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hai7ani · 18 days ago

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Stay / Haitani Rindou

Power Trip / Cry Me a River

cw canon-typical violence, suggestive, ran plays a huge role, abandonment, grief, death / Sequel

Things haven't been the same since South died.

He doesn't tell you much, so you don't really know things, but you're not an idiot.

You know of the late nights he's been spending out with his brother lately. When you ask, they simply tell you they've got a party going on at the usual place with the usual group of people, down the street.

When you ask.

Before leaving for the night he'd double check the locks and make Ran tell the lady next door to call him if she sees anything suspicious happening around the block or outside the unit.

"Stay home, be safe, alright?" Ran would tell you after giving you and his brother some space 一 for him to give you a kiss on the cheek as per his own habit, and for you to cling onto him a few minutes before they go as per your own 一 as always. And he'd ruffle your hair if they're down, or fix your braids a little if he'd tied it earlier for you, and then they'd leave. Together.

The extra precautions the brothers take on their home and you recently has been getting a little bit overwhelming. It's not that you don't understand why they do this 一 things aren't exactly safe for you as the girlfriend of a Haitani and is seen as a younger sister to the elder, who are both now heavily involved with dangerous people dubbed as a safety hazard to the general public.

Rindou has spent years outside of the gang curating ways with Ran to keep you safe and hidden away from the lingering, hungry eyes of their rivals and enemies who are constantly looking for ways to tear him and his brother down from their reputations 一 he is not going to risk putting you in danger, being used as a target as a means to get to the brothers, or being ambushed simply because you are yourself, a woman.

But as more time passes, with more and more late nights spent wandering alone in the Haitani household waiting for them to come home to you 一 or if they'd even come home at all 一 you've been starting to think there is something else going on.

You don't like that he's been making you feel this way.

Abandoned, left alone.

If he is cheating on you, even if it hurts 一 even if it might rip you apart into a million pieces 一 you think you want to know. Seeing for yourself who the other woman is, or who the other man is 一 you think it might give you some closure.

But he isn't cheating on you. You know he is not. He still comes home to you with that same, stupid smile on his face when he catches you on the PC fooling with some games or messing around with his unfinished mixes. He still brings home your favourite Chinese takeout with extra spring onions from the family-owned restaurant down the street.

He is still your Rindou when he comes home. He hugs you to sleep and he hugs you when you wake up. He kisses you in front of Ran despite the embarrassment you know he hates facing because Ran is a huge tease 一 he is relentless with the jokes 一 but he still does it anyway simply because he doesn't think loving you is something to hide in front of him, his brother, and a person you have both always looked up to in life 一 a boy who have always been protecting the two of you, pushing you both forward in life with arms behind your backs and a smile on his face.

You think he has been abandoning you lately 一 yeah, that's what it is. He makes you feel like he is going to leave sometime soon, again, and you don't fancy it at all.

You don't ever want him to leave again.

...

The year 2000 was the very first time.

Eight years ago, just downstairs of your own apartment a few blocks away from theirs, you had to watch with a broken heart filled with so much guilt and shame pouring out of the cracks, as the brothers get arrested for something that wasn't even their fault.

Eight years ago you had bumped into a man. A very tall man donning a very intimidating uniform, with equally intimidating men standing behind him as they stared you down and one of them had flipped away the ice cream cone in your hands down to the concrete floor. You remember staring at the vanilla slowly dripping down and staining his grey uniform with so much fear settling in your bones, and they'd spent the evening picking at your hair, your skirt, your backpack.

You and Rindou had gotten into a fight that afternoon. He'd refused to walk you home despite his brother's disagreement, and watched you stomp away in near tears because you didn't like that he kept boasting about his Math paper which scored a little higher than yours. The boy had been waiting for you downstairs at your apartment, eager to say sorry with a bowl of soba in his hands that he'd bought and carried all the way from the stall just right around the corner, and when he noticed he has been waiting for almost 2 hours and you still weren't home despite school having ended hours ago, he panicked.

And then everything after happened in a flash. One minute ago the man was saying something along the lines of, "While we're at it, shall we have some more fun as well?" And at the next, your childhood best friend was right on top of him, bashing his skull in, again and again and again. "Say it again, you bastard!" He yelled. Ran was trying to hold him back, but Rindou was far stronger than Ran at that time despite being a year younger and shorter than him.

You remember it being the day the Haitani Brothers had been the new group to take over Roppongi, your home, and chose to cover the entire story up as a way to keep you hidden 一 as a way to protect you, so that you won't have anything to do with the death, and you won't have to deal with the cops (they have experience watching their parents, who were once corrupted millionaires).

They were arrested the next day. During their court ruling, Ran had received a longer sentence than Rindou for being the one to beat the victim to death, with Rindou named as an accomplice for holding the victim down as the incident occurred. No witnesses were quoted, and all CCTV footages of the scene were destroyed.

And then they left for 2 years, spending their time in a juvenile centre in a city far away from Roppongi. You'd travel hours a week just to see them, and you'd cry and tell them how sorry you are and how you should've been the one to talk to the cops 一 that way, it might've at least been considered as self-defence. It had been your fault anyway, if you were actually using your eyes for once and watched where you were going, you never would've bumped into him. None of this would've ever happened then.

You had spent two years alone, sometimes staying the night at their home with their family maid and their grandmother accompanying you while you sleep in his bed and cry. You have spent two years blaming yourself for what had happened. You have spent two years of your early teenage life resenting them for leaving you, for doing all of this without even considering your feelings the entire process.

The year 2005 was the second time, when Yokohama Bay had become your new spot to avoid.

The news came to you late, as you were supposed to stay home and wait for their return to Tokyo 一 as per Ran's demand. "Stay home, be safe." The same memo as he'd always say, but no longer a request this time.

Three hours after they had left a friend of theirs came knocking on your door. He was one of the very few people Rindou allowed to know who you were, simply because he still needed his own extra pair of eyes whenever he and Ran are out doing business with Izana.

And then it happened again 一 police at the scene, a pair of unconscious bodies lying on the floor covered with a huge, white cloth, and your childhood best friends tied in handcuffs with blood and bruises all over their face.

You remember having the rest of the Tenjiku members who were also arrested at the scene (the ones who chose to stay back, for Izana) watch a girl around their age slowly approach the yellow tape, crying, as she struggled against the police. "Nii-chan? What is going on?"

Ran had never felt so guilty before.

And you remember staring at your boyfriend who you have just started being intimate with a few months ago with so much pain and trauma in your eyes. Last night he'd promised in your ear he'll come home to you safe and sound.

He'll get this one done and then he'll come home. He said it himself 一 there's a Coldplay concert happening this weekend, he'd be a dead man if he were to miss it.

...

He doesn't come home for six months. You ripped and threw your tickets into the bin. You trashed Ran's room out of anger and quickly fixed things back when you realised what you've done.

Their original sentence was to be eight, but with good behaviour and great contributions to the rehabilitation centre, it was then reduced to six.

Your relationship had been in a standstill then. You don't visit the entire time they were held in the centre. He wrote to you on the second month and sent you origami flowers (which were approved by the guards) and a long ruler with a black Sharpie mark on 6 that only you would understand, with Ran adding his own note at the bottom of the letter, telling you to look for Aoyagi if you are ever in danger, or simply needed some form of help.

"Stay home, be safe." He added.

What a hypocrite.

Rindou abandoned you for the second time. Nii-chan broke his promise again.

Six months later, after their release, they come home to their apartment decorated in things they never would've bought. Crocheted pillow cases on their couch, a new IKEA makeup table randomly sitting in Rindou's room (next to his PC table), wet bras and panties hanging on a line in his own bath, and your laundry either neatly folded on the couch or simply thrown all over the house.

You appear from the pantry in just a bra and lounging shorts with a mouth full of popcorn and rollers still in your hair when you hear the commotion.

They swiftly realised then that you have fully moved yourself in here while they were away. "Made yourself real comfortable, huh?" Ran had joked, and you threw him a pillow landed right at his face. (He had a nosebleed that didn't stop for a good fifteen minutes.)

"I can't trust you guys not to leave anymore." You had said to them sternly, back faced as you were putting on one of Rindou's old band tees fresh from the wash, with Ran facing the wall out of respect (it was one of the very few times you had caught him off-guard, yet you truly do not give a fuck) and Rindou kneeling behind you on the floor, in seiza, with his head hung low.

"So, I'll keep watch on you two myself. You're not going out without telling me where, when, with who, doing what."

Your method worked pretty well for two stubborn people who you see as family, coming from a girl they never really take seriously just because you are so close to each other. It lasted about a few months, with Rindou always updating you on where he went (he did it all willingly, really), like the DJ gigs at the club or going to the gym for the Judo and Muay Thai classes he'd signed up for, and Ran never going out ever since, all to sleep like a dead person in his room.

And then there came a man named South.

He had pretty great plans for a man new to the gangster scene in Japan. Rindou had told you all about it 一 he'd swore (willingly) not to hide anything from you after that. You remember how he'd boast about surely winning the upcoming fight against Kantou Manji and Brahman because he's been real pumped lately 一 the Judo and Muay Thai classes he's been attending consistently came in real handy this time 一 and you'd smack his cheek as a warning to not fool around with these people any further because they mean serious business now.

...

South had died in the battle, as a result of his loss from the Battle of the Three Deities. Naturally, this also means that the brothers are now under the control of another man again.

Mikey is his name. You saw him once, 3 years ago in Yokohama when you were riding on the bike of Aoyagi on the way to see Ran and Rindou at the scene. Mikey had been taking the initiative and signalling for his injured men and Tenjiku's on where to go and what to do.

He has always been a leader in your eyes since then, despite the small resentment you held for him for whatever that happened. So to hear from Ran about the current Mikey and his plans for the future as soon as Rokuhara Tandai and Brahman had been absorbed into Kantou Manji, you didn't think you would be able to digest it so soon.

And of course, Rindou went away again. But this time, he told you about it before he left.

"Baby, thank you for telling me." You remember feeling so relieved to hear when he kissed and informed you of the news, choosing to let him go on his own and helping him pack for a few days and nights away from home.

He sent you a picture of the sea two days later. Then, a white car with wings and huge exhaust pipes you don't know the name of, followed by a photo of himself with the beautiful sun setting behind him.

"I got a grandmother to take it for me. She reminded me of Baa-chan (as in his own grandmother who raised all three of you together). I think I want to name my new song after her. Her name is Minori, from Zushi. Like me, she came to Kamakura for the sea. It's still beautiful here like before. I'll bring you one day, Mom and Dad would love to see you again." He wrote, before going offline soon after.

You knew then that Rindou had gone back to Kamakura 一 the place that his parents were born in, and the place that they were buried in.

"Did you have fun?" You remember kissing him welcome-home a week later. He's a little tanned from the sun of July, probably spending most of his time back there catching the waves with the new friends he's told you about, and you think you love him even more when he grabs your nape and pulls you close, closer.

You like that he is smiley now. More talkative, more responsive.

"Yeah. I got you these." And he helps you put on a pair of pearl earrings he'd gotten as a gift from an elderly couple who were on the last days of their lives, spending their time at home watching the sea in Kamakura.

You've not once taken off the earrings since that day, and he, too, hasn't spoken much to you about what happened. Whatever that has happened. You don't know what's going on in his head 一 how he's dealing with the recent death of a friend and how he is handling the new changes to his life, or if there's a specific reason he'd gone back to visit his parents' graves.

(Rindou is now a member of Kantou Manji and he truly thinks that Mikey is insane 一 Sanzu even more. He doesn't know how the others are able to stand being in the same room with him for more than a second. He genuinely hates Hanma as well. Somehow the guy had caught wind on his little girlfriend (you showing up to the scene 3 years ago and was caught by local blabber mouth Shion) and wouldn't stop annoying him about it. He has thought of killing that man right then and there with a stick up his ass to stop the news from spreading, but that would mean he'd have to go to jail again, and he doesn't want to do that again.

Ran has gotten himself a new girlfriend too 一 the fourth one over the course of the three months he'd finally started dating girls 一 that he frequently brings over to the house and fucks like it's their last day living. He thinks this is his least favourite one. He doesn't really like her as she enjoys talking down to especially you simply because she is five years and four older than the three of you.

"Who the fuck does this hag think she is? Watch me kick her out, babe. And if Ran tells me off I'll kick him first and then I'll kick him out.")

...

You fear he is falling in despair.

He's constantly staring into space. Sometimes he'd stare out the window at night overlooking Roppongi with the Tokyo Tower in the back while munching on some yoghurt mix you'd made for him as a snack, and you'd watch together with him in silence 一 behind him so he doesn't know you're there. You don't want him to be alone like you have all those years ago.

The first time, he left for two years. Then, he left for six months. He'd only came back from Kamakura just three weeks ago, on a week away from the city (the violence).

Is Mikey going to take him away from you too?

Would he leave forever now that he is involved with the man and his gang?

...

You think he is going to again.

He's been not-so-discreetly packing his clothes while he thinks you're asleep and hiding the duffle bag in the storage room.

"Rindou, don't go." You finally say it to him tonight. He is busy wiping you down so he didn't really hear you that well. He hums, "what's that?"

"Don't go. Don't leave me." You start crying out of the blue. "You always leave me. When will you stop doing that? Don't you love me? You wouldn't keep leaving if you did."

"Babe-"

"We were kids when you left. You promised to take me to the theatre and watch theatre Barbie for Christmas and then you go away with the police. We were teenagers when you left the second time. You wanted to bring me to see Coldplay sing that weekend but you went away and I had to spend all of our birthdays alone in this room. Are you going to leave again when we're adults? Aren't you gonna marry me, huh? Are you going to leave me for Mikey or are you going to make me a widow this time? Which one is it, Rindou? Tell me so I can prepare myself. You don't tell me things anymore. I don't know what's going on in your mind."

You go on like that for quite some time. You slap him once and hit him on the chest twice. You cuss him out three times 一 one for being such an asshole, two for fucking breaking your heart like it's all his and not your own anymore, three for he's such a jerk for making you wait all this while 一 and finally, finally, when you're about to cuss him out again the fourth time, he kisses you.

He kisses you and kisses you and kisses you.

"I'm sorry for wanting to leave. Again. Just thought you might be safer if I'm not around."

He realises all of your true feelings then 一 all the things you've kept bottled up in your little heart, all of it resting in your chest kept all to yourself, as you put up a strong front in front of them just to make him feel at peace again, because you don't want him to leave anymore. He tends to leave whenever he feels the urge to protect you, as if he is the biggest danger itself.

"I'm a strong girl, you know? Baa-chan always told me so. I don't need any protecting, so you don't have to leave anymore. Stay with me, Rin. Stay, don't go away again. I can't do this anymore. I don't want you to go." You beg.

"Okay. I won't go. I promise." He swipes your tears away with both palms and kisses your eyelids.

He thinks of Mikey's offer the entire time while he hushes you to sleep, pinky's interlocked just like when you were younger and was very afraid of the dark, and would make little Rindou hold your hand until you saw light again.

"Guess I'll die..." He turns to you then 一 naked, but so beautiful. Your neck is covered, littered with hickeys and his back stings from the scratches you'd left on his skin earlier, but he doesn't mind. He never minds. He loves it, actually. "I've talked it out with death. Mom, Dad, Izana, and South... This'll surely be the last one I'll go through. My own, and yours."

"We'll see the light soon, hopefully." He whispers in your ear. "We'll be free."

"Okay." You mumble sleepily, a tired smile stretching across your kiss-swollen lips. You don't really get what he's saying, but whatever. Your pinky's are intertwined, there's no way he'd ever leave again, right? He'd be breaking your code if he did.

...

Ran has been waiting for him for the past hour.

Despite his patience slowly running out, he doesn't find it in him to rush his brother, or to yell at him through the door 一 to hurry it up and get it moving like he usually would.

He gives him time. He understands that it is a big decision. He knows it's going to break your heart if Rindou had truly said yes to the offer.

He wonders what your reaction would be like if he did.

A honk from downstairs catches his attention and he realises it is time.

His eyes glances at the clock hanging off the wall 一 9am sharp on the clock. And then they move down to the photo frame hanging just below 一 the three of you at school in uniforms, a picture taken by a teacher Ran had absolutely hated, but you loved.

A black limousine, as mentioned before in the meeting, parked on the curb with double signals turned on.

A man exits the car and tucks something into the back pocket of his Levi's. He opens the door for another man. Mikey exits, stands, and stares at Ran through the window 一 a 20-something-floor distance between the two, but he knows right exactly where they live, and where exactly Ran is at.

It fears him.

And it fears him even more that Rindou is not awake.

That was a gun he was holding.

So he enters your room, watch the two of you get tangled under the sheets with drool all over your pillows, hair messy, and the alarm clock clearly 一 deliberately 一 not ringing.

He smiles. Ran thinks all the fear in him is gone.

"You've been brave, Stupid Rin." He says. "You don't have to be anymore."

"Nii-chan'll go alone this time." He fixes your blanket and squeezes Rindou's oily nose shut, watching as he struggled to breathe a little, but slept it off anyway. A quiet laugh escapes his lips and he sits by the bed.

"Be safe."

And he prepares to stand.

"What about 'stay home'?" You ask when he is halfway up from the bed.

He knew you had been awake the whole time anyway.

"Will you come home?"

Ran pinches your cheek.

"Nah." He braids a thin strand of your hair with quick work. "I won't call either."

"Be safe, bunny. Take care of Rindou."

You have always liked hopping around when you were younger. You think you'll go do it more often now. At the park, maybe 一 you'll go terrorise some 8 year-olds and steal their skipping ropes, and some chalk perhaps.

"Bye-bye, Nii-chan."

...

"I see you've made your choice. Great one, Ran."

"...You have me for life, Mikey. I'll kill for you. I'll die for you. My life is now yours," he pauses.

"In exchange for that..."

Mikey thinks he is afraid to say it.

I shall scare him further then.

"I did say I'll kill him and her both if he said no, didn't I? That I'd shoot them in the head and feed them to Shiba Taiju's sharks. They've been really hungry lately."

"Yes."

And?

"Mikey, I'm good. I can fight, I can stay loyal. I'm good with the business groove, I can work with Kokonoi and bring in the money. In exchange for that, for having me for life, you will leave my brother alone. You will leave his girlfriend, my sister, alone. I am coming to you as a man who has a family. Please, leave them alone."

"That's interesting." Mikey grins, maniacally.

He pulls the trigger, shoots the other man.

Mikey tells Ran to drive the car. There is blood all over the steering wheel, but he grabs onto it as if it is merely just water.

Now his hands are really, really, tainted with blood. Tainted with the blood of his own soul 一 Haitani Ran 一 as he sells it to the devil. The Pompompurin keychain you had gifted him a few years back because you thought it'd resembled him a lot, now covered in the same blood as he hides it deep in his pocket.

He feels his hands tremble as he puts the gear to D and steps on the accelerator.

To our memory.

"You're wise, Ran."

No witnesses. Only between us both. I will leave Haitani Rindou and your sister alone.

"You have my word."

Sequel

in another life, where rindou said no to joining what would soon become bonten, and ran exchanged his life for both rindou and yours.

#writing #rindou x reader #rindou haitani x reader #haitani rindou x reader #rindou haitani #haitani rindou #ran x reader #haitani ran x reader #ran haitani x reader #ran haitani #haitani ran #tokyo revengers x reader #tokrev x reader #tr x reader #tokyo revengers #tokrev #tr #bonten x reader #bonten

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llamagoddessofficial · 1 year ago

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Llamaaaaa, I’ve got major brain rot over the Maifia babes! Would the situation/ romancing of reader change much if she were the daughter of a rival, Don or a straight and narrow police captain?

oooh... the daughter of a police captain? It might change a few things

Sans: He lies to everyone. Her dad is no exception. He's dedicated every aspect of himself to ensuring she belongs to him- what's one more person to lie to? Though staging her father's death was certainly an option, Sans draws an oddly specific line at killing family (wonder why?).

Sans is charming, in the way many stereotypical sociopaths are. He plays the safe, stable, polite boyfriend that wins her family over with bad jokes and good manners. His facade of having a boring and safe (yet very successful) banking job means Mc's dad might even actively prefer Sans over her past partners, because he believes she'll be safe.

And... well. He's not wrong. The only times Sans has ever been honest with Mc's father was when asked if he loved her, and if he'd keep her safe.

Red: Fuck cops. Red's gonna be the irresistible bad boy with a heart of gold, the attractive and dangerous side of life that she's been denied until now. Power and glamour and parties and all the wild luxuries and freedoms his protection brings- what's her dad gonna do, arrest him for taking a consenting pretty lady on expensive dates? Red likes subtly gloating about how the cops have absolutely no evidence against him for anything.

... He's also going to show her the reality of the police. He'll show her just why he's so antagonistic toward a captain. Things are a lot more complex than her 'straight and narrow' dad has lead her to believe, it's never been as simple as the good cops vs. the evil monsters... why do you think he got so powerful in the first place, doll? Here's a clue; it wasn't because the cops were well liked.

... Cop or not, though, Red gets antsy at the thought of her losing someone she loves. So for the time being, Mc's dad is unaware that Red's 'family' have designated him completely off-limits. Red may despise everything her father stands for, but he's not going to let the man die.

Skull: It doesn't change much about his wooing method. He's still a mess, he still tries to win her over with classical romance methods and pretty things. Who her family is has absolutely no meaning to him. Though... he might start deliberately targeting people who pose a threat to her, considering her dad is most likely well known.

Honestly, if it gets to the point where she's bringing Skull home to meet her family, I can see Mc's dad taking something of a weird shine to Skull. Not knowing about the giant's crimes, obviously. Skull might be physically imposing, but her dad has met a lot of imposing people, and when Skull is around Mc he just seems so... harmless. Like a puppy following her around, waiting for a pat. Skull's total adoration is so clear and untainted that it shines through his terrible appearance.

Her dad gets the strong feeling that no matter what Skull does, he will always put Mc first. He approves of that.

#llamagines #sans is 'yes sir ill have her home by 9pm'#red is 'your daughter calls me daddy too'#skull is......... a secret third thing

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bruhstation · 10 months ago

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Since we see him every now and then, what is Ryan like in Casa Tidmouth?

ryan works at the harwick branchline with daisy. in the secret of the lost treasure and misty island rescue arcs, ryan is the bystander to thomas' adventures that lead up to his fight with sailor john and skiff, eventually adding to the number of supporting characters that got dragged into both the mystery surrounding the gold dust and the mess thomas has left on sodor. after sailor john got arrested and thomas went missing, ryan helped thomas' friends look for his whereabouts while also being the key witness to sailor john's mad ramblings about "lady of the legend" and his motives for almost blowing up the island. ryan never asked for any of this but because he likes thomas and knows info that other people don't, he just HAS to step in

outside of the plot-heavy stuff, ryan's one of the kinder sudrian railway workers compared to his weirdo coworkers. he considers daisy and thomas to be his closest friends despite the former having the tendency to push her workloads onto him in the past and the latter being a bit standoffish despite ryan's attempts at hospitality.

ryan's extended family, on the other hand...

ryan is connected to the gresleys through his mother. his mother is the daughter of joseph gresley I (the gresleys’ grandfather), so he’s the cousin of gordon, scott, spencer, and mallard. he doesn’t talk to his cousins often ever since he’s a teenager because they’re nutjobs who mostly care about themselves and ryan has self-respect and values his sanity

unlike most his cousins who has the power of hater-ism coursing through their veins, ryan is a perfectly normal man who cares about his friends. he talks about his issues directly instead of letting it simmer. he sometimes have drinks with daisy and thomas after work. he used to have trouble articulating his more “negative” feelings and driving his opinion, but he’s doing better lately. he wants to maintain peace by being kind to others, which makes him prone to being dragged into any weird business his cousins have whenever they have the chance.

whenever holiday season is around the corner, ryan knows exactly what to expect. scott, his most famous cousin, the only one who still GAF about tightening what’s left of the gresleys together, will ask him to come over for dinner with his cousins (his charisma stat is maxed out). ryan can’t refuse because scott will pull excuses like “it’s just once a year” or “there's a dog” and ryan doesn’t have anything else to do. the family party will start off normal, then when mallard brings out the wine (provocateur!!!) things go south. gordon and spencer would badmouth each other about each other's secrets/fails, they get into a fight, scott tries to calm them down, ryan frowns at the disinterested mallard, sighs, goes outside to the nearest telephone booth to call daisy and ask her to pick him up. at this point it’s comical

ryan’s really the opposite of his cousins, from clothing to backstory. when designing him, I took the key components of his cousins’ designs and invert them. his cousins dress lavishly – big coats and suits, but ryan just rolls up his sleeves and dons a vest. his cousins’ haistyles are combed back, gelled, etc, while ryan’s hair goes everywhere (parted bangs show hairline). most of his cousins have horrific trauma related to death and loss from their childhood, while ryan’s just a city boy who grew up with nothing eventful in his life (except attending his cousins’ funerals). he doesn’t even inherit the gresley surname and is oblivious to most of the gossips surrounding or is inside the gresley family.

ryan is his own person who gets thrown around like a volleyball a lot, but he still has a good heart. one can consider ryan to be what any of his cousins would’ve ended up like if they had normal upbringings. who am I kidding? lol

#asks #anonymous #thomas the tank engine #thomas and friends #ttte ryan #casa tidmouth #senjart #my most normal guy ever. my average joe. I love you #this post became mostly about ryan's connection with the gresleys more than it is about his connection with thomas' gold dust adventures #but hehe hope you enjoy #also I really liked the shading I did in this post's art #cream yellow really do go well with baby blue #also ryan has a teeny itty bitty crush on thomas. probably because he thinks thomas' angry pouty attitude is kinda cute #not that it's important because he's focused on THE BAG #also peep ryan's last name heheheh

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ilythecolorpink · 1 year ago

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Halloween with Gojo (Satoru Gojo x fem reader)

You and your husband Satoru Gojo are celebrating Halloween while you wait for the 1st year students to go trick or treating, Gojo decides to give you a treat of his own.

It was Halloween night, with waves of children's laughter passing by as they all arrived at you and your husband's front door. Given that your husband is Satoru Gojo and that he is the most popular neighbor, it seems as though he is like a celebrity. You were relaxing on his comfortable blue couch as you waited for him to put on his costume. You were honestly very excited for tonight as not only were you celebrating with Gojo but his 1st year students as well for the first time.

You peek up as Gojo exclaims out from the other side of the bedroom door, "Baby are you ready to see my amazing costume that will make all my students jealous?" You chuckle and sit up from your position, saying, "Will see about that, show me how you look darling." Then he asks, "So what do you think?" while stepping outside, he donned a brown prisoner suit and had one wrist handcuffed. You laugh because you were prepared for something quite different, but you were also interested in the decision he made. "Honey, you look great, but why did you choose that?" you say to him. Your husband approaches you, now sitting down, and says flirtatiously, "I'm being punished for stealing your heart of course."

You gently slide closer to him while grinning and blushing slightly in response to his remark. You gradually brush your fingertips along his chest while whispering seductively, "You are so cute darling, is this your way of saying you like to be tied up?" with a cocky smirk, Gojo asks, "And what if I do, sweetheart, what are you going to do about it?" He just smirks as I say, "This." I effortlessly straddle him by the waist, placing a delicate hand on his chest to secure him to the couch's surface. I give him a rough kiss as he moans softly into it whilst gripping my hair. He grabs my waist and turns me around, pinning me down.

Before I can do anything else, he adds, "Not so fast baby, you can't have all the fun." He grips your wrist as you ask him, "What are you doing?" while gazing passionately at him. He chuckles as you hear the click of the handcuffs on your wrist, he says, “Why arresting you of course” You mutter, "I thought it was supposed to be the other way around?" whilst you take a deep breath. Gojo approaches your neck at that point, causing you to moan in reaction as he whispers, "Just be good for me love, and play along yeah?" You moan in pleasure as he gives you a gentle kiss on your neck.

However, before anything more could happen, you heard a faint knocking noise and the voices of three people at the door. Itadori yells "Trick or treat" as he knocks on the door. Then Nobara gives his head a gentle whack and says, "Idiot, you're supposed to say it when they open the door." Megumi simply sighs and states, "You guys know I have the key right?" to the two of them. "So you just let me embarrass myself and you didn't think to mention it before?" Itadori asks Megumi. Nobara simply chuckles, and Megumi just shrugs as he enters.

Gojo says, "Sorry darling but we have to cut this short," from hearing his students. You push Gojo off you as you flush in embarrassment. Itadori hugs Gojo while Megumi only lifts his head to greet you both. "Ouu Sensei, I didn't know you were dating someone," teases Nobara, placing a hand on her hip. Gojo chuckles as he says, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to meet my very beautiful wife Y/N." Then, Gojo releases Itadori and Nobara, shocking them both saying "YOU HAVE A WIFE?" When Nobara asks, "Why didn't you tell us?" Gojo laughs. Itadori asks, "Wait you knew?" after Megumi said nonchalantly, "It was so obvious." Gojo head pats Itadori as he remarks, "Of course he did, he is my son after all." "You're not my dad, old man", Megumi remarks. Gojo states in a dramatic manner, "Kids these days are so cruel to their parents.”

A/N: I know it's so early but I wanted to write it anyway since October is coming up soon so I hope you guys enjoy it. I love you guys so much, y'all make my day fr fr.

#x reader #fanfic #anime #jjk #jjk x reader #x y/n #gojo satoru #gojou satoru x reader #jjk satoru #jujustsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen #gojo saturo x y/n #gojo saturo x you #gege when i catch you gege #yuji itadori #nobara kugisaki #megumi fushiguro #gojo satoru x female reader #halloween

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la-scree · 3 months ago

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So You Wanna Know More About Mira Chambers...

I mean, some probably don't but I wanna talk about her a bit outside of gposes because she's my quiet goober and I love her. So here's some of her backstory before ARR and some things that are different within canon.

Despite her looking the part, Mira is no prim or proper lady. She's born and raised in the Brume by a single mother, her father was killed by an ambush of cloudkin before Mira could walk. One would think that being raised in such a place would make them upset but Mira was different, taking it as a point of pride. After all, Brumelings tended to be much tougher and close knit compared to highborns or nobles. Sure they didn't have much and it was tough but they always managed to make due for the most part.

Mira's mother didn't want her to stay in the poorest area for the rest of her life so she worked as hard as she could to afford to send Mira to school so she could learn how to read and write...and read she did. In fact, Mira loved to read so much that instead of of playing with the other children during their free time, she devoured all the schoolbooks she could. There was the rare time when she did get to play with the other kids but some of them thought it was a good idea to tell Mira that she needed to play a role more suited to girls instead of pretending to be a knight. This actually sparked a moment that would shape Mira into the woman she is today because as she and her mother headed home one evening, they both saw someone donned in black armor with a large greatsword take on several temple knights. Those in the Brume never tell the authorities what they were but they knew: a dark knight.

And Mira wanted to be just like that.

So much that the next time when she ran into the same boy who told her she couldn't be a knight, she did the most logical thing a nine year old would do: get the biggest and longest stick she could find and beat his ass with it, declaring that one day she will instead become a dark knight and help those of the Brume. But this is still Ishgard and talking about dark knights out in the open was not a good thing so the adults had to tell her to keep that quiet otherwise the temple knights would kill her. Yes, they said 'kill', not 'arrest' because it's best to tell the kid the truth in order to keep them safe.

(And in like twenty years time said kid goes off and saves the universe. Oops.)

While Mira still kept that dream, her other one was to make sure her mother had some more comforts and so once she couldn't learn more from school (see 'learned more than the teacher had'), she attempted to work alongside her mother as a maid but therein lies a problem: Mira had a hard time keeping focus on her work. Instead of scolding her daughter, her mother decided to take note of how she acted and what could be done because Mira is normally a good kid so why was it hard for her to focus or pay attention? She realized that things like books and learning stimulated her and that maid work was simply out of the question. So she pulled some strings and talked to an old acquaintance who specialized in bookbinding and book repair for the lowborn folk. This was how Mira became an apprentice bookbinder and things were going great...until the Calamity happened.

Now with eternal snow, Mira felt like she had to work harder to provide for her mother. But she and her boss knew that Mira would not be satisfied where she was, needing to spread her wings. Both of them agreed that Mira would suffocate staying in Ishgard and convinced her to try being an adventurer for some time and find her calling. But Mira did protest a bit when she said she wanted to help her mother for all that she's done but her mom did tell her that while she appreciated all that she's done for her, she refused to let Mira stagnate behind these stone walls forever.

Turns out it was a good call given what happened next.

Given all of this, Mira is still a quiet person who does genuinely want to help those she cares about. While it tends to also be a general world bit, Mira's focus is more on those she cares about like in true dark knight fashion. Protect those who cannot do it themselves, that's the power of the Flame in the Abyss. She's not above cutting down someone who has harmed innocent's, not wanting to wait for the 'proper authorities' to take action. In fact, she does this while helping out a postmoogle and meets two Moon Keeper sisters, one of them trying to escape the poacher life and from the implied abusive Coeurlclaw King (fucking Seekers). He taunted that Mira wouldn't be able to help them because she'll get in trouble but in reality, she knew the Adders would not touch her. So she cleaved him down and got the sisters to Camp Dragonhead to lay low for awhile until they can get things sorted out.

But with this mindset, Mira also has a certain...distain for gods and other higher beings. Mainly because throughout all her adventures and even before then, she questioned why the gods didn't intervene during certain moments. Why did Halone allow the inquisition to make people jump into Witchdrop and prove their innocence by dying? Why did Azeyma not hear her prayers after the attack on the Waking Sands? Why did Oschon not protect the people of Nym from the curse that turned them into tonberries? She doesn't hate the gods per say but thinks that people can make their own prayers come true. She does change a bit on this stance once she goes through a different version of the Myths of the Realm story, one focused on her and her faith and interaction with the gods.

Another thing about Mira is during her journey as the WoL, she realized that the dreams she had before like becoming a dark knight was something she has already done and she didn't know what her new one could be. Like she didn't understand what her purpose could be outside of helping others, especially as the so called savior to everyone. It bugged her and she knew it since going back to Ishgard because it was 'her' who said it. You know, Dark Knight Things.

But despite her appearing as someone cool, mysterious, and powerful...she can be oblivious as fuck at times, mainly in the realm of romance. So many people did confess to her like Aymeric, Y'mithra, G'raha and others but the problem was that they were so vague that Mira took it as friendly or platonic, never romantic. It wasn't until Endwalker that someone actually managed to tell her and it was thanks to a friend she made that told him that he had to be blunt with her about his feelings.

If anyone wonders how Mira and Vrtra became a thing, that's what happened.

She still has those moments but there are times when she realizes and responds appropriately like friendzoning G'raha because she didn't ever see him like that or when she and Oschon don't take finishing blows during Myths and the realization of 'Oh...Oh.'

Basically Mira is a quiet little bookworm who can also beat your ass with the biggest sword she can (along with various other weapons).

#ffxiv #ffxiv wol #mira chambers #mira lore #deep mira lore #mira history #sometimes it be like that #ffxiv dark knight #ffxiv drk #brumelings do it with grit #she studied the blade and so much more

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duckapus · 27 days ago

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Mario and the Gang War

The world's not going to stop turning just because there's a multiversal crisis going on. Due to the various criminal organizations that the Crew have been weakening or outright taking down over the course of their adventures, both purposefully and incidentally, As well as Mr. L just fucking Dipping, there's a bit of a power vacuum in the Mushroom Kingdom's criminal underbelly, and several groups are vying for the top spot. It's a massive unstable powder keg that threatens to go off and send New Donk City into an all-out gang war at the worst possible time.

Tonight, several of these groups are meeting to discuss the situation and see if they can properly hash out territories, hopefully without trying to kill each other. And somehow Mario and Bob find themselves right in the thick of it.

-The Pianta Mafia: Currently led by Forger the Noki, Don Pianta's lieutenant. Formerly the city's leading name in organized crime, the Mafia took massive hits to their numbers and reputation in Bob's Last Stand and Breaking the Cage, made worse by Don Pianta's arrest in Lone Bob and Cub. They're mainly looking to preserve what they still have so they have a chance to regroup and rebuild in relative peace.

-Yiga Clan: You'd think they'd have fallen apart after they lost a full-on war and all of their leadership went missing, died, and/or turned into a child. And you'd be right! But recently they've been making a resurgence, which the Grid may or may not be involved in.

-The Wario Bros: Somehow managing to be on the same level as the rest of the groups despite being Literally Two Guys. They're realistic enough to know they probably can't be the top dogs but they do need to at least make sure they won't be steamrolled.

-Anime Cartel: Or at least the remnants of it after most of them either got exploded on Anime Island or decided that Fancis was going too far before then. Currently led by the recently escaped Anton, of all people. Apparently he likes Manga. He's with them instead of rebuilding the Rosen Thorn because he doesn't have the charisma necessary to lead a cult of personality. Won't rest until he finds a way to bring back Lady Rose.

-Marty and his Spaghetti Cultist Guys: The new gang on the block, looking to make a name for themselves. First order of business... actually coming up with a name.

-Dr. Pootis: I know he's not really relevant these days but we needed some classic era representation.

#smg4 ocs #project thunder au #episode idea #mario #bob bobowski #forger the noki #yiga clan #wario #waluigi #anton #smg4 marty #dr pootis #as you'd expect mario and bob getting dropped in a room full of people who want revenge on them does not go well #the only potential allies they have in there are the wario bros #wonder what rose and francis will think when they find out her most loyal henchman has been in charge of his crime syndicate

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rayshippouuchiha · 2 years ago

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I wanna give you my fav KHR BNHA xovers. There are some concepts in there that I think will give you some good ideas.

Role Model by Luki (KelpieCodyne)

Xanxus is stuck in Endeavor's body precanon for a little bit and he corrupts/helps Touya.

Out of this World by Luki (KelpieCodyne)

Series of the 10th Gen ditching the Mafia by running to another dimension. Feat. BNHA and Pokémon. Hibari is only in the Pokémon world

Youth by TitleUnwanted

Inspired by KHR, Hatsume makes her own 10 Yr Bazooka. It doesn't quite work right. But. 1-A gets to enjoy 5 yr old Izu.

in your eyes i see (a world so wild and free) by Zakyuu

On Hiatus but very good premise. Immortal Tsuna is Izu's dad. He frets that his son is Quirkless in a world of Quirks. Izu's worried about how to explain that his dad is a Mafia Don without getting anyone arrested. Inspired by Lying is Bad for the Soul by Hayato (TheLennyBunny), where Giotto is immortal and falls for Nana... after Iemitsu. Tsuna is Gio's son.

curiosity kills the cat (but satisfaction brought it back) by bonesetblues

Tsuna is stuck in the BNHA world in the body of a cat. Tsuna takes back all the jokes he might have made about Reborn. This is awful.

Unbound by Sky by Quess

Even ten years later Tsuna manages to get pulled into some time travel shenanigans—courtesy of Lady luck giving him the middle finger. Maybe someone should tell Shoichi and Spanner that you shouldn't leave a portal to another world open while guests are in their lab.

Featuring the young Todoroki siblings and Tsuna taking care of these kids because goddamn they need a mentally stable adult that won't take shit from a man-child projecting harder than a child beauty pageant mom.

The Vigilante Boss and His Failed Retirement Plan by Fey_StoryTeller

It supposed to be a joke, a drastic one where Izuku faked following Katchan's advice to take a leapt of faith. Then the fence on rooftop gave up on him, dying with tons of regret awaken the sleeping sky in his soul. Reminding Izuku that he was supposed to be on retirement for life and the next one- which is this one.

Unfortunately, Hyper Intuition was a bitch to deal with in a world of hero and villain, and he thought he could take advantage of the abundant human resource of heroism in this world. You'd think the world doesn't need more heroes or a Vongola.

old light still slants through by lunarctus (nex_et_nox)

I don’t want to die! Izuku screams in that underpass, drowning under the sludge villain.

Why don’t you let me help you with that? says a voice in the back of his head.

Izuku doesn't have a Quirk.

What he has is good instincts, unexplainable nightmares he can't remember, and a cat named Natsu.

My absolute favorite! Uncompleted, hasn't been updated in a while, but so amazing.

Renew by readerdreamer5625

Oneshots about what happens when 4 yr Izu meets Reborn in his dreams and the consequences of that.

So amazing, it made my brain explode with ideas, because author was so right about Sun Flames. Please read this, Ray, it'll spark ideas, I'm sure.

Alaudidae by AmbroiseFrambroise

As a Quirkless boy, the son of Hibari Hisashi and his wife Inko should be weak, right ?

Wrong. Hibari Kyoya is reborn in a strange world where people are just herbivorious as ever, but with powers. He promply decides to be a hero to be able to legaly beat up strongs opponents and restore Order.

Good Luck, UA and the world. You're going to need it.

!!!!

#RayRambles #KHR #Katekyo Hitman Reborn #Fic Rec

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thisisnotthenerd · 1 year ago

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it's time for little guys in a brain.

quick episode descriptions:

the scattered mind: the aftermath of the freeway collapse. nostalgia's diner. anastasia snooping and figuring out the head trauma. i think it's time to unlearn that lesson. at the university, hunch operates on cartoon logic. stacy fakename. intimidating someone into dying. elias is falling out of a window

f for freezer: the boxing encounter with the lads. stacy fakename. fighting dom nuntz. conrad punching the key out of ivana. hunch operating on cartoon logic once again as he takes comical hits. the fix in the da's office.

grappling with death: the ladies get to oblongata, order champagne, guide the response to the defenestration and get arrested. dan fucks gets shot the fuck up. the fix sees the figure and falls out of a window, much like elias. he then menaces a casino employee into causing the entire body to shit. the lads get fixed up by frozen steaks at hunch's office. the ladies & conrad escape the police with a paddy wagon, meet joie de vivre, crash into the mayor's office and expose him, and then prep the body to go through the window. the fix flirts with pasha n. dan fucks kills a man with handcuffs.

emergency powers: the party reunites and heads to thalamus & sons. after buying guns, imeldagoes to the switchboard to get elias moving. she bamboozles h.v. lance in the process. anastasia and dan fucks go to court to sue for emergency powers and win based on danielle's paralegal experience. the fix, hunch, and conrad go to the home of wayward interests and face down madam loathing, who keys justin. you're my best friend. dan and anastasia get wined and dined by the mafia, and anastasis chases down stacy fakename

case closed: the party converges on oblongata station once more. they're facing down the don and madam loathing, who can turn them against each other. imelda and dan flash the gangsters to wildly differing results. ivana rolls a 59 on hunch and he still comes back. elias punches his boss. dan goes down. the fix eats the key. conrad rolls a 57 [the number of heinz varieties] to bring down madam loathing. elias steals a birthday cake and runs out into the street.

#dimension 20 #battle episode of all time #mentopolis #d20 poll #dimension 20 spoilers #d20 spoilers #feel free to add your reasoning/propaganda as you like

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florbelles · 2 years ago

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— OCS & OTHER CHARACTERS.

tagged by @corvosattano, @nightbloodraelle, @leviiackrman, @adelaidedrubman, @denerims, @fourlittleseedlings, @minaharkers, @strafethesesinners, @playstationmademe, @ishwaris, @shegetsburned, @aartyom & @gwynbleidd, ty beloveds!!

sending tags on to @unholymilf (>:((), @henbased (>:(((), @belorage, @jendoe, @phillipsgraves, @chuckhansen, @queennymeria, @poetikat, @derelictheretic, @purplehairsecretlair, @strangefable, @arklay, @morvaris, @noonfaerie, @jackiesarch, @risingsh0t, @roberthouses, @confidentandgood, @indorilnerevarine, @shellibisshe, @blissfulalchemist, @nuclearstorms, @reaperkiller, @steelport, @nokstella, @shallow-gravy, @cybilbennettgf (i am sorry i forgot you moved & was like wait where’d she go) & anyone else can @ me xx (for real the brainfog is strong today so if i missed you please take this as a tag anyway)

rules (via @corvosattano). take this quiz and share 5 (or more! or less! the world is your oyster!) results from the top 50 that you feel really fit your oc(s). if you don’t recognize very many from the top 50, feel free to expand into the top 100.

(actual influences & inspirations that made the list are italicized).

holly golightly (breakfast at tiffany’s)

villanelle (killing eve)

anna karenina (anna karenina)

love quinn (you)

ciri (the witcher)

honorable mentions. audrey horne (twin peaks), mia wallace (pulp fiction), lucifer morningstar (lucifer), cheryl blossom (riverdale), oberyn martell (game of thrones) (awks because of the eye cutting stuff.)

lady macbeth (macbeth)

cersei lannister (game of thrones)

joan holloway (mad men)

serena joy waterford (the handmaid’s tale)

beth harmon (the queen’s gambit)

honorable mentions but they’re increasingly unhinged. nina sayers (black swan), alice cooper (riverdale), leland palmer (twin peaks), the wicked witch of the west (the wizard of oz), the queen (snow white and the seven dwarfs), joe goldberg (you) (?????)

sterling archer (archer) (this was 95%. by the way.)

don draper (mad men)

logan delos (westworld)

jay gatsby (the great gatsby)

roman roy (succession)

honorable mentions but they’re increasingly unhinged. john willoughby (sense and sensibility) (this one probably belongs in the top five but logan & roman were funnier), jaime lannister (game of thrones), neal caffrey (white collar), james bond (tomorrow never dies), count alexei vronsky (anna karenina) (uncomfortable), regina george (mean girls), haley dunphy (modern family), lindsay bluth (arrested development)

davos seaworth & jorah mormont (game of thrones)

friar laurence (romeo and juliet)

charlie strong (peaky blinders)

samwell gamgee (lord of the rings)

honorable mentions. pete martell (twin peaks), little jon (robin hood), ben scott (yellowjackets), jon snow/samwell tarley/brandon stark all tied for some reason (game of thrones), jane eyre (jane eyre)

maeve millay (westworld)

daenerys targaryen (game of thrones)

vi (arcane)

yennefer of vengerberg (the witcher)

mazikeen (lucifer)

honorable mentions. freddie lounds (hannibal), tyler durdan (fight club), fleabag (fleabag), fiona gallagher (shameless), hiram lodge (riverdale) (mija she owns that dam), freddy krueger (a nightmare on elm street), the alien (alien)

dr. bedelia du maurier (hannibal)

shiv roy (succession)

sansa stark (game of thrones)

mel madara (arcane)

rose dewitt bukater (titanic)

honorable mentions. betty draper (mad men), dana scully (the x files), claire standish (the breakfast club), skyler white (breaking bad), lana kane (archer), jackie taylor (yellowjackets), margaery tyrell (game of thrones), betty cooper (riverdale), princess leia (star wars), lucille bluth (arrested development)

#well. that was. that was really smth #oc: lyra fairbanks #oc: isabela fairbanks #oc: lawrence fairbanks #oc: shaggy #oc: jocelyn peralta #oc: lillian fitzgerald

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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 9 months ago

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Today in Christian History

Today is Thursday, February 22nd, 2024. It is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; Because it is a leap year, 313 days remain until the end of the year.

1072: (or the 23rd) Death of Peter Damian, in Faenza, Italy. A reforming monk of the Benedictine order, he will be remembered chiefly for De divina omnipotentia which questioned the limits of the omnipotence of God (e.g.: can God change the past?) and will be declared a doctor of the church in the nineteenth century.

1225: Hugh of St. Cher dons the habit of the Dominican order. He will become a notable Bible scholar and head a team that will create the first really useful Bible concordance.

1297: Death in Cortona, Italy, of St. Margaret of Cortona, a Franciscan tertiary, who had established a hospital for the poor.

1632: Zuni Indians (tribe pictured above) kill Francisco de Letrado and dance with his scalp on a pole. He had been among Spanish missionaries attempting to impose a Christian regime on the Pueblo Indians.

1649: The Westminster Assembly adjourns, having held one thousand one hundred and sixty three sessions over a period of five years, six months, and twenty-two days. They were known for their solemn fasts and long hours of prayer.

1703: General Codrington bequeaths two plantations in Barbados for medical mission work to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, on condition that professors and scholars be maintained there to study and practice medicine, surgery, and divinity in order to “endear themselves to the people and have the better opportunities of doing good to men’s souls whilst they are taking care of their bodies.”

1822: Samuel and Catherine Clewes Leigh sail into a New Zealand Bay to begin work among the Maori. Samuel’s Ill health will force them to leave the following year, but the mission will continue under other workers.

1845: Death in London of Rev. Sydney Smith, wit and literary critic, author of The Letters of Peter Plymley. He had once tied some antlers to donkeys to pretend they were deer when an aristocratic lady was visiting. His daughter wrote, “My father died in peace with himself and with all the world; anxious to the last to promote the comfort and happiness of others. He sent messages of kindness and forgiveness to the few he thought had injured him. Almost his last act was bestowing a small living of £120 per annum on a poor, worthy, and friendless clergyman, who had lived a long life of struggle with poverty on £40 per annum.”

1870: Missionary James Gilmour sails from Liverpool to work in China and Mongolia. Made chaplain of the ship on which he is sailing, he shares the gospel with every member of the crew during the night watches.

1892: W. T. Satthianadhan, a leader of the Church Mission Society in Madras, relapses into a serious medical condition and will die within days. He had been a representative to Anglican councils in England, author of books in Tamil and English, an educator at Madras University, vice-president of the Tamil Central Church Council, and founder of benevolent associations.

1901: Charles and Lettie Cowman arrive in Japan where they will become co-founders of the Oriental Mission Society.

1911: Death in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Frances E. W. Harper, an African-American woman who had labored in the anti-slavery cause alongside workers such as Julia Ward Howe and Frederick Douglas. She had published a volume of poems when twenty-one years of age.

1930: Soviet agents arrest more than sixty Orthodox clergy and laity in Tomsk for “counter-revolutionary agitation” and “grouping of church people.” They will execute fifty of these individuals.

1954: The first “Voice of Tangier” program airs over a 2,500-watt transmitter. Programming is broadcast in Spanish and English. Within two years, the station will be broadcasting in more than twenty languages.

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mariana-oconnor · 1 year ago

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Wisteria Lodge pt 4

Last time, we left Holmes and Watson about to mount an intrepid rescue of probable inside woman and possibly dead Miss Burnett, who at 40 years old is apparently too old for love, because the Victorian era was an ageist hellscape.

I have come up with a solution by which Mr Garcia (who I have decided is a bisexual spy) and Miss Burnet are actually the good guys. But this requires the two girls to have been pre-kidnapped and so Garcia's plan would be a counter-kidnapping.

I mean, I jumped straight to kidnapping as soon as it seemed likely that the governess was involved and there were two young girls. I may have jumped the gun a bit, but weirdly the idea is sticking with me.

It was not, I must confess, a very alluring prospect. The old house with its atmosphere of murder, the singular and formidable inhabitants, the unknown dangers of the approach, and the fact that we were putting ourselves legally in a false position all combined to damp my ardour.

Psh, I bet they didn't damp Mr Garcia's ardour.

Yeah, that was a cheap shot, but seriously Watson, come on. Screw your courage to the sticking place and all that.

But it was not destined that our investigation should have so adventurous an ending.

...well that's anticlimactic. I was all geared up for a rescue mission! What am I going to do with these grappling hooks now?

“They've gone, Mr. Holmes. They went by the last train. The lady broke away, and I've got her in a cab downstairs.”

Did they go because of Holmes' investigation of the house or did they go because of whatever Mr Baynes' mysterious cunning plan is?

"I shan't forget the face at the carriage window as I led her away. I'd have a short life if he had his way—the black-eyed, scowling, yellow devil.”

A lot of 'devil' faces in windows this time around. And all on ethnic minorities as far as I can tell. Racist Victorian tropes, my beloathed.

Good for Miss Burnet for fighting back even when she's been drugged up to the gills on opium. I really hope she wasn't planning a kidnapping because I want to like her. And I really don't like her employer. Not drugging or whipping your employees is like the lowest bar of employer conduct to jump over. Even Violet Hunter wasn't drugged or whipped and she had a terrible work environment. I want him to be unambiguously the bad guy. Also because I want the poor cook to be acquitted.

“I was sure Henderson, as he calls himself, felt that he was suspected, and that he would lie low and make no move so long as he thought he was in any danger. I arrested the wrong man to make him believe that our eyes were off him. I knew he would be likely to clear off then and give us a chance of getting at Miss Burnet.”

OK, fine. You were right, but fuck you for arresting and attacking an innocent man. Poor show. Dick move. Be better.

(is that the first gif I've posted from an actual Sherlock Holmes media for one of these liveblogs? I think it might be...)

"We can't arrest without her evidence, that is clear, so the sooner we get a statement the better.”

Read this as 'her without' rather than 'without her' and was confused about what was going on, as she seems pretty innocent of the murder. But then I reread and realised that I once again fail at reading comprehension. Not like I have a degree in it or literally work in a related field or anything.

“Henderson,” the inspector answered, “is Don Murillo, once called the Tiger of San Pedro.”

Who the fuck is that?

OK, Watson's going to become Captain Exposition for a minute, great. Gimme some backstory, bay-beeee.

Oh... Is San Pedro a fake country? Did ACD make up a fake country for this story so he couldn't be accused of being rude about a specific country? Or do I just not know history?

Central America, okay, not the Caribbean, but right ballpark.

The dictator, his two children, his secretary, and his wealth had all escaped them. From that moment he had vanished from the world, and his identity had been a frequent subject for comment in the European press.

I feel... I feel like if this had been real information and a real country I would have worked this out? Like if I had known there was a mysteriously missing dictator from a formerly Spanish colony with a green and white flag, who had two children, I feel like I called every part of this except the specifics, which I couldn't have called because they're made up.

“Once already his life has been attempted, but some evil spirit shielded him. Now, again, it is the noble, chivalrous Garcia who has fallen, while the monster goes safe."

Alright, so no kidnapping, just assassination. Chivalrous, charming bi assassin Garcia is once again on the side of good and not abducting children. Pity he got his face beaten in.

"My husband—yes, my real name is Signora Victor Durando—was the San Pedro minister in London. He met me and married me there. A nobler man never lived upon earth. Unhappily, Murillo heard of his excellence, recalled him on some pretext, and had him shot. With a premonition of his fate he had refused to take me with him. His estates were confiscated, and I was left with a pittance and a broken heart."

Vengeance!

"I was to see that the doors were open and the signal of a green or white light in a window which faced the drive was to give notice if all was safe or if the attempt had better be postponed."

Light not shutters, but coolcoolcool.

"But they determined to get rid forever of Garcia. They had gagged me, and Murillo twisted my arm round until I gave him the address. I swear that he might have twisted it off had I understood what it would mean to Garcia."

How did you... not know... what it would mean to Garcia? Like, what did you think they were going to do? Have a tea party? Invite him to play his guitar at their next shindig? Have a chat about gardening? I get that you were being tortured for information, so there's no shame in giving him up, but you can't say 'well, I didn't know they would kill him.'

"This afternoon a good lunch was brought me, but the moment after I took it I knew that I had been drugged."

Also feel like maybe you should have guessed this before you ate it, after they'd been starving you for days. But you were probably out of your mind hungry and on the edge of hallucinating, so I suppose that makes sense.

It is a matter of history, however, that a little time was still to elapse before the Tiger of San Pedro should meet with his deserts. [...] Some six months afterwards the Marquess of Montalva and Signor Rulli, his secretary, were both murdered in their rooms at the Hotel Escurial at Madrid.

In the best traditions of these stories, the bad guys reach justice offscreen at the hands of unknown people. 😂

But Vengeance has been satisfied.

BUT, there is just enough time for some more racist discussion of the cook, because of course there is. And it turns out his entire inclusion as a character is completely pointless and a racist little red herring that goes nowhere and just had some extra racism piled on top for garnish. Wonderful. I hope they released him and didn't keep him in prison for assaulting a police officer/resisting arrest, because when you literally arrested him illegally for a crime you knew he didn't commit, that's bullshit.

I was right about it being a Victorian depiction of Voodoo, though, so... I get points for knowing my racist stereotypes? I feel like that's like an extra level of losing, though.

Wow this story went from gay hookup gone wrong to racist mess in two seconds flat, huh? I miss the simpler times when Mr Scott Eccles being an oblivious tory was the biggest problem.

On a happier note, Silver Blaze is next, and I remember a lot about this one just from the title, so I guess there will be no attempt to solve it, just memes for days.

ETA: That little wrap up does not tell us what happened to the children. What happened to the children? Where did they go? The little girls just disappear. Did I miss something? What happened to the children?

#Wisteria Lodge #Letters from Watson #Sherlock Holmes #Long post #Well that was an experience #I get why he used a fake country but still feels a little like cheating #I will choose to remember the charming bisexual assassin fondly and the rest of it with regret #Maybe I should start using the content warnings for these things #but I feel like then I wouldn't have as much fun because I'd just be waiting for the racism

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 year ago

Text

Certain segment of the population givin off these weird vibes right about now [The Daily Don]

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 11, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUN 12, 2023

All weekend, Trump supporters have flooded media channels with accusations that President Joe Biden has weaponized the Department of Justice to use as a political cudgel against former president Trump, whom they characterize as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

On Thursday the Department of Justice indicted Trump on 37 counts of hanging onto classified national security documents, deliberately hiding those documents from his lawyers and the government after a subpoena, lying about them, and showing them to people without security clearances and without any need to know about them.

Trump and his loyalists insist the indictment makes the United States a “banana republic,” by which they appear to mean a country with a corrupt ruling elite that uses the machinery of government against political opponents (though the historical meaning of that term actually is much more complicated). Sometimes in the same breath they call for arresting members of the Biden administration in retaliation; on the Fox News Channel on Friday, personality Greg Gutfield added First Lady Jill Biden as a potential target after Jesse Watters called for arresting “all of them, [former House speaker Nancy] Pelosi, too.”

There are a number of problems with their characterization of what is going on.

First of all, Biden’s Department of Justice has operated as it is supposed to: independently. While Trump apparently tried to use the department for his own political ends—we learned just last month, for example, that the Department of Justice kept an investigation of the Clinton Foundation open for almost Trump’s entire term, although prosecutors thought the rumors about the foundation were bogus from the start—Biden has gone out of his way to emphasize that he will not interfere with the Justice Department.

To underline that independence, after Trump announced his candidacy for president last November—an early announcement many thought was an attempt to avoid criminal prosecution—Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the two federal investigations that touched on the former president, thus deliberately moving those investigations outside the department. The special counsel is Jack Smith, and those investigations are the one into the attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and the documents case currently in the news.

Still, the indictment came not from Smith, but from a federal grand jury of ordinary American citizens in Florida who reviewed evidence and determined that there was probable cause to believe that Trump committed crimes and should be tried for them. Trump’s defenders are trying to blur this reality by saying it was Biden who charged Trump, when it was really the members of a grand jury.

Trump supporters’ evidence for Biden’s corruption is that the Justice Department has indicted neither President Biden nor former secretary of state Hillary Clinton for what they claim are similar offenses. (It hasn’t charged Republican former vice president Mike Pence, either, but they are not talking about that.) The crucial difference in all three of those cases is that Biden, Clinton, and Pence did not try to hide the documents found in their possession and they cooperated fully with the Department of Justice to return them. (In addition, in Clinton’s case, most of the 110 emails that contained classified information did not bear classified markings.)

As Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post notes, Trump was not charged for illegally keeping any of the 197 documents he returned. He was charged only for ones he kept, lied about, showed to other people, and hid.

Republicans who are trying to pick up Trump’s voters, including Florida governor Ron DeSantis, are not defending Trump but are instead trying to argue that the Democrats are discriminating against Trump. “Is there a different standard for a Democrat secretary of state versus a former Republican president?” DeSantis asked.

That line of reasoning is swaying Republican primary voters, 88% of whom, according to a CBS News poll, say the indictment was politically motivated, although 24% of them agree that the loose handling of the documents was a national security risk. Trump and key supporters are playing to that base, using thinly veiled calls for violence. Meanwhile, Republicans who are likely hoping this will sink Trump are either dodging questions about the issue or, like Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, remaining steadfastly silent.

But for all the focus on the politics of this moment and the apparent attempt to rally the Republican base to violence, this is a legal case. Trump is accused of serious crimes that endangered—and likely continue to endanger—our national security, which means the safety of every American.

His alleged criminal activity endangers the operations of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (in charge of imagery, maps, and intelligence concerning them), the National Reconnaissance Office (in charge of space-based surveillance and reconnaissance), the Department of Energy (nuclear weapons), and the Department of State and Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

It is notable that the two Republican presidential candidates who have served as U.S. attorneys—Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson—have both spoken out against Trump over it. So has Trump’s former attorney general William Barr, who told Shannon Bream of the Fox News Channel today: “I think the counts under the Espionage Act, that he willfully retained those documents, are solid counts… I do think we have to wait and see what the defense says, and what proves to be true, but I do think that…if even half of it is true, then he’s toast. I mean, it’s a very detailed indictment, and it’s very, very damning.”

Trump is reportedly having trouble finding lawyers to represent him in this matter, with Marc Caputo of The Messenger reporting today that one federal criminal defense lawyer he contacted in the Southern District of Florida said: “The problem is none of us want to work for the guy…. He’s a nightmare client.”

While committed Republican partisans seem to believe Trump is a victim, according to the CBS News poll, 38% of likely Republican primary voters do, in fact, believe Trump endangered our security—and national security, after all, is the primary job of the president.

Smith said on Friday that the department would seek a “speedy trial,” and if that indeed happens, the American people will hear Trump’s own lawyers and aides—for all the witnesses are his own hand-picked team members—testify under oath about Trump’s behavior. Under similar conditions, the testimony of Trump’s people before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol effectively countered Trump’s propaganda. That Republican leaders see Trump as vulnerable is evidenced by how many candidates are already in the presidential race.

The question is how much damage the fight for control will do to the Republican Party, especially in light of the fact that Smith’s other investigation, the one into the attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, has not yet been concluded. There is reason to suspect those congress members involved in that effort might have been spooked by just how thorough the investigation of the documents case turned out to be.

Guided by President Biden, the Democrats are refusing to comment on the indictment, likely in part to undermine the argument that it is about politics and also because they recognize that many Americans are just tired of drama.

Overall, though, they seem determined to redirect people’s attention to the reality that the Biden administration and the Democrats are actually governing according to the principles of a democracy. Frustrating as this tactic is to partisans, scholars who study how to restore democratic norms in a faltering democracy suggest that emphasizing those norms is crucial.

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#The Daily Don #Lock her up #TFG #political #Rule of Law #Equal under the law #whataboutism

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