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blackjackkent · 9 months ago

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OK, Mystic Carrion, start talking.

"I know you helped Oskar. I found your letter."

"The painter. Yes. I remember. He wanted to contact a tormented spirit. I gave him exactly what he desired - and for a pittance, given the complexity of his request. His inability to follow simple instructions is hardly my fault. If he wanted his safety guaranteed, that would have cost him extra."

Oh, dear. Oskar, my dude, what monkeys-paw shit have you been getting up to?

"Who was he trying to contact?"

"My clients are guaranteed absolute privacy in their consultations with myself and my spirits," the creature says, somehow managing an oily smile without any muscles in his face. "I assume you came to me seeking an exorcism? I can provide you with the means to perform such a ceremony, but you understand... this is my livelihood. First you must do something for me."

Hector squints wearily at him. "Can't I just pay you instead?"

"So ready to part with your gold to save yourself the bother of helping someone..." the skeleton purrs disdainfully. "Perhaps you are more like my usual customers than I thought."

That stings, and Hector flinches a little from it in spite of himself. I have *never* turned from helping someone in need, he thinks indignantly. But I don't trust you to ask me for something like that.

"Very well," Mystic Carrion goes on. "You may purchase Oskar's salvation... if you can afford it..."

Three thousand gold is what the creature wants. It's a lot, but not outside of Hector's capabilities. But in spite of himself he asks, anyway, "On second thought, tell me what you need." He asks it a little between his teeth, and fully expecting to pay the money instead...

...but the damnable thing did manage to drive a knife into him with that crack about paying rather than helping.

"Do not worry," Mystic Carrion says. "It is of an earthly nature. It regards a conduit of mine, Thrumbo, who has recently deserted his duties. He has not gone far, but given the sensitivity of his nature, i would prefer that he is not free to roam the city. Return Thrumbo's body to me. Then I will give you what you need to cleanse Oskar of his spectral interloper."

"His body?" Hector says warily. "It sounds like you want him killed."

The skeleton's stretched skin curls in an unpleasant smile. "My child, that would be asking the impossible," he murmurs. "He is already dead. He is... what do they call them here... ah, a zombie. A waif I rescued from the jaws of death and gave a second chance at earthly purpose. If he does not value the gift I gave in reanimating that wretched flesh of his, then I will take it back. It is my property, not his."

Hector feels a strange shiver go down his back, and it takes him a moment to place why. A waif I rescued from the jaws of death... the whole story reminds him unpleasantly of Astarion's tale of his capture and conversion at Cazador's hands. No, he will not be party to recapturing a wayward slave, undead or no.

"I'll just pay the gold," he says coolly.

"Your purse is deeper than I thought. But wait..." He turns, peering into a chest behind him. "Strange. My spirits witnessed thieving hands snatching up the very item I wished to give - the Torch of Revocation."

He turns and peers at Hector with sudden, baleful dislike. "As you have paid for your indiscretion, we shall leave the matter at that. Now... Get. Out."

-----

LOL. I stole that torch out of that chest when I was here last because Mystic Carrion made Hector uncomfortable. XD I guess we could have just resolved this the whole time.

Back to Jannath's house!

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle

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fantasyinallforms · 2 years ago

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For the April alphabet... Inebriated yearning?? Maybe from Thorin's perspective?? (Sorry I just rly want some pining thorin)

Here you are, lovely Anon! It did get a little angsty, but it turned out well!

This is for the @fellowshipofthefics April Alphabet event!

enjoy some Inebrriated Yearning from Thorin's POV

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.8K words {T}

Title: Mead Makes for Loose Lips

Celebrations after reclaiming Erebor lasted weeks. The day after the battle, Dains's men started to clear the mountain to make room for people to settle. They uncovered an entire room in the kitchens filled with untouched barrels of mead. They immediately cracked one open, and the party began. They had much to celebrate. The war had been won, the elves had gotten their diamond trinkets, and the humans had enough money to start rebuilding their livelihoods. Now the dwarves of Erebor could focus on what the future held for themselves. But not before drinking themselves into a stupor first. Even the King of Erebor was not exempt from the festivities, though his mind was not on their victory but on a future he might have ruined his chance at ever having.

The bottom of a bottle probably wasn't the smartest place to be when your entire soul yearned for the mere presence of a single person. Thorin emptied his second mug of mead and looked into the crowd. As always, his eyes drifted effortlessly to Bilbo. He was sitting on top of a table with a mug far too big for him, loudly telling a story to a captivated audience. They were enamored by him, and why wouldn't they be? Everyone heard from his own lips how integral Bilbo had been to their quest, how he saved Thorin’s life on numerous occasions. Thorin got up to fill his cup and found Dain doing the same.

“Eyyy, there ya are, cousin! Why do you look so damn glum! Even when we were kids, you couldn't help a good brooding session. The war is over! Drink your fill and have some fun. There’s plenty of company here to be had!” Dain broke into a raucous laugh and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Thorin rolled his eyes and let out a huffing laugh. No company would be warming his bed this night or any other night. The thought of a tumble in the sheets with a dwarf might have once been an entertaining idea but no longer. He could not imagine wanting anyone other than Bilbo under him in the small hours. That pleasantly plump body and adorably round face and perfect slightly upturned nose. Being as down the bottle as he was, his mind could not concentrate on the thoughts in his head, walking, and drinking simultaneously. He tripped and sloshed half his mead down the front of his tunic.

“Careful there, laddie. This mead’s been sitting for 60 years; she’s a strong brew.” Dain’s boisterous laughter turned the heads of the tables nearest to them, which included Bilbo’s.

“Perfect timing! Our brave Kings of legend! Fearsome leader of the great dwarven clans himself! And the king of the Iron Hills who came to Erebor’s rescue!” Bilbo had lept up on the table and dipped into a low bow. Thorin didn't like seeing Bilbo bow to him or anyone. Bilbo shouldn't bow to people. People should bow to him. He should be decked out in only the finest the world had to offer and treated like royalty. The hobbit before him had no idea how much power he wielded. Bilbo remained blissfully unaware that he could have a king on his knees for him with only a single command. There was nothing Thorin would deny him. To his dismay, there was also nothing Bilbo seemed to want from him.

Bilbo righted himself from the bow and stagged back. Thorin heard another dwarf, one of Dain’s men, shout.

“Best get down before you fall down, laddie!” another dwarf at the table shouted. “My laps a safe place land!” Bilbo seemed none the wiser to the catcall, so the dwarf put his weight on the table, tipping it so the hobbit would stumble to the side. Bilbo lost his balance, dropped his cup, and landed directly in the dwarf's arms. The grabby dwarf's hands went straight to Bilbo’s hips to keep him in place. Thorin was fuming. He slammed his mug down on the table in front of the dwarf, causing him to jump, then plucked Bilbo from his lap. For good measure, he knocked the rest of his mead over and into the dwarf's lap. Thorin walked them to another table before reluctantly setting him down.

“You save the day again.” Bilbo giggled. “Better watch out, or I’ll become dependent on you.” Bilbo was a mess. This state was far beyond anything he had seen him in before. He could barely form full sentences. Thorin pulled the cup he had managed to get his hands on from Bilbo’s clutch and set it out of reach.

“I wouldn't mind you becoming dependent on me.” Thorin mumbled, “But right now, you should find somewhere safe to lie down.” Bilbo looked like he was going to protest but slumped forward instead, so his head rested on Thorin’s chest. Thorin was too intoxicated to resist leaning into the gesture. He brought his hand up and glided his fingers through the curls on the side of Bilbo’s head. Perhaps he would feel guilty in the morning, considering he was enacting this bold gesture in the middle of a room full of dwarrow. There was a part of him that wanted others to see. He wanted the room to know that this hobbit was off-limits. Bilbo was to be touched by the king's hand only.

“Can you walk on your own?” Thorin rumbled. Bilbo didn't lift his head; he just shook it from side to side. “Are you ok with me carrying you?” Thorin had moved his hands to rest on Bilbo’s upper arms.

“I don't wanna be an inconvenience or a burden. You can leave me here.” half the words Bilbo said were sloppy, but he heard ‘inconvenience and burden’ clear as day. Did Bilbo really think that's how Thorin saw him even after all this time?

“Hey, look at me. It’s unsafe to just nap on a table in the great hall. I think I’ve drunk my fill anyhow.” Thorin lifted Bilbo off the table, and he didn't protest. Bilbo's legs wrapped around his middle, and his hands went around his neck. Thorin was incredibly careful where he put his hands. The press of Bilbo’s body against his was doing things to his mind that had nothing to do with the alcohol in his system. Bilbo would never have to worry about being safe with him. He would rather fall on his own blade than enact his will on someone unwilling or impaired. His body, however, was threatening to give away the evidence of his rampant desire. Thorin tried to slow his breathing, and it almost worked before Bilbo all but moaned in his ear.

“Why do you always smell so good?” Thorin tensed. Thankfully he was holding Bilbo above his waistline at this moment. Best, he gets out of the hall and get Bilbo to bed. He was near the doors when Dwalin stopped him.

“Headed out for some fun? It’s about damn time.” Thorin turned to give him an incredulous look. “I’m your bodyguard and best friend; don’t look so surprised,” Dwalin chuckled. Thorin let out a huff.

“No, he drank too much. I’m just putting him safely in bed.”

“If safety is the issue your room is the only one in Erebor that has active guards posted to it. Where do you intend to sleep tonight?” Dwalin knit his brow

“On the floor, if I have to,” Thorin replied. He switched to speaking in khuzdul so that Bilbo would not hear what he said next. Not that Bilbo seemed particularly coherent for the conversation thus far. “Oh, and one other thing. You saw the dwarf that pulled Bilbo into his lap?” Dwalin shook his head in confirmation. “I want him working third shift patrols for the next three months” Dwalin nodded in agreement.

“Consider it done.” Thorin carefully walked them back to his room. It was the only full room yet recovered. Most of the company had set up in one of the open abandoned halls, and Dain’s men would spend the night in their tents. Or perhaps more likely, they would sleep where they lay after a night of near non-sop drinking. Thorin sat Bilbo on the edge of his bed and removed his hands from under his legs. Bilbo, however, did not remove his hands from Thorin’s neck.

“This is your bed; you should lay on it too. It’s plenty big enough for the both of us.” Bilbo tugged at the sleeves of his tunic, pulling him forward. The invitation was tempting; he struggled against it as if it were being offered a pile of dragon gold.

“Please don't ask that of me,” Thorin choked. He was surprised at the melancholy look Bilbo was now giving him.

“Dose the idea repulse you?” Bilbo pulled his knees back retreating in on himself.

“No, not at all. Quite the opposite.”

“Then why?”

“Because you’re worse than gold to me, Bilbo! I’m afraid if you give me a taste of what it could be like to be near you, then I will beg for a whole meal, and I know you can not give me that. I couldn't condemn you to a life of rock and stone. I could not ask you to abandon the life you love to rule a broken kingdom at my side. I could not beg for your affection after nearly killing you in madness only days ago. You deserve rolling hills and a gentle lover. I can give you neither of those things.” He brought his hand up to Bilbo’s cheek on reflex, never letting himself actually touch the warm, smooth skin beneath his hands. “I would not have you resent me for keeping you from true happiness even if I spent the rest of my days yearning for you.” Thorin felt raw. The alcohol in his system had lowered his guard, making him especially forthcoming but in this moment he felt sober. To his surprise, Bilbo leaned into his hand, forcing contact. Thorin nearly whimpered.

“You don't get to choose for me what I decide my happiness looks like. Right now, happiness looks like laying down with the only person who’s ever made me feel truly safe.” Bilbo was half coherent. He pulled on Thorin’s tunic again, and he could not resist a second time. They slipped under the covers. Thorin’s arms wrapped around Bilbo as if it was the most natural thing to do, like a reaction he didn't know he had developed. Bilbo nestled himself under Thorin’s chin. “See, you’re plenty gentle.”

Thorin lay there long after Bilbo’s small snores filled the room. He had never prayed to a Valar other than his maker before. Now he closed his eyes and prayed to Yavannah, Vala of all things green and growing, to allow one of her children to be happy living among her husband's creations.

Let me know if you want to see any others!!

#bagginshield #thilbo #the hobbit #fotfics #bilbo x thorin #FIAF(me)fics

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gibb0nz-wow · 2 months ago

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Putting the GoFundMes I get in my inbox here 🇵🇸

(started on September 14th - last updated on September 17th)

Do your daily clicks! / eSIMS for Gaza / PCRF

@majedgh2

https://gofund.me/59e9578a

Dear Friends, I write to you with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart. After 188 days of displacement, constant fear, and struggling to survive, we managed to escape with our lives and reach Egypt. But the pain didn’t stop there. Just yesterday, we lost my children's grandfather 💔, not due to direct war, but because of malnutrition and the lack of basic life necessities. We couldn’t save him, just as we couldn’t save our home or our dreams. The rest of my family is still trapped in the war, suffering the same harsh conditions that led to the passing of my children's grandfather. We are here trying to build a new life, but we have lost everything. We lost our home, and my children were deprived of their schools and universities. Even my eldest son, who worked so hard to build his future, lost his job and saw his dreams shattered.😔 We are now in desperate need of your help. We seek to secure a safe home that will provide us and our children with basic needs. Life in Egypt is extremely difficult, and prices are soaring beyond our reach. All we ask for is a chance to rebuild our lives and secure a better future for our children.🙏🏼 From the depths of my heart, I ask you to stand by us in these difficult times. Your support means hope and life to us.🙌🏼🇵🇸

@d-imtthal

https://gofund.me/ccd5b3ff

I am Dr. Imtithal, living in the besieged northern Gaza Strip. For 11 months, we have lost our lives. We have lost everything. I have lost my brother, my home, our money, our source of livelihood, my profession as a dentist, and all our memories. Our lives have become difficult. We cannot obtain the necessities of life, such as water, food, medicine, and shelter. We live a difficult life in a school as a shelter for us after we lost our home. We cannot obtain a clean life and we suffer from the spread of diseases. Every so often we are displaced. We cannot settle in a place because of the intensity of the bombing. I hope you can help me so that I can protect my family, which consists of 35 people, most of whom are children...

@mohameddsaker

https://www.gofundme.com/f/My-name-is-mohammed-saqr-from-north-gaza

Hello dears! 🇵🇸🍉🙏I am asking you to support my campaign to help me reach my goal. I am in dire need of your support now to help me stay alive and safe. Gaza is a very dangerous place both in terms of living and lives. The family consists of 12 members, most of them are young children. I need your financial support to enable me to get the basic needs for my family until the Rafah crossing is😭 reopened to transport my family to safety and peace. Please help a family stay alive through your small donations or through your shares to others. Thank you very much for standing by those in need.🍉🙏⬇️🍓

@hassanmadi2

https://gofund.me/1c7df49e

(vetted by el-shab-husssein)

Dear my friend , l ask your humanity for help , l am hassan from north gaza , me and my wife displaced more than 5 times , now me and my wife live in tent 💔😓 my wife lost her neonate because tent is unsuitable for life 🥹💔💔 Please help me by donate ,share ,reblog 🙏🏻🙏🏻💔

@falestine-yousef

https://gofund.me/7e05a237

(vetted by 90ghost)

Hello, Im Falestine from Gaza🍉🍉. . Im married and have son his name yousef , i born him in war. Sorry if I am harassing you asking for help, I am extremely embarrassed and embarrassed of trying to ask for help. I simply don’t want to die, I want to live I want to give Yousef a better life. Help me to escape Gaza I lost apart of my family😭, my home, and everything I own. We are living in difficult circumstances. I hope you can help me by donating even a simple thing orو publishing 🙏🙏

@ehabayyad23

https://gofund.me/5fa6ca44

I am Ehab Ayyad ❤ a palestinian youngman from Gaza🍉🇵🇸, seeking to find safety and peace ☝️for my family if twenty members. We have been ❤🇵🇸🍉passing through all forms of torture and pain for almost ten months because of the war on Gaza. Life is very miserable and tragic❤🇵🇸 as we are now deprived ❤🇵🇸🍉of all means of living. Drink water, healthy food health care and medicine❤🇵🇸 have become things 🇵🇸🍉❤of the past. We are dying dear friends. That is why I am asking you to help us break through this tough situation.Life in hot tents is incredibly sad and miserable. We are now experiencing the worst circumstances we have ever had in our life. The war has stolen happiness and life from us. Please don't leave us alone in such dire times. Your kind contribution either through donating whatever you can or sharing my posts will be highly appreciated and valued.❤🇵🇸🍉

#please donate and share if you can #sending prayers to those currently struggling due to the conflict #gofundme #go fund them #free gaza #free palestine #all eyes on gaza #all eyes on palestine #from the river to the sea palestine will be free #🍉🇵🇸#🍉#i stand with palestine 🇵🇸#vetted campaign #verified campaign #gofundme masterpost

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luimagines · 2 years ago

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I saw the kidnapped bride ask with wind yesterday and I can't stop thinking about it so I'm going to add my two cents in

This can be read as whatever but I'm gonna mainly focus on a platonic relationship bc I love respecting Pinky's boundaries

It was purely by chance that the two met. It was rare that reader was allowed outside without an adult accompanying them.

Wind was probably wandering around bored while Tetra and the rest of the crew loaded up the ship (for plot convenience just say his shoulder was injured). There were no people around the estate (some random rich dude who was getting married) and he was about to turn around before he caught a figure from the corner of his eye (his years of being a pirate and the hero of winds didn't do nothing after all). They were currently trying to merge into the shadows and they looked absolutely miserable. It was when Wind approached, that you tentatively shared your dilemma with the young boy, figuring that, at this point, nothing was to be done about your current situation.

Im going to be honest with you, I imagine this particular reader to be around Wind's age, getting married to a guy that is much too old to be appropriate by today's standards (yay to arranged marriages). This is either due to the fact that reader's family had money, were trying to get money, or were royals in some kind.

Wind wasn't particularly interested in the wedding going on, but after finding out that you were getting married to him, Wind knew that he had to rescue you from whatever fate awaited you. He would not be the hero-no, the man he held himself up to be if he did not help the people around him. It was there in that dark, lonely corner that he swore to you that he would save you. Then suddenly, the corner you were in didn't seem so lonely anymore...

Then, the issue of how he was going to rescue you then presented itself. And as you slowly curled your fingers around his tunic, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and knew this dilemma was timed. Quicker than he's ever moved in his life, Wind uprooted you from your corner and dropped you into a nearby barrel. Doing so caused pain to shoot through his shoulder, he couldn't dwell on it too long though, because as soon as the lid was placed overtop of your lifeline, a person reared around the corner.

"you there! Young man! What are you doing" they called out, approaching the boy. Years of thievery gave him the ability to effortlessly lie, although knowing that a person's livelihood was at stake, he couldn't help but stumble.

"uh, one of our shipment crates from the port knocked over and rolled here" he gently slapped the head of the barrel. Mentally, he cursed at the slipup, however the person in front of him seem none the wiser as they continued on.

"have you seen a person around your age around here-" they proceeded to describe your build and outfit to the very shoes you wore. Wind pretends to think,

"weeeell~ I didn't really get a good look at them, but someone did stop the barrel from rolling down the hill earlier" he feins Innocence "I thanked them and they asked for a map to Bridgeport. I gave it to them since I didn't need it because my family had already gone. So if you're looking they should probably be on their way there" Wind knew from experience that if he drew on the answer with too many stories, the person on the other end would be less likely to continue on with the conversation (the exception being Aryll, who was eager to talk to him regardless). This proved fruitful as the person nodded their head, thanked him, and continued on walking-this time with purpose.

The question on how Wind would get you on the ship with a shoulder injury was answered when he simply rolled you the rest of the way (after apologizing profusely). While on the way there, mainly as a way to distract you (if you throw up he will not clean it up). He explains that he and his crew had already gone to Bridgeport, so by the time they get there and realize that you weren't there, you all would be long gone for quite a while.

I don't know if it came off that way entirely, but if reader was getting married that day they probably would have had on the fancy wedding attire. If reader was a bride (I don't remember if It was mentioned) I think it's funny to imagine that reader had on this giant poofy wedding dress, so that when Tetra finally opened the barrel, she sees this kid her age absolutely drowning in white fabric like😳, while Wind's just next to them with the most accomplished grin. Tetra can feel her blood pressure rise as she realizes why Wind had been gone for so long.

After Tetra had a drink cooled off, you were shown around the ship and, after discussing where you would go (and discovering that you had nowhere to go) you were welcomed to the crew, albeit temporarily. Your days were spent with the young hero (wow, you were saved by the literal hero of courage stop you're gonna inflate his ego) where he taught you the rundowns of what to do on the ship, it was during this time where he shared stories of his journey, from how he met Tetra, the master sword, to the stories about his grandma and little sister, Aryll. You in turn shared stories about your own family, though you tended to stray away from affairs relating to your 'husband', you were grateful he never pushed you on it.

In fact, he never really pushed you on anything, preferring instead to ease you into new things and encouraging you to pursue your own passion outside of him, though he'll always be there for you every step of the way.

Though your relationship with Link (not like that) had been blooming slowly but surely, the same cannot be said about your relationship with the rest of the crew.

(Because reader was important enough to be married off (esp if they were royalty) I imagine that missing posters would start to pop up around the islands (much to Tetra's displeasure) leading to some fun interactions;

Reader: OH MY GOD!! THE HORROR!

Wind: what?! What?!!

Reader: look at this?! They never get my nose right

Wind:... I should have left you at that corner where you sat

Reader: but you didn't!)

Even when Wind had assured you repeatedly that 'they will not bring you back' you couldn't help but revert back to previous behavior when around anyone but the young sailor. The lack of control you had on your future, while not unfamiliar, was one that had you quietly walking on eggshells around the crew, a behavior that was reciprocated. You trusted Wind though, and if he said that the people in this ship were the most trustworthy, then you'll try your best to believe him.

It was only when you were spotted aboard the ship when approaching an island, that your worries regarding loyalty would come to a head. You were being dragged from the ship by the back of your clothes, the entire crew off doing their own thing. Your one job was to stay on the ship and not be seen, and you couldn't even do that. Now you were being dragged back to your personal hell in front of everyone on the port. Shameful tears welled up in your eyes as you forced your eyes to look at the floor. Your eyes didn't let up from the floor even as you heard faint shouting from several feet in front of you. Your eyes didn't let up from the floor as the tight grip on your shirt relented. Even when you were shoved to the side, you could only curl into a tight ball praying to Hylia that whatever your future faced, it would just be over quick. It was only when you felt a hand on your shoulder with gentle 'hey' did your eyes ever look up.

It was Tetra.

If anyone ever asked if you were crying into Tetra's shirt, the captain would have thrown them over board herself.

The next few months the crew witnessed your personality grow exponentially. Gone were the days you skirted around them silently. Days that weren't spent with Link were spent with Tetra, and when Tetra was busy, you spent it with the rest of the crew. It was there where they taught you how to tie certain knots, how to get out of restraints, which places had the best stuff, they even gave you your first drink (you had one sip and decided then and there that you 'were good thank you very much').

Tetra and link had decided after the first incident that it was imperative that you learned how to fight, even if you didn't end up using it very often. It was only when you cut your hair and got the infamous pirate's tan (after getting the less infamous 'sailor's sunburn') that you stopped getting recognized. The three of you were as thick as thieves. So much so that once at night, when only you and the pair were up, that you quietly opened up. Your words gently washed away at sea as you recalled how lonely you were before them, how you had to take up as little space as possible (both physically and metaphorically) in order to survive, and just how scared you were when they finally tracked you down. You start to apologize for making Tetra deal with you when she cut you off by pulling you into her shoulder, Wind quickly taking residence on your other side. It was there where they assured you that 'no one deserves to go through what you did. We would save you 100 times over even if our safety was put at risk because you deserve to be saved'. You could have blamed your tears on the wind in your eyes, but you didn't. You gently wiped them away, grabbed their hands, and thanked them for their words.

It was hard for you learn how to stand up for yourself. This is especially so given that you were essentially raised to do the exact opposite from the very day you were born. But as you stare into the vast ocean with your two closest friends beside you, you find the courage in your heart to try. Even if you didn't get it right away, you have something now that you didn't from before: family. You didn't need your husband, you don't need one/you have a new one. You didn't need your old family, you have an even better one (pretty ironic that pirates were more caring than those people), one that was willing to stick by you and help you up if you were to ever fall.

---

This took like an hour to write and I got lazy at the end, take it as is.

hasta lavistar🌟~ 💛💛💛💛

My... My boundaries?? Thanks! I'm not entirely sure which ones you're referring too though ^.^*

Oh god- not the barrel. The indignity of it all. XD

It wasn't mentioned but I imagined them in bridal gown anyway. I think it made for a more daring escape.

And then they got caught and I half expected for Tetra to shoot the sky or something instead of poor reader being shoved away until the scuffle has ended. I bet they would still be reported though for coming to their rescue. I bet it adds more drama after this posts finishes just because plot.

'Sailor's sunburn' had me cackling quietly.

God- love me some found family. Lovely. Absolutely lovely. <3

Thank you for sharing

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olko71 · 9 months ago

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New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on https://yaroreviews.info/2024/02/post-office-scandal-10k-payout-cruel-says-bankrupt-victim

Post Office scandal: £10k payout 'cruel', says bankrupt victim

By Emma Simpson

Business correspondent, BBC News

Tony Downey can feel his heart racing a little as he walks up the main street in Hawkshead, a pretty village in the Lake District. It’s the first time he’s been back since he fled abroad after losing his livelihood and health from the Horizon Post Office scandal.

“We didn’t even say goodbye, we were too embarrassed. We just ran,” he says.

He went bankrupt two months after selling his post office and shop when he could no longer cover the shortfalls in his accounts.

But he’s only ended up with £10,000 in compensation so far – way less than what he has lost.

“It’s an insult, it’s cruel… I should still be [in the post office]. I have no career, no money, no pension, no nothing. They took that all away from me.”

Now, Tony’s battle for financial redress is being seen as a test case by his legal team dealing with most of the bankruptcy cases in the biggest and earliest Horizon compensation scheme.

Tony, 56, bought the Hawkshead post office in 2001. Over the next six years he and his wife Caroline were forced to put in £35,000 of their own savings to make up for “losses” which never existed.

Instead, a faulty computer system called Horizon was to blame. They couldn’t afford to put in another £7,000 when the shortfalls continued.

“We had no money left, so we resigned. And I told them I was selling the post office. Which we did manage to do to be able to pay most of our debts off, but we were short, so we were advised to declare bankruptcy.”

Tony was already suffering from stress and anxiety from all the financial pressure. At one point, he says he was suicidal.

“I was terrified of driving because I thought: I’ll kill myself. Somehow I managed to keep it together until it was sold and then that was it… I just fell apart.”

Blaming himself, Tony felt too ashamed to stay in their small community.

Tony Downey

They withdrew their daughter from school and fled, without the chance for her to say goodbye to her childhood friends.

“We just ran away,” Tony says. Afterwards, he had a nervous breakdown and has not worked since.

He and Caroline have been living in a small, rented apartment in southern Spain to be close to his parents for support. His £120-a-week income is made up of benefit payments.

Then, just 18 months ago, he found out about the Horizon failures.

Tony filled out his application form for compensation from the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS). When the Post Office responded with an offer, it admitted that Horizon was responsible for the losses at his branch, but it denied it caused him to go bankrupt.

After Tony sold the post office and shop, he paid off a £60,000 commercial loan which was guaranteed against his wife’s parents’ home as he could not face putting it at risk.

But the Post Office said Tony should have paid off his other debts first. As a result, he’s only been paid £10,000 in damages for personal suffering so far.

Tony was awarded £140,000 to make up for his shortfalls and 26 months of lost income plus interest, but the money’s been swallowed up by his debts and goes straight to the Official Receiver to pay off his creditors. He’ll receive any surplus that’s left.

Tony is now being represented by Hudgell Solicitors who are challenging his offer.

“Tony’s been incredibly short-changed,” says Neil Hudgell, partner in the firm.

He argues that if the Post Office had admitted causing Tony’s bankruptcy, it would have meant far higher compensation – potentially covering 17 years of lost income as he has not been able to work.

“It is a particularly cruel irony for sub-postmasters to be deprived of compensation the Post Office is due to pay, given it was the Post Office which, in many cases, caused the financial collapse which preceded these bankruptcies,” says Mr Hudgell.

Tony Downey

“When we took the post office on we had no debts,” Tony says. The business was running amazingly well. But taking £35,000 from us had a massive effect… we didn’t want to go bankrupt.”

“I now have no career, no money, no pension, no nothing… they took that all away from me.”

“At the moment, they are not even close to putting me back to where I would’ve been, but they have to admit causation to do that.”

There are now 74 bankruptcy cases in the Horizon Shortfall Compensation Scheme.

The Post Office told the BBC that to date, it had accepted causation of bankruptcy in 25 of them. 17 have been settled although it’s not clear if the claimants did so with any legal advice.

Neil Hudgell’s firm is dealing with more than 40, trying to “unravel the true picture” and warns that some former subpostmasters and postmistresses may see time run out before a resolution is reached.

He believes Mr Downey has “a very strong” case and that the HSS has got it wrong when it refused to accept the Post Office caused his client to go bankrupt.

“Tony had essentially no debt before taking on the Post Office. He went bankrupt within two months of leaving… He was cash generative until he’d seen the problems with Horizon,” he says.

Bankruptcy adds a layer of complication to what are already complex cases – they’re taking the longest to solve, adding to years of anguish.

“We need to start giving subpostmasters the benefit of the doubt. They don’t have the documentation that backs up aspects of their claim in many instances. So, it’s about trying to reduce the legal war of attrition, looking at things in the round, and doing the right and fair and proper thing,” believes Mr Hudgell.

On his first visit back to the village he left behind, Tony feels nervous but validated.

His battle is far from over but after all these years he wants to “wave my little piece of paper, saying it wasn’t me… It wasn’t me.”

His old post office is no longer there. It shut more than a year ago. The building has now been let to a nursery.

A Post Office spokesperson said: “We do not comment on individual cases, but we fully recognise that recompensing victims of the Horizon IT scandal who have been declared bankrupt or insolvent as a consequence of Horizon shortfalls has been a complicated and lengthy process – for which we apologise.

“All offers made under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme are assessed by an independent panel which includes forensic accounting specialists. Any individual in receipt of an offer is entitled to dispute the amount and seek legal advice on the offer received, the cost of that independent legal advice is reimbursed by Post Office.”

More on this story

Why were hundreds of Post Office workers prosecuted?

23 January

‘We’re victims of a second Post Office scandal’

4 days ago

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black-star-kunzite · 11 months ago

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(Regretfully) I did watch that squid game reality show and it’s like I hate how visceral this is bc everyone’s story is just about improving what should be a basic standard of living or worse needing that money to save their or someone else’s life/livelihood and it’s like I can’t fucking judge some of these people because of how dystopian the whole situation is. Like I get it that 278 was stubborn asl during the glass tile challenge but it’s like not everyone signed off abt it? And yeah it was a dickish move to ask for the help of the team you didn’t sign off on after your attempt worked so yeah I can see how people are put off by her. Butttt like it’s a lot of money and I can’t really see how ppl choose to see these people as irredeemable supervillains when they’re just people? Like reality tv does place real people into functional archetypes and it’s hard to see past that stuff (and more recently those people tend to play into those stereotypes either at the behest of the producers or as a product of editing)

Basically what I’m saying is just I don’t give a shit that 278/Ashley chose not to jump ahead of that lanky white guy (the dude who went 3rd forgot name name) I do have a little beef with her asking for help from the team system after she made it but also the 6th guy could’ve just refused to help as well idk. I also see why 287/Mai would target her but also she had a sure fire chance of making it as the last person to go so I don’t see why she’d take such a risk regarding her beliefs about Ashley’s character. Each person is out for themselves and Mai has also expressed that same selfishness in the game. Like everyone has and should and it sucks balls that it has to be like that but that’s the consequence of these high stakes games!! (But I do also not really how Ashley didn’t really stand on her initial choice to not jump ahead of the 3rd guy when talking with Mai so I get the dislike of her I just don’t give a shit) it’s just because of how visible the consequences of a players decision to prioritize themselves is. Idk why I’m psychoanalyzing this piece of shit show. But the whole 278 vitriol is weird to me and ppl idolizing 287 as a hero is equally as weird. Like please be normal 🙏🏾. 287 winning is cool like congrats but leave it at that damn.

I fuckin hate this show bruh 😭

#I don’t like any of these people but I don’t fucking hate them either like damn #I feel like calling Ashley an awful person is kinda reductive like when it comes to manipulation and shit yeah that’s shitty but it’s 4 mil #you’d be fuckin lyingggg if you wouldn’t twist and spin people’s words on their head to get a better shot.#squid game the challenge

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anoseforrottenapples · 2 years ago

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🌟 for Mary! Or if someone already asked about her, whichever different muse you prefer. :)

1) Mary has been learning how to manage an estate or a manor since she has been about five. Her parents were farmers, but with enough money that they were quite comfortable, and had a certain amount of status in Oyster Bay. When Mary and her sister were old enough to be married, her mother made it very clear she would accept nothing lower then military officers, landholders, or accomplished businessmen for her daughters.

2) In keeping with the fact above, the strength of Thomas Woodhull being a British officer and heir to Whitehall is what brought about their arranged marriage. When Abraham is presented as an alternative, that is accepted on the grounds that he is studying to be a solicitor, and is the new Woodhull heir. Abraham turning his attention to cabbage farming instead is a move that caught everyone else by surprise. Mary, for one, was not really prepared for that change, and somewhat annoyed when he made it.

3) Mary is a bit of a matrimonial mercenary, though she can be induced to marry for genuine affection. She believes love can be built… it does not have to pre-exist, hence why she is all right with Abraham loving her less then she loves him. She believes they can work past that, and still build a strong marriage. What cannot be built so easily is money, a social position, a livelihood… she would rather marry a man with those categories well-established, and work on the romantic aspect of it as they go.

4) When it comes to her family, Mary is a Momma Bear to the Nth degree. There is no bridge she will not cross (and then burn), no river she will not ford, no sin she will not commit if it means saving them and protecting them. If anything ever happens to Abraham, this tendency ramps up toward Thomas.

5) Mary is a stress cook/baker and cleaner. The more stressed she is, the cleaner her house gets, and the more food she is making. Ironically, she is not a stress eater so quite a bit of what she makes ends up getting given to everyone around her.

6) If, after Thomas’s death in York City, Richard had suggested he marry Mary instead of putting Abraham in that position, Mary would have accepted the offer. Sure, he is quite a few years older then her… but Mary would be eyeing the comfort and security offered by White Hall, and his position as a magistrate. She can manage his home quite comfortably, and shore up the Woodhull family line, which she feels is a fair exchange for a nice house, and a good situation. I said she was a matrimonial mercenary.

7) Mary really does want to travel outside of Long Island. She would love to see York City—she was not joking when she said she was a bit jealous about Abraham getting to travel there. The other large cities would be nice too, and even London if a chance ever came up to go. Her universe has always been narrowly focused between Oyster Bay and Setauket, but she knows that the world is bigger then that. She just does not have a part in it.

8) Her hand in the death of Ensign Baker is one of Mary’s greatest mostly-secret regrets. Ensign Baker had never been anything but kind and decent to her… and she repaid his kindness in a truly horrible way. Since he had no family to claim him, he was buried in Setauket. She still brings flowers to him regularly and takes care of the grave. She tells her neighbors it is because the man was an orphan with no family to take up the charge, so she handles it. In reality though, it is a feeble attempt to assuage some of her own guilt.

9) Mary’s favorite color is pink, though she does not own a huge amount of clothing in that color. It was a very fashionable color in the 1700s, especially adored by the mistress of the French king, so getting her hands on pink garments as a farmer’s wife in the back end of a British colony is not an easy feat.

10) Mary is an Anglican, or a member of the Church of England. She takes her faith rather more seriously than Abraham does, and feels that is a detriment to his character. He has moral weaknesses that she feels can only be improved through a steadier devotion to his faith, and an application of the principles. She is likely right in this assessment…

#Muse: Mary Woodhull #Even my fun facts become essays...

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the-bjd-community-confess · 2 years ago

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Recast vs Legit - Is It Worth It?

Okay - so before anyone tries to crucify me in the notes, this is meant to spark debate and discussion. I am well aware of the facts that make recasts fundamentally 'bad' or 'wrong' - the way it effects the artists livelihood, the fact that it's intellectual property violation, etc, etc.

My counterpoint, so to speak, is some dolls are not worth their price point. Yes, I did just say that. No, I'm not jealous of anyone for owning any specific doll (I own all my grails [legit] and have them all fleshed out with clothes/shoes/eyes/wigs), no I'm not mad that people can drop 100s to 1000s of Dollars on dolls because I can and have myself. I just genuinely find some doll brands to not be worth their price point. I'm not even talking about things like T3eny Tinkers weird little clay creatures, I'm talking about well established companies - namely Fairyland.

I think Minifees are cute and great dolls for beginners because there's just so much made for them but would I ever consider paying the legit price for them? Not a chance. Minifees are infamous for their quality issues. Warped legs, weird discoloration in tan skin, super obvious seamlines even on pale dolls, super thin resin on high pressure joint areas, company faceups not being the same quality as the promo images... All this for hundreds of dollars? Some might have the want to waste their hard earned money on an inferior product but I sure don't.

I have owned a legit Minifee as well as recasts - the difference in quality is insane and not in the direction most people will have you believe. I don't even need to tell you, you can see for yourself. Watch Christine C's video on legit vs recast - if you go for a good recaster brand the difference is hardly noticeable and in some instances the legits look a lot worse than the recasts. The price point pushes it even further in favor for recasts. A blank, tan Minifee A-Line costs $457.00 (excluding shipping) - this is no hands, no heel feet, no faceup. Completely blank.

A custom painted (very nice quality as well) tan Minifee with three extra hand options and heel feet costs $230.00 (including shipping). Now when I say tan, I actually mean an array of colors from Fairyland tan to baby blue to onyx black. Fairyland can't even offer POC skin, never mind fantasy skin tones. What does this mean for the buyer/collector? It means that if you save up to buy the legit, but instead buy the recast you have another $227.00 to buy the doll some real wigs/shoes/eyes/whatever else.

I see so many #legitonlycollectorsuwu with the ugliest doll under the sun, because they put a woolen mop wig on it, hand paint it with what may as well be paper markers, cut holes in a sock and then post it expecting the same traction as people like 4arll!n. With all this said - let's debate. What reason is there to go legit with this specific company? What counter-points can you make against mine that would really prove that recasts are not as good as legits?

~Anonymous

#BJD #ABJD #BJD Confessions #Community Counterfeits #Legit Quality #Recast Quality

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badgeworn-arc · 2 years ago

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LOVING DAUGHTER . . . LITTLE ANGEL.

fatherhood . . . it was something he wished for , something he became okay with not having eventually. he’d been to war , he’d seen things ━ done things , he became comfortable with it just being himself & his string of broken hearts until diane came along . it hadn’t been something they planned , in all honesty he hadn’t even been sure what they were . . . a new girl in town , the prodigal son returning home ━ two people who fell hard & fast. he didn’t think he could fall any further and THEN . . . along came sara.

sara elise hopper was born april 22 , 1971 in hawkins , indiana. it was the moment that confirmed he would be getting out of his shithole of a hometown but with how unexpectedly sara had been brought into their lives, the couple stuck around for one more year ━ finishing out contracts with jobs & saving money before marrying & running off to new york. from the moment she’d been placed in his arms , sara had her father wrapped around her finger. he’d realized just how much that dream of fatherhood still meant to him and how he would do just about anything for the pink bundle in his arms.

as an only child raised with a man’s man as a father , jim hopper had no idea how to raise a daughter. it helped that she was such an easy baby ( as easy as it can be on first time parents ) . soon enough , detective hopper was thrust into the world of princess tea parties & encouraging dreams of one day making it to the moon. she was such a happy child , such a smart child , with her mother’s blonde curls & her father’s blue eyes content with running & laughing , making the game up as they went. one day she’s a princess , a knight , the best damn tea maker in new york city. the next she’s an astronaut , saving earth from the next disastrous event threatening their make believe livelihoods.

all the things about hawkins that had made him miserable , all the things about vietnam that had made him numb ━ it all melted away as the three of them settled into happily ever after , as they molded their little family. life stayed that way for a while ━ seven years to be exact.

it was in the fall of 1978 that things began to crumble. a routine day at the park just outside their neighborhood had taken a turn for the worst when sara , the child who had rarely even had a cold , couldn’t breathe. one stop at the emergency room later confirmed a parent’s worst nightmare. he always thought the hardest thing he’d been through were the things that happened in vietnam , things that�� haunted him every time he closed his eyes , and then he had to watch his little girl get weaker & weaker with every treatment. leukemia . no idea of a cause on the medical side , they said sometimes these things just happen ━ no rhyme no reason.

he knew. he’d done this. life had been too good & this was the universe’s way of knocking him back on his ass. they immediately began treatments any & all even with the slimmest of chances ━ they’d never given up hope but sara . . . sweet , small , sara. her tiny body just couldn’t keep up , life ended before it ever really began & suddenly jim & diane were alone ━ left only with an empty child’s bedroom & their memories as reminders of the mark she’d left on this world.

it wasn’t long before her death took a toll on the parents she left behind. diane wanted to grieve and move on , try again , they’d always be sara’s parents but life had to continue. jim was content with staying in this bubble . . . afraid that eventually he would forget her laugh , her smile , the weight of her pouncing his chest on a saturday morning and so . . . he drank. & began cashing in any and every prescription he could. he drank himself out of a marriage & a job.

suddenly the house was much too big while new york suddenly felt much too small & before he knew it , he was on the phone with indiana ━ returning home once more. he visited sara the day he split, leaving a bouquet of flowers & a small stuffed tiger in his place and with that . . . he never visited new york again.

#child death tw #illness tw #cancer tw #╰ ‘ 𝘐 𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘓𝘓 𝘞𝘖𝘕𝘋𝘌𝘙 𝘞𝘏𝘈𝘛 𝘞𝘌𝘕𝘛 𝘞𝘙𝘖𝘕𝘎 … ’ › introspective.

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winterspiderlover2704 · 3 years ago

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Chapter 2 of

Immortal Dillemas

He almost didn’t notice her but when he stopped beside her, how can anyone not notice. Though he can’t find it in himself to care. But what had made him stop all of a sudden? What Stefan doesn’t realize that with his humanity off his inner vampire has more of an influence over him. Every instinct in him was screaming at him to slow down his car and when he did he noticed her. Odd, he thought with his humanity off his instincts would just discard the safety and livelihood of others. He hasn’t had his humanity on since he was ordered to turn it off by Klaus. Right now he had just finished tearing through some witches to gain information as per Klaus’s orders. He had some downtime before Klaus needed him back. From what he could see of her is that she is a very beautiful girl. She had long black luscious hair, pale fair skin, full lips, and the most beautiful emerald eyes he had ever seen. From what he could observe she’s perhaps 5’5 even, a half foot shorter than him. She couldn’t be more than a year younger than his physical age. Though he doesn’t care, he was still curious. What was a young British girl doing wandering a lone road in Oregon? He didn’t ask. There was something about her that made something turn in him. He’s had his emotions off for a while now, his brother and ex-girlfriend has been looking for him but he doesn’t need them to save him. All he wants to do is make sure Elena doesn’t kill herself in order for Klaus to make his hybrids. Klaus still needed deeds done and witches kept in line so he was able to leave the longing and judgmental stares behind for however brief a time. Tearing and draining some bodies did help him relieve stress,a ripper as his species liked to call him. Once she was seated in his car he headed towards town, Baker City. He was originally planning to drain her dry once she was in his car but something inside him made him stop. They drove in silence for about five minutes before he broke it.

“Soooo, any reason for why you crossed the pond to Oregon?”, he said trying to gauge anything really something in him was yearning to know this girl. He has never heard of something like this happening with his species. Hailey was shocked. She was able to apparate another country?!? She quickly hid her shocked expression from Stefan. While he was contemplating his behavior Hailey was trying to find an excuse but what’s better than the truth.

“ I just needed a chance to clear my head, and what better way than traveling and wandering?”, she wasn’t lying she just didn’t mention that she wasn’t exactly intending to travel to America.

“Something big happen to you and your family? I heard about those terrorist attacks and weird tornadoes happening over in the United Kingdom.”, he said in a curious tone. He was trying to gauge her reaction maybe she lost someone and decided to go across the world. She had a brief look of mourning before she said,

“ My parents died when I was a baby and I am not close to the relatives that raised me but I did lose someone to the attacks.”, she looks so sad, they were probably the reason for her traveling.

“ I’m sorry to hear that.” He said trying to convey human emotion without turning it on. But the look on her face told him that she expected his response. She must of heard it a lot. He should try to connect with her to open her up more. He still has no idea why his vampire was demanding information on this stunning girl… wait stunning? He shook his head and gave her a parody of his story, why he wanted to connect with her is still beyond him.

“When I was eleven my mom died and while she wasn’t the best mother she was still my mom. She would steal from and lie to my dad who in turn would immediately blame and punish me and my older brother. I don’t remember much from my childhood but I remember that my mom had stolen money from my dad. He thought my brother did it. He put out a lit cigar on my brother’s arm as punishment. One night my brother had told my dad that he was moving away with his girlfriend, and my dad just … he was so angry. He took his gun and started threatening my brother. I panicked and and wrestled the gun out of my dad’s hands. Next thing I knew was that my dad was dead and my brother hates me for putting in a situation that he has to live with and keep with him forever.”, he had to change the story a bit for why Damon hated him but it was the truth. Damon had hated him for so long because he forced Damon to become a vampire and for killing their father. What she said next would have genuinely surprised him if he had his humanity on. But he still let the emotion display on his face.

“ Your brother is stupid for holding this against you. From what I gathered you had to have been decently young when this happened. You were just a kid and acting on emotion, instead of protecting you and doing his job as an older brother he left it to you to be the protector. I’m sorry that you didn’t have family there to protect you and comfort you during that ordeal.”, while she was talking tears had started to leak through her eyes when she thought about the young boy having must been so terrified of having to protect his brother and hurting his father.

He… hadn’t thought about it like that. Back then he was already of age to have a wife and family, he was his own man. But she is right, he was only a kid when he was turned and transforming didn’t help with his emotions. With Damon it always felt like he was the older brother, he always had to be the one getting him out of messes and protecting him. It’s still like that to this day. He told he as much.

“I…never thought about it like that. Growing up it was more like I was the older one while he was the younger. Want to hear something kind of funny about us though?”, he was hoping he could break the somber mood they created, he doesn’t like seeing the tears on her face… he hardly knew her but she has such an affect on him.

“What? You two fight over girlfriends?”, she said with a slight chuckle at the end. A silence stretched through the car when she finished chuckling. She looked up with wide eyes, feeling a twinge of disappointment and jealousy surge through her when thinking of Stefan with a girl. She squashed that feeling down quickly, she hardly knows this boy. He finally answered.

“Not my doing I assure you. The girl Damon was going to run away with had some obsessive love for me that I didn’t return but she still tried to seduce me. Which added to my brother’s resentment towards me I’m sure. And my last girlfriend has started to develop feelings for him and he has had feelings for her since he met her.”, he tried pleading his case when he saw her expression. This girl has already made him show ten times more humanity than what his brother and ex had seen this past year. He felt himself settle when her expression cleared.

“Just…wow? I’m sorry that you have to deal with all that. I have never really had a relationship before so I don’t know what it feels like but I have a feeling that you deserve better than that.”, and she means it something in her was weeping for Stefan for being overlooked and poorly taken care of. She has never felt this way towards a boy before. She’s had crushes but she has never felt this strongly before.

Hearing her say that she has no experience with others made something purr inside him with satisfaction… he should really ask Klaus what the hell he’s experiencing. He needs a drink to clear his head but he also didn’t want to leaver her side yet.

“Well, I know I need to clear my head with everything you’ve given me to think about. But instead of traveling, how about you and me grab a drink? There’s a bar in town and the owner knows me pretty well that they don’t card me at the bar.”, he offered. She thought about it, while it may not be a smart idea to get a drink with a stranger and she’s underage, her and Stefan just shared their woes they could at least grab a drink together. She’ll trust him enough for tonight. She nodded her head and spoke her confirmation. Stefan shot an adorable grin at her that made her melt a little. Unknown to both of them Stefan had turned on some of him emotions to give her a genuine grin. Stefan pressed on the gas and made their way to the bar.

It was a weekend so it was pretty packed. Stefan made sure to hold Hailey’s hand to not lose her in the crowd. While Hailey was looking around and distracted by the loud music he used compulsion to order them drinks. He hadn’t been focusing on his hearing so it came as a shock when Hailey started gripping his hand and pressing herself against his arm.When he turned around to look at her, what he saw made him growl and snarl and nearly made him loose control of his vampire.

Hailey had a look of great discomfort and behind her was some guy who was leering at her as soon she and Stefan had walked in. He was making lewd gestures towards her and once her and Stefan made their way past him, he actually started following them towards the bar. She then felt a stinging on her butt and in her shock had started pressing herself closer to Stefan. When Stefan turned around to see what was wrong the leering man started speaking.

“ Damn! That ass feels just as good as it looks hun. How about you leave junior and I’ll show you what a real man can do.”, the man leers at Hailey and before Stefan could think about ripping his head off she spoke.

“ Oh please, as if you know anything about being a man if anything I’m pretty sure my friend here could show me all that a man has to offer.” She said with malice and not moving from her spot latched to Stefan. The man snarled and was about to speak when Stefan grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him slightly and spoke with a growl.

“ Listen asshole, you are going to leave before I loose control and end up separating your head from your body if you keep messing with me and my girl.”, he hadn’t meant to said that last part but it felt right and it got the message across. It didn’t look like it bothered Hailey too much either, especially with how her heart was racing when he gripped his arm around her waist. The man looks terrified and like he’s about to wet himself. He took one step back when Stefan let go of his shirt and than he started gunning it towards the exit. They both laughed at the man’s expense and did a mock toast for the ordeal.

They spent the next few hours just drinking and talking. Getting to know each other through parody stories of their lives. For Stefan, unknown to him half of his humanity turned back on and he was falling in love, Hailey had brought out so many feelings. He felt awed by her and a lot of attraction to her. She was kind and understanding but still strong and put power behind her every word. For Hailey, unknown to her she was falling in love. Stefan had suffered so much and when he lashes out due to the pressure he’s met with scorn. He had to put up with all of that and he deserves to be a little brash and crazy sometimes. But just know with that creepy guy he’s shown her that he can still show compassion and protectiveness. She’s so used to being the protector that it felt nice to be protected for once. When they were slightly wobbling towards the car Hailey had a spurge of courage when Stefan went to open the door on her side. She felt very strongly for Stefan and when he opened her door she went up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stood frozen for a while and just as she was going to pull away he wrapped his arms around her waist. They had their foreheads pressed together and they were breathing the same air. Neither will remember who made a move first but soon they ended up sealing their lips together. For Stefan, he had never felt a kiss feel so electric and passion filled. For Hailey, she’s never been kissed before and was almost overwhelmed with the feeling. The kissed got more heated but they soon had to break it to breathe. Have it to mind that Stefan is forever in a seventeen year old body and Hailey in a sixteen year old body. They are in the physical pinnacle in which their hormones are… disorderly. That and the alcohol, smart decisions were not even close to either of their minds. Stefan did not want Hailey out of his arms anytime soon and he remembers that the bar is coincidentally only a short walk from a small hotel. He knew it was risky to ask but he had a feeling that the attraction was not one sided. He again did not notice that he had a gauge on his emotions. He looked into Hailey’s eyes and was reaffirmed in his decision.

“ There’s a hotel nearby, do you… maybe want to spend the night… with me.” he asked with some hesitation. He didn’t want to pressure her, he knew it would be her first time, he could smell the innocence on her and the lack of man that is not family.

Even though she was tipsy she still was sober enough to make a decision. She wanted to do it. After everything that she had gone through and recently learned she felt like if she didn’t do it now she may never be able to. She has never felt a connection of attraction and trust like she does with Stefan. Not to mention she knows at least that he isn’t using her for the title of having taken the “Girl Who Lived” virginity. She can’t say that she knows for certain that she’ll get this chance again.

“I would love to spend the night with you Stefan. I hope that you take care of me.”, she said as she leans her forehead back onto his, kiss his lips chastely, and watched as the tension in him go away slowly from her touch.

“Thank you. I promise to make this special for you and that you won’t regret it.”, for the rest of night while Stefan was with Hailey he had the whole of his humanity back on and the two took part in creating the Master of Death’s Heir.

#harry potter #fem!harry potter #harry potter x stefan salvatore #master of death #stefan salvatore #vampire diaries

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rollership · 2 years ago

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ADVANCING WORKER OWNERSHIP THROUGH ESOPS

Bob Barracca

We — the Left — are all action and no long-term strategy. In my 20 years as a machinist and mechanical designer and 50 years as an activist, I have come to some conclusions about where we need to go.

From my workplace experiences, I have come across two companies that stood out: Maryland Brush Company and Amsted Industries. In the 1960s, Maryland Brush, formerly known as Pittsburgh Plate Glass, was shutting down. The union, the state and the employees decided to organize, take out a bank loan and buy the company, changing its name to the Maryland Brush Company. Two trustees were established — one for management and one for the steelworkers union. I was the trustee for the union and worked there for three years. After just barely paying off the bank loan, we managed to operate the plant for 29 years.

Seven years later, I was hired as a mechanical designer at Baltimore Aircoil, which was purchased by Amsted Industries, which offered an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and became employee owned. We received stock for every hour we worked. For the three years I worked there, I had a good wage, good benefits and a 401(k). To my surprise, when I retired, the stock I received when I left was worth $267,000.

A few years ago, I held a study group on America Beyond Capitalism by Gar Alperovitz and it only reinforced my opinion about the important role of ESOPs in our future.

At a time in our history when so many companies are going out of business, there is an unprecedented opportunity to save many jobs and bolster democratic socialism. We missed our chance in the 1980s; let’s not make the same mistake now.

The ESOP Association (TEA) and theNational Center for Employee Ownership are clearing houses for existing ESOPs and provide all resources necessary to convert these companies to worker ownership. There are currently two bills that have been introduced in Congress which would advance the spread of ESOPs nationally:

S.4236 - Temporary Federal ESOP Grant Program Act of 2020

‍H.R.2258 - Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2019

Both promote new ESOPs and make it easier to operate existing arrangements, but both still need to pass in both the House and Senate.

What will replace capitalism?

When those in power speak of democracy and say it has flaws but that there is no better system, they are referring to the political system and using it to gloss over the inequalities of our economic system - capitalism. But these are really two distinct systems that can exist separately.

Consider that while most countries operate under a capitalist system, not every country is democratic. Karl Marx wrote about the kernel of capitalism existing within the feudal system, stating that it would replace feudalism as a natural process of human evolution. This is what happened. Under feudalism the monarch owned everything. Capitalism was more democratic, less top-heavy way of organizing resources; individuals could accumulate wealth and that new mode of economic organization couldn't be stopped. And so, capitalism eventually enabled democratic political systems to form in response.

A democratic political system and a dictatorial economic system coexist in the US. The principal issue most have with US-style capitalism system is in the disparity between the owners and the workers. In turn, the stock market is the means of perpetuating this condition. Without using their own money, corporate raiders can buy a company, break it up and make huge profits, while multitudes of people lose their jobs.

Under this system, we not only lose our jobs but our retirement income, which we were forced to move to 401(k)s that make it compulsory to invest in companies we know little about and likely work against our direct interest. Traders can also gamble with our livelihoods to pursue increased wealth. And when they fail, the taxpayers bail them out.

While many have identified this problem, protested, made calls, signed petitions and raised money to combat the capitalist economy, substantive end goals are still lacking.

A few years ago, I went to RootsCamp training in DC. I was expecting at least some people to discuss strategy, but all the workshops focused on the nuts and bolts of organizing for young professionals and not on the end game. Instead, goals seemed to be focused on how to make corporate capitalism more digestible.

We should consider looking at ESOPs as a way to show workers what the replacement for corporate capitalism might look like. Under these plans, all company stock is owned by the company employees and previous employees, while the stock market is completely excluded. All decisions are voted on and all officers are elected. This means employees can protect jobs from being outsourced from corporate raiders like Republicans and centrist Democrats. The employees would have to vote to sell their stock, their jobs, and their communities -- which would rarely happen.

Using ESOPs to breach Republican strongholds

Most of my life I've assumed Republicans held ground in rural areas based on support for single issues like gun rights, opposition to abortion, religion and racism. But after looking at TEA's website, I suspect that Republicans are also using democratic socialism, specifically by way of ESOPs, to maintain their grip over rural communities.

When one company goes out of business in a big city, workers just go out and get another job. The local businesses are not badly impacted and life goes on. Rural areas, however, face a very different reality. Generally, there are one or two places to work and the whole economy is dependent on those workplaces. Representatives in Congress know that to keep their jobs they need to preserve employment within their districts, and they use ESOPs to do this. Employee-owned firms have a main goal of preserving their jobs, not maximizing profits, as suggested by this excerptfrom TEA:

“Employee ownership and ESOPs hold one of the highest levels of truly bi-partisan support of any issue imaginable before the U.S. Congress. As of December 2019, 147 current members of the U.S. House of Representatives (68 Democrats and 79 Republicans), and 55 U.S. Senators (23 Democrats, 33 Republicans, and one Independent) had taken documented action to support ESOPs.”

Why do Republicans use this strategy if they are so anti-socialist? Because, like us, they think of state socialism, not democratic socialism. State socialism is top-down, even when elected. Anti-socialists are not threatened because they see an ESOP as an isolated situation. They do not understand how giving workers greater control over the means of production might enable an embrace of socialism across the country; but we should.

Using ESOPs to expand unions and counter conservative privatization schemes

ESOPs can also be a strategy for spurring on union organizing. Often when a union advances a vote, the company will threaten to move south or shut down if you vote for the union. If the union is recognized, companies typically run to the government demanding tax breaks or infrastructure support anyway. But with a law requiring the company to offer ownership sale to its employees first, that threat can no longer be used as leverage against calls for unionization. This means businesses either foster better working conditions for their workers, accept (rather than fight) unionizations in their workplaces, or risk turning over their businesses to the people and communities that sustain and support them.

We can even think about using ESOPs as a way to counter Republican calls for privatization.

The Trump administration consistently attacked the USPS , threatening privatization. This is nothing new – Republicans have been plotting to do this for some time, with dreams of furnishing their stock market coconspirators with maximum profits by eliminating unprofitable routes in rural areas and raising rates. They also interfered in the USPS’ daily operations through Trump’s political appointments by wrecking sorting machines and changing drivers’ schedules while reducing overtime to attempt to slow down mail-in voting.

To counter Republican calls for privatization, we might try proposing to turn them into an ESOP instead: rather than turn over control of the postal service to private firms, why not give control to it’s more than 500,000, working-class employees? The $72 billion retirement fund owed by the employees can help with financing and, as shown above, would be likely to attract bipartisan support. This will eliminate the threat from politicians and firmly place the workers in control. Instead of top-down, ownership will be reversed.

Using ESOPs to advance an understanding of socialism

ESOPS are a perfect opportunity to demonstrate what democratic socialism is all about: worker ownership and control of the means of production. We contrast this with other forms of socialism and capitalism; instead of arming the workers with guns, we arm them with information, resources and knowledge that a group like DSA can coordinate nationally. And remember that ESOPs and employee ownership have a long history of attracting support from all sides. This gives democratic socialists an opportunity to negotiate and work with other mainstream political ideologies on the left, right and center. The Center for American Progress (a left-leaning think tank), Third Way (a centrist organization) and the US Chamber of Congress (traditionally more conservative) have all expressed strong approvals of ESOPs.

Here's how we might go about explaining ESOPs:

ESOPs Board of Directors all have their jobs at stake and the workers elect 50% of board members, furthering workplace democracy.

The priority of ESOPs are not to maximize profits but to preserve jobs.

When employees receive stock for every hour worked, they have more incentive to produce.

For the company to be sold, a vote must be taken by all employees who are not likely to approve when keeping their job is on the line.

The business is not likely to be moved or shut down unless employees want it to.

ESOPs will be the catalyst for credit unions, community improvement associations, health care cooperatives and job creation.

Some ESOPs only have limited employee ownership and are little more than 401(k)s, but according to Alperovitz, “they are structured over time to become more and more employee controlled.”

In 2008, General Motors and Chrysler were going out of business, it would have been an opportune time to convert both to ESOPs. Instead of receiving tax-payer money to revive these privately-owned businesses, these companies could have been sold to their employees who would then be far more invested in saving them.

Globalization has led to manufacturing losses within the US and jobs moved overseas, allowing investors and CEOs to pocket more profits while laborers lost their jobs and have been unable to recoup those economic losses. Corporations have less and less interest in manufacturing products here in the USA. They search the world for cheaper and cheaper labor while the market becomes more and more competitive. Meanwhile, we are still expected to be the market for the products of the world while our incomes shrink. Even Republicans understand that this concept is not sustainable.

People need to take control of companies and start running the economy from the bottom up. We can start by advancing ESOPs.

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farfromsugafanfic · 4 years ago

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Sutures - Chapter Two: Conjugate

Genre: Soulmates AU, Idiots to Lovers, slight Enemies to Lovers

Pairing: Yoongi/Named Reader

Warnings (chapter specific): invasions of privacy

Synopsis: “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” –Jean de la Fontaine

There was only one thing you and Min Yoongi had in common that night. You were both brokenhearted. You only intended to be together for one night, but when you both end up in the hospital the next day you discover that you are soulmates. It could kill you to be apart. As you and Yoongi attempt to sever the bond between you, will another be formed?

Notes: This was originally written and completed on Wattpad between 2018 and the beginning of 2020. I’ll be slowly posting the chapters here. I may make a tag list depending on if enough people want to follow along with updates. Leave me some feedback if you would like added to a tag list.

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You sighed as the nurse pulled the IV out of your arm. The muscles in your body relaxing for the first time in hours.

"There we are," the nurse said. "Looks like you'll be out of here in a few hours. Just make sure not to get too far from that man of yours."

You smiled up at her, not wanting to explain that he wasn't your man and that you'd only just learned his name from a news broadcast a few hours ago. When Eunji had texted you that he was an idol, you'd thought she was joking. She was drunk after all and probably would've called any guy flirting with you an idol.

"This is crazy," Eunji said. "What're you going to do?"

"I don't know," you said. "I guess I'll have to contact him somehow."

"Did you get his number?"

"No, we never intended to see each other again."

"Well, he's looking for you."

---

"Jang Sumi?" a man asked, knocking politely as he entered.

"Yes?"

He bowed politely as he entered.

"I'm Bang Sihyuk, CEO of BigHit Entertainment," he said.

Your eyes grew wide and you immediately bowed, feeling slightly embarrassed you hadn't recognized him and done so before.

"We would like to discuss a proposal with you. If you'd please sit down," he said, pointing to the newly made hospital bed.

You sat down and the man sat down in the chair Eunji sat when you first awoke. "We have reason to believe you are Min Yoongi's soulmate. I'm sure the doctors have already explained that this means the two of you must remain near each other."

You nodded.

"In order to protect his career, we would like you to move into the BTS dorm. We will pay you and compensate you for any trouble."

"What about my career?" you asked.

The man nodded, his shoulders relaxing as if he'd expected you to question him.

"We've done our research and you're an English tutor? You can continue online sessions and do occasional in-person sessions away from the dorm. We don't want to take away your livelihood by any means. We want to protect both of you."

Your mind overflowed with thoughts. You'd be living with seven guys. Seven idols. Would girls get jealous? Would their fans even know? You had too many questions for the man to possibly answer.

You could certainly use the extra money and without having to pay rent, it would allow you to begin saving money. Something you'd wanted since you'd moved out.

You'd have to work less though, but you were sure the compensation that BigHit offered would be more than enough to make up for the fewer hours.

"All right," you said. "As long as I can keep my job, I agree."

---

"Boys, this is Jang Sumi," Bang PD said.

You bowed to the seven boys in front of you, secretly wishing the much more charming Eunji hadn't gone home. Even though it was obvious they had rushed to the hospital based on the various array of sweatpants and messy hair, they all still looked gorgeous.

The boys bowed back and their gazes wandered down to your neck, their eyes wide. You hadn't noticed the bruises there from the night before. You shyly broke eye contact and looked over to Yoongi who sat with his feet dangling off the hospital bed.

You met his dark eyes. Instead of the mysterious and hungry look they'd held the night before, they now looked exhausted and slightly annoyed. His gaze left yours momentarily as his eyes looked down at the bruises on your neck. His face remained expressionless except for a small flick of his tongue between his lips.

"The doctors need to run a few more tests and talk with Yoongi and Sumi," Bang PD said. "We should leave them alone"

The six other boys filed out of the room and you took a seat on the bed next to Yoongi, leaving a large space between you, so that it would be nearly impossible to accidentally brush against one another.

"Hi," you said. "So, it's been an interesting day, huh?"

The boy didn't respond and before you could make more futile attempts to fill the silence two doctors walked into the room.

"Min Yoongi and Jang Sumi?"

You both nodded and bowed.

"All right, I know this is all a bit overwhelming right now, but once we all discuss and decide on the various options, I'm sure you'll feel better." The doctor flipped a few pages on his clipboard before looking back up at you. "So, as you both know, this is still a fairly rare condition. Finding one's soulmate and having it cause heart attack like symptoms is not well understood. Due to this, we request at least monthly check-ups for at least the first year for both of you to ensure your heart is okay and to check your overall health. The rest depends on how the two of you choose to proceed. Are you two currently in a relationship?"

"No," you both answered.

The doctor nodded.

"The easiest and best way to proceed is to attempt a relationship. While it might be awkward at first, for your overall general health, it will be the best way to adjust and will allow the withdrawals to be less frequent and violent in the future. If--"

"No," Yoongi said. "We can't do a relationship."

"What do you mean?" you asked, your head whipping around to face him. The last thing you wanted was to be in a relationship with a man you barely knew, especially the day after you'd officially ended it with your ex. But if the doctors said it was the best way to deal with the situation, you were inclined to listen.

"It's for both of our own good," he said. "You have no idea what a relationship with an idol would be like."

"Well, there are other options," the doctor said, glancing between the two of you. "If you truly don't want to be together, we can work on trying to weaken or even sever the connection between you. It is rare and difficult to do, but it has been achieved. You will have to stay in the same building as the other person most of the time. There do seem to be some exceptions such as work or situations where the other absolutely can't be present. However, at first, these withdrawals will be powerful and you may not be able to leave the building without the other person at all. For the first week, we suggest not doing so.

"In order to attempt to sever the connection, we will have to monitor your mental health and work to keep the relationship on track. While you don't have to remain distant from each other, it is important to not have feelings for each other, or else it will not work. You will have monthly or bi-weekly appointments with a psychiatrist who is trained to work with cases like this.

"You will also experience something we like to call urges. These are instances of extreme attraction to one another. It will be extremely difficult to be apart from each other during these times. It is important that you be together in these times, but if you are choosing not to pursue a relationship, you must do your best to resist the attraction."

After the doctor was done explaining everything and had recorded your decision to attempt and sever the connection, they drew blood from both of you and allowed you to leave.

---

You'd spent the rest of the day packing. Your things were going to be confined mostly to one room, meaning you had to downsize and choose what was most important to you.

You heard a knock on the door and before you could answer it, it was already open and Eunji and the entirety of BTS came through your door.

"Sorry if I scared you," Eunji said. "I let them in."

"Sumi," the tallest one said. He was the leader, Kim Namjoon, according to Google. You figured you should at least try to learn your new roommates. He introduced himself and the rest of the boys, other than Yoongi. "We decided to help you pack up before the movers get here. I'm sure it's quite overwhelming to have to move all of a sudden."

"Yes," you said. "This is very sweet. I guess, um, you could help clean up a bit? I haven't had a chance to clean the kitchen since I got home. And, maybe someone else wouldn't mind getting dinner?"

"No problem," Namjoon said, motioning to the members.

"I'll be in my bedroom if you have any questions or need me for anything."

Eunji was already bonding with the younger members of the band and showed them where all of the cleaning supplies were kept. You smiled at her ability to make friends quickly and headed back to your bedroom.

Your suitcase laid open on your bed as you sorted through your clothes, trying to decide what to keep. You'd already packed the essentials, the rest of your closet spread out around the suitcase.

You felt something soft beneath your foot. You bent down and picked up the fabric, recognizing it as the dress you'd worn out the night before. You hated to leave it behind it, but you weren't sure you would need such a nice dress again. And if you did, you could just borrow one of Eunji's. You folded the dress and were attempting to make a decision when a knock sounded on your door.

"Come in."

The door opened and Yoongi walked in. He wore a beanie, a sweatshirt, and a pair of jeans. You almost liked the more casual look on him more than the slightly more dressed up look he'd worn when you first met. You weren't sure if you truly liked it better or if it was just the connection between you talking.

"Sorry to intrude," he said. "I was just wondering if you needed any more help? The rest of the boys pretty much have it handled out there."

You tried to put aside the resentment you felt for the boy from earlier in the day when he so bluntly decided not to follow the best option and try the relationship.

"You can pack up my knitting stuff," you said pointing over to your desk in the corner where you kept yarn, knitting needles, and the various guides. "Just be careful not to tangle the different yarns together."

He nodded and grabbed an empty box and carefully placing each skein in the box. You turned back to the dress in your hands. You fingered the soft fabric and sighed as you went to set aside. Before you could set the dress with the rest of your discarded clothes, you felt a hand take it from you. You looked up at Yoongi, who held the dress and placed it into the suitcase.

"It looks good on you."

---

"You like to knit?" Yoongi asked, a few minutes later.

"Yeah," you said. "It calms me down when I'm stressed."

He nodded as he placed the rest of the items from the desk into the box.

"Sumi!" someone called from the hallway.

"What do you want us to do with this?" one of the boys asked, you believed his name was Jimin, followed by a blond-haired boy, Taehyung. Jimin dangled your stuffed cat in the air, a smirk across his face.

"Hey!" you said. "Don't hold Kitty that way!"

The boy laughed as you snatched the stuffed animal from him. One of Kitty's button eyes was loose and dangled slightly, causing her eyes to look uneven.

"You named it Kitty?" Jimin asked laughing.

Eunji came into the room. She seemed slightly annoyed with the two boys who had run off from their duties.

"I was four!" you said, looking down at the stuffed cat. "Besides, it's an English name!"

"All right, all right," Jimin said, relenting his taunts. "Do you want to take Kitty or not?"

You made eye contact with Eunji who's eyes were wide. She knew what Kitty meant to you, but Kitty was also falling apart. Her eye was the least of her trouble, you'd sewed the majority of her seams back together multiple times. You didn't want to risk Kitty getting lost or falling apart altogether. You knew it was time to let her go.

"She is pretty old and I'm getting too old for toys anyway. Um, I guess put her in with the donation pile." You handed the stuffed animal back to Jimin who took it and hesitantly walked from the room.

You felt tears pricking at your eyes, but you held them back and went back to sorting through your clothes. The task felt harder all of a sudden, but eventually, you finished, zipping up the suitcase.

---

It was late by the time you arrived at the dorm. It was huge, the biggest apartment you'd ever seen. It was surprisingly clean for being inhabited by seven boys, but you figured they were just too busy to cause much of a mess.

The extra bedroom they'd been using as storage was already clear for you. You made your bed and then opened your suitcase and began emptying it into the dresser.

"Need some help?" Namjoon asked, standing in the doorway.

You smiled at the boy as he began sorting your clothes, making it easier for you to put away.

"Thank you," you said. "I'm exhausted and I'm honestly dreading the rest of the boxes getting here tomorrow."

He nodded.

"We've moved a lot," he said. "Sometimes I feel more tired after moving than dance practice."

You both laughed lightly.

"They told me you're an English tutor?"

"Yeah," you said.

"It'll be nice having someone else who can speak English."

"None of the other boys can?"

He shook his head.

"No, they all understand a little. But none of them are fluent."

"We'll have to change that then," you said, laughing.

"How'd you learn it?"

"My mom grew up in the US. Her parents were from here but moved to the US when my mom was a baby. She met my dad when she was here visiting family and she ended up moving when they got married. So, I grew up speaking both Korean and English. My parents recently moved to the US actually, to be closer to my grandparents."

"Wow," he said. "That's a better story than mine. I just watched Friends."

You laughed.

"That's more impressive though. You taught yourself. I kind of just learned it the same time I learned Korean."

You felt some of the nerves you'd felt coming into the dorm beginning to leave you. While you were sure it would talk longer for you to adjust, the boys had all tried to be as helpful and welcoming as possible. Even Yoongi. Despite the fact he'd barely talked to you, he still helped pack up your apartment.

"Sumi," you heard another voice say. You turned around and saw Yoongi standing in the doorway, his eyes focused on his phone. "We have a problem."

"What?" you asked, your eyebrows knitting together.

"Someone found your shoes."

"My shoes? You mean, the ones I left at the bar last night?"

Yoongi nodded.

"Someone is selling them online. They're using the connection to me to get attention. The bidding ends tomorrow."

You grabbed onto the dresser and tried to steady yourself. You'd expected something like this to happen eventually, but just twenty four hours after you'd even met Min Yoongi?

You heard Namjoon say something to Yoongi, but you didn't catch what it was. You felt a hand on your shoulder and saw the leader looking straight at you.

"We're going to get this figured out."

All you could do was nod.

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lilblog-asatreat · 3 years ago

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Prompt: Clock maker; pocket mirror; uninvited guest arrives

(Prompt from Roll-A-Prompt Writing Journal Boxed Set)

(Also, got a couple of names from the fantasy name generator)

Dusk falls over Raven's Roost as the last rays of sunlight give way to the oncoming darkness of night. The shadows of buildings grow longer and darker across the quiet stone streets of the Craftsmen's Corridor, and they hide a few people with gaunt faces and dirty rag clothing as they scurry out of sight between buildings, hoping to find a place to rest outside of the watchful eye of the militia. Apart from them and a single militia wagon that slowly passes by, there is no one out on the street tonight. No one except a tall, muscular human man with sideburns longer than his beard who steps out from under a shadow and cautiously creeps his way up the street. He makes it to a little shop with a worn sign on the front proclaiming the establishment to be called Shadowpeak's Timekeep, and he knocks softly on the door.

When no one answers the door, the man knocks a little louder and more insistently. A few moments later, the door opens, revealing a short gnomish man with a long, graying beard and a sour look on his face. He shakes his head irritatedly and ushers the man inside before closing and locking the door behind him.

The shop is full of different styles and structures of clocks left out on display, ranging from tall, grand grandfather clocks to simple, humble wall clocks to goofy looking cuckoo clocks and everything in between. A small broom leans against a short, messy desk with different gears and screws and other odds and ends scattered next to a till that has seen better days. The gnome walks to the desk and leans against it, and he crosses his arms and stares intensely at his uninvited guest.

"Well, Burnsides, is there a reason your risking both mine and your neck for being here after curfew?"

"Yeah, uh, actually, there is, Xalver. I need to talk to you about something important and hopefully get your help with something I'm working on." The man identified as Burnsides says.

Xalver pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. "Magnus... Look. I may not get out much anymore, but word does still get around and gets to me, and I'm sorry, but I can't join whatever little revolution you've got cooking up with some of the other folks around here. I just can't, and honestly, you need to disband this notion that it's going to work before you get yourself and whoever few other people you've got backing you up killed. It's not worth it."

Magnus crosses his arms. "If we don't do something, people will die anyway. People are dying. Right now. Because of Governor Kalen and his friends and his policies. I just walked past at least five people on the street who are homeless and starving, and I bet you at least three of them will get caught after curfew in the next week and will be incarcerated. The only people we are allowed to see when we are sick or dying are Kalen's rich as fuck friends who he has designated as the 'only qualified healers' in town who don't do shit and charge an arm and a leg for it. Every month, debt collectors come knocking on our doors asking for even more money than before because of some new tax law, and our businesses are going under. Me, Julia, and Steven are barely keeping ourselves afloat with Steven's savings, Julia just reported that Annie's quilting business officially went under yesterday, and I saw you arguing with the debt collector last month because you weren't going to have enough money to feed your family." Xalver winces at that and looks away. "This has to stop. We have to do something. I'm not saying it's going to be easy. I'm not saying it isn't going to be risky. But we are all miserable and starving and losing our homes and livelihoods for some buttwipe who thinks he can have it all and then some."

Xalver looks back at Magnus. "Yeah, ok, shit sucks right now. Believe me, I get that. But what the hell do you think you're going to be able to do about that? Are you going to kill Governor Kalen? Are you going to teach him a lesson ghost of Candlenights past style about the true meaning of love and how to care about people? What the fuck is it that you think you're going to do to make his reign of terror come to an end?"

Magnus smiles. "We'll run him and his friends out of town! If we make enough hell for them, they're eventually going to leave because it wouldn't be worth trying to stay here if, say, the Governor's manor burns down and if we jail break all of the prisoners and start a riot and start chasing him and his lackeys through the streets-"

"The militia will kill you," Xalver says flatly.

Magnus' smile falters. "Yeah, that's why we're going to have people who can fight back. Like I said, this isn't going to be easy, but with enough people supporting us... we outnumber them! Everyone in Raven's Roost, if we can get the majority of the people on board, we can win this!"

"If you get the majority of the people on board to die? To risk their and their family's lives? Over something with no guarentee will actually work?" Xalver grabs his broom and storms behind the counter. He shoves it in a corner before starting on scooping up the stuff on his desk and stuffing it into various drawers.

Magnus sighs and moves to stand by the desk. "Did you miss the part where I said we are dying anyway?" Xalver stops momentarily to glare at him before going back to stuffing his drawers more forcefully than before. "Look. If we don't do anything about it, Kalen is going to continue stepping all over us, and he's going to end up wiping out all of the sick and the poor first. Then he's going to go after all of the people he's made bankrupt, and he's going to make them work directly under him and work them into the ground. And there's no chance of stopping him and potentially saving the lives of our neighbors or the next generation. If we do do something about it, there is a chance of us failing and all of that still happening, but there's also a chance that we'll succeed. Realistically, we won't be able to save everyone, but we can very well try, and the community as a whole will be better off for it."

Xalver slams a drawer closed so hard, it rattles the desk, and a small, silver, circular device falls. Magnus quickly catches it before it hits the ground and examines it closely. The outside is intricately designed with a stylized L on the front with a backdrop of gears and wires. He opens the clasp, and there's a mirror on the inside of the top half. The bottom half looks like there might have been a mirror there too at one point, but it was taken out and in it's place is a picture of a gnomish woman standing next to a young gnomish girl with one hand on her shoulder. The girl looks a lot like the older gnome behind her and a bit like Xalver.

Magnus closes the pocket mirror and hands it to Xalver who takes it and places it back on the desk. "That's Loriza's, right?" Magnus asks softly.

Xalver rubs his eyes tiredly and groans. "Yeah, she must have left it out here on accident."

"How old is she now?"

"Seventeen. She was supposed to start at this prestigious artificing school in Neverwinter next year, but..."

"You no longer have the money," Magnus finished for him.

Xalver picks up the pocket mirror again and opens it, staring at the picture hidden within it. He thumbs over it gently and sighs. "I don't want to die on her and leave her alone in this mess, Magnus. When her mother passed... It was so sudden and unexpected, and for the longest time, she was paranoid that I would kick it too and she'd be alone. I'm the only one she has, and... I'm failing her. I can't give her the life that she deserves. I-" he lets out a short sad laugh. "I haven't even told her yet that I don't have the means to send her to school. This is one of the things she's wanted the most out of her life, to study at this school and become a world renowned artificer. And I've saved up as much as I could, but I've had to dip into that savings time and time again just to keep us alive and to keep the business running, and... I can't do it anymore."

Magnus walks around the desk to stand next to the smaller man, and he squeezes his shoulder gently. "We can still make her dream happen. We can fight to give her a chance at a better life, and I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure you get to still come home to her, but I need your help. Please." He adds softly.

Xalver stares at the picture for a few moments longer before he sighs and closes the mirror. He sets it back down on his desk and turns to face the taller man. "Ok. What do you need me to do?"

#taz #taz balance #taz fanfic #magnus burnsides #written works of Gab

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