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dankusner · 4 months ago

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Texas Republicans Put Trans, Nonbinary Teachers in the Crosshairs

On April 19, Governor Greg Abbott spoke at the Young Conservatives of Texas gala at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, voicing an opinion that would later become enshrined in the Texas Republican Party platform and spreading misinformation spawned by a far-right influencer whose posts have repeatedly incited threats against the subjects of her ire.

“Just up the street from where we are right now is Lewisville,” Abbott said.

“They had a high school teacher who was a man who would go to school dressed as a woman in a dress, high heels, and makeup. Now, what do you think is going through the mind of the students in that classroom? Are they focusing on the subject this person is trying to teach? What I do know are these two things. This person, a man, dressing as a woman in a public high school in the State of Texas is trying to normalize the concept that this type of behavior is okay. This type of behavior is not okay, and this is the type of behavior that we want to make sure we stop in the State of Texas.”

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Abbott was referring to Rachmad Tjachyadi, a Lewisville ISD public school teacher who resigned from his job in March amid social media outrage after a video circulated of him wearing a pink dress.

Chaya Raichik, a right-wing social media personality known online as LibsOfTikTok, highlighted it in an inflammatory post that falsely claimed Tjachyadi has taught while “dressed in full drag and has a fetish for wearing women’s clothing.”

Abbott promoted a post on X that featured the video shared by LibsOfTikTok.

In reality, Tjachyadi, a queer cisgender man, did not regularly dress as a woman or in drag while teaching.

He was wearing a dress as a costume for a dress-up Spirit Day, something he had previously done without controversy.

The school district’s investigation found Tjachyadi had not violated any of its policies.

Tjachyadi confirmed these details to the Texas Observer but declined further comment.

Nevertheless, Abbott made Tjachyadi out to be the prime example of why Texas needs to restrict transgender and gender-nonconforming people from serving as teachers—a talking point Abbott has linked to his push for school privatization.

“If you had a child in that classroom, would you want to be able to say, ‘Hey, wait a second. I’m not gonna send my child to that classroom’?” Abbott said. “Do you think you would have that right? You don’t in the State of Texas, because that right would mean that you would have school choice.”

After I originally reported Abbott’s comments at the gala on social media, several Republicans endorsed the governor’s call.

“Perverts should not be teachers,” wrote Briscoe Cain, a GOP state representative from Deer Park, on X.

In June, such a policy became part of the 2024 state GOP party platform:

“We support the passage of legislation prohibiting school staff from engaging in sexualized drag activities, crossdressing, or transgenderism,” it reads.

These proposals come as Texas politicians are pushing back against a Biden administration effort to enhance Title IX civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ students.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his peers in other states are finding some success fighting this initiative in the courts.

It’s unclear exactly how Texas GOP leaders might enact a ban on transgender and gender-nonconforming teachers.

Abbott and the party did not respond to questions for this story.

Public schools already have dress codes for teachers that require appropriate and undistracting attire, but the Observer could not identify any that address gender expression.

One possible model is the transphobic dress code recently imposed at the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) that requires employees to dress “in a manner consistent with their biological gender.”

Such a policy could violate a 2020 Supreme Court decision, which found that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects against discrimination based on a worker’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

As of mid-June, the TDA dress code has gone unchallenged in court.

“I don’t believe there is a way to pass legislation on this issue that wouldn’t be blatantly discriminatory and unconstitutional,” said Ash Hall, a strategist on LGBTQ+ Rights for the Texas ACLU.

“They can try to pass legislation on this, but it would become a court battle pretty immediately, and I think it would go about as well for them as the drag ban has, which is to say, not well.”

What is clear is that some teachers’ lives would be upended should such legislation or policies be enacted.

Danica Surman has been working as a middle social studies teacher in Galveston County for eight years.

Now, she’s in the crosshairs of the state Republican Party.

“I had an idea I was trans since I was in middle school, but I didn’t actually start transitioning until later life,” she told the Observer. “I didn’t actually come out at work until recently.

This will be my second year as myself.”

Surman was dismayed to hear about Abbott’s comments.

Regardless, she remains determined to be herself.

“I’m not going to dress in a way that changes who I am,” she said. “Rather than causing me to change how I dress, because I can’t change who I am any more than Abbott can … it would cause me to have to look at leaving Texas.”

Surman doesn’t see her identity or gender expression as a distraction to her students.

“I don’t think it’s very relevant for my job,” Surman said. “It helps to be empathetic to kids who might be dealing with feeling ostracized … but for the nuts and bolts of teaching, it really doesn’t have any relevance. I’m most interested in how do I get kids to care about history more, and how do I teach more effectively.”

Surman said her students generally perform above average and she hasn’t gotten a negative evaluation.

“Trans teachers can be good teachers or bad teachers. They’re just teachers like anyone else.”

April Ortiz has been a math professor at a state university in Uvalde for 15 years.

Her focus is preparing future primary school teachers.

But now, she’s got other things to worry about.

“I came out as trans in March of 2023 through an article that I wrote for the Texas Observer,” Ortiz said. “Things have been okay for me locally. But, of course, I’m scared about what the state is possibly doing in the future.”

Ortiz is a highly involved member of her community.

She used to write a column about math for a local newspaper.

She helped start a program for kids to interact with professionals in the fields of math and science, and she’s active in her church.

“I had a lot of concerns about coming out as trans,” Ortiz said. “It was something that I didn’t do lightly. I felt like I just needed to for my own survival.”

In the relatively conservative community of Uvalde, Ortiz has been pleasantly surprised by the reactions she’s received.

“I’ve dealt with people seeming uncomfortable a little bit, but I have not gotten any hate outright,” Ortiz said. “I came out at work the same time I did publicly. I told my students: ‘This is a math class. There’s not much you really need to know about Dr. Ortiz, but I’m going to look different from now on. Here’s my name, here’s my pronouns, please respect them.’ And that was it. It brought home to me that this is not really a problem that the people have. It seems like a very artificial moral panic.”

Ortiz is not opposed to dress codes on principle.

“Certainly a trans person could dress inappropriately,” Ortiz said. “But so could a cisgender person. Wearing a skirt is not a turn-on for me. It’s just my clothes.”

Even if the recent proposals by Abbott and the GOP never become law, the rhetoric has an impact, teachers say.

“A law doesn’t even have to be passed to have a stifling effect,” Surman said. “The proposal itself can make people afraid because they could be targeted or lose their job—which is fine if it’s about something you’re saying or doing, but it’s another thing when it’s about who you are.”

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athela-3 · 4 years ago

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mankai company: cyberpunk

I never asked for this. But that’s just how ideas work, ain't it? One minute you’re mindlessly going through the daily grind, and the next moment it hits ya like a sucker punch to the gut. Then your mind’s racing, and you think: Why not? Whaddaya have to lose? You’ve rambled your way through semi-coherent flashes of inspiration before. Why should this one be different?

Note: everyone is aged up, oh, let’s say at least five years. Also, long post is long. I’m not joking. The page break is there for a reason.

Mankai Company is a modest-sized corporation specialising in biotechnology and cybernetics. But operating beneath its public face is a semi-covert band of mercs, private eyes, and fixers called Kaga Solutions, fully-equipped to navigate the mean city streets on command. Their founder and CEO, Yukio Tachibana, has recently disappeared; as per his express wishes, the company leadership is transferred to his estranged daughter, Izumi.

Izumi Tachibana: the new CEO, more experienced in programming than in biotech, she wants to lead Mankai in a new direction focused on augmented reality and fluid human-machine interfacing, while also investigating her father's disappearance with its covert Kaga operatives.

Isuke Matsukawa: Yukio's—and now Izumi's—personal assistant who also handles most of the day-to-day finances, a seemingly bumbling man with hidden talents. He has more connections than you'd expect, and his loyalty is bone-deep.

Yuzo Kashima: a major shareholder in the company whose investments helped Yukio jump-start his dream into reality. Initially skeptical of Izumi's direction, he slowly grows to believe in her vision, even if he's still brutally honest about many things. He's aware of Kaga and the hidden side of Mankai, and is implied to have once partaken in it more personally.

Tetsuro Iwai: the local hardware genius. If you need something built, he'll figure out how to do it in record time. He's happy to work with the old boss' daughter, even if her ideas can stretch him to his limits sometimes.

Ken Sakoda: nobody's really sure what his official job is. He's just always there, usually appearing out of nowhere to do whatever Sakyo asks him to (there's rumours of a personalised cloaking device). This ranges from coffee runs to, ah, semi-legal inventory procurement.

Kamekichi: a robot parrot Yukio personally built as a pet project. Originally a prototype for robotic therapy animals, his code gave birth to his own emergent sassy personality.

Sakuya Sakuma: head of Engineering, what he lacks in experience he makes up in talent and dedication. Has politely declined playing a more active role in Kaga's assignments, declaring his current job to already be his dream job anyhow.

Masumi Usui: a tech prodigy, a quick learner who's always keen to impress Izumi for reasons which may not be strictly professional. Built his own memory implants from scratch, and is always willing to help with Kaga if ever asked.

Tsuzuru Minagi: the top dog when it comes to programming and software. Tends to overwork himself, especially at crunch time, but he writes top-notch code that leave Mankai's competitors scratching their heads. Also helps oversee and plan Kaga's missions, especially when it comes to concocting cover stories and identities.

Itaru Chigasaki: yet another punch-clock worker whose only skills lie in testing and bugfixing… or so he'd have you believe. In reality, he's one of Kaga's most reliable operatives, using his salaryman persona to relieve suspicion and gain people's trust. By the time his targets notice the "GG EZ" hacked onto every screen, it's too late.

Citron: another Kaga operative, people see him and think he's the expat office worker who struggles to string a coherent sentence together, so they don't always pay attention to what they say around him. Big mistake. If he can't evade you in conversation, then he'll evade you the traditional way and vanish seemingly into thin air.

Chikage Utsuki: formerly Itaru's senior at their old job, who followed him to Mankai for reasons of his own. He does minor coding for them now, but his primary focus is on being a field agent for Kaga, where his charm and covert investigative skills really come into play.

Tenma Sumeragi: a former child actor, now the company's face, appearing in advertisements and endorsements. He's great at both presenting Mankai's personable, human-interest agenda and selling Kaga's sharp professionalism to potential clients.

Yuki Rurikawa: hired fresh out of university, his sharp sense of aesthetics led Izumi to trust him with practically all of their product design. Every concept has to have his seal of approval before moving to the production stage. He also handles disguises for Kaga's operations.

Muku Sakisaka: formerly slated to compete in the Olympics before an accident, he now provides another public face for Mankai alongside Tenma. He writes a good deal of the company's promotional material, and has a strong sense of what would affect their clients.

Misumi Ikaruga: officially, he tests the more physical cybernetics, such as Sakuya's impact-dampeners or Tasuku's mountain-climbing legs; his videos performing literally superhuman parkour feats often end up as promotional material. Under the table, he's Kaga's go-to operative for situations requiring speed and agility.

Kazunari Miyoshi: head of the PR department, in charge of keeping their public image in the positive while also keeping Kaga’s activities mostly out of attention. He keeps everyone in the loop with current affairs, often feeding intel to his old friend Tsuzuru for planning.

Kumon Hyodo: baseball's new rising star, he started doing sponsorship and endorsement deals after Muku and Juza introduced him to Izumi. He's enthusiastic about working with them and often helps coming up with ideas for reaching into the sports demographic.

Banri Settsu: a bio-augmentation enthusiast and grey hat hacker, he once breached Mankai's firewalls basically out of boredom; when Izumi tracked him down, she decided to offer him a job in her cybersecurity division, and he agreed. Of course, as soon as he hears about Kaga, he all but jumps into it headlong.

Juza Hyodo: wanted to be a cop as a kid; that was before the city's corrupt police force disenchanted him of the idea. His cousin Muku convinced him to work for Mankai, so he thought he'd give the corporate samurai gig a chance. His earnest dedication quickly wins him a spot on Kaga, as do his excellent combat skills.

Taichi Nanao: initially a mole from Godza, sent to tear Kaga apart from within, he went turncoat within months and is now their primary source on Godza's methods and internal affairs. He balances quick and dirty combat tactics with his boyish charm and knack at appearing harmless.

Omi Fushimi: former military, honourably discharged after a terrorist attack took out his best friend and left him heavily injured. Now he works for Mankai as head of security, with a bit of unofficial HR thrown in there. Unlike the rest of Akigumi, he isn't part of Kaga, as he believes his focus should be on keeping the company safe and secure.

Sakyo Furuichi: head of Kaga, and its oldest member still on active duty. These days he mostly sticks to mission control, but occasionally lends support on the field if he deems it necessary. His sharp mind and eye for patterns makes him particularly good at planning missions, exit strategies, and backup plans.

Azami Izumida: the son of a yakuza boss who decided to leave the family business behind to strike out on his own, he still keeps a number of his old underworld contacts. Officially an intern, he's also eager to get into fieldwork with Kaga, putting his years of swordsmanship lessons to use.

Tsumugi Tsukioka: head of biotech, his research on how cranial implants can be used to treat sleep disorders turned him—and Mankai—into a household name. He infrequently lends a hand to Kaga by developing and fine-tuning their cybernetics.

Tasuku Takato: a former member of Godza, he quit his job to work for Mankai instead, and is now a valued member of their biotech team. He specialises in developing prosthetics for their more athletic clients, and like Tsumugi, focuses on his R&D most of the time.

Hisoka Mikage: formerly working for a similar fixer/PMC group, a near-fatal neuro-implant malfunction caused him to forget everything that happened since its installation. As Mankai found him, removed the bad implant, and nursed him back to health, he thought it's just apt to repay the debt by working for them. One of Kaga's most well-rounded operatives, he is strongest in stealth and wetwork.

Homare Arisugawa: an eccentric professor to his core; his studies range from urban to agrarian, sprawling across fields and topics, but his passion project lies in developing ocular implants that can read micro-expressions on the fly, allowing its owner to identify and record people's emotional reactions easily.

Azuma Yukishiro: the face of the biotech divison, he works closely with Mankai's clients to help them find the perfect cybernetics for their personal needs. He also often gleans information and gossip from his endless well of unsuspecting acquaintances and old contacts, passing them on to Kaga for their missions.

Guy: a friend of Citron's from his homeland; extensively cybernetically augmented after a major accident years ago, he claims to be more machine than human by this point. Ostensibly Homare's research assistant, he is a field agent for Kaga, equally skilled in hacking as he is in hand-to-hand combat.

#a3!#a3! au #mankai x kaga #that's what imma call it #not gonna tag everyone bc hoo boy #a3! act! addict! actors!#it started from an icon #then a header #then a whole bloody au #also #in which azami is kinda genji shimada #hisoka owes inspiration from morgan yu #guy and omi bears the adam jensen legacy #and homare's backstory has a random mordin solus reference #don't mind me explaining my own jokes lol #ari's stuff

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mymelodyheart · 4 years ago

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Highland Destiny Chapter 12 ~Dark Truths~

Jamie didn't want to leave Claire's side particularly now when she's at her most vulnerable and damn it, he just got her back...well almost. Today they were supposed to be having breakfast in the hope of clearing the air of whatever doubts she may still harbour, and maybe talk about the "talk", but instead, she's in the hospital high as a kite, his to-do list is getting longer by the second, and he has had very little sleep. His disposition was very fragile and the fact that he had spent a few hours the night before in jail, charged for assaulting Tom Christie, meant he was treading on thin ice.

The thought of Tom Christie made his blood boil. He had been nothing but a pain on his backside ever since they were young lads. What was supposed to be a healthy competition in all aspect of their growing up, Christie had always turned it into a heated rivalry and dispute even though he excelled in more fields than Jamie, especially academically. Christie had made it his life mission to out-do him whenever the opportunity presented itself whether it was in sports, girls, popularity, friends. Still, somehow Jamie, more often than nought, seemed to trump over him as if God was playing some cruel trick, much to Christie's ever-growing annoyance over the years.

It did make Jamie wonder if he had anything to do with what happened to Claire. Joe did say it was plausible, but would he go that far to score a point against him? Could Christie be really that calculating and devious? Although he found Claire's earlier uninhibited display of seduction quite erotic and amusing, it had entered his mind that the drug may have been intended for that purpose. The thought had given him chills, and Jamie was glad that he had arrived at the pub on time when Claire collapsed. Christie never disguised his attraction towards her even though she had been oblivious to it, and Jamie had tolerated it for her sake. But if it turned out, he had anything to do with drugging Claire, and if anything happened to their unborn child, God knows what he would do.

Jamie read Finn's text once again. Jamie, please come ASAP to the bar. I have some footage from our surveillance camera that I want you to see. But before he left, he stood by Claire's bed looking down at her peaceful face and remembered her love declaration before sleep took over. His heart lightened, easing his fatigue and disconcertion, her words like a balm to his soul.

..........

Jamie arrived at Scotch & Rye Pub. The door was still closed to the public, but the door immediately opened before he could knock. Finn had been expecting him.

"Jamie lad, it's good ye made it on time. I've had a call from the police asking for the surveillance footage from last night. I figured it might have had something to do with Claire, and I thought ye might be interested in seeing it first," Finn chattered excitedly, not wanting to reveal too much before Jamie has had a chance to look. "This way, follow me."

Jamie's heart was pounding, anxious of what he might find out. He thought of Claire to find his calm as he followed the bartender to the back of the bar that led to a tiny office. Finn instructed him to sit as he started some program on his computer. He opened four browsers up on his screen, two of it showing different angles of the bar, one at the entrance and one outside the building.

Finn played the first video which showed the entrance, and then he fast-forwarded to the correct time and played it. Jamie could see the pub was full, and people were coming and going.

"There!" pointed Finn as he paused the video. "That's the lad Claire was with...Tom."

"Aye, Tom Christie. Claire said they were meeting in a pub, but I dinna ken at first that it was this pub she meant." Jamie leaned forward to take a closer look and noticed Tom was easily recognisable. "Play that a bit forward please."

Finn used his mouse to manipulate the next still picture instead of playing the video. "That one?"

"Aye, that's the one. Can ye zoom in, please." Jaime's eyes were squinting trying to make out the hazy picture. "Right, stop." Behind Tom Christie was Laoghaire MacKenzie, they were both entering the pub. Claire wasn't on the video yet, but Jaime expected that. "Right, let's play the next one."

So they played all the videos, reviewing each footage that had Tom in it. Jamie noticed from the outside camera that Laoghaire and Tom arrived together. Once inside, they were both stood at the far end of the bar, talking and watching the entrance. On the next video, he saw Claire arriving and Tom coming over to greet her and Laoghaire was not on the screen. Then Finn played the footage of the bar where Tom was ordering drinks, and Laoghaire was once again in the picture. Everything seemed quite normal, two friends chatting and laughing. Finn manipulated the video with the cursor to watch the film in slow motion and what he saw next, made Jamie sick to his stomach. He saw Tom Christie retrieving from the inside pocket of his jacket what looked like a vial, emptying it in a glass of wine before disposing it into Laoghaire's open bag. The rest of the footage became a blur as Jamie sat back, trying to comprehend what he just saw.

Jamie envisioned all sorts of scenario in his head if he hadn't arrived on time, and he recalled Tom's words when he cradled Claire in his arms when she fainted. "Listen, Fraser, I'll deal with this. I'm a doctor, and I'll make sure she gets to the hospital. Go and join yer friends." Had Tom planned to take Claire to his home? What was Laoghaire's part in it? Why would she take part in some heinous activity, and what did she have to gain from this? He remembered Claire's behaviour from earlier and couldn't help but wonder, would she have been as wanton with Tom if he had managed to take her home? Oh, Christ! Jamie was getting sicker by the minute. He didn't know whether to punch the wall next to him or to throw the computer screen on the floor, but he knew he needed to get his anger under control. But Jamie was reeling...reeling mad, thinking of their unborn child and the possibility of a loss and Claire's heartache when she finds out. Jamie thought of all the times he had tolerated Christie's taunts, smear campaigns, vilification, disparagement towards his person, and he had endured it all in good humour. But not anymore. This time Christie had gone too far.

Then his phone rang. It was Joe.

"Jamie, listen. I found out from the board that Tom had taken Ketamine and some other drugs from the hospital unsigned and unaccounted for. This is not public knowledge, so don't do anything stupid - don't jeopardise the investigation. The police are on their way, and they probably want to talk to Claire. So she will need you. You hear me mate?"

He took a deep breath. "I hear you, Joe. I just need to sort some things out, and I'll come as soon as I can. How is she?"

"She's fine, Jamie. I'm more worried about you. Don't do anything rash and make matters even worse. Think of the unborn child, ok?"

"Aye Joe, don't worry, ye have my word."

After speaking to Joe, Jamie called Angus, the head security at the distillery. "Angus, I don't have time for an explanation but listen carefully. Under no circumstances is Laoghaire MacKenzie allowed to leave the premises. Make sure one of yer lads keeps an eye on her. This is a serious legal matter. I will explain later."

"Aye Jamie, nae bother, I will personally see to it," the voice on the other end replied.

Before he left the pub, he had some copies of the video made and sent to his lawyer, Ned Gowan and on his private email account.

..........

"Laoghaire, into my office NOW!" Jamie roared as he stepped off the lift and strode past Laoghaire MacKenzie's desk, not caring if there were other employees within earshot.

Laoghaire knew Jamie was on his way up. She had a ready-smile plastered on her immaculately made-up face, but her expression quickly changed as she was summoned in a deprecatory manner, which was very unlike Jamie. Her face turning red, she quickly stood up and followed him to his office and slammed the door after her.

"What the fuck has gotten into ye, Jamie? How dare ye speak like that to me in front of the people!" waving her hands in the air, her cornflower blue eyes shooting daggers.

"Sit and shut the fuck up," Jamie bellowed, as he angrily sat down and swiped the neatly stacked papers from his desk, sending them flying into the air. "Ye will talk when I tell ye to!"

Laoghaire was nonplussed, her mouth opening and shutting like a blowfish. She wanted to remain standing but thought better of it, having previously heard of stories of Jamie's rare temper.

In a much lower voice, nevertheless, steely, Jamie spoke. "Tell me what part ye played in lacing Claire's drink with Ketamine."

The colour drained from her face and what she saw in Jaime sent chills down her spine. His eyes normally full of warmth and humour had turned glacial blue flashing wrath and fury. "Oh God, did something bad happened to her? Oh, God, oh, God. I didn't mean to." Her eyes wide and filled with panic started to well up.

Known for his chivalrous acts and saving damsels in distress, Jamie was not having any of it and ignored Laoghaire's cries. "Start talking," he said in a warning tone as he turned his attention to his laptop momentarily.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Jamie," she blubbered. "Tom wanted Claire, and...and... he reckoned you stole her from right under his nose. He thought if ye found out Claire had been with him, ye wouldn't want her back." She closed her eyes tight, as fresh tears flowed before she continued. "And...I...I have always been in love with ye. I thought...we had something together back then and then ye discarded me. I thought if the Sassenach was with Tom, maybe ye could look at me the same way ye look at her."

"We never had anything together," Jamie snapped acerbically. "Ye forced yer way into my life the way ye snuck into my room after Hogmanay in Lallybroch years ago. Aye, I was drunk, and I remember vaguely what happened. A couple of months later ye came to me announcing you're pregnant so I decided to do the right thing. I said to ye I'd marry ye after the baby was born. As it turned out, ye weren't pregnant at all. But I stayed with ye, thinking ye need help. And what did ye do? Ye paraded yersel' in town every night with Christie knowing I will know. Ye knew our history and still..."

"That's because ye never treated me like yer girlfriend. I did everything for ye, and still, ye were indifferent," she cried bitterly. "I thought ye stayed because ye have fallen in love with me. But whenever ye came to my bed, it was like making love to a log. I went with Christie to make ye jealous..."

"How can ye make someone jealous who never wanted ye in the first place?" Jamie cut in dispassionately. "Ye never endeared yersel' to me no matter how I tried to see something good in ye. Instead, ye constantly lied, manipulated people around ye to get what ye want and now this...I dinna ken how ye can think what ye did has something to do with love. What ye did was selfish and egotistical."

"I thought ye wanted me back when ye hired me. Did ye ever love me at all, Jamie?" she asked miserably, the tears staining her cheeks with black mascara.

"I cared for ye, Laoghaire, and maybe I felt sorry for ye. But, no, I never loved ye. Ye never gave me a reason to when ye had me." Jamie shook his head as if seeing the past replayed before him. "Aye, I felt sorry for ye...yer da was a cruel man, and ye didna have it easy. And I hired ye because I thought ye would have grown up. But no, ye're just the same wee pathetic lassie." Jamie paused, contemplating his next words. And when he finally spoke, his tone was caustic and sharp. "I dinna care what ye and Christie do to me...ye can do what ye like, and it will just bounce off me. I would even let ye off. But this time, I'm not letting this pass. Both of ye nearly killed the woman I love, and there is a possibility she might lose our baby. You and Christie will pay. I will make sure of that."

"No, Jamie, please...oh God! I'm so sorry. I'll do anything ye want. It was mostly Tom's idea," she wailed in a grovelling plea. "Tom stole the drugs from the hospital, and I kept it for him for safekeeping. I gave it to him before we arrived at the pub and Tom was the one who put the drug in Claire's wine. I only went along with it because I thought with her out of the way...and she with Tom...maybe we...us...could be together."

Jamie's face was unmoving, and he scorned at her pleas. "You are a vile person Laoghaire MacKenzie. Ye and Christie deserve each other and whatever is coming for both of ye next. Hope and pray that nothing happens to our baby because if something did, ye would wish ye've never laid eyes on me. Save yer pleas and apologies for the court. I am done with both of ye."

"NO! Ye have nae proof, James Fraser! Ye fuckin' wanker...ye send me to the court, and I promise ye, I'll do far worse to yer Sassenach bitch. That fucking witch was nothing but trouble since she arrived. Ye hear me? Ye have no proof!" Laoghaire screeched, her eyes wild and her face contorted in rage.

Jamie then turned his laptop around, and to Laoghaire's horror, she saw a video messaging program up on the screen, live with Rupert and two police in the background. Before she could react, the door opened, and four officers led by Rupert walked in.

"Laoghaire MacKenzie, you are under arrest on suspicion of assisting in administering an illegal substance with an intent of indecent assault and causing grievous harm. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence." Two officers lifted her bodily from the chair and secured her wrists in cuffs as Laoghaire screamed abuse and obscenities at Jamie.

Jamie just sat and watched, his face impassive as they led Laoghaire away from his office.

Then his phone rang. It was from Joe again. Christ now what! Jamie still had pending voice messages he wanted to attend to from his sister and Ned Gowan, but he thought it could wait.

"Jamie..." Joe spoke cautionary. "Claire is missing..."

"What?!? What do ye mean she is missing? She's in bed sleeping, she's too doped to go anywhere..."

"Geillis came to her room for a visit, and she found Claire wasn't there. The bed covers were on the floor, but she found Tom Christie's phone. He must have dropped it..."

"What the fuck! I thought he was detained!" Heart pounding, Jamie was already standing up, grabbing his keys and jacket.

"He was. Two officers were watching his room in the hospital...they must have wandered off thinking he was minimal risk. They didn't take him last night to jail because Gail, who was on duty, wanted to keep him in after Tom suffered a concussion from your blow previous night..."

"Ye have surveillance cameras in hospital, right?" Jamie didn't bother using the lift. He was already running down the emergency stairwell.

"Yeah, we are on it..."

"I'm on my way." Oh God, please let her be alright!

..........

Claire opened her eyes, and she saw the floor moving under her feet. Realising she was on a wheelchair, she tried to move her head and felt a painful kink to her neck. She groaned as she lifted a hand to massage the muscle spasm.

A hand patted her on the shoulder. "Dinna worry my love, we're soon there." It was Tom Christie's voice.

She had a hazy recollection of Tom coming into her room, dressed in his lab coat wearing a stethoscope around his neck. His face was swollen, and his hair matted, and she had asked him in her groggy state if he was alright as she reached out a hand to touch his face. Tom had said something along the line that he fell and that he was okay. Then he had carefully lifted her off the bed and told her he was taking her to be examined.

Wincing at the painful discomfort of sitting slumped on the chair, Claire tried to gather her bearings. She noticed the corridor was void of people and activities, but her mind was too foggy to think clearly. When Tom finally wheeled her into a room, Claire realised immediately she was in an empty pathology lab. Something was very wrong, and before she could utter a word, there was a sharp sting on her arm. Once again she drifted into darkness, dreaming of Jamie running towards her but never quite catching up and somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she could hear Tom singing Every Breath You Take by the Police.

#melodyheart #highlanddestiny #Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser #outlanderfanfic

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renee-writer · 4 years ago

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Win a Date Chapter 5 First Date

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” Claire mutters the next day as she changes into jeans and a long sleeve shirt appropriate for hiking. She still mumbles as she pulls boots on over her think socks.

“It isn't like you are going to be tortured. You are going on a date with a lad looking for a real relationship. Could be worse.” Geillis says with a smile.

“Ugg. Fine but I promise you, if this goes bad, I will never trust you with a blind date again.”

“It will be fine. I've a good feeling.”

“Okay.” He pulls his hiking clothes on. “Murtagh, this lass better be all you promised. If she turns out to be another flighty lass, I will throttle you.” Jamie threatens as he brushes his red curls out and and pulls a ball cap on.

“You won’t be needing to be doing all that. She has been thoughly vetted. So go. Have a good time then you can thank me later.” Jamie rolls his eyes at his Godfather.

“If she is, I will.”

The Overlook at nine. Those were the instructions. She has no idea who she was looking for. He will find you, Gel had assured her. Knowing what she looks like puts him at an advantage. She isn’t sure she likes that. “One date.” She reminds herself. Just one if he is the jerk she fears. More if.. But no. Focus on today. She takes a deep breath and looks around. A beautiful spot with plenty of green grass and wildflowers. She had to admit he had picked a beautiful spot.

He watches her as she looks around. As advertised, she is lovely. He is happy to see the old jeans and shirt, the scuffed boots, the lack of make up, her curly hair hanging free. He smiles when he sees her push it out of her eyes. An opening.

“You need a ball cap lass.” She looks up. He is tall. Very tall. With piercing blue eyes and amazing hair. But his old clothes and casual attitude tell her, he probably isn't who she is waiting for.

“Thank you. I am waiting for someone. My mate Geillis suggests that leaving my hair down and free is better.” She self consciously shrugged.

“It is verra pretty Claire.” A jerk.

“You. You are my date?”

“Aye. Disappointed?”

“No just surprised. You are not who I was expecting…”

“Jamie. James Fraser.”

“Claire Beauchamp.” She offers her hand. He takes it long forgotten manners resurface and he lifts it up and gently kisses the back of it. “Oh.”

“You aren’t who I was expecting either. They told me but..”

“They?”

“My sister and Godfather. They set all these up. Let me know after the fact.”

“Wait! You didn't know what they were about either?” They had started walking.

“Either?”

“Yes, my mate, Geillis, she entered me in your contest without telling me until after. I swore I wouldn’t come if I did win.”

“Yet you are here?” she shrugs. “They dinna tell me until after they chose you.” He grins. “They ken'd I wouldn’t be happy.”

She smiles back. “Better to ask for forgiveness then permission, eh?”

“Aye. Something like that. Were you just as frustrating with your mate?”

“Oh lord yes!” she laughs. “I told her if you turned out to be a jerk, I would never trust her again.”

“Now would you think me a jerk?”

“Actor. I guess I had an idea of exactly what type of person you would be.” She looks fown and steps over the small branch in the path.

“I see. I was guilty of the same. The reason, you see for the contest, my last few dates have been with the same ridiculous type lasses. The want to be seen with me or want other things that wouldn’t lead to a relationship.”

“I admit that I really don’t know who you are.” Ge stops and she does too when she sees he has. “I am sorry about that.”

“Oh please don't be. I am glad.”

“Me too. To meet you. Not the façade. I am meeting you, right?”

“Aye Claire, you are. Wish to rest.” She sinks gratefully into the fallen branch. He joins her.

“I thought I was in shape.” He chuckles.

“You are doing well. So, wish to tell me about yourself?”

“I am a druggist. Own my own store. An only child who lost her parents at age five. Her uncle who raised her died two years ago. Life with my best mate Geillis. She is a nurse. My last serious relationship ended when I found him in bed with one of his students. He was a professor. I spend most evenings watching trashy TV shows with Gel. I haven’t had sex in six no seven months.” She is blushing. “God sorry. I am not after… Ah, please tell me about yourself.”

“I've an older sister, Janet, called Jenny. Our parents still live and work the farm I grew up on. Jenny is married to my best friend Ian. You know my profession. I spend most evenings running lines. But I adore mind numbing trashy telly shows. I have never had a serious relationship. It is hard when the lasses all know who you are. As for sex, it has been 29 years. A virgin. So..” She looks up at him with wide eyes. “Yah. Everyone assumes. The last date I was on, the lass straight out said she wished to take me to bed. I wasn’t interested. Sex for the sake of getting off doesn’t draw me.” He looks across the valley under them.”It has to mean more. Until I find the one who I see a future in, then.. “

“Wow. You surely aren't who I was expecting. I didn’t mean, when I told you..”

“Dinna fash Claire. I know.”

“How do you, in your line of work, keep up the image you need to project?”

“Ah, smoke and mirrors. Pretty lasses on my arm at awards shows. Photographs that seem to show me as a playboy. In reality, I am a farm boy who just wishes to act. To have a lass to partner with, raise a family with, outside the spotlight.”

“Awards. I should know you.”

“Do me a favor, okay. When you Google my name, recall what I told you, eh?”

“I promise.”

“Are you hungry or thirsty Claire. I've stuff in the knapsack for a picnic.”

“Yes please.” He lays it out. They sit and talk about their families. She tells him about traveling with her uncle and all the places she went. About starting Beauchamp Drugs with his investment and many prayers. He tells her of growing up at Lallybroch. Of his wonderful bossy sister. His steady parents. Murtagh, who is his Godfather and conscious. About his families fears when he announced what he wanted to do and their support.

“So we both started our careers with trepidation and family support.” She lays back, looking up to the sky. He sits beside her looking out over the valley.

“Aye. I am sorry about your family.”

“Thank you. It isn’t easy but I am glad Uncle Lamb got to see me make a good start.”

“Aye. I must confess. I knew what you did. Even have a report from a investigator about what a good druggist you are. Good and patient. Kind.”

“You sent people to investigate me?” she turns her eyes to him.

“Not I.” he is blushing.

“Right. You didn’t know.”

“No. Don’t be angry. They were just looking after me. Had to know you were who you portrayed yourself to be.”

“I am not mad. Intrigued. If I didn’t think it would embarrass you, I would look you up now.”

“Thanks. You probably wouldn’t get a signal anyway.”

She pulls out his phone and sees he is right. A shrug. The camera works though. She snaps some pictures of the beauty that surrounds them before turning it to him. “Do you mind?”

“No. You won’t post it on SM will you?”

“No. Not my style. It is just you are very handsome with the sun reflecting off that wonderful hair.” He grins and pulls the cap off. She snaps a few shots.

“My turn.” He turns his own phone’s camera to her. She leans against the stone by where they had stopped and gives him a big smile. “You are quite beautiful Claire.”

“Thanks but I am sure I will find much beautiful lasses on your arm.”

“No. You won’t. Not in my eyes. None that matches you in inner and outer beauty.” Now she is blushing. “May I see you again Claire?”

“Yes. I didn’t think I would be having more then one date with you. But, I do want to see you again.”

“I thought the same. I am glad we were both wrong. May I give you my number? “

“”You may.” She hands him her phone. He enters it and saves it. “So more hiking?”

“No. I am thinking horse back riding. If that is okay?”

“Perfect. I haven’t in awhile but do know how.” She helps gather up the picnic supplies. “Where?”

“I’ve a mate, John. He has some great riding horses. Private, ye ken.”

“Right. I get that. I only have Sunday’s available. That alright?”

“Perfect.” They start down. He gives her John's address. “Say nine?”

“I will be there.”

“Will I hear from you between now and then?”

“You will. I will text you when I get home. Let you know I made it okay.”

“Thank you.” They are back where they meet. “I am glad you took a chance Claire.”

“I am too. Glad you did too “

He takes her hands and kisses their backs. “Until Sunday.”

“Yes. I will text you. “

“Good. Recall don't believe what Google says about me.”

“I won't.” On impulse, she stands on her toes and kisses his cheek. “Goodbye for now Jamie.”

“Good bye Claire.”

#my writing #outlander fanfic #jamie and claire #cannon divergence #modern au #win a date #first date

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thereisnoneinhere · 4 years ago

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𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓽𝔂

𝓫𝔂 𝓖𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓾𝓼

The 23rd ward was filled with horror, the screams and shouts for help roared in her ears as well as the clashing of quinques and kagunes. She loathed it. Even as a child she was already seeking peace. Just one moment for herself sitting comfortably marveling the moon as the stars beautifully scattered on the night sky and the wind whispering incoherent comforts in her skin. A moment of tranquil will suffice.

Eto Yoshimura planned the strike for tonight, they’ve attacked one of the hostile territories of the CCG– Cochlea. The detention center for ghouls. It was a bold move yet we are talking about the Aogiri Tree, the strength of this group is as much as a battalion of man-eating creatures. The aim is to get Kaneki Ken to reconcile with Aogiri and to exterminate the White Reaper. Kishou Arima is her mission.

The CCG’s Death God, ghouls are terrified of him. They rake in fear just by the mere mention of his name. He is the downfall of her kind. Arima’s duty is to eradicate all flesh-eating beings. They are labeled as monsters. Thus they didn’t choose to be one. Was it their fault being born as ghouls? Their diet is human flesh, how can they refrain themselves feeding with them? Above all, was it her fault being experimented and been bestowed with an ugly destiny? And so they are hated for existing.

From the rooftop of the tall skyscraper, she watched the scenery below, it was like a slaughtering house. Corpses and blood on the ground. Howls of pain and laughs of maniacs resounded in the location. Sighing she sat on the edge of the building swaying her legs. The moon is present tonight as if giving her the peace she wanted. The stars as well scintillate in the vast dark ceiling, it was a rather comforting scenery to witness.

She smiled upon sensing his presence. Took him a while to reach her. It’s been years huh? Years of pain after everything that had happened. She was someone else before her fall. Before destruction and darkness consumed her. Before that wrenching incident that made her what she is today. Years had passed between the two of them. They simply ran out of time or they are running after it. Chasing circles, holding on with what is left.

“Miyuki Akiara, the Grim Reaper,” he said with an impassive tone. Not really impressed meeting the one-eyed ghoul.

“Aww at least you still remember me and they gave us matching aliases, isn’t cute?” sweet giggles vibrated on her throat. Silenced is all he replied. How long has it been again when he last heard that gentle voice? Her optimistic personality that brightens the headquarters. Her little stunts put everyone in the organization clutching their stomachs with laughter. Her smartness that many admire. Good old days slowly becoming a blur and eventually will vanish.

He’s heard of the Grim Reaper. A she-ghoul who devoured her own to stay above the food chain. A triple S rated monster who gave doom to both humans and her kind, thus her nom de guerre. But the thing is, he couldn’t believe that the name of the mentioned dark reaper would be the girl whom he assumed already rested above with the celestial gems she forever loved, a little bit too soon that she became one of them… but did she? He cannot seem to fathom the feeling gushed in his system that day. Anger? Disappointed? Confused? He spent sleepless nights after assimilating the information. Much more here, right at the moment, his former subordinate or safe to say a long lost friend, in flesh.

“I would like to say ‘surprise’ but I know you knew I’m alive.” She glanced at the Special Class Investigator who’s standing mightily behind her still showing no emotions. “I have missed you Kishou, don’t you feel the same? Oh, such a destiny intertwining us once more.” Standing up whilst swinging her scythe-like quinque. The only thing she retrieved after The Rose incident. The only thing that’s holding her from the past. A gift from the great Death God of CCG. Looking directly in his eyes she threw the scythe off the building. An indication of goodbye.

“Truly it’s been a while. How compromising seeing you again.” No hint of sarcasm nor any sign that he is pleased to reunite with the woman.

“Try smiling Arima, if I just don’t know you any better I would feel really sad with the lack of sincerity in your voice.”

His cold gaze lingering on her system, although he as well couldn’t comprehend her emotion due to the fancy black mask made of fine glass sculpted into an image of a wing with silver gems on each feathers covering half of her face.

“Such formalities are not needed anymore, I supposed. You have your mission.” Pulling out his Ixa from the attaché case as he tried plunging the weapon to her stomach that she swiftly dodge releasing her chimera type of kagune. A kokaku kakuhou that resembles a wing of a fallen angel with shards like feathers and a rinkaku kakuhuo with two dark clawed tentacles attacking the investigator.

Both with fast phases seemingly impossible to catch one another. Their movements are like the speed of lightning almost unseen. His Ixa and her kagunes colliding nonstop. Motions are all calculated and accurate. Finally penetrating a strong blow to her stomach she almost fell to the ground. Hence she regenerates quickly composing her position.

Once again, he successfully thrusting the quinque deep to her flesh whilst slicing her spectacles causing her to whimper. He didn’t stop attacking until she met the cold floor. Her breathe hitched with the damages she received, growling with pain. Regenerating will take time with her wounds. What a weakling, she said to herself. After all these years, he is still undefeatable. She already expected that.

His Ixa was pointing directly at her. Him patiently waiting when to pierce sans remorse to the ghoul. Chuckling with her situation, she removed her mask tossing near where his feet rest. From the ground, she stared at the handsome man whom he once cherished. Maybe it didn’t falter. The same thumping of her heartbeat is still there just like years ago. The war inside her stomach is still present until now.

“Only avoiding and shielding the strikes I see. You do not have plans on fulfilling your task am I correct?” Instead of answering the question she just continued studying him.

“The moonlight always looks perfect on you.” The gentleness in her voice didn’t slip his ears. It’s like hearing the soft-spoken old Miyuki Akiara once more.

They are both haunted with the past, those vivid dreams who kept on bugging their minds waking up at the devil’s hour. Their dreams cascading into beautiful ones to terrifying scenes. In the end, she will wake up screaming with tears in her face. The cry was not because of fear, it was something else. Something painful, broken and vile. Him, well he will be left in thoughts of what-ifs, tormenting himself of those possibilities he could have changed everything. That he could have saved her from the abyss of demise. In his most private daydreams, he hoped to hear the sweet girl who brightens up his bland world one last. She just kept on gleaming every time she smiles and he couldn’t keep himself wanting for more.

“You are not her, she died years ago,” his grip tightened on his single arsenal. “Her fall was my fall and her death was mine too.”

“She didn’t die Arima, just half of her. The girl is still enduringly waiting for her god to finish her meaningless existence. Her stay is excruciating and so she wanted to be part of the night sky and rest.

You are her god...

End me.” A plead of mercy. A beg of the half-deceased star.

Both felt the agonizing ache of what they struggled to escape. None is the well-composed Arima Kishou anymore, now kneeling in front of her with his head bow down hiding the growing emotion carving in his cover. Reaching his hands, and leaning her forehead to his. They silently prayed for what’s impossible. Her free hand consolingly stroking his snow-white hair.

“Kishou. My Arima Kishou,” she whispered painfully. “Everything will prevail just alright love.”

A smile was attached to her soft lips albeit the harsh charge straight to her heart. He held her fondly in his arms as if holding his dear life, although brutally slipping away.

Her last three words of affection are spoken tenderly almost serene that will eternally annihilate him. They are both reaped out of mortality. Violently tore the hope and faith they beseeched.

One fading and the other will perish for a lifetime suffering from the damnation he casted to himself.

And so the god shed tears for his now slowly dying star, her shine perishing. Gone her brightness. Burying her above the heavens.

---

I AM CERTIFIED KISHOU ARIMA'S HOE🥺

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montyrakusen · 4 years ago

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Kodak and the Hot Air Balloon

It was a sunny, cold, slow day sometime in 1978 and John Coombes and I sat around our hissing one bar gas fire in our 4th floor little photographic studio in Leeds, upstairs from The Venus Health Studios. Elsewhere the building was semi derelict except for a small Itallian restaurant in the basement.

The Health Studios were run by a tall athletic Canadian called Ken who drove a huge American Chevrolet with fins. It was an unusual place all panneled out with ply-wood and when you walked past it out of breath up the stairs because the lift was broken it smelt of leather, sweat and cheap after-shave unless it was ladies night. No, actually then it smelt the same.

Down below the city traffic roared its way along Wellington street, named not surprisingly after the Duke of Wellington. Sometimes we’d have lunch in the pub named after him, along with the city slickers.

I was telling John the story of how, when I was a child at my rather forbidding private school in Saltburn-by-the-sea the Art master who was a draft dodger from Portugal, ( see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Colonial_War ) he liked to make hot air balloons. In fact it became a craze and each night we sent up larger and larger craft with spluttering trays of potassium pellets to add to the effect. We watched as they gradually drifted out to sea, Some were huge, two stories high, some crashed and burned which only added to the excitement. This good fun had to come to an end when reports of UFOs started being published in the newspaper and we were investigated. One had fallen in the perimeter of a gas tank at ICI Wilton and no one wanted another massive explosion.

John was enthusiastic and insisted we built one there and then. There wasn’t anything else going on, the old black phone was silent. We got out sellotape, bin liners and a hoop to hold the base open. Before long we had what looked like a giant black condom 20ft long laid out on the bright red painted photo studio floor. I know its an odd colour for a studio floor but that’s another story. Fortunately we didn’t have the kit to light a fire under it, we just used the gas fire and a fan heater and pretty soon it was full of hot air. We opened a sash window high above the city and fed it out.

To our delight and surprise it began to sail out over the street. Like children we watched in wonder as it drifted, lurched and bobbed upwards into the frosty blue. We could see office workers looking out of their windows, hands poised on their Olivettis wondering what this black distraction was but like all great things it was not to be. A gentle breeze drove it back towards us, closer and closer it came and then shooting upwards it went, catching on the guttering just above its original launch site. Hmmm... what were we to do?

John said it wasn’t a problem, he’d just climb out on the ledge and grab it. I suggested it was rather a long way down and the cars were rather small and we’d only been in business together a short time and the ledge was only suitable for pigeons. He said he’d be fine as long as I held his ankles.

So it was like that I was to be found hanging out of the window holding onto my friends ankles when Keith Trott the Northern United Kingdom representative for Kodak entered the room. Besuited, with flashing polished brown shoes and carrying a brief case he introduced himself and explained he had come with the paper work for us to open an account for our photographic film, paper and chemical supplies.

Turning my head as far round as I could I explained I was just holding onto my business partners ankles, whilst he retrieved a hot air balloon from the roof and I’d be with him in a minute….

Story assistance: John Coombes

Wellington Street photo : Reg Cox

#leeds #photography #wellington #kodak

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thecomicsnexus · 5 years ago

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THE SANDMAN #10-16 NOVEMBER 1989 - JUNE 1990 BY NEIL GAIMAN, MIKE DRINGENBERG, MALCOLM JONES III, CHRIS BACHALO, MICHAEL ZULLI, STEVE PARKHOUSE AND ROBBIE BUSCH

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

In a private Threshold in the Dreaming, Desire plots against its sibling, Dream. Desire summons its twin sister Despair to a private gallery. It tells Despair about the coming of a dream vortex in the form of a young woman. The two decide to wait to see how things play out before intervening.

Meanwhile in the real world, Miranda Walker and her daughter Rose take a jet from the United States to England. At the airport, a solicitor ushers them into a limousine and drives them to the home of an apparently rich and eccentric woman, who sent them the cryptic invitation to come see her. On the way, Rose falls asleep in the back of the vehicle and has a dream.

In her dream, she sees Lucien visiting the House of Secrets, taking a census of all of the House's occupants. He is in the process of taking a census of all the inhabitants of the Dreaming for the Lord of Dreams. When complete, he reports his findings to Dream, noting that four of the major arcana are still missing from the Dreaming: Brute and Glob, the Corinthian and Fiddler's Green. Lucien adds that there have been rumours of a dream vortex floating about, and Dream reveals that he already knows that it is a girl, and points to Rose, sitting in the corner of his castle. As they look at her, she wakes up.

The dream ends as the limousine pulls up to a home for the elderly. They are greeted there by the doddering Unity Kincaid, who reveals that while she was in a coma for several decades, she gave birth to a child, and that child was Miranda Walker. She is her true birth mother. Miranda is incredulous at first, but before long, Unity convinces her of the truth. Having stepped out of the room, Rose wanders the house and has an encounter with the Hecatae. They each speak in riddles that confuse Rose, but Mordred makes a point of warning her about the Corinthian and the coming of Dream. Rose tries to press them for more information but the strange sisters suddenly disappear.

Rose returns to Unity's room, where her mother is in tears of joy as she accepts the truth about her own parentage. In the room is an intricately carved doll's house on a nightstand, one of the only keepsakes that Unity managed to maintain during her coma. A light in one of the doll house's upper windows flickers on, and Dream peers outward and smiles at the three women. None of them is aware that he is watching them. As a gift, Unity offers a ring to Rose - the same ring that Rose dreamed about. She begins to fear that her dreams are coming true.

In Amarillo, Texas, the Corinthian, a sadistic nightmare entity, captures a boy named Davy. He binds and gags him and tosses him into a bathtub at the Love Inn Motel. The Corinthian removes his sunglasses, unsheathes a large knife and tells Davy "It's playtime".

On the advice of her new-found grandmother Unity Kincaid, Rose Walker moves into an apartment in Florida with a number of eccentric housemates. In addition to Hal - her cross-dressing landlord, Barbie and Ken - a yuppie couple, Zelda and Chantal - a pair of collectors of dead spiders, and Gilbert - a so far unseen man of British descent, Rose has been frequently visited by a raven. In a dream, Rose's long-lost brother Jed dreams of being taken flying by Hector Hall and his wife Lyta. However, the pleasant air of the dream is fouled by the appearance of Brute and Glob, and Jed falls to the ground. The boy wakes in a dark boiler room and feels his way along the wall, urinating into a corner, and then returning to sleep.

Rose writes back to her mother and grandmother, updating them on her progress in finding her brother. She has discovered that her father died, forcing Jed to live with their grandfather, Ezra Paulsen; a lighthouse keeper. Four years ago, Ezra Paulsen drowned, and she has not yet found out what happened to Jed as a result.

In the Dreaming, Dream calls his raven, Matthew to his side. Matthew has been spying on Rose for him, with the knowledge that as a vortex, she will soon attract the four errant members of the major arcana that have gone missing. Matthew reports that Rose is seeking her younger brother, and Dream takes an interest. He tasks Matthew with finding a picture of the boy so that the Lord of Dreams can find him.

Later, Rose attends one of Hal's drag revues, and thinking it would be safe, she uses the shortcut through the alley back to her apartment. Unfortunately, at midnight, it is not so safe, and a group of thugs accost her with intent to rob and then rape her. Fortunately, an imposing figure appears and pulls out a sword, scaring the thugs off. It turns out that this man is Gilbert. Congenially, the portly Brit offers to walk Rose home.

One day, Rose convinces Hal to teach her some of the dance moves from his act, but she becomes distracted when she catches the raven stealing her photo of her younger brother. Afterwards, Gilbert interrupts to inform them that the private investigators that Rose called have found her brother. She rushes out to pick up the phone as Matthew returns to Dream with the photo. In Alabama, the Corinthian, having recently murdered two more people, makes a call to a person called Nimrod, hoping to arrange a meeting in Georgia between like-minded individuals - killers.

Meanwhile, the private investigators have determined that Jed is living somewhere in Georgia, and Rose plans to go off in search of him. Gilbert insists on accompanying her, noting that perhaps she is not prepared for the sort of situations she'll be in. Situations like the other night when he had to save her life. Reluctantly she agrees. On the road, she explains that Jed is apparently living with her second cousin Clarice on a farm. They're claiming nearly $800 per month from the state for him, so she hopes they're using it to take good care of him. Of course, Jed is actually chained to a pipe in a dark basement, trapped in a nightmare.

Dream locates the boy, and realizes that Brute and Glob have actually managed to sneak into Jed's mind to hide there. They have severed him from the Dreaming, breaking the laws of the Lord of Dreams. Dawning his helm, he prepares to resolve the situation.

Six months pregnant, Lyta Hall wakes up in the Dream Dome. Her husband Hector has been absorbed in his work, cooperating with Glob and Brute as the new Sandman. Hector becomes aware of an entity approaching. He believes that it is a nightmare, and that he must fight it. Lyta interrupts, and wonders aloud why she hasn't given birth yet, given that she was pregnant two years ago when they first came to the Dream Dome, and it has not changed since. Meanwhile, Jed Paulsen is dragged from the cellar in which his second cousins Clarice and Barnaby keep him locked day and night. They warn that an inspector from the welfare office is coming to be sure that they money they get to support him is going to the right place, and threaten him against revealing that they are mistreating him.

While Hector believes that the coming entity is a nightmare, it is actually Dream - the Lord of Dreams. Brute and Glob are well aware of this, and they fully expect Hector to lose his battle against their former master, but they hope it will buy them time to escape.

After their rental car breaks down, Rose Walker and her companion Gilbert walk back to a hotel, which is unfortunately hosting a cereal convention, which has booked it up. They talk their way into getting a room for the night despite the lack of vacancies.

As Hector goes out to face Dream, Jed begins to realize that something is going on inside his head, and Lyta begins to notice that the Dream Dome is falling apart. Dream is amused by Hector's efforts, knowing that the man is already dead. Hector's delusion amuses Dream further, but eventually he brings the dream to an end.

Bringing everyone out of the dream, Dream, Lyta, Hector, Glob, and Brute find themselves in the cellar in which Jed has been trapped. Dream demands an explanation of the two nightmares. They had hoped to build a new Dream King of their own making in their master's prolonged imprisonment. Annoyed, Dream cleans up their mess for them and condemns them to the darkness for thousands of years.

Turning to Hector, Dream unceremoniously commands the dead man to go to the land of the dead, and Hector is ripped away from his wife. Lyta is angered, refusing to accept that her husband has been dead these last two years. Dream makes it clearer to her, but before leaving, he warns that the baby she carries belongs to him, and that he will return for it. Seething, she promises that he will only get the child over her dead body.

Meanwhile, Jed escapes to the road, and is picked up by a car. The driver turns out to be the nightmare known as the Corinthian.

In the year 1389, Dream and his elder sister Death enter a local pub with the hope of getting the former to relate more to humans in their waking lives. In this pub is a man named Robert "Hob" Gadling, who believes that men only die because it's what they expect that they are meant to do. He feels that there is so much more life to lead than just a few decades' worth. Staunchly, he announces that he has no intention of ever dying, and that it is a mug's game. Intrigued, Dream and Death decide to allow Hob to remain alive until the day that he truly desires it. Dream approaches Hob's table, and offers that if cheating death is what he wants, the two of them will meet again in the same place in one hundred years' time. Though his companions think it a joke, Hob takes the offer seriously, and promises to be there.

One hundred years later, Hob is surprised that Dream returns, though no less surprised than he is to still be alive. Hob marvels at how much things have changed in just 100 years, with the invention of the chimney and the handkerchief revolutionizing to a small extent the way that people live. The mortal has been working as a soldier, and still has no intention of dying. With that said, Dream responds that they will meet again in another hundred years. The next century, Hob seems to be doing well for himself. His business savvy has earned him a knighthood. After 200 years, Hob has finally taken a wife and fathered a son, and he is excited by the richness of the times. Dream is distracted when he overhears a conversation between a young William Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe discussing the former's prospects as a playwright. Will considers Kit's play Doctor Faustus a work of genius, and claims that like the titular character, he would give up his mortal soul to be able to write plays that live on in memory forever. Intrigued, Dream offers Shakespeare a deal. Hob, meanwhile still intends to go on another century.

By 1689, Hob has become a drunkard, and the pub won't allow him to enter. Fortunately, Dream steps in on his behalf. Hob's wife died during childbirth, and his son died twenty years later in a bar fight. Later, he pushed his luck by staying in the same town for too long, and they tried to burn him as a witch. Of course, he survived, but now he is always hungry, with his fortunes lost. He admits that he has hated every second of the last 80 years. Dream wonders, then, if he has finally decided to die. Pausing for a moment, Hob smiles and states that he will go on.

100 years later, Hob has taken up slave-trading, and got back onto his feet. Despite having met several times now, Hobs admits that he knows very little about his visitor, and wonders who he really is. They are interrupted by a woman, Johanna Constantine, who states that she could ask them both the same question. She introduces herself as two thugs put knives to the pair's throats. For years, there have been rumours that the Wandering Jew and the Devil have been meeting at this pub once every hundred years. She planned for two years for the day she would confront them. Both Dream and Hob deny being either of those beings, and Johanna is perplexed. She demands to know what nature of beings they are, but Dream uses some of his sand to incapacitate her, filling her mind with dreams of those whom she wronged in the past. Before he and Hob part ways, Dream recommends that his companion give up the slave trade.

On a dark knight in 1889, Dream makes for the tavern, but is interrupted by the scream of a prostitute who fears that he may be Jack the Ripper. He promises that he is not, and rebuffs her attempts to make him a client before entering the tavern. Upon reuniting with Hob, Dream reveals that he saw Johanna Constantine again, and recruited her to perform a special task for him. Hob comments that he has noticed others who do not die. He has met Jason Blood on more than one occasion, and Mad Hettie has been on the streets for more than a century. Dream admits that Death is capricious.

Hob leans in and suggests that there is more to their meetings every one hundred years than Dream merely being interested to see what happens to humans who do not die. He realizes that he hasn't grown significantly wiser in his five hundred years, and he doubts that he will ever seek death. He believes that Dream knew all of that from the start, and must be there for something else: friendship. Hob believes that Dream has come to him every century because he is lonely. Indignant, Dream storms off, claiming that it is beneath him to take the company of a mortal for loneliness. Hob calls after him that if they meet again in one hundred years, it will be because they are friends.

In the year 1989, Hob sits in the bar smoking a cigarette while young people dance to the music and discuss issues like the AIDS epidemic. He looks up to see Dream there, and admits that he wasn't sure that he would come. Dream smiles, and says that it is impolite to keep one's friends waiting.

At the hotel in which Rose Walker and her companion Gilbert are staying, a convention has been booked. While in name, it is a "Cereal" convention, it is in fact a convention for serial murderers - collectors. Each of the people attending murders and then collects some part of their victims, physically or spiritually. The man called Nimrod is anxious to get started, but he hopes for a big name to do a keynote speech. He is aware that an idol of his, The Corinthian is meant to be coming, but he has not yet arrived. Nimrod meets with the manager of the hotel to be sure that the place is empty of outside guests, but the manager admits that there are still two guests there who have been ordered to stay there by the police.

Rose had called her second cousins in advance, to let them know that she'd be coming to pick up her younger brother Jed. Unfortunately, due to events she was unaware of, the police answered instead, and they told she and Gilbert to remain at the hotel for the time being.

The serial killers mingle with one another and share each other's stories. One of them claims to be the Bogeyman, a killer who remembers the eyes of each person he has killed. He makes some small talk with another killer called the Doctor, who flays his victims and makes leather ties from the skin. There are movies planned and panels occurring all weekend. Finally, the Corinthian arrives, and he is met with great respect from the others when Nimrod introduces him.

Later, the Corinthian meets the Doctor outside an elevator, and informs him that the man claiming to be the Bogeyman is a fraud, and that the real Bogeyman died in Louisiana some years back. The elevator opens, and Gilbert and Rose are already inside. Gilbert seems to recognize the Corinthian, but despite his being startled, he says nothing. Outside, he writes a name on a piece of paper and tells Rose to call it out if something should go wrong.

The Corinthian drags the Bogeyman up to his room, and accuses him of being a fraud. The Corinthian, the Doctor, and Nimrod have already discovered that this man is actually Philip Sitz, the editor of Chaste magazine, who is not one of them. Philip pretends to understand them, but Nimrod knocks him unconscious, and they drag him out to the Corinthian's car. They drive for a while, and hang him from a tree. When he wakes up, they announce that each of them is going to take turns collecting their specialties from him.

While the killers are having a disco party, Rose heads down and hopes to sneak in for some fun. A child molester and killer named Fun Land stops her at the door, stating that it is for conventioneers only. Rose apologizes and returns to her room, but Fun Land has already targeted her, noting that she looks much younger than she is.

The next morning, Rose tries to find Gilbert in his room, but all that she can see is a note. She goes downstairs, and catches Fun Land's eye again. When she returns to her room again, he follows her, and knocks on the door, pretending to be room service. When she opens the door, he thrusts it open, gripping her by the neck and trying to undress her. Desperately, she grabs the note with the name on it and says the name "Morpheus."

Instantly, Dream appears. He forces Fun Land to let Rose go, and makes him dream. He tells Rose to leave, and she struggles to stand, rushing out to the parking lot while Fun Land dreams of being forgiven by all the children he hurt. The Corinthian makes his keynote speech, but he becomes distracted when he notices Dream listening in the audience. Dream stands and disdains his creation for having become so petty as to leave the Dreaming and act on a physical level. He has wrought nothing of what Dream expected, merely given humans something to be afraid of. Rather than send the Corinthian back to the Dreaming, he uncreates him, with plans to do better later. Turning on the audience, Dream announces that he is going to remove the other killers' illusions that they are the maltreated heroes of their own stories. From now on, they will always know what they are, what they are doing, and how little any of that really means.

Out in the parking lot, Rose meets Gilbert who has collected Jed from the trunk of the Corinthian's car. He is unconscious, and needs to be taken to a hospital. Gilbert realizes that Rose called Dream, and knows that there will be consequences.

Afterwards, each of the killers leaves the convention with a certain knowledge that there is something unholy inside themselves.

After spending days watching over her younger brother in the hospital, Rose Walker returns to her shared house in Florida. Her housemates welcome her back, but her mental and physical exhaustion are obvious, and they send her to bed as each of them retires as well.

That night, Ken dreams of money, sex and power while his girlfriend Barbie dreams of living in a fantastical world with an animal companion; a world that is better than her real life could ever be. Chantal dreams circular dreams of being in love with words and sentences. Zelda dreams of being a child again, and knows that her romantic relationship with Chantal would be frowned upon by her family. She has not yet dealt with her childhood emotions. Hal dreams of his quest for love as a gay man. He hopes to meet the standards set by his idols, the glamorous Hollywood actresses of the golden age. Rose on the other hand is unable to dream. She is too worried about her newly found grandmother, Unity Kincaid and her long lost brother Jed.

Rose can't help but wonder what happened to her friend Gilbert. As it happens, Gilbert is in the hospital, watching over Jed as he sleeps.

In the Dreaming, Dream and Matthew the Raven discuss the fact that Rose is a 'vortex'. Though Matthew asks what it means to have a vortex in the Dreaming, Dream brushes it off, sending Matthew to Jed's side at the hospital, and promising to deal with the vortex as he always has in the past.

Back in Florida, each of the housemates' dreams intensifies. Rose, meanwhile finally begins her dream - but it is unusual. The dream is vivid, and she has a strong feeling of lucidity. Extending her perceptions, she begins to sense the dreams of the other housemates, and comes to understand that what separates each person's dream is a very fragile wall. She gives those walls a nudge. The housemates find themselves sharing a dream experience in the Dreaming, steps away from the growing vortex. In the centre of the vortex lies Rose. Unaware of the repercussions, Rose reaches out, and begins trying to bring down the walls between dreams of everyone else in the city. Eventually Dream makes a stand, and draws Rose's attention to him. He warns her that her activities must end, as they have caused great damage to the Dreaming, though not so much that he cannot repair it.

Each of the housemates wakes in the night. Ken wakes aroused, and turning to Barbie, he finds her crying. She doesn't explain why, and he says something hurtful in response. Chantal and Zelda embrace as sisters for the rest of the night. Hal wakes with a feeling of dread inside, and decides to check on Rose. When he checks her room, he finds it empty.

In England, Unity Kincaid regains consciousness long enough to suggest to her daughter Miranda that the old doll house she maintained from her younger days be given to Rose. With her mother and son potentially dying, Miranda hopes that at least Rose is doing alright.

Dream takes Rose out into a deserted region of the Dreaming, landing atop a Mesa. He states that something is beginning. Meanwhile, Matthew makes his way to the hospital, and is surprised to find Gilbert there. Gilbert is somewhat unhappy to see the Raven, knowing that he must soon return to the Dreaming and give up his life as a human. Gilbert is surprised to discover that Rose is a vortex, and realizes that the only way to stop her from destroying the Dreaming is to have her physical presence on the earth destroyed itself. The only time Dream is empowered to take a human life is when there is a vortex in the Dreaming. Resigned, Gilbert allows Matthew to perch on his arm, and they both return to the Dream world.

Out in a deserted section of the Dreaming, Dream reveals to Rose Walker that she is what is known as a "Vortex of Dream", and in order to protect the Dreaming, he must kill her. Rose hopes that it is a dream, that she will wake up, and none of this will have happened, but eventually it becomes clear to her that it is a dream from which she will never wake.

Meanwhile, Gilbert and Matthew the Raven return to the Dreaming, and rush to their master's location. Gilbert reveals that he was once a dream of a place known as Fiddler's Green, and he escaped 50 years ago to become a human in the real world. Now that he has returned, he hopes that he can find some way to prevent Dream from killing Rose, though he doubts he will succeed.

Dream explains to Rose that once in each era, there is a vortex - a mortal who briefly becomes the centre of the Dreaming. By it's nature, the vortex destroys the barriers between each dream until every dreamer is caught in one massive dream. When each dreamer dreams the same dreamer, they all become one, and the vortex begins to collapse on itself until it is gone, and the Dreaming is left in an irreparable state.

Dream admits that this has happened to completion once before, and it is his duty to prevent it from happening again. In the past, a vortex collapsed and it destroyed an entire world in another universe. He failed in his duty then, and he will not again.

While Dream is lord of the Dreaming, he is not omnipotent. He cannot simply make vortexes go away. They must be killed. He promises, though, that she could stay in the Dreaming, as Matthew has. Rose, however, does not want to die.

Elsewhere, Unity Kincaid bids goodbye to her daughter Miranda before falling asleep for the last time.

Finally, Gilbert and Matthew arrive, and Rose is very happy to see them. Gilbert offers his own life in exchange for Rose's, knowing that he will not go unpunished for escaping the Dreaming during Dream's imprisonment. Dream, however, states that it cannot be so. He chooses not to punish Fiddler's Green, but states that he must return to his former position. Sadly, Rose embraces her friend, and says goodbye. As he disappears, Gilbert invites Rose to stay within his green glades, should she choose to remain in the Dreaming. Moments later, they are surrounded by the lush greenery of Fiddler's Green.

Dream prepares to take Rose's life, apologizing for his responsibility. Firmly, she shouts that he should just get on with it. Before he can, though, Unity Kincaid appears, and announces that Rose will not die - she will. Unity explains that had Dream not been imprisoned away from the Dreaming for years, she would have become the next vortex, and not Rose. Instead, she was sent into a coma. Unity turns to Rose and asks for her to reach inside of herself and give her whatever it is that makes her the vortex; her heart.

Cautiously, Rose reaches within her own chest, and pulls out a crystal in the shape of a heart. Unity takes it in her hands, and announces that now, she is the vortex. Suddenly, the crystal radiates a bright light, and Unity collapses in pain. In her bedroom, Unity suddenly bolts upright, startling her daughter Miranda. Finally, she lays back in the bed, and dies.

Dream reaches down and helps Unity up, revealing that the vortex is gone, and Rose will not have to die. Before sending her back to the real world, Dream promises that he will bring her younger brother Jed back from the shores of dreaming as a gift.

Six months later, Hal sends Rose a letter announcing that he is selling the house where she stayed in Florida, and is moving out west. Ken and Barbie have split up. Chantal and Zelda are buying the house from Hal.

Rose and Jed are living in a big house that their mother Miranda bought with money from Unity's estate. Rose has been depressed, though. She doesn't leave her room much except when her family is asleep. One night, Rose cuts and dyes her hair, and decides to return to her family. She knows that if her dream about her grandmother's death is true, then the world is not what anyone thinks it is.

In the Dreaming, Dream visits his sibling Desire. He believes that Desire is complicit in the events which caused Unity Kincaid to become comatose rather than become the vortex, and allowing it to pass on to Rose instead. Dream has deduced that the one who fathered Miranda Walker - the man who raped Unity Kincaid while she was comatose - was Desire itself.

Angrily, Dream explains that the Endless are not the masters of men, but their servants. He warns that if Desire crosses him again, he will forget that they are siblings, and bring down the power of all of the other siblings against it. After Dream leaves, Desire simply forgets the warning, being driven only by desire, after all.

REVIEW

This is a very emotional story with a very different feel in some of its chapters. Disturbing at times, trippy at others, it is always enjoyable. It is clear that Gaiman doesn’t like writing the “same old archetypes”.

From gender-fluid characters, to Endless that change their mind depending on who they talk to, these characters feel real, which is interesting as they are very far out concepts.

Story itself is more than enough to enjoy this comic, but the art does an amazing job of complementing it. The use of colors and different techniques make this story more special.

To me, there are three moments in this long story worth mentioning: The long term friendship between Morpheus and Robert, the moment Morpheus puts an end to the “cereal (killers) convention” and of course, the moment Unity exchanges her life for Rose’s.

The whole “cereal convention” part of this story is creepy as (forgive my kiwi term, it’s not an incomplete sentence over here).

I give the story a score of 10.

#dave mckean #sandman #the sandman #dc comics #comics #review #1989 #1990 #modern age #vertigo #vertigo comics

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the-digimon-tamer · 5 years ago

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Chapter 41 - Compromised is out now on FanFiction.Net and ArchiveOfOurOwn! Check them out with the links or find it after the break!

Title: The Tamer v2.0 - In HIs Name

Fandom: Digimon

Rating: T

Synopsis: In the next adventure of the Digimon Tamer, the lives of Juri, Rika, and Henry change forever when digimon begin crossing over into the human world. But it’s all just a story, right? Just a book series by an author no one has seen in a long time. Why are they here and can they save their world before something worse follows the digimon?

Ken Ichijouji, Wormmon, Davis Motomiya, Veemon, Tamer, and Guilmon landed in the Digital World - outside the familiar ruins of the Hallowed Bastion. The terrifying castle that they had come to so long ago as kids still stood as a decrepit reminder of what was and the terrible things of the past. Ken in particular was uncomfortable at the sight of it but Tamer hurried them inside. And all the better for it too because they could hear the chaos the Digital World descended to around them.

The Digital World was burning to the ground all around them - its skies darkened by more digimon than could be counted fighting for their lives. And they needed to hurry if they were going to put an end to this before any lives ended.

As Tamer led them inside, Ken couldn’t help but reminded of his own past here and the things he had done because of it. The thoughts still haunted him as the memories came back with every echoing step in the empty halls. He shook his head to pull himself out of it and asked a question to break the silence, “Where exactly are we going?”

“To find a computer. We get one of those and we can connect it to your digivices. Then you guys just have to do your thing,” he answered quickly, leading them further into its darkest depths. He and Davis exchanged anxious looks, both men thinking the same thing. It had been a long time since either of them had any kind of adventure in the Digital World. And despite all the terrible things going on, it was good to be back in the Digital World again. Even better, it was good to see their partners again after not having seen them in so long.

“You’ve cut your hair, Ken,” Wormmon said from behind him. Ken snorted, “The hair was getting in my eye during work. It was kind of a problem.”

“Oh? You’re still a detective, right?” Wormmon asked quietly. Ken nodded, “That’s right. But I’ve gone private now. Still working around the clock for anyone who’ll hire me. The last case I was working was finding Takeru and you guys actually. We were all worried sick. Yamato was the worst of all of us - guy was paranoid something happened.”

“That’sh nothing. You should’ve sheen the way TK wash acting! He wouldn’t let ush leave the houshe unlessh he wash there with ush,” Veemon pointed out. Davis laughed at his partner’s words, “You guys are safe and we’re back together. That’s all that matters. By the way, you’ve gotta meet my son. You’ll love him.”

“Shon? Did you and Kari finally tie the knot?” Veemon asked. Davis waved him off, “No, it didn’t work out. You were there, remember?”

Veemon shrugged it off and shook his head, “I alwaysh figured you two would get back together. You two were alwaysh sho happy together. It’sh a shame.”

Davis crossed his arms and growled, “Hey! Don’t you talk about my wife that way. She’s the greatest person I’ve ever met! Especially when she does this thing with her mou- I mean, um...never mind!”

Ken rolled his eyes, unsurprised that Davis almost made the conversation so inappropriate. He could tell from the quizzical look Veemon was giving him that the digimon didn’t quite understand what he was about to say. At least, that’s what Ken thought until Veemon said, “Do you mean mouth? You mean eating your food? You always were a really good cook! I bet she eats a lot of your food every day!”

That was almost worst - Ken couldn’t quite tell if Veemon was teasing his partner or not. And he could tell even Davis was stumped by his response, “Eh…something like that.”

“Are you talking about food?” Guilmon stopped in his tracks, sniffing the air around him, “I don’t smell anything. Is there food? I’m really hungry.”

Davis gave the digimon a big thumbs up and smiled for the red dinosaur, “Well, I’ll whip us up a big celebratory dinner after all this is over. You guys can all come over to my ramen shop and we’ll eat a big meal to celebrate! All of us!”

“Can you even afford to feed all of us? More specifically, can your business survive feeding all of them?” Ken asked, gesturing towards the three digimon present. Davis simply laughed it off, “Don't get too high and mighty there, mister detective. It’s not like you’ve ever really looked at my business.”

“I have,” he admitted, “I keep tabs on everyone I know. Mind if I ask what you did with twenty million yen?”

“One word!” Davis’ smile widened, reminding Ken of the fact that this guy was more than capable of pulling the wool over his eyes and surprising him if he wanted to, “Franchising!”

Yep. There it was. The surprise he didn’t see coming. He smiled as he realized this meant still able to surprise him - even with all his investigative skills and intelligence, his best friend of years was still able to do something surprising. Franchising. He laughed at the idea that he might become the richest member of the digidestined.

“We’re here!” Tamer announced to their surprise, stopping in front of an innocuous door. Nothing in particular about this door stood out. It was so ordinary, he didn’t even realize it was there until Tamer stopped in front of it. Tamer pushed it open without a second thought and called for them to come inside, “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”

“Okay, what is this place? I don’t think we’ve ever seen this room,” Davis stated as he went in next. Veemon hopped along just behind them, Ken pausing to glance at his partner. His partner was just as anxious as he was, he knew just from the look on his face. And the little digimon could sense he was just as uncomfortable, “It’s okay, Ken. I’m right here. We’ll be going in together.”

“I know Wormmon. I just need a moment,” he replied. Wormmon touched his partner and replied, “It’ll be alright Ken. Take your time.”

“Thanks Wormmon,” he nodded grimly, taking a moment to steady his nerves and calm down before heading inside. Within was a plain room - probably no bigger than a student’s bed room with a desk in one corner and a bed in the other. On the desk was a small data chip covered in a fine layer of dust that Tamer blew off and picked up, “Perfect. Let’s see if this still fires up.”

He pressed a button on it and tucked it just behind his ear - where a small screen appeared in his field of view just in front of him. Davis whistled, “Whoa, cool. What is it?”

“It’s a computer. A student’s computer so it’s mostly for reading and watching movies. But it’ll do for now,” Tamer answered matter of factly, “Come on. Let’s get to the armory and get you guys some scanners and communicators!”

“Scanners?” Davis repeated stupidly, “I thought we were using our digivices?”

Takato snapped his fingers, “You are. But I’ll need those scanners to act as access points so that this computer receives the data. That’s the only way this plan will-”

Ken heard a beep from his D-Terminal and retrieved it from his coat pocket, “Sorry.”

“I hope you’re not too busy to help save the world,” Tamer crossed his arms with an annoyed tone. Guilmon whined, “I’m too hungry to save the world.”

“We haven’t even done anything yet!” Veemon pointed out to him. Tamer tapped his foot impatiently, “He’s always like that. It’s a miracle when he’s not hungry.”

Ken read the message and realized urgency was a factor. He shouted to get their attention, “Guys! It’s from Izzy and Mimi’s daughter. She says the thing is on to the plan.”

“What?” Tamer hurried to look at the screen himself in disbelief, “But that’s not possible. It shouldn’t have any idea what we’re doing. How...no, never mind. We need to hurry. Time moves faster on this side of the world. We still have time to counter it. We have time to think this through. First, carry on with the plan on this side. Let’s get going.”

His pace hurried and they struggled to keep up with him - trying their best to sprint after him as Tamer hurried along at what must’ve been a break neck pace. His years as a detective gave him a bit of an edge when it came to keeping up, however it was Davis’ willingness to keep going that had him surprised even when he was out of breath. Ken smirked back at the chef, “Out of shape?”

Davis smiled back at him and grunted, “You wish. You think I’d be able to run a restaurant without the stamina to keep up? Besides, your breathing is getting heavier.”

“I’m not sweating,” Ken fired back. Wormmon and Veemon laughed, the little worm digimon remarking, “It’s so good to see you two getting along so well after all this time. Although I would’ve thought your competitive streak would’ve died by now.”

“As long as I’m alive, I’ll always be showing the world that I’m just as good as Ken Ichijouji!” Davis said with a thumbs up. Ken sighed, “I haven’t been a child genius in years and you know it. Hell, I’m not even great at soccer any more.”

Davis slapped him on the back, “You better believe I’m not going to let my rival fall behind me even an inch.”

“If you two are done, I need your help opening this door! I don’t have the codes to get it open,” Tamer announced as he slid to a stop in front of another door. Another door in another section of the castle Ken didn’t recognize. Davis looked down at his partner, “Go for it, Veemon!”

“V-HEADBU- OW!” Veemon’s cry of attack turned into a cry of pain as he slammed into the metallic door and tumbled back onto the ground, “Bad idea, my mishtake. What givesh? Why didn’t it work?”

“The Guardians wouldn’t make a door that could be knocked over by a rookie level digimon. I think they’d be insulted by that,” Tamer put a hand to his hips and turned back to the door, “We’ll need to pry it open. It should still slide at least. Here!”

He grabbed onto the crack of the door and started pulling from one side. Ken raised an eyebrow at Tamer’s antics, “Can’t you just hack it? I mean, the Ancients-”

“Guardians,” Tamer corrected.

“The Assholes created a door that couldn’t be blasted open but anyone who wanted to could just pry it open?” Ken asked with crossed arms. Tamer looked back at him, “Do you want to save the world or do you want to just stand there nitpicking?”

Each of them took an end of the door and pulled it open as hard as they could to get it to slide apart. With a little give, they finally for the door open and Tamer rushed in. The rest of them stared in awe at the racks and shelves containing nothing but what appeared to be rifles, spears, and all manner of advanced gadgets that made their jaws fall open. Davis commented, “Man, those Ancients sure did love making doom weapons, huh? Digivices, Digieggs...next you’ll tell me these are Digispears and digiguns!”

“Disintegration Blaster, actually,” Tamer replied as he made his way past the shelves of weapons.

“I don’t get it. Why aren’t we using this?” Ken asked in a surprised matter of fact tone as he looked out upon these various weapons. Tamer started moving things around in search of what he needed and finally retrieved what looked like radios from the shelf, “Here we are!”

“Tamer!” Ken scolded, annoyed that he was being ignored. Tamer sighed, “No, we’re not using any of these. If the weapons worked, that thing wouldn’t be there. It would’ve been dead forever ago when the Guardians found it the first time. The Guardians threw an army at it and it ate them. If anything, showing up with these weapons might help it figure out what it’s up against. Now here!”

He tossed the radios to them, both adults fumbling the devices in their hands before managing to get a good grip on it. Tamer scolded again, “Careful! Don’t break it!”

“You’re the one who threw it!” Ken pointed out. Tamer shrugged, “Semantics. Now let’s find some communicators!”

...

Yamaki stared in disbelief as the birds started lining the windows of the building. All the scientists and engineers moved away in a panic, while security teams drew their weapons at the birds staring at them. To his astonishment, the digimon still in the room leapt forward to fight - the brown bunny thing, the flying pink seal, and the rest all leapt forward. Before anyone could do anything, Yamaki raised his hand, “Stop! Hold your fire!”

“Sir, they’re gathering at the windows!” Riley said from behind him.

“Right now, those windows are the only things keeping them out and they’re not attacking,” he pointed out, “They’re planning something. What are they up to?”

“Do you really think glass is going to keep them out!?” one of the monster makers stated. Yamaki raised an eyebrow at her, “You think a government agency would use regular glass on a window this high up? A government agency whose operatives are likely to get shot at?”

To prove his point, one of the birds slammed into the window with all its might. It bounced off the window and took a moment to correct itself in the air - as if trying to understand what happened. He smirked as the shatter resistant glass was holding. And it widened as the bird things started slamming into it. Again and again, each trying to break through the barrier keeping them out. His smile disappeared when he watched one finally hit the glass hard enough to make it crack - leaving a shatter pattern across its frame. Then another appeared.

And another.

“It’s not bullet proof, sir. It’s bullet resistant. I don’t think it’s designed to take this many hits in a row,” one of the agents pointed out. Yamaki clicked his tongue angrily, “I noticed! Lock down the building!”

“Way ahead of you,” Riley said from across the room, pulling on one of the alarms. Not a fire alarm, a security alarm. As soon as she hit it, metal panels lowered from above the windows to seal the creatures out. But that only angered them and made them strike the windows harder in protest. Yamaki finally felt his nerve give out and drew his own gun, praying that he wouldn’t have to fire until the panels finally closed on the window.

Five seconds never felt longer as the glass continued to give under the constant attacks of the alien creatures. Just as the metallic panels closed, they watched a large golden insect appear from the side and slam into them at full force. The room was dark now, but they could still hear the muffled sounds of fighting just beyond the metal panels.

Then a loud bang echoed against the metal panel and the room filled with screams. It stopped shortly after and all that was left was silence. Whatever was going on out there, it seemed the creatures were still trying to get in. Then they heard banging from outside. Dolphin asked, “How long will those things hold?”

“No idea. That makes it all the more important to get the Juggernaut back online as quickly as possible,” Yamaki holstered his gun and turned back to the rest of the staff, “Let’s get back to work. Security personnel, inspect the perimeter and keep those things out. If an area is breached, we’re sealing it off. IT and Engineering staff, get back to work on the machines. The sooner we get Juggernaut back up, the better shape we’ll be in.”

“Why were they attacking us?” Zhenyu’s wife asked nervously. Before he could answer, there was a banging at the door beside them and the weapons were drawn again. Another loud banging came from the door and one of the civilian parents shouted, “Oh god, they’re inside.”

“Calm down. The whole’s building locked down now. There’s no way in or out. Whoever is on the other side of that door was already in the building,” Yamaki barked, walking over to the door with a hand on his weapon. He really hoped he was right about this. He turned the handle and threw the door open to find Izumi and his wife there.

“IZUMI! What the hell are you two doing in the stairs? Security never said you were here,” Yamaki practically shouted, surprised to see them just coming inside. Izumi wheeled his chair in while his wife took a seat on one of the chairs. Without missing a beat, the wheel chair bound scientist stated, “We were trying to warn you about those things when the whole building went dark. Looks like you initiated the lock down.”

Yamaki nodded, making his way to their handicapped member, “How did you even get in the building? The whole place is locked down!”

Izumi pointed upstairs, “We came in the roof. It’s hard to take stairs in a wheel chair. Are you okay Mimi?”

“I’m fine!” his wife said, waving him off despite struggling to catch her breath, “Don’t worry about me! Get to the important part!”

Izumi nodded and went on, “That thing knows. The D-Reaper knows about the plan. At least, it knows you guys have a plan to stop it and it’s trying to get in to stop you!”

“Oh that’s just great. How did it find out?” Curly asked.

Izumi’s wife answered, “It overheard us when we were talking with our daughter. She’s out there right now fighting those things with our digimon.”

“She is? Well screw that! I’m not sitting around in here while she’s fighting out there! Come on Guardromon!” Kazu declared to his partner. He and the giant robot made their way to the door, just as he was grabbed by his father, “Oh no you don’t! You’re running out there just to go get yourself killed!”

“But dad-” Kazu began to protest, however Yamaki cut him off before he could say anymore, “Don’t even bother, kid. The whole building is locked down. No one, and I mean no one, is getting in or out of this building.”

“They got in!” Kazu protested.

“We were already in when the lockdown activated,” Izumi responded.

“Then lift the lock down!” he complained, but Yamaki rolled his eyes, “Not when there’s an army of those things trying to get into this building! Face it kid, you’re stuck here with us. Now sit down before you hurt yourself.”

…

Impmon had to admit that he was enjoying himself for the first time in a long time. Both Ai and Mako appeared to be on their best behavior. But he had been down this road before and it ended in disappointment. And he was not going to be another rope in their tug of war game. There was no way in hell he’d allow himself to be put in that position again. And yet, he had to admit that he was happy in a way he hadn’t been in a long time.

It helped that they seemed to genuinely be trying to be on their best behavior now. Which was a nice difference from where things had been before. But it was soured by the images flying through his mind - the faces of the dying, the screams of those meeting their doom, the terror of knowing there was no hope of survival. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t convince himself these images were anything more than delusions.

They were so clear, so vibrant. They were memories, and he was glad it was in the past. And they put a lot of Ai and Mako’s behaviors into context. It made his departure of their home seem petty and childish; as petty and childish as their fighting. But they were kids. That seemed to be the takeaway - they didn’t know any better and they were learning.

“So where have you been all this time Impmon?” Ai asked, “You weren’t cold, were you? Or scared? We were so worried.”

“I was...fine,” he answered sheepishly, quietly eating into the snacks. Mako looked out the window, “Mommy and daddy have been putting a lot of our stuff in the car. They say we need to leave the city. Everyone seems super scared about something.”

“Yeah,” Impmon answered, glancing out the window. So Ai and Mako were at least aware that something was going on. They were just too naive to understand what. It troubled him to know that even that one guy’s little sister had a better grasp on the situation than either of them did. He took another bite of the cookie when he felt a strong unease - the kind of instinctual anxiety that became a sixth sense for danger. And no sooner than it went off, he felt the ground shake and everyone fall over.

“AAH!”

“EARTHQUAKE!”

Ai and Mako screamed and they heard the door slam open. It was their parents calling out to them, “Ai! Mako! Are you okay!”

“MOMMY!”

“DADDY!”

Both parents came around the corner and saw Impmon lying on the floor. The parents panicked at the sight of him, “Impmon!? What are you doing here?”

“Fuggedaboutit! What’s goin’ on out theres?” he asked, scrambling up to his feet. The parents cried out, “It’s those things! They’re out there! And there’s more of them!”

“What?” Impmon had an idea of what they were talking about and was afraid of the answer. He should just run! Get as far away from this place as he could! But if he did that, then what would happen to Ai and Mako? Their parents couldn’t protect them. Not from that. He clicked his tongue angrily at the realization of what he had to do. And he really wished he wasn’t going out to do it.

He hurried past the parents, out the door and onto the familiar street where he watched a large, unfamiliar metal work digimon being swarmed by countless bird creatures. It was the wolf’s thrashing on the cramped street causing all the shaking as it tried to hurt the bird creature. And without warning, the wings on its back kicked up like jet engines and it took off for the sky. Some of the bird creatures chased after it. But others hung back and scattered across the neighborhood. One in particular took a long look at Impmon before charging forward. Impmon leapt back and raised up a gloved hand, “Oh no you don’t! BADABOOM!”

He chucked the fireball right at its face but the creature simply leapt out of harm’s way before the blast could strike it. He threw another at it but the bird thing just moved too fast for him to get a head on it. He tried aiming ahead of it but it was too agile and quick for him. It was infuriating. But he couldn’t cut and run now. He couldn't leave them to this thing.

“Impmon!” he heard Mako cry out behind him. Impmon cursed his luck and the timing of this horrible situation. Why did this have to happen to him? He cursed his luck and threw himself in front of the small boy, “What’re ya doin, kid? Get back inside!”

“But you’re out here!” he argued back. Impmon groaned, “I can tak-”

He felt his heart stop when he saw one of the bird creatures position itself behind Mako. The kid probably didn’t even realize how much danger he was in. Impmon couldn’t just let it happen though - without thinking he dashed towards Mako and conjured a fireball in his hand, “GET DOWN! BADABOOM!”

But the boy wouldn’t put his head down. He continued to stare at Impmon in confusion. He really was just oblivious to his surroundings, wasn’t he? The bird thing was just inches behind him and he didn’t even seem to register it was there. Impmon called out, “Mako! For crying out loud! Get down!”

“MAKO!” Ai cried out in terror from the door. Of course the problems were just piling up. Ai had come out now, and she was shaking from the door frame at the sight of the door. Mako finally thought to move and turn around, coming face to face with the creature just behind him. There was only one thing to do now. He would have to throw the fireball in his hand straight at the bird. But to avoid Mako, he’d have to be between them.

Which meant a punch.

The things he did for these kids and they didn’t even seem to appreciate it. Was this his punishment? His atonement for all he had done? He didn’t like it. Even now, the images were flashing through his mind. The memories of that weird not human kid and his stupid idiot of a digimon partner. He couldn’t let that happen for real. He wouldn’t. Acting purely on reflex and instinct, Impmon leapt between Mako and the bird thing. They were so close that Impmon could practically see his own reflection in the massive eyes on its wings, “BADABOOM!”

He punched the ball of fire as hard as he could into the bird creature and the heat of the flames practically burned his hand. But the bird didn’t react to it all, instead rising up into the air and taking him with it as if it were mocking him. He hated this. Was all his effort for nothing? Was there where his life was going to end? Getting killed trying to protect the annoying kids he’d abandoned because of a good hearted whim?

Not a bad way to go out after all he’d been through, huh? It was better than what he deserved. He knew that much.

“IMPMON!” Mako cried out in a panic.

“NO!” Ai shouted.

Raising their voices. That really was all they were good for, huh? Dang kids, He wished he had appreciated them more and spent more time with them. He really was a disappointment in that regard - forcing not one, not two, but three separate kids watch their digimon partner die. They really did care, huh?

They really did care.

That thought hung in Impmon’s head longer than it should’ve. And it hurt. It filled him with pain that felt like it was going to explode from his chest, “IMPMON! WARP DIGIVOLVE TO! BEELZEMON!”

The bird sagged and dropped him. Or more accurately, it lowered him to the ground because it couldn’t hold his weight while also trying to fly. However, his hand was now wrapped firmly around its neck and it flailed to get free. He wasn’t about to give it the option though. Not when he saw the danger it posed to both Mako and Ai.

He threw it to the ground so hard that it flailed, then stepped on it with his foot to keep it there. Then he took a moment to take in what happened. He couldn’t quite believe it. He’d digivolved. His partners had helped him digivolve. It was ironic - he’d scorned the others for relying on the humans to digivolve. But here he was digivolving because of the humans. And he could see the amazement on those kids eyes - Ai and Mako were wide eyed with disbelief, “Are you two okay?”

Both children nodded sheepishly, Mako’s mouth hanging open, “IMpmon? Did you get all grown up?”

Of course, these kids had no idea was digivolution was. He smirked, “Something like that.”

“Ai! Mako!” both parents called as they finally rushed outside to get their kids. And both adults stopped at the entrance in terror once they laid eyes on Beelzemon. Their father shouted, “Ai! Mako! Get away from that thing?”

“Mommy! Daddy! It’s Impmon!” Ai tried explaining to them. That wasn’t quite right. He was Beelzemon now. Why bother explaining? They were too young to understand and their parents were to freaked out to listen anyway. He waved at the two parents awkwardly, realizing how terrifying it must’ve been for them to see him standing there with the bird monster under foot. He pressed down hard as he could on it until he stopped moving and growled, “Don’t you dare come near Ai and Mako again!”

He continued to press his foot down upon it, the bird continuing to flail and writhe as if it were in true pain. Finally, he pressed his foot down hard upon it and crushed it. The creature stopped moving, then burst into a cloud of data. They may have been really hard to put down, but it still died like any other digimon. Beelzemon normally enjoyed the thrill of the fight and wanted to savor his victory. But this was different. He didn’t feel like savoring anything. He just felt relief - relief it was over. Relief that Ai and Mako were safe. At least, until he saw more of those bird things gathering around him. Each of them keeping their eyes on him.

“Ai. Mako. Get inside,” Beelzemon said calmly, “Don’t come out until I say so. Understand?”

“You’re not leaving again, are you?” Ai asked sheepishly. They were scared. They should be. But their fear stemmed from the terror of losing him again - of finding he was gone. He nodded, “I have to. There are more of these things out there.”

“Where are you going?” Mako asked him sheepishly. Beelzemon cocked his shotgun to get the empty shell out and answered, “To keep you guys safe.”

It was a funny feeling to fight for someone else. But it felt so right. So this is what it was like to fight for someone else. It would’ve been sweet if Mako didn’t remark, “I asked where you were going. Not why.”

“Okay, you got me there,” Beelzemon answered with a half smile. Then Mako did the stupidest thing. He ran out holding their digivice and a toy space gun in his hand, “If you’re going to go out, then take this!”

“A toy?” Beelzemon raised an eyebrow in surprise. It made sense that Mako wanted to help, but even he had to understand that his toys weren’t going to do much good. This wasn’t a play game of pretend. It was real. Mako offered it up with both hands anyway, “It’s not a toy! It’s a super special weapon that can destroy anything! As long as you use it for good, it’ll never fail and you’ll kick all the bad guy butt!”

Use it for good? Beelzemon didn’t really feel like anything but a bad guy. After what he did, there was no doubt about it. Still, he took the toy from Mako to indulge the boy. Besides, the sooner he took the toy, the faster the boy would hurry inside, “Thanks, kid. Now get inside.”

“Okay! Come back safe, Impmon!” Mako said, running back to his little sister and parents. As soon as the door was close and locked, Beelzemon turned to face the birds and raised up his shotgun, “Okay you damn rats with wings! Come and get me!”

…

The images continued to flash by and Juri continued to identify them - because the alternative was to revisit those awful memories. And she didn’t want to do that. She didn’t want to dwell on the past. So she just continued listing off everything she saw as the images came by, “A car. A dog. A cat. A soldier. A gun? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.”

“Juri, those are four items you have failed to identify,” her mechanical voice echoed, “Please elaborate to why.”

“I don’t know what they are,” she explained to the voice who seemed unconvinced, “And?”

“I’m ten. How would I know what any of that is?” she added, hoping that it would get across to this thing that she had no idea what everything was. The voice echoed, “Very well. We shall proceed. Please identify the following.”

“A car. A SUV. That’s just a sakura tree. A bowl of ramen. A-” she paused as the next image came across her mind. Beelzemon. He was alive. He was here. In the Human World. In some neighborhood. And he was shooting. Was he hurting people? Were they in danger? Why was he doing this? He had killed Leomon before just to prove how strong he was. Was he going after humans now? Or was he after her? No. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be true. Why here? Why now!? Why couldn’t he just go away!?

“Juri. Your mental state has become disturbed. Identify the last image. Assess. Assess.”

Assess? No, there was no time for that. He had to be stopped. He had to be destroyed before he hurt her. Before he hurt anyone else. He’d fought the others and they could barely stop him. This thing was too dangerous.

“Threat level assessed. Taking necessary counter measures. Protect the organic.”

Organic? Did it mean her? Was this thing going to protect her? She just didn’t understand any more. What did it want? What was it after? As the panic spread through her mind, she recalled images of death she’d seen - cartoon images of ghosts, skeletons wearing robes wielding scythes, spirits wearing funeral garb armed with sickles and katanas. Death. Beelzemon had to die! He needed to die! He needed to go away!

#The Digimon Tamer v2 - In His name #Digimon Tamers #Fanfiction #takato matsuda #The Tamer

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kennethfloodlaw-blog · 5 years ago

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Are Catholic Dioceses Preparing for Future Lawsuits?

October 13, 2019 marks a landmark day for child sex abuse survivors in California. Assembly Bill 218 was passed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Long-suffering victims were afforded a new three-year window, along with an extension of the Statute of Limitations, to aid their pursuit of justice for the trauma they suffered early in life. Kenneth Flood Lawers are the top-rated LA Child sex abuse lawyers

A surge of litigation claims is expected to be made over the new year; AB 218 will become active and many large institutions are bracing themselves for impact.

The Boy Scouts of America are already rumored to have sought bankruptcy protection in preparation for the impending lawsuits. The Catholic Church is another organization expected to come under massive scrutiny over the coming months.

Here we explore how they are taking proactive steps towards damage limitation in what is bound to be yet another troubling time for the institution.

A New Program

Six major Catholic Dioceses set up an Independent Compensation Program (ICP) seeking to compensate survivors of child sexual abuse.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Fresno, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, and San Diego, have formally agreed to accept all amounts of compensation as determined by Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros.

In return for accepting any agreed amount of compensation set by the ICP, claimants who accept compensation are then required to agree not to take legal action over the abuse claims.

Whilst some view this move as “commendable,” and “a cheaper, quicker alternative to drawn-out litigations in court,” with counseling sessions available as part of the victim support; others are more damning.

Joe George, a Sacramento attorney believes, “games were played with a number of victims,” whilst others point out the coincidental timing of this, in the light of AB 218 becoming active at the turn of the year.

An Exercise in Saving Face

With the introduction of AB 218, not only is there greater ability for sex abuse survivors to attain justice, but it also increased punitive measures on any institution that had previously covered up, or failed to report known child sex abuse.

Treble Damages can now be filed against these organizations and, with the influx of litigations expected to arrive in the new year, organizations under the spotlight are clamoring for ways to assure they can withstand the barrage coming their way.

The ICP set up by Californian Catholic Dioceses shows just how seriously these institutions are taking the new law.

“Through our efforts,” the Dioceses of Sacramento announced, “more than 1,200 survivors have received compensation in New York alone.” He is now hoping a similar figure can be achieved in California.

Joe George however, believes these figures have been distorted, and that the church has attempted to downplay claims of abuse and reduce it to the actions of a handful of immigrant priests. Again, he insists, the church is “avoiding accountability.”

What Next?

Many Church devotees may suffer guilt at the thought of taking legal action against their own church.

As such, the church is hopeful survivors will be happy to settle privately and without further legal proceedings.

However, the figures agreed in these private compensation programs are usually significantly lower than what can be pursued through litigation.

In addition, AB 218 was established so that organizations will finally face repercussions for the innumerable victims that were abused or affected as a result of their actions.

It is important these organizations no longer hide behind veiled, private investigations which deliberately impede accountability and ultimately, justice. Seeking compensation for child sex abuse has little to do with financial sums. It is more for seeking closure and a means to begin the healing process.

It also prevents these organizations committing similar acts in the future, saving countless victims.

Reach Out

Contact Ken Flood Los Angeles Child Abuse Attorneys Law today to find a wealth of dedicated attorneys, seeking to grant you the justice you have required in order to heal, ever since crimes were committed against you. Do not allow this to continue to affect your lives and the potential lives of many others.

https://kenfloodlaw.com/

#california #law #california law #family law #ab218 #child sex abuse

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meditativeyoga · 5 years ago

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Finding the Dance in Transition from Downward-Facing Dog to Upward Bow

Establish a mindset of a dancer to discover your inner rhythm transitioning from Downward-Facing Canine Position to Wheel Pose.

Earlier this year while watching Jazz, filmmaker Ken Burns' docudrama series, I was struck by a comment from Chicago jazz excellent Eddie Condon. A leader in the desegregation of jazz, Condon observed that when white musicians initially came on the scene they were excited to play jazz however 'rigid with education.' I was advised that as we in the West welcome the old custom of yoga exercise, we require to leave room for the natural aspects that maintain a yoga technique as lively as it is major.

Contemporary yoga, very influenced by Western culture, has actually taken the technique to whole brand-new levels of anatomical precision. And also there's no question about it: Strategy and form issue. Correct kind harnesses our power and also places it to great usage. Biomechanical information direct us around obstacles and assist us avoid risks. If we end up being too attached to create, we run the risk of losing the basic pleasures and insights of mindful movement as well as might finish up bolstering the barrier between body and mind that, ideally, hatha yoga exercise breaks down. We can conveniently neglect yoga is a dancing.

In this column I'll describe a vinyasa-the word could symbolize a certain setting or activity yet is most frequently used to describe a series of motions purposely linked by the breath-a fantastic instance of just how a sense of dance can be protected in yoga exercise. This collection of postures evolved, I make sure, from yoga practiced less with ambition compared to with curiosity and a compelling impulse to see past the familiar limits of asana.

Though the series can be fantastic fun, it needs both shoulder and back flexibility, so I suggest waiting till the latter part of your practice when you are completely heated up prior to trying it. To plan for the sequence you can exercise backbends and also shoulder openers. Also, as you proceed via the sequence, bear in mind that you don't have to complete the entire vinyasa. The point is just to obtain into the circulation and also explore.

The Relevance of Engaging the Shoulders in Downward-Facing Dog

The series starts with Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Canine Posture). A staple of nearly every hatha yoga technique, a totally rewarding Downward Pet can be exceptionally evasive even for veteran experts. I suggest that you begin in Balasana (Youngster's Posture), resting on your heels and also bending ahead till your upper body hinges on your legs, your head on the floor, and also your arms at your sides.

To end up being quiet as well as focused, close your eyes as well as song in to your breathing. Do you feel your body step somewhat in feedback to each breath? With that said activity, you're currently dancing. The pulse of the breath, like a drum, acts as the rhythm for all our activities. Its beat is always there, but our bodies can become so conditioned to assuming and also assessing that we forget to simply pay attention for it-and to really feel the continuous inner dance. Youngster's Posture, in its simpleness, places forth few barriers to such inner questions. In silent postures such as this, the interior rhythm is so noticeable that I can't help however ask yourself if the initial yogis became so attracted by their own internal rhythms as they beinged in reflection that at some point they couldn't include an impulse to reveal that pulse externally in the movements we call asanas.

Allow your feeling of internal rhythm to grow in Child's Posture, remaining focused on your breath as you expand your arms onward and also correct them. Place your hands on the floor concerning shoulder-width apart. Breathe in to lift your hips off your heels and also breathe out as you come to all fours. Considering that great shoulder rotation will be a need in the coming vinyasa, allow's pause to investigate the arms as well as shoulders. Not understanding the best ways to finest use the shoulders is a significant impediment in yoga exercise for lots of people, but with time as well as passion any individual can reverse less compared to ideal practices as well as replace them with much better placement, activity, and ease.

Keeping your head at shoulder degree, spread your fingers large open. To decrease weight on the wrists, root the balls of your fingers into the floor, particularly the sphere of the forefinger and also the pad of the thumb. This movement activates the arches of the hands, boosting both stability as well as buoyancy in the wrists, arm joints, and shoulders.

Arrange your arms to make sure that the inner elbows deal with somewhat ahead. If you are very versatile in your shoulders, watch that you don't roll your elbow joints too far ahead, an activity that could compress the shoulders. Next off, expand from the side ribs via the triceps (the muscle mass on the back of the arm) as well as remain to revolve your arms outward. These actions take on added stamina when you concurrently reroot the rounds of the fingers. Basing the hands rotates your reduced arms somewhat in, which might appear to negate the exterior turning of the upper arms. In fact, it doesn't, your joint joints are designed with sufficient versatility to permit both these activities, as well as your arms will be extra secure as a result of making them.

Externally revolving your top arms also broadens the upper body and broadens the back, allowing the muscular tissues of the thoracic back to engage even more completely. Consciously glide your internal shoulder blades far from the ears to enable the top spinal column to removal ahead into the breast, minimizing the convex contour of your upper back. You will require to pay attention to this action as you relocate right into Downward Canine, where the obstacle of keeping shoulder positioning boosts.

Now turn your focus to your breathing once more, this moment aiming to sense its rhythm as motion in the muscular tissues along the back, perhaps even allowing it removal your spinal column a little bit. Wonder about how the spine relocations, explore its capability to bend, arch, revolve, extend, and shorten. You can examine these opportunities at all you wish. Your motions need not be huge, indeed, your body might appear to be fixed. Notification if you resist the idea of such improvisation. If you end up being dogmatic concerning constantly implementing positioning and also strategy, valuable as they might be, form could come to be an imposition that covers up inner rhythm as well as makes every unplanned activity suspect rather than a possibility for discovering.

Find Size in Your Down Canine with Spine Extension

Now start to extend your back towards your tail. Informed by your current explorations right into the back's snaky nature, probably you could really feel each private vertebra step. Somewhat drop your tailbone, allowing its weight decrease the arch in the back spine, and somewhat pull the lower abdomen in towards your back.

Turn your toes under and breathe in as you lift your knees off the flooring, then breathe out as well as push your hips up as well as back, an action that will expand your shoulders as well as back as well as place even more weight on your feet. Keep your knees bent and, as you did while on all fours, check out the inner, rhythmic motion of your breathing and also the mild extending of the spinal muscular tissues. Continuously extend your back toward the tailbone.

This asana mimics the movement of a pet awakening from a nap, so take pleasure in an elegant, yawning stretch, as though you were recently awake. Before clearing up into stillness, feel totally free to extend at all that really feels great to you, maintaining your knees curved will offer you much more flexibility to shake your hips and spinal column. If you highly prolong both arms as well as legs, Downward Canine will continuously awaken the spinal column and instill it with energy.

Ideally, in Downward Pet your weight should be uniformly dispersed in between the hands as well as feet. If you have even more weight on your hands-a typical problem-try this: Emphasis considerable focus on grounding your legs. This guideline may seem easy, however it actually isn't. The most regular error I see in Downward Pet dog is obstructing the shoulder girdle straight down toward the flooring. If you do this, you'll undermine your ability to root the legs and feet efficiently.

Instead, raise and also widen your shoulders a little, then breathe out as you rotate the base of your hips skyward. Proceed to lengthen your back toward your hips as you do this to prevent compressing the back spinal column. Explore this action for several breaths and afterwards, on an exhalation, straighten your legs, bringing your heels to the flooring if possible. This action will even more extend your shoulders.

Even if your heels do not yet reach the floor, you could bring more of your weight toward your feet. With each brand-new exhalation lengthen your spinal column toward the tailbone as well as take your heels back as well as down while spreading the round of each foot wide to trigger the arcs. If you are fairly complimentary in your hips, rooting your heels will certainly be sufficient action to generate stamina and a buoyant internal lift from the ankles through the knees to the hips. If your heels do not relax on the flooring or you do not feel a lift in your legs, concentrate on prolonging your calf bones below the rear of the knees to the heels and on rooting the spheres of the feet. Consciously moving your femur bones toward the rear of the legs also helps. If you still feel extra weight on your hands than on your feet, flex your knees to make all these corrective movements easier.

Solidly grounding your legs will both extend your back and also extend your shoulders. Although the shoulders are currently as fully extended as you can make them, keep a tip of the feeling that your shoulder band is still slightly lifted by visualizing the internal underarms being drew towards the back shoulders as if by a string. Currently that your shoulders are much better straightened, breathe out and also extend from your side ribs via your triceps muscles and lower arms so highly that you transfer some of your weight ahead on the hands, putting slightly even more weight on the spheres of the fingers than the heels of the hands.

Continue to revolve your upper arms outward, as you practiced previously, to stay clear of pressing your shoulders as well as top back. If your arms resist external rotation, once more raise the shoulders slightly toward the ceiling. Additionally, rather than diving your head down, keep it positioned in between your arms. Both these activities assist you prevent hyperextension of the shoulder and also excessive interior turning. Specifically if you have a tendency to hyperextend your shoulders, this strategy might make you really feel limited in the beginning, yet it will certainly likewise make your shoulder joints safer as well as your pose even more balanced.

Refining the circulation of weight between the arms and also legs is a consistent procedure, as is stabilizing the activity of the hips and shoulders. Let the rhythm of your breathing be your continuous ally in discovering equilibrium within your pose. Feel how each breathing allows the body to increase, while each exhalation sends currents of activity pumping out via the arm or legs.

As your pose expands even more consistent as well as silent, close your eyes as well as transform your focus to your stubborn belly, where the rhythm of the breath could usually be noticed quite easily. Allow the breath produce a feeling of inner room and also power within the hips. Feel just how the natural release supplied by the exhalation leads to the muscle mass behind the abdominal body organs being drew back into the spinal column to produce a lift. This lift could be quite buoyant, virtually like a balloon floating into the sky. As you capture a ride on that action, visualize that your arm or legs are not holding you up, they are holding you down!

When you could not maintain the posture with steady convenience, come down as well as rest momentarily approximately in Youngster's Posture prior to returning to Downward Dog as well as beginning your circulation toward Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Posture).

Moving From Downward-Facing Pet dog to Upward Bow Pose

Once you are back in Downward Pet, remain mindful of a couple of tips that are crucial to the coming sequence. Keep pressing your hips firmly away from your shoulders. Second, keep your shoulders extended as well as straightened as you have actually exercised. Third, remember to take a breath. And also 4th, remember this is a dance: Enjoy!

In Downward Pet, turn your left hand farther to the left as well as strongly root it into the flooring. Transforming your hand is not absolutely required, it will certainly assist you attain the shoulder rotation you'll eventually require to move right into Urdhva Dhanurasana. Next, elevate your right leg, flexing the knee and turning it up and behind you so your right hip lifts as well as turns your abdominal area with it, starting the spin of the tummy as well as spine that will ultimately take you to Urdhva Dhanurasana. However let's not concentrate on the backbend right now. Enjoy this fabulous spinal twist.

Relax your leg as well as let it hang, enabling its passive weight to yank on your right hip and also roll your abdominal area further to the. Focus extra on releasing than on attempting, adopting a go-with-the-flow attitude that invites a sense of interest as you move off the beaten course. Keep expanding back through your hips as you utilize your breath to soften the muscular tissues along your spine and also make its motion a lot more fluid. As before, discover gently moving the spinal column to aid launch holding patterns. Aim to feel which component of your back is tightest and offer it extra attention, 'sweet-talking' it with your breath.

When you have rotated the back as deeply as possible, lift onto your right fingertips to produce also more area for the hips as well as upper body to transform. You can also strengthen the spin by flexing your left knee and also raising up on tiptoe with the left foot. With these activities, you could bend extra deeply at the hip and also probably coax a little bit extra activity in the back until, finally, your entire torso revolves, your best foot floats simply off the floor, your heart deals with up, as well as you can look under your arm.

All the while, remain to removal your hips away from the shoulders. Of course, the deeper the spin, the further your upper body arcs backwards, which could raise the worry of dropping. Purposely feel any type of concern you could experience, highly root your hand and also foot, and also launch into the twist rather of concentrating on the approaching backbend. I urge you to attempt this much of the sequence several times to obtain comfortable with hanging backwards.

When you feel ready to take the right leg the entire method to the flooring, breathe in as well as extend your hips strongly far from the shoulders, on your exhalation, let the twist turn your leg all the means over. As you do this, your right-hand man will leave the floor.

Now comes one of the most important part of the flow. An usual response now is to windmill your right arm to the floor on your side. Instead, relax your right arm by your ear. Do not rush with this setting, resolve in where you are for a moment. Make sure your breathing is stable, reducing it down and prolonging the exhalation if necessary. Next, place your feet parallel with each various other, a little bigger than hip-width apart. Put your mind in your belly and also when again lift the pelvis, feeling it draw the weight of the torso away from the arm as well as lengthen the shoulder joint.

The shoulders are critically crucial in this change. Unless you keep length in the joints as you come close to the backbend, your shoulders will secure up and quit you from completing the activity. Actually, going no further than the spin is probably your best choice if you have chronic shoulder injuries, a tendency to dislocate your shoulder, or could not yet lift into Urdhva Dhanurasana from the flooring. If, for whatever factor, you make a decision that going farther is beyond your capacities, just appreciate the spin for a couple of breaths, launching right into the inmost turning feasible. When you're ready ahead out of the pose, roll your chest back around to the left, pivot your left foot forward so the toes face the hand, and carefully bring your right limb back over to Downward Pet.

If you do feel ready to proceed to Urdhva Dhanurasana, wait until the back spin has deepened as high as possible. Flex your knees and also once more press your hips strongly away from the chest to elongate the shoulders. You could have observed that I keep repeating the guideline to removal your hips away from the shoulders. That's since it is the single essential maneuver throughout this entire vinyasa and assists to stay clear of emphasizing the shoulders. The length in the shoulder that arises from extending the hips far from the shoulders frees you approximately turn your top spinal column deeply to the right as well as get to expenses to put your appropriate hand on the floor in Urdhva Dhanurasana.

If you couldn't obtain sufficient extension through the left shoulder to pivot right into Urdhva Dhanurasana on your initial attempt, try again, this time much more highly pressing your hips away from your shoulders, bending the left joint, as well as dipping the left shoulder nearer to the flooring. Remember to remain concentrated on stable breathing. If you feel as though you cannot create adequate expansion and also turning to complete the flip, return to Downward Pet: Breathe in as you revolve your chest to the left, pivot your left foot onward, and exhale to gently roll your right arm and leg back to Downward Canine. Don't lead with the appropriate leg: It will not work! You have actually reached begin with the breast and also allow the twist reverse you back to Downward Dog.

However, if you have actually prospered in placing your ideal hand on the floor, you'll should choose up your left hand and also pivot it so the fingertips encounter your feet. Change both hands so they are located properly-shoulder-width apart and also with fingers aiming toward the feet-and clear up right into Urdhva Dhanurasana.

This backbend requires stamina, versatility, and abandonment. Take a moment to develop a consistent breath, with the mouth closed and also the exhalation solid. You will certainly not remain in Urdhva Dhanurasana, the present is too vital to glimpse over. Don't be amazed if you locate Urdhva Dhanurasana approached by doing this simpler than when you raise from the floor-and hence a far better possibility compared to typical to tweak the pose.

Consciously root your hands and feet to the floor, stabilizing the weight similarly between them. Attract your front groins right into the hips, removal the internal thighs back, strongly ground your heels, and also root the balls of your feet. Removal your internal underarms towards the back shoulders to turn your inner arms toward your ears, and also widen your top back as you expand your arms towards the rounds of the hands. If you have problem expanding your upper back, roll your shoulders back towards your tailbone and also reaffirm the rotation of your inner arms. You're now upside down, can you feel that these are precisely the same activities you utilized in Downward Pet dog?

Exhale and also let the upper body blossom outside as well as higher to extend the shoulders once again, at the exact same time, if you're rather flexible take care not to require your shoulders as well far ahead right into hyperextension. Continue to take a breath progressively as you release any kind of tense muscle mass along your spinal column as well as adapt to the rich spine arc this asana requires. You can continuously discover removaling the spine as you performed in Downward Dog, accompanying every movement with conscious breathing to boost your liquidity and also ease. Don't shed your link with the interior rhythm of the breath. Yes, even in an asana as solid as this backbend, there's area to dance!

Whenever you prepare, begin your return journey to Downward Pet dog. If you have paid focus to the circulation, you will, like Hansel and also Gretel, have set breadcrumbs to note your path. Returning to Downward Pet dog is merely a step-by-step turnaround of the circulation you followed to show up in Urdhva Dhanurasana, and also it's simpler compared to you might assume.

The most common blunder is aiming to toss the ideal leg up as well as over. Instead, remain calm as well as systematic. Turn your left hand towards the right-hand man and press the left arm right into the floor as you strongly breathe in and roll your chest to the left, bringing the right-hand man off the flooring. Pause as well as feel how the spinal column is currently revolving to the left. Just pivot your left foot onward to face your hands, as well as the action of the twist will certainly permit you to gently bring your right limb back right into Downward Pet dog. It's as basic as that.

Complete the vinyasa by doing the exact same sequence to the right. Discover the vinyasa, duplicating it numerous times, initially fast, then sluggish, also play with it by turning your way throughout the area, surrendering and over in the same direction. Keeping your playfulness and also feeling of experience add to the sense of circulation and liberate you from the 'rigidity' that excessive strategy could often trouble an asana. After all, hatha yoga transforms us not simply with the self-control of kind but likewise via the sheer pleasure of conscious motion, the dancing that could break down practices as well as illusions. Developing the attitude of a dancer, a traveler of movement, indicates traveling to your very own internal rhythm. It implies staying open up to alter and bravely going off the beaten track if that's where inspiration takes you-in various other words, signing up with the journey taken by all the best yogis.

founded the Yoga exercise Studio in Boston in 1981 as well as educates workshops across the country. She is grateful to the lots of teachers who have motivated her as well as to her specialized students in Boston.

#asana #Hatha yoga #Yoga #Yoga Weight Loss

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bountyofbeads · 5 years ago

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Jeffrey Epstein's death is a perfect storm for conspiracy theories

https://news.yahoo.com/jeffrey-epstein-death-conspiracy-theories-163046929.html

Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Is The Perfect Storm for Conspiracy Theories

By Christopher Wilson | Published August 10, 2019 12:30 PM ET | Yahoo News | Posted August 10, 2019 4:34 PM ET |

The death Saturday morning of financier Jeffrey Epstein, an accused sex trafficker with connections to some of the most powerful people in the world, represents a perfect storm in the world of conspiracy theories.

Epstein was found unconscious in his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Center — the federal jail in downtown Manhattan — and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The MCC is one of the most secure jails in the country, and Epstein, following an earlier suicide attempt, was being held in the Special Housing Unit, where inmates are under heightened protection, although NBC News reported he was not on suicide watch. He had been in the MCC since July 6, after FBI agents arrested him when he returned to the U.S. from France on his private jet.

Epstein’s death immediately set off speculation that he had been killed, or that someone who should have been watching him was looking the other way when it happened. With confirmed ties to political figures up to and including presidents of both parties, European royalty and headline names in business, finance and academia, Epstein was a lightning rod for conspiracy theories even before his death. Women who have accused him of forcing them into having sex when they were underage have also said he pimped them out to some of his powerful friends. His trial, more than a year away, could have proved embarrassing — or worse — to people who were part of his large social circle.

Attorney General William Barr put out a statement saying: “I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody. Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered. In addition to the FBI’s investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein’s death.”

“If we were living in a paranoid fantasy universe, I would be very suspicious about the Epstein suicide, even about whether it was really suicide,” wrote New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. “And you know what? The Epstein case itself shows that we *are* kind of living in a paranoid fantasy universe.”

Joe Scarborough tweeted, “A guy who had information that would have destroyed rich and powerful men’s lives ends up dead in his jail cell. How predictably...Russian.”

On the fringes of the political spectrum, Ann Coulter tweeted, “I knew this would happen! I warned you, [Bureau of Prisons].”

Later she managed to wrap in a whole documentary’s worth of conspiracy theorizing in a single tweet: “This ends the only plausible Epstein theory OTHER THAN a foreign country’s pedophile/blackmail operation. (That he was laundering Robert Maxwell’s hidden loot.)”

Epstein was close friends for years with Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, who drowned under suspicious circumstances in 1991. At least one of Epstein’s alleged victims has said Ghislaine participated in Epstein’s recruitment of young teenage girls for sex; she has denied any involvement.

Other tweets hinted at a conspiracy by the British royal family, and the hashtag #ClintonBodyCount exploded on social media, the subject of 13,300 tweets within the first hour. Lynne Patton, a Trump appointee in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, wrote on Instagram that Epstein was “Hillary’d.”

Epstein’s waterfront mansion in Palm Beach, Fla., where the alleged sex acts occurred, is less than a mile from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Records show that Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet on occasion, and they had been photographed together at social events.

“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,” said Trump in a 2002 New York magazine profile of Epstein. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”

Former President Bill Clinton flew on Epstein’s private plane multiple times and visited his island. Prince Andrew of Britain also has ties to the hedge fund magnate but has denied any involvement in sex trafficking.

Documents implicating other powerful figures began to be released yesterday, starting with sealed records related to a defamation lawsuit that Epstein’s self-described “sex slave” Virginia Roberts Giuffre filed against Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre alleges that Epstein told her to have sex with hedge fund billionaire Glenn Dubin, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former Democratic Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.

The men have all denied the allegations.

The New York Times reported last month that Epstein used his ties to Les Wexner, CEO of the L Brands corporation, which owns Victoria’s Secret, for access to both models and money. Wexner accused Epstein this week of misappropriating “vast sums of money.”

Epstein, early in his career, was a protégé of Donald Barr, the father of Attorney General Barr, who hired him to teach at New York’s prestigious Dalton School despite his lack of a college degree.

The amount and source of Epstein’s wealth, apart from his association with Wexner, has been a mystery. His Manhattan mansion has been described as having a “creepy décor,” while his private island has a gold-domed temple-like structure. When Epstein’s home was raided, investigators found a cache of videos in a safe that were described as potentially containing compromising images of third parties. The New York Times reported last month that Epstein had plans to “seed human race with his DNA” at his New Mexico ranch.

The latest round of charges were not the first faced by Epstein. He was charged by federal prosecutors in Florida in 2007 for, as the Miami Herald put it in its award-winning reporting on the case, “assembling a large, cult-like network of underage girls — with the help of young female recruiters — to coerce into having sex acts behind the walls of his opulent waterfront mansion as often as three times a day.” Epstein received what observers consider unusually lenient treatment by the U.S. attorney in Miami at the time, Alex Acosta. Acosta served as Trump’s secretary of labor but stepped down amid a slew of calls for his resignation after Epstein’s arrest earlier this summer. In that case, Epstein was defended by Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz and former special counsel Ken Starr.

Epstein’s trial was not set to begin until June 2020 at the earliest. He had been denied bail due to his access to private jets, private islands and multiple passports. Civil cases against Epstein’s estate will continue despite his death.

According to Courthouse News reporter Adam Klasfeld, a former prosecutor said that after Epstein’s death “no one else will have standing to challenge the search warrant on his house. Everything will be admissible against any other defendant without possibility of a motion to suppress.”

In the wake of Epstein’s death, many were quick to point out that hundreds of people kill themselves in jail every year and experts say most deaths are preventable with proper mental health care and monitoring.

However, the fact that he was able to hang himself less than a month after a previous suicide attempt — particularly one in which a former cop charged with four murders being jailed near Epstein was questioned over his potential involvement — raised questions from those far from the conspiratorial fringes of the internet.

“I am not into conspiracy theories,” said Brooklyn-based public defender Scott Hechinger. “But Epstein had destructive information on an extraordinary number of extraordinarily powerful people. It is not easy to commit suicide in prison. Especially after being placed on suicide watch. Especially after already allegedly trying.”

“The Bureau of Prisons is part of DOJ,” said Michael Bromwich, who previously served as the Justice Department’s inspector general. “This should prompt an immediate and comprehensive DOJ Inspector General investigation to determine who is responsible.”

“We need answers,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., linking to a story about Epstein’s death. “Lots of them.”

Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., has already called on the House Oversight Committee to investigate Epstein’s death, saying in a statement that it “does not end the need for justice for his victims or the right of the public to know why a prolific child molester got a slap on the wrist instead of a long prison sentence.”

Additional reporting by Melissa Rossi

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