#and anyone who is in John's range is going to be lied to and deliberately deceived

[urne-buriall]

so I remember the outage at Kate in this update the first time around. she's a nurse and should know better than to tell John what Dean said, especially when Dean is stuck in this very isolated place with him. and that's all true, she should know

but we don't know how exactly the conversation started. there's just one clue for us: Dean's been working in the barn for some time before he decides to pick up the phone and call Cas. he hasn't heard the phone ring, or he might wonder about the line being in use

this tells us that John called Kate, not the other way around

the rest below a cut because it's what I think, but it's not in the text for a few reasons, and as is my calling, it just makes things complicated with no black or white resolution

John called Kate. not because he knows anything has gone on, just to have a chat. his kid just stormed out and it's time to work on his other family, where he can start fresh. (Sam called it in his last scene. he's astute that way.) but this means Kate's plan to take some time and think about everything she just learned goes out the window. not ready to talk to John, she probably tried to get off the line, but he needled. picked up there was something off and tried to ask if there was some issue between them (with Sam walking out, a statement of failure on John's part, he's not gonna play the loser twice in a row)

not wanting to draw attention to the fact that there IS an issue, maybe she thought she could be clever. confirm the truth of the surprising things Dean told her. maybe she started by asking about Sam, thinking she'll catch John in a lie. and oh, Sam, he's gone back to school, yeah, they start early there. has John said how proud he is of that kid, how he could get into any college in the world from here? and Adam will be a smart one like Sam, no doubt about it, and go to a smartypants school too, or whatever school Kate wants him in. it's hard when the kids are far from home but at least Dean's stayed close by and John's always got him for the farm, he's invaluable for that

and this is. not what she expected. during her visit, they seemed like such a put-together household, which is what John is reflecting now. which is not what Dean said over the phone. and I think she's still cautious, but now she's confused, and she tries asking another canny question but she slips up. it wouldn't take much to trigger John's suspicion, and he has one goal, which is: don't lose Kate

and he says he can tell something's the matter and she tries to say there isn't and that's when we get into the kind of back and forth where John is playing to his strength. hell, he'd even offer to hang up and give her some time, but in a way that now she's the one apologizing (just like Dean apologizes in another scene, when he isn't the one who should be saying sorry). and when he asks what's changed she admits she had a strange call from Dean and she doesn't know what to make of it. she still doesn't intend to say anything about the content of that call, but John knows enough. he knows what to ask, what to plant, what to make her question Dean's motives until she is revealing more and he's twisting up her doubts and reflecting them back and insisting Dean's story doesn't add up, which, maybe it doesn't? and this is confusing, upsetting, she doesn't know which way is up, and John is just so certain. has an explanation for everything

by the time the call is ending she's just agreeing with everything John's saying because he's shot down every single other point so efficiently that it seems there's no purpose in searching for exhausting counterarguments with him. and she's confused and defeated. and once she hangs up, she knows less than when she started. she doesn't know if the sick feeling in her stomach is worry that Dean was telling the truth and she's just betrayed him or if it's the distaste of Adam having a half-brother, one he's met and adores, who's a sociopath that would make up anything to keep her away. she's stuck between two realities because she knows someone is lying to her very well but can't tell which one

she doesn't speak to John again, letting his calls go to voicemail. if she thinks about making a tip, she doesn't know who it will help or hurt. a week after this, she gets a call from Dean at a different number. she is partly relieved to hear his voice because she's been concerned she got it all wrong, but also unsure at the start of whether she'll be hearing another fabulation to keep her away

Dean's not looking for sympathy or an apology or any of that. he's not calling to accuse her or even tell her directly of her role in that final fight. he just says that he wanted her to know he's pressing charges with the police, here's the case number and this is Jody's extension, and that if Kate and Adam would like to set up no-contact orders it wouldn't be a bad idea and they could piggy-back off Dean's case. he's applying to be Sam's legal guardian, and he doesn't have a fixed place to stay yet but here's where to write or call. that if it's alright with Kate, he'd like to stay in touch with Adam, even if what they share is a rotten dad

she knows, then. she puts the pieces together and I think that guilt plagues her. she apologizes, desperately apologizes and tries to explain, and Dean goes quiet. then says he knows what his dad is like. he always believed John too. it's not an "I forgive you" but it's a sense of commiseration. he wouldn't wish John on anybody, and everything that happened was done by John, not her

[ccghastly]

Arthur and Sleep

A series of Headcanons. 

When he's in camp he is out, nothing short of gunfire and screaming can wake him

The hustle and bustle of camp actually helps him sleep, he's a very light sleeper when camping alone or out on the range. I lied, If there's a sudden silence in camp that will also wake him up

If Miss Grimshaw saw him ride in she wakes him at around 10am, if he rode in during the night and she didn't see him, she leaves him to sleep. She also shoos away and scolds everyone else that tries 

Dutch! You leave that boy alone and let him get some sleep. If you need something done why don't you go bother Uncle, the useless layabout!

John is very jealous of how Arthur can sleep in full daylight like it's nothing. John only gets good rest if it's completely dark, hence why he bothers to completely batten down his tent every night

Arthur is a sleepy cuddle monster, if anyone gets within arms reach he will cling on and drag them down for cuddles. Which would be all well and good if he wasn't also a living furnace

He gets so warm during the night. It feels like the moon crests and he just starts sweating. Hates sleeping in an enclosed tent if it's not raining, thus why he refuses to use the sidewalls of his tent in camp. He needs any bit of a breeze that he can get. Great for the colder months however. Everyone wants to share a tent with Arthur in the colder months.

Jack gets first priority cause he's a child and he's teensy, but it is a vicious race for who else gets to share. Hosea is usually also a shoo in because he has Papa privilege, but Javier has a suspicious habit of being in the tent just chatting away when the time for bedding down comes and for Arthur to kindly extend an invitation to just stay the night. So, of course Javier obliges him.

Javier is Mexican down to his bones, he does not like the cold.

Arthur can and will nap absolutely everywhere in the camp, but it happens most often if he's sitting with someone. If there's a gap in conversation there's a 50/50 chance of him dozing off. And these odds rise in proportion to the length of the silence. Charles finds it very cute, he's very honored that Arthur trusts him that much. Hosea takes direct advantage of it by inviting Arthur for a chat then deliberately timing things so he falls asleep. Sean and Lenny have made a sport of timing it and the whole camp gets in on betting on how long it'll take this time, the current record is One minute and twenty-seven seconds.

Kind Anons have requested versions about the others so here's those links if that interests you↓

John and Sleep

Charles and Sleep

Javier and Sleep

[ineloqueent]

Starstruck: Part 7

Brian May x Fem!Reader

This is Part 7 of a multi-part fic. Click the links below to read the Masterpost, the previous part, or the next part of the fic :)

Masterpost / Part 6 / Part 8

Summary: When studying at Imperial College in the 1970s, your path is crossed by a beautiful boy as much in love with the stars as you.  

Warnings: swearing, drinking, angst

Historical Inaccuracies: none that I can think of!

Word Count: 4.3k

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

The sun made you wonder. Made you wonder why it was shining in the first place. How wretched of it to shine so prettily when you felt so miserable.

It was a misery too out of reach to be pacified, for it was not the obvious sort, the kind in which you cry and shudder and feel like you’re suffocating. This was the kind of miserable in which you mope, staring out the window in a daze, and the only thing you are aware of is the frown on your lips; you opt for bitterness with every word and thought. This is the miserable where you feel detached and lost, like you exist in one universe and your feelings in a neighbouring dimension.

Brian hadn’t spoken to you for over a week.

It had rained every day since.

When classes had resumed the following Monday, Brian didn’t smile at you when you chanced a ‘good morning’. He merely pressed his lips together and ducked beneath his curls. That was how you knew he was avoiding you.

On Tuesday, Brian failed Carmichael’s test. This you knew because he ripped it in half as he stormed out of the door, following the lecture And he was glowering. You’d never thought that timid Brian could even have the ability to glower.

On Wednesday afternoon, Deacy called you.

“I was wondering if you’d like to join me and Rog for tea today?”

You bit your lip slowly. “Just you and Rog?”

“Yep!” he said. “I’ve told you that Veronica’s just gone up to see her parents for a couple of days, and that I’m working so she thought it best for me to stay behind, haven’t I?”

“Yes, you’ve told me,” you replied. “And Heather went with her.” Heather and Veronica had grown up in the same town, and so Heather, behind due to visit her own parents, had boarded the train with Ronnie.

“Oh, yes.” John paused, then asked hesitantly, “Are… are you okay with just me and Roger, for tea I mean?”

You breathed quietly in relief.

“Y/N? Who are you avoiding? You haven’t fallen out with Heather, have you?”

“Oh, no no,” you assured him.

“With Veronica, then? Surely not.”

“No, Deacy, she’s lovely.”

“She likes you too. You get along well. Maybe you should go shopping together or something sometime,” he babbled.

“Yeah,” you answered distractedly.

“Well, you have our number. And you know you’re always welcome over.”

“Thanks, Deacy—”

But Deacy was still trying to work out who it was you were supposedly at odds with. “Not Roger!” he cried. “That’s why you’re not sure about lunch. You and Roger are arguing, aren’t you?”

“No, Roger and I are fine, John.”

“Oh, good,” he sighed. “I was worried for a moment. And I’ve already had to diffuse so many fights this week, in the band, y’know.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he sighed, “you wouldn’t believe it. So many. It’s like cats and dogs at the moment. Not sure why. Yelling and throwing various instrumental gear. Drumsticks, microphone stands, cables… clumsily. Almost an amp, yesterday.”

You winced, “That sounds, uh, violent?”

“Actually,” he considered, meanwhile you pondered the reason he was jabbering nineteen a dozen, “they’ve all sort of been started by… Oh dear.”

“What is it?”

“Oh, Y/N, dear,” he said in a pitiful tone. “You’re avoiding Brian.”

“Am not!” you exclaimed.

“Are you not?” He sounded genuinely surprised this time.

“If anything, he’s avoiding me,” you grumbled, because at this point, Brian deliberately turned his head away when you passed him in the mornings. He seemed so pained by your presence that wondered if perhaps there was something more to the death of his aunt, if you had unknowingly poured salt on a second wound.

“Well…” began Deacy, seemingly at a loss. “Well, why, if you don’t mind me asking?”

You rubbed your eyes tiredly. You’d not been sleeping well for the past few nights, awake and alone with your pestering thoughts. “I asked where he’d been, when he disappeared off to god knows where the other week.”

John’s puzzlement was apparent. “And?” he said.

“And nothing. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“That’s terribly odd, Y/N. I asked. We all asked. He said he’d been up to visit his parents when they lost power in a storm. Whole phone lines came crashing down, apparently. Too much of a mess to get any sort of communication through to anywhere, and he figured we wouldn’t worry badly.”

You shook your head, then remembered that you were on the phone. “That can’t be true, Deacy. And even if it were, we did worry, remember?”

“I suppose we did worry,” Deacy conceded. “But what do you mean, that can’t be true? Did he not tell you the same thing?”

The air gasped from your lungs.

He hadn’t told anyone.

Except you.

“No, Deacy,” you said. “He— he said… His aunt died.”

“What?”

“His aunt died.”

“Yes, I heard you, Y/N, but… He lied to us?”

“Or he didn’t tell you the whole truth,” you suggested. It was something you did often; you didn’t like to lie, but naturally, you didn’t want everyone to know everything.

“I suppose. That’s just so terribly unlike Brian,” John said concernedly. “He doesn’t like lying.”

“Um… who do you know that actively enjoys lying?”

“Oh, Freddie’s near-pathological,” Deacy said off-handedly. “But Brian’s got more of a moral compass than I have!”

“That’s slightly concerning…” you remarked. “So, how is Freddie?”

“I talked to him and he said he was well,” Deacy related, “but now I’m not so sure. He’s seemed a bit off lately. Something to do with Mary, I think.”

You frowned. “Yeah, I think something’s wrong.”

Deacy sighed. “I’m beginning to think the only people who are okay are Veronica and myself.”

“Roger isn’t okay?”

“He’s usually the person Brian takes his temper out on.”

“Oh.”

“Tell you what,” said Deacy, “come to tea at mine at seven tonight and we’ll talk more then. I imagine you’ve got lectures to get to.”

“Just finished with the last one for today, but some studying wouldn’t hurt,” you replied. “I’ll see you at seven.”

“Okay, see you at seven. Bye bye, Y/N.”

“Bye, Deacy.”

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

You spent the rest of the afternoon studying. Or rather, you tried to study. The formulas and theories and diagrams mostly swirled across your page today, as much a spiral galaxy as the Milky Way. You speculated your lack of sleep and your lack of water could be the cause. Or maybe your lack of interaction with other humans. No Heather, no Freddie, no Roger, barely John. And no Brian. It was a wonder you’d not yet become a total hermit.

At six thirty you threw on your scarf and coat and went out the door, a bottle of wine in one hand.

At six thirty-two, you had boarded the tube and remembered that the scarf wasn’t actually your own. It was the rainbow scarf. You nestled your face into the wool and fibres tickled the tip of your nose, subtle scents of coffee and lilies shrouding you in their homely warmth.

You missed the owner of that scarf.

At seven precisely, you rang the Deacon-Tetzlaff doorbell.

The door swung open and John Deacon beamed at you. “Ah, Y/N! You’ve made it to my little party.”

“Careful, Deacy,” you admonished, “you’re beginning to sound an awful lot like those old film villains.”

“I think I’ll need more evidence than that,” Deacy kissed your cheek in greeting. You returned the gesture and went on inside, offering the wine bottle which he accepted cheerily. He was just closing the door when there came a shout from the street.

“Hold the door, will you, Deacy?”

Roger had arrived, dressed extravagantly in a fur coat and thin, orange-tinted sunglasses.

“Bit over the top for tea at mine, Roggie?” Deacy laughed.

You nodded to Roger’s sunglasses. “Surely those aren’t necessary.”

“They just complete the look. And honestly, you two are daft. Coat’s for warmth. It’s bloody well snowing.”

“Snowing?” you and Deacy repeated, leaning out the door.

Roger was right; little flakes fluttered down from the dappled grey sky, dusting his hair, and now yours as well.

“And so it is,” John said with another laugh. You held out your hand and let the glittery while specks fall into your palm. Despite your love for warmth, you liked snow. It was like catching stardust.

“Brimi would love that analogy,” Roger kissed your cheek as well, and you realised that you’d spoken aloud. You swallowed, settling your features back into a mask of nonchalance.

“He wouldn’t love that fur coat, though,” you tapped Roger’s sleeve.  

“Hello to you too, sweetheart,” grumbled Roger.

“At the moment, he doesn’t love much at all, really,” Deacy remarked as he shut the door when you were all inside.

“Yes,” Roger echoed the sentiment, “can we discuss that? He’s a right bore.”

“More than usual?” John joked.

“God, yes. Thinking of throwing my bloody hi-hat at him next time.”

“He didn’t get the message from the drumsticks?”

“Apparently not. Went past his house this afternoon. He’s still moping.”

You tried not to think about the fact that you were the reason why Brian was moping. Meanwhile, John and Roger bantered on as you hung up your coat and— and the scarf.

You missed the majority of the conversation, having drifted into the abyss of your own thoughts once more. It was becoming a bad habit.

“Champagne? Oh, perfect!” John was saying. You’d reached the kitchen. “And it’s Moët et Chandon, too. Fred would be proud of you.”

“Funny, it was actually his idea,” Roger mused, closing his sunglasses around the collar of his shirt.

Deacy’s eyes widened as he pulled a tray from the oven. “Freddie better not have suggested anything else.”

Roger raised his eyebrows. “What would he have suggested, John?”

You wondered whether Roger was alluding to Freddie’s dampened temperament of the past many days, his tearfulness on the floor of a public bathroom, his obvious discomfort when you spoke of Mary.

Deacy waved an oven mitt and squinted through the steam that rose from the loaf of bread he had pulled from the oven.

“Deacy?” you said when the latter did not answer.

“Food’s ready!” he said brightly, and you all gathered around the kitchen table, Roger’s question forgotten.

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

You’d eaten your fill of John’s homemade risotto and bread, which was quite a large portion. Deacy was an excellent cook, in contrast with the likes of Freddie and Roger, neither of whom knew how to boil an egg.

“That was lovely, Deacy,” you said, positioning your knife and fork at twenty-past four.

“Agreed,” Roger nodded from beside you. “I’d ask you to give me the recipe,” he addressed Deacy, “but you know I can’t cook.”

“Oh, yes, we all know, Roger,” John sniggered.

“Freddie can’t cook either,” Roger pointed out petulantly, as though this made up for his own downfalls as a twenty-four-year-old who had moved away from home without learning certain basics.

“So, why are we here, Deacs?” you said.

“Mm,” said Roger. “You never call meetings, John. That’s always Freddie. And if it was about Queen, you would have actually invited the other two idiots over. Not Cinderella, here,” he elbowed you in the ribs.

“Ow!” you yelped. “Better Cinderella than an idiot, though.”

Roger narrowed his eyes at you. “Then dress the part. Otherwise I’ll have to take back the title.”

“Dress… in cinders and dirt, like you have?”

“This is an expensive shirt!”

“Hey!” Deacy interjected, but you and Roger only paid attention after he stood and tapped his knife to his wine glass.

You looked at Roger and grinned. Roger waggled his eyebrows; he had the same idea. You took a breath—

“Speech! Speech! Speech!” you cried together.

Deacy rolled his eyes. “How I put up with any of you is a wonder. Might as well not tell you, now.” He made to sit down.

“Well, I wanna hear it,” Roger pouted.

“Yeah, go on Deacy,” you patted his side of the table.

He tried not to smile, but he couldn’t. He glanced down at the tablecloth instead, adjusted the cutlery on his plate with two fingers, then inhaled slowly.

“You’re not dying, are you?” said Roger. You elbowed him to shut him up.

“Right then,” Deacy straightened up. “Y/N, Roger,” he toasted you each with his glass and you smiled back bemusedly. He paused for dramatic effect. Then, “Ronnie’s pregnant!”

Your mouth fell open.

“Oh, Deacy, you sly bastard,” Roger stood and clapped his friend on the back.

Deacy rolled his eyes again, but he was still beaming.

“John, that’s wonderful!” you said. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you,” Deacy replied, pleased as punch. “Freddie and Brian found out by accident, and they were both busy tonight anyway, and I wanted to tell you before Veronica came back because she was going up to tell her parents,” he gushed, “and by then Freddie wouldn’t have been able to keep the surprise a surprise anymore.” Deacy practically shone, he was truly so happy. You couldn’t imagine more of a family man than John Deacon would be. He doted on Veronica and would dote upon his children even more.

Roger suddenly laughed, and you and Deacy looked at him. “Now I get it,” he said.

“Get what, Rog?”

“The champagne.”

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

Thursday, you woke up with a violent headache. You had definitely overdone the champagne last night.

You rolled over to turn off your alarm clock, but instead rolled over the edge of a sofa.

And kicked Roger Taylor in the face.

“For fuck’s sake, Y/N,” Roger groaned, pulling his fur coat up over his face. He had used it as a blanket for the night, rejecting Deacy’s offer of actual bedding. “If you wanted to sleep on the floor, you could just have said so, not kicked me awake to take my spot.”

“I was perfectly fine with the sofa, thanks,” you mumbled, rubbing your temples.

Roger sat up blearily. “God, what a headache,” he complained.

You nodded in agreement, your eyes screwed shut.

“Good morning!” John appeared in the doorway to the living room.

“Shhhhh,” Roger hummed.

“Not my fault you never learnt to be responsible,” Deacy shrugged. “Can I interest anyone in coffee?”

“May I order some silence?” you asked. “And a black coffee, please.”

“On my way,” Deacy left for the kitchen.

“Yes please, I’ll have a cup,” Roger called hoarsely after Deacy. “With one and three-sevenths sugars.”

“One black, one with one sugar?” John called back.

“One and three-sevenths sugars, please.”

“Three sugars, Rog?”

“No, one and three-sevenths.”

“Seven sugars?!”

“DEACY. One and three-sevenths!”

Laughter trickled through the kitchen door. “I’m just winding you up, Roger,” Deacy returned to the living room.

Roger sighed. “Well, thank god. I was beginning to rethink our friendship. You should know how I take my coffee.”

“We’re not married, Rog. And if you really felt so fondly about me, you should have told me so before I took my girlfriend to bed sometime last year.”

“Which was far too long ago.” Roger took his mug of coffee when Deacy offered it to him. “You take a long time to fall in love with, Deacs. Couldn’t possibly have beaten Ronnie to that chase.”

“Speaking of rethinking our friendship…” John muttered.

After finishing your coffee, you swore at the time the clock on Deacy’s mantlepiece displayed, made your apologies, and rushed off to your morning lecture.

And still Brian would not even look at you.

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

At nine o’clock that night, you sat down in your armchair by the fireplace and made two phone calls.

First, you called your mum.

Then you called Brian, who had neglected to turn up for the evening’s derivatives-and-guitar session.

Three guesses as to who took your call and who did not.

You went to bed soon after that, but sleep would not draw you away until two hours past midnight.

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

On Friday evening, two of your housemates decided to get shit-faced. As Heather and Roger had taken up residency in your room, you decided to join in the getting-shit-faced.

Joan and Paulie were waiting for you in the kitchen and cheered when you entered.

“Our favourite Y/N!” Paulie hugged you, and Joan grinned from where she sat atop the kitchen counter, already holding a poured drink.

“What’s the occasion?” you asked. But this was apparently the wrong question, because Paulie’s bright eyes turned suddenly tearful.

Joan hopped down from the counter and wrapped an arm around Paulie’s shoulder.

“Just some hypocrite called Paulie a slag,” Joan sipped her drink. “Now we’re celebrating the fact that little Pauline here packed her first punch, eh, sweetheart?”

Paulie blushed crimson, and it was clear that she was not on her first drink either.

She turned to you, “What’ve you come to celebrate, Y/N?”

You laughed bitterly. “Perhaps my wasted heart.”

“It’ll be a large drink, then?”

You nodded, and Paulie frowned sympathetically. Joan stuck you a glass, filling it to the brim with alcohol.

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

It was midnight, but tonight, there was no magic in the hour.

You sat in the window seat and leaned your head against the wood of the window frame.

The heating was broken and it was raining ice outdoors. Sleet. Yes, that was what it was called. Your muddled brain struggled to keep up with your racing heart.

You’d left Joan and Paulie in the kitchen, because the thing about Joan and Paulie was that they were mad for each other, though they appeared to be the only two people in the world who were blind to the phenomenon. Tonight, however, they’d made some discoveries regarding that area of their lives. They’d stopped drinking early on and had begun snogging instead, so you’d taken a bottle of mulled wine with you to the window seat and now sat drinking alone in the darkness.

Or perhaps the darkness was what you were drinking, and what was drinking you.

From the cinema next door to the house, you could vaguely hear laughter, and the smell of popcorn lightly permeated the air that drifted in through your open window. It was no longer raining, and the sky with its spatter of stars was once more dimly visible above the silhouettes of London in the nighttime. The mulled wine was made of elderflower and blackberries, and it had heated your cheeks and filled your head with poetry and your eyes with a mist.

Swirling the wine in your glass, you imagined this was what it would be like to live on the cusp between tragedy and comedy in a Shakespearian work.

“Doubt thou the stars are fire,” slipped the words of Hamlet from your lips, “doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.”

You sighed and wished for the night to grow day as you stared out the window, searching for planets and solar systems you knew very well could not be found by the naked eye.

The rainbow scarf warmed your skin.

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

Saturday, as went without saying, was characterised by a fierce headache. Again.

And with Sunday came the Sunday Blues.

Well, really, you’d had the All-Week Blues, but Sunday did not care about this; you could now add the coming week of studying and assessments to your list of worries.

You listened to Freddie’s records and mindlessly memorised every word, every line. The music was your anchor, as it had always been. But it was now more so than ever.

You hated feeling worthless, but there was nothing you could do to not feel so.

Freddie and Roger and Deacy and Brian, they had each other. They wouldn’t have missed you, you told yourself, and it was only fuel to fire that Freddie did not trust you enough to tell you what it was that was going on with him. Then there was Heather, and Heather had Roger. And then Joan— Joan had Paulie. And Kate’s friends were Amélie and Jenny. No one was yours alone.

No one was yours at all.

And the fact that Brian May so actively avoided you just proved it all— who needs you?

Who needs you, it was in his lowered eyes.

Who needs you, it was in his silence.

Who needs you, it was in your head.

It was all only in your head. But sometimes, it was difficult to discern the world from your head.

So you picked up your guitar to prove your head, the world, wrong.

The strings stung your skin, and the memory of gentle smiles ghosted along your pulse where fingers had once applied their tender touch.

Your misery rose a wave and crashed as anger.

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

Two more weeks cycled past on bell-less bicycles; they passed utterly without consequence.

February had yielded March, and snow had melted to an incessant rain. But the rain fostered new leaves and flowers, and turned London to all the colours of the rainbow in the glory of Spring.

It would have been pleasant, to leave classes and hurry through warm, sprinkling rain and spots of sunshine, for but the claustrophobia that the gaze of a tall and blushing young man provided you with, in every waking hour of your life, whether in person or by way of imagination.

You waited for everyone else to enter the lecture hall, hanging back so that you would be the last.

When the final dawdler had passed into the hall, you approached Brian, who, of course, was holding the door.

“Bri,” you began gently, willing him to look at you. He didn’t. “I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve already said that.” He radiated hostility, but you felt uplifted by the fact that he’d acknowledged you at all.

“I know. But I meant it. And I mean it.”

His eyes flicked over you. “We’re going to be late.”

He let go of the door.

You grasped the handle before the frame could smack you in the face. The edges of your patience were tampered with by his gaze; they had now become short and sharp.

If he was going to behave so pettily, then you would stoop to his level.

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

It began as stealing Carmichael’s questions before Brian could answer them.

Then it was politely saying ‘good morning’ to everyone you encountered, except Brian.

Then you temporarily overcame your hatred for mornings in order to arrive at the lectures early, before Brian. You held the door for everyone. Until he arrived. Then you let go and went inside.

On the third morning that this occurred, Brian glared at you and you sneered back.

How quickly you had gone from friends to… to rivals was slightly disconcerting.

Freddie seemed to think so too. He invited you to rehearsal one evening, and though you clenched your jaw at having to be in the same room as Brian Harold “Petty” May, Freddie begged and pleaded and wore you down.

But when you arrived at one of Imperial College’s unused lecture halls that evening, Brian was the first person you saw, and at the sour twist of his lips, you huffed and stormed back out the door.

Freddie and John were calling after you, and you vaguely heard Roger ask Brian what the hell was wrong with him. Yet, you kept walking.

And then you ran.

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

I’d had it with Brian. I really had.

So caught up in that bloody head of his, and for what? What had Y/N even said? What could have been so bad? She, like the rest of us, had naturally been worried by Brian’s disappearance, and he owed it to us, to her, to let us know that he had been at least physically all right.

I’d gotten it out of Deacs that Brian had lied to us about where he was the other week, and I’d been furious— how could he lie to us? Brian never lied.

I’d been good and well ready to knock him about a bit, that was what I’d been, and I had threatened to do just so, before Freddie materialised, as he often did, and pushed me back onto the drum stool before I could go anywhere. He demanded to know why I was so pissed off, and John explained.

Freddie frowned. “Yes, that is rather unlike him. And he’s utterly miffed, constantly. Looks about as cross as a cat caught in a rainstorm. Has done for fucking weeks.”

“Yes…” John folded his arms over his bass. “It’s got to stop. We’re not getting anything done.”

“We need to start working on the next album, and with him in this state, he won’t write anything of use,” said Freddie in agreement. “His muse is sadness, not anger.”

“That makes one of us,” I grumbled. “Gimme his guitar and I’ll write you a song, right here and now.”

“I would, darling,” Freddie sighed, “except that you’d probably destroy it, and you know he never lets it out of his sight anyway.”

“Hmph.”

Deacy ran a hand through his hair. “We have to intervene.”

“Mm,” said Freddie. “There’s only room in this band for one hysterical queen.”

“Any ideas?” Deacy asked. “Freddie?”

“Not a thing, dearie. Got enough troubles of my own, right now.”

“Rog?”

I was about to shake my head, no, when I remembered a trick I’d pulled on two of my mates back in school, years ago.

I smiled. “Oh yes. I’ve got a plan.”

⁺˚*·༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺

A/N: I definitely wrote Joan and Paulie to resemble John Lennon and Paul McCartney, oops :)

taglist: @melting-obelisks​ @hgmercury39​  @stardust-killer-queen​  @topsecretdeacon

Masterpost / Part 6 / Part 8

[vfdbaudelairefile13]

Dear reader,

I must caution you about this next chapter. This is the chapter where we continue to explore creepy undertones pertaining to Olaf as a character. If you are not comfortable with reading about predatory behavior, comments ranging from vague to slightly explicit (on the topic of these predatory behaviors), a young girl being restrained, a young girl being threatened, physical violence against a minor, threats to a minor, or vague to slightly specific comments about pedophilia, a creepy fuck stroking a young girl's hair, cheek, and leg... I would suggest skipping specific parts of this chapter. Since this time around it's spread around the VIOLET half of the chapter (although a few vague hints could be found in Klaus and Sunny's section).

Please read with caution. If anything becomes too triggering or makes you too uncomfortable I am happy to summarize in vague details (when going over certain parts) so you are still able to follow the story. Please if you can't read this chapter in its entirely, I will be more than happy to explain the events of the chapter in a less descriptive way.

_______________________________________________________________ Friendly Reminder:

I, Susan, the author of Misery Loves Company also wants to make it abundantly clear that THE TOPICS/TRIGGERS IN THIS CHAPTER are things I frown upon entirely. I do NOT condone pedophilia at all, whatsoever. And I believe it is NOW in my fic that I will say this: if you ship the disgusting vile mess of a 'ship' that is Violaf...I would prefer if you stop interacting with my page, my story, and any of my works. Just because I put it in my story does not mean I condone it. I am using it as a element to explain why this sort of shit is WRONG.

If we are being abundantly honest, it is these segments that I have the hardest time writing and editing. It is a long, hard process and it never gets easier. No matter how vague the comment Olaf or even Esme make is, it is never easy. It makes my blood boil, my skin crawl and my stomach churn.

I don't feel right saying 'enjoy' because this is a tough pill to swallow.

So read with caution. Let me know if you feel I went too far or if you just want to comment like normal. I am not perfect. I am open to criticism. I just needed to make sure all my readers understand where I stand on the topic of Count Olaf's creepy ass infatuation to Violet.

Read with caution. Love the support you guys have given this fic.

-Susan.

____________________________________________________

                                           Chapter Fifty:

                           The One With Violet's Close Call

Klaus and Sunny paced around the small medical closet that they were currently hiding in. They had decided to be paranoid and barricade the door on their end so no one would enter their hideout. Before doing so, Klaus opened the door just a bit so he can peek around the hall and locate the security cameras. He feared that Olaf would catch them simply because he could be watching them on security cameras. After they blocked themselves in, Sunny explained to Klaus that she planned to watch the bottom of the door and she’ll notify him if she sees anyone’s shadows.

Klaus and Sunny were worrying about being recognized by anyone because of the ridiculous lies that had been written about Violet and Klaus in The Daily Punctilio, so the two Baudelaires knew that whatever they planned to do in order to save Violet they had to make sure they were undetected by not only the hospital personnel and patients but by Olaf, Esme, and the troupe who were undoubtedly lurking around the hospital in their ridiculous doctor costumes searching for the two younger orphans.

As the children paced around in silence, both siblings’ minds were racing. “We’ve got to rescue Violet and get out of this hostile hospital,” Klaus said aloud. He was talking more so to himself than Sunny, but Sunny replied anyway.

“But how?” she asked. Klaus sighed and shrugged his shoulders. Both siblings were trying their hardest to concentrate on their situation at hand. Both trying to ignore the fear that was lingering with them. Both were also focused on what Jacques Snicket had said.

Klaus ran his hand through his hair anxiously as he thought about the Snicket file that resided in his pocket next to his sister’s father’s wallet.

There’s a survivor.

Their trouble is over.

They were going to be okay.

They just had to find their mother.

Klaus sighed. He felt a bit bad when his mind focused on the possibility of his mother being the survivor, it was nothing against his father. Truth be told if his father was the survivor, he’d be equally as happy. He just...desperately wanted his mother.

He didn’t understand if there was a survivor, why weren’t they searching for their kids? He knew that his parents would be fighting tooth and nail to reunite themselves with their children. His mother and father were two kind, attentive, supportive, and loving parents. He gave a small smile as he imagined being reunited with his mother again, being able to feel her arms around him in a big bear hug as he feels her warmth and feels safe. His smile widened as he imagined his mother kicking Olaf and Esme’s ass for everything that they had put the kids through.

Sunny paced around the small room, walking in a different pattern than Klaus. She glanced around at all the supplies that were in the room, every so often glancing at the door to make sure that no one was trying to get in the room that she and her brother were hiding in. She took the small yellow ribbon out of her hair as she carefully twisted her hair into it, tying it out of her face. What would Violet do? She asked herself as she tapped her finger on her chin as she thought hard. She glanced over at her brother, who seemed lost in his own thoughts. She took the opportunity to open Violet’s locket again, she wasn’t entirely sure what this would do, but she felt like she needed to see one of her parents’ faces especially after the bombshell that Jacques Snicket had given the children during his briefing of the Snicket file.

She looked at the picture of her mother holding baby Violet and smiled. She missed her mother entirely but as she stared at the picture in her older sister’s locket, Sunny couldn’t help but frown when she thought about her father. Staring at the picture of her mother holding a baby girl in her arms reminded Sunny so much about how their mother used to hold her and sing to her whenever she was fussy. How her mother would clap enthusiastically when Sunny used a new word. She sighed as she ran her finger over the picture of her mother. All these memories made Sunny miss her mother, but they somehow made her miss her father more. She didn’t get to see any pictures of her father as often as she would prefer. The kids had two pictures of their parents stuffed away in Klaus’ pockets along with other documents and important scraps of paper the two younger orphans had been collecting ever since their unfortunate events had begun. So when Sunny gazed down at the photos in her sister’s locket, she wondered where in her world her father could be. Was he looking for them? Was it difficult for him to locate his children because they kept moving? She remembered spending afternoons with her father, who would be entertaining her with his poetry recitals. Sometimes he’d put on a show for Sunny, act out a silly poem or if he was reciting a serious think piece, he would analyze the poem with Sunny and even though she didn’t entirely understand what her father was saying all the time, she was happy. She never understood why Klaus would groan outwardly when their father would run up behind him and somehow still lift him up, ready to recite another poem of John Godfrey Saxe. She found it both entertaining and informational. She frowned when she realized that her actively thinking her father was the survivor meant that she wasn’t rooting for her mother. Like her brother, Sunny had nothing against their mother. She would be equally as happy if it were Beatrice who had survived the fire. But Sunny couldn’t shake the fun image of her father randomly showing up and kicking Olaf and Esme’s asses after putting the kids through all of this bullshit. Sunny smirked wickedly to herself when she thought about what her father might do to Olaf when she told him about what Olaf did to Klaus.

Dada…?

Mommy?

Where are you? Your babies need you.

As both siblings thought about the survivor of the fire and wondered where in the world the survivor could be, their faces turned sour simultaneously when, like clockwork, they both thought the same exact thing.

What if Lemony was the survivor?

Both siblings were blissfully unaware that they were thinking the same thing as Sunny bit her lip nervously and Klaus sighed miserably. Both too lost in thought to ask the other what was wrong.

What if Lemony was the survivor? As the two Baudelaire orphans thought about it...it made sense, didn’t it? For the survivor to be Lemony? The file was called the Snicket File, although Klaus had reasons to believe that it could have been named that simply because the star of the film was Jacques Snicket and Sunny could have guessed that maybe the makers of the film deliberately wanted to name it that just to cause this level of confusion. But again as the two orphans thought about it...their worries began to skyrocket. Jacques was Lemony’s brother, it would make sense that he’d investigate his brother’s death rather than their parents. But that wasn’t what was gnawing at the fragile minds of Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. What was gnawing viciously at their minds was one question.

What would happen to them if Lemony was the survivor?

Obviously, if Lemony was the survivor, this meant he would be reunited with his daughter. Both siblings sighed at the same time as they came to this realization. It was the first time that the table had turned and it was the Baudelaires feeling excluded rather than Violet. Both didn’t know what would happen to them if he were the survivor. Lemony had no obligation to Klaus or Sunny. He was not their birth father and he had not raised them.

Would he go through the trouble to adopt us? Sunny pondered.

He wouldn’t leave us to fend for ourselves? Klaus wondered.

Truth was the kids just weren’t sure. Although they had met Lemony Snicket on a few occasions, they didn’t get the pleasure in actually getting to know him, seeing that every time they had seen him, he was in disguise just as Olaf was and the situation was always too tense and dangerous where there was rarely ever a moment in time where the kids could have had a decent conversation with the man who was desperately trying to help them. Klaus remembered the brief conversation he had with Lemony back when the kids lived with Josephine and Lemony was disguised as Steve Barkin, how he mentioned having a daughter and tried to convince Klaus that he was a good big brother. But other than that, Klaus didn’t know much about him.

The Baudelaires could easily assume that Lemony would be a decent human being, as he was before he had died and he would adopt the children either officially or unofficially depending on what he sought as best with his complicated circumstances. But he didn’t have any obligation to the Baudelaire children. As much as they hoped that he would take them with him and Violet, he could just as easily take Violet and abandon the two Baudelaires. The children wouldn’t be surprised, by this point in their sad story, they were used to it.

Now they both knew that if either one of their parents was the survivor that they would take in Violet immediately. No questions asked whatsoever. But they were able to come up with that conclusion very easily because they knew their parents. They knew their parents wouldn’t hesitate to gain a relationship with their estranged daughter. Violet was Beatrice’s biological daughter and had fate not intervened, she would have been raised by Bertrand, which would have made their father her father as well. They knew their father would not hesitate to have another child even if that child was not his biologically, that’s how great of a man Bertrand Baudelaire was. The two siblings also knew that if their mother had the chance to simply lay her eyes on the powerhouse force that her eldest daughter was, she would recognize Violet immediately as her child and would rush up and grab Violet and probably never let her go as she sobbed and apologized for things out of their mother’s control. Because they both knew that their mother was a decent and amazing woman.

Both siblings imagined for a second, how life would have been like had Violet never been separated from their mother and father. Klaus could imagine all the siblings' arguments and bonding moments that he and Violet would have had had she been around. He imagined how holidays would have been and how normal days would have been. Would he and Violet be closer? Would they have grown to hate each other? He pondered to himself. He slowly smiled, he had a feeling that being raised alongside Violet would have simply made him idolize her more as a big sister. He could see his younger self rushing into her room when he was scared of the loud thunderstorms outside instead of his mother and father’s room. He could see her building them a small little fort where they could pretend that the storm couldn’t get to them because Violet had built the shelter with the full purpose of making it stormproof even if the fort was made out of the most basic of materials like blankets and pillows. He could see her wanting her to sit with him during his first optometrist appointment instead of his father. He could see her beating up schoolyard bullies for him and just doing all the things big sisters do. But as he thought about it...he didn’t give the negative aspects even a thought. He knew big sisters were supposed to relentlessly tease and annoy. He knew that they were the only ones allowed to pick on their younger siblings. He knew growing up with Violet could have been different when it came to the family dynamics. He would never have had all of his parents' undivided attention, he would have had to fight Violet for it and he had a feeling he would have lost that battle a lot. He knew that if Violet had been raised alongside him that he probably would have been compared to her a lot because that’s what parents do. But he didn’t care. He wouldn’t have minded if life turned out like that.

Sunny, on the other hand, thought about how if Violet had been raised alongside her and Klaus that Violet would have been there the day that she came home from the hospital. She would have probably been like Klaus, teaching her how to talk, read, and walk. She wondered what else Violet would have tried to teach her. Sunny smiled as she imagined how family game nights would have gone with Violet’s addition. How chaotic that would have been with the five of them duking it out over Uno or Monopoly. Sunny had a feeling if Violet had been there from the start, that she would have been able to see the treehouse that she and Klaus shared more often. Klaus wasn’t entirely fond of it because it was getting too old and he felt as though it was dangerous to be in there but she knew that Violet would have made it a special project to fix it up for Sunny.

But as the children thought about this alternate timeline, they both felt bad for taking Lemony out of the picture and it brought them back to their worries that if it was so easy for them to do to him...how easy would it have been to do for him? And as they went back to pondering about whether or not Lemony would help them if he was the survivor, the children felt a mixture of emotions.

Cause with Lemony, Klaus and Sunny wouldn’t be able to entirely blame him if he were to take Violet and leave. Hell, they wouldn’t blame Violet for giving up on them and leaving with her father if she wanted to. The Baudelaires both feared that Lemony and possibly even Violet would finally see the two orphans as far too much trouble. Which as they further thought about it, it made perfect sense as to why the kids could be described as ‘too much trouble’.

No matter what Violet tried to tell them, the siblings knew that they were the reason Lemony was dead. They were the reason that Violet got sucked into this misfortune. Even if Lemony was the one who had decided to come out of hiding with the hopes of helping them survive Count Olaf. They cost him his life and if he turned out to be alive and would rather stay clear of the danger magnets that they have been proven to be. They couldn’t...and wouldn’t fault him.  They were also the reason that his brother was now dead. And there was no mistaking that on Sunny’s part.

Sunny knew Jacques was dead, she was forced to witness it with her own two eyes. Sleeping at night was difficult these days for young Sunny Baudelaire, although whenever she was able to cuddle up with one or both of her siblings, she felt safe enough that she could sleep and she found that when she was in the warm embrace of one of her older siblings it was as if a barrier is put around her and the harmful images of Olaf murdering Jacques couldn’t enter her head and torment her.

But Klaus didn’t need to witness Jacques’ murder to know he’s dead. He saw Jacques’ dead body being rowed out. Both children shuddered as they thought about the fact that Olaf had killed possibly two men in his wicked pursuit of them and now he had their fourteen-year-old sister in his clutches.

Both felt sharp pangs of guilt as a wave of sick, cruel realization poured over them when they realized that they were the reason why Violet was kidnapped and whatever Olaf was doing to her was on them. Klaus felt this pang of guilt harder than Sunny had because he knew what Olaf’s sick intentions with Violet were and he didn’t act fast enough to convince her splitting up was the worst thing the trio could have done. He hadn’t fought her hard enough to exit the mail chute and he allowed Esme and Olaf to take one of his sisters.

Klaus felt a few sharp pings of worry hit him as he thought about his doubts. The longer it took for him to come up with a plan, the more time the kids had to get caught and even if that didn’t happen it was more time that Olaf had Violet in his clutches. Klaus knew that he couldn’t let him and Sunny get caught because he refused to make Violet’s sacrifice fruitless. He also couldn’t let them get caught for obvious reasons. He knew Olaf wasn’t going to leave the hospital without all three kids. So he and Sunny merely had to avoid getting caught in their attempt to rescue Violet.

Klaus watched as Sunny did another routine check of the door. She watched for a few moments just to be extra cautious. He gave a small smile as he watched her walk-in tiny circles, tying her own hair. Klaus had a special sense of pride as he thought about how much Sunny had grown since that day on the beach when their lives first changed for the worst. Sunny was out of her infancy and was in the beginning stages of her toddlerhood and she was surely showing it. She was walking on her own and even talking in sentences for the most part, completely able to articulate her thoughts. Even going through everything she had been through, Klaus could see Sunny growing up into a chaotic mix of both of her parents. She had the best qualities of both Beatrice and Bertrand. Hell, Sunny had her moments where she reminded Klaus so much of Violet, like right now, as Sunny paced around silently, untying and retying her hair with her small yellow ribbon. The thing that surprised him the most about Sunny was that even after failing her so many times, she still believed in him so much. He didn’t understand why though.

Klaus felt tears spring to his face. You are the absolute worst brother in the world. You can’t protect them.

He turned quickly and glanced at Sunny once more. He couldn’t help but think this way. Violet was definitely the better big sibling for Sunny. She was proving it right now by being Olaf’s captive while allowing Klaus and Sunny a chance at an escape. While Klaus was hiding inside a large closet desperately trying to figure out a plan to save Violet. Sunny had definitely surprised him when she had compared him to Violet positively. That’s something he ever really did, always feeling inferior to his older sister especially when it comes to how they both were at being an older sister. ‘You are the best big brother I could ask for’ Sunny had said when she compared him positively to Violet. Then she had told Klaus that she loved in believed in them both.

Klaus’ thoughts shifted just slightly when he also remembered what Sunny now knows. His blood boiled and he felt the desire to punch a wall angrily. How dare Olaf haunt his baby sister with the gory, gruesome details of the pain he had caused her older brother after he had desperately tried to save her back when they were still in that bastard’s ‘care’. Olaf had absolutely no right and Klaus knew he only did that to try to scare Sunny and that made him even angrier. He hated the fact that Sunny now felt guilty about it even though he did not have a single reason to blame Sunny.

Klaus turned to Sunny, sighing, finally breaking the silence.

“We have to rescue Violet before it’s too late,” he explained to Sunny.

“But we don’t know where she is,” Sunny countered, although she nodded her head in agreement.

“ Violet must be somewhere in this hospital. Otherwise, Olaf and Esme would have left by now. He and Esme are probably hoping to capture us to,”

“Then we have to find her,” Sunny replied turning to her brother. “But how?”

Klaus sighed. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Olaf is watching us through the fucking security cameras and the rest of the hospital might recognize us from the bullshit Daily Punctilio.”

Both children looked at one another depressingly. They both wondered just how long Violet had had that photo of them hidden away in secret in her locket that now rested on Sunny’s chest. They both knew that they needed to act soon because they both did not like the idea of Violet being in Olaf’s clutches. Before either one can further the conversation they could hear an approaching crowd of cheerful singers.

Klaus and Sunny looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders. “Hide within crowd?” Sunny suggested as Klaus picked her up quickly.

“Better than nothing.” Klaus agreed. “We’ll just have to be extra careful today,”

Sunny nodded emphatically, a word which here means ‘as if she thought being extra careful was a good plan,’ and Klaus nodded emphatically back as he quickly unbarricaded the door, listening for the crowd to be right outside the door before exiting the room. Both Baudelaire children felt less and less emphatic about what they were doing as they waited by the door. Ever since that terrible day at the beach, when Mr. Poe brought them news of the fire, both Baudelaire orphans had been extra careful all of the time. They had been extra careful when they lived with Count Olaf, and Sunny had still ended up dangling from a cage outside Olaf’s tower room. They had been extra careful when they’d worked at Lucky Smells Lumbermill, and Klaus had still ended up hypnotized by Dr. Orwell. And now the Baudelaires had been as careful as they could possibly be, but the hospital had turned out to be as hostile an environment as anywhere the two children had ever lived. And as their hearts were beating faster and faster, they heard their opportunity to exit the small room and hide within the cheerful VFD.

“ We are Volunteers  and we’re cheerful all day long! If someone said that we were sad, that person would be wrong. Tra-la-la Fiddle-dee-dee Hope you get well soon. Ho-ho-ho,” the members of VFD sang as Klaus hurriedly opened the door and forced him and his baby sister into the direct middle of the crowd.

“Could we have some balloons?” Klaus asked.

“Of course, brother!” Brandon said patting Klaus’ shoulder. He handed Sunny two balloons and gave the children a confused look. “Where’s the older sister, brother?” he asked confused.

Klaus and Sunny looked at one another. “She’s under the weather,” Sunny explained quickly.

“I’m sorry to hear that!” Brandon said cheerfully as he tied a balloon gently to Sunny’s wrist. “Give her this heart-shaped balloon! And to get well soon!” he said smiling. “Ooh, that rhymed. We should add that to the song somehow.” he addressed the other members who were all smiling and ready to partake in the singing again.

Sunny maneuvered the balloons to cover both her face and her brother’s face as Klaus carried her trying his best to sing along to the song so that the volunteers would allow him and Sunny to stay in the group. The song and the singing were too cheerful and annoying for Klaus to truly enjoy this plan. But what better place to hide than among people who believed that no news was good news, which means they don’t read the newspaper.

To the children’s relief, the volunteers paid no attention as Klaus and Sunny glanced around desperately looking for any signs of their big sister or Olaf and his group. As they followed the group from room to room, both Baudelaires concluded that this might be the best way for them to search the hospital. Maybe Olaf had disguised their sister as a patient since he was disguised as a doctor.

The children went into several rooms, watching as the Volunteers Fighting Disease ignored real ways to help the hospital’s patients and they cheerfully sang their song oblivious to exactly how useful or helpful they were being. They saw a man with both legs in casts and a woman with both arms in bandages. They watched a member tie a balloon to the woman’s cast because she wouldn’t be able to hold it.  They watched as the group ignored the patients’ request of a glass of water and for their nurse to be called so they could receive their pain killers. Klaus and Sunny wanted to help these people but they were too afraid of whether or not the patients had read The Daily Punctilio so as the VFD members ignored their requests, the Baudelaires regretfully did, too.

“If we visit each and every room of this hospital,” Klaus whispered to Sunny as the group exited the room to go to a different room. “We’re sure to find Violet,”

“Agreed. Although seeing sick people makes me sad,” Sunny replied.

“Same here, Sunshine.”

The next room contained a man that reminded them of Mr. Poe because he had a severe, nasty cough. As they watched the volunteers sing their song and hand the man a balloon, the children believed that a good humidifier would be more effective way to fight this disease than a cheerful attitude and the two were tempted to run and find a humidifier for this sick man, but they knew Violet was in much more danger than a man with a cough and again, they couldn’t risk being recognized.

On and on the volunteers marched, and Klaus and Sunny marched with them, but with every ho ho ho and he he he their hearts sank lower and lower. The two Baudelaires followed the members of VFD up and down the staircases of the hospital, and although they saw a great number of confusing maps, intercom speakers, security cameras which they made sure to avoid looking directly into, and sick people, they did not catch a glimpse of their sister. As they entered each room, nowhere, in any of the rooms that the volunteers marched into, was Violet Snicket, who Klaus and Sunny feared, was suffering more than any other patient.

“We’ve been wandering all morning, and we’re no closer to saving our sister,” Klaus whispered to Sunny, but Sunny didn’t reply. As Klaus marched with the volunteers up another flight of stairs as he carried Sunny, Sunny had focused on something that kept her eye.

“Shh,” Sunny whispered back.

“Why?” Klaus asked in a whisper.

“Bald fucker,” Sunny whispered, pointing as stealthily as she could ahead of them. Someone coming down the stairs, he was several steps above the kids and he looked to be running down the stairs in a hurry. “And Hook-Man.”

“What do we do?” Klaus whispered worriedly, realizing that if the bald man and the Hook-Handed Man were descending down the stairs, that they would have a good viewpoint advantage on the kids.

“Kiss the balloon,” Sunny whispered back as she shoved one balloon in Klaus’ face. He shifted Sunny so that he can hold the balloon in his face while she used one of the balloons to hide her face and the third one, that Brandon had intended for Violet to cover the top of her head. She hoped that if the bald man were to look over at the Volunteers Fighting Disease he would just see the top of Klaus’ head and assume he was one person rather than two, carrying three balloons.

The children’s hearts were beating fast in their chests as they continued marching in the middle of the group of volunteers.

__________________________________________________________

Violet opened her eyes and groaned in pain. Her head was throbbing from Esme slamming it into the hospital wall. She glanced around the room to find that she had been once again tied down to the gurney. She felt tape once again around her mouth. She tried desperately to kick her feet but to her surprise, Olaf and Esme must have tied her ankles to the damn gurney, too.

Nonetheless, Violet struggled as hard as she could trying to make some kind of noise in a desperate attempt to get someone to rescue her. She didn’t have much time to struggle, though because the door to the room began to open. Her heart dropped.

“I’m just saying, Boss. Your name could use a little work,” The Hook-Handed Man explained.

“What do you mean? It’s fucking brilliant,” Olaf growled, rolling his eyes.

The Hook-Handed Man looked at him incredulously, “Really?” he asked. “Dr. Medical-School?”

“Like you could’ve come up with anything better,” Olaf muttered annoyed.

“You could’ve said literally anything else. Like...House...or Howser?”

Olaf growled again. “Watch the door,” he ordered his henchman as he turned towards Violet.

Violet’s heart sank further as she watched the Hook-Handed Man’s facial expression change almost immediately. “B-but don’t you need my hooks…to tear her to shreds?” the man asked meekly. Violet gave both men an intense glare.

“Just wait outside the door,” Olaf hissed as he watched his henchman turn around unhappily and walked outside the door. Violet glanced down at the bottom of the door to make sure that the man hadn’t entirely left, thankfully for her, she could see the shadows that his feet made as he stood in front of the door, guarding it against anyone who would try to enter.

Olaf walked menacingly towards Violet. He glared down at Violet. Violet glared back at him with daggers. She refused to show him fear or weakness so she was hoping that she looked more intimidating than she felt seeing as though Olaf most definitely had the upper hand.

Olaf reached down, grabbed the edge of the tape and pulled it off Violet’s mouth as quickly and painfully as he can. “You fucking bitch!” she hissed.

“Comfy?” he asked her, smirking at the helpless girl.

“Fuck off,” Violet hissed, still glaring at him. “Klaus and Sunny will find me.”

Olaf merely shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe they will...maybe they won’t. I mean I’m counting on it. Can’t let those brats live after causing me so much trouble.”

“You fucker,”

“But you see, if I were Klaus...I’d do the sensible thing and leave this hospital with that bucktoothed brat,”

“Well, it’s a good thing Klaus isn’t a damn thing like you, then.”

“Well, what do you expect to happen, Violet?” Olaf asked as he began to pet her hair. Violet moved her head vigorously, trying to move away from his touch. “I mean...if I had the option to save my real sister or some desperate little girl who just wants to belong...I’d save my sister.”

Violet’s glare intensified. “I am their real sister, you fucking piece of shit.” she hissed as he smiled down at her. The way that he was looking at her, made the pit of fear in her stomach grow.

Olaf rolled his eyes as he grabbed the edge of the gurney harshly. Causing Violet to flinch. He smiled at her reaction. She responded just how he wanted her to. “You know, Violet, it doesn’t have to end this way…” he muses slowly walking around the gurney. Violet tried her hardest to keep her eyes glued on him, to make sure she could see him at every second. But as he circled her like a shark circling its prey, she was feeling dizzy. “I see the way you roll your eyes at the mere mention of VFD.”

Violet shifted her gaze to where he had stopped moving. He was standing behind her head, she glanced up at him, still glaring but behind her eyes, she knew that fear was starting to show. She had no idea what he had planned. “I may hate VFD. But I despise you!” she hisses.

“I’m flattered,” he says as he caresses her cheek. She shudders under his touch. She whimpers softly, violently trying to move her arms and legs, to break her restraints but as Olaf watches her struggle, his smirk widens and her heart sinks further into her chest which Violet didn’t know it was possible. “But you don’t mean that…”

“Oh, believe me, I do!”

Olaf smirk widened. “You know...it’s not just VFD that is to blame for what you’re going through…”

“I know it’s…” Violet began before Olaf interrupted her.

“Your dear father...may he rest in ashes.” Olaf snarled leaning closer to Violet’s ear. Causing the girl to shrink to the farther side of the gurney as much as her restraints would allow.

“ Fuck you!” she screeches as she continues to struggle more.

“And...Beatrice…” Olaf added, he watched as Violet’s face turned from one of unbridled anger to pure sadness. ‘You know…” he began, his voice becoming gentler but not in a comforting way. His voice became patronizing and belittling, but softer in volume. He walked over to the side of the gurney once more, kneeling down so that he no longer towered Violet but he was nearly face to face with her which made her move her head as far away from him as she could. “Beatrice hurt me, too. You’re not the only person that she hurt.”

Violet couldn’t believe her ears, was Olaf truly trying to pin her misfortune on her birth mother. Was he trying desperately to shift the blame from himself and VFD to her parents? She continued to glare at him as he sighed. He caressed Violet’s cheek again.

“Since you’re such a pretty girl…” he explained. “I’m willing to give you a chance to join me, Violet.” He watched as her expression changed to one that he couldn’t read. He couldn’t tell if she was considering it or was entirely shocked by his mere suggestion. “Together...we could destroy VFD once and for all. All you’d have to do is two simple things... for me.”

Violet’s stomach churned uncomfortably as she grimaced. She didn’t know what he meant by that last part but as they say, curiosity killed the cat. She looked up at Olaf, her glare still present but her fear was coming through so it wasn’t as intense as it had been. Olaf took that as a sign of her already considering his offer before even hearing what she’d have to do.

Olaf continued to caress her cheek as he spoke, Violet tried her damnedest to move her face from his touch but he, unfortunately, had the advantage. “Would it be so awful?” he asked. She looked at him with a face full of confusion and discomfort. “Would it be so awful to spend the rest of your life...with me? In my troupe...at my side...at my beck and call? I’ve seen your inventions, you could be very useful to my troupe, unlike those pesky Baudelaires.” He leaned in close to her. “Think about it, my pet,” he whispered into her ear as he stroked her cheek. Her skin felt like it was crawling and her blood was boiling but she was beginning to feel paralyzed under his cruel touch. “We could burn down this organization together!”

“...keep...talking…” she replied meekly, narrowing her eyes. She wasn’t sure where he was going with this. But at this point, she’d do almost anything to help her siblings escape from Olaf’s treachery.

“When you’re of age, you give me your fortune,” He began. “You see, once I have your fortune...I wouldn’t dispose of you like I would that irritating bookworm and biting brat.”

She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized he was still more interested in her stupid fucking money than what she had been expecting for him to say. Although the second part of that statement was one that she didn’t really like. She would rather an option where Olaf didn’t dispose of Klaus and Sunny. But when Violet weighed her options on the financial part of his offer, there was barely any hesitation. It was just money. Who the fuck cares? She thought. The only thing I care about right now is my siblings.  But as she opened her mouth to respond, she remembered he had said there were two things he needed her to do for him. Fear came crashing in once more as she began to expect the worst.

“And...what else?”

“You help me lure those bratty Baudelaires so I can destroy them.” He replied smiling wickedly at her.

Still surprised by his answer, since that was not where she believed he was going with this conversation. She took the time to weigh her options. She took into account everything that Olaf had said up to this point. Since the day that Violet had the absolute misfortune of meeting this vile and terrible man.

Finally, Violet smiled and in the most enthusiastic voice she could muster up she said, “Of course, I’ll join you!”

Olaf smiled at this. He placed his hand under her chin, turning her face to make her face him. “Pretty and smart,” Violet responded with another rough shudder as she tried to move her chin from his grasp. But he held her firmly. “Now...all you have to do is tell me where those brats are hiding.”

Violet nodded and he let go of her chin. “Of course, I’ll tell you where they’re hiding!” Violet replies using the same over-the-top voice. “Now, when you capture them you can’t tell them that I told you.”

“Of course. Of course.” He replied, a Grinch-like smile appearing across his face. This was too easy. He thought. She did her best to motion for him to come closer so that she could whisper her siblings' location in his ear. His smile somehow got wider and far creepier as he began to move closer to her.

“Now listen carefully,” Violet replied as Olaf could no longer contain his excitement. He was soon going to have all three orphans to torture and do whatever the fuck he wanted to and what made this even better is that Violet was going to sell out her siblings and hand them to him on a silver platter.

As he got closer to her face, Violet gave the vile man, a quick, sarcastic smile as she spits directly in his face. “ Snickets take care of their own!” she screamed in his ear as loud as she could.

Olaf growled, a loud, inhumane growl as he slapped her across the face with as much strength as he could muster. “ You little bitch!” he screamed as her head shot to the side harshly. One cheek feeling the wrath of Olaf’s anger and the other feeling the pressure of being slammed against the side of the gurney. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she winced in pain. She could feel her right cheek was on fire. Olaf wiped her saliva from his face as he grabbed Violet’s face in his hand and roughly pushed her cheeks in, applying pressure to her jaw. She groaned in pain.

“Stop…” she whimpers.

“Snickets may take care of their own...but Baudelaires are known for betraying and abandoning their own…” he said, applying even more pressure to her face. She tried to pull her head from his grasp. “And I have this feeling that the bookworm is just like his mother in that respect.”

Violet tried to spit at him again. “ Fuck you! You motherfucker!”

Olaf growled once more as he slapped her again, with the same level of strength as before even if this time she was unsuccessful when she tried to spit in his face. She started to cry. She bit her lip to suppress her sobs but the effort was almost pointless when her eyes began to water. Her cheek was definitely on fire now and she was beginning to feel her fear of her situation take over. She watched as Olaf turned and walked over to a small sink that was in the room. He picked up a tray full of medical tools and began to examine the tools.

“Out of curiosity,” Olaf asked, back turned towards a vulnerable and terrified Violet. “Has the bookworm shown you what I’m capable of?”

“You mean how you cut him, you fucking bastard!” she hissed. “Sunny told me.”

Olaf chuckled at that, as he lifted a rather scary looking knife as he examined it thoroughly. Still not even looking at her. “You see, I could do the same thing to you, my darling,” he turned to her as he carried the tray and the scary knife with him back towards her. He placed the tray of tools on top of her. “But...you’re way too pretty for that,” he explains petting her hair once more.

“I’m not your darling, you sick fuck.” she hisses through the tears, fear, and pain. “Klaus and Sunny are going to find me. We’ve outsmarted you every fucking time. We will do it again.”

Olaf grinned as he waved the big, sharp knife around, stroking his finger carefully across it, smiling wickedly at it. “I don’t think you will outsmart me...no, not this time.” he hisses menacingly as he glared down at the helpless girl. Violet glared back at him, her fear being suppressed once more as she continually reminded herself why she had to survive this. “Have you ever hunted, Violet?”

“Of course not,” she spat back.

“Well…” he said as he put down the large knife on the tray. “If you had, you’d be familiar with a particular experience. There’s a particular moment, at the end of a long hunt, ” he explained coldly as he picked up a rather scary drill. Violet, being only fourteen and never going to med-school wasn’t completely certain what this device in Olaf’s hand was but if she had to guess it was probably to drill small holes in the skull to help neurosurgeons perform their operations. As he spoke, he used a tone that sent several chills down her spine causing her to shift uncomfortably and breathe heavily. “When you have the animal cornered. And the animal looks into your eyes... deep into them, to see if there’s any mercy in there.” She looked at the device with uncertainty and fear as Olaf turned it on. The man looked from her to the drill, smiling as he imagined using it on one of the children. “And when it sees that there is not…” he turned the drill off and smiled at it happily. “... it gives up...it gives it life to you. ”

He smiled wickedly at her as he placed the drill back on the tray that still laid on top of her. She could no longer help it, she was trembling as he spoke. He stroked her now severely bruised cheek as she felt tears springing in her eyes. “Well, I have you cornered, Violet, and I have no mercy .”

Tears began to fall from Violet’s eyes as her fear took over. Is this how Klaus feels like? She wondered as she tried her best to hold it in. But this was all too much. His tone, his words, his touch. She couldn’t take it anymore.

He smiled viciously as he wiped a tear from her bruised cheek. “Don’t cry…” he cooed. “Sooner or later the Baudelaires will fall into my trap and when they do…”

Violet’s tear-filled eyes glared at the villain as he mentioned her siblings again. She shook her head defiantly, unable to speak because she was using most of her energy trying to hold back her tears. He gripped the railing to the gurney harshly as he knelt closer to her menacingly. He got in her face as close as he could get, even after she had shrunk herself down as far as her head would sink into the single pillow that held her head up. She grimaced and winced at how extremely uncomfortable she felt with Olaf that close to her face. She wanted to spit in his face again but the intense heat she could still feel from her right cheek convinced her otherwise. Instead, she stared back at Olaf with a face full of mainly fear with a splash of anger and defiance. “And when they do…” he reiterated getting even closer to her face. Violet held her breath as he spoke due to how close he was to her. She could smell his rancid breath. She tried to turn her head so she didn’t have to look at him but he caught her throat with his hand and applied pressure to keep her head in place. “I won’t be satisfied with just your fortunes. This time, I will obliterate you and the entire Baudelaire line in the cruelest ways imaginable…” he hissed into her ear as he held her down. Her breathing became rapid and her fear spiked entirely. “Now won’t that be fun?!” he asked her in a patronizing tone as he gave her an open-mouthed grin, showing off his disgustingly dirty teeth.

Violet’s breathing became heavy as she gasped for air the moment he lifted his face even an inch away from hers. By the look on Olaf’s face, Violet knew that he knew that he was terrifying her.

“...l-leave them alone!” she cried struggling as Olaf removed his hand from her throat. “You have me!” she reasoned, her voice thick with fear. “I can get you both fortunes! Just leave Klaus and Sunny alone!”

He snickered. “I do have you…” he said smiling. “And what a treat that is,”

Violet trembled and began to struggle when she felt Olaf’s hand on her lower leg. She shifted uncomfortably. He grins at her, again, his hand trailing up to her knee agonizingly slow. Violet jerked her leg again. Fear creeping slowly into her eyes, paralyzing her to her core. She felt frozen as she felt his hand stroke her knee. Her heart was beating rapidly as she started screaming for help as Olaf clapped his hand over her mouth. She desperately tried to bite his hand as she tried to break free from her restraints. She looked around the room desperately, her eyes locking on the door. She prayed that someone, anyone, would walk in here soon and stop him before he was to do anything too heinous. He seemed to revel in her fear, probably because he rarely got to see it.

Olaf smirked again when he could see her face full of fear as she unknowingly was looking at him trying to look into his eyes for an ounce of mercy or humanity just as he described in his little speech that was designed to scare her. His smirk widened when he remembered the same look on Klaus’ face back when he first traumatized the young orphan.

He kept his hand at her knee, which was a small relief to Violet but she knew it was not because he had any mercy or humanity, it was merely because he was getting a kick out of her trembling in fear that he wanted to prolong it for as long as he could to further torment the poor girl. And why wouldn’t he? He believed he had all the time in the world. He had his favorite little orphan captured and in his clutches unable to escape or save herself and he severely doubted that Klaus was going to attempt another rescue mission after his first one had ended in his own pain, misery, and blood being spilled. Olaf believed that even if Klaus was brave enough to try to rescue Violet, he would fail miserably and then he would have all three children in his clutches. His to torture in any way that he seemed fit.

He glanced up at the terrified Violet, who looked from him to his hand attentively. Only staring at one or the other for a few seconds before shifting her eyes. She closed her eyes and pushed her head against the gurney as if she were ready to give in. She sighed heavily and as she did, Olaf and even Violet, herself, could hear the tremble in her voice. “...don’t...please don’t hurt them…” she cried, tears once again flowing.

He once again reveled and rejoiced in her misery and fear as he used his free hand to wipe her tears from her eyes again. “Didn’t we talk about crying?” he asked in a tone that was softer than his threats but was far scarier. “ Pretty little orphans shouldn’t cry…”

She jerked her head once more. She felt sick to her stomach with each second that passed by. She stared at the door, pleading within her mind for someone to barge in and stop him before he went too far.

“I mean...I could just keep you...and let them live,” he mused. She groaned depressingly simply because of the way he said it. It didn’t sound like he was contemplating her idea, it sounded like he was planning to use it against her. “But...you’d have to do something for me first,” he explained as he began to lift his grip from her knee. Violet shuddered violently, understanding fully well what he had been implying.

Violet’s eyes widened. “Stop fucking touching me! ” she cried through her sobs, desperately pulling at her wrists and ankles. She needed the restraints to loosen but unfortunately for her, it didn’t seem to be happening.

Olaf smirked down at her as he lifted the large knife. Violet couldn’t tell if the knife was, yet another, scare tactic or if this was really what he was going to do. Merely cut her up. She didn’t know exactly how to feel about that. She stared at the large knife, her breathing becomes rapid.

 No. She told herself as she felt herself shake. He wouldn’t do that to you. He said it himself. You’re too pretty for that.

She involuntarily gagged at her thoughts. On second thought, I’d prefer if he cut me like he did Klaus.  

She looked at the knife fearfully when he set it on her leg, applying slight pressure to it. She froze under his touch, too afraid to continue to struggle because she didn’t want to cut herself. “Oh, Violet.. .I will touch whatever I want. ”

Violet shuddered at both the tone that he used to say that and the double meaning she knew that the statement had. He stroked the knife against her knee with one hand as he lifted his other hand, keeping it above her thigh. Violet had a feeling she knew now why Olaf had wanted her in the hospital gown. As his hand hovered over her thigh, she pulled at her wrists violently ignoring the sharp pain that was affecting her wrists.

“ No,” she cried. She glanced at the door, practically begging with her eyes for the Hook-Handed Man or anyone else to open the door now! As Violet continued to struggle against her restraints, she decided that she’d rather not see what was to happen next. She closed her eyes tight as the door swung open.

“Boss! Boss! Come quick!” The Hook-Handed Man cried urgently.

Olaf groaned loudly as he dropped the large knife on the tray filled with medical tools that still laid on top of Violet. “Can’t you see that I’m busy with my pet?” he asked stroking Violet’s hair.

Violet whimpered and tried to move her head as she watched the henchman slightly shudder.

“This better be important!” Olaf hissed, turning his body and attention towards his henchman, glaring at him. Violet took this opportunity to lift up her head and quickly scan the tray of tools looking for something sharp to cut her restraints. She glanced around at all the big tools knowing full well that she couldn’t take one of those because she needed to be conspicuous. Her eyes locked on a scalpel that was laying at the edge of the tray. She quickly glanced up at Olaf, who was still distracted by his henchman and she quietly reached for the scalpel. She looked up at the henchman to see if he was watching her, but he seemed to be focused on something else. She carefully took the scalpel from the tray and cautiously hid it under her body.

“We just found the other brats!” The Hook-Handed Man reported.

“What?!” Olaf cried excitedly, his eyes widening and shining with pure happiness.

Violet’s eyes widened for an entirely different reason. “ NO!” she screamed. Her struggling became a bit harsher as she groaned and winced from the pain that was going through her wrists. “ Please!”

“The others are in pursuit right now,” he explained. “But we need your help catching them, sir.”

Olaf groaned. “Where’s Esme?” he asked. “She caught this pretty little thing for me...why can’t she catch the other two?”

“She’s busy doing her own thing,” the henchman replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Must I do everything myself?” he asks as he glares at his henchman.

Olaf growls knowing damn well that that meant Esme was more focused on getting her damn sugar bowl than getting him the remaining two orphans. That would explain why she hadn’t followed him into Violet’s room. Olaf turned from his henchperson back to Violet. He placed a cold hand on her bruised cheek. “Maybe our fun should wait until I have those pesky Baudelaires.” he hissed as he caressed her cheek. She shudders under his touch, he could hear her whimpers.

“ Please! Leave them alone!” Violet pleads, choking on her tears. “ They’re all I have!”  She began to harshly pull at her restraints careful not to move too much where the scalpel could be seen or where she’d accidentally bump it off her gurney. She grunted and groaned in pain as she twisted her wrists and ankles this way and that.

Olaf smirked widens as he watches her. He takes the tray from where it laid on top of her and placed it back on the counter that was far from where her gurney was parked.

He turned to her and viciously hissed, “Oh, Violet. You have nothing.” he lifted up the big knife as he examined it again. He turned to his henchman. “Do you think this is sharper than your hooks?”

The man shrugged in response. “Actually, the duller the weapon the better. The more pressure that needs to be applied." Olaf muttered to himself loud enough for Violet to hear. “Hmmmm...maybe we can use this drill on the little baby,” he said lifting up the drill and turning it on once more. "What do you think, pet?"

This time the sound it produced made Violet’s ears and heart ache. She didn’t care imagining it being used on her but to be used on Sunny...she couldn’t bear it.

“ Please! You have me! You don’t need to harm them anymore!”

He walks back to her as he glances down at her. “Don’t worry, pet, I’ll allow you to see them one last time. ” The words hit Violet to her core as her heart was beating too fast. She tried to look into Olaf’s viciously shiny eyes for mercy but he was right, there was absolutely none especially when it came to her siblings. “I mean, how else could you witness their demise?”

“ Olaf! Please! No!” She cries. Her tone a mix of anger and desperation.

Olaf pats her on the head. “A fake doctor’s work is never done.” he shrugged his shoulders as he began to walk out. “Oh, and I wouldn’t bother screaming...in a hospital...screams are perfectly normal. Am I right?” He gestured around as if to tell Violet that no one had come to her rescue and the only reason he was leaving her right now was to go catch her siblings. “It seems like your self-sacrifice was for nothing. You just made them easier targets to catch.”

“ You listen to me you piece of fucking dog shit! Don’t you dare touch Klaus or Sunny!” Violet cried desperately. Her anger taking the forefront of her mindset. “ When I get out of these restraints, I will make you pay for everything you’ve done to them! And everything you try to do to them!”

He laughed at Violet’s threats as he walked back towards the door to follow his henchman, he stopped at the tray and lifted the big, sharp knife once more. “On second thought, this will be perfect for subduing those brats. They’ll both be shaking to their cores at the mere sight of this and then we’ll snatch them,” he explained cruelly to Violet. “Let’s go, Hooky.”

“ No...no...you can’t! Please!” She struggled violently. Her desperation and anger were fighting for the forefront of her mind. “ If you harm them...I will fucking kill you! You hear me! I will end you so quickly if you even dare touch even a hair on either one of their heads!”

Olaf put his hand up in the air and waved at Violet tauntingly. “ I’m so scared.” He mocked as he began to laugh maniacally. “ Don’t worry, my pretty little pet, I’ll be right back.”

Before she could respond, he closed the door behind him and his henchman.

“ No!” she shrieked. “ You don’t need them! You have me!”

But she didn’t get a response...not a single response. Her fear had her paralyzed. She had just had a really close call with Olaf and now the only reason she was relatively safer than she was just mere moments ago was that Olaf had left to chase after her siblings, who have apparently been spotted in the hospital. Violet knew she had to get to her siblings before Olaf and his troupe could. So as she reached her fingers to the scalpel that she had stolen from Olaf, she maneuvered the tool at the perfect angle and with her right hand, she began to desperately cut at her restraints. Glancing at the door, looking for anyone’s approaching shadows. She only hoped that everyone in Olaf’s troupe was focused on literally chasing down Klaus and Sunny only because she knew that if everyone was focused on them that means no one was paying her any attention whatsoever and that’s exactly the kind of distraction she needed to escape from Olaf’s clutches.

As she cut through her first restraint, Violet knew she had to find Klaus and Sunny before Olaf could.

[theculturedmarxist]

US secretary of state declares “military response” to Iran “being considered”

     By    Peter Symonds    

       17 June 2019  

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday continued the Trump administration’s belligerent threats against Iran, declaring in an interview on CBS “Face the Nation” that the US was “considering a full range of options.” Asked if that included “a military response,” he declared “of course.”

Pompeo blustered his way through the interview, dismissing any suggestion that the US had no evidence to prove that Iran had attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last Thursday. He insisted that a grainy video released by the US Central Command showed a small boat of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) approached and removed an unexploded limpet mine from the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous.

Last Friday, Yukata Katada, the president of the Kokuka Sangyo shipping company that owns the Kokuka Courageous tanker, rejected the claim that the ship had been damaged by limpet mines. “The crew are saying it was hit with a flying object. They saw something flying toward them, then there was an explosion, then there was a hole in the vessel. Then some crew witnessed a second shot.”

Confronted with these remarks yesterday on Fox News Sunday, Pompeo simply dodged the question, declaring that “the intelligence community has lots of data, lots of evidence” and “the American people should rest assured we have high confidence with respect to who conducted the attacks.” He provided no evidence or data, however.

The Secretary of State gave a similar response when asked on CBS about comments by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas that the video was “not enough.” Pompeo baldly declared that Maas had seen “a great deal more than just the video” but did not elaborate. In a not-so-subtle swipe at Germany, he added that “there are countries that just wish this should go away and they want to act in a way that is counterfactual.”

Germany is not the only country to question the lack of evidence. Japan Today reported yesterday that the Japanese government had also requested further proof. “The US explanation had not helped us to go beyond speculation,” a senior government official said.

Another source close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the website: “These are not definitive proof that it’s Iran. Even if it’s the United States that makes the assertion, we cannot simply say we believe it.”

The source also noted that the attacks on the tankers took place as Abe was meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his trip to Iran to try to mediate between Tehran and Washington. He said the attacks had “severely affected the prime minister’s reputation” and “making mistakes when determining facts is impermissible.”

Clearly Japan and Germany simply do not believe the US allegations and suspect that the incident could well be a provocation organized by the US or an ally to provide the justification for war against Iran. Commenting on US claims that the sophistication of the attacks “proved” it was Iran, a Japanese foreign ministry official told JapanToday: “That [argument] would apply to the United States and Israel as well.”

Iran has emphatically denied any involvement in the incident. In rejecting the allegations, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani branded the US as “a serious threat to the stability of the region.”

The Trump administration deliberately ratchetted up tensions with Tehran when, in breach of UN resolutions, it abrogated the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. The US has re-imposed and intensified crippling economic sanctions on Iran with the express aim of reducing its energy exports to zero.

The US decision to confront Iran is not just aimed at Iran but at allies such as Germany and Japan, as well as open rivals such as China and Russia. In the wake of the 2015 agreement and the partial lifting of sanctions, these and other countries have been developing economic and political relations with Tehran. Largely excluded, Washington is exploiting sanctions and the threat of brute military force to sabotage these ties.

In what amounted to a blunt threat, Pompeo implied that the threat of war would force other countries to line up with the US. On Fox News Sunday, he noted that “very little of our crude oil comes through the Gulf,” then added that other countries—China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia—were highly dependent. “I am confident that when they see the risk, the risk to their own economies and their own people… they will join us,” Pompeo boasted.

At this stage only Britain and several Gulf States have backed the US claims. Crown Prince Mahammed bin Salman, who is implicated in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October, declared over the weekend that Saudi Arabia “will not hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, sovereignty and vital interests.” Yesterday, US F-15 fighter jets flew in formation with Saudi warplanes in the Gulf region.

Last month, the Trump administration ordered the USS Lincoln’s carrier battle group, a bomber strike force led by nuclear-capable B-52s, along with 900 additional ground troops and a Patriot missile battery into the region. Leaked plans also revealed that up to 120,000 troops could be deployed to the region.

On Friday, according to the New York Times, Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton, a notorious warmonger, met for three hours with acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Joseph Dunford, to discuss the tanker attacks.

The Pentagon is reportedly weighing sending as many as 6,000 additional troops to the Gulf region, along with warships and fighter jets. Washington is also trying to assemble an international coalition to provide warships to escort tankers through the Gulf. Asked about these plans yesterday, Pompeo refused to comment.

When pressed on CBS as to whether Trump had the legal authority to attack Iran, Pompeo dismissed the suggestion that the US Congress would have to approve such action. He declared that “the American people should be very confident… [that] we will always do the hard task it takes to protect American interests, wherever they are.”

The Trump administration is engaged in a reckless drive to war against Iran on the basis of lies. The US military build-up in the Gulf region, including the prospect of military manoeuvres in the narrow Strait of Hormuz, sets the stage for provocations that provide the trigger for a catastrophic conflict that would draw in other powers.

Burn down recruitment centers. Kill anyone you see in an American uniform. Bomb federal buildings. Do the world a favor and execute these worthless people from Trump on down.

[mykravlife]

OODA Loop: How to make quick decisions that keep you safe and alive

In a world where violence is unpredictable, how do you make quick decisions to keep yourself safe?

There were two main things that first attracted me to Krav Maga. The first was the simplicity and effectiveness of the techniques. And the second was how much practical theory there is in the teaching.

Today, I want to explore one of those theories…

So, have you ever been in a situation where you were unsure of what to do?

You probably found yourself thinking about all the different options available and weighing them up. This is natural, but it can also be dangerous if there isn’t enough time for this process.

Making quick decisions that keeping safe is important for anyone who practices Krav Maga. It’s also an essential life skill.

Enter the OODA Loop…

The OODA Loop is a four-step decision making framework which can be used to make quick decisions in a crisis situation.

The OODA Loop, was developed by Colonel John Boyd of the USAF, and is one of the theories that we teach in Krav Maga.

Colonel Boyd is considered to be one of the top American military strategists of our time, his work is used extensively both inside and outside of the military, especially in the self defence/protection field.

In order to make quick decisions that keep us safe we first need to understand how decision-making works. The OODA Loop helps us do that.

The first step is to Observe: In other words, to ask ‘What’s going on around me?’

The second step is Orient: ‘What does this mean and how will I respond?’

Thirdly, Decide: ‘How should I react right now?’

Finally, Act: Execute my plan.

It’s helpful to visualise the OODA Loop as a circle with each step representing an action taken by you leading into the next step in a continuous cycle.

So what is the OODA Loop? And how does it apply to me?

In a nutshell, the OODA loop is the process of making quick decisions. To stay safe based on what’s happening around you.

The idea suggests that the key to success lies in how quickly you can make decisions that are appropriate in those circumstances — a skill known as reflexivity.

As already discussed, the acronym OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide and Act.

Observe

The first part of the OODA Loop is Observing what’s happening around you. In other words, are there any threats?

This is done by scanning your surroundings for potential dangers. When we observe, we take in new information about the environment.

Considering new information allows our minds to become an open system instead of a closed one, giving us insights that are crucial to making better decisions.

This means that if we remain open to new information, we’ll have greater opportunities for success and keeping ourselves safe.

This is not always an easy task — it can be hard to keep our minds open and receptive during the high stress of a confrontation.

But the more we practice, the easier it becomes.

Observing is a key element of self defence. It’s your responsibility to stay safe and to be ready to react to any potential dangers.

But how do you decide what to observe?

Here are a few ideas: -What does an attacker look like? What weapon might he be holding? Does his body language suggest anything about his intent or abilities?

Another consideration is the environment in which you’re standing. Environment can provide critical additional information such as whether or not they have access to weapons that can harm you (e.g., kitchen knives).

Observing your surroundings helps you form a hypothesis for deciding on how best to act next.

This means that by getting into the habit of scanning our environments for possible threats, we can be proactive about our safety.

When someone trains themselves well with these observation skills, they’re able to make decisions faster than usual which leads into the next part of the OODA Loop…Orient.

Orient

In the Orient phase, we take all the information we gathered in the Observe phase to come up with the ‘mental model’ or theory we’re going to use for the particular situation we’re in.

Realising that not every situation requires the same response, we adapt our model to the current situation based on the data collected.

Sometimes, for example, we might need to run as fast and as far away from a threat as possible. Other times, we may want to try talking it out with the person, or we may have no choice but to engage them.

It’s important at this stage not just to consider what will happen if you do nothing but also what might occur because of the actions you take.

For example, how will an aggressive person react because I ran? Will they chase me? Do I stand a better chance of surviving if I fight or if I comply? Will it be harder for me to escape then?

The time spent deliberating should last as short of a time as possible, no more than a few seconds before moving onto the next step.

The point is, in the Orient phase, we come up with the idea of how we’re going to make decisions in the next phase of the OODA Loop.

Decide

At this point in the OODA Loop process is where an individual decides what their best course of action will be based on all they’ve observed so far. This phase also includes executing plans about how you’ll deal with any threats that come up.

The two primary aspects of this are deciding how much risk you’re willing to take on (e.g., run away, attack) and choosing a course of action based on that level of riskiness (run toward them or stay put).

The most important thing you can do when faced with a potential threat is make decisions quickly…

You’re going to evaluate all the options and select which one is best for your situation.

Act

The next step is to act on it quickly. So don’t take too long to implement the course of action that you chose in the decide phase.

Just do it, just go with your gut! This could mean that if someone comes at you in an aggressive manner, like they want to fight or rob you, then striking first while their guard is down could be the best course of action to keep you safe!

This would be much faster as you’re reacting before you’re put in worse danger. In this case, the OODA Loop has served as a tool not only for self-defense but also self preservation.

This is the OODA loop in action: observe, orient, decide, and act!

It’s important not only for self defense but also for any other sort of fast-paced situation such as driving or operating machinery.

Although there are many ways to react to danger (e.g., escape), making an immediate decision will help you stay safe, especially if confronted with violence at close range — which happens more often than people think!

It takes a lot of skill to be able to make quick decisions that keep you safe.

The OODA Loop is the framework choosen by many Kravists for decision-making in order to get the best possible outcome.

It can work as your own personal filter for making tough decisions in everyday life too! All you have to do is ask yourself these four questions:

1) What are my options?

2) What are their likely consequences?

3) What is the objective I want at this moment?

4) Which option will give me what I want most quickly and with the least risk or harm?

Krav Maga as a self-defense system promotes realistic fighting techniques.

It’s not about winning a fight, it’s about escaping from one. The OODA Loop is an important concept because it teaches you to make quick decisions that keep you safe.

If you’d like to learn more about the cool theories we teach in Krav Maga subscribe to the Krav Life email list here: mykravlife.com

[s-o-n-de-r]

From indie rock to mega pop: sonder editor Andrew’s top albums of 2017

I spent a lot of time paying closer attention to a wider range of music in 2017 than I have in past years, so a lot of records made their way onto the sonder desk. Keeping up with all the new music in any given year is a monumental task, but certain records stick with you, and while everyone has their own picks, these are mine.

SAINTE – smile, and wave

SAINTE, the new project of We Are the In Crowd members Tay Jardine, Cameron Hurley, and Mike Ferri, took a while to get their debut record out, but this seven-song EP is a sleeper hit.

When SAINTE was first revealed, it was pitched as songs written as We Are the In Crowd but didn’t really fit the mold of the pop-punk band. What we got with SAINTE was an awakening, a refresh. Smile, and wave is poppy rock baked in neon-y ‘80s influences – it’s catchy and bright, but it’s not shtick. Whereas the last album We Are the In Crowd put out (Weird Kids) hopped around different song styles, this new band goes full steam ahead in one direction. It’s honest – not just musically, but lyrically, and this hits you hardest when you realize that Jardine spent a good portion of the previous year under the thumb of depression and anxiety. As such, this music is cathartic, especially the freeing and poppy “With Or Without Me,” the optimistic “If You Ever Feel Alone,” and the cruising anthem “White Lies.” And the first track, “Eyes Are Open,” debuts the whole project: “Starting right now, our eyes are open.” This record is a reason for you to keep yours open, too.

Jule Vera – Waiting On The Sun

When Jule Vera dropped their sophomore album Waiting On The Sun, it was a radical departure from their previous EP, in a great way. Waiting On The Sun mixes and matches all these influences that you would never expect to pair well together. But they do. It’s modern, but it’s folksy, too and has influences from a wide selection of genres, not to mention a palpable sense of southern rock. Each song’s separate identity keeps you going through the album because you’re not exactly what the band will throw out next. Fittingly, the album closer, “Can’t Help,” is the most enigmatic song on the album and leaves you thirsting to go back the beginning and try to process the range of music you heard.

Neaux – Fell Off the Deep End

This one was actually released in 2016, but it got a re-master and re-release in 2017, so we’re counting it for 2017. Neaux’s music, a violet-tinged mashup of shoegaze, grunge, emo, and punk, is captivating even if you’re completely uninterested in the genre. This is especially true of Fell Off the Deep End, which bleeds deliberate lo-fi meandering. It’s possibly the most un-pretentious album of the year. These eight sludgy songs are industrial addictions, conjuring up images of leather jacket smokers in dark alleys on cold nights. This is an album that is difficult to listen to only one song off of. Sierra Kay’s blunt honesty makes her an open book, and it makes this album great to just zone out to.

Neaux also released their follow up, Chain Up The Sun, this year, but we felt it didn’t have quite the magic to it that makes Fell Off the Deep End so good.

Lorde – Melodrama

In the realm of mega-pop, so much of what a musician does can often instantly induce cringe – this is the case with Taylor Swift’s catastrophe Reputation or the disappointingly theatric After Laughter (by Paramore). It almost comes with the territory. Big pop names, in an effort to re-invent themselves every record cycle, often go way over the top. But Lorde, the New Zealand pop singer/songwriter behind the radio hit “Royals,” did the opposite and blessed the world with one of the best pop albums in recent times. Melodrama is a hit because it does what daring pop does: It exists within the confines of a genre that encourages homogeneity by rejecting said homogeneity. Lorde’s glittering vocals glide next to grandiose piano and dreamy electronic arrangements that crash into deep and powerful drum-and-bass segments that echo of some of the grooviest pop of the last decade. All this considered, the album’s best song is “Liability” because it’s just Lorde alone with a piano riff and a heart-wrenchingly honest confessional: “They say ‘you’re a little much for me / You’re a liability.’” Such melancholy coming from a “star” shows us the universality of sadness that can go straight to our core, but don’t over-analyze this song – it just makes you feel.

It’s actually astonishing how well put-together this album is – Jack Antonoff, who you’ll see later on in this list, had a major hand in this record, and it’s his trademark production and co-writing that brings out the depth of this record, although most credit of course goes to the songwriter herself. Lorde is unafraid of not only pushing boundaries, but totally destroying them, and it shows: Melodrama is critically acclaimed all around the music journalism world.

Lights – Skin & Earth

We went into depth on Lights’ latest release in our full-length feature, but as the year has progressed, Skin & Earth has stood strong. Our last three albums on this list all stand out because they have a remarkable sense of journey and adventure, a thread that gets carried throughout the entire album. This is especially true of Skin & Earth – “Intro” and “Skydiving” set the tone for the entire album: Fresh and exciting and a new version of Lights in a growing discography of different things. Skin & Earth is Lights’ take on the broader themes in pop in 2017, but of course in her own way. This album is practically bursting with songs you can’t skip.

The Maine – Lovely Little Lonely

The Maine are easily one of the most under-rated bands in the alternative/rock industry. They may have caught their initial break in the Vans Warped Tour scene, but they’ve long outgrown that. They’ve gone (and stayed) independent and have released phenomenal album after phenomenal album, coalescing with this year’s Lovely Little Lonely. Vocalist John O’Callaghan’s pensive and poetic lyrical voice is at its strongest on this album, and musically, the band sounds more refined than they have before. Lovely Little Lonely is a walk through all the emotions that make us human, and with the record’s wistful transition tracks (“Lovely,” “Little,” and “Lonely”), this album stops to breathe and let the listener absorb everything. O’Callaghan has always had a knack in bringing out meaning in life’s ups and downs, and songs such as “Taxi,” “I Only Wanna Talk To You,” and “Don’t Come Down” send you through such roller coasters. But Lovely Little Lonely is no one-man effort. The Maine may qualify as an alternative rock band, but the tag doesn’t even begin to do it justice. Lovely Little Lonely is genre-bending and utilizes just enough dreamy and baroque instrumentation (such as in the title tracks) to slot it truly within its own world, something of a rare white elk in the music world. It is no coincidence that a truly independent band with a respectable work ethic put out one of the best albums of 2017. Out of all the albums on this list, Lovely Little Lonely is the one with the broadest appeal. It’s a record for nearly anyone.

Bleachers – Gone Now

The margin between Lovely, Little, Lonely and our album of the year was so slim it was almost non-existent. What both albums do spectacularly is transmit their particular sense of emotion with almost 100 percent accuracy. Both of these albums make you feel, and they make you feel heavily. They’re both cohesive and filled with variety and great musicianship, but there can only be one number one, and that goes to Bleachers’ Gone Now.

Gone Now is so well-done it may not only be the album of 2017, but one of the best of the entire decade. If you’re not in the know, Bleachers is the brainchild of Fun. member and general music savant Jack Antonoff, who has had a hand in producing some of pop’s biggest recent hits (he worked on Taylor Swift’s 1989 and Reputation, as well as Melodrama, which I previously discussed, and with countless other big names).

That being said, Antonoff’s best work is with Bleachers, a format that finds him engaging himself at his quirkiest. Often, self-indulgence can be boring and pretentious, but Gone Now is a liquor shot of authenticity in the most Antonoff way possible. Nearly anything Antonoff touches reeks of his style, a unique watermark on a piece of music. Gone Now is this as well – it’s weird at times, infinitely self-referential, and often forgoes typical song structure (because it can), but all of this only enhances the struggle at the core of this album. Gone Now is a beautiful rendition of loss of youth and depression and self-care and working through internal strife. These things, give or take, are often at the core of music, but Antonoff has excelled at writing heart-tugging music since his days in Steel Train, and Gone Now just shows how much he’s honed it. These songs don’t just dump their messages on you all at once; they build up to sonic crescendos and get increasingly neurotic before dropping huge weights on you, resulting in some profound sing-along moments. The lead single, “Don’t Take The Money,” is a great example of this. That’s kind of an anomaly, as most lead singles are just there to catch ears, but each song on the album burns with its own intensity and takes your hand through to the next one. Consider how it starts out with “Dream of Mickey Mantle,” a song about an actual dream, before transitioning into the Ben Folds-esque “Goodmorning,” a song about waking up in the morning and feeling the crushing weights of life fall onto you.

Granted, it could be difficult to process the wild variation in tone and style that this album has, as songs go from ‘80s influenced pop to having experimental saxophone hooks to repeating lines distorted by bizarre vocoder effects, but once you realize that this is actually Antonoff at his most honest, it feels right. In fact, Gone Now works because of how experimental it is, not in spite of. Heck, the album ends with “Foreign Girls,” which starts off sounding like it’s going to be something out of a ‘70s sci-fi movie, but turns into a warm and endearing ditty. Unpredictability explodes from this album, but underneath all of it is genuinely cathartic and meaningful pop music, and that’s what makes it my album of the year.

---

Article and photos by sonder editor Andrew Friedgen. Album art by the respective bands. Like this? Sonder is an independent music, travel and photography publication at sonderlife.com. Give us a follow here or at our Twitter, Instagram or Facebook if you like this!

Also check out:

Our features throughout the year

Our index of every band we’ve photographed

[nemesis-nexus]

Full Wolf Moon 2019

HAIL THE ANCIENT FAMILY! The world is a vast and wild place and we are all lucky to be part of it! What was created was meant to keep everything well cared for and to self-replicate with the turning of the Seasons! We humans were put here to be Earth Guardians and Water Protectors, the ones who were meant to oversee everything in our respective areas and to make sure that the Balance was kept so that all things could continue to thrive! However, we have lapsed into a state of complacency that has made many of us falter at our posts! Instead of protecting our Home, many humans are actively destroying it in the name of greed and arrogance, they just call it “Industry” so it sounds consistently progressive which in a sense it is, it is progressively killing off not only entire herds of animals of all kinds, it is progressively destroying the ecosystem which EVERYTHING relies on for survival INCLUDING itself, which they either don’t or don’t WANT TO understand!

Right now we here up North are in the Season of Death called Winter when the Natural World puts itself to bed to reenergize and regenerate, when the Wheel turns once more and the Season of Rebirth called Spring comes ‘round again! When you look at how Nature times everything and how everything always gets taken care of you wonder how it is the disconnect between the Natural World and the so-called Modern World of the Human Race came to be in the first place.

We are one even though we are many and we are connected by the delicate Web that holds all things in existence together!

The Web of Life includes everything and it's constructed very intricately so that every aspect of it and every life form in it plays an integral role. If anything is removed from this Web everything suffers, we have seen this before with other animal and insect species that have become extinct!

A great example; some of the endangered species include bees which if there are no bees left due to pesticides being sprayed on crops and flowers as well as humans just killing them, then we will all die! Bees are responsible for the pollination of not only trees and flowers but crops as well! In short no pollination means no crops, no crops means no food for animals OR humans!

What it comes down to is the human race has a job to do; that is to be the voice for the voiceless and protect those who even though they can fight for themselves cannot defend themselves against aerial assaults, long-range or chemical weapons!

The human race likes to think that it's above everything else and it couldn't be more wrong, the truth is all forms of life on this planet uphold one another and every time we allow a species to go extinct what we're really doing is engineering our own destruction!

The bushfires in Australia saw the deaths of millions of animals and flora, as well as massive amounts of devastation to human families! To find out that 200 HUMANS set these fires DELIBERATELY demonstrates just how deep the disconnection from the Spiritual really is, it’s as enraging as it is heartbreaking! To think that anyone could be so callous or so cruel is almost beyond belief!

As Above, So Below, All Things Great and Small from humans to our quadruped brethren, to our winged sisters and brothers, to our insect kin, all plant life, the rivers, the trees the mountains, we may take on different forms but we all need each other to survive! Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Heart/Spirit all living as one!

Earth = Heart and Earth is the Heart of us all, right now our Mother's heart is breaking because we are not doing what we need to do to heal her from our past and present transgressions, but all that can and will change if we all work together!

I have been saying this for years that if humans put aside their differences and came together as a whole with a common vision and a common goal for the future and shared ideas on how to be more proactive in ways of sustainable farming, banning factory farming, cleaning up the oceans and beaches, moving away from fossil fuels and putting a serious cap on carbon emissions we will make a significant impact and begin to change the current state of things for the better!

These are of course just a few of the things that need to be worked on and I'm not saying it's going to happen overnight but it can happen if we really want it to and we need for it to! If we stay on the course that we're currently on the only end result will be DEATH, not only to the human race but to EVERY species and life forms on the Earth!

As John Lennon once said "You can call me a Dreamer, but I'm not the only one, I hope someday you will join us and the world can live as one!" Because I truly believe that this is possible and it can be done, we just need to work together to make it happen! It's not going to be easy but it will be worth it especially for future Generations!

They say that the whole purpose of life is to create something that will outlast us and I agree because if we start this now and show people what we mean by sustainable living and renewable energy then the youth who are already stepping up and making their voices heard will join with us and keep it going long after we are gone! We CAN do this people I KNOW we can!

Tonight is the night of the Full Wolf Moon when Wolves can be heard the most and the loudest! In North America (and other areas) wolves, despite their misguided stereotypes, are not feared! Instead they are respected and revered as Spirit Animals and Guides who help the human race to not only keep fighting no matter who or what our aggressor is, but to also be strong in the face of adversity and even tragedy!

Life, Death, Intelligence, Strength, Perseverance, Stamina, Intuition, Nature and the changing of the Seasons are all gifts that have been bequeathed unto not only us but all living things and it is important that we do not forget who we are and why we are here! Remember to always be grateful for what you have but to also never stop striving to improve your situation as Time and Tide waits for NO ONE! The world does not owe us anything; our Great Mother provides everything and we as her children have a duty to show our appreciation by taking care of her and keeping her healthy so that her Heart can go on beating the rhythm of Creation and perpetual Life!

NEVER Back Up! NEVER Back Down!

NEVER Give Up! NEVER Give In!

“Wolves of Odinn

Can you hear them in the distance?

The Wolves are howling, alerting the Clans!

Can you see the shadows stretching across the frozen Tundra?

The hunters are on the move and the Moon is their only light!

Can you feel them all around you?

They are sniffing the air and catching your scent!

Can you understand what is happening?

The ones you called out have answered and are responding!

Can you run fast enough?

Your lies and deceit are about to catch up with you!

Can you cover your tracks?

No matter where you run your footprints in the snow will betray your direction!

Can you withstand the thought of all you disrespected descending upon you?

You thought you had all the power and that we were gone yet HERE WE ARE!

Do you have anything you would like to say before divine justice is reigned down?

Remaining silent will not help you now as your actions have already sealed your fate!

Did you think that we would disappear completely just because you wanted us to?

The reality is we’ve always been here and we’ve been waiting to confront you!

Did you think all the pain you inflicted would be swept away like the sands of time?

We will never forget the agony, rage, denigration or dehumanization you perpetuated!

How long did you think that you could lie, cheat and steal before the world became aware?

Your days are numbered as our Ancestors are screaming out to us and we are listening!

What will become of the world when all the Heathens rise up to reclaim our Place?

A new day will dawn when once again the Earth and all her children can live free again!

Do you know who the Wolves are that are tracking you down and ready to pounce?

WE ARE THE WOLVES OF ODINN AND WE ARE ONE EVEN THOUGH WE ARE MANY!”

---

"Dragon Spirit

In Darkness we are born,

To Darkness we shall return!

In the Middle Space of Above and Below,

The Dragons Heart doth burn!

From Stardust we are molded,

Dragons Blood in our veins!

The Sea of Tranquility carries us through,

Until Stardust again is all that remains!

The Dragons are always alert and ready,

Ever observing, hear their call!

They will fight with all due ferocity,

Until the enemy doth fall!

As the Body Earth stands steadfast,

The Breath of Wind does blow,

The Soul Fire inside vigorously churns,

While the Waters of Life doth flow!

The Darkness of this night is deep and it is long,

Comparable only to Family ties that are so strong!

The Great Wheel continues to turn brining on more changes,

It is for us to adapt or die when the script rearranges!

There is no constant and nothing is guaranteed,

But through hard work and effort we find our Dragon Spirit freed!

The most important thing to remember is loyalty to Blood and Spiritual Family,

And adhere to the premise that we are ONE even though we are MANY!"

-HPS Meg “Nemesis Nexus” Prentiss

ZI ANA KANPA! ZI KIA KANPA!

MAY THE DEAD RISE AND SMELL THE INSENCE!

AVÉ IGGIGI!

AVÉ ANUNNA!

AVÉ DRACONIS!

HAIL THE GREAT SERPENT!

RESPECT TO ODINN!

RESPECT TO FRIGGA!

RESPECT TO FREYA!

RESPECT TO FREYR!

RESPECT TO ÞOR!

RESPECT TO BALDUR!

We are ONE even though we are MANY and we stand STRONGEST when we stand TOGETHER!

HAIL THE ANCIENT FAMILY!

🐍🌎🌬💖🌿🦌🐺🐲💧🔥🐉

[tb5-heavenward]

Secret Project Hype Is GO!

April 17th, 1:13AM EDT

Words: 5022 / ??,???

Chapters: 2 / 20ish

Random Quote:

Whatever this means to John is lost on Scott, but he doesn't miss the way his brother's eyes widen slightly. John takes the tablet and starts to skim through its contents. Scott watches as his brother sits back in his chair, lapsing into what seems like a fairly troubled silence as he reads the provided report. For lack of another likely opportunity, Scott takes advantage of the distraction to steal his brother's pastry. Penelope takes another sip of tea. And a long minute of silence creeps by, as John does what he does best.

April 18th, 12:54AM EDT

Words: 5971 / ??,???

Chapters: 2 / 20ish

Random Quote:

“I don’t think we should do this.”

Scott scoffs and just about rolls his eyes clean out of his head. “Really? Funny, that hasn’t been even remotely evident in the way you’re carrying on. Not at all. Nope. Would not have guessed.”

April 19th, 8:24AM EDT

Words: 7500/ ??,???

Chapters: 3 / 20ish

Random Quote:

It’s probably for the best they’re not dependent on Penelope for a ride out to the manor. Scott can only imagine it would be an awkward tableau, the three of them in the back of FAB1. And he misses driving, to the point that landing TB1 at Heathrow and renting last year’s Aston Martin—in a gleaming cobalt blue, with a leather interior and the sort of horsepower that feels comparable to a jet engine, even if he knows better—had seemed like an entirely justifiable luxury. It lies in wait, one of Scott’s only natural predators, by the curb outside the tearoom. Raindrops glisten on its jewel-toned paint job and despite everything, the sight of it is enough to pick Scott’s spirits up, just a little.

“This is all mine and you don’t get to drive it,” he informs his brother, as is required by the time-honoured tradition of elder siblings lording their possessions over their younger.

April 19th, 2:33AM EDT

Words: 8814/ ??,???

Chapters: 4 / 20ish

Random Quote:

It's an ugly enough thought that it makes him feel a little bit sick inside, almost dizzy, like a sudden attack of vertigo. Although, in fairness, it's hard to say how much of that is down to the gravity of the situation---and not just plain old, actual gravity, up to its usual malicious tricks. He's only been down for a couple days. The nausea might just be some latent jet lag, the result of jumping halfway across the world from the island, when Scott insisted they should to pay a visit to Penelope. Well, now he knows what that had been about, at least. Theoretically, he shouldn't be jet-lagged. TB5 runs on the same timezone as England, GMT, Coordinated Universal Time. Theoretically this is his own timezone. Practically, he's been awake for something like a full twenty-four hours, and hasn't eaten much more than a chicken salad sandwich in the past eight of those. Realistically, there are plenty of reasons for the way he feels ill.

April 20th, 3:09AM EDT

Words: 10101/ ??,???

Chapters: 4 / 20ish

Random Quote: 

Eventually, playing the courteous host in Penelope's stead, Parker returns to ask if John would perhaps care for a drink. When the answer is a wearily affirmative "Yes, please" Parker seems to take it as an indication that this should be a double, and comes back bearing a highball glass filled with ice, vodka, and just enough tonic water to suggest that the latter was an afterthought. And a wedge of lime.

This is probably unwise.

April 23rd, 12:25AM EDT

Words: 11299/ ??,???

Chapters: 4 / 20ish

Random Quote:

John glowers at his brother, and if Scott got their father’s voice, then John has echoes of their mother’s, that don’t-make-me-come-up-there, you’re-pushing-it-buster, put-your-brother-DOWN type of tone that warns away from the danger zone. “You really have to fucking stop that.”

Scott shrugs. It’s that same flippancy again, the sort that the eldest employs when he wants to get under John’s skin in particular. Gordon does it too, but Scott’s definitively the expert. “Whistling in the dark, John.”

“Glaringly offensive disregard for the gravity of the situation, Scott.”

April 30th, 2:35AM EDT

Words: 13,321/ ??,???

Chapters: 5 / 20ish

Random Quote:

John's never gone so far as to call Scott stupid, exactly. It's possibly a little bit telling that he hasn't, actually. Ever. That he's always been very, very deliberate about never actually putting the words in that specific order.

Instead it's always, "Don't do anything stupid, Scott" or "Abort your landing or crash your Thunderbird, Scott, up to you" or the ever popular "Just making absolutely sure you're aware of the mountain you're about to fly into, Scott."

Of course you're not stupid, Scott.

But then---

You sure do a lot of really fucking stupid things, though, is what it is, Scott.

May 1st, 2:20AM EDT

Words: 14,847/ ??,???

Chapters: 6 / 20ish

Random Quote:

Scott yawns in answer, though after only nine hours in flight after a full night's sleep, John imagines this is boredom and not tiredness. "Nothing to report. Nine hours of auto pilot. Alan's lucky I know he can actually fly, or I'd be really, really unimpressed with him right about now. His 'bird does most of the work."

"Well, so does mine," John comments, making an idle defense of his little brother and feeling a prickle of homesickness for his station. "And so does yours, for that matter. Al's only seventeen, it's still pretty impressive that he flies a rocketship in the first place."

Scott scoffs at this and folds his arms across his chest. "I'm only twenty-eight, no one's ever impressed with me."

Because it's an opportunity he's rarely ever afforded, John's not gentle as he cuffs his big brother in the back of the head. He pushes nimbly out of range as Scott automatically reaches back to swat at him. "Right, nobody. Never. No one's ever the least bit impressed by Scott Tracy, fourth richest billionaire in the world, and the richest under thirty; leader of International Rescue, pilot of Thunderbird One, and heir apparent to Tracy Industries."

May 2nd, 3:53AM EDT

Words: 16,628/ ??,???

Chapters: 6 / 20ish

Random Quote:

Scott's still drifting lazily nearby as John wonders aloud, "Have you ever figured out if he's just fucking with us? With the names thing?"

Scott scoffs. "I've given the old bastard a list of our names every single time we've seen him, it just doesn't stick."

John's not convinced. "I mean...we're named after the Mercury Seven, though. I don't know how he could fail to parse that, the man's a career astronaut."

"He called me Virgil the last time I saw him. Consistently."

The notion of anyone mixing up Scott and Virgil is a pretty compelling point in favour of John's argument, in John's opinion.

May 3rd, 3:43AM EDT

Words: 17,444/ ??,???

Chapters: 7 / 20ish

Random Quote:

Sometimes, and these past few days especially, Scott wonders if John Tracy might not get a little bit lost in Thunderbird Five. Thunderbird Five is unfailingly cool and detached and professional, hard to surprise and harder still to unsettle. Thunderbird Five has the entire Earth at his fingertips, takes it in and understands it at the barest glance, can reach down out of the heavens themselves and changes the course of the world beneath him. Sometimes even Scott manages to forget that there's a person behind that persona, and that that person is his nerdy, introverted little brother, who's allergic to penicillin and who freckles within five minutes when exposed to sunlight; who built his first telescope when he was fourteen, and has a bookshelf full of dog-eared, vintage sci-fi, gathering dust in the bedroom he almost never occupies.

[spicynbachili1]

Erdogan points finger at Saudi ‘puppet masters’ in Khashoggi case | Saudi Arabia News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated the order for journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing got here from the “highest ranges” of the Saudi authorities, however that he doesn’t imagine King Salman was guilty.

In an opinion piece revealed by US newspaper The Washington Publish on Friday, Erdogan referred to as on Saudi Arabia to reply excellent questions regarding the 59-year-old’s assassination final month.

“We should reveal the identities of the puppet masters behind Khashoggi’s killing,” Erdogan stated, including that Ankara had “moved heaven and earth to make clear all points of this case”.

“We’re shocked and saddened by the efforts of sure Saudi officers to cowl up Khashoggi’s premeditated homicide, fairly than serve the reason for justice, as our friendship would require,” he stated.

Khashoggi, a former Washington Publish columnist and critic of the highly effective Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also referred to as MBS, was killed within the kingdom’s consulate within the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul on October 2. His physique stays lacking.

On Wednesday, a Turkish prosecutor stated Khashoggi was strangled and dismembered quickly after getting into the constructing.

Turkish media retailers have named 15 Saudi suspects who flew flew into Istanbul and left on the identical day the journalist was final seen.

Faltering probe

Khashoggi’s homicide has provoked worldwide condemnation and sparked intense media scrutiny.

A joint Turkish and Saudi probe into his destiny has made little progress to this point, nevertheless.

The Saudis have additionally launched their very own investigation, vowing to “uncover each stone” and “punish” those that are accountable.

On Friday, Erdogan expressed dismay that Khashoggi’s physique has not been discovered and urged Saudi officers to clarify who ordered the killing and determine the “native collaborator” to whom Saudi officers stated they handed over his stays.

“Sadly, the Saudi authorities have refused to reply these questions,” Erdogan stated.

In an obvious signal of cooperation, a prime Saudi prosecutor flew to Turkey on Sunday and met with Istanbul’s chief prosecutor a day later.

Turkey’s justice minister has since accused the Saudis of failing to reply questions relating to the case, nevertheless.

“Although Riyadh has detained 18 suspects, it’s deeply regarding that no motion has been taken in opposition to the Saudi consul common, who lied by way of his enamel to the media and fled Turkey shortly afterwards,” Erdogan stated.

“Likewise, the refusal of the Saudi public prosecutor – who just lately visited his counterpart in Istanbul – to cooperate with the investigation and reply even easy questions may be very irritating. His invitation of Turkish investigators to Saudi Arabia for extra talks in regards to the case felt like a determined and deliberate stalling tactic,” he added.

‘That is overseas coverage’

Etyen Mahcupyan, a Turkish political analyst and former adviser to ex-Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, stated Erdogan had tried to take an aggressive stance in his op-ed whereas maintaining one eye on sustaining good relations with Riyadh.

“He would not need to disrupt the whole lot and lose Saudi Arabia,” Mahcupyan stated.

“He is sort of threatening Saudi Arabia, perhaps blackmailing a bit in a mushy method, however he is giving the message that Turkey desires to go on with having good relations with Saudi Arabia,” he added.

“It offers leverage to Turkey for use by Erdogan, but it surely’s not one thing very ideological or one thing that may value him his ideas. That is overseas coverage.”

At factors, Erdogan additionally displayed extra conciliatory language within the op-ed, stressing the “pleasant relations” between Ankara and Riyadh and stating that he had “no motive to imagine that this homicide mirrored Saudi Arabia’s official coverage”.

He beforehand accused Saudi officers of pre-planning Khashoggi’s homicide days upfront of October 2 and stated Turkish authorities have gathered extra proof, which will probably be made public “when the time comes”.   

‘Maintaining Khashoggi within the headlines’

Hilal Kaplan, a columnist at pro-government Turkish newspaper Every day Sabah, stated that Erdogan’s piece was a part of his try to preserve the Khashoggi case within the worldwide highlight.

She famous that Turkey has persistently make clear many particulars within the case by making certain data was steadily leaked to the media over the previous month.

“With this communications technique, Turkey was in a position to management the narrative and preserve the Khashoggi homicide within the headlines whereas the general public debate continued because the investigation moved alongside,” Kaplan stated.

“This pressured the Saudis to simply accept the truth that this was a premeditated homicide,” she added.

“They had been in flat denial at first, however then after altering their story a number of instances, they needed to settle for [this fact].”

Kaplan added that though Erdogan did not point out the crown prince’s title, the Turkish president implied within the op-ed that MBS was accountable for ordering Khashoggi’s killing.

“The crown prince most likely knew about this, he ordered this. No less than 5 of the 15 members of the loss of life squad are within the royal guard. And the top of the loss of life squad, [reportedly] made 4 calls to MBS’ workplace on the day of the homicide,” she stated.

“All proof factors to him, not anybody else.”

US media reported on Thursday that MBS described Khashoggi as a “harmful Islamist” in a telephone name with Jared Kushner and John Bolton, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and nationwide safety adviser respectively, days after Khashoggi’s disappearance and earlier than Saudi Arabia publicly acknowledged his killing.

Kaplan stated that the decision, which was reported by the New York Instances and The Washington Publish, was an try by MBS to justify the killing of Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia has denied the veracity of the studies.

Trump, who has described the Saudi dealing with of Khashoggi’s killing as “the worst cover-up ever” recommended final week that MBS bears final duty for the operation that led to the homicide of the journalist.

When questioned in regards to the crown prince’s attainable involvement throughout an interview with US newspaper The Wall Avenue Journal, Trump stated “the prince is working issues over there extra so at this stage”.

“He is working issues and so if anyone had been going to be, it could be him,” he stated.

Saudi officers have denied MBS had any information of Khashoggi’s killing or its subsequent cover-up.

With reporting from Mersiha Gadzo in Istanbul

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from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/erdogan-points-finger-at-saudi-puppet-masters-in-khashoggi-case-saudi-arabia-news/

[itsfinancethings]

Just hours after a date was set for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, one of the key figures in the Ukraine scandal embarked on a media push on Wednesday night.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the impeachment inquiry made him a household name last fall, Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas alleged in a television interview that the President “knew exactly what was going on” in the campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump’s 2020 rival Joe Biden.

“He was aware of all of my movements,” Parnas told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. “I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president.”

Parnas was at the center of Trump’s personal lawyer’s wide-ranging effort to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations of Trump’s political rivals. He was arrested at Dulles International Airport in October as he was about to board a flight out of the country, and indicted on campaign finance charges. It wasn’t until Jan. 3 that a federal judge ruled that Parnas could submit evidence in his criminal case, such as the communications in his phones and electronic devices that had been seized when he was arrested, to impeachment investigators.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, hundreds of pages of those communications were released on the eve of Trump’s impeachment trial. Those documents — and his claims on Maddow’s show — were simultaneously explosive and unlikely to ultimately move the needle in lawmakers’ deliberation of the case in coming weeks.

He clearly intended to make a splash. In the MSNBC interview, which his attorney hinted might be followed by other networks, Parnas alleged that Trump had not only been aware of his efforts, but that Parnas had been acting on his behalf.

He said he had “no reason to speak to any of these officials” in Ukraine if it wasn’t for Giuliani and Trump. “Why would President Zelensky’s inner circle or Minister Avakov or all these people or President Poroshenko meet with me?” he said. “Who am I? They were told to meet with me. And that’s the secret that they’re trying to keep. I was on the ground doing their work.”

When asked about Parnas and his associate Igor Fruman in October, Trump told reporters, “I don’t know those gentlemen.” On Wednesday, Parnas responded simply: “He lied.”

He also appeared to implicate Vice President Mike Pence, saying that he “couldn’t have not known” about the Ukraine pressure campaign.

Parnas did not provide any evidence to corroborate his claims that Trump was aware of what he was doing, or that Pence and Attorney General William Barr were in the loop.”

The documents of Parnas’ communications released by House Democrats this week, including text messages, voicemails, notes and letters, filled in some of the gaps of Giuliani and his associates’ activities between Kyiv and Washington, providing further details about the campaign to remove Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and pressure Zelensky into opening the probes sought by Trump.

But many Republicans have defended Trump’s pressuring of Ukraine as simply tackling corruption, not an abuse of power, and are likely to question the credibility of Parnas, who has a long history of fraud. While Democrats are seizing on Parnas’ claims to bolster their push for witnesses at the trial, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear he does not plan to do so.

The newly released documents show Parnas as a middleman and fixer in the center of the Ukraine affair. He exchanged hundreds of messages with Trump allies and Ukrainian officials, in both English and Russian, calling everyone “my brother” and setting up meetings, scheduling interviews, sending press clips and making connections between Ukrainians and Americans who they thought could help them with their plan. These included a varied cast of characters, including Ukrainian officials, South Florida oil tycoon Harry Sargeant Jr., Republican National Committee co-chair Thomas Hicks Jr., and several conservative pundits.

The messages and interactions ranged from sinister to comical. In messages with Trump donor and Connecticut Republican congressional candidate Robert Hyde, it appeared Parnas was getting updates from someone in Kyiv tracking Yovanovitch’s movements. Hyde disparaged the Ambassador in crude and often threatening terms, writing, “They will let me know when she’s on the move…They are willing to help if you/we would like a price.” Parnas responded “LOL.”

Others seemed almost cartoonish, like handwritten notes laying out a plan to fulfill Trump’s objectives in Ukraine and a sarcastic text message from Giuliani to Parnas: “Boy I’m so powerful I can intimidate the entire Ukranian government. Please don’t tell anyone I can’t get the crooked Ambassador fired or I did three times and she’s still there.”

Prior to meeting Giuliani, Parnas and Fruman were largely unknown and unconnected businessmen with a string of bankruptcies and financial troubles, according to a TIME review of Florida court records. That changed in August 2018, when Parnas’ Boca Raton-based firm “Fraud Guarantee” paid Giuliani a $500,000 retainer for what the businessman said was legal and business advice. They soon found themselves with access to prominent Republican circles, often by touting their association with the former New York mayor.

In the months after his arrest made national news, it sometimes felt like the Washington media was playing an ongoing game of “Where’s Lev,” as dozens of pictures surfaced of his smiling face next to everyone from Don Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former White House chief of staff John Kelly.

Speaking in a measured, somber voice on Wednesday, Parnas struck a different tone from the boasting persona of his text messages or the smiling selfies in cigar bars with Giuliani. Asked why he was speaking out now, after months of silence, Parnas told MSNBC, “There’s a lot of things that are being said that are not accurate…and I think the world needs to know.”

Earlier in the day, the newly appointed House managers delivered the impeachment articles accusing Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress to the Senate. The trial is now expected to begin on Jan. 21, and Parnas, who seemed to relish being in the spotlight, said he still wants to testify. “I want to get the truth out,” he said, “because I feel it’s important for our country.”

[brasenosearts]

The alchemical power of college-sponsored wine: Arts Week 2017, half-remembered.

Arts Week came upon us in the third week of Trinity 2017, glittering and glistening through our college colours of black and gold to reveal itself through this year’s theme of Alchemy. 

Whilst maybe a little loosely connected in places (is pole dancing alchemical? It’s certainly a form of magic to watch students stiff from the library attempt to haul their limbs into something resembling elegance) the general theme of transformation and states of change was an apt one for a year that could be described as nothing short of tumultuous. 

It was also perhaps fitting seeing as Arts Week this year fell the day after the biennial Brasenose Ball, and thus required a great deal of shape shifting from sleepy attendees to muster the arm strength to put together a new stage in the remnants of the Ball’s ruins. 

Fittingly, Monday started with a very gentle bang as Tian, a third year artist, ran a workshop on the art of Qigong (literally: "Life Energy Cultivation") - a remarkably well attended workshop given that most attendees had had a grand total of 5 hours sleep all weekend in the aftermath of the Ball. Morning workshops continued all week - from life drawing to bark horn crash courses to gold leafing and even the appearance of a VIP guest. 

Life drawing took place on Tuesday morning, with a twist. The twist in this case came in the form of the long muscular bodies of the models - and their many thousand legs. The chance to draw millipedes and snakes (real snakes, not the kind that always steal your milk and never wait for you in the Hall queue) drew a crowd keen to get up close. Masterpieces were made, with biologists turning out in droves to correctly identify the muscular sections and also correct my erroneous assumption that millipedes have a thousand legs. 

I had tricked scientists into drawing, and thus alchemy was underway.

Wednesday morning heralded the arrival of the mysterious “Celtic Chris” as he descended upon us with multiple horns and flutes in tow, carved by his own hands and foraged from woodland. Nobody knew quite what to expect from the ‘bark horns’ he promised: horns that barked? Horns from sheep? Celtic Chris played some lovely melodies on a carved instrument that raised hopes for everyone’s own creative endeavours. 

Unfortunately it so happened that this instrument was not a bark horn, nor even close to it in output. 

As it turned out, the process involved a great deal of scraping and twisting of sticks, with the end result being strangely, if not intentionally, reminiscent of a dog barking. Or at least that’s how it sounded when played by me. These howls rang out across the quad for the afternoon, goading those who had sworn to be distracted by neither art nor sunshine out of their study lairs - then forcing them back in when it appeared that people would not cease in attempting to achieve the elusive singular note that the horn could allegedly produce. 

One such horn, rumoured to be Sam Quinn’s, was left overnight and discovered to much delight the next morning at the gold leafing workshop. It reemerged far shinier and possibly less usable, alongside a variety of glimmering items such as lighters, water bottles, glasses and even a laptop. The theme of “Alchemy” that the week loosely abided to was truly in action, as objects went from practical to gold but glued shut; a small price to pay for glamour.

Friday’s morning workshop brought with it more star power than those shiny leaves and the celebrity draw of Celtic Chris combined: the author of Maisy Mouse, Lucy Cousins. Everyone learnt how to recreate the iconic character and how you might draw subfusc on cartoon animals with no arms. The final product was a painting as wide as Lecture Room XI. Whilst it currently lies dormant in the JCR, there have been rumours of getting Joe Organ to incorporate it into Open Days to show just how talented Brasenose students can be when armed with only a kids paintbrush, a mild hangover and a determination to remember what colours go into a cartoon peacock’s tail.

In the afternoons, events ranged from a capella (so much a capella) to plays and pole dancing, with great excitement arriving midweek with the appearance of a BBC One camera crew in college. The news started to spread in both whispers and college-wide emails, prompting the appearance of the entire development office in Deer Quad to watch Brasenose’s own Daniele and Hiba do some beautifully spontaneous leaps from the chapel stairs for the sixth time that morning. 

After a tense start involving a well timed exchange of boxes containing furry spiders to those with film equipment occurring on Old Parlour staircase (see “Life” Drawing, above), the Alternotives took to the stage.

Whilst the eventual screen time of Old Library and Deer Quad was limited due to them only lasting one episode on Pitch Battle, the memory of John Bowers (QC) sat cross legged at the front of the marquee, entranced by a capella, will remain in our hearts forever. 

Not to be overshadowed by the glitz and glamour of a BBC camera, we also had noted Oxford groups the Gargoyles and The Oxford Belles - whilst it seems like every group seems to claim the role as Oxford’s original all-singing, some-dancing troupe, the Belles at least had star power in the way of internet reach, with noted fan Ashton Kutcher sadly declining to turn up on the day despite his Facebook post-based enthusiasm. We’ve all been there, Ashton.

We also had not one but two plays running this year: one imagining the late and great William Shakespeare in the context of fresher’s week as a mechanical engineering student disillusioned with both flirting and the sciences, and a dynamic rehearsed reading of Pygmalion. 

Dynamic in that it was meant to be a traditional reading that somehow wandered off the rails and all the way up the staircase 10 at one point. 

Both were enthusiastically received by large crowds composed of friends and family members and even some paying guests, and feedback on both was great, with one very anonymous audience member remarking that Cal Demby-Harris pulled off the red officer’s jacket better than anyone else in college. He is, thus far, the only person in college to have worn this garment.

On Friday afternoon, following the debut of Pygmalion on the quad, Medieval Kitchen was transformed with poles and hoops for what was technically our most popular event of the week - according to Facebook’s algorithms. “Pole Dancing Workshop” reached 45k people on Facebook, something Brasenose Arts would love to claim as representative of the average enthusiasm for the week but unfortunately should probably note down as due to an irresistibly amusing combination of Oxford’s hallowed halls and the Wikihow-esque illustration on the cover photo, amplified by the Facebook reach of our treasured Stanford exchange students and their friends in Palo Alto. 

As it happens, a solid 20 or so people attended each session, and it was a sight to behold to see students hanging from the beams of MK (or rather, suspended close to - I can confidently assure you that no actual climbing of the architecture occurred in case you are reading this, Matt Hill Domestic Bursar). 

Following the excitement of our viral success story on Friday afternoon was the Arts Week Formal, an event eerily free of senior staff, which meant that the gavel ended up in my not entirely capable hands. 

Whilst I can’t vouch for much of what I said, it has been reported that I gave a speech - all I can recall is that the food was wonderful and I was probably a rather soppy and exhausted shell of a human by this point. I can also recall that the Northern Soul night that followed the dinner was a roaring success. Playing off of Brasenose’s fondness for ceilidhs, and retaining the joy and mandated dancing of a ceilidh but with a name one can spell without googling, the night involved much moving of tables and some unexpected cameos from a porter or two. Again, Matt Hill, if you see any photos where we appear to be standing on tables, it is merely an illusion and we are in fact levitating from the sheer fun of it all. 

Saturday morning was naturally a quieter affair, with the final performance of ‘Willy Shakes’ taking centre stage both on the quad and in the timetable. In the afternoon came a panel on Inequality in Film, boasting speakers from the BFI, Girls in Film and Another Gaze Journal as well as Jendella, an independent filmmaker and photographer.

Following the panel, after deliberation between Brasenose’s thriving and warring FilmSocs, came an open air screening of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. The air was warm with the promise of the great summer heatwave yet to come, and the fairy lights we had swiped from the wreckage of the ball and haphazardly strung across the marquee’s frameworks glimmered in reflection with the candles of the film. 3DIMAX eat your heart out. 

The next morning the early summer sun rose on the same marquee, only slightly dampened by overnight showers that cleared to a blazing brightness by the time the annual celebration of Jazz on The Quad dawned. Our Music Rep and Organ Scholar, the multitalented Sarah Hughes, had managed to gather us together an impromptu band from her bursting contacts list. As they played, strawberries and (maybe a little too much) Pimms were handed round liberally, leaving everyone in a fruit flavoured midday daze to round off the week. 

The fact that we had well and truly trampled the quad to pieces and broken several pieces of expensive IT equipment is merely a blip among these heady memories, and one I feel no fear in admitting here, as I know a certain IT rep never reads my notices to the end, regardless of content. Sweet, guiltless bliss. 

[wethepeoplesnews]

  I was scrolling down my news feed and came across this story from very left-leaning, Newsy:

First, this “socialist” is already dreaming of President Trump having to deal with her.  If she wins why would President Trump have to deal with her? What political power does she think she wields? She obviously does not believe in the rule of law.  She must also know nothing of American history. We are neither a Democracy nor Socialist! We are a REPUBLIC “At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787,  Franklin was queried as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation. In the notes of Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland’s delegates to the Convention,  a lady asked Dr. Franklin “Well Doctor what have we got, a republic or a monarchy.”  Franklin replied, “A republic . . . if you can keep it.”

John Adams wrote that “There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide,” and James Madison wrote in Federalist 10 that “Democracies have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.

The reason pure democracies fail is that majorities learn that they can legally take property and/or liberties away from others. Those subjected to abuse can be anyone outside the majority coalition, and their minority status can be based on race, religion, wealth, political affiliation, or even which city or state they reside in. Demagogic leaders become adept at appealing to the emotions of jealousy, avarice, and entitlement. They also denigrate opponents in order to justify prejudicial actions taken by the majority.  Soon, oppression of minority classes causes enough conflicts to collapse the democratic process

Think about that for a minute. Is that not what the left thinks? They accuse those who fight to keep our Republic, Freedoms, Rights, and Constitution of those very same things, but in fact, the Republic is what gives the minority a voice. The little guy the Demonocrats always say they are fighting for. If they destroy the Republic on the Federal level would the LGBT Community have a voice? After all, they are only 4.1% of America as of 2016.

Let’s see if what our “self-proclaimed Expert” said saying is true or lies!! 

Daniel Guerrero “Democratic socialist. Big difference. She doesn’t want to get rid of capitalism. Look up the terms. Get acquainted.”

     He after all seems like an expert telling others to get acquainted. He said there is a big difference between Democratic Socialist and a Socialist. He claimed that Democratic Socialists do not want to get rid of capitalism. Why aren’t they called Democratic Capitalist, is the first question that comes to mind?  Anyway,  I looked the words up (it took approx. 2 minutes).  Question Boldly!!

 Socialism: Wikipedia

     Socialism is a range of economic and social systems characterized by social ownership and democratic control of the means of production[10] as well as the political theories and movements associated with them.[11] Social ownership may refer to forms of public, collective or cooperative ownership, or to citizen ownership of equity.[12] There are many varieties of socialism and there is no single definition encapsulating all of them,[13] though social ownership is the common element shared by its various forms.

Democratic Socialism: Wikipedia

     Democratic socialism is a political philosophy that advocates political democracy alongside social ownership of the means of production[1] with an emphasis on self-management and/or democratic management of economic institutions within a market socialist, participatory or decentralized planned economy.[2] Democratic socialists hold that capitalism is inherently incompatible with the democratic values of liberty, equality and solidarity; and that these ideals can only be achieved through the realization of a socialist society. Democratic socialism can be supportive of either revolutionary or reformist politics as a means to establish socialism.[3]

The term “democratic socialism” is sometimes used synonymously with “socialism“, but the adjective “democratic” is sometimes used to distinguish democratic socialists from Marxist–Leninist inspired socialism which is viewed as being non-democratic in practice.[4][5]Democratic socialists oppose the Stalinist political system and Soviet economic model, rejecting the authoritarian form of governance and highly centralized command economy that took form in the Soviet Union in the early 20th century.[6]

Democratic socialism is further distinguished from social democracy on the basis that democratic socialists are committed to systemic transformation of the economy from capitalism to socialism whereas social democracy is supportive of reforms to capitalism.[7] In contrast to social democrats, democratic socialists believe that reforms aimed at addressing social inequalities and state interventions aimed at suppressing the economic contradictions of capitalism will only see them emerge elsewhere in a different guise. As socialists, democratic socialists believe that the systemic issues of capitalism can only be solved by replacing the capitalist system with a socialist system—i.e. by replacing private ownership with social ownership of the means of production

     In other words. They want the mob to decide how much you can have and what to do with your wealth if you have too much!! What could go wrong with that? 

Well, well Mr. Guerrero is wrong and they do want to replace capitalism with socialism. Hell, why didn’t our Founding Fathers think of that? Because they knew as anyone else that looks at the facts that Capitalism has been the ONLY system to raise people out of poverty. Why do those fleeing from non-Republics want to change our system of government when they find refuge in it?  If the form of government is so great where these “immigrants” at the border come from why come in the first place?

Newsy, is one of the sites I bring the fight to these lying liberals, but I am on another 30-day mandatory vacation from Facebook and have no idea why!! This is my 4th one this year already, yet they could not find the “Russians” that “played” in our elections until after the election. HMM. I am being censored because I bother to research and expose lies by the mainstream media and their crony’s on social media!!

When liberals lie about Democratic Socialism remind them of how the Nazis started ” Nazi political strategy focused on anti-big business, anti-bourgeois and anti-capitalist rhetoric”  Sound familiar? I implore my fellow citizens to go into this Digital Civil war armed with the Truth and Facts.

The Demoocrats seem to want to escalate their treason and Anti-American efforts and may even resort to violence and harassment as stated in recent rhetoric by many Demonocrats lately. Stand Your Ground!!! No More Silence. They will come Demanding this and that which is mob-rule (democracy).  This is not our system of government thus trying to change it makes you a Traitor plain and simple!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.!!~RJH

If you agree Please, Share!!

P.S. I get called a lot of names on Newsy. 🙂

      What Is The Difference Between Democratic Socialist and a Socialist?   I was scrolling down my news feed and came across this story from very left-leaning, Newsy:

[arizonacardinals0-blog]

NFL Football Followers In South Africa

Southwest Africa was one among 4 Africa nations to go to FIFA's 1953 congress, for the three demanded, and obtained representation for the FIFA skilled committee. And there are plenty of NFL admirers in from suppliers’ genuine Reebok jerseys. Consequently the three nations proven the Confederation relating to African Soccer in 1956, in addition to South Africa consultant, His father fell, sat alongside at the primary meeting like a founding new member. It rapidly became apparent nonetheless that can South Africa's make-up prohibited racially put collectively teams out of aggressive sport and in addition they could merely ship also an all-black facet or the all-white facet on the planned 1957 Africa Cup involving Nations. It was unacceptable on the opposite members belonging to the Confederation along with South Africa gave the impression to be disqualified in the competitors, however plenty of sources say construct y withdrew beneath your personal accord. At the subsequent CAF discussion in 1958 Southern area Africa have been being formally expelled by means of CAF. And these NFL followers in Demorrio Williams jerseys want to get these types of news on the net. The all-white (FASA) was admitted for you to FIFA inside the same 12 months, however around August 1960 it was earlier than given an excellent ultimatum of 1 full yr to fall based mostly on the non-discriminatory rules of FIFA. On 26 September 1961 along on the annual FIFA assembly, the Southern African organization was technically suspended by way of FIFA. Mister Stanley Rous, president with the Soccer Acquaintance of England in addition to a champion regarding South Africa's FIFA membership rights, was selected FIFA President several days later. Rous had been adamant that will sport, and FIFA especially, should certainly not embroil themselves in political is vital and towards fierce others he on going to struggle makes an attempt to assist expel South Africa coming from FIFA. The suspension appeared to be lifted around January 1963 immediately after a check out to Southern Africa just by Rous in order to investigate your state related with football in London. Affiliation soccer in Southern Africa can be nation's most generally used participation sport and so they've their very personal NFL football jerseys, it is particularly nicely-appreciated by the African American inhabitants. The regulating physique might be South Africa Football Relationship. The county's finest league will likely be PSL; insurance coverage policy coverage important mug competitions embody the MTN EIGHT, the Telkom Knockout, the Telkom Nonprofit Cup in addition to Ned conventional bank Cup. Rous said that that the suspension weren't lifted; football there might nicely be discontinued, probably concise of completely no recovery. Our subsequent annual meeting of FIFA within October 1964 was held in Tokyo plus was attended by the larger contingent with representatives coming from African in addition to Asian organizations and under the suspension linked with South Africa's program was re-imposed. With 1976, following Soweto uprising, these have been formally expelled out of FIFA. Southern area Africa hosted your 2009 FIFA Confederations Mug, a year or so earlier than his or her World Mug, and finished in next place, coming over the group stages utilizing a win greater than New Zealand plus a draw together with Iraq, no matter a impairment to The country. They subsequent lost inside the semi-finals so that you can Brazil, conceding your late free-kick quickly after holding that South People away for the vast majority of the match. Inside the third-place play-off, some folks lost that may Spain soon after extra second, regardless of main 1-zero with one part. Writer Box joyce hu has 148 articles online hu is an actual dorsett blue throwback Jerseyfan who is aware of more concerning the football game and writes many evaluations on numerous sporting occasions. comparable to their uniforms low-cost jerseys from china please go to right here http://www.shopnfljerseys.com/ Print article Report Add New Remark NFL Soccer followers in South Africa Log in or Create Account to put up a comment. * * Security Code: Change Picture Associated searches: NFL Soccer followers in South Africa cheap jerseys from china Related Articles NFL Soccer followers in South Africa South Africa’s Stadiums in World Cup 2010 Writer: John Stevens The stadiums to be used for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa have just been formally launched for football fans on the earth. To be specific, 5 of South Africa's soccer stadiums may have major renovations for 2010 including Soccer Metropolis and Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, the Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg in North West Province, and the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein within the Free State. Furthermore, new stadiums have been constructed at Mbombela in Mpumalanga and within the Nelson Mandela Metro within the Eastern Cape, and Green Point complete with a retractable dome to guard followers and gamers from the Cape's unpredictable weather. Let’s take an in-dept look at the stadiums where football matches in World Cup 2010 will take place as follows: Apartheid in South Africa Writer: Marius Bezuidenhout Apartheid literallty translates as "apartness" from Afrikaans. Apartheid was a system of racial sergegation that was enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. Security ideas for vacationers in South Africa Publisher: Louis Brown South Africa has change into one among the most well liked locations of 2010 due to the occurring of the FIFA World Cup 2010 on this country. Custom Sports T-Shirts If anyone has already ordered tickets for the FIFA World Cup or deliberate to visit this destination, they need to put together the whole lot particularly when participating in a life the place everything is unusual for them. Like many other places on this planet right this moment, South Africa could personal some issues. Due to this fact, visitors had higher take some wise precautions and follow some basic security guidelines as follows: NFL Soccer Workforce to Play Soccer Completely Writer: joyce hu We have found talked inside the football of the many nations together with Italy is apparently a strong football nation and yes it has quite a number of football devotees to use the NFL soccer jerseys as a way to cheer for his or her nationwide sports team. It’s deniable that can Italy shall be producing fairly a number of well-known sports stars this also nation is understood for a protracted historic past of sports activities. Kitchen Towels - South Africa Publisher: Bharat E-book Bureau Bharatbook.com added a brand new report on "Kitchen Towels - South Africa" into its market report catalogue for reselling The Glorious South Africa Writer: Travelhouseuk Past all doubts, the nation of South Africa is blessed with countless natural stunners. Ranging from massive aqua flows of the Cape point to the gigantic peaks of the Table Mountains, from a jubilant habitat of probably the most treasured animals to the spiritually relaxing vibes of the Cape Floral Kingdom, from the reflection of image-reflecting oceans to the ashen sanded beaches, South Africa is the place the place nature shines with its highest glory. Adventure South Africa Publisher: Rachel Hill For individuals who prefer to spice up their vacations with a little bit of adventure, South Africa is the ideal vacation spot. Here, one can find a wide range of exciting outdoor pursuits to choose from, no matter what the time of year. Whether or not you wish to go canoeing on the Orange... NA teams in South Africa Writer: NEO@OGILVY Narcotic Anonymous groups in South Africa understand that the 12 steps recovery programme, in addition to addiction counselling and group therapy, lies at the center of any successful addiction remedy. Kruger Park In South Africa Publisher: Jason Wiltshire Located in the north japanese corner of South Africa and borders the nations of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, the Kruger Park, Africa is a really famous conservation park throughout thư world whose area is 21,497sq km (eight,384 sq miles) - identical measurement as Israel. Besides, 146 mammals, 500 hen species, 114 reptile, 49 of fish, 33 amphibians and 23 000 plant species have proved an incredible range in wildlife in Kruger. Come to this magical land, every vacationers can see herds of recreation transferring through the savannah and it's the house of Africa's Massive Five ( buffalo, rhino, elephant, leopard and lion ). Accounting jobs in South Africa Writer: abdul majjeed Accountants in South Africa jobs are experts who use business and finance abilities to review firms' financial reporting processes, evaluate inside controls, insurance policies or procedures and verify that such policies adhere to regulatory and skilled guidelines. 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Tips on How to keep up Sterling Silver European Beads Jewelry Welcome, Guest!com. All rights reserved.

[itsroxananovek-blog]

The release of Suicide Squad was so bad that only those who did not have enough money to buy a ticket would not mock. I had enough, unfortunately. Therefore, I, as a prophet in the desert wandering in search of the meaning of life and God, sat for an hour or two on the Internet running through reviews for the loudest rental of this summer hoping to find at least one theodetic, so to explain this failure. But all that I read was a miserable criticism, so I have got a desire to write a review of reviews. Because I am not a suicide, which, as it turned out later, I found a lot among the reviewers in the leading Russian press. No, I will not give examples with a grin or point contemptuously at the names of the authors. I will simply express my opinion on what no one paid attention to. Or maybe one did, but he is not likely to read this text. Separately, I want to turn to the Guild of Film Experts and Film Critics. Your epigraph says: "A critic is a person who can do anything. Even watch a deliberately bad movie." S***, what can I say. I am lucky that I am not a critic. If you throw a stick to the dog, it will be distracted by it. If you throw a stick to the lion, it looks at the one who threw it. And all the reviewers, like dogs, rushed to favor the new Joker. However, in the whole story Joker is only a distracting maneuver. There is something to claim to the director David Ayer. He was lucky to be unprecedented: we do not have lions in the country, so he stayed with his head. Everyone celebrates the perfectionist zeal of Jared Leto, his accusatory character, while everyone should grumble at other main characters. Yes, who are the other main characters? The role of the commanding sorceress June Moon was performed by top model. Apparently, Kara Delevigne and her near-acting skills were noticed by the overwhelming number of reviewers nohow. Namely, the fact that the main role went to not even the unknown actress, but the mannequin, stayed away from any criticism. Really? The role of El Diablo was performed by a Latin actor who "got" his place in multi-budget cinema thanks to the Kazakh-French film "The Nomad". Twelve years ago. Also, there are a couple of guys who do not have pages in Wikipedia, a Swedish actor, Japanese, who played Katana, made her debut in the cinema, and (boiling point) fat Ben Affleck, whose facial roundness goes beyond Batman's mask. The Joker is certainly the decisive villain, he is the beginning and the end, touching at one point, defining the meaning of existence for everyone in this film. It is reasonable for everyone that the film that collected the gold collection of DC villains had to be performed by the Hollywood titans, rather than with a feeble picket of “who is that?”. The feeling that the distribution of the budget all went to Jared Leto is keeping me on the alert, who is by far not the most sought-after actor in America. Separately, I would like to note that only one media finds comical, that Ben Affleck is going to make a solo film about Batman. I did not want any quoting, but who swears. "Despite the cool reception by critics of the movie Batman vs. Superman, Ben Affleck was PRAISED FOR performing the role of Dark Knight, and many fans were riddled with rumors of a solo film with ENTHUSIASM. Now the CEO of Warner Bros. Kevin Tsudzhira confirms officially: Affleck will be the new Batman and will take the director's chair.” BRAVO By the way about "The Dark Knight" (that is how the future creation will be named most likely) of Christopher Nolan. The hero playing supporting role was Joker. Many things are so irrelevant within the space and time of this life, that it does not have any sense to explain why it does not have any sense to play Joker again after Heath Ledger. Maybe someone will say that Jared Leto did not try to replay, played his character, built under absolutely another prism. Maybe, but then this is not Joker. I once mentioned in one of the reviews that the characters are divided, as a rule, into two types: the first are those that self-determined through the author; the latter are self-determined at the expense of the first, their characters are visible only through the prism of first ones. Joker is the first. That is it. No other views are relevant here. And even the utopian scene where Pudding lies awaiting the news of his lost Harley in the center of the room, surrounded by an abundant range of cold-blooded weapons, looks pitiful. Everyone, of course, clung to the show lessons of acting Jared Leto about how he does the hard work to sharpen his image of the new Joker. It worked as a total marketing move, no doubt. However, Heath did a different job. This is probably not bad and not good. It just happened differently. Heath had the Joker Diary, in which he described every day spent in an indoor hotel room for a month in order to enter the image. And during the filming, he skated on a skateboard and smoked a cigarette, not giving this image to take over, to crush his own self. That was as if Heath and the Joker were in one body and did not interfere with each other, as if they were one as if Heath was a Joker. Ledger received an Oscar for best-supporting actor posthumously. This was done once in this category. The game of Jared Leto also left unjustified enthusiastic comments, which were not supported by any weighty argument, except, perhaps, an excellent makeup. Although, even here, not a single critic did not understand that the Joker returned to the screens without a Chelsea smile. It is as if John Kennedy returned to life, wanting to see everyone with rifles. This is unnatural. The need to supplement the idea of the creators of the Joker in this film was absent. The Joker is a crazy clown and illusionist who does not want either good or bad, for this reason, it is impossible to agree with him either on the good side or the bad one; He sees this world on fire, and he likes it so much that he does not even decide to kill Batman, because that is the whole idea. Four years ago on this occasion, I said this: "The idea should not be a plan - the idea should be a kind of religion that you must follow, you must chase it, like a dog that chases a car, because if the car suddenly stops, what will the dog do? The whole point of the idea is that the machine will not stop, and the dog will run. Because it should be so. This is the essence of the whole idea. " The Joker in the Suicide Squad has no idea. Even Wikipedia says that the last appearance of the Joker was in 2008 in the movie The Dark Knight. (Joke of the year) A consistent and professional criticism of the performers of the main roles is absolutely absent in any review, but too many statistics and comparisons. The main thing here is to savor the details of the similarity of the scenes with other blockbusters. For example, the numerous analogy between the Suicide Squad and Fantastic Four, which got the Golden Raspberry earlier this year. It seems to hint. But the expenditure of the storyline between the Joker and Harley Quinn does not seem to bother anyone. Here he is like a dead poultice. Because who needs a Joker, who does not have any heartfelt emotions in the original to Harley Quinn? In this case, dozens of scenes with kisses automatically take off, and the final scene deprives the picture of any meaning. Harley also leaves much to be desired. Certainly, in the eyes of film critics, the attractive actress Margot Robbie looks like a psychiatrist who has become mentally ill appropriate: she has the proper hair color and make-up, sometimes she clinks her heels erotically, covering her fragile shoulders with a baseball bat, and sarcastically sneers at colleagues, creating a proper enthusiastic perception of a dual image. No more, no less. It is just an image created by attributes, but not by the actress herself. She is not a toxic barbie, fascinating attention with her villainous malicious fascination, stuffed with scenario searches. Her jokes are pomposity, her mood changes are not whimsical at all, her laugh is not hysterical and not galling. She is not crazy Harley Quinn, it is clear: when the Joker flies down with a helicopter, according to all the laws of the DC Universe, she had to rush after him. Alas. The author's interpretation is too unattainable for ordinary people: at the climax, when June Moon calls on everyone to lean over her side and offers Harley to kneel down and obey, Harley is enthralled and lingeringly asked if the lady can resurrect her Pudding; Receiving a positive response, she kneels, groping for her sword, and begins to snarl: "Not a bad idea, but there is one problem." Here we should again return to the laws of the DC Universe and the logic of Dr. Harlin Quinnzel. When the Joker took her to the factory to show where he had "degenerated" and threw her into the vat with acid so that Harley, like him, changed, she acquired white skin and finally went insane, which made her just insanely happy in truth. Therefore, it is quite logical that the answer should have been: "Not a bad idea, but there is one problem. I obey only Pudding!" But, the director again tricked audience with blasphemous resourcefulness and, apparently, changed the line in the script to" You have offended my friends! " Well, in general, the director was able to follow the correct sequence of the events taking place with the Joker and Harley Quinn, and thanks, God. He also managed to read the comics, so as not to distort the composition of the detachment in the expanded universe. It is worthy of praise. Although no, not worthy, because at least one eye seemed a strange story of a flammable Mexican El Diablo: in the original scenario of 1987, he appears from a portable burner, and here he is an ordinary guy with a more worldly prehistory. Of course, the concept has changed many times, like the Suicide Squad itself, and by 2011 El Diablo became bloodthirsty and merciless, and Harley Quinn has changed her tenth suit, but even here the children's rating RG-13, awarded because of the violence, is not justified. Because where else with so many supervillains can you watch so much not super-villainous? Every second person writes about how criminal and cruel this film is, that even One of the headlines says that bad deeds cannot be glorified. And the heroes do it without a hitch, only not in this film. And we listen every 15 minutes of the rental time to the tragic death of the hero's family or his merciless massacre of women and children, but that was in the past. The picture at the end shows how allegedly the cruelest criminal who burned a whole field of people and for the whole film kept aloof from the task for reasons of morality, sacrifices his life for the sake of all others in the name of good. Just think: the villain is doing something in the name of GOOD. No, director, are you serious? The picture was expected as a decisive opposition to all blinded films on comics, but in fact, it was just another version. And very shitty. But actually, everything is so bad that it is even good. The creators of the film received money, actors their fees, viewers are now reveling in the image of the new apocryphal Joker and advocating for Harley, whose faded braids, stuck in the paint, every girl now is trying to comb.

[itsfinancethings]

Just hours after a date was set for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, one of the key figures in the Ukraine scandal embarked on a media push on Wednesday night.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the impeachment inquiry made him a household name last fall, Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas alleged in a television interview that the President “knew exactly what was going on” in the campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump’s 2020 rival Joe Biden.

“He was aware of all of my movements,” Parnas told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. “I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president.”

Parnas was at the center of Trump’s personal lawyer’s wide-ranging effort to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations of Trump’s political rivals. He was arrested at Dulles International Airport in October as he was about to board a flight out of the country, and indicted on campaign finance charges. It wasn’t until Jan. 3 that a federal judge ruled that Parnas could submit evidence in his criminal case, such as the communications in his phones and electronic devices that had been seized when he was arrested, to impeachment investigators.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, hundreds of pages of those communications were released on the eve of Trump’s impeachment trial. Those documents — and his claims on Maddow’s show — were simultaneously explosive and unlikely to ultimately move the needle in lawmakers’ deliberation of the case in coming weeks.

He clearly intended to make a splash. In the MSNBC interview, which his attorney hinted might be followed by other networks, Parnas alleged that Trump had not only been aware of his efforts, but that Parnas had been acting on his behalf.

He said he had “no reason to speak to any of these officials” in Ukraine if it wasn’t for Giuliani and Trump. “Why would President Zelensky’s inner circle or Minister Avakov or all these people or President Poroshenko meet with me?” he said. “Who am I? They were told to meet with me. And that’s the secret that they’re trying to keep. I was on the ground doing their work.”

When asked about Parnas and his associate Igor Fruman in October, Trump told reporters, “I don’t know those gentlemen.” On Wednesday, Parnas responded simply: “He lied.”

He also appeared to implicate Vice President Mike Pence, saying that he “couldn’t have not known” about the Ukraine pressure campaign.

Parnas did not provide any evidence to corroborate his claims that Trump was aware of what he was doing, or that Pence and Attorney General William Barr were in the loop.”

The documents of Parnas’ communications released by House Democrats this week, including text messages, voicemails, notes and letters, filled in some of the gaps of Giuliani and his associates’ activities between Kyiv and Washington, providing further details about the campaign to remove Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and pressure Zelensky into opening the probes sought by Trump.

But many Republicans have defended Trump’s pressuring of Ukraine as simply tackling corruption, not an abuse of power, and are likely to question the credibility of Parnas, who has a long history of fraud. While Democrats are seizing on Parnas’ claims to bolster their push for witnesses at the trial, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear he does not plan to do so.

The newly released documents show Parnas as a middleman and fixer in the center of the Ukraine affair. He exchanged hundreds of messages with Trump allies and Ukrainian officials, in both English and Russian, calling everyone “my brother” and setting up meetings, scheduling interviews, sending press clips and making connections between Ukrainians and Americans who they thought could help them with their plan. These included a varied cast of characters, including Ukrainian officials, South Florida oil tycoon Harry Sargeant Jr., Republican National Committee co-chair Thomas Hicks Jr., and several conservative pundits.

The messages and interactions ranged from sinister to comical. In messages with Trump donor and Connecticut Republican congressional candidate Robert Hyde, it appeared Parnas was getting updates from someone in Kyiv tracking Yovanovitch’s movements. Hyde disparaged the Ambassador in crude and often threatening terms, writing, “They will let me know when she’s on the move…They are willing to help if you/we would like a price.” Parnas responded “LOL.”

Others seemed almost cartoonish, like handwritten notes laying out a plan to fulfill Trump’s objectives in Ukraine and a sarcastic text message from Giuliani to Parnas: “Boy I’m so powerful I can intimidate the entire Ukranian government. Please don’t tell anyone I can’t get the crooked Ambassador fired or I did three times and she’s still there.”

Prior to meeting Giuliani, Parnas and Fruman were largely unknown and unconnected businessmen with a string of bankruptcies and financial troubles, according to a TIME review of Florida court records. That changed in August 2018, when Parnas’ Boca Raton-based firm “Fraud Guarantee” paid Giuliani a $500,000 retainer for what the businessman said was legal and business advice. They soon found themselves with access to prominent Republican circles, often by touting their association with the former New York mayor.

In the months after his arrest made national news, it sometimes felt like the Washington media was playing an ongoing game of “Where’s Lev,” as dozens of pictures surfaced of his smiling face next to everyone from Don Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former White House chief of staff John Kelly.

Speaking in a measured, somber voice on Wednesday, Parnas struck a different tone from the boasting persona of his text messages or the smiling selfies in cigar bars with Giuliani. Asked why he was speaking out now, after months of silence, Parnas told MSNBC, “There’s a lot of things that are being said that are not accurate…and I think the world needs to know.”

Earlier in the day, the newly appointed House managers delivered the impeachment articles accusing Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress to the Senate. The trial is now expected to begin on Jan. 21, and Parnas, who seemed to relish being in the spotlight, said he still wants to testify. “I want to get the truth out,” he said, “because I feel it’s important for our country.”