#and depending on how you answer he either gets moderately back to normal or kills himself

[darlingandmreames]

I rewatched The Ritual the other night for the first time in a while and am officially Back On My Bullshit, which means lots of thoughts and opinions that I am now going to make everyone else's problem. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on The Ritual's themes, character dynamics, and how the movie (in my opinion) improved upon the book

(spoilers for both the book and the movie)

Themes

So what is The Ritual actually about? I mean, obviously it's about a freaky forest monster that kills people and grants one of those kinds of immortality where you really gotta read the fine print, but underneath all that what is it actually about?

The answer depends a bit on both whether you're talking about the book or the movie, and how detailed you're being about it. Both the book and the movie share the very broad theme of "moving on", but what the characters are "moving on" from is different in each. I'd argue that the book primarily deals with moving on from past chapters in your life- cherishing the good memories, acknowledging and accepting the failures, and moving forward without becoming stuck on either.

The movie, on the other hand, is very explicitly about trauma, pain, and grief, and the process of confronting and moving on (or NOT moving on) from those experiences. This is achieved by the introduction of Rob, a character who didn't exist in the book. His actual appearance in the movie is brief, but his death is the driving force behind the entire movie. It's sudden, violent, and senseless, and it provides a very distinct and viscerally present context for the character interactions moving forward (more on that later). Rob's death faces the characters with a complex, heartbreaking, and traumatic loss and allows the movie to explore what it means to confront and move on from something like that, as well as the consequences of NOT doing so, by making that pain and grief into a very real (and beautifully designed) monster.

And that's where the movie's second major change comes in: the portrayal of the cult. I.... admittedly didn't really care for the cult portion of the book all that much honestly. It wasn't bad and some of my favourite lines were actually from that part of the book, but it felt almost jarringly different from the first part of the book to me. I felt like the heavy metal teen cultists were very much at odds with the sense of sinister supernaturality the first part of the book had spent building.

I loved the cult in the movie though. These are people who worship the personified (monstrified?) pain and grief that stalks the forest. They were chosen to survive specifically because of their own personal pain ("why me?" "Your pain is great") and by worshipping the monster they're kept in the forest and granted an immortality that saves them from death but not decay. It's a beautiful look at the consequences of being unable/unwilling to move on from pain/loss/grief and instead being consumed by it. The cultists are defined by their pain to the point that it eventually warps them into something almost unrecognizable. By worshipping Moder they are literally unable to move on, both physically (they're stuck in the forest) and spiritually (they can't die). Whereas the cult in the book felt jarringly different in tone from the story leading up to it, the cult in the movie tied into the theme beautifully and provided Luke with a look at his future if he allows his own pain to consume him.

Which brings us to....

Characters

A stories themes are often best portrayed through it's characters, and in this case that mostly means Luke.

Luke in the book is....well, to be honest, he isn't really that sympathetic or even that likeable when we first meet him or really for a large chunk of the story, at least not in my opinion. He's a 36 year old man-child who's clearly still chasing the glory of his college days and who's life up until now has mostly been characterized by failures, flakiness, and not taking responsibility for any of it. And on top of that, he's angry. The kind of angry that's violent, easily provoked, and generally unwarranted. All of the characters are facing failures at the end of this chapter of their lives to some degree (such as Phil being separated from his wife), but Luke is very clearly the least well adjusted- and least sympathetic- of them. His character arc revolves around him learning to move on from this previous chapter in his life, accepting the good and the bad and finally being willing to move forward with determination. In the beginning of the book Luke is characterized by indifference and petulant anger that masks fear and doubt, but he ends the book with a desire to move forward and determination to survive.

The inclusion of Rob and his subsequent death COMPLETELY changes Luke's character though and, in my opinion, makes him FAR more compelling and sympathetic. We still get similar notes to where he starts out as we did in the book; whereas Rob, Dom, Hutch, and Phil have all clearly settled down and moved on from their uni days, Luke obviously hasn't. This is made clear in his suggestions for the lad's holiday, his wanting to get a bottle of liquor after they leave the bar, and his conversation with Rob when they're in the liquor store. Movie!Luke really isn't all that different from book!Luke in the first scene or two.

Rob's brutal murder profoundly changes Luke's character though. He's left dealing with the grief and loss left in the wake of Rob's death, as well as the guilt associated with not having been able to stop it. By taking a character that may not otherwise be particularly sympathetic or likeable and having the audience watch him experience a deeply horrifying and traumatic loss, the movie makes Luke into an extremely compelling character and set him for a far more emotionally engaging character arc as he struggles to cope with both his grief and his guilt.

As I mentioned above, the cult in the movie provides Luke with a glimpse of the consequences of allowing his pain and grief to consume him. Now, the cult in the book sort of does the same thing- the indifferent anger and violence of the cultists mirrors Luke's own anger covering his fear and doubt and shows what could happen if he embraced that part of him. But the cult in the movie, in my opinion, works far better in this role because they feel more thematically and tonally in line with the rest of the movie and because Luke is a more sympathetic character. His decision to accept or reject that path carries more weight because we care about him. Moreover, accepting the same path as the cultist would provide him with a community that understands his pain, something he very much did not have with his friends; we understand that accepting the cult is a bad decision, but we also understand why Luke would be tempted to do so. Simply put, we feel for him and that makes the presentation of this choice much more emotionally impactful.

Interestingly, Luke's character arc in both the book and the movie end with him developing the desire and determination to survive. It comes from two very different places though. In the book, it revolves around Luke's willingness to finally close out the previous chapter of his life- highs and lows and all- and move forward into the future despite the fear and uncertainty doing so may provoke.

In the movie, though, this decision comes within the context of Luke's survivor's guilt. He feels guilty over Rob's death because he wasn't able to intervene and this guilt is reinforced by the other characters, most notably Dom and, later, Hutch. His decision to reject Moder, to fight back and refuse to kneel, represents not only his decision to move on from his grief and trauma but also the acknowledgement that despite what happened he still has worth and his life is still worth living. It also resolves his struggle with his inability to help (which plays a large role in his guilt), something that comes into play in all of the deaths in the movie even beyond Rob's. In Hutch's death Luke tried to find him but was unable to find him until it was far too late. In Phil's death he's initially paralyzed before running away, both in fear, in much the same way he did in Rob's death. In Dom's death he was able to take the necessary steps to help Dom (dislocating his thumb to get out of the restraints) but was ultimately too late and was forced to watch Dom die anyways. By recognizing that he still has worth and that is life is worth living, Luke is able to act in spite of his fear and make the decision not to allow his grief, pain, and trauma to consume him.

No discussion of Luke as a character is completely without also discussing how he interacts with the other characters and hoooo BOY did the movie really ratchet those interactions up a notch or ten. The interactions in the book were well written but they admittedly felt a little one note at times (though this is also probably somewhat due to me viewing book!Luke as not particularly likeable or sympathetic). By including Rob's death the movie adds a layer of complexity to the character interactions that I felt really wasn't there in the book and we get to see the interpersonal effects of traumatic loss. Luke may have been the only one to witness Rob's death but they're all grieving him, and we get to see how that (and how Luke's friends' perception of his role in Rob's death) impacts and strains their relationships. As I mentioned earlier, we see very clearly that Luke doesn't have any real support or understanding from his friends; Dom does little to hide the fact that he views Luke as directly responsible for what happened and while Hutch does initially attempt to provide support, it comes off as superficial and he later admits he isn't sure whether he blames Luke. Luke is very clearly struggling with what happened but can't turn to the people he would normally rely on for support, and his interactions with his friends often alienate him and further reinforce the guilt and blame he's grappling with rather than provide any source of comfort. This, again, makes the temptation to submit to Moder and join the cult, to give into his pain and grief and loss and let it consume him, that much more compelling and his choice to reject it that much more meaningful.

Overall, the movie's decision to add in Rob and his subsequent death and to change how the cult was portrayed was, in my opinion, a truly excellent one and helped move the movie from a story I would've enjoyed but shrugged off into legitimately one of my favourite movies of all time. It allowed for a more thematically and tonally consistent story and made both Luke and his character arc more sympathetic, compelling, and emotionally impactful. When it comes to adaptations I generally tend to enjoy the book more than the movie, but this is one of the few exceptions where I truly believe the movie significantly improved upon the book

[hashtagartistlife]

Do you have a license for all these hot takes? ▲ Unleash the other meta conversation. Please give use Ichigo.

Or not, apparently I don't know how to read and missed that you already did one for him. Oh well.

Even though I’ve already given my Hot Take about Ichigo (see here), I figured I can take this chance to write that meta I promised re: ichiruki’s double protag status, the meaning of ichigo’s name, and what it means to be a shounen hero. This will also sort of addresses the debacle a few months ago in regard to the Only well-worded, moderately coherent and somewhat valid IH meta I have read, which is also primarily about the meaning of ichigo’s name and how that ties in with the overall theme of protection throughout the manga. (I think the basis for the IH meta – that Ichigo only ever uses the serious form of the word ‘to protect’ for ORIHIME as an individual, and that the other times he uses them are for broader swathes of things—has been debunked in the comments, but since I don’t speak Japanese I really can’t figure out the validity of either side of the argument so I’ll take it as it is. Also, when I say ‘somewhat valid meta’, what I mean is in the context of the narrative I don’t think it’s valid at all, but at least there aren’t major glaring logical fallacies in the meta itself. The bar is so, so low for IH meta. I’m not even sure we can call most of their…. text-vomit… meta at all. 

Anyway. Petty and off-topic.) 

So, here goes: the meta about ichigo’s name and how it correlates to the theme of protection throughout the manga, what it means to be a shounen hero, and why and how those two things tie in with ichiruki’s double protag status! 

Ichigo’s name is comprised of two kanji – one obviously the kanji for the number one, the other a kanji that means ‘to protect’. We all know this. This leads to Ichigo’s name potentially having two interpretations: ‘one protector’ (or as the official eng translation put it, the one who protects), or ‘to protect one thing’ (the translation used in the scanlator’s versions + official kr translation). Both would make sense given the context of the entire story, but I tend to think the latter version is slightly more relevant (not necessarily more accurate— just more relevant), mostly because in chapter 19, straight after hearing the meaning of his name, Ichigo goes on to single out one thing (one person) that he wants to protect—his mom. 

(And why does he single out his mom for this honour? Because his mom always protected him. This is relevant a little later.)

He then does go on to say that as his sisters were born and he went to the dojo and got stronger, the list of things he wanted to protect grew, so it’s absolutely valid to read his name as just meaning ‘protector’. But, despite that, it’s very clear in the text that Ichigo always has one thing (person) that he wants to protect above all no matter what. This is the ‘one’ thing that he associates his identity of ‘protector’ to. Initially, it’s his mom—because when she dies, despite the ‘growing list of people he wants to protect’ still existing, Ichigo loses his sense of identity as ‘the protector’. Sure, he still protects his sisters, but it’s duty driving him— he no longer thinks of himself as a protector. How can he, when, in his view, he’s the one who practically killed his mother? His ‘growing list of people to protect’ halts to a stop, and years later, we see him telling Rukia that he’s ‘not a good enough guy to stick his neck out for other people’. This is a lie, as we all know, but it’s important that Ichigo is espousing this rhetoric. He has stopped actively wanting to protect. 

So, despite Ichigo having an innate desire to protect, I would argue it’s conditional – 1) dependent on the one person he wants to protect the most (e.g. his mom, and, as I will argue in a moment, Rukia) being alive and well, because otherwise he just falls into despair and rejects his identity as protector, and 2) initially dependent on the subject of protection being someone close to him. Ichigo, despite having progressed to ‘I will definitely protect everybody’ by the tybw arc, did not start there—it was a progression! He starts off very small and quite selfish – first, the person most important to him, his mom. Then his family. Then his friends. Then friends of friends, then acquaintances, then—and so on. This is why I said Ichigo is self-centred: everything he does is dependent first and foremost on the things and people that are most important to him. (Which is fine for a normal person! Maybe not so fine as a shounen protagonist, though that part comes later.) Ichigo doesn’t start off with some lofty ideal to protect the whole world – compare that to Rukia, who lands in the story and immediately demands him to protect everybody, regardless of distance or convenience. As dux put it in his excellent meta, this is an instinct towards protection versus a philosophy of protection. Ichigo has an instinct to protect, like most people do! But Rukia has a philosophy of protection, which most people can’t even begin to fathom or try to emulate. (This will, again, be important for a later point in this post, but for now, back to ichigo’s name.) 

So basically, we have established so far that: Ichigo’s name means one who protects or protector of one thing. But whichever interpretation we go by, it’s evident in the text that Ichigo has a… tether person, of sorts, that he ties the meaning of his name and his identity of ‘protector’ to—a person he wants to protect above all. Initially it’s his mom. But after his mom dies? 

It’s Rukia. 

It’s blatant. Ichigo being unable to save Rukia in ch56 broken coda is DIRECTLY paralleled with him being unable to save Masaki. At the end of the arc, in having saved Rukia, Ichigo regains his identity as protector finally gets some closure re: the Masaki era of his life: ‘the rain’s finally stopped’. It’s very clear that Rukia’s importance to his identity as protector is equivalent to the importance that Masaki had on it. Rukia has now become his ‘tether’; Rukia is now the person he wants to protect above all; Rukia is the one, who, should he fail to protect her, he would fall into despair and reject his protector identity again. He WAS a little down about being unable to protect Tatsuki, Chad, and Orihime in the HM arc, but it was nothing like the abject despair he experienced at Masaki’s death + Rukia being taken away for execution, and as soon as RUKIA comes back and affirms his identity, despite the fact of his failure still existing, Ichigo perks straight back up. Basically, failures to protect people other than Rukia get Ichigo down, but it’s not enough to keep him down as long as Rukia’s still standing. 

Ichigo also consistently goes apeshit over Rukia’s safety in particular. He’s not spurred into action re: going to find the Vaizards until Rukia becomes hurt. He thinks of Yammy and Ulquiorra, but his eyes don’t glaze over black until he thinks of Grimmjow, who has hurt Rukia. He refuses to split up and Rukia specifically calls him out  that it’s out of concern for HER safety. As soon as he feels Rukia being cut down, he immediately throws away the mission to go save her instead. And most importantly – what’s the main criteria for Ichigo deciding on the one he wants to protect the most? It’s the person who protects HIM. Rukia is one of the only people in the text who consistently protects Ichigo, physically, mentally, and emotionally. (She is also the only person that the text refers to as having ‘saved’ Ichigo. Nobody else gets this distinction.) 

Alright! So Ichigo’s instinct towards protection has a self-centred bent to it, and the person at the centre of this instinct has gone from being Masaki to Rukia. So what now from here? 

A little bit of a tangent: when I first read the chapter regarding the meaning of Ichigo’s name, I was a little taken aback, because – what a selfish name for a shounen protag, for someone who’s supposed to go on to become a hero of the world. Heroes don’t get to protect just one thing, they have to protect everybody! How is Ichigo going to be a shounen protag saving the whole world, if he’s only going to protect one thing? 

To answer this question, we need to have a look at what makes a typical shounen protag. Look at Naruto, whose ‘ninja way’ has rehabilitated countless people, who eventually became Hokage, so that ‘his ninja way’ officially became adopted as the whole Leaf Village’s ‘ninja way’. Look at Luffy and his crew, whose carefree attitudes and ride-or-die comradeship between their crew members is widely admired and emulated. Look at Fairy Tail, where Natsu’s guild is the ideal for what a guild should be, and many guilds have reformed in their image with their values. What makes a typical shounen protagonist, I would argue, are two main things: an indisputable, unshakeable, almost inhumanly good ideal widely recognized within the canon as the way that things should be, and the faith, power, and drive necessary to rehabilitate people to this ideal and change the world so that it becomes closer to this ideal. 

Naruto is the ideal of a ninja. Luffy and his crew are the ideal of a pirate crew. Natsu’s Fairy Tail guild is the ideal of a mage guild. 

Is Ichigo the ideal of what a Shinigami should be? 

Not initially! Initially, he’s just a prickly little kid with a shitload of trauma and depression to boot! Initially, his instinct to protect has a self-centred bent to it! Initially, he’s not even a Shinigami at all! 

This is where Rukia comes in. Rukia and her philosophy of protection is the ideal of this series – she is what all Shinigami should be. The text isn’t even subtle about this—Rukia canonically has the most beautiful sword (soul) in all of Soul Society. Realistic or not, Rukia is the ‘absolute good’ of this universe—her ideal is, theoretically, the universal ideal. 

But idealism alone doesn’t make Rukia the protagonist-- Rukia lacks the faith, power and drive necessary to turn people to her way of thinking and enact change, which is the other key component of a shounen protag. This is the part that Ichigo supplies—his complete and utterly unshakeable faith in Rukia and her values, the power necessary to back those values, and the ability to spread these values far and wide so that other people start to take up these values as well. I said above that Rukia’s philosophy of protection is so far-fetched that most people can’t even begin to fathom or emulate it—but Ichigo is not ‘most people’. He’s a shounen protag, goddammit! He has the ability to take up an ‘ideal’ that for most people would be impossible, and actually enact change towards that ideal. 

This is why Ichigo and Rukia are double protagonists. Not because they were designed to be matchy-matchy or because of their avalanche of matching titles or whatever else. This is why. They are literally two halves of one shounen protagonist. Kubo called them sand and rotator in the side A and B poems, and he could NOT have picked a better analogy for them. Think of a watermill (or a sand mill, as the analogy is given), which is used to grind grain. The mill by itself cannot perform its purpose any more than the water by itself can magically grind the grain. The water needs to be driven by the wheel through the right mechanisms, and the wheel needs the water to actually function. Rukia drives Ichigo, points him in the right direction with her values, and Ichigo supplies the force necessary to enact change. Rotator, and sand. One protagonist, split into two. 

(As a completely unrelated aside, I don’t know what it’s like in Japan, but in Korea ‘grinding the grain’ is a euphemism for sex, and watermills are inextricably associated with illicit liaisons. They’re the eastern world’s equivalent to the western world’s stables- any raunchy business conducted outside is usually conducted in a watermill.) 

This is also why Ichigo’s name wasn’t something more all-encompassing. He can ‘protect one thing’ and still be a hero – as long as the ‘one thing’ he protects is Rukia. He wants to protect Rukia above all else, to the detriment of others, even (as evidenced by him turning away from rescuing Orihime to rescue Rukia)—but Rukia tells him no, no, I refuse to be protected by you, you have to protect the whole world. This is why it HAS to be Rukia for Ichigo – anyone with less than the absolute selfless ideal that Rukia has could never make Ichigo into the hero. Rukia turns Ichigo’s head to the whole world, opens his eyes to the possibility of protecting more than those in his immediate circle, makes him selfless enough to go through with it. Rukia makes Ichigo the hero. (Big aside: I’m not using ‘hero’ and ‘protag’ interchangeably here. Ichigo is the ‘hero’ of the narrative, but BOTH ichigo and rukia are the ‘protagonists’ of the story.) 

But that isn’t the end of it. I have mentioned, in the past, that Bleach is not typical shounen, that it is structured more like YA lit and should be analysed as such. ‘But Sera! You just spent like 2 A4 pages talking about why Ichigo and Rukia are Standard Shounen Protags together!’ Ah but you see, that’s only initially. INITIALLY, Ichigo and Rukia need each other to become One Whole Stock Standard Shounen Protag. Rukia lacks faith and drive, Ichigo lacks ideal. They need the other to support their flaws, initially. To be completely honest, this is an excellent way to start an unhealthy codependent relationship. The most beautiful part about Ichiruki is that they don’t go down this path at all. They start becoming a whole shounen protag individually, by adopting the other person’s strength as their own. Rukia’s ideals inspire Ichigo, and by tybw, he is as avid about protecting everybody as Rukia is. Rukia sees Ichigo’s unrelenting faith in the fact that she is a good person worth saving, and starts believing in it herself and reciprocates in kind in HM and FB arcs. This is where the YA component comes in—YA protags, unlike typical Shounen Protags, don’t start off with an unapproachable ideal and the power+faith+drive necessary to change the world with it. They GROW into it. That is what Ichigo and Rukia are doing—they are both growing throughout the whole story to fit their protagonist roles, so that eventually, they can become One Whole Independent protagonist on their own. 

It’s a beautiful, perfectly balanced, ironic jigsaw puzzle: Rukia had the ideal, but didn’t have the ability to turn others to this ideal. The only person she turned to it was Ichigo, but that was enough—Ichigo turns everyone else to it as well, overcoming centuries of tradition. Ichigo had the faith and drive, but no-one to put it behind. The only person he put it behind was Rukia, and that was enough—she and her values guide his choices and actions, and he becomes heroic. Ichigo and Rukia each failed one criteria for being a shounen protag, except with each other, BUT THAT WAS ENOUGH. Affecting and changing just one person—each other—was enough to set everything in motion.

A couple other points that I couldn’t find a place to fit into the essay cohesively, but think they’re still worth a mention:

Rukia says ‘all souls should be protected’, and she enacts this by protecting Ichigo, who is a hybrid of all the different soul types present in the narrative: human, quincy, hollow, reaper. Ichigo, despite being such a mixed entity, identifies firmly as shinigami, not because the shinigami convinced him with their ironclad, lofty morals but because Rukia did. 

If Ichigo’s main flaw is being self-centred and tunnel visioned + a weird sort of superiority/hero complex, then Rukia’s main flaw is probably the exact opposite - despite having this incredible ideal, her lack of faith in herself + her tendency to obey the system in all but the most dire, life-threatening situations. Even their flaws are a perfect balancing act, mitigating each other out. (Rukia’s main flaws I probably want to go into in a bit more detail some other time, since it’s not something the fandom in general has much discussion on.)

So! In summary, the tl,dr version: 

Ichigo’s name means ‘protector’ or ‘to protect one thing’ (both versions have been used in official translations). The latter is more relevant, as I have explained above. This ‘one thing’ initially is his mom, but by the end of the SS arc, it has very firmly become Rukia, again evidence listed above. 

This had the potential to be problematic, as it’s not very heroic of someone to want to protect just one person, to hell with everyone else. BUT the narrative sidesteps that by making Ichigo and Rukia two halves of one shounen protagonist, and making them work best when they are together.

Shounen protags require two components: an ideal, and the ability+desire to enact that ideal. Rukia had the former, Ichigo had the latter. That’s why it’s not problematic for Ichigo to want to protect just one person most— because that one person is actually the ‘ideal moral standard’ of their entire universe, and she keeps telling him to use his powers for good and not just her. 

But that’s not even all. Initially, they need the other to become ‘whole’, so to speak— but they don’t stay that way. Ichigo and Rukia have an immensely positive impact on each other, and help each other grow to adopt the best traits of the other and become a hero in their own right. Again, this is why they are both protagonists— because both of them kept growing and changing, right up to the final arc. 

So, even though it’s been said a million times before, it bears repeating: Bleach genuinely is a story about Ichigo and Rukia, both of whom felt a little displaced in their own worlds and had trouble making connections. They connected with each other, and only then could their immense capacity for good could start changing the world. That’s really the crux of it— that it had to be each other for these two, not anybody else. Nobody else could bring out the best in them except for the other. They would never have become this extraordinary had it not been for the other person recognising their inherent value. It absolutely had to be Rukia for Ichigo, and vice versa. It’s always going to be the Ichigo and Rukia show.

[hazel-writes]

Summary: A mission to your home planet, Lothal, takes an unexpected turn - one with deadly consequences.

Word Count: 3,900

Warnings: canon-typical violence, blood, emotional distress

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Life in the hive puckered up my night

The kiss of death, the embrace of life

There I stand 'neath the Marquee moon

Just waiting...

• Marquee Moon - Television •

You walked into work the next day exhausted, but happy to see your friends again after a weekend of ‘mind training’ with the Commander. The moment you passed through the doors to the artist workspace, a pair of arms launched forward and wrapped around your neck. You automatically knew who they belonged to.

Rilea squealed with delight as she released her hold on you.

“Stars, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!”

You laughed, regaining your breath as you pushed her away gently. “It’s only been a few days, but I appreciate the enthusiasm.”

Koda piped up from the back of the room. “Thank stars you’re back - I’ll finally have help keeping this one sane.” He gestured towards Rilea.

Rilea turned to Koda, putting her hands on her hips defensively. “And what makes you think she will choose your side in this debate?”

Koda crossed his arms confidently. “Because I wasn’t the one who accosted her with aggressive hugging the moment she walked in the door.”

Rilea scoffed. “Some people actually appreciate mutual displays of affection, thank you very much.”

You sighed. Glad to be back.

Despite the unrelenting “arguing,” you were thankful for the sense of normalcy being around your friends gave you. It was exactly what you needed.

Rilea and Koda didn’t seem to be nearing the end of their bickering match, so you made your way over to Akilah, shaking your head. “Have they been like this all day?”

She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Try all week.”

“Oof, sorry I missed it.”

Akilah shot you a knowing look.

You laughed. “Okay, not that sorry.”

Soren emerged from the back of the room with a pile of posters. He slammed them down on the table, loud enough to grab everyone’s attention.

Koda rolled his eyes. “Pfassk Soren, what did the paper do to you?”

He ignored Koda’s quip and spoke without looking up. “We have a new mission.”

Great, you thought. Just what I needed. “Where to this time?”

Koda and Rilea wandered over to the papers Soren was inspecting when he didn’t respond right away. You and Akilah hung back, waiting for an answer. After a moment, you noticed the three of them exchange nervous glances before looking back up at you.

“What is it?” You were starting to get worried. Usually if they were quiet for this long, it meant something terrible had happened.

Rilea was the one who broke the silence. “The mission’s on Lothal.... We leave tomorrow.”

————————————————

Making your way off of the First Order transport ship and onto Lothalian land felt strange. Having your friends and coworkers step on the ground as if it was any other planet didn't sit right with you - this was your home.

It was just how you remembered it. Rolling plains extended before you like a savannah ocean. The sky formed a collage of sun and clouds, creating smoky orange shadows on the horizon. The breeze billowed through your hair, mirroring the movement of the tall grass at your feet. An ancient stone circle could be seen in the distance; you used to play on one just like it when you were a kid.

Everything looked the same...

But everything felt different.

You knew Hux was planning on sending you to Lothal, you just didn’t expect it to be so soon considering your experience on the last mission to Dantooine. He had sent you to the city of Kothal, mere miles from where your parents lived. There was no way Hux could’ve known their exact location, but you were on edge nonetheless. The purpose of this mission was straightforward: distribute First Order propaganda, demand the immediate submission of citizens, and fire if necessary.

The ships you arrived on were small, consisting of your coworkers and a handful of stormtroopers. Hux and the Commander were on a separate ship stationed closer to the city center, where they were planning to speak to leadership. You watched as a few troopers lined up beside you. One stopped directly to your left, reached down, and gave your hand a gentle squeeze.

You jumped, startled, before realising who it was. “Finn?”

The trooper nodded.

“What are you doing here? This isn’t your squadron! You need to go back, you could get into troub-”

“Hey, hey, calm down. It’s fine.” He chuckled lightly. “It’s too late to go back anyways.”

You looked from side to side before leaning closer to him. “If Hux finds out about this…”

“He won’t. Now quit your worrying.”

“Not likely,” you replied, furrowing your eyebrows at him. “You never answered my question: why are you here?”

“I heard they were sending you off to Lothal.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “That Hux is one bantha-brained idiot.”

“You came here because of me?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Where you go, trouble follows. Figured I wouldn’t want to miss the excitement.”

You knew that behind his mocking tone lied a more serious concern. “If this is about Dantooine…”

“No, I told you: I am entertainment-starved! Plus, I needed to get off that ship for a while - so chill out.”

You lifted your hands in surrender. “Fine, fine, I’m cool as a dead star.” You looked around at the other members of his crew. “You should get back to your troops.”

“If you insist.” He bowed dramatically. “Just holler if anything moderately exciting happens.”

You laughed. He always had the ability to make you do that. “Will do.”

He started to leave.

“Finn?”

He turned to face you a few feet away. “Yeah?”

You threw a grateful look his way. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet!” He walked backwards a few steps with a casual confidence you admired. “So far this mission has been as uneventful as crew cleanup day.”

“Let’s keep it that way.” You smiled. “I’ll see ya on the flip Concussion Commander!”

He saluted in response. “You too, Coat Thief.”

—————————————

The day’s work had gone well. You stuck with Rilea and Koda for most of it, while Soren and Akilah went off on their own. The three of you made your way across town putting up posters, with the only violent encounter coming from a hungry loth-cat who had mistaken your foot for food.

You recognised a few faces here and there, but did your best to turn around when you did. You received a few disgruntled comments from villagers about how you were a “traitor” and had become a “gray coat.” However, despite Hux’s intentions for you to submit Lothalians to the ways of the First Order, you ignored such comments and continued your business.

By the evening, you still had a third of the posters to distribute. You were desperate to get off of the planet as soon as possible, so when the others went to eat dinner, you hung back and continued to work.

As you meandered through the winding streets, you unconsciously led yourself down the road that led to your old home. Most villagers had turned in for the night, leaving you alone in the now silent town. You looked up at the sky, which was beautifully clear. A breeze wisped a piece of hair in front of your face, but you didn’t mind; you loved the crisp air on Lothal. The air on the Finalizer felt so processed and artificial, so dependent on machines and technology. Here, breathing felt so natural - so in tune with the swaying grass, bristling spine trees, and blooming flowers that surrounded you. You hoped that someday you could come back without the pressures of work or war. Someday...

Your moment of peace was soon disturbed by a growing sense of unease in your gut. You noticed that the crickbeets, which would normally be loud at this time of night, had stopped chirping. That’s not good.

You realized that in the midst of your daydreaming, you had lost track of where you were heading. It was dark, making it harder to see where you were. You stepped towards a streetlight, and gasped when you realized where you had ended up:

You gazed up at the front door of your parent’s home.

You looked down at your clenched fists and took a deep breath. You could turn around, you told yourself; It’s as easy as putting one foot in front of the other. But you knew deep down that this was something you had to do for yourself. For Benji. Before you did anything rash, you decided to circle the house to scope out the situation; you didn’t think anyone would be awake at this time of night.

You didn’t expect your mother to be there this time of year either. She was probably stationed in some big city for her work, as usual. Your older brother had moved out a couple years back and you hadn’t heard much from him since. You weren’t sure about your dad, though. Usually he stuck around the house, painting.

To your surprise, a single light emitted from the small kitchen window. The same window you waved goodbye to your brother from before he was killed.

You needed to see them.

You knocked on the door. No answer.

You knocked again, louder this time. Still no answer.

You knocked a third time, and the door flew open, almost hitting you.

A tall, gray-haired man appeared in the doorway. He wiped his paint-covered hands on the front of his apron, grunting in frustration.

“It’s the middle of the night, for star’s sake! What do you wa-”

Your father looked up, finally recognising you.

“Daisy?”

It was his nickname for you.

“Dad.”

He stared at you, wide-eyed, before hastily beckoning you to enter. “W-what are you doing here?”

You took a few cautious steps into the front room. “We were sent on a mission here.”

“We?” He moved to look behind you as he searched for any sign of others.

“Me and my friends.”

He jerked his head back to face yours. “Friends?” He moved closer to you, bringing his voice to a forced whisper. “You aren’t supposed to be making friends.”

“Better than making enemies.” You remained cold towards him, remembering the purpose of your discussion. “Speaking of which, where’s mom?”

He took a cautious step back, catching onto your dark witticism. “She’s stationed at Jalath for the next month.”

You nodded your head, remaining silent, before your father finally brought himself to ask the question that had been lingering on his mind since you first spoke:

“What’s wrong?”

You brushed past him and into the living space of your old home. Not much had changed, though to be honest, there wasn’t much to change. The room was small, with a packed dirt floor. A few of your father’s paintings sat on wooden easels throughout the space, and even more decorated the walls. Your eyes found your favorite one, the one with the rare and beautiful spine trees that reminded you of…

Your thoughts trailed off when you saw the painting to its left. It was a portrait of your little brother, smiling from ear to ear, awe-struck by a small caterpillar that sat on his pointer finger. You hadn’t seen this before.

“You lied to me.”

Your father furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Lied to you… What are you talking about?”

“About Benji. About his abilities. About everything.”

He remained silent for a moment, finally realizing what you were referencing. “Daisy-”

Your pent-up frustration got the best of you. “You told me he was killed in an accident. An accident! But it was you. You and mom. You sent a little boy out to his death, and then you lied to me about it!”

“We had no choice…” He gave you a pitying look, one that only made you more angry.

“You always have a choice!” Your hands tore through your hair frantically. “I mean, stars, what kind of person could bring themselves to do that?!”

You felt the emotions in you rise, along with the enigmatic ability that you were desperate to keep hidden. Before it was unleashed, a loud bang sounded from behind you. Finn stood at the door, hand on his blaster. He must have heard the yelling, you thought. But how did he know where to find me?

He reached a hand out in your direction. “Hey, you okay?”

You gave him a curt nod before your dad spoke up again.

“Who is this?” He looked at Finn with a mixture of panic and disgust. “You brought one of them here? Are you insane?”

You put out a comforting hand to let Finn know you could handle the situation. “No, he’s a friend. He cares about me, probably more than you ever had.”

Your father took a few steps backwards, pointing his finger towards the door. “Get this Bucketbrain out of my house!”

A part of you knew his comments were coming from a place of true concern for both his and your safety, but another part of you couldn’t allow Finn to be treated like this by your father.

“Don’t talk to him like that.”

“Why not? He’s just one of Ren’s filthy snowmen...” He directed his attention back on you, bringing his voice to a low grumble. “You weren’t supposed to make friends with the enemy.”

“Dad, shut up,” you warned. “Now.”

Finn, who had remained remarkably calm throughout the whole ordeal, finally spoke up. “Dad?” he questioned, looking between you and your father.

You gave him another nod, confirming his realization.

“Your friend doesn’t know, does he?” You stayed silent. He directed his attention back towards Finn. “I wouldn’t get too close to her… She’s not who you think she is.”

Finn spoke up. “With all due respect, I can make my own judgements.”

“You’re just a brainwashed stifftrooper. All you do is follow other’s orders,” he scoffed.

“Isn’t that what you did, dad, follow other’s orders?” He walked straight into that one.

“That was different. That was for the greater good.”

“Greater good, huh? Look where we are now!” You threw your arms out. “Benji’s death didn’t do a thing for the greater good.”

He lowered his voice. “I will not justify myself to you, child.”

Something about the way he patronizingly threw around the word child made you snap. Being a ‘child’ didn’t count for anything in this galaxy; your own brother was forced to grow up way too fast. Your father shouldn't have been able to pick and choose when you were a child and when you were an adult - you stopped being a kid the first time you heard bomber ships above your house.

Your thoughts continued to run rampant as the world around you seemed to compress. The tension built and built, almost unbearably. But then it stopped.

Everything was silent...

...And then it wasn’t.

You ducked as all the windows surrounding you simultaneously shattered. Finn ran to you, wrapping his arms around your body, while pushing your head into his armor. When all the glass stopped flying, he removed his hand from your head, giving you room to look up at him. You couldn’t tell what he must be thinking, but it would have to wait. You stared at your hands, which were clenched into tight fists, before snapping your head back towards your dad.

He stared at you in shock. “You. You are one of them too. You’re like him.”

You returned his amazed expression with a glare. “You are wrong - I’m not like Benji. As much as I try, I will never be able to possess the unwavering trust that he gave others. I won’t let you take advantage of something I can’t control, not like you did to him.”

He stepped towards you. “Little daisy...”

Tears welled up in your eyes. “Don’t call me that.”

He took another step in your direction, pleading with his eyes. “Sweetheart, please, hear me out.” He reached his hand out to touch your shoulder.

You flinched and took a step back. Hot, angry tears fell on the dirt floor. “Don’t touch me.”

Upon hearing that, Finn took a few steps forward, prepared to act if necessary.

But your father wasn’t giving up his fight easily. He reached his hand towards you once more. “Daisy-”

This time, you pushed him away with your palms, prompting Finn to pull out his blaster.

To your horror, your father pulled out his own, aiming it directly at Finn. The two were locked in a standoff.

You put out your arms, glancing between both men. You changed your tone of voice to one that was more soft and understanding. Approaching the situation with anger would only make things escalate further. “Dad, put down the blaster.”

He looked at you, confused and hurt. “Shouldn’t you be telling him that?”

“I trust him.” You gave a small nod to Finn, which he returned. You knew Finn wouldn’t shoot unless you gave him permission or if you were in serious danger.

You continued to mediate the confrontation. “Just put it down. Put it down and then I promise we will leave.”

“He’s an Imp! He’ll send more back here later.” The panic in your father’s voice was growing more and more visible.

“No, no, he wouldn’t do that!”

A twinge of guilt hit you as you considered his point of view. Maybe you had been too harsh on him. Maybe seeing you with Finn was too much for him. Maybe he really did feel that he had no choice but to send your brother away. It had been your mother, after all, who coaxed him into doing so. But he lied - they both did - forcing you to relive your brother’s death day after day, speculating as to how things went so wrong.

A grumble from beneath Finn’s helmet brought you back to the present. You discretely inched towards your father, trying to get close enough to grab the blaster out of his hands.

Unfortunately he spotted what you were doing, and took an unsteady step back, almost tripping over a canvas that lied on the ground. “Don’t come any closer,” he warned.

You ignored his comment and continued your movement. “I need you to calm down.”

“Stop!” he cried, inadvertently stepping on the canvas, his foot falling through the thin-woven fabric. He looked down at his foot for a brief moment.

This was your chance.

“Dad-” you started, reaching for the blaster as fast as you could.

A shot rang out. You instinctively brought your hands to your ears, trying to ease their sudden ringing. You looked up in horror to see Finn fall to the ground. Your father remained standing, seemingly shocked by his own actions.

You cried out, running to your fallen friend. “No, no, no, no. What did you do?!”

You ran your hands over his armor, trying to find the source of his injury. Meanwhile your father made his way over to where you kneeled. His voice quivered with regret.

“Daisy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

You spun around, furious. It was no use hiding your powers from him now. Wordlessly, you extended your hands outwords, hurling objects around the room until each of your father’s paintings lied in shambles on the floor.

Suddenly, a noise came from behind you. You turned to see the Commander standing at the doorway. He must’ve sensed something was wrong, you thought. But still, you were surprised to see him stand at the entrance of your house, his cloak billowing dramatically in the wind.

Your father looked up, and upon seeing the masked man, his face contorted into an expression of disgust.

Your father spoke with more malice than you had ever heard him speak before: “You.”

The Commander brought his gaze from your tear-filled eyes to your dad’s weapon, before silently raising his hand, preparing to attack.

Seeing what was about to happen, you put yourself between the two men, facing the Commander. “No! Please, he’s my father.”

He turned to face you, cocking his head slightly.

But before he could answer you, you watched as your father raised his blaster and fired off another shot. Unlike the scared, unsure stance he held when accidentally shooting Finn, he now was confident, unwavering, and most of all, angry.

Time stood still as you explored your options. You could attempt to use the force to stop the laser, but you had exhausted your powers with your previous outburst. You could just let the laser go, hoping it would miss the Commander or that he would block it somehow but no, you couldn’t take that chance either. Nobody else was going to get hurt because of you. So that left you one choice. One extremely stupid choice.

Without thinking too much, you forced your feet across the floor, positioning yourself between your father and the Commander. You shut your eyes and waited.

At first you didn’t feel anything. That didn’t last long. As time began to speed up again, you felt a searing pain near your shoulder. It was the most physical discomfort you had ever felt, a fact that probably made you luckier than most.

You dropped to your knees as your body went into shock - a combination of the physical and mental stress of the whole encounter. You felt dizzy and it was hard to focus on what was happening around you.

You looked up and watched the horrified face of your father as he dropped his blaster. He started to make his way over to you, but with a burst of power you didn’t know you still had, you pushed him away. He was sent sprawling onto the other side of the room, unconscious. This was more for his protection than yours, as the Commander would not be happy with his assassination attempt.

Your whole body made contact with the floor and you shifted your focus to the left where Finn lied, motionless. You crawled as close as you could before wrapping your fingers around his armored hand. A moment later you saw a pair of black boots appear to your right.

“Commander-”

“Just hold on.” He kneeled down next to you, hastily removing his helmet to get a better look at the wound. He then placed two gloved hands on your shoulder, attempting to stem the bleeding.

You looked up at him. He had risked his position by coming to your aid. He had listened to you when you told him to not hurt your father. And now, he was still by your side, even after being shot at.

You mumbled the only thing you could think to say: “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

You smirked weakly. “Too late.”

He shook his head, hands still on your would, his eyes shifting to focus on your father. You followed his gaze before reaching one of your hands up to gently grab his wrist.

“He was just scared...” You tried to explain, but it was getting harder and harder to keep your eyes open. “He-”

The Commander interrupted you. “I… I understand. Just try to relax.”

You sighed, looking back to your left. “Finn-”

“He’ll be alright.”

You felt yourself nearing the edge of consciousness. Even if you survived this, what would happen to Finn? Would your father ever recover? Both of them had seen your powers, putting you and the Commander at risk. It was all too much.

“Kylo, I’m scared.”

He looked at you unlike he had ever before: unconfident, terrified, helpless.

“Me too.”

And while that would’ve made most even more worried, it comforted you. He told you the truth, and that was all you could’ve asked for.

——————————————

Previous || Masterlist || Next

[twothumbsandnostakeincanon]

Stiles said “ow” a lot. Like, all the time. When he wasn’t even hurt, actually. It was more a statement of surprise.

Face tucked in a book, he didn’t count the steps down the stairs and hit the bottom before expected, saying, “Ow.”

Or carrying a basket of laundry, he’d misjudge the amount of space needed to get through a doorway and bounce off the frame. His body hadn’t even touched anything, and yet “ow” fell from his lips before he even realized what had halted his progress.

Sometimes it wasn’t even physical. If one of the pack snuck up on him and made a sound close to his ear, he’d exclaim “Ow!” as he jumped away.

In the beginning, before his death, Peter thought he just had an incredibly low tolerance for pain. In his revenge addled state, he’d put it down to Stiles being a soft child and left it at that. It was only after he came back that he realized that Stiles had very few soft spots at all, and none of them were physically based.

As Peter grew to like Stiles more, to appreciate his wit and his planning, the “ow’s” grabbed his attention in an irritating way. He found himself more and more tuned to Stiles when he was in the room. The only pack member he cared about, or possibly his only pack member period, was constantly making a statement of distress when there was nothing Peter could do about it because nothing was actually wrong.

It left him with constant simmering instinct to fix whatever was hurting his pack, but you can’t fix sudden startlement at a wall that has been there since the building was constructed, minding its own wall business until Stiles ran into it.

Peter questioned him on why he said it, even outright demanded he stop, but Stiles just didn’t seem to understand.

“Ignore it dude,” he said with a roll of his eyes at Peter’s petulance. “I have other shit to worry about and it’s not even the most annoying thing about me.”

And Peter almost protested. He very nearly slid into an argument the way they had dozens of times before- except, he realized, that he didn’t think it was Stiles’ most annoying feature either. In fact, Peter didn’t think anything Stiles did was annoying.

Or at least not purely annoying. It was either annoying but cute, like the way he wiggled his fingers as he studied the magic of his spark; or annoying but useful, like his tendency to find Peter when he’d been spending too much time alone, thinking about everything he’d lost, and lure him into a ridiculous discussion.

Peter had an appreciation for pretty much everything Stiles did.

When matched up with Peter’s appreciation for Stiles’ lithe body, bright eyes, and obscene hands, Peter realized that he might have a little problem.

Luckily, before he had to deal with any messy emotions or hypothetical “feelings,” a bigger problem rolled into town.

They spent a week hunting down the Will-o’-the-wisp that actually turned out to be a Feu-follet. More vicious, more violent, and more hungry, it wasn’t a fight that the pack was prepared for. Stiles was the one who realized that the only way to kill it was with fire. Close range fire.

Before Peter could even shout, Stiles stepped into the space of the demon, allowing it to grab him with clawed hands, and then shoved a fireball conjured from nowhere into it’s gut.

Moments later, they all watched the Feu-follet collapse into ash.

“Since when do you know how to make fire?” Scott asked, appalled.

“Since right now, apparently,” Stiles answered, tucking his hands in his pocket with a slight wince that only Peter seemed to notice.

“You could have burned the whole forest down, Stiles!” Scott yelled.

Derek abruptly turned and stalked away, obviously eager to get away from the smell of smoke. Peter was hardly any less eager, but he also wasn’t willing to leave Stiles alone with his dipshit friend.

“And the Feu-follet could have ripped out your intestines and strangled you to death with them,” Peter said in a careless voice. “Luckily or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, neither of those things actually happened and we can all go home now.”

Scott was clearly ready to continue the fight with a new target, his red eyes narrowing at Peter, but the rest of the tired pack had already started following Derek.

“I have some books on incendiary magic, Stiles” Peter said, clearly excluding Scott from the conversation. “If you have a few minutes before you need to be home, you can swing by my place and get them.”

Stiles was clearly exhausted; magic took more energy out of him than he’d ever admit, but nodded anyway, and they both walked away without regard to Scott. Peter followed the Jeep to his apartment, keeping a sharp watch in case Stiles started to drift, but they arrived safely.

Once they were in the apartment together, Peter caught a whiff of blood. His eyes sharpened.

“Hands.”

Stiles looked at him, confused.

“What?”

“Let me see your hands.”

Stiles’ eyes widened for a moment before his face took on a squirrelly look, glancing away.

And that was when Peter realized that for as much as Stiles said “ow,” he wasn’t saying it nearly enough. In fact, when Peter thought about it, he realized that Stiles never actually said “I’m hurt,” or “I’m bleeding,” or “does anyone have a tylenol or maybe a shit load of morphine,” after a fight. He always went directly home. Peter clenched his jaw against his own delay in understanding, his own stupidity.

“Hands, Stiles.” His tone allowed no argument. Stiles sighed and finally pulled them out of his jacket pockets.

His palms and fingers were shiny and red. Quarter sized burn blisters scattered the skin, but none were bleeding. Peter’s shoulders tensed as he realized that Stiles would have had to hold the steering wheel on the way over.

“I smell blood. Where are you bleeding?”

Stiles shrugged and then winced, glancing down at his ribs.

“My side apparently. The little shit probably got me with its claws.”

Peter had to reign in a desire to go dig up the Feu-follet in order to kill it again. Instead, he headed toward the bathroom containing his first-aid kit.

“Come with me,” he said, beckoning over his shoulder. “Your side is probably already teeming with infection, and I have Silvadene. Let’s get your hands treated first, and then you can look up how to conjure fire without getting burned.” He paused. “Well, I can look it up. Your hands aren’t going anywhere near my books with Silvadene all over them.”

It took Peter a moment to realize he wasn’t being followed. When he turned around with a raised eyebrow, Stiles just looked baffled.

“You know I can take care of this myself? You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes. I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do,” Peter said slowly. “And it just so happens that leaving my favorite pack member to suffer injury without aid is not something I want to do.” Leaving a stunned look on Stiles’ face, he turned around and fetched the kit from the bathroom. Just as he returned to the living room, Stiles seemed to click back on.

“I’m your faaaaaavorite,” he said with a grin, preening. “You admitted it! No take backsies, I’m your favorite. I’m your prized pal, your cherished chum-” he cut himself off with a hiss when he went to take off his shirt to expose the scratches only to find his hands unable to handle it.

“You’re also my favorite idiot,” Peter said, exasperated as he carefully pushed Stiles’ hands away to take over.

His wolf immediately tried to redirect his thoughts to other reasons they might take of Stiles’ shirt. Normally one to agree with his instincts, Peter was forced instead to metaphorically whack himself on the nose with a cringe and focus on the injuries in front of him. Three long, fairly deep scratches ran about eight inches down his ribs. Peter pursed his lips and immediately went for the antibacterial and butterfly bandages. “Stand still.”

Stiles was surprisingly capable of stillness while being treated.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you go without tapping your fingers for this long,” Peter said idly.

“Ha ha,” Stiles said sarcastically. “I know how to sit still. I had to give myself stitches after the thing with the witches-”

“You gave yourself stitches?” Peter said, voice sharp. Stiles seemed to realize that Peter was upset, but unsure of why.

“… yes? Just two. But like, that’s two more than I’d ever given myself before. It sucked.”

“Jesus Christ Stiles, why didn’t you tell me?” Peter was just barely able to moderate his voice. He’d spent the last few months itching over Stiles not needing his care only to discover that yes, he had. Desperately. And Peter hadn’t given it.

Stiles didn’t answer him, the surprised look on his face slowly giving way to the same calculation Peter saw when Stiles was working on a particularly difficult piece of magic.

Eventually, as Peter moved from his side to his hands, Stiles quietly said, “I honestly didn’t think it mattered. I can treat myself just as well as anyone else. I’ll heal the same whether I put on the bandaid or someone else does it.” He paused then, looking closely at Peter before continuing. “But it matters to you, doesn’t it?”

Peter said nothing for a moment, focusing on opening a fresh pack of gauze.

“Make sure you use sterile wrappings on this,” he said, voice as quiet as Stiles’ had been. “Burned skin is extremely prone to infection.” He looked up after that, and saw the moment it clicked for Stiles.

Peter, who was a burn victim. Peter, who had received those burns in his attempts to protect his pack. Peter, who was left behind with no pack to care for him. Peter, who would find the idea of doing the same thing to another pack member absolutely repulsive.

Stiles nodded, suddenly full of too much understanding. Peter looked back down at the hand he was working on.

“I don’t know how much sterile gauze I have left at home,” Stiles said to the top of his head when Peter continued to look down. “You apparently have a ton, though.” It was true. Peter’s kit was well stocked.

“I’m not letting you steal my gauze. If you want to use it, you’ll just have to come back here and let me reapply it,” Peter responded blithely as he finished loosely wrapping the second hand. The corner of Stiles’ mouth twitched up.

After the kit was packed up, Peter grabbed the books he’d been thinking of and sat down on the couch, where Stiles immediately sat next to him and snuggled up.

“Your favorite pack member needs to be close enough to see,” Stiles said innocently when Peter raised an eyebrow. Peter snorted.

“Remember to see with your eyes and not with your hands. If any silver cream ends up on these pages I’ll take it out of your hide.”

Stiles grinned.

“Is that a promise?”

[gildedcrown]

Repost it, do not reblog.

CHARACTER: Raihan Anand-Knightley

tagged by : @pcstwick​

tagging : steal it from meeeee

—    basics.

▸       is your muse tall    /    short    /    average ? Raihan stands at a whopping 6’8”, which is quite a bit above average. He definitely appreciates the high standing doorways that litter Hamerlocke Castle. You can bet that he hits his head more than a few times in normal hanging doorways. It’s honestly why he wears the headband, it helps soften the blow.

▸       are they okay with their height ? At first, Raihan actually really hated it. He got made fun of for being the short kid in elementary school and then hit a huge growth spurt when entering high school. To which he got made fun of again for being so tall. It probably wasn’t until his last year of high school that he was finally comfortable with his height. Which, coincidentally, lines up with when he got the position as the next gym leader to Hammerlocke.

▸      what’s their hair like ? So! Raihan’s hair style is a dreadlock ponytail with a faded side shave most of the time. As an Afro-Asian, he does have textured hair when he doesn’t have the dreadlocks and his hair texture is a 3C hair type! He’s probably had the dreadlocks for about two or three years now. Currently, Raihan is growing it out so that he can cut the dreads off to go back to his natural hair. When he first started his gym leader position, Raihan used to just wear his natural hair in a ponytail with a headband.

▸     do they spend a  lot of time on their hair     /    grooming ? Yeah, I would say so! Raihan doesn’t have to do much in terms of his hair, but he does have a routine he follows. He has to be in public a lot of the time and it’s expected of a gym leader to look a certain way. I would say he’s pretty average in terms of time, though it just kind of depends on the day.

▸      does your muse care about their appearance   /   what others think ? Oh absolutely. Raihan is very conscious of his appearance and what others think of him. While he’s not self-conscious about the way he looks, he is hyper aware that he has to look presentable to the public and look good while doing it.

—    preferences.

▸ indoors    or    outdoors ?  Outdoors, he loves spending time out in Hammerlocke Hills just strolling or laying around in the grass. Not to mention all times he takes Flygon out for a spin, he loves being outdoors. ▸      rain    or    sunshine ?   Sunshine! He enjoys feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin. ▸      forest    or    beach ?  Both, he enjoys any good old time exploring the forest, but he will never turn down a day at the beach. ▸      precious    metals    or    gems ?  So I’m probably going to say precious metals here. I think Raihan likes a lot of gemstones and thinks all of them are very pleasing to the eye, but there’s just something very esthetically pleasing about the precious metals that he likes. Especially as earrings. ▸      flowers    or    perfumes ? Flowers! He’s not a big fan of perfumes. ▸      personality    or    appearance ?  Personality. He’s not one to really judge on appearances, though it is something he’s conscious about for himself. ▸      being    alone    or    being    in    a    crowd ?  Both in moderation. ▸      order    or    anarchy ? Order. ▸      painful    truths    or    white    lies ? Painful truths! ▸      science    or    magic ?  Science for sure. ▸      peace    or    conflict ?  A little bit of both. He doesn’t think one can exist without the other. ▸      night    or    day ?  Night for sure! He enjoys looking at the stars at night. ▸      dusk    or    dawn ?  Dusk! He enjoys watching the colors of the sunset fade into the night from the parapets of Hammerlocke Castle. ▸      warmth    or    cold ? Warmth. He can get pretty grumpy when he’s too cold. Raihan does not enjoy the winters in Galar to say the least. ▸      many   acquaintances    or    a    few   close    friends ?  A few close friends. ▸      reading    or    playing    a    game ? Raihan prefers to listen to audio books, so playing a game!

—    questionnaire.

▸      what are some of your muse’s bad habits ? I think his worst one is being self-deprecating. He doesn’t give himself nearly enough credit as he should. Putting himself down for the sake of others or just in a joking manner. Raihan has always had self esteem problems ever since he was a kid, and that has definitely followed into adulthood to say the least.

▸      has your muse lost anyone close to them ? how has it affected them ? Raihan hasn’t really had any significant losses like that in his life. His grandparents are all extremely healthy and take good care of themselves. He hasn’t lost any Pokemon either, so there isn’t anything he could really amount that kind of loss to.

▸      what are some fond memories your muse has ? Probably the ones surrounding his family. Following his grandfather around the Vault like a little shadow, his grandmother teaching him how to bake. His mum, Alex, showing him how to Pokemon battle for the first time. Watching his Trapinch hatch from his egg. Any time that was spent with his sisters and going out and doing stuff with them. His other mum, Varshika, teaching him how to speak in other languages. His family is very important to him, they helped him through a lot of rough patches in his life and he couldn’t be more thankful for them.

▸     is it easy for your muse to kill ? No. He doesn’t think he should be someone’s judge and executioner. Even if he thinks that someone is the scum of the earth, he can’t make the conscious decision to decide someone’s fate like that.

▸      what’s it like when your muse breaks down ? It’s. Pretty bad. Raihan has a really good poker face, so it’s really hard to tell if he’s having a bad day or genuinely about to break down. Unless you’re someone who’s really close to him and knows all of his tells. He becomes distant, gives only one word answers or is very curt in his responses. When he finally breaks down, it’s usually in the form of just sitting in the dark somewhere curled up in a ball hugging a pillow for some kind of comfort.

▸      is your muse capable of trusting someone with their life ? Raihan doesn’t trust people very easily. And if he does, it’s someone who he is very close to. I think the four people he would trust with his life are his apprentices and Leon.

▸      what’s your muse like when they’re in love ? Raihan is very indulgent when he’s in love. Not only that, but he’s extremely affectionate to his partner, whether it be a simple kiss or cuddling. He’s also very likely to dote on his partner, giving them little gifts and spoiling them whenever he’s able to (see: Leon). There’s not much that will stop him from giving his partner anything they ask, it’s basically his kryptonite. Raihan is also very in tune with his partner? He’ll be able to tell easily if they’re feeling off, or if they had a bad day.

[osmw1]

Poison-Wielding Fugitive   Chapter 15

“I’m actually more worried about you and your store, seeing how you buy poisonous herbs at such a high price.”

I answered Arleaf’s dad while changing the topic.

“Well, obviously, it’s ‘cause this sorta medicine is a local specialty of our village. Oh, yeah, and don’t you go entering our fields either. I won’t forgive you if you do that.”

This village grows some questionable herbs… According to Arleaf, it’s some sort of ingredient for anesthesia, but let’s not get too deep into that subject.

‘Hmm? That field? The herbs I saw growing there were not poisonous ones but a kind that is very effective as an antidote.’

Doubts of Veno’s knowledge on medicinal herbs pass through my mind, but it’s likely to be some other field.

“… is that right?” “It’s just that I post requests for adventurers for the stuff that grows in places a li’l dangerous.”

I don’t really want to know too much about this topic. Well, with three days and the help of a map, I’ve got a pretty good grasp of the villages and the area around here. I wonder if I’m running around a little too carelessly. Actually, I wonder if why Arleaf’s dad is being so hospitable to me is because I’m a regular customer. Or maybe it’s because I seem like I’m also fond of dangerous meds.

“Aren’t you actually here to stock up? I know some guys who can help you out.”

Ugh. Totally suspicious. I don’t wanna delve into anything too shady. I hope Arleaf’s alright. It sucks how she has to go peddle such dangerous medicine when she’s got such a cute face.

‘They do say that every rose has its thorn.’

Veno, if you could, I’d like you to disagree.

‘Is it not quite the cliché for a hero to fall into such trickery? Humans are but foolish beings after all.’

It’s not that I don’t get you, but I’d like for you to think of Arleaf as just beautiful. Anyway, I’ll reject her dad’s proposition.

“I don’t really need to, no. I’m just here to complete whatever quest that’s convenient for me.” “You’re downright cold. You know, if you get wrapped up in our business a little more, you can learn what’s behind that beautiful face of hers.” “Aren’t you treating your daughter like some kind of public hazard? What’s really going on with her?” “Can’t tell secrets. Heh heh heh heh.”

With that, I take my pay as is routine by now, and leave the apothecary.

From this point… I head to the tavern to enjoy a late lunch. As I entered the place, the owner of the tavern was just placing a new bounty list on the wall. I’d like to go bounty hunting too. It’s pretty good money if you have proof of the work you did.

It really gets your blood pumping, like fighting a boss. But right now, my priority is to get stronger. It would be foolish for me to plunge myself into something that dangerous. But like Veno says, even sighting a wanted person is important information, so I should keep an eye out. With a tankard in one hand, I scan over the bounty list.

“Hmm? Ah, aren’t you… Cohgray of the Swamps?”

What, am I famous already? Did the proprietress of the inn talk about me? But rather, Cohgray of the Swamps…

“What is Cohgray of the Swamps?” “Ah, you’ve been going to the swamp ever since you’ve arrived here, haven’t you? Because you’re Cohray and you go to the swamp every day, you’re Cohgray of the Swamps.”

That’s an awful nickname. You couldn’t have picked anything cooler for me? I mean, in fantasy or superhero settings, the characters always have some sort of nickname. So maybe it’s normal for a nickname to come from something so simple.

“…” “Hey, don’t worry about it. Being famous is good. Work gets easier too. Since you’re so familiar with the ins and outs of the swamp, you might get invited by other people to guide them.”

Huh? You mean it might be possible for me to make friends with other adventurers and to be invited for things? That gets me kinda excited. I guess it’s fine, but I’m also interested in what the owner of the tavern posted just now.

“Is that a new bounty list?” “That’s right. They’ve sent this one as a special delivery even to a village like this. Probably means that their country is desperate.”

I had to restrain myself from yelling out after reading what it said.

Human metamorphosed from a dragon, 30,000,000 lag reward Engaged in battle with the joint forces of crusaders from Saint Yggdra and a dragonslayer on the △th day of the ○th month. Be wary of its ability to breathe flames like hellfire and to call down thunder. It is believed to be a Fire Dragon or Thunder Dragon. The dragonslayer weakened the dragon by placing a curse on the dragon to transform it into human. Right as the dragonslayer was about to finish it off, the dragon used cunning magics to flee. This dragon is hiding in the form of a human, aiming to recover strength, and extremely dangerous. We request neighboring nations to aid in the suppression of this dragon. The dragonslayer is in hot pursuit. We wish for any helpful information regarding this matter!

There’s no facial composite or description about appearance on the wanted poster. But judging by the traits and skills, that’s got to be Veno. Funnily enough, they called their own Forced Possession Summoning a curse.

‘It is natural for humans to falsify things so that it sounds better, is it not?’ “A dragon that dangerous is hiding in one of the countries next door, eh? Even then… that reward would really strain the coffers. An eager adventurer looking to get rich quick would go searching for this, eh? Too bad he’s not here.”

For some reason, the owner exasperatedly grumbled.

‘I cannot believe they released a wanted bulletin in a mere three days. You ought to be real careful of this, aye?’

With the reward being a whole 30 million lag, isn’t that actually a monumental amount? Arms and armor are expensive, but even then, it doesn’t cost that much. Killing a dragon weakened and in the form a human pays 30 million… any adventurer blinded by greed will definitely get wind of this and come looking.

… yikes. They still don’t know what kind of dragon Veno is exactly, but if they knew that he’s a Poison Dragon, they might suspect me, a Poison-Wielder. We’ve got to try our best to peacefully and quietly release this spell.

‘It is possible that they could have magic that can detect our whereabouts. You ought to tread forward carefully.’

Whose fault do you think it is that I’m in this predicament? is what I wanted to say, but I guess it’s not entirely Veno’s fault. We’re the victims here, having been forcefully brought together by those bastards. Because of all that, I was feeling pretty anxious. I played it cool, finished my meal, and headed back to the inn.

Back at the inn, I look around in my room. It’s my fourth day in this alternate world… for some reason, coming back to this room already calms me down. It’s beginning to feel like my home. Do people usually get this attached just by staying for a few nights? When I look over at my mixing machine in the corner, I really do mistake this room as my own. Even though I keep telling myself to be ready to escape at any given moment… well, no point in kicking myself over it. I check my status to see what I’ve accomplished with the past three days.

Kogure Yukihisa Poison-Wielder Level 17 Acquired skills: Spirit Link, Poison Absorption, Poison Release, Synthesize Poison, Detect Poison, Poison Enchantment, Hunting Sense, Hunting Mastery I, Aiming Shot, Trap Mastery I, Call Fungus

No other skills were added from what I remember. However, there are more poisons I can make by Synthesize Poison.

Like Moderate Paralysis and Moderate Anesthesia. That, and also Weak Acid, Weak Silencing Poison, and Weak Hallucinogen. By applying the poison to my bolts with Poison Enchantment, I know that Paralysis and Hallucinogen have an effect. Paralysis is as the name suggests, it numbs my target. It makes them sluggish, numb, and prevents them from moving. It takes some time for the poison to kick in and it doesn’t change with condensed poison either.

The other one is the hallucinogen. It kicks in almost immediately, making the target dizzy and hallucinate. The hallucination scares them and—depending on the monster—causes them to run away or go berserk. Veno thinks it’s stupid ‘cause you can’t tailor it to do anything specifically.

Besides balls of poison, I can also make poisonous mist with Poison Release now. If I release it upwind, it should spread pretty far, but I have yet to test it out. It’d be dangerous if I carelessly use it though; it might even spread to the village.

Right now, I’ve been meaning to try out my Weak Mollifying Poison. It softens up the hide or scales of a monster’s protective layer. Unfortunately, as it is, it doesn’t do anything even if you dump it right on them. Furthermore, it doesn’t cope well with heat. One of its weak points is that it disappears once it heats up. I don’t have enough levels to condense it either, so it seems like it’s out of my reach at the moment. While it doesn’t take all that much time to create, I made quite a bit of it, so I gathered it in a bucket. I took some of the inedibly tough meat that they sell here in this village and marinated it for a bit in this mollifying poison. I plan to borrow the inn’s kitchen tonight for this experiment in poisoned steak grilling.

Putting all this poison talk behind us, I’ve gained the skill Hunting Mastery. Thanks to Veno and his advice, I earned this skill by practicing with my crossbow. Well, I’m pretty familiar with how the crossbow works now as well. Maybe because of that, I also have Aiming Shot… I focus on aiming and the bolt strikes with a little more power. This definitely seems like an active skill.

This skill uses a bit of mana. I thought a good way to fight a monster would be to dig a hole in the swamp, trap it, and kill. When I tried that out, I gained Trap Mastery. Did I try that out today? Once the poison kicks in, they quickly die. The condensed poison made with Poison Release seems to work well enough.

Ah, obviously, I haven’t poisoned any human beings yet. Actually, I’ve been fighting monsters deep in the swamp upfront and it was kinda tough. I retreated many times thanks to Veno warning me. Some monsters don’t care about the pools of poison and they charge straight in for me. I don’t think I’d be able to fight ones that can shoot me with magic. I still don’t feel like I’ve fully mastered the crossbow.

That’s why I use traps to fight. Just in case I need them, I tend to store up my spoils with storage magic… but Veno almost always deliciously feasts on them. I’ve still got a lot to work on, but it’s going pretty well, eh? As well, I tried theorizing the difference between Masteries and poison creation. You can practice your Masteries but I can create poisons without practice. This is the difference between something gained from training and something that’s inborn. Veno had said before: no matter how hard a snake works, a venomous bite is not something that can be learned. Since it’s something I’m inherently capable of, it has nothing to do with hard work. It’s likely something to do with me being a Poison-Wielder that I can wield poison. Not only is it convenient, it’s nothing to scoff at either.

‘Surprisingly, you have grown accustomed to it.’

Well, yeah. I was originally a basic code monkey. I thought I’d hate a job as physically demanding as an adventurer. I didn’t think I’d be as good as I am. With that said though, there are still many monsters that are above me and levelling in the dungeon and fighting monsters there seems tough. Not only because of that, I also have people hunting me down, so I want to get stronger… I realize that it’s considerably difficult fighting alone.

Veno’s protection has helped me out a lot, but when I encounter a bunch of monsters together, I still have to withdraw. A real-life example would be the pack of Zombie Dogs. My poison ineffective against them, so I had no hope of beating them head-on. I’m not strong; there are limits to what I can do alone. Even with me power levelling, it’s rough to fight in the pools of poison.

Hmm… it might be dangerous, but should I be a little braver and join a party? They even call me Cohgray of the Swamps. It shouldn’t be weird for me to find some adventuring buddies, fight monsters in the area, and to take a tiny share of the experience. It’s just that I’m 26 years old and I somehow feel like I should be an experienced adventure already. I worry that others will refuse to join me because of that.

Arleaf’s dad is probably… I dare say, in his thirties. And he’s got a daughter that old already. I’m afraid marriageable age here is different than the one in Japan. I don’t think I look that old, but… well, whatever. I think I’ll head to the swamp after a quick rest. Since I’m going to the swamp again today, I suddenly I realized that I have to dry my robe in the shade.

“There’s mold on it… what’s worse, there’s even mushrooms growing…”

I didn’t realize that there were mushrooms with red caps growing on the lining of my robe! It’s only been three days since I got it from Veno! I didn’t think it’d grow mold that quickly. It’s a huge shock to me, but… that can only mean that I’m filthy.

‘It is because you do not often air it out, is it not?’

I know. It’s because I jump into swamp water so much and hanging it out to dry is a pain. I’m also often in a damp place. It doesn’t matter how much of a Poison-Wielder I am, my clothes won’t be resistant to poison too, eh?

previously: /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /next/ (full list of translated chapters) (discussion thread) (support Average Translations on Patreon or Paypal)

[tvdversefanfiction]

Canary Carnage

Chapter Five: Black, White and Red All Over

Warnings: I don’t own any of the rights, content or characters belonging to any of the DC content I use within the story along with not owning any rights, content or characters within The Vampire Diaries, Originals or Legacies.

18 Rating: Moderate/Graphic displays of violence, sexual innuendos, sexually charged scenes, SMUT, strong language and potentially triggering scenes.

Pairings: M/M, F/F, M/F.

Lucas Lance had found himself in quite the dilemma while stuck in France with the original hybrid Klaus Mikaelson who intended to kill the Red Canary before either of them returned to New Orleans as he believed his siblings were taking care of Lucas’ siblings, not realizing how truly complicated that situation had become.

Lucas found himself speeding through the woods within the small town located somewhere in France having just released Elijah Mikaelson from the Hollow’s hold as he plotted to get back to the plane and threaten his way back to New Orleans before he crashed into Klaus who vamp sped in front of him causing the Red Canary to fall to the ground.

Before Lucas could use his canary cry against the original hybrid he had been pulled back up to his feet only to be thrown across the woods hitting a tree with force knocking him unconscious before his body hit the ground once more as Klaus began walking towards him, ready to kill the Red Canary only to find his own neck snapped as Elijah appeared behind him before dropping Klaus’ unconscious body to the ground.

When Elijah Mikaelson had his memory erased and his life changed forever he was set free from a thousand years of losses, betrayals and pain and although he no longer had the hollow inside of him he was still compelled, still free and not even remotely interested into being thrown back into the Mikaelson madness so he did what any reasonable amnesiac immortal would do when his past came knocking and kidnapped his brother Klaus Mikaelson and his frenemy Lucas Lance.

Together the original hybrid and the Red Canary had just slaughtered Elijah Mikaelson’s customers, colleagues and even some friends and with him only remembering them he wanted to seek revenge on the two monsters who had ruined his normal life not remembering harming family would be the last thing he’d normally do.

Elsewhere in New Orleans, Laurel Lance had sought out refuge for her and her undead sister Sara within Lafayette Cemetery with the witches having been granted access to the witches’ safe haven by the recently re-crowned regent Davina Claire who had only recently returned to the city after years away and wasted no time in striking up an alliance with the Black Canary having been informed from her father figure Marcel Gerard of how much carnage they had been creating for the Mikaelson’s, Klaus especially.

She understood Sara’s wishes to protect Lucas and how that led to murdering Freya Mikaelson who had once doomed Davina for a similar reason so Davina wasn’t particularly cut up about Freya’s fate and although she still had some unfinished business with Kol she had no love loss for Klaus or Elijah and had enough of staying away from her home, ready to take New Orleans by force one way or another.

It was Davina who informed Laurel that for Sara to complete her transition into becoming a vampire Sara would have to drink blood within the next 24 hours or she would become dead permanently and not in the undead way.

The only problem being that Sara Lance didn’t want to become a vampire which meant Laurel had little time to either convince her little sister or lose her all over again.

“I know that this means a lot of change and I don’t fully understand vampirism on this Earth, but I’d rather have you undead than just plain old dead.” Laurel admitted to Sara as the two canaries sat on a wall within Lafayette Cemetery, alone for the first time that day after seeking out wonder witch Davina for protection.

“I wasn’t killed by a Mikaelson Laurel, I was killed by a member of my former organisation which means they’ve followed meaning I’ve put you and Lucas in danger when that’s the last thing I wanted.” Sara revealed to the Black Canary. “This organisation will stop at nothing to kill me and whoever I’m near at least this way I die on my own terms.”

“In case you haven’t noticed but both Lucas and I have been in danger since day one on this Earth and I’m in danger every day back home fighting the good fight you never put us in anymore danger than either of us are use to.” Laurel told her little sister, trying to make it clear their current predicament wasn’t her fault. “So, what if this organisation wants you and Olly dead, we will take them out just like we’ll take out the Mikaelson’s if we have too.”

“Oliver was there.” Sara announced as she remembered in that moment, the entire events hazy to her due to her current state. “I think they took him somewhere let’s hope they’ve not found a way out of this Earth.”

“We’ll find your man,” Laurel said while rolling her eyes, unamused by Sara’s worry for the Green Arrow even if she too worried for her ex. “Thankfully we don’t have to wait till sunlight to go hunting with that magic sun ring Davina gave you. You just have to take the blood then we’ll wait for Lucas and the three canaries will take down this organisation of yours.”

“Laurel you have no idea what your trying to get yourself into not to mention neither of us even know if Lucas is still alive!” Sara snapped at her older sister as she stood up. “Let’s face that facts here big sis Lucas is more than likely dead and I’m going to be dead by the end of today the best you could do is get the hell out this city and find someway back to your own Earth.”

“No, I refuse to give up hope on either of you!” Laurel argued as she stood up to face her younger sister. “I gave up on you thinking you were dead and yet here you are I’m not going to give up on you again and I refuse to believe our brother is dead until proven otherwise. I’m not losing anymore family now stop this suicidal shit and take some god damn blood before I force feed you some of my own!”

“I guess all us Lance kids have changed over the years.” Sara replied to the Black Canary before taking in a big sigh, realizing two canaries were better than one especially as she wasn’t exactly herself right now. “What do you suggest we do?”

“We have a witch who can locate this organisation of yours and who knows if we talk nice enough she may also help us kill every last one of them they maybe some top assassins but their still human and have nothing on two scream queens and a wonder witch.” Laurel answered, making Sara realize Earth Blood had privileges their Earth never had. “We’ll save Olly and then find out where Lucas is and then we’ll turn our attention to the Mikaelson’s once again.”

“It’s not a terrible plan I must admit but we should probably take more than one witch.” Sara suggested. “As for Oliver and Lucas I really do hope their alive Laurel, but I have the worst feeling about today and it’s not just because I’m now a bloodsucker.”

“We’ve got this little sister.” Laurel told the White Canary, while not fully believing her own hype.

Lucas Lance was no stranger to being kidnapped or tortured in fact it happened so often he had become quite the quick thinker when it came to having to escape from his kidnappers, especially considering he knew nobody was ever going to save him.

Sure, he had his alliances with the likes of Slade Wilson, The Joker, Harley Quinn and for a brief time Bane but none would ever risk themselves to come to their rescue although a few of those alliances had kidnapped him from time to time and so he had to learn how to save himself.

Although this was the first time he had been kidnapped by a vampire the original vampire Elijah Mikaelson who was quickly proving himself far from noble as Lucas awakened to find himself tied to a chair and gagged, unable to cry his way out of the situation while Klaus Mikaelson sat next to him tied up in ropes dipped in vervain a smell and poison Lucas was unfamiliar of.

“I figured it would only be a matter of time before somebody came to seek me out.” Elijah told them both as he walked into the bar’s front door. “I had hoped this day would never come but I heard the rumors of how dependent you were on me.”

“Actually, it was more you dependent on trying to fix all of us brother now release me already so we can return to New Orleans and restore your memories.” Klaus demanded while the Red Canary remained gagged.

“I don’t want my memories or my family back I quite like my life here or at least I did until you came in and slaughtered everybody I knew living up to your reputation in the process.” Elijah replied to his younger brother before turning to look at Lucas. “Although I have no idea what the bloody hell you are, but you do smell very sweet.”

“Trust me he’s more bitter than anything else.” Klaus scoffed while turning to look at Lucas, who was far from impressed by his little dig.

“Well you’ll have to forgive me the stench of blood has got me rather hungry.” Elijah apologised to Lucas as the noble original’s face turned full vampire mode before sinking his teeth into Lucas’ neck.

The taste of Lucas’ blood tasted better than any blood Elijah Mikaelson had tasted before and as he continued to drain the Red Canary of his blood he found himself feeling like he was in an almost euphoric state before suddenly he was hit by a sharp excruciating pain within his head forcing him backwards as he screamed out loud, alarming his brother Klaus in the process.

A half drained Lucas took this opportunity to break free his leg and kick Elijah causing them both to fall backwards to the ground in opposite directions with Lucas’ wooden chair breaking as Lucas hit the ground freeing him of his ropes and giving him his chance to escape.

“What the hell are you?” Elijah asked Lucas as the two of them quickly rose to their feet.

“I’ve always preferred show to tell.” Lucas answered before releasing a loud canary cry, using his sonic scream to send Elijah flying across the bar and once again hitting the bar floor as Lucas stopped his cry and began untying Klaus with one hand while holding his bleeding neck with his other hand.

“Why are you helping me? I just killed your sister.” Klaus wondered, confused by Lucas’ help as he noticed his amnesic brother Elijah rise back to his feet.

“Oh, please Klaus, when are you going to learn you can’t beat me?” Lucas whispered into the original hybrid’s ear before pulling the vervain soaked ropes off him.

As Klaus quickly rose to his feet clearly still somewhat injured from the vervain soaked ropes his brother Elijah had time him up in, Lucas super sped out of the bar and out of sight leaving the noble original and the original hybrid alone for the first time in over half a decade.

“Niklaus,” Elijah addressed his brother with a shocked expression on his face. “How can I suddenly remember everything?”

“Is this a trick Elijah? Because I will put a dagger in you without hesitation call me cranky, but I don’t take being held hostage by my brother very well.” Klaus asked Elijah, uncertain of whether to trust him.

“His blood,” Elijah realized as his fingers touched his lips. “It tasted unlike any other I’ve ever tasted before…I think his blood restored my memories.”

Davina Claire had been through a lot in New Orleans having being prepared as a sacrifice for her coven only to be saved by Marcel becoming his one witch army in the process before her newfound harvest power became too much for her and she gave into death for the first time.

She returned from the grave with a lot to prove after being so powerful but she quickly proved to all within New Orleans she was just as formidable taking on Klaus Mikaelson time and time again before falling for his brother Kol which is when things got really complicated for the wonder witch.

Kol Mikaelson while in the body of a witch died at the hands of his brother Finn leading to Davina going to extremes to bring him back just for the vengeful ancestors of New Orleans to weaponize Kol cursing him to kill the teen witch as she gave into death for the second time.

The Hollow did many evil acts upon her return but the one thing Inadu did right was bring Davina back and although she wanted to stay in her city she decided to leave for a while with her boyfriend Kol as they made a new life for themselves in San Francisco a life which was short lived for many reasons and within time they both returned to New Orleans just not together.

Davina was now older, wiser and more powerful than she once was taking her deaths as lessons while using her time in the ancestral plane to her advantage and although she would never be on side with her ruthless ancestors she knew it was time to become regent and take a hold of the city which is why the arrival of the canaries couldn’t have come at a better time for Davina Claire.

“So, this league of assassins sounds pretty deadly what exactly are they?” Davina asked the white canary as she, Sara and Laurel walked through the woods within the bayou of New Orleans. “Vampires? Witches? Siphoners? Travelers? Heretics?”

“They are assassins who have dedicated their entire life to the kill there is nothing more dangerous than a member of the league of assassins and no more dangerous assassin then Ra’s al Ghul.” Sara revealed to Davina and Laurel as they continued to walk through the woods. “Their no strangers to magic so I hope you’ve brought your best and even if you did, we’re unlikely to get out of this alive.”

“From what we’ve learned from you both is things work different on your Earth than it does on my Earth which has me believing so does the magic which means they won’t be ready for mine.” Davina replied to Sara, believing she had the upper hand in this situation.

“Plus, your part canary part vampire now so we’ve also got that going for us.” Laurel added as they reached a large seemingly abandoned building, knowing the league resided within the decaying building.

“That might not actually be a plus considering we have no idea what vampire blood will actually do to you.” Davina admitted to Sara. “In this world you’d become a vampire and that’s it but you’re not from this world so we will just have to monitor you over the next few days to see how it affects you.”

“That’s something you should’ve told me wonder witch.” Laurel snapped at Davina as the three women looked towards the building ready to fight.

“Let’s just get through this first!” Sara advised her sister as Davina began chanting in Croatian before Sara and Laurel began super speeding in the direction of the building, fully aware they may not win this battle.

Klaus Mikaelson depended on Elijah and Rebekah more than he would ever admit and that’s why when he disappointed with them, he tended to take it particularly badly i.e. daggering them and dumping them in coffins his excuse for Finn was simply because he was dull and nobody questioned when Kol was daggered.

Whether his siblings loved or loathed him they were always by his side and mostly under his control which was ideal for someone as controlling, manipulative and paranoid as Klaus Mikaelson but all that changed when he, Elijah, Rebekah and Kol found themselves possessed by the hollow and forced to separate for years but thanks to the arrival of the canaries Klaus was reunited with his entire family barring his eldest sibling Freya.

Klaus’ was beyond pleased to find Elijah back with him where he believed he belonged as the two sat opposite each other on the private plane which was mid-flight on its way back to New Orleans.

He couldn’t believe Lucas Lance managed to not only rid Elijah of the hollow but by the use of his own blood restored Elijah’s memories which is when his curiosity decided to take over his thirst for revenge as he began to wonder what else the canaries could do what their powers and their blood could do as he found himself excited to once again run into the Red Canary, happy to have not killed him after all.

“What I don’t understand is how these canaries can just scream the hollow right out of each of us like it was never there.” Elijah admitted, breaking his long silence since getting on the plane and adjusting to his newly returned memories. “I get this parallel universe has a different set of rules but what are their rules exactly.”

“Their pretty powerful creatures indeed but not immortal like us so let’s find out more about them before we kill them, I must admit his blood restoring your memories has definitely got my curiosity well and truly peaked.” Klaus replied to his older brother.

“You’re fond of this man, aren’t you? He reminds you of you before you found Hope.” Elijah suggested, knowing he was right. “Freya has fallen at his family’s hands and so we kill every one of them whether you are fond of the male canary or not dear brother.”

“Elijah I may be a father now but if anything, that makes me even more ruthless than before because I won’t allow any danger to harm Hope or her happiness whether this canary amuses me or not.” Klaus convinced Elijah before his phone began to ring to which he quickly answered. “This better be bloody good Kol!”

“Just once you could answer with a hello and pretend for a mere second you have some grip of becoming a gentleman Niklaus.” Kol said through the phone making Elijah smile with amusement at the sly dig being made at Klaus. “The White Canary isn’t dead she’s undead that bloody Lucas got vampire blood into his system somehow.”

“Well played Canary.” Klaus answered with a sinister smirk on his face, instantly hanging up on Kol and putting his phone back into his jacket pocket. “Maybe you will be an interesting match after all.”

“The question I am now asking is does a Canary maintain their cry after vampirism?” Elijah wondered, once again asking a question Klaus wished he asked first.

The Mikaelson siblings were now all back into the fold ready to take on the canaries together and avenge their sister Freya but as always with the original family of vampires nothing was ever going to be that simple especially with both Kol and Klaus finding themselves drawn to the Red Canary, the White Canary now being a vampire and the Black Canary forming a new friendship with Davina Claire.

Sara Lance knew the league of assassins had already killed her once but she chose to remain hopeful with the assistance of her sister Laurel and their new ally Davina knowing Ra’s al Ghul was leading this group of assassins instead it was her former lover and Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter Nyssa who just so happened to be the woman who murdered her.

Sara didn’t blame Nyssa for killing her knowing her father would have left her no choice knowing Nyssa played by the rules of the league of assassins more so than any other member but she also knew to win this fight she may have to kill Nyssa which had her wondering if she had it in her to kill a woman she once loved.

“Remind me never to piss off Davina Claire.” Laurel said to her sister after she and Sara sped into the abandoned building to find all the assassins including a kidnapped, bound and gagged Oliver Queen laid on the ground unconscious while Nyssa stood there waiting, making the Black Canary wonder. “Question is why isn’t she asleep too?”

“Magic tricks are less likely to work on the daughter of the demon.” Nyssa replied to Laurel as she began walking towards Sara and Laurel, turning her attention to the White Canary. “I thought I killed you I was just about to kill Oliver too once he told me how to get off this earth.”

“Yeah you killed me alright, but my brother decided to keep death knocking for another day.” Sara responded as she began walking towards Nyssa, leaving Laurel stood standing behind her. “We don’t have to do this you don’t have to follow your father’s rules forever.”

“You betrayed the league which means you betrayed me and therefore I’m not going anywhere until you are dead…unless of course you decide to return to us and I’ll convince my father to spare you and even Oliver after all you were his favorite recruits.” Nyssa suggested as she and Sara now stood face to face ready for battle.

“I’m not going back with you Nyssa I refuse to live that life any longer.” Sara made herself clear.

“Then you’re not going anywhere!” Nyssa stated before launching a punch in Sara’s direction, who instantly dodged the punch and kicked the demon’s daughter in the stomach before the two former lovers began a fight to the death.

Sara’s newfound vampire side had her fighting better than ever having double her previous strength in the process, that plus his vamp speed and even a trained assassin like Nyssa stood no chance as she eventually threw Nyssa to the ground leaving her opponent breathless while her sister Laurel looked on in amazement.

“I don’t want to kill the only person I’ve ever loved.” Sara shouted at Nyssa, shocking Laurel by the revelation. “But I won’t have you or your father coming between me or my family…not again.”

“You really did love me?” Nyssa asked with a soft smile appearing across her face as she slowly rose back to her feet.

“If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you.” Sara admitted, accidentally slipping up and revealing she was still in love with the demon’s daughter.

“Well then I guess I’ve already killed you once no point killing you again.” Nyssa conceded as the former lovers shared a longing smile.

“What about Olly?” Laurel asked after super speeding over to stand next to her sister and in front of Nyssa. “I mean if it’s a case of either or then I’d obviously rather my sister but if I can get some kind of two for one deal that would be great.”

“Very well I’ll spare the Green Arrow too,” Nyssa laughed before giving Sara a warning. “You will both have to remain on this Earth, I’ll tell my father I killed you and Mr Queen on this Earth once me and my colleagues find a way back home that is.”

“When you say remain on this Earth are you saying she can’t ever return?” Laurel asked the demon’s daughter, knowing the answer while hoping for another.

“She means forever Laurel.” Sara answered her older sister. “Which means we have a family of originals to kill.”

[enby-hawke]

personal no rb

Don’t understand. Like I have pot finally and it is working somewhat but I’m still manic. Like I can’t stop researching, and reading and brainstorming on how I can get my introverted ass to connect with the other activists I’m protesting with on Sunday. God I’m terrified but I’m tired of doing almost nothing but my time most days. And my mind is energized, I’m never hungry, but my body is exhausted. I’m pretty much just surviving on nuts and really got to calm the fuck down so I can eat food like a normal personal. This stupid fight or flight response just needs constant numbing. 

I mean a man who cited that the left were terrorists linked basically antifa information and history and black lives matter links. And I laughed and couldn’t resist putting a snarky reply about how all the articles were riveting reads.

And then he basically threatened that the FBI would become aware of me if they already weren’t. And now the paranoia won’t leave. Like I’m not making any real plans except to watch, protest, and learn as many useful skills as I can just in case, but I just said a few words and with that threat I am reminded of those before me who have already been taken just for speaking words. 

And I guess he really could do that. And every day I wake up and wonder “ Will Trump take me today or am I just being paranoid.”

Especially since my shitbag racist disphit of a father doesn’t care about the mongrel child he sired. I mean he was originally against Trump. Said he was an idiot. But he’s a moderate with no fucking morals and does whatever the fuck he pleases just like Trump does. In fact because Trump acts and feels so much like my father all of this is a triggering clusterfuck. Now that he’s seen that nothing “too bad” has happened now Trump’s the only way to lead us back to God.

And I don’t understand why I can’t unfriend him. I have cut so many people out of my life. For so many lesser offenses. And yet the man who is the one of the very sources of all my pain and fucked up ness I won’t let go of.

I’ve had this argument before. I’ve pleaded for my white father to see my humanity but he could only see me as white. He could only be proud in the white in me. And now I hate myself so fucking much because I’m white in everything but my skin. I know nothing. He erased my people from me. He never let me learn anything but shame and pain. I hate him more than I hate anyone and yet I still have the capacity to love him. 

Loving him hurts so much. He took everything from me. He always bullied me. Always pushed me around. Always accused me of being a slut (because I was raped repeatedly by trusted acquaintances as a child so now and now can’t help myself supposedly) Always told me lewd inappropriate stories about how he fetishized the women of my people and how much of a savior he was for rescuing my mother of what was surely a terrible life. He played every mind game he could of with my sisters and me. Twisting us against each other. Starting sibling wars so he could keep us from questioning his incompetent parenting. Shutting off Internet and phones rather than let me have any contact with my mother. Almost drove her to bankruptcy forcing as she fought for the courts for visitation. Drove her to depend on a monster of a man who uses her as a punching bag. Literally turned around without parking on a visitation trip claiming my mother didn’t show up again.

But my sisters and I were screaming and pointing, “That’s her car.” And I remember how he locked the doors so we wouldn’t run out. And he said if we unbuckled our seat belts that he swore that he didn’t beat children but he’d make an exception if we didn’t mind him.

And my sisters just sobbed. As we reached towards the back of the car, still grasping for our rightful hour that we had drive 3 hours to go to. 

She had family in the Philippines. She was popular and won many beauty contests and was known for being smart and pretty and hardworking. She could have been so much more if she hadn’t met my dad. I know it’s not my fault but I don’t know how to forgive myself for being born. I was the reason my mother would grow estranged alone in a country, no husband, no family like she was promised. He used her and when he couldn’t get her to behave like a fucking asian doll he never let me see her again just to get back at her. He claims that she falsely accused him of rape but he’s such a fucking awful person I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a rapist. He sure didn’t have a problem fucking my mom’s cousin when she was pregnant with me.

Ah god I don’t know what to do. Either way it’s making myself smaller to accomodate him on my sister’s behalf once again because “forgiveness is the only way and he did right for us by providing us basic needs.”

Gee dad. Thanks for not making me homeless until I was 17. I honestly hoped it would happen sooner but I might be dead in that timeline. (I was thinking of having that as the eulogy as a fuck you when my dad finally drops dead but I’m sure I’d never speak to my family again Xd.) Idk I’m just waiting to be free of his earthly body because the only good thing about our current situation is he isn’t holding my sisters prisoner anymore because he was finally declared incompetent enough to locked in a nursing facility. And I usually don’t wish that fate but he was going to kill my sisters otherwise. 

But I can’t go to my family, “Hey it’s been awhile. Dad wants to see me but he keeps putting Trump’s face on my timeline and I just want him to drop dead.”

How can I possibly be a good person when my gene pool runs with the most toxic family I know? My family drama fucking silences room? When people ask me about myself, all I don’t know how to answer because I feel more an action than a being. And that action is “DoEverythingInMyPowerToUnlearnAllTheToxicShitMyParentsTaughtMe”

I mean I don’t even know who the fuck raised me because I was too busy being an overloaded shit-tier mom at age 9 also balancing an elementary education. I only have stories and books and people in history to look up to. There were so few people in my life that ended up being actual good people. Most were shitty but tried, mega-tier shitty and likes it, and the best response I could hope for was something initially nurturing but almost immediately hinting that I should really get over it if they didn’t outright say that.

Anyways god I was awake for 24 hours again got to go the fuck to sleep. Brain are you done having your mindvomit cause I’d really like to rest now and this is just exhausting existence to live in. 

[angryacegiant]

The Undeniable Truth About Mars That Everyone Is Telling You

Now listen here you little shit, the only home humans have ever known is Earth. But history shows that surviving as a species on this tiny blue dot in the vacuum of space is tough and by no means guaranteed. The dinosaurs are a classic example: They roamed the planet for 165 million years, but the only trace of them today are their fossilized remains. A colossal asteroid wiped them out. Putting humans on more than one planet would better ensure our existence thousands if not millions of years from now. "Humans need to be a multi-planet species," Musk (founder, CEO, and CTO of SpaceX) recently told astronomer and Slate science blogger Phil Plait. Musk founded the space transport company SpaceX to help make this happen.

To start off with Mars has many similar features to Earth that make it the best choice to colonize. Such as, Mars has water, frozen underground and at the polar caps. There is evidence that this water has, in the past and present, flooded the surface in liquid form. Signs of erosion can be found on the slopes of craters and volcanoes. Geological features resembling those on Earth suggest that Mars was once a wet and hospitable planet.

A day on Mars is 24.5 hours long. Mars is a third the size of Earth, but it has as much land area as the seven continents combined. Its gravity is 2.7 times less than that of Earth: enough to remain flat-footed on the surface, but a low enough escape velocity to make launching from Mars relatively simple. Remember, it was much easier for Apollo to lift off from the moon than it was to leave Earth. Construction materials would be lighter as well, facilitating labor in the early colony. The health benefits of such an environment are unknown, but it is theorized that Mars might prevent and relieve forms of arthritis and back pain. Also, Martian-born children might be taller than their Terran cousins.

Both planets have seasons and similar rotational patterns. Mars is roughly in the same heat-range as Earth, being next-door in the solar system. The average temperature is about minus 80 degrees F (minus 60 degrees C), although it can vary from minus 195 degrees F (minus 125 degrees C) near the poles during the winter to as much as a comfortable 70 degrees F (20 degrees C) at midday near the equator.

In Antarctic’s, temperatures regularly get to -60°C, and people can survive here if they have very good technical clothing that keeps their core body temperature within the normal range of 36.5-38°C. If your core body temperature drops to below 35°C, one is said to be ‘hypothermic’ and that is when the cold will start to affect how well one’s body functions – one will start shivering, because the shaking movement warms one up from the heat produced by the energy you use to shiver.

If one has the right clothing it is easy to keep one’s core body temperature in a safe zone, but your extremities – like your fingers, ears, nose are at a significant risk if the air temperature is too cold. The blood vessels in these areas constrict, as the body sends the blood (which carries heat) to the core of the body instead to make sure that stays warm. When blood flow to the extremities is reduced, the skin goes an unnatural looking “pasty white” color and loses sensation. If you don’t cover the skin up and try and warm it, the skin falls below freezing point and ice crystals form within the live cells of the skin killing them in the process. If this happens it is likely that the dead tissue, often in places like the end of the fingers, must be cut off.

In cold temperatures, the wind also makes a difference, and in calm conditions at -29°C a well clothed person is in little danger, but if there is a light wind of 10mph it gives the same effect as a temperature of -44°C when exposed flesh can freeze in a minute or so. So if given adequate clothing and equipment one could easily withstand the temperatures on mars.

The heat that humans can with stand, depends largely on the humidity and time of exposure. Our cells start to die around 41°C (106°F) to 45°C (113°F) but we can survive much higher air temperatures: a healthy person could make a day trip to Death Valley on one of its hottest days-- 55°C (131°F)-- and, so long as he avoided dehydration, would probably not die. In fact, he'd probably be OK if he had access to water, preferably stored at a temperature lower than 55°C, because it would actually be painfully hot to the touch at that point.

In water, the upper limit seems to be about 50 °C (122 °F) for short-term exposure; even a couple of degrees hotter, first- and second-degree skin burns become possible within minutes, and that's clearly not a sustainable situation. As with hypo-thermia, these things depend a lot of the individual. Some people die of hypothermia at 10 °C (50 °F) and others don't. (Naked, even most people in northern climates wouldn't survive a night at 0 °C). That said, almost no one who claims that his hot tub is "120 °F" is telling the truth, because 49 °C water is extremely uncomfortable and, if you didn't have a thermometer right there, you'd think it was 60-80 °C. Most hot tubs run at 38-42 °C (100-108 °F) and 46 °C (115°F) seems to be the highest that anyone has intentionally set for exposure, and people who do ultra-hot tub exposure generally don't stay in for very long. 46 °C water is painful to the touch.  

What about air temperature? Well, people can survive dry air temperatures well over 120 °C (248 °F) in the short term. Such levels are achieved in saunas, although most people find it uncomfortable, and the sport of "competitive sauna" is quite dangerous, even though people aren't exposed to the 110° C heat for more than a few minutes. Higher temperatures (probably up to 300 °C) are survivable for short bursts (like, measured in seconds) or with protective clothing but, again, no one would consider that sustainable.

With humid air, the limits are much lower. You can withstand 45°C (113 °F) at 100% humidity in the short term (steam room) although you wouldn't last a night in there, but around 50 °C (122 °F) it becomes acutely fatal (or, at least, dangerous enough that people who expose themselves to such environments are protected) because the water vapor can condense in your lungs. The upper limit on steam room temperatures seems to be about 48 °C, so that's a good working short-term maximum for saturated air. The good news is that you'll virtually never see a dew point temperature (i.e. the temperature at which relative humidity would be 100%) over 30°C (86 °F) in the wild. 50°C and 100% humidity just never occur together (above ground) in a natural setting.

More interesting is the question of what climactic temperatures are sustainable on the scale of hours or days. With enough water, you'd survive 24 hours of exposure to 45°C air temperatures-- I still wouldn't recommend it-- but not the 80°C of a sauna. For water, we assume that body temperature will reach the environmental temperature and get an upper bound of about 40-41 °C. You'd be miserable as hell after 24 hours in a 39°C hot tub, but you probably wouldn't die.

For air, we use the "wet bulb temperature"-- not the "heat index", which is optimized for accuracy over temperatures of 30-50 °C but not relevant to the outermost limits of survivability-- which the coolest we can get our skin temperature by sweating. There, the danger point is 35°C (95 °C). That might sound low, but even in the hottest days in the deserts, the wet bulb temperature almost never gets close to that. If it's 55 °C in Death Valley with a typical summer dew point of 0 °C, the wet-bulb temperature is only 23 °C. The only places where wet-bulb temperatures over 30°C seem to occur are around the Persian Gulf-- for now.

At 100% relative humidity, the dew point and wet-bulb temperatures are the same number. Saturated air, paradoxically, is more dangerous in a certain temperature range than dry air but also more dangerous than water. 37°C water won't kill you (that's human body temperature) because water is a good conductor of heat and at worst you'll be mildly uncomfortable, and 37°C dry air won't kill you either (you can sweat) if you're hydrated, but 37°C saturated air probably will (over many hours or days) kill you, because you get the sweat-stifling humidity and the poor heat conductance of air. All of that said, 37 °C saturated air simply doesn't happen in nature. (That said, it's a real risk if we continue to fuck with the climate. 50°C in the desert, we can handle; 40 °C and 90+ percent humidity will kill us in less than a day.) Using a wet-bulb temperature of 35 °C as a proxy for what we can survive in the long term (hours) we get maximum figures of:

35°C (95 °F) in saturated (100% humidity) air.

47°C (117 °F) in tropical (> 40% humidity) air.

70°C (158 °F) in dry (> 10% humidity) air-- if you have cool water on hand.

All of that said, while one could theoretically withstand 70 °C air at desert humidity indefinitely, you'd need regular access to a cooler supply of water. Water at the ambient temperature would cause second-degree burns in seconds.  

The author left out the very long term (days to weeks) because that's a bit more complicated. (Short answer: about 35 °C or 95 °F). Most deaths in heat waves are from cumulative heat stress (over days and weeks) rather than heat stroke, and that has more to do with long periods of exposure to moderate heat (30-35 °C) than the acute kind. 45 °C will give one heat stroke if one is dumb enough to go running without bringing water, but you'll be fine if you stay in the shade, and most of the desert environments capable of such temperatures cool down at night. On the other hand, if you sleep in a concrete building with no air conditioning and the night-time air temperature is still over 30°C, you're putting your health at risk. Most of these deaths aren't attributed to heatstroke or even directly tied to heat, but come from natural bodily causes like heart attacks. Take the hellish heat wave that hit Europe in 2003: while the French government knows that about 10,000 people died because the hospitals saw a rise in deaths, it's impossible to say which people died because of heat, in the same way that you can't say which people got cancer "because of" a radiation accident.

While it's hard to measure, because (unlike heat stroke) heat-stress deaths and injuries are diffuse, long-term heat danger seems to be more of a function of nighttime temperatures than daytime highs. One would suppose that the upper limit of indefinite survivability is somewhere around 35 °C, noting that almost no natural climactic environment maintains that temperature for more than 24 hours: even the hottest deserts (e.g. Death Valley) in the peak of summer typically dip into the low 30s at night.

Also, the only other two celestial bodies in orbits near the Earth are our Moon and Venus. There are far fewer vital resources on the Moon, and a Moon day takes a month. It also does not have an atmosphere to form a barrier against radiation. Venus is a veritable purgatory. The average temperature is over 400 degrees, the barometric pressure is that of 900 meters underwater on Earth, and the cherry on top comes in the form of occasional bouts of acid rain. It also has nights that last for 120 days. Humans cannot live on Mars without the help of technology, but compared to Venus it's paradise!

With its similarity to Earth, there is a strong possibility that bacterial life (or something more?) exists on the planet. Some people believe that Viking detected it way back in 1976. Others believe that we found it in a Martian meteorite. Rovers are on their way to Mars to settle the debate, but we may only be sure if humans look for themselves. As any engineer, will tell you, the ease with which a human being can cover a stretch of ground and examine specimens along the way, gathering and processing data, cannot be emulated with a machine. If we ever find life, we can begin to answer some of the biggest questions we've ever asked: "Are we alone in the universe? What else is out there? What is the basic unit of life? What does life need to survive?"

From a geological standpoint alone, Mars is exciting because it offers scientists a view of how planets develop. Mars is billions of years older than the Earth, and its features are much more exaggerated. The largest canyons, volcanoes, and craters in the solar system are available for our study.

That brings us to our next point: location. Mars is relatively close to the Earth. Mars sits between the asteroid belt and us, acting as a kind of stepping stone to what lies beyond. It remains close enough to the sun to benefit from its heat (and light) but remains far enough away to be protected from any significant change in the sun's heat output. (We still know little about the sun's long-term heat cycles.)

It is obvious that the world isn't perfect, but we've been trying for the entirety of our civilized existence. We've reached a point now where the majority of the world's superpowers are on good enough terms to begin an international joint-project to colonize Mars. This was much the theory with the International Space Station, but dirty politics proved how immature the world's superpowers are. Ending the quarrelling and going to space might sound like ignorant idealism, but imagine the diplomatic potential. When we become united in a goal, not just as Americans or as Russians but as mankind, all of humanity puts aside its differences.

Even if the initial trip to Mars is sponsored by one nation or one space agency, in the end Mars will be for everyone. The Old World's boundaries will not be able to restrain the emigration. Who knows, the concept of countries might remain a thing of the Earth, an archaic reminder of castles and kings and the battle for power. Mars could be the beginning of a new era in human diplomacy. At a February 24 hearing, Aldrin told the US Senate's Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness that getting to Mars was a necessity not only for science, but also for policy." In my opinion, there is no more convincing way to demonstrate American leadership for the remainder of this century than to commit to a permanent presence on Mars," he said. If Americans do not go to Mars, someone else will. And that spells political and economic benefit for whoever succeeds. "If you lose your space edge," Tyson said during his interview with Zakaria, "my deep concern is that you lose everything else about society that enables you to compete economically."

Mars is worth a lot of money. There are 144 trillion square meters of surface area, roughly the land area of the Earth, available for development. I'm not going to tell you how great all that land is for residential, commercial, and industrial use... go play Sim City. Some of the economic incentive:

Transport. If you have a great system to transport people to Mars, then you can charge people to take them there. Elon Musk has talked about a Mars cycler that’d cost as little as $500K to take you to Mars. One you have them there, you can sell them more stuff (like air). And have them work for you. See item 2.

Mining. Not bulk mining. There are five things potentially worth mining on Mars. None of these would require bulk transport.

The first would be rocks for collectors. Just as folks are willing to pay a lot for moon rocks, so it would be true for Mars rocks. This market would be rather easy to saturate, at which point the lower value of rocks would allow scientists and universities that are studying Martian geology to procure them. The expense to send them back would eventually make this market not cost-effective, unless cheaper transport methods became available.

The second would be gemstones. Once again, this market would have limits like the diamond market does on Earth. But there would certainly be a market there, and the value per gram would make it worthwhile. If the gemstones were completely unique to Mars, that would considerably increase their value.

Third, if they exist, any sort of organic fossil or artifact of life would be incredibly valuable. Each fossil could be worth millions per gram. The big fight there would be between scientists who want to study them, and collectors who prize them for their uniqueness.

Fourth would be unique compounds and materials that were created in the unique physical environment of Mars. This would be of somewhat limited value; transporting a sample to Earth to figure out what the material is made of would tell us how to synthesize it, thus we wouldn't need a second sample of that material. It's very likely that it would be much cheaper to synthesize the compound than import it. It would be extremely difficult to identify what constitutes a "unique material" however, without a full lab on Mars.

Fifth would be any high-level organics found at all, living or not. There, you'd have to deal with quarantine. Still extremely high value in very small quantities to both scientists and biotech firms, possibly billions of dollars per gram until the market was saturated. Better than fossils. Unimaginable applications and science value if found, rewriting textbooks on evolution and biochemistry.

Reality TV. Yeah, this sounds silly, but it’s what Mars One is basing their business model on. The idea is you get people living on Mars and turn it into reality TV, reeling in millions of dollars of advertising income.

Other advertising income; what would Pepsi pay to have an advert on the side of the first Martian lander? Or have product-placement during the transport videos?

Remote tasking, renting out humans (aka, jobs for Martians). Scientists back on Earth can pay Elon Musk a lot of money to have his crew perform various tasks for them. You could also rent out remote controlled rovers, although the users would likely rather have a human doing the work.

Once you’ve got a small colony going, support systems for new colonists will be required. If you can make them (or import them from Earth), you can sell them to the next shipload of immigrants. Air recyclers, buried farm tubes, light-gathering reflectors or solar thermal systems, repair services, water, beer, etc.

The far future: property rights could become meaningful on Mars. Land becomes valuable. More significant is the fact we could build a space elevator on Mars and use it as a stepping stone to get raw and manufactured materials into space cheaply. First you’d need a pretty good industrial infrastructure on Mars to build the elevator.

An important part of the fusion reaction process is deuterium, a stable isotope of hydrogen. Once we can contain a fusion reaction, the deuterium-tritium reaction has a high yield of energy for the small amount of fuel put in. Deuterium, or heavy hydrogen, is hard to obtain on Earth, but on Mars it is five times more abundant in the form of Hydrogen-Deuterium-Oxygen (See Also: Compositions). A milliliter of liquid heavy-hydrogen fuel would produce as much energy as 20 tons of coal. Deuterium is also important in chemistry because it reacts the same way as hydrogen, but can be distinguished from hydrogen by its mass. These reactions occur slower than normal hydrogen reactions.

There is an abundance of rare metals on Mars such as platinum, gold, silver, and others. Shipping from Mars to Earth, as mentioned above, is much easier than the other way around. Even more promising is the proximity of the asteroid belt to Mars. Dactyl, the moon orbiting the asteroid Ida shown in this picture, is 1.4 kilometers in diameter, yet it contains more iron that humans have used in its entire existence. These asteroids could be mined near Mars and shipped from the planet for little cost. What we could see develop is a triangle trade route, much like the one in the 18th century between Britain, the West Indies, and America. The economic potential is colossal.

My personal favorite reason for colonizing Mars is that it offers a backup plan for humanity. Every few million years, the Earth tends to be wiped clear of almost all life in a globally catastrophic event (read: asteroid collision). An asteroid the size of Dactyl could wipe us off the face of the Earth. Who knows how close we've already come to blowing ourselves to smithereens.

However colonizing mars can benefit earth as well. "Only by pushing mankind to its limits, to the bottoms of the ocean and into space, will we make discoveries in science and technology that can be adapted to improve life on Earth." British doctor Alexander Kumar wrote that in a 2012 article for BBC News where he explored the pros and cons of sending humans to Mars.

At the time, Kumar was living in the most Mars-like place on Earth, Antarctica, to test how he adapted to the extreme conditions both physiologically and psychologically. To better understand his poignant remark, let's look at an example: During its first three years in space, NASA's prized Hubble Space Telescope snapped blurry pictures because of a flaw in its engineering. The problem was fixed in 1993, but to try to make use of the blurry images during those initial years, astronomers developed a computer algorithm to better extract information from the images.

It turns out the algorithm was eventually shared with a medical doctor who applied it to the X-ray images he was taking to detect breast cancer. The algorithm did a better job at detecting early stages of breast cancer than the conventional method, which at the time was the naked eye. "You can't script that. That happens all the time — this cross pollination of fields, innovation in one, stimulating revolutionary changes in another," Tyson, the StarTalk radio host, explained during an interview with Fareed Zakaria in 2012.

It's impossible to predict how cutting-edge technologies used to develop manned missions to Mars and habitats on Mars will benefit other fields like medicine or agriculture. But we'll figure that out only by "pushing humankind to its limits" and boldly going where we've never been before.

"Yes, if it galvanizes an entire generation of students in the educational pipeline to want to become scientists, engineers, technologists, and mathematicians," Tyson said. "The next generation of astronauts to land on Mars are in middle school now."

Humanity's aspirations to explore space are what drive us toward more advanced technological innovations that will undoubtedly benefit mankind in one way or another.

"Space is like a proxy for a lot of what else goes on in society, including your urge to innovate," Tyson said during his interview with Zakaria. He added: "There's nothing that drives ambitions the way NASA does."

A colony on Mars is not far off, but the question remains: could that colony be self-sufficient? The time will come when Mars will not need Earth to sustain it, much like the United States found itself long before the Revolutionary War. Does that mean life will be self-sufficient? No. We may be able to grow our own food on the planet in greenhouses, but what about wild animals, and birds, and fish, and rivers, and oceans? Terraforming, then, becomes a necessity in more than one way. Terraforming is the process of creating another Earth. The consensus is terraforming is necessary for global colonization and global colonization is necessary for terraforming. The two go together.

Colonizing Mars will no doubt be the most difficult thing that humanity has ever pursued. Like building a bridge or a skyscraper, it will represent the pinnacle of human achievement up to that time. We can begin colonization now with technology that exists now; this is not science fiction anymore.

Before he began his fateful expedition to Mount Everest, George Mallory was asked why man kept trying to reach the summit of that mountain. "Because it is there," he said.

In the words of the great science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, "We are the consciousness of the universe, and our job is to spread that around, to go look at things, to live everywhere we can. It's too dangerous to keep the consciousness of the universe on one planet; it could be wiped out. Mars will always remain Mars, different from Earth, colder and wilder. But it can be Mars and ours at the same time. And it will be. There is this about the human mind: if it can be done, it will be done. We can do it, so we will do it. So we might as well start."

NASA’s proposed manned mission to Mars – which is slated to take place during the 2030s using the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and the Space Launch System (SLS) – is not the only proposal to send humans to the Red Planet. In addition to other federal space agencies, there are also plans by private corporations and non-profits, some of which are far more ambitious than mere exploration.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has long-term plans to send humans, though they have yet to build a manned spacecraft. Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, is also planning a manned Mars mission, with simulations (called Mars-500) having been completed in Russia back in 2011. The ESA is currently participating in these simulations as well.

In 2012, a group of Dutch entrepreneurs revealed plans for a crowdfunded campaign to establish a human Mars base, beginning in 2023. Known as MarsOne, the plan calls for a series of one-way missions to establish a permanent and expanding colony on Mars, which would be financed with the help of media participation.

Other details of the MarsOne plan include sending a telecom orbiter by 2018, a rover in 2020, and the base components and its settlers by 2023. The base would be powered by 3,000 square meters of solar panels and the SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy rocket would be used to launch the hardware. The first crew of 4 astronauts would land on Mars in 2025; then, every two years, a new crew of 4 astronauts would arrive.

On December 2nd, 2014, NASA’s Advanced Human Exploration Systems and Operations Mission Director Jason Crusan and Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs James Reuthner announced tentative support for the Boeing “Affordable Mars Mission Design “. Currently planned for the 2030s, the mission profile includes plans for radiation shielding, centrifugal artificial gravity, in-transit consumable resupply, and a return-lander.

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also announced plans to establish a colony on Mars with a population of 80,000 people. Intrinsic to this plan is the development of the Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT), a spaceflight system that would rely of reusable rocket engines, launch vehicles and space capsules to transport humans to Mars and return to Earth.

As of 2014, SpaceX has begun development of the large Raptor rocket engine for the Mars Colonial Transporter, and a successful test was announced in September of 2016. In January 2015, Musk said that he hoped to release details of the “completely new architecture” for the Mars transport system in late 2015.

In June 2016, Musk stated in the first unmanned flight of the Mars transport spacecraft would take place in 2022, followed by the first manned MCT Mars flight departing in 2024. In September 2016, during the 2016 International Astronautical Congress, Musk revealed further details of his plan, which included the design for an Interplanetary Transport System (ITS) and estimated costs.

There may come a day when, after generations of terraforming and numerous waves of colonists, that Mars will begin to have a viable economy as well. This could take the form of mineral deposits being discovered and then sent back to Earth for sale. Launching precious metals, like platinum, off the surface of Mars would be relatively inexpensive thanks to its lower gravity.

But according to Musk, the most likely scenario (at least for the foreseeable future) would involve an economy based on real estate. With human populations exploding all over Earth, a new destination that offers plenty of room to expand is going to look like a good investment.

And once transportation issues are worked out, savvy investors are likely to start buying up land. Plus, there is likely to be a market for scientific research on Mars for centuries to come. Who knows what we might find once planetary surveys really start to open up!

Over time, many or all the difficulties in living on Mars could be overcome through the application of geoengineering (aka. terraforming). Using organisms like cyanobacteria and phytoplankton, colonists could gradually convert much of the CO² in the atmosphere into breathable oxygen.

In addition, it is estimated that there is a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO²) in the form of dry ice at the Martian south pole, not to mention absorbed by in the planet’s regolith (soil). If the temperature of the planet were raised, this ice would sublimate into gas and increase atmospheric pressure. Although it would still not be breathable by humans, it would be sufficient enough to eliminate the need for pressure suits.

A possible way of doing this is by deliberately triggering a greenhouse effect on the planet. This could be done by importing ammonia ice from the atmospheres of other planets in our Solar System. Because ammonia (NH³) is mostly nitrogen by weight, it could also supply the buffer gas needed for a breathable atmosphere – much as it does here on Earth.

Similarly, it would be possible to trigger a greenhouse effect by importing hydrocarbons like methane – which is common in Titan’s atmosphere and on its surface. This methane could be vented into the atmosphere where it would act to compound the greenhouse effect.

Zubrin and Chris McKay, an astrobiologist with NASA’s Ames Research center, have also suggested creating facilities on the surface that could pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, thus triggering global warming (much as they do here on Earth).

Other possibilities exist as well, ranging from orbital mirrors that would heat the surface to deliberately impacting the surface with comets. But regardless of the method, possibilities exist for transforming Mars’ environment that could make it more suitable for humans in the long run – many of which we are currently doing right here on Earth (with less positive results).

Another proposed solution is building habitats underground. By building a series of tunnels that connect between subterranean habitats, settlers could forgo the need for oxygen tanks and pressure suits when they are away from home.

Additionally, it would provide protection against radiation exposure. Based on data obtained by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, it is also speculated that habitable environments exist underground, making it an even more attractive option.

So, for mankind to survive we need to terraform and colonize mars and this goal should be one of human civilizations highest priorities. It is rationality melded with the deepest possible morality and genuine compassion -- a deeply felt concern for people, life, and the future of humanity. The total sum of all present and future conscious experience is what potentially is at stake. We owe our existence to chains of generations that have survived, and we now alive ought not to abandon the future great epic that our ancestors have struggled for millions of years with their lives to maintain. You feel me?

[sqrzos]

92 Statements Tag

thanks to @vangoghs-flowerss for tagging me, love you friend!

Rules: Answer the 92 Statements + tag 20 people.

Last:

1. Drink: Homemade iced tea 2. Phone call: to my dad, to see if he knew where a couple books were 3. Text message: my friend, answering and asking questions right now because this reminded me to text back 4. Song you listened to: Uh, something from Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine (not sure which song, I had a playlist on and all I remember is that it was Florence and not Hozier) 5. Time you cried: Oooh boy it’s actually been like, a week, maybe more

Have you:

6. Dated someone twice: HaH you’re funny. no. 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: nope 8. Been cheated on: I do not qualify my one experience with someone as a relationship, therefore he could not have cheated 9. Lost someone special: Yup, if family counts  10. Been depressed: Hoooooo boy am I ever 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Nope.

List 3 favorite colors: 

12-14. Green, blue, and purple (pretty much any shade of them)

In the last year have you:

15. Made new friends: Yep! 16. Fallen out of love: I don’t think I’ve ever fallen in it. 17. Laughed until you cried: No, but I have laughed until it hurt 18. Found out someone was talking about you: Not in the dramatic sense, no 19. Met someone who changed you: Honestly I don’t know. Do dogs count? 20. Found out your real friends: Nah, that happened in grade nine 21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: Don’t have facebook

General:

22. How many Facebook friends do you know in real life: Don’t have facebook 23. Do you have any pets: Yes! Popper, a grouchy bearded dragon and Jackson, an over enthusiastic shepherd/rottweiler/unknown mix 24. Do you want to change your name: Nope! I like my current one pretty well, though some are definitely prettier 25. What did you do for your last birthday: Tried to go to mandarin with friends, couldn’t get a table despite having a reservation, and walked to panera instead. 26. what time did you wake up: 7:30 am 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: being in the first stages of sleep 28. Name something you can’t wait for: The next episodes of Teen Wolf, and the premier of The Bright Sessions season 4 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: when I was six, or this afternoon (birth mom vs step mom) 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: I’d like to have stable mental health and a plan for the future please? 31. What are you listening to rn: the click of Popper’s timer for his lights, and the sound of my dad and brother in the house 32. Have you ever talked to a person named tom: Yep, my cousin 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: I have a slight headache right now and also persistent homophobia, racism, xenophobia, and other societal intolerances 34. Most visited websites: Tumblr and youtube, according to Chrome 35. Elementary: Yup, hated it 36. High school: Currently- it’s better than elementary but still not perfect 37. University: Listen man I have no plans for the future 38. Hair color: Medium brown 39. Long or short hair: Longish? I’d like if it was like, ‘Cheryl Blossom’ long 40. Do you have a crush on someone: other than recurring pangs when I look at old crushes, no 41. What do you like about yourself: My humour 42. Piercings: Just regular lobe piercings 43. Blood type: I have no idea 44. Nickname: Amy, Ames, or, when I was really little, Boo or Stumpy 45. Relationship status: Single  46. Zodiac: aquarius 47. Pronouns: she/her 48. Favorite tv show: Hooo boy I have bad taste. Teen Wolf and Supernatural, despite consistent issues regarding treatment of ‘minority’ characters (even though ‘minority’ is a bad concept cause it alienates ppl who aren’t ‘normal’ plus they outnumber the people who qualify as a ‘majority’). I just fall in love with characters and continue watching because I care about them! I can’t help it! 49. Tattoos: nope, but if I got any I’d get this one really small someday, plus the symbol my mom had tattooed that contains my name and a heart

First

51. Surgery: to cut back the thingy under my tongue cause I couldn’t eat as a baby 52. Hair dyed In different color: actually never dyed my hair. I’m too scared to bleach it and I feel like having it go darker would look bad on me 53. Sport: other than in gym class? Uhh horseback riding or swimming? Does swimming lessons that I sucked at count? 54. Vacation: There are photos of me in newfoundland when I was tiny? Idk if that was my first though 55. Pair of trainers: I have no idea man

More general

56. Eating: I had hash browns (I call them potato thingies so that might not be what they actually are) 57. Drinking: Again, either iced tea or water 58. I’m about to go: nowhere, I don’t leave my house unless I have to 59. Waiting for: Teen Wolf to come on so I can PATIENTLY wait to see my Hales 60. Want: mental stability, a billion dollars, and to be friends with some of the people I look up to (youtubers mostly) 61. Get married: Honestly maybe. Idk, that’s a long way off. 62. Career: Hoooooo boy I have no idea. I like learning how things are connected- maybe something about science, language, or history? 63. Favorite artist: Jazza from Draw With Jazza (I forget his real name but he’s a really fun guy) and all my friends who make art 64. Place you want to travel to: Ireland cause there’s old, pretty places. I heard something about norway having gorgeous forests?New Zealand is also gorgeous... And ofc Germany to meet my friendo @vangoghs-flowerss and also because it’s apparently really heckin pretty? From what I saw?  65. Favorite subject: Art cause I’ve got friends in that class, and history. Idk, any class is fascinating with the right teacher.

Which is better

66. Hugs or kisses: Hugs. I don’t like the feel of kisses much, and hugs are great and comforting as long as I have an escape route. 67. Lips or eyes: Eyes tbh 68. shorter or taller: Are we talking about me? I want to be tall so I can be an elven warrior, but if we’re talking about my preferences for others I don’t care 69. Older or younger: For a partner? I guess a little older so that I don’t have to be the mature one. Assistance in life would be great 70. nice arms or nice stomach: All stomachs are nice stomachs so I’m gonna say arms. 71. Sensitive or loud: Honestly sensitive for me and a partner. They can be loud sometimes, but I need someone who’d listen too. 72. hookup or relationship: Relationship. I might be ace sooooo... 73. Troublemaker or hesitant: Like, both? In moderation? Neither totally complacent nor boring and stiff. Idk, I like having fun but I dislike bringing people to emergency rooms

Have you ever 74. kissed a stranger: Not even close 75. Drank hard liquor: What qualifies? I think the fact I have to ask means it’s a no 76. lost glasses/contact lenses: No, but I have broken them. 77. Turned someone down: Yes, but only after panicking, saying yes, then regretting it and admitting I don’t like them (this happened twice. Twice!) 78. sex on the first date: I’ve never even been on a date you’re overestimating how attractive I am here 79. Broken someone’s heart: I don’t think so? I hope not?  80. Had your heart broken: I’m a teenager I’ve never been in a serious relationship 81. Been arrested: Jesus christ no 82. Cried when someone died: No, even though both my mother and grandfather have died. My mom’s, I was too young to understand properly, and my grandfather, I wasn’t there and wasn’t really close to 83. fallen for a friend: Again, never been in love, but not really? I’ve thought about dating p much everyone but never really wanted to. It’s more of a ‘what if’ thing.

Do you believe in:

84. yourself: sometimes, rarely 85. Miracles: honestly? not really, unless you mean the everyday kind 86. Love at first sight: tbh sometimes. It takes effort to maintain though. 87. Santa Claus: cover your kid’s ears, folks...................no 88. Kiss in the first date: maybe. Depends how it went, and the context of the kiss (goodnight/goodbye cheek kiss? sure. random kiss while on the date? probably not.) 89. Angels: honestly maybe? I feel like if they do exist, they don’t interact with humans Other

90. current best friends name: Uhhhh I have a bunch and at least a couple would kill me if I didn’t pick them so... Amanda, Sia, and Lorena 91. Eye color: grey-green-bluish 92. Favorite movie: Don’t make me pick between The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, I can’t do it.

I tag : @disturbingpeopleismylife, @beriala ,,, I have no other friends on Tumblr other than my friend who tagged me in this

[kkishikaisei-blog]

Redeem Codes For Town Of Salem

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[nothingman]

Senate Democrats have a lot of reasons to reject Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee.

He is a down-the-line conservative. He was appointed to a federal appeals court by George W. Bush, wrote a book arguing that judges should embrace an absolute right-to-life principle in assisted suicide cases, and has backed religious challenges to the Affordable Care Act (including in the Hobby Lobby case). He sided with corporations and against workers in a variety of cases, including one in which a Kansas State professor was fired for requesting more leave after a cancer diagnosis, and one involving a truck driver who was fired for abandoning his malfunctioning truck after waiting in a freezing, unheated cabin for three hours.

There’s more: Gorsuch was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Donald Trump, who has attacked the federal judiciary repeatedly, and whose actions — restricting immigration from some Muslim countries, cracking down on undocumented immigrants, and rolling back environmental regulation — are certain to draw legal challenge after legal challenge. Some of those challenges will almost certainly come before the Supreme Court.

If that weren’t enough, Gorsuch is nominated for the same seat that Merrick Garland was, and Senate Republicans’ refusal to so much as hold hearings for Garland still, understandably, enrages Senate Democrats, who feel the seat was stolen.

Democrats are essentially helpless to stop many of Trump’s decisions. But not this one: Senate Democrats have the ability to block Gorsuch from joining the Court by filibustering. Unless Republicans can peel off eight Democrats to break that filibuster, Gorsuch won’t be able to join the Court.

And yet the conventional wisdom in Washington is that Gorsuch — whose confirmation hearings began Monday and are schedule to end Thursday — is a sure thing, and will coast to a confirmation vote without much controversy. Politico's Burgess Everett reports that Democrats are weighing a deal that would see Gorsuch confirmed in exchange for "a commitment from Republicans not to kill the filibuster for a subsequent vacancy during President Donald Trump’s term."

How such a promise could be made binding, I don't know. But even without that promise there’s a strategic story Democrats can tell themselves about why letting Gorsuch slide would be a good idea. Whether or not that story makes any sense is a good question.

The big unknown: when do Democrats want Republicans to go nuclear?

The biggest reason Democrats might want to go easy on Gorsuch is that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell really does have a way to force the nomination through. He can change the filibuster rule so that it only takes 51 votes, not 60, to invoke cloture on a Supreme Court nominee, just as Senate Democrats did for non-Supreme Court judicial nominees and all executive nominees in November 2013.

The precedent has been set for that change, and Republican senators like Mike Lee and Lamar Alexander have been calling for it since Republicans recaptured the Senate in early 2015. McConnell himself has signaled that if Democrats filibuster Gorsuch, he’s willing to go nuclear, telling reporters, “Gorsuch will be confirmed; I just can't tell you exactly how that will happen, yet.”

This presents a dilemma for Democrats. If the nuclear option is invoked, that doesn’t just confirm Gorsuch. It means that if a liberal or swing justice dies or retires while Republicans have a Senate majority, giving Trump the power to truly reshape the Court, there will be nothing they can do to stop him. The 5-4 majority that has upheld reproductive rights, struck down same-sex marriage bans, and generally prevented total conservative domination of the nation’s highest court would be replaced by a permanent conservative majority.

Without the filibuster, Republicans could confirm a replacement with a simple majority. They could put in someone like 11th Circuit Judge Bill Pryor, who has called Roe v. Wade “the worst abomination in the history of constitutional law,” and Democrats would not be able to block him.

So when it comes to Gorsuch, two scenarios could play out for Democrats:

Full obstruction: Democrats filibuster Gorsuch. McConnell invokes the nuclear option. Unless enough Republicans oppose the rule change, Gorsuch is confirmed. Republicans keep or gain Senate seats in 2018. Then a liberal justice or swing vote retires or dies. Trump nominates someone conservative (a crony, a hard-right ideologue, or a mainstream pick with little paper trail) to replace them. Democrats have no way to stop Trump from replacing a liberal or moderate vote with a conservative one: With a 51-vote threshold for nominees, most nominees have a good shot at getting confirmed.

Strategic surrender: Democrats decline to filibuster Gorsuch, allowing at least eight members of the caucus to vote for cloture. Then they save their ammunition for the (hypothetical) next fight: filibustering anyone whom Trump picks to replace Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or Stephen Breyer, the three oldest justices. Because of the higher ideological stakes for the Court, this strategy bets that less conservative Senate Republicans such as Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Cory Gardner, or Susan Collins might be less willing to go nuclear — forcing Trump to moderate his choices.

How Democrats will figure out which of these strategies would work best

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Which strategy is least likely to get Ruth Bader Ginsburg replaced with a conservative?

The reasoning behind strategic surrender is at least somewhat compelling. But whether or not it makes sense depends on a number of factors:

Are there Republicans who’d vote for a conservative replacement to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but not go nuclear for them? This is the big variable. Suppose Ginsburg dies or retires in the next four years and Trump nominates Bill Pryor or another hard-line conservative to replace her. If three or more less conservative Republicans come out against the nomination entirely, then it doesn’t really matter whether the threshold to confirm them is 60 votes or 51. If the filibuster were destroyed by the Gorsuch fight, then the nomination would just fail normally in an up-or-down vote.

Strategic surrender then only makes sense if you think Gardner, Portman, Murkowski, or Collins would vote for a nominee like that in an up-or-down vote, but wouldn’t go so far as to change the rules of the Senate to put them on the Court.

How long could you keep up blocking a conservative replacement? Let’s say Trump nominates a Gorsuch clone — a hard conservative who says the right things and charms senators and doesn’t seem like an ideologue — for Ginsburg’s seat. And a sufficient number of Republicans oppose going nuclear that Democrats successfully block the pick. Now let’s suppose the nomination just sits there for months and months.

At some point, do the anti-nuclear Republicans break and come around to the nuclear option? Or does Trump fold first, pull the nominee, and pick someone more moderate? If you think the latter is likely, then surrender on Gorsuch makes sense. If you think the former is more likely, then it doesn’t.

How likely do you think Republicans successfully going nuclear over Gorsuch is? If you doubt that less far-right GOPers like Collins or Murkowski are willing to blow up Senate rules for someone who almost certainly would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, then full obstruction starts to make more sense. If the nuclear option isn’t possible in this case, then Democrats really can prevent Gorsuch from taking his seat indefinitely.

Is it important to punish Republicans for obstructing Merrick Garland? I hate to say this, but I’m afraid it’s time for some game theory. In the 1980s, the game theorists Anatol Rapoport and Robert Axelrod found that if you play the famous prisoner's dilemma game (where cooperation helps both parties but they face strong incentives to defect) again and again, one of the best strategies you can use is "tit for tat": do whatever your opponent did the last time.

As political scientist Seth Masket points out, in the case of the Supreme Court, this implies that Democrats should respond to the obstruction of Garland by obstructing Gorsuch. In the long run, tit for tat produces more cooperation than the alternatives, and showing Republicans that Democrats won't tolerate that kind of obstruction could have some long-term benefits for the party.

Will there even be a next fight? Maybe Kennedy, Ginsburg, and Breyer are all still on the court in four to eight years when Trump leaves office — or maybe Democrats retake the US Senate in 2018 (despite a very tough map) or 2020, before any of the justices retires or dies. In those cases, all of this is moot. What happens to Gorsuch and the filibuster rule won’t affect the “next fight” at all, because Democrats will be able to either nominate a liberal justice or use a Senate majority to block conservative ones.

The fact of the matter is that Trump is going to get a lot of judges Democrats don’t like on courts

The answers to those questions depend a lot on probabilities that are inherently impossible to know with any certainty. Will Murkowski kill the filibuster for Scalia’s replacement, but not Ginsburg’s? Will she keep not killing the filibuster for Ginsburg’s replacement month after month? Can the nuclear option succeed for Gorsuch? Will blocking Gorsuch to punish Republican obstruction of Garland change Republicans’ behavior and make them more cooperative going forward?

But the basic fact of the matter is that replacing Antonin Scalia is Donald Trump’s job, as infuriating as that is for Democrats after the Garland situation. And if Ruth Bader Ginsburg passes away or Anthony Kennedy retires or Elena Kagan decides to quit and sail around the world, Trump will be able to name a replacement too, with much greater consequences for the Court.

Democrats are trying to figure out how best to play a set of very bad cards. They can do everything they can to keep Collins, Murkowski, and Gardner equivocating. But ultimately, it’s the least conservative Republicans in the Senate (people who are by no means moderate) who will decide if Gorsuch and a hypothetical conservative replacement to Ginsburg or Kennedy go through.

Democrats can try to affect their thinking, but their tools are limited.

Unless Democrats overcome a very tough Senate map in 2018 to regain a majority, the fact of the matter is that Republicans, on their own, can use the nuclear option to confirm anyone they want for the Supreme Court for the next four years. And that will almost certainly mean the Court moves to the right.

via Vox - All