#and we're collectively ignoring any clipping

[nihilismtrcit]

𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓾𝓬𝓲𝓷𝓰...

clem and charlie’s forever home 🏡💖

exterior 

first floor

second floor

greenhouse 

bonus: beyond the fence

( aka still a part of their huge ass plot so i can build on it, but for game’s sake this is beyond their property. just for backround/places to explore )

[lihhelsing]

Hate That I Loved You

Now complete on AO3!

Part 1 | Part 2 ↓ | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

On the first day of shoot, Eddie is a nervous wreck. He can't handle it. He won't make it. He stays hidden in his dressing room until Chrissy is pounding at the door and threatening to tear it down if he doesn't come out immediately. 

Eddie doesn't doubt her. 

"It was your idea," Chrissy says as she eyes Eddie and how pale he looks. "Roll a joint, take a fucking shot. I don't care. Just get your ass into the studio because we're filming this today."

Eddie nods but Chrissy is too busy walking away from him to see it. She knows it, though. Eddie wouldn't ignore an order like that. 

The first sequence is with Sean. Sean is taller than him and he used to drive a red convertible that Eddie thought was just the coolest. So that's why he's setting a fucking car on fire for the clip. 

Sean thinks it's hilarious. 

The idea is for them to film the whole song with every one of the exes, so they have options. Because Sean, Pedro and David are all from Los Angeles, they go first. Eddie kept waiting for Lou to show up, but he should know better. Lou always liked to be different, to stand out. He and Steve are pushed to day 2, and for the looks of it, it might be day 3, if they can't speed up David's shoot. Eddie's is breaking a stone wall for him. It's metaphorical and it makes him feel good, actually. 

On day 2, Pedro is the only one around before lunch and Eddie actually have a good time with him. He's funny and sweet, just like Eddie remembered, and he keep calling Eddie 'mi amor' which is endearing in a totally platonic way. For a second, Eddie can't remember why they broke up, but then Pedro gets a call from his mom and everything comes rushing back. 

Pedro was already thinking about marriage and building a family and Eddie wasn't really ready. They are in a backyard with a pretty white picket fence and Eddie throws paint all around. Everything gets stained with black, the color Pedro saw as Eddie's heart color. 

It doesn't hurt as much, but it's harder than the two before him. When Pedro goes back to the dressing rooms to wipe the black paint from him, Eddie's mood had soured considerably.

It gets even worse as Lou walks in, looking like a rockstar. Looking exactly like what he is. 

Lou was Eddie's only famous boyfriend and their relationship had crashed and burned in front of everyone. Eddie feels the tug in his chest as he looks at the scene that's getting built for them. 

It's a stage. The Grammy stage. 

The worst part of it all is that Lou doesn't seem fazed by any of it. It's like he barely remembers breaking Eddie's heart at the Grammy's that year. It's like that was just a day, completely forgotten. 

But Eddie hasn't forgotten about it. He hasn't forgotten how bad he felt that day. How heartbroken. How Lou was trying to make everything be Eddie's fault when he was the one flirting shamelessly with other people in front of him. 

Eddie needs a minute. 

In fact, he feels like he needs a whole year to even be able to do that. What a great fucking idea, put himself through the most traumatic thing in his life for the cameras. No wonder people say he has no self-preservation reflex. 

He just walks away. He knows Chrissy saw him freaking out and he knows she will give him a moment to collect himself so he just keeps on walking past props and music equipment and finally the front door. 

Eddie is out. The cold air hits his face and with trembling hands he reaches inside his pocket just to remeber he doesn't have his joint with him since he's already wearing the outfit for the clip. 

A tux just like the one he wore on the fucking Grammy's. His hands fly to his neck as he pull at the bowtie, trying to get some air into his lungs. His vision gets a little blurry as if there's not enough oxygen in the world for him right now. 

Then big strong hands are pushing his hands aside, circling his neck and unclipping the bow tie. It's a fake one, so Eddie could keep pulling at it and he would get nowhere. 

"Take a deep breath," the voice says and it gives him chills because he knows that voice. He dreams about that voice. 

He does as he's being told because Steve always knew what was best for Eddie. 

"You're ok," Steve says under his breath. His hands fall from Eddie's neck and Eddie wishes they were still there, touching him, grounding him. "Just keep breathing."

Eddie does and things start going back to normal, except there's not a normal scenario where Steve Harrington is just standing there in front of Eddie, looking better than ever, with a frown between his brows because he's worried about Eddie. 

No. That should be impossible with how hard Eddie had fucked things up and still, Steve is really there. 

"I, uh, thought you were only coming in tomorrow," Eddie says when he stops feeling like he's going to die. 

Steve shrugs. "Landed a few hours ago, Chrissy said I could check things out."

After that, Eddie has no clue what to say so he just stares at Steve, dumbly. Much to his relief, Chrissy saves him from looking even more like an idiot by opening the door and calling him back. 

"Uh, thanks for doing that. It really means a lot to me," Eddie says, trying not to sound as pathetic as he feel. Steve smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. 

Eddie wants to say more, he wants to keep talking to Steve. Forget the music video and forget the fact that Lou is standing inside, probably pissed at Eddie, he instantly wants to throw everything away as beg Steve for a second chance. 

By the look on Steve's eyes it's like he can see Eddie's intentions clearly, but then Chrissy is pulling him in and waving at Steve like this is normal. Nothing about this is fucking normal and now Eddie needs to survive Lou if he wants to have a shot at talking to Steve. 

[silver-wield]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review Chapter 3

Okay, this collection of posts will be filled with spoilers, including clips and screenshots, so if you don't wanna see things, then don't look. Some of the things I'm gonna highlight will include references to Remake and other sources to link with the overarching plot. This is a straight path playthrough with no sidequests or extra content.

And here we go!

Chapter 3 covers the mythril mine to Junon.

Btw it's been 3 days since they left Midgar, which is on track for Aerith's death within 14 days. The GS date happens 3 days before she dies. Yes, I spent last night working that out because it was bugging me 🤣

After our encounter with the midgarsomer, we head into the mine following the black robes.

Cloud, Tifa and Barret have a moment of banter, that's made awkward AF by Aerith bringing up Cloud's hand massage in wall market. Idky she thinks that's something Cloud wants Tifa to know, but it comes across bitchy like she wants to drive a wedge between them.

Cloud shakes it off and we enter the mine. As we head deeper into the mine we hear a lil lore and some character background from Barret.

And then we hit a tiny snag as some of the robes fall off the path. Tifa's concerned because she's a good person and worries about everyone, but we see Cloud dismiss them. Deviating from the path isn't something he feels compelled to do even if Tifa asks because he's under Sephiroth's influence and the urge to keep going takes priority.

Barret heads off to look after the black robes which eases Tifa's concerns and we're stuck with a split party for the rest of this section.

I previously suggested this would happen on the journey and that we'd be locked in with certain party members for different areas. This not only gives us different battle combos and forces us to use characters we don't like, but it shows different dynamics and how the characters relationships develop when certain buffers aren't around.

So we're stuck with Aerith along for the ride for this part. Tbh I didn't put any materia on her, didn't do her synergies and didn't upgrade her folios at all and still beat the game with just Cloud at the end, so I pretty much ignored her through this part and every other.

Anyway, we sneak up on Rude having a little convo with Elena. The devs explained they had to change a few things with the Turks because the JP va for Reno passed away and they were using what little recorded lines they had and repurposed old ones so he could be part of Rebirth. This cut back on Reno's appearances, but they said he'll return properly in part three after they cast a new va.

Tbh I didn't mind Elena. She's 18, so ofc she's gonna be annoying. The battle with her and Rude was pretty fun.

After we kick their asses, Tseng pops up for a word, the same as OG, then drops everyone down a mine shaft.

The party splits again and this time we're onto Barret's gameplay. It's the same as Remake with him shooting everything. It was fine. I wouldn't say it was my least favourite gameplay section but it was average.

Red reiterates the reason they're chasing the black robes, so the main plot reminders are pretty heavy so far. We see Barret worrying about Cloud, and once they reunite later it's out of the mine and onto Junon.

Honestly, this section felt like a filler chapter and plays like one too. It's fine and has some good moments, but it's not winning any prizes.

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

Face First(aid) by happyaspie

Part 22 of Sicktember 2021-2023

No Archive Warnings Apply | Rated T | Word Count: 3,069 |Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Sick and Injured

Summary: While out on patrol, Peter decided he might not be feeling all that well. Eventually, he decides to swing home but his stomach is iffy, his body aches and his brain is a bit sluggish. As a result, he ends up slamming face first into a billboard, creating an explosion of pain around his nose. His AI was quick to alert Mr. Stark and bring up an ETA countdown in the corner of his HUD. He can’t decide if he was annoyed or relieved.

“Hey, Kid. Does your face hurt?”

Sicktember 2023 Prompts:

- Sick and Injured - "I could Really Use a Hug Right About Now"

[Excerpt below the cut]

It was relatively early in the evening when Peter left for patrol. He suited up and crawled through his window before shooting a web toward the nearest building. His stomach did a tiny backflip as he propelled himself forward but he didn’t think anything of it. May was out of town and he’d just eaten an entire double pepperoni pizza by himself. He’d not even bothered to take into account that he’d been feeling a tiny bit off all day. Whatever that was, he hadn’t quite been able to put his finger on it. Therefore he’d deemed himself healthy enough to go swing around the city helping the little guy.

By the time the clock struck eleven, Peter realized he’d not eaten anything since dinner. That was an odd occurrence on any given day. Generally speaking, no matter how much food he stuffed into his face he was always ready for more within a few hours time. Especially while he was active. He paused atop a water tower, crouched down so he could survey the city while trying to self-scrutinize. He wasn’t particularly hungry. He was oddly tired, though. And as he sat there, he started to realize his joints were starting to become a little achy. He was just starting to think that perhaps he should call it a night when his spider-sense flared beneath his skin. 

“Oh, come on!” he grumbled to himself. He immediately swung down, ignoring the way it made his head swim, and landed casually near the broken glass. “You’ve had all night to break into this store, but you waited until I was ready to go home to do it? Not cool, Man.” The bad guy whipped around brandishing a gun. Peter instantly shot a web to rip it from his hands. “You definitely do not need one of those. And while we're at it, you really shouldn't be taking stuff that doesn't belong to you.”

“What are you? My mother?” the bad guy asked while darting toward a jewelry case. He never made it there. Peter shot three more webs successfully sticking the guy to a fancy sunglasses display.

“You should probably look for a better side hustle. This one's clearly not working out for you,” he quipped before requesting his AI contact the local police.

As he climbed up the nearest building he sighed. “Time to go home, Karen,” he said, hoping nothing pressing would pop up on his way there. Fighting the one guy hadn't been much of a chore but his body was protesting it anyway. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for the next three days. He scratched the back of his neck where sweat was starting to collect and rolled his uncomfortable shoulders. “I’m not sure I’m feeling so hot.”

“On the contrary,” Karen cheerfully declared. “Your body temperature appears to be mildly elevated.”

“Great,” Peter clipped with faux enthusiasm. Though the presence of a fever, even a little one was enough to confirm what he already suspected. He was definitely sick. “Just what I wanted to hear.”

“My protocols don’t require me to inform you or anyone else of your body temperature unless it reaches one point five degrees above your average reading,” Karen replied. “Would you like for me to adjust that parameter to one degree?”

“No, Karen.” Despite the mildly uneasy feeling that was settling in his stomach, he chuckled.. “I was being sarcastic.”

A full minute passed before Karen responded. “Sarcasm has been noted.”

[Continue reading on AO3]

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Dave Whamond

* * * * *

Time is Biden’s friend and Trump's enemy.

January 22, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

JAN 22, 2024

Trump's inexorable descent into incoherence and chaos continued apace over the weekend. Any moment now, it will become impossible for the media to ignore the spectacle. With Trump's rivals in both the primary and general elections highlighting Trump's inability to distinguish between his GOP primary opponent (Nikki Haley) and the former Democratic Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi), responsible media should be headlining the story.

They are not. Instead, it was up to Trump's political rivals to alert the American people to Trump's deteriorating condition.

What happened?

Over the weekend, Trump insisted that Nikki Haley was in charge of security at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Haley was not at the Capitol on January 6 and, as a private citizen at the time, had no role in providing security for the Capitol. (Trump has previously falsely claimed that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi oversaw security at the Capitol on January 6.)

Nikki Haley went on the offensive on the Sunday talk shows, saying

 “I don’t know if he was confused, I don’t know what happened, but it’s enough to send us a warning sign.” “[I]f you have someone that is 80 in office, their mental stability is going to continue to decline. That’s just human nature.” [Trump is now] just not at the same level he was at 2016. I think we're seeing some of that decline.

The Biden campaign also went on the offensive, producing an ad that collected a dozen Trump nonsense statements, highlighting the most recent mental lapse. Biden released the ad on his Twitter account, saying “I don’t agree with Nikki Haley on everything, but we agree on this much: She is not Nancy Pelosi.”

The video is here: “We agree on this much: Nikki Haley is not Nancy Pelosi.” It is worth your time to watch—and is (hopefully) a harbinger of a tougher tone from the Biden campaign.

Although major media covered Trump's most recent mental lapse, they took the opportunity to repeat Trump's baseless claims against Biden. The NYTimes described Trump's mental lapse, and then pivoted to Biden:

“Nikki Haley was in charge of security [at the Capitol on January 6],” he said. (She was not.) “We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guards, whatever they want. They turned it down. They don’t want to talk about that.”

Mr. Trump, 77, often attacks President Biden, 81, over his age and suggests that Mr. Biden is mentally unfit for office. “He can’t put two sentences together,” Mr. Trump said on Friday. “Can’t put two sentences together. He needs a teleprompter.”

Gosh! It’s almost as if the NYTimes is running interference for Trump's deterioration. A similar lapse by Biden likely would have resulted in somber reporting based on speculation by unnamed “inside sources” about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president due to incapacity.

While the continued bias against Biden is maddening, time is Biden’s friend and Trump's enemy. The more Trump talks, the more obvious it becomes he is unfit for the presidency. His vocabulary is shrinking, his off-script remarks are descending into a stew of right-wing code words, and people are walking out of his rallies.

Here is a small sample from a speech on January 17 in New Hampshire:

We’re . . . going to place strong protections to stop banks and regulators from trying to debank you from your—you know, your political beliefs, what they do. They want to debank you, and we’re going to debank—think of this. They want to take away your rights. They want to take away your country. The things they’re doing. All electric cars.

On Sunday evening, Trump even mispronounced the name of his likely vice-presidential pick as “Elise Step-a-nack” (referring to GOP. Rep. Elise Stefanik). Again, the Biden-Harris campaign quickly released a video-clip of Trump mispronouncing Stefanik’s name.

Trump claims he will take the witness stand on Monday morning in the second defamation trial E. Jean Carroll. (The trial is about the amount of damages only.) It would be insane for Trump to take the stand. Judge Kaplan is a sharp, no-nonsense judge who will not allow Trump to ramble incoherently.

If Trump takes the stand, I predict he will storm out of the courtroom (from the stand) or be ejected by Judge Kaplan. Moreover, if Trump takes the stand, E. Jean Carroll will be able to introduce rebuttal evidence that she has chosen not to offer in her case in chief.

But Monday’s court proceeding is only the first of dozens of opportunities for Trump to self-immolate in the upcoming legal proceedings. And given that the Biden administration has finally taken the gloves off, the American people will get a clearer view of Trump's rapidly deteriorating mental state.

And there is widespread discussion on social media of other physical infirmities and ailments that are afflicting Trump. The major media has yet to report on those issues, so I will refrain from doing so until the rumors pass the fact-checking process in a major newsroom.

What’s next?

Democrats are understandably anxious about the attacks on Biden’s age. But he has risen to every occasion and passed every test. And he is a normal, decent, regular person. If you haven’t watched his recent interview with Conan O’Brien about Biden’s 1960s classic Corvette, you owe it to yourself to do so. Trump, on the other hand, is a narcissistic, hateful bully who views people as disposable objects to advance his interests.

In this campaign, time is on our side. Things are getting worse for Trump—and will continue to do so. Meanwhile, the economy continues to improve under Biden’s stewardship. So, let’s hunker down for the long fight ahead and recognize that we have the momentum, the better candidate, and the truth on our side.

Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

[paris-geller-was-straightwashed]

(tw suicidal ideation mention in fifth paragraph)

I don't really know what to say to this other then thanks for all this extra text, I guess - when it comes to how individual ppl view their own disabilities, I couldn't care less. it's your own life to live, and moreover, that's not the point I was really trying to make. I was trying to talk about how neurodiversity on here is treated as adhd and adhd only, and there should be more discussion around the problems for other neurodiverse conditions.

but telling me I'm 'too worked up about this' - as nice as possible, up yours.

I have concerns I wanted to share with the community I'm in, and wanted to voice the issues I've been seeing. I've be upset about this for a while, so forgive me for not being adequately tempered about it.

I'm not annoyed at adhd/asd being talked about in general, and yes, I'm more then aware of comorbidity. it's the fact that the rest of us aren't often considered a part, and when trying to talk about our experiences, aren't given nearly half the opening to. there's so much more on this spectrum, but it's either ignored or pushed to the side. it's on here, it's on tiktok, it's on youtube - shifting through videos trying to search for creators with dyspraxia and not another lecture clip on DCD got me nowhere, meanwhile the algorithm could not stuff multiple videos from 'neurodiverse' creators about various adhd issues down my throat fast enough. and I use quotes there bc these 'neurodiverse' creators will use the all-encompassing word for their channel and so, I, innocently hoping they'll be exploring various conditions, am only let down when it's just 500 videos on their asd or adhd.

there's so much I, and others, could talk about in being neurodiverse but not asd/adhd. the trauma of the school system I went through from (also) having dyscalcula - how it's carried into my adult life, the hole where any sense of confidence or self-assurance should be bc I couldn't be as good as my peers. how I'd gone misdiagnosed with another ND condition for roughly ten years and struggling with my sense of self to the point where I got worried it would lead to suicidal ideation, only to stumble upon dyspraxia (+ learn more about ocd) and finally feel that relief in having something that actually did explain me, and knowing those doctors were wrong. just like ppl with asd/adhd, I want a community to talk about my experiences - but space hasn't been made for us. it's fine if you don't wanna talk about your dyspraxia, but others might.

"Finally (I do not believe in TL ;DR): In a latently eugenicist world where Elon Musk is the world's richest man with tens of millions of followers, we have much bigger problems than nitpicking at neurospicy vs neurodiverse." you are aware these things can co-exist right? I apologize if I made it seem like infighting - I just made a dumb joke in a moment of anger, bc, often, it seems like ppl who use the term ~neurospicy~ are the exact ppl I'm taking issue with. but it's not infighting or anything to ask our broader community to consider the rest of us and our struggles - that way, we're even more connected to take on those kinds of outside issues collectively.

'that adhd feel of-' 'adhd is not being able to' 'adhd is when you forget-' you're describing executive dysfunction. that's...it's executive dysfunction. like I NEED you to understand this.

I don't think this is purposefully malicious but jesus fucking christ it's no wonder the ~neurodiverse~ community on here can feel super alienating. I'd fucking eat own shoe if any so-called 'neurospicy' (derogatory) blogs can name EVEN ONE other condition then either adhd or autism as part of neurodiversity. ppl think it starts and ends there - and what I find the most infuriating, is that one of the most common symptoms when it comes to diverse brains (aka executive dysfunction) is talked about like it's SOLELY for adhd.

look. I got dyspraxia and ocd - two things considered a part of the neurodiverse umbrella. I also have learning disabilities that have affected my whole school life, and memory issues that I've been explaining to people as to why I've already forgotten their name since I was a kid. YET, ocd is rarely talked about in neurodiverse circles or even considered, and I'll literally pay two bucks to anyone reading this who can tell me what dyspraxia is (who isn't a professional or someone who has it, and if you do have dyspraxia, then I am giving you a cookie and fist bump). yet often, when I see posts passed around talking about issues like poor motivation or time blindness or bad memory, I find a lot to relate to - bc executive dysfunction, in case anyone missed it, affects many, many conditions! you don't even have to be neurodiverse; it's known to affect those with anxiety and depression too! there's so much layover - yet, I will see, inevitably, the post attributed to adhd or possibly asd. frankly, it's both alienating to those with other neurodiverse conditions, and possibly misleading, even if unintentional, to say it's an 'adhd thing.' you guys run the market and it's over-saturated; I'm just asking for adhd/asd to share a piece of it's throne.

to be honest, as what's considered a 'neurodiverse person', I barely find any commonality within the community. yes, as mentioned above, I will relate to common shared symptoms like executive dysfunction, but it's a complete shut-out when we act like those symptoms are only attributed to one condition. frankly with my ocd, I find way more commonality in schizophrenia/paranoia/psychosis communities then in the ND one (I would never act or say I know what it's like to experience those conditions, but I can relate to the fear of some outside force telling you something horrible is going to/will happen), and with dyspraxia, even when we talk about it, it gets so little coverage and recognition it leaves the whole community a bit dry. if anyone gives a shit, then maybe shine the light on us and others kicked to the sides (ppl with learning disabilities, dysgraphia, language disorders, and those with schizophrenia/affective disorders like I mentioned earlier, who are so often vilified by ppl online and on this site). we all struggle with executive dysfunction and a million other layover symptoms, and the nerotypical world is just as hard for us to navigate even if no one is bothering to listen.

I'm rambling at this point. everyone just..do better and actually recognize the 'diversity' in 'neurodiverse.'

[ninlilwinds]

hi, could i request ningguang, ei and kujou sara x fem! reader where they react to someone talking bad about their girlfriend when she isn't there? it's fine if you dont write for girls!! good day/night!

Fem!Reader gets insulted behind her back, but their girlfriend hears

Ok a little bit to know about me is I was born and raised in a very Christian household. I am a girl and was very sheltered but last year I finally went to public school as a start of my family letting go. I wasn't aware of LGTBQ+, and for that reason I'm still very new to this. I written for fxf any type of romantic outside of heterosexual because every single thing i write my family reads. This account is a little bit of a secret, but I'm 16 now and think I have the right to explore other things. Let me know if this works well and if there is any way to make it seem more real! I tried my hardest on this.

Plot: Someone insults fem!reader! How will these powerful women respond?

Characters: Ningguang, Raiden Ei, Kujou Sara

Warning: Not proofread, and something new to me. Let me know how I can improve! It would be greatly appreciated. And if you spot and major mistakes let me know. I don't usually write or play for any of these characters, so I don't know the personality very well, but I looked up some clips on voice lines and little character synopsis to get a better feel.

Ningguang 

Ningguang is a very professional businesswoman, so she wouldn't really go out on the person insulting their girlfriend  

She would keep her calm and at first ignore, after all she was used to people gossiping and spreading rumors.  But your name being brought into the mix made her blood boil.  

"Didn't you hear? Apparently the girlfriend Tianquan of the Qixing, (Y/N), was seen with someone else the other night. You think she's cheating?" One of the women outside her door whispered. Ningguang wondered if they knew how close the Tianquan was. How disgraceful  

"I wouldn't be surprised. She's such a suck up, always kissing up to the rich only to go to the gutters at night." The other woman said.  

Ningguang took a deep breath, she had to remain composed no matter what.  She wrapped her hand around the door knob and opened it up. The two ladies jumped and looked at Ninguanng both bowing 

"U-um, we're here to collect the documents Miss Keqing sent to you a week ago." One hurriedly said. 

"is that so?" Ninggaung looked down on them. She knew they were simply looking for a reason to be there and get out, "Tell her I already sent them out." She said.  

"Yes ma'am." They both said in unison. 

"Ninggaung stepped between both of them passing them swiftly. She stopped and looked back, "And I would suggest you keep your pointless chatter out of your work environment." She looked over her shoulder with a menacing glare. That afternoon, Ningguang treated u really gently and brought you to dinner, making sure to pass by those girls with her arm on your waist 

She made sure to fire them  

Ei

(I haven't finished all of the Inazuma Storyline because I'm really lazy and don't wanna rush too much because there isn't anything to do after- but I think I know enough. Sorry if it's bad!!)  

She was used to rumors, from when the vision hunt decree was going on. Everyone around her would whisper about how unfair and cold she would be 

But what was what she believed at the moment to be right  

And so far everything had died down, and she was different now. She wasn't the Raiden Shogun anymore, now she was the Raiden Ei. A bit more understanding. Or so she thought  

"She's so dumb! I can't believe her. Doesn't she understand the Shogun is busy. She really has the audacity to ask to see her for something important." One guard was complaining to the other. 

"Yes. I agree. (Y/N) is getting too cocky. I understand she's the shogun's....well special person," The guard rolled his eyes and muttered, "Out of all the people." 

"She is, but it doesn't give her the right. Silly girl."  

Ei was passing by when she had heard the conversation. At first she thought it was maybe the Traveller or someone, but then she heard your name and it made her stop in  her tracks.  

She tried to remain calm, and made her way to the guards. 

"You mentioned (Y/N) was looking for me?" She crossed her arms, the air around her becoming charged and sending shivers down the soldier's spine. 

"All Mighty Shogun!" They both stood straighter. One of them gulped, "Y-yes. Miss (Y/N) was looking for you earlier. We have taken care of the matter."  

"Did I give you permission?" Ei said, a displeased look on her face  

"P-permission?"  

Ei stepped closer and looked down at them, "Did I give you permission to be so disrespectful to me and my beloved?"  

"No that wasn't my intentions. I-I simply didn't want to bother you-" 

"Silence." Ei stepped away from them, "Leave my sights and never come back."  

Both guards scrambled to get their things and walk away quickly. They lost their jobs, but at least they were still alive. 

Ei stood there for a while trying to regain her composure, she didn't want you to see her so cold and unmerciful. After that she went to look for you. Turns out you just wanted to enjoy lunch with her. She apologized for how her guard's had acted and kissed your cheek, asking if you wanted to come inside and eat there instead of out here.   

Kujou Sara  

Oh she isn't scared of being mean to someone in public. If someone insulted you, they would pay. An eye for an eye. Whether it was one of her own subordinates, or some stranger, they would get payback.  

Kujou Sara was training with some recruits when one of them saw you pass by. She watched your interactions intently. The man was obviously trying to flirt with you. You laughed nervously and quickly excused yourself, moving to the other side of the field towards some people you knew.  

The man walked over to one of his buddies and scoffed, "what a ugly girl. Don't even know why I wasted my time on her."  

His friend laughed loudly, making Kujou Sara's stomach lurch in anger, "I told you not to waste your time. I thought she would be desperate judging by her looks."  

"I suppose not. Well I could just pick someone up way better at the bar later tonight." The other one shrugged and grabbed a polearm to spar. 

Kujou Sara dropped her weapons and walked away from the trainee's. She grabbed the polearm from the man and turned it around, hitting his stomach with the unsharpened side causing him to fall to the ground.  

"Say another word about my beloved and I will turn the spear around and make sure you learn your lesson." She said coldly. The man stared at her with fear and moved away, bowing his head in apology. 

You saw this commotion and made your way over, "What's going on?"  

"Nothing." Kujou Sara threw the spear at him and then turned you around and walked away, gently pulling you along. There was no reason to waste yours or her time by being around this low lives.  

The guy did come back, and she made the training thousands of times worse. Every day was a little bit more unbearable until he eventually dropped out. It was simply consequences for his actions. She'd never want someone as ungraceful and ridiculous as him in her regimen anyways.  

[eternalstargazer]

recently got back into tumblr and wanted to say i love your blog!! i found out a few months ago that gou isn't universally liked and i was like??? "why?? he's such a good boi 🥺" and so the satogou & gou-suport on your blog really makes me happy! thank you for your contribution 💛

Aww, thank you so much!! 🥺💖 This pairing and these characters (Gou/Goh in particular) really means a lot to me, so it always makes me happy to write about them and put together themed blog posts, and such. I'm glad that it makes you happy, too! 😊

I don't have an issue with Goh not being universally liked. No one has to like a character and sometimes the character just doesn't click with someone. That's fine. There are Pokémon characters that I myself don't care for, so I get it. That's not what I have a problem with. 

What bothers me is the unfair treatment and the blatant lies about Goh that are just objectively wrong because of evidence in the episodes themselves that renders the arguments invalid. Those lies spread, and people start to believe the lies without coming to their own conclusions. People start to hate Goh based on what they've heard about him and how people talk about him, not based on how he's presented in the anime.

Take episode 59, the episode Goh catches Grookey. Back when the episode aired and to this day, people called Goh a thief, equating him to Team Rocket and Pokémon poachers. This is factually wrong yet that doesn't stop websites like Gamerant from putting forward this flawed argument: "Capturing Grookey for himself even though he belonged to Jessie goes against the moral code of Pokémon training, regardless of the situation."

That's just all kinds of stupid. No, really, it just is. It makes Goh out to be this immoral, selfish character that will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal. So we're just going to argue that a Pokémon is a piece of property that belongs to someone and has to stay with that someone regardless of how that Pokémon feels or how that person treats the Pokémon. Yeah, that sounds like a perfectly moral position to take. And let's just ignore Grookey chose to leave Jessie, despite the evidence in the episode, because acknowledging that would totally detract from the disingenuous point the writer is pushing here and wants readers to believe/share on social media.

I asked this before and I'll ask it again: so if Goh is a thief, Ash is too, right? Remember Charmander? I did a comparison clip a couple months back, and I ask again, what's the difference:

So going by the logic put forth, Charmander should've stayed with Damian too, because we're holding Ash to the same "standard" here, right? No, of course not, and the whole "regardless of the situation" argument is a terrible and dangerous one because it can be used to justify almost any kind of behavior. 

The same article (and something that gets repeated ad nauseam) is that Goh treats his Pokémon as objects that are a part of a collection and that he doesn't care if his Pokémon rot in Cerise Park. Really? So I guess my photoshop skills are better than I give myself credit for since these scenes totally don't exist in any episode of the anime:

Do we really need a scene in every episode that shows Goh feeding, playing with, and just overall caring for his Pokémon? No, because a fair-minded person that isn't trying to push a false narrative would agree that the anime has given us more than enough scenes inside and outside of Cerise Park that show Goh's love for his Pokémon is just as strong as Ash's, or any of Ash's previous companions. This also extends to Pokémon that were wild at the time too. Goh loves all Pokémon, as I show here. 

On a similar note, do we really need a scene in every episode where Goh battles a Pokémon before catching it? There is nothing wrong with Goh's catching style. It's absolutely legitimate. Pokémon GO!, Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, and Pokémon: Legends Arceus all allow Pokémon to be captured without battling. It's a game mechanic that is now part of the anime, and to say that Goh doesn't work for or earn his captures when this is now common place in the mainline games and highly popular app isn't fair to his character. I guess anyone that plays one of the aforementioned games and catches a Pokémon without weakening it had it handed to them on a silver platter too, right (never mind the fact that there are factors involved like the timing/angle of the throw)?

Again though, it's a misrepresentation of his character that you'll see get tossed around online that Goh, unlike past female traveling companions, doesn't have to work toward his goal when he has everything handed to him (and gets no character development in the process). People still talk about how a legendary (Suicune) was given to him, another disingenuous take intended to get people to dislike Goh by saying how he was given a legendary ahead of Ash, the much more experienced trainer. I talk about that in detail here but I'll summarize my points:

The reason Goh was able to catch Suicune was because it was already significantly weakened. It had been purifying the polluted lake water repeatedly (on top of roaming the world and purifying other bodies of water), so logically, that in itself weakened it somewhat. Then, it endured multiple attacks by the Pokémon Hunters Pokémon. On top of that, it was poisoned. By game logic, attacking and inflicting a status ailment like poison makes a Pokémon easier to catch. Plus, it had ropes around it, causing it to deplete more of its strength as it struggled to escape, when Goh rescued (yes, rescued) Suicune with a Pokéball. 

Goh later on cares for Suicune's injuries, provides it food, and watches over it while it begins to recover. Suicune then sees Goh (and Ash) take a stand against the very people that hurt it and have been contaminating the lake, plus making the forest and water Pokémon sick. Suicune saw that Goh was willing to put his life on the line as the Houndoom came for him. Suicune could see that Goh didn't only care for it, and the forest Pokémon, but Ash as well as he shoved Ash out of the away to protect him from Houndoom.

Why is it that hard to believe Suicune saw Goh as someone with a pure heart, and as someone that only has good and noble intentions? Suicune could very easily see Goh as a force for good in the world and want him for a partner to help rid the world of people like the Pokémon Hunters. Suicune chose to go with Goh because Goh earned its trust and respect. By no means was Goh just handed it without hardship, without forming a bond with it. I thought that was a part of what Pokémon is supposed to be about. 

Sadly, that's not even all of it. Again, if a person doesn't like Goh, or any other character for that matter, that's fine. When a person engages in character assassination though, that's when they lose all credibility. It's those that hate the character that have been allowed to shape the overall perception of Goh in the eyes of many in the fandom, even those that regularly watch the anime. I think Goh would be a lot more popular if people didn't lie about his character (which they do for various reasons, but I won't go into because those would be assumptions on my part).

And while I may sound like an unapologetic 100% Goh stan, I do in fact have opinions as to how the character could've been handled better up to this point and if anyone wants to hear my thoughts on that subject, feel free to ask.

I'm happy though that my blog can be an escape from all of that for you, and for others. I'll happily continue to post and share content, and I still have hope, still believe, there's at least a decent chance that Goh will remain a part of the anime come November. It would make me truly happy to see this wonderful character be given more time to grow and shine, as well as brighten our lives. 💖

[anobscurename]

ocean eyes – chris evans

previous part: PART XI — masterlist

concept: a collection of happenings. the slowest of slow burns. there will be many more parts. an interview is misinterpreted, leading to some awkwardness.

pairing: chris evans x reader

word count: 1,8k

warnings: angst

author's note: i used the name "lily" in slight reference to lily james (no hate to her) but if you, as the reader, is named lily, feel free to use any other name as hers.

There was something to be said about LAX. Status was practically inconsequential in airports. Everyone was either jetlagged or trying to make their flight in time, and everyone had to wait in neatly organized lines. Sure, some moved faster than others, but it was nice to see that everyone was built the same when it came to airports.

You stood, patiently waiting in the collection area of the arrivals. As patiently as you could, practically bouncing on your heels in anticipation. You didn't know why you were there, really.

Well, you knew. You were there to surprise him.

They had wrapped filming the day before, and he had shot you a quick be home soon :) text last night. But you had never picked him up before, instead opting to stay in the comfort of the apartment with Dodger curled up beside you and a batch of "welcome home" cupcakes cooling, waiting to be iced. He'd find his way back by himself just fine every time, so why the sudden change?

Maybe it was the interview you had caught the night before.

It wasn't as if you'd actively sought it – your friend had sent you a link to it in the early morning hours, followed by a barrage of messages that had your nightstand practically quaking from the vibrations of your phone. Knowing she wouldn't let you be until you checked it out, you squinted to see the bright screen before lowering the brightness enough to let your eyes adjust. Cursing the persistence of your friend, you huffed out a sigh and tapped on the link she had highlighted in numerous exclamation points and a slew of unintelligible yet highly suggestive emojis.

It was him. Chris. The flutter your heart gave at the sight of him was a natural occurence at this point, so it was easy to ignore.

Dodger, whose head was resting heavily on your feet, immediately perked up at the sound of Chris' voice the second the YouTube clip began to play.

It was a snippet from a Jimmy interview – Fallon or Kimmel, your brain was too sluggish to comprehend – uploaded fairly recently. If two months was recent in the grand scheme of things.

"Great to be here again, Jimmy," you heard Chris say as you rubbed the bleariness from your eyes.

"Always a pleasure." Fallon. It was Fallon.

Dodger came crawling up to you, nose sniffing the air, trying to console the sound of Chris' voice without the scent of Chris himself. His wet nose pressed into your cheek and you whined in slight annoyance, giving him a slight nudge. "Down, Dodge. It's just an interview. See?"

You turned the phone to show him, and his ears deflated in understanding. You hid a chuckle, pulling him to you for a cuddle, and he dejectedly flopped down onto your shoulder, curling up beside you. "Don't worry, Dodge," you mumbled, placing a small kiss to the top of the boxer's head. "He'll be home tomorrow."

Chris had been gone longer and longer in recent months. You had returned from Vegas in silence, before, once again, everything was back to false normality. What Anthony had said to you still stuck: he was in the profession of pretense. So you allowed him his pretense, even if it pained you at the prospect of having hurt him.

He had disappeared for a few weeks after Vegas, doing PR – this clip must've been from that junket. He returned for a day, before he had left to shoot his new film for the longest time yet: two months, and counting. Dodger was inconsolable, misery evident in the droop of his ears.

It was strange... Even while filming, Chris had never left Dodger for so long. But you supposed you'd been hired for a reason, and filming must've taken some form of toll on him. Enough to not visit his bud.

You turned your attention back to the interview that had been playing throughout your interaction with the pup and willed yourself to focus.

"–anybody you've had your eye on? Anyone new in your life?"

Chris chuckled, looking down and shuffling in his seat. The question was centered around any romance happening in his life, and by the blush that threatened to creep from his already reddening ears to across his cheeks, you knew that he had been caught.

Caught for what, exactly... The interview now had your full attention, exhaustion exiting your body to be replaced by butterflies that felt as though they were travelling through your very bloodstream.

"Oh, man," he smiled lopsidedly. "Where do I even begin?"

He was trying to avoid the question really, and honestly, you understood why. The rumours that would be spread, you could already see the tabloid headlines the next day. You had to remind yourself that this was an old interview.

"Well, according to our producers, the female viewership on the show skyrockets by 48% everytime you're on, so you need to give me something here. Before they come at me with pitchforks," Fallon laughed.

"Well, there is one. We're close, practically living together, but... I don't know. I don't want to risk it, in case, you know... It ruins things. And that's what she's scared of, which I understand. I just hope she gives it a chance. Fingers crossed."

There was a collective "awww" from the audience and the interview very quickly moved on to publicity for his most recent film, but the blood that was suddenly rushing in your ears drowned it out.

Your breath stuttered, your heart hammered in your chest. Your cheeks ached from the smile that seemed to be stuck there, the moment he had told Fallon.

Some part of you scolded you for thinking that Chris was speaking of you, but it was just too coincidental. What he had said, it applied, right? It was applicable to your situation. Directly. There was room for error, but that was practically minuscule. Dodger shifted in his sleep, almost to punctuate your point.

All rational thought of your previous fears disintegrated with that near absolute admission of his feelings.

You tapped on the icon for messages, and typed out a quick response to your friend so she'd know you'd checked it out. It was a non-committal response, neither denying nor fully accepting what she was implying.

On a whim, you checked the text chain you had with Chris. It wasn't a particularly thrilling text chain, very short and quick replies from when he had a free moment on set, interlaced with heart meltingly adorable pics you managed to grab of Dodger. But upon a quick scroll back, one message caught your eye, dating back a week. One that you hadn't thought much of when you first received it, but that now held so much more meaning.

We wrap in a week, I have something to tell you when I get back

You had expected it to be another film role he'd been going for, or maybe a new Broadway show.

You'd let yourself dream, but never let yourself hope. There was too much at stake. First and foremost, he was your friend, and you'd do anything to not ruin it. Anything but kiss him.

But that night, you dreamed.

And that morning, you hoped.

Maybe that's what had you finding out his flight details from his agent, promising a non-life threatening surprise (he had heard about the incident with the baseball bat, and was more than relieved to hear that you were taking initiative in actively not breaking his client's face – as he reiterated a thousand times over "his face pays the rent! HIS FACE IS WORTH YOUR HOUSE!"), and maybe that's what had you stood there, stomach twisted in knots as you waited.

And then you saw him.

And you were simultaneously utterly calm yet filled with butterflies – a refreshing change from the dull ache you had come to grow accustomed to when looking at him.

What you did next surprised even you.

Breaking free from the rest of the eagerly waiting crowd, you sprinted to him and flung yourself into his arms. They wrapped around you, almost as if he was expecting it, expecting you. He lifted you up and spun you around, his laughter vibrating through his whole body and working its way into yours. Your legs wrapped around his waist as you clung to him, and he chuckled breathlessly in surprise.

"Hey, you," he smiled softly down at you when he'd set you on your feet.

"Hey yourself."

And then you noticed her. You had been so happy to see him, that you didn't see her at first. But now you did. You noticed the woman next to him – the one with her own suitcase, the one watching your display of affection with amusement, the one with a beautiful (in every sense of the word) smile etched on her perfect features.

"{Your name}, this is Lily." Chris slung an affectionate arm over Lily's shoulder, pulling her slightly closer to him. He was still smiling from your surprise greeting, but when he looked at her, the smile shifted into something else. Something more. Something that crushed the hope from your lungs. "My girlfriend."

He had said it himself, that night at Vulpecula: you can't compete where you don't compare, and the fact of the matter was, you simply could not begin to compare to a girlfriend. Particularly one such as Lily.

Pretending to be overwhelmingly happy came easy, if not a little forced, and maybe if they weren't so lovesick, they would have have noticed just how pathetic your attempt was. But they didn't notice, and so you threw your arms around Lily in an excited hug. We are in the profession of pretence, after all. "So lovely to meet you!"

You almost kicked yourself. It sounded nothing like you, your voice strained and pitched a little too high. Red flushed your cheeks, but they didn't notice.

"Lily, this is {your name}. My roommate."

Roommate. Ouch. Pretending it didn't hurt when he called you roommate, not even friend, came a little harder. Chris was the actor in your friendship, it was clear enough to see now.

"Welcome to our home," you managed to get out, voice still strangled. You quickly corrected yourself: "His home. His home that I live in when he's not home."

In an effort to busy yourself and extricate yourself from the growing one-sided awkwardness of the situation, you helped Lily with her bags, leading the couple to where the car was parked.

They regaled you along the way with how they met – living together in the same hotel, meeting in the bar downstairs one night, the park dates they took.

When you asked when, the answer had your hands clenching half moons into your palms, a wave of nausea crashing over you like an icy ocean wave. Two months. Two months, and suddenly, that interview made sense.

The entire drive home, you thanked your lucky stars that you hadn't done something stupid.

Something so incredibly stupid, like hoped.

[fenheart87]

Unexpected Ch 1

"Alright class, I know today is a special day and you all have been so eager to drop the school work and get to celebrating but we have one more thing before we can end our work for today." Mme. Bustier smiled brightly at the collective groans across the classroom. "This is a project, you can be by yourself, with a partner or a group or even all work together."

"Mme. Bustier, what type of project is it?" Mylene asked, more excited than confused.

"Marinette as class president I believe I'll let you share with the class." She waved up the ravenette, flipping the white board that showed a loosely detailed plan and a list of everyone in the class.

"Sure thing! And before you say it, no Alya I was not hiding anything from you, we actually set up this a few weeks ago." Marinette teased, falling into her confident planner self as her front row distraction was currently modeling for a perfume ad. "We are taking over the park for a few hours for a class party at the end of the day! Snacks will be provided by the best bakery of course, papa has some new flavors so please be honest on what you think. The best ones get to become part of the menu."

"Oh yeah dude! Bring it on!" Nino cheered, Kim fist pumping the air in excitement.

"First things first! We need to split into jobs, here is a rough idea of what we need done and how many people to do it. If you want to take a few jobs that require only one person go for it! If you only want one or just a group job that's fine too. Please make sure you sign up for at least one as that is considered your participation for today and cross your name off the list."

Everyone jumped from their seats, breaking off into groups and talking about what they wanted to do and how they want to decorate. Marinette waited to the side for any follow up questions or to give directions to find supplies they had set aside for the party.

"Um, mme. Bustier, I don't see my name..." Lila spoke up, pouting slightly.

"Oh! With how busy you, Chloe and Adrien are, I left you off incase you weren't able to make it. Same with Max, sometime his gaming club has plans already. Just made it easier so we dont accidentally sign you up for something." Marinette said brightly, watching as Lila tried to hold her composure at being thwarted.

"Oh thanks Marinette but we do not have plans for today, we are getting together over the weekend. Speaking of, would you like to join us?" Max invited, ignoring the italian completely who seemed to be struggling for a composed face.

"Sure! Although I'm not sure how good I'll be at anything other than mechastrike." She laughed, waving off Markov who was running numbers to argue her claim.

"Looks like you'll have to try harder Rossi." Chloe commented in a smarmy manner. "Sabrina sign us up for something like getting supplies, make it quick and easy. I do not want to be crowded with a bunch of losers."

"Sure thing Chloe, looks like we'll be helping Marinette with the food! We just have to get it from her parents bakery when everyone else is set up." Sabrina wrote their names under Marinette's, handing off the marker to Alix.

"Girl you thought of everything! How did you keep this a secret from me?" Alya accused playfully, throwing an arm around the shorter girl.

"I told you we had a party coming up, you just thought I meant a different kind. Besides you gave me a lot of the ideas and you didn’t know it!" Marinette preened under the positive attitudes and creative ideas that were flowing around the room.

"Marinette you forgot one thing!" Rose spoke up, jumping in place excitedly.

"Oh no, did I forget some decorations? Or did i not ask for enough food? Drinks?"

"No silly! Music!" Rose twirled Marinette causing her to stumble right into Ivan who just got back from the art room. Seeing the boxes she almost knocked out of his hands, Marinette squeaked and flailed a little bit more causing her to tumble down fully.

"Whoa, careful! Looks like I got back just in time." Ivan smiled helping a red faced Marinette from the floor with a free hand.

"Oh Ivan! Good thing you are back! We were just talking about the Valentine's Day party for the class and setting everything up at the park. Marinette, do you think we could ask Kitty Section to play?!" Rose gushed, hands under her chin and hearts in her eyes.

"Kitty Section is busy but I could talk to the leader guitarist, I helped with their outfits when they performed for Bob Ross after all." Lila spoke up drawing everyone attention, confused and angry alike.

"Alya, for once, please just let this happen." Nino whispered, cupping his hand over his girlfriend's mouth.

"Oh! That would be amazing Lila! Just the thing were missing. I cannot believe I spaced on the music selection. It is kind of last minute though, they are super busy... If they can't make it, Nino would you be able to spin some beats?" Marinette chimed cheerfully, snagging one of Lila's hands as she would anyone else before spinning to the frozen couple.

"Sure thing dude!" Nino smiled, removing his hand from Alya's mouth.

"Awesome! Rose, Juleka, Ivan and Mylene can you help Nino with his equipment?" Marinette asked with a grin, blue eyes sparkling.

"Sister-dude." Juleka mumbled as she walked by, earning a bright smile from the shorter girl and giving a small upward squirm of the lips in return.

"Chloe and Sabrina, if there is nothing else you want to help with, maman said we can start boxing up stuff. We have to wait for the tables before we can place them." Marinette smiled and left the classroom, sending one last text to her maman. "Today is a great day!"

__________________________________________

"So the party is at lunch and we get to enjoy the rest of the day to celebrate and enjoy!"

"Looks good so far Nathaniel, Maman said the food is almost done so we will go get it once the tables are setup." Marinette complimented, giving a thumbs up.

"I hope I'm invited this all looks great!" Adrien joked, finally back from his perfume ad. " What can I help with?" Streamers decorated the trees and a huge picnic blanket was. hosting some board games with coolers next to them.

"Hey dude, we could use some help getting the tables propped up so when the girls get back they have somewhere to put the food." Nino waved the blond over to where he was trying to puzzle out the safety latch.

"Adrikins! After this, we should totally go eat at my fathers hotel, I can have them reserve a table for just the two of us-" Chloe began, cut off by Lila who joined in swarming the model.

"Adrien! I don’t know if you've heard but I'm getting Kitty Section to play, I talked to the lead guitarist and since I helped design their costumes, they said they owe me a favor and will play for us!"

Adrien looked uncomfortably between the two girls, looking to Nino for help be he certainly knew Lila was lying. The DJ looked ready to laugh at any moment and subtlety shook his head. His savior came in the form of a blue hair guitarist, who was helping Marinette and dropping off Juleka's hair clips.

"Hey Adrien, Nino. And new girl." Marinette snorted softly, earning a playful nudge. "I heard something about Kitty Section?" Luka listened to Lila's spiel, noting her methods and listening to her true self. "Cool, I wanted to give back the guitar pick to the bass player. She's pretty awesome and I hear close to the guitarist."

"Oh well when they get here you could!" Lila deflected, sliding closer and seeming to just notice his aesthetic.

"Too bad you don't go to our school, things would certainly be more musical if you did." Marinette giggled, drawing a smile from Luka. "I can stop by later for the finishing touches, there's no rush."

"Marinette! You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!" Lila exclaimed, drawing the attention of the entire class, most amused as they knew the blue eyed darling was torn between the two boys.

"You know it is so not cool to blurt out other people's business when it doesn’t concern you. I'd appreciate it if people who don’t even know my name didn't spread lies about me. What Marinette and I have between us, or do not have, is our business and we certainly don't need outside help to figure it out. Unless we ask for it." Luka coolly snapped, leading Marinette over to Rose and Juleka.

"Adrikins!" Chloe would not be letting the little liar work another lie to cover up her being called out. "Dinner tonight, my father hotel of course. Wear something nice."

"Actually I already have plans with Kagami... We're going to see a movie and then have dinner, her mother and my father have fencing ideas to discuss. Hey Marinette, if you and Luka want to join us you can."

"Actually-" Luka stared but was cut off by the shorter girl.

"Double date?" Marinette asked, looking at Luka to confirm, smiling shyly.

"Oh, cool." Luka smiled like the sap he is, drawing giggles from Rose and snort from his sister. "Yeah, double date."

"Text me later?" Marinette blushed, leaning up to kiss his cheek. The sappy sigh had Rose burst into giggles which snapped the taller boy out of his trance.

"Yeah, later." He looked lost for a moment. "Later." Luka repeated and then left, not even caring the cheesy grin on his face was completely ruining his bad boy image.

"Marinette." Alya's voice snapped Marinette back to herself and she became an incoherent blubbing mess of blushing stutters.

[iphoenixrising]

For 700 Followers!

Hi babe.

That is terribly angsty and now I’m intrigued.

(Just a note for babe not familiar with No Home for Dead Birds or Fracture: I write a scene in which Tim literally has a gun to head. This is not lighthearted angst, please be warned if you read this.)

**

At one time, his colors had been red, gold, and green.

At one time, he’d been part of something bigger, something important. A legacy.

At one time, he’d been able to fly without being afraid of falling.

Being Robin had been the epitome. Even with all the terrible things he’d endured, all the injuries, all the catastrophes, all the insane megalomaniacal baddies breathing down his neck, he wouldn’t have traded the tunic for anything in the world.

(Dick had known it, had known how painful it was for Tim give it up once his Dad found out.)

He would have died with the R on his chest and never had a single regret.

Realistically, he couldn’t have been Robin forever, and he’d known that someday he would have to give it up and either move on with his life as a regular person, or take on another name, another mask, to keep fighting the good fight.

He hadn’t expected Dick would take it without a thank-you or fuck you to mark the end. That hadn’t been in the plan.

But it’s fine because Dick was the first and Robin had been his anyway, right?

Right.

Wrong.

Staring down the .45 in hand, the gun his father hadn’t had the chance to use to save his own life, Tim Drake wonders how it all came down to this.

(Last one left standing. Of fucking course.)

How it had all come out so badly, how he could barely step foot back in Gotham, how he had to avoid the Manor, the Carriage House, his own family home. How he couldn’t pick up the phone or answer texts coming from his former team. How he could barely keep himself the fuck together now that Bruce was back. How his hands would start to shake when the Manor phone number popped up (Alfred). How his mind’s eye would go back to Dick at the Big Computer in the Batsuit, telling him they were still equals. How he would imagine what would happen if he hadn’t caught himself when that zip line was cut. How he would sit in his safe house, off the Bat radar, and mourn the times when he was actually–

(happy)

–part of a family.

The pictures from an old Vans shoebox, the ones he’d taken back when he’d had the run of Gotham, following Batman and Robin (Jason), are burning in the kitchen sink. He watches Nightwing’s blurry face melt away and pretends there aren’t tears in his eyes.

The old memorabilia from Haley’s Circus is in a storage unit outside the city, along with a box that has his last Robin suit.

The lawyer has strict instructions to deliver the key and a letter to his former adopted father, Bruce Wayne, upon news of his death so anything incriminating can be properly disposed.

(They wouldn’t need any of it anyway. They could just shred all of it and wash their hands of him. The Robin that never should have been.)

A map with all his safe houses would be send to Conner Kent, along with a letter of apology.

His favorite nerd shirts would go to Ives.

The sundries in his Perch would be for Steph, and the penthouse itself would go to Babs in case things in the theatre went sideways.

Bart would get a zip drive with all their old shenanigans on video, the only copies left once his systems uploaded relevant data to Titan’s Tower and his electronic footprint would be–

gone.

The box with the Red Robin costume he wore was already sealed and addressed to Jason Todd. The note on top was short and sweet: You were right. It never should have been me after all.

He’d already arranged for his share in Wayne Enterprises to be returned to Bruce Wayne immediately, handing him his family’s company back without any strings attached.

Months ago, he’d returned The Red Bird to the Cave when he was sure no one would be around to catch him. The implication that Robin would need the car one day right there in the fact he’d brought it back because honestly, it was never really his in the first place.

Alfred would get his pick of antiques from Drake Manor, and the house itself would be given to the city to be used as a halfway home for runaway teens. He’d made sure the funding would be there to run it for a few years. The donation was made in his mother’s name.

The hilt molds to his palm, the barrel glinting bright in the night. To his credit, his hands aren’t shaky when he slides the clip home and pulls the slide back to put one in the chamber.

(The team had been working fine without him for a while now. Even if they did need someone, there was another Robin to join the roster and keep them moving forward.)

An abrupt light in the darkness, his phone screen lighting up with a missed call notification.

Missed call: Dick the OG

Ironic since the last time he’d come this far, it had been him calling out to the last person he thought could pull him back.

(Not this time. He has a new little brother, a new Robin.)

Slowly, without putting down the .45, he presses the ignore when the phone starts buzzing against with another incoming call. He thumbs the button on the side to turn the phone completely off without listening to the voicemail.

The clip makes a difference, but the absurdity of it, of the last time he did this, was when his future self was a murdering, gun-toting Batman, and the only way he could see to stop it was to stop himself.

The press of the barrel is familiar, and not in that soothing kind of way.

He blinks, just blinks, and his face is wet, which is really stupid because no one is going to miss him any damn way.

His chest gets tight when he fingers the trigger guard, giving himself the time he needs to do it right. In the final moments, he inanely thinks about the time he was huddled against Dick, right after he'd almost tried cloning his dead best friends in an insane attempt to bring them back. It's really the last time he remembers being held, being warm, feeling like he still fucking mattered. It was Dick holding him tight with restraining, breathing against the top of his head, fingers buried in his hair.

It's when he could be weak while still in the mask, babbling to Dick about how he can't do this, he can't lose them all. He was crying then, too, when he told Dick about his mom and dad leaving, leaving, always fucking leaving. About how he got used to seeing their backs more than their faces. How he was left standing on his own for too damn long to just let it keep happening. He couldn't keep losing them, couldn't keep seeing people walk away, how it fucking breaks him.

And in the here and now, his chest hitches, eyes fluttering, hand tightening down because he'd said...and Dick had...

"But I'm here, Timmy. I'm always going to be your big brother!"

It had been the last time he'd been surrounded by the famed octopus hold.

(It was the last time for a lot of things.)

He laughed, smothered in Dick shoulder, something further away from a sob. "Then I guess you'll at least never leave me, right?"

"You will never be able to get rid of me. C'mon. We're going the hell home and having a movie day. Screw the Lazarus Pit, Robin. It's time for some R and R."

Dick had half-carried him to the waiting Batplane and talked him down out of trying to use the Pit for his own gain ever again.

The first knuckle rests on the smooth curve, a six-pound trigger.

(In the end, they all leave.)

(Not again.)

Conner's terrible mohawk and leather jacket.

Bart racing Wally at a hotdog eating competition.

Cassie running full tilt to throw herself at him when he'd come to Titan's Tower to ask them for help when Ra's was going to kill everyone Batman ever loved.

Raven nuzzling Gar out of plain sight so no one would think she was totally gone for him.

Jason coming to the Tower, alive good God, and the Robin he used to be super-imposed to be his hero and enemy in the same ghostly figure.

Bruce putting a hand on his shoulder on a ride back to the Cave, chasing the dawn, the Good work, tonight tired but sincere, and his whole body lights up.

His mother looking at peace in her coffin, a lily in her folded hands.

His eyes close on the out-of-the-way safe house, the plain beige walls, stripped and soulless. He keeps the team in his mind, the times he was happy.

Now.

Instead of a resounding boom followed by his grey matter splattering his personality, intelligence, imagination, him all over–

the wall to the safe house caves in under a super punch.

Conner is white as a sheet on the other side, brick and mortar crumbling under his hands. "No! Tim. Tim. Put. The. Gun. Down."

His mouth is dry and his brain pan full of nothing but pain and disappointment.

(But you brought it all on yourself, didn't you? The Robin nobody wanted. The son nobody asked for.)

He isn't numb enough to be calm, cool, and collected. "All...all you have to do–" a hitch in his breathing "–is walk away."

The meta floats in a little closer, hovering over the flooring instead of outside. His hands stretch out, gaze focused and intense.

"Can't do that, buddy. Looks like I should have been more of an asshole after all the League of Assassins shenanigans. Sorry, my bad."

Kon knows he's in trouble when Tim Drake doesn't laugh.

"Tim," he goes to serious in about two point five seconds because the hand holding that shiny automatic tightens enough for him to hear the screws in the hilt strain, "Tim. It's me here, okay? It's just you and me, just like it's always been. We’re besties, whether you're Robin or Red Robin or Tim fucking Drake because that guy is so damn cool." He inches closer, wondering if he's fast enough, wondering if he can really get to Tim in time–

Like the former Robin can read his mind, those violet-blue eye give him a blink.

"I’ve always wondered if you really are faster than a speeding bullet."

“No!”

(...as it turns out, he isn’t.)

[justin-chapmanswers]

I'm helping my (internet) friends make an object show, and I'm unfortunately not that confident about it, as we're all under 18 and don't have the money to really afford good quality mics or animation software. I'm wondering if you have any tips for people on a budget trying to make an object show for the first time?

Working under a tight budget is tough, that’s undeniable. I think the important thing to keep in mind is that having expensive utilities available does not guarantee success in the first place, it simply makes the process easier. Having the best equipment and software in the world isn’t going to do all that much for people who aren’t familiar with the basics in the first place. If you are incredibly passionate about this work, I would consider investing your money into equipment over time, but for the time-being take your time in that department and really focus in on proving that, as artists, you can make do with what you have.

I am far more interested in consuming media that is bare-bones in its visual and audio presentation but has masterful storytelling than the reverse, and I think much more of your potential audience will agree than the average person assumes. Know your story. Know your characters. Whether or not you will have full control over when your characters come and go (per your decision), it is imperative that you treat each and every installment as its own distinct collection of story and character arcs. If you set up your show in a manner in which you can play every detail out ahead of time, even better! Within an episode, an arc of episodes, or a full season/series you are able to construct interesting narratives in which characters are given obstacles: physical, emotional or otherwise. Especially in an object show you are given a set of obstacles, be it through challenges or the emotional burden of competition. On a budget or not, this is the heart of your show. No matter how the technical presentation comes across you can garner and audience through excellent storytelling. Anyone can do it with practice. ESPECIALLY you!

As for the technical department, itself, let’s talk audio. Back in early 2009 I picked up a ‘lil $10 Logitech microphone at Target and got started on my first voice performance (as Lakitu found here) and I wouldn’t say it’s all that bad. A little bad. Tiny bit. But it worked! Plug in a cheap mic, download Audacity for free, and you’re already well on your way. Audacity isn’t top-of-the-line, but as far as free programs go it works really well, and is probably your lowest priority for upgrading beyond if you choose to bump up your equipment/software. The focus here comes down to putting in a strong, meaningful performance as your character, working around your mic limitations through setup and Audacity editing, and being open to re-recording. It happens!

I’m going to skip over talking vocal performances for the time being (I can always return to that upon request) and stick the practical here. With any microphone set up you’re going to want to do as much as you can to keep your accosting integrity in good standing. What I mean by that, firstly, is recording in a location that absorbs noise. Typically being in echo-y locations, we’re trained to ignore our own voices reverberating (unless it is to an intense extent), so sometimes noticing whether a voice echoes in a recording takes a lot of focus. It’s often not as intense as an echo you’d hear in, say, a cave, just ever so slight to break the illusion of a character being right there on screen and not someone speaking through a microphone. This is solved low-budget quite simply in recording in tight spaces with as much sound-absorbing material as possible. The best option would be hanging up clothes, blankets, or simply recording in a closet- so long as it’s safe. (The higher-budget alternative is buying acoustic foam or utilizing, specifically, a sound booth.) Watch your recording program, find your balance of recording as loudly and clearly as you can while also not getting too close to your audio peaking (the little soundy wave bois not hitting the top/bottom of your recording strip pal). The audio can be made louder or softer later, but peaking is much tougher to fix back up.

It also helps to have any sort of make-shift pop filter you can get together. They’re foam or a screen that you can typically buy cheap that will catch some of the plosives and other weird noises your mouth makes without you noticing before they hit the microphone, which is very helpful in the longterm. And, if you don’t feel like buying them, I know Adam used a sock for a while early on and it worked just fine. Just throw that boi right over the microphone and listen back to how the quality changes. If it’s roughly the same, you’re in the clear for your early, low-budget project.

There’s also plenty that can be done in Audacity to set your audio apart from the rest. I’d say top priority is dealing with background noise. I’m not speaking to parents chatting or the house’s floorboards mysteriously creaking in the background (because that should not be heard whatsoever in your area of recording, listen back to a dialogue-less track of your audio to make sure none of that is coming through), here I am talking to the consistent track of buzzzzz or variation that will come across in any cheaper microphone. The world makes noise, some you can’t hear, and your microphone eats it up. It’ll be in the back of your recording track, and getting rid of it goes a long way. Here the simplest means of going about fixing that is to, at the very start or end of your recording session, record a solid fifteen seconds of background noise without aaaaany noises on your part. Listen back, grab just the few seconds of bg noise that has the most consistent sound without your breathing or other interference, go to effects and hit “noise reduction” (or “noise removal” in other versions), hit “get noise profile,” now highlight eeeeeverything you’ve recorded, go back to “noise removal,” start by setting your noise reduction to around 10-15, and hit “okay.” Listen back and see if that did the job, you may need to make the number a bit higher (I try my best to avoid the 20s). The job here is to use as little of it as possible to get the job done, as the more you use the more of a chance it has at diminishing the quality of your recording. You can also use “equalization” in this process, lowering or boosting very specific frequencies, if you are willing to experiment and get a feel for it. Some others use “compression” to get a much fuller-sounding voice, although if anything I keep this to a minimum and save it more-so for non-narrative pieces where a single voice needs to be dominant.

In the case of audio peaking, clipping, or any plosives/pops/background sounds coming through, you have to be comfortable with re-recording. Going back into your recording spot for a minute goes a long way for a product that you’ll be putting up alone for a forever. This also goes for potentially going in for a strong performance, but that is more subjective and up to a standard you must set, yourself. After that it is your job to bring all the audio from all characters together and balance all of them out neatly volume-wise, pace the recordings out, add in sound effects and music as necessary and balance them out too (a common mistake is making music too loud for the audience to understand what the characters are saying because the sound editor already knows what the characters are saying, so there’s a disconnect). With enough time you will have an excellent audio skeleton for your animation, even with a low budget.

I’ll be honest in that I am much less experienced in animation than I am in audio so I cannot offer all the advice in the world, but here’s what I can say. With the technology available today you are able to create a lot of striking imagery. Whether you use a cheap animation program (do people still use Anime Studio?), Powerpoint, or a more typical program acquired through illegal means (which I would not say here that I condone, but I am aware it happens and people do what people do), there is no stopping you from coming up with unique visuals. I think in the object show community people get pretty caught up in keeping up standard animation conventions, simply making smooth motions and a good frame-rate and making sure everything looks “professional.” That is a luxury, and especially when you are starting out it is far from necessary.

What you want when you are starting out are visuals that are striking. Creative. Memorable. You’re working in animation, the most fluid and fun medium out there! You can spend all day getting bogged down in the basics of movement, which can be important down the line, but what is unique to you is the style that you bring to the table. Make characters do what only animated characters can do. Make characters pose in ways that people can think back on in wonder. As an object show, think of challenges that make characters do the absurd or push them to physical limits. Inanimate Insanity does not get to hit on this often but it is something I value in animation. You can impress people with or without the best animation program in town, it’s just more trying. But far more rewarding.

So much of the magic of object show community is that it works as a training grounds. Create create create! This is the time to do the weird and meaningful things that you might not have an opportunity to create far down the line when responsibilities get in the way. It doesn’t matter in the slightest if your work is perfect, so long as you are creating something and getting it out there and, above all, expressing yourself- I am impressed.

I know that most of this has been more to general show production and not more specifically to object show production, but I think it is important to note that it does work the same as any other show. People will always appreciate good, strong stories, as well as the bare minimum put into your audio and visuals. Effort means the world.

You got this.

[bongaboi]

Iona: 2021 Metro Atlantic Men's Basketball Champions

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- — Rick Pitino ended an Iona team photo, a championship trophy as the centerpiece, by pointing toward a ladder and telling the Gaels to clip the nets.

He knows the way.

From coaching perennial powers to exile to the New York suburbs, Pitino has navigated a vagabond career bathed in scandal and success the only way he can: by winning.

Asante Gist scored 18 points and Pitino took his record-tying fifth school to the NCAA Tournament with Iona's 60-51 victory over Fairfield on Saturday in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament championship.

Next stop, the all-Indiana NCAA Tournament.

"I told them I was packing eight suits," Pitino said. "We have a lot of dirty laundry, and we're heading to Indianapolis."

The 68-year-old Pitino was already the first coach to win national titles at two schools (Kentucky, Louisville) and the first to take three schools (Providence) to the Final Four. He led Boston University to the tournament in 1983.

Pitino was hired at Iona (12-5) last March to — yes, to keep the Gaels among the perennial favorites to come out of the MAAC in March — but in large part to rehabilitate his image after an ignominious end at Louisville.

Pitino had a trying first season trying to orchestrate a tourney bid through a pandemic. He contracted coronavirus and the Gaels were forced to stop four times this season because of virus issues — including a 51-day hiatus that sidelined them longer than any team in the country.

Led by the backcourt of Gist and Isaiah Ross, the ninth-seeded Gaels used a 10-0 run to close the first half at Boardwalk Hall. Ross made the postgame walk through the empty seats and kissed his 10-month-old daughter, Averie.

Pitino, his mask on his chin all game, shuffled side-to-side as if in a perpetual defensive drill, yelled instruction, harangued the officials and somehow in the roll of papers he gripped all game had the formula that showed why in stops ranging from Kentucky to New Rochelle, New York, he landed in the Hall of Fame. Well-traveled — with baggage.

"We've been the No. 1 of No. 1 overall seeds, but with the treatment by the NCAA of me, we might get an 18 seed," Pitino said.

Caleb Green buried a 3 for the Stags (10-17) that brought them to 20-18 in the first half before they faded over the final four minutes. Gist hit consecutive jumpers to kickstart the run and send the Gaels into the half with a 30-18 lead.

The championship game sprinkled mostly family and friends inside the boardwalk venue to liven the atmosphere and there was a nice round of applause when Gist needed help to the bench with an apparent knee injury. With Gist out, Fairfield's Jake Wojcik made a 3 in the second half that made it a four-point game. Gist's absence was short-lived and he hit a 3 in his return to send the Gaels on their way to their fifth straight NCAA Tournament.

"I don't think everybody knows what it's like when we take that pause," Gist said of the start-and-stop challenges.

Pitino took over a program used to playing in March. Iona had completed a good run under Tim Cluess, who made six NCAA Tournament appearances and won five MAAC Tournament titles in nine seasons before stepping down for health reasons, when it hired Pitino. Pitino gave a postgame shoutout to Cluess.

Iona, an eight-point favorite, didn't necessarily need Pitino. Pitino had coached at Louisville from 2001-17 before being fired in a pay-for-play scandal and had been coaching in Greece.

"Louisville is a great program. Unfortunately, some people in life did some things wrong and a lot of innocent people have suffered," Pitino said. "Not only me, but a lot of innocent people that are behind the program and that's disappointing. But I'm the leader of this ship. I said it over and over. I deserved to be fired because if somebody under me did the wrong things, I deserve it."

Iona President Seamus Carey, who met with Pitino in Spain, and athletic director Matt Glovaski ignored the sex scandals and FBI investigations at Louisville and got their man.

"They've benefited from having him in the league and we've benefited from the PR," MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor said. "Now, there was some controversy, but that was a hiring decision. Once they're hired, I work with whoever's there."

Pitino said he intended to finish his career at Iona, calling it "a great way to end a very long career." But there's little doubt the majors will call him again, and that vow of a final stop could instead be simply a stepping-stone toward the next job.

Iona is a school where coaches usually start their careers, not end them.

The Gaels only cared about the final snapshot — Pitino waving the net and draping it around his neck, one more for the championship collection.

BIG PICTURE

Iona: Pitino joined Lon Kruger and Tubby Smith as the only coaches to take five programs to the NCAA Tournament. Ensor credited Pitino for the inspiration behind the MAAC's "Time Out for Black Lives" reading program that focused on Black culture. Pitino selected "A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis."

"For the young coaches that we typically have in our league, he provides a learning experience they would rarely get," Ensor said. "Rick come to us at the pinnacle of his career. He's had all the accolades. Now you have all these coaches with the opportunity to watch him. Sometimes I wish they wouldn't watch him in action. He can be kind of animated on the sidelines and can work the officials like a Hall of Famer."

Fairfield: The seventh-seeded Stags defeated Manhattan, Monmouth and Saint Peter's to reach the final.

"If we keep doing what we're doing, showing up every day putting the work in, we'll be back in this game with a different result," coach Jay Young said.

BACK AT BOARDWALK

The MAAC has one more year left on its contract to play in Atlantic City and Ensor hoped the conference will remain in New Jersey. Ensor said even in a pandemic the conference met its commitment in hotel rooms.

--------

[firefox330]

"The time has come,' the Walrus said, "to talk of many things: Of Covid 19, Lockdown, and the clipping of our wings". This is not mere speculation, nor is it conspiracy theory. Over the past two months I have gathered information from every possible online source, I have studied views and opinions from a diversity of political leanings and ideologies, I have revisited the RSA Constitution and Disaster Management Act. I have again gone over the ANC presidential election of 2017, the machinations and implications of the outcome. I have observed the implementation of the Act and, along with millions of others, have puzzled over the curious regulations attached thereto. And finally, I have called upon my own lifelong observation of the ANC and their peculiar brand of Communism/ Socialism/ Africanism. I post this in shortened form, in plain, rather than academic terms, for ease of reading, but I am prepared to expand on and debate each point. I do not claim to be an expert. The analysis is my own. The opinion is my own. It is an ongoing project. You decide! South Africa: Coup d' Zuma The roots of the ANC/SACP ideology are deeply implanted in Stalinism, with a good dosage of Maoism thrown in. Founded as an organisation to primarily secure equal rights for black South Africans, the exposure of generations of leadership to the Stalinist/Maoist ideology, along with conveniently targeted aspects of African tribal tradition, particularly the elitism of leadership, has morphed into the ANC of today. The failure and fall of Soviet communism has been no deterrent, has brought about no change of heart. China was always ready, willing and able to take over the reins, which fits in perfectly with their expansionist policies. Factionalism has always been part and parcel of the ANC. But so too has towing the line, once any particular faction gains ascendency. For a while. Changing allegiance from faction to faction for personal gain is also nothing new. But it is a fine line that members must walk, for punishments are real, and harsh. Loyalty, however, is lavishly rewarded. Memories are very long in the ANC, and losing a factional battle does not mean that the fight is over. Over one hundred years of scheming, plotting and backstabbing have been ingrained into the institutional memory. Ramaphosa beat Dlamini Zuma by the narrowest of margins in December 17. This inevitably created a situation where promises had to be kept, compromises made, pay offs honoured. The curious situation of the NWC being in the hands of the Zuma faction and the Government in the hands of the Ramaphosa faction has, until now, effectively created a stalemate. Neither faction could fully apply their agendas, thus the stagnant two years of the Ramaphosa presidency. But the factions of the ANC do not sleep. Scheming and plotting continue. Never make the mistake of thinking the factional leadership are stupid. They are, in fact, past masters at playing this game. They have to be. It's life or death. Immense wealth and prestige versus abject poverty and ostracism. They'll use every tool at their disposal, legal or not. Remember too that the ANC NEC considers any member they place in any position a deployee, and may withdraw or redeploy them at any time. South Africa is in the unique position where we are not ultimately led by a president. We have a collective presidency where the majority in cabinet rules. The president is merely the figurehead and spokesperson for the cabinet. And ultimately, South Africa is governed from Luthuli House, not the Union Buildings. The Curious Case of Dlamini Zuma's cabinet position. As a narrowly defeated presidential candidate, one would have expected Dlamini Zuma to be appointed Deputy President, or at least to one of the prestige Security portfolios. Instead, she became Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Now bear in mind that co-operative government is covered in chapter three of the constitution, right after the Bill of Rights, underlining the importance of the cabinet post. The minister effectively has control of all three tiers of government, all provinces and all municipalities. The Disaster Management Act states that DURING THE FULL TERM OF ANY EMERGENCY/DISASTER, THE MINISTER OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE CARRIES THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY! This effectively means that during an emergency, the Minister of Cooperative Governance's authority supercedes that of the President. This means that South Africa is being ruled by Dlamini Zuma and thus, by the Zuma faction. (I use the word "ruled" deliberately, because the Constitution is suspended and laws and regulations are being made by edict). And she rules until the end of Level one! And she determines the duration of each level; And she decides when the disaster is officially over! Covid 19 I am not going to claim that, because the ANC is so deeply and happily in bed with China, they were part and parcel of this worldwide blight. Time will tell if any conspiracy did take place. I am however convinced that if Covid 19 had not reared it's head, the Zuma faction would have engineered a "Disaster". Any excuse would have sufficed. More than likely it would have had to do with the "Land" issue, it would have involved unrest and political instability. But the tools were there for Dlamini Zuma to take over. She and her faction were waiting for this. She is our ipso facto President. Lockdown regulations. So many of the regulations seem to be totally inane. Ill conceived. Not thought through. From the length of time of each level to the silly, irritating minutiae of what we may wear and eat. But knowing the way the ANC schemes, I can assure you that EVERYTHING is carefully planned, thought through, schemed and plotted. It is all very deliberate. Every move is calculated to keep the Lockdown going for as long as possible, to keep Dlamini Zuma in charge. Think back to the start of lockdown. The population largely bought into it. Acceptance. Compliance. Good Humour. Some grumbling, but nothing serious. Even the ban on alcohol and smoking didn't cause much of an outcry at first, because no-one was sure of anything. But now the lockdown and it's regulations are starting to hurt badly. People are talking protest and civil disobedience. And that's exactly what the Zuma faction want. Any reason to extend, to prolong the situation. To keep them in power. And they have the full might of the (already heavy handed) police and military at their disposal. The Bill of Rights in the Constitution provide for certain inalienable rights. Rights that may not be eroded: *Freedom of* *Equality*: Eroded - certain members of the population are not benefiting from disaster relief. And I am not only referring to white people. *Human Dignity* Eroded - The undignified manner in which we are being treated in general, treated as if we are stupid, appeals to reason being ignored, people being belittled and made to perform various acts at the whim of police and army. Etc. *Freedom and Security of the Person* Eroded - We're in lockdown. Not at liberty. *Privacy*: Eroded - How much privacy do we have? They have carte blanche to monitor your communications and everything else. *Religion, Belief and Opinion*: Eroded - Places of worship closed; opinions, even of medical/scientific experts, challenged, belittled, villified. Social media restrictions. Opinion contrary to government actions now indictable. *Expression*: Eroded - Press censorship (social) Restrictions on and witholding of information to the media. Academic freedom now at the whim if the State. *Assembly, Demonstration, Picket and Petition*: Eroded - We cannot by decree, do the first three. Petitions are ignored. Unless they suit the narrative. *Association*: Eroded - You may associate with whomever you want. But just try it! *Political Rights*: Eroded - Try some door to door canvassing! And by decree, it is illegal to campaign against the current situation. *Movement and Residence*: Eroded - You can only go anywhere at the whim of the government. You cannot move home. You cannot live where you wish. *Trade, Occupation and Profession*: Eroded - Who may work, where you may work, when you may work, at the whim if the State. *Property*: Eroded - EWC says it all. *Health Care, Food, Water and Social Security*: Eroded - All aspects a dismal ANC delivery failure. *Education*: Eroded - Total State control over curriculum. Schools and other educational institutions will open and close at the whim of the state. *Access to Information*: Eroded - Sec. 32(a) states "anyone has the right to access any information held by the State". Just try it! Even instances of Dlamini Zuma refusing to release information to the Courts. I began this article referring to the ingrained institutional Stalinism of the ANC. This is now manifesting itself in the current unfolding of events. Everyone is ostensibly equal and free, but the "Elite" are more equal and more free. All of our freedoms suspended. Soldiers on the streets. No dissent tolerated. There are social media groups representing all the eroded Rights. The mainstream media is overflowing with complaint and protest. Serious calls for mass demonstrations and civil disobedience are being made. Beware. Be careful. It's the excuse the Zuma faction has been waiting for, in order to crack down really hard. I am not suggesting blind subservience. We do need to stand up to this tyranny. We do need to stand together. We need the democratic international community to know about, understand and assist in our plight. But most of all, share this and similar posts as far and wide as possible. Forget the 5G, Bill Gates, New World Order narrative and focus on the real and imminent danger to our very existence Let the Zuma ANC know that we know. That we're wise to what they're doing. Greg Deegan

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