#Its not a threat they can legally carry out

[mookuthi-amman]

Reminder that forced/coerced marriage (any marriage either party is unwilling to enter) is illegal in India. Even if relatives threaten that they can do it, its not legal. You have options to avoid it.

[aachria]

The long awaited (maybe? Idk how many of you were waiting for this) SSSBMTY College AU!

Majors in bold

Headcanons in regular text

Notes about the art indented in orange

Luffy — Undeclared

Was forced into school by his gramps. (The university dean. The fucking dorm building all the Strawhats but Jimbei live in is named after him.)(it was this or join the navy.) Takes the most random classes he can. Some of them are advanced and require perquisites and no one knows how he keeps getting into them. Wears shorts and sandals in winter & will run any errand or do any odd job for food. He has a very nice bike he got for free from a garage sale that Franky fixed up. There's a campus wide bet on when and what he'll choose as his major. His bucket hat was a gift from Shanks, the universities World Economics prof. Has a million friendship bracelets on his ankles because Ed makes them when they're stressed. Never has a bag on him. Fights Canadian geese on the way to class, like a fucking maniac. Protected species who?

When I tell you that this drawing of Luffy is the first time I've ever drawn actual feet with toes that don't look fucking ridiculous I need to cheer for me. Why is he a different flavour of boy every time I draw him please. His ass isn't rubber in this universe, of course he's scuffed to shit. Chopper ran out of Spiderman bandaids, sorry bud. Advocate for the Single Piercing Luffy™ agenda, he went and got it done with Ed when they got their helix.

Ed — English major Psychology minor

Took History of Piracy for easy grades & a story idea. Known around campus as that asshole who'll tell you exactly which of your roommates ate your leftovers for $5. Is roommates with Luffy because of a system mix-up when they got distributed. Always wears a Burberry trench coat Nami thrifted for $3 and gave them as a bday gift. Carries everything in a ratty falling apart messenger bag. Them and Luffy filled out marriage papers on a dare, Zoro (who got legally ordained on a dare minutes before) oversaw that, Zoro and Ed filed the papers when they were drunk. So Ed and Luffy are legally married. And they don't even notice until tax season and Jonah, Ed's accounting friend, asks about it.

I need you to ignore the inconsistence with the hands in these ok? Some of them get very nice and normal hands, and others get weird shaped blobs. Sorry Ed, them's the breaks kid.

Zoro — Health and Fitness major Mathematics minor

Literally no one knows why he has a Mathematics minor, least of all him. P sure he walked into the wrong class on the first day and just stuck with it. The most terrifying captain of the kendo team the university has ever had. He's won more championships and trophies in his tenure than the school has in its history, the revenue he brings in from sponsorships and such make them turn a blind eye to his... eccentricities (three sword style. Nobody has stopped him yet, anyone who says it's illegal gets penalized). Has had campus security called on him so often from being creepy when walking home from the gym in the dark there's a poster of him in the security office that says 'NOT ACTUALLY A THREAT. JUST WEIRD AND WALKS WITH PURPOSE.'

Zoro's sword patch on his jacket was designed by Usopp, embroidered by Luffy for a class (shittily) and fixed up and sewn on by Ed. Those docs have seen war. He has put them through hell. He has walked through a fucking river with those things, he superglues them back together every time they break. Franky had to strongarm him into getting the soles professionally replaced.

Nami — Meteorology major Finance minor

All of her clothes are thrifted designer things. Regularly terrorizes Value Village employees. Anything she has that isn't thrifted she gets from the many estate sales she plagues, snatching grandma's entire Chanel collection and all her nicest jewelry. She has absolutely everything anyone could ever need in her purse. Tampons and pads? She gotchu. Extra pens? It'll cost you, but yeah. A curling iron? Sure, why the hell not. She runs the betting pool on Luffy's major with Ed. She also writes a gossip column for the school newspaper and has a podcast she uploads a new episode to every few months. Shows up to every class looking like a supermodel no matter the time. 7am? Perfect. 10pm? Fabulous. Your go-to if you get locked out of your dorm. Has a moped but barely uses it.

Nami's bag is a large Prada Gallaria Saffiano bag, which I painstaking drew to accuracy down to the colour even though it still looks ever so slightly different, because Nami is a big purse girl. The compass rose necklace was a going away gift from Nojiko when she left for uni. I think her haircut is so cute I love her sm. Don't pay any mind to how fucking disheveled half of their lineart looks next to her pls.

Usopp — Graphic Design major

Not a member of the archery club, but shows up enough he’s in all the team photos. Was originally the designated driver, had a pretty little mini van they called the Merry, had one of those fucking fuzzy dice hanging mirror things in the shape of a sheep’s head. Got in a bad car accident and she got totaled by some jackass in a red Honda Civic. Dating Kaya, who’s a nursing student. They barely see each other because she’s so fucking busy and half the students are convinced the girlfriend Usopp is always talking about and calling is fake. The Strawhats have a dnd campaign that they run every other week, Usopp DM's. On weekends he works at an axe throwing range and holds the record for most bullseyes in a row. They have his picture mounted on the wall.

Usopp's necklace is the old key to the Merry, and he engraved his belt buckle for a project. I cursed his ass with the giant fuck off portfolio bag because those things are so big and unwieldy. The people in his program's studio never clean their paint up properly, that's why he's covered in it. Advocate for the Usopp With Gages™ agenda. God he is such a cutie patootie.

Sanji — Business degree

Literally grew up working in a restaurant, he’s only going to school to get the degree so he can open his own and also because Zeff threated to castrate him if he didn't get a higher education. Cooks basically every single meal for the dorm, since it’s just the Strawhats (it's a new (old it's old and was refurbished. Everyone assumed it was haunted.) building that they just dedicated to Garp. Has no other residents yet). Him and Zoro fight so much in their shared room half the time he ends up kicking him out and making him sleep in the community room lmao. He just shows up in half the culinary classes because he hates the business ones so much, the one time someone tried to tell him to leave he cussed them out for a full ten minutes while gesticulating wildly with a knife in hand. They never tried that again. Saw one of the profs berate a young lady for wearing a dress shirt to class because it’s impractical and proceeded to take that personally. Yeah he wears three piece suits to all his classes, he could still kick you ass in ‘em. Shut up. Volunteers to show around foreign exchange students because he can speak at least 4 foreign languages fluently. Is it to woo pretty French girls with his charm? Wouldn't you like to know.

I could not draw Sanji in a decent pose for the life of me, his ass was just not having it. He's got one of them really nice leather messenger bags with the lined pockets and filigree, he's very proud of it.

Chopper — PreMed

One of the few Strawhats who regularly sees Usopp’s reclusive girlfriend, and is very confused as to why people think she isn’t real. Still a literal child (is 15 still a child? Yeah that's like barely a teenager), a goddamn prodigy and got in with an incredibly good recommendation from the best doctor in the country, who just so happens to be his adoptive mother. He’s literally too cute for anyone to question that, plus he’s the sharpest tack in the damn class. He knocked his front tooth out ages ago (it was an adult tooth) but he's too fucking busy to get an appointment to get it fixed, just adds another layer to his babyface. Nice girls keep asking him if he's here to go see his parents or older siblings, he's endlessly infuriated by it and Sanji is endlessly jealous. Saved Ed from choking to death in a Domino's parking lot the first time they met, he dropped his pizza doing it so they bought him another. The rest is history. Does not feel cold, wears chunky boots year round. Got them reflective ass eyes like a deer, no one has ever taken a good picture of this child. He looks fucking possessed in his school ID.

TELL ME WHY I ALMOST FORGOT TO DRAW CHOPPER. I finished drawing Franky and was like "gee, only Brook and Jimbei to go! Good for me," and then I had to pause while looking as the picture of the group I was semi-referencing for heights n shit and was like "OH FUCK THE CHILD—" He's so cute tho. He's giving lil baby Goro Akechi. The argyle sweater vest and Timbs were a must, so was his hockey boy haircut. Matching backpack and tie for the win. Oh and the freckles, Chopper with freckles is everything to me.

Robin — Has a million hyper specific degrees. Currently earning her third doctorate.

Very mysterious and sexy. Mature student who occasionally gives lectures in the archeology program when she has free time. Owns a motorcycle but barely rides it. How is she not in debt after so much schooling? Don't fucking ask if you want to live. Is that why she lives in the dorm building? Do. Not. Ask. She and Luffy attend the same Theology class, no one knows how Luffy is passing with such good grades, but Robin is adamant that he doesn't take notes or borrow hers, and takes to having the same scores as him with grace. Child actor on one of those show like Barney (but not Barney dear lord) or Reading Rainbow and people only knew her as 'that kid with the creepy fuckin stare.' She was a meme a few years back, they called her the devil child. Every time someone asks her about it she just says she has no idea what they're talking about while giving them the creepy stare.

Women with Big Bags truther, right here. Robin deserves to be put in a suit. Goddamnit, get that woman in a suit!

Franky — Has a bachelors of Engineering, a bachelors of Architecture, and is earning his (water specific) Architecture degree

Currently the groups designated driver (after the tragic death of the poor Merry) with his supped up SUV, the Sunny. How do all the Strawhats fit inside? The power of love, obviously. That car will NOT fucking move if even one of the seatbelts is undone. Made Ed and Luffy wedding rings after he found out they accidentally got married. (Only after laughing for a half our straight, almost passing out, and laughing again. Then he cried for another hour about how beautiful it was.) He sometimes works as a nude model for life drawing classes on campus. Half of the the Strawhats have, in one way or another, seen him in the buck. Has knee braces from an... incident... with a train when he was younger. Now he volunteers at KidsAbility and has a shift on the campus crisis/suicide hotline. Huge advocate for mental health services at the school. He lives in the dorms for the ✨experience✨. Even worse than Luffy, mf wears booty shorts in the dead of winter. He's constantly dressed like It's laundry day. One of those guys from a famous Vine when he was younger that just gets stopped while he's walking so people can go "TRAMPOLINE VASE GUY??" (Iceberg was recording. I love Iceberg.)

Yes Franky is wearing an I ♥ MILFs shirt, what of it? It was a gift. Drawing him was an exercise in struggling with the pompadour and getting uncomfortably close to drawing Syndrome. Yes, he's cold all the time. No, he will not stop.

Brook — Literally no one knows. Something music related probably.

Fucker has been around forever, there’s old ass profs who swear to god they went to school with him and he hasn’t aged a day. Regularly plays local bars and cafes. Doesn't own a cellphone, he can literally only operate rotary phones. Computers confuse the shit out of him. Knows nothing about pop culture or recent events, but is up to date on everything in the music industry. He sometimes helps organize the old library archives because he's somehow the only person who understands the system they're organized in. Sometimes he'll just namedrop a famous singer/band he's either played with, done karaoke with, or done background vocals/instrumentals for and you have to guess whether he's telling the truth or just saying shit. There's a campus wide betting pool (run by Nami and Ed, go figure) on whether he's a vampire, ghost, time traveler, or Dorian Gray in disguise. Prepares the questions for 70s night pub trivia. Every time the Strawhats plan a ghost hunt he's busy, then at the end they find out that all the paranormal shit they've been experiencing is just him running his errands. It's happened at least four times.

Is Brook off-putting enough? I was trying to make him off-putting. He swears up and down the neck tattoo was gotten on a dare by Elton John, what, you gonna question a man who looks like he stepped out of Coraline? The skeleton gloves were a gift from Ed.

Jimbei — Has already graduated as a Marine Biology major Political Science minor and is taking both a Gender Studies course and a Peace and Conflict Studies course years later.

Teaches martial arts at a local dojo on weekends and volunteers with the martial arts team on campus. Robin helps him organize protests on weekends. He's good buds with a lot of the faculty and gets invited to after work drinks regularly. He helped establish a program that walks people who stay late at the library to their dorms when he was first a student that's still going strong to this day. Lives off campus and has the Strawhats over for BBQ on long weekends. Literally the only time the Strawhats eat food not made by Sanji. The Grill Master™. Somehow holds some kind of record or high score at every single bar/pub in town. Knows every single mailman and janitor by name. MVP of the catch and release fishing club, helps plan all of their trips.

I struggled with him. I struggled hard. That's a man who went his whole childhood with a horrendous underbite and only got it fixed once he was an adult. Ed gave him the fishing lure earrings out of guilt after he brought them on one of his fishing trips and they fell in and nearly capsized their boat. IT'S A REUSED PLASTIC BAG JIMBEI IS RESPONSIBLE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT—

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The enshittification of garage-door openers reveals a vast and deadly rot

I'll be at the Studio City branch of the LA Public Library on Monday, November 13 at 1830hPT to launch my new novel, The Lost Cause. There'll be a reading, a talk, a surprise guest (!!) and a signing, with books on sale. Tell your friends! Come on down!

How could this happen? Owners of Chamberlain MyQ automatic garage door openers just woke up to discover that the company had confiscated valuable features overnight, and that there was nothing they could do about it.

Oh, we know what happened, technically speaking. Chamberlain shut off the API for its garage-door openers, which breaks their integration with home automation systems like Home Assistant. The company even announced that it was doing this, calling the integration an "unauthorized usage" of its products, though the "unauthorized" parties in this case are the people who own Chamberlain products:

https://chamberlaingroup.com/press/a-message-about-our-decision-to-prevent-unauthorized-usage-of-myq

We even know why Chamberlain did this. As Ars Technica's Ron Amadeo points out, shutting off the API is a way for Chamberlain to force its customers to use its ad-beshitted, worst-of-breed app, so that it can make a few pennies by nonconsensually monetizing its customers' eyeballs:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/11/chamberlain-blocks-smart-garage-door-opener-from-working-with-smart-homes/

But how did this happen? How did a giant company like Chamberlain come to this enshittening juncture, in which it felt empowered to sabotage the products it had already sold to its customers? How can this be legal? How can it be good for business? How can the people who made this decision even look themselves in the mirror?

To answer these questions, we must first consider the forces that discipline companies, acting against the impulse to enshittify their products and services. There are four constraints on corporate conduct:

I. Competition. The fear of losing your business to a rival can stay even the most sociopathic corporate executive's hand.

II. Regulation. The fear of being fined, criminally sanctioned, or banned from doing business can check the greediest of leaders.

III. Capability. Corporate executives can dream up all kinds of awful ways to shift value from your side of the ledger to their own, but they can only do the things that are technically feasible.

IV. Self-help. The possibility of customers modifying, reconfiguring or altering their products to restore lost functionality or neutralize antifeatures carries an implied threat to vendors. If a printer company's anti-generic-ink measures drives a customer to jailbreak their printers, the original manufacturer's connection to that customer is permanently severed, as the customer creates a durable digital connection to a rival.

When companies act in obnoxious, dishonest, shitty ways, they aren't merely yielding to temptation – they are evading these disciplining forces. Thus, the Great Enshittening we are living through doesn't reflect an increase in the wickedness of corporate leadership. Rather, it represents a moment in which each of these disciplining factors have been gutted by specific policies.

This is good news, actually. We used to put down rat poison and we didn't have a rat problem. Then we stopped putting down rat poison and rats are eating us alive. That's not a nice feeling, but at least we know at least one way of addressing it – we can start putting down poison again. That is, we can start enforcing the rules that we stopped enforcing, in living memory. Having a terrible problem is no fun, but the best kind of terrible problem to have is one that you know a solution to.

As it happens, Chamberlain is a neat microcosm for all the bad policy choices that created the Era of Enshittification. Let's go through them:

Competition: Chamberlain doesn't have to worry about competition, because it is owned by a private equity fund that "rolled up" all of Chamberlain's major competitors into a single, giant firm. Most garage-door opener brands are actually Chamberlain, including "LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Merlin, and Grifco":

https://www.lakewoodgaragedoor.biz/blog/the-history-of-garage-door-openers

This is a pretty typical PE rollup, and it exploits a bug in US competition law called "Antitrust's Twilight Zone":

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/16/schumpeterian-terrorism/#deliberately-broken

When companies buy each other, they are subject to "merger scrutiny," a set of guidelines that the FTC and DoJ Antitrust Division use to determine whether the outcome is likely to be bad for competition. These rules have been pretty lax since the Reagan administration, but they've currently being revised to make them substantially more strict:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-and-ftc-seek-comment-draft-merger-guidelines

One of the blind spots in these merger guidelines is an exemption for mergers valued at less than $101m. Under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, these fly under the radar, evading merger scrutiny. That means that canny PE companies can roll up dozens and dozens of standalone businesses, like funeral homes, hospital beds, magic mushrooms, youth addiction treatment centers, mobile home parks, nursing homes, physicians’ practices, local newspapers, or e-commerce sellers:

http://www.economicliberties.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Serial-Acquisitions-Working-Paper-R4-2.pdf

By titrating the purchase prices, PE companies – like Blackstone, owners of Chamberlain and all the other garage-door makers – can acquire a monopoly without ever raising a regulatory red flag.

But antitrust enforcers aren't helpless. Under (the long dormant) Section 7 of the Clayton Act, competition regulators can block mergers that lead to "incipient monopolization." The incipiency standard prevented monopolies from forming from 1914, when the Clayton Act passed, until the Reagan administration. We used to put down rat poison, and we didn't have rats. We stopped, and rats are gnawing our faces off. We still know where the rat poison is – maybe we should start putting it down again.

On to regulation. How is it possible for Chamberlain to sell you a garage-door opener that has an API and works with your chosen home automation system, and then unilaterally confiscate that valuable feature? Shouldn't regulation protect you from this kind of ripoff?

It should, but it doesn't. Instead, we have a bunch of regulations that protect Chamberlain from you. Think of binding arbitration, which allows Chamberlain to force you to click through an "agreement" that takes away your right to sue them or join a class-action suit:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/20/benevolent-dictators/#felony-contempt-of-business-model

But regulation could protect you from Chamberlain. Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act allows the FTC to ban any "unfair and deceptive" conduct. This law has been on the books since 1914, but Section 5 has been dormant, forgotten and unused, for decades. The FTC's new dynamo chair, Lina Khan, has revived it, and is use it like a can-opener to free Americans who've been trapped by abusive conduct:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/10/the-courage-to-govern/#whos-in-charge

Khan's used Section 5 powers to challenge privacy invasions, noncompete clauses, and other corporate abuses – the bait-and-switch tactics of Chamberlain are ripe for a Section 5 case. If you buy a gadget because it has five features and then the vendor takes two of them away, they are clearly engaged in "unfair and deceptive" conduct.

On to capability. Since time immemorial, corporate leaders have fetishized "flexibility" in their business arrangements – like the ability to do "dynamic pricing" that changes how much you pay for something based on their guess about how much you are willing to pay. But this impulse to play shell games runs up against the hard limits of physical reality: grocers just can't send an army of rollerskated teenagers around the store to reprice everything as soon as a wealthy or desperate-looking customer comes through the door. They're stuck with crude tactics like doubling the price of a flight that doesn't include a Saturday stay as a way of gouging business travelers on an expense account.

With any shell-game, the quickness of the hand deceives the eye. Corporate crooks armed with computers aren't smarter or more wicked than their analog forebears, but they are faster. Digital tools allow companies to alter the "business logic" of their services from instant to instant, in highly automated ways:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

The monopoly coalition has successfully argued that this endless "twiddling" should not be constrained by privacy, labor or consumer protection law. Without these constraints, corporate twiddlers can engage in all kinds of ripoffs, like wage theft and algorithmic wage discrimination:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

Twiddling is key to the Darth Vader MBA ("I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it further"), in which features are confiscated from moment to moment, without warning or recourse:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/26/hit-with-a-brick/#graceful-failure

There's no reason to accept the premise that violating your privacy, labor rights or consumer rights with a computer is so different from analog ripoffs that existing laws don't apply. The unconstrained twiddling of digital ripoff artists is a plague on billions of peoples' lives, and any enforcer who sticks up for our rights will have an army of supporters behind them.

Finally, there's the fear of self-help measures. All the digital flexibility that tech companies use to take value away can be used to take it back, too. The whole modern history of digital computers is the history of "adversarial interoperability," in which the sleazy antifeatures of established companies are banished through reverse-engineering, scraping, bots and other forms of technological guerrilla warfare:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability

Adversarial interoperability represents a serious threat to established business. If you're a printer company gouging on toner, your customers might defect to a rival that jailbreaks your security measures. That's what happened to Lexmark, who lost a case against the toner-refilling company Static Controls, which went on to buy Lexmark:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/felony-contempt-business-model-lexmarks-anti-competitive-legacy

Sure, your customers are busy and inattentive and you can degrade the quality of your product a lot before they start looking for ways out. But once they cross that threshold, you can lose them forever. That's what happened to Microsoft: the company made the tactical decision to produce a substandard version of Office for the Mac in a drive to get Mac users to switch to Windows. Instead, Apple made Iwork (Pages, Numbers and Keynote), which could read and write every Office file, and Mac users threw away Office, the only Microsoft product they owned, permanently severing their relationship to the company:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/adversarial-interoperability-reviving-elegant-weapon-more-civilized-age-slay

Today, companies can operate without worrying about this kind of self-help measure. There' a whole slew of IP rights that Chamberlain can enforce against you if you try to fix your garage-door opener yourself, or look to a competitor to sell you a product that restores the feature they took away:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

Jailbreaking your Chamberlain gadget in order to make it answer to a rival's app involves bypassing a digital lock. Trafficking in a tool to break a digital lock is a felony under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright, carrying a five-year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine.

In other words, it's not just that tech isn't regulated, allowing for endless twiddling against your privacy, consumer rights and labor rights. It's that tech is badly regulated, to permit unlimited twiddling by tech companies to take away your rightsand to prohibit any twiddling by you to take them back. The US government thumbs the scales against you, creating a regime that Jay Freeman aptly dubbed "felony contempt of business model":

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/23/how-to-fix-cars-by-breaking-felony-contempt-of-business-model/

All kinds of companies have availed themselves of this government-backed superpower. There's DRM – digital locks, covered by DMCA 1201 – in powered wheelchairs:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/06/when-drm-comes-your-wheelchair

In dishwashers:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/03/cassette-rewinder/#disher-bob

In treadmills:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/22/vapescreen/#jane-get-me-off-this-crazy-thing

In tractors:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/08/about-those-kill-switched-ukrainian-tractors/

It should come as no surprise to learn that Chamberlain has used DMCA 1201 to block interoperable garage door opener components:

https://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1233&context=iplr

That's how we arrived at this juncture, where a company like Chamberlain can break functionality its customers value highly, solely to eke out a minuscule new line of revenue by selling ads on their own app.

Chamberlain bought all its competitors.

Chamberlain operates in a regulatory environment that is extremely tolerant of unfair and deceptive practices. Worse: they can unilaterally take away your right to sue them, which means that if regulators don't bestir themselves to police Chamberlain, you are shit out of luck.

Chamberlain has endless flexibility to unilaterally alter its products' functionality, in fine-grained ways, even after you've purchased them.

Chamberlain can sue you if you try to exercise some of that same flexibility to protect yourself from their bad practices.

Combine all four of those factors, and of course Chamberlain is going to enshittify its products. Every company has had that one weaselly asshole at the product-planning table who suggests a petty grift like breaking every one of the company's customers' property to sell a few ads. But historically, the weasel lost the argument to others, who argued that making every existing customer furious would affect the company's bottom line, costing it sales and/or fines, and prompting customers to permanently sever their relationship with the company by seeking out and installing alternative software. Take away all the constraints on a corporation's worst impulses, and this kind of conduct is inevitable:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

This isn't limited to Chamberlain. Without the discipline of competition, regulation, self-help measures or technological limitations, every industry in undergoing wholesale enshittification. It's not a coincidence that Chamberlain's grift involves a push to move users into its app. Because apps can't be reverse-engineered and modified without risking DMCA 1201 prosecution, forcing a user into an app is a tidy and reliable way to take away that user's rights.

Think about ad-blocking. One in four web users has installed an ad-blockers ("the biggest boycott in world history" -Doc Searls). Zero app users have installed app-blockers, because they don't exist, because making one is a felony. An app is just a web-page wrapped in enough IP to make it a crime to defend yourself against corporate predation:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/27/an-audacious-plan-to-halt-the-internets-enshittification-and-throw-it-into-reverse/

The temptation to enshitiffy isn't new, but the ability to do so without consequence is a modern phenomenon, the intersection of weak policy enforcement and powerful technology. Your car is autoenshittified, a rolling rent-seeking platform that spies on you and price-gouges you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

Cars are in an uncontrolled skid over Enshittification Cliff. Honda, Toyota, VW and GM all sell cars with infotainment systems that harvest your connected phone's text-messages and send them to the corporation for data-mining. What's more, a judge in Washington state just ruled that this is legal:

https://therecord.media/class-action-lawsuit-cars-text-messages-privacy

While there's no excuse for this kind of sleazy conduct, we can reasonably anticipate that if our courts would punish companies for engaging in it, they might be able to resist the temptation. No wonder Mozilla's latest Privacy Not Included research report called cars "the worst product category we have ever reviewed":

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/

I mean, Nissan tries to infer facts about your sex life and sells those inferences to marketing companies:

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/nissan/

But the OG digital companies are the masters of enshittification. Microsoft has been at this game for longer than anyone, and every day brings a fresh way that Microsoft has worsened its products without fear of consequence. The latest? You can't delete your OneDrive account until you provide an acceptable explanation for your disloyalty:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/8/23952878/microsoft-onedrive-windows-close-app-notification

It's tempting to think that the cruelty is the point, but it isn't. It's almost never the point. The point is power and money. Unscrupulous businesses have found ways to make money by making their products worse since the industrial revolution. Here's Jules Dupuis, writing about 19th century French railroads:

It is not because of the few thousand francs which would have to be spent to put a roof over the third-class carriages or to upholster the third-class seats that some company or other has open carriages with wooden benches. What the company is trying to do is to prevent the passengers who can pay the second class fare from traveling third class; it hits the poor, not because it wants to hurt them, but to frighten the rich. And it is again for the same reason that the companies, having proved almost cruel to the third-class passengers and mean to the second-class ones, become lavish in dealing with first-class passengers. Having refused the poor what is necessary, they give the rich what is superfluous.

https://www.tumblr.com/mostlysignssomeportents/731357317521719296/having-refused-the-poor-what-is-necessary-they

But as bad as all this is, let me remind you about the good part: we know how to stop companies from enshittifying their products. We know what disciplines their conduct: competition, regulation, capability and self-help measures. Yes, rats are gnawing our eyeballs, but we know which rat-poison to use, and where to put it to control those rats.

Competition, regulation, constraint and self-help measures all backstop one another, and while one or a few can make a difference, they are most powerful when they're all mobilized in concert. Think of the failure of the EU's landmark privacy law, the GDPR. While the GDPR proved very effective against bottom-feeding smaller ad-tech companies, the worse offenders, Meta and Google, have thumbed their noses at it.

This was enabled in part by the companies' flying an Irish flag of convenience, maintaining the pretense that they have to be regulated in a notorious corporate crime-haven:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/15/finnegans-snooze/#dirty-old-town

That let them get away with all kinds of shenanigans, like ignoring the GDPR's requirement that you should be able to easily opt out of data-collection without having to go through cumbersome "cookie consent" dialogs or losing access to the service as punishment for declining to be tracked.

As the noose has tightened around these surveillance giants, they're continuing to play games. Meta now says that the only way to opt out of data-collection in the EU is to pay for the service:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/30/markets-remaining-irrational/#steins-law

This is facially illegal under the GDPR. Not only are they prohibited from punishing you for opting out of collection, but the whole scheme ignores the nature of private data collection. If Facebook collects the fact that you and I are friends, but I never opted into data-collection, they have violated the GDPR, even if you were coerced into granting consent:

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/11/the-pay-or-consent-challenge-for-platform-regulators.html

The GDPR has been around since 2016 and Google and Meta are still invading 500 million Europeans' privacy. This latest delaying tactic could add years to their crime-spree before they are brought to justice.

But most of this surveillance is only possible because so much of how you interact with Google and Meta is via an app, and an app is just a web-page that's a felony to make an ad-blocker for. If the EU were to legalize breaking DRM – repealing Article 6 of the 2001 Copyright Directive – then we wouldn't have to wait for the European Commission to finally wrestle these two giant companies to the ground. Instead, EU companies could make alternative clients for all of Google and Meta's services that don't spy on you, without suffering the fate of OG App, which tried this last winter and was shut down by "felony contempt of business model":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/05/battery-vampire/#drained

Enshittification is demoralizing. To quote @wilwheaton, every update to the services we use inspires "dread of 'How will this complicate things as I try to maintain privacy and sanity in a world that demands I have this thing to operate?'"

https://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/698603648058556416/cory-doctorow-if-you-see-this-and-have-thoughts

But there are huge natural constituencies for the four disciplining forces that keep enshittification at bay.

Remember, Antitrust's Twilight Zone doesn't just allow rollups of garage-door opener companies – it's also poison for funeral homes, hospital beds, magic mushrooms, youth addiction treatment centers, mobile home parks, nursing homes, physicians’ practices, local newspapers, or e-commerce sellers.

The Binding Arbitration scam that stops Chamberlain customers from suing the company also stops Uber drivers from suing over stolen wages, Turbotax customers from suing over fraud, and many other victims of corporate crime from getting a day in court.

The failure to constrain twiddling to protect privacy, labor rights and consumer rights enables a host of abuses, from stalking, doxing and SWATting to wage theft and price gouging:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

And Felony Contempt of Business Model is used to screw you over every time you refill your printer, run your dishwasher, or get your Iphone's screen replaced.

The actions needed to halt and reverse this enshittification are well understood, and the partisans for taking those actions are too numerous to count. It's taken a long time for all those individuals suffering under corporate abuses to crystallize into a movement, but at long last, it's happening.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/09/lead-me-not-into-temptation/#chamberlain

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[gaywarcriminals]

Prompt: AU where SY transmigrated into a murder mystery version of PIDW and is bounded by the SQQ role (murderer) who gets caught by detective LBH, and eventually when LBH finds out SQQ is like, "no wait this is just one big misunderstanding I didn't-" and like, LBH doesn't care they start making out anyway. (LBH actively helps him clear out the evidence because he's unhinged and in love❤️)

When the system had dropped him on the scene of an active— or rather, just concluded— crime scene, it had claimed its design philosophy was “you can you up, no can no BB”, but Shen Qingqiu had serious doubts! How was he supposed to change the story of a murder mystery if the murder had already taken place? After this point wasn’t everything already set in stone? The young, bright Luo Binghe would discover his cruel new mentor, Magistrate Shen, was responsible of this and countless other heinous crimes, and then Shen Qingqiu would be sentenced to death! Shen Qingqiu didn’t wanted to be quartered! 

In response to Shen Qingqiu’s frantic proding as he hurriedly worked to dispose of the body (thank god the system provided instructions for that part, at least, but Shen Qingqiu’s stomach still twisted every time he looked at the beautiful young man, lukewarm from blood loss but not yet corpse cold), the system claimed it was possible for Shen Qingqiu to survive, but then it turned around and forced him to carry the bloody knife at all times, claiming it was an essential plot point, even though it wasn’t supposed to be revealed for months! Bullshit! Obviously none of Shen Qingqiu’s choices mattered in the face of reader satisfaction! Shen Qingqiu knew what kind of sadist lurked in the PIDW comments section, calling for evert kind of torture once Shen Qingqiu’s many crimes were revealed. (Shen Qingqiu’s own comments were different, of course: he only demanded righteous justice, not senseless torture porn! Castration had been a real legal sentence in time period this anachronistic mess was supposedly set in!)

Thanks to this stupid faulty piece of software, the only thing Shen Qingqiu could think to change was to treat Luo Binghe better once the protagonist showed up, assigned as Shen Qingqiu’s new assistant. Not that Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t have done that, even without the threat of death! Luo Binghe was an incredible character trapped in a stupid, trope-y story that didn’t let his obvious intellect shine through! Shen Qingqiu took great delight in taking Luo Binghe through the cases that had been mere footnotes in PIDW proper, little more than excused for Luo Binghe to meet this or that new freshly orphaned, widowed, or wronged woman. 

Luo Binghe was so quick to make the right connections, and he glowed under Shen Qingqiu’s every head pat and word of praise. He even ignored all the simpering women, only ever seeking Shen Qingqiu’s approval! Clearly, a man as talented as Binghe was meant to be married to his job, at least until someone good enough to be his match came along. The only draw back was that for some reason, in absence of women to roll around with, Luo Binghe has started to seek out hugs from his mentor.

But it was a lot harder for Shen Qingqiu to hide his hard, pointy Plot Relevant Object when Luo Binghe was sticking to him all the time! Shen Qingqiu was forced to avoid his touch at every turn, only drawing more suspicion to himself. Obviously that was why Luo Binghe had pressed Shen Qingqiu between a wall and his own firm body, his arms on either side, trapping Shen Qingqiu in. Now Shen Qingqiu couldn’t escape a pat down without physically fighting Luo Binghe off!

“Magistrate Shen,” Luo Binghe purred, pulling open Shen Qingqiu’s robes, groping for the firm object that must have been pressing into Luo Binghe’s thigh, “is that a knife, or—“ Luo Binghe pulled out the knife, even its sheath caked in blood stains just to be extra sure it could be recognized as a murder weapon from a kilometer away. “Oh.” Luo Binghe’s face fell. 

Shen Qingqiu’s heart squeezed. Even after all his suspicious behavior, Luo Binghe has still hoped his mentor wasn’t guilty! But now, the noble young man would be forced to turn Shen Qingqiu in, knowing justice was more important than—

“Magistrate Shen really shouldn’t carry that around.” Luo Binghe sighed “This Binghe will dispose of it for you tomorrow.” There was something very wrong with Shen Qingqiu’s hearing! See, Binghe was grabbing his wrists now, that was more like it, surely Luo Binghe would be dragging him away any minute now!

Luo Binghe’s face crashed into Shen Qingqiu’s, enough lip grazing Shen Qingqiu between the scrape of teeth that it could generously be called a kiss. Shen Qingqiu’s mind stuttered to a halt. In the corner of his vision, a system window popped up, displaying a 300p resolution gif of confetti. 

[xx-psych0-rabbit-xx]

miscellaneous kirby characters n if id trust them w my drink at the club while i go to the restroom n how well theyd protect it

king dedede:hed say hell make sure nobody touches it but hed end up drinking it himself out of an impulse, hed rush to buy me a new one but id be able to tell its new bc its full n hes acting weird, this is getting a new full free drink but i will have to say 0/10 bc my original drink was not protected

nightmare:id cover my drink if i saw him at the club.0/10.

meta knight:hed give a dramatic monologue hell protect it with his life n draw out his sword, taking a defensive stance until im back, my drink is fully safe n we both have a fun time at the club, 10/10

dark meta knight:he would leave it on the table unprotected n id break it on his head when im back n a fight would break out n wed both end up in jail, horrible time at the club 0/10

daroach:no hed steal it.0/10

magolor:i would NOT trust him w it hed put smth in himself.nothing dangerous but hed put like.fucking pepper he carries in his pocket for specifically this occasion in it.5/10 bc i mean ig technically my drink was kept safe he kept it his word its just disgusting now

taranza:in general i think hed do a great drink protecting job, hed take it n cover it w one of his hands n would observe every corner of the room looking for possible drink threats while having his four remaining hands ready to throw punches, but my concern is while im gone hell accidentally see someone from floraria in the club n have to make a run for it bc theyre still mad abt the whole monarchy coup thing n might try to kill him, hed take my drink w him n id come back to no drink, so a 6/10 due to the success chances

susie:the second i say im going to the restroom she announces shes coming too, bc were both girls n girls follow each other to the bathroom, shed hold my drink for me after following me all the way n she has a gun so id say id feel its absolutely safe w her, 10/10

francisca:froze my drink holding it.7/10 bc she did her best id just wait for it to unfreeze to honor her efforts

flamberge:evaporated my drink holding it.the cups empty n were both just sad.5/10 she did keep it safe but theres nothing there anymore

zan partizanne:ok so heres the thing.shed do a great job protecting it.shed take out her spear n get ready to strike anyone who might touch my drink.but the issue is zan is herself n she ends up impulsively attacking anyone whos stepping near her after a while n within the 4 minutes it took for me to be back she killed half the club n is in jail n id have to go pick her up (theres no legal trouble bc she killed all the cops in there too).but hey my drinks safe! 10/10

hyness:you see i dont think hyness would be untrustworthy w my drink.i think hed get confused if i were to hand it to him bc he wasnt paying attention but he wouldnt let anyone get near it to do anything.id come back to my drink the same way it was before.but the thing is i just dont trust him.its not abt the drink its abt personal bias.i just dont trust him i wouldnt want to give him a personal task representing the bond between two ppl bc i dont trust him.0/10

void termina:if its the big boy form id poke it at the leg n ask if it can keep my drink safe n itd just carefully pinch it between its fingers, i would cheerfully go on my way bc the rest of the club is gathered at the corner in fear far from the giant god of destruction, 10/10 but if its the blob form i would not bring a toddler to the club.also even if it wasnt a toddler it has no hands.0/10

fecto elfilis:if i saw elfilis at the club our eyes would meet n id ask someone to hold my drinks n then id start running towards them n punch them square in the face.n then id keep punching them while theyre down.theyd have to get the entire security team on me to get me to stop.id end up at a padded room in the mental hospital bc id start beating up security too n then start beating elfilis up again.id chew my way out of the walls n find where elfilis lives n start beating them up again.theyd never know peace again.it doesnt matter what happens i will find them n i will punch them.n id continue to until theyre finally dead.

escargoon:yeag i think hed keep an eye on it i trust him :) 10/10

[rjzimmerman]

Opinion |Joe Biden: My plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law. (Washington Post)

This nation was founded on a simple yet profound principle: No one is above the law. Not the president of the United States. Not a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. No one.

But the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on July 1 to grant presidents broad immunity from prosecution for crimes they commit in office means there are virtually no limits on what a president can do. The only limits will be those that are self-imposed by the person occupying the Oval Office.

If a future president incites a violent mob to storm the Capitol and stop the peaceful transfer of power — like we saw on Jan. 6, 2021 — there may be no legal consequences.

And that’s only the beginning.

On top of dangerous and extreme decisions that overturn settled legal precedents — including Roe v. Wade — the court is mired in a crisis of ethics. Scandals involving several justices have caused the public to question the court’s fairness and independence, which are essential to faithfully carrying out its mission of equal justice under the law. For example, undisclosed gifts to justices from individuals with interests in cases before the court, as well as conflicts of interest connected with Jan. 6 insurrectionists, raise legitimate questions about the court’s impartiality.

I served as a U.S. senator for 36 years, including as chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. I have overseen more Supreme Court nominations as senator, vice president and president than anyone living today. I have great respect for our institutions and the separation of powers.

What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach.

That’s why — in the face of increasing threats to America’s democratic institutions — I am calling for three bold reforms to restore trust and accountability to the court and our democracy.

First, I am calling for a constitutional amendment called the No One Is Above the Law Amendment. It would make clear that there is no immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office. I share our Founders’ belief that the president’s power is limited, not absolute. We are a nation of laws — not of kings or dictators.

Second, we have had term limits for presidents for nearly 75 years. We should have the same for Supreme Court justices. The United States is the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court. Term limits would help ensure that the court’s membership changes with some regularity. That would make timing for court nominations more predictable and less arbitrary. It would reduce the chance that any single presidency radically alters the makeup of the court for generations to come. I support a system in which the president would appoint a justice every two years to spend 18 years in active service on the Supreme Court.

Third, I’m calling for a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court. This is common sense. The court’s current voluntary ethics code is weak and self-enforced. Justices should be required to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest. Every other federal judge is bound by an enforceable code of conduct, and there is no reason for the Supreme Court to be exempt.

All three of these reforms are supported by a majority of Americans— as well as conservative and liberal constitutional scholars. And I want to thank the bipartisan Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States for its insightful analysis, which informed some of these proposals.

We can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power. We can and must restore the public’s faith in the Supreme Court. We can and must strengthen the guardrails of democracy.

In America, no one is above the law. In America, the people rule.

[nodoubtinus]

两不疑 - Liǎng Bù Yí - No Doubt In Us

Plot Synopsis:

Within the Chinese imperial court, stern-faced Emperor Xiao Jinyun and spirited Empress Xu Yu are at constant odds with one another. But the universe has an interesting way to solve their issues: an accident causes the two to switch bodies, forcing them to put themselves in the other's shoes—literally. Now responsible for unfamiliar duties and court dynamics, the emperor and empress must navigate the maintenance of their identities, unruly concubines, and the nation itself. In doing so, Xiao Jinyun and Xu Yu's personal qualities and unconventional skills find new purpose, and a sense of understanding and compassion grows between the two.

However, great threats loom within and outside the court. If the imperial astrologer cannot discover the key to switching them back in time, then internal strife and suspicion may lead to the duo's untimely demise.

(Source: MAL Rewrite)

My review:

I really enjoyed No Doubt In Us! From Xu Yu and Xiao Jinyun's reviving romance, to the court conspiracy slowly unfolding around them, to the fantastical magic element- almost every aspect of the plot lands well, with lively and entertaining characters to carry it.

Xu Yu and Jinming are my favourites of the cast; the energy and positivity around both of them really lightens things up, and they're both very endearing to me. Everyone is very colourful and three-dimensional, and while it's slow to show you the depths behind each character, you come out with at least some positive feeling for even the antagonists (or at least most of them. Not naming any names 🤭)

While the animation style is a bit strange to adjust to at first, it's used to its full potential! The comedic moments get funny little chibis, while most of the show uses a style more similar to early RWBY (both seen below.)

It's obvious that it was made on a budget, but they do a great job with what they have regardless. The character designs are memorable, the backgrounds are stunning, and they don't shy away from making their characters expressive.

Overall, I think it's really great! More people should give it a go. It's funny, fast-paced, and everyone is endearing- you will find a new blorbo here. I promise.

Where to find it:

(I'm only providing legal sources, since they're the only ones I've used. You can totally pirate it though)

Manhua- Link!

Donghua- Link! // Link! // Link!

C-Drama- Link!

Small Theater- Link!

Wiki- Link!

[eriexplosion]

One thing I have seen with The Acolyte is using Osha as an example of how people can leave the Order at any time, which I think misses a lot of the context around where we're introduced to her. It's technically true! You can leave the Jedi whenever you want, they won't force you to stay.

However.

Osha says outright she has no transferable skills. She makes a living as a meknek, doing a job so dangerous that it's legally restricted to droids. The Order seems to have given her no assistance or help in surviving on her own, and since they're extremely insular she has no support network to fall back on.

So do few people leave the Jedi Order because the Order is actually where they want to be, or do few people leave because of how few resources they have to live on their own? There's a difference in being physically able to leave and actually being supported in carrying out your choice.

Similarly, we see a kind of false choice in Destiny. They ask for consent to test the girls, but it's after they break in, imply legal threats, and reveal they've been spying on them. All of them come into the conversation armed. When put into that situation, they've made it so that agreeing is the only possible choice - there's no reason to believe at that point that "no" is a real option, because they've already barreled past every boundary to get to this point.

The implication of Jedi having legal authority over force sensitives by Republic law actually calls into question the consent of any parent that gives their children to the Jedi. Jedi can go out with the best of intentions and try to respect consent every inch of the way, but even unspoken legal weight behind them changes the proceedings and weighs them in their favor.

There are just a lot of points with the Jedi where there's this illusion of choice. You can leave! You can refuse to give your children to the Jedi! But there are circumstances weighing down the scales, funneling people away from actually feeling free to make those decisions, even if that's not what the Jedi involved is trying to do. The pressure exists independently.

It's an interesting dynamic to look at because it's one that doesn't rely on individuals having bad intentions. Every Jedi involved could be an absolute saint in fact. It's the weight of the Order itself, as well as its alliance with and legal backing from the Republic as a whole, that causes these imbalances where, ultimately, everything is weighted in favor of the Order.

[quad-nova]

any way in a modern linked universe wind is in like a remote/home school co-op because he lives on an island with canonically a total four (4) school aged kids and no physical school so he does online classes with people from different islands, which is how he originally meets like medli and makar. tetra’s boat got that satellite internet so he sits in his 9th grade english zoom call and discusses great expectations with some teacher who lives on windfall and then the second he leaves the call he and tetra have an hour to commit pirate crimes until he has to be back on for geometry.

(the pirate crimes wind and tetra commit are not the act of exploring uninhabited islands, actually - i'm imagining tetra's boat to be like a offshore ketch (since its carrying a crew most of the time and because i want the a e s t h e t i c that comes from having multiple sails, but i also want link and tetra to ditch the rest of their crew and go off on their own) so they can probably sail at 6-8 knots (7-9 mph) which makes leaving territorial waters* (12 nautical miles (~14 regular miles)) a viable day trip adventure for them. the government of hyrule defines piracy as (conveniently for me) "acts that endanger the safe navigation of ships" **(and ive decided sailing without a boating license is included in this list along with, ya know, the usual things like seizing control of a ship or plundering distressed vessels (has tetra's crew ever seized control of a ship or plundered a distressed vessel? who knows, certainly not a court of law)) gonzo has a valid boating license and tends to be at the helm since it causes the least problems if they get questioned at port. tetra, however, (as an unfortunate side effect of being born in secret to escape unspecified hyrule royal family political turmoil(context pending)) does not legally exist in the eyes of the law, and therefore has not only no boating license, but also no legal identification at all. therefore, the act of sailing on the open seas without a license counts as a "endangering the safe navigation of ships" in international waters ∴ piracy)

four is home schooled because he refuses to learn anything that he isnt intensely interested in, so grandpa smith threw in the towel years ago and just counts his 16 hour long deep dive on 18th century occult practices as a history assignment. he'd love to push for some grammar lessons today but four has already disappeared into the garage to use a disassembled microwave to do fractal wood burning*** on the handle of a bowie knife he made out of a broken crescent wrench.

*contiguous zones? economic exclusion zones? never heard of them, its my half thought out modern au, the bureaucracy only exists in ways that are convenient for me

** us law defines acts of piracy that endanger the safe navigation of ships as: seizing or exercising control of a ship by force or threat of force, performing an act of violence against a person onboard a ship, destroying a ship or its cargo, placing or causing to be placed on a ship a device that could destroy or damage the ship and its cargo, destroying or damaging maritime navigational facilities or interfering with their operation, communicating navigational information that is known to be false but likely to be believed, plundering distressed vessels, corruption of seamen, depredation at sea, privateering, injuring or killing a person while committing any of those acts listed, and attempting or conspiring to commit those acts listed. i choose to believe that tetra has committed a third or more of this list

*** there have been 34 reported deaths from fractal wood burning, do not attempt.

[haggishlyhagging]

On March 9, 1977, Francine Hughes returned from business college to her Dansville, Michigan, home and put a frozen dinner in the oven for her husband, James. He didn't like it. Francine, he said, should be at home preparing meals for him, not running off to school. He beat her up, as he had done many times before; and to drive home his point he tore up her schoolbooks and term papers and forced her to burn them in the trash barrel. Twelve-year-old Christy Hughes called the police, who came to the house long enough to calm James down but declined, as they had many times before, to arrest him. They left James, tired from beating Francine, asleep in his bedroom. Determined to "just drive away," Francine piled the children into the family car. "Let's not come back this time, Mommy," they said. She carried a gasoline can to the bedroom, poured the contents around the bed where James lay asleep, backed out of the room, and set a match to it The rust of flame sucked the door shut.

Francine Hughes drove immediately to the Ingham County sheriffs office, crying hysterically, "I did it. I did it." She was charged with first-degree murder.

Dansville adjoins East Lansing, home of Michigan State University and consequently of many social-action groups. Within two months feminists and other interested people in the Lansing area had formed the Francine Hughes Defense Committee to raise money and public awareness for her defense. They were careful to say that they neither advocated nor condoned murder, but they held that women confronted with violence have a right to defend themselves. They argued that "Francine Hughes—and many other women facing similar charges—should be free from the threat of punishment," for Francine Hughes was a battered woman.

At the time wife-beating was a growing feminist issue, following close on the heels of feminist attacks upon rape, a crime it resembles in many ways. Both rape and wife-beating are crimes of violence against women. Both are widespread, underreported, trivialized, and inadequately punished by the legal system. Both are acts of terrorism intended to keep all women in their place through intimidation. In fact, rape is often part of wife abuse, though so far only a few states acknowledge even the possibility of rape within marriage. The chief difference between the two crimes is that while the victim of nonmarital rape must live with a terrifying memory, the abused wife lives with her assailant. Rapists are, in Susan Brownmiller's phrase, the "shock troops" of male supremacy. Wife-beaters are the home guard.

American feminists took up the issue of wife-beating when they learned in 1971 of the work of Erin Pizzey, founder of Chiswick Women's Aid, the first shelter house in England exclusively for battered women and their children. Rainbow Retreat, the first American shelter for abused families of alcoholics opened in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 1, 1973; and in St. Paul, Minnesota, Women's Advocates, a collective that began with a phone service in 1972, opened Women's House to battered women and their children in October 1974. Rainbow Retreat, during its first two and a half years, sheltered more than six hundred women and children. In St. Paul the five-bedroom Women's House sheltered twenty-two women and fifteen children during its first month of operation; less than a year later Women's Advocates were negotiating to buy a second house. Across the country the shelter movement spread to Pasadena, San Francisco, Seattle, Boise, Albuquerque, Pittsburgh, Ann Arbor, Boston, New York. To open a shelter was to fill it beyond capacity almost overnight. Suddenly it seemed that battered women were everywhere.

While activists opened shelters, researchers and writers set about documenting the problem of wife-beating or, as it came to be called more euphemistically in the academic literature, "domestic violence." The records showed that 60 percent of night calls in Atlanta concerned domestic disputes. In Fairfax County, Virginia, one of the nation's wealthiest counties, police received 4,073 disturbance calls in 1974. During ten months in 1975-76 the Dade County Florida Citizens Dispute Settlement Center handled nearly 1,000 wife-beating cases. Seventy percent of all assault cases received in the emergency room at hospitals in Boston and Omaha were women who had been attacked in their homes. Eighty percent of divorce cases in Wayne County, Michigan, involved charges of abuse. Ninety-nine percent of female Legal Aid clients in Milwaukee were abused by men.

The FBI guessed that a million women each year—women of every race and social class—would be victims of wife-beating. Journalists Roger Langley and Richard C. Levy put the figure at more than 28 million. Some said that one in four women married to or cohabiting with a man would become a victim; others said one in three. In some areas the incidence seemed even greater. In California the experts said one of every two women would be beaten. And in Omaha, the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women estimated that 95 percent of women would be abused at some time. There scarcely seemed need of additional evidence, so the same statistics began to turn up in every new account, but repetitious as they were, they showed all too clearly that wife-beating is a social problem of astounding dimensions.

-Ann Jones, Women Who Kill

[dont-blame-it-on-the-kids]

Legacy of Steel

Fancomic Draft: Ang 

its not complete and idk how its gonna look in tumblr text post but i have plotted out the entirety of the comic.

gonna be going through and adding dialogue and more details as i work on it

i wont be able to do any of the actual drawings but hopefully if i can get a detailed script then one day i'll be able to do the comic / find someone willing to work with me lmao

Synopsis:

With Republic City changing faster than ever, at almost 60 years old Chief Lin Beifong is ready to step down and find a worthy successor. But her plans are derailed when a series of violent attacks hit the city, carried out by a mysterious group using advanced spirit energy weapons. As Lin hunts down this new threat, she must navigate the delicate balance between her duty to the city, the weight of her history, and the search for someone to continue her legacy. But this final battle may demand more from her than she ever expected.

Examples of cover and Splash pages. 

Front Cover Art with Title  

Lin, Mako, Korra, and a shadowed/masked figure in foreground, the city behind them split between as it is now - behind Lin - and how it was when Lin was younger (in sepia) - behind the shadowed/masked figure - 

Legend of Korra Splash Page 

(credit: ruins of the empire part 1)

Page Turn

Intro Art 

Kya heaLing Lin they’re sitting on the couch in their home 

(credit: Toph Beifong’s MetalBending Academy)

All the Splash Pages use this cream and green theme

Legend of Korra Title page w/ credits 

(credit: ruins of the empire part 1)

Page Turn

Legend of Korra/Avatar the Last Airbender legal / copyright page

(credit: ruins of the empire part 1)

Cover art Clear Image 

Page Turn

Scenes:

Scene - Past ATI

Flashback to Lin and Tenzin training as children about 5 and 6 years old with grown up Aang,Sokka and Suki.

LP 1 Lin at 5 and Tenzin at 6 in the garden on Air Temple Island. They are sparring with each other Lin using her EarthBending Tenzin his AirBending. Aang stands as referee and coach. Few panels of action shots of the kids with Aang’s advice in quote bubbles for each kid. 

RP 1 Sokka comments on how Tenzin is digging his heels in and taking more of the earth stances while airbending while Lin took more of the air stances and flips while earthbending Suki comments that Lin got her element first so Tenzin tagged along to some of her training. 

Page Turn

 LP 2 shots of Lin and Tenzin being trained with Fans by Suki. Tenzin uses the fans to assist his airbending and knocks Lin over. 

RP 2 Sokka teaches Lin and Tenzin how to sword fight. He has a No Bending Rule after what happened with Suki’s lesson. 

Scene - Present day

Lin wakes up after a fight gone wrong with the new gang “I am married to a healer you know?” When mako insists on her getting checked out

Page Turn

LP 1 Present day we see a few injured officers sitting down waiting for the medical team to arrive to help the wounded. Mako has taken control of the scene helping the wounded and ordering those who can to document the scene and collect evidence. 

RP 1 Lin is down on the floor of the warehouse they got ambushed at, she wakes and moves to sit up, hand to her head. Mako is standing next to her upon seeing her starting to sit up. 

Mako: (worried) “You should sit and wait for medical Chief, you took a pretty hard hit just now.”

Lin: (dismissive) “I am married to a healer, you know?” 

Mako: “You sure you can make it home with that hit? This gang hits rough.” 

Lin: (muttering to herself) “They’re not stronger, I’m just slowing down.”  

Page Turn

LP 2 Lin: (getting to her feet) “Alright Team let's work on recovering what we can-” (see’s they’re already doing everything by the book.) 

Mako: “already on it Chief, the medical team is on the way and we’re collecting evidence that's headed to HQ now.” 

Lin: (directed at Mako) “Good work detective.” 

Scene - Later that Night

Lin at home in pajamas as Kya heals her and she complains about being too old for this.

RP 2  we see Lin and Kya II sitting on the couch in their home Lin is in a white tank top and green pajama pants sitting leaning forwards with her elbows on her thighs holding a mug of tea while Kya II is sitting on the couch next to her with her legs under her heaLing Lins injured shoulder. We see Kya II’s mug of tea on the coffee table in front of them and the matching top of Lin’s pajama set next to it. (SCAR HC GO CRAZY YESSS)

Lin (grumbLing): “I’m too old for this… I should’ve been done with these street fights years ago.”

Kya (teasing): “Too old, huh? Linny, You’ve been saying that for years, but somehow, you always end up right back in the thick of it.”

Lin: “This time, it feels different. I am getting too old for this, Kya. I’m slowing the team down.”

Page Turn

LP 2 Kya: (stopping the spot heaLing and moving to wrap her hands over Lin’s shoulder, leaning to kiss Lin's cheek.) “Maybe you just need to stop trying to carry the entire city alone.”

Lin: (contemplating as she pulls her pajama top on) “Yeah, maybe it’s time I start thinking about a replacement…”

RP 2 We have a final shot of Lin and Kya cuddLing on the couch listening to a radio show sipping their tea as they relax. 

Scene - Lin’s Office The Next Morning

Page Turn

  LP 1 we see Lin going over the investigation paperwork

RP 1 we see the retirement paperwork on her desk kinda buried and not filled out, She’s about to pick up the blank paperwork when she’s interrupted by an officer with reports on the gang activity 

Scene - On the Streets

Page Turn

Lin and mako with a team on the trail of the bad guys short fight

LP 1 we see Lin and mako assembLing a team of officers and raid the location. 

RP 1 There is a short fight and they end up arresting 2 or 3 of the goons. 

Goon 1 (smirking as he’s pinned): “You’re too late. We’ve got something bigger planned. You think Amon’s gloves were bad? We’ve got weapons that’ll make those look like toys.”

Scene - Past Metal 

Page Turn

LP 1 we see Lin at 7 years old metalbending training with Toph 

Scene - Present RCPD

RP 1 We return to the present and see Mako and another detective in an interrogation room with the captured Goon

Page Turn

LP 2 .  goon reveaLing the group The Echoes were once benders who feel the rcpd didnt handle amon and kuvira correctly  

Goon (laughing, cuffed to the table): “There’s an army out there, and they all want Republic City. You can’t stop it.” 

RP 2 Lin behind the glass observing the interrogation going over the evidence files. Goon just saying basic take over the city, you cant stop progress, the RCPD is useless comparing them to book 1 

Scene - The Next Night Mako’s Apartment

Page Turn

Lin and Kya having dinner with Mako and Rina with the twins - twins birthday. Kya loves being a Gran Gran and the twins call Lin Grammy Chief.

LP 1 we see Lin and Kya in civilian clothes sitting at the table in Mako’s home, his wife, Rina, sits next to him as two seven year old twins (a boy and a girl, San and Moriko) excitedly talk to Lin and Kya about their school and fire bending practice. 

Moriko: (excitedly as she stands beside the table to show off her stances) “Grammy Chief! I was moved into the advanced bending classes!”

Lin: (encouraging) “Good work Rookie, you’re almost old enough to join a junior team.” (glances at Mako for his opinion)

Mako: “We’ve been considering allowing her to sign up or not when the time comes. Still got some rough memories of that place.”  

RP 1 San: (Sitting next to Kya) “Gran Gran my teacher wants my painting project to go up on his wall with the previous best in class works!” 

Kya: (smiLing wide) “That's amazing San, it's a big honor indeed.” 

Rina: “He needs to keep his math grade up before we allow the painting to go on display.” 

San: (pouting) “I know mamma, I'm trying.” 

Page Turn

LP 2 once the kids are settled down Lin speaks with Mako about the past and possibly allowing Moriko to sign up for the jr league 

Scene - Past Probending Jr

RP 2 flashback we see Lin at 12 years old on the probending stage with her team behind her, shes a part of a junior probending league run by the schools as a sports activity. Her team The Flying Boars is up against the Lucking Lightning Strikes. 

Past Young Lin (grunting as she throws a powerful earthbending strike): “You’ll have to do better than that!”

Past Young Zolt (smirking, blocking the attack with a fire kick): “I’m just getting started, Beifong.”

Page Turn

LP 3 we see the fight ensue ending with Lin knocking zolt off the back of the platform and her team winning the match 

Scene - Present Mako’s Apartment 

RP 3 We end the scene with Mako agreeing to think about it and Lin and Kya bidding the family farewell as they leave for the night

Scene - RCPD the Next Afternoon

Page Turn

LP 1 another tip leads to a dead end Tenzin is in the office when Lin gets back

RP 1 Lin and Tenzin talk about her possibly retiring (Kya II wanted him to talk to her)

Scene - Past Lin’s Career

Page Turn

Flashback montage Lin’s first few years on the force, rising the ranks maybe 6-10 scene ideas from beat cop to getting her chief badge showing growth timeLine / present day Lin’s in her office looking over old news articles and her retirement paperwork - mako interrupts with a fresh lead

Big art Scene across both pages. We start off LP 1 Bookend with Full body 18 year old Lin in her first uniform standing at attention no scars placed floating over the edge of the enclosed scenes

(with in framed comic all blending into each other)

Top Left LP 18 yr - beat cop with mentor officer 

Bottom Left LP 20 yr - first arrest of bad guy 

Top Right LP 22 yr - scar care with Tenzin and katara 

Bottom Rright LP 30 yr - taking the role of chief 

Top Left RP 40 yr - her and saikhan arresting/fighting zolt 

Bottom Middle RP 50 yr - the swinging from and the winner is 

Top Right RP 54 yr - Lin in the city fighting Kuvira Mech 

RP 1 Bookend with Full body 58 year old Lin in her Chief uniform. Her arms are at her side and though she's standing tall still she is much older with scars

Scene - Present Lin’s Office, a few days later

Page Turn

LP 2 we see Lin present day in her office going over old Articles about her career, she appears to be cleaning out/organizing her desk with her retirement paperwork now filled out on the desk next to her. 

RP 2 Mako comes into the office with a fresh lead on the new gang location. We see him notice the retirement paperwork but decides to not mention anything right now. 

Lin: “You take the lead on this one Detective, I have business tonight. Think you can handle this one without me?” 

Mako: (nodding) “Yes Chief, can I take Korra and the team on the investigation?”

Lin: “If you feel they’re the right team for the job, don’t let BoLin and Korra destroy evidence. I want a full report in the morning.” 

Scene - Team Investigation 

Page Turn

Investigation decrepit buildings downtown with Korra and team this time find evidence of how they’re making their weapons

Scene - At Saikhan’s

Page Turn

Lin having dinner at Saikhans talking about her possible retirement and who could step up in her place. Saikhan mentions he’s already held that position and he’s more than happy to “leave it to the kids” and support a new chief Lin picks.

Saikhan: “I’ve held that position before. Trust me, I’m more than happy to leave it to the kids.” 

Lin: “Are you sure? There's time for you to think it over.”

Saikhan: “I’m sure, Lin. If it’s time, then it’s time for the next generation to take a shot at it. Maybe Mako would be good to step in, if you feel he’ll be ready.”

Page Turn

LP2 Lin and Akira talking about getting old Akira mentions her newest grandson

RP 2 Taiyo excitedly talking about the news he's been keeping up with cuz he wants to be chief one day

Scene - RCPD, a few days later 

Page Turn

LP 1 Lin frustrated at dead ends when they get a tip about a location

RP 1 officers raid the location

Page Turn

LP 2 Lin’s shocked she thought Zolt had been killed by Amon

RP 2 a fight ensues and Zolt and his gang escape with the powerful spirit energy weapons.

Scene - Past w/ Zolt 

Page Turn

LP 1 Flashback scenes on Lin and Zolt school bullying

RP 1 flashback butting heads as they rise in the ranks of cop and criminal

Scene - Present day Zolt and Gang 

Page Turn

LP 2 zolt and his team in the underground hub

RP 2 zolt preparing for the final stage

Scene - Lin’s Office a few days later

Page Turn

LP 1 Lin talks to Mako about her stepping down after the investigation into Zolt is over and him possibly taking over as chief. 

RP 1 Lin offers mako the position of Chief 

Page Turn

LP 2 Mako expresses that he couldn’t picture the RCPD without her and he wasn’t sure he was the right fit for Chief.

Mako: “I’m not sure Chief, this place won’t be the same without you in this position.”

Lin: “Mako, RCPD was standing long before I was Chief and It’ll keep standing long after I retire. I want you to think about taking up the position, I trust you’ll make the city proud.” 

RP 2 korra interrupts with a lead

Scene - The Echoes’ Base

Page Turn

LP 1 Tracking down the lead

RP 1 fight ensues when they find the main operation hub/warehouse

Page Turn

LP 2 fight goes south Zolt and the avatar team end up fighting on the street.

RP 2 Team on Zolt but his weapons are long range and deal a heavy energy blow

Page Turn

LP 3 Mako’s hurt, boLin is down, tanzin is on his way, Asami and Opal trying to figure out how to stop the spirit energy whip

RP 3 Lin uses her metal bending to protect korra from a harsh blow

Page Turn

LP 4 korra gets the opening to take zolt down. As Lin gets hit with the spirit lightning whip

RP 4 korra makes the arrest of Zolt, while Lin does down and doesn't get back up

Scene - Past, Amon

Page Turn

Flashback Lin in Amon’s holding cell beat up without her bending

LP 1 We see Lin in her white tank top and grey uniform pants in a dark cell, her armor discarded in the cell with her, clearly been injured (she's got a bruised eye, a bloody nose, her leg is sitting at an awkward angle at the knee) and she is in pain, she tries to bend her armor and it remains cold and unmoving on the floor 

RP 1 Amon steps into the cell. Lin tries to stab him with the knife from her armor. He bloodbends her before she can land the blow, 

Amon: (bloodbending Lin) “Defying me is pointless Chief Beifong. Tell me where the airbenders are.”  

Lin: (in pain) “I won’t let you hurt those kids.”

Amon: (intensifying the bloodhold to make Lin cry out) “And just how do you plan to stop me from this cell Chief Beifong?”

Amon: “Where are my airbenders?”

Scene - Present fight ends 

Page Turn

LP 1 fight being over mako and boLin are standing up,

RP 1 korra is trying to heal Lin whos not moving on the ground.

Page Turn

LP 2 Tenzin comes up joining the fight too late as officers arrest Zolt and his goons

RP 2 Korra desperately still trying to save Lin as the medical team comes up to the scene

Scene - a few days later Lin’s Funeral

Page Turn

LP 1 Kya II and Saikhan speaking at Lin's funeral

RP 1 Crowd Shot of the family, friends, and officers attending

Page Turn

Graveside everyone takes their turn to throw in the first handfuls of dirt

LP 2  Kya II, Bumi II and Suyin, Tenzin and kids, Korra and Asami

RP 2 - Mako, Rina and twins, Saikhan and Akira 

Scene - A few months later Mako’s ceremony

Page Turn

LP 1 Mako getting the Chief badge ceremony

RP 1 Crowd Shot of the family, friends, and officers attending

Scene - Team Avatar Talk, Avatar Park

Page Turn

LP team avatar talk

RP Full page img - Team Avatar standing at Lin's statue in avatar park

Page Turn

Splash Page Filler 

LP

Credits and Thanks

RP Lin’s statue at Avatar park but this time it's snowy and Tenzin and Saikhan stand looking up at the statue. 

Credits and thanks under artwork kinda like this  

(credit: Imbalance part 1)

Page Turn

Pg LP back of Last Page

Outro Art Page

LP Lin and Tenzin as kids training with Toph 

(credit: Toph Beifong’s MetalBending Academy)

Back cover Art / Summary 

Lin and the Avatar Team behind her kinda like the screenshot of the team celebrating and shes smirking in the foreground 

(credit: Toph Beifong’s MetalBending Academy)

NOTES: 

Set in 178 Ag, four years after show end

New Gang and Plan: 

The Echoes are a large group of people in RC who are UPSET because they had their element taken from them by Amon, or were displaced by the Vines, or displaced by Kuvira. Zolt and his gang have developed weapons inspired by both Amon’s gauntlets and Kuvira’s Mech. Using the Spirit Vines they can infuse weapons with spirit energy and use them as an additional hard shocking blow to already strong weapons. Zolt himself has Two Whips that work like longer, more flexible versions of Amon’s Lieutenant kali sticks. They pack about 60 times more punch too. The group's goal is to take over the city and destroy the current system they feel did not protect them. 

Characters and Ages:

Lin Beifong - 58

Kya II - 62

Saikhan - 55 (assumed)

Zolt - 59

Tenzin - 59

Korra - 25

Asami - 26

Mako - 26

BoLin - 24

Opal - 24 (assumed)

Pema - 43

Jinora - 18

Ikki - 15

Meelo - 13

Rohan - 8

Original Characters:

Mako’s family 

Rina - 28

San - 7

Moriko - 7

Saikhan’s Family 

Akira - 52

Rei - 32

Emi - 28

Eiko - 27

Haru - 23

Taiyo - 14

Links:

[mariacallous]

The need for good intelligence has never been more visible. The failure of the Israeli security services to anticipate the brutal surprise attack carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 reveals what happens when intelligence goes wrong.

In contrast, in late February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s planned three-day “special military operation” to invade Ukraine and topple the government was pushed onto the back foot by the U.S. and U.K. intelligence communities. While Putin’s rapid seizure of Crimea by a flood of “little green men”  in 2014 was a fait accompli, by the time of the 2022 invasion, anticipatory moves including the public declassification of sensitive intelligence ensured that both the intelligence community and Ukraine remained a step ahead of Putin’s plans.

Yet, despite the clear and enduring need for good intelligence to support effective statecraft, national security, and military operations, U.S. intelligence agencies and practitioners are undermined by a crisis of legitimacy. Recent research investigating public attitudes toward the U.S. intelligence community offers some sobering trends.

A May 2023 poll conducted by the Harvard University Center for American Political Studies and Harris Poll found that an eye-watering 70 percent of Americans surveyed were either “very” or “somewhat” concerned about “interference by the FBI and intelligence agencies in a future presidential election.”

A separate study, conducted in 2021 and 2022 by the Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, found that only 56 percent of Americans thought that the intelligence community “plays a vital role in warning against foreign threats and contributes to our national security.” That number is down 10 points from a previous high—if it can even be called that—of 66 percent in 2019, and the downward trend does not give us cause for optimism. Reframed, that statistic means that in 2022, an alarming (in our view) 44 percent of Americans did not believe that the intelligence community keeps them safe from foreign threats or contributes to U.S. national security.

Worse, despite abundant examples of authoritarian aggression and worldwide terror attacks, nearly 1 in 5 Americans seem to be confused about where the real threats to their liberty are actually emanating from. According to the UT Austin study, a growing number of Americans thought that the intelligence community represented a threat to civil liberties: 17 percent in 2022, up from 12 percent in 2021. A nontrivial percentage of Americans feel that the intelligence community is an insidious threat instead of a valuable protector in a dangerous world—a perspective that jeopardizes the security and prosperity of the United States and its allies.

The most obvious recent example of the repercussions of the corrosion of trust in the intelligence community is the recent drama over reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). First introduced in the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, Section 702 is an important legal authority for the U.S. intelligence community to conduct targeted surveillance of foreign persons located outside the United States, with the compelled assistance of electronic communication service providers. According to a report published by Office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI), 702 is “extremely valuable” and “provides intelligence on activities of terrorist organizations, weapons proliferators, spies, malicious cyber actors, and other foreign adversaries.”

Section 702 was scheduled to “sunset” at the end of 2023 if not reauthorized. Yet Congress failed to reauthorize 702 by the end of 2023, electing to punt the decision—as is so often the case—to this spring, when it was finally reauthorized (with some important reforms) in late April 2024, but it was only extended for two years instead of the customary five. An unusual alliance of the far right and the far left squeezed centrists and the Biden administration, which was strongly pushing for a renewal that would protect the civil liberties of U.S. citizens and not needlessly hobble the intelligence community in protecting the United States itself.

But the frantic down-to-the-wire negotiations about reauthorizing some recognizable form of 702 obscured a deeper problem at the heart of the contemporary Americans’ relationship with intelligence that has been brewing over the last decade: The fundamental legitimacy of a strong intelligence community—and the integrity of its practitioners—has been questioned by U.S. lawmakers on the far left and the far right, perhaps reflecting a misguided but increasing consensus of tens of millions of Americans.

This trend is now a crisis.

Section 702’s troubled journey faced queries from the privacy-oriented left, where those with overblown concerns about potential abuse by the intelligence community viewed reauthorizing 702 is tantamount to “turning cable installers into spies,” in the words of one opinion contributor published in The Hill. The intelligence community’s revised authorities (some adjustments were required given the 15 years of communications technology development since the amendment was first passed) were called “terrifying” and predictably—the most hackneyed description for intelligence tools—“Orwellian.” On the power-skeptical right, Section 702 is perceived as but another powerful surveillance tool of the so-called deep state.

In response to legitimate concerns about past mistakes, the intelligence community has adopted procedural reforms and enhanced training that it says would account for the overwhelming majority of the (self-reported) mistakes in querying 702 collection. According to a report from the Justice Department’s National Security Division, the FBI achieved a 98 percent compliance rate in 2023 after receiving better training. Further, the Justice Department and the DNI have gone to unprecedented lengths to publicly show—through declassified success stories—the real dangers that allowing 702 to lapse would bring to the United States and its allies.

Never before has an intelligence community begged, cajoled, and pleaded with lawmakers to enable it to do its job. After all, a hobbled intelligence community would still be held responsible should a war warning be missed, or should a terrorist attack occur.

For instance, Gen. Eric Vidaud, the French military intelligence chief, was promptly fired over intelligence failings related to Putin’s (re)invasion of Ukraine despite the Elysée’s criticisms of the warnings made by the United States and United Kingdom as “alarmist.” And Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, director of Israeli military intelligence, recently resigned over the Oct. 7 attacks despite the fault probably lying across Israel’s political landscape as well. Intelligence professionals pay more than their share of the bill when their crystal ball stays cloudy.

The hullabaloo over 702 is not the only recent instance painting the actions of the U.S. national security apparatus as questionable state activity conducted by dishonest bureaucrats, and some recent history helps put the recent events into a broader downward trend in trust.

In 2013, National Security Agency (NSA) mass-leaker Edward Snowden, a junior network IT specialist with a Walter Mitty complex, sparked a needed but distorted global conversation about the legitimacy of intelligence collection when he stole more than 1.5 million NSA documents and fled to China and ultimately Russia. The mischaracterization of NSA programs conveyed by Snowden and his allies (painting them as more intrusive and less subject to legal scrutiny than they were) led to popular misunderstandings about the intelligence community’s methods and oversight.

It was not only junior leakers whose unfounded criticism helped to corrode public faith in intelligence; it has also been a bipartisan political effort. In 2009, then-U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that the CIA had lied to her after she wished to distance herself from the agency’s “enhanced interrogation techniques”—which critics call torture. But Pelosi’s comments earned a “false” rating from Politifact’s “truth-o-meter.” Then-CIA Director Leon Panetta countered that “CIA officers briefed truthfully.”

Some suspicion of a powerful intelligence community stems from genuine failings of the past, especially the CIA’s activities in the early and middle stages of the Cold War, which included some distasteful assassination plots, the illegal collection of intelligence domestically (such as surveillance of Americans on political grounds, including illegally opening their mail), and the LSD experimentation on unwitting Americans as part of its infamous MKULTRA program.

Most of these excesses—characterized as the CIA’s “Family Jewels”—were reported to Congress, which held explosive hearings in 1975 to publicize these activities, bringing the intelligence agencies into the public realm like never before. Images of Sen. Frank Church holding aloft a poison dart gun, designed by the CIA to incapacitate and induce a heart attack in foreign leaders, became front page news. These serious failings in accountability were the dawn of rigorous intelligence oversight.

Public trust in government was already sinking when, in 1971, the Pentagon Papers revealed that politicians had lied about US activities in the deeply unpopular Vietnam war. The Watergate scandal the following year added fuel to fire. Although the CIA was not directly involved in Watergate, the involvement of former agency employees led to a wider belief that the agency was tainted. And in the late 1970s, CIA morale sank to an all-time low when then-President Jimmy Carter began the process of sharply reducing its staff, attributing the decision to its “shocking” activities.

In response to congressional findings and mountains of bad press, subsequent directors of the CIA considered the criticisms and made numerous changes to how the intelligence community operates. While the intelligence community (and its leaders) made good-faith efforts to operate strictly within its legal boundaries, be more responsive to congressional oversight, and embrace some level of transparency, the public image of the CIA and the broader intelligence community didn’t change. After the Cold War ended, the preeminent vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, called twice for the disbanding of the CIA. Such political pummeling of the role of intelligence and the integrity of its practitioners was bound to leave a mark.

The politics of distrust are back to the bad old days. By 2016, distrust of the intelligence community had returned with a vengeance: then-presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed that NSA was circumventing domestic legal constructs to spy on his campaign through its close partnership with the Government Communications headquarters (GCHQ), the British signals intelligence agency. (The NSA said those claims were false and GCHQ called them “utterly ridiculous”.) As president-elect, Trump also compared U.S. intelligence to “living in Nazi Germany.” Once Trump entered the Oval Office, the FBI was a frequent target for his invective thanks to the investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election.

While the intelligence community is a long way away from the excesses of the 1970s, it is not perfect. Intelligence is an art, not a science. It is not prediction so much as narrowing the cone of uncertainty for decision-makers to act in a complex world. Even when acting strictly within the law and under the scrutiny of Congress and multiple inspectors general, the intelligence community has been wrong on several important occasions. It failed to stop the 9/11 attacks, got the assessment that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction spectacularly wrong, and was made to look impotent by Osama bin Laden for nearly a decade before the U.S. Navy SEALs caught up with him on a CIA mission in Pakistan in May 2011.

Errors still happen because intelligence is hard, and the occasional failure to warn, to stop every attack, or to prevent every incorrect search query is inevitable. Today, mistakes are self-reported to Congress; they are no longer hidden away as they sometimes were in the past. Yet the intelligence community has done a poor job telling its own story and self-censors due to widespread over-classification—a problem that the DNI has acknowledged, if not yet remedied. It has only belatedly begun to embrace the transparency required for a modern intelligence apparatus in a democratic state, and there is much work yet to be done.

It is the job of the intelligence agencies to keep a calm and measured eye on dark developments. In a world in which the panoply of threats is increasing, the role of the intelligence community and its responsibilities within democratic states has never been greater. If the community cannot be trusted by its political masters in the White House and Congress, much less the American people, then it will not be given the ability to “play to the edge,” and the risk is that the United States and its allies will be blind to the threats facing them. Given the adversaries, the consequences could be severe.

U.S. intelligence has had a rebirth of confidence since 9/11 and the incorrect judgments of the Iraqi weapons program. It was intelligence and special operations that hunted and killed bin Laden, U.S. law enforcement that has kept the U.S. homeland safe from another massive terror attack, and the intelligence community correctly predicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

That increased sense of purpose and morale is moot if the U.S. people, Congress, or the president (sitting or future) do not trust them. This crisis of legitimacy is a trend that may soon hamper the intelligence community, and the results could be unthinkable. Getting the balance between civil liberties and security right isn’t an easy task, but the intelligence community must have the tools, trust, and oversight required to simultaneously keep faith with the American people while serving as their first line of defense.

[dionysus-complex]

So last night I was reading Wikipedia articles about abandoned NYC subway stations (as one does) and stumbled upon one of the weirdest historical mysteries/conspiracy theories I've ever heard. Buckle in/grab on to the handrail for this:

Unsurprisingly for a 100-year-old, highly complex subway network, there are quite a few abandoned subway stations in NYC. Some of them are famous, like the gorgeous Romanesque Revival City Hall Station, or the Court St station in Brooklyn now in use as the New York Transit Museum. Others are more mundane, like the 18th Street station and the Worth Street station, both of which are disused stations on active subway lines that can be seen out the window of a passing subway car if you're paying attention. But by far the weirdest is the 76th Street station, which may or may not actually exist.

Basically, the IND Fulton Street Line is the line that carries A and C line trains from central Brooklyn to Queens (if you've ever taken an A train from downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan to JFK Airport, that's the one). Just before the Brooklyn/Queens borough line, the line veers slightly north as it changes from a subway under Pitkin Ave (on the Brooklyn side) to an elevated line over Liberty Ave (on the Queens side). But originally, when this line was being extended toward Queens in the late 1940s, the plan was to continue the underground line further into Queens under Pitkin Avenue. Tunnels were dug to the present-day Euclid Ave station and then continued further beneath Pitkin Ave, toward a planned station at 76th Street and Pitkin (just barely over the Queens borough line).

On Nov. 28, 1948, this line is recorded as opening with service to 76th Street station, but almost immediately there was a controversy over whether, when, and how this 76th Street station had actually been built. Some engineers and tracklayers were quoted in the Times as saying they hadn't built anything past the borough line, but maybe someone else had. There was also a story on Dec 2 that quoted a local who noticed a new subway station entrance at 76th and Pitkin that had sprung up seemingly overnight. The Board of Transportation was unable to produce any contracts for construction of this mysterious station, and the line past Euclid Ave to 76th Street is recorded as having closed on Dec 20 after legal threats from unions, which suspected a coverup of non-unionized labor. Thereafter, any reference to the 76th Street station was purged on maps, signs, etc., although the signalboard at the Euclid Ave station evidently still has a taped-over portion which used to show the 76th street station.

Eventually, the line was extended by connecting the subway to the already-existing Fulton Street Elevated line, which is the path used today. A cinderblock wall apparently blocks off the end of the subway tunnel under Pitkin Ave, and a retired transit worker named Steve Krokowski told the NY Times in 2014 that he had tried to dig under the wall and found a track tie but was forced to stop when the hole began to cave in. He also mentioned a retired police officer and other unnamed colleagues who claimed to have seen the fully completed 76th street station, which may or may not have been accessible via a door that may or may not have existed in the cinderblock wall.

The intersection of Pitkin and 76th is now a populated residential area, and it's unlikely that anyone is ever going to excavate it to find the station. As far as anyone can tell, on the surface, there's no evidence (i.e. ventilation tunnels etc.) of a subway station existing beneath Pitkin and 76th. There seems to be one existing picture of the 76th street station from its brief time in service (you can view it here - scroll down almost to the bottom), but despite this, it seems like people are still skeptical that the station exists at all.

Sources/further reading:

-Wikipedia article on Euclid St station, with a section labeled "East of the station"

-Article on the station from Joseph Brennan's page on abandoned NYC subway stations

-NY Times article from 2014 in which Krokowski is quoted

[universitypenguin]

Chapter 16

Summary: Lloyd finally gets his man and Princess has a close call.

Word Count: 3,596

Masterlist

Warnings: Mention of violence, murder, legal proceedings, corruption, bombing, stalking, and discussion of criminal behavior and drug trafficking. Minor foul language. Only appropriate for 18+ readers. No minors. 

Chapter 16 

After completing Zach’s errand, you found yourselves at the Emerald Harp, a cozy Irish bar in West Falls Church. You sat on opposite sides of the booth, an empty table between you as the bus boy carried away your plates. The dim overhead light cast shadows on Zach’s face. 

Your drinks arrived and an uneasy silence thickened the air. Zach’s mood was palpable and annoyance radiated from him like a glow. 

He took a sip of his beer and scowled. 

“So, Princess. How’s life been treating you lately? Anything interesting going on?” 

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Work, traveling with Lloyd, spending time with my family… the usual. Why do you ask?” 

Zach arched an eyebrow. “Really? How’s Aiden? Have you talked to him since the breakup?” 

You sucked in a deep breath. “I… Well, he’s my ex. Dragging up the past isn’t healthy, and honestly, what’s there to say?” 

Zach leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. His expression was concerned, but his voice echoed with frustration. 

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m aware of the texts, the note he left on your car, and even the visit you paid him last night. What I want to know is why I had to find out on my own instead of hearing it from you."

You flinched. "I'm sorry, Zach. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd feel obligated to tell Lloyd, and that would set him off. Then, when I had finally decided to speak up, his father passed away, and I didn't want to burden either of you.” 

Zach sighed.

"And honestly... until a few days ago, I thought I could handle it myself."

"Handle it yourself? Why? We're on the same team here, Princess. You're involved with Lloyd, of course he'd want to help. Hell, if I’d known, I would've gone after him myself."

Your stomach churned at his last statement.

Lloyd's anger was an inferno that crackled and roared, consuming everything in its path and leaving an ugly trail of ash behind. Zach's anger was different. His outbursts weren't volcanic like Lloyd's. They resembled a deadly winter storm system that swept in with an icy blast and lingered for months. His frigid rage tore through everything, like the slow advance of a glacier as it carved new valleys into the earth.

"I'm mostly pissed off that I had to find out on my own. That you went to Jake first," Zach said.

"I didn't want to believe it was real. I knew Aiden had been fired and, initially, it felt like he was just redirecting his anger toward me. Being in Singapore with Lloyd when I figured out what was going on made it easier to dismiss his behavior and feel… safe.” 

Safe because of Lloyd. His presence had created a shield against the threats. It was only when that barrier was removed that you fully grasped the gravity of the situation.

"I apologize for lying to you Friday, it was wrong. I didn't want to worry you."

Leaning back, Zach shifted his weight and stretched his long legs under the table.

"I care about you, and Lloyd cares about you. That's why we're upset."

"We?" you asked, your eyes widening.

"No, listen, I haven't told Lloyd. You can count on me to be absent during that conversation. But good luck dealing with him after he finds out.” 

Your lips twisted. "I know. I’ll tell him when he gets back."

Zach nodded and took another sip of beer.

"Jake mentioned giving you a self-defense lesson. Have you had any prior training?"

"A little. Why?"

"Just thinking ahead. The most effective self-defense training is rooted in experience, the kind that gets your adrenaline pumping. Lloyd would go ballistic if he knew what I'm about to suggest, but you need more realistic training, not just the padded-mat stuff in his basement - actual hand-to-hand combat."

His description triggered a wave of nausea that twisted your belly. The physical aspect of investigations wasn't something you aspired to. You saw yourself more as an armchair sleuth than a field agent. 

"We're here for you, Princess, no matter what, but I’m angry you kept this hidden. We could have helped you with Aiden."

Tears welled in your eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any harm, and it wasn't a lack of trust, I swear. At first, I thought I could make it all go away. We had a lot to do on the case, and then things got complicated with Lloyd's father passing. I didn't want to divert anyone’s attention."

Zach chuckled, raising his beer in a toast.

"Don’t worry. Peter Shaw has injected far more distraction into this case than you."

You sighed. "Fair point. Thanks, Zach. That actually made me feel better."

He reached across the table and took your hand.

"I pulled a copy of the police report from Jake's hard drive. I have to say, this isn’t the kind of shit I would’ve expected from Aiden. He struck me as passive-aggressive, with an emphasis on passive."

You nodded. "That's why I didn’t put things together sooner. I blamed my little brother for the prank call and then my phone kept having connection problems in Singapore, which is when the texts started. It was days before I realized I was being harassed."

"Tell me about the prank phone call.” 

As you recounted the details, Zach listened intently.

"He said, 'Never say "who's there?" It's a death wish.' Quoting the original Scream movie?"

"Yeah."

"That came out in ‘96. Seems a bit dated for Aiden's taste, don't you think?"

You shrugged. "I don't know."

"Does he like classic horror movies?"

"I don't know."

"Princess, you dated the guy for months."

"I was more interested in his physical attributes than his opinions on cinema."

Zach rolled his eyes. 

"Hey. I was attracted to him before I found out he was a creep!"

"He’s built like a stick figure."

"He looks like Andrew Garfield and Eddie Redmayne had a love child," you defended.

"How can you be attracted to two men who are such polar opposites? Lloyd's bicep is the same size as Aiden's thigh."

You turned up your nose. "That's so narrow-minded. I appreciate a wide variety of men and from the female perspective, attractiveness is mostly about behavior."

Zach grunted. "I'm aware of the last part, but in my experience, there’s a clear division between women who go for Timothee Chalamet and the ones who are into Henry Cavill. That's how far apart Aiden and Lloyd are, physically speaking."

"That’s an interesting theory. You know, my primary interest in starting a relationship with both of them was physical-"

"Look at the time!" Zach exclaimed. "It's late. We should head out."

"Really? I thought we were having a fun girl talk."

"Have your girl talk with Jen. I don't want to hear about it," Zach said firmly.

He left cash on the table and you followed him through the maze of tables.

"Why does this make you uncomfortable? You and Lloyd discuss your sex lives all the time. Since my sex life is with Lloyd, and you'll hear about it from him-”

"Nope. No way. We've stopped talking about our sex lives," Zach interrupted.

"Is it because we're friends? Or because Lloyd feels awkward about our age difference? Or maybe it's the whole office romance thing?"

"It's all the above," Zach said, holding the door open for you.

"So, Lloyd does feel awkward about our age difference?" 

"I'm not sure, but I do," Zach admitted.

Your brow furrowed, and he rushed to clarify.

"Don’t get me wrong, I’ve teased him by acting interested in you, but it was just to get a rise out of him. He’s so territorial where you’re concerned - it’s hilarious. But I see you more like a little sister or something. Lloyd gets that, so he doesn’t share details. I'm fine with you two sleeping together but that's as far as it goes. I'd rather have my fingernails ripped off than hear the specifics."

"Oh, okay. That's sweet," you said, linking your arm through his.

He snorted and slowed his stride to match yours.

"I knew you two would get together eventually. The chemistry was too strong to ignore. Plus, you get along with that rattlesnake better than anyone I've ever met. As far as I'm concerned, Lloyd should be rushing to the jeweler's and locking this down before you come to your senses."

You giggled. "Aw, I always knew you were a romantic at heart, Zach."

He grinned, teeth flashing under the streetlights. "It's probably just your influence, softening me up."

"Well, since I've managed to get Lloyd to play nice in the sandbox, I'm looking for my next project."

"Oh, no you don't. I refuse to be your Eliza Doolittle," Zach said.

"The fact that you know who Eliza Doolittle is has just removed you from my pool of potential candidates," you replied.

He suggested you watch "Roman Holiday" on Lloyd's projector screen that night and you were about to agree, when the roar of a car engine pierced the air. Your head snapped around, just in time to catch the blinding flash of headlights as tires screeched and a vehicle hurtled over the curb, heading straight towards you. But your feet seemed uncooperative, glued to the pavement, refusing to move. Horror surged through you as the car closed in. Zach’s arms encircled your waist, and suddenly, you were weightless, airborne. 

Instead of being thrown backward from the car’s impact, you were torn off your feet and flung to the right with all the finesse of a human cannonball being ejected from a launchpad. You went soaring through the air like a ragdoll before slamming into the passenger door of a parallel parked Toyota Prius. 

Zach had pulled you out of the way just in time. 

The vehicle raced by, having missed you by inches. Its tires screamed as the driver swerved back onto the road and vanished around the corner, leaving only the fading red glow of brake lights in their wake. Breath caught in your throat, the same breath you’d taken when the danger first became apparent. Zach grabbed you by the shoulders and pulled you into a brief embrace. His words flowed around you, unintelligible while your brain was so taken up with processing the events of the past… fifteen seconds?

He squeezed your upper arms when you didn’t respond to whatever he’d said. 

“Hey! Princess! Listen to me. Are you okay?” 

Gasping, you swayed as you tried to straighten up, but found yourself still leaning against the Prius.

“Yeah. Yeah… I’m fine. Thank you… I… I’m… Thank you!” 

Zach’s gaze swept over you before he ran his hands down from your shoulders, over your arms, and frowned. His expression shifted from worried to suspicious. 

“You’re sure you’re okay?” 

You hesitated. “Um…”

As with any good adrenaline rush, it subsided the moment someone drew attention to your injuries. That’s when the pain crashed over you, its sharp bite stealing the breath from your lungs. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Deputy Russell’s call came in right on schedule. Lloyd leaned against the kitchen counter and hit the answer button, smirking at Elliot. 

“Hey, Canada. We’ve got a problem. The ATF is in town and they’re closing in on Holbrook,” Russell said. 

“The ATF?”

“Yeah. If you want those drugs, we do it before the feds arrive.”

“Works for me. Where are we meeting?”

He took down the address and grinned at Elliot as he pocketed the phone. “Russell really wants those drugs gone.”

Elliot crossed his arms. “Yeah, he wants to sell, or more likely, he wants to get rid of you. That stunt with the fire freaked him out. Russell isn’t the kind of guy you want to spook. He’ll go for the jugular.”

“That’s the whole point. Say, do you have a major attachment to your pickup?”

Elliot raised an eyebrow. “That piece of shit? No.”

“Great. Take the ranch truck,” he said, tossing over the keys.

“You were counting on a double cross all along, weren’t you?”

“I couldn’t see a way around it. Let's go. This time, I actually have a plan.”

It was an hour’s drive to reach the address Russell had chosen for their meeting. The abandoned house outside of Ketchum used to belong to Joe, before the turf war against Holbrook in the early 2000s. Lloyd steeled himself for the ambush he knew was coming as he strode casually up the crumbling sidewalk, pretending he didn’t have a care in the world. 

Elliot’s voice crackled in his ear.

“I see him. He’s parked a block away in a sedan with tinted windows.”

“Left or right?” Lloyd asked. 

“Left.”

“Wait, Lloyd! He’s not... No gun! He has a trigger device!”

That was all the warning he got before a wall of heat erupted in front of him. Lloyd dove for cover behind a tree just in time, hissing as shrapnel seared his back.

“He’s driving past,” Elliot said. “Russell is gone. I’m coming to get you.”

The blast had stunned him for a few seconds, but by the time Elliot reached him, Lloyd was already on his feet. He leaned on his cousin as they sprinted across the street to the ranch pickup truck.

“Are you okay? You don’t have a concussion or anything, do you?” Elliot asked.

“I'm good,” Lloyd said, reaching under his shirt and ripping at the velcro straps that held the kevlar vest he’d worn underneath his clothing. He peeled off the layers and unstrapped the vest to inspect the shards of metal lodged in the back. 

“Damn,” Elliot murmured, taking his eyes off the road for a second to assess the damage.

“Meh. Someone needs a refresher course on bomb making,” Lloyd said. “There wasn't enough shrapnel in that to do much more than put me in the hospital for a few days.” 

“You need a new psychiatrist. Whoever told you weren’t crazy should have their license revoked.” 

Lloyd laughed. They raced to catch up with Russell’s sedan on the remote stretch of highway that led back into the valley. Elliot maneuvered the ranch pickup ahead of the sedan and jerked the wheel, sending the truck spinning sideways to block the road. Russell slammed on the breaks and managed to stop before his front bumper connected with the passenger side of the truck. 

Deputy Russell threw open the driver’s door and lept out of the vehicle, flushed with rage. 

“Are you insane? What the hell do you think you’re…”

The color drained from his face when he saw Lloyd in the passenger seat. Lloyd hopped out of the truck and grabbed the Deputy by his shirt front. 

“Surprised to see me?” he said, grinning at the man and raising his gun with the hand that wasn’t gripping the deputy’s shirt. “Get back in your car. I’m going to climb in the back seat, and unless you want to get a bullet through the heart, I’d follow my directions.”

Russell was shocked enough by the sight of a man he’d believed dead thirty minutes earlier that it was easy to force his compliance. He followed Elliot up the highway and onto a dead end dirt road in the middle of a cattle pasture, out of sight from the main road. The ranch truck pulled over on a wide section and Russell parked behind it.

“Get out,” Lloyd said. 

He grabbed the Deputy’s arm, twisting it behind his back as he pressed the barrel of the gun into his shoulder. Elliot watched from the pickup with his baseball cap pulled low over his eyes to conceal his identity. 

“Do you want it through the heart? Or the brainstem? It’s a Sunday, so I’m offering the victim’s choice special.”

“Don’t! Listen, please! This wasn’t personal-”

“Boring! I don’t care. Today isn’t the first time someone double crossed me and it damn well won’t be the last time.”  

“The feds aren’t just looking for Holbrook, they’re coming for his organization. You know that’s how they operate. Agent Ambrosio wouldn’t bring a whole cavalry if they didn’t have enough to take down everyone involved. But they don’t know about me, I swear! The agent in charge literally called me, which means they don’t know who all the players are.” 

“And you decided throwing them a corpse would fill in the blanks and clear up any questions about his operation, eh?”

“That’s Holbrook’s place. His name is literally on the deed. They would have assumed you were his distributor.”

“And then nobody would look twice at you,” Lloyd said, digging the barrel of his Glock harder into Russell’s back. 

“I told you, it wasn’t personal!” the Deputy yelled. “Listen, we can make this right! I’ll give you the drugs, all of them.”

“Drugs that the ATF is looking for? How stupid do you think I am? It’s a shame our relationship has to end like this, Luke. You had a tight operation going and I could have used a partner like you. But with the feds breathing down your neck and Holbrook about to rollover on you, this thing has gone to hell in a handbasket.” Lloyd sighed, theatrically. “But hey… listen. This is nothing personal.” 

“Wait, please! They’re not looking for me! I can plant the drugs at Holbrook’s place! That drug dealer you threw into Redfish Lake, you know, Carl? We can plant evidence to make it look like he was Holbrook’s man. He went around telling everyone he had Holbrook in his pocket. It’ll work!” 

Lloyd eased the gun away from the Deputy’s back and relaxed his grip on Russell’s arm.

“I’ll lay a false trail right to the evidence for them,” he swore. “We let the heat die down a little and then I’m your guy. We can be partners!” 

“That’s not the worst plan I’ve ever heard…” 

“You want to be a rich man, right? Do you want to leave here empty handed? Think about it.”

Lloyd pretended to mull it over, then clicked his tongue. “Well, damn! Look at us. Enemies to besties, isn’t it great? Come on, Lucas. We’ve got drugs to plant. Where are they?”

“Under the backseat of my car.” 

Lloyd chuckled. “No shit? I was sitting on top of Joe’s stash for the last thirty minutes?” 

- - - - - 

They drove back into town and found Holbrook’s house empty. All Lloyd had to do was stand back and watch as Russell pried open the backseat of his sedan and removed a duffle bag. He used a spare key to open the front door. Lloyd trailed along after him, through the hall and into the kitchen.

Russell crouched in front of a cabinet and pushed on the toe-kick panel to swing it open. Then he unzipped the duffle and removed the plastic wrapped bricks, shoving them into the hiding spot.

“There you go, Holbrook’s as good as-” 

Lloyd brought the butt of the gun down on Russell’s temple, knocking him out cold. 

“Good as arrested,” he said to the unconscious man, wiping his finger prints from the Glock. 

Lloyd planted the Glock in Rusell’s car. He’d taken it from Joe’s safe and assumed it was probably one of his favorites by the worn grip. Undoubtedly, the gun would trace back to half a dozen crimes in the area, just in case Russell found a way to weasel out of his own drug charges. Elliot swung by and picked him up. They drove back to the White Rivers campsite, and at dawn the next morning, watched the real Agent Ambrosio from the ATF march the disgraced lawmen to their SUV in handcuffs. 

He let Elliot handle the binoculars this time, since he’d had the pleasure of knocking the Deputy out yesterday. 

“They’re leading him out now…” Elliot said, providing commentary. “He’s in handcuffs… Here comes Russell. Damn, you did a number on him. He still looks dazed.” 

Lloyd had reclined his seat back as far as it would go and let his eyes fall half-shut. He was exhausted. The adrenaline had worn off hours ago and now he felt every bump and bruise from the explosion at Holbrook’s stash house. He knew he ought to be basking in a hard earned victory, he found he was rather annoyed.

You hadn’t texted him back.

You always texted him back. He didn’t know how to react to being ignored because it had never happened before. Maybe you were just busy. But with what? You always answered his texts within at least a day. 

“Are you staying for the funeral?” Elliot asked.

“No. I’d rather get back home. You?”

“I wasn’t planning on going either. Too depressing. There’s nothing good to say about him and… well, nothing grieve. Not for me anyway.”

“Agreed. Why don’t you come spend the night at the ranch?” Lloyd suggested. 

“Are you sure?” 

Elliot’s surprise reminded him that his cousin had never spent a night at the house, despite being a blood relative. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. You know, something’s been bothering me. April said she overheard you and Holbrook talking. The word ‘mercury’ came up. What the hell was that about?” 

Elliot grinned. “Really? You didn’t figure it out?”

“Figure out what?”

“Dude, you’re in for a shock. I can’t tell you, but I can show you.”

“Show me what?” Lloyd asked. 

Elliot turned on the engine and threw the pickup into reverse with a laugh. “No way, I’m not telling you. You’re going to have to wait and see.” 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Next - Part XVII

Masterlist

[gatheringbones]

[“Time and again, sex workers watch as mainstream feminist intervention and commentary neglects workplace power relations and the need to earn a living. In these analyses, forced health examinations are nothing to worry about, and making sex workers carry an ID around that reveals their real name to potential predators is fine. Schwarzer, despite identifying as an ‘abolitionist’, supports forced health checks and compulsory registration, while leading feminist Julie Bindel criticises regulationism as a legal model but suggests that the promise of registering prostitutes is one of its few redeeming features.

Many anti-prostitution feminists envision state interference uncritically, as harmless for women or even as a form of protection. Writer Kat Banyard approvingly quotes a woman who tells her:

If it hadn’t been legal I wouldn’t have done it … as I wouldn’t rob an old lady or as I won’t steal at the shop or something like that. I wouldn’t have made this decision if it wouldn’t have been so easy and legal. I really had wished that it wasn’t legal and that the state – in Germany, you know we call the state ‘the father’ – and I really had the wish that the father had protected me from that with a good law.

Setting aside the implication that a prostitute should be criminalised in the same way as someone who robs an old lady (a strange implication to find in an ostensibly feminist text), for women to ask the ‘father state’ for protection from what we might perceive to be our own ‘bad decisions’ is about as explicit an appeal to patriarchy as you can get. The word patriarchy literally translates to ‘rule by the fathers’ – or the ‘father state’, one might say.

Though these politics are incredibly frustrating and harmful to sex workers, it isn’t hard to see how they happen. Regulationism represents an understandable nightmare: that we are headed for a hyper-capitalist sexual dystopia where men profiteering from women’s prostitution is a legitimised, unstoppable industry and women’s bodies are cogs in the machine. We don’t disagree that legalisation is bad. In fact, what we’d like very much to do is lead a more robust conversation with people like Bindel, Banyard, and Schwarzer about why and how exactly it is bad and what the alternatives are. To regulate and control sex workers – with the threat of punishment if they don’t comply – is to abandon the poorest and most vulnerable to the shadows. To these workers, legalisation is criminalisation, since the ability to work within the law is in practice beyond them. It’s tempting to imagine drunken, aggressive stag parties stumbling out of bars in Hamburg’s Reeperbahn or Amsterdam’s De Wallen red-light districts and think that only additional restrictions, penalties, and punishments will help. But penalties, however they manifest, only make the sex industry more dangerous for sex workers. Penalties mean taking power from workers and giving it to the police, employers, or clients.”]

molly smith, juno mac, from revolting prostitutes: the fight for sex workers’ rights, 2018

[heytheredahlia]

I've been going feral with some world building that I plan to use for a number of future fics, and after the loving encouragement of some of the people in a discord I favor, I've decided to write up a big lore drop post. Partly so other people can use said lore and partly so I don't have to reestablish it every time I want to use it for a different fic.

In this universe, Nuzlocke is a way of describing the danger inherent to a region. There are Nuzlocke regions and Union regions. Union regions have leagues that abide by Union standards, varying rules to protect both trainers and their Pokémon.

Nuzlocke regions are characterized by increased odds of death and bodily harm to Pokémon participating in battles, both against trainers and wild Pokémon. The Pokémon in these regions tend to be more dangerous and as a result the trainers tend to be a lot more vicious during fights. Where as trainers in Union regions can trust one another to a certain extent, Nuzlocke trainers cannot trust each other not to permanently harm or cripple their Pokémon and fight according, ironically leading to more injuries.

By contrast, the Union provides a number of different services to Union abiding regions. First and foremost is medical aid, care in Union regions typically far outpacing Nuzlocke regions. Additionally, the Union acts as a separate legal force not associated with the League and as such can prosecute trainers for excessive amounts of force. The Union also helps with controlling and monitoring wild populations of Pokémon. Powerful trainers are sent out to capture exceptionally aggressive Pokémon (raid mons for example!) to remove them from the breeding pool and curate a calmer wild Pokémon population. The Union also helps in population maintenance which is why a trainer can catch as many Pokémon as they please in union regions as opposed to Nuzlocke regions that limit one capture per route to maintain a healthy population of wild Pokémon.

A region doesn't immediately become a Union region when the league joins the Union itself. There's a set of criteria that needs to be met before a region looses its Nuzlocke status, and it's possible for regions to slip back into Nuzlocke status if the league is inattentive. This points out perhaps the biggest difference between Union Champions and Nuzlocke Champions. In Nuzlocke regions there is only ever one champion. They are the end all be all of strength and remain in power until a stronger champion beats them. They hold an immense amount of sway but their rule is de facto. Union regions can have multiple champion "ranked" trainers who receive a number of benefits for their ranking but only have one primary Champion that is the acting leader for the region itself. The goal of these Champions is to act as guides and protectors for their region, and the role can be passed over at any time to another suitable Champion ranked trainer.

For trainers wishing to swap regions that have different classifications there are a number of rules and regulations regarding Pokémon. Nuzlocke caught Pokémon cannot leave a Nuzlocke region without special testing and certifications proving the Pokémon in question isn't a threat and that the trainer knows how to use reasonable force in battles be they wild or trainer. It is possible for trainers moving to Union regions to obtain licenses for force but these are only applicable when used against dangerous wild Pokémon, again such as raid mons.

Both Nuzlocke and Union regions provide licenses for trainers to carry more than six Pokémon at a time, but only a maximum of six Pokémon can ever be used during a singular battle. In Union regions this rule typically only exists for the sake of ride Pokémon or service Pokémon but Nuzlocke trainers have been known to use this rule to keep multiple battle ready teams on their person, especially more powerful trainers.

Region Specific Lore and Worldbuilding

Kanto/Johto: Kanto and Johto due to proximity have remained consistently linked in terms of status, sharing a singular league between the two. During the course of Red and Blue it was still a Nuzlocke region but has long since joined the Union the term only just barely still applied. Immediately after during the time in which Lance was coming into power as champion, the join regions were finally declared officially Union.

Hoenn: Before the Union was officially recognized, Hoenn had a proto-union of sorts due in large part to the existence of contests. Nuzlocke rulings were often contradictory to what contests necessitated and the death of popular contest Pokémon could often cause large scale upset. The transfer to Union ruling was exceptionally easy for Hoenn and it's been Union ever since.

Sinnoh: To this day, Sinnoh is still a Nuzlocke region and you can thank Cynthia for that. She is not actively malicious, but she isn't particularly kind either. She loves her own team but has no special care for other trainers Pokémon which has inspired a similar disposition in the rest of the region. Cynthia has shown no signs of wanting to become a Union regulated region and because of this Sinnoh is something of a safe haven for trainers who prefer Nuzlocke ruling.

Unova: Until recently, Unova was a Nuzlocke region. During Alder's younger days he was a trainer who sought strength, which was encouraged. When he lost his partner it was a wake up call. Between that and the rise of Team Plasma, the region began to shift priorities and during the end of his time as Champion, Alder began the framework to get the region union recognized. By the events of B2W2, the region is already officially Union status having historically been one of the fastest regions to meet the requirements outside of the founders.

Kalos: Kalos has a complicated history due to the actions of Team Flare. While regarded as a Union region for most of the time the Union has existed, the actions of Team Flare managed to cause the region to slip into Nuzlocke classifications temporarily before the region was brought back under control. The awakening of the legends in X and Y caused a surge of more violent and powerful Pokémon that had to be quelled, though the situation was rather quickly rectified.

Alola: Alola itself is a difficult topic due to how young its actual league is. It lacked a champion until very recently and because of that it was also a Nuzlocke region, lacing any Union presence as well. Because of this, Alola is up there as one of the most dangerous regions alongside Sinnoh. Upon receiving a champion the league immediately got to work trying to get the region up to Union standards but it's been a long and slow process as a lot of trainers have been resisting the change.

Galar: Galar is one of the oldest Union regions, having helped to establish the union as a present force. This can especially be seen in the fact that the role of Champion for this region has been split into two, with a powerful active Champion to take care of threats and the role of Chairman filling in for the bureaucratic duties that Champions in other regions would also shoulder.

Paldea: Paldea is a long standing Union region, however, the existence of Paradox Pokémon poses a certain degree of threat. As long as they remain in the great crater then the region as a whole remains up to Union standards and Area Zero can be carefully monitored. If the Paradox Pokémon begin escaping however... Well, Union regions can be reclassified as Nuzlocke if they stop meeting all necessary standards.