#Government College Turns into Hunted House

[rozeliyawashereyall]

I fucked around, I found out, and I came out with an AU that wouldn't make the slightest of sense in the actual universe of where the series take place

But do indulge me, cringe AUs are addictively fun to make.

Thanks to @weltthejellyfish , @lightdragon789 , and @astralbulldragon13 for writing like, 98% of everything, would be clueless about my own AU without you 🙏

Anywho chat. Casino AU.

The casino is kind of like?? A haunted house?? Or at least the concept of it. Yeah human owned places are scattered publicly, but halfblood owned ones are in more secluded and secretive places—no human was allowed into said places, only those who are like, an altruist for halfbloods, and even they have very limited access.

Bug getting into the casino would be very difficult, they'd have to first find out where the casino even is, find it and pretend to be an ally and after that slowly work their way up and face some pretty hard challenges

The casino is a family business that was bustling at first but Cercie caught wind of it and started hunting down every family member until it was only bodie left. With only Bodie running the business, he finds a college graduate, Marco, and decides to hire him as a dealer. A few years later and he finds a kid abandoned by his step parents, Timmy, and the rest is history.

•

The descriptions of the three in the drawings:

-​Swamp of Fortune was a family business run by the Willowroots, but after Cercei caught wind of it she started hunting down every family member until it was only Bodie left. Stressed and paranoid about his safety, he closed the casino down and resulted to alcohol for a few years before meeting Marco, a shady college graduate who's determined to help he guy out of his slump. One thing lead to another and now the casino is both getting popular again and is under watch by the government for alleged suspicious practices.

-​Marco Palustris Cydarki dropped out of college after his involvement with dangerous people led to concerns for his safety. While he majored in computer science, his real talent lies in the arts. After dropping out, he found refuge with Bodie, an older man who just happens to own a casino, one that has a history of questionable purchases and suspicious rumors. Marco has been assisting him in various capacities since being taken in. Whether Bodie's influence is protective or manipulative remains to be seen, but Marco has stuck around, likely owing something to his benefactor.

-​Timmy’s life has been a mix of captivity and survival. Born under Cercie Fain’s control, his parents faked his death, cutting off his dragon wings to pass him off as a regular gator half-blood. After being auctioned off, he was raised by Elizabeth Wheat on a half-blood farm until Cercie’s men took him. He later escaped, and found himself stranded and injured in the city, where Bodie found him and became a father figure for the guy. Since then, he's grown into a mini-manager at the casino, following in Bodie’s footsteps as a floor supervisor. Despite being the smallest his presence is larger than life.

•

These little guys personalities are a mix of OG and BM. So more sadistically playful, hence the neutral/hate relationship Marco and Timmy have with bug in this AU. Timmy and Marco probably see Bug as just a new pet, but with them getting more popular around the casino and climbing up— they could turn from a pet to a threat to the two. When it’s revealed that they’re a cop, they probably do some very… thorough interrogation to make sure they are actually on the casino’s side. Then maybe Bug offers to be a Triple Agent. They're lucky Bodie likes them around, I fear they would NOT survive if he didn't enjoy their company, they'd be torn apart if it wasnt for him...he may have used that to his advantage..but Bodie’s just so sweet, they’d never suspect anything..

•

Crimes👍

​Money laundering

​Bootlegging

​Illegal gambling

​Probably murder ngl

​Loan sharking

​Labor racketeering

​stock manipulation

​Tax fraud

•

Stupid stuff:

​They'd only start calling bug, well, bug, because they were caught in their trap, and they have a habit of playing with their food. After they start using Bug as a double agent they start throwing in other nicknames—First it was just bug but then it'd turn into more playful variations of it (IE: Waterbug, Sugarbug, Bedbug, etc) The day Bodie calls them Sugar Bug, they are caught so off guard

​Bodie gifted Bug a pair of butterfly earrings as a welcome gift, only for the earrings to turn out to be a tracking device/listening ddevice.

​Timmy would drink like five cocktails and get black out drunk because they don’t taste like alcohol. Mudslide would be his favorite though. I can picture Marco drinking red wine, he'd would like mulled wine or wassail during winter. Bodie is either whiskey, or bourbon, but during business meetings, they all drink Willowroot family recipe Moonshine

​Bodie still drinks but has cut back. He only drinks half a bottle compared to the two a day he used to drink.

Bug's aim is so fucking bad bro, it's storm trooper level bad

More stupid stuff but timeline version, kinda, idk actually:

-Bug was tasked to locate the casino, gets chased and almost mauled by a halfblood before Bodie intervenes and helps Bug from dying.

- I'd imagine when Bug is recovering and is eager to work to repay Bodie back. He asks Timmy to keep watch of Bug and kind of assesses Bug to see if they could work at the casino and the two talk from there

-Then Bodie and Timmy along with Bug, go out on a walk, talking about taxe evasion, casinos, and mafias, all that fun jazz. But they stumble upon Tony and Sparkie trying to track down any rogue halfbloods. prompt them to relay it to Cercie that Bug found the casino and she sends the hunters to bug, just to tell them to get every secret they can find and report back to them. Which Bug is very hesitant on doing. Not only because they’ve helped them and shown they aren’t the monsters their people painted them as... also because these gator folk could kill them very easily.

Like the end of episode 3 or maybe when Marco comes in with info on Bug (that maybe Bodie asked Marco to do a background check or interrogate Bug idk man) and that’s when they ask Bug to be a double agent

-It’s been a few months (maybe) and Bug is stressing but pulling through being a double agent in relaying info to both sides. But also getting closer to the bois as they treated them slightly better then Cercie and her people did. Which results in Bug confiding in Bodie and being accepted into their lives.

Idk what to do with the rest bro you figure it out.

Last stupid stuff I promise

Okay I'm done now

Yippee @capitalmaudios @magebunkshelf @dayspriteofficial

[exvangelicalrage]

christianity is fucking everywhere

6/29/23

When I was a christian, one of the ever-present narratives passed around every church I attended was this idea that christians are being persecuted. The examples were numerous: family values were being eroded by liberals and gay people; atheists didn't want the ten commandments on government buildings; prayer wasn't allowed in schools anymore; teachers weren't allowed to express their faith in the classroom; people weren’t voting for pro-christian legislation; secular music was bringing demons into people's houses straight through the radio waves; profanity scribbled onto playgrounds was corrupting the minds of children... I could go on. And most of these are pretty innocuous things talked about in front of me, a child.

As I grew older, I was let in on the secrets of how sex perverts holy minds and how divorce was a sign a couple had allowed satan into their marriage and how using swear words gave demons a foothold on your mind. I learned that christians must stand tall and resilient to resist the temptations of the flesh, because the government, schools, and pretty much everyone who didn't attend the same church as us (and maybe even some people who did! *gasp*) were dripping with satanic influence.

It sounds like hyperbole when I write it out, but I'm dead serious.

It's been over ten years since my Exit. I thought when I quit christianity that my life would suddenly be filled with "secularism." I thought I'd run into people who actively weren't christian anytime I went to a bar or an event or work. I thought it would take me no time at all to find spaces to exist in that didn't involve christianity. Because, after all, christianity was being eroded, right? It was being attacked from all sides! We had donned the armor of god and were ready to do battle in the lord's name! The enemy was everywhere!

If atheists = the enemy, and then enemy was everywhere, therefore, atheists must be everywhere. Right? 

And now that I had defected, I wanted to find the enemy and ask them to be friends. 

But I couldn't fucking find the enemy.

Because, as it turns out, atheists aren't everywhere, but christianity is.

You can't fucking escape it. You can't avoid it. It. is. ubiquitous. Way worse than dandelions.

There are christians in the office at work. christians at mcdonalds. christians in bars, getting wasted and sexually harassing people. There are christians in your neighborhood. There are christians at the doctor's office. There are christians who hunt and christians who play sports and christians who go to college and christians who mow lawns and pave your driveway and install sump pumps.

There are even corporations who are explicitly christian. Hobby Lobby. Chick-fil-A. Forever 21. Whataburger. Not to mention all those small-town businesses who are closed on sundays, which is annoying af.

There are 2300 people in my small USA town. Guess how many churches. FOURTEEN. In like, a five-square-mile radius. And if I expand to a twenty-mile radius? Over a hundred churches. I got tired of counting, so it could be more. I tried figuring out how many are in my county, but all I got was that there were 72 towns. Multiply that by 14 churches/town? Over a thousand.

If life were a Where's Waldo book, I'd be Waldo and everyone else would be a christian.

All the churches have signs too, just in case you forgot they were a church. One near me says "jesus is risen and nothing can change that." My husband likes to say, "Pontius Pilot would beg to differ," lol. Another one says, "It's not about guilt, it's about being free." Sure. Gaslighting 101, right there.

It's not just churches who have signs either. My neighbor still has up an easter flag that reads "jesus is risen" (this flag replaced the "trump: right to bear arms" flag with two pistols on it). There are a bunch of farms around who put bible versus on signs, too. One nearby says, "He knows every hidden thought," which is super creepy. It doesn't make it less creepy knowing it's a bible verse. And tons of people have christian shit on their cars—bible verses, jesus fish, crosses. Not to mention bibles in hotel rooms (I throw those away when I find them) and christian billboards (I flip those off when I see them).

I even have christian clients and I have to edit their books! Even my therapist is a christian.

christianity is everywhere.

You can't escape it.

Every time I meet a new person who is christian, or remember that someone I know and like is still christian, I experience a surge of disappointment. 

Not you too.

On my worst days, when I am triggered and anxious and full of rage at the ideology that caused me so much pain, I can't even leave the house, because doing so would require me to drive down a road named after the church located on it.

christianity is like hydra. You can run. You can chop off a head or two or three. But it always grows another.

birth is a curse, and christianity is a prison.

[tyto-ghost]

Hello world! Let me present to you one of my pitches for an animated series (college thesis) About a private investigator hunting anomalies, but in reverse! (sort of)

This takes place in your regular mundane Earth with wacky creatures inhabiting it, and of course, CIA agents taking care of them before causing any ruckus to the human world.

This series follows our main guy, Caesar Raymond Thompson, a living sentient TV static amalgam who decided to leave his "shell" to pursue his dream job, a cool detective guy like his favorite shows (that he uh..broadcasts himself??). However even if Caesar is incredibly naive to the current situation, his idea to solve the "anomaly kidnapping by the government" problem is to open a new secret radio channel about helping various clients with their troubles via interviewing anomalies in hopes that they can sort things out and not call the cops.

All of this while *trying* to keep a low profile so he doesn't get pulverized by the government either.

Caesar is, to put it shortly, an incredibly charming but insanely naive guy. He's cheery, he's very gullible, has no idea how to properly wear a jacket, you have to manually turn down his volume with a remote otherwise he won't stop shouting like a reporter, his only sense of reality comes from TV shows themselves. Caesar is the type of person that is constantly trying to appeal in order for others to like him with little consideration of himself.

As already stated, he is literally just TV static, but he's more than just a cutout of a conventionally looking detective man. He's kinda like a slime (not a blob, we are getting to those waaay more later on a future post). He can mold himself to any shape and change how solid or meltier his body can be. However he can't stay out of his TV shell without proper rest for more than 24hs otherwise he will start to fall apart.

You can also control parts of his body (mute him, change a channel, even temporarily kill him by turning him off!) if you ever get to hold his own remote (PLEASE be gentle with him).

But every silly personal investigator in his 30s needs a middle aged (radio) man to partake (and publicly broadcast) his wacky endeavors, of course

Rodrigo is your average man (erm personality wise), nothing too eccentric, likes to chill while playing old songs (he even has access to music most people consider lost media!), Not very tuned to the modern world. He has to constantly put Caesar back to reality any time he gets into antics, but is too kind to yell or be rude. Rodri is pretty much a very tired man, but he really appreciates his buddy-partner.

He's a bit strange to explain, most people consider him an animated object (him being the radio) but he's a little bit more complex, you see, Rodrigo is technically the voice of an announcer living inside a radio, a (somewhat) human conscience with no physical body that travels through a radio signal. The radio is nothing more than his "house".

Unlike Caesar who is simply static and has no channel of his own, Rodrigo "rests" on his own hidden radio channel, basically an empty space where he talks with no one far away listening, however he isn't unreachable, by performing a few silly tricks with your own radio trims and buttons (or calling a mysterious number) you might have access to his broadcast.

Rodrigo is mostly blind, he has no eyes after all, but, he can kinda"see" sometimes if the objects in the room are moving and making noise, otherwise he only sees static.

Well! that's it for now! More worldbuilding and info about these goofballs will eventually come out (aprox) next month! (this story is also bound to change due to it being a college project). Follow me to keep up with my funny guys, in the meantime...

[m0use-brained]

my (super)ordinary life!

as some might know its about two college boys renting an apartment together(by chance) and dealing with the ghost of a Victorian boy who was murdered by his nanny. the story follows the protagonist Xavier who is a "realist" and skeptic and doesnt believe in ghosts at all. his roommate on the other hand dallas is a firm believer and a medium. the little Victorian kid Arch whos trying to get the attention of xavier due to him looking so much like his best friend in life falls short in doing so through little antics. The two go through college with unexplainable things happening(well dallas tries to tell xavier its the ghost with xavier not believing him) until xavier has enough of bad things happening and finally folds and lets dallas do whatever he needed. they go through alot to finally talk to arch(buying equipment is hard when your in college) and THEN try to solve the mystery of who killed arch, to let him feel at peace and not restless anymore

-

Government kids??? no name yet- haeaawdjhnThree kids (17 yr old girl, 14 yr old boy and 10 yr old boy) who are all siblings to this last group of people with magical powers end up loosing their parents due to the new government that was implemented recently. But the world for like more then a hundred years now have passed their reign over magic. now magic is only within their brightly colored hair and eyes(bald ppl dont exist). Along with some people having animalistic qualities and other- fanstay qualities. they are still so very human in the aspects of no one has magical powers but they have some extra points towards things like strength if they were a werewolf or something. (they dont change under a full moon they are stuck in the half furry state). anyways. the three kids end up trying to not get captured by the government running all over the place. they go to highschool for a time, then make friends and go to the friends house. a friend dies. some within family drama happens and the oldest sibling fights with the middle child. the oldest gets captured first. the two other siblings go with their owl caretaker(who barely shows up within the story). the youngest seems not to happy with this and escapes to a village somehow untouched by the government and learn about his herritage(somewhat hes like 10). oldest goes through hell to escape and find the middle child and the youngest. turns out hte owl turned the middle kid into the government and winter finding out oliver isnt with the middle she saves the middle and then says a brisk apology as she is on the hunt to find her baby brother. tension between winter and rodger rise but winter is preoccupied with saving oliver. oliver makes frineds with this young girl and her dad and those two help oliver go into the biggest city to try and find winter and rodger. winter and rodger are one step behind as they get into the village. rodger finds out about their family but winter couldnt care less as she is tiredlessly trying to find oliver. its way to much i know and i left out funny goofy government villans that are clear ripoffs of team rocket but in my own funny way...

-

Super hero esk story?? idk i called it Switcheroo but thats kinda silly.the protagonist is the top villan's son who goes into the top hero school. (the mom sees how influcened he is to do crime but wants the best life for him. she wants him to choose after also being influenced by what their society deems as noble and good) Zero(protag) dorms with a girl(filing mess up) who is the daughter of number 1 heroic(hero system is different here too) bull's eye. on the news they find out the 3rd heroic on the ranking chart gets kidnapped by zero's mom??? and zero goes to talk with her about it as hes grown attached to the girl he dorms with and saw how upset she'd become. the mom denies it and says this was all a publicity stunt from bull's eye to gain more money and fame. zero says to out them. the mom cant. because no one will ever trust the villains. even if they did what would it do. strike fear into people that even hero's are corrupt and evil will always win? they needed to do something. zero tried to tell the girl but she couldnt believe him. they have a fight. zero ends up trying to do everything in his power to make it up to her. humiliating himself infront of the whole school(but he doesnt care). she accepts his apology and makes sure he isnt injured. he does get in trouble but thats not the point. she hears him out and admits to things shes seen as a kid ever since her parents divorced due to money problems. the premise is they have to take down the two top heroics from inside their ogranization or making them quit by them messing up every save. (prank them so hard they quit). (i dont know the ending yet akjwdnajkw) -

Super hero esk story?? idk i called it Switcheroo but thats kinda silly.the protagonist is the top villan's son who goes into the top hero school. (the mom sees how influcened he is to do crime but wants the best life for him. she wants him to choose after also being influenced by what their society deems as noble and good) Zero(protag) dorms with a girl(filing mess up) who is the daughter of number 1 heroic(hero system is different here too) bull's eye. on the news they find out the 3rd heroic on the ranking chart gets kidnapped by zero's mom??? and zero goes to talk with her about it as hes grown attached to the girl he dorms with and saw how upset she'd become. the mom denies it and says this was all a publicity stunt from bull's eye to gain more money and fame. zero says to out them. the mom cant. because no one will ever trust the villains. even if they did what would it do. strike fear into people that even hero's are corrupt and evil will always win? they needed to do something. zero tried to tell the girl but she couldnt believe him. they have a fight. zero ends up trying to do everything in his power to make it up to her. humiliating himself infront of the whole school(but he doesnt care). she accepts his apology and makes sure he isnt injured. he does get in trouble but thats not the point. she hears him out and admits to things shes seen as a kid ever since her parents divorced due to money problems. the premise is they have to take down the two top heroics from inside their ogranization or making them quit by them messing up every save. (prank them so hard they quit). (i dont know the ending yet akjwdnajkw)

-

The Moon's craters

a bunch of billionares go to the moon(or a planet that looks like the moon whatever man) and colonize there. hundreds of years pass and the world is sci-fi and dystopian esk?? the poor live in slums and the rich live near the sky!. people who live on the moon have adapted to look different. and the story follows one poor boy on the moon. hes loved the moon but hated the system. classic. so one day he sneaks on a ship that travel's to earth. there he's traversing through earth to see if it was better then the moon. in fact it is not. its more- kingdom esk?? ever since a war that happened long ago.(they still have tech and use alot of it they just enjoy the structural build of kingdoms) protag finds a prince(after getting a job as a servant) and tells him about the moon and stuff. the prince is grossed out but interested in the rich people's fashion sense and taste. he agrees to go with. he litterally just runs away with like a shit ton of money and buys himself a ticket to the moon. goes to the moon they find out theres a war gonna happen cause they cauiught the protag "kidnapping" a prince??? protag is wanted. best friend sidekick doesnt give a fuck????:? so they get a trip to a different planet to escape it all. find out they are super underdeveloped and the moon have been taking that planet's orphans for testing!>?!?>! they rescue one orphan from a new shipment of orphans about to be sent out. (thats all i have so far lmao) -

SpaceBoots

this follows like a ground of people going about space. spaceboots SB(hes got big ass boots), SpaceGloves SG(shes got big ass gloves), Chat(robot guy who talks like zane from lego ninjao but has the brain compacity of a twitch chat), Hat(he wears hats idfk), Shirt(wears beeeeeeg shirt. the hyper cute person of the group). Dress(guy who loves fashion) along with shirt's cat Skrible(very poorly drawn cat who uhm... cat) i forgor most of the plot but like SB uses his mom's ship to do random things through out the galazy and goes on quest. something is wrong with the spaceship i think and they have to get new parts on planets they havent ever been through. they find out more about- the mom and other family i think while getting parts from people who seem to know their parents and shit? aughh i loved their characters so much ajshdakjhwd

[dark-bear-productions]

Don't give up on an idea you love

I'd like to tell you how I started Hunting Darkness, the transmedia project I'm working on. You might find a cool new piece of media, you might find a bit of personal motivation, and you might find a fun new blog to follow, but you'll certainly find an insight into the creation of the project I am dedicating my life to.

First: if you're unfamiliar with the term transmedia and are hoping it's media by and for trans people, I'm sorry to disappoint you: that's trans media. No, transmedia is when you combine stories told through different media to create a larger whole. (Although I'm happy to say Hunting Darkness features characters who are trans, non-binary, gay, bi, ace, and more, as well as many characters whose gender identity or sexual orientation never comes up and can be freely interpreted).

With that bit clear, let's get this story going.

It began in 2016, after I played The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and -- inspired by my parents' love for Victorian and SteamPunk aesthetics during a visit to their house -- wrote a rain-sodden, blood-soaked, action-packed story about a team of five slightly SteamPunk Victorian Monster Hunters fighting a massive pseudo-vampire that had mysteriously appeared in a warehouse.

I intended to expand the story into a debut novel called Hunting Darkness -- yes, the name stuck -- but ultmately failed to turn it into something that satisfied me and tried moving on. Unfortunately for my mental health, I kept coming back to that idea of Victorian Monster Hunters, my beating Bloodborne in 2019 adding fuel to the growing fire.

From time to time, some story idea would excite me and I'd begin writing once more only to inevitably think "This would be great for Hunting Darkness." I'd then open my old files, go over my notes and ideas, and try once more to get something out of it. I'd rearrange concepts, tweak my ideas, adjust my themes, and eventually realise it was a much too big and unwieldy a project, I'd never fit it into a novel, and I had better give up.

On it went. I wrote thousands of words and never finishing a story. Eventually, I pretty much gave up and stopped writing altogether.

Then, in late 2022, I listened to The Magnus Archives while doing some (very dull) data management at my new job. I had never really listened to an audio drama before -- unless you count the time I accidentally listened to an old radio drama on shuffle while temporarily blind -- but I really liked this format of stand-alone stories lasting about 20 minutes each. Of course, I then thought of some scene I had cooked up for my Monster Hunters and wondered at how much fun it would be to write a series of stand-alone monster hunts for my very own audio drama.

And then it finally clicked.

My partner Luca studied transmedia storytelling in college and had excitedly told me about it many times, but I'd never considered that Hunting Darkness might be a prime subject for it. Now, however, I wondered if it wouldn't be nice to create an audio drama solely for the writing of monster hunts.

I began working on From the Bay of Fangs, playing on the idea of reports written by Hunters being used as advertising for their services. When I fleshed out my world building and it became clear the Hunters would be government agents, I decided to change the tone from advertorial to propagandistic.

This then sparked the idea that not everyone would just accept this propaganda, leading to The Dark Truth, a series of in-world posters objecting to the stories told in From the Bay of Fangs, accompanied by a story about a government agent trying to find the people behind those posters in order to save her career.

At this point my creativity went into full swing. I officially created a (one-person) company called Dark Bear Productions, created a website, shared some of my worldbuilding, and am now publishing both From the Bay of Fangs and The Dark Truth independently while writing more Hunting Darkness stories and coming up with more still.

It's been stressful, I won't lie. I quit my job in order to work on this and I'm hoping I can find those people who'll find Hunting Darkness as cool as I do -- although I'm sure they're out there.

But it's also been fun and exhilarating and inspiring and it just feels like what I should be doing. So if you have something you really want to write but can't figure out how: consider transmedia! Or just explore some more stories when you can and see if anything clicks. If you share the results with me, I'll check it out. I can't promise I'll like it, but I can promise I'll like you for having created what you had to create, no matter the self-doubt along the way.

Take care!

Daan

[thelittlestspider]

these hungry streets series story list

the kids aren't alright: matt is one of three boys at st. agnes school for troubled girls. this is also not a happy story. (or matt meets mike, ash, and kirsten and everyone has a really hard time)

i wanted so badly to be brave: peter makes friends with his next door neighbor, an equally dorky kid with glasses and a bowl cut. he loses his friendship with flash. and something horrible happens that scars him forever.

?: ash moves to michigan at 12 and tries to forget everything that happened in new york. it's harder than he thinks.

adam raised a cain: matt in college. (matt/elektra, sort of unrequited matt/foggy?.)

smells like teen spirit: peter gets bitten by a radioactive spider his senior year.

?: ash and scotty both find themselves exiled in michigan and ash develops confusing feelings for scotty and the lindas.

toy soldiers: natalia wakes up from a cryogenic sleep to find herself in a destroyed government facility with no memory of how she got there. even worse, she's being hunted by deadpool.

?: black widow, spiderman, black cat, and the human torch walk into a law office...

?: clint/matt/natasha. possible natasha/elektra.

one headlight: peter/gwen/mj breakup fic.

he must be somebody's baby: matt starts working at hell house after losing his home and his law license. (matt/wade, matt/frank, matt/foggy, peter/johnny, peter/ash/johnny, ash/scotty, wade/vanessa, karen/elektra).

?: peter, ash, and johnny's pov of He Must Be Somebody's Baby. (peter/ash/johnny, peter/mj, unrequited peter/matt)

you've got the sharpest teeth (and i am soft as a peach): peter/flash and peter/harry fic where they all have unresolved feelings for each other. no happy ending.

?: mj/peter/felicia.

?: peter/ash, mj/scotty.

cruel summer: ash goes missing on a trip to tennessee and peter tries to solve the mystery.

?: the cabin.

every me and every you: (matt/foggy, matt/milla, matt/peter, peter/mj.)

misery business: it's the anniversary of when ash went missing and peter feels like pure shit. meanwhile he and mj are getting a divorce and matt and johnny are fighting over him. he's also having these really scary, vivid nightmares related to ash.

peter ends up in a mental hospital funded by fisk where he meets up with ash again. then things take a turn for the worst.

friday, i'm in love: [parker industries era, post-superior.] peter is doing really badly in the aftermath of superior. he's having nightmares every night and bouts of dissociation and memory loss, all while trying to run his newly acquired company. the only thing keeping him from a nervous breakdown is hanging out with wade, and miguel (who he's developing feelings for). (peter/wade, peter/miguel, peter/johnny?, flash/harry, miguel/tempest, background matt/peter, peter/ash)

cliff's edge (?): miguel's pov of friday, i'm in love.

?: peter and ash meet up again at the lowest point in their lives.

vienna waits for you: peter and ash deal with everything that's happened and work on building their life together.

?: matt and johnny face their attraction for each other while also pining for peter and ash.

?: matt almost dies, ash donates blood to him, and now they're both chosen ones. things get a little complicated.

[things-to-do-college-park-md]

Keeping Things Simple

At University View, you’ll find a space that suits your needs and keeps things simple. With studio, 2, and 4-bedroom apartments, there’s a setup for everyone. Each unit has secure entry with electronic key access, so safety isn’t something you have to worry about. No need to haul laundry around—every apartment comes with in-unit laundry. For those crunch-time study sessions, there are individual and group study rooms, plus media lounges for a change of scenery. When it’s time to unwind, the game room has pool tables, ping-pong, and big-screen TVs. If you’re on the hunt for UMD off campus apartments for rent, this place gives you comfort, convenience, and a great place to call home.

The Economy of College Park, Maryland

The economy of College Park, Maryland, is pretty dynamic, thanks to the University of Maryland. With thousands of students and staff around, local businesses thrive, from coffee shops to bookstores. You’ll find plenty of job opportunities, whether you’re looking for part-time work or something more permanent. The area has a mix of retail and services catering to both students and residents. Plus, being so close to D.C. opens up even more possibilities for careers in government and tech. The presence of various research facilities also means there's a focus on innovation and development, which keeps things fresh. If you’re thinking about living or working here, you’ll notice that the economic vibe is energetic and full of potential.

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, MD

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, MD, is a must-visit for arts lovers. This vibrant venue hosts a variety of performances, from music and dance to theater and film. When you step inside, you’ll be amazed by the stunning architecture and welcoming atmosphere. The lineup is always exciting, featuring both local talent and renowned artists. You can catch everything from classical concerts to contemporary dance performances. It’s a great spot to enjoy a night out with friends or a special date. Plus, the center often offers workshops and community events, so there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or just looking for a fun evening, the Clarice Smith Center has plenty to offer.

IKEA Powers-up Solar Energy Panels at College Park, MD Store

IKEA College Park is setting a great example by going solar-powered. When you visit the store, you’ll notice those sleek solar panels on the roof, showing their commitment to renewable energy. This shift not only helps reduce their carbon footprint but also leads to a more sustainable shopping experience for you. By harnessing solar energy, Ikea can power a significant portion of its operations, which is pretty impressive. It’s cool to see a major retailer taking steps to embrace green energy. If you’re interested in sustainability, this is definitely something to admire. Plus, knowing that you’re supporting a store that prioritizes the environment makes shopping there feel even better. Ikea College Park is truly leading the way in eco-friendly retail.

Link to Map Driving Direction

Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center 8270 Alumni Dr, College Park, MD 20742, USA

Head north on Alumni Dr 400 ft

At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto Stadium Dr 0.1 mi

Turn right onto MD-193 E/University Blvd E 1.3 mi

Use the right lane to take the ramp onto US-1 S/Baltimore Ave 0.7 mi

Turn right onto Berwyn House Rd 177 ft

Turn left Destination will be on the right 266 ft

University View 8204 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD 20740, United States

[excusethequality]

My 2023 in Film

Part 2:

51-100

You would think at 100 we would be getting close to the finish line for this list. But you'd be wrong, my friends! We've only just begun.

So strap in (or scroll on).

Link to Part 1

* = rewatched

[++] = I loved it [+] = I liked it [=] = I am indifferent about it [-] = Not my thing [--] = I hate it

Click on the list number to get a trailer for it.

51.

Closed Circuit (2013) ---Crime Mystery Drama

A pair of lawyers are tasked with heading the defense for a man said to be responsible for a terrorist attack. But they soon learn that there is something deeply sinister lurking behind this case and bringing it out into the light may just cost them their lives. [=]

52.

Relic (2020) ---Horror Drama

A woman must go back home to take care of her mother who is experiencing increasingly serious signs of dementia. But while struggling to come to terms with her mother's condition she begins to wonder if the cause is really that simple or if something sinister is at work in this house. [+]

53.

The Quiet Girl (2022) ---Drama

A young girl from a troubled home in Ireland is sent to live with her aunt and uncle on their farm while her mother prepares to have another baby. But in this new place she learns what it means to be truly free and truly loved. [+]

54.

Pusher (1996) ---Crime

When a drug dealer's drug deal goes south he must scramble to come up with the money he lost before his boss makes an example of him. [+]

55.

Hanna (2011) * ---Coming-of-Age Action Adventure

A girl lives with her father in the wilderness and is taught how to survive in a dangerous world. But in order to be free and to truly experience the world, they must first stop those that seek to use her as a weapon. [++]

56.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) ---Horror Comedy

A group of friends go for a weekend cabin getaway. But when one of them winds up dead everyone becomes a suspect. [-]

57.

The Rundown (2003) ---Action Adventure

A man is sent to the jungle to bring back a mobster's son. But things are going to get a lot harder when the man doesn't want to come back until he's tracked down the treasure he's been hunting. [=]

58.

Come to Daddy (2019) ---Thriller Horror Comedy

A man tries to reunite with his estranged father only to find out that the experience is not at all what he was expecting. [=]

59.

INU-OH (2021) ---Animated Queer Fantasy Rock-Musical Revenge Tale

A blind musician and a cursed dancer meet by chance and form a band that seeks to tell the stories of those that history wants to forget. But their mission soon pits the pair against a government who wants to silence them forever. [++]

60.

Sicario (2015) ---Crime Thriller

An FBI agent is recruited to help with a joint task force to aide in the drug war along the US/Mexico border. Unfortunately for her Ethics and Morals were definitely not invited to join the force. [-]

61.

Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) ---Drama Comedy

An aging former movie star is attempting to make his theatrical debut, but his attempts at rebuilding his life and career are forever at odds with his desire for fame and fortune. [=]

62.

Never Been Kissed (1999) ---Rom-Com

A former high school outcast and current adult journalist infiltrates a high school by posing as a student in order to get a scoop. [=]

63.

Rudy (1993) ---Sports Drama

A young man dreams of playing college football for Notre Dame to impress his father and refuses to let his lack of physical aptitude get in the way of his dreams. [=]

64.

School of Rock (2003) * ---Comedy

A down-on-his-luck rocker pretends to be his roommate in order to get a job as a substitute teacher at a prestigious private school. But his mission for money soon turns into a mission of Rock when he learns the kids in his class are talented musicians. [+]

65.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) ---Action Adventure Horror

During the French revolution a naturalist of the king and his Iroquois companion are sent to investigate the mysterious killings in the Gévaudan area. [-]

66.

Dante's Peak (1997) ---Natural Disaster Action Adventure

A volcanologist is sent to investigate some strange readings in a small town. But he soon begins to suspect that an unprecedented eruption is imminent. [+]

67.

Smoking Causes Coughing (2022) ---Surrealist Sci-fi Comedy?

A band of French Power Ranger-style heroes called the Tobacco Force are forced to go on team-building retreat. [=]

68.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) * ---Comedy Adventure

King Arthur and his knights of the round table are on a quest to find the holy grail. [+]

69.

The Wicker Man (1973) ---Folk Horror Mystery

A detective is sent to a small island town to investigate a report of a missing child. But he soon learns that something is afoot here and he might be in danger. [+]

70.

Possessor (2020) ---Sci-fi Horror Thriller

A secret organization uses a new technology to link their minds to a target's in order to perform untraceable assassinations. The process is not without risk, however, and the longer they stay in the target's body the higher the risk of the two minds beginning to meld together. [+]

71.

Tombstone (1993) ---Western

A former lawman is planning to retire to Tombstone, Arizona with his brothers. But a run-in with an outlaw gang is going to force his hand and postpone retirement for a little bit. [+]

72.

Witchfinder General (1968) ---Folk Horror

A family must struggle to survive when a corrupt witchfinder sets his sights on them. [=]

73.

The Birdcage (1996) * ---Queer comedy

A queer couple who own a drag club must pretend to be straight in order to try and impress the conservative family of their son's new fiancee. [+]

74.

Gattaca (1997) * ---Sci-Fi Drama

In a future where the genetics of babies can be tailored before birth, those created the old-fashioned way are marginalized. In order to fight against the fate of his birth a janitor teams up with a down-on-his-luck member of the upper class in order to live his dream. [++]

75.

Road Games (1981) ---Road Trip Thriller

A truck driver in Australia begins to suspect that the driver of a green van he keeps encountering has been murdering women along the way. [=]

76.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) ---Rock Opera

A movie adaptation of the 70s rock opera about the final days of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. [-]

77.

Sputnik (2020) ---Sci-Fi Horror

A Russian psychiatrist is sent to investigate the mental state of an cosmonaut who has returned from a space mission with a dangerous stowaway inside of him. [=]

78.

She Dies Tomorrow (2020) ---Sci-Fi Horror

A woman suddenly becomes convinced that she will die tomorrow. But trouble is soon to follow when the idea starts infecting others as well. [-]

79.

Girl Asleep (2015) ---Coming-of-Age Fantasy Comedy

A 15 year old girl finds herself lost between childhood and adulthood in a world where nothing is stable and imagination is running wild. [+]

80.

The Rental (2020) ---Horror

A group of friends rent an airbnb. Unfortunately the reviews didn't mention anything about the place being rigged with hidden cameras and ill intentions. [=]

81.

Paddington (2014) ---Children's Adventure

A marmalade loving bear journeys from Peru to England in search of a home. A British family takes pity on him and agrees to aide him in his search. [+]

82.

West Side Story (2021) ---Musical

The remake of the 1961 movie which was based on the 1957 Broadway musical which was an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. [--]

83.

Rat Race (2001) * ---Comedy Adventure

A group of people from a Las Vegas casino are chosen at random to participate in a race for two million dollars and the amusement of eccentric rich people. [+]

84.

Return to Seoul (2022) ---Drama

A French woman finds herself in Korea and decides to try and find her birth parents. [-]

85.

INU-OH (2021) *

See #59

86.

Stone Turtle (2022) ---Magical-Realism Folk Tale

A looping Malaysian folk tale about a woman, a daughter, vengeance, guilt, and turtle eggs. [=]

87.

Hot Rod (2007) * ---Comedy

A wannabe stuntman tries to arrange a massive stunt in order to raise the money needed to save his ailing stepfather. [++]

88.

Isolation (2005) ---Horror

A genetic experiment to create faster growing cattle goes horribly wrong on a remote Irish farm. [=]

89.

Fire Island (2022) ---Queer Romance

A group of queer friends are traveling to an Island for the annual queer party that's held there in this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. [=]

90.

Antiviral (2012) ---Sci-Fi Horror

In the future genetic technology will allow fans to do everything from eat cloned meat of their favorite celebrities to being injected with the exact strains of diseases they've had—for the right price. But when one of the workers at a celebrity contagion clinic infects himself with unknown strain from the world's hottest starlet he will soon come to regret that decision in more ways than one. [+]

91.

West Side Story (1961) * ---Musical

A pair of star-crossed lovers in 1950s NYC inadvertently set off a gang war. [+]

92.

The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) ---YA Horror

After a zombie outbreak destroys the world as we know it, scientists at a military compound work with a group of intelligent zombie children to try and find the cure. [=]

93.

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) * ---Bollywood Musical Romance

A magical pixie dream man comes to town and works to repair the broken relationships of the family next door. [+]

94.

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (1995) ---Indie Horror

A low-budget Japanese love letter to the Evil Dead movies. [=]

95.

A Cry in the Dark (1988) ---Drama Biopic

A biopic about the famous Australian case of a family that claimed a dingo ate their baby daughter while on a road trip and the world that didn't believe them. [+]

96.

Evil Dead Rise (2023) ---Horror

Hey...it's The Evil Dead...but it's in an apartment complex now...'ey it's the modern day too. Look at this modern stuff, that's cool, right? [--]

97.

Pulse (2001) ---Horror Mystery

The internet is haunted with ghosts. [+]

98.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (2023) ---Superhero Space Adventure

The Guardians need to solve the mystery of Rocket's past in order to save his life. [=]

99.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) ---Superhero Sequel

When Eddie Brock and Venom accidentally get a serial killer infected with their symbiote baby it's up to them to set things right. [-]

100.

Pearl (2022) ---Horror

A young woman in 1918 dreams of getting away from the oppression and loneliness of her life. But the combination of desperation and trauma can lead a person to break in the most peculiar ways. [+]

[reasoningdaily]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and public servants who fled the mob’s attack told a judge on Wednesday that they are still haunted by what they endured, as the judge prepares to hand down sentences in a landmark Capitol riot case.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta heard victim impact statements a day before he’s expected to deliver the first Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy sentences to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and an associate convicted of plotting to block the transfer of power from President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden.

Prosecutors are seeking 25 years behind bars for Rhodes, which would be the longest sentence by far handed down among hundreds of Capitol riot cases.

Metropolitan Police Officer Christopher Owens crossed paths with Oath Keepers members in Senate hallways as rioters invaded the building, shouted insults and threw projectiles at police. Owens recalled his wife bursting into tears when she saw the blood and bruises on his arms and legs after the riot.

“We experienced physical trauma, emotional trauma and mental trauma,” Owens said during the hearing in Washington’s federal court . “The traumas we suffered that day were endless.”

Rhodes scribbled notes on a yellow legal pad as he listened to the statements.

Terri McCullough, who was chief of staff to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said rioters were trying to hunt down the California Democrat as her staffers hid in a conference room for hours, hearing chants and threats.

“The defendants violated our workplace, our government and our democracy,” McCullough said, adding, “Democracy succeeded.”

Capitol Police Special Agent David Lazarus, who was assigned to Pelosi’s security detail, said some of his co-workers have quit because of what they experienced.

“Lives and careers have been ruined and will never return to normal,” he said.

Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who encountered Oath Keepers in the Rotunda, said rioters turned the “citadel of American democracy” into a crime scene. Dunn said he is a “shell of his former self” and dreads coming to work every day.

While he still feels scarred by Jan. 6, Dunn said he found “a little relief” from the jury’s conviction of Rhodes and other Oath Keepers, adding that he is “profoundly grateful that, in this case, justice has been done.”

The judge also heard statements from Virginia Brown, who was a Senate chamber assistant and helped carry a box of electoral votes across the Rotunda on Jan. 6. As the mob breached the Capitol, Brown kicked off her shoes so she could run faster. She recalled fearing for her life and praying that she wouldn’t encounter any insurrectionists.

“I constantly relive the memories of that day,” said Brown, who was a college sophomore at the time. “I cannot measure how many hours of sleep I’ve lost.”

Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy in November alongside Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs after prosecutors spent weeks making the case that Rhodes and his extremist group followers had plotted an armed rebellion to keep Biden, a Democrat, out of the White House in favor of Trump, a Republican.

Rhodes, who didn’t go inside the Capitol, took the witness stand at trial and told jurors that there was never any plan to attack the Capitol and that his followers who did went rogue.

Meggs will also be sentenced on Thursday, followed by two Oath Keepers on Friday who were acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted of other crimes. Another four Oath Keepers convicted of the sedition charge during a second trial in January will be sentenced next week.

Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences ranging from 10 to 21 years for the Oath Keepers besides Rhodes.

The judge canceled the sentencing scheduled this week for one defendant, Thomas Caldwell, of Berryville, Virginia, as he weighs whether to overturn the jury’s guilty verdict on obstruction and a documents tampering charge.

Prosecutors are urging the judge to apply enhanced penalties for terrorism, arguing the Oath Keepers sought to influence the government through “intimidation or coercion.” Judges have so far rejected the Justice Department’s request to apply the so-called “terrorism enhancement” in the handful of Jan. 6 cases it has sought it in so far, but the Oath Keepers case is unlike any others that have reached sentencing to date.

More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the riot. Just over 500 of them have been sentenced, with more than half receiving terms of imprisonment ranging from a week to over 14 years.

The sentences for the Oath Keepers may signal how much time prosecutors will seek for leaders of another far-right group, the Proud Boys, who were convicted of seditious conspiracy in a separate trial this month. Those defendants include former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio, who is perhaps the most high-profile person charged in the sprawling Jan. 6 investigation. The Proud Boys are scheduled to be sentenced in August and September.

Over seven weeks of testimony, jurors heard how Rhodes rallied his followers to fight to defend Trump, discussed the prospect of a “bloody” civil war and warned that the Oath Keepers may have to “rise up in insurrection” to defeat Biden if Trump didn’t act.

On Jan. 6, Rhodes’ followers shouldered their way through the crowd in military-style stack formation before forcing their way into the Capitol. The Oath Keepers had stashed weapons at a Virginia hotel for “quick reaction force” teams prosecutors said were ready to get weapons into the city quickly if needed. The weapons were never deployed.

Rhodes’ lawyers are urging the judge to sentence him to the roughly 16 months behind bars he has already served since his January 2022 arrest. In court papers filed this month, Rhodes’ attorneys argued that all of Rhodes’ writings and statements were “protected political speech.”

“None of his protected speech incited or encouraged imminent violent or unlawful acts, nor were any likely to occur as a result of his speech,” they wrote.

[hakesbrother]

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[kineticpenguin]

I’m starting to feel up for some more bad lit. Lemme size up what we’re dealing with here.

1. Pretty fucking bold to put that claim in as your subtitle. Not a critic quote, just straight up “I HAVE WRITTEN THE MOST CHILLING WHAT-IF IN HISTORY”

2. TEN FUCKING DOLLARS FOR THE KINDLE VERSION? ARE YOU HIGH?

Almost five years ago America as everyone knew it, came to an abrupt end in a spectacular coup d’etat. It was called the Liberation by those progressives and radicals that screamed for its outcome; the Fall, by its victims whose freedoms were trampled.

You guys: screaming insane people Me guys: good quiet victims

The White House and the Capitol were overrun by anarchists and the leaders of the once proud nation were either imprisoned or sent to Social Quarantine Camps. The President was arrested and eventually died in prison, or so everyone was led to believe. America was rebooted in a new progressive/socialist image, Newmerica. 

That sounds way closer to right-wing fantasies of overthrowing the government than leftist ones; this is just lazy. If I was a right-wing author who wanted to create a name for a leftist dystopia, I’d give it some performative Land Back name but have white college liberals still in charge. I mean, at least try. New Merica sounds like a 4chan shitpost made manifest.

The United States of old was gone, its history erased and rewritten, its icons destroyed. 

SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CONFEDERATE STATUES! WILL NOBODY THINK OF THE CONFEDERATE STATUES!?

By the time people tried to organize resistance it was too late. The citizens lost their history, their flag, their traditions, their freedoms, and their leaders.

Their leaders? So nobody’s in charge, but yet the citizens live under the boot of… whomst?

Newmerica is a state of reparations, citizens turning on citizens, where even the churches are targets of social justice. 

Ah, those SJWs, asking for *checks notes* clergy to stop raping children and to admit when their church has done wrong, especially when that wrong was killing and raping children. Motherfuckers.

Five years later, an unlikely group of patriots emerges from the shadows seeking a restoration of their nation. 

So this is from the “buy PVC pipes to bury your rifles in” brand of right-wing nuttery, gotcha.

Two Secret Service agents struggle with their secrets from the night of the Fall. One son of a patriotic college professor struggles with his father’s legacy and the important artifacts that his father managed to preserve. A young man finds himself face-to-face with the lies the Newmerica government has told him and forced to become a fugitive. A covert operative of the new government seeks out the truth about the ‘traitor-President’s’ fate while coming to terms with her own dark past. Twists of fate or destiny bring these people together with the mission of trying to save what is left of the once-United States. 

How much you want to bet all of these characters will act, walk and talk the same way, except one will breast boobily as well?

Time is running out as the forces of the government hunt down this group of renegades – hoping to smother, once and for all, any trace of what was America. 

I am curious to know why they would care. It sounds like they have this shit pretty solidly in the bag.

Ripped from today’s headlines, bestselling and award-winning author Blaine Pardoe presents an eerily realistic view of an alternate history political thriller where conservatism is a crime and patriotism is treason. 

They might be today’s headlines but not in this universe. In this universe, the US government heard the cry of the people for police accountability and defunding, and said “what’s that? Hike the police budget?” and then did so.

Lemme see if I can pirate this bastard.

Have you read Blue Dawn yet? After the absolute shitshow it caused in my community (like three separate times), I’m morbidly curious about how bad it is but don’t have the time or self-loathing to read it myself.

I haven't yet. I might have to try it once I've recovered from this Jared nonsense. Gonna need a palette cleanser first, though.

[creepykuroneko]

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Here are some books I highly recommend written Asian authors.

1. Stories for punjabi widows ( sorry for not saying the full name of the book I don't want Tumblr to hide this post for " inappropriate material") by Balli Kaur Jaswal. This is not a collection of short stories. This is a novel set in London that focuses on law school drop out Nikki who is trying to pay the bills well finding her place in life. On a whim she takes up a teaching job at her local Sikh Community Center. Before she knows what's going on her students have hijacked the class and turned it into a writing workshop for their favorite scandalous subject. Full of love, humor, drama, trauma, and secrets, Nikki starts to understand the women in her community better and starts to ask the harder questions she's been ignoring her whole life. This book was a joy to read. Be forewarned there is both humor and heartbreak. Trigger warning: arranged marriages, child brides, bride burning, domestic violence, harassment, threat of violence, physical violence.

2) NOT your Sidekick by CB Lee. I love love love this book! A young adult novel set in the futuristic world. You have queer main characters, a comedic villain, loving and supportive parents, fear of not being good enough, confronting the model minority myth, having to compete with the gold star older sibling, this book hits on some really good issues. Jess is in high school and is the most average person in her family. Being the only person in her family who does not have super powers she's trying hard to not let anyone see how upset she is when she accepts the fact that she's never going to be a superhero. Determine to make her college application look good, she signs up for an internship. After signing a non-disclosure agreement she finds out she'll be interning for the local c-list super villain. Things aren't exactly as they seem though, the more research Jess starts to do, and the more she starts to think about it, she's convinced that the government is up to something and the superheroes are involved. Well I'll admit this is the type of story that you can immediately figure out how it's going to end from the first chapter that doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable. Trigger warning: racism

3. We hunt The Flame by Hafsah Faizal. This fantasy novel was a delightful fairytale rich in Arabic lore. Zafira is a hunter who is just trying to keep the people in her Village alive as they have no means to grow food or hunt on their own thanks to a curse that has taken over her country. Enter Nasir, the prince of death. An assassin who has to do his father's evil bidding. When Zafira meets a witch who sends her on a magical quest that should help restore magic to the land, the sultan sends his son after Zafira to intercept her quest. Alliances, foes, magic, mystery, the book keeps you guessing who's going to betray who up to the end. Trigger warning: violence, death.

4. Build your house around my body by Violet Kupersmith. Written by a mixed-race Vietnamese American author, this book is about loss, wanting to be accepted, wanting to belong, wanting to fit in and find community, as well as the emptiness left by colonization. The book takes place over about seventy years. It jumps around time periods and focuses on several different characters. Nothing is told in a linear fashion so I know some readers have been confused by this. Basically we learn about Vietnamese American Winnie who has moved to Vietnam and wants so badly to fit in and find her home amongst Vietnamese Nationals but she just doesn't fit in with Vietnamese society. We also follow the childhood of three best friends who grew up in Vietnam and learned about their eventual dirft apart as they enter adulthood. There is an orphan boy who is living under the tyranny of French Catholics and we hear about how he got to watch the French be chase out by the Japanese. Then those Vietnamese children who were under French rule became oppressed by Japanese colonisation. Missing women, people looking to sell Vietnamese women as brides for foreigners all over the world, a ghost, plantations, build your house around my body feels like one big Vietnamese ghost story. Trigger warning: child abuse, violence towards women, murder, death, exploitation of people.

5. In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami. Kenji is an unlicensed translator and tour guide for tourist in Tokyo. One day Kenji gets a American client who makes him very uneasy. Most of the book takes place in Kenji's mind as he contemplates what's going on in the world around him and whether or not his client is acting weird or is just being an obnoxious American. With a violent serial killer on the loose and many coincidences piling up Kenji's paranoia might be justified. Well there's not much plot to the book itself, I really suggest it because of all of its social commentary. Although published in the 90s, it deals with Timeless issues that are still culturally and universally relevant to this day. Issues like sexism, exploitation of sex workers, cultural identity, domestic violence, xenophobia, loneliness, poverty, consumerism, are just a handful of the subjects this book touches on. There is a moment in the book i like where the tourist tells Kenji that he is surprised to see the Japanese youth dress the exact same way that African-American youth dress in New York. Even Kenji has a moment of realization. In the beginning of the book he is quick to condemn teenage girls who become sex workers to pay the bills, saying that if they weren't out at night with adult men they would not get hurt but by the end of the book he gets mad at how everybody always blames the girls in these situations and never blames the adult men who attacked them. Trigger warning: gore, mutilation, Bloodshed, violence, body parts being sliced off, murder, this book is not for the faint of heart. If you seen the 1990s Japanese horror film the Audition, Ryu also wrote the Audition novel. In the Miso soup follows a similar style of it's a slow build-up to the scary scene.

6. Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar. If your fans of Neil gaiman's Stardust you'll like Star daughter. Sheetal is the daughter of a South Asian man and a literal star. Her mother came down from the heavens and fell in love with her father but when Sheetal was a child her mom returned to the heavens. As her 17th birthday draws near, Sheetal is unable to control her new powers, and ends up accidentally injuring her father. Wanting to correct her mistake, Sheetal and her best friend travel to the mysterious Night Market to try to find a cure. Instead they end up in the heavens where her mom resides and finds that her maternal side of the family are extorting her. In exchange for healing her father they want Sheetal to be their champion in a competition that will decide who gets to rule the heavens for the next millennia. Lies, family secrets, tragedy, love, Beautiful lore, and even more beautiful outfits, this fairy tale is a lovely young adult novel. Trigger warning: abuse, torture, mental health decline, blood

7. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. A mix of folklore, sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction, if you're a fan of Pacific Rim I recommend Iron Widow. This book is very fast-paced from the get-go there's a battle, death, and bloodshed from the very beginning. Wu Zetian is the main protagonist of the story. On a quest to avenge her dead sister, Wu Zetian isn't going to let anyone get in her way, not her family, not her best friend, not the government, not the patriarchy, not even the aliens invading the planet. Li Shimin is the sexy but scary inmate with a mysterious past, on death row for murdering his entire family, who finds himself unwillingly being partnered up with Wu Zetian. Gao Yizhi is the rich son of one of the wealthiest men in the country and he's not afraid to rub it in your face if you piss him off. In fact my favorite line from this book comes from Gao, " you can't kill me, I'm rich!". He's very self aware and also Wu's best friend who wants to help keep her alive. As the three characters who are completely different come to rely on one another they end up uncovering multiple conspiracies and forming a wonderful polyamorous Triad. Trigger warning: mentions of sexual assault, death, abusive family, torture, violence towards women

8. Arsenic and Adobo by  Mia P. Manansala follows the shameful life of Lila as she unwillingly returns to her small home town to live with her auntie after she is unable to get a job with her college degree and a bad breakup. Her tia Rosie runs a Filipino restaurant and is being harassed by the local food critic. Unfortunately for Lila the annoying food critic is also her ex-boyfriend. Things get worse when he dies at her aunt's restaurant and shenanigans ensue from there. Full of love, Millennial and Gen Z humor, lots of delicious food, and unapologetically Filipino this book is definitely not your grandma's murder mystery. Bonus points, there is some recipes at the end of the book. Trigger warning: death, murder, mentions of addiction.

9. The Bone People by Keri Hulme. Kerewin is a painter and indigenous Maori woman living in isolation in New Zealand. One day she finds a mute white child named Simon in her house. No one really knows much about Simon. He washed up on the beach one day after a shipwreck and doesn't talk. He is still able to communicate with other characters. He is both kind and loving but also prone to temper tantrums, violent outbursts, and stealing. Joe is a mixrace widower who takes on the responsibility of being a foster father for Simon but due to his alcoholism he abuses and beat Simon. As the three characters confront their own identity issues and trauma, they come to love one another and form a family together. This book is unsettling but at the same time heart-warming. Trigger warning: violence, alcoholism, child abuse.

10. The Vegetarian by Han Kang. Set in South Korea, this psychological drama takes place in 3 parts, all from the different points of view of Yeong-hye's relatives. Yeong-hye decides she is going to become a vegetarian one day. This decision does not come about in a quiet subtle way but rather radical in your face shock as her husband walks into the kitchen one day to find meat on the floor and in the trash can as she announces they will no longer have meat in their house. From her husband's point of view we find out that he is an unreliable narrator as it's clear he's pretty toxic, possibly even abusive towards his wife and constantly belittles her. In her brother-in-law's prospective he sees Yeong-hye as very attractive and wishes that his perfect Korean model wife was more like her sister. I won't give away any spoilers from the final part which is told from her sisters perspective but I will say it is sad. Ultimately the book is about conformity and how much Yeong-hye has had her life ripped away from her by her family, friends, and Society. Trigger warning abuse, toxic relationships, family abuse, attempted suicide, blood, medical abuse, mental health issues.

That's all for now. Have you read any of these books? Do you like any of them? Got any books to recommend for AAPI month?

[therealvinelle]

I've always wondered this, but what do you think the Cullen's political viewpoints would be, given their individual backgrounds? if vampires don't change after they turn, then surely they would all be extremely racist (especially Jasper). would this not come up at some point? they aren't like the Volturi because the Volturi are too old to care, but the Cullens are young enough that they have been brought up with opinions on stuff like sexism, racism, homophobia and the like.

Oh fuck.

You get an early answer because otherwise I'll just chicken out and delete this one, pretend I never saw it.

UMMM.

Since I'm guessing you meant American political viewpoints, we need a disclaimer. I am not American, and not too knowledgeable about your politics. Not just in the sense that I don't follow the day-to-day drama, but as I am not an American citizen there are several things I don't know, can't know because I've never lived in your country and therefore can't know what the effects of living in a country ruled by American policies is like. What I do know is based off of the news in the foreign section, social media (by which I mean tumblr posts), and Trevor Noah's Daily Show.

I am an outsider looking in.

Which is really rather appropriate, since the Cullens are too.

The Cullens go to high school and college, Carlisle works, they pay taxes, they own real estate, and submerge themselves in American culture. Esme, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Bella are young enough that this is in many ways their world, and apart from timeouts they've more or less spent their entire lives, human and vampire, integrated into American society.

Not fully integrated, mind you, they do what they need to to fit in and get to school or, in Carlisle’s case, to work. They go no further. No extra-curriculars for the kids, no book clubs for Esme, no game nights for Carlisle. They walk parallel to humans, not among us.

In addition to this they're obscenely rich, which puts them another thousand miles from the experiences of your average American. They won't deal with the health system, which means healthcare is a non-issue, they're not going to need welfare or other social programs, unemployment is another non-issue. Name your issue, and the Cullens don't have personal stake in it. Even the climate crisis won't be a problem for them the way it will for us.

What I'm trying to say is, American political issues are a concept to them, not a lived reality. Just like they are for me. So hey, you made a great choice of blog to ask.

I'll also add here that you say the Volturi are too old to care, and I agree- from an ancient's point of view, racism is a matter of "which ethnicity are we hating today?", and it all looks rather arbitrary after a while. Same with every other issue - after a while it all just blends together into "what are the humans fighting over today? Which Christian denomination is the correct one? Huh. Good for them, I guess."

I can't put it any better than this post did, really. The Volturi are real people, humans are nerds and tumblr having Loki discourse. Aro thinks it's delightful and knows entirely too much about Watergate (and let's be real, Loki discourse as well), but the point I wanted to get at is that politics really don't matter to vampires.

And I don't think they matter to the Cullens either.

So, moving on to the next point while regretting I didn't put headlines in this post, I'll just state that I don't think vampires' minds are frozen. Their brains are unable to develop further, and they can never forget anything, but... well, this isn't the post for that, but in order for this to be true of vampires they would barely be sentient. They would not be able to process new impressions, to learn new things, nor to have an independent thought process. Yes, we see vampires in-universe (namely, Edward, who romanticizes himself and vampires) believe they're frozen and can never change, but there is no indication that this is a widespread belief, or even true. Quite the contrary - Carlisle went from a preacher's son who wanted to burn all the demons to living in Demon Capital for decades and then becoming a doctor and making a whole family of demons. Clearly, the guy has had a change in attitude over the years. Jasper, in his years as a newborn army general, slowly grew disenchanted with his life and developed depression. James initially meant to kill Victoria and hunted her across the earth, then became fascinated and changed his mind about it.

Had these people been incapable of change, Carlisle would still be hating demons, Jasper would be in Maria's army, and James would still be hunting Victoria.

It goes to follow, then, that they are able to adapt to new things.

The question is, would they?

Here I finally answer your question.

So, we have these people who don't really have any kind of stake in politics, who keep up to date all the same (or are forcibly kept up to date because high school) and are generally opinionated people.

Where do they then fall, politically?

(And this is where you might want to stop reading, anon, because I'm about to eviscerate these people.)

Alice votes for whoever's gonna win. She also makes a fortune off of betting each election. Trump's 1 to 10 victory in 2016 was a great day to be Alice. MAGA!

The actual policies involved are completely irrelevant, she does this because it's fun. Election means she gets to throw parties. Color coded parties for the Republican and Democratic primaries, and US-themed parties for Election Night! (Foreigner moment right here: I at first wrote "Election wake" before realizing that's not what y'all murricans call it.)

Alice loves politics. Doesn't know the issues, but she sure loves politics.

Bella votes Democrat. She actually knows about the issues, and cares about them. This girl is a Democrat through and through.

Carlisle doesn't vote. I can't imagine it feels right. Outside of faked papers he's not a US citizen, this is meddling in human affairs that he knows don't concern him.

More, this guy has never lived in a democracy.

In life, Carlisle lived under an absolute monarchy that, upon civil war, became an absolute theocracy. From there he learned that vampires live under a total dictatorship.

For the first 150 years of his life, democracy was that funky thing the Athenians did in history books thousands of years ago, no more relevant to him than the Ancient Egyptian monarchy is to me. Then the Americans, and later other European countries started doing this.

Good for them.

There's this mistake often made by those who view history from a... for lack of a better term, a solipsistic standpoint. A belief that the present day is the culmination of all of history. “My society is the best society, the most reasonable society; all the others had it backwards. Thank god we’re living in this enlightened age!”

The faith in our current system of government is one such belief. We (pardon me if this doesn’t apply to everybody reading this post) have grown up in democracies, being told this is the ultimate form of rule, and perhaps that is true - but remember the kings who have told their subjects they had were divine and the best possible ruler based on that. Remember also that most modern democracies haven’t actually been democracies for very long at all, America is the longest standing at some 230 years (not long at all in the grand scope of things) and they have a fracturing two-party system to show for it.

Every society, ever, has been told they’re the greatest, and their system of government the most just. Democracy is only the latest hit.

This is relevant to Carlisle because he’s immortal and decidedly not modern. Democracy has not been installed in him the way it was the rest of the Cullens, Jasper included. To him- well, it’s just not his world. He has no stakes in our human politics, and as he is older than every current democracy and has seen quite a few of them fall, he’s not going to internalize the democratic form of rule the way a modern human has.

I think the concept of voting is foreign to him.

It requires a level of participation in human society that he’s simply not at. He does the bare minimum to appear human so he do the work he loves, but nothing more, and I find that telling.

As it is I think he'd be iffy about his family doing it. He won’t stop them, but in voting they’re... well it’s kind of cheating. They’re not really citizens, none of this will affect them, and by voting they’re drowning out the votes of real human voters. He does not approve.

Edward votes Democrat. He's... well he’s the kind of guy who will oil a girl’s bedroom window so he can more easily watch her sleep without being discovered, justifying it to himself as being okay because if she were to tell him to get lost he’d stop immediately. Same guy is so sure that he’d leave and never return again if she wanted him to, except this is the man who returned to Forks to hang around his singer, knowing there was a significant chance he might kill her. To say nothing of his Madonna/Whore complex, or of the fact that he tried to pimp out his wife twice, and was willing to forcibly abort her child.

This guy is very much in love with chivalry, with being an enlightened and feminist man who supports and respects women, while not understanding the entire point of feminism, which is female liberation.

He votes Democrat because he’s such an enlightened feminist who cares about women’s rights.

Emmett doesn’t care to vote, but if he has to he votes Republican. The guy is from the 1930′s, and has major would-be-the-uncle-who-cracks-racist-jokes-if-he-was-older vibes.

Esme doesn’t vote, that would require getting out of the house.

More, I just... can’t see it. I can’t see her being one to read up on politics and The Issues, period, but if she has to then I doubt she’d be able to decide.

Jasper doesn’t vote. Alice can have her fun, he does not care.

There’s also the whole can of worms regarding the last time he went to bat for American politics.

I imagine he stays out of this.

Renesmée doesn't vote. She has no stock in the human affairs. Who would she vote for, on what grounds? When Bella tries to pull her to the urns, she points out that she's three years old.

Rosalie, guys, I’m sorry, but that girl is definitely gonna vote Republican. Perhaps not right now as it’s become the Trump party of insanity, but the Mitt Romney type of Republicans? Oh yes.

And for the record, yes I imagine she does vote. To step back from politics would be another way she was relinquishing her humanity, and that’s not allowed to happen. So, yes, she goes to the urns, less for the sake of the politics involved and more because like this, she’s still a part of society in some way.

Now, onto why I think she’s Republican, I think it’s both fiscal and social.

This girl was the daughter of a banker who somehow profited off of the Depression, and who then became part of a family with no material needs that would soon become billionaires thanks to Alice. Poverty to Rosalie is a non-issue, as it is I imagine she views it as a much lesser issue than what she’s had to deal with. The humans can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Rosalie’s infertility is forever.

Rosalie’s empathy is strongest when she’s able to project onto others, and she won’t be able to project onto the less fortunate at all.

Then there’s the fact that the Republican party is all about traditional family values, and pro-life.

Rosalie, a woman from the 1930′s who idolizes her human life and who‘d love nothing more than to get to live out this fantasy, is down for that. And as of Breaking Dawn she’s vocally pro-life, so there’s that.

This all being said I don’t think Rosalie cares to sit down and fully understand these politics she’s voting for, the possible impact they’ll have- that’s not important. What’s important is what voting does for her.

TL;DR: I bet anon regrets asking.

[redrobin-detective]

From a young age, Jack Fenton wanted a life of adventure and excitement. Working on his family’s quiet farm in the middle of nowhere never sat right with him. Late one night, he sees something he can’t explain in the woods which sparks a lifelong passion for the supernatural. He worked day and night at various odd jobs once he was old enough in order to save up money for school. Pa and him had a huge row when he saw how much money Jack had saved over the years. That money could’ve bought new equipment, could have put food in his sisters’ mouths. But Jack held fast, he loved his family but he needed to find his own way and he wouldn’t find it here. As soon as he got his acceptance letter for his college of choice, he left the farm and never looked back.

Rooming with Vlad Masters was a struggle at first but his roommate’s intense desire to prove Jack wrong about ghosts eventually sparked a friendly continuing argument which just became friendly in general. Jack was too loud, too enthusiastic for everyone else, almost always the biggest and broadest guy in the room. Jack first met Maddie during college orientation, or rather he met her bountiful bushy red hair 3 rows up that his eyes kept wandering to. He met her properly when they got into an intense discussion of the use of the supernatural in fiction during literature class. Girls had never registered for Jack before, always seemed less interesting than his research. But Maddie, she like a revelation in and of herself. They continued their debate after class, into the dining hall where Vlad somehow got roped in. They exchanged phone numbers and continued their theories long into the night. They never really stopped.

Maddie was like the campfires Pa used to make when he was young. She was small and contained but with an all-encompassing energy that warmed everyone around her. He finally met his match with her, her enthusiasm encouraged his and vice versa. Her mind thought differently from Jack but in a complementary way, he did his best thinking when she was there to bounce ideas off of. As close as he and Vlad were, sometimes the whole world disappeared when Maddie was around. Vlad proclaimed his desire to date Maddie on a couple of occasions, asking Jack to back him up. Jack never knew how to answer, it should be okay as long as the two of them were happy and he and Maddie could stay friends. But he couldn’t just ignore that chemistry he felt when Jack’s eyes met hers.

 Vlad’s accident occurred not long afterwards, he was stuck in the hospital and forced to drop out of school their last semester. The guilt ate away at Jack but Maddie made things better. He danced with her for their last college dance, kissed her for the first time as they threw their caps into the air for graduation. Being with her was like being whole for the first time in his life. When he got down on his knee and asked her to be his lab partner for life, it was the best thing he’d ever done. They had something of a shotgun wedding, neither of them had two nickels to rub together both coming from poor families and a load of student debt. Jack couldn’t afford to rent a suit so he wore his hazmat suit, figuring Mads would get a kick out of it. When she walked down the aisle with her lab goggles on, he knew he’d found the one.

They moved to Amity Park, a peaceful but still bustling suburb an hour outside Chicago. In their research, they’d discovered several anomalies in and around the area that suggested it was a hot bed of paranormal activity. They bought a house and worked on making it their own. Maddie initially hadn’t wanted children, wanting to focus more on their work. Jack, however, had come from a big family and had wanted kids even when he’d been a kid. Many long discussions and time to settle and soon they had a beautiful daughter. He asked to name her Jasmine. His mother had loved the smell and kept it around the house growing up, even years later, the scent calmed him. Looking at the precious girl in his arms, he knew that she would be his new home.

Danny had been a little bit of a surprise. Him and Mads were content with their chatty, precocious daughter. They hadn’t even discussed having a second when they found out she was pregnant several months in. She hadn’t been symptomatic, Maddie fretted the rest of the pregnancy, worried she’s inadvertently harmed their child by exposing herself to chemicals. But everything turned out alright, Danny was born just fine, if a solid pound smaller than Jasmine. While Jazzy had wailed and wailed, Danny was a quiet baby, instead choosing to look around with wide, curious eyes. When he gripped Jack’s finger and brought it into his little mouth, Jack was smitten.

He loved being a scientist, a husband, but Jack especially loved being a father. Maddie said he never quite grew out of being a kid and he agreed with her. The sound of his daughters delighted screams as he ran around the house with her on his shoulders. The beaming smile Danny gave when Jack held him up high so he could be closer to the night sky. He loved his work, an obsession he was more than willing to admit, but his heart truly lied with his family. Jack could have lived an eternity in those early days when his children looked up at him like he could do no wrong. Of course, it wouldn’t last. Children grew up, socialized and learned that ghost hunting wasn’t the cool, legitimate profession they’d believed. His kids loved them but there was a separation that hadn’t existed before, a disconnect of a passionate farm boy searching for the unknown to modern kids who didn’t understand what it meant to to crave understanding.

Maddie was the one who shopped the idea of working on the portal again. Jack had been skeptical at first, it had been his dream but after what happened with Vlad and with the kids still living in the house... But Vlad was fine now, on his way to being a millionaire the last Jack heard and his thirst for knowledge couldn’t be quenched. It took years to draw up the schematics and begin building. The process was slow, made slower by Maddie going back to school for her second degree in psychics, by losses of funding, taking shady government contracts to put food on the table. When he saw the sad, hungry looks on his kids’ faces when they had discount TV dinners, he finally understood his father’s anger over Jack selfishly hoarding money for college. But years of blood, sweat and tears saw the fruition of their dreams completed.

The portal hadn’t worked right away to his immense disappointment only to miraculous start up when him and Maddie weren’t looking. Danny started acting sick immediately after, enough to scare the hell out of Jack. Visions of Vlad’s ecto-scarred face and the sounds of him vomiting up blood and ectoplasm haunted him. Not his Danny, not his sweet boy. But Danny recovered and things seemingly went back to normal. They say hindsight is 20/20 but Jack will curse himself until the day he died for not seeing the signs until it was spelled out for him. He knew Maddie and him were unconventional but he tried to foster love and trust in their home. The idea that his son didn’t think he could come to them for the dramatic changes the portal had done to him, that he was scared of them. Jack wept heartily at the thought of how he’d failed, that he’d been the sort of prejudiced, uninterested father like his Pa had been.

So he’d gotten down on his knees, making himself smaller and less threatening to his boy - he was so tall now, when had that happened - and asked for another chance. Danny, always too kind for his own good, forgave them. He said it before Jack believed he meant it but it was the biggest relief he’d ever felt in his life to have the opportunity to make things right. It was hard, erasing decades of biases. To not jump when Danny acted a bit too ghostly, to not to correct him when his boy made some comment on ghosts that Jack disagreed with. But he listened and he learned and even though his heart was already fit to burst, he found more love in his heart for his son. His son, who carried a heavy burden with dignity and grown into twice the man Jack was when he hadn’t been looking. Jazz too was paving her own way forward with the same zeal and intelligence that Jack admired so in Maddie. 

His wife, his friend, his lab partner for life stood by his side as their children left home to change the world. When he was young, Jack dreamed of excitement, of never-ending exploration and fearsome battles. He got all of that, and more, but he also found something else. Jack found people who loved him for all his eccentricities, who he felt free to be as loud as silly as he desired. He raised two beautiful children who he loved more every day and who he knew loved in return. He wished he could tell his younger self that while excitement put hair on your chest, his Ma and Pa had been right in that family was something worth investing in. Jack Fenton made staggering advancements to the field of ectology over the years but his greatest accomplishment, should you ask him, would be living his best life with the woman of his dreams and their children.

[scribbledquillz]

Bloodletter (vampire) AU facts that I've pulled out of my butt and decided are Canon because it's my AU, damn it:

Set in the modern day - aka Thedas in 2021.

The Circles (and in connection all mages) have completely severed ties with the Chantry and Templar order. The College of Magi has operated as an independent institution for close to 250 years, and runs university and higher education facilities in every major city as well as at the sight of many former Circle hold locations.

About fifty years after the schism between the Circle and the Chantry, the Templar order also was broken off (involuntarily) from the Chantry and merged with their local city guard. This led to the formation of what is now known as the Templar Guard, an equivalent to local police forces. Their reputation varies greatly from one social demographic to the next.

Nobility rule has been phased out as the norm as well. Ferelden operates as a collective democracy, broken up into regions each with a senate representative chosen by vote. Larger cities (such as Denerim) also operate with local governments headed by elected mayors.

This version of Thedas never underwent the horrors and burdens of the Blights. There have been no Archdemons, no darkspawn and therefore no Grey Wardens as they existed in relationship to said Blights.

HOWEVER this void has not been left empty. Vampires are a long accepted reality, existing as far back as written record dates.

A recent (within the last 100 years - still new in general comparison) peace has been brokered between the vampires and the mortal races. Blood Banks have been established, offering the vampires a ready source of food in exchange for a cease to active hunting of the other races.

Voluntary thralls - while not officially sanctioned - are a common occurrence as well; mortals who willingly offer themselves as sources of food to the larger vampire covens in exchange for negotiated compensation. Money, luxurious accommodations and protection are most common, though occasionally a favored thrall will be offered the privilege of joining the coven as a full fledged (and turned) member.

Vampire covens are largely self governing, keeping their members in line for the sake of maintaining the peace agreement.

The Crows - originally from Antiva but now widespread over most of Thedas - are the largest and most well respected coven. They run eight larger houses or Talons, all of whom answer to one - the Shadow Prince. An ancient vampire as old as they are secretive. No mortal has ever met them face to face.

Agreements on paper and reality are not the same though. Hunts - while not nearly as common - still happen, the quarry usually carefully chosen from among the parts of mortal society least likely to be missed. Both the vampires and the mortal politicians are hesitant to acknowledge this happens.

Covens keep tight control (or so they say) of their members, and claim most if not all unsanctioned hunts are performed by rogue, Covenless vampires.

With little reliable help, members of the more vulnerable parts of society (particularly those living in the Alienages of larger cities) have built their own lines of defense.

The Wardens are a myth, according to just about anyone you could ask. But the alienage residents know better.

The Wardens are a self operating faction, run off of humble donations by residents and their own coffers. Deadly hunters who specialize in one thing - hunting and killing Bloodletters, those vampires who have gone feral or rogue and set themselves upon the people of the Alienage.

Their weapons are their lifeline; silver edged knives and bullets are the only surefire way to kill a vampire. Stakes (as well as standard weapons) can be effective to slow, but not kill them. Garlic and holy water are useless old wives tales.