#Technology - Liberty - Hunting and How To's

[child-of-the-sky-people]

hi Ali! im looking for a new narrative podcast to get into, what's your current rec list? :)

Oh god it’s so long 😂

Horror:

Human Error - this one is mine so of course I’m recommending it 😂 it’s about a found family of survivors going on a road trip during a zombie apocalypse 12 years after the world ended!

We’re Alive - also zombie horror and was the show that got me into audio dramas! It’s very long and looks overwhelming but I promise it’s good!

Darkest Night - anthology horror where you find out how people died but each case is actually related and there is a bigger mystery and this show lives in my head rent free lol

The Waystation - found footage style show about a group of people on a space station that all died (the story is trying to piece together what happened). It’s along the same lines as The White Vault

DERELICT - a research group are studying a door at the bottom of the ocean, and then shit goes sideways. I binged this series super fact and I need season 2 immediately lol

The Eleventh Hour episode called The City of Statues - I made this! It’s about a group of survivors trying to make it out of a city filled with statues trying to hunt them down 👀

Someone Dies in this Elevator - mix of horror and thriller I think. It’s an anthology series where every episode someone dies in an elevator 👀 I composed for a few episodes and it’s v fun 🤩

Thriller

The Liberty Podcast - made by the same folks behind The White Vault and VAST Horizon. It’s an anthology series of stories taking place within and surrounding a tower where a civilization lives. Some episodes might lean more towards horror but I personally consider it more thriller

The Walk - made by the same folks behind zombies run! In this show you the listener are the main character, an individual making their way across Scotland with a package they were mistakenly delivered. I love this show so much omg

Primordial Deep - scientists are finding extinct dinosaurs alive and well under the ocean and they’re trying to figure out what the fuck is going on. I fucking love this show omg

Spines - woman wakes up in the middle of a cult ritual with no memories and is trying to figure out who she is and where she came from. Also there are powers!

Mirrors - same person behind Spines! Three women from three different centuries (who are all related to each other) discover they can communicate with each other through ghost like figures. It has a bigger mystery and the ending made me cry it was so good

InCo - a woman finds a prince from a world that shouldn’t exist floating in space. This show is a delight and is a micro series and I love the humor within it so much omg

Where the Stars Fell - the Antichrist is roommates with their guardian angel and they’re trying to stop the rapture

DUST - anthology series about science fiction and technology! Season 3 is definitely my favorite as it is one story but the entire show as a whole is very good

Feel Good/Light Hearted Shows

Unseen - this show lives in my head rent free and I ache for it to be real. It’s about magic existing in the real world and is an anthology! It’s made by the same folks behind Wolf 359

Joy to the World - holiday series I helped produce! It’s about an astronaut named Joy talking with different people on Earth about the holidays! It’s an anthology and v warm and I highly recommend it as a holiday series

Sidequesting - a person who is totally not the hero is avoiding the main plot and going on a bunch of side quests! It’s charming and lovely and made by the wonderful Tal

Back Again, Back Again - a woman is retelling her stories of his magical world she was transported into and about the prophecy she became involved in

If none of these are your jam lmk and I can suggest some more! If you tell me what you like to listen to/what kinds of stories you enjoy I can make a more personalized list

[rippleclan]

Is it okay to use the roles for both starclan, the clans you added in my clangen stories? I feel it adds alot more to clan life and starclan in general that the books don't really have the what about the game style you use? I find it really interesting type of way to explore a clan! Rippleclan has captivated me in every way and I'm excited to see how the story goes!

Sorry for the late reply, but go right ahead! Part of why I love my expanded roles is because it provides so much more material for storytelling. I'm glad my style has caught your eye!

Here are a few tips for those who want to take inspiration from some of my worldbuilding and how I play Clangen;

Warriors, mechanically, consist of codekeepers, historians, caretakers, and of course, warriors. Mediators can be actual mediators or artisans. Medicine cats are clerics.

When you start a new Clangen, decide what roles your founders have. I made Rustshade a codekeeper, for example, because I thought a sneaky codekeeper would be interesting. Don't forget to note what roles your leader or deputy had before they got their jobs!

When a kit is apprenticed, their mentor determines their path. For example, when Shadowdrop was apprenticed to Rustshade, that made him a codekeeper apprentice. Since these technologically advanced Clans need more mediators/artisans/clerics than RNG gives you, feel free to take liberties with apprenticeships.

When organizing patrols, consider the role of the cat you're choosing and what the patrol is. Hunting patrols can consist of any cat considered a warrior/apprentice mechanically. Caretakers and the occasional warrior join clerics to gather herbs and even do those patrols on their own!

"Border" patrols are more than border patrols. They can be whatever non hunting activity you want. Training can also be more than just battle training. You can consider it to be learning more about the world, practicing artistic skills, etc.

As time goes on, I'll make lore posts for all the roles. Any other advice I could offer would probably be the same as any other blog. I'll want to see your stuff when you're done!

[dailyanarchistposts]

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, likes to claim that his company’s goal is to bring all the world’s people closer together through networking. That’s a truly astounding fiction, as Facebook – and effectively all of the firms dominating the internet today – are motivated to capture all of human experience as “behavior” from which they can extract value in order to sell more advertising.

But what if the internet wasn’t just a medium for extracting the raw materials of this new means of production? What if we treated the internet seriously as a place – a location where people spend their work and leisure time, not just in transit, but in community? There is more than one way to do politics and build a community on the internet, and in spite of the current dominance of surveillance capitalism as the model for governing the web, it is not the logical conclusion of the technology itself. Rather, it’s the consequence of social, political, economic, and legal processes, as Shoshana Zuboff argues in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.1

The internet as we experience it is a designed system that is itself the result of systems of power that are much older, and perhaps less visible, than it is. Therefore, it is possible – and necessary – to contest for power online. However, our existing models for online organizing are heavily focused on mass mobilization, utilizing the web as a communications medium connecting interested individuals to organizations and one another.

At 18 Million Rising, we’ve been at the forefront of trying to figure out how to move away from the mass mobilization/communications model of online organizing and toward models that foreground humans and, hopefully, help foster a different kind of internet. Founded as an organization specializing in mass mobilization through email and petitions, we’ve evolved to include a variety of other tactics while keeping those tools in our toolbox for strategic moments. We primarily organize young Asian Americans, a group of people more heavily online than any other race/age demographic, and for whom belonging may be particularly elusive. Our generation, often stuck between the home cultures of our parents and their homelands and the popular and political culture of the United States, frequently struggles to find belonging offline.

To make matters more complex, the term “Asian American,” in the popular imagination, spans a universe of stereotypes that young Asian Americans often feel at war with. The origins of the term, of course, are in the Third World Liberation Front, when Asian American organizers were on the hunt for a descriptor that felt new, fresh, and relevant to the political work they were undertaking. Since the 70s, the term has been defanged and turned into an almost meaninglessly general census category. Also since the 70s, who might count as Asian Americans has been shaped by U.S. imperialism, immigration policy, and globalization, making potential members more diverse, and dividable, than ever before.

18MR’s work is particularly urgent because of the ways the social and economic pressures placed on our generation are separating them from other communities. We’re more likely to have moved to cities away from our families of origin for work. We’re often burdened with heavy debt, while at the same time serving as the young professional or creative vanguard of gentrification in cities across the continent. We’ve watched our civil liberties be eroded by the expanding national security apparatus after 9/11. While young Asian Americans trend leftward, it’s by no means a given that we will be full-throated participants in social movements. And there is an expanding counterweight: the rise of right-wing movements both in our nations of origin and in the United States point to the growing possibility many of our people will be recruited away.

We found, starting very early on, that the people we were most trying to reach were tech savvy and highly skeptical. They were critical and thoughtful, often seeing through the somewhat manipulative clickbait tactics popular at the time, and which still reign in certain digital programs. They were asking earnest questions about what it means to be Asian American – and demonstrated time and time again that they wanted a political home that could host difficult conversations about our role in movements for racial, economic, gender, and environmental justice. We upped our game because we saw those early indicators, and it means our work continues to be robust, relevant, and incisive nearly eight years on.

Five Questions to Use the Internet for Power

These five questions – which I return to on a weekly basis to inform our strategy and tactics – are necessary but not sufficient for the task of treating the internet as a true place. I hope you’ll find them useful in your organizing.

[moss-selfship]

Do you have a specific idea for a self insert to ship with Entrapta, any storyline etc?

i swear i had put the information about them here but i cant seem to find it? so either im wrong and just thought i did or tumblrs search function is ass (either is possible). but doesnt matter either way, ill explain it here. The explanation is under the read more as it contains some stuff im tagging with a trigger. as well as being long and not wanting to clog timelines Tw incest

STORYLINE So the first thing i want to get out of the way is they are siblings. yes this is a sibling ship, And there is a reasons why. Entrapta is a princess and we all know how royalty feels about incest (im joking, this is a joke XD) the real reason is that she lived alone her entire life. she grew up in her castle surrounded by machines and robots that raised her. she genuinely had no living family that ever raised her. so the idea of the only other person she was raised with being her brother, the only other person she ever really knew being him? well thats a bond that is so incredibly close and goes beyond what one normally expects. they are literally the only other person each other has known their entire lives. even as siblings its no wonder the feelings bloomed when the only other human being you ever interacted with growing up being your brother means the feelings between the two of you are extremely personal and isnt the same as everyone else. like sure there are the robots that taught her all the stuff she knows and TOLD her about society and how people act and stuff. or atleast how they are supposed to..but its not the same. pretending a robot is another person isnt the same. and sure they are taught about laws and societies and stuff..but doesnt really mean much in the end

Plus i mean we already know she isnt the most caring about laws and morals, i mean she happily joins the horde after she sees the advanced technological power they had as well as some "convincing" from catra. so even in the end she wouldn't care im her brother, or realize that its bad no matter what anyone said. To her it only made logical sense she would fall in love with the only other person she had ever known growing up and vice versa.

INSERT THEMSELF

My inserts name is moss aka "The Huntsman" , and as i said before he is entrapta's brother. ive taken some liberties with canon to expand more on entraptas family. See, in the story we have some books and audio recordings of our parents and are able to learn a little bit about them. Our father was a brilliant technological genius and he originally designed the robots that raised me and entrapta, and was the old leader of dryl and he had a deep fascination with first one technology. As you can imagine he is where entrapta inherited her genius and love of robotics and first one tech. She took to his research like a duck to water and sure enough she had an intellect to rival even his. I tried but it never clicked with me and i always ended up more confused than anything. Our mother was in tune with the wilds, combining her otherworldly tracking and hunting skills, the ability to control her hair like limbs, Her deep knowledge of the natural world, as well as her supernatural skill with a spear. She was the greatest hunter in all of etheria and she loves nothing more than the thrill of the hunt. I inherited almost all of our mothers skills and abilities and took to her teachings much more than i did our fathers (that was entraptas favorite as you can see, as well as her gaining our mothers hair powers.) and so i became the great huntsman like our mother had been the great huntswoman all those years ago. Entrapta was only ever interested in these teachings if it involved first one tech based nature. Design wise i feel like his outfit is a mix of furs and leathers with more advanced plating underneath (courtesy of entrapta) and even some augments that can improve my abilities (things like ability to hide my body temperature, muffle my footsteps even more, and change color to blend into environments).

[aggravateddurian]

Lonely Hearts...

Clara crossed her arms as Val nervously stepped into the Lonely Hearts Club, "You don't wear this getup often, do you?"

"What gave it away?" Val asked as she tried her hardest not to trip on herself.

"The way you walk. The way you're shakin'. Like someone who's worn combat boots and sneakers their entire life, having to put on a pair of heels for the first time."

"Guilty."

She grinned, grabbing her hand, and leading her from behind, "Let me get you a drink. I'll lead you over to the bar," she then leaned close, whispering into her ear, "Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall."

Wait, who's Clara?

[PICTURE UNAVAILABLE: WHEN AMM UPDATES FOR 2.01 I'LL SHOWCASE HER]

Clara Martinez is an FIA officer embedded in Night City. Her job is to keep NUS interests in the city secure by hunting down NUS officials and officers who may come to Night City to sell secrets or technology to foreign or domestic rivals, but particularly preventing the transmission of arms and financial aid to Kurt Hansen, self-appointed leader of Dogtown.

Born in Night City, she maintains her cover by hiding in plain sight. Nobody expects a NUSA spy to be a Night City native. Her father, SSgt Carlos Martinez, was a member of Sixth Street and fought for the NUS Marines, and her mother, Elena Forsythe, was a public servant.

The complicated part of Val and Clara working together is that they went to school together. Not just that, they were high school sweethearts. Until Val took a job in Atlanta and moved across the country, they already had their future planned out.

The thing is, Val and Clara didn't break up - at least, not officially, and Clara is secretly hoping that their relationship might rekindle as they work closely with each other in Dogtown (her job is completely unrelated to President Myers. V has that gig locked down).

Val has to wonder, given how close Trey's disappearance and Clara contacting Val again after six years were, if Clara might've used her FIA contacts to arrange a situation where they were working together, using her mission to find a way back into Val's heart...

Clara's signature weapon is a specially-modified suppressed Liberty called 'The Phantom' (geddit?), its low-observable black paintscheme and lack of distinguishing markings make it ideal for the FIA agent running around the City of (Broken) Dreams. Clara's not based in Dogtown, like Solomon. She's assigned to work in the city itself, working a network of contacts.

[rockislandadultreads]

New Title Tuesday: History Recommendations

Ancient Africa by Christopher Ehret

This book brings together archaeological and linguistic evidence to provide a sweeping global history of ancient Africa, tracing how the continent played an important role in the technological, agricultural, and economic transitions of world civilization. Christopher Ehret takes readers from the close of the last Ice Age some ten thousand years ago, when a changing climate allowed for the transition from hunting and gathering to the cultivation of crops and raising of livestock, to the rise of kingdoms and empires in the first centuries of the common era.

Ehret takes up the problem of how we discuss Africa in the context of global history, combining results of multiple disciplines. He sheds light on the rich history of technological innovation by African societies - from advances in ceramics to cotton weaving and iron smelting - highlighting the important contributions of women as inventors and innovators. He shows how Africa helped to usher in an age of agricultural exchange, exporting essential crops as well as new agricultural methods into other regions, and how African traders and merchants led a commercial revolution spanning diverse regions and cultures. Ehret lays out the deeply African foundations of ancient Egyptian culture, beliefs, and institutions and discusses early Christianity in Africa.

Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I by Tracy Borman

Anne Boleyn is a subject of enduring fascination. By far the most famous of Henry VIII's six wives, she has inspired books, documentaries and films, and is the subject of intense debate even today, almost 500 years after her violent death. For the most part, she is considered in the context of her relationship with Tudor England's much-married monarch. Dramatic though this story is, of even greater interest - and significance - is the relationship between Anne and her daughter, the future Elizabeth I. Elizabeth was less than three years old when her mother was executed. Given that she could have held precious few memories of Anne, it is often assumed that her mother exerted little influence over her.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Piecing together evidence from original documents and artefacts, this book tells the fascinating, often surprising story of Anne Boleyn's relationship with, and influence over her daughter Elizabeth. In so doing, it sheds new light on two of the most famous women in history and how they changed England forever.

Symbols of Freedom by Matthew J. Clavin

In the early United States, anthems, flags, holidays, monuments, and memorials were powerful symbols of an American identity that helped unify a divided people. A language of freedom played a similar role in shaping the new nation. The Declaration of Independence’s assertion “that all men are created equal,” Patrick Henry’s cry of “Give me liberty, or give me death!,” and Francis Scott Key’s “star-spangled banner” waving over “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” were anthemic celebrations of a newly free people. Resonating across the country, they encouraged the creation of a republic where the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” was universal, natural, and inalienable.

For enslaved people and their allies, the language and symbols that served as national touchstones made a mockery of freedom. Deriding the ideas that infused the republic’s founding, they encouraged an empty American culture that accepted the abstract notion of equality rather than the concrete idea. Yet, as award-winning author Matthew J. Clavin reveals, it was these powerful expressions of American nationalism that inspired forceful and even violent resistance to slavery.

Symbols of Freedom is the surprising story of how enslaved people and their allies drew inspiration from the language and symbols of American freedom. Interpreting patriotic words, phrases, and iconography literally, they embraced a revolutionary nationalism that not only justified but generated open opposition. Mindful and proud that theirs was a nation born in blood, these disparate patriots fought to fulfill the republic’s promise by waging war against slavery.

In a time when the US flag, the Fourth of July, and historical sites have never been more contested, this book reminds us that symbols are living artifacts whose power is derived from the meaning with which we imbue them.

The Ruble by Ekaterina Pravilova

Money seems passive, a silent witness to the deeds and misdeeds of its holders, but through its history intimate dramas and grand historical processes can be told. So argues this sweeping narrative of the ruble's story from the time of Catherine the Great to Lenin.

The Russian ruble did not enjoy a particularly reputable place among European currencies. Across two hundred years, long periods of financial turmoil were followed by energetic and pragmatic reforms that invariably ended with another collapse. Why did a country with an industrializing economy, solid private property rights, and (until 1918) a near perfect reputation as a rock-solid repayer of its debts stick for such a prolonged period with an inconvertible currency? Why did the Russian gold standard differ from the European model

In answering these questions, Ekaterina Pravilova argues that politics and culture must be considered alongside economic factors. The history of the Russian ruble offers an opportunity to explore the political reasons behind the preservation of a supposedly backward financial system and to show how politicians used monetary reforms to block or enact political transformations.

[codyweis]

9/12 Assignment: The Deceptively Strong Image of Colonial America and the Ugliness Beneath It

As remains true throughout many regions of the world, America's colonial period was a time of grave social injustices, widespread terror, and changing tides that brought grand technological and societal developments. In "Poetics of Relation," an Edouard Glissant book of historical analyses, he paints complex images of the horrors of the African slave trade and how it must have felt to be stripped of one's dignity and humanity. This reality is not too far removed from modern slavery. North Korea's government is responsible for some of the most atrocious civil rights violations in history, including outrageous prison sentences for crimes that would be interpreted as minor offenses in first-world nations, such as criticizing the government and possessing unlawful religious texts. However, the implications of these two considerably different atrocities, those being the African slave trade and North Korea's dictatorship, should be duly noted. To be trapped in one's homeland must be a type of hell distinct from being forced onto a slave ship and sent to a land so foreign in nature that it might cause one's mind to break. Upon reaching their new homes, though these places were surely not homes in the battered minds of these people, they were subjected to evils so physically and mentally demanding that one must hope they now bask in an eternal paradise. Though it has required centuries of bloodshed and exhausting effort, an effort which is ongoing, blacks in America can live as equals among their fellow countrymen.

America's colonial period was a time of disillusionment and chaos. Cotton Mathers transports his readers back to this period with his recounts of witch trials in his book "The Wonders of the Invisible World." He creates depictions of innocent people being falsely accused of performing witchcraft and the ensuing disorder that enfeeble the structure of communities. Though his retellings are fictional, the historical foundation that he built his work upon is as true as it is disheartening. Though witch trials no longer sustain the news cycle in a literal sense, metaphorical witch hunts are as common as they have ever been, if not more common, due to the age of instant information, much of which is fabricated. American politicians face accusations so often that it has become an expected aspect of the nation's political realm, and regardless of the validity of these allegations, the news surrounding them, as it did in colonial America, feeds paranoia and the dread of uncertainty.

Though a strong community is as essential as it was in the colonial period, the modern individual's growth is far different because of the helping hands that current technology often provides. The need to learn to thrive off the land is no longer so important to the average man. In regards to women, the social injustices and restrictions they faced so long ago prevented them from even learning such methods of survival. What might have appeared as healthy communities in colonial times were homes to hideous inequities that stunted the growth of American society. Since those times, women have fought for and earned the rights to own property, vote, and speak their minds without persecution.

The many fruits of colonial America made the nation appear deceptively prosperous, as it was only such to select groups of people, which is the antithesis of justice. To live without such oppression is a dream that every person should strive to achieve, and with that burning will, people will continue to seize the truest extent of civilized liberty.

[itstimetodrew]

Hello and happy Friday! This is the first weekly ask! See my pinned post but basically I want to send one ask a week to the Pokémon tumblr community as a whole (tell me if you’d like to be exempt from this moving forward, and people can dm me if they don’t get asks and want to)! We’ll start off with this question: what location/s in any iteration of the Pokémon universe do you feel the most of a connection with? From the most well-known town to a specific spot in a random route, anywhere!

Is it too predictable if I say LaRousse City because that's where Drew is from...

Really though I love how much personality that city has, but how much is still unexplored since it was only the location for a single movie. I used to a read a ton of fanfics that would take their own liberties to expand upon the city's technology, economy, lifestyle, everything! And of course how growing up in that environment might shape any characters that live(d) there. 👀

Game-wise, for a random spot, I remember doing a lot of Pokedex hunting on route 225 in Sinnoh (Pokedex hunting meaning I had an action replay and would catch literally any of the 493 Pokemon at the time in the grass there lol) because I love that route's music SO much!

It's got some real drama to it...some say it's like an 80s movie montage which I totally get. I love that part 15 seconds in that gets kinda moody and then it switches back to a peppy song with little hand-claps in it! :D This track has it all, forever my favorite, Route 225 is home in my heart.

This is a really fun idea, thank you for the ask!

[inukag-archive]

Do you have any ideas for plot-driven fics of human inuyasha in the canon universe? I'm kind of in the mood for angst or drama, but any genre is good.

Hello @creative-hanyou-girl! 

We took the liberty of combining your list with the above anon request for New Moon Fics to make it a little easier for everyone to find our canon Human-Inu recommendations. If these don’t exactly hit the mark for you, please reach out with another ask and we’ll be more than happy to fine-tune it for you.

Without further ado: The New Moon and the Black-Haired Inuyasha.

The Backwards Blanket by @splendentgoddess (X)

Summary: Why do all Blanket Scenarios seem to revolve around Inuyasha saving a freezing Kagome? What if it were Kagome who managed to save a human Inuyasha? How would his pride handle a situation like that? Forget his pride- how about the rest of him?

--

The Ronin by @mamabearcat (M)

Summary: On the night of the new moon, Inuyasha is knocked out and Kagome is at the mercy of a ruthless Ronin. When he wakes, Inuyasha has to piece together what has happened. He may not usually kill humans, but in this instance, he's willing to make an exception... Rated M for swearing, violence and sexual touching without consent.

--

Selfie by @keizfanfiction (T)

Summary: Kagome brings a bit of modern technology to the Feudal Era in hopes of capturing some precious memories with her friends.

--

Rage by @akitokihojo (T)

Summary: When a demon attacks a nearby village and someone comes to plead for Inuyasha's and Miroku's aid, the two hardly hesitate to follow the villager back, but Inuyasha should know better than to play with fate on the night of the new moon. He promised he'd be back before sundown. He swore to Kagome that everything would be fine. But the sun was now long gone and the priestess's anxiety was at an all time high. Her gut twisted and clenched, telling her something was horribly wrong, so who could blame her for finally giving into temptation and chasing after her husband? As she approaches the village, she hears the dreaded scream as her nightmares come to life and her entire body sets ablaze. Inuyasha and Miroku were in trouble, and Kagome leaps into action to do whatever she needs to ensure their safety.

--

Angry Red Marks by @littleknownartist (T)

Summary: Kagome notices a series of marks on Inuyasha, wondering when he had gotten hurt. It's been a while since he'd been in a battle and it was his human night.

--

Snow Route by @superpixie42 (E)

Summary: Inuyasha thought he had the best idea for a surprise for Kagome. They would spend the longest New Moon night of the year (aka the worst night of the year) together in the market village inn, therefore turning a terrible night into a wonderful night. Except nothing ever goes to plan does it?

--

Sick Puppies Need Care by @ruddcatha (T)

Summary: Inuyasha is a strong, healthy hanyo, happily married and mated to Kagome. But can he handle having a cold on his human night?

--

Keep Them Safe by @mamabearcat (T)

Summary: Inuyasha blinked, trying to get his eyes back into focus, and did his best to ignore the pounding headache and ringing in his ear. His eye stung where his blood had dripped down past his eyebrow, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Apart from Shippou, who was currently tugging hard on his sleeve to get him to sit back down, everyone in his pack, everyone he cared about were all out there putting their lives on the line. He belonged out there with them.Just a little 'protective friends' one-shot in response to a tumblr ask from Superpixie!

--

Perks of a New Moon by @shinidamachu (M)

Summary: InuYasha and Kagome enjoy their first New Moon as married couple.

--

All That Matters by @kstewdeux (M)

Summary: Inuyasha is hunted on his human night but this time he doesn’t manage to come out unscathed. Complete.

--

Taking A Risk by @keizfanfiction (M)

Summary: Even after Inuyasha told her not to follow after him should she wake up and find him gone in the middle of the night, Kagome does so anyway and what she finds breaks her heart and nearly costs her her life. "C'mon, Kagome, breathe, damn you, breathe!"

--

Happy Ending by @splendentgoddess (X)

Summary: While not pertaining to the conclusion of the storyline, this PWP centers on a completely different type of “Happy Ending”. Inuyasha’s muscles are all sore after battling a youkai, and the new moon sure isn’t helping. Shiatsu anyone?

--

To Love Me As I Am by x-xMasqueradeAngelx-x  (M)

Summary: On a night of a new moon when Inuyasha is injured and has to deal with the pain as a human, perhaps there is something that can take his mind off it and reassure him in his desire to please his mate.

--

Year of the Dog by @splendentgoddess (X)

Summary: What would happen if Inuyasha found a way to avoid turning human every month? What would happen to his human emotions if he suddenly turned human again after months without transforming? What would Kagome do with an overly emotional, human Inuyasha?

--

Any Night But This by Kohi Wo Nomu(M)

Summary: When Kagome returned after three years, it was too close to the night of the new moon. A month later, they were still fumbling with their new relationship. By the third moonless night, she realized what he was doing. What she didn't understand was why he wanted their first time to be when he was human.

--

Scars On My Heart by @kstewdeux (T)

Summary: Kagome notices Inuyasha's human body is riddled with scars

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Necessities by Bee_Tawon (M)

Summary: Inuyasha and Kagome have a chance encounter with some rogue bandits. Kagome learns what it means to survive in Sengoku Jidai.

--

Mating Season (Series) by @clearwillow (E)

Summary: Inuyasha has a problem - it's mating season for youkai - and he's doing everything in his power to ignore the call. When the new moon comes and goes, Inuyasha is faced with two more problems, and they're both eyeing Kagome.

[superrman]

I got a couple asks about my reply to an ask where I said that I acknowledge cop propaganda in procedural’s, and believe that everyone falls for it, while still acknowledging that I have enjoyed those shows. More than one ask said they are fully aware of the propaganda and so they can still watch those said shows, this is something I want to expand on because No one is above falling for propaganda.

I have loved and watched cop shows since I was 12, and I also have studied propaganda academically for half a decade, and that is why I can say with certainty you have internalized and fallen for propaganda within cop shows. 

It is important to note that cop shows are designed with the aid of professional police for this exact purpose, they are insanely important to the normalization of behaviours of police, and justifying their actions, because you as an audience emotionally connect with the characters. 

There are many things that have circulated around tumblr that have acknowledged certain forms of propaganda - the continuous use of violence, in a way that claims that the police must in many cases resort to violence, Trevor Noah did a great small clip showing how many cop shows do this. On top of that the villainization of internal affairs and the entire defence system, claiming public defenders are moronic and don’t defend their clients well, which in turn makes people afraid to turn to public defenders, which in turn results in people not asking for a lawyer, and at the same time paint defence attorneys as evil as well, and an impediment to justice which makes people dislike lawyers in general.

These are all important functions of the propaganda system as it justifies many actions of cops, but there are so many layers of propaganda, with hundreds of cop shows, all with police consultants, all employing underhanded tactics and specific messaging impacts you, below is a small list of things I either personally have internalized or know people have internalized. In brackets I mention just a couple shows I have seen this on, keep in mind many shows do this and they all tend to overlap

1. We as a society all agree that murder is wrong, but how many times in a cop show have you rooted for the police to get away with murder? How many times has the protagonist killed someone for personal reasons? They may find a way to kill said individual in the line of duty and that is legal, and or in many cases personally hunt them down and commit murder, and then the story line is about them getting away with murder,  but at the same time many story lines in the same series say no one has a justifiable reason for murder, and they may even arrest someone for the same reason as they killed someone.

This teaches the audience that you can’t kill for abuse, country, cause, or revenge, but the police can and should kill, and if they do kill it was only for a valid reason

(NCIS, NCIS LA, The Mentalist)

2. The ‘red tape’ and intense scrutiny of police shootings is the worst, and harmful for the police, in general the scrutiny of all of the measures meant to prevent police violence and harassment of citizens is hindering the police. How many shows have you watched where the main character scoffs at the idea of mandatory counselling post a shooting, or is angry by the idea of having to justify why they took a shot and killed a man

(Rookie Blue, Cold Case, Hawaii 5-0)

3. The police are underpaid and lack the funds for the necessary policing measures. This one in particular I internalized to the extreme, I have always held the false assumption that police are underfunded like all of the other services they equate themselves too - but the police departments have more than enough funds as the protests have revealed. Yet, every cop show depicts a scene of complaining about budget cuts, lack of funds, cannot pursue a case because of budget cuts. On top of that any cop that gets caught stealing is justified because if he was paid fairly, he wouldn’t have to do that.

(Castle, Lucifer, Brooklyn Nine Nine)

4. The police can’t save ‘everyone’ in the context of the most vulnerable of society drug addicts, sex workers, the mentality ill, the sad reality is that some people ‘don’t want help’ - it says societal problems are unsolvable not that the police are not qualified or effective in solving society problems but even then there is a plucky do good cop not yet jaded that will try and try to save people, but eventually have to come to a hard realization you can’t save everyone

(Perception, Criminal Minds, Law and Order SVU)

5. The police always work with experts in the field, have the best technology and moreover, experts will want to work tirelessly for the police or the police themselves are geniuses- this is not the case, in fact in many cases police incompetence and ignoring experts leads to false convictions

(Bones, Rizzoli & Isles, all the CSI, Criminal Minds)

But the most malicious form of propaganda is the way in which police procedurals acknowledge the real world political climate and use the criticism as a way to bolster the police, by this I mean, so many cop shows will have an episode of focusing on a corrupt cop, or a civil rights activist wrongfully arrested, wrongful conviction in general, and the narrative will show outrage throughout the system, cops all banning together to undo this injustice, but with enough resistance from some bad apples to make it seem as if they acknowledge the system is not fully functional but reinforces to the audience that many cops can and do fight the system to get the wrongfully accused out of prison, to protect civil liberties and that cops do care and will willingly fight their own to do it .

Moreover, this is shown in the context of the importance of police brotherhood. Being a cop is always more than a job it’s a lifestyle, you can’t stop being a cop, and it’s a part of your identity, so its extra heroic that the protagonist challenged the corrupt cop, it’s as if he or she turned on his own family to do what is right.

There are always episodes about going after the rich and politically connected and how no matter what the protagonist will do what’s right and fight against the system to get justice for a poor, or poc , or down on their luck victim, it teaches us that even though in the news cops might not be able to stop all of the big evil rich people, Kate Beckett or Jake Peralta is out their fighting the fight, trying to take on corporations, it teaches us to go on faith that the police are separate from the corrupt system, and will try to take on politicians and corporations rather than the reality of them working for those same people

Finally, so many cop shows have minorities and women leading the charge to challenge the old guard, usually with the new era of white men, that laugh at the police brutality and incompetence of older generations. It’s hard to ignore the damage the police have done, but every show simply disregards this with a change in the vanguard, newer cops are immune to racism, classicism and agree older cops used to break the rules and where more corrupt but now that isn’t the case. It’s meant to undermine all of the arguments against police, think about how many people agree that the police during the civil rights movement of the 1960s were bad, or the police that co-operated with drug dealers were terrible but no more, cops now are much more ethical.

Propaganda is dangerous, because it is continuous and repetitive, it is subtle and seeps into your life, you internalize things because we all consume media for enjoyment not to subject it to academic rigour, and that's how they get you to sympathize and feel for cops, we constantly watch stories of brave souls putting their lives on the line for us, and of course we want to believe that this is a real life story and reflective of most cops, but we need to realize now that this is not the case in reality, and its not just a few bad apples, but a system that is broken beyond repair, who relied on the entertainment industry to spread and maintain the false face of the police industry to avoid and undermine criticism.

Just remember No one is above falling for propaganda

[blazefire-engine]

The Deal (Part VI)

Summary:

Backed into a corner, Paradis is in need of advanced weaponry to go against Marley forces. Mikasa Ackerman understands this more than anyone. The Azumabito family complies with her request to share Hizuru’s technology with the island demons- in exchange for being “Hizuru’s hope.” A small price to pay, according to the ever loyal and self-sacrificing Mikasa.

Canon-divergence from chapter 107 to 132 (-ish). Which means slight spoilers until chapter 132.

Part: I  |  II  |  III  |  IV  |  V  |  VI

----------

"Oi, what was that for?" Commander Hanji exclaimed from the floor, rubbing her right butt cheek.

Eren sighed. "You know how the Captain feels about his height, Hanji-san."

The Captain’s glare turned to the Titan shifter at the mention of the sensitive topic. "Are you looking for another beating, Eren?"

Jean slammed his forehead by the window. "Idiot."

- - -

"Tomorrow the new recruits from the 106th Cadet Corp are arriving." Hanji announced in their evening meeting. Levi took the liberty to pour them all a cup of tea. "I will be assigning you all team leader and instructor roles."

The remaining 104th soldiers stared at her in shock. 

"Commander Hanji-" Armin started. 

"I will not take no as an answer." She said seriously. "You have all proven your worth and your experience is needed." 

"We are the only capable ones left." Levi added, reminding them all their comrades perished in the battle at Shiganshina. "We need to rebuild the Survey Corp and all of you are essential to carry out this role."

“It’s essentially a promotion!” Hanji grinned. “Armin, you will be our new instructor for strategy and my right-hand for all exploration plans.”

Said new instructor was sitting with his mouth open like a gaping fish.

Hanji continued on. “Connie, you will be leading ODM training and equipment management.”

“Huh?” The young man stuttered, then looked at Jean. “But wouldn’t Jean be more suited for the ODM training?”

“I was going to get to that: Jean will be assisting you on the ODM and equipment, but he will lead horse training.”

“Hah?” Jean shouted.

“Sasha, your hunting skills will be useful for rifle and survival training.”

She saluted silently from behind a loaf of bread.

“Eren, we have duties with Historia in the capital. But when you're here, you will lead the hand-to-hand combat and physical training.” 

“Mikasa, you will assist or lead depending when Eren is here. And you will lead the combat aspect of ODM and weapons training.” Hanji finished assigning the roles. “Levi will be supervising. Some Garrison members will be transferring as well to help with logistics and increase our numbers- I will handle those.” 

"Also, Mikasa, please do the orientation for the new recruits." The Commander concluded their evening meeting.

"Copy that." Mikasa noted it in her notebook. 

"Hanji-san, are you sure you want Connie to lead ODM training?" Jean mentioned as he and Connie shared a concerned look.

Eren couldn't help but snicker.  “How fitting that Jean is in charge of horse training.”

"Wanna say that again?" Jean threatened as Connie raised his hands to ease him.

"Connie has the expertise and he’ll lighten up the atmosphere." Hanji addressed Jean. "And you will be there to assist, you will be fine."

Armin smiled as he collected his papers and added. “You do have an affinity with horses, like Captain Ness.”

"And you have an affinity with strategy." Hanji grinned at the blonde boy. 

"You sure you aren't Erwin's kid?" Levi added seriously. The kid uncannily inherited Erwin's genius. Maybe he wasn't his kid, but maybe Erwin’s soul had reincarnated into him. 

Armin blushed. "Of course, I can never compare to the brilliant intellect of Commander Erwin… Hanji-san, can you proofread my lecture notes before-"

"Nope!" She chirped. "I trust your judgment."

"Y-yes."

“Oh, I almost forgot, I have chosen two new squad captains: Mikasa and Jean.”

“Hah?!”

---

In a freshly laundered green cloak and her hair tied up, twenty fresh recruits were lined up in front of her. 

With a salute, she introduced herself. “Hello, I’m Mikasa Ackerman. You may address me as Captain Mikasa. I’ll keep this brief.”

“Here are your schedules.” She handed them each a small packet. “Use the rest of the day to prepare your gear, settle in, and get familiar. You can expect similar routines as within the Cadet Corp, however, more rigorous. Warm ups start tomorrow morning so please get plenty of rest. Our routine expedition outside the walls will be in two weeks. Any questions?”

“Will we be getting our own horses?” A young man asked with a raised hand.

“Yes.” Mikasa nodded. “Captain Jean will assign you your horses tomorrow. They are your comrade and friend. Please treat them as such and with care.”

“When will we be getting our uniforms?” 

“Ah.” She was about to respond with another 'tomorrow,' but paused when she saw Captain Levi turning the corner with a stack of green cloaks in his arms.

“Captain.” She went to him and grabbed half of the cloaks. “Here are your uniforms.” They each gave the recruit a cloak. 

“Wear it with pride. If you have no further questions, you are dismissed.”

As the recruits filed out, murmuring as they went, a single female soldier stayed behind, silently smiling at her.

It didn’t take long for Mikasa to recognize her.

"It's you." She stared at the amber eyes and short, blond hair. 

"You're the young girl." She remembers slaying the titan in Trost, buying time for the civilians to evacuate. She looks at her chart. "Louise."

Yes." The girl gave a salute, one that mirrored Mikasa’s own salute all those years ago when she saved her. “I look forward to your instruction, Captain Mikasa.”

“Yeah…” She replied and watched the young girl follow the rest of the recruits."

Levi stood at the side as he watched each new recruit. Ever since the coup d'etat and the truth of their world released, the Survey Corp surprisingly gained more willing bodies, albeit more young ones who were no doubt fighting for freedom. 

He narrowed his eyes at the group of boys that looked at Mikasa with shining eyes. 

“That’s her!” One of them whispered. “The woman worth a hundred soldiers!”

“She’s probably worth more now- probably an entire brigade!”

“Graduated top of the class. Shadis said she’s a genius, top marks on everything.”

“Slayed more titans than anyone in the 104th.”

“Said she’s second to Captain Levi.”

“She’s so pretty too…”

“They must be crazy strong to survive the battle at Shiganshina…”

The murmurs died out and the Captain turned to watch the young woman, who seemed fixated on her clipboard.

“You have a few admirers.” He noted.

She paused but kept her eyes down. “Captain, I’m rather impartial to their admiration.”

He couldn’t help the small smile. “You and me both. They admire us because we’re strong. We give them hope.”

She picked up the sacks of cornmeal with ease, intending to bring it to the kitchens to help the Garrison members. “Do you think our strength is because of our Ackerman blood?”

“I don’t know. Could be.” He easily picked up the sacks as well. “But does it matter?”

“I suppose not. It was just a thought.”

- - - -

“Did you guys notice?” Eren said, curiously watching across the mess hall. “Mikasa and Captain Levi.” The two people were carrying two heavy looking sacks. “It feels like they’ve gotten closer.”

“Why? Jealous?” Jean teased behind his bowl of soup.

“No.” He scowled slightly. “I’m actually glad that she’s opening up to other people.” He watched her again. “And I think her grudge against the Captain is gone.”

“They’ve always been close.” Armin responded. “I think the Captain sees himself in Mikasa. He’s always patient with her, tells her to calm down. They’re usually the ones who lead the charge.”

“Now that I think about it, Mikasa is the only one the Captain actually tolerates talking to.” Connie said.

“That could be because she doesn’t talk much in the first place.” Eren replied. “She usually gets straight to the point like the Captain.”

“It could be an Ackerman trait.” Sasha exclaimed. “Birds of a feather flock together.”

“Huh.” Armin pondered. “You may be right, Sasha.”

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

A/N: Man, it's been a few days since I updated. After 139, I realized I could expand on this fic so I’ve been brainstorming and school + work has just been in the way. 

Also, damn, I suddenly got an explosive amount of activity with Beast. I wrote this shit like 6-7 years ago lmao thank you RM fam. 

I didn’t emphasize it, but the setting was young adult Mikasa with... urges and she tried to relieve herself with some cadets but just couldn’t get what she wanted (everyone was lowkey intimidated by her) and Levi definitely noticed and knew what she needed.

[leverage-ot3]

notable moments from The Three Days of The Hunter Job

leverage 2.05

hunt for the truth = fox news

you can’t change my mind, sorry

- - - - -

Nate: Here's what we can do. We can probably get you enough money to save the house and pay for medical bills--

Sarah: We aren't interested in money, Mr. Ford. This woman took my father's self-esteem. She took his reputation. She took his good name. That's what he needs back.

someone needs to make a compilation of their clients being noble as hell

- - - - -

Sophie: I wanna take the lead on this one. I wanna do what you do.

Nate: Yeah, listen, I know breakups can be very difficult, Sophie.

Sophie: Whoa. No, that's not what this is about.

Nate: I know that you have this need to be in control right now, you know.

Sophie: I don't have any such need.

Nate: But you can't project that onto the con.

Sophie: Excuse me? This, coming from the man who spent an entire year drunk, working out his obsessive vengeance on every dimwit in a suit who happened to cross our line of vision.

Nate: Hey, you put some thought into that one, didn't you?

Sophie: You know, I'm not tryin' to control the universe just because some guy dumped me. I-I appreciate the concern. I just, I need a new challenge.

Nate: Okay. (hands Sophie the files) This is your job.

Sophie: Thanks. Now, let's go get this bitch. (walks away)

Nate: Oh, boy

fucking get rekt nate you’re the literal last one to talk

- - - - -

huh nate is wearing flannel in this one

- - - - -

Sophie: Exactly. And then to protect themselves, they issue an apology to Mr. Pennington and then they throw Monica Hunter into the jaws of the very media machine that she bent to her own malicious will.

Parker: Wow. I gotta say, Sophie's briefings are much more dramatic.

Eliot: And poetic.

parker and eliot are cute

- - - - -

Sophie: But we can sell a story that commands respect. A story that she's gonna chase to get the respect she craves. Hm? Pack your bags, everyone. We're going to D.C. to make news.

(everyone continues sitting, looking uncomfortable)

Nate: That's when you wanna...

Sophie: I wanna do that bit again. Pack your bags, everyone. We're going to D.C. to make news. (leaves room)

Nate: She's walking into the closet

SOPHIE ITS OKAY YOU DONT NEED TO GO IN THE CLOSET

- - - - -

Parker: I got the pass. Easy.

Sophie: Parker, we went over this.

[Exterior Studio]

Sophie: You're not supposed to take it. Get caught with it.

Parker: I don't know how to get caught.

Sophie: Yeah, I know it's difficult to steal badly. Just, just try

- - - - -

Monica (grabs Parker): Hey. Hey. I will have you arrested for trespassing if you do not tell me what you are doing here.

Parker: Technically, you can't have me arrested for trespassing because you don't own the station.

Sophie: Parker, tell her the story

parker: TRY ME BITCH

- - - - -

hardison doing crazy tinfoil hat guy is iconic

+ parker and hardison’s high five and “that’s what I’m talkin about!” ADORABLE

- - - - -

Parker: Eliot, these conspiracies aren't real, right?

Eliot: What do you mean?

Parker: Like that one over there that says all the major wars of the past 50 years were ordered by members of The Council.

Eliot: Parker, I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you. (walks away)

Parker: You're not a member of The Council, are you? Eliot? Is he?

Nate: Oh, I don't know. (walks away)

Parker: Huh? Uh, Nate, is he?

parker looked so vulnerable asking it and eliot’s just like,,, imma fuck with her LMFAO

also this is another chaotic ot3 scene that I’d die for

- - - - -

eliot taking the general’s id with his pencil and handing it off to hardison? SMOOTH AS FUCK

- - - - -

Parker: But what if he won't talk to us?

Monica: Then we celebrate.

Parker: Celebrate?

Monica: Denial means guilt. Refusal means more guilt. Punch out my cameraman, and I'll kiss you on the mouth.

Camera Man: Mm-hm.

parker: 👀👀👀

- - - - -

parker gets hit with a car ,,, how many times in this series does she get hit with a car ??

- - - - -

monica’s face when she sees parker get hit by a car is LITERALLY the exact same as the surprised pikachu face

+

bruh imagine you see this happening ,,, like a girl get hit by a car, a suit running out, grabbing stuff of her body, then running away ???

her playing dead on the ground for a hot minute before “waking up”, dusting herself off and walking away ???

- - - - -

Hardison: Move. Don't stop. Come on.

Monica: They ran her over.

Hardison: I know, but we gotta go. Security cameras, the ATM cameras, the traffic cameras. We're always being watched. Just put your head down. Act natural.

Monica: Why are you dressed like a mailman?

Hardison: Invisible man, mailman, nobody notices the mailman. He blends right in. Just like a circus clown.

- - - - -

Parker: We totally went to the moon.

Eliot: Movie sets. I've seen 'em. They're outside of Albuquerque.

Parker: Why would there still be sets there?

Eliot: Because they're gonna reuse 'em for the Mars mission. Repaint it all red.

her bumping shoulders with eliot and leaning on him? the casual intimacy that nourishes my S O U L

- - - - -

Sophie: She has to have corroboration from her own sources. She has to craft the narrative. Monica Hunter has to be the author of her own personal nightmare.

Nate: Do I sound that creepy when I...?

Eliot: Hell yes.

Parker: Mm-hm.

Nate: Really?

Eliot: You do

- - - - -

Sophie: The only question is whether Hardison guessed her sources right.

Hardison: G-guess? Guess?

Sophie: Well, you know.

Hardison: Woman, my name Alec Hardison. I do not guess, OK? Look, journalists, they're lazy. They always go back to the same sources. I compared Monica Hunter's stories for the last ten years and created a heuristic model based on her sources. I-I filtered by story type, priority and evidentiary chain. Look, (pulls up info on laptop) sex scandal: 87 percent chance she goes to these sources. Serial killer scare: 90 percent she contacts these sources for confirmation. Government secrets and health scare intersects: Ninety-five percent chance she goes to these sources. Look, look. Right there. She's emailing them right now. Look.

- - - - -

Hardison: Get me out of here.

Sophie: Yeah, I'm working on it.

Parker (comes out of back room pulling on jacket): I'm on it.

Sophie: No, no, no, no, no, you cannot go. You're dead. Monica Hunter sees you and the whole con is blown.

Parker: Right

PARKER WAS R E A D Y TO GO IN AFTER HIM WE LOVE A PROTECTIVE OT3

- - - - -

Hardison: Damn the con. I'm a black man caught on an Army base with a video camera. I am going to jail forever.

the realest part of the show

- - - - -

Hardison: Eliot, get me everything you can on a Lieutenant Abbot.

[Apartment]

Hardison: Just-just do what I taught you.

Eliot (typing on laptop): Now, the "http" thing comes before—

[Interrogation Room 2]

Eliot: --the "www-dot," right?

Hardison: Eliot!

[Apartment]

Eliot: Which one's the forward slash?

Sophie: Oh, come on.

[Interrogation Room 2]

Hardison: It ain't the time, Eliot. It ain't the time.

[Apartment]

Eliot: It's not fun when you're hanging out there in the wind and there's a dude behind a laptop cracking jokes, is there?

Parker: (holding a gas mask over her face before looking over it) I like it when we switch jobs. It's exciting

someone PLEASE make an eliot-being-bad-at-technology compilation I’m begging

also it’s officially canon that hardison tries teaching eliot about technology

- - - - -

Eliot: No, that's everything on this guy.

Lieutenant: Sir, I need to know why you're on this base.

Hardison: Yes. Why am I on this base?

Lieutenant: I'm asking you.

Hardison: No, I'm asking you. Why am I on this base? Why am I in this room?

Lieutenant: So I can ask you questions.

Hardison: Or maybe it's so I can ask you questions, Lieutenant Kyle Abbot, Social Security 823-24-6270?

Lieutenant: I don't know what you're up to.

Hardison: Maybe you’re not cleared to know. Two disciplinary actions? That one in Germany? Maybe you're just too much of a security risk.

(lieutenant goes to leave and Hardison slams his fist on the table)

Hardison: Did I say you could leave?

(lieutenant swallows nervously)

T H I S

S C E N E

T H O

- - - - -

[Army Base Gate]

Nate: Not gonna work.

Eliot: It's all in the salute, man.

[Apartment]

Sophie: Just work the stars and bars. Nobody wants to--

[Army Base Gate]

(a soldier moves to the side of the car and leans in, saluting Nate)

Sophie: --look a general in the eye.

Nate: Uh, good form soldier. As you were.

Soldier: Clear.

(the gate goes up and Nate pulls into the base, parking near a building. He gets out of the car and walks toward the door)

- - - - -

Nate: We hunt for the truth through many dark places. (approaches Monica menacingly) I am a patriot, Ms. Hunter. I'm sorry. (to Eliot) Earl.

(Monica takes a can of pepper spray from her purse and sprays it in Nate’s face, driving him back. She runs out the door as he groans in pain. Eliot goes to pat his back)

Eliot: Good thing Parker switched that with water.

Nate: Didn't! Didn't switch. (they both start coughing)

LMFAO

- - - - -

Monica: My friends, this is the enemy. Our water has been poisoned.

(an aide spits out a mouthful of water)

JFNSKDKEJWJNFJ

- - - - -

(Eliot is cutting vegetables while Nate opens a bottle of wine and Hardison swirls orange soda in a wine glass)

hardison is literally swirling his neon orange soda in a wine glass as eliot cooks actual food for the fam I CANNOT

- - - - -

Parker (holds up photo): Loch Ness Monster.

Hardison: Loch Ness submarine.

Parker: No!

Eliot: Scottish waters are cold and deep. It's a perfect place to test.

Parker (holds up photo): Area 51.

Eliot: True.

Hardison: False.

Eliot: That's true.

Hardison: False. She said Area 51, 51.

Eliot: I'm sorry. False. Area 52.

Hardison: Been there.

Eliot: Yep

I’m crying the ot3 was top tier chaotic this entire episode and parker was having A Time™ with all these conspiracies

someone make a compilation of these scenes overlayed with the wii music. pls.

[wolfliving]

A Stacey Higginbotham manifesto

*One doesn’t see those very often.

7 principles for regulation in the IoT era I give about 10 talks a year to various organizations, which gives me the chance to think broadly about trends or holes in the IoT ecosystem that I keep stumbling over in my reporting. Earlier this summer, I gave one at the WiSec security event, and it was one of the scariest experiences I've ever had. After all, these people were researching security flaws in the IoT. They were experts. They wanted me to talk about how normal people evaluated risks in the IoT and what steps people were taking to protect themselves. Setting aside the question of whether or not I'm a good representation of normal people, the talk gave me time to think about the challenges that the IoT, in a world of federated and highly distributed computing, brings, and where regulators might need to step in. I provide seven of those ideas below. And I would love to speak with more people about their thoughts and ideas, too, as I'd like to dedicate more coverage to these issues in the coming months. 1. Define consumer rights for software disguised as hardware: Connected products live in a grey area between hardware and software. This leads to a lot of conflicts and uncertainties for consumers when companies pull the plug on a cloud-based service, rendering a physical device useless. Or when companies change their software terms and conditions, changing how a device might operate. The most recent example of this was Peloton changing the software on its Treadmill product to prevent consumers from using it without a paid subscription. Peloton has since backed off that idea. This lack of clarity around the rights associated with software wrapped in a hardware shell is also behind the "right-to-repair" regulations, and behind the lawsuits filed by consumers when companies pull digital content. The confusion mostly hurts consumers, and so as it becomes more difficult to buy unconnected products, Congress needs to codify basic rules of ownership to protect consumers. I'd also welcome the FTC getting more involved in setting rules as opposed to waiting for egregious acts by companies and then fining them. 2. Rethink the Fourth Amendment for the digital era: In the U.S., the Fourth Amendment protects the rights of citizens "to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." Centuries of case law have helped define where citizens can expect protection from police search and seizure, but new technology and tools mean we need to lay down clear rules around how police departments access data from public and private devices and when they need a warrant. We should also provide more assistance to citizens who find themselves pulled into an investigation. In some cases, the only notice they might get that their cell phone location data or some other data about them has been swept up in a warrant or subpoena is an email from the tech provider that gave up the information. From that point on, the burden is on that person to figure out why their information was targeted and what they should do. They often have only a short window to address this.   3. Penalize private entities for leaking data/require rapid disclosure: This has less to do with civil liberties and more to do with the outsized harm that can come to a consumer from a data leak. Companies should face penalties for insecure practices such as using production data in tests, leaving unencrypted personal data in unlocked cloud instances, and more. When data breaches are the result of poor security practices, companies are negligent, and should have to pay for that. On the disclosure front, the sooner someone knows their data or passwords have been compromised, the sooner they can fix it. Right now, the administration is discussing a rule that forces companies to tell the public they have been breached within 24 hours. That feels pretty fast; I think a 3-7 day window would be fine. 4. Build auditing authority into existing government agencies to test outcomes: This principle is to address the claims of bias or a lack of transparency in AI. We are embracing the use of AI as a tool in many aspects of people's lives, from deciding who gets bail to using facial recognition to make arrests. I'm not against these tools, but I do think that every government agency needs to have an auditing agreement in place to both show how the AI makes decisions and to lay out justifications for the biases that will undoubtedly show up. There's no such thing as an unbiased algorithm; all algorithms are designed to prioritize some data over other data to achieve a result. Audit committees need to be able to assess those results and see if they meet the current policy goals. 5. Provide GDPR-style rules to help consumers control their data: We still don't have a good federal law to help consumers control how their data is used. California has the California Consumer Privacy Act, which is a start, but we need a federal law to help consumers opt in to sharing their data, to offer them chances to evaluate the data a provider has about them, and to force the provider to correct or delete that data as needed. We should also create laws that dictate what data can be used and how companies can discriminate against consumers based on their data. Consumer data will be out there, so it's imperative we figure out how companies can use it. 6. Ensure data can be corrected/expunge childhood data: I mentioned the ability to correct data as part of a federal data law, but I think it's important enough that we should pull it out on its own, especially because having inaccurate data on a person could materially affect their life. Think about all the poor people who are erroneously included on the federal government's No Fly List. The risks of a company sharing incorrect data expand as we use AI and data so computers can make decisions about people. I also think that kids should have the opportunity to eliminate their data when they turn 18, giving them a clean slate. This is harder said than done, however, because of that pesky digital ownership question. If my kid wanted to eliminate all the photos of her from the web, she'd have to ask me to dump my photos of her that are in Google's cloud or hunt down friends who have shared pictures of her on Facebook. Whose rights matter most in that situation? I think Google's latest policy decision around kids, which removes images of kids under the age of 18 from Google image search, is a good start. Ironically this is a private company taking action on issues relating to kids on the Internet because other countries have instituted new regulations. Giving kids the chance to be kids without having it haunt the rest of their lives is important, especially given that their images are increasingly caught by cameras in private and in public. 7. Rethink current forms of identity and create layers of identity: This is a tough one, but I think it's worth a big discussion. We're in the middle of granting access to our faces, our fingerprints, and even our palm prints to private companies as a way to authenticate ourselves to computers. But these forms of ID can get stolen and potentially misused. There's also no clear indication for consumers when to use a great password and when to use a fingerprint, for example. Given the potential for misuse and the confusion about the potential for harm, I think the government should be educating and maybe implementing some kinds of rules around when a password is sufficient and when you should be asked for, say, an iris scan. It should also put in place rules around how companies store the most sensitive of these identifiers to force those that gather this information to treat it like it matters.

[demivampirew]

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily” part 2

August Walker x Reader

Triggers: Smut; s&m ( torture - choking, slapping, cutting, hurting; blood); fainting; stalking // ; mentions of drug, rape, kidnap, STDs, someone passing due to cancer, (just mentions, not descriptions). - I hope I didn’t forget any important trigger.

Disclaimer: I’m not a huge fan of MI, so my knowledge is pretty limited so I tried my best 😁.

He was son angry that had to contain himself from crashing the laptop and turn it into pieces of trash. The mission that he worked so hard on was in its culminant point. This was the part he needed to be most concentrated in, but his mind was in another place. All he could think about was finding that woman. That fucking woman. As soon as he'll find her, she'd pay for doing that to him. He searched all over the internet for a young wealthy woman but found nothing on her. He didn't have any information that helped him track her down, other than the fact that she was rich. He hacked the camera system of the hotel she left him, but the camera didn't catch the face of the man who left him there for him to be able to look for him. August was beyond frustrated. He couldn't properly concentrate on his work until he found her, but there was no way to find her. He stood up and walked around the place, trying to come up with a new plan. There was only one thing he could do. He grabbed his coat and left the room. He entered the bar, searching for her all over the place. No signs of her. He asked the bartender if he has seen her but he responded that there were a lot of women like that every single day. August wanted to choke him. He felt like that was an insult. He didn't set his eyes on just any woman, and this woman was certainly not any woman; she was special. He leaving the place when recognized someone in the bar. One of her friends. He approached her. The lady was talking to a man, sitting in one of the tables, when he asked her to talk to her in private. She looked at him with her eyes wide open; she was scared, yet she obeyed. "Your friend, tell me her name. Tell me how to find her." He was too exhausted to even care to pretend to be nice. He needed answers soon. "I won't tell you" she replied " Are you stalking her? If you don't leave I'll call the police" she warned him. August took a look around to make sure that nobody was seeing them, and then pushed her into the bathroom and put his hand around her neck, pressing it, no hard enough to hurt her, but enough to scare her. He was not the kind of man who would do something like that unless it was absolutely necessary, but he had no patience left on him. He was about to explode. The woman was shaking. She accepted to tell him everything she knew, as long as he promised no to hurt her. She wrote down for him her address and her name and then he quickly left the bar. The woman turned out to be the daughter of a businessman, who made a lot of money by owning different companies and investing in technology. The man died of pancreatic cancer two years ago and her daughter, who was his only living family, took charge of his businesses. He stood up in front of her place. She owned now the gigantic mansion that once belonged to her father. He managed to pass the walls that surrounded the house, but the front of the house was filled with cameras. It would be hard for him to enter her room without being noticed by someone. He started to search for a way to enter the house without being caught. He found a door in the back of the house that seemed to lead into the kitchen. He opened the door without breaking the lock and entered the place. It was difficult for a big man like him to avoid being seen, but fortunately, the kitchen was empty. He made it to the stairs without anyone noticing him and he realized that he was the only one in the house. He took a peek in some of the rooms to check his theory and it turned out to be true. There was no one beside him in that house. That fact confused him. It was odd that a mansion of that magnitude and full of expensive things would be left alone. He finally reached the last floor and went directly to the big door at the end of the hallway. The room was exactly as he remembered from his experience there. The moonlight was the only light in that dark room. He took a few steps towards the bed and then he felt dizzy. His vision was blurry and he started to lose balance; moments later, he felt on the floor, unconscious. August started to recover slowly. He still felt dizzy and a bit nauseous. He felt a pain on his body. This kind of feeling was new to him. He was used to getting a few punches every now on then, but this was completely different and he couldn't understand why. When he became fully conscious after some time, he realized that he was tied to two chains connected to the ceiling; the kind of chains used to torture people. He hands metal cuffs around his wrists. He soon realized that the pain he felt was since his tied arms were holding his unconscious body for God knows how long. He looked at the place: it seemed like that place was a basement. The only light bulb wasn't giving off much light, it gave the place a gloomy appearance. He tried to free himself but knew it was worthless. He was weak probably because he was drugged even though he didn't know-how. He was to focus on making sense of everything that he didn't even notice that she was sitting on a chair in front of him. The place was dark enough for him to have to force his eyes to look at her. He felt a burning fire inside. He recognized two feelings combining: anger and desire. You, the woman he was looking for, ruined his plans once again. - I know who you are - August exclaimed angrily. - And I know who you are, August...or should I say John Lark? - you questioned with a devilishly smirk. You could see the shock on his face. - I have the feeling that money isn't something you care much about, but it's not the case for everyone. Only took me a suitcase full of money to make one of your Apostles talk.- you explained and he pressed his lips together trying to contain the fury of being betrayed. - How the fuck did you caught me? I lost consciousness all the sudden.- he asked - The doorknob has a potent drug on it that causes that. It's commonly used by bad people to rape and kidnap. In my case, however, I use it as a protection, so whoever tries to enter my room would faint after touching the door handle. - You stood up and walked towards a small table and grabbed a knife. - You've been a bad, bad boy, August. - you said and then turned around and approach him. When you were by his side, you took his chin with your left hand, putting some pressure and digging your nails on it. You could see small signs of pain on his face, which made you smile. You let go of his face and opened his shirt. You slowly stroked his hairy chest with the sharp blade of the knife. The firsts movements were soft just to let him feel the sharpness of the blade. Soon, however, you started to apply force into the knife dance on his chest, leaving red lines on his skin. You could see the pain on his face when you pressed the pointy side of the blade a few times, making strings of blood run through his torso. You pressed the side of the blade on your tongue, tasting his blood. Smiling like if you were the devil himself, you kneeled enough for you to be able to lick the blood coming from his body. - You're insane, you crazy bitch! - he exclaimed enraged. - Watch your mouth, mister - you warned him, pressing the blade once more into his skin, forcing him to make a gesture of pain. - That can be bad for you, you know. You should lick the blood of strangers.- he pointed out. - You're not a stranger, though.- you indicated. - And, don't worry, I took the liberty of taking a sample of your blood last time before I send you to the hotel. I wanted to run a search on you and what better way to do it than with a DNA test. So I know there's no STDs or anything that could be dangerous.- you replied and winked while smirking. You left the knife on the table and then came back to him. You bend a little and ripped a bunch of hair chest with your teeth. He screamed and cursed you. You slapped him hard on the face - Watch your mouth, I said- you threatened him, grinning. "Fucking whore" he defied you and you slapped him again, even harder. - I'll kill you.- he promised. - You will pay for all of this as soon as I get free. - Oh, yes? - you asked amused by the threat.- Tell me, how are you planning to get free? Do you believe that your precious Apostles are going to find you and save you? - you questioned sarcastically, pouting- Or you have faith that Hunt and his team are going to look for you? You know they're going to be happy if they find that you're gone. And, by the way, even if you're free, you're not going to kill me.- you assured him. - I've killed many people. You should know that if you truly investigated me. - Oh, I know that. Don't worry, stud, I know how dangerous you are, hombre.- you teased him.- I don't say you won't hurt me because you are not capable of that... I'm suggesting you won't kill me because you like me. You did not come here to hurt me; you are here because you are obsessed with me and want me to be yours. - You think highly of yourself, darling. - So you think I'm wrong? - you asked defiantly. - Ok, let's see.- you grabbed a key from your jacket pocket and opened both cuffs that tied his hand. He stretched his arms and body and massaged his wrists and the looked at you. He quickly came after you, but you were fast and moved from one place to the other, avoiding being caught by him. But after some tries, he had you against the wall, grabbing you by the kneck. He put enough strength for you to have to force air in, but not enough to cause real pain. You looked into his eyes, forcing him to realize that it didn't matter how hard he tried to fight it or denied it, he was a fly caught on the spider's web. Authority and power were visible on your eyes. For the first time, he saw someone how most of his people saw him. You smirked and took advantage of that moment when he lost himself on your eyes and grabbed him by the hair, pulling his head back and bitting hard on his neck. That caught him completely by surprise and he let go of your knew without thinking it. Then, you kissing him, pressing your teeth against his lips forcing blood to come out. You pushed him into the chair in the room and made him sat on it. Then, you kneeled on the floor and the unzipped his pants and grabbed his cock and put it on your mouth. You suck it, licked it and make him feel your teeth against him manhood a few times, making him grunt and moan loudly. You played with his foreskin, sucking it, stretching it and bitting the tip of the extra skin. He came in the back of your tongue as you were sucking him. You stood up and lift your pencil shape skirt high enough for you to sit on his lap, facing him. You weren't wearing any panties, so you grabbed his hard cock and put it inside of you and started to move slowly at first and then fastened the pace quickly. Your harsh moves caused him some paint, but he had to admit that he enjoyed it. He tried to grab your ass but you moved his hands and slapped his face. He looked at you confused and angry. "I made the calls, here" you indicated; " I own you now," you said on his ear and then bit his earlobe, "after we're done, you can go play your little game with Ethan Hunt and his people if you want, but when is all over, you'll come back crawling to me. You won't be able to free yourself from me" you said and he stared at you but did not say a single word. He did not move his eyes from yours while you rode him to extaxis. He knew it; he knew you were right. It didn't matter how hard he could try to escape you, he was trapped in your dangerous games and had no desire to set himself free.

[maxwaspace]

Chase : Panuncian

I'm assuming you chose this alien for Chase because it has super speed (like Chase in Mighty Pups). I also find it a little funny that Chase is the "hunting cat" instead of Wildcat (it's a hunting cat according to the Wiki, anyway).

Marshall : Cascan 

It deals with water. Makes sense for Marshall, even though it makes me think about what Zuma's going to be, lol (but I presume there's more than one water species of alien). It always bothered me a little in Mighty Pups that they gave Marshall fire powers when his job is to put out fires, but I understand why they did that (if Marshall got water powers, then I wouldn't know what Zuma's powers were going to be, either). 

Skye: Pturbosaurian

These look really cool, lol. I like seeing all the different species. Obviously you chose this alien for Skye because it flies, lol. 

Rubble: Talpaedan

Well, they even look like Rubble, lol. And they have the same abilities as Rubble, though they're way more powerful. It was a pretty obvious choice, lol. 

Rocky: Galvanic Mechamorph

They look really cool. And a species that's a mixture between plant and animal sounds right for Rocky. And they have technical possession, which sounds right for Rocky too. They can turn their hands into weapons or tools just reminded me of Rocky using tools as 'hands' a lot (like playing a guitar with tools, for example).

Zuma: Piscciss Volann

A fish species sounds pretty cool, and definitely fits Zuma. I find it interesting that they could be defeated by an evolved form of Everest, lol. 

Everest: Necrofriggian

They look really cool, and apparently they appeared in the reboot too (do you like the reboot? I've heard that it's bad, but I've never seen it). They lay eggs once every 80 years? I wonder how long they live for, and if all the eggs survive. Even sea turtles have to lay thousands of eggs every year, because so many of them are eaten by seagulls and the like. They can also form ice with their breath, which is Everest's Mighty Pups power, lol. They can fly, which reminds me of that one episode where Everest was in Air Pups. 

Tracker: Methanosian

A plant species makes sense for Tracker too. They can breath and generate fire? That's really cool. They can generate vine-like tentacles from their back, which reminded me of Tracker's cables. 

Rex: Kaosseffexx Ultimasauria

They look cool. And they're based off of dinosaurs, which obviously fits with Tracker. 

Wildcat: Kineceleran

Their feet have wheels on them and they appear to wear helmets. I know I keep saying this, but it's obvious that if fits with Wildcat, lol. They remind me of humanoid cheetahs, though they're way more powerful.

Liberty: Thep Khufan

They're mummy-like creatures. I'm not sure how that fits with Liberty, but it's interesting. They can slip through small spaces or tight openings. I'm presuming that that's why you picked this species for Liberty? She would be pretty hard to find a species for, especially since her job is crowd control (which Chase already covers, lol). 

Overall, it was interesting to learn about the different species. It reminded me of Skylanders (if you've heard of that) or Pokémon, even though the species were more diverse. I just read through the Ben Ten Wiki for each species, so I don't know how they interact with each other or anything like that (if they do at all). You obviously put a lot of work into this, especially with how many species there are. 

Thank you. But there are some mistakes I need to point out.

1. Panuncians are dupilcators. Not speedsters. 2. Mechamorphs are pure technology. Not planimals

3. The reboot is not bad.

4. You wrote Tracker when you meant Rex

[hutchhitched]

Social Commentary in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Part III

Part 3. Yeah… There’s a whole lot going on in the last third of the book, and I may have had to put it down a few times because I got really excited about how she wove the new book with the original trilogy. I know some people thought Part 3 was over the top, but I found it purposeful and deliberately on the nose, and I think that’s why it works. If you want to see my thoughts on the rest of the book, here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2.

 Major spoilers below:

Tagging some who asked me to and/or are interested: @the-tesseract-wrinkling-time​, @shesasurvivor​, @everlarkedalways​, @xerxia31​, @infinitegraces​, @panemposts, and @endlessnightlock​. Some others are tagged throughout.

 Before we move on to Part 3, I have to backtrack to something from Part 2 I forgot to include in the previous meta (I blame being up till 7 am and only getting four hours of sleep for that). In Chapter 18, Reaper stabs and rips the Panem flag and then uses it to cover the fallen tributes. The reaction of the mentors is shock and horror that the flag has been treated in such a manner. There’s a lot to unpack here. First, desecration of the flag in the US (and I’d guess most other countries, too) is almost always guaranteed to get a reaction. There have been attempts to pass a constitutional amendment to make it a federal crime to burn the flag. Others argue burning the flag is something protected as freedom of speech. Yet, official guidelines for how to treat the flag are broken all the time by letting it touch the ground, not lighting it, not taking it down during inclement weather, and turning it into a massive symbol of patriotism by holding it horizontally on a football field. I saw someone make reference to the outrage against NFL players kneeling during the national anthem as being disrespectful to the flag (even though that was a suggestion of a military veteran, as opposed to sitting during the anthem instead) rather than being outraged at the actions those players were protesting (police brutality against African American men). So, who is it that rips down the flag? Reaper, the tribute from District 11. Rue and Thresh were District 11, as were Chaff and Seeder. All were portrayed in the movies by African American actors. It’s fairly clear in the books that it’s a predominately black district. In other words, it’s likely Reaper is also a black man who tears down the flag of a country that oppresses him so he can provide cover and give dignity to the dead tributes. Now, think about it from a “rebel” perspective, and imagine that’s a Confederate flag that was ripped down. I know in the books that the Districts are the rebels and the Panem flag is more connected to the Capitol, but still. The debate over the (mostly successful) removal of the Confederate flag from former slave states has raged in the US in the past decade. Probably the most famous image of that debate is when a black woman climbed the flagpole at the South Carolina Statehouse and ripped down the flag. Remove the flag of the government that oppresses you, which is what Reaper does.

 Something I find really interesting is the lack of technology in this book. Panem obviously has advanced technology, but it’s not nearly as present as it is in the trilogy. I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume that’s a result of the depressed economy, and by the time we get to the 74th Hunger Games, the economy in the Capitol has recovered and been used to develop new technologies and products that make life easier for citizens. That’s a post-World War II/1950s consumerism analogy if I’ve ever seen one. Post World War II affluence in the United States was a major factor in the development of new weapons and technology. Because American workers were making more and had savings and wages rose 100% between 1945 and 1968, Americans spent more, bought more, and paid more income tax. The solidification of capitalism as America’s economic system helped the US “win” the Cold War against the Soviets. Because Americans made more and were subsequently taxed more, the government had more money to develop new weapons and technologies. The first computer, the hydrogen bomb, vaccines for polio and smallpox, NASA, and the development of ICBMs all took place during this era. A strong economy typically makes people think the nation/government is strong. Not coincidentally, an early counterculture developed during the 1950s that protested against increased consumerism and senseless spending. The Beats/Beatniks/Beat Generation disliked that Americans spent so much money on frivolous things while others (African Americans, the rural poor, and so on) suffered. Sounds a lot like the Capitol citizens who spent lavishly and didn’t care about the districts. As a slight aside, Allen Ginsberg, one of the Beat Generation’s poets, wrote Howl, which calls out capitalism and repression. I wrote The Cry for @promptsinpanem’s prompt Howl in homage to that. Someday, I might actually expand it.

 In Part 2, I wasn’t sure who had the power, and I really couldn’t figure out Highbottom. That’s mostly cleared up for me by the end of the book. I was intrigued by Pluribus Bell’s (many bells, I love it!) story about Highbottom and Snow’s father before Snow left for District 12. It was the seed that let me hope we’d get more information, and we did. Crassus Xanthos Snow is Snow’s father. Crassus was a member of the First Triumvirate (Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus) and helped transition the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire (from pre to post Hunger Games). He also gained power and influence as a soldier during the slave uprising of Spartacus (became a hero during a rebel uprising). Also, Xanthos is a city in Turkey that’s been conquered repeatedly but always recovers (Snow lands on top!). Highbottom’s first name is Casca, who was one of Caesar’s best friends, but he ends up being the first person to stab Caesar during his assassination. The break in the relationship between the two men is clearly why Highbottom turns on (young) Snow, and the explanation about how the Hunger Games come to be is a pretty big allegory to the betrayal of Crassus (Caesar) by Casca. Also, that explains why Highbottom didn’t ever really seem to be supportive of the Games, even though he was credited as their creator. ( @everlvrks)

 There are a lot of references to Roman names and places in this book and the trilogy. The Capitol seems pretty obsessed with the Classics and wants to reflect that type of lifestyle and elitism. During grad school, one of the books I had to read discussed the obsession America’s Founding Fathers (Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, and so on) had with the Classics. They emulated Greek and Roman ideals. The District of Columbia (Washington, DC) is named after the Roman goddess of Liberty. Jefferson’s and Washington’s homes use classical architecture like domes and columns and many of the federal buildings (the Capital and White House) reflect that. Add on the Washington Monument (an obelisk—which are found all over in the ancient world) and the columns of the Lincoln Memorial and the dome and columns of the Jefferson Memorial, and well… The Founding Fathers were Deists who revered the Classics, which is why I (a religious historian) always laugh when people tell me the US was founded on religion. Yeah, and the Civil War wasn’t fought over slavery, either.

 Before this book, I would never have thought about Snow having a history with District 12 or a stint as a peacekeeper. I even looked ahead to the title for Part 3 and still didn’t realize that was going to happen, but it makes sense. First, Snow seems to have known Katniss much better than can really be explained. Her hunting outside the fence and her escapes to the Lake were never really solitary because he knew the area. He’d been there before. He’d visited Lucy Gray in the Seam, been to the meadow, and so on. Some people may see that as too much, but it absolutely fits with the draconian oversight of the Capitol during Katniss’ time, and it indicates why Snow was so intrigued and obsessed with her. Second, Snow’s experience in the military would have worked wonders for his political career. He won the Hunger Games, served as peacekeeper, visited the districts, became the youngest person to qualify for officer training, and went to the university. That’s a stellar resumé for a budding politician. Clearly, he was exceptional. Terrible, but exceptional (which is said about super-villain Voldemort in Harry Potter, too).

 I had to stop and put the book down and wiggle with glee when the tree appeared in the distance. I didn’t think we’d get the actual Hanging Tree in the book, but that might have been the most thrilling part for me. It wasn’t overt. She didn’t name it. She just set the scene, but I knew what it was. And then to have the hanging and the man yell out to his “love” and the mockingjays pick up his cry and for Snow to see a mockingjay and immediately hate it… Oh, good night, nurse. It’s just too much. That’s when I made this post. I’ll admit, I have a thing for lone, massive trees. My dad has one on his farm, and there’s a huge, very old Burr oak that’s a local tourist attraction close to where I went to college. I felt like I was driving down the road and seeing it rise from the distance, which I did way too many times during undergrad and grad school.

 References to the Covey having traveled and planning to again travel north were clear indicators that District 13 was alive and well (sorry for the on the nose pun) even back then. It seems obvious to me that Snow kept that information in the back of his mind as he took power and anticipated an eventual attack from there. The fact that his family’s fortune was destroyed in District 13 makes it even more appropriate that the final rebellion came from there, too.

 I didn’t like Lucy Gray in the first two parts of the book, and I’m still not completely taken with her. There’s just something about her I don’t quite trust, and I’m not convinced she was completely in love with Snow. Sejanus thinks she is, but I’m also not sure I trust him to be the most perceptive person either. I’ve discussed this briefly already with some others, but I’m still on the fence about her. I acknowledge that she doesn’t have the same power as Snow does, so it’s not possible by definition for her to play him, but I do think she’s manipulative. Peeta is, too, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does indicate she’s not exactly who she says she is. Lucy Gray’s job as a performer gives me even more pause because her living is made by putting on a show, by performing, by convincing an audience that what she’s doing is authentic. For lack of a better way to put it—If Lucy Gray is a performer, how would Snow ever know what’s real and what’s not real? Sound familiar? (This part’s for you, @lovely-tothe-bone.)

 The songs:

Deep in the Meadow—It’s a lot disconcerting that Katniss’ lullaby to her sister is a song Snow’s heard before out of the mouth of the woman he once loved. Equally disturbing to know that he’s been in the meadow, and I really thought that the song was going to be about Lucy Gray and Snow together there. I’m glad it stayed a lullaby and not a love song. I think it’s fabulous that Katniss and Peeta reclaim the meadow for themselves as a place where their daughter dances. It’s a little bit (a lot) poetic.

 The Hanging Tree—Well, now that we know where that story comes from, I like it even more. The only part of the book I didn’t really like was Snow thinking he had something figured out and then rethinking and then changing his mind and so on. There was a little bit too much of that as he tried to decipher song lyrics, and particularly with this song.

 The public domain songs—I grew up singing these songs (although with some slightly different words), so they all brought a smile to my face. Probably my favorite rendition of Keep on the Sunny Side is from the movie Oh Brother! Where Art Thou? The entire soundtrack is very bluegrass, and good bluegrass is delightful. And it’s nice to know what the Valley Song really is.

 Unnamed—Okay, so my favorite was the first one at the Hob (pp. 362-364). I’m no songwriter, but I could hear the tune, and it was very Lumineers (maybe crossed with the Dixie Chicks?). Upbeat and peppy and feel good, all the way. I also find it interesting that music and concerts are outlawed in District 12 once there’s a new base commander. An allegory on the tendency to cut art programs first? On the power of art as a motivation for action? Both?

 Which brings us to the star-crossed lovers of District 12, or something. Obviously, this brings up images of Katniss and Peeta, but probably the most famous reference is in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with the star-crossed lovers taking their lives. That’s often read as them being fated to die, which is something Snow seems to follow. He mentions his destiny and fate many times and doesn’t do a very good job of recognizing his choices. There’s one time during the Games when he resolves to do the right thing, but otherwise, no. Shakespeare does also say in Julius Caesar that the fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves (which John Greene used in his book title). Snow doesn’t want to take responsibility for what he does. He chooses to follow the rules instead of what is right. He’s legalistic instead of ethical. There’re a lot of philosophical and religious undertones to that, but I’ll let that float for a while.

 On page 386, Lucy Gray tells Snow, “You’re mine and I’m yours. It’s written in the stars.” I’ll be honest, I almost dropped the book when I read that. In Catching Fire, Katniss says the same thing about Gale, but she doesn’t end up with him. They aren’t fated. She ends up with Peeta, who she chooses to love. I should have known from that point that Lucy Gray and Snow would not end up together, but I still wasn’t sure how that was going to happen. I really did think she was going to break up with him or betray him somehow because that was the only thing I could think of that would make him stop loving her and turn into what he becomes. A broken heart is a really good reason for revenge, but what actually happens so much worse. ( @mtk4fun  and @norbertsmom )

 Snow and Lucy Gray decide to run away together, just like Katniss and Gale were going to in the original trilogy. Lucy Gray is worried the mayor’s going to kill her, and Snow doesn’t want to live without her. Except he realizes really quickly that he doesn’t like life on the run. It’s beneath him. He deserves better. He’s entitled to and fated for more, he thinks. On top of that, he’s passed the officer’s training exam, and suddenly there’s a way out of the pit into which he’s fallen. And then he lies to Lucy Gray.

 Lucy Gray’s said all along the most important thing to her is trust, and then he lies to her. He doesn’t tell her he had a hand in turning in Sejanus. He doesn’t tell her because he’s afraid of losing her, which is a selfish reason, not one to spare her feelings or to protect her. He lies to protect himself. By the time they get to the cabin at the lake, he’s decided he’s not going with her, and she’s realized he’s lied to her. And then the weapon he used to commit murder (for her or him?) is there. Snow snaps quickly after that. There’s a metaphor, I’m sure about him losing his hold on reality and self-control when he’s past the boundaries of civilization, but he falls really, really quickly. He goes from wanting to tell her he’s changed his mind to attempting to murder her. The only thing that really stops him is the snake bite, which is not fatal, but reminds me why I didn’t trust Lucy Gale. Was it deliberate? Did she leave him on purpose? Does she escape him, or does he manage to cut her down? Either way, he doesn’t choose love. Love, which is a selfless act, isn’t his end game. He chooses himself. He chooses being selfish and looking out for himself instead of others. He doesn’t like being vulnerable. He clinically plans to marry someone he doesn’t love, so he never feels exposed again. In short, he makes the opposite choice Katniss does, and that makes all the difference.

 A few other things because this is way too long at this point:

 Peacekeepers: Boot camp for peacekeepers was interesting and strongly resembles the process of the military stripping down differences and making each soldier part of a machine. Haircuts, uniforms, routines, and so on are all about stripping away his identity, and he hates every second of it. He’s too good for that, and there’s entitlement all over the place. That’s very different from the peacekeepers from the districts who join the military as a way out of poverty. I mean, Snow does, too, but only because he’s forced.

 Betrayal: Recording Sejanus and Snow justifying it was hard to read. It was harder to read about the execution. And then to have the Plinths take Snow in after he returns to the Capitol is absolutely the worst. Despicable behavior.

 Poisoning Highbottom: It doesn’t surprise me, and it’s exactly what the rumors in the original books were. Snow kills his rivals to ascend.

 Snow’s role in the Games: The Hunger Games change dramatically between the 10th and the 74th. It’s clear Snow has a significant role in how and why that happens. The tributes aren’t caged and are housed in luxury. The cattle cars are replaced with a high-speed train with lots of food. The tributes get stylists and prep teams instead of being unwashed and dirty. In other words, the treatment of tributes becomes more humane, which becomes even more problematic. At least Lucy Gray knew she was being offered up as a sacrifice. No one lied to her about what she was. The implementation of these ways to fatten the lambs up for slaughter is horrific and cruel and very Snow.

 Finally, the purpose of the Hunger Games changes for Snow by the time we get to the end of the book. They are no longer just a way to punish the districts. They’re a way to exert controlled warfare instead of a messy war between the Capitol and the districts. It’s still kids being forced to kill kids. The tributes are still kids in cages. They’re still “not from here.” The Capitol kids are to be protected, but the parents in the poor areas aren’t able to take care of their own. It’s all deliberate. Collins doesn’t pull punches about the treatment of migrant children in cages or the murder of schoolchildren. What she does is point out that we don’t really mean what we say about protecting children. We’re only outraged for our own, not for those who are different. Suzanne Collins doesn’t have time for white privilege, American elitism, tyrannical government, excessive capitalism, or excuses, and her book reads that way. I loved every word of it.