#Franklin Senior Care

[alascare]

Franklin Senior Care: Non-Medical Senior Home Care in Walton

As our loved ones age, ensuring they receive the care and attention they need becomes a top priority. For families in Walton, finding reliable, compassionate, and professional non-medical senior home care can make all the difference in enhancing the quality of life for their elderly family members. This is where Franklin Senior Care excels, offering unparalleled support and services tailored to meet the unique needs of seniors. Visit Us: https://alascare.blogspot.com/2024/12/franklin-senior-care-non-medical-senior.html

[soullesscinders]

Hawkeye, oh, Hawkeye

"We're gonna lose him, Beej. I don't wanna lose him." Doctor Benjamin Franklin Pierce mumbles in his sleep, a moment before waking with a start. Drenched in cold sweat, sitting bolt upright in his bed.

He looks around his room. He's home. He's not in Korea anymore. Hasn't been, for the last few years.

Korea never left him, though. Not really. Three years' worth of meatball surgery, taking the mangled body parts of children and turning them into somewhat functional, removing enough metal from seventeen-year-old boys to make a Studebaker, enough lead to poison anyone.

Dr. Pierce left Korea. Korea will never leave him. No matter how many years he spends treating warts, mumps, measles... Run of the mill, every day illnesses he used to yearn for.

Crabapple Cove, ME. The picture perfect New England town he was raised in, and now takes care of.

No one has called him Hawkeye since he left. His dad slipped, a few times, after he came home. He stopped after the second time, when Ben snapped at him.

"I left Hawkeye in Korea, dad. Enough." He stated firmly, his eyes hard and cold, as he had been when he was in constant survival mode.

The senior Dr. Pierce... didn't recognize his son, his *baby*, anymore.

"Alright, Ben. I'm sorry." He said softly, a genuine apology from his father. That almost made it worse. Hawkeye just left.

On the way to his position as an attending cardiothoracic surgeon at a nearby Maine medical center, he hears it again.

"Hawkeye?" It's BJ.

Suddenly, Hawkeye is back in Korea. Putting the ruined shreds of teenage boys back together after the North Koreans and Chinese have done their best in turning them into ribbon-

"I don't know who you're talking to, but it's not me." Ben replies coldly. BJ doesn't know what to do with this.

"Whaddya mean, Hawk? It's me, it's BJ- I- I told you, I'd see you, back in the States-" Hawkeye cuts him off.

"I'm not Hawkeye. I haven't been since we got out. I'm not Hawkeye anymore. I'm Ben. Doctor Benjamin Franklin Pierce. Doctor B.F. Pierce. I'm not Hawkeye, and you need to leave." He states firmly, and walks away before BJ can get in another word.

Ben left Hawkeye behind, in Korea.

Korea never left Hawkeye.

Korea will never leave Ben. Not for as long as he lives.

[Inspired by @obliviousmelon's post]

[deadpresidents]

Was Trump's assassination attempt the first time people other than the president were also killed or hurt?

No, it definitely was not the first time. There have been a number of additional victims during Presidential assassinations or assassination attempts throughout American history.

Here are the incidents where someone other than the President was wounded in an assassination attempt on Presidents or Presidential candidates:

•April 14, 1865, Washington, D.C. At the same time that John Wilkes Booth was shooting Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, Booth's fellow conspirator, Lewis Powell, attacked Secretary of State William H. Seward at Seward's home in Washington. Seward had been injured earlier that month in a carriage accident and was bedridden from his injuries, and Powell viciously stabbed the Secretary of State after forcing his way into Seward's home by pretending to deliver medicine. Powell also attacked two of Seward's sons, a male nurse from the Army who was helping to care for Seward, and a messenger from the State Department. Another Booth conspirator, George Azterodt, was supposed to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson at the same time that Lincoln and Seward were being attacked in an attempt to decapitate the senior leadership of the Union government, but Azterodt lost his nerve and got drunk instead. A total of five people were wounded at the Seward home as part of the Booth conspiracy, but Lincoln was the only person who was killed.

•February 15, 1933, Miami, Florida Just 17 days before his first inauguration, President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt was the target of an assassination attempt in Miami's Bayfront Park. Giuseppe Zangara fired five shots at Roosevelt as FDR was speaking from an open car. Roosevelt was not injured, but all five bullets hit people in the crowd, including Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak who was in the car with FDR. Roosevelt may have been saved by a woman in the crowd who hit Zangara's arm with her purse as she noticed he was aiming his gun at the President-elect and caused him to shoot wildly. Mayor Cermak was gravely wounded and immediately rushed to a Miami hospital where he died about two weeks later.

•November 1, 1950, Blair House, Washington, D.C. From 1949-1952, the White House was being extensively renovated with the interior being almost completely gutted and reconstructed. President Harry S. Truman and his family moved into Blair House, a Presidential guest house across the street from the White House that is normally used for visiting VIPs, for 3 1/2 years. On November 1, 1950 two Puerto Rican nationalists, Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo, tried to shoot their way into Blair House and attempt to kill President Truman, who was upstairs (reportedly napping) at the time. A wild shootout ensued on Pennsylvania Avenue, leaving White House Police Officer Leslie Coffelt and Torresola dead, and Collazo and two other White House Police Officers wounded.

•November 22, 1963, Dallas, Texas Texas Governor John Connally was severely wounded after being shot while riding in the open limousine with President John F. Kennedy when JFK was assassinated.

•June 5, 1968, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, California When he finished delivering a victory speech after winning California's Democratic Presidential primary, Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York was shot several times while walking through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. While RFK was mortally wounded and would die a little over a day later, five other people were also wounded in the shooting.

•May 15, 1972, Laurel, Maryland Segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by Arthur Bremer at a campaign rally when he was running for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Three bystanders were also wounded in the shooting, but survived.

•September 22, 1975, San Francisco, California A taxi driver in San Francisco was wounded when Sara Jane Moore attempted to shoot President Gerald Ford as he left the St. Francis Hotel. Moore's first shot missed the President by several inches and the second shot, which hit the taxi driver, was altered when a Vietnam veteran in the crowd named Oliver Sipple grabbed her arm as she was firing. Just 17 days earlier and 90 miles away, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a member of the Charles Manson family, had tried to shoot President Ford as he walked through Capitol Park in Sacramento but nobody was injured.

•March 30, 1981, Washington, D.C. President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously wounded by as he left the Washington Hilton after giving a speech. Three other people were wounded in the shooting, including White House Press Secretary James Brady who was shot in the head and partially paralyzed, Washington D.C. Police Office Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy. Video of the assassination attempt shows that when the shots were fired, McCarthy turned and made himself a bigger target in order to shield the President with his own body. President Reagan was struck by a bullet that ricocheted off of the Presidential limousine.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ryan Adamczeski at The Advocate:

An Ohio judge has upheld the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, as well as its ban on trans girls and women in women's sports. Two families of young trans people filed a lawsuit against the state's law in March after Ohio lawmakers passed the legislation in January by overriding Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. The families argued that the law violates the Ohio Constitution because it deals with more than one subject — sports and health care — which goes against the single-subject rule. While the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas temporarily ruled in favor of the families in April, Franklin County Judge Michael J. Holbrook overturned its decision Tuesday, allowing the state's law to go into effect. Patients under 18 can no longer receive gender-affirming care, save for an exception allowing those already on the treatment to continue.

Holbrook wrote in his ruling that those “dissatisfied with the General Assembly’s determinations" must settle their grievances "through their vote as opposed to the judicial system.” “This is a devastating result for our clients and families like theirs across the state of Ohio," Harper Seldin, senior staff attorney at American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. "HB 68’s ban on medical treatments for gender dysphoria remains medically baseless and genuinely dangerous to the current and future well-being of transgender youth in the state. We are particularly appalled the court claims the ‘regulation of transgender individuals’ is a legitimate subject for the legislature under the state constitution."

In Moe v. Yost, Judge Michael Holbrook laws Ohio’s gender-affirming care ban for trans minors and trans women in women’s sports ban combo law (HB68) to take effect.

See Also:

LGBTQ Nation: Ohio judge upholds state ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors

[novacorpsrecruit]

WIP Word Tag game!

I was tagged by @adverbally who gave me the word SWEET ! Thank you!!

Rules: you will be given a word. Then you share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of your word!

S

Six months ago, Dustin made the biggest mistake of his life: setting Steve and Eddie up. At first, he only wanted them to hang out. To be friends with one another. That maybe they would all three would spend time together. As much as Steve hates to admit it, he’s kind of a nerd. He can rattle off sports stats like it’s nothing, he loves Star Wars, and he enjoyed the campaign that Erica put on for them as a trial for her being the dungeon master. He was a nerd! Steve had some funny jokes and Dustin knew Eddie needed to laugh more often.

And it only kind of bothered Dustin when they started to hang out without him.

Kind of.

Dustin remembers the shared glances between the two and the hush whispers and the inside jokes that neither cared to explain to Dustin. Although, he hated when he found out they were going to the state fair without him.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later that he found out that they were dating.

And it wasn’t bad, Dustin thought. His two guy friends were getting along great. It’s like your favorite teacher dating your mom. Sure it’s awkward. Okay. It’s very awkward. But he shouldn’t hate it, right?

From Parent Trap Take 2 (Dustin thinks Steve and Eddie are better as friends. They’re too gross and clingy as boyfriends and he’s tired of being left behind. So he encourages them to split up. Except their worse apart. So he goes back to get them together again)

W

“Wayne’s my dad!” Eddie shouted back. “You abandoned me!”

“That commie bastard didn’t raise you,” Ricky all but screamed. “You’re my flesh and blood! You listen to me!”

“Eddie!”

Eddie swore under his breath.

“I’m okay, Steve!” Eddie lied. “I’m okay! Just — go home!”

Steve’s steps grew faster as he approached the trailer. “Eddie —“

“Go home, Steve!”

From my another accidental baby fic!

E

“Eddie Munson?” Freak snorted. “Not jealous? Don’t make me laugh.”

“Shush, Franklin,” Eddie said snapped.

“So Steve Harrington is free game?” Jeff asked.

Everyone’s attention snapped to Jeff. Shit.

“What?” Eddie asked, his voice strained.

“I mean,” Jeff shrugged. “If you’re not going to ask him out, that doesn’t mean someone else can’t.”

From my Jeff/Steve Fake Dating AU

E

Eddie was an adrenaline junkie.

Always has been.

Always will be.

He remembers when he was a senior in high school — the first time around — when he took Wayne’s truck and went storm chasing. High speeds down dirt roads, hootin’ and hollerin’ as the rain and wind shook the old Silverado. Eddie still swears that he’s out ran the cops before, lights in the rear view and sirens flooding the air.

He lived for the fast life.

Which is how he found himself in the back of an ambulance.

From my paramedic eddie au!

T

The number you have dialed has been disconnected or no longer in service. If you feel this is in error, please check the number dialed, and please try again.

Eddie frowned. He looked at the phone trying to remember the number he dialed. Who was he trying to call?

He hung up the phone. His hand ghosted over the phone. There was a pain in his chest, as if he was missing something.

The trailer felt empty today. Like extra empty. It gave Eddie goosebumps. Something felt wrong.

The phone rang. Eddie picked it up, pressing the receiver to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Eddie?” Robin said over the phone. “Hey — uh — do you … have someone at your house?”

“No?” Eddie asked confused. “No it’s just me and my right hand. Like it’s always been — “

“Gross —“

“You’re the one calling me and asking about my sex life,” Eddie pointed out. “Why are you asking?”

“I —“ she trailed off. “I don’t know. Sorry.”

From “Remembering Sunday” (Steve disappears AU)

No pressure tags!: @viceofdionysus @thefreakandthehair @postmodernau @frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe and anyone else who wants to try with the word SMOKE

[aslightaddity]

Dappy!verse Riddler lore

Born Eduardo Enigmar to Franklin Enigmar and Julia Osorio, in a small city in the east coast. Together they were a happy enough family.

He was a quiet kid and often was left to manage himself and often was used to console and comfort his parents. He was terrified of disobeying the rules as his mother would refuse to talk to him or look after him for days at a time when he would misbehave.

At school, He was always talented, well behaved, and was placed in advanced courses or pushed up by a few grades. He didn’t have many friends as he was seen as weird and creepy by the other kids.

He loved detectives, his favorite books as a child being Sherlock Holmes. He’d often investigate small mundane things for fun, find out what keeps getting into the trash, whose moving in next-door, and one day he decided to investigate where his father went for his frequent business trips.

He followed Franklin to another town and watched as he rejoined a family. A mother and son he hadn’t seen before but Franklin seemed to know. Before he was caught he rushed himself home and told his mother.

His mother was angry with him for running off and coming back with a crazy story. She refused to believe him.

Shortly after the birth of his younger sister, Malory who was almost 15 years younger than him, his parent’s marriage became rocky and the truth finally came out that Franklin had a second family.

Throughout the divorce proceedings Ed tried his best to be supportive and helpful to his mother but was only met with anger, she blamed him for it all. He had dropped out of his senior year in high school to take care of his mother and Malory. His mother would always shout and treat him with distain as she only saw Franklin when she looked at him, to the point where she tried to get Malory to never look at him.

After a few years, when Malory began school, one petty fight between Ed and his mother boiled over into him leaving without a way for them to contact him.

He traveled around, couch surfing, and never being able to hold a steady job. It was slim as to which stores would hire him due to his lack of a diploma. After awhile he ended up in Gotham, where he not only got forged documents but he also changed his name. From Eduardo Enigmar to Edward Nygma to finally distance himself from his family and the man that ruined his childhood.

In Gotham he became a PI, unable to be employed by the GCPD due to his lack of proper training, a rather successful one at that, due to his affordability mainly. Despite being an upstanding investigator the GCPD officers he worked with never liked him, often poking fun at him or messing with evidence.

He was hired to investigate a murder one day, the problem however being that, the murder wasn’t reported to the police before the case was given to him. So when the police were tipped off there was no other possible suspect but him, there was a jarring lack of evidence to prove his innocence.

What ‘incriminating’ evidence was found was his forged documents, a name change, and a manic denial. After a psychological evaluation he was deemed criminally insane and sentenced to Arkham.

The brutal treatment in Arkham (electroshock therapy and misperscribed medicine) and the trauma of being framed finally culminated with his anger and left him catatonic for months and prone to hallucinations. However, In an outburst he attacked and seriously injured a guard and himself causing him to need a mobility aid once it healed. After the attack he was resigned to solitary.

There his hallucinations only got worse and He realized people were always going to blame him for things gone wrong and only see evil in him. So he decided to let go on trying to be the good person he had been trying to be for so many years. He realized that no one but himself cared about his justice.

As he was used to investigation and puzzle solving, escaping from the asylum was rather easy. (He was quite proud that he was able to switch his place and his aloof guard’s)

However once he was out it was trickier, he couldn’t return to his apartment or office as the leases had broken during his incarceration. After wandering through the labyrinth that were the Gotham streets he sunk into the iceberg lounge for a place to sleep.

He managed to lay low and go unnoticed, thanks to the help of two of the women who worked there (Nina and Diedre) for a few days before Oswald took notice of him.

Their first interaction included Oswald blackmailing Ed with his estranged family and Ed threatening Oswald’s life. Despite the rocky start Ed soon proved himself to Oswald to be usefully and trustworthy (through many heists and investigations to rivals) and Oswald proved himself to be caring to Ed, something he had not been accustomed, and they became closer. Both have confided in the other about their pasts and trust no one more than the other.

With Oswald’s influence and the help and support of Nina and Diedre he became more and more bold with his crimes and eventually became The riddler we know and love

[saints-who-never-existed]

You are really doing your username justice, well for the saint’s part I mean. Was going to ask you for your overall opinion on Mr Collins and you already posted something yesterday? What a coincidence, peace and love on planet earth! 🥹

Peace and love indeed! You're entirely too kind, friend!

I have a lot of feelings about Collins, needless to say. Especially about how his story fits in with that wider theme of the Individual vs the Collective.

He's such a kind and caring person who clearly sees others as individuals - he knows exactly who that is in the water, even after the poor bugger's plummeted past him at terminal velocity. And I think about that a lot in sharp contrast to someone like Franklin who in the very same episode (at least in the scripts) has to be reminded who David Young even is and even then still acts directly against Young's best interests in shipping him over to Erebus.

Both men are part of the Collective as senior officers, as members of command.

One sees his men as individuals and is willing to put his own life on the line to do right by them

One barely seems to see his men at all, let alone as individuals, and isn't willing even to put his own evening plans on the line in order to do right by one of them.

So yeah, I suppose it just makes it all the more heart-breaking that Collins tries so hard to look out for the Individual when he's part of the Collective, only to not receive the same care and respect when he himself is the Individual.

[chaotic-super]

Live With Me - Chapter 17

Read it on AO3 here!

Nia is not having a fun time.

She’s been keeping the public updated as much as she can since Kara, Lena and Ms Grant got taken away to go and meet the President as per Ms Grant’s orders but keeping up with the influx of questions and comments is a task that she needs help keeping up with.

Franklin has been trying to help her, but since he’s been taking her direction on it, having him do anything leads to her being asked a million questions and then she’s too busy answering those to get any proper work done herself. She has to give it to the poor guy, in any case. He really is trying.

The phones have been ringing off the hook and she’s had to enlist a whole bunch of interns to answer them to try and deter people from calling over and over, specifically other media stations. They barely have the story of what’s going on with the group taken to The White House as it is. They don’t have enough information to clarify anything to anyone else properly. If anything, they would love to have someone to call to explain the details to them.

On top of handling that, when she went to HR to tell them that she and Franklin were taking over this project and that they needed to set up someone else to run the company temporarily, they wholly misunderstood and assumed that she was telling them that Ms Grant put her in charge of the company so now she’s scrambling to do precisely that.

She has the support of pretty much everyone in the office, but it’s clear that they are only helping because they pity her and are tired of watching her run around like a chicken with its head cut off. A lot of her day is spent running around trying to figure out how to get everything organized and the two people who know the best way to run this place are both gone.

Franklin knocks on the glass door to Ms Grant’s office to announce to Nia that he’s there. She’s been camping in there for a little while now to try and get some peace and quiet, working at the glass coffee table and eyeing up the desk nervously. She knows she could sit there if she wants to, but it feels wrong and she has the distinct feeling that Ms Grant will know if she does.

“Hey, Franklin.” She greets him with a tired smile that doesn’t get anywhere close to reaching her eyes.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I have a list of all the messages taken from the interns working on the phones. I flicked through, and it looks like most are just people wanting to know what’s going on, but there’s some from investors and some from suppliers, so I feel like those should be looked over.” Franklin grimaces as he explains. “I know that’s not what you want to hear.”

“Not at all.” Nia agrees. “I have no idea what I’m doing, Franklin. Can you try and find someone who can deal with that? Someone with more power than me?”

He shakes his head sadly. “You’re the person around here with the power. There’s nobody here more capable than you.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“I know.”

Her eyes brighten and a devilish smile makes its way onto her face as she’s stuck with a moment of realization. “You’re right, Franklin. I’m the one around here with all the power, and as that person, I will insist that you take care of that, and I also apologize. Just stall the investors. Ms Grant will handle that when she gets back. As for suppliers, do whatever it takes to keep them with the company. We can’t print anything if our ink or paper suppliers back out. Threaten to sue them if you have to; channel your inner Cat Grant.”

“Nia, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Franklin attempts to argue. He sets the list down on the table before rubbing his sweaty palms down his pant legs and trying to back off.

“I do. I’m the most senior member here as of this moment and I have a lot of faith in you, my dear friend. Good luck.” She smiles widely, her eyes twinkling and her hand grabbing the list to thrust it in his direction somewhat aggressively.

“I…” He hesitates but takes the papers. “I’ll try my best.”

Nia’s gaze softens. “Thank you, Franklin. I couldn’t do any of this without you. I have no idea how to handle any of this stuff, so I’m glad to have you in my corner.”

Franklin smiles at her, tight-lipped but genuine. “I’m happy to do it for you, Nia.”

“Thank you.”

Both Nia and Franklin’s heads turn to the door as someone barges in. It’s one of the security guards and he’s severely out of breath; he just ran from somewhere. He pants for a second, not enough about him to form actual words. “Sorry.”

“What’s wrong?” Nia questions, immediately on edge and shooting up to her feet.

“Government agents are attempting to gain entry to the building. They are in the lobby, and they have warrants. The other guys are escorting them up as we speak.” He warns her before ducking back out of the room before she can ask any more questions.

Nia and Franklin share an alarmed look.

“Franklin, we have less than two minutes to get all our evidence against the government and hide it before they get up here. Go!” She pushes his shoulder to jump-start him into a gallop as she passes, running faster than she has in a while. As she races through the bullpen, she yells out. “Someone get legal up here, stat! I don’t care who, just do it!”

The primary evidence that isn’t the critical stuff that Ms Grant already locked away is in Kara’s office. She knows she can get there, but she has no idea what she’s going to do with it after that because she won’t have time to make it anywhere she can hide it and she doesn’t have the code to Ms Grant’s hidden safe so she can’t put it in there.

All of it is already in a file on the desk, so she only has to grab it. Most of it is information they have already released to the public, but if there is anything they’ve missed that they can use later, she doesn’t want them to have it.

There’s no point in her staying in the office. This will be one of the first places they check so nothing is safe here. It’s a shame because they are probably going to wreck this office right after Kara has only just done it up. At least she has a mega-rich girlfriend that will undoubtedly pay for any damages if she’s overly upset about it.

Nia heads for the door and skids to a stop right outside when she hears a commotion coming from the direction of the elevators. They’re here.

She looks around, her options are limited, and she has to think fast. There’s an old records room a few doors down. That’ll do.

She ducks inside and lets her eyes wander over the vast number of filing cabinets crammed into the space. They are literally stacked on top of each other, and others are pushed in front of the older ones to make more space. They should probably be using a second room at this point because this can’t be safety compliant. The cabinets look like they could fall at any second.

Nia drops the file onto the floor momentarily before grabbing one of the cabinets and pulling it with all her might. It scoots forward just a few inches, but that’s all she needs. She might have a few droplets of sweat racing down the side of her face, but she’s being a boss ass bitch so she can overlook how gross it is for now.

Picking up the file, Nia lifts herself up so she can lean over the cabinet and proceeds to reach down for the bottom drawer of the cabinet that was seated behind it. It opens just enough to expose the first seven or so files. She flicks a random one open with the tip of her finger before jamming the evidence file into the space.

Wasting no time, she slams the drawer shut, jumps down and presses her back to the cabinet in front, using her legs to shove it back into position. It works a lot easier than when she was trying to pull it out, that’s for sure.

She takes a second to breathe a sigh of relief and, in doing so, remembers that she’s supposed to be in charge and should go and try to calm all of the ruckus out by the elevators.

Nia races her way over to the bullpen but purposely takes an extra second to compose herself and ensure she’s looking as presentable as possible before turning the last corner. She’s got to channel her inner Cat Grant now.

Marching out there, she clears her throat and fights to keep her face emotionless in the face of about twenty government agents that are all fighting with the CatCo staff. They’re all yelling at each other, the team blocking their way into the office but giving in the second they take so much as the tiniest push because they don’t want to get hurt.

“What is going on here?” Nia asks, her voice raised as much as one single eyebrow is, a trick she’s learned from Lena.

Barely anyone pays her any mind, but she does catch the attention of someone from the Legal Department. She’s glad to know someone listened to her. “Hey, do you know what’s happening?” Nia asks the frazzled-looking woman.

“They supposedly have a warrant, but they are refusing to show it to anyone other than the person in charge.”

Nia rolls her eyes at that. Of course, the government think they can bully their way inside without showing off this supposed warrant to anyone. “Ok, I’ll go and get it. Can you get someone to start streaming this? I want this entire interaction live-streamed. This is something the world needs to see.”

The woman nods but doesn’t look certain. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Is it legal?”

“Well, yes.”

“Then it’s a good idea. Do it.”

Following that interaction, Nia marches right up to the agents and stands in front of them, arms folder and a deadly stare in place. “What can I do for you?”

The agent closest to her glances at her briefly. “We have a warrant; access is to be freely granted; otherwise, we have the legal right to force entry.”

“Show me the warrant,” Nia demands.

“We can only show it to the person in charge, and we know that the person in charge is in Washington DC.” He smirks but drops it quickly when he notices a guy pointing a camera at him. Nia glances at him over her shoulder. “Thank you, Tom. Keep streaming.”

“You got it, boss.” He replies.

Nia raises her eyebrow at the agent again. “Hear that? I’m the boss. I’m in charge of CatCo in Ms Grant’s absence, which makes me the person you should show me that warrant.”

His demeanour shifts instantly, and he completely disengages from her, moving away to whom Nia can only assume is his boss. Nia tracks his movements and tilts her head, intrigued when the boss’ spine straightens and a discomfort sits upon his shoulders.

They dive into a hushed conversation that Nia doesn’t stand a chance of hearing, so instead of watching, she turns to Tom and speaks to the camera. “This is Nia Nal, temporary CEO of CatCo and one of the reporters working behind the scenes with Cat Grant and Kara Danvers on the articles you’re all probably aware of.

“We’re here at CatCo and have government agents attempting to force entry. They claim they have a warrant but refuse to show it to anyone here, including myself. Agents have already pushed past a lot of the staff and have started going through offices looking for what I can only assume is the information we have about the articles.”

Nia gestures to have Tom pan the camera around to show the agents going through desks and pushing people out of the way while refusing to answer any questions about what they want or are attempting to do.

Tom then points the camera back at Nia as she starts talking. “Let’s go and make another attempt at getting that warrant.”

Stalking off to the agent and his boss, Tom follows her diligently, the camera still focused on her. She clears her throat once she’s right behind the two men and plants her hands on her hips. “Excuse me. I need to see that warrant. If you refuse, you must leave immediately as you’re trespassing. You’re illegally seizing CatCo property, damaging our building and traumatizing the staff.”

The guy the first agent ran to clasps his hands behind his back and juts his chin into the air, clearly feeling an air of superiority. “I only have clearance to show that warrant to one Ms Catherine Grant as the CEO of CatCo.”

“No, you have the authority to show it to the person in charge, which is me. I’m currently running CatCo; you need to leave if you don’t show me that warrant. Now.”

“No can do. I’m just following orders.”

“Whose orders are those?”

“That’s confidential.”

Nia turns away from him, the camera following her every move. “That’s it. I’m getting security to get these guys out of here.”

Nia searches for the nearest security guard and sees that he’s arguing with an agent that is completely ignoring him. “Hey, get him out of here, they have no legal right, and they’re trespassing.”

Like a switch has been flipped, the guard mumbles into his radio to let the other security guards know the score. Then he’s grappling with the agent. He rips the files out of his hands that he’s collected from who knows where, and he forces his hands behind his back before shoving his towards the elevators.

The next thing any of them know, the ruckus has turned into a brawl. Agents and guards alike are wrestling with each other, reporters and staff grabbing back the property that the thieving government agents were trying to take with them. Nia stares at the scene in disbelief. This is not what she imagined running CatCo would be like. Ms Grant is going to kill her.

She turns to look for the boss agent again to see if they can resolve this peacefully but walks face-first into the camera, a red line forming on her forehead where the top lip thwacked her. “Ow.” She complains but looks around. “This isn’t good.”

With the brawl in the background, she has an idea. Facing the lens again, she starts talking to the people. “This is what we’re dealing with as a company. The government is attempting to silence us by bullying us into submission without caring about what rights they are taking from us. They would do the same to any person that gets in their way. We will be fine here at CatCo though, we have the safety of numbers.

“Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor and Catherine Grant don’t have that protection. They were taken by the government yesterday to meet The President allegedly. We have seen no proof of this, and their presence was not requested but demanded. Nobody has heard from them since and I worry greatly for their safety, so I implore you all to speak up and not let your voices be silenced the way they are attempting to silence ours.”

From behind, someone grabs her shoulder. She whips around and pushes their hand off her violently, only to regret it when she sees Franklin’s sheepish face. “Sorry, Nia.”

“What is it?”

“There are police here.”

“Dear lord, this place is being overrun with people who like to think with their fists because they don’t have brains. Where are they?”

“On their way up,” Franklin replies sheepishly.

“Of course they are.” Nia scrapes a hand down her face, so done with this entire day, scratch that, this whole week. Her hand catches her forehead and she winces. “Get the staff to stop fighting. I don’t want anyone arrested because the cops can’t differentiate between assault and self-defence when their buddies are involved.”

Franklin scurries away with a nod, and then Nia moves to do the same thing, finding groups of staff and deploying them across the floor to make them stop fighting and instead peacefully block the way of any agent trying to take something that doesn’t belong to them.

The police draw their guns into the bullpen, commanding everyone to get on the ground. Still, it’s evident that by ‘everyone’, they are only talking about the staff and security guards and not the government agents that are the ones actually committing crimes.

Nia keeps standing as everyone drops to the floor, not fighting with loaded guns. She instead lifts her hands into the air and very calmly explains. “I’m Nia Nal, I’m in charge here at CatCo, and I would very much appreciate it if you could tell these brutes that they cannot force their way into a building without a warrant, and if they do have one, they have to show it before they begin helping themselves to CatCo property.”

“Get on the ground!” She’s ordered again.

“I will get on the ground once you’ve confirmed whether or not they have a warrant and make them get on the ground. I assume you’re not treating them with the same disrespect because you both work for the government, but I will not tolerate it, nor will the thousands of people currently watching this interaction live.” She gestures to the camera that Tom is still pointing at her.

The police look at each other briefly before closing in, the guns getting closer to her. “Get on the ground now!”

Nia doesn’t have to be told again. She doesn’t want any bullet holes in her good blouse. It’s an expensive one she ‘borrowed’ from Lena’s closet at a game night a few months ago, and it is designer. She thought it was perfect for her first official day as acting CEO, and now she’s wondering if Lena let her take it because it’s a bad omen or something. She wouldn’t be above that; she is a Luthor.

“Fine, fine, just check the damn warrant.” She yells from the ground.

To their credit, the cops round up the government agents into a corner and make them put down all the stuff they’ve picked up onto a nearby desk before asking for the warrant. One that the one in charge finally takes out of his pocket to show to the police.

The police officer in charge, a woman who looks ready to kick the asses of everyone here, reads it over quickly before sighing. “This says you have the right to a few specific files, and only if you’re not given them can you force access. You have completely disregarded the system and trodden on the rights of everyone here, especially by refusing to show the warrant in the first place. This could have all been avoided if you had done your jobs properly.”

Nia actually claps at the words and the scolded look across the agents’ faces but stops when she finds herself on the receiving end of a glare.

“Nia Nal, did I get that correctly?” The officer asks.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Can you find these files for the agents so they can leave?”

She nods quickly. “Yes, can you have them wait either in the lobby or outside? I don’t know how long it will take to find them since they’ve made quite the mess in here and they are making my staff nervous.”

The officer nods. “Here is the warrant; ensure you give them everything they want.” She then directs the officers to wrangle them towards the elevators.

As soon as they are all gone, the staff burst into cheers and Nia looks to the camera. “Well, that wasn’t exactly a party, was it? I wasn’t going to show it, but I will release the footage from the lobby when Kara, Lena and Cat’s presence was demanded in Washington. I think we need to be more worried about them than we have been.”

Tom captured the entire thing on the camera and he keeps filming until Nia has found the documents they have requested, all of them the ones on the case against Lord and the government, as expected, and only shits it off after he gets a good shot of them all leaving.

Now, the world knows to worry. Now they see what they are up against.

-

“Oh god.”

Kara’s head snaps up from where she’s had it hanging forward with her eyes closed in an attempt to get some rest when she’s still bound to this stupid chair. She’s been woozy ever since she took that last punch to her face, so she’s been resisting the urge to puke all over herself.

Ms Grant is pushed into the room, her hands clasped behind her back too, but unlike herself, Kara notes that there is no sign of injury to her anywhere.

“Are you ok?” Kara asks as Cat is arranged onto a chair opposite her, her arms thrown over the back of it and her legs zip tied to the legs before they are left to the quiet of the room.

“Am I ok? Kara, your face is swollen, and there is blood covering at least half of it.”

Kara looks up at Cat with the one eye that isn’t swollen shut. “Oh yeah, they hit me.”

“I gathered. Are you in pain?”

Kara shrugs the best she can, wishing she had a hand free to unstick her hair from her face where it’s gotten stuck in her slowly drying blood. It’s really uncomfortable. “A little. I’ll be ok. Do you know where Lena is?”

Cat shakes her head, unable to take her eyes off Kara’s bloody face. “Last I saw of her was in the hotel room they had us in for a while. I take it you got to meet our lovely president too?”

“I did. He wasn’t best impressed when I told him I wouldn’t give him what he wants.”

“That would be why he was so grouchy by the time I arrived.”

Kara grimaces. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You did the right thing. We have to get out of here though because I’m not liking our chances of exposing their shitty behaviour the longer we’re here. If we wait too long, I’m guessing we won’t be alive much longer.”

“That’s pessimistic.” Kara sighs, her shoulders straining awkwardly from the angle she’s trapped in. They ache like crazy, but it’s nothing compared to her blood-deprived feet or the stinging in her face.

“It’s realistic.” Cat counters. “Let’s figure this out.”

-

Lena props her feet up on the table of the hotel conference room. She can see the silhouettes of the guards outside the door preventing her escape and she’s not stupid enough to believe that she could break her way out of here right now. She wouldn’t even if she could; she doesn’t know where Kara is yet. That’s her first priority.

She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth in a steady beat to pass the time and to try and prove to whoever might be watching that she’s not afraid or nervous. She’s actually pretty terrified, not for herself but for Kara. She can handle herself, she’s been doing it for years, but Kara is too good for this world and she’s too keen to see the best in people. Lena will hunt down anyone that poses a threat to her because Kara is the one thing in her life she can’t live without. Not now that she knows what it is to love and be loved by her. She’d rather die than be deprived of her.

Her gaze is set on her heels, her mind whizzing at a hundred miles per hour and her hands folded tightly across her body, her only protection.

The silhouettes shift and it catches her attention. The door opens and a large man with grey hair enters. He’s holding a clipboard and he’s in full military gear. “Ms Luthor.” He greets her.

“General Lane.” She replies in a clipped tone.

“I see there is no need for introductions then.” He drags out the chair opposite her with a noisy scrape that makes Lena grimace.

“Obviously. What can I do for you, General Lane?”

A sly smile crosses his face. “Quite the contrary, Ms Luthor. This meeting is about what I can do for you.”

Lena’s head tilts, her confusion just barely recognizable. “I don’t see how unless you’re about to tell me where you have taken Ms Danvers and Ms Grant.”

General Lane scoots his chair over so he’s no longer facing the bottom of Lena’s shoes, obviously annoyed that she’s not put her feet down as he was expecting her to. “In good time, Ms Luthor. There are more pressing matters for us to discuss first and foremost.”

“I disagree. My people are more important than whatever imbecile offer you’re about to make me is.”

“I can assure you, the offer I’m about to make you is anything but imbecile. It’s one that will make you more money than you could ever possibly imagine.”

“Are you forgetting that, unlike your pet Maxwell Lord, I’m a Luthor with access to billions of dollars already? I don’t need any illegal schemes to better myself.” She swings her legs down, stands up and leans over the desk, her arms holding up her weight. “I’m already the best.”

General Lane leans back in her chair. His lips are puckered in anger, and a lightning bolt-like crease has formed between his eyes, fire brewing there. “Fine, I was being nice, but since you don’t want to go about it that way, how about we do it the hard way? Does that sound good to you?”

“I didn’t know a man as old as you could get hard anymore.”

His fist slams down on the table as he resorts to yelling at the top of his lungs for a moment of irrational fury before he calms himself down enough to realize that he shouldn’t be shouting in case anyone hears. “You are walking a fine line, Ms Luthor. You have two options. You can work with us and take up the contract we had with Lord Industries to build those prisons and do those experiments, or we can forcefully seize your company, put someone more willing in charge and still get what we want. You can sit down and make money, or you can be removed. It’s up to you.”

“What a shame. I have a million different safeguards in place to stop you from doing exactly that.” Lena tuts. She’s scared now but determined to keep a hold of the upper hand. “Tell me though, General, why are you so keen on getting those experiments done? What are they exactly and how does it benefit you?”

His eyes are blazing but Lena can see the reality of the situation. His brain might as well be soup because he’s not quick enough to handle her in a verbal sparring match. He can’t outshout her, not here.

“That’s confidential.”

“You want me in on your schemes, then you must tell me what they are. That’s how this works.”

His head turns robotically to one side, his face turning away as he attempts to regain some of his composure. He takes a deep breath before facing her again. “Our military services always need new weaponry and advancements; however, we don’t have the manpower to willingly put the lives of honest men and women at risk for experimental weaponry.”

“So you want to use prisoners.” Lena fills in the gaps. “What kind of weaponry will you be having them use.”

A sick smile slithers its way onto General Lane’s face. “They are the weapons.”

Lena’s heart sinks and bile rises in her throat—time for a new plan. There’s no working with someone as deranged as this. “I don’t agree with what you’re doing, but I think we’re both aware of my weaknesses.”

“Your pretty little girlfriend.” General Lena sneers. “She’s been quite the pain in the backside.”

“I can imagine, she’s quite the force to be reckoned with when she wants to be.”

“We can’t have her putting our operations at risk.”

Lena nods seriously. “Of course not, but that won’t be a problem going forward.”

“What makes you so sure of that?”

“Kara is a powerful woman, but I’m stronger, and she will never go against me if I’m working with you. You get me my girlfriend and her boss, release them, and I will work with you. In the meantime, get me the details of what you need for the project. If I’m doing this, I’m going to be well-informed. Sound good to you?”

He rolls his shoulders back, not liking that Lena is calling the shots but very much appreciating that she’s willing to negotiate. His desperate need for control is taking over though. “You get the ladies once we’ve signed the contract.”

“I sign the contract once I have them. Do you really want to make all that work for yourself by trying to take over my company just because you won’t budge on one tiny detail?”

“After.” He spits.

“I get to see them to prove they are ok, and then you can take them up the hotel room and keep them there until after the contract is signed. How about that?”

“I would be amendable.”

“Excellent.” Lena smiles. “Bring them to me and we can discuss matters further. In the meantime, I will look at the experiments’ details. Good?”

He nods. “I’ll send someone out to fetch them.”

“You do that.”

For early access to more chapters of this fic, my other fics and access to a boatload of Patreon-only one-shots and fics, click here!

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, exploring:

Arinlarkan

-MSV Strontium Mule – The journal says I am collecting the cargo for Cerberus. I am not. I am following up on what I learned from the Archaeological Dig Site and will turn any findings over to the Alliance.

-The Blue Suns were brutal. They killed someone in the med bay and slaughtered everyone in the living quarters.

Bioware wanted to make sure you didn’t feel bad about taking them out.

-Also, the living quarters have the beds and the tables right next to each other. I guess light sleepers don’t work on freighters.

-I’m rather amused that the Senior Engineer is a boss. Scotty would be proud.

-Also, he, the Commander Bodyguard, and Sergeant Boortis have more health than Captain Vorhess. Was there supposed to be some kind of subtext to that?

-According to a datapad, the mercs recognized Captain Shepard and kept fighting anyway.

Guys, surrender. I’m playing paragon, I won’t kill you.

-What a charming band. They lured the Strontium Mule in a with a fake distress signal, the sergeant betrayed the captain, and the sergeant planned on killing others he felt like so he could go home with a larger share.

Normandy

-Apparently, using fake distress signals to lure ships in is SOP for the Blue Suns.

Between this and Eclipse requiring a murder for admission, Jacob’s dislike of mercenaries is much more grounded.

-Garrus has no new dialogue, because of he does not. He’s the only squadmate to not have at least two dialogues after his loyalty mission.

The number of fans Garrus has is astonishing when you consider that so many players started with ME2. Everyone loves him despite Bioware’s barely remembering him.

-Also, the option to romance Garrus is still available. It’s not for Jacob or Thane.

Why do you have the option to romance the character that barely speaks but not the two other options?

It’s like Bioware had so little interest in Garrus that they forgot to remove the romance choice on the dialogue wheel.

Decoris

-Sanctum – Blue Suns Base. The Blue Suns use a false distress signal to lure ships in and attack them.

-So in N7 missions Shepard has destroyed a Blood Pack base and now they’re after a Blue Suns Base. What about Eclipse?

I suppose Shepard went after them in Samara’s recruitment mission.

There’s also the Eclipse Smuggling Depot, but that’s not the same as a base. You don’t even fight Eclipse in that missions.

-The interrogation logs explain how they learned about that ExoGeni had uncovered a Prothean artifact. They tortured the agent ExoGeni sent to arrange transportation.

How do the Blue Suns get repeat business?

Word will eventually get around that they turn on their employers.

-The final door only has three locks, instead of the normal four. Is this the Blue Suns’ shitty security or the mining company’s?

Skepsis

-Franklin – Javelin Missiles Launched – I remain baffled why completing the Blue Suns Base suddenly triggers an attack on Watson by batarian radicals, but sure I save it.

(This is the knock off version of Bring Down the Sky. Just saying.)

-Once again, the door only has three locks. Is Sigurd’s Cradle just significantly behind the rest of the galaxy in security?

-The worst part of this mission isn’t the time limit. It’s that Shepard CAN’T GET A LOCK. They’re right in front of me, how can you not get a lock???

I died so many times because of this.

-Why are the batarians labeled prison guards? Why did prison guards randomly decide to attack a human colony? Where are their prisoners?

-The decision to save the industrial or residential area could have had an interesting impact on ME3, but alas that would have required it to care about ME2. So it does nothing. You don’t even get paragon/renegade points.

[latinapoetbts]

I miss You when The Lights Go Out Part 2

We had barely made it up the elevator of the pleasure hotel. I was beside myself at the idea that he had booked this room in advance. This was planned and calculated, he wanted me just as much as I wanted him, even if it was just for the night. I moaned as he worshiped my neck with his mouth, tongue licking, swirling and lips sucking. His left hand gripping my curls so tight and his right hand, fingers buried deep into my cunt scissorring and pumping at the perfect fucking pace.  The pleasure was so intense, I could barely stand.  

“Fuck me Tae. I can’t take more.”; I panted between my grunts and moans, listening to the sweet squelching sounds of my pussy eating up his long , strong fingers. I grasped at his wrist my attempt to pull his hand back from my swollen wet over stimulated lips. He was relentless as he marked my neck and pounded my pussy merciless with his deft fingers.

“Yes. you. can. and you will.” He grunted pausing from assaulting my neck, tightening his grip on my hair, continuing to finger me vigorously. I let out a breathy sigh followed by chasing his lips with mine licking at his tongue. Fuck, I’d die happy tonight. Not he or I gave two fucks about who might catch us in this lewd act in the elevator and franklin who cared we were in a pleasure hotel. I felt a tight coil deep in my pussy forming. I knew another fucking glorious orgasm was on the verge of breaking through. But no snap, no release, a whine escaping my lips as he pulls his fingers from my wet core just as the elevator doors open. Our mouths are sealed together as he pulls and guides me to our room. Opening the door with one hand and shutting it with his foot the automatic lock clicking in place. I could feel the wetness dripping from within me soaking through my lace panties. 

“Fuck Y/N. I want you so fucking much”, his voice deep with need as he pushed me slowly down on the bed stalking over my body. All I could do was stare at him, my chest rising and falling trying to catch my breath, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

“You drive me fucking crazy. I felt like I was lossing my fucking mind.” the words falling from his lips in a near moan. I stared at his lips barely noticing his quick movement to my wrist dragging it up to the top corner of the bed. 

“Not being able to touch you.” His voice sultry, my eyes glued to his face as I felt my wrist being cuffed with a restraint.

“Or kiss you.” he kisses my lips, dragging his teeth over my bottom lips, sucking and releasing with a pop then moving my arm up and cuffing my remaining wrist. 

“Or fuck you any damn time you where near me” He adjust his position over me hovering over my face as he spoke eyes locked with mine rocking his hips against my dripping cunt, our lips inches apart. Whimpers and moans unconsciously escaped my mouth as he continued to thrust his hard cock against my swollen clothed wet lips. 

“But tonight you're mine, Y/N. To do with whatever I please.” Moans and grunts escaped from my mouth as I thrusted my hips to meet with his. Our gaze locked on one another, the lust mirrored in our eyes. I could feel my orgasm approaching once again.

“I’d going to fuck you again and again to erase any memory of the fucking losers you allowed to touch this body”. His fingers tracing down my curves pausing to grope my breast and hips.

“Your body belongs to me…I’m going fuck you so good that no man after me will ever compare. I’m going to fucking ruin you”. My body arched against his thrusting and groping.

“Please…ruin me, Sergeant Aviator Kim.” I begged nearly breathlessly. A chuckle followed by a smirk formed from his mouth.

“Don't worry we have all night Senior Aviator Y/L/N”. He spoke as he roughly tore my dress down my legs throwing it to the ground. 

“As your senior Sergeant Aviator I expect for you to provide the best fucking performance of your life.” A smirk now resting on my lips, my eyes heavily lidded with lust. 

“Oh I will.” he responds with a devilish grin while sitting up and removing the remaining articles of his clothes. 

His eyes rake over my body taking in my form with nothing but my lace thong. Taking in a deep breath and biting his lower lip he stalks over me, taking my lips. I allow him to explore my mouth, moaning, thrusting my hips together with his as I jerk against my wrist restraints. I wanted to touch him so fucking badly. I wrap my legs around my torso with a vise grip as his velvet lips kiss down my jaw, trailing at a slow warm wet sensual pace over my neck. He continued lavishing down my chest choosing a breast to play with. The walls of my pussy clenching, I just might cum again. But I didn’t want to, I wanted to feel him inside me so desperately.

“Please, fuck me…” I panted my voice pleading and desperate.

“I will. I promise baby, I just want to taste every part of you. Please. Let me have all of you”. I felt my throat tight with emotion, my heart fluttering, at the sound of his tender confession of wanting all of me and calling me baby. I was in heaven here with him. I swallowed down my emotions and keep my voice as steady as possible. 

“Of course baby, you’ll always have all of me.” I whisper, my eyes closed, my heart beating with vulnerability. I open my eyes and find him gazing up at me from my breast, eyes filled with desire and something I couldn't identify. He takes my nip in his mouth alternating between sucking, licking and nipping with his teeth, his eyes locked on mine.

“Oh My God… Tae hyung…”, moans and grunts spilling from my mouth. He adjusted his body letting go of my nipple using his hands to push my legs apart from my thighs. 

“Please baby, let me touch you”. I begged again.

“You will. I just want to make you feel good first…please…baby”. His voice was so sultry, tender, yet desperate, I could never deny him. Ever. The tenderness that poured from him in tone, in gaze and touch towards me was sending my emotions, my heart in a frenzy. I was certain I would never recover from this level of affection and intimacy. Tae Hyung certainly would ruin me tonight in more ways than one. 

“Yes…anything baby”. I allowed my legs to unlock and relax on the bed as he continued to worship my breast move back and forth between the two followed by kissing down my navel and removing my thong with his teeth. My body couldn’t help itself but tremble and arch itself as hisses of pleasure feel from my lips. I quivered in anticipation as he lowered his face to my warm wet center. I could feel myself clenching.

“Your fucking beautiful and sexy all at once Y/N.” He licked at my core with slow sensual licks as if he were licking an icecream cone on a hot summer day to ensure no ice cream dripped off.

“Fuck Tae! Ugh…you feel so good!”. I felt as he used his fingers tips to spread my wet lips open as wide as possible as he licking and sucked fucking me with his toungue until I could take no more! I yanked and jerked at my restraints, my hips convulsing as he continued to eat me out like a starved man.  “Please! Don’t fucking stop!”. He shifted his hands to hook my legs over his shoulders as he continued to tongue fuck me burying his face into my pussy. I couldn't help but wonder how it was possible for him to still breathe. He continued until I felt my inside coil and tingle with a sudden burst from my lips. I felt myself squirt as I bucked against him, swollen and sensitive. He continued moaning and panting into my lips, licking up every last drop. I gazed down at him watching his mouth form a satisfied smile, my juices and his drool dripping down his face. My emotions are still swirling. It took everything in me not to confess, tell him how much I love him. The fear of rejection and losing was too great. I kissed up my stomach between my breasts landing on my lips, swirling our tongues together, his drool and my juices mixing in my mouth. I loved it. After a last deep kiss finally my relief came as he moved to untie my restraints. Finally my turn. It was my turn to tease, lavish and worship his body.

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[post-cinema]

The 1970s love affair between Meryl Streep and John Cazale saw them both on new acting paths but their journey together ended in tragedy.

In 1978, a young Meryl Streep was on the verge of becoming the greatest actress of her generation. She was also about to lose the love of her life. Streep was 29 years old, a gosling in the New York theater world. She was living in a loft on Franklin Street with her boyfriend, actor John Cazale. He was 14 years her senior and a legend among his peers.

Streep and Cazale met in 1976, when they were cast opposite each other in Measure for Measure in Central Park. By then, Cazale was not quite a star — he lacked that ephemeral quality — but he was regarded, in the industry, as a rare talent, in demand among the great directors of the era.

He was Fredo in The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, and had lead roles in The Conversation and Dog Day Afternoon. Of the five movies he starred in, all would be nominated for Best Picture, and three would win.

“One of the things I loved about the casting of John Cazale,” said Dog Day director Sidney Lumet, “was that he had a tremendous sadness about him. I don’t know where it came from; I don’t believe in invading the privacy of the actors I work with or getting into their heads. But my God, it’s there — every shot of him.”

And then there were his unusual looks, so perfect for the misfits of ’70s cinema: attenuated frame, high forehead, prominent nose. Sad, black eyes. Streep fell for him instantly. He was equally knocked out.

In looks and manner, Cazale was completely foreign to the young Streep. “He wasn’t like anybody I’d ever met,” she said later. “It was the specificity of him, and his sort of humanity and his curiosity about people, his compassion.”

They were the envy of the New York theater world — she the most naturally gifted actress in generations, he the most naturally gifted actor, legendary director Joe Papp their patron — until one day in May 1977.

Cazale, who was in previews for Agamemnon uptown, had been feeling ill enough to miss performances. Papp was concerned enough to get Cazale an emergency appointment with his own doctor on the Upper East Side. Within days, Streep and Cazale were sitting in the doctor’s office with Joe and Gail Papp. The diagnosis: Cazale had terminal lung cancer. It had spread throughout his body. They sat there, Gail Papp said, feeling “like you’ve been struck dead on the spot.”

Streep and Cazale tried to keep the severity of his condition between them. Even Cazale’s brother, Stephen, didn’t realize how bad it was until one day, after the three of them had lunch in Chinatown, Cazale stopped on the sidewalk and spat up blood.

Streep was determined to help Cazale overcome his cancer, and the two confided in Pacino, who took the actor to his radiation treatments. Rober DeNiro would later confess that he’d never seen one human being as devoted to another as Streep was to Cazale. Streep spent the last five months of Cazale’s life by his side, putting her career on hold.

Meryl Streep later said that the time they had together, retreating into their cocoon, gave her a weird sort of protection. She confided in very few people, and wrote to her old drama teacher at Yale, Bobby Lewis, of her true emotional state.

“My beau is terribly ill and sometimes, as now, in the hospital,” Streep wrote. “He has very wonderful care and I try not to stand around wringing my hands, but I am worried all the time and pretending to be cheery all the time, which is more exhausting mentally physically emotionally than any work I’ve ever done.”

In early March 1978, Cazale entered Memorial Sloan Kettering. Streep never left his side. On March 12, 1978, at 3 a.m., Cazale’s doctor told Streep, “He’s gone.”

Meryl Streep wasn’t ready to hear it, much less believe it. What happened next, by some accounts, was the culmination of all the tenacious hope Meryl had kept alive for the past 10 months. She pounded on his chest, sobbing, and for a brief, alarming moment, John opened his eyes. “It’s all right, Meryl,” he said weakly. “It’s all right.” Then he closed his eyes and died. Streep’s first call was to Cazale’s brother, Stephen. She sobbed throughout.

“I tried,” she told him

[j-stcrm]

ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ʙɪᴏ ; johnny storm

❝ The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. ❞

→ pinterest | playlist ( + pietro )

↳ BASIC INFO

Character’s full name: Jonathan Spencer Maximoff-Storm Meaning of name: God’s gift Other Titles: Human Torch Birth date: June 8th Zodiac: Gemini Nationality / Ethnicity / Species: American, Jewish, human Languages Spoken: English, Russian Pronouns: he/him  Orientation: Demisexual Superpower: he can engulf his entire body in flames, fly, absorb fire harmlessly into his own body, and control any nearby fire by sheer force of will. Occupation: astrophysicist, former astronaut, Avenger Relationship Status: married to Pietro Maximoff 

↳ APPEARANCE

Age: 30 Height: 5′7  Body build: very muscular, athletic Eye color: pale blue Predominant features: his eyes Hair color and type: light blonde, naturally curly but he keeps it styled because he hates it

↳ PERSONALITY

Good traits: athletic, charming, compassionate, confident, loyal, kind-hearted, intelligent, quick-witted. Bad traits: brash, cocky, hard-headed, hot tempered, overly flirtatious, rebellious, reckless, vain. Hogwarts House: Gryffindor Character Theme Song: Play with Fire - Sam Tinnesz Personality Type: ESFP / ‘the entertainer,’ care-free, very extroverted, social.

↳ PAST

Hometown: Los Angeles, California | moved to New York City as a teen Type of childhood: Johnny grew up in LA with his sister, Sue. their father was killed in a car accident before their freshman year of high school. their mother struggled emotionally and lacked mental stability following her death, so they relocated to New York to live with their aunt, their mom’s sister, Margaret. Education: he received an athletic scholarship to play football at Stanford, but an injury his senior year prevented him from pursuing that. so he pursued another dream and studied astrophysics at Caltech.

↳ PRESENT

Current location: New York City, but he visits Asgard regularly now Currently living with:  Pets: Luna; maltese puppy

↳ FAMILY

Mother: Mary Storm

Relationship: he’s close to his mom and struggled watching her mental difficulties following their father’s death, taking on a lot of that emotionally himself. as a result, he struggles with containing his emotions now, which, with his abilities being emotion driven occasionally, isn’t a good thing.

Father: Franklin Storm

Relationship: he had a strained relationship with his dad and often felt a lot of pressure academically/in regards to his athletic career.

Sister: Sue Storm

Relationship: He’s close to his big sister.

Other important family members:  Children:

↳ RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

Husband Pietro Maximoff Best friend: Klara Arnesdòttir, Peter Parker Ex: 

↳ BIO 

A star athlete in high school, Johnny had his sights on playing football on his college scholarship and moving to pro after graduation. But an injury his senior year put a halt to those plans. Always having had an interest in space, and excelling in all of his class, Johnny changed direction and went to school to study astrophysics. A few years into his career, the ship Johnny was traveling on had a crash landing after traveling through cosmic rays. He survived, but was exposed to radiation that altered his genetic makeup. He gained the ability to envelop his body in fire, which proves to be bad more times than not, seeing as the ability is triggered by anger and emotions - and he doesn’t have good control over those.

[everettes-requiem]

welcome to everette’s scrapbook page 𓆝

so, kikita had this idea to start a scrapbook or something along those lines? it’s meant to keep our highschool memories alive, time goes by so quick after all. she wants to preserve as much as she can, as much as we can. i find it to be tedious, but i ‘hought i might as well go along with it. i mean, there will be photos of me and that’s fairly appealing, is it not? i am rather darling. and, i guess i’ll paste some of my own memories onto here once i have the chance.

i’m everette ainsworth, if you don’t know me already, which you should know me but i digress. i’m a junior and, i suppose this is where i’ll reminisce, about the best and the worst. mostly the worst since all my memories seem to contain you lot.

— everette ainsworth

this highshool au idea was made by the ever so lovely @lolita-ily !! also the creator of kikita! ( @kikita-answers-lotf ) here’s some information about everette in this au ^_^

he’s around 16 or seventeen and is well known in the school. he isn’t exactly well liked, there’s a mixed bag of opinions on him, but everyone seems to know who he is.

on several occasions has been mistaken as a girl, namely a few times by wilbur and probably michael too ( @wilbur-holland-lotf + @michealseis ) despite them being acquainted by now.

also just wanted to mention has major problems with norman ( @ask-norman-alexander-lotf ), like everette hates him.

he’s generally a lot more mellowed out in this au than he is in canon. he still has narcissistic and abrasive tendencies and is still troubled in many ways, but his behaviors and other things aren’t as warped as they are in canon.

triple threat in the performing arts. he takes choir, theater, and dance, he’s very passionate about the arts and aspires to someday work in that field or rise to stardom. he’s also fairly gifted academically, taking most advanced placement classes. he’s a lost cause when it comes to sports though, best he can do is probably tennis or track.

is always seen at some point in the day with henry ( @henrys-eulogy-aflame ) they walk each other to their classes, they’re always seen talking with each other at break or at lunch, they always go out together. it’s gotten to the point where people have mistaken them to be dating. henry and everette kind of have this weird situationship going on.

speaking of which, everette doesn’t really care if you’re apart of the lgbtq, but he strangely cares about if he’s gay or not. internalized homophobia and what not, though not to the extent like it is in canon. everyone around him knows he isn’t straight, except himself. he’ll insist he likes girls and only likes girls and the opposite gender, but at the end of the day he’s never had an affinity for a girl even once.

has literally only had crushes on guys before, though he doesn’t view them as crushes, mostly because of the aforementioned denial. had a one off crush on frankie once actually. ( @ask-franklin-shepherd )

that’s partly why he’s never had a girlfriend, partly also because most girls at school can tell he’s in denial. a few people have a bet going on, on whether or not everette will realize he isn’t straight by the end of senior year. some people think he will, some people think he won’t.

always goes to his friends’ events, whether it be performances of taylor’s ( @taylor-wyndham-lotf-asks ) band, or if it’s rugby games to boo franklin. will complain and say things, but he’ll always be there. biggest supporter and yet biggest hater.

and that should be it! if you have any questions about this everette in this au then i’ll be happy to answer them! this was so much fun haha, i’ll have to draw more of it!

— KUNI !!

[newstfionline]

Friday, January 10, 2025

Carter's 100 years: Food for thought (Politico) “Let’s imagine that Franklin D. Roosevelt had possessed the same gift for longevity as Jimmy Carter, and lived until he was 100. He would have died in 1982, in Ronald Reagan’s second year in office,” John Harris writes this morning. “It is eye-opening to play this same game with others. John F. Kennedy, who was killed just a couple of weeks after I was born, would have been eulogized by President Donald Trump in 2017. Abraham Lincoln would have lived until 1909, after the dawn of aviation. Theodore Roosevelt, who as a small boy watched Lincoln’s funeral procession from his family’s New York apartment, would have lived to see nuclear weapons and the early days of the space race before expiring in 1958.” Old presidents indirectly underline an important point about this country: The United States remains a young nation, in which even events that seem long ago are really just one or two degrees of separation from contemporary lives.

‘Make Greenland Great Again’? No Thank You, Greenlanders Say. (NYT) Christian Ulloriaq Jeppesen remembers how this all started. In 2019, during Donald J. Trump’s first term as president, Mr. Trump floated the idea of the United States buying the island of Greenland. At the time, most people in Greenland (and Denmark, the European country that controls it) thought his suggestion was a joke. “Everyone said, ‘Ha-ha, you can’t just buy a country, he doesn’t mean it,’” Mr. Jeppesen, a native Greenlander and a radio producer, said by telephone. “Obviously that was the wrong way to take it. Look at where we are today.” “For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Mr. Trump wrote in late December in a social media post announcing his choice for ambassador to Denmark. Aviaaja Sandgren, a nurse who lives in the small town of Qaqortoq (all of Greenland’s towns are small), does not want to be part of the United States. “We would lose many benefits,” she said when reached by phone on Wednesday. “We have free education, education grants, free health care, and free medicine. Everything is free here in Greenland. I know they don’t have that in the U.S.,” she said.

Harrowing escapes from Los Angeles wildfires (AP) Flames and pillars of smoke rose from both sides of the road and a woman yelled in panic as firefighters ushered a crowd of fleeing residents along. Aaron Samson positioned his 83-year-old father-in-law behind his blue walker, and they began shuffling down the sidewalk. “My father-in-law was saying, ‘Aaron, if we are ever in a position where the flames are right there, you just run and leave me here,’” Samson recounted Wednesday. It didn’t get to that point. For the second time in a matter of hours, a good Samaritan picked them up, then drove them to safety in Santa Monica. Their escape came as thousands of people fled wildfires in the Los Angeles area that turned picturesque neighborhoods into smoldering wasteland. People abandoned their cars and fled on foot as tree limbs crashed down and howling winds sent flames flying in every direction. Others flagged down rides from friends or strangers. With so many cars abandoned in the middle of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, authorities had a bulldozer push the vehicles out of the way to clear a path for emergency vehicles.

The most expensive wildfire in US history (Bloomberg) The conflagrations tearing across Los Angeles are on track to be among the most expensive wildfire disasters in US history, draining insurance coffers and threatening California’s massive state-sponsored insurance program. Losses from the fires “could push insurance markets over the brink in California,” said Michael Wara, a senior researcher for climate and energy at Stanford University and a wildfire expert. The Palisades Fire destroyed 300 structures and 13,306 remain threatened. The Hurst Fire, burning northwest of Los Angeles and Burbank, has threatened another 40,000 buildings, while the Eaton Fire burning near Pasadena has endangered more than 28,000 structures. “It is plausible that the Palisades Fire in particular will become the costliest fire on record, period. Not just in California, but in general,” said Daniel Swain, a University of California Los Angeles climatologist, in a briefing on Wednesday. Private forecaster AccuWeather said estimated damage and economic loss is over $50 billion at a preliminary level.

College tuition has fallen at many schools (AP) New research indicates students are paying significantly less to attend public universities than they were a decade ago. And tuition increases at private colleges have finally slowed after years of hefty rises. Figures compiled by the nonprofit College Board indicate the average student attending an in-state public university this year faces a tuition bill of $11,610, which is down 4% from a decade earlier when taking inflation into account. But the real savings come in what the average student actually pays after getting grants and financial aid. That’s down 40% over the decade, from $4,140 to $2,480 annually, according to the data. That reduced cost means less borrowing. Just under half of students attending in-state public universities are graduating with some debt, down from 59% a decade earlier, according to the College Board figures. And among those who do borrow, the average loan balance has fallen by 17%, to $27,100.

Nicolás Maduro faces his toughest challenge yet (AP) Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is facing more international rebuke than at any time in his 12 years in power. The self-declared socialist is widely believed to have lost last year’s election by a landslide. That sparked criticism by the United States and others that the vote was stolen and forced Maduro to turn to security forces to repress and arrest opponents. Now he’s set to be sworn in for a third term Friday, even as the opposition challenger who claims to have won is vowing to return from exile by then. The history of Latin America is full of strongmen who rode out disputed elections only to find themselves ousted in short order.

A Russian missile attack in southern Ukraine has killed at least 13 (AP) A daytime Russian missile attack on the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 13 civilians and wounded over 100 others on Wednesday, officials said. Russia has frequently launched aerial attacks on civilian areas during the almost three-year war. Thousands of civilians have been killed in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. Earlier, the Ukrainian military said it struck a fuel storage depot deep inside Russia, causing a huge blaze at the facility that supplies an important Russian air base. Ukraine’s General Staff said the assault hit the storage facility near Engels, in Russia’s Saratov region, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of the Ukrainian border. Ukraine has been developing its arsenal of domestically produced long-range missiles and drones capable of reaching deep behind the front line.

Making art and fun from the ice, snow and freezing cold in Harbin, China (AP) People are making the best of the freezing weather in northeast China: Sculptors have finely chiseled ice into elaborate structures resembling landmark castles and temples, and visitors are appreciating the artwork and the excitement of ice slides and other attractions at the annual Harbin Ice and Snow World. The ice sculpture festival is a major tourist draw for the former industrial center that still boasts of its proximity to Russia with Tsarist-era architecture found nowhere else in China. The riverside site features dozens of giant artworks like the Taj Mahal of India, the Osaka Castle of Japan, and Beijing’s own Temple of Heaven, all carved from clear blocks of ice. The main festival covers 1 square kilometer (.6 square miles) of the city, with the sculptures using 13,000 cubic meters (460,000 cubic feet) of ice blocks cut mainly from the adjacent Songhua River. Ice slides, with the longest ones reaching 521 meters (1,710 feet), are a key attraction, with visitors waiting almost an hour to get their chance.

Filipino Catholics pray for good health and peace in huge procession venerating Jesus statue (AP) Hundreds of thousands of mostly barefoot Catholic worshippers marched Thursday in an annual procession in the Philippines that venerates a centuries-old black statue of Jesus. Some said they prayed for good health for their families, an end to tensions in the South China Sea, and for incoming U.S. President Donald Trump to be kinder to Filipino immigrants. The procession marks the feast of Jesus Nazareno and is a major annual Catholic event in Asia. The procession in Manila began before dawn, with organizers putting the early crowd at around 250,000. Their number swelled later in the day, but there was no immediate updated crowd estimate. Last year, at least 2 million devotees joined the 15-hour procession, with some estimates of the crowd as high as over 6 million. Many devotees believe the statue’s endurance, from fires and earthquakes through the centuries and intense bombings during World War II, is a testament to its miraculous powers.

Better late than never (Foreign Policy) The Lebanese Parliament voted to elect U.S.-trained Gen. Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as the country’s new president, ending years of political deadlock in the troubled country. Aoun received support from across the political spectrum, including from Hezbollah lawmakers, in a sign of the group’s diminished position following a bruising war with Israel. Hezbollah had thwarted multiple previous efforts to elect a new president by withdrawing its lawmakers from Parliament, collapsing the necessary quorum.

Syria’s economic disaster (Economist) There are few tougher jobs in Syria. On December 30th the country’s interim government named Maysaa Sabrine to head the central bank. The institution Ms Sabrine leads, like the Syrian economy, is a shambles. Foreign reserves are thought to have dwindled to as little as $200m, less than a month’s worth of imports. The central bank is under Western sanctions. So is Syria’s largest commercial bank. The Syrian pound has lost 99% of its value since the start of the civil war in 2011. At 13,000 pounds to the dollar, a quick trip to the market requires bags full of banknotes. Economic mismanagement was a defining feature of the Assad regime, which ruled Syria for 53 years. Civil war pushed Syria even further into misery. GDP fell from $60bn in 2010 to less than $9bn today. The World Bank reckons that 69% of Syrians live on less than $3.65 a day.

As Russia seeks influence in Africa, former students play central role (Washington Post) The young West African students touched down in what was then the Soviet Union knowing only a handful of Russian words and little about their new home. Decades later, those former students—many of whom became doctors, engineers and businesspeople in West Africa—are key influencers for Russia as it vies with the West for sway in this turbulent part of Africa. In interviews in Burkina Faso, which has become a focus of Russian outreach, the former students said they are fostering economic, educational and diplomatic ties as they help their country move away from generations of working with the West and toward partnership with Russia. “We studied there and know the potential,” said Christian Ouédraogo, who arrived in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and now leads a Russian-Burkinabe business club. “We want to play our part—to sit down at the negotiating table and accompany authorities so that this partnership is win-win and enables real growth for our nations.”

The world’s most powerful passports for 2025 (CNN) Who’s the itty-bitty city-state with the global passport the world thinks is great? There’s new year cheer for Singapore as it reclaims its place at the top of a quarterly ranking of the world’s most powerful passports. Holders of this desirable red travel document enjoy visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations worldwide, according to the Henley Passport Index, more than citizens of any other place on the planet. Japan is second in the ranking, with an open door to 193 destinations. The EU member states of France, Germany, Italy and Spain are at No. 3, along with Finland and South Korea, with access to 192 destinations with no prior visa needed. The fourth position in the rankings is a testament to the power of the European Union’s border-free Schengen area, which guarantees free movement to more than 425 million EU citizens. It’s held by seven EU countries, each with visa-free access to 191 destinations: Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Squeaking into fifth place are five countries—Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom—all of which have visa-free access to 190 destinations. The United States shares ninth place with Estonia.