time, because they keep asking him for his top ten ways to kill someone, and it’s starting to make him uncomfortable. Surprisingly, Damian is the first to get better, and introduces Bucky to his many animals, almost like the child he is.

“This is Titus. Titus, say hello to Barnes.”

“WOOF.”

“Heya, pal.” *pets Titus*

*puts down sword* “Good. You have passed the test. Titus likes you.”

Dick is the best at helping Bucky recover his old memories, simply because it’s so easy to talk to him that Bucky responds without thinking and remembers a whole year of his old life.

Tim helps remind Bucky of the past by doing extensive research.

Of course, it isn’t long before Bucky asks to join the Batfam on patrol, wanting to help.

Bruce is surprisingly welcoming, and has you and Lucius Fox manufacture a new arm for Bucky to replace his Hydra one. It’s in matte black, and Bucky likes it because it looks almost as if he’s wearing a skintight sleeve and glove.

Jason helps Bucky train, because Bucky hasn’t really had combat training over the years, just, well, “punch and repeat.”

Bucky doesn’t wear a cape, but he gets a domino mask and tacks on a Bat-symbol to his mechanical arm.

He becomes known as “the Shadow” by Gotham criminals because unlike the Bat, he won’t talk. He’ll just appear, beat them up, and vanish again.

But Bucky’s favorite person to spend time with is you. Mostly because you make him feel like a living, breathing person, and not a convalescent or a living diorama. 

You’ll ask him lots of questions about his personal likes and dislikes, and he’ll be completely stunned.

But he’ll come up to you a few days later and answer, after you’ve already forgotten that you asked.

“Lemonade.”

“Excuse me?”

“You... you asked me what my favorite drink was. It’s lemonade.”

You always smile at him proudly and thank him. He’s not sure why, but it makes him feel like he’s glowing from the inside.

Bucky doesn’t know exactly when he fell for you.

Maybe it was seeing how protective you were of your family. And the way you immediately became protective over him. Despite the fact that he’s the assassin and you’re not a fighter, he feels safe under your watch.

Maybe it was when you, Dick, and Bruce took him shopping for new clothes to celebrate his newfound freedom after the Justice League exonerated him. It was decided that he stay at Wayne Manor (because, of course, the Waynes were the main sponsors of the League), and you found him clothes that were practical and comfortable.

Maybe it was seeing your tactical brilliance. He sees how you and Bruce work together on the fly to build impenetrable combat strategies. Bucky learns to follow the others’ example and unhesitatingly obey when you bark a direction, even when it seems impractical.

Maybe it was when you invited him to join in on the family night movie watching session. You had fallen asleep, slowly drooping over until you were cuddled against him. He stiffened in surprise, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy how comfortable you were with him. 

But by the time he came to seek you out in the Manor, he was gone.

“Y/N?”

You were correcting one of Damian’s school essays, or rather, censoring it of violent content. Leave Damian to go into detail about battle wounds in a essay on the American Civil War.

“Hmm?”

“Uhhh... I was hopin’ maybe I could talk to you.”

You look up and notice he’s dressed in a nice suit. His hair’s slicked back, and he looks so nervous.

“Sure, Buck. What’s up?”

He holds out his hand to you. “I was wonderin’ maybe if I could take you on a date.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Uh, although, you might have to be a little patient with me. I haven’t taken anyone out in... a while.”

You take his hand. “I’d like that. A lot.”

He takes you out to an old restaurant about an hour away in New York, which is still around because it advertises itself as “Captain America’s Favorite Diner” and has since the end of World War II. As a bonus, Bucky gets to eat free there.

You have a classic meal of burgers and milkshakes in your fancy suits, and then Bucky asks you to dance with him to the tune of old 40′s hits. 

Of course, there’s tabloid news about it, but it doesn’t matter. Because everyone sees that Bucky’s happy with you, and you’re happy with him.

So when Bruce finds you two passed out on the couch after a night of dance and laughter, he decides to reserve his “if you ever hurt my son” spiel for another day. Tomorrow, perhaps. He simply takes a picture on his phone to send to Alfred and walks away.

[ignis-venenatus]

@dragon-red-link-and-ocs​​ asked:  “FOR THE LAST TIME IM NOT SHORT!!” For Erik because it’s been so long

Random Shit | Always Accepting

“Yer short to me, squirt,”

Erik would grin down at the minuscule Dragneel who was yelling at him. Should Kohaku try to hit him, all the Poison Slayer would do is step, move, or otherwise maneuver himself away from each strike. Because he’d be able to hear it coming even if Kohaku tried to ‘trick’ him his mind would give his true intentions away.

“Besides, ya never bitched about me callin’ ya short in the past. Pipsqueak.”

If Kohaku wasn’t careful the Poison Slayer could accidentally poison him so hopefully the young Dragneel was being smart. Nothing, not even a link to Stardust, the snake that the Poison Slayer gave to the small Dragneel child, would make him immune to the sheer amount of deadly toxins, bacteria, and viruses that were within the Poison Dragon’s magic.

“Also, stop yer yellin’ before I get Gajeel to make a gag for ya. My ears are sensitive.”

[hmains21ahsgov]

Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker, Green

I was unable to find information regarding their opinions on capital punishment, so I contacted them directly and am waiting for a reply. The Green party platform does not support the death penalty.

Donald Trump/Michael Pence, Republican

Although it is not listed on his information page, Trump is known to support the death penalty. I do not support his stance because I believe the death penalty is unnecessary. It is proven to be more expensive than imprisonment, and little evidence has actually been shown that it is a deterrent for crime. Trump supports the position of the GOP party platform.

Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman, Peace and Freedom

I was unable to find information regarding their opinions on capital punishment, so I contacted them directly and am waiting for a reply. The Peace and Freedom party platform does not support capital punishment.

Roque De La Fuente "Rocky" Guerra/Kanye Omari West, American Independent

I was unable to find information regarding their opinions on capital punishment, so I contacted them directly and am waiting for a reply. 

Jo Jorgensen/Jeremy "Spike" Cohen, Libertarian

I was unable to find information regarding their opinions on capital punishment, so I contacted them directly and am waiting for a reply. The Libertarian party platform does not support capital punishment, however.

Joseph R. Biden/Kamala D. Harris, Democratic

Biden supports the elimination of the death penalty. He supports this with the fact that over 160 people since 1973, who have received the capital punishment, have been exonerated after the fact. He also mentions that these people should receive life in prison instead. I agree with his stance because if the death penalty can’t even be reliable, on top of being too expensive and unnecessary, it should be removed from our justice system. His stance on capital punishment matches the stance of the Democratic party platform.

Example of my direct letters to the candidates

Dear (candidate),

The issue I am concerned about is the death penalty.  I am concerned about this issue because I think that it should no longer be a part of our judicial system.  I am currently a senior at Acalanes High School and I am researching this issue for my senior Government class.  Please clarify your stance on this issue.  Thank you so much for your time and good luck.

Sincerely,

Harrison Mains

harrison.mains21@auhsdschools.org

[noramoya]

“QUESTION & ANSWERS : WHAT PEOPLE FREQUENTLY ASK ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON.

“Tonight we are introducing to you one more new column, where we are going to give answers to some of the most basic and important questions people frequently ask about Michael and his life. Or else we can call this a perfect chance for haters or people who want to read some facts, in a few lines, to educate themselves. We already know that, giving short answers to anything that has to do with Michael, is not easy ; but we’ll make that effort for those who want plain and simple arguments to be persuaded. Here we go :

1• WHY WOULD AN INNOCENT MAN SETTLE ?!

A : “Michael was not the one who made the decision to settle the 1993 case, out of court. Michael was already humiliated enough after the dehumanizing process of the strip search took place and he couldn’t stand being judged on a daily basis by the media for a crime that he never committed. He was fed up, extremely exhausted physically, psychologically and emotionally and all he wanted was to leave this nightmare behind him. * So, the settlement was decided and carried out by Michael’s insurance carrier over his protests, because they saw that Michael was too sick and weak to endure a lengthy trial. The settlement clearly stated though that if the Chandlers wanted, they could testify against Michael at any time in a criminal trial. It was their decision not to testify when Evan’s wish was finally granted. Evan orchestrated this from the very beginning until the very end with the help of people (upper powers) who pulled the strings to what we call today as “the conspiracy to destroy Michael and his legacy”. Evan never wanted to seek justice for his son because first of all no crime was committed and he knew that. He extracted a fake confession out of his son after he gave him the anesthetic “sodium amytal” to treat one of his teeth, a heavy barbiturate that puts people in a hypnotic state and enables false memories to be implanted. But even if he believed that something had happened between his son and Michael and was suspicious of their friendship, he wouldn’t have treated the matter like he did. Asking for millions of dollars as an exchange for not testifying in a court of law in front of jurors? Blackmailing Michael first that if he doesn’t pay he’ll make it public through the media and not through a police investigation? Demanding for an album with his name (EVANstory) on its cover to be released? Do all the above seem rational to you? A rational parent would want the alleged perpetrator to be put behind bars for life and would have fought legally until justice was served. And if you still aren’t convinced, listen to the audio tape where Evan Chandler speaks to Jordan’s stepfather Howard Weitzman about his plans to destroy Michael’s career and take all of his money as a prize. People accuse Michael of hushing the Chandlers and buying his way out of court to avoid conviction. But what about 2005? He fought the most difficult legal battle of his life, annihilated his accusers and came out the winner, yet still people are not convinced and we’ll tell you why. Because to this day there hasn’t been even a single piece of evidence to incriminate Michael but only exonerating facts from people who knew him and lived with him.” * ANOTHER IMPORTANT REASON MJ’S LAWYERS & INSURANCE OPTED FOR THE SETTLEMENT WAS BECAUSE THE JUDGE FRANTED THE CLAIMERS TO HAVE THE CIVIL CASE GOIN’ ON, BEFORE THE CRIMINAL CASE ! THIS WOULD’VE EXPOSED THE DEFENSE’S ESTRATEGIES AND COULD’VE EASILY RESULTED IN LOOSING THE BATTLE !! THIS WAS THE MAIN REASON.

2• WHAT IS THE NATURE OF MICHAEL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILDREN ?!

“Michael was the kindest soul to ever walk on this Earth. His relationship with children was innocent and pure because he did not know any other way. He had to deal with adults from the tender age of 5 and so when he was around children, he felt safe since they did not ask anything in return except for love. He had the heart of a child and so he could clearly understand them better than the grown-ups who had been taught by the system that you have to abandon the kid you hide at heart and maintain the image of an adult no matter how you feel inside. Why do people have to find evil where it doesn’t exist? Michael only shared his happiness and generosity with children and nothing else. Look at the body language and posture, look at how uncomfortable he feels when he is in a crowded place amongst adults and look how cheerful he is when he’s around children. He cared about their future; he cared about them having the childhood that he never had and fought for their rights, becoming their voice in a world that the adults made all the decisions for them.

3.) Why would a man sleep with kids that are not related to him?

When Michael was hanging around children, he never saw them as just immature or spoiled little creatures but rather saw in them the friends he never had. The truth is that he never fully healed from the fact that he never had a childhood and in his mind, he kept himself at that tender age trying to compensate for the experiences that he lost. All he did with children was play and that’s why his time off was spent either at Neverland or Disneyland or any other theme park that could provide him with one simple thing: fun. But the most important clarification we have to make here is that Michael NEVER slept in the same bed with any child no matter what the media have been feeding you for years. He always gave the bed to the children and he slept on the floor or in a completely different room. And this is not our perception but is rather based on the testimonies of children who spent time with him at Neverland. And don’t tell us that he paid all of them to buy their silence. Even if this could actually be true, now that Michael has been dead for over a decade and nobody is paying those children that are now adults, why is there nobody to step up and say something? Why is it that all they have to say is what a kind-hearted person he was or how he treated them with love, dignity and respect? And why is it that only Wade Robson and James Safechuck accused Michael when their financial state was poor, had disagreements with the estate, contradicted their own sworn testimonies and made a documentary which became their main source of income?

4.) Why did Michael use his lack of childhood as an excuse for his behavior?

Michael did not use his lack of childhood as an excuse for his behavior. It was the simple truth. As we have said many times before, most of us take our childhood for granted since we were able to live joyful moments with our family and friends, birthdays, celebrations, Christmas, parties, sleepovers, games in the park and so on and so forth. But what about Michael? He had to work his ass off singing at the top of his lungs and dancing like there’s no tomorrow from the age of 5, touring the world while at the same time tolerating the abuse at the hands of his father. He has said that he cried at the sight of children playing in the park while he had to stay in the recording studio and work. Do you know how painful it is for a kid/person to not remember a day in his life that he didn’t work? Do you think it was normal that Michael felt more comfortable on stage performing in front of thousands of people than off stage? Lack of childhood leads to compensating for that for the rest of your life, either by creating Neverland (for which we’ll talk about in the next question) or wanting to have fun through arcade games, amusement parks, water balloon fights or pillow fights. Why do we have to find something evil or sinister in this? Michael always urged us to not let the kid we have at heart fade away and this is exactly what he was trying to do.

5.) Just look at Neverland! Do you think that a sane person would create a theme park to live in unless he wanted to lure children?

Yes, a sane person named Michael Jackson wanted to create a theme park to live in because he did not have a childhood and apart from trying to compensate for that, he wanted to be able to have fun at any time. This would not be possible if he did not create his own park, since he was getting mobbed every time he tried to approach a public place. It had to be closed exclusively for him but that did not resemble a bit to the normal life and experiences Michael craved to have. However, he put children’s needs above his own and his sole purpose was for sick and underprivileged kids to visit Neverland, have fun, play and forget about their problems and troubles for a minute. He thought that psychology plays a pivotal role in a patient’s recovery and had stated that hospitals are too cold for a child. Neverland became the boost these kids desperately needed to carry on. He wanted to give them hope, something that their parents had abandoned a long time ago. Neverland was no nightmare as some have tried to claim. People who have visited and used the facilities of Neverland, even adults, have said that it gave them a sense of freedom they couldn’t explain. And if Michael really wanted to lure children, do you think he would do it in such an obvious way? If he was really guilty, do you think he would have continued hanging around with children after the legal torture that he endured? The only reason Michael never changed his behavior is because he was innocent. He had nothing to hide therefore he had no reason to keep a low profile.

#michaeljackson

Michael Jackson

[saltyaro]

You know, I’ve been replaying the Ace Attorney games lately. At first I was bored and out of nowhere, I redid Dual destinies just because I hadn’t in a long time. Which led me to play the first game again (mainly for the Edgeworth case I love it so much tbh) and I’m now replaying Spirit of justice. 

And...I can’t help but absolutely love those games because. It’s just so easy to hc everyone - and bu that I mean absolutely everyone important - as arospec! In canon, Phoenix does have one (1) romantic relationship at one point but I’d like to point out that one crush in your life does not make you alloromantic. Given the context I’d say either greyro or heteronormativity? I guess he can’t really be demiro but he could also be recipro (with the context again. Recipro does sound particularly consistent though). He doesn’t have any other romantic stuff even hinted at him! Pearls wants to believe Maya and him are dating but it always makes them 100% uncomfortable (the age gap people. Also, siblings dynamic). Pearls is kinda brainwashed by TV but hasn’t ever expressed interest in romance for herself, even her older self. 

Edgeworth doesn’t have any interest in romance either. And I know he’s often shipped with Phoenix (I learnt about that quite recently actually-) but...even outside of my “I’ll make everyone aro if I can” motto, I...never shipped them romantically, even before I learnt of aromanticism. I like their dynamic, and how it’s implied Edgeworth opened up more (to everyone) after his trauma got relieved a bit. I want him to act like a stupid kid around his friends. Like, I can acknowledge Phoenix and him have a special bond, but someone special doesn’t mean it’s romantic and. Edgey’s emotional development got stopped after he parted with Pheonix and Larry so there’s that to consider too. This is the kind of bond of trust that can’t be broken and I find it beautiful, but I’m also pretty sure it would be unhealthy to only rely on one person, regardless of the nature of the relationship. 

Apollo? Doesn’t have a romantic subplot. I guess there’s Junie who’s got a thing for him but he doesn’t reciprocate - and I relate to him not even being aware of it lmao. He’s so oblivious around romance, if he’s not arospec who is.

Athena? No romance in her life. She’s a lot like Phoenix (in her past trauma and her reason for doing the things she does) and I love her. Also, if someone ships her romantically with Simon, then I hate that person and will steal their bed. They’re like siblings and have like, a 10 years gap. 

Trucy is the sun and doesn’t know what romance is. She’d use it as a magic trick and burn it/make it disappear into her magic panties (actually please do that Trucy, I beg of you). 

Well, I could also mention like, Gavin, I guess he’s just a flirt but I don’t think it really means anything, romantic-attraction-wise. He’s also too cool to be straight to i’m going to make him aro. Though I don’t have a consistent HC for him outside of “not straight” if I’m being honest. 

And it’s not even like romance doesn’t exist in the AA universe! Larry’s the straightest guy to ever straight (he’s harmless but outside of that...) and the cases often have romantic subplots and all. Well, not *that* often, and it’s generally the cause for murder but still. It’s a thing, it exists. Also we have a canon WLW in Dual Destinies and she’s one of the rare romance-havers not to be a culprit! She’s not the best, like she def has anger issues, but it’s all explained and understandable. She also loves her brother very much and deserves good things and therapy. 

ALSO

I really, really love the dynamic of Phoenix’s found family? You have Maya, Trucy, and Pearls (and I guess Athena and Apollo are part of it too but they arrive later and have less interactions so). Pearls is Maya’s cousin, but otherwise, no one has any blood relationship in their little family. No romance needed. Phoenix adopted Trucy (and is apparently doing a great job) and babysits Pealrs and Maya. They’re all free of doing whatever they want, and they know they’re always going to come back together. It’s a found family but, not the “nuclear family” way, you know? Maya definitely isn’t acting as Trucy’s mother, and more like Phoenix’s sister I guess (Trucy and Maya do lack canon interaction but I always felt like said interactions were implied). I love their little family and the freedom in it. It’s just so healthy. 

The last thing, not aro related, but still great and why I love those games-

Mental illness. I’m not saying it’s great rep, I don’t think it is, but...it’s just, so refreshing that you have characters with mental illnesses and issues that aren’t bad people. They aren’t the culprits, and, like in real life, are more likely to be victims. The diagnostic is never given in the game, but Edgeworth’s trauma? Not mocked. He definitely has PTSD, and, his fear of earthquakes? Wondered about, but not mocked. I guess that’s part of the reason I always go back to his case in the first game: to hear someone you care about, someone you trust, tell you: “I believe in you. I know your mind has been lying to you the whole time, and I’m here to say it’s okay. Those are just lies. Even when you stop believing in yourself, I’ll still believe in you.” That’s just so powerful, I can’t help but feel emotional every time. Add to that the fact that this bond isn’t romantic and. Yeah.

For Athena’s trauma, it’s the way it’s displayed I really love. Her game is much more recent, and it shows. She just blacks out when her PTSD gets triggered and no one shames her for that. Even though no one knows what’s happening inside her head for the longest time. She needs to be brought back to her senses, to be grounded. It’s not like she gets to have therapy on screen or anything, no character really gets a lot of time off the courtroom anyway, but given the context, I found she was treated in a very sensitive way.

The last example I can think of, is a character with DID. I say DID, but I doubt that’s good rep, and that’s probably not the way people with DID experience life, but that’s what’s said in the game so...Anyway, they’re a witness and, if you know how AA games work, the real culprit is *always* a witness. And you know how in pop culture, people with multiple personalities are often treated as villain, with the “hidden personality” no one knows about, not even the person, and this hidden personality is a murderer? I was sooo afraid the game was going to go that way. They even did hint at it, with giving the character the “hidden personality”. Except, the “hidden personality”, much like all of the other people of the system, is...100% harmless. And just that was so refreshing. Which goes to say a lot about the state of the rep for mental diversity. I don’t know the reality of experiencing DID, but in the game the witness interacts with themselves, and everyone in the court speaks to each individual differently, and the witness isn’t treated as delusional. 

Those characters are accused wrongly of murder, when in reality they haven’t hurt a fly. And exonerating them is key to solving the case at hand. I don’t know who’s responsible for that, but I’m extremely grateful to them. To explicitly have your main character, the character you’re playing, clear the name of the mentally ill characters? It’s a blessing and not something you would expect from a game that named one of its recurring characters “Larry Butz”. 

Anyway, I guess I am kinda trying to convince some of you to play those games (and goof about it with me) in this post. Even though it wasn’t my initial intent. If all of this isn’t enough to convince you - play those games for the awful puns. The characters’ names are terrible. Also I know I mentioned romance existing but weirdly enough it wasn’t annoying? Probably because it’s actually downplayed a lot. It’s only relevant as a plot device and it’s just like. Stated. Not dwelved deeper into. Those games are great for when you’re romance tired. 

[goldenbearbailbonds-blog]

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Once now we have all the information required, we'll get in contact with you again to settle on a flexible payment plan. Collateral is never required, and we will not ask in many of the situations. However, in case the bail quantity is very excessive, or the defendant’s expenses are quite serious, we could require a bit of collateral as a security.

That is just to deliver one of the best services we can. If it is a smaller item we might take possession of it, and if it is an merchandise resembling a automobile or property we are going to take the pink slip or deed into our trust till the bail is exonerated, the charges are dropped, the defendant is found innocent, or the defendant is sentenced.

Again, collateral just isn't required usually, and we are going to work with you to make sure we discover the best possible answer for you. As soon as now we have acquired all the knowledge required and we have now agreed on a fee plan or collateral to Professional Bail Bondsmen Fresno be taken, we are going to process the bail and have your pal, family member, or beloved one released as quickly as we possibly can so they can return home. Whereas they may not be launched instantly, we are going to begin the method to have them launched instantly so there will not be a single second of treasured time with them lost.

[mongoose232323]

#YukYkYuk #RudyIsStillInUkraine #TrumpIsSoSmart #SoCleverIgnoringSubpoenas

~ I M P E A C H E D ~

The 30 Stupidest Lines From Donald Trump's

Unhinged Letter To House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

From Article

On the eve of his impeachment by the House, President Donald Trump sent a blistering letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- airing his grievances with her and the broader Democratic Party while insisting that the actions taken on Wednesday will doom her to the dustbin of history.

I went through the letter -- which, from its first words, you can tell has the President's rhetorical fingerprints all over it -- and highlighted some of the most, uh, important lines. They're below.

1. "This impeachment represents an unprecedented and unconstitutional abuse of power by Democrat Lawmakers, unequaled in nearly two and a half centuries of American legislative history."

So, two things. One, impeachment is built into the Constitution and two past presidents have been impeached by the House. Two, it's "Democratic lawmakers" not "Democrat Lawmakers." And away we go!

2. "You have cheapened the importance of the very ugly word, impeachment!"

Like I said: You can clearly see Trump's involvement in the letter.

3. "By proceeding with your invalid impeachment, you are violating your oaths of office, you are breaking your allegiance to the Constitution, and you are declaring open war on American Democracy."

Wow. Lot to unpack here. Whether or not Trump likes it, the House is tasked with carrying out impeachment if a majority of members believe it is warranted. So, it's not "invalid." As for "declaring open war on American Democracy," well, Trump never pretended to be understated.

4. "You dare to invoke the Founding Fathers in pursuit of this election-nullification scheme?"

There's almost never a good time for the "how dare you?" construction.

5. "Even worse than offending the Founding Fathers, you are offending Americans of faith by continually saying you pray for the President when you know this statement is not true, unless it is meant in a negative sense."

WHOA BOY. So, Trump knows Pelosi doesn't actually pray for him? How? Did he someone eavesdrop on her prayers? Also, what is the "negative sense" of praying? I spent more time than I'd like to admit thinking about this and decided that Trump is suggesting that if Pelosi prays for him, it's for his demise. I think.

6. "It is a terrible thing you are doing, but you will have to live with it, not I!"

Nothing is ever Trump's fault. Ever.

7. "Fortunately, there was a transcript of the conversation taken, and you know from the transcript (which was immediately made available) that the paragraph in question was perfect."

What would a perfect paragraph look like? Do we even know? Anywho, here are 4 facts from that July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky: a) Trump tells Zelensky that the US does a lot for Ukraine b)Trump reminds Zelensky that Ukraine doesn't reciprocate c) Trump asks Zelensky for a favor: to look into a debunked conspiracy theory that the hacked Democratic National Committee server is in Ukraine and d) Trump asks Zelensky to look into Joe and Hunter Biden. To my mind, the White House transcript of that call reads more like a smoking gun than an exoneration.

8. "I said to President Zelensky: would like you to do us a favor, though, because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it? I said do us a favor, not me and our country, not a campaign."

Trump didn't start making this "me" versus "us" argument until the past few weeks. But even putting that aside, the two things he asks of Zelensky (whereabouts of DNC server and investigation into the Biden) were not mentioned at all in Trump's notes for the call, which were supposed to focus, generally speaking, on the country's corruption problems.

9. "You are turning a policy disagreement between two branches of government into an impeachable offense."

At issue is not the separation of powers or even really a disagreement. The issue is whether a president can ask a foreign country to investigate one of his potential political rivals. And, even if he can do it, should he?

10. "You know full well that Vice President Biden used his office and $1 billion dollars of US aid money to coerce Ukraine into firing the prosecutor who was digging into the company paying his son millions of dollars."

Reminder: Biden called for the firing of Ukraine's top prosecutor as part of an international coalition designed to address corruption in the country. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing in Ukraine by Joe or his son Hunter Biden.

11. "Now you are trying to impeach me by falsely accusing me of doing what Joe Biden has admitted he actually did."

Apples and oranges here. Again, Biden called for the firing of the prosecutor as part of a coordinated -- and transparent -- strategy to address corruption in Ukraine. Trump got on the phone with the Ukrainian president and, contrary to the notes prepared for him in advance of the meeting, freelanced to ask him to investigate one of his main rivals for the GOP nomination.

12. "President Zelensky has repeatedly declared that I did nothing wrong, and that there was 'No Pressure.'"

Zelensky is no dummy! He knows he needs future aid from the US in order to fight the Russians at his borders. Given that, why would he piss Trump off by saying he felt pressure? Also, not for nothing: Why is "No Pressure" capitalized?

13. "Ambassador Sondland testified that I told him: 'No quid pro quo. I want nothing. I want nothing. I want President Zelensky to do the right thing, do what he ran on.'"

Yes, Trump did tell US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland that. After the White House had been made aware that Congress was looking into the withholding of military aid. So....

14. "Your chosen candidate lost the election in 2016, in an Electoral College landslide (306-227), and you and your party have never recovered from this defeat."

The 2016 election ended 1,134 days ago.

15. "You have developed a full-fledged case of what many in the media call Trump Derangement Syndrome and sadly, you will never get over it!"

An incurable case of TDS??? Call the CDC, STAT.

16. "You view democracy as your enemy!"

Just a reminder here: This is the President of the United States, on official White House stationery, telling the Speaker of the House that she believes democracy is the "enemy." Very normal! Nothing to see here!

17. "As you know very well, this impeachment drive has nothing to do with Ukraine, or the totally appropriate conversation I had with its new president."

Wait. Is this the "perfect" conversation? Or are we referring to another "totally appropriate" conversation here? Either way, Trump did nothing wrong! Ever!

18. "Congressman Adam Schiff cheated and lied all the way up to the present day, even going so far as to fraudulently make up, out of thin air, my conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine and read this fantasy language to Congress as though it were said by me."

This claim, which Trump repeats constantly, makes me insane. Because it's just wrong. Here's what Schiff said before paraphrasing what was in the July 25 phone call: "In not so many words, this is the essence of what the President communicates." He literally makes clear that he is paraphrasing Trump, not directly quoting him. Why is this a thing???

19. "You conducted a fake investigation upon the democratically elected President of the United States, and you are doing it yet again."

To be clear: Pelosi had zero to do with the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. That was the Justice Department under Trump. Also, that investigation wasn't "fake" -- it led to a number of arrests and prison sentences, not to mention documenting the deep and broad efforts of the Russian government to meddle in the 2016 election to help Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton.

20. "And by the way, when I speak to foreign countries, there are many people, with permission, listening to the call on both sides of the conversation."

Again, Trump misses the point here. The issue is not that other people were listening. The issue is what he told Zelensky -- even with people listening! If he talks like that when he knows people are on the line, how does he talk on the sidelines of summits and the like when there are far less staff nearby?

21. "You are the ones interfering in America's elections. You are the ones subverting America's Democracy."

I am rubber and you are glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.

22. "If you truly cared about freedom and liberty for our Nation, then you would be devoting your vast investigative resources to exposing the full truth concerning the horrifying abuses of power before, during, and after the 2016 election -- including the use of spies against my campaign."

There has never been a shred of evidence that spies were used against Trump's campaign. In fact, in the report released by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz earlier this month, it's made quite clear there is zero evidence of spies being sicced on the Trump campaign.

23. "Any member of Congress who votes in support of impeachment against every shred of truth, fact, evidence, and legal principle, is showing how deeply they revile the voters and how truly they detest America's Constitutional order."

"Detest America's Constitutional order"? Really?

24. "In other words, once the phone call was made public, your whole plot blew up, but that didn't stop you from continuing."

As I wrote at the time, the transcript of the July 25 phone call is pretty damn close to a smoking gun against Trump.

25. "More due process was afforded to those accused in the Salem Witch Trials."

Uh, paging John Proctor...

26. "This is nothing more than an illegal, partisan attempted coup that will, based on recent sentiment, badly fail at the voting booth."

Definitely not illegal! Or a coup!

27. "Your legacy will be that of turning the House of Representatives from a revered legislative body into a Star Chamber of partisan persecution."

Not to be a contrarian here, but pretty sure that no matter what happens with impeachment, Pelosi's legacy will be as the first female Speaker of the House.

28. "You apparently have so little respect for the American People that you expect them to believe that you are approaching this impeachment somberly, reservedly, and reluctantly. No intelligent person believes what you are saying."

Really? And how did Trump learn to glean people's "real" motives? Is that some sort device you can buy on Amazon? If so, send me a link!

29. "I write this letter to you for the purpose of history and to put my thoughts on a permanent and indelible record."

"This will go down on your permanent record." -- The Violent Femmes

30. "One hundred years from now, when people look back at this affair, I want them to understand it, and learn from it, so that it can never happen to another President again."

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/12/17/politics/trump-letter-nancy-pelosi-impeachment/index.html

[kingedmundsroyalmurder]

Brickclub: 4.1.3

In Which Victor Hugo Has A Crush, Which Manifests In A 500-Word Long Sentence.

Also known as, In Which Victor Hugo Engages In Myth Making. Because this chapter is 100% Hugo working to rehabilitate Louis Philippe without exonerating the Restoration, in the same way that he's working to rehabilitate Waterloo without exonerating Napoleon. And the leaps of logic he takes to get there are... something else, honestly.

"Democratic right confiscated, progress becomes a matter of secondary interest, the protests of the street violently repressed, military execution of insurrections, the rising passed over by arms, the Rue Transnonain, the counsels of war, the absorption of the real country by the legal country, on half shares with three hundred thousand privileged persons,—these are the deeds of royalty; Belgium refused, Algeria too harshly conquered, and, as in the case of India by the English, with more barbarism than civilization, the breach of faith, to Abd-el-Kader, Blaye, Deutz bought, Pritchard paid,—these are the doings of the reign; the policy which was more domestic than national was the doing of the King." Boy howdy is Hugo doing some work to clear Louis Philippe's reputation. Victor. Buddy. Your friend the King isn't just a victim of the system. He is the system. He doesn't have to go with the flow of what happened before, or viciously repress freedom of speech and protest or engage in brutal colonization. He's doing it because he wants to stay in power and has a certain idea of what that means (i.e. the masses don't get to have a say). Like with Myriel, you've got a Good Rich People problem.

And I think Hugo realizes some of this, because he's not even consistent in his praise. "Louis Philippe is 1830 made man" becomes far less complimentary when you remember what Hugo had to say about 1830 just last chapter. But he really, really wants to like Louis Philippe, and he really wants us to like Louis Philippe and to feel sorry for all the mean things that have been said about him. It really brings home just how much Hugo sees himself as the redefiner of French history.

And now, just for fun, let's break down the Long Sentences, shall we? I feel like there are a few main lines of argument that jump out.

One, Hugo wants you to know that Louis Philippe is One Of Us. He's a bourgeois, like us, kind of uncomfortable with the trappings of royalty, sober, studious, not quite fit for the greatness his office demands. He's prone to small picture thinking and a lack of long term ambition.

Two, Hugo wants you to know that Louis Philippe is Better Than You. His virtues are the most virtuous and even his flaws are still kind of virtuous. His problems, according to Hugo, come from being too practical, too down to earth, too much like a normal person. He lacks breadth of vision, but really, is that such a bad thing? I mean, he could be like those ambitious politician-types from last chapter! And look at all his good qualities. Look at how much his family loves him, look at how strong and sober and patient and noble he is! Louis Philippe is a bourgeois, just like you, but he's, like, the Ur-Bourgeois.

But despite that, Hugo wants to assure you that Louis Philippe is Good At His Job. He'll explain later what that job actually entails (and, even more crucially, what it doesn't and thus what can't be blamed on the King), but for now he just wants you to know that Louis Philippe is absolutely up to the task of running France. He's brave, he's firm, he can soldier and he can negotiate, he can manage the economy and he can keep himself presentable in public.

And all of this culminates in an overwhelming sense that Hugo wants you to understand that Louis Philippe is complicated and human but ultimately a good guy and absolutely the right person for the job, and that you should all stop being so hard on the guy because he's doing his best and, anyway, could you do any better?

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Elise Cooper Interviews Dervla McTiernan

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan will remind readers of a Lee Child story. The setting is a small town with corrupt officials. The story has the Child emphasis of blackmail, murder, corruption, and betrayal. 

The plot begins with third year law student Hannah Rokeby transferring from a law school in Maine to the University of Virginia. She is leaving her mother, a very manipulative alcoholic. Once at UV she joins the Innocence Project, which is currently representing convicted killer Michael Dandridge. The IP tracks down evidence to prove the convicted criminal’s innocence. While everybody else is working to exonerate the client, Hannah’s primary goal is to sabotage his chance at freedom. Why? Because she found her mom’s diary which chronicles how her mom, then a maid, had an affair with a wealthy collegiate, and got pregnant.  Unfortunately, Hannah never knew her father because there were suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. But the sheriff and the district attorney want to prevent anyone from snooping around. Hannah and her co-workers, Sean and Camila, must watch their backs as they try to untangle the facts.

This story took readers on a roller coaster ride with their assumptions and emotions.  As the plot progresses, people will see Hannah as first an idealistic student, then very ruthless and manipulative, and finally very sympathetic. The story is one where readers will not want to put the book down.

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Dervla McTiernan: It was inspired by an article I read a few years ago.  An Irish woman interned for the Innocence Project in the US over a summer. She could not let go of the case and tracked down some evidence that freed a man from prison, but after five more years.  When freed, he had been in prison 26 years with only three years left from his original sentence. I thought what if the Innocence Project had a PR team that would take a step off the path to be effective. 

EC:  Did you have any law experience?

DM:  I was a lawyer for twelve years, a commercial lawyer.  I did a lot of research because this story has a criminal case. I found some cases that were widely reported and then read the case law. Everything I described has happened or could happen. 

EC: What was your thought process while writing the story considering everything seems upside down today where people ignore the victim and look on criminals as victims?

DM: I wanted to play with those ideas.  People get so convinced of an idea one way or the other. Miscarriages of justice are not always about some officials being corrupt. It seems people only hear a side of the story they want to hear, ignoring the evidence to the contrary. Many times, we decide beforehand and then seek evidence to confirm it. Are they seeing the whole picture or just are looking at what they want to believe?  I put in this book quote, “It was clearly just as easy to put someone on a pedestal of innocence and blind yourself to their faults.”

EC:  How would you describe Hannah?

DM:  At the beginning of the book, she is this idealistic law student. She comes across as someone who wants to change the world and impress those in the Innocence Project.  But that is not who she is at all. Hannah is darker, more complicated, and ruthless, but grows a lot through the book.  She is imaginative, creative, has no boundaries, pragmatic, and feels betrayed. She conned her way into the Innocence Project.

EC:  Why do you think readers like Hannah?

DM:  I am glad you liked her. She followed the evidence and sought justice.  She can change her mind and question more instead of ignoring it. She followed the facts and the truths. She felt a responsibility to inform herself and took responsibility of her actions.  She took the extra step. 

EC:  Can you explain this book quote, “We believe only the facts that suit the story we like, and we ignore everything else.”

DM: I am very interested in the impact of social media on our lives. I don’t think we grasp how quickly it is changing us.  We are being pushed into camps and told to stay there. Because of the nature of the algorithms, we only hear from that camp and stop hearing from anybody else. Then we double and triple down in our camps. This does not create an atmosphere of understanding and empathy. I hope this is where fiction can help because it allows us to step into others’ shoes and see a different point of view. 

EC:  The role of Sean and Camila?

DM:  They are two other law students, Hannah’s peers, who work with her on the Innocence Project. Sean was always the good person. He is very smart and is not cynical. Sean maintains his idealism in the face of reality. He was always intended to be the contrast with Hannah. He has enduring strength, while she has brash strength. 

Camila is ambitious, a hard worker, and smart.  She is more suspicious of Hannah and does not take her at face value. 

EC:  Your next book?

DM:  I could potentially circle back to these characters.  But my next book is a different stand-alone.  Hopefully it will be out this time next year.  I do not have a title and am still thinking of the story. I do want to let people know that FX has optioned this story and it will go into production next year. I did send my background on the characters and where I thought the important part of the story is.  I also received the take on what the writers thought. 

THANK YOU!!