#I am in committed cahoots with them.

[dameronswife]

thinking about that ar.ace text post about not wanting to call yourself single/wishing there was another way to phrase it that didn't have the implication of being ~available, and now I'm thinking about how relatable it is if only because I genuinely don't count myself as single

[allastoredeer]

~Lucifer blanches. He looks around, as if trying to find a sense of Alastor’s words somewhere in the trash-heap he calls a room, before rounding back to him, lips pulling up in disgust. “Are you asking me out?”

“Ahaha!” Alastor laughs, slapping him so hard on the back it nearly takes Lucifer off his feet. “Oh, Heavens no. I’m just proposing we let Hell continue thinking that you and I are,” he waves his hand, searching for the word, “in cahoots. In that way.”~

This is golden comedy right here. Honestly every time I read ur fic I always start wheezing so hard I can’t breathe, u are an amazing writer, hope u know that. When I saw ur last update on the ‘damage control’ chapter i was so excited i devoured it so fast help

Alastor saying he wants to be in ‘cahoots’ with Lucifer it’s so funny to me cause no one use that term anymore, and Lucifer is just downright dumbfounded that they are even having the conversation. I can imagine the shadow rolling his eyes at them, we need more sassy shadow moments, he is so underrated. 😭😭

I love that Lucifer is trying to respect Al boundaries, especially after the ‘incident’ , and doesn’t pry to much on his scars, but now I am curious about what did Al meant. Does he not remember who did that to him? 🥺

Also I am curious about what they gonna tell to the others about their new found relationship. I don’t think Lucifer would want to lie to Charlie, but I also think that it would be too risky to make the whole crew knew they are acting, someone might slip. And it’s not like Al is gonna make it easy for Lucy anyway. If they want to be credible, less ppl knowing it’s best course of action for me.

Last thing~ I really wanted to thank you, cause ur fic really brings me a lot of joy since I recently only been able to find happiness in small things like these , and I I can’t wait to read more🌈

Hehehe, Alastor purposefully refusing to go into depth about their "sexual relationship," and even side-stepping outright calling it a relationship, is what's going to make it all more entertaining when he actually has to commit to the bit. Cuz you see, they're not fucking. They're "in cahoots."

It's different.

(I love Alastor's Shadow being sassy. If it's attached to Alastor, it has to be. I take no critiques.)

😈 Alastor and his scars is something I'm very excited to get into it. I've been thinking about them for a while, and while it may take a bit to actually get the answer, I'm very eager to get there when we do.

The way I see it, Alastor doesn't want to tell the others (as they already know their not actually dating--as he made VERY clear last time), but Lucifer isn't going to be okay with lying to Charlie. Out of the group, Alastor knows he can trust Husk and Niffty to keep it a secret. Maybe Angel Dust too. But he's most worried about Charlie and Vaggie.

Vaggie isn't a good liar, and Charlie's such an open, bright, heart-on-her-sleeves person, he doesn't trust her to keep up the ruse without letting something slip--most likely by accident.

But Lucifer is stubborn. He doesn't want to lie to Charlie, and if he tells Charlie, Charlie is going to tell Vaggie. If Vaggie knows, well, we already know she has a hard time lying on the spot, so if the others see Alastor and Lucifer suddenly "in cahoots," and ask about it, she's not going to be able to come up with a plausible excuse on the fly.

This is all to say, the next installment is going to be full of silly Hazbin Crew hijinks, where Alastor is forcefully enrolled into Chaggies Dating 101 Crash Course, and he is definitely not setting the grading curve. (And maybe we'll even get a bit of HuskerDust thrown in there, who knows. Certainly not me).

And it warms me so much to know that my fic can bring you joy in a time that such things are scarce 🥺 I can't wait to share more of the story with you!

[brekkie-e]

Something I've not seen brought up before when it comes to Astarion's ascension is that, to my understanding, it's not quite so simple as killing 7,000 people. That's bad enough. But it's not exactly the mercy Astarion tries to paint it as in some of his dialogue.

Cazador was in cahoots with Mephistophele's. There were contracts on atleast the other main spawn's backs. I am nearly certain that the those sacrificed were going straight hell. Meaning no, it didn't just require killing 7,000 people. It required damning them. For eternity.

They weren't going to be killed and finally know rest after all they'd been through. Their nightmare would have only just begun.

So on a scale of moral reprehensibleness, the decision to follow through on the ritual is a lot more dark than I've seen it argued a few times. He, in some twisted way, is responsible for the suffering they've gone through. He has the opportunity to free them from it in the spawn ending both through the "mercy" of death, or through giving them the same chance he was given. Or he can finish the sin he committed against them all those years ago by ensuring they will suffer for eternity for having met him.

[trashpidgeon48]

hehe, very obvious, but for the ask game, what are your Sweenett thoughts??

when I started shipping it if I did: I think last March after I saw the revival for the first time. I bookmarked and started reading fic immediately the next day on A03.

my thoughts: They are a fascinating little duo with so many issues. It’s about the one-sided (initially) pining, the toxicity, the what-could-have beens, the grumpy x sunshine, they match each other’s freak fr.

What makes me happy about them: They are in cahoots, they commit crime together, they can be at the same time very tragic and toxic as well as just little sweetie pies.

What makes me sad about them: They are absolutely doomed. They almost make it, but don’t. He literally killed her. Having Sweenett means that Lucy has to be out of the picture in some way, unless you are like me a poly Swucett truther.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: An overly aggressive Sweeney, toward Lovett, without cause. Like Sweeney is an aggressive dude, he’s a murderer. Him being aggressive toward Lovett does work within fanfic, but I’ve seen instances where it’s not properly motivated. I am not saying to pacify a violent murderer, he literally kills her in canon, I’m just saying that his aggressive tendencies need to be motivated, like in canon when she lies about his wife.

things I look for in fanfic: Au’s baby! I love au content for the sillies and don’t find it enough. So I then create it. I love either when they’re super soft or it’s violently angsty. Fix-it’s are great for them because they both literally die at the end. Also fun Nellie characterization where she is very cunning while at the same time horribly love-sick. Like she’s smart but also stupid when it comes to her love for Sweeney. And also baby au. Cause I love baby au.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Lucy. Benjamin Barker just getting to live out his days with wife and child or toxic Lucy/Lovett yuri. Don’t forget the poly Swucett either.

My happily ever after for them: They all live by the Sea as a little murder found family, and by all I include Jo, Anthony, Lucy, and Toby.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: Depends on who’s playing Sweeney and Lovett. Like Josh Sweeney would be big spoon to short Anna Lovett. But like Sutton Lovett would be big spoon to Aaron Sweeney.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: Murder, Of course!

[panpanpanini]

detco salt. tl;dr i am officially in the 1000s now and i wish i was in a better mood about it

-

i already said my piece about 1000/1001 as failures of commemorative specials but 999 really wasn't much better either. like really not. they super dropped the ball on a real milestone section of the series, huh... to say nothing of smile village and frying pan of hatred which come right before this too

i don't actually have -that- much to whinge about on this one [spoilers: i proceed to whinge on and on about it] bc it IS just filler at the end of the day but there are times when i'm just so, SO confused about the messages detco is trying to get across. its stance on certain things, especially as pertains to morality and justice, are sometimes just so wildly inconsistent (as is expected from a show with over 1000 episodes and 27 movies, but still). to save you 20 minutes, in episode 999 the victim-- a man who can only be described as a serial abuser of emergency services-- is first assaulted by a restaurant patron, then later found dead by his colleague. he did not die from the assault, instead it was his colleague who dealt the final blow. the victim had wronged both people with his frivolous tattling, so to speak. the episode ends with conan/kogoro reading the first assailant--the restaurant patron-- as a guy who consciously chose not to follow through with murder and praising him for "controlling himself" in the end. which. ugghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

i remember this being a bigger issue in some of the earlier episodes but...to put it bluntly... -attempted- robbery/murder/assault is still a crime, is it not????? i'm not talking about how -bad- of a crime it is, getting halfway through the crime -is- still a crime, right?? why on earth does this show sometimes try to impart that it isn't?

i just find it so weird every single time the series insists that justice is black and white [1] because it's not and [2] for as many instances of moral binaries that exist within the show there are just as many grey areas that it creates to which it applies those binaries anyway, even if it fails to address them like a deeper crime show would. morality is a gradient and that gradient is different from person to person, from culture to culture, and oftentimes the laws which write this code into the legal system don't reflect those shades of grey, but. i think most people would agree that trying to commit a crime is still... committing a crime... and stooping to a thesis statement which basically boils down to "you get a gold star for only assaulting a guy when you could've killed him" is horrifically careless. ESPECIALLY literal seconds after the same character chides the murderer as a guy whose crime is 'unforgivable.' is the bar really so low? what the hell is this weird double standard? i understand what they were trying to get across (that is, "this could have been much worse") but wowee zowee it's so badly executed and frankly probably shouldn't be your first choice of message in this situation. who wrote this???

episodes like this cause me to wade in disappointment because like plenty of other detco filler, there's opportunity to explore other things which make the detective genre endearing beyond serialized whodunits. in isolation the idea of a guy being fooled into believing he may have gone too far and killed someone is interesting. speculating on why he didn't follow through with killing the guy in the first place is interesting too and could be an exploration of character. the guy who did actually end up doing the killing could also be explored since it's never really established whether he premeditated the exact circumstances that led up to the murder, especially since he wasn't in cahoots with the first assailant-- rather, he comes across as an opportunist who already had it in mind to take out the victim and just saw that the time had come. in short... there's just a lot more to comment on here than capping the episode with something weird like "good job on not 100% killing the guy who ruined your life." why not consider something like regret, or whatever the criminal equivalent of buyers' remorse is?? more than once detco episodes have said some bizarre pieces on situations like this and, at least to me, transcends from [weird OOC dialogue] to [mouthpiece for the writer.] is it a crime in itself to plan a murder but not act on it? if not, how far is too far? when does someone cross the line from fantasy to premeditation? the victim was the type of person to call the police on people who "looked suspicious" - we can agree that this was cranked up to cartoonishly karen levels for the show, but there are definitely people out there who behave similarly, with behaviors having roots in things like systemic unconscious bias or xenophobia. how does the law deal with these people who call emergency services willy-nilly? is there legal punishment for such people who abuse the system (and in the presence of vigilante justice, as is what ultimately happened here, does that suggest there is none)?

these are all things that are infinitely more intriguing than the final product. and i didn't make any of it up either, i pulled all of this from what we were shown; the groundwork is there but time and time again detco does this low-key infuriating thing where it just doesn't ask questions. more than anything that i mumble and grumble about in this series i find this above all to be extremely annoying. like i almost can't take it sometimes, there have been a few other episodes like this where i can't really do anything but be bewildered (553 comes to mind as THE worst offender so far). i would argue that detective fiction is one of the greyest brands of storytelling out there, so for detco to consistently-- and seemingly willingly-- avoid shades of grey like water and oil is utterly baffling to me and i'm mostly sure this is The Thing that will eventually drive me away from it again [context: i fell back in love with detco in 2021, the first was in 2004 and my interest tapered off in 2007/8 or so]. i'm pessimistic it will ever change course to the degree that i would like (that's a silly expectation), but... there are episodes peppered throughout its catalogue that do, at the very least, acknowledge that these questions are out there (ie 956/957) but rather like other story beats and character developing moments it's almost like the series is cursed to rubber band back to the status quo each time it takes a risk! why??? (this is rhetorical, i'm not looking for an answer)

[huff]

okay. that's all. i didn't like episode 999 lmao

[yloiseconeillants]

C H A R A C T E R P R O F I L E

(tagged by @elf-simp, and I am in the process of making more for my other characters-)

B A S I C S

Name: Yloise Elilswys Coneillants

Nicknames: She doesn't like them but has heard "Yl" (Eel) and "Lou" a couple of times at least.

Age: 34 (as of DT, presumably)

Nameday: 22nd Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon

Race: Duskwight Elezen (Gelmorran)

Gender: Clown daughter

Orientation: Bisexual (Disaster)

Profession: Former Governess (fired), Former Customs Assessor (Promoted Laterally), Warrior of Light (Retired???), Practicing Chirurgeon and Speculative Botanist.

P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C T S

Hair: Dark, dark blue and some streaks of slightly lighter blue throughout. It's naturally a bit greyer, but she dyes it fairly regularly. It grows fast, and she has a tendency of cutting it erratically whenever something dramatic happens to her.

Eyes: Grey, though her left eye retains light poisoning damage since SHB. She's near-sighted and sensitive to light, so she wears tinted glasses pretty perpetually (in the soap opera, the lenses are red, but in blorboverse, she wears green lenses in the First since she didn't bring her own glasses along for the Calling - for the Wizard of Oz reference).

Skin: Also grey, acne-prone.

Tattoos/scars: She has scars from light poisoning cracks (they're sympathetic in blorboverse, since she wasn't there physically).

F A M I L Y

Parents: Julien Cibleroit, Gelmorran poet and highwayman who spent nearly two decades in Spirithold on false charges before escaping during the Calamity (there may or may not be voidsent involved in said escape) who is currently doing Crimes Too Heinous for the Redbelly Wasps in the Black Shroud, and Hersande Coneillants, a botanist originally from Gridania, who took an assignment in Halfstone to improve the crop yields in rocky soil conditions (she took the assignment in part to hide her pregnancy from her fellow guildmembers). Yloise has never met her father, and her mother died during Leviathan's attack on Halfstone after the Calamity.

Siblings: Vallerin Coneillants, aspiring magician who was on semi-permanent guard duty at Issom-Har to ward off graverobbers/adventurers. Yloise and Vallerin are twins.

Grandparents: ??? (she's been jokingly referring to the Centurio Yloise in Idyllshire as her grandmother but it's getting more affectionate every time)

In-laws and Other: Beatin was a childhood friend of her mother's and he and Yloise get on tremendously (two of them). Midgardsormr is NOT her dad.

Pets: An echevore followed Yloise out of Dohn Mheg and has haunted her steps since (its name is Elsie and it loves pixieberries and snuggling and biting).

S K I L L S

Abilities: Damage-forward scholar (she still has bane and miasma you can pry them out of my cold, dead hands thanks) who is Extremely Efficient at Spell of Boil Lungs. Healing, alchemy, carpentry.

Hobbies: She uses leftover alchemy ingredients to mix perfumes and collects tiny bottles to put them in - the issue is her labeling system is not always consistent so. Probably better to just leave her stuff alone. Is compulsively pocketing trinkets considered a hobby? She's doing that. She *loves* eating and will definitely seek out food carts in every city she ends up in. This is probably what's going to get her to the Dawntrail expansion, honestly.

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: She's trying!!!! Very good at the whole Helping thing. Keeps calm in drastic situations. Hype generator for literally anyone if she believes in the cahoots potential.

Most Negative Trait: Commitment to the Bit (and, in fact, Acceleration of the Bit). Has a tendency to ghost people instead of addressing her Problems (working on it!!). Poor judgment of character. Will revert to destructive coping behaviors after everyone thought she had worked through it (sorry).

L I K E S

Colors: Wine red, grey-blues.

Smells: FOOD. The smell of fried foods has led her to places she shouldn't have gone. Florals, resins, smoke, in that order for perfumes.

Textures: GROOVES IN METAL. Silk robes.

Drinks: Tea, wine, fancy liquors, cheap liquors.

O T H E R    D E T A I L S

Smokes: Every night. She smokes out of a pipe that belonged to a former party member who has since died. It's a grounding ritual for her (preferably on a balcony).

Drinks: She used to drink pretty heavily when she lived in Limsa Lominsa, and she stopped drinking for a while (HW to Stormblood) but started up again during Shadowbringers.

Drugs: Yep! Both professional and recreational.

Mount Issuance: Not Allowed.

Been Arrested: Lost count of how many times she was arrested in Limsa Lominsa (mostly bar fights) but she's on a first name basis with most of the Yellowjackets at this point. (Mistress Thubyrgeim has Not Lost Count of how many times she's been arrested).

[shivroyscunt]

^^^ just saw this post and i needed to like. put in words why this can be true but still does not accurately capture the historical and geopolitical context surrounding the entire situation.

nobody is saying that hamas themselves are enacting #progressive revolution. theres no such thing as “progressive” when it comes to revolution, there is only desperation and anger and the need to overthrow an oppressive regime. they are retaliating against years of occupation, oppression, and boiling tensions, and they are retaliating with just as much violence and horrific atrocities as the israeli state has enacted upon the people and land they occupy. it is easy for whataboutisms when we dont feel that violence and terror directed towards us — i personally will never know what it feels like to have my food/water supply cut off, my home raided, my life disrupted by daily violence and surveillance. you cannot expect occupied people (colonized) to not feel hatred for their oppressors (colonizers), and you cannot expect them (especially not the most radical groups) to react reasonably and peacefully after enduring decades of occupation and dehumanization (and when they do attempt peaceful resistance it is met with violence).

i dont want to get into zionist talking points about the holy land / ancestry / divine rights — this isnt about that. the modern day israeli-palestinian conflict is a direct result of colonial interference, and an issue of settler-colonialism, not a religious conflict. this is about the fact that since 1948, the western world (ie. britain and the US, colonial/imperial powers) has played a direct role in supporting and establishing the (secular) israeli military state both financially and politically. global powers have every reason to be in cahoots, america has every reason to push imperial/colonial propoganda rooted in racism, and their support has allowed israel to continue subjugating palestinians.

and to respond to this persons point about how hamas has given netanyahu the excuse he’s been waiting for to commit genocide — that is not the salient point you think you’re making. if the israeli government (on top of the ethnic cleansing and terror inflicted on palestinians over the past 50 years, the illegal and inhumane blockade on gaza for the past 15) decides to lean even more into genocide, that absolutely cannot be solely attributed to hamas’ recent act of (what western media has deemed) terrorism. sure, this might be a catalyst in the sense that archduke franz ferdinand’s assassination was a catalyst for ww1, but its obvious that, like with ww1, theres a lot more at play here.

also i just want to point out how baffling it is that the israeli government, which has one of the most well-funded and cohesive military operations in the world, was unable to predict or prepare for an attack like this (it feels fishy to me but i dont wanna get into conspiracy theories, so). i get that it was a “surprise” attack, but the israeli gov took it as an opportunity to declare war (as they have done throughout the last 75 years to occupy more land and displace more people from their homes). the fact that the israeli state is so ready to — as this person put it — commit genocide should be a deeply deeply troubling notion. we should not be defending/advocating for a police state, we should be condemning it.

i want to add that i am aware israel was a safe haven for jewish refugees during and after the world wars and the holocaust, and that there are now multiple generations of people/survivors who have experienced repeated historical trauma and oppression. these ppl deserve a place where they can feel safe — but the israeli state, the way it was built and the way it has evolved, is not a place of safety. antisemites have always and will continue to use this conflict as an excuse to hate jews, which is disgusting and reprehensible. those who use palestinian liberation as an excuse to call for the extinction of jewish ppl are not for true liberation.

i dont know what a solution to the conflict looks like, but i do know that the israeli state has driven the ppl of palestine to retaliate, and that liberation is not a pure simple or easy endeavor. people cannot afford moral purity when their lives and futures are in constant flux, when their basic human rights are on the line. this is a tragedy, no one is disputing that. it is devastating that innocent civilians suffer most in times of war, violence, and conflict. but that is the price of nationalism, the price of power and humanity at its worst, and what we are seeing today is the culmination of decades of oppression, decades of tragedies, small and large.

[rocketturtle4]

The Eclipse in progress thoughts

because I have to say something or I won't stop watching

Okay so I don't normally post half baked thoughts but The Eclipse so far has been a RIDE so have some dot points for me to come back to later (I just finished Ep 5 I started yesterday, I am trying to let the episodes breathe at least a little and not give in to the urge to go without stopping)

ALSO I KNOW LITERALLY NOTHING ABOUT THIS SHOW (except that it's good and I should watch it) (AND THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT)

(Also I finally realised MDL has a 'cast and crew' listing which means I can check waht the actors/characters names actually are lol - I did not previously know this)

Why doesn't anyone know Ayan's Uncle is dead? - who told them he transferred? did he transfer before dieing so this is partially true or was it all a cover up

Why does Akk call him a traitor? is it only because he transferred (and abandoned him) or did something else happen?

The fact that this is about the rights of queer people and their self-expression is being broadcasted in so many ways including:

Our three protestors queerness (obvs)

The probably queer uncle ?commiting suicide - given the higher rates of suicide in queer people (and especially queer youth) this is a poignant starting point

Diversity Cafe

Our class president Thua being gay (I'll come back to him) and Khan's concern about him getting 'corrupted' by Ayan

At least 2 of our key disciplinarians also liking boys

Akk comfort with his own non-straightness and the automatic assumption he is therefore responsible

I had assumed Akk was responsible for burning the posters, end of episode 5 seems to confirm this, does this mean he's responsible for the plant pot though? or the car (the car seems a stretch, though his face here:

has me all kinds of concerned

It's giving me: Burn it down if they can't conform because I need to conform to survive vibes

although he's also protective of Ayan already so I can feel how his internal conflict is going to get MESSY

Likewise this dude:

Is going to have more layers I can tell

we've already got family pressure with an obviously oppressive stepdad hmm

I actually think he may be behind the three protestors, and maybe stealing the diary? I don't think I saw him doing the martial arts...actually I didn't see Neo's character either hmmm but I'm sure they're not in cahoots

He is involved in the discussion of the diary in a way that makes me even more suspicious

either this is Khan trying to keep him safe or dude is about to get seriously corrupted, I'm leaning option 1 but who knows

Is more going to have happened with Not!Max the previous head prefect? (I'd never seen him before Be My Favorite and now he's showing up everywhere)

Wat ALSO has family pressure wow this show is leaning hard into duty to our parents as well. (Also opposite vibes from DBK with this character depsite the family pressure)

Khan seems to genuinely believe in the curse which is interesting, has Akk been convincing him or was it previously not Akk?

Is Akk trying to support within the rules because he can see their importance (al a Kongpob from SOTUS) or is he conforming because they helped him and so he thinks they help everyone (Al a Arthrit from SOTUS)?

THE LAYERS

Also I'm sorry but the way BOTH Neo and Khaotungs characters are SO OPPOSITE their characters in Tohnhon Chonlatee is giving me all the weird vibes. It feels too opposite to be uninentional even though it probably is.

This has helped my concentration, I might have to do it more often, I'll go do some actual work now.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for joining the organization that "killed" one of my best friends?

To preface, I am aware that I am in over my head here, but I've passed the point of no return, and I think my actions were understandable when I made them, and I want to see if others also think so.

What happened is. I (14m) and three others (V, 14F), M (14F), and ? (??/??) got attacked by this terror group, that was apparently in cahoots with M's father to abduct her for nefarious purposes.

We tried to fight the organization (which I'll call X) off, but, we were four kids. We just weren't strong enough. I wasn't strong enough.

We came up against one of X's executives Z (adult, m) and were forced to flee. M ended up split up from us. We couldn't find her in time, and Z pursued her into a cave, where M was devoured by a giant spider.

X left with their goal a failure. And V, ?, and I were just. Depressed for days.

After a solid week of staring at V's bedroom wall and other less relevant things that only proved I am too weak to protect anybody, I was approached by C (??, F). C told me there was a way to bring back M.

To do this, C wanted me to join X.

I was... still grieving, I was disraught and upset with myself, I wanted to do anything to feel useful, so when this strange, teleporting psychic woman tells me I can bring M back? I took her up on it.

I became an executive's protogé, and N (adult, F) isn't.. isn't even that bad? She protects me from the other executives, tries her best to keep me safe on the field, even if we're... well. I know N has her own agenda here, and I have a much better shot of hindering X from the inside.

But I met ? again. Alongside M. M was alive. C lied to me. I joined X for nothing, and now I have to commit, because there is no leaving with your life, even if it means V and M hate me.

So, yeah. That's that.

[sexc-snail]

This is something I'm passionate about, because it ties into corruption of police, disregard of victims, histerical-isation of women, etc. So buckle up.

In summary (so don't take this as a complete history lesson):

A convict on parole (Jan-Erik Olsson) tried and failed to rob a bank in Stockholm Sweden. Realising he was failing he took 4 employees hostage, including one Kristin Enmark (she's important, remember her).

He managed to negotiate the release of his prison-buddy to help him in holding the hostages, well, hostage.

After holding them hostage for 6 days, when finally released none of the hostages testified against their captors. (More on this later)

The Stockholm police asked for the assistance of Nils Bejerot (🤢), a psychiatrist and criminologist, to analyse why the hostages were reacting this way. He coined the term "Normalmstorgsyndrome" (as the robbery took place in Normalmstorg square) but it became wider known as Stockholm syndrome. He described it as the hostages being brainwashed by their captor.

That is the story told, but here's the story behind it;

According to accounts by our gal Kristin/Christina Enmark, the police acted incompetently, showing little regard to the hostages safety and more so to the capture of the criminals, even if that meant at the expense of the hostages. (Surprise Surprise! The Police Cared More About Exerting Power Than Efforts of Protection).

Because the police wanted to control the narrative (as seen by the common misconception about Stockholm syndrome) there is only so much we know, so here's a brief and incomprehensive list of what might have given the hostages that impression:

Olsson said (via telephone interbroadcast) that the only reason he took hostages was because the police barged in in the middle of his robbery - 2 policemen had responded to a silent alarm with their guns drawn and one was shot and injured in the hand. (Now I'm no expert on police tactics but it seems counterproductive to spook the guy with a loaded submachine gun and a criminal record in a bank full of people)

His initial demands were; $700,000 in Swedish and foreign currency, a getaway car, and the release of his prison buddy.

The police abided by his requests, but when he wanted to bring hostages with them to ensure that they wouldn't get shot upon escape, they refused

In abiding his requests, they released Jan-Erik Olsson's prison buddy, who was a known long-time career criminal serving time for armed robbery, AND brought him to the bank, because it was "unlikely" the two were in cahoots (this guy was described as a "bank robber". Do you know how much of a reputation you have to get when, having committed multiple crimes over the span of your life, you are referred to as a "bank robber"?)

It's worth noting the hostages weren't necessarily opposed to going with the robbers. Kristin Enmark even said (over telephone) "we are more afraid of the policemen than these two boys". (The hostages were trying to leave with their lives)

Kristin even phoned the Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme and begged that the police let them leave “I fully trust Clark and the robber. I am not desperate. They haven’t done a thing to us. On the contrary, they have been very nice. But, you know, Olof, what I am scared of is that the police will attack and cause us to die.”

The robbers told police that if gas attacks were used they would shoot and kill the hostages, and yet police used teargas in the bank (while the hostages were inside) to force their surrender

During the hostage situation, the police took suggestions from the public on how to end the robbery (though thankfully none were listened to), including having the Salvation Army band sing religious tunes loudly & sending in angry bees to sting the robbers

Police did all of this, while mistaking Jan-Erik Olsson as a different criminal who specialised in bank robberies. They did this assuming he was a specialist and knowing he had ordered food and pajamas, indicating he was prepared for a long siege.

In contrast, the robbers;

Olsson gave Kristin Enmark his jacket when she began to shiver;

Consoled her when she had a bad dream;

Gave her a bullet from his gun as a keepsake;

Soothed another hostage when she couldn't reach her family by phone and told her to "keep trying, don't give up";

Comforted that same hostage as she worried over the safety of her children, saying he was a father himself;

Allowed a different another hostage to walk outside the vault (attached to a 30 foot rope) when she complained of claustrophobia;

Supplied the hostages with bedding and pajamas;

Told the fourth hostage (a man) that he would shoot him in the leg, in order to put pressure on the police, but assured him it would only be the leg and that he would give a signal beforehand. He also had him drink beer to bolster his courage beforehand

By only the second day the hostages and gunmen were on first-name-basis, and when a police commissioner was allowed in to check the condition of the hostages he noted that they were unharmed and seemed "relaxed and jovial" with their captors.

When the robbers were finally captured (after police teargassed the building with the hostages inside) the hostages were still kind to their captors. They insisted the robbers walk out of the bank first so the police wouldn't gun them down after the hostages left. As the robbers were taken away, two of the hostages allegedly said "don't hurt them - they didn't harm us".

All hostages refused to testify against either robber.

The police, baffled by the hostages seeming cooperation with their captors, actually investigated Kristin Enmark. Assuming she was in on the robbery as they couldn't comprehend why these hostages would take the side of their captors against the police.

Our beloathed Bejerot was called in to analyse the cause of this.

It's worth noting: Bejerot had worked with the police since 1958, and had consulted for Stockholm remand prison since 1965. He was called in to consult in 1973.

Not exactly an impartial party.

"brainwashing" wasn't a new concept at the time, so it wasn't too large of a leap to explain the irrational behaviour of the hostages to claim that they had done more negotiating than the police and their alive state was not thanks to police help but rather their own cooperation and the robber's mercy.

The idea that Stockholm syndrome involved romance could have arisen from the theory that Kristin was sexually assaulted. As mentioned before, she had a nightmare in which she cried out "don't! Don't!" Before Olsson soothed her. Police had planted several microphones around the vault and believed she was assaulted (but only thought to ask a month later).

Another female hostage testified that he had asked to lie beside her and, after she consented, asked to caress her. She said yes, as a matter of strategy.

"I thought that if I could get on an intimate footing with him, I might be able to persuade him to give up his whole enterprise, or maybe if some of the anxieties he surely had pent up within himself were relieved he would not want to go on with this whole thing. We had our clothes on, but he was allowed to touch my breasts and hips. He became rather excited, and wanted to know if he could continue. He wanted to have intercourse."

When she refused he acquiesced, though likely as a matter of remaining respectable to other inmates. As he said "We consider men who rape women to be among the worst criminals in prison"

A rumour was even spread that both captors married their victims, which isn't true.

Obviously the robbers weren't heroes by any regard. Olsson threatened to kill one of his hostages by wringing her throat. He had set up another hostage as the first thing police would see if they entered the vault, placing a bomb at her feet as a two-fold obstacle.

The whole story is very sticky and complicated: Olsson received letters from many admirers in prison and married one once he got out.

Stockholm syndrome is a real phenomenon, but it is not about captives falling in love, it is a matter of survival instinct. Either; you create a relationship with the captor so they don't kill you; you create a relationship with the captor so you don't go insane out of loneliness; or your mind tries to shift your perspective to calm you down in a stressful situation by creating familiarity with your captor.

One of the hostages described being under two threats.

" About the robber’s threat we could do nothing—he was armed and we were with him. But we weren’t with the police. We imagined we could protect ourselves against them. To imagine that, of course, meant believing in Jan."

Resources:

"Swedish Robber Hold Hostages 2d Day" - The New York Times, (Aug 15, 1973)

"The Bank Drama" - David Lang, The New Yorker (Nov 18, 1974)

"Stockholm Syndrome: The True Story of Hostages Loyal to Their Captor" - History.com (Aug 23, 2013, updated Aug 23, 2023)

Additionally, Olsson wrote an autobiography about the event.

'stockholm syndrome' being invented by a police negotiator to explain away why a hostage said police actions were making her and the other hostages feel unsafe is like. yeah

[craigsumter-justice]

My Legal Battle with my Family and their Co-horts / Co-conspirators (154):

The above image is a screenshot of posts I made to my old Facebook account / page (craig.sumter). This screenshot was taken on 9-26-14. The post I am about to describe and explain is at the very bottom of the image, where i state

"Someone keeps accessing my facebook account and deleting my posts. I believe it is my mother as she has been accessing my email and changing my passwords."

The image above is a cropped portion of the screenshot above from my September 2014 post to my Facebook page. The screenshot was taken on 9-26-14 but I believe I made the post on 9-2-14.

Again you can see what I posted:

"Someone keeps accessing my facebook account and deleting my posts. I believe it is my mother as she has been accessing my email and changing my passwords."

This is a snip / screenshot of the section of the lawsuit I filed against my parents, Leonard Sumter Jr. and Gloria Sumter, on 3-9-15. A lawsuit for which they defaulted. This means that once they were served, which they were on June 11th, 2015 they waived their right to defend themselves against this lawsuit and chose not to answer, therefore defaulting. Full lawsuit to be posted after this image. The reason for this snip / screenshot section of the lawsuit is to show how I sued my parents for breaking into my "gmail, google drive, facebook and southwest accounts" and how they then defaulted on this lawsuit which means they are guilty of doing such.

Defaulting on the lawsuit for destroying this evidence is indicia of their guilt for not only destroying the evidence but also for what the evidence proved / proves. I show this to serve as supportive evidence to my September 2014 Facebook post (the image at the top of this page) that this really did occur. Several people, most of whom were in cahoots with my family, slandered me on Facebook in 2014 for posting how they had done this. They called me crazy, accused me of being paranoid or on drugs. Well, the proof is in the pudding baby. I don't lie.

Then after this, they had me reincarcerated by nefariously bringing about a violation of my parole and tried to kill me / elicit my suicide. This is also why they defaulted on the lawsuit, because they believed I would be dead / commit suicide and they would not have to answer it or deal with it. People should not doubt me. I am a good man and I fight for what is right.

Above is the full lawsuit I filed against my parents, Leonard Sumter Jr. and Gloria Sumter, on March 9th, 2015. This is one of the reasons my family has been trying to bring about my death through trying to elicit my suicide and in the past three and one half (3.5) years through intentionally eliciting seizures that they hope will result in my death. This is the one and ONLY reason I have been having all the seizures the past 3.5 years. Any attempt to portray or puport an alternate reason is only meant to cover up their attempted murder.

The central and primary reason for this entire scheme and conspiracy to cause me harm and to bring about my death is because my parents molested me when I was little and their incessant attempts to cover it up and to cause me harm, embarrassment, pain, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of friendships, loss of romantic relationships, loss of career and loss of respect in retaliation for me speaking out about them molesting me, their son (a child at the time).

Sidenote: Also notice on the very first image of this post, above the post about someone breaking into my Facebook account and deleting my posts is a post where I put the transcript from the Sentence Modification Hearing from 2009 where I was explaining how my family took part of a conspiracy to introduce false evidence at this hearing, for which I was not present and my parents had power of attorney, to try and keep me in prison. Well this is also outlined in the lawsuit above, and one of the main reasons I sued them. A lawsuit they defaulted on, thereby proving they are guilty of doing this. A lawsuit they thought they would never have to answer for because they would somehow bring about my death.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

For the character ask game: so in which Wrong Way do you like LXC here?

Haaaa... where shall I start for Lan Xichen?

Well, within the actual work itself I think he is lovingly written, and I think the work itself stands to show his love for his sibling is very realistic as not all siblings can get along very well, without necessarily understanding every single thought the other may have. He is doting and protective, yet he doesn't try to be overbearing as many other siblings within the work. He does let Lan Wangji decide as he wants for himself, even if at points Lan Xichen comes off a bit condescending. But, in my experience older siblings, as loving as they can be, can be thoughtlessly condescending even if they have best interest at heart. I just can't have it in me to think the worst of him and his love for his brother.

I also don't think he ever expresses true disdain for anyone, frustration yes, but he like many others only have their side of a story to try to make sense of things. His words to Wei Wuxian while cruel, are not something I personally think, weigh on Wei Wuxian. Like Lan Xichen said if no one else said a thing, it would always be frustratingly ambiguous between his brother and Wei Wuxian. And sometimes, a sibling's protection of their own gets the better of them when all they have seen from their point, is just their beloved sibling being played with. And I am sure plenty that have had siblings have unfortunately said things in their defense that they would not want to hear said to anyone.

He isn't some grand all knowing secretly devious man, he's just someone soft, who unfortunately is too trusting of the world and the people he chose to call friends. I can not fault someone for wanting to see the best in someone who really is not all that good. After all, this is exactly what happened to Wei Wuxian himself when it came to Jiang Cheng, and even he still tries to tell Lan Wangji that Jiang Cheng is just a brat, and to pay his nasty words no mind. It is not a coincidence that these two confrontations happen back to back, where Lan Xichen's trust in Jin Guangyao is finally broken, and Wei Wuxian admits to himself that the only thing that can be done between himself and Jiang Cheng, is to act like all has been repaid and move on.

And he is very privileged in ways, that is an unfortunate part of the world, but it also isn't a condemnation or should be used against anyone. He has already begun to pay for his own blindness and is EXTREMELY aware of what he failed at by the end. It is why he demands for the truth from Nie Huaisang as yet again, and still, he is in the middle of half information with no way to truly understand the full story. He is surrounded by liars and cheats, I would be tired of that as well, if I was that trusting.

As for the fandom side of thing, well, from what I said above, they either white wash him as being smart, perfect and extremely savvy which he is not. Or, paint him to be as manipulative if not more than Jin Guangyao or even in cahoots with him, simply for him wishing to observe in his own ways before making a rash decision. And when have rash decisions in this story ever pay off? There are consequences to all, it just depends on the severity throughout it. And condemnation is not exactly something this work promotes for the simple and naive. Naivety is just meant to be sad, as well as something to be seen as exploitable by the worst in the story. Do not condemn the naive for the ones that are willing to commit the actual evil.

[palant1r]

On the Passive Voice in Newspaper Headlines

Every so often on Tumblr I see someone post a screencap of a newspaper headline — usually the New York Times — that uses the passive voice to avoid saying that the police or the military shot someone. Think "bullet that struck Palestinian journalist came from direction of Israeli convoy" or "man shot during police raid." The caption then suggests that this is a result of the news media being deliberately in cahoots with the cops and military and trying to cover their tracks. While I'm not going to argue that there's no pro-establishment bias in the media — there is — the specific phenomena of passive voice in headlines to avoid placing blame actually has a VERY good reason.

There's a basic principle in crime journalism: innocent until proven guilty. That is, it is a breach of news ethics to definitively state in your article or headline that someone has committed a crime that they haven't been convicted of in a court of law. If someone has been arrested for burglary, the journalist should not use the word "burglar" to refer to them. They can say "they were arrested in conjunction with a burglary investigation" but not "they were arrested after robbing a house." Even if the case seems ironclad. Even if there's no doubt. We need to wait for the conviction.

There are two reasons for this. The first is ethical: it's obviously a dick move to tell the whole community that someone is a criminal when they haven't yet had due process. The power that the press wields means that we need to treat the court of public opinion like a court of law sometimes. The second is legal: stating that someone did a crime they haven't been convicted of in print is a one-way street to lawsuitville, and it's gonna be a very easy case for the plaintiff.

This is why you see passive-voice headlines that deliberately avoid placing blame for a crime at someone's feet. According to the AP ethics handbook, cops are still people. The press should grant them due process in the court of public opinion. Additionally, papers know that saying a cop shot someone when they haven't been convicted of said shooting is a really bad idea, considering police react violently to criticism, have the departmental resources to file a lawsuit, and are buddy-buddy with prosecutors.

Now, I am aware that this policy is not exactly fair considering that cops are not often convicted for their crimes. IIRC, there are ways for a paper to say a cop shot someone without a conviction. However, this principle is actually intended to protect YOU from the cops. It means that, even if the cops insist to high heaven that they saw you do a crime, no journalist worth their Portage notebook will state outright that you did it in their article. This is especially important considering how heavily the press relies on law enforcement as sources for the facts of everyday crime sources. Which is not great, but when you've got to write half a page on the facts of a robbery in two hours and you've got a detective's number sticky-noted to your computer, you gotta do what you gotta do.

You will, of course, see this principle broken. You will see papers refer to someone as a "murderer" when they haven't been convicted. You will see headlines use the active voice for someone who should still be considered innocent. That's just shoddy journalism and shoddy editing. But the use of the passive voice for police shootings, especially in early stages of investigation, usually isn't shoddy journalism — it's reporters and headline writers sticking to their ethical code and protecting their paper from a costly lawsuit

[twinkle-art]

Please give me all the headcannons you have your perspective on the miles Phoenix Kristoph relationship I am fascinated.

alright so. welcome to my twisted mind i guess

first and foremost i think the most crucial element to this whole mess is that i don’t think all three of them were in a room together even once. like it just did not happen and it really did not help the “nobody is talking to each other or is even remotely on the same page”-ness of it all. (even phoenix and miles, who were ostensibly on the same side the whole time, were very much not in sync at this time)

regarding phoenix and miles in this era, i think they were very much marinating in the specific sort of drama that is formed when two people who are thoroughly devoted to each other just will not be normal and communicate about it. it seems right to me that phoenix would consider the whole kristoph mess to be his problem and wouldn’t want miles getting involved just for his sake, meanwhile miles “That Man saved me etc etc etc” edgeworth is obviously not going to just let it stand either (this is tangentially related to my many thoughts about how post-aai2 miles was getting up to all sorts of stuff in the name of fulfilling his legal system-altering ambitions, including playing politics that likely wouldn’t benefit from his known devotion to a certain publicly-disgraced defense attorney but let’s just put a pin in that one)

now i DO think this was when they really ramped up being in cahoots in other regards, given that it feels right to me that if phoenix was gonna get the necessary sway to pull off the jurist system from anywhere, there’s a pretty obvious answer for that, AND since it’s canon that miles was involved in phoenix recovering his badge (debatably ethical collusion IS a love language) however i feel like the elephant-slash-devil in the room remained glossed over and talked around

so anyways kristoph and miles fascinate me. technically this was spun entirely from nothing and YET!! the fact that they are presumably both prominent figures in the same circles and are completely fixated on the same man in opposite ways feels too glaring to overlook. i find it very hard to believe nothing ever came of that. they had to have shown up at the same function at least once i think

i wouldn’t say miles is the type that is a natural at the art of subtle intimate manipulation like, at all, but i do think he would try his damnedest if he had reason to believe it might facilitate the downfall of the man who ruined phoenix’s life and got away with it for years. that being said kristoph would likely see through his reasons for seeking him out immediately (because again. i feel like his connection to phoenix must be common knowledge or at LEAST well-established gossip around here) BUT still play along with whatever polite little games miles offers him. this is because he’s a freak, and probably likes the thrill of it all, and his hubris will be his downfall

the level of spice this angle has is up to your personal tastes. mine is between me and god

simultaneous to all of this phoenix and kristoph are still doing whatever it is they do. going on year five or six or something of do-you-know-i-know-that-you-know-i-know type “““friendship””” (exaggerated wink) that’s digging them ever deeper into this mess. phoenix has a whole kid he’s trying to keep away from this so there’s another part of his life he’s neatly compartmentalized. kristoph is definitely losing his mind by now so i don’t think even he’s having fun anymore but he’s committed to the bit and won’t stop now.

where kristoph is concerned, i can see him being misguidedly confident in his concurrent games with phoenix and miles, probably to the tune of thinking he can use the latter against the former (the one he actually gives a shit about). he would be completely wrong about this, mind you, but that’s the miscalculation that leads to him letting miles in close enough to exacerbate (gestures to aa4) all of that from the background. i think he prosecuted him in the end because that’s sexy and lied through his teeth about conflict of interest to do it

in conclusion. love wins. even if both you and your law rival soulmate were playing dirty with the devil independant of each other to get to that point

[artbymavy]

@dickpuncher420‘s art is just so delicious, I couldn’t help but write another fic inspired by this post...

Rumors start easily in the Fire Nation Palace.

 The origin of this particular rumor would be nearly impossible to trace.

 Perhaps it was the cooks, stumbling on the young Firelord and his ambassador late one night, conspicuously close, his majesty fitted squarely between his ambassador’s knees, who was seated so casually on one of their long tables as he was fed by the Firelord’s own hand, that one would be forgiven for mistaking the palace as belonging to him. Perhaps it was the chambermaids, who so often found themselves picking up an assortment of both red and blue silks for washing from the floor of the Firelord’s chambers. Or perhaps it was even the gardeners, who may have happened upon the two under the shade of an old tree near the pond, the ambassador’s head in his Firelord’s lap, but certainly noticed, at least, their sovereign cutting an armful of their lilies one particularly fine spring morning, to later find their carefully tended blooms perched smugly on the windowsill of the ambassador’s chambers. Very likely it was the royal hair combers, who so often found themselves with very little work to do. Someone else had been attending to that sacred duty, and they were left to guess who might be committing such an egregious breach of etiquette by only the thin strip of dyed blue hide they had used to secure his majesty’s royal top knot. Such indecency would certainly been enough to spark a scandal, if one had not been already.

 Regardless of who was to blame, once a rumor had been started in the palace, it tended to spread much like wildfire. And when word reached his majesty’s advisors that the young Firelord and his Water Tribe ambassador were in cahoots, they began to take more notice. They certainly did spend a great deal of time together – indeed, while each of them found themselves eager to avoid any and all confrontation with foreign dignitaries outside what was strictly necessary, Firelord Zuko seemed to have quite the opposite inclination.

 The third time soft laughter could be overheard from just beyond the Firelord’s outer chambers at much too late an hour to be considered professional, they had to admit to themselves that there must indeed be some unsavory dealings being made between the Fire Nation and Southern Water Tribe - without their permission, nor their supervision.

 There was nothing else to be done. They would have to intervene.

 And so it came to be that the old advisors burst through the Firelord’s door without warning, bowing low in apology. It was shameful to commit such a violation of privacy, but what could be done?

 “Forgive us our intrusion, your majesty, but would it not be advisable to conduct any business the Fire Nation has with the Southern Water Tribe in a more… official capacity? We mean no offense, but you must realize how this looks.”

 It was only then that they raised their eyes to take in the severity of the situation, expecting to see their charge conspiring over any number of private, sensitive documents.

 But the paperwork on his normally cluttered desk had been cleared away to make room for something much less dry, though perhaps more incriminating – a bottle of plum wine, a fruit tart, two half empty cups. Though ambassador Sokka had straightened to attention on their intrusion, he still had one hand at the Firelord’s shoulder, several strands of thick, dark hair wound between his fingers.

 It was the advisers’ turn to realize how this looked. Not a one of them could meet the eyes of any other, nor make themselves look at the two young men they had clearly caught in the midst of an intimate moment.

 “Indeed? Well, I will be sure to call for you, when I have something that requires your input.”

 Mortified, the advisers, their faces now stained as many shades of red as their clothing, stammered out a chorus of broken excuses and apologies.

 “I might remind you that my personal matters are my own affair.”

 Ambassador Sokka snickered. “Interesting choice of words there, Zuko.”

 Firelord Zuko shot him a stern glare, though the playful smile he still wore undercut its point somewhat.

 “Of – of course, your majesty. A thousand apologies. We only thought – that is, we heard…”

 “Yes?”

 “It’s just… there were rumors, your majesty. The way the palace staff has been speaking of you… they have been saying you are… in cahoots.”

 This was too much for ambassador Sokka, who had to bite his lip and turn away to keep from laughing.

 “I see. Well, perhaps you might consider learning the facts of a matter, before letting your actions be swayed by rumor.” Clearly, Firelord Zuko was enjoying teasing his advisers for their transgression, just a little.

 With that, he dismissed the lot, who clambered over one another to be gone, leaving almost as suddenly as they came.

 Perhaps it was a good thing, that they were not there to see ambassador Sokka as he stooped to wind his arms about his Firelord’s shoulders once more upon their exit.

 “In cahoots,” he chuckled, “I like that,” and gave the Firelord a suggestive wink.

 It was certainly a good thing that they could not see beneath the Firelord’s desk, where his ambassador pulled his seat up beside him once more, and slung one leg over his as he sat, to rest between his knees.

 “Well, when you’re starting an extremely delightful rumor, discretion is key, I suppose.” Zuko supplied sagely.

 “Oh, I see. Well, in the interest of discretion then, might I just say that I am very much in cahoots with you, dear.”

[forgedroyalseal]

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Chapter 5

TW: slight mention of drugs, references to death and hanging

Will had tried to talk with a young guard that he had met a couple of times while he was visiting Castle Araluen before, but the young man had hit him square in the jaw. He didn’t break it, but he did discourage Will from attempting to strike up another chat with any of the other guards. Apparently the total hatred that he had experienced from the first group of guard who brought him from Seacliff had transferred to the entire castle staff. Will wondered what thought he did. Did they know what Crowley, Halt, and the king were accusing him of? If they did, Will would be willing to risk getting a matching bruise on the other side if his face if it meant asking for some answers.

Will heard a door open and some low voices. Another guard change, Will thought. He was laying down facing the back wall of the cell, attempting to get some sleep.

“Will.” Will knew that voice. He sat straight up and turned around. Horace. He got up and walked over to the cell door. Even though Will was sure this entire matter was a gross miscarriage of justice, he felt his pale cheeks heat with shame. Horace was wearing fine clothes and stood tall and proud while Will was standing on the wrong side of a prison cell with filthy hair and clothes that hadn’t been washed in a disturbingly long time.

“Hi Will.” Horace sounded almost as tired as Will felt. The two friends stood in silence for a minute, neither sure what to say to the other. Horace sighed.

“Why did you do it Will? Was it for the money? You know that Cassie would’ve given you the world if you asked for it. You didn’t need to do this. Were you really so miserable that this seemed like the only option?” Horace spoke softly, trying not to let the guards hear their conversation. They were all already watching the two young men. It was most unusual for a man of Horace’s rank to come down to the dungeon to have a private conversation with a prisoner. Of course, it was also unusual to have a ranger as a prisoner as well.

“Horace, I don’t know what everyone is talking about! No one has told me anything. They just dragged me out of bed and brought me here. Everyone is so mad at me and I don’t know why.”

“Are you really going to lie about this?” Horace said, exasperated.

“Horace please, tell what is going on. I don’t understand!” Will pleaded.

“You don’t know why you are here?”

“No! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell everyone.” Will was relieved that someone finally believed him.

“Will. They think you committed treason.”

“What? Why would they think that?”

“Because there’s buckets of evidence. There’s letters from you to Keren and the Scotti general MacHaddish. There’s maps and plots that they found in your cabin. All in your hand writing. They even found the gold that they paid you for you’re help making the plan. They found letters from you speaking against the royal family and your desire to see them dethroned. There’s information on the country and King Duncan and Cassandra that only you would know, including plans to assassinate them. So tell me Will, why do you think you are here?”

Will was speechless.

“I-I don’t understand. How is that possible?”

Horace set his jaw. “You might be a ranger, you might even be the best ranger, but no one is perfect. You may have tried your best to cover your tracks but you left a loose end out there. Someone came forward with evidence and that unravelled everything.”

“No. That’s not possible becuase I never did anything. I never wrote to Keren or MacHaddish! I was the one who lead the fight against them. Why would I do that if I had been in cahoots with them the whole time?”

“I didn’t, couldn’t, read all the plans. I don’t know why you turned against Keren in the end. Only you can answer that.”

“Horace this is insane. I am being framed, you need to help me convince Crowley and the King.”

Horace’s face grew red. “Help you? Why would I do that? I would never betray my country. I would never betray Cassandra or the King.”

“And neither would I!” Will shouted. The guards started to approach but Horace waved them off.

“They found your warmweed stash while they were searching your cabin.” Horace said in a lowered voice to keep anyone else from hearing.

“Of all the lies you are telling me, that one is somehow the worst. How dare you throw that in my face when you know that I would never touch that stuff again.”

“The facts are the facts Will.”

“No. The facts are that I am completely innocent and you all are getting the fleece pulled over your eyes. I need to talk with Crowley and King Duncan now. Before the trial. If you won’t believe me then I need to find some who will.”

“You’ll have your chance to speak at the trial.”

“We both know that the moment I walk through the doors, there will be a noose around my neck. The trial is just a way to humiliate me and make a point.”

“If you can come up with a fair case-“

“How can I? I’ve got no time. In a few hours, the King is going to sentence me to execution. If I could have some time to examine my cabin for evidence of fowl play, time to go to Macindaw, time to look though the so called evidence against me, then maybe I could find proof. But I can’t do anything locked in this cell.”

“And we can’t let you out.”

“It’s “we” now? You know, you and I used to be a “we”. What happened to “if you ever need help, you can call on me”?” Will spat, throwing Horace’s words from so long ago back in his face. The anger, fear, and lack of food has made Will unhinged, and he was speaking in a way he normally never would. Then again, this situation was a far cry from “normal”.

Horace shut his eyes and sighed. “What would you have me do Will? Smuggle you out of here? You know I can’t do that. I’m loyal to the crown.”

“You used to be loyal to me.”

Neither man knew what to say. What could they say? Horace’s mind wasn’t going to be changed and Will would never admit to the crimes he was being charged with. They were at an impasse.

“You should go.” Will said dejectedly.

Horace wanted to argue, but couldn’t think of a reason he should stay other than the fact that he knew this was most likely the last time he would ever have the chance to speak to Will again.

“I still love you like a brother Will. Even after everything. And I want you to know that I will always blame myself for the part I played in this. If I had seen that you were struggling, maybe I could have helped you. Maybe I could have stopped this.”

“A part of me will blame you too. Because if the roles were reversed, I would never stop fighting for you. I would never be able to watch you hang for a crime you didn’t commit.” Will’s words were cold and they cut Horace deep.

“Goodbye Will. I’ll see you at the trial. Get some rest.”

“I think I’ll stay awake. I’m about to sleep for eternity, might as well make the most of the last few hours I’ve got.”

Hearing Will speak of his own death with such certainty made shivers go down Horace’s back. He turned and walked away. He didn’t look back, not sure if he had the strength to leave his friend more than once.

******

About an hour later, Will got another visitor, and it was one of the last people Will had expected to see.

“George! What in the devils name are you doing here?”

George looked more disheveled than Will had ever seen him. His hair was a mess, sticking out in all directions. His eyes were bloodshot and there were dark bags forming underneath them. His clothes, which were typically neat as a pin, were rumpled and the cuffs of his pants had a bit of mud splattered on them. Will’s old friend was almost unrecognizable.

“I came as soon as I heard. It was rather a rough ride, but I had to see you.” George said, still slightly out of breath from rushing down the stairs. “There must be something we can do. There’s not way they have enough solid evidence to do this. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to think of a way to buy us enough time to put a case together. With such limited time before the trial, the best we can do is provide enough character witnesses to convince the king to hold off judgement. Then I can review their evidence more thoroughly and find the holes in it. I’m sure there are plenty, we just haven’t found them yet- Why are you staring at me like that?” George interrupted himself when he noticed that Will was looking at him as if he were some kind of mythical creature.

“Why-Why are you here?” Will stammered, taken aback by George’s whirlwind speech.

“I just told you. I’m trying to find a way out of this. To prove your innocence.” George said as if it were the most obvious thing in the entire world.

“You think I’m innocent? You actually believe me?” Will said in disbelief.

“Of course I do Will. I’ve known you all my life. I know what kind of man you are. And more importantly, I know what kind of man you aren’t. And you are not the type of man who would sell his country down the river for a couple gold coins. Or a few packets of drugs.”

Will was shocked. After his fight with Horace ending so poorly, Will thought that that was it. Horace was his best friend. If he didn’t believe him, then how could be expect anyone else to. But here was George, standing before him with such a determined look on his face. Determined to help him.

“I don’t know what to say George.”

“All you have to say is the truth Will. I can’t promise that I will be able to change the tide, but I can promise I will defend you until we run out of time.”

They spent the rest of the time they had left before dawn reviewing the evidence Crowley had found. George was able to pull some strings and gain access to copies of everything. Every letter, every report. Will was in awe of his friend. He had never seen him in action, but he was an amazing lawyer. He had already found some things that didn’t add up, dates and places that didn’t match.

A guard cleared his throat and it drew the attention of both men.

“It’s time to go.” He said gruffly. The guards hadn’t been happy with George staying all night, but there wasn’t much they could do about it.

“Remember Will, don’t get caught up in the accusations. And don’t let your emotions get the best of you. There are going to be a lot of angry people there, and their only goal right now is to find a away to hurt and embarrassed you. But we know the truth. Focus on the truth.” George said before he was escorted away.

Once he was gone, Will’s cell was opened and two guards grabbed him roughly. They lead him up that stupid staircase once more. Then Will was standing before the doors to the throne room where the trial would be taking place. He could already here the murmuring of voices seeping through the door.

“Ready for this boy?” The guard on his left taunted.

No, Will thought. But instead he simply nodded. Will had felt off balance for days. He wasn’t quite charged as guilty, but he certainly was not a free man. He had been lingering in purgatory since he had arrived at Castle Araluen, and it was finally time to move on.

“Alright then.” The guard said and the doors swung open.

Time to face your fate Will