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happi-tree · 4 years

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On The Style and Effectiveness of 1-A Hero Costumes - Part 2/5

Part 2 of this post!

NAVIGATION

Part 1 2 3 4 5

INGENIUM / IIDA TENYA

It’s armor time!!! Behold a man.

What I don’t like:

The costume seems too bulky for a Quirk and fighting style that optimize speed. And while it’s true that cars are pretty bulky but still go fast, it’s equally true that certain types of cars are designed to go faster. The current design reminds me most of a semi or a big SUV, but if the costume was more streamlined along the lines of racecars or sports cars, it would help take off the extra weight that the bulk provides, leaving Iida lighter and more streamlined - therefore, faster.

Some examples of slimmer armor include Go Go Tomago’s from Big Hero 6 and Jim Lake Jr.’s from Trollhunters. And while I get that his body type inherently lends itself to being tank-like, lightening up on the bulk would probably be great for him.

The exhaust pipes out of his back confuse me. They bring some car energy, which is entirely welcome, but they likely hinder balance and motion, which is bad. They leave him looking a little unbalanced, and since so much of his strength and his fighting ability focuses on his lower body, having excess superficial material protruding out of the sides like that doesn’t seem to lend him any favors. And even while it looks cool, it just seems like it would be uncomfortable? Especially since a lot of runners - Iida included - like having full range of their arms to help propel them forward. The pipes might get in the way of that.

Here’s what I like:

The overall aesthetic. I love how this look both makes sense with Iida’s Quirk and personality and plays with elements of his older brother’s costume. It simultaneously puts across some knightly vibes - which is genius, considering how chivalrous and rule-following Iida typically is - and also calls to mind Transformers and cars with the emphasis on the engines and some of the more mecha elements.

The support! Armor is such an easy way to protect yourself while also getting some serious style points. His most essential areas are covered - neck, chest, arms, and legs - which is especially important considering that Iida’s legs are integral to his Quirk and his fighting style. The helmet is also a really good choice, considering this boy is essentially a human car. He looks a bit intimidating wearing it, which is good for fighting Villains, I suppose. Class dad is protected.

And a misc. note:

You know how after Iida’s special Recipro Burst move, he has to wait awhile while his engines cool back down? I think it would be really neat if he implemented some cooling technology into his Hero suit (similarly to Todoroki’s temperature-regulating gear). Theoretically, if he could find something that worked a bit like coolant for his engines, he would have a much quicker reaction time - and speed is the main facet of his Quirk, so it would probably help a lot!

Overall: Very good at providing protection while having a bomb-ass aesthetic. Not quite so good at being built for speed.

I CANNOT STOP TWINKLING / AOYAMA YUUGA

On the other side of the armored spectrum… we have this kid!

What I don’t like:

*Edna Mode voice* NO CAPE! Why do I not like the cape? Capes can snag on stuff very easily and it would be an easy thing for Villains to target and use to unbalance Aoyama. Longer capes are especially susceptible to getting trapped under rubble, torn up, or covered in gunk from the environment (which is not the Look he seems to like). I feel like a shorter cape would get a similar message across while minimizing the potential dangers that a long cape poses. Of course, Aoyama can be trained via experience to utilize his costume effectively with the full-length cape, but when his life and the lives of others are on the line, I’d rather not take that chance.

The shades. I get that they’re iconic, but they’re taking rose colored glasses a bit too seriously. 110% will fall off his face and also messes with the princely Vibe the rest of his costume provides. I do like their Elton John energy, though.

Not a bad thing, but I just want to know how his belt works.

Here’s what I like:

The overall aesthetic. I love how the costume’s obvious “princely knight” vibe reflects so much of Aoyama’s character.

The support here is also really good! Working the belt into the theme of his costume so seamlessly is very innovative and I love that for him. Getting the knee pads and shoulder pauldrons to match his central laser both adds to the uniqueness of the outfit and also pushes that royalty theme since they look very similar to inset gems.

The color scheme. Purple, silver, gold, and black look very classy and regal together, and I appreciate how the royal purple ties back into the concept of European royalty, which is very in-character for this boy. His pantaloon-looking things??? Neato.

Overall: Eh, okay. Ditch the glasses and shorten the cape. Superb, you funky lil knight light.

CREATI / YAOYOROZU MOMO

Here we are! I’m finally taking a crack at one of the most highly debated hero costumes in the entire show, and like a good portion of people, I’m gonna be extremely salty about it. Yaomomo doesn’t deserve this - none of the girls deserve this. These are my thoughts:

What I don’t like:

The absolute lack of support. For any aspect of her. Nothing about this costume is protective (other than maybe the partial high collar). Her most vulnerable areas are exposed, and while it makes sense for easy Quirk usage, it does not make sense for a girl who’s fighting homicidal maniacs on the front lines. The most glaring area in need of support is obviously her chest, as nothing substantial is holding her bust in place. However, so much could be done to work with the benefits of Creation and against its weaknesses that is not being done in this costume. I’ve seen quite a few redesigns that include a sports bra with a front zip closure, which is worlds better. With the show being set in the future, having a slightly mechanized costume with the ability to retract certain pieces at the press of a button would be useful and likely doable considering Yuuei’s own Support department. Gloves would probably be a good idea to give Yaoyorozu a better grip on harder-to-handle Created objects, such as heavy metal machinery.

The over-sexualization is, obviously, disgusting. Nothing about this costume says “Hero.” What it does say, in-universe, is that someone had the absolute gall to approve and send this outfit to a 15-year-old girl about to be thrown headfirst into training for an extremely dangerous profession. It says that giving a person in their freshman year of high school an overly sexualized outfit meant for combat training is okay (it isn’t, for reasons I can’t even begin to explain). This more closely resembles an outfit for a lingerie or swimsuit model than it does for any type of superhero, which alone should be enough to warrant some serious changes - especially, as I have stated, since the girl is only 15!

The overall aesthetic. There is no aesthetic reading for this costume other than “sexy”, which, as I explained above, is very problematic. Sure, the exposed skin makes sense for her Quirk, since she needs access to skin in order to produce items with Creation, but nothing about this outfit denotes anything about her personality. Yaoyorozu Momo is a gentle girl who has been shown to have self-esteem issues from early on in the show, and just knowing that makes me wonder if she feels uncomfortable wearing this. If she’s totally comfortable in this look, good for her! But comfort in our clothing factors so much into our mental states, which translates directly to our physical performance - it’s the same reason why having clothes that fit you and your style well make you feel more confident and more content. And especially if Yaoyorozu wasn’t quite expecting the amount of skin revealed when her costume was given to her, it could likely have added on to her self-esteem issues as seen early in the school year.

The skintight fit of what amounts to a glorified bathing suit is not conducive or acceptable whatsoever. With such a powerful Quirk, Yaoyorozu needs all the protective material she can get - which, as I said in Uraraka’s analysis, is quite simply not possible to fit under that bodycon fabric. Some padding at the very least would work wonders, and bulletproof material would serve her even better.

Once again, heels are not good for any kind of running or fighting! At least it’s a block heel, which is marginally more stable than, say, a stiletto, but still.

The literal bookshelf on her ass. It makes no sense to put it there - it’s an inconvenient place (what if she needs to sit down?) and it looks incredibly awkward to move around with. Besides, there’s absolutely nothing stopping that book from falling at the slightest jostle. At least give her a proper holster or implement it into a toolbelt like some of the boys have.

What’s with the belt? Can it hold emergency supplies? Or is it just there to make it seem like she’s wearing more than a deep v one-piece? I’m at a loss here.

Here’s what I like:

The color scheme. Deep red, white, and pale yellow look good on her! The color ratios are also pretty good in my opinion. Unfortunately, this is the only good thing I can say about her getup.

And to round us out, some misc. notes:

I feel like the book could be done away with entirely and replaced with something digital. This universe is set multiple centuries into the future, and I think something like a holographic data set would look slick, enable for faster search time for whatever info Yaoyorozu would need, and eliminate the bulk problem completely. At the very least, there could be a smartwatch-type gauntlet to pull up info with a larger screen to enable easy reading. Really, the lack of support for Yaoyorozu’s look is devastating because she could go so many directions in creating an outfit that works with her Quirk’s strengths and against its weaknesses.

Overall: Awful, a disgrace, and a disservice to one of the coolest, kindest characters in the class. I would kill for her to get the outfit she deserves.

INVISIBLE GIRL / HAGAKURE TOORU

Wow, look! Two travesties in a row! One more and I get a bingo!

Hagakure, I love you so much, and I am so, so sorry that the yahoos over at the Support company thought that this was a good idea.

What I don’t like:

Uh. The fact that there isn’t a costume. There is literally no in-universe rationalization for this. Surely, they have the technology. Just look at Lemillion! Togata Mirio’s Quirk is literally phasing through materials (including his own clothing) and they made him his own non-phaseable costume by weaving his own DNA into the fabric! Even if they don’t have the technology (they do), I know that Hatsume and probably the rest of the Support students would immediately jump on the chance of creating a fabric with the ability to switch between visible and invisible modes.

Once again, the sexualization of minor Hero students continues to disturb me. Who in their right mind thinks it’s okay to send a naked teenager out into a live battlefield just because she’s less likely to be noticed that way? This line of thought surely doesn’t account for stray bullets or falling debris, nor does it account for this poor girl’s peace of mind. She should be focused on getting the job done and saving people, not worrying about how it’s too cold for her to work properly or how there’s nothing between her body and a loaded gun except for the air between them.

The gloves and shoes seem like they’re kinda. Missing the point of contributing to a stealth Hero costume? Yes, they’re good so that Hagakure can be easily recognized among her allies, but does she just have to stow them wherever when she needs to go fully invisible and hope she can find them once the mission’s over? Plus, Hagakure will always, at the very bare minimum, need something to protect the soles of her feet. Walking barefoot just for everyday civilian stuff would cause a lot of problems, but Heroes likely have a lot of broken glass, broken nails, debris, and other nasty things on the streets where they fight. Tetanus is not fun to have.

Here’s what I like:

The gloves are a nice color, I guess?

Some misc. notes:

I gotta say, I’ve seen SO many good takes on outfit redesigns for Hagakure (same with Yaoyorozu) and the fandom collectively has some wonderful ideas on how to go about creating a costume for her. Personally, I think it would be cool if she had a full-body suit that could change between visible and invisible modes - that way, she would be easy to identify in head counts and it would likely be easier to see places where she could be injured after a fight. At the very, very least they could pull a Lemillion and have her outfit infused with something from her own DNA so it can disappear as she does while leaving her at least covered.

Overall: So, so bad. Please give this girl a suit. I’m tired.

TLDR Part 2:

Great Costumes:

Good: Iida

Okay: Aoyama

Questionable:

Bad:

The Absolute Worst: Yaoyorozu, Hagakure

#happi rambles #anime #bnha #walk walk fashion baby #meta #iida tenya #aoyama yuuga #yaoyorozu momo #hagakure tooru #and here's part two!#as I said earlier I'll link everything together once all parts are posted and I'm sorry if I didn't catch some spelling/grammar errors #long post #class 1A costume analysis

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shianhygge-imagines · 4 years

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Silver Rose [Vergil/Reader] {Devil May Cry} Umbral Angelo

AN: I managed to finish this one in record time, and am already working on the next chapter. I’m intending the next chapter to be a bit of a dive into V and Vergil’s mentality, so it’s going to be a bit tricky to write... and a bit long. (If you take a look into my masterlist, I’ve already titled the next chapter “Bury the Light” so I’m going to try extra hard to make the next chapter worthy of the song.)

On another note: I’m probably going to start using my handwritten banner for this series from now on. I’ve noticed that gifs are rather intense for loading on certain devices/internet speed... and I’m tired of looking for appropriate gifs to use. I may end up changing the banner once I get photoshop or something >.>

If you like the content I create, please consider donating to my Ko-fi! Please help me feed my tea addiction!

|Masterlist Link| |First Chapter| |Prev. Ch.| --- |Next Ch.|

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

15th June 06:03am

- V’s POV -

V watched as you raced to greet Nero with a flying tackle hug that nearly sent the one armed boy tumbling to the floor from the force of your excitement. The mortal half of Vergil couldn’t help but feel equal parts bitterness, sadness, envy, and longing as he watched you fuss over Nero with worry. As he was, V didn’t feel like he was capable of having a family. Not only was the mysterious man dying the longer he remained separated from his demonic half, but because he felt unworthy after everything that had transpired since the day his family home was burnt down. Although he longed for this, it was probably one of the biggest conflicts within him during the past few weeks with you… and one of the reasons why the days had passed with too much left unsaid.

“Nero! Light of my life! My reckless son!” You continued the embarrassing titles while straightening his jacket and hair, taking care to pat down the spots covered in rubble dust. “I’m so happy to see you! Nico did such a good job with your arm! Oh! But that last one broke-”

The demon hunter’s cheeks pinkened as his mother continued to fuss over him, “Mom,” he whined, embarrassed at the fact that a stranger like V had to bear witness to this. “It’s good to see you, too, but I’m fine. I got a spare arm here-” Nero gestures to the red colored mechanical limb attached to his hip, “-see? I’ll be fine. But enough about me, what are you doing here?”

Like mother, like son, I see. V mused with amusement when the pair of you completely ignored the dying Goliath. Shadow had stalked over to sit at your side with a content flicker of its tail while leaving his weakened master to slowly walk over. “Little wanderer…” V addressed the dying demon, raising his cane to deliver the killing blow, “hie thee home.”

Just as the massive demon faded into burning ashes, you and Nero stopped your fussing to address V’s arrival. “Well, it’s a bit of a long story, Nero.” Your grin is sheepish as you pointed at V with two hands, “Apparently, V’s been living like a hobo before he came to Devil May Cry for the job. Since he didn’t want to leave Red Grave City… and I have a house here, he kinda stayed with me the past few weeks.”

“Uh-huh.” Nero crossed his arms and leaned on one foot, his expression incredulous as blue-green eyes flickered between you and V. “You expect me to believe that your old house is still standing after over two weeks of this.” To V’s amusement, Nero nodded at the rubble and chaos that surrounded them as he finished his sentence.

Kid’s got a point. Griffon communicated telepathically as it circled the sky above their group.

You pouted and slumped over slightly, “… well, it’s not standing anymore.” You looked saddened and bitter at the loss of your home, something that V understood. It had been the home Vergil gifted you, and watching the structure of the building get torn in two had been a devastating loss to you both.

Nero grimaced and uncrossed his arms, pulling you into a comforting hug. “Shit, mom. I’m sorry.”

“It’s uh, one of the reasons why I’m here, actually.” You confessed, hugging your son back. “I’ve got business to settle with Urizen… and I’m sorry to intrude, but would it be okay to stay at the orphanage with you and Kyrie after this is all over?”

“Do you really gotta ask?” Nero smiled gently, pulling away. “Kyrie’s been begging me to ask you to come over. So, just take this as a permanent invitation, okay?” The boy’s attention diverged to V, who had settled to stand off to the side, “By the way, V… Thought I was gonna have to pick you out of his… uh… tummy teeth.”

V didn’t bother hiding the smirk that appeared on his face when you pulled away to look at the fading Goliath and promptly giggled when you realized that the dead demon did indeed have tummy teeth. “Pardon our delay.” The mysterious man holds up the collection of William Blake poems to show Nero, “I was… catching up on some reading.”

Nero’s eyes narrowed at the book, “Yeah… looks like a real page-turner.” The young man remarked dryly. In the background, V and Nero both noticed your renewed laughter at your son’s dry tone while a section of the Qliphoth Tree crumbled. “So uh… you think Dante’s still in there?” Nero asked V, the pair now watching as a path forward was cleared by the falling debris.

“If Urizen defeated him, then I expect he’s not much more than Qliphoth pollen by now.” The somber words from V’s mouth put a stop to your laughing, and while he hated when you were upset, he would rather stay honest when possible.

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

- Y/N’s POV -

You knew what a Qliphoth tree was, so you didn’t bother paying attention to V’s explanation, preferring to explore the area for anything remotely useful or valuable. Shadow followed after you, its red eyes watching your surroundings in case a demon tried to get a drop on you while away from V and Nero. “V may very well be right about Dante.” You muttered to the demon panther as you nudged a slab of concrete to the side with a foot. “But we’re also talking about Dante, here.” You smirk down at Shadow with hope, “He’s always been the lucky one out of the Sparda twins. Whether it be a winning prize popsicle, or taking on a demon overlord… Dante’s always been able to pull through…”

When you hear the distinct sound of a car smacking against slabs of stone, you turn to walk back towards your son and V, watching with barely concealed amusement at Nico’s antics. “You know, Shadow… Some days I wonder what would have happened to us if Vergil had even half the luck Dante has.” Ignoring Shadow’s questioning gaze, you wave at the trio waiting for you by the van. “Oh well, forget I mentioned.”

Once you were close enough, you plastered a carefree grin on your face, “Hey, Nico! Thanks for looking after my reckless son!”

“Wha-Hey!”

You and the aspiring legendary smith ignored Nero’s indignant cry. “Ah! Don’t mention it, Mrs. S! It’s always mah pleasure!”

“Bullshi, then why do you compl-”

“How much does he owe you for a new arm?”

“Mom! I can pa-”

“Nuh-uh, Mrs. S. Don’t worry about it.”

“D-Don’t worry about it?! What a load of-”

“Aw! You’re sweet as always, Nico!” You grin, walking around to enter the van with V in tow. “I’m looking forward to working with you!”

“Ditto, Mrs. S!”

Poor Nero looks like he’s about to have a fit from his seat inside the van. You feel slightly guilty for teasing your son in such a way, but quite frankly, you and Nico were having too much fun. To rain on your parade, when V climbs up the stairs to stand just behind you, he leans over to whisper in your ear, “Perhaps you shouldn’t tease the boy so much.”

And of course his father would be against my need to tease. You roll your eyes and sigh theatrically, “Alright, fine. I’m sorry, Nero. Please forgive your mother?” You know he already did, but you bat your lashes at him anyways for the fun of it.

Nero just shakes his head and folds his arms, “Just sit down. I don’t wanna risk you two falling and breaking something because of Nico’s shitty driving.”

You and V take a seat to the soundtrack of Nico’s indignant yelling.

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

15th June 06:26am

- Y/N’s POV -

“I think we should split into two groups.” V suggested as the group of you sat in the van while Nico worked in the back.

“… And cover more group. Good idea.” Nero finished, turning to leave the passenger seat.

“Three groups.” You amended, getting up to snatch the Totsuka from where you rested it. “We’re splitting into three groups to get rid of the Qliphoth roots, and I’m leaving no room for arguments.” You shot a challenging look at both Nero and V when they opened their mouths to protest.

“Wait, Mom. Are you sure about this? We could still get this done in two groups.” Nero stood up to stop you from leaving the van.

“Yes, I would rather we all play it safe as well.” V’s green eyes locked with yours, silently worried for your well-being.

Sighing, you lifted a hand to pat your son’s cheek fondly. “I’m touched that you’re both worried about me, but you both said it yourselves. We’re on a time limit if we want to stop Urizen. I have Nico’s number, okay? So if I run into any problems, I’ll make sure to call.” With that, you waved goodbye to Nico, Griffon, Nero, and V before departing from the group, jumping out of the van with a spring to your step.

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

15th June 08:30am

“Maybe I should have stuck with V.” You muttered out loud, back hand-springing off the wreckage of an industrial building to land on a sturdier platform. A few moments prior, you’d been strolling rather peacefully along the city’s central boulevard… or what was left of it anyways. When you noticed a peculiar figure standing in a dead-end of the collapsed street.

Having just dealt with a few lingering red Empusa stalking the streets and destroyed a few bundles of Qliphoth roots, you were still on high alert. For a moment, you simply stared at the tall imposing figure before it clicked in your mind how familiar the shape was. The last that you had seen that figure was a dark stormy night. “Nelo Angelo?” You whispered in disbelief, yanking the Totsuka from a dying Empusa and taking a step towards the imposing figure.

Of course, the moment you stepped towards Nelo Angelo’s direction, it turned its back on you and jumped atop the rubble blocking the street, only turning to look at you briefly before walking away. You weren’t naive enough to rule out a trap considering how close you were to the main Qliphoth’s structure, but if that phantom was connected to a main root… you would have to deal with him anyways. Sheathing the Totsuka, you followed after the figure, eyes set with flames of determination ablaze.

Which led to your current predicament: scaling collapsed buildings and platforms as you followed the figure of Nelo Angelo. “Honestly, why does every incarnation of Vergil make it their life’s goal to be difficult?” You cursed when your feet made contact with another unstable platform.

The floor gave away just as Nelo Angelo stopped to turn around, your eyes connecting for a moment before you plunged into what seemed to be a tunnel made by the Qliphoth roots. When you failed to grasp ahold of something to stop the fall, you cursed and fixed your position midair. Ah shit. Stick the landing. Stick the landi- You tucked and rolled to absorb the impact from the fall, but instead bounced as you rolled, “Oof!” You grunted when your back collided with a fleshy wall.

“Oooo… ‘A’ for effort.” You huffed, out of breath as you clambered to your feet and strolled over to pick up your Totsuka.

It was… deceptively quiet in the tunnel while you regained your bearings. Red, fleshy, pulsating walls told you that you were definitely somewhere inside the Qliphoth, though probably not in its main structure… maybe you were within one of its main roots? When the walls pulsed rather violently, you grimaced and backed away from the wall, trying not to remember Dante’s comments about demons and vore. “Urgh. Too late.” You groaned, going the slightest bit green as you journeyed deeper into the tunnels.

The further down into the tunnels you went, the less light there was, until you were forced to use a smidge of demonic energy to see in the dark. You’d seen Dante and Vergil use this ability mostly for intimidation purposes, but you found that it was useful for seeing in the dark. With a simple blink, gone were your human eyes, and in their place stood slit pupils, dark sclera, and ethereal glowing light grey irises.

When light was at its minimal, a wail reached your ears from deep within, and suddenly you were sprinting down the tunnel. The closer you came to the wailing, you realized with shock that it was a baby’s cry. What’s a baby doing down here? You wondered, turning as the tunnel drifted left before skidding to a halt at the scene before you.

“That’s not…” your words stopped, caught in your throat as something tight and unpleasant clawed in your chest.

They stood before you, a family. They weren’t much more than shades… shadowy images and illusions… falsehoods… but you knew what you saw. A mother comforting the crying baby boy in her arms while the father stood by his wife’s side, helping her quiet the little one with comforting shushes and whispered words.

“Shhh, shhh, everything’s going to be okay, Nero.” The woman carefully rocked the baby boy in her arms. “Vergil, do you mind humming to him? He always did love it when you sing to him.”

The man nodded and gingerly accepted the baby from his wife’s arms. “Of course, Y/N. You should get some rest, it’s my turn to look after our son tonight.”

The woman yawned and rested her head upon her husband’s arm, watching as he began to hum a familiar lullaby to his baby son. “No, I think I’ll stay right here, Vergil.”

You watched, eyes transfixed with longing and melancholy over the scene. How you wanted this for your family. How you wished that Vergil would have stayed all those years ago. How you wished that Nero was your biological son. How you wished and wished, but your wishes never came true.

The shades before you vanished into wispy shadowy smoke before reforming into two figures and a bed. The tears that had gathered at the corners of your eyes fell as you stared in misery at the scene before you. “No. I don’t want to see this.” You sobbed even when you couldn’t tear your gaze away from the two figures involved in a passionate embrace. Your hands rose to cover your ears, not wanting to listen as a shade of your husband made love with a woman that wasn’t you.

“V-vergil! Ah! Harder!”

“Stop.” You begged, finally closing your eyes, but you could still see and hear the shades.

“Y-you said you had a wife waiting for you at home.”

“Please. Stop!” You cried, shaking your head, not wanting to hear or see any of this.

“Tell me you love me, Vergil. If you don’t care about your wife.”

“… I love you.”

“STOP!” You wailed, throwing a volatile pulse of demonic energy at the shades, banishing the scene completely until you were the only one stood in the middle of a large room filled with rubble. Huddling into a ball of misery, you wept, your hair now a dark silvery white to match the rest of your family.

“Why must you torture me?” you asked the figure stood behind you, though you didn’t rise to confront them face to face, still drowning in your woes. When the figure didn’t answer, you let out a bitter laugh, sniffling, “Figures. You never answer. I don’t even know what I didn’t file for a divorce all those stupid years ago.”

Still crying, you rose to your feet and turned to meet the eyes of Nelo Angelo, though its armor was much different than you realized. Though its eyes glowed red from within its helmet, and its body was solid, you noticed that wisps of shadow and smoke would occasionally fall off it like a fog. This entire time, I was chasing a shade… Umbral Angelo. Probably a pawn of Urizen given life by the Qliphoth. Your grief seemed so intense that it felt like you were choking, but somehow you found it in you to be angry. “Of course Urizen would find it amusing to dance all over my emotions.” You snarled, drawing your blade to point at Umbral Angelo. “So, what! Are you a puppet as well!?” You demanded, taking a menacing step forward. “Are you a puppet to Urizen like Vergil was to Mundus!?”

Umbral Angelo seemed to flinch back, as if struck, but still it didn’t answer you, opting to hold its massive blade at the ready. Gritting your teeth in frustration, you charged forward, swinging the Totsuka in an overhead strike that Umbral Angelo easily parried and countered with a backhand, sending you flying backwards even when you blocked.

“Tsk.” You clicked your tongue in annoyance as you skid backwards upon sticking the landing, “Katana versus broadsword. Really should have taken Dante up on those spars.” You couldn’t get cocky here, you decided, widening your stance and sheathing the katana once more. “I’ll let you come to me, big guy.”

The shade knight raised his broadsword with both hands in a preparation for a lunging motion, the blade glowing and ominous purple before it blinked forwards. You barely had time to switch your footwork and unsheathe the Totsuka to parry the blow to the side before Umbral Angelo was upon you again. Being much smaller than the shade knight, you dodged the incoming elbow thrust by getting in close and under his arm, thrusting the Totsuka into a crack of the armor before pulling away and creating distance.

A growl escaped the shade knight as he too jumped away to create distance. For a moment, the two of you stood at a standstill, simply observing one another from across the room. “I don’t understand you.” The statement falls out of your mouth, eyes narrowing as you run a hand through your silvery hair. “You won’t attack unless I provoke you. You won’t speak. You just stand there!” When Umbral Angelo remained silent, you threw up your arms in exasperation. “Is it the grey eyes? The silver hair? It’s probably a little darker than those of Sparda’s bloodline, but- I’m getting carried away. Answer me!”

The shade remained silent, only changing its position from one ready to attack, to one of rest, stabbing its broadsword into the ground in front of its feet.

“Fine!” The Silver Rose is drawn and its trigger pulled in the blink of an eye, the single bullet hitting the wall just next to the knight’s head.

“…s…r…gi…” Broken sounds echoed from within the confines of the shade knight’s helmet as it shifted its position once more, raising its blade to swing. “…fea…m… w…i…”

Surprised, you could only jump to avoid the wave of energy sent at you from the swing. “Wait. What did you say?”

It didn’t reply, sprinting forward in a violent horizontal swing as you bent backwards to back hand-spring away. The assault of strikes was overwhelming as you were put on the defensive, parrying and dodging while trying to get a few hits in with Totsuka and Silver Rose. There were chinks in its armor, but very little injury to his person. Now that you were closer, however, you could finally hear what Umbral Angelo was muttering.

“…use your gift… defeat me with it…” The shade knight muttered, its voice an echo of something that was once familiar, but long since a memory. “…you must… for your own sake.” It pulled back just enough to throw another downward slash at you. “…please…”

The force of the strike as you block it causes the ground under you to give away. The knight is unrelenting as you struggle to lift the blade or even parry it to the side. You didn’t want to rely on your demonic power so much, but at this rate, you were bound to be defeated by a mere phantom.

A flash of light blankets the room in searing white as you call to your demonic powers. You can feel your body absorb both the Totsuka and Silver Rose as it changes. Before the bright light can disappear, you’d practically teleported to dodge the still descending broadsword.

You grunt in annoyance when you feel your grey hair cascade down your back, having grown longer than it was in your mortal form. Like Dante, your Devil Trigger causes you to take on a draconic appearance, tough silver, grey, and black scales adorning your body in a mimic of a knight’s armor. There’s a ridge around your neck and shoulders that resembles a high collar, protecting your neck from potential damage should the need arise. Your head and face are pulled into what looks like a snout, though your mouth and eyes seem to be stuck in an eternal grin of mischief. Behind you are a set of white leathery wings and a long tail. You have little practice with your wings in tight spaces, so they are currently folded into your spine, keeping them out of the way while you make use of your tail, probably one of the only weapons you have in this form besides your fists and feet. Though describing the appendage as a simple tail would be an understatement, as it is probably more like a stinger, its point, a sharp dagger that can shoot energy beams.

“If you want me to win so badly,” your voice is a hollow echo when you activate your Devil Trigger, “Then, come at me now.”

Umbral Angelo flies at you with another lunge, but this time you dodge and summon white energy copies of the Totsuka to lay into the knight while you throw in a few jabs and kicks, mixing the barrage of attacks up by occasionally backing away so your stinger has enough room to fire a beam of energy or two.

The assault is too much for the shade knight, and it is forced to create as much distance from you as possible. It looks like it can barely lift its sword from the damage you caused. Umbral Angelo drops his broadsword and falls to its knees, weakened and defeated as you approach.

“Now, let me ask again. Why did you show me those things?” You demand, releasing your Devil Trigger to stand as mortal once more.

“To show you the truth. To show you his demons. A part of him regretted. But a part of him did not. Before you face him again, you needed to know.” Umbral Angelo forced himself to reply, though his voice was weak. “There is… one more thing. He-”

Umbral Angelo did not get the chance to finish when a sword cleaved through his chest, killing the shade instantly.

You stood, wide-eyed, your face slightly splattered with dark blood as another figure bearing Nelo Angelo’s semblance stood before you. When it didn’t attack you, you wondered briefly why it had killed its own ally. And then, you heard a distorted demonic cackle behind you.

“A pity it wasn’t even useful to defeat his old whore.”

You had no idea what the hell you were staring at. A three headed woman fused with a giant chicken fetus. Wait… whore?

“WHORE!?” You screeched, immediately activating your Devil Trigger once more to rush the cackling abomination. “I’LL SHOW YOU A WHORE YOU RAGGEDY EXHIBITIONIST!”

“Oooh! I touched a nerve!” The abomination sneered before disappearing into a portal. “Deal with her.”

Just as you’re about to close in on the backend of the retreating abomination, you’re tackled so hard that you get sent through the floor and into open air.

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

Once again, Thank you for reading! :D

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davidmann95 · 4 years

Note

Is that Solaris I see on the cover of Superman/WW Future State? He returns! I am suddenly interested in Future State.

Anonymous said: So, Future State? Not gonna lie, at the very least I'm liking the artist line up. Also, Idk about you, but the designs for Diana and Yara Flor (the Wonder Woman from the Amazon) are the only ones that I'm really liking so far.

Anonymous said: FUUUUUUTUUUUUUURRRRE. state

Anonymous said: Thoughts on DC Future State?

Anonymous said: Thoughts on Future State?

Anonymous said: You’ve probably been asked already but thoughts on Future State?

Anonymous said: So... Future State just kind of showed up and is very mixed.

Anonymous said: Future State Superman has a heroic cop battling a villainous anarchist. Topical.

Anonymous said: On Dc future state announcements???

Anonymous said:So. Future State's been officially revealed. Your thoughts?

‘Future State’ this, ‘Future State’ that! Look, what’re you gonna believe, Jim Lee or your lying eyes?

So this looks...pretty good? Infinitely better than their previous filler stuff like Zero Month/Villains Month/Future’s End/Convergence. And given Jo Mullein is part of this, Bendis isn’t doing these Superman issues, Steve Orlando mentioned on Twitter that he was told to set aspects of this up in Wonder Woman rather than it being allowed to appear apropos of nothing like most of these, and this isn’t built around a *single* all-encompassing tone or hook - along with getting Dan damn Mora to do your main promo images and a bunch of the character designs - I do believe the plan is that this is still going to lead into new ongoing series, just all the last couple of those crossovers I mentioned did. That’s probably where we’ll see Bendis doing Jon, the Zdarsky/Fraction thing, I expect more of Ridley Batman, and maybe one or two others. In any case, nice to see a bunch of fresh talent in the mix and a more diverse lineup both on and off the page, and a lot of these concepts are neat, even if there are as always some turds in the punch bowl. The anthology model being carried forward from the Walmart titles definitely heralds more of the same, whether in the main line or for a continuation of this. And as for the books themselves, I’m gonna take my reactions one by one.

The Next Batman: Obviously I’m down for this.

Dark Detective: Bruce having a specifically defined new role (as do most of the rest of the old guard) is a smart move for making this sustainable. Tamaki’s let me down recently, but Mora, and also if this follows up on Detective #1027 we might see the Black Casebook. Backups definitely look tepid though. I’m probably gonna hold off on making a call until there’s a preview.

Harley Quinn: Pass.

Robin Eternal: ehhhhhhhh

Catwoman: Oh hell yes, V/Schmidt doing a heist.

Nightwing: Nicola Scott doing Nightwing! Andrew Scott wrote a decent little Wonder Woman/Metal Men teamup story in one of the recent anthologies, so I’m up for this.

Batman/Superman: YES. This seems to be a bit of a prequel thing, but who cares, it’s Yang/Oliver doing World’s Finest.

Superman of Metropolis: I’ve only heard of Sean Lewis doing a few indie horror books, but of course I’m curious about the Jon-as-Superman book and the groundwork I expect it lays. His costume works for me, fitting that ‘sleek and futurey’ mandate without actually rocking the boat too much (and its differentiation is a lot more tolerable with Clark still rocking the cape and trunks), and the premise is really interesting - not surprising, as editor Jamie Rich says many of the ideas for the Superman books came from conversations with Grant Morrison. Which is probably why we’re seeing so much Seven Soldiers and DC One Million stuff in here, although bringing back Manhattan Guardian, given his background, and this premise, for this moment, is questionable at best.

Superman vs. Imperious Lex: This is probably going to be the best thing to come out of this whole shebang.

Superman: Worlds of War: Privately I called that Clark would be rocking the Kingdom Come getup in here (with the belt buckle from Man of Tomorrow for some reason?). I did NOT call that he would literally have the God of War sword. I’d be skeptical at best, but PKJ and Rich have both assured they’re not doing a Dark Superman thing with this, and hot damn, Midnighter backup by Becky Cloonan!

Superman/Wonder Woman: I think this is going to turn out to be one of the biggest gems of this entire enterprise. Dan Watters did an absolutely phenomenal short story for the last Batman: Secret Files, and it’s a big teamup against Solaris!

Kara Zor-El, Superwoman: The Bombshells team reunited! Here for it.

Justice League: God, this might be really good or it might be the biggest disappointment of the bunch. Just at the sight of that I want that to be the Justice League from now on, that is an all-timer iconic cover and set of designs to introduce a group of characters, the concept’s really good, and Flash being from another universe is so cool...and the actual book is Williamson/Rocha. Rocha’s a steady hand I trust well enough, but clearly this is where Mora should have been, and you’re really leaving this to Williamson? He has done good comics, but not many. I can only hope he’s basically a placeholder setting up the status quo for a Future State Justice League imprint book same as I think PKJ and Lewis are setting up whatever Bendis is going to do later. Still, I’m not writing this off entirely, Williamson has still done some good comics and this might well be as enjoyable a two-parter as it should be. And in any case, Ram V doing future stuff with the magic characters is a win.

Aquaman: I was going to say no thanks, but the premise is a little interesting, Daniel Sampere is a good hand, and I haven’t seen Brandon Thomas’s work before but at a glance he seems to have tried some ambitious sci-fi work at Image. I’ll call this a maybe.

The Flash: Hahaha, now we’re in the shit of it. Literally there is nothing about this that would indicate it was set in the future if not for the title, a flat regurgitation of the most tired old bullshit, and it’s by a Young Justice writer to boot. Glad to know even in the future the regular Flash book is going to suck.

Teen Titans: Speaking of books we can be assured will always suck

Shazam!: Who could possibly care

Green Lantern: This one I kinda don’t blame for being nothing, Far Sector is the big Green Lantern thing in this period and they’re not gonna fuck with that so they gotta work around the fringes. Hardly sympathetic enough to get me to buy it though.

Suicide Squad: Okay, alt-Earth Flash rules, but you come up with a disabled Flash with a heavily redesigned but still recognizable and extremely rad new look - looking every inch the “Far Sector but for Flash” premise I’ve been calling for - and you put her in this nonsense? And you waste Javier Fernandez here too? I guess Robbie Thompson is passable from what I’ve seen and maybe the whole Earth 3 thing will result in this turning out alright after all, but this feels like a waste, and that’s before you get to the one story here set in the 853rd century being about Black Adam.

Immortal Wonder Woman: Oh shit this one’s gonna rule though.

Legion of Superheroes: So’s this one!

Swamp Thing: This will be excellent too but I don’t care about Swamp Thing.

Wonder Woman: I’m seeing some immediate division on Wonder Woman - some like her new costume and some hate it (I think it’s really busy but like it a lot with the blues highlighted when Mora draws it), and I understand some have problems with a Brazilian Wonder Woman rooted entirely in Greek mythology rather than any sort of indigenous religion (which I am not remotely qualified to weigh in on). I’ll hope for the best, and obviously it’ll be very pretty, but I wasn’t blown away by Jones’ writing when I tried her Catwoman book, and I hope she won’t fall flat on her face regarding representation.

I’d divide this up into

* Basically no chance in hell: Harley Quinn, The Flash, Teen Titans, Shazam!, Green Lantern

* I’d need to hear good word of mouth: Dark Detective, Robins Eternal, Aquaman, Suicide Squad

* Fingers crossed, getting it but it could go either way: Superman of Metropolis, Justice League, Wonder Woman

* Yeah, I’ll grab this one, looks fun: Nightwing, Superman: Worlds of War, Kara Zor-El: Superwoman

* This is going to be really good: The Next Batman, Catwoman, Batman/Superman, Superman vs. Imperious Lex, Superman/Wonder Woman, Immortal Wonder Woman, Legion of Superheroes, and though I’m skipping it, Swamp Thing

A pretty incredible preliminary hit-miss ratio, and along with all I said before, big shoutout to Darran Robinson for across-the-board incredible logo design work. Like the Superman books mixing Morrison and Bendis, Batman is hyper-topical with a black Batman fighting super-cops who hate resistors in masks (whole Bruce can still be part of the fight but has to reckon with not being the guy in front throwing money around and setting terms anymore), Wonder Woman goes for the obvious pun, and JL feels appropriately iconic, while the rest is hit-or-miss as not central to further plans with this setting. I had zero expectations of this as anything other than Future’s End 2.0 with a couple leading into the not-5G imprint, but while I think that’s still the same basic endgame, for the most part it feels like they’re really trying with this one and I’ve got a good feeling about it.

#DC: Future State #DC 5G #DC Comics #Opinion

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oh-theatre · 5 years

Text

Consistent

A/n: HI HEY I WROTE FOR THE INTRUALITY BFFS AU I HOPE YOU ENJOY! Uh basically just a few things from across the au, its probs confusing so ask me questions :DD and ill answer. But ye! Let me know if you want more okay BYE IM SORRY ITS BAD ENJOY

Words: 1860

Warnings: Swearing, kissing, therapy mention

Pairings: Logicality, Demus, possible prinxiety

Summary: Just some moments from across the Intruality bffs au!

“Elevate a little higher!” Remus sings, Patton chuckles but nudges him to quiet as weird looks glance their way. Apologizing with his eyes he continues working away, Remus whispers next to him, bobbing his head to the music. “Throw a party in the-”

“Could you not?” A voice from across the room begs, a smirk hidden by a bite from Remus. Pattons blush quickly appears as he pops his head out from behind his friend. “Oh! Patton” Logan notices, both sharing a rosy tint to their cheeks.

“Just get married” Remus mumbles, pretending to focus on his math. Patton coughs, turning back to his computer, Logan scratches the back of his neck, patting away the sweat with his handkerchief. Roman bites back his own laugh but says nothing. “Play ‘Frozen two’, I wanna listen!” Remus pleads, a sweet affection as his eyes push forward.

“Its your phone and airpods?” Patton hands him the device, a giddy shuffle as Remus starts the playlist. Both instantly feel more triumphant as they continue their work. “Show yourself!” They sing together, fits of laughter as they dance. Logan once more goes to shush the pair but finds himself endeared with the boy. They had come to expect these antics, when all six had been put into the same study hall they knew chaos would ensue. Dee looked on, watching Remus butcher every last note as his own music blasted in his ears.

“Hey, broadway!” Virgil lashes, Remus turns, an innocent perk to his ears. “Maybe shut up so Dee and I can focus?” He spits, Remus obliges but only after he sticks out his tongue. Winking slyly at Dee, the more quiet. “God, hes worse than his brother” Virgil mutters, erasing roughly at the problem he had failed to do.

“Its fun V” Dee admits, his own foot matching the rhythm of his music. “Plus lets be honest, its Friday, no one is actually working” He continues his silly doodles across his homework, knowing he can finish it in two minutes. Virgil huffs but keeps quiet, the distraction too much.

“Be right back” Patton whispers, taking his laptop towards where Logan and Roman sit discussing their psychology classwork. “Can i?” He wonders, Logan hiding his excitement nods. “I had a quick question about our recipe?” Patton sits, Logan listens. “I was wondering if you wanted to tak-” He pauses as the music in his ear shifts.

‘I just had sex!’ Rings out loud, Patton's eyes grow wide quickly turning to Remus. His idle face as he conceals his giggles looking at his work. Logan tilts his head but Patton simply removes the device, recovering from his fright.

“Your question?” Logan repeats, Roman mimics his brother with his own dancing.

“I was thinking we could maybe take it a step further?” Patton proposes, knowing how anxious Logan was about his culinary abilities. “A pastry tree, we start with bigger ones on the bottom and slowly work our way up! So we can experiment and give the judges different options” He finishes, the sweetest of smiles. Logan wants to argue, find a problem but his plan worked and worked well for their grades.

“We can try” He decides, a quick grin and Patton leaves once more. Silent punishment to Remus when he returns to his seat. The class continues and ends fast, they all part to lunch, gathering in their separate areas.

~~~

“You good lego?” Roman asks as he unpacks their chairs from the locker, Logan snaps back from his distant stares into the bleak plaster. He nods taking his seat, his eyes setting upon a very hyper Remus and Patton as they prepare for their meal. “Hey Virge” Roman greets, Virgil and Dee join them, a quadrant of four chairs forms. As usual…

“What's up with nerd central?” Virgil asks, snapping in front Logans face. He shakes his head returning once more. Virgil follows his gaze however, biting back a knowing smile, Patton already sunk into his book as Remus lays his feet across the boys lap. “Ya know, I heard that they were dating” He puts out, Logan snaps his eyes, fear ridden.

“Hah! Please, Remus and Pat?” Roman laughs, sitting down with a shake. “Thats hilarious, Remus and Patton are best friends and anyway Remus has a huge crush on Dee” He adds, munching into his sandwich. Dee rolls his eyes, a soft kick to Romans knee.

“I know, just wanted to see what glasses over here would say” Virgil teases

“I assure you, I could care less about Pattons romantic status” Logan adjusts his glasses, sitting neatly eating his food. Virgil and Dee share a glance but leave it be. “We should invite them to sit with us, they are our friends” He offers, no qualms could be made. They did consider the pair friends...so what was the problem?

“Sup losers” Ethan kicks his chair into the circle, forcing his way between Roman and Dee.

Ah right…

Ethan

~~~

“Easy Remus!” Patton urges watching his friend balance atop the table trying to hang the valentines decorations. The door opens, Logan accompanied by Roman, Dee and Virgil strut in. “Remus get down” Patton asks, Roman chuckles, a sweet squeeze to Patton as the group passes them. “Tell your brother hes being an unsafe”

“Just say idiot” Roman corrects, Pattons expression changes as does Remus’s. He removes himself from the table, returning to his spot behind the desk in the library. Roman sighs, dragged away by Virgil. Patton sits next to his friend, softly kicking his friends chair.

“You're not an idiot” He assures, Remus nods, burying his head in his arms. “Ro’s your brother, its his job to make fun of you” Patton comments, Remus huffs wishing the insults wouldn't go so far. “Come on rum-rum” He hums, Remus giggles, frustrated with his resilience. “Come help me please and then we can go home, watch a movie, make snacks, build a fort” He says, laying his arms and head on Remus’s back. The idea sounds wonderful, but hes not sure hes up to it...just yet. “Oh and dont forget we have therapy today” Patton reminds, Remus groans. He knows its helpful and he gets to do it with his best friend but the idea terrifies him. “I know you dont want to...but its going to help” Patton encourages

“Fine, on one condition” Remus decides, annoyed with his friends walking eggshells around each other. Patton faces him, furrowing his brows in question. “You have to go up to Logan right now, kiss him and then ask him to be your valentine” Remus dares, Patton squeaks almost knocking over the books behind him.

“What!” Patton exclaims “You cant be serious! Youre not actually leveraging therapy over my valentines right now”

“Do it or you'll be flying solo” Remus leans forward, Pattons breath seizes as he swallows looking towards the said target. “Hmm” He sighs, wistfully looking away. Patton shuts his eyes tight but snaps.

“Fine” He barely whispers, Remus cheers pinning delighted in his chair.

“Have fun!” Remus grins watching Patton walk away, so much hesitance to him. Patton wrings his hands as he approaches the group, Logan spots him a formal smile to the boy. He stands to meet Patton halfway, Patton takes a deep breath.

“Pat-” No time, he takes Logans tie, only tugging softly as he pulls the boy into a kiss. The absolute silence that falls over the room save for Remus’s disbelief, is frozen. Pattons heart pounds until suddenly Logans melting right into the kiss.

And its perfect, its absolutely everything Patton had dreamed of

He pulls away in a frantic panic, forgetting what he was doing. Logan clears his throat, dusting himself off. Neither dared to move or speak, they simply stared in delighted confusion.

“Will you be my valentines?” Patton remembers the deal, Remus pounds hard on the desk through his exasperated laughter. “Im so sorry” He rushes, ready to turn away in his shame, feeling a soft hand take his. “Im sorry im not thinking straight” Pattons fear drips out of him, feeling the world grow silent with the simple pound of his breath.

“Ever! He's not straight!” Remus calls out, shushed by Dee.

“I would love to be your valentine” Logan replies, a soft tone just for them. Roman and Dee erupt into cheers, Virgil nods satisfied as Remus waste no time running into his friend. Embracing the petrified boy, Patton still believes he's dreaming as Remus hugs him. “And you don't have to make a deal, I would have done it regardless” Logan adds, Remus falls to the floor much to happy.

“You told him!” Patton cries, Remus can barely nod.

“He just texted me” Logan shows, Patton's face surely matched that of a tomato. “I'm glad however, it was taking too long” Logans coy expression only set Patton's heart a flutter.

“Motherfucker!” Remus stands, taking Patton from behind, the teens feeling safe in one anothers hold.

“Yes good point” Patton murmurs, Logan chuckles. One more quick peck to Pattons cheek before he returns to his friends. “I'm gonna faint”

“Do it coward, you wont” Remus dares, still nuzzling into Patton's shoulder. Patton locks eyes with Dee, tuning out the silly teases from Remus.

“Dee would you like to be Remus’s valentine?” Patton inquires, Remus falls silent. “Sucks to suck” He jokes, patting Remus as he returns to his position. Dee stands, ignoring the eyes that now watch him. Remus stutters failing to connect a coherent sentence. A hushed conversation and the pair meet in the hallway. Returning moments later, now words spoken but their interlaced fingers said enough.

Suffice to say, Patton and Remus had a very good first session.

~~~

“One cold brew for you” Remus presents as Patton approaches the locker, Logan accompanying him in the early morning. He takes it, the most grateful look upon his face, Logan yawns. “Goodest of the morns Logan” Remus smiles, Logan nods through his exhaustion

“Coffee starlight?” Patton offers, Logan moans in happiness taking the caffeinated drink. Remus laughs sitting comfortably in his chair, kicking Patton in a rhythm. The boy doesnt mind, hes used to the fidgets and it didnt hurt.

“Pickles did you do the homework?” Remus questions scrolling through his computer, Patton sets up his chair, taking his coffee from Logan. He gestures towards his own locker, Patton nods a quick kiss goodbye.

“Gonna have to be specific” Patton says, allowing Remus to lay his feet across him. Remus shows his computer screen, Patton checks the work and nods. “You got it” He assures, Remus fist pumps, shutting it happily. “Wheres Dee?” Patton wonders, going over his schedule for the day.

“He had an early test so I dropped him off, but we’re having dinner later for valentines” He smiles, Patton smirks. “Happy one year by the way” Remus celebrates

“You too” They cheer their drinks, falling casually into their conversation. The pair joke and laugh through excitement for the day, cheer and the musical. Everything felt right...for now. I mean it was senior year who knows what might happen.

At Least this, was solid and consistent.

Them

Their friendship

#intruality bffs au #intruality #logicality #prinxiety #demus #logan sanders #patton Sanders #deceit sanders #remus sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #sanders sides #ao3 #archive of our own #writing #write #youtube #thomas sanders

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iplaymatchmaker · 3 years

Note

May I request an IkeRev matchup? Likes: Watching and discussing film and television, cats, the beach, period romances, hockey. Dislikes: Most foods (i'm a picky eater), selfish people. Hobbies/Skills: I'm an actress and a pretty good one (if I say so myself), reading tarot, studying astrology, board games, crochet. Passions: Community activism and intersectional feminism. I'm an INTP Ravenclaw and my introversion makes me come off as cold until I open up to you, then I'm v funny and sarcastic!

A/N: Heyo, person behind the blog here, I just wanted to apologize for being so absent, and arguably very slow with asks (what’s new here), life is super busy and it has sort of killed my motivation to write. I’ll try to finish the next few faster, so bear with me.😅

I match you with

Ray!

Thanks a bunch for your patience, sorry this is so late but I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for requesting🥰 ! This was honestly such a blast to write and helped relieve some stress, so thanks.❤

Before the two of you grew closer, Ray was just the intimidating leader of the black army. It’s an understatement to say that you are surprised when you find him sandwiched between a chunk of the cats you frequently feed. You stay silent for a few minutes, endeared by the sight of the King of Spades playing with street cats.

When he notices you, his laid back smile is replaced by confusion. He doesn’t’ seem convinced when you tell him you were bringing food to the cats, but the bag you are carrying is enough evidence to support your claim.

Despite your rocky start, the two of you end up meeting on occasion at the same alley, either by coincidence or fate. Since you already learned his secret, the two of you often spend time together, usually at night when he’s off duty. It serves as a break from the routine, a space where you could forget about your problems outside of that moment.

The peace is disturbed when you are attacked by a group of bandits, looking for some easy cash. You had never had a similar incident happen before, but looking at the dimly lit alley around you, you realized standing alone wasn’t the best idea. You were planning your escape when Ray appeared out of seemingly nowhere, knocking down the two men in a swift movement. The event served as the catalyst for the shift in your relationship, moving towards something deeper than idle friendship.

Soon you start meeting outside of the confined space of the alley, on his days off, slowly getting to know each other on a more significant level.

The first time he sees you crocheting, waiting for him at the small café in Central Quarter, he is convinced you’re working magic. Despite your attempts to explain it to him, his hands seem to only be good for gripping the sword. Even so, he seems to grow a habit of watching you do it, claiming it’s relaxing when it’s you doing it.

Prompt: Date

Standing in the middle of an ongoing fight, you began questioning how it always ended up so messy with him.

You had been eating dinner at Black Army Headquarters, making idle conversation with Seth when the topic of Ray came up.

“How are things between you?” it shouldn’t have been a hard question. You both loved spending time together and you felt like you were growing more and more comfortable with each other. Still, something held you back from a quick reply.

“Oh no! What did that brute do?” a face of horror only Seth could master fell over his face.

“It’s nothing…” you were going to change the topic, but the man had never been on to leave a lady in distress without advice.

“When someone says it’s nothing, it’s usually something bad.”

“Is that so?” you smirked, hoping to lighten the mood but he didn’t seem ready to move on. You sighed, knowing full well how considerate everyone in the black army was. Perhaps it would be good to talk someone.

“It’s silly really. I just… I feel like I’ve been seeing him less and less. He’s always busy with one thing or the other these days. He’s been working his days off as well so…” your voice trailed off when you realized you had been rambling.

“I see, I see. Not to worry, big sister Seth is here to save the day. Leave it to me <3. “ you weren’t sure what he was planning but you were glad to see him chipper again.

It was shortly after waking up the next morning that you realized what he had been plotting.

Ray was hovering around the door when you got up, confusion written all over his face.

“Rethinking your will?” you wrapped your hands around him to peak at the letter he was holding.

“What?” his eyes were still drowsy after a long night or reading reports and you couldn’t help but tease him a little.

“What’s so interesting about a piece of paper? Don’t you have a stack of those fighting for your attention on your desk?” your tone was playful but you were still disappointed at your own words, knowing you wouldn’t see him again until dinner.

“Seems like those will have to wait.” He finally cracked a smile and turned to you, handing you the small piece of paper.

Dear Ray,

This is a letter signed by all thirteen officers of the Black Army. With this letter, we order you to take a day off as compensation for working on your breaks. Consider this your punishment. We better not see you working, or we will be forced to double your punishment to two days off. Your duty today is to have fun and spend time with your girlfriend.

-With Love,

The black army officers <3.

You mentally slapped Seth in the face.

“I didn’t know this was what he had in mind.” You run a hand through your hair, still messy from sleeping in.

“Did he tell you about this?” you were expecting Ray to be upset at the turn of events, but he still wore his laid back smile, giving you hope that this could turn in your favor.

“It’s nothing. I just saw something in the stars.” You pecked his lips, arms wrapping around his neck to bring him closer. The close contact made you realize how long it had been since you had been alone.

“I see. Well, considering they went through all the trouble of grounding me, we might as well make the most of it.” His arms tightened around you as he closed the distance between you. You started appreciating Seth’s gesture after all.

After a late breakfast you packed up, ready to spend his first break in a while on the beach. You couldn’t keep the smile from your face as you walked through the woods, a comfortable silence falling between the two of you.

Despite your bright mood, something in your mind was still worried that Ray’s smile was forced. You had seen how hard he had been working and it was hard to shake the feeling that a day off would only cause more stress. You ultimately decided to keep your worries to yourself, determined to make the day worth his while.

“I love the breeze.” Once the cold air hit your face you felt yourself relax, the sound of the waves hitting the shore playing like music in your ears.

“Come on!” you grabbed Ray’s arm, dragging him to the water, practically skipping over the golden sand.

“Don’t trip!” in the end, it was Ray who fell over, causing you to topple over laughing before helping him up, sand now covering his backside.

After setting up, you made yourself comfortable on one of the chairs, the warm sun of the afternoon pleasant on your skin.

“Care for a swimming contest? First to make it to the hill and back wins.” Ray’s offer came with a confident smile, peaking your competitive curiosity.

“And what do I get if I win?” you rose from your seat, challenging him with your eyes.

“How about one favor? Don’t worry, I’ll be kind.” you both smiled, sparks practically flying between you.

“How romantic.” You placed a light kiss on his lips, preparing for takeoff.

“You’re going down Blackwell.” And with that you were off, sprinting towards the water.

“Cheater.” You could hear Ray behind you, trying to catch up. You were both laughing now, wishing the moment could last forever.

You were panting by the time you got to shore. Despite your best efforts, Ray had arrived a solid minute before you. You could resist splashing him when you made it back.

“Those muscles shouldn’t be allowed in this competition.” You were pouting, but it didn’t matter to you much who won, as long as you could spend more days without worries.

“So you don’t like my build?” his pouting wasn’t very convincing but he had the spirit. You wrapped you arms around him, your faces inches apart.

“I never said that.” Before you could prove your point, you heard a scream coming from further down the shore.

“Help me!” Ray quickly entered solider mode, searching for the source of the screams.

“That woman!” you pointed to a woman visibly fighting to free herself from the grasp of three men. You stayed behind Ray as you approached the group.

“Leave her alone.” Ray’s voice was cold as ice, a complete contrast to his previous demeanor.

“And who are you?” one of the men spoke up, perhaps the leader of the group.

“The king of spades. I could probably take you all with ease, so you should probably let her go now.” The men laughed. Two of them came forward, the third keeping a firm grip on the woman.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, King.” His voice was dripping with irony. Ray cracked his knuckles once before making his first move. Showoff . The grins were quickly wiped from the men’s faces as the fell on the sand without much trouble. The third man tried to run but you were already behind him, a kick in his groin enough to loosen his grip, allowing the woman to slip away. She silently thanked you before taking off, wanting to get away from the fighting. You only then realized that you were now standing between Ray and the leader of the group, the other two men still groaning on the ground. Standing in the middle of an ongoing fight, you began questioning how it always ended up so messy with him.

“Don’t worry, this’ll be over soon.” Ray flashed you a confident smile before launching himself at the lowlife. You pushed yourself out of the way, giving him some room to throw him on the ground, finally immobilizing him.

“See. My muscles are good for something after all.” He was smiling, but the fighting seemed to have taken a toll on him, considering he had been swimming right before this happened. A sudden feeling of guilt took over you.

After the men were carried off by the soldiers patrolling the area, you and Ray decided to rest a little before going home. You couldn’t bring yourself to say anything, still shaken by what had happened.

“Say it.”Ray finally broke the silence.

“What?”

“You’re a good actress, but I know you well enough to know when something’s bothering you.” he turned to you, posture still relaxed despite the events of the day. You knew lying wouldn’t get through to him so you decided to be honest, considering keeping things was what got you in this situation to begin with.

“It was me who gave Seth the idea to give you a break. I just felt like I haven’t really seen you in a while…” Ray reached out, one hand wrapping around your shoulders.

“That was probably irresponsible. You have a duty after all.” You tried to smile, but you knew it was strained.

“I missed you.” His words were simple but they touched you all the same.

“Sure, I’ve been busy. I have a duty to protect these people.” You looked back at the sea, wondering when the two of you would be able to come again.

“But I also have a duty to you. I fancy myself to be a top tier boyfriend after all.” He cupped your face, looking straight into your eyes.

“Let’s do this more often.” You smiled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders.

“All right. Next time, try not to get into fights. It’s not very top tier boyfriend of you.” He laughed, kissing you like you were the most important thing in his life.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

#ikemen revolution #ikerev matchup #ikerev ray

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wigwurq · 4 years

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WIG REVIEW: THE UNDOING

You guys. Remember that time I said I was going to try to watch new movie releases and do more wig reviews in preparation for the weirdest Oscar season ever? Well instead I watched a lot of prestige TV. So. Here we are! Movies be damned, there are a lot of tv shows with women in bad red wigs and I watched them! The Undoing is one of those shows. Having already suffered through two whole seasons of Nicole Kidman in another David E. Kelley prestige HBO show (AND THE HORROR OF HER WIGS!) I wasn’t sure if I could stomach another one, but you guys - this one is TOTALLY DIFFERENT. It’s in NYC and her wig is curly not straight!!! Let’s discuss (and a whole lot more!) I will be going episode by episode...

Episode 1: The Undoing

First off, I love that this episode name is just the same name as the show. I can already tell we are in for some real creativity with this show! Anyway, we meet Nicole Kidman who probably has a character name but who cares! She is super rich and married to Hugh Grant which I absolutely love as a fan of the Paddington movies - she is the villain in the first one and he is in the second - and this show already feels like a villain supergroup movie because I definitely hate both of them. They’re both doctors, their palatial house looks like a magazine, and they have a seemingly well adjusted tween who doesn’t look like either of them (but he is the kid actor from A Quiet Place and Ford v Ferrari so ok I guess he can act?) Their one problem is that said kid wants a dog but they can’t have one because Nicole Kidman tells the kid that Hugh Grant once accidentally allowed his family dog to run into traffic and his family blamed him and that definitely sounds like a lie! A big little lie!!!

Speaking of which, Nicole Kidman’s wig. As we know from my harrowing journey through her Big Little Lies wig, David E. Kelley likes her as a redhead and I hate all her wigs. This wig harkens back to the 90s when she was still a scientologist and didn’t wear wigs all the time (what a different time!) Unlike back then, Kidman now has a new terrifying face to match her terrifying wigs. Truly, I don’t know what plastic surgeon she pissed off but her mouth is in a constant Joker grin and she is barely able to move parts of her face anymore? The wig is a tangled mess but the true horror is the seamwork - the part is from places not real and also imagined and the texture is something close to a Halloween fright wig.

Which brings me to the real theme of this show: Nicole Kidman’s addiction to midweight duster coats. She owns them all, y’all. We first see her in this green velvet number which looks like a robe, spans no seasons, and also carries you nowhere. BUT paired with this red curly mess, it does look like she is paying homage to Bette Midler in Hocus Pocus, and for that I say: amen. And also: PLEASE PUT A HEX ON THIS ENTIRE SHOW PLEASE.

Now to the plot??? Nicole Kidman sends her kid to a fancy schmancy private school and she is on some fundraiser committee with her only gal pal, Lily Rabe (praise be!) plus some other harpies that definitely won’t matter to the rest of this show at all. Also present is a new interloper of indeterminate ethnicity who has the audacity to be young, attractive, bearing curly hair WITHOUT a wig, and a small child who she has to feed from her own perfect bosom. THE HARPIES ARE SO PISSED BY BREASTFEEDING Y’ALL.

Anyway, this interloper chick is definitely weird and shows up at Nicole Kidman’s gym (where she does rigorous foot pointing exercises and somehow tames her wig back, kind of). The chick approaches Kidman in the buff with a combination of aggressiveness and openness that makes Nicole Kidman really uncomfortable though I definitely choose to believe that she’s mainly intimidated by bitch’s non-wigged hair.

Fast forward to the school fundraiser where Nicole Kidman switches up her midweight duster coat obsession for a friggin cape IF YOU CAN EVEN and all the harpies are present in their best dresses which could all definitely be worn to the Golden Globes and somehow the interloper is there also in a gown. HOW DARE SHE! THE HARPIES ARE PISSED! So is the vile Donald Sutherland (Nicole Kidman’s dad who just HATES Hugh Grant for reasons unknown).

But Hugh Grant leaves for a medical conference just as....dun dun dun....the interloper is murdered!!! ALSO NICOLE KIDMAN CAN’T REACH HUGH GRANT. Also he left his cellphone in a random junk drawer! I refuse to believe this magazine apartment has a junk drawer! Kidman’s wig magically stays halfway up without use of pins or elastics because that is just how horrifying this wig is! This show is so stupid!

Episode 2: The Missing

So Hugh Grant is fully on the lam and mainly NOT at that medical conference which may or may no exist but Nicole Kidman is not interested in googling it and that hot interloper remains to be murdered. Also Nicole Kidman’s wig is still a tangle of complete and utter nonsense AS IS THIS SHOW. Also this wig has two settings: dried out desert or oily sweat lodge. This episode starts on sweat lodge. Anyway, Nicole Kidman goes looking around for Hugh Grant and only finds more questions at his hospital and then goes to her job where she is kind of an ineffectual couples counselor. Also David E Kelley/Nicole Kidman prestige HBO shows I guess always require some couples counseling that is highly questionable.

ANYWAY! I forgot to mention that the lead investigator in this murder is Edgar Ramirez who is hot but also kind of shifty. He starts questioning Nicole Kidman about all kinds of crap involving Hugh Grant and then lays down some hard truths: HUGH GRANT SUCKS!!! He got fired from his hospital job curing children’s cancer after he got too close to one of his patients’ moms and DUH IT’S THE HOT INTERLOPER. Nicole Kidman has to gather a calming circle of midweight duster coats to even deal with this new development.

I really love that Hugh Grant is basically just starring as himself in the mid 90s (REMEMBER DIVINE BROWN?) and I’m kind of here for it. Regardless, Hugh Grant is now the prime suspect in this whole mess and Nicole Kidman’s beautiful magazine apartment is now being completely pulled apart and all she can do is look at her terrifying face and touch it with her terrifying talons and pack up all her midweight duster coats and get the eff out of there. BUT TO WHERE?!

DUH NICOLE KIDMAN OWNS A BEACH HOUSE OBVS. So she drives out there and is somehow able to braid her damn wig! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. THE WIG IS VERY UPSET ABOUT IT AS AM I. She and her tangled tiny braid (she has so much hair in that wig - why is the braid so small??) stare out into the ocean a lot and ignore her child. Also new coat alert and this one is PLAID!!!

And then Hugh Grant shows up and is super creepy and chokey. He tries to explain his actions and confirms his affair with hot interloper which is basically just all a plot synopsis of Fatal Attraction but says that he definitely did NOT murder her. WE SHALL SEE ABOUT THAT. Nicole Kidman calls 911 anyway.

Episode 3: Do No Harm

OMG GUYS THIS EPISODE STARTS WITH EDGAR RAMIREZ SHOWING UP AT NICOLE KIDMAN’S BEACH HOUSE IN A HELICOPTER. How much money is the NYPD really willing to spend on Hugh Grant? All of it? Anyway, Hugh Grant ends up in jail (which is not as fabulous as his prison time in Paddington 2) and we find out that he fathered that baby the hot (murdered) interloper had and willfully breastfed in front of those harpies in episode 1. THIS SHOW IS WILD AND ALSO STUPID.

Speaking of wild and stupid, Nicole Kidman visits Hugh Grant at Rikers and we are led to believe that Rikers Island has a COAT CHECK?!?!?! Look: she shows up in one of her millions of midweight duster coats and in the visiting room she has none. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, SHOW?!?!?! THIS ALSO HAPPENS TWICE BECAUSE THEY CHECK BOTH HER AND HER SON’S COATS THE SECOND TIME WHAT.

Hugh Grant maintains his innocence and somehow Nicole Kidman’s bent ass wig is convinced and they hire a fabulous defense lawyer which the vile Donald Sutherland is none too thrilled about paying for and spends lots of quiet time at the Frick Museum about it also WTF show you’re willing to pay for the Frick and not frickin wigs. Also Nicole Kidman is confronted by the hot interloper’s husband and it does not go over well. No social interactions in this show make any sense, also.

In the end, Nicole Kidman gets ANOTHER midweight duster coat, Edgar Ramirez questions Nicole Kidman AGAIN but this time with video surveillance footage of her walking outside the hot interlopers studio...the night she was murdered and YES IN THAT DAMN CAPE. WAIT WHAT?! Also even in surveillance footage, Nicole Kidman’s wig is a mess.

Episode 4: See No Evil

This episode introduces the idea that Nicole Kidman really likes taking walks. Long walks, nighttime walks, sleepwalks? Nobody knows, especially Nicole Kidman. When asked why she was walking near the murdered interloper’s studio, Nicole Kidman just kinda shrugs and says “I take walks!” AND EVERYONE BELIEVES HER!!! WTF IS THIS SHOW. It should be noted that this long walks are taken in her usual midweight duster coats (WHICH ARE SUBTLY DIFFERENT COLORS AND FABRICS FROM OTHER MIDWEIGHT DUSTER COATS SHE OWNS) and very not sensible boots. Her walks can last between 10 minutes and 10 hours and who is to say where she even goes and who she is followed by? Maybe the interloper’s husband follows her around or maybe it’s in her head? Maybe she murdered the interloper and didn’t quite remember it? Regardless: it’s a lot of walking and it is EXHAUSTING for us all and finally Nicole Kidman just passes out in Central Park after minutes or hours of walking around and a bunch of kids form a literal calming circle around her and my eyes rolled into the reservoir.

This episode is also all about money, hunny! Nicole Kidman has a lot of it - so much that it was revealed in the last episode she didn’t even notice that a lot of it was missing from that time Hugh Grant lost his job and didn’t tell anyone for a few months except the vile Donald Sutherland who loaned him $500K AND NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THAT MONEY WENT!!!! Well I hope you kept your check book out, Donald Sutherland because now you need to pay $2 MILLION DOLLARS to get Hugh Grant out of jail. Ok? OK. ALSO DO YOU JUST OWN THE FRICK MUSEUM????

So now Hugh Grant just lives in his old magazine apartment which has somehow returned to magazine status after Edgar Ramirez and a thousand cops completely ransacked it. Also now Nicole Kidman and the son live at the vile Donald Sutherland’s house so all is...well? Well no not really because Nicole Kidman STILL HAS THAT DAMN WIG.

AND THAT ISN’T EVEN THE MOST HORRIFYING PART OF THIS EPISODE! That came when Hugh Grant, now free from jail and left to his own devices, visits the interloper’s widow and children! WHAT IS HE DOING!! Somehow, interloper’s husband lets Hugh in and lets him hold the baby which he fathered. AND THEN HUGH REVEALS HE’S MET THIS BABY BEFORE AND OFFERS TO TAKE CARE OF IT! WHILST ON TRIAL FOR MURDER! THIS SHOW!!!!!

Episode 5: Trial by Fury

WHAT IS EVEN DONALD SUTHERLAND’S APARTMENT?!?! It has a balcony, and it seems to have a balcony cover because no one gets wet when they go out on the balcony and it’s raining. Rich people really live in a different climate zone than the rest of us garbage people. Regardless, Nicole Kidman’s frizzy wig is at PEAK FRIZZINESS on this balcony.

Anyway, the trial of the goddamned century is finally here!! And Nicole Kidman’s wig part still remains an elusive mystery. What is being kept in there? NO ONE CAN SEE ACTUAL SCALP OR ANSWERS. Another question: why did everyone bring their kids to the trial where they could see very upsetting pictures (that I didn’t even look at!) of the murdered interloper. CHILD ABUSE! ALSO! WOULD EVERY SINGLE GODDAMNED CABLE NEWS NETWORK REALLY COVER THIS CASE SO CLOSELY??? I guess it’s not an election year in this alternate reality.

Which makes this scene where the whole family dines out and no one bothers them at all the more improbable. Also completely insane? At one point, Hugh Grant just storms out of the dinner and into the bar area of the restaurant (omg remember restaurants?) and Nicole Kidman follows him there and they have a very intense conversation about family secrets literally in the entrance of a busy restaurant. WHAT REALITY IS THIS SHOW IN?!?!?! The family secret? Remember that time Nicole Kidman told their son that he couldn’t have a dog because Hugh Grant accidentally killed his family dog? IT WASN’T A DOG IT WAS HIS 4 YEAR OLD SISTER. WHAT IN THE DAMN HELL!!!!

Nicole Kidman attempts to corroborate this insane story that she has never ever heard before with Hugh Grant’s family who don’t return her calls but do facetime her out of the blue in the middle of the night. Sure! And who is Hugh Grant’s mom? TONY AWARD WINNING ACTRESS ROSEMARY GODDAMNED HARRIS. WHAT. Not only does she confirm that Hugh Grant definitely accidentally killed his sister, but he also was never ever upset by it! Sure looks like Hugh Grant is a sociopath! MMkay!

Oh and then in the final moments of this episode Nicole Kidman finds the murder weapon - a sculpting hammer - in her son’s violin case. THIS SHOW IS A FRIGGIN LUNATIC.

Episode 6 - The Bloody Truth

So at this point in this show, I have fully gone. I don’t even know what is real or fantasy at this point: all I know is that Nicole Kidman’s wig is my nightmare. ALSO! She has a new midweight duster coat and it is the absolute most outrageous - a silk embroidered number you can literally wear NOWHERE EXCEPT FOR THE MURDER TRIAL OF HUGH GRANT.

The main concern in this episode is how Nicole Kidman’s son happened to get ahold of the murder weapon. So he just found it....in the beach house fire pit?!?!?! WHAT A DUMB PLACE TO PUT A MURDER WEAPON WHEN YOU HAVE AN OCEAN INCHES AWAY TO FLING IT INTO! Even dumber: this show wants you to believe that this 12 year old kid would have the wherewithall to put this murder weapon through the dishwasher - TWICE!! Vulture and I both say NAH to that.

Anyway, Nicole Kidman’s wig which is somehow pushed back with clips unknown spends a lot of time in a robe (or a coat? WHO KNOWS AT THIS POINT) making secret phone calls to Lily Rabe (who I am happy is back because she’s kind of the only fun part of this show). WHAT IS NICOLE KIDMAN UP TO?!?!?!

Much like Big Little Lies season 2, it all comes down to Nicole Kidman taking the stand. BORING! Hugh Grant is all but gonna win this thing and then Nicole Kidman gets up there and totally backs him up...until she is cross examined by the prosecuting attorney (WHO IS OLD PALS WITH LILY RABE) and magically knows all about Rosemarry Harris’s facetime! Now everyone knows that Hugh Grant is a child murderer and sociopath! AND HE IS PISSED!

The final sequence of this show is just far too insane to even fathom BUT basically before definitely being found guilty, Hugh Grant texts his son and they meet for breakfast but then breakfast turns into a car chase upstate! It is never explained how Nicole Kidman would allow her son out of her sight OR how Hugh Grant wouldn’t already be tailed by cops but whatever! Also not explained: how Nicole Kidman is able to issue an Amber alert for her kid and then get into a GODDAMNED HELICOPTER and follow Hugh Grant north and then land on the very bridge he’s about to jump off of but WHO CARES!! THIS WHOLE SHOW IS WHO CARES BECAUSE IT TURNS OUT HUGH GRANT WAS THE MURDERER ALL ALONG JUST LIKE WE THOUGHT IN EPISODE 1 AND EVERYTHING ELSE HAS JUST BEEN A MIDWEIGHT DUSTER COAT FASHION SHOW!!! ALSO THE WIG SUCKED! GOODBYE YOU TERRIBLE STUPID SHOW!

Verdict: Doesn’t Wurq

#undoing #undoinghbo #nicolekidman #hughjackman #donaldsutherland #helicopters #edgarramirez #midweightdustercoats #nightmarewigs

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skvaderarts · 4 years

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Apocrypha Chapter Thirty Seven: Opposition

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Opposition

Notes: And here I sit, having to go to work in 10 hours, and I’m just starting this chapter. Not the best decision, but I’ll find a way to make it work. And then tomorrow I’m gonna relax and try to knock out both chapters for next week early. I can only imagine that Black Friday (which I’m firmly refusing to work this year!) is gonna keep me busy all week.

(-~-)

Sunday, August 25th, 2:00 am

A cursory look at how the situation was unfolding immediately lent to the idea that any and all police would probably be converging on the vicinity of the attack shortly. Despite the fact that there was very little that the local police (or the military, for that matter) could do against hordes of demons, they were obligated to try, even if only a little. If the Redgrave City attack was anything to go by, the region was woefully underprepared for another demonic attack, but the youngest Son of Sparda was admittedly hopeful that some sort of initiative would be taken by the local government to see to it that the next time something like that happened, they would be able to do more than throw useless grunts at the problem and blow up bridges to keep the demons at bay.

Why did there always have to be a next time?

Despite the fact that it would bring a swift and permanent end to Dante’s demon-hunting career, he couldn’t help but wish for a day where the population of the underworld lost the ability to travel two and from worlds. Their father had spent a considerable amount of time seeing to that, and had made untenable strides in that regard, but here they were, over two thousand years later and still fighting the same foe. It seemed that there would always be a need for their family’s experience in devil hunting; a fact that troubled the devil hunter in red slightly. Was this it, then? Was their entire bloodline cursed to do battle against their father’s kin for the remainder of their existence until the day came when they no longer could? Were none of them allowed to pursue their own wants and goals outside of this admittedly limited field? It was all a bit fatalistic and heavy for his tastes, but he found his mind wandering to the topic on occasion these days when he considered his family and everything they had sacrificed as a whole to protect the general public. It was all very heroic, but was there to be nothing more to their lives than endless self-sacrifice and then a glorious and inevitable death in battle?

In truth, Dante couldn’t say that he really minded going out that way, but every time he saw Nero with his family and V trying his best to acclimate to a new and unfamiliar world, he couldn’t help but feel… something that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. If asked, he’d probably say that it was remorse for the lives that they could have had if not for the fact that they had been born into this mess, but he wasn’t sure that was what he really thought. There was no denying that he was glad they were a part of his family, but there were days, especially after Nero had been nearly killed when his twin brother had attacked him that day, that he wished they could have both lived in blissful ignorance, unaware of the danger that their seemingly cursed bloodline carried with it.

The idea of never having met them pained him greatly, but if it meant that they would not have to deal with the trials and tribulations ahead of them and the weight their lineage carried, then he would have slept better at night knowing that they were not doomed to the same fate that he and his older twin were. He wondered how they felt now, and how knowing what he felt would affect them. Dante would never say any of what he was thinking out loud to either of them, but he’d think it nonetheless. And every time that he saw them, it would be a reminder.

Perhaps the two of them together could achieve some semblance of normality for the rest of their little family. Was that such an unreasonable fantasy? It was not impossible to believe that there might be a day where they no longer needed to participate in this endless battle. Or maybe that was wishful thinking. Still, the devil hunter in red needed something to strive for. He wasn’t getting any younger, and the idea of doing battle against their foes was still just as exhilarating to him as it had always been, especially now that his own identical twin was no longer one of those foes. But still, there was much work to be done.

“So whatda think the odds are of this being that cult again?” Dante said as the twins headed towards the building in question. The onslaught of demons had stopped for the time being, signaling that something more might be going on here than they originally thought.”

Vergil stayed quiet for a moment, shifting Yamato to his non dominate hand in an effort to prepare for another attack. There was no way that the eldest Son of Sparda was going to simply waltz into a dark, decrepit building that he’d never been inside of before and just assume that everything was going to be fine. The Darkslayer hadn’t lived as long as he had by being an absolute tool, and he expected that Dante wasn’t that foolish, either. After all, his brother was many things, but a complete idiot was not one of them. While the younger of the two was prone to do foolish things, that didn’t mean that he had a psychotic death wish. And if he did, he wasn’t going to act on it in any way, shape, or form tonight. There were matters to attend to, and he intended to see things through to the end.

“I would imagine the odds of that being the case are about on par with the possibility of this being an obvious trap staged by our opponent.” Vergil lowered his voice as the pair entered the building, making an effort not to give themselves away too prematurely. From what he could tell, they seemed to have the element of surprise, at least for the time being. There was no need to squander that.” But then again, if this is a product of one of Belial’s schemes, then it could very well be an obvious trap meant to throw us off so that we fall victim to another less obvious trap. He likes to indulge in those kinds of games from time to time.’

Dante shot Vergil a curious look as they continued forward. So this Belial demon truly wasn’t playing around, then? Good. He enjoyed a good fight from time to time. He just hoped that no one else got dragged into the conflict. And then there was the mater of V and his connection to this cult. While they had a reasonable hunch as to why this powerful demon prince might want to capture V and what the cult planned to do, there was still no certainty as to what and why this was happening. How had he even known that V was alive in the first place? Dante had spent nearly the entirety of both of his nephews’ lives ignorant to their existence, only for them to go and yank a misplaced soul out of the netherworld and for a demon of this caliber to send someone after him? What were the odds of that?

He needed more in-depth details as to what was going on here…

“So if you think it’s a trap, what are we doing here?” Dante said, not so much expecting an answer from his twin as he was from himself. As if by instinct, they’d both just walked into the building, knowing full well that this wasn’t a logical idea. And yet, here they were. Maybe they were both just insane. “Or maybe there just aren’t a whole lot of things that can stop both of us if we’re working together. And we are, for once.” Dante considered internally for a moment. Yes, maybe that was it. But getting too cocky couldn’t end well in the long run. They had to keep their option open, lest they fall victim to their own naivete.

The youngest of the two brothers couldn’t help but imagine that V would have something to say about this kind of thing; some wise homily to spin about the dangers of hubris and such. Who could say? He wasn’t here, after all. And what a lucky turn of events that had turned out to be.

Dante didn’t really mind V’s presence in the slightest, but keeping him as far as they could from any possible cult activity was probably a good policy. He could only imagine that his oldest nephew had made a swift recovery by now, but that could all change in an instant if they ran up against a super-powerful demon or a powerful summoner. While V was formidable in a battle (at least from what Dante had seen) there was a certain level of risk that he knowingly undertook anytime he entered battle that none of the rest of them took. Despite his obvious skill, V had the least training out of the lot of them, and the youngest Son of Sparda couldn’t help but imagine what he might be capable of if they showed him how a devil arm worked or he gained further proficiency over his abilities. It had taken Nero a while to get where he was now, but the difference showed in every conceivable way.

Once they returned to the office, the next step would be to return the Arcana to Vie de Marli where it belonged, they would have to see to it that V received some sort of mentorship. But first, they had to make him put down his books long enough to show him anything. Dante couldn’t help but think that V would do better as a librarian or working in some sort of museum than he would in a vicious battle to the death against demons. And yet, somehow he held his own just fine for the most part. The devil hunter in red had to give his nephew credit for one thing: he was an extraordinarily fast learner.

“Because that is where we will more than likely locate our assailant. I have some questions for them.” Vergil said under his breath as they neared what appeared to be a large, open room. He wasn’t so much irritated with Dante as he was the lack of knowledge in this situation, at least for the time being. He refused to tolerate this severe lack of insight any longer than he had to.

The instant that they rounded the corner and walked into the central chamber of the old factory, the two of them were faced with a literal wall of demonic energy. The entire building suddenly reeked of it, confirming their suspicion that this was the place that they had been looking for. And much to their surprise, there was a man standing at the far end of the room with their back turned to them, seemingly unaware of the fact that they had arrived. The twins halted, deciding in silent unison to take the opportunity to see what was going on since a large, glowing portal stood before the unknown man. He shook his head, nodding along to something they couldn’t hear before a loud, otherworldly voice echoed throughout the chamber they currently occupied. Vergil closed his eyes for a moment, a wave of obvious displeasure taking over his features. It was rare that the eldest Son of Sparda wished that he was wrong about something, but this certainly counted as one of those occasions. Dante glanced over at him, searching for silent confirmation of what he’d already surmised from Vergil’s shift in tone. This was the Belial he’d heard so much about, then? Well, they certainly sounded the part. The deep, bellowing tone he spoke in was accited by a certain level of cold, calculating intelligence that Dante was accustomed to associating with the demons he’d spent so long doing battle against, putting the likes of Balrog and Burial to shame despite their obvious sentience. Not, this devil was conniving, and he clearly knew what he was talking about, even if neither of them did.

“From what I can tell, things are going to plan. Well, I assume, that is. I don’t have a way of checking.”

“You see, that is where you and I differ most, servant. I do not assume. I know.”

The man shivered slightly, clearly shaken by the words of the powerful being that he served. To say that he was in way over his head would be an understatement, but then again, so we’re practically all humans that dared do business with a Prince of Darkness.

“Do you desire anything else from me, master?”

“Oh, I can assure you, I do not require the services of you or any other wayward stragglers any longer. My little cult has proven to be an entertaining diversion for some time now, but it seems that Vergil has once again inadvertently served my best interests by eliminating the vast majority of you. Now I need not do the tidying up on this joyous occasion myself. Truly splendid indeed.”

If they could have seen the face of the being who he spoke to, Dante got the impression that he had just smirked in self-satisfaction, readjusting himself on his metaphorical throne. There was no way of knowing for sure, but they were willing to bet that the man standing before them had no idea how truly dead he was, and their assumption was proven correct meer moment later when the man suddenly began choking and screaming, violently thrashing about before falling onto the floor. He went into some sort of fit before going totally still, clearly dead to anyone unlucky enough to discover him. Blood ran down his face from his nose and mouth as he gave his last breath, clearly quite distressed as he perished at the hands of his former master.

For a moment, everything went quiet. Dante and Vergil watched, unmoving as the portal continued to glow brightly, knowing that it needed to be closed but unsure as to how it had managed to be opened in the first place. There was a part of Vergil that was furious that he’d missed the opportunity to question the man himself, but he got the impression that Belial wasn’t stupid enough to leave witnesses walking around who his detractors could interrogate. But just as Vergil considered suggesting that they vacate the premises, a low, genuinely pleased laugh bellowed forward from the rift that stood before them.

“You know, I should thank you, Son of Sparda. Truly, It’s not every day that I get to indulge in such activities. It’s nothing personal, really. I don’t do personal. But I’m not sorry to say that I won’t be showing you any form of gratitude. You shall see in due time.” He paused for a moment, seemingly waiting for Vergil to speak or respond in some way, but he didn’t. He simply stayed there, unmoving and internally cursing himself for coming here. How had he forgotten about that little facet of his foe’s abilities?” I trust that you remember what happened the last time our paths crossed. I can’t imagine that you’ve forgotten already. After all, our meeting was so… memorable. I kid, of course. You remember very little of that encounter, as was my will. But do take your time to concoct your own clever schemes as you always do. Some day soon I shall remind you why my will is absolute.”

With no further fanfare, the portal went dark but remained open. Vergil waited a moment before allowing a long, almost tormented sigh to escape his lungs and exit his mouth. Yes, of course, Belial had known he was there. Didn’t he always. He stood up from the crouched position they’d taken behind the broken and abandoned factory equipment and walked over to the portal, unsheathing Yamato and using it to close the gateway. A criss-cross of delayed swipes closed the gate the instant Vergil returned his devil arm to its sheath, the Darkslayer shaking his head slightly as he rested his hand on his forehead and pinched the top of the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.

“... Should I ask why you and the nightmare demon are on a first-name basis? And how did he know you were here?” Dante approached Vergil slowly, unsure as to where he should even begin, considering everything he’d just heard.” What’s all this about you forgetting? Did he wipe your memory or somethin’?”

Vergil sighed and dropped his hand from his face, swiftly walking away from the place where the gate had once stood and towards the exit. He suddenly felt an immense and overwhelming desire to leave this place and never return. Dante followed closely behind him, somewhat relieved that the attack was at least over for the time being and that massive amounts of damage were not dealt this time around. It had only been about a city block or so, and casualties, if there were any, had been scarce. After the dumpster fire that the Redgrave City incident had turned into, Dante was eager and willing to take any victories he would take part in, even if those victories were short-lived and slightly situational. This was over because the devil that had willed it into existence had grown bored of it, and that was a fact that Dante wasn’t blind to. And he was not keen on it.

Once they reached the exit and stepped back out onto the street, Vergil crossed his arms for a moment and sighed, unable to find even temporary pleasure in the cool night air. This situation had just taken a rather unorthodox turn for the worst out of nowhere, and he didn’t like that one bit.

”To answer your ceaseless questions, brother, we met some time before I returned to the human world. He demanded that I serve him after the demon thrown was left… unattended. Most were unwilling to contest his rise to power at that time, but I refused and usurped him.” Vergil glanced away for a moment, noting the distant lights that accompanied the fire trucks that had just pulled up about two blocks down the road from where they currently stood.” As for how he knew I was there, I can only assume he can still sense my presence from the underworld so long as I am within a certain proximity to a portal. We might as be standing in the same room as far as his abilities are concerned. He does not forget something once he’s experienced it.”

Dante nodded, not at all pleased by any of what his brother had just said. He didn’t need to know how that worked to know that it wasn’t good.” I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that’s how he killed that guy?”

Vergil nodded.” Yes, in much the same way he attempted to kill me when last we met. Belial has access to a primordial source of power somewhat akin to Nightmare’s that allows him to… suggest an experience for you relive, especially when that memory was never yours, to begin with. That and the pressure he exudes when near someone is enough to send most beings spiraling into an early death, or a coma at the very least. It’s rare to be able to resist pure terror. That’s how he managed to fragment my memory of our full encounter, and he clearly revels in that fact. I suppose you could say that his true power is trauma itself.”

This time it was Dante’s turn to cross his arms and look unamused.” So he can, what, literally scare someone to death? Tranutize you so badly that you forget entire events or think something else happened?”

“In essence, yes. And so long as he has physically been in the presence of the individual he wishes to exert his will over, he is basically unavoidable. Thankfully his range is limited, but the extent of his cruelty and the range his machinations are willing to extend to is not. He cares little for petty sentiments such as honor or decency.” Vergil looked distant for a moment as though he were considering something unfathomable, something that he was truly unable to make himself consider.” He would absolutely destroy the minds of anyone necessary to harm his actual larget and leave them a husk of their former selves, decimated beyond repair. I’ve seen him do it. And all that purely to see his opponent break. He is a plague in that sense. And now you understand why I have so little tolerance for anyone who willingly serves him, hence the reason I cut down his cult where they stood. This cannot be allowed to continue.”

For a moment, Dante just stared at Vergil, unsure of what to even say about the mental image that his twin had just painted for him. It was a bit difficult to defeat an enemy that could destroy you from the inside out. How were they supposed to stop him? And although neither of them said it, they were admittedly concerned to some degree when it came to what this demon might want with V and these plans that he was working on. Everything about this situation seemed dire, and the youngest Son of Sparda was starting to grasp the severity of what this could mean for them.

This was now a war.

“Yea… none of that is good, Vergil. None of it.” Dante sighed and shook his head, the weight of the situation they were now in truly affecting them. They needed to act fast and smart, something they didn’t tend to do.” Can’t believe I’m saying this, but we should probably head back to the office and start coming up with a plan or something. Oh, and put that knife back where it belongs.”

Vergil nodded wordlessly, his mind a thousand miles away. He was still combing over the situation at hand. There was a part of him that couldn’t’ shake the feeling that this was all a misdirection of some sort, meant to leave them open to a larger threat. That was generally how Belial operated. While he believed every word of their enemy’s threat, it just wasn’t like the demon prince to be so… direct.

Just a moment later, the two of them glanced up the street, noting that there was a person in a safety vest standing on top of a vehicle. The man addressed the growing crowd of people gathering around them, all of the locals seeming terrified out of their minds. “Please vacate the area! We are investigating the cause of this event. We have also received news of a mild earthquake due west of here. It caused some kind of underground cave-in deep in the woods near the waterfront which we will be investigating as well. If you reside in that area, do take care when returning home. Thank you for your time!”

Both Dante and Vergil shared a knowing look, relatively positive that they knew where this cave-in had occurred. It seemed that they were not returning to the office just yet. They had a conduit to double-check.

(-~-)

And just like that, it’s 5:55 am! I have to work today from noon to 7 pm. Looks like it’s going to be a long, energy drink filled day. But that’s okay. It was worth it to finish this chapter! No lie, I might carry this over into a book three as I did with Soliloquy a while back just to keep the pacing in this fic consistent. I’ll think about that when I’m more awake though. Anyway, I look forward to reading what you thought about this chapter! I’m using a new document editor, so I hope it did the trick! I think I’ll post this fic a few hours early, too. See you next week!

#Apocrypha #Devil May Cry #Devil May Cry 5 #Dante #Vergil #DMC5 #DMCV #A03 Fic #Ao3 Fanfic #Devil May Cry V #Post Devil May Cry 5 #Post DMC5

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roadtohell · 4 years

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ok here are my final bbc les mis thoughts... i know i’m v late to the party but if anyone also has thoughts i’d like to hear them!

it’s probably not gonna sound like it, but i DID actually quite enjoy it as general entertainment. most of my complaints come from my interpretation of the source material as well as the 2012 film (which is impossible not to compare to)- if it was an original story i wouldn’t have nearly as many reservations.

things i really liked include:

absurdly cute baby marius, who i would die for

happy fantine :) for a bit

the handling of gillenormand and his relationship with marius, which i felt was v book-accurately sad and screwed up but also sweet when the time came

the thenardiers- the fact that they still retain a bit of the comedic edge only adds to the repulsiveness of their deeds imo.

things i really disliked include:

most of valjean’s character- he was generally angry and unlikeable. i think davies intended to highlight his struggle to do good, which isn’t an inherently bad goal, as book valjean totally has questionable moments followed by rackings of guilt (see: his attitude towards marius). the problem with the series portrayal is that what should be mostly internal conflict instead manifests itself in actively poor treatment of others throughout the whole story. sure, bbc valjean gives out money like it grows on trees. he also angrily fires fantine for lying while he himself lives a lie, stiffs gavroche on delivery money and tells him to buzz off, and makes cosette watch a chain gang to prove a point. it’s... an interesting angle, no doubt, but it misses the whole point of valjean’s story- the transformative power of kindness- by a mile.

a lot of adult cosette’s portrayal and especially her relationship with valjean. i get it, people often consider her tricky to write, boring, more of a symbol etc. etc. and feel the need to jazz her appearances up a bit. davies does not do a good job of this. her curiosity and idealism is framed as being frustratingly naive, as if to justify valjean’s overt possessiveness and control over her. he ends up physically restraining her over their “i want to see the world-” “well, the world sucks and i’m just protecting you” fight they spend most of their time having, which isn’t even resolved one way or another. the last episode does treat her better, thank god, but the cosette=love thing is less impactful when she’s literally pulled out the “i hate you” line. 😬

javert’s absurd level of valjean obsession- he honestly becomes a bit of a joke, eventually assuming valjean is the leader of the rebellion for no reason other than it involves crime. besides diminishing his competency, it’s actually easy to forget that he’s guided by his rigid sense of justice, not just his VPS (valjean positioning system). one day an adaptation will really take the time to explore how javert’s worldview applies beyond valjean, including to himself (i’ve always loved the brick scene where he asks mr madeleine to fire him), but it’s definitely not this one.

the sexualisation, jfc. frankly i think davies should be guillotined just for his interview statements on this topic. of all people, he decided to sexualise eponine and cosette. no i will not elaborate. there are also countless unnecessary implications, including between valjean and fantine, valjean and MARIUS, and a random convent girl onscreen for 0.2 seconds just to say she was looking forward to sex. but at least there was no santa sex scene, i guess?

thenardier straight up says he’s going into the slave trade and marius still gives him money... tf

the two boys gavroche looked after, starving in the street, is the final shot. because we all needed another dose of misery.

while i adore the musical, i can imagine why davies doesn’t enjoy it- it has no subtlety whatsoever with its messages about god, love, the LAW, revolution, death and everything else. add that to tom hooper’s dutch angles and extreme closeups and you have something that could easily be considered way over the top. davies presumably wanted to create a story that, as well as containing more plot than the musical, felt less preachy~ and more grounded in reality. in this, i think he succeeds- events are fairly book accurate, and a lot of the changes he does make, regardless of whether i like them, would certainly check out in the real world.

but hugo was one opinionated writer, and so treating les mis like a historical event comes at a cost. davies might despise the musical’s “doggerel lyrics”, but they are true to the novel’s message of compassion and love. in this series, the hope that shines through now and again is always quashed with little reflection; discussion on social justice, so clearly outlined in hugo’s introduction as the book’s purpose, is kept at arm’s length. therefore davies’ more cynical storytelling and characterisation, which also minimises hugo’s religious and political ideas, ultimately loses touch with the heart of les mis.

nobody who benefits this much from the musical’s success has the right to be such a dick about it, especially when the end product isn’t even better. to be clear, i think it’s a good series, and as an adaptation it could be a lot worse. but it’s hard to ignore questionable characterisation, sexualisation, and general steering away from the central ideas of its source material. i’d prefer to sit through russell crowe’s stars any day.

#such is life #24601 #bbc les mis #this got long #i was trying to be balanced #and not be too [knife emoji]#pretty much everything i don't mention #i thought was ok #anyway watch les mis 2012

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ayittey1 · 6 years

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Why the Asian Tiger Model Will Never Work In Africa

"We want to learn a lot from Singapore that has been very successful, that has turned a lot of challenges historically into a lot of opportunities," Kagame told National Public Radio’s correspondent, Frank Langfitt, on September 16, 2012.[i] While Rwanda has done well economically, the Asian Tiger Model -- development under authoritarianism – is not one African countries should emulate. As Chu (2009) explains,

“In 2007, Kagame took a team to Singapore to study how the country turned itself from a regional trading post into a global business capital. But while there are parallels between the two nations — both are run by strong, postcolonial governments whose democratic credentials are widely questioned — Singapore has advantages that Rwanda does not, from its outstanding education system to its geography to its fastidious reputation. (It annoys President Kagame that foreigners often don’t know that Rwanda, too, is tidy. At a speech in Boston last year [2008], an American rose during the Q&A time and praised Kigali for being surprisingly safe and clean. Those in the audience recall that the president called the guy out. “What did you expect?” he said. “Did you expect us to be violent and dirty?”)”

Nevertheless, this Asian Tiger model has never worked in postcolonial Africa. In fact, no dictator has brought lasting prosperity to any African country because the situations of the two continents are vastly different. First, the Asian Tigers have relatively more ethnically homogeneous populations than in Africa. Nigeria for example has more than 250 ethnic groups; Congo DR has over 400. Economic prosperity that benefits one group at the expense of the others is a recipe for social unrest and political upheaval. Even Somalia which is ethnically homogeneous imploded into chaos and has been without a government since 1991. The politics of exclusion was largely responsible for the implosion of Rwanda in 1994.

Second, most of the Asian Tigers are insular. Those unwilling to tolerate authoritarian rule had few options but to grin and bear it in the 1970s. By contrast, borders are porous in Africa and those unwilling to live under authoritarian rule will always vote with their feet to go and settle somewhere else. In fact, the continent is crawling with economic and political refugees, as well as those fleeing wars and humanitarian catastrophes. As pointed out earlier, Africans from Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia and South Sudan were among those who perished in vain attempts to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe in 2015.Third, several Asian Tigers - Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea in particular -- faced an external communist threat and, as a result, their people were willing to accept curbs on their civil liberties to fight that external enemy. Africa has had no such enemy after the 1960s. In fact, for most Africans, the enemy has been within – the state.

“Most African regimes have been so alienated and so violently repressive that their citizens see the state and its development agents as enemies to be evaded, cheated and defeated if possible, but never as partners. The leaders have been so engrossed in coping with the hostilities which their misrule and repression has unleashed that they are unable to take much interest in anything else including the pursuit of development.” Ake (1991).

Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria dismissed Nigeria’s National Assembly as “a den of thieves and looters.”[ii]

Fourth, because of the external communist threat, the Asian Tigers received large amounts of Western aid, something Africa cannot count on. Even then, Africa really does not need foreign aid since the aid resources it desperately needs can be found in Africa itself. Each year, Africa receives about $35 billion in foreign aid from all sources but corruption alone costs Africa $150 billion a year.[iii] Obviously Africa would not need any foreign aid if it is half as successful in stanching out corruption. Fifth, and more importantly, Africa needs to devise its own economic development model. For much of the postcolonial period, Africa leaders copied many foreign models, system and paraphernalia, transplanting them into Africa. Virtually every foreign model has and some meretricious replica somewhere in Africa. Rome has a Basilica, so one was built in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast. France once had an emperor; so in 1975, President Jean-Bedel Bokassa of the Central African Republic spent $25 million crown himself one.[iv] The US has a space center; so Nigeria spent $89 million to build the Obasanjo Space Center in 2010 at the time when Nigeria cannot feed itself. The list of such unimaginative copying is endless. The continent is littered with the rancid carcasses of failed imported systems. It would be the height of insanity to suggest that Africa needs yet another foreign model to copy -- from Singapore.

The economic model that Rwanda and other African countries need to copy can be found in Africa itself – in Botswana. It is black Africa’s best-kept secret. It has consistently averaged an economic rate of growth above 7% since the 1980s. Although various analysts have attributed its success to mineral wealth in diamonds, a combination of factors have contributed immensely. Foremost has been the absence of civil war and political strife in its postcolonial history. Second, Botswana enjoys political stability – not engineered by some dictator declaring the country a one-party state. Botswana is a parliamentary democracy. Third, the government has pursued strikingly prudent economic policies, allowing pragmatism, rather than emotional rhetoric, to prevail. It did not squander export windfall from diamonds like Nigeria did of its oil boom. Fourth, Botswana has a lively free press and freedom of expression. Commenting on the political process in Botswana, Professor Patrick Mulotsi, a lecturer in sociology at the University of Botswana, was quite pithy:

“If you look at the prerequisites of liberal democracy, the rule of law has been highly respected. A lot of people can say a lot of things with relatively little fear. There has been a lot of response by the ruling party to debates with the opposition.”[v]

Botswana can find solutions to its economic problems because it permits free debate and freedom of expression. By contrast, much of black Africa is mired in intellectual darkness and economic quagmire, for want of ideas and solutions to extricate itself. Intellectual repression prevents those with ideas from coming forward, even though Article 9 of the African Union’s Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights guarantees freedom of expression.. As we shall see below, intellectual freedom does not exist in Rwanda. Fifth, Botswana did not ignore its indigenous roots. It built upon its native system of kgotlas, whereby chiefs and councilors meet “under a tree” to reach a consensus on important matters. In fact, cabinet ministers are required to attend weekly kgotla meetings. As Fred Dira, an African journalist, explained:

“When they were initiated, kgotla meetings were meant to be totally apolitical. They were to be meetings at which government ministers and members of parliament would brief local communities about official policies and programs, or about issues discussed or to be discussed in parliament. It was also part of the tradition of kgotla meetings that if they were convened by the president or any of his ministers, the respective members of parliament would not only be present, but would also be given some role to play at the meeting. This was in recognition of the fact that at such meetings, MPs shared the role of host with the chiefs.”[vi]

Such was the case in 1991, when the government tried to explain a $25 million Okavango River irrigation project to the villagers at a kgotla in the northern town of Maun. Irate villagers let loose their opposition: “You will dry the delta! We will have no more fish to eat! No more reeds to build our houses!” a village elder screamed.”[vii] For six hours, they excoriated government officials for conceiving of such a dastardly project. Buckling under the wrath of the people, the government quietly canceled the project. Only in Botswana could this happen, giving true meaning to such terms as “participatory development," “bottom-up development approach,” "grassroots development,” and "popular participation in development.” One cannot envisage this happening in Kagame’s Rwanda. Furthermore, in Botswana, "Chiefs still exercise considerable local authority and influence which can act as a check on too precipitate action by the government and can even swing local elections” (Colclough and McCarthy, 1980; p.38). Asked why Botswana has had better leaders than the rest of Africa, Zibani Maundeni of the University of Botswana replied that indigenous Tswana culture has helped: “Before any big decision [Tswana leaders] consulted the general population. There was a strong culture of hearing the views of ordinary people.”[viii] In much of black Africa, including pre-and post-1994 genocide Rwanda, chiefs saw their powers and authority stripped: The indigenous system of participatory democracy and the tradition of reaching a consensus “under a tree” were spurned, and, in their place, African elites and intellectuals erected alien systems (one-man dictatorships and de facto apartheid regimes).

Of course, Botswana has had its share of problems with income distribution and AIDS. But its economic success demonstrates that Africa does not have to reject its indigenous culture to advance economically. The Japanese did not. “Japan’s postwar success has demonstrated that modernization does not mean Westernization. Japan has modernized spectacularly, yet remains utterly different from the West. Economic success in Japan has nothing to do with individualism. It is the fruit of sheer discipline --the ability to work in groups and to conform.”[ix]

Africa's salvation does not lie in blindly copying foreign systems but in returning to its own roots and heritage and building upon them. As Williams (1987) advised: "When, if ever, black people actually organize as a race in their various population centers, they will find that the basic and guiding ideology they now seek and so much need is embedded in their own traditional philosophy and constitutional system, simply waiting to be extracted and set forth" (p.161). Says Robert Guest, editor of the Africa region for The Economist magazine,

“When Japan’s rulers decided in the nineteenth-century, that they had to modernize to avoid being colonized they sent their brightest officials to Germany, Britain and America to find out how industrial societies worked. They then copied the ideas that seemed most useful, rejected the Western habits that seemed unhelpful or distasteful, and within a few decades Japan advanced enough to win a war with Russia – the first non-white nation to defeat a European power in modern times.

Japan’s example should be important for Africa, because it shows that modernization need not mean Westernization. Developing countries need to learn from developed ones, but they do not have to abandon their culture and traditions in the process. Africans face the same challenge now that Japan faced in the nineteenth century: how to harness other people’s ideas and technology to help them build the kind of society that they, the Africans, want” (Guest, 2004; p.23).

After a long series of experiments with or blind imitation of foreign models and ideologies – such as socialism – it is beginning to dawn on Africa’s elites that they do not have to reject their traditional heritage in order for Africa to develop. The Swahili word for this concept is majimbo. It stands for the idea of local initiative and trust in traditional wisdoms. The same idea is conveyed by the mantra, African renaissance.

In the late 1990s, stymied by the dizzying economic growth of China, economists were at a loss groping for an explanation. It was a communist dictatorship and the standard tenets of economic development theory were of little help. It increasingly dawned on economists the critical importance of the role of institutions in providing the correct incentives for economic growth. Nobel laureate, Douglass North, noted that there are many paths to development and institutions are important but not just any institutions. According to North, “the key is creating an institutional structure from your particular cultural institutions that provide the proper incentives – not slavishly imitating Western institutions” (The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2005; p.A14). In addition, the institutional structure must readily adapt to changing circumstances in the global economy. He noted that:

“After a disastrous era of promoting collective organization, in which approximately 40 million people died of starvation, China gradually fumbled its way out of the economic disaster it had created by instituting the Household Responsibility System, which provided peasants with incentives to produce more. This system in turn led to the TVEs (town-village enterprises) and sequential development build on their cultural background” (The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2005; p.A14).

Institutions are established rules, codes and norms by which human behavior or interaction (political, economic and social) are governed, as well as the incentive structure of society. They are made up of formal rules, (constitutions, laws, and rules), informal constraints (norms, conventions and codes of conduct), and their enforcement characteristics. Together, they define the way the game is played, whether as a society or an athletic game. Take professional football. They are formal rules defining the way the game is supposed to be played; informal norms – such as not deliberately injuring the quarterback of the opposing team; and enforcement characteristics –umpires, referees – designed to see that the game is played according to the intentions underlying the rules. But enforcement is always imperfect and it frequently pays for a team to violate rules. Therefore the way a game is actually played is a function of the underlying intentions embodied in the rules, the strength of informal codes of conduct, the perception of the umpires, and the severity of punishment for violating rules.

It is the same way with societies. Poorly performing societies have rules that do not provide the proper incentives, lack effective informal norms that would encourage productivity, and/or have poor enforcement. Underlying institutions are belief systems that provide our understanding of the world around us and, therefore, the incentives that we face. Creating institutions that will perform effectively, is thus, a difficult task” (The Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2005; p.A14).

So the big question is why Rwanda copying a foreign economic model and not modernizing its own indigenous system, like Botswana?

References

Ake, Claude (1991). "How Politics Underdevelops Africa," in The Challenge of African Economic

Recovery and Development, ed. Adebayo Adedeji, Owodumi Teriba, and Patrick Bugembe. Portland, OR: Cass, 1991.

Chu, Jeff, 2009, “‘Rwanda Rising: A New Model of Economic Development, "Fast Company,

April 1, 2009 https://www.fastcompany.com/1208900/rwanda-rising-new-model-economic-development giving me some biscuits please

Colclough, C. and McCarthy, S., 1980. The political economy of Botswana.

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1980, 298 pp.

Guest, Robert (2004). The Shackled Continent. London: MacMillan.

Williams, Chancellor (1987). The Destruction of Black Civilization. Chicago: Third World Press.

[i] Morning Edition (Web http://www.npr.org/2012/09/17/161222794/rwandan-economy-makes-unlikely-climb-in-rank)

[ii] See Premiere Times, Josh – -- Nov 24, 2014.

[iii] See BBC News, Sept 18, 2002.

[iv] It did not help any. He was overthrown in a coup and chased out of the country 1979. Successive military regimes were no better, plunging the country into civil war, pitting Christians against Muslims beginning in 2012. So total has been the devastation that a country must be rebuilt from scratch, meaning 50 years of independence wasted.

[v] See The New York Times, May 16, 1990; p.A6.

[vi] See Mmegi/The Reporter, May 12-18, 1995; p.7.

[vii] See The Washington Post, Mar 21, 1991; p.A3.

[viii][viii] See The Economist, Nov 6, 2004; p.50.

[ix] See Editorial in the Bangkok Post quoted in The Washington Times, Nov 9, 1996; p.A8.

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sage-nebula · 7 years

Note

Why do you think that Saeran didn't have DID in the Original Story?

I apologize in advance if this isn’t exactly coherent; it’s late, and so my thoughts might be a bit all over the place.

I don’t think Saeran had DID in Original Story because there are absolutely no signs of it.

I’ve played the Original Story—and in specific, Saeyoung’s Route, into which I include the Secret Endings since they’re a continuation of his route—enough times that I have a good number of the chats memorized, and so that I don’t even have to read the guest e-mails before knowing what the correct answer choices are. I’ve gone through them non-linearly (as in, going into the history / Secret Endings out of order to look over things withotu actually playing through them) even more times. Saeyoung is my favorite character, but it’s because he’s my favorite character that I’ve spent a lot of time paying attention to and studying those that are important to him. Namely, this means both Saeran and Vanderwood.

As a result of this, I’m really familiar with who Saeran is in the Original Story, and I say with confidence that we never saw signs of DID in the Original Story. Due to the fact that we never saw signs of it, and also due to the fact that DID makes romancing him possible (more on that in a second), I feel confident in saying that Saeran was not originally conceptualized to have DID, but rather, this is something that Cheritz “retconned” (if you truly consider Another Story to be in the same universe as Original Story, rather than an AU, which I personally don’t but ymmv) onto him in order to make romancing him possible.

What I mean by that is … think back to the Saeran that we see in Original Story. Think about everything he does: How threatening he is, how he actually assaults and tortures in Bad Endings, how his grasp on emotional regulation is so poor that the slighest thing can make him grow violent in the Secret Endings (which is a defense mechanism, absolutely, but it still speaks to poor emotional regulation). How possible do you really think striking up a romantic relationship with someone in that state is, both from the standpoint of actually being able to build a healthy romantic relationship with them, and from the standpoint of wanting to? Yes, there are of course people who ate up things like the Bad Ending in the Christmas DLC where he takes MC away to dress her up like a doll, or those who liked the idea of Saeran whisking MC away in the prologue Bad Ending to make her his assistant, but for the most part Cheritz probably realized that the average player wouldn’t want to romance Saeran with the way he behaved in Original Story (and also, if they knew their own character, wouldn’t be able to romance him even if they did want to). The trauma-ridden young man that we see simply wasn’t attractive or available, from a personality standpoint, in the same way the other characters are. Which, again, isn’t to say that he didn’t have his fans, because he very clearly did, but they were far fewer in number before Another Story released.

So with that said, if Cheritz wanted to create a route for Saeran (and after seeing that there was at least some fan demand for it, they did, because they wanted that sweet dolla dolla), they knew they had to solve the problem of Saeran’s lack of attractiveness / lack of availability. There is simply no conceivable way to write him as a romance option in Original Story. It cannot be done. But in an alternate universe, they have a little more wiggle room, because they can change and alter things as they pleased. Since they were already going to do this for V (though I maintain this wasn’t necessary, and that V could have easily been a Deep Story option), they decided to do the same for Saeran. However, I think they recognized that this was still a risk. Thus, while they “retconned” DID onto him and created the much more attractive and available “Ray,” they didn’t release his route immediately. Instead, they tested the waters by seeing how fans would react to him in V’s Route. I do think that Saeran’s Route was still planned from the get-go (hence those magenta hearts), but Cheritz, being an indie company, likely didn’t want to spend the money until they were sure fans would buy it (which is a smart move). Hence, they tested the waters with “Ray,” and when they saw that the fanbase was foaming at the mouth over “Ray” to the point of virtually ignoring V despite the fact that it was his route, they gave Saeran’s Route the greenlight and moved forward with it.

So with that said, let’s look back at Original Story. As I said, there is nothing in Original Story to point toward the idea that he has DID. I mean, think about it: If there was an insinuation that he had DID in Original Story, don’t you think people would have brought it up? That people would have mentioned it? It’s one thing for people to look back on Original Story now and try to twist things to see his DID through the lens of “well, he had it in Another Story, so let’s try to find it in Original Story,” but it’s another thing altogether to take a fandom that had played this game fairly obsessively for over a year and have them completely miss any hints of multiple personalities residing within one of the more important characters to the central story before the idea is suddenly shoved to the forefront in an AU. The idea that “well, we just didn’t have enough focus on Saeran before!” is nonsense, because Secret Ending 02 is pretty much entirely from his point of view, and DID is never mentioned nor brought up. He never mentions having other personalities. The closest we get to any of this in the Secret Endings are the moments where he’s conflicted over whether Saeyoung abandoned him or not, and he’s “arguing” with himself, but fam, I argue with myself all the damn time, and I don’t have DID. Unlike in Another Story, where Saeran explicitly mentions one of his personalities “telling” him things, that’s not the case with the internal struggles he has over Saeyoung in the Secret Endings. Instead, it’s literally Saeran warring with himself over what he actually believes and what he wants to believe, both of which bleed together because he’s in a mental state where he doesn’t even know what he wants anymore. But the point I’m trying to make here is that his internal struggles are not a conclusive sign of DID. They’re not. If they were, far more people would have been talking about Saeran’s DID prior to the release of Another Story, and I never saw a single person mention it. Not even once.

Speaking of people not talking about it, there’s also the Free Talk that his voice actor had following Secret Ending 02 (which, again, was dedicated to Saeran and was largely from his point of view). Saeran’s voice actor does mention a mental illness when talking about how he voiced Saeran, but DID is not the mental illness mentioned. Instead:

As a brief side note before I continue: When I mentioned above that Saeran as we see him in the Original Story is not romanceable, I DID NOT AT ALL MEAN TO IMPLY that people with BPD are not romanceable. So please, please, do not think I was trying to say that. There are so many people with BPD who are in loving, healthy relationships, even if they have their hard days. One of my dearest friends has BPD, and she’s one of the sweetest people I have ever met, and is definitely deserving of love. So please, please don’t think that I was trying to say, “Well, he has BPD, so he’s not attractive or available,” because that isn’t at all what I meant. I was referring strictly to his behavior and his actions (which, yes, are a result of his trauma, but as he recovers he’ll get better, and much later on down the line, he might be in a place where he can healthily pursue a romance with someone).

That side note out of the way …

As you can see above, Saeran’s voice actor specifically says that he thinks Saeran has borderline personality disorder in Original Story. If Saeran was meant to have DID in Original Story, surely that is information that Cheritz would have conveyed to his voice actor. I mean, why wouldn’t they? It would inform how he acted, particularly when you consider those moments I mentioned above where Saeran wars with himself. If those instances were supposed to be demonstrations of two personalities battling it out, then that would be something that Saeran’s voice actor would mention in the free talk. He would mention Saeran having multiple personalities. But he doesn’t; not only does he mention BPD, as shown above, but he also consistently refers to Saeran as having one (1) personality:

He mentions Saeran developing a personality (i.e. developing a certain way as an individual) in Original Story, rather than Saeran creating multiple personalities as a result of his trauma. And you know, it makes sense; as I’ve written before, Saeran demonstrates symptoms of C-PTSD in Original Story, and the thing about C-PTSD is that it can often be confused with BPD because the two share a lot in common, to the point where C-PTSD is often classified as a personality disorder because of the way it shapes the way a person grows and learns to view and interact with the world (something I know from personal experience). In fact, as a bit of personal anecdotal evidence, I actually sought out my therapist because she specialized in BPD, and after reading a lot about BPD online, I thought I had it. When I went to see her, though, and she examined me, she concluded that I do not have BPD, but that I instead have C-PTSD, and was getting the two confused (which, again, is understandable because the two have a lot of symptoms in common). So it makes sense that Saeran’s voice actor would specifically refer to his trauma leading him to grow into the person that he has in Original Story, because that absolutely happens in real life, all the time. And while it’s true that trauma can also result in dissociation that results in DID (in fact, if the research I did provided me with correct information, most—if not all—cases of DID stem from trauma), I don’t believe that Saeran’s voice actor was trying to say that Saeran developed DID from his trauma. Rather, he was referring to the way that Saeran’s trauma shaped his personality as he grew, which is absolutely a descriptor of C-PTSD (again, coming from someone who has it as a result of childhood / adolescent trauma).

Lastly, as I mentioned (and talk about in the post I linked), what Saeran does demonstrate signs and symptoms of in Original Story is C-PTSD, not DID. (I know that his voice actor says BPD, but again, they share a lot in common, and C-PTSD isn’t very widely known, I don’t think.) And he actually displays these symptoms in such a real way that I found myself aching with empathy for him in the Secret Endings. As I’ve mentioned before, the way my C-PTSD has developed is far closer to Saeyoung’s, so I find Saeyoung to be a more relatable character; however, Saeran’s C-PTSD was still achingly real, particularly once we actually get to enter his point of view and we see that he’s actually terrified and vulnerable beneath the defensive aggression he throws up to push others away. We see flashbacks to his childhood, and his musings on his childhood, where he tells us (or thinks about in such a way that it feels like he’s telling us) how he was actually always pessimistic in childhood, and believed that there wasn’t really any hope of escaping their mother’s home, but that Saeyoung’s optimism gave him a few shreds of that hope anyway. We see how he thinks about how he has always loved staring at the sky, and how he just wishes that he could stare at clouds forever. We see him express fear over Saeyoung abandoning him, even as he at the same time wants Saeyoung to leave. We see him awkward, unsure, and vulnerable around the RFA, even as they accept him. We see him still visibly hurting from his trauma, because recovery is not an easy or painless process, but we also see that he is still the same Saeran he always was, ever since childhood, just very, very wounded, but not beyond healing.

What I’m trying to get at here is that I agree with his voice actor. Saeran was a fully realized character in Original Story, and was an extremely believable trauma survivor. Extremely. He’s one of the best written trauma survivors that I’ve seen in recent media. And to see Cheritz strip that away, retcon DID onto him so that he could be more appealing to their audience (because again, while Saeran had his fans before, that was nothing compared to the screeching over “Ray” that began as soon as Another Story released), and then say that he was magically all healed up in less than eleven days is … extremely disappointing to me. No offense to those who like it, but I’m not at all a fan, especially since it seems pretty obvious to me that it was done in order to make him more palatable to players, rather than because it was something that would actually benefit his character to include. (And honestly, Cheritz trying to wink-wink-nudge-nudge the audience by having Saeyoung mention how cliché it is in a chat isn’t cute. You don’t get to escape criticism for bad writing by acknowledging and laughing at the fact that it’s bad writing. It doesn’t work like that.)

So tl;dr, that is why I’m confident that DID was never part of Saeran’s character in Original Story. There were no signs of it, his voice actor clearly had no clue that it was supposed to be a thing (because as I said, if he did, he would have talked about that instead of BPD), and Saeran instead does show practically every single sign and symptom of C-PTSD. Another Story Saeran has DID, but Original Story Saeran doesn’t, and while everyone is entitled to have their own opinions on which portrayal of Saeran they prefer (and I won’t tell anyone otherwise, nor do I want to fight about it), I know which one I’m a fan of, and it’s not the one that Cheritz introduced in September of 2017.

#fishshapedbread123 #//#///#////#/////#mystic messenger #unknown #choi saeran #meta

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forever-rogue · 7 years

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Blend In - Part III

Summary: Y/N had always been an expert at blending in. That was until Bucky found out her secrets and encourages her to deal with all her demons.

A/N: Here is part 3, you guys!! Thanks for all your support, it means the world to me! I think there will be a few more parts to this as well. As always, let me know if you would like to be added (or removed) from the taglist! And as a side note, if you guys are ever dealing with anything or struggling for whatever, I’m always here to talk <3

Word Count: 2.6K

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of self harm, eating disorders, mental health

PART I | PART II | PART IV | PART V

Y/N ran out of the Avengers tower and then continued to run until her lungs were ready to give out and dizziness slowly started to overwhelm her. She was in the middle of Central Park when she stopped and slammed her body down on a nearby bench. She hadn’t felt this worn out from a run in a long time; then again she hadn’t been this angry in a long time. Running gave her an escape was an easy way feel in control. No one could tell her when to stop or start or how to do anything: it was just her and path ahead. She tried to get her breathing in control, and cursed herself for forgetting her water bottle.

Unbeknownst to Y/N, Bucky wasn’t about to let things go: that was never his style. He knew if she would go on a run she would normally end up in Central Park. He had watched her plenty of times and she generally kept t the same routine.

He had been waiting for what seemed like hours, he finally spotted her collapsing down on a nearby bench. Bucky had always noted that she was thin and small, but today she looked extremely thin and frail. She usually wore looser clothes, so it was harder to tell that she had thinned out even more, but today she had opted for something tighter. He made his way over to her, ready to stand his ground and get to the bottom of their issues.

“Y/N,” he stated firmly as he sat down next to her, “please. Just talk to me.” He could immediately sense her hesitation as she scooted her body away from him.

“Go away, Bucky, please” she sighed in exasperation as she moved to stand back up. She was immediately overtaken by a wave of dizziness. She stumbled for a moment and reached for the back of the bench to steady herself. She quickly regained her balance, “you don’t need to involve yourself in this.”

“I want you to help, Y/N!” He stood up and tried to step closer to her. She held up her hand and shook her head and took a few steps back, “I can help you, I promise. I know what it feels like to have no one else on your side. You’re different. You’ve always been kind and helpful to me, now please let me do the same.”

“I don’t need anybody’s help. Especially yours,” she turned to start running away again. She felt her legs start to shake a little bit. The last thing she remembered was putting one foot forward before everything went dark and tumbled to the ground.

“Y/N!” Bucky jumped up and ran over to her as she hit the ground. He laid her out and tried shaking her a little to get to her to come too. She wasn’t responding. Her body was cold and pale, unresponsive to his soft touch. He leaned down and put his head over heart to listen: there was a still a beat, faint but steady. He knew he had to act fast.

He picked her up and carried her bridal style, decided to go and take her to the nearest hospital. Instead of offering any help, people stood and watched. He made a sound of frustration as he tried to push through Central Park’s large crowds. Luckily for him, the nearest hospital was only a few blocks away and he was able to run there quickly once people moved out of his way.

Bucky burst through the emergency room doors and looked around for someone, “help me, please!” He clutched Y/N’s small form tightly to his chest. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a nurse come quickly around the corner.

“What happened, sir?” The nurse ran up to him, pulling a gurney behind her. She cast her eyes onto Y/N and noted the distressed look on Bucky’s face and indicated for him to put her down on the gurney.

“I-I don’t know, we were arguing and she went to walk away and she passed out. She’d been on a long run beforehand,” he sighed as he placed her on the laid her down gently.

“We’re going to check her vitals and get her stabilized and see what’s going on,” the nurse replied and pointed to the team getting ready to work on Y/N. She felt her wrist quickly before continuing, “she’s got a steady heartbeat, so that is a good sign.”

“Please, just do whatever you can to help her,” he said weakly, unsure of what to do. He moved to follow the other nurses, but she put her arm out to stop him.

“Are you her husband, or partner?” She raised her eyebrows and quickly glanced at the exposed parts of his metal arm. She put two and two together and realized who he was.

“No,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. He hung his head as he came to the realization he wasn’t going to be allowed to see Y/N.

“Only family is allowed in immediately. Friends and all others will have to wait a while,” the nurse nodded her head in the direction of the waiting area, “it’s up to you, Mr. Barnes.”

He nodded in defeat and headed to the waiting area. Bucky wrestled with the idea of calling the rest of the team and informing them of what happened. He wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on with Y/N, and telling he the team could jeopardize that. They might turn on her and make her leave, or she would just alienate them all and eventually leave on her own. He hated the idea of lying, but he wanted to protect her. And luckily for them, the rest of the team was getting ready to leave in the evening for their mission. Her secret would be safe for now.

Bucky sent a quick text to Steve telling him that he and Y/N were going to be out for the day but hoping they had a successful mission. He let out a big breath and sat down in one of the stiff plastic seats. He hated hospitals and their smell: it was always like death was looming near by. It reminded of him of all the times his memory had been wiped and he’d regain consciousness, scared of his bleak surroundings. He imagined that’s what all these people felt like now, at least to a certain degree.

“Mr. Barnes? Sir?” Bucky’s shoulder was being annoyingly and repeatedly being tapped, as he was roused from his uncomfortable slumber. His body was stiff and sore from the hard plastic. How long had he been out? He slowly opened his eyes and saw the same nurse from earlier.

“Did something happen? Is she okay?” All sleepiness he had left in him dissipated and he bolted up.

“You can go ahead and see Y/N now, if she wants to see you. She’s awake and in stable condition. Her collapse today wasn’t very bad, it’s-,” she stopped herself and her face got a sad expression on it. She shook her head lightly to herself, “it’s room 314, you can go on ahead.”

“Thank you!” He started briskly walking towards her room. When he got there, weaving his way through all the doctors and nurses, he saw her door was open. He paused for a moment before moving to stand in the doorway, “Y/N?”

Her heart stopped as she looked at him standing in the doorway. She wasn’t sure if she was happy to see him or annoyed. She wanted to let him in, but wasn’t sure if that’s what she should do.

“Bucky,” she whispered softly, “why did you bring me here?”

He was floored by her question. After all that had happened, she was still steadfast in avoiding her problems. He made to move in her room but she shook her in head response, “Y/N, I had no choice. You passed out. What was I supposed to do?”

“You could have taken me home or something, but not here. They’re not going to help me here,” she hissed at him. Bucky couldn’t believe her.

“Y/N. I don’t care if you hate me or whatever, but you need help,” he sighed and leaned against her doorway, “normal, healthy people don’t pass out from going on a run. You’re so thin. I just want you to be okay.”

“Bucky- I” she started but a cough from behind them stop her mid sentence. The doctor that had been assigned to her cast them a curious glance.

“Miss Y/L/N? I’ve got some questions for you” He asked as she sighed and nodded her head. He moved in past Bucky and eyed him, “and you are? If you’re not family you’ll need to leave for this.”

“Her husband,” he quickly blurted out before Y/N could protest. She gave him a lot of annoyance but for some reason she didn’t argue.

“Come in then and please close the door,” Bucky did as he was told and took the seat next to Y/N’s bed. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body.

“You are underweight,” he started, “for your height, you’d need to put on at least 30 pounds. Your organs are functioning properly, for now, but unless you start making some changes, they won’t be for much longer. When is the last time you ate?”

Y/N grimaced a little bit at the barrage of his questions. She didn’t want to deal with this. In her mind she had no problems, at least not ones she couldn’t work out on her own. She also knew it was his job to ask his questions. Things couldn’t really get much worse than they already were so she sighed and responded, “last week.”

Bucky’s eyes immediately widened in shock, as he put two and two together and realized her glass of water earlier had been her meal. He couldn’t believe he missed all these signs. She didn’t eat often with the team, and if she did it wasn’t much and she usually finished and excused herself before everyone else. He could kick himself or never putting the pieces together before.

“And was that a full meal?”

“No. It was just salad,”

“How often do you eat?”

“A few times a week,”

“Do you ever induce vomiting?”

“Yes,”

“How long have these behaviors been going on?”

“6 years or so,”

“Do you self harm?”

“Yes,”

“On your arms?”

“Sometimes legs too,”

“When did these behaviors start?”

“Around the same time,”

Y/N answered his questions without giving away any of what she was feeling. She avoided making eye contact with Bucky but could feel his gaze boring holes into her. She clenched her jaw as she knew the doctor was going to say.

“I think there is still time for you to make a full recovery, Miss Y/L/N. You are still young, and with the right tools and team supporting you and your husband by your side, you will make good progress,” the doctor’s voice softened a little as he looked over her stats and vitals, “we will get you help. It won’t happen overnight, because there are a lot of underlying issues we need to work on. But you can do it. You seem like a fighter.”

“Okay,” Y/N nodded in agreement. She wasn’t sure how she felt about all her secrets finally getting out. Especially, to Bucky Barnes, the man she harbored feelings for, for so long. She knew the doctor was being earnest, but she didn’t want a whole team of people constantly surrounding her. She wanted to be on her own and keep her problems to herself.

“I’ll go ahead and fill out the paperwork and discharge you for now. You will be okay, just no more exercise at the moment, and try and eat what you can. Slow and small steps. In a few days, we’ll go ahead and start working on outpatient therapy,” he smiled down at Y/N wrote a few notes on his clipboard before heading out. She didn’t say anything in response opting to sit there in silence.

Bucky sat there, still as a rock for a few moments. He was slowly processing all he had heard. His brain was racing as he tried to think of all the ways he could help her get better.

“Are you going to say anything, Buck?” her voice was steely, unsure of how he would react. He slowly met her gaze, “You can see why I don’t tell people these things. Because they want to make everything a huge deal.”

“This is a huge deal. You’ve been going through all of this for so long?” He said sadly. He reached up and touched her cheek. He felt a million emotions at once, unsure of how to process all of these revelations. She involuntarily leaned into his touch for a few moments before stopping herself.

“I told you that you didn’t know me,” she responded half heartedly, “I usually shut people out, so they don’t find out and worry and try to help.”

“Please don’t shut me, Y/N,” he whispered. He noticed that her arms were still under the blanket. His curiosity got the better of him. He reached out and moved to gently pull one of her slender arms out from underneath the blanket. She tensed up but didn’t stop him. His breath hitched in his throat as observed all the scars and marks littering her arm. She turned her head to the side and avoided making eye contact with him. His heart sunk a little as he realized she had done this to herself. It made his heart ache realizing that she ever felt like she had to do this. He wished he could have known and helped her sooner.

“I can’t promise anything,” she whispered. She finally looking into his bright blue eyes. He saw that they were glassy and she was on the verge of tears.

“I’ll be here for you, no matter what,” he promised as he held her small hand.

“Bucky?” She closed her eyes for a moment trying take everything in. He could see a sudden change in her attitude as she started putting up her walls again.

“Yes?”

“2 things,” she pulled her hand out of his, “can you just take me home now? And you can you not tell any of the team?”

“Yeah, we can go home,” he agreed. He thought he had made more a breakthrough with her, but he would take what he could get. At least she wasn’t completely shutting him out right now, “and I’ll leave it up to you when and if you want to tell the team.”

“Thanks,” she said softly in response, “and then we can get back to our lives.”

“Y/N,” he tried to stop her and was surprised she didn’t seem to this seriously, “you need to rest and start-”

“Bucky, I got this. Don’t worry about me,” she insisted and started to get out of the bed and starting reaching for her clothes.

“Okay,” he sighed in agreement, although he knew she was lying. But he had already made up his mind that he would watch her like a hawk.

Getting her better was his mission now.

Taglist: @ruinerofcheese @amieleahx @superserumstark @buckybear5 @ssweet-empowerment @nairobi13 @markandjackaremysuperheros

#marvel #mcu #sebastian stan #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #winter solider x reader #winter solider #imagine #captain america #steve rogers #mental health #imagines #oc #ca civil war #ca winter solider

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fan-of-mulligan · 4 years

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FOM BLOG: GILLINGHAM 1-1 CHARLTON ATHLETIC

FOM BLOG: My Thoughts On Gillingham 1-1 Charlton Athletic

If this was any other season where Gillingham had not played a competitive league fixture the week before Gillingham’s Home League Match Against Charlton Athletic At Priestfield Stadium, then the enthusiasm for this fixture would be more eagerly anticipated, because Gillingham have had a rare Saturday Afternoon off and there would be more excitement and more news coverage for this fixture, and I would have thought that Gillingham V Charlton Athletic On A Saturday Afternoon would have got a expected 8,000 - 9,000 attendance inside Priestfield Stadium, and the atmosphere would be much louder for this league game say compared to Gillingham V Rochdale for example, However, all league and cup matches this season have been played behind closed doors, and we have to make do with watching Gillingham V Charlton Athletic On I Follow.

Gillingham V Charlton Athletic is also the first competitive fixture of The 2020 / 2021 Season where Championship, League One And League Two Clubs can make five substitutes in a game, And I had actually asked Steve Evans this question in The Q & A The Previous Sunday, and this was my question,,,, There's been a lot of talk from Klopp and Guardiola regarding increasing the number of substitutes from three to five, just so that football clubs can cope with the demands of a congested season. Do you think increasing the number of subs to five for this season is a good idea ? - Steve Evans was against five substitutes being implemented into the lower league’s prior to The Championship, League One and League Two all voting to increase the maximum number of substitutes from three to five, and it will be interesting to see how the five substitutes are going to be implemented for this home league game against Charlton Athletic.

As for my own thoughts on increasing the number of substitutes to five, I think with the congested league season, the number of injuries players are picking up with a condensed football season, It makes sense to increase the number of substitutes in what can only be described as exceptional circumstances that The 2020 / 2021 Season is being played in, However, Five Substitutes should not be implemented for The 2021 / 2022 Season, But I do think that there can be a sensible comprise to improve on three substitutes without seeing bigger clubs with more depth in there squad replacing five quality players with five quality players, One of those options is for teams to have five substitutes, But the fourth and fifth substitutes have to be players who have come through that football clubs academy, And another alternative is this, You can still make three substitutes as per usual, however, If your Goalkeeper is injured or sent off, then bringing on your substitute Goalkeeper doesn’t count towards your maximum three substitute limit, so therefore, your team can only make four substitutes if something unfortunate were to happen to your Goalkeeper.

Eventually, Gillingham’s Team News Appeared On Twitter, And Gillingham Lined Up As Follows………… Jack Bonham (GK), Ryan Jackson, Jack Tucker, Zech Medley, Connor Ogilvie, Robbie McKenzie, Scott Robertson, Kyle Dempsey, Jordan Graham, Dominic Samuel, Vadaine Oliver Substitutes Joe Walsh (GK), Christian Maghoma, Josh Eccles, Henry Woods, Matty Willock, Trae Coyle and John Akinde - It was great to see Scott Robertson back in the starting line up after his long spell on the sidelines because of injury, However, Loanee’s Declan Drysdale and Tom O’Connor were not in the match-day squad, Tom O’Connor had played for The Republic Of Ireland U21’s, so he was perhaps rested for The AFC Wimbledon Game, But Declan Drysdale not being named in the squad was certainly a surprise, And despite scoring against Arsenal’s U21’s In The Football League Trophy, Trae Coyle has to make do with his place among the substitutes bench.

I uploaded the following status update on to Twitter, whilst making sure I Follow was working properly,,,, Gillingham play against Charlton Athletic In League One This Afternoon, With Gillingham looking to extend there recent unbeaten run against A Charlton Athletic Side who are in exceptional form, Hopefully Gills can pick up all three points and start to move up The League One Table, Whilst BBC Radio Kent’s Twitter had uploaded a photo of the team-sheet, The 1PM Kick Off Inside Priestfield Stadium makes sense with no supporters inside the stadium, as we save on the financial costs of using the floodlights, It’s just a real shame that supporters of both Gillingham and Charlton Athletic could not be inside Priestfield Stadium, Because the attendance would be very high, and the atmosphere inside the ground would be superb as well.

Both teams were out on to the pitch ready for kick off, With Gillingham kicking towards The Brian Moore Stand In The First Half, And Charlton Athletic kicking towards The Rainham End, Hopefully, Gillingham can build on the wins against Crewe Alexandra and Woking, and although we lost against Arsenal’s U21’s On A Penalty Shoot-Out, The Draw meant that Gillingham progressed into the knock-out stages of The Football League Trophy, So it be great for Gillingham to build on recent results by winning against Charlton Athletic - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!

FIRST HALF:

And right from the very start of the match, Charlton Athletic were looking to make the breakthrough as Marcus Maddison passes the ball backwards towards Darren Pratley, who takes a touch to control the ball before kicking the ball long down the right side of the pitch - Gillingham’s Left - And Omar Bogle wins the aerial challenge up against Connor Ogilvie and Zech Medley headers the ball forwards for Gillingham and Connor Ogilvie wins the second aerial challenge, But Albi Morgan knocks the ball inside centrally towards Andrew Shinnie on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Andrew Shinnie tries to pick out Conor Washington with a clipped pass over the top inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, But Zech Medley manages to header the ball towards Ryan Jackson inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Ryan Jackson has smashed the ball clear at the expense of conceding a throw on - Anywhere will do as far as Gillingham are concerned, And as far as how the back four are lining up for Gillingham, RB Ryan Jackson, RCB Jack Tucker, LCB Zech Medley And LB Connor Ogilvie - Zech Medley has played at Left Back For Gillingham recently, But he has been moved centrally alongside Jack Tucker in the heart of Gillingham’s Defence.

Two Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had the chance to open the scoring, Dominic Samuel manages to retain possession of the ball in Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch before passing the ball back to Jack Bonham, who takes a touch to control the ball before kicking the ball out-wide down the right side of the pitch - Charlton Athletic’s Left - And Ryan Jackson wins the initial aerial challenge and Ben Watson wins the second aerial challenge up against Kyle Dempsey, But Ben Watson has inadvertently diverted the ball into Jordan Graham’s Path In Charlton Athletic’s Defensive Final Third, And Jordan Graham works his way down the line before cutting back on to his left foot, And Jordan Graham whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross, and Dominic Samuel’s first timed controlled volleyed effort towards goal goes across the face of goal and wide of the far right post - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR GILLINGHAM TO OPEN THE SCORING!!!!!!!

The next passage of play see’s Ryan Jackson kick a long ball down the line towards Vadaine Oliver right in the corner of The Brian Moore Stand / Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch, And Vadaine Oliver manages to keep the ball in play before being disposed by Darren Pratley, Because there are no supporters inside Priestfield Stadium, You can clearly hear Steve Evans appealing for a foul, But I don’t think Vadaine Oliver was fouled in my opinion and play continue’s, And In The Third Minute Of The Match, Charlton Athletic almost opened the scoring, Zech Medley passes the ball back towards Jack Bonham, And Jack Bonham’s first time clearance goes straight towards Andrew Shinnie, Who’s first time effort towards goal only just goes wide of the far left post and Andrew Shinnie almost managed to pick out the top left corner of the net with that effort on goal, and Jack Bonham can breath a huge sigh of relief, Because had Charlton Athletic opened the scoring with that effort on goal from Andrew Shinnie, then you would have to put that goal down to a goalkeeping error from Jack Bonham.

After that huge let off with Andrew Shinnie not scoring for Charlton Athletic, Gillingham were looking to cause Charlton Athletic a few problems defensively, Jack Bonham kicks the ball long down-field and Dominic Samuel chests the ball into Scott Robertson’s Path, And Scott Robertson passes the ball out-wide to Ryan Jackson, who gets the ball under control before passing the ball out-wide to Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham plays a return pass through to Ryan Jackson through by the byline, And Ryan Jackson is being closely marked by Andrew Shinnie, And Ryan Jackson twist and turns and skips past Andrew Shinnie’s attempted challenge and Ryan Jackson is running through on goal by the byline inside Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area, And Ryan Jackson see’s his dangerous in-swinging cross headed partially clear and away from danger by Darren Pratley, And the loose ball runs through to Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham uses his pace to take on Ian Maatsen, And Jordan Graham is forced out-wide by The Charlton Athletic Defender, And Jordan Graham still manages to fire in a low dangerous cross and Darren Pratley just about manages to get a crucial touch on to the ball to deflect the ball out-side of Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area, and the visitor’s survive - With Charlton Athletic having to make do with a makeshift central defensive partnership of Chris Gunter and Darren Pratley, Gillingham can take advantage of no recognised natural centre back in the heart of Charlton Athletic’s Defence.

Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham win the first corner kick of the game as Jordan Graham’s Cross right in the far corner of The Brian Moore Stand / Medway Stand Side Of The Pitch is charged down by Ian Maatsen, and from the resulting corner kick, Gillingham almost opened the scoring, Scott Robertson whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the near post and Connor Ogilvie can only header the ball over the crossbar from close range, however, Ben Amos came rushing off his goal-line to try and punch the ball clear and if Connor Ogilvie’s header was on target then Gillingham would have opened the scoring - And that was a golden goal-scoring opportunity for The Gills as well.

Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Kyle Dempsey is harshly penalised for a foul on Andrew Shinnie and Charlton Athletic have been awarded a very soft free kick in my opinion, And from here, Charlton Athletic were looking to open the scoring, Andrew Shinnie clips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Robbie McKenzie headers the ball partially clear and away from goal and Albi Morgan gets the ball under control before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross / shot and Albi Morgan’s dangerous in-swinging cross / shot flashes just wide of the far right post, Jack Bonham had dived at full stretch across his goal to make sure that Albi Morgan’s cross / shot doesn’t creep into the bottom right corner of the net, And Jack Tucker had done just about enough to prevent Omar Bogle from getting on the end of that cross and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

And In The Twelfth Minute Of The Match, Charlton Athletic were awarded a free kick, And I have to say that free kick decision was poor because I thought Robbie McKenzie had done exceptionally well to intercept the ball from Marcus Maddison, And Referee Robert Lewis has awarded Charlton Athletic a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, And from the resulting free kick, Charlton Athletic almost opened the scoring, Marcus Maddison has gone for goal from thirty yards out with a curling free kick which went up and under over the wall and Jack Bonham gets the faintest of touches on to the ball to tip the ball on to the top of the crossbar and the ball has gone out of play for A Charlton Athletic Corner Kick - BUT MARCUS MADDISON WAS VERY CLOSE TO OPENING THE SCORING FOR CHARLTON ATHLETIC THERE WITH THAT FREE KICK!!!!!!! - And from the resulting corner kick, Marcus Maddison has curled the ball into the side netting as Marcus Maddison was looking to score directly from the corner kick, but the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

And In The Fourteenth Minute Of The Match, Conor Washington is flagged for offside from Marcus Maddison’s lofted through-ball over the top, and we’re just starting to see moments of quality from Charlton Athletic, especially from Marcus Maddison in the past few minutes of the game, And In The Fifteenth Minute Of The Match, Gillingham created a half chance to try and open the scoring, Scott Robertson has possession of the ball in Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And Scott Robertson passes the ball square to Connor Ogilvie down the left side of the pitch, And Connor Ogilvie takes a touch to control the ball, before kicking a diagonal cross-field cross towards one of Kyle Dempsey or Jordan Graham, But Ian Maatsen was in the right place at the right time to knock the ball back towards Ben Amos In The Charlton Athletic Goal.

Gillingham then concede two fouls in quick succession, Jack Tucker is penalised for his foul on Conor Washington on the halfway line, And Scott Robertson is penalised for his foul on Omar Bogle just inside Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And it is from this free kick where Charlton Athletic almost opened the scoring, Because Ben Watson has essentially gone for goal from the halfway line and Jack Bonham has just about done enough to tip the ball over the crossbar at the expense of conceding a corner kick, and that’s twice now that Charlton Athletic have almost caught Jack Bonham out, thankfully, Jack Bonham was alert enough to tip the ball over the crossbar, But maybe someone should had stood in-front of the ball to prevent Ben Watson from taking a quick free kick like that which almost saw the visitor’s open the scoring, and from the resulting corner kick, Charlton Athletic almost opened the scoring again, Andrew Shinnie clips a high and hanging cross towards the back-stick and Darren Pratley is there at the far post to header the ball goal-wards and Jack Tucker has headed the ball off the line, however, Referee Robert Lewis has blown his whistle for a foul and Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick.

And from here, despite being under considerable pressure over the past few minutes, Gillingham had the chance to take the lead, Jack Bonham kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the initial aerial challenge and Ryan Jackson wins the second aerial challenge to header the ball forwards towards Kyle Dempsey, who flicks the ball on towards Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham manages to pass the ball back to Ryan Jackson, who goes on a driving run forwards down the right side of the pitch, And Ryan Jackson lays the ball off to Jordan Graham, who passes the ball back towards Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie spins past Marcus Maddison before passing the ball down the line towards Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham runs down the right side of the pitch before passing the ball square to Dominic Samuel on the edge of Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area, And Dominic Samuel scuff’s his shot towards goal and Ben Amos makes a routine save in goal.

However, there is a stoppage in play because Ryan Jackson had gone down injured whilst that attack was in motion for Gillingham and Ryan Jackson needs some treatment And Ben Amos has thrown the ball out of play for a throw on so that Ryan Jackson can be seen to, Thankfully, Ryan Jackson Is OK to continue playing for Gillingham, Now Gillingham can use five substitutes in this match, and I would assume that Robbie McKenzie would have moved to Right Back and one of Josh Eccles, Henry Woods or Matty Willock would have come on if Ryan Jackson was unable to continue, But I would much rather see Ryan Jackson continue playing then having to unsettle Gillingham’s back four with a enforced substitution.

Twenty Minutes Into The Match, And Chris Gunter is penalised for his challenge on Vadaine Oliver and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick on the halfway line, and from the resulting free kick, Zech Medley kicks the ball long down-field and Darren Pratley kicks the ball clear and away from goal and Jack Bonham is well outside his penalty area to kick the ball long down-field, that free kick was a combination of a poor long ball from Zech Medley, And Charlton Athletic having every out-field player back in there own half to defend that free kick, However, In The Twenty Second Minute Of The Match, Gillingham created a very good goal-scoring opportunity to try and take the lead, Darren Pratley’s forward pass into midfield is intercepted by Robbie McKenzie, who passes the ball forwards down the byline towards Vadaine Oliver, who passes the ball back towards Ryan Jackson, And Ryan Jackson manages to pick out Jordan Graham with a clipped pass down the right flank in Charlton Athletic’s Final Third, And Jordan Graham gets the ball under control before taking on Andrew Shinnie and firing a low cross across the face of goal and Ben Amos can only parry the ball into Kyle Dempsey’s path, And Kyle Dempsey’s follow up effort towards goal is saved by Ben Amos and Ben Watson manages to get the ball clear and away from danger - But that was the chance for Kyle Dempsey to open the scoring for Gillingham.

Twenty Three Minutes Into The Match, And Ryan Jackson is penalised for a foul on Andrew Shinnie, And In The Twenty Fifth Minute Of The Match, Omar Bogle went to ground underneath a challenge from Scott Robertson, And The Charlton Athletic Striker wanted a free kick, only for Bogle himself to be penalised for handball and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in there own final third, And In The Twenty Seventh Minute In The Match, Gillingham were looking to make the breakthrough, Ryan Jackson manages to pick out Kyle Dempsey with a threaded through-ball down the right side of Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area, And Kyle Dempsey passes the ball back to Jordan Graham, who gets the ball under control before passing the ball inside to Ryan Jackson, who manages to work the ball out-wide to Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey passes the ball through to Jordan Graham on the over-lap, And Jordan Graham takes on Andrew Shinnie, but Jordan Graham’s Cross hits the back of The Brian Moore Stand, and whilst the link up play between Ryan Jackson, Kyle Dempsey and Jordan Graham has improved, It’s almost at times like we’re trying to give Jordan Graham the ball expecting him to deliver the crosses we saw for Dominic Samuel and Vadaine Oliver’s Goals against Woking In The FA Cup First Round.

Twenty Eight Minutes Into The Match, And Charlton Athletic came close to opening the scoring, Marcus Maddison manages to pick out Ian Maatsen with a lofted clipped pass and Ian Maatsen’s Header was saved by Jack Bonham, think of Alex MacDonald’s pass for Trae Coyle’s goal against Arsenal’s U21’s In The Football League Trophy, Marcus Maddison’s pass was very similar to Alex MacDonald’s Pass, And from here, Jack Bonham quickly throws the ball out-wide to Jordan Graham, who runs down the right side of the pitch in possession of the ball before being cynically fouled by Marcus Maddison, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick and Marcus Maddison has rightfully been shown A Yellow Card as well, and it is during this moment in the livestream that I Follow Lagged for a moment or two, much to my frustration and irritation.

And from the resulting free kick, Jack Tucker kicks a high and hanging ball towards the edge of Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area and Vadaine Oliver flicks the ball on towards Dominic Samuel and Dominic Samuel passes the ball back towards Connor Ogilvie, And Connor Ogilvie skips inside centrally to evade the challenge from Omar Bogle, And Connor Ogilvie manages to whip in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards Vadaine Oliver at the far post, And Vadaine Oliver’s first time shot towards goal is brilliantly saved by Ben Amos and Ian Maatsen manages to boot the ball clear and away from danger - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR GILLINGHAM TO OPEN THE SCORING!!!!! - I had actually missed the initial effort on goal from Vadaine Oliver because of technical problems with I Follow, But I did see the replay, That was the chance for Gillingham to go 1-0 up.

Thirty One Minutes Into The Match, And I thought Scott Robertson should have been penalised for a foul, but play continue’s with Connor Ogilvie in possession of the ball and Connor Ogilvie manages to thread the ball through to Dominic Samuel on the over-lap down the left side of the pitch, And Dominic Samuel runs forwards in possession of the ball, cuts inside right inside Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area, And Dominic Samuel is challenged by Ben Watson, And Ben Watson’s attempted clearance is charged down by Connor Ogilvie, and the ball loops up into the air and as the ball comes back down again, Connor Ogilvie gets the ball under control before being challenged by Ben Watson, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, Was that a free kick for Gillingham ??? I am not so sure, But this is an opportunity for Gillingham to put Charlton Athletic under a lot of pressure defensively, and from the resulting free kick, Jordan Graham’s in-swinging cross towards the back-stick and is over-hit and Jack Tucker cannot make a telling connection on the ball and Connor Ogilvie cannot keep the ball in play and the ball has gone out of play for A Charlton Athletic Throw On.

And In The Thirty Third Minute Of The Match, Marcus Maddison almost manages to get on to the end of a long pass down-field and Scott Robertson manages to intercept the ball, evade the attempted challenge from Omar Bogle before running forwards in possession of the ball and Scott Robertson is fouled by Albi Morgan and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in there own half of the pitch, and you have to say well done to Scott Robertson, Because I thought for a moment that Marcus Maddison was through on goal for Charlton Athletic, And from the resulting free kick, Gillingham created a half chance to try and open the scoring, Jack Bonham kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver wins the aerial challenge to header the ball on towards Kyle Dempsey and the ball just takes a double deflection off Chris Gunter and Ian Maatsen and the ball runs very kindly into Ben Amos’s path, And The Charlton Athletic Goalkeeper gathers the ball with ease.

Thirty Five Minutes Into The Match, Jordan Graham is fouled by both Andrew Shinnie and Ian Maatsen, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick on the halfway line right in-front of the dugouts, and from the resulting free kick, Jack Tucker kicks a high and hanging diagonal cross-field cross towards Connor Ogilvie, who wins the initial aerial challenge to header the ball down the line and Chris Gunter and Vadaine Oliver were both competing for the loose ball and I thought the ball had gone out of play for A Charlton Athletic Goal-Kick, Only to find out that Vadaine Oliver had been penalised for a foul on The Charlton Athletic make-shift centre back.

Thirty Sixth Minutes Into The Match, And Vadaine Oliver is penalised for a foul on Chris Gunter and Referee Robert Lewis is having a word with Vadaine Oliver after two fouls in quick succession, and from the resulting free kick, Ben Watson passes the ball square to Darren Pratley, who passes the ball back inside centrally to Ben Watson, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Darren Pratley again, And Darren Pratley plays a short pass square to Albi Morgan, who runs forwards in possession of the ball before trying to pick out Omar Bogle with a long clipped pass down the line, But Zech Medley manages to block Omar Bogle’s attempted back-heal through to Conor Washington, however, Omar Bogle still manages to retain possession of the ball before passing the ball short to Andrew Shinnie, who manages to pass the ball out-wide to Adam Matthews down the right side of the pitch in Gillingham’s Final Third - Gillingham’s Left Side Of The Pitch - And Adam Matthews whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and there is a collision between Ryan Jackson and Omar Bogle inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Referee Robert Lewis points to the penalty spot straight away, and looking at the replay of the penalty decision, It’s clumsy, It looks soft, But Ryan Jackson not appealing for a penalty kick not to be awarded tells you that the penalty decision is the correct decision, But you can see why people were calling it a soft decision.

But before the penalty kick could be taken, there appears to be a argument between Omar Bogle, and Conor Washington over who is taking the penalty, And Andrew Shinnie and Marcus Maddison have to get involved to decide who is taking the penalty, and after a bit of a delay it is Conor Washington who steps up to take the penalty kick for Charlton Athletic, And Conor Washington smashes the ball low towards the bottom left corner of the net and Jack Bonham dives low to his right AND JACK BONHAM HAS SAVED CONOR WASHINGTON’S PENALTY KICK TO KEEP THE SCORE-LINE LEVEL AT 0-0 - And Jack Tucker smashes the ball out of play for A Charlton Athletic Throw On - I over-celebrated that penalty save from Jack Bonham, and looking at the replay again, It really is a remarkable penalty save from Jack Bonham, and could this penalty save be the turning point for The Gills ???

Forty Minutes Into The Match, And Charlton Athletic came close to opening the scoring again, Darren Pratley passes the ball forwards to Andrew Shinnie, who passes the ball backwards to Ben Watson, And Ben Watson takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Adam Matthews, And Adam Matthews passes the ball backwards to Ben Watson, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Darren Pratley, Who passes the ball down the line towards Ian Maatsen, And Ian Maatsen passes the ball square inside to Conor Washington, who manages to retain possession of the ball before passing the ball backwards to Darren Pratley, And Darren Pratley plays a one / two with Ian Maatsen before passing the ball backwards towards Ben Watson, who passes the ball square to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter runs forwards in possession of the ball before threading a through-ball through to Omar Bogle, who lays the ball off into Andrew Shinnie’s Path, And Andrew Shinnie manages to thread a forwards pass through to Conor Washington on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Conor Washington works his way into a shooting position before seeing his shot towards goal deflect off Zech Medley and the ball deflects just wide of the far right post and the ball goes out of play for A Charlton Athletic Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Marcus Maddison whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick where Darren Pratley is situated, And Connor Ogilvie does enough to prevent Darren Pratley from making meaningful contact with the ball and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick.

Forty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham win themselves a free kick because there is a coming together between Vadaine Oliver and Albi Morgan, And Referee Robert Lewis has awarded a free kick in Gillingham’s Favour, and from the resulting free kick, Jordan Graham whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Connor Ogilvie wins the initial aerial challenge and Chris Gunter manages to kick the ball partially clear and away from danger, But Kyle Dempsey is on to the loose ball, And Kyle Dempsey manages to pass the ball to Connor Ogilvie on the edge of Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area, And Connor Ogilvie’s pass through to Vadaine Oliver takes a double deflection and Chris Gunter kicks the ball up into the air and as the ball came back down, I thought Connor Ogilvie was fouled by Omar Bogle, but the ball deflects out of play for A Charlton Athletic Throw On, And no foul was awarded in Gillingham’s Favour.

And from the resulting throw on, Ian Maatsen’s quick throw towards the halfway line see’s Jack Tucker kick the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver does brilliantly to retain possession of the ball and lay the ball off towards Dominic Samuel, who takes a touch to control the ball, work his way into a shooting position, And Dominic Samuel has unleashed a fiercely driven effort towards the bottom left corner of the net and Dominic Samuel’s driven effort towards goal just goes wide of the far left post with Ben Amos diving at full stretch in The Charlton Athletic Goal, However, It appears that Dominic Samuel has hurt himself taking that shot on and Dominic Samuel requires some treatment, And this treatment for Dominic Samuel will see more time added on at the end of the first half, but Dominic Samuel’s injury is perhaps more concerning at this moment in time, thankfully, Dominic Samuel is back on his feat and OK to continue for now, but that injury is clearly going to be assessed at half time.

And the final noteworthy moment of the first half goes to Gillingham, Scott Robertson has possession of the ball on the halfway line, And Scott Robertson passes the ball forwards to Vadaine Oliver, who plays a one touch layoff into Kyle Dempsey’s Path, And Kyle Dempsey tries to pick out Jordan Graham with a pass out-wide, But Ian Maatsen manages to intercept and pass the ball backwards to Ben Amos, And Ben Amos passes the ball square to Chris Gunter, who passes the ball out-wide to Adam Matthews, And Adam Matthews passes the ball inside centrally to Ben Watson, who’s clipped pass down the line see’s Connor Ogilvie header the ball forwards to Dominic Samuel, who passes the ball back to Connor Ogilvie, And Connor Ogilvie clips a long ball down-field and Vadaine Oliver headers the ball into Kyle Dempsey’s Path, And Kyle Dempsey manages to retain possession of the ball and pass the ball back to Dominic Samuel, who passes the ball back to Connor Ogilvie, And Connor Ogilvie runs forwards in possession of the ball in a more central position before passing the ball out-wide to Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey takes a few touches before passing the ball inside to Connor Ogilvie, And Connor Ogilvie goes out-wide and digs out a cross towards the back-stick and Ryan Jackson arrives late to keep the attack alive, And Ryan Jackson takes a touch to control the ball before working himself out-wide and Ryan Jackson digs out a cross towards the far post and Vadaine Oliver is clearly penalised for climbing all over the back of Adam Matthews, And Charlton Athletic have been awarded a defensive free kick.

And there is the half time whistle at Priestfield Stadium with the half time score, Gillingham 0-0 Charlton Athletic, and both teams will be wondering how they have not got themselves on the score-sheet in the first half, and Steve Evans and Lee Bowyer will have a lot to say at half time to try and give there players a boost for a very important second half.

HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-0 CHARLTON ATHLETIC

I uploaded the following status updates on to Facebook And Twitter At Half Time,,,, HALF TIME: GILLINGHAM 0-0 CHARLTON ATHLETIC - Jack Bonham’s Penalty Save preserves the goalless score-line at the break, Bonham has had to tip Maddison's free kick on to the crossbar, And Shinnie almost opened the scoring for Charlton with a effort towards goal which goes just wide, Gillingham have had there chances to score with Amos making a double save from Graham's low cross and the follow up effort on goal from Dempsey was also saved, Samuel's shot just before half time flashes just wide, Ogilvie has also headed over from Robertson's cross from a corner, Samuel and Jackson have both gone down injured requiring treatment in the first half, and with five substitutions being introduced, you just wonder if Evans takes the precautionary option and sub both players at half time to make sure they are available for selection in mid-week.

You just wonder if Priestfield Stadium had supporters inside the ground for Gillingham V Charlton Athletic, What the atmosphere would have been like from Gillingham Supporters after Jack Bonham’s Penalty Save and maybe the reaction from the supporters could have galvanised and inspired the players to kick on towards the end of the first half, I do think the supporters reaction would have had a positive reaction towards the players and that could well have made all the difference as well.

As for technical issue’s with I Follow, Around the thirty minute mark, There were moments where the stream lagged and the spinning circle appeared in the centre of the screen, And I just about saw the second replay of Vadaine Oliver’s shot towards goal being saved by Ben Amos, much to my frustration and irritation, But as for other noteworthy moments in the first half, Gillingham’s Midfield trio of Scott Robertson, Kyle Dempsey and Robbie McKenzie are pressurising Charlton Athletic into unforced error’s and whilst the three man central midfield have put in plenty of effort, Gillingham are not creating anything down the left, Dominic Samuel has hardly been in the game, and other then Connor Ogilvie’s cross for Vadaine Oliver’s effort towards goal, Gillingham have mostly been attacking down the right side of the pitch.

I do believe that penalty save from Jack Bonham could well be the turning point for Gillingham in this match, we saw how Jordan Graham’s Penalty being saved and Alex MacDonald getting sent off saw Sunderland win against Gillingham, perhaps the reverse can happen and Gillingham can win against Charlton Athletic, which would be a great way for Gillingham to start after coming back from a ten day break as Lincoln City V Gillingham was postponed because of Lincoln City having players called up to International Duty, Hopefully, We can see Gillingham kick on in the second half and pick up three vital points against Charlton Athletic - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SECOND HALF:

And at the start of the second half, neither Steve Evans or Lee Bowyer made any substitutions at half time, It is going to be interesting to see how five substitutions is going to be implemented by both clubs in the second half, whether there is a maximum number of stoppages for substitutions (EG: Can you make five individual substitutions) So this is going to be a indicator on how five substitutions are going to be used throughout The Football League.

And the first noteworthy moment of the second half see’s Jack Tucker kick the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver is penalised for a foul on Chris Gunter, And Charlton Athletic have been awarded a free kick in there own final third, and from the resulting free kick, Charlton Athletic almost took the lead, Chris Gunter passes the ball back to Ben Amos, who passes the ball short to Darren Pratley, And Darren Pratley gets the ball under control before passing the ball back to Ben Amos, And Ben Amos passes the ball short to Chris Gunter, who passes the ball square to Darren Pratley, And Darren Pratley passes the ball down the line towards Ian Maatsen on the left flank and Ian Maatsen passes the ball square to Ben Watson, who passes the ball backwards to Darren Pratley, And Darren Pratley passes the ball square to Chris Gunter, who runs forwards in possession of the ball, And Chris Gunter passes the ball short to Adam Matthews on the byline right in-front of the dugout, And Adam Matthews runs forwards in a more central position on the pitch before threading a pass through to Andrew Shinnie, who manages to pick out Ian Maatsen down the left flank in Gillingham’s Final Third, And Ian Maatsen continue’s his forwards inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Ian Maatsen’s cross across the face of goal see’s Omar Bogle divert the ball into the air, and as the ball came back down again, Albi Morgan has struck the ball full on the volley and Connor Ogilvie must have got the faintest of touches on to the ball to divert the ball over the crossbar for A Charlton Athletic Corner Kick - Still, that was the best goal-scoring opportunity either team has created in the second half - And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Andrew Shinnie whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Connor Ogilvie headers the ball clear and away from danger, But Ian Maatsen is on to the loose ball for Charlton Athletic, And Ian Maatsen passes the ball out-wide to Albi Morgan, who passes the ball down the line towards Darren Pratley, And Robbie McKenzie times his sliding challenge to perfection to knock the ball out of play for A Charlton Athletic Throw On, right in the far corner of The Medway Stand / Brian Moore Stand Side Of The Pitch.

And from the resulting throw on, Albi Morgan throws the ball back to Chris Gunter, who gets the ball under control before firing in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Jack Tucker headers the ball clear and Ian Maatsen is on to the loose ball ahead of Jordan Graham and Ian Maatsen see’s his shot towards goal deflect off Zech Medley and the ball loops up into the air and Zech Medley misses the second ball and Jack Tucker kicks the ball up into the air and Albi Morgan tries to flick the ball back inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Vadaine Oliver has smashed the ball clear and away from danger and Gillingham survive the latest attacking onslaught on to our own goal.

Forty Nine Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham win a throw on right in-front of the dugouts, and from the resulting throw on, Connor Ogilvie throws the ball long down the line and Chris Gunter wins the initial aerial challenge, But Darren Pratley gets to the loose ball ahead of Kyle Dempsey and Darren Pratley prevents the ball from going out of play for A Gillingham Corner Kick by kicking the ball out of play for a throw on, and from the resulting throw on, Connor Ogilvie hurls in a long dangerous throw and Ben Amos makes a comfortable save in goal for Charlton Athletic, and from here, Ben Amos rolls the ball short to Darren Pratley, who passes the ball out-wide to Ian Maatsen, And Ian Maatsen plays a one / two with Darren Pratley before playing a give and go with Andrew Shinnie, And Ian Maatsen passes the ball back to Ben Amos, who passes the ball short to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter passes the ball square to Darren Pratley, who plays a short pass towards Andrew Shinnie, And Andrew Shinnie passes the ball across to Chris Gunter, who passes the ball short out-wide to Marcus Maddison, And Marcus Maddison, Chris Gunter and Ben Watson all link up nicely for Charlton And Marcus Maddison tries to go past Scott Robertson, And I actually thought that Scott Robertson had won possession of the ball, only for A Soft Free Kick to be awarded in Charlton Athletic’s Favour.

Fifty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Andrew Shinnie’s pass towards Adam Matthews is over-hit and runs out of play for A Gillingham Throw On, But for the two minutes prior to this, Charlton Athletic completely dominated possession of the ball and Gillingham have to keep there shape and retain there defensive structure to ensure that Charlton Athletic cannot open Gillingham up defensively, Charlton Athletic are starting to show there qualities in possession of the ball for the vast majority of the second half and clearly Lee Bowyer has told his players to move the ball between the thirds quickly and incisively.

Fifty Three Minutes Into The Match, And Kyle Dempsey blocks Andrew Shinnie’s cross and the ball deflects out of play for A Charlton Athletic Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Marcus Maddison whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the near post and Ryan Jackson manages to clear the ball towards the edge of the edge of our own penalty area and Ian Maatsen gets the ball under control before firing a low fiercely driven shot towards goal which takes a slight deflection and Jack Bonham can only parry the ball back inside the six yard box and Jack Tucker slides in to make a crucial interception to clear the ball away from goal - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR CHARLTON ATHLETIC TO OPEN THE SCORING!!!!!!

Fifty Five Minutes Into The Match, And Charlton Athletic were on the front-foot again, Albi Morgan has tried to pick out Omar Bogle with a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the back-stick, but the cross from Albi Morgan was over-hit and the ball has gone out of play for A Gillingham Goal-Kick, Charlton Athletic’s appeals for a corner kick were waved away by Referee Robert Lewis, And In The Fifty Sixth Minute Of The Match, Gillingham created a half chance to try and open the scoring, Robbie McKenzie has possession of the ball in central midfield in Charlton Athletic’s Half Of The Pitch, And Robbie McKenzie passes the ball out-wide to Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham takes on Andrew Shinnie and fires in a low dangerous cross which Ben Amos was able to gather with ease, A Very Good Cross From Jordan Graham, but no-one was able to get on the end of that cross.

Sixty Minutes Into The Match, And Ian Maatsen is penalised for his foul on Jordan Graham, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Jordan Graham fires in a dangerous cross and Jack Tucker does exceptionally well to get the ball under control and Jack Tucker’s cross towards Vadaine Oliver is routinely saved by Ben Amos In The Charlton Athletic Goal, And In The Sixty Second Minute Of The Match, Gillingham created another goal-scoring opportunity, Jordan Graham has possession of the ball in Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And Jordan Graham goes on a driving run forwards down the right side of the pitch and Jordan Graham whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross towards the far post and Vadaine Oliver’s diving header goes over the crossbar and that was the chance for Gillingham to take the lead, to be fair to Vadaine Oliver, He was always stretching to get on to the end of that cross from Jordan Graham and the last two goal-scoring opportunities have just given Gillingham something to build on.

Sixty Two Minutes Into The Match, And Kyle Dempsey is flagged for offside from Jordan Graham’s clipped pass down the line, and after that stoppage in play, Gillingham make there first substitution of the game as John Akinde comes on to replace Scott Robertson, in what was a substitution which was a bit of a surprise it has to be said, John Akinde will clearly go up-front alongside Vadaine Oliver and Jordan Graham and Dominic Samuel will still occupy the wide position’s, I guess it was always likely that Scott Robertson was going to be substituted, but the surprise was seeing a change of shape, and when play resumes, Vadaine Oliver is penalised and booked for his challenge on Ben Watson as Dominic Samuel had passed the ball towards Vadaine Oliver, And Oliver’s first touch was poor and he slid in on Ben Watson and the booking was the correct decision in my opinion.

And this stoppage in play allows Charlton Athletic to make a triple substitution as Chuks Aneke, Alex Gilbey, And Paul Smyth come on to replace Omar Bogle, Marcus Maddison and Conor Washington as Charlton Athletic rotate there attacking options to try and see if there substitutes can turn this 0-0 draw into a seventh league win in a row, and that is almost precisely what happened when play resumes, Ben Amos passes the ball square to Chris Gunter, who passes the ball square to Darren Pratley, And Darren Pratley kicks the ball long down-field towards Chuks Aneke, who cannot retain possession of the ball ahead of Ryan Jackson, And Ryan Jackson takes too long in possession of the ball and this allows Chuks Aneke to get possession of the ball back and run forwards towards the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area in possession of the ball, And Chuks Aneke passes the ball square to Alex Gilbey on the edge of Gillingham’s Penalty Area, And Alex Gilbey’s first time effort towards goal is saved and gathered at the second attempt by Jack Bonham - Charlton Athletic’s Substitutes almost combined perfectly to score the opening goal of the game.

Sixty Seven Minutes Into The Match, And Ian Maatsen has barged Jordan Graham down to the deck right in Charlton Athletic’s Final Third, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick in a very promising position on the pitch, and from the resulting free kick, Jordan Graham fires in a dangerous cross and Vadaine Oliver’s header is blocked by Alex Gilbey and Darren Pratley boots the ball clear and away from danger at the expense of conceding a throw on, Something different from Gillingham from that free kick, and we’re just starting to ask a few more questions defensively from Charlton Athletic, and from the resulting throw on, Connor Ogilvie hurls in a long dangerous throw and Vadaine Oliver wins the initial aerial challenge and Alex Gibley headers the ball out-wide to Albi Morgan, who boots the ball clear towards the halfway line, and Jack Tucker gets the ball under control before clipping a long ball down-field and John Akinde headers the ball on towards Jordan Graham, Who takes on Ian Maatsen before whipping in a dangerous in-swinging cross and Ben Amos makes a comfortable save in goal for Charlton Athletic, And from here, Ben Amos’s roll out is intercepted by Kyle Dempsey, who passes the ball short to Dominic Samuel, And Dominic Samuel works his way into a shooting position on the edge of Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area, But Dominic Samuel’s shot towards goal is poor and Ben Amos makes a very routine save in goal.

However, In The Seventy First Minute Of The Match, Gillingham manage to win themselves a penalty kick, Chris Gunter passes the ball forwards towards Chuks Aneke, who cannot get the ball under control and this enables Connor Ogilvie to smash the ball long over the top for John Akinde to chase after and Chris Gunter has clipped John Akinde inside Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area REF!!!!!!!! Was my response, and Referee Robert Lewis took a long time before he made a decision, and finally Gillingham were awarded a penalty kick, and this is a massive moment for Gillingham now, and up steps Jordan Graham to take the penalty “COME ON JORDAN GRAHAM” And Jordan Graham places the ball into a right / central area of the goal and although Ben Amos dived the right way and got a touch on to the ball, it wasn’t enough to prevent Gillingham from taking the lead and that is a huge goal for The Gills - GILLINGHAM 1-0 CHARLTON ATHLETIC - John Akinde did really well to win the penalty kick, And Jordan Graham saw his previous penalty saved against Sunderland, But this time, Jordan Graham does score from the penalty spot, and this match could well be the tell of two penalties, Jack Bonham’s penalty save in the first half, and Jordan Graham scoring from the penalty spot in the second half.

And In The Seventy Sixth Minute Of The Match, Gillingham had the chance to go 2-0 up, John Akinde manages to retain possession of the ball before playing the ball around the corner towards Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham goes on a driving run down the right side of the pitch and Jordan Graham see’s his pass towards Vadaine Oliver cleared by Chris Gunter, And Ben Watson gets the ball under control, However, John Akinde’s challenge plays the ball through to Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham waits for support before passing the ball out-wide to Ryan Jackson, And Ryan Jackson passes the ball back to Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham passes the ball back to Robbie McKenzie, And Robbie McKenzie runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Kyle Dempsey, And Kyle Dempsey manages to retain possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham works his way towards the byline and deliver’s a cross towards Vadaine Oliver at the far post and Adam Matthews had done enough to shield the ball into Ben Amos’s path and The Charlton Athletic Goalkeeper makes a comfortable save, But Vadaine Oliver has collided with the advertisement boards behind the goal and requires treatment, thankfully, Vadaine Oliver is OK to continue playing for Gillingham, But you just wonder with The 1-0 lead and Vadaine Oliver getting that injury, If Gillingham should bring on a additional midfielder for Oliver and revert back to the 4-3-3 formation ???

However, In The Seventy Eighth Minute Of The Match, Gillingham had the chance to go 2-0 up, Ryan Jackson allows a cross from Chuks Aneke to run through inside Gillingham’s Penalty Area and Ryan Jackson comes away in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham takes a few touches in possession of the ball before threading a through-ball through to Vadaine Oliver, And Vadaine Oliver is one on one with Ben Amos and Vadaine Oliver see’s his low shot towards goal brilliantly saved by Ben Amos - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR GILLINGHAM TO GO 2-0 UP !!!!!! - You just wonder if Vadaine Oliver could have dinked Ben Amos or ran wide to get a shot off on goal ??? - If Gillingham scored for 2-0 then that would have put Gillingham in a fantastic position to pick up all three points.

But the chances are still there for Gillingham, And Gillingham created another goal-scoring opportunity in The Seventy Ninth Minute, Ian Maatsen is penalised for his foul on Jordan Graham in Gillingham’s Half Of The Pitch, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Gillingham had the chance to go 2-0 up, Jack Tucker has kicked a high and hanging diagonal cross-field cross towards Vadaine Oliver, And Vadaine Oliver’s looping header was on target and Ben Amos makes a comfortable save.

Zech Medley is then penalised for his challenge on Chuks Aneke And Charlton Athletic have been awarded a free kick, and from the resulting free kick, Ben Watson passes the ball forwards towards Alex Gibley, And Alex Gibley passes the ball out-wide to Andrew Shinnie down the left side of Gillingham’s Penalty Area In Gillingham’s Final Third, And Andrew Shinnie is twisting and turning and passes the ball back to Ian Maatsen, who clips in a dangerous low cross and Ben Watson’s shot towards goal is blocked and Zech Medley smashes the ball clear and away from goal and anywhere will do as far as Gillingham are concerned.

Eighty Minutes Into The Match, And Alex Gilbey is penalised and booked for his challenge on Dominic Samuel, and from the resulting free kick, Jack Bonham kicks the ball long down-field and Vadaine Oliver manages to retain possession of the ball and pass the ball back to Connor Ogilvie, who clips the ball long down the line and John Akinde manages to retain possession of the ball before over-running the ball out of play for A Charlton Athletic Goal-Kick, And John Akinde was a bit unlucky there, and John Akinde has made an impact since coming on as a substitute for The Gills.

However, the next passage of play see’s Charlton Athletic score the equaliser, Ben Amos passes the ball short to Chris Gunter, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball square to Darren Pratley, And Darren Pratley passes the ball down the line towards Ian Maatsen, who gets the ball under control before passing the ball square to Ben Watson, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before passing the ball forwards to Andrew Shinnie, And Andrew Shinnie manages to pass the ball forwards towards Paul Smyth, And Paul Smyth gets the ball under control and Paul Smyth evades the attempted challenge from Jack Tucker and runs across Gillingham’s Penalty Area before passing the ball through to Chuks Aneke, Who takes a touch to control the ball before firing the ball into the top left corner of the net from close range and there is nothing that Jack Bonham can do about that and Charlton Athletic have equalised - GILLINGHAM 1-1 CHARLTON ATHLETIC - The defending for that goal was disappointing, and once Chuks Aneke got the ball, Connor Ogilvie and Zech Medley should have closed Chuks Aneke down much quicker to prevent The Charlton Athletic Striker from getting a shot off on goal, and that equaliser has completely changed the game now, any substitution involving taking Oliver or Samuel off for a extra midfielder has completely gone now, Gillingham need to see if they can re-take the lead during the remaining minutes left in this match.

And when play resumes, fouls by Vadaine Oliver and Kyle Dempsey perhaps show that the match is starting to turn in Charlton Athletic’s Favour, And Kyle Dempsey was booked for preventing Charlton Athletic from hitting Gillingham on the counter attack, But despite preventing the breakaway, Charlton Athletic still created a decent goal-scoring opportunity from the resulting free kick, Ben Watson passes the ball square to Chris Gunter, who passes the ball out-wide to Adam Matthews, And Adam Matthews passes the ball inside to Ben Watson and Ben Watson passes the ball forwards to Chuks Aneke, who takes a touch to control the ball before threading a pass through to Alex Gibley through by the byline and Alex Gibley fires in a low cross towards the near post, and it was unclear on whether the final touch came off Paul Smyth or Jack Tucker, but fortune favours Gillingham, Because Gillingham have been awarded a goal kick.

Dominic Samuel is then penalised and booked for fouling Adam Matthews, although, I suspect the booking is perhaps for a off the ball incident then the foul itself, and from the resulting free kick, Chris Gunter plays a / one / two with Ben Watson before running forwards in possession of the ball and Chris Gunter kicks the ball long down-field towards Paul Smyth and Zech Medley has no other option other then heading the ball out of play for A Charlton Athletic Corner Kick, and it is from this corner kick where Charlton Athletic almost took the lead, Paul Smyth quickly plays the ball towards Albi Morgan, And Albi Morgan takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to whip in a dangerous in-swinging cross, and Chuks Aneke’s looping header clears Gillingham’s Crossbar - AND THAT WAS THE CHANCE FOR CHARLTON ATHLETIC TO TAKE THE LEAD!!!!!!!!

Once the ball had gone out of play, Gillingham make there second substitution of the game as Trae Coyle comes on for Vadaine Oliver, And I personally thought that Dominic Samuel should have been substituted because he has put in a disappointing performance against Charlton Athletic so far, But maybe moving Dominic Samuel up-front will put him more centrally and allow Dominic Samuel to get on the end of a few crosses, however, It appears that Trae Coyle is going to play alongside John Akinde in attack for the rest of this match.

Eighty Seven Minutes Into This Match, And John Akinde is penalised for a foul on Chris Gunter, and with this stoppage in play, Charlton Athletic make there fourth substitution of the match with Ben Purrington coming on to replace Albi Morgan, And I am looking at who Gillingham can bring on, and Henry Woods, Josh Eccles and Matty Willock are all options to freshen up Gillingham’s Options In Midfield, And From The Resulting Free Kick, Charlton Athletic manage to win themselves a corner kick, Ben Watson plays a one / two with Ben Purrington before passing the ball out-wide to Chris Gunter, And Chris Gunter evades the attempted challenge from John Akinde before passing the ball square to Darren Pratley, who takes a few touches in possession of the ball before kicking the ball long down-field and Ryan Jackson wins the first aerial challenge, Andrew Shinnie wins the second aerial challenge and Ben Purrington wins the third aerial challenge to header the ball down the line towards Andrew Shinnie, And Andrew Shinnie keeps the ball in play and passes the ball down the line towards Paul Smyth, And Paul Smyth see’s his first time cross blocked by Jack Tucker and the ball deflects out of play for A Charlton Athletic Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Andrew Shinnie whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and although Chuks Aneke wins the initial aerial challenge, Chuks Aneke had fouled Jack Tucker in doing so and Gillingham have been awarded a defensive free kick.

Ninety Minutes Into The Match, And Gillingham had a half chance to take the lead late on, Dominic Samuel just about manages to retain possession of the ball close to the halfway line before passing the ball square to Ryan Jackson down the right side of the pitch, And Ryan Jackson runs forwards in possession of the ball before passing the ball out-wide to Jordan Graham, And Jordan Graham takes on Ben Purrington and runs towards the byline and Jordan Graham’s cross is dropped by Ben Amos and Trae Coyle manages to pass the ball back towards Robbie McKenzie on the edge of Charlton Athletic’s Penalty Area and Robbie McKenzie has hit a fiercely driven effort towards goal which is blocked and the ball ricochets back to Robbie McKenzie, who tries to pick out Vadaine Oliver with a lofted through-ball but Chris Gunter wins the aerial challenge and Kyle Dempsey wins the second aerial challenge but Adam Matthews is on to the loose ball and passes the ball forwards towards Paul Smyth, who manages to keep the ball in play before passing the ball long down the line and Ian Maatsen is through down the right side of the pitch - Gillingham’s Left - And Charlton Athletic can hit Gillingham on the counter attack here and Ian Maatsen’s pass through to Chuks Aneke is intercepted by Jack Tucker, And I actually thought that Ian Maatsen had fouled Jack Tucker afterwards in attempted to win possession of the ball, But Charlton Athletic are awarded a throw on.

The Fourth Official has shown FIVE ADDITIONAL MINUTES OF ADDED TIME ON TO THE BOARD, Ian Maatsen was booked for throwing the ball into the floor whilst Jack Tucker was down on the deck getting treatment, And as we are entering added time, Kyle Dempsey is fouled by Andrew Shinnie and Gillingham have been awarded a free kick which relieves the pressure building on to our goal, and it is from here where Gillingham almost scored what surely would have been the winning goal, Jack Bonham kicks the ball long down-field and Chris Gunter wins the initial aerial challenge, but the ball drops kindly to Kyle Dempsey, who takes one touch to control the ball and another touch to smash the ball into the back of The Rainham End, and unfortunately not into the back of the net - Had Kyle Dempsey scored then Gillingham were in a fantastic position to pick up all three points.

Ninety Two Minutes Into The Match, And Zech Medley times his challenge to perfection on Ian Maatsen and the ball diverts out of play for A Charlton Athletic Corner Kick, And From The Resulting Corner Kick, Andrew Shinnie whips in a dangerous in-swinging cross and the ball hits Ben Watson and Jack Bonham dives low quickly to make a very important save, And In The Ninety Third Minute Of The Match, Robbie McKenzie makes absolutely sure to foul Paul Smyth, and that foul prevents Charlton Athletic from creating a serious goal-scoring opportunity and Robbie McKenzie is correctly booked for that foul, and from the resulting free kick, Ben Watson plays a one / two with Chris Gunter before passing the ball square to Andrew Shinnie, who passes the ball centrally to Ben Watson, And Ben Watson retains possession of the ball before passing the ball forwards to Alex Gibley, who slips on the ball and Trae Coyle manages to intercept the ball before being fouled by Alex Gibley, And Gillingham have been awarded a free kick.

And it is from this free kick where Gillingham create the final noteworthy moment of the match, Jack Bonham kicks the ball long down-field and John Akinde wins the aerial challenge to flick the ball on towards Trae Coyle and Ben Amos was quick off his line to gather the ball with ease, and after five additional minutes of added time, both teams share one point a piece and the full time score is Gillingham 1-1 Charlton Athletic.

FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM 1-1 CHARLTON ATHLETIC

I uploaded the following status updates on to Facebook and Twitter after the full time whistle,,,,, FULL TIME: GILLINGHAM 1-1 CHARLTON ATHLETIC - I think both teams can look at moments in the game where they thought "If Only" For Charlton, There If Only Moment was Washington's Penalty saved by Bonham, For Gillingham, Our if only moment was Oliver's one on one effort saved by Amos, When Graham opened the scoring for Gillingham from the penalty spot, I thought Gillingham taking the lead in The 73rd Minute would put The Gills in a great position to pick up three vital points, Charlton used the depth of there squad, one of there subs Aneke scored the equaliser, Both teams had chances to score more then one goal a piece, Maatsen's driven effort towards goal takes a deflection and Bonham has to make the save and Tucker clears the re-bound, Oliver's header from Graham's Cross fails to hit the target, Bonham saves Gilbey's shot towards goal, Aneke's header towards goal in The 85th minute is headed over the crossbar, McKenzie see's his driven effort towards goal blocked and Dempsey was unfortunate not to hit the target with a speculative effort from distance - would had been a superb goal from Dempsey if that went in. Charlton used the depth of there squad to freshen up there attacking options, one of those subs Aneke came on and scored, Akinde came on and won the penalty which Graham scored, But I do wonder if Coyle could have come for Samuel? A Good Point For Gills, If only we got all three.

I also mentioned the following,,, However, Had Washington scored his penalty and Oliver failed to convert the one on one chance, we would be talking about a 2-1 defeat in the league and moments like that Oliver Chance change games, 2-0 would have put The Gills in a very strong position to pick up three vital points. - Because whilst we should be pleased with the point Gillingham got against Charlton Athletic, we should be disappointed that we have not picked up all three points, and that chance from Vadaine Oliver needed to be scored for 2-0, Because 2-0 would have put Gillingham in a great position to pick up all three points.

Dominic Samuel struggled out-wide on the left and I don’t think Steve Evans used the additional substitutions to his full advantage, perhaps Matty Willock and Henry Woods could have come on to freshen up the midfield, Because the midfield put in a lot of effort and a lot of pressing against Charlton Athletic all afternoon, And when Trae Coyle came on, I thought Trae Coyle was going to play out-wide on the left, but also, Trae Coyle came on after eighty six minutes and perhaps he should have come on ten minutes earlier when Gillingham were 1-0 up, Charlton Athletic used the depth and quality on there substitutes bench, where as I don’t think Gillingham used the additional substitutes to our full advantage.

Gillingham went with A 4-3-3 Formation, And the switch to 4-2-4 was the change in formation which saw John Akinde win the penalty which Jordan Graham scored, but Dominic Samuel was not involved in the game on the left in either formation, and the vast majority of the attacks for Gillingham came down the right side, Against Woking, Dominic Samuel scored two goals playing as a centre forward, he is not a wide left player, perhaps Dominic Samuel should play down the middle and Vadaine Oliver on the left if Gillingham are to go with A 4-3-3 Formation ???

If you were A Charlton Athletic Supporter, then a draw has to be seen as a decent result, especially when your losing 1-0 with less then ten minutes to play, and when your losing 1-0 away from home, then a point is a good point, Gillingham were 1-0 up, But it was that chance for Vadaine Oliver and had he scored that chance for 2-0 then Gillingham are in a great position to pick up all three points, and three points would have pushed Gillingham four points clear of The League One Relegation Zone instead of the two points clear where we are currently situated.

However, If Gillingham were to win against AFC Wimbledon On Tuesday Night, then the point against Charlton Athletic would be a decent point, and four points from these two matches would be a small step in the right direction for The Gills, again, AFC Wimbledon at home is not going to be a easy game and this is going to be a very tough fixture against a side who did the double over Gillingham in The 2019 / 2020 Season, But a win for Gillingham would make this result against Charlton Athletic look like a much better result - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#Gillingham #CharltonAthletic #Football #FootballLeague

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satisfaction-explorations · 4 years

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Can there be places that people who are at risk move to in the US (if they’re renters)? E.g. states that vow to be extremely protected for the next 36 months- and won’t change? And that aren’t expensive? And where there are specific ways to earn income there? For example, apparently there are very few cases in Alaska (?) because of the very low population density… are there other places with very low population density?

A lot of these methods are also applicable to a variety of countries, so it is highly worthwhile to read all of this if you are interested in the coronavirus.

The overall question is… what is the goal for the US? Is the US willing to wait for 18-36 months until a vaccine is reached so that all at-risk people are immunized? These are people’s lives here, and they are people’s parents, siblings, husbands, wives, friends, colleagues.

People losing their businesses and their jobs, and the stress from losing all their savings/ incurring big rent debts without income, is serious too

Honestly, I think the answer has the potential to change every half week or so, depending on what is happening. But I think an answer can be estimated regularly as well.

I think the overall, 52 state solution will come from some very unbiased, very benevolent, very smart people with a lot of influence in the US- so maybe some think tanks (or something else) that the government finds particularly useful.

What other countries are in the US’s corona-zone (i.e. areas that can get strongly infected within months)? I suspect the islands can probably come up with strong quarantine measures to protect themselves, although I could be wrong. They probably need support in making sure the quarantining process between countries is as good as possible.

I think it’s worthwhile talking with Canada regularly. I think it’s also worthwhile talking to Mexico regularly. However, Central America, especially the countries past Mexico- are probably extremely vulnerable. Can 10,000 waves of extremely helpful 5%s, financial resources and resources be organized as soon as possible? This would probably be led by 15 individuals who are very corona-smart, very country smart and who can get serious influence in the US and Central America.

This means that the US did what it could for its corona-zone and can go forward guilt free.

But what should the overall solution be?

Some countries got the corona new cases to zero. But many missed the opportunity. Really open countries, and especially areas with high density, may have been really challenged with doing this either way.

Considering there are over 1.2 million >>>confirmed cases, it looks like the illness is unstoppable in the US, although it is slowable. So

1. Organise 10,000 waves of extremely helpful 5%s, financial resources and resources to the most vulnerable countries in the US’s corona-region as soon as possible. This would probably be led by 15 individuals who are very corona-smart, very country smart and who can get serious influence in the US and Central America. The Bahamas and Haiti would also really appreciate additional quarantining help- Haiti because they have a jigsaw puzzle of areas that they really need support with, and the Bahamas because they’re so close and they have high vulnerabilities. But the most still needs to go to Central America- these countries are probably intensely vulnerable.

2. Definitely find a way to talk with Canada regularly. They would probably be quite upset because they have a huge border and they probably would have been able to get the coronavirus to zero if it is wasn’t for that border. However, this is fate. There is nothing that can be done. They need to accept it. However, it is a very good idea if the US makes up the points to Canada (e.g. through increased friendship, a lot of token gestures, increased help, increased support), because it is really unfair for them.

3. It’s really good talk to Mexico regularly as well, with the goal of coordinating responses, keeping them informed, and similar things to what is for Canada above.

4. It looks like the coronavirus is not stoppable in the US. However, you can choose certain US states with certain industries that will take stopping this coronavirus for the full 36 months. States that will try to act like fortresses and where a tonne of at risk people can go to rent. So that if everyone in the US gets the coronavirus, in these states, they will fight to get zero cases for the full 36 months. But they would need appropriate industries- industries would need to exist where

a. And the chosen states need to be livable enough. Or at risk people will refuse to rent there and will die. What about if elected officials change over in 1 year or 2 years? How can a promise be kept even if officials and parties potentially change?

b. I’m definitely not a US expert, but I would say, states with low population density, states with less complicated borders, states that aren’t too hot, states that don’t have problems with tornadoes because this will make everything 1000x more complicated for people at high risk of coronavirus.

c. I think it would be best to choose regions around Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota, because I think they have lower population densities, and this means that you do your part to help Canada/ Canada’s border (because Canada would be able to get close to zero)

d. But most people will only move to places if there is a high enough chance of work- so if high risk people move to less dense areas who have nominated themselves to fortress against COVID for the full 36 months, most will need to work sooner or later (especially with rent). Although, what about housing?

5. In the US, help needs to be made for the different groups of people

a. The 3% at high risk of death even if they get ICU treatment

b. The 5% at high risk of intubation or other disability if they get ICU treatment

c. The 5% at high risk of death if they can’t get ICU treatment

i. This is where the greatest problem is, and why all the behavioural measures and restrictions are put in place. These people often have younger children, or are spouses, or are people’s siblings or friends. And 5% is a huge number- it’s 16.4 million people, on top of the 3% 10 million.

ii. Quite simply, hospital ICUs can’t deal with tonnes of people getting sick with a new illness in very short amounts of times. Those people get rejected from ICUs, and die for no other reason than that- they could have lived.

iii. Slowing the virus means that hospital ICUs aren’t 10x 50x 100x 300x over capacity- how many rejections is that?

iv. It’s also so that people aren’t directly responsible for other people’s death, serious illness or even disability because they didn’t follow the behavioural protections.

v. This is what all the slowing the curve is about

vi. States obviously have to get enough resources to cover this (e.g. double them- although that’s not 10x 50x 100x 300x), and implement regular extremely effective extremely memorable behavioural requirements via the media as well as fines to back them up.

vii. And to follow New York’s lead- they had a densely populated, high tourism population that had a huge percent commuting by subway, and they implemented scores and scores of methods- the best 200 they could think of- being really tough with criteria- and they paid attention to which methods helped the most and scaled those up further. There is so much to learn from New York methods- they have been leaders in flattening the curve in one of the most challenging cases in the US.

d. The 12% other than the above that needs to go to hospital

i. For the 12%, what exactly are the treatments they receive in hospital? Can any of these treatments be mailed to people? Or done over video link from home?

e. For all or multiple groups from above

i. All the relevant methods that the poorest countries use, the US can and should use too. The goal is to save as many lives as possible, while saving as many jobs and businesses and keeping the rest of society happy enough

ii. A lot of these methods will help the most poor and vulnerable in the US- definitely use them, tailor them, apply them to anyone, rich or poor, who they can help

What about economic measures? How would that work? I know I’m always saying the US is a rich and lucky country, but it should aim to solve everything as soon and effectively as it can. Australia is a rich and lucky country too, and we’re almost down to 0 new cases and semi-reopening, but with strong behavioural requests regularly reinforced via 30 second, highly pleasant, highly memorable ads that run frequently. And these are also reinforced with fines, some really large (e.g. $1200)

• Everyone who can work from home should be able to work from home

• What can be put in place to make working from home as achievable for businesses as possible?

Some people will need to go into businesses to pick up items from their workplace, to send workplace documents to their home emails and to get people to send office software to others

It will help the economy an absolute tonne- an absolute tonne- to allow people- in a very staggered way- into workplaces as soon as humanly possible for the goal of sending their work documents to their email or onto google drive

This would just need behavioural recommendations for work protocol- e.g. only 5 people in an office at a time, 1.5 metre social distancing, at work for as short as possible, and maybe you can allow external IT contractors to come in to set up programs so that office programs can be used from home. For some businesses this might be easy to resolve in under a week (e.g. 20% of employees come in for 1 day each, and the boss is in the office for the full week), and for some businesses it might take longer to figure out (e.g. if they have to negotiate deals for special software that then needs to go to all people’s computers)

• It might also be a very good idea to allow some industries that employ a tonne of people to reopen- at people’s own risk- and create protocol for each of these industries

• Can each area go through its 20 largest employing industries, and figure out protocol for how to allow them to operate?

• And in terms of the corona economy 18-36 months, how exactly will businesses and jobs survive and be recreated with all these behavioural requirements?

Obviously, all the work that can be done safely via the internet should be

If people can work from home, they should

I don’t know yet- think tanks and the people should come up with the best ways to hire and keep employing each % of the population until everyone is covered

It might take time but every contribution counts. Even a 1% contribution might help literally millions of people. Even hundreds or thousands of people- while not being 1%- is still a lot and still very helpful.

Every solution can be used globally, and every relevant global solution can and should be used here

What can be learnt from Italy, Australia and other countries on which additional methods worked? Yes, every country is made up of millions of individuals in a different geographic context, but some of the methods might be extremely relevant if tailored to the local context a bit.

Nursing homes: in addition to the 30-40 most effective methods, temperature checks upon entry for 100% of people coming in for any reason might be potentially be the #1 method...

What about food, plastics and fabrics coming into the facilities- as well as what is in people’s personal bags? It’s hard to reach perfection, so it’s just adding a handful of improvements as a time as they are thought of- maybe a specialist team can keep adding to this.

Once nursing homes can successfully contain COVID19, I think residents should be able to choose whether they socialize in common areas or not, because they’re quite old. It’s like smoking- if someone is over 80, they should be able to smoke and drink however much they want, if they enjoy it. It becomes about quality of life. What about their relatives though?

Who are the people most financially at risk and how exactly? Not in terms of the squeaky wheel gets the grease and not in terms of subjective stress, but in terms of the most problems. What pathways can be created for them to go down? i.e. all these solution steps that help them (not thinking of handouts, thinking of solution stimulators). I don’t know how to write about this but it is such an important area because I imagine this would be the second largest source of stress for the wider population.

On the federal and state COVID websites, it would be an excellent idea to create a resource that explains to people how exactly the immune system works with this virus. It would have to be very very emotionally sensitive and emotionally safe to watch and memorise from the first go, but the goal of it would be for people to know what exactly their body needs to do if they get the virus. Bodies are very intelligent and can do incredible things via the brain. If the above is presented in as sensitive and safe way as possible, it can be made to really motivate people to tell their bodies what to do with the virus, sort of like self-hypnosis. This is real. The body and brain can do very complex things. If it is given some guidance. For example, I realized a while ago that the virus works by the immune system being too strong and attacking the body. Since then, I have repeated hundreds of times that my immune system needs to get extremely >>>smart and >>>supported, not ‘strong’. I also learned that one of the major sources of immune system support was Vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals. When I learn more about how the immune system works, especially in the context of this virus, I can find more and more ways to get it as smart and supported as possible. However- you would need to be careful to not accidentally traumatize people or kids- it would need to be very emotionally sensitive and emotionally supportive resources.

Can large surveys be held, asking people what their top worries are (up to 10 or 12) with the consequences of everything COVID (the health measures, the economic measures, and literally anything else, government or non-government related)- both for themselves and for anyone else they have thought of (e.g. homeless people they have seen, behaviours on the subway)?

You can put e.g. 20 options, each with the option of a comment, which you may or may not look at, and 4 “other” options at the end (longer comments). And they’re not compulsory, but they’re highly hyped- repeated 15-20 times in public announcements (e.g. government ads and TV announcements). And then put them in themes? But you would have to be very, very careful not to ask “leading” questions- i.e. questions phrased in a way that get people to say something. They have to let people’s answers be as unbiased as possible- their centred, truest, most useful thoughts.

And to give people a week to open and edit these… and any that are saved are automatically submitted at the end of the week (Sunday night at midnight- Sunday/Monday crossover time). But the government does repeat 15-20 times in TV ads to do these.

They can be sent to everyone whose email is available and it can be said to everyone else to just follow these extremely easy instructions and the survey will be sent to them.

You can also put a section below with 10 options for suggestions of improvements and solutions, preferably with a why (but not essential- some people know without being able to explain why). People don’t need to fill this in, but it could be really useful for that point in time.

And another section with 10 options for people to provide any information that might be useful. You would have to make this survey as enjoyable as humanly possible- a lot of people are very feelings-based- if they don’t like how it looks or it’s too big, they might not do it. You could do the first section, and then two buttons, one button taking you to the second section and back, the second button taking you to the third section and back, and a save button on the first page, very strongly encouraging people to save it regularly, and for it to be auto-submitted at the end of Sunday evening.

And this to be USA-wide, not just New York and New Jersey wide.

And a few demographics, although these should be strongly encouraged but optional, to maximize the number of people answering the full survey. But maybe avoid details like names and phone numbers- people can put this sort of information if they want to, but they definitely don’t have to- demographics like postcode, exact age, gender, income bracket, and savings bracket are more relevant.

Hiring people to analyse 100% of the comments doesn’t have to be the most urgent task, but even 5% of the comments might show highly useful things.

New York has a lot to teach all the other super-cities of the world… there are a lot of cities with very high population density x very high populations.

It’s also highly likely that, because of the wide variety of methods- some of these really ingenious and at times beating almost impossible odds- that New York has tried, tested and used, it’s a really good idea for other states to find out about New York’s methods and see which methods are the most relevant to their state, which methods are relevant but need to be adjusted to fit local conditions, and where there are gaps in methods for problems in your states and where you need to create your 100 most effective methods to cover these gaps.

As a start, New York has very recently published a new plan for the next steps, and this may be very useful for a lot of locations across the US.

One of the most effective methods I have seen is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily one hour briefings about the data, the best methods so far, the knowledge, and what he thinks.

One hour would probably be too long for other states (although, if they were in lockdown they would probably have more time), but he specifically said that if you don’t engage with the people and get them committed, motivated and interested- without stressing anyone out- no amount of policing will be enough.

The coronavirus deaths and economic factors are mitigated by the population’s day to day behaviour, commitment, interest, and being on the same page, and by doing these regular briefings, he showed the people the best current methods, along with the best solution stimulators (information that would stimulate solutions in the people, who know all the details of the city).

It’s a really good idea if every state had regular, frequent communications that motivated the people to be committed, showed the best current methods, and stimulated solutions in a large number of people. They wouldn’t have to be one hour- if you can say it in 30 or 15 minutes, whatever reaches the required results of the biggest goals like minimising deaths through people’s behaviour, encouraging people to do the right thing, stimulating solutions among the 10,000 different skills the people have (if each person is great at 10-20 and OK at 100-200), stimulating corona economy solutions, reassuring people and helping them with their mental health, and any other priority goals.

New Jersey has a considerably smaller population than New York, are less dense and have a high number of COVID cases- they could do with support and help from nearby states. Was it because of a ton of people who lived in New Jersey worked in New York during the day? Although, people have stayed at home for over a month in lockdown in New York so there probably wouldn’t be much traffic going either way.

It’s likely that New Jersey has some unique contextual or geographic challenges, and could really use the support and helping hand of others to figure out their 200 most effective methods to get deaths as low as possible.

New Jersey could probably use a lot of TV ads and public health campaigns on the best 15 things people can do to stop the spread. But any other help, support or methods for them would be really useful.

A lot of these could be passed on to the specialist teams in these areas… it’s a lot of information sometimes. Although, it would be really important to know when methods oppose each other (e.g. when reducing deaths makes the economy slow down and vice versa) so as to be able to get both teams in and come to some sort of most effective and fair middle ground (and not a squeaky wheel gets the grease middle ground but a most effective one)

What are the 50 most likely ways that the virus can be spread via commutes/public transport/waiting, etc? It may need to be added to 5-6 things at a time. This is just for awareness of what short list of behavioural measures will be most useful and for what resource measures are most helpful.

It still seems the best way to deal with this is behavioural change, so clarifying which behaviours help the most, and figuring out how to motivate the hardest to motivate.

Would these be people who have had very unfair lives for whatever reason (e.g. discrimination)? Maybe who became hardened criminals? Who have an attitude of, ‘why should I help anyone at all’ and even wanting to make things a bit worse? Not a lot- just a bit. Maybe the police or any other groups can help? Maybe there can be analyses done of who is most likely to break these? For the goal of- not discriminating further- but of passing this information on so that whoever is in charge of this area can figure out ethical ways to motivate them.

The city will increase the number of city employees acting as “social distancing ambassadors” to 2,300, up from 1,000. The move comes after criticism that city police were unfairly enforcing such rules.

Maybe there can be ambassadors that really appeal to the people in the previous section that they really listen to. Even rebels have people they respect.

Socially, what are the emotions most likely to cause people who catch the coronavirus to get stronger side effects? Grief (e.g. from the death of a friend or family member), a broken heart, depression, anxiety (?), exhaustion. It’s not a good idea to suppress or repress these because they will most likely get worse or blow up, but can there be strong social patterns that when someone gets the coronavirus the world puts them in an optimal emotional and mental state for dealing with it.

In terms of worrying, what would their access to family and friends be? They would need access to a phone charger, their phone and maybe their laptop. And maybe there can be a

People will worry so much less if they can stay in touch regularly.

What about mental health support? It would be pretty expensive to get this for hospitals and hospital staff already have a tonne to deal with.

What about worrying about others, and helplessness? I remember with development, I had to stop working on certain areas for weeks and months because I empathized but I felt helpless. I now stick to the principle of spending certain allocated times for solutions and personal recovery/writing about how I will deal with any side effects, and give myself the right of boundaries and ignoring problems- as respectfully as I can- outside of the times I do my development work.

So, with children, with helplessness, you can publically communicate the top 5 or 15 ways kids can help (e.g. supporting mum and dad, writing letters, creating things to support the response), and the top 5 to 15 ways to protect themselves.

However- we’re all a bit like sponges for absorbing emotions, especially hidden emotions… so if people on the TV are worried, kids will worry too… maybe it’s a good time to watch scarier news (like overseas new) when kids are in a different room and can’t hear it.

My personal experience with illness is getting almost better, then getting sick again, and this repeating. What are the behaviours people can take when they have COVID 19 or anything that might be that to fully recover? For example, I learnt to be very careful for several days after you have symptoms, because that is when it is most likely to return.

Can we start the idea of what to put in a hospital preparation bag- i.e. a list of things everyone- literally 100% of people- know about (e.g. accessible on the government website in a really obvious place)- and if they have to get to hospital, they know the most helpful things to bring. For example, three novels that will help you feel these … emotions helpful to recovering from COVID 19 with minimal symptoms. And instructions for the top 10 or 15 recommended things for different people to do while they’re in ICU or hospital dealing with the coronavirus (e.g. how restless people deal with boredom x high symptoms)

Can we also strongly fight hospital phobia in those that have it? We would need as few people as possible in ICUs and hospital beds, and need to encourage people to keep in strong enough health to not go in there, but I imagine if someone had hospital phobia or fear and then got really sick with corona virus this fear would contribute quite a bit to how strong the symptoms were. Especially if everyone was wandering around in those space suits and they couldn’t see or speak with anyone.

You would have to protect your mental health enough- i.e. what were your specific actions around things and how they were connected- you can’t blame yourself for other people’s actions because you can’t control other people’s actions. You can influence them by e.g. 20%, 40%, 60%- but that has a strong element of unpredictability of it as well. And if you made some mistakes in the past, hitting yourself over the head is the wrong way to approach it- you just make sure you don’t repeat it and make up the points later when you have free energy and time (not your current recovery time), even if it takes months, years or decades. It’s true that some things are really terrible and they should strongly be prevented. But with the past, it’s set in stone, so you should definitely not hit yourself over the head- show genuine remorse and make up all the points later on. That’s the healthy and correct way to deal with most things. I’m a fence sitter though- I prefer to hear all sides and evaluate all sides as accurately as I can. I think that’s the only way to reach fairness.

If you’re someone who can’t accept help unless there’s reciprocity, there are three areas that seem connected that are really close to my heart:

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Helping Puerto Rico untie the aid, bureaucacy and social requirements for the rebuilding funding promised for Hurricane Maria. Hurricanes batter their island each hurricane season, and unrepaired houses are at much higher risk of getting more broken. If it takes 10,000 waves to untie the category 5 aid they need so much to rebuild their priorities, it would be so very helpful to add to these waves to help them get it. And maybe to help them figure out how to rebuild houses if there has been 1000 earthquakes and a big earthquake expected every year. Would this be an area of engineering that needs to be created? Or does California know how to do this? It needs to be hurricane surge proof as well.

Helping Haiti be a politically neutral country, like Switzerland- they really don’t have much power or influence, so being a really strong friend and ally to them while, at the same time, allowing them to work a lot with Venezuela, who provides them with crucial trade and oil subsidies (which they very, very strongly need) and allowing them to work with China, who provide them with funding for infrastructure projects, which will help them an absolutely huge amount. Haiti really does not have much power or influence internationally, so making them like Switzerland would have little impact on the US’s needs or influences. So, being a big help to them, even if they also accept help from Venezuela and China. They are the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and 90% of their people live below the poverty line, so everybody should be allowed to help them... Let’s win their support via who helps them the best, rather than threatening to withdraw allyship. Apparently Haiti and the US have a strained relationship, so this would need to be healed somehow though.

Any way to help the Rohingya find a big picture and short term solution. <3 <3 <3 If it takes 1,000 methods to complete the puzzle of a win/win solution for them, any methods contributed would be hugely helpful. I don’t know how, but any contributions to help them find a big picture solution that is good for everyone would be hugely appreciated.

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