#and when she refuses to lose a match so certain people win money

[ms-hells-bells]

i have created an amazing plotline for a future yakuza/like a dragon game featuring a female lead, but i am lazy so i will never write it, it'll just exist in my head until i forget about it in a few days, which is what happens with all the extremely detailed fantasies i make up in my brain every day lol.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

okay so lately I have seen a lot of people claim they hate mammon bc he steals from mc, and like there's nothing wrong with disliking a character lol but I don't recall mammon ever stealing from mc?? like the only thing I can think of is that one time in season 1 I think where he was going through their stuff and said he was looking for something to sell (I think?? it's been a while) and beel straight up calling him a liar lmao l'm just wondered if I missed something? or if this is just newer players who maybe misunderstood that one scene? and I figured if anyone would know it would be you lmao

I got so fucking pissed about this (not at you anon <3) cos this is the third time I got an ask like this, that I scrolled all the way down my 'Obey Me Mammon' tag to June/July 2020 and then slowly scrolled my way up pulling all the receipts I could.....I saw this immediately after you sent it and I just finished now...... turns out it takes 5 straight hours to go through my Mammon tag😶

I have answered this exact same ask twice before and I can only assume it's new people? Like honestly you can't play the game for a long time and still think this (they prove this false within the game in LESSON FOUR)

Not only does Mammon NOT steal from MC, he also:

a.) Gets legitimate/legal jobs whenever he wants to buy MC something (which is pretty frequently)

b.) Shares the money with them when he comes into a large sum of money

But anyway here are the links to the posts talking about all this:

(everything is directly taken from canon or based off canon)

A.) No he doesn't steal from MC

• Full Summary of the Lesson 4 locked chapter where he goes through MC's stuff and a compare and contrast of what we know about Mammon from future lessons, events, devilgrams

• First post talking about this, goes more into detail about him not stealing from them

• Second shorter post about how he doesn't steal from them

• They're literally Partners in Crime

• He straight up refuses the Midas touch (multiple times I believe) after realising it means he won't be able to touch MC anymore

• HEADCANON that maybe he steals/borrows their clothes, with their knowledge, to wear

• In the small introductory manga page they say the thing he likes as much as money is MC

• In S3 he admits to loving MC more than he loves money

B.) He goes out of his way to get MC Presents (which we works actual jobs to earn money for)

• Mammon at the Office Devilgram, where he gets an actual office job so he can buy MC a watch he saw them looking at

• In the Movie Date Devilgram he rents out an entire theatre for the two of them because it was the anniversary of the day they first met

• In the You Always Ride Shotgun Devilgram he rents out a pool for the two of them

• He's always giving MC presents

• Usually he buys matching things for them

• He buys them shoes in their favourite colour

• Mammon's love language

• He wants to share his winnings from a lottery with MC

• He finds a secret second map in the pirate au event and tells only MC so they can share the treasure

C.) It's not just MC, he puts the others before Money too

• In the Presents From Mammon Devilgram he buys presents for everyone

• In The Guardian Demon Devilgram he saves a 9yr old orphaned homeless human girl from a mugger, fosters her and plans to pay for all her needs until she's an adult/can provide for herself - which is why he's always in debt to the three witches who look after her for him, there's also extortion going on from them towards him

• He'd rather lose the entire fortune he won than make Luke upset

• List of times he's put others before money

• He straight up tells Luke he doesn't mind missing out on a reward as long as it means Luke is alright

• Socks for Beel

• He gets a stone for his birthday which can give him whatever he wishes for, he wishes for fortune to come to whoever has the stone and then gives the stone to a student who tried to hurt him

D.) How Mammon works as a character

• Solmare makes you form certain expectations about him and then starts breaking them within the next few lessons and it's amazing to witness

• Friendship, Actions & Reality Vs Calling MC 'Servant'

• Mammon, MC and their Friendship

• Mammon being smart and why he comes off as an idiot

• His thoughts about himself vs MC

• He's actively changing and growing as a character and he knows it

• How Mammon actually views himself

• Why there's a difference in his level of affection in public vs privately

• Jerk with a heart of gold trope but better

• Mammon and how much he cares about consent

• How outsiders see Mammon vs how people from the city see Mammon vs how his close friends and family see him

• Chasing some creep away from MC

• How his relationship with MC changes and grows throughout the season

E.) Other reasons to love him

• Examples of how much he loves MC

• How supportive he & MC are of each other

• Some of his funniest moments

• He's objectively terrifying

• Mammon being a good brother

• He's extremely ride or die for MC

• He waits for MC when they've got to stay late at RAD for other work

• Despite being an ancient being all his best memories consist of the time he's spent with MC

• He created a whole line of toys based around missing MC

• Everything he says about loving MC in his 2022 birthday event

• List of things he's good at

• The amount he loves MC

And this is just a few of my posts about mammon, his character and what there's to love about him

And look it's MORE than okay for people to dislike a character but at least dislike them for something that actually happened?

[tempenensis]

Fushiguro Megumi: the protector

One of the things that makes jjk very interesting is how Gege writes the characters in a way that freed them from a number of stereotypes usually found in shonen manga in relation to how their appearance are. And that makes the character in this manga feels more layered. One of the example is our deuteragonist himself, Fushiguro Megumi. 

Fushiguro is one of characters that make you thought of certain stereotype - but as the story progresses and his character is explored more, he is actually different from the stereotype of dark brooding rival of the protagonist his appearance is based of.

On his first appearance, Fushiguro is shown to be someone serious, seemingly a stickler for rules and formality, as he speaks in honorifics to Gojo in the phone -- even if it’s him saying that he will punch Gojo. When he speaks to Gojo, there’s a strange mix of formality and familiarity, which is a given considering their long history.

He even cites the law of jujutsu for the reasoning of Itadori’s execution right after Sukuna incarnates even though Itadori eats the finger because he is also trying to save Fushiguro. However once Gojo appears and asks what he should do to Itadori, his answer is right on the opposite direction. 

And from this point on, we know that he is never ‘just a simple rival’.

1. Not even a rival

Itadori and Fushiguro’s dynamic is one of the focal point that drives the story of jjk, among others.  

but who’s to say that someone you save won’t kill anyone in the future? 

Fushiguro and Itadori share the same fixation on saving people. While Itadori wants to give “proper death”, or save as many people as he can from curses, Fushiguro rather listens to his own conscience, where he want to give good people what they deserve. And this believe of his rooted from the ‘undeserving’ situation he feels is granted to his sister in this life. This different ideals made the two of them clash during Cursed womb arc, but they settles their difference pretty quickly out of respect for each other, and this connects the two of them closer than them to other characters.

For Fushiguro, Itadori has become someone as important as Tsumiki despite only knowing him for a short time - and likewise, Itadori also thought Fushiguro as important. Fushiguro, in addition, also feels that he bears the responsibility of keeping Itadori alive and shoulders the consequence of every action Itadori and Sukuna does, since Itadori consumed Sukuna to help him in the first place. That is the reason his first fight with Sukuna happens after all; him staying behind out of feeling responsible.

And this responsibility develop into the necessity to protect Itadori, both from  literal harm (the Kyoto students trying to assassinate him) and from metaphorical one. Likewise, Itadori not telling Fushiguro what Sukuna told him is also to protect Fushiguro from the guilt that will consequently arise. 

While there is a bit of rivalry, it doesn’t become something that the two of them fixated on. It does feed on their growth, but this rivalry mostly takes a backseat - it will, when he lives in a world where everything, even the authority, is trying to kill his closest friend and someone he is trying hard to protect.  

2. To die or not to die

Fushiguro’s nature as a protector is rooted in his personality. Because of his upbringing and precociousness, he has his own view of what he think to be ‘good’ and ‘bad' that is very personal to him.

Fushiguro has certain degree ‘sense of justice’ based on his notion. During this flashback, he picks fight with the delinquents not because they attacks him personally and not because anyone asks him for help, but just because he thought that they are wrong in bullying their classmates. 

At first he is not inclined to be a jujutsushi because saving people doesn’t fit into that notion of his. The work of a jujutsushi is in its heart is to save people and it’s tailored for not only the one who has the ability, but also the compassion to do it. Something that is unthinkable for junior high Fushiguro.

It’s Tsumiki’s curse that change Fushiguro. He is started to driven to save people like Tsumiki. And also, if there is someone that can solve the case of Tsumiki’s curse, it will be a jujutsushi.  

He feels that a lot of people he thought to be ‘good’ given unfairness in life. Like his sister who was cursed and fallen into coma, and Itadori who ate Sukuna then received death penalty.

I will save people unequally!

His personal sense of justice drives Megumi to help and save them in his own brand of heroism stemmed from his ego of choosing who’ll he save and who won’t. ‘Good people’ affects Fushiguro deeply that out of respect for Itadori who had died, he does something that usually he doesn’t do. 

While he sees both his sister and Itadori to be the same good kind, he judges himself to be different from them and he doesn’t care if he is ‘not right’. He doesn’t feel that he deserves the salvation as deserved by ‘good people’ and this reflects mainly in his... um... suicidal, sacrificial tendency. 

Every single time he is cornered in battle, he used to resort to summoning Makora - which essentially means he will die. He doesn’t think that his death is matter at all for anyone else as long as his purpose in winning the fight is fulfilled - which actually not necessarily true. 

It’s a good thing that after his training with Gojo, Megumi starts to realize the importance of him not resorting to ‘winning by dying’. This point in Shibuya actually marks a significant development of his character - even if he still summon Makora after.

3. Blood does not necessarily run thicker  

One of the most surprising aspect of Fushiguro is how he readily discarded the identity that comes with his bloodline. A contrast from Kamo and a point that makes their clash during Goodwill event arc very interesting. For Kamo whose mother left him so she doesn’t get in his way to be the family heir, the way Fushiguro easily deny his bloodline of course offends him highly -- it’s almost like Fushiguro does not care about his mother’s sacrifice. 

Well, it is understandable that he deny his bloodline. Regardless that the tradition of the Three Great Families just reek of shit, Fushiguro never experiences normal blood-related family bond since he was born. Everyone who should be his family based on blood never give him the bond other people experience. His biological mother had died, his father left him (and died unknowingly), Tsumiki’s mother also left the siblings. The one who took care of him was Tsumiki and Gojo to an extent, both of whom has no blood relation to him. Gojo even bought him from the Zen’in. And the Zen’in who is supposed to be his blood-related family trade him off easily with money, so it is understandable if he does not feel a strong bond with his own bloodline. 

This is ironically (but in a positive way) very contrast with Fushiguro’s   technique; Ten shadows jutsu. One of Zen’in’s most prized inherited technique is manifested by Fushiguro who deny his blood and passed down by his father who the family refused to acknowledge as one of their own. The technique that also made Fushiguro coveted by the head family that they readily forked over 10 million for him. It’s a very ridiculous situation.    

4. Next ‘strongest sorcerer’

The growth of a jujutsushi is never easy. 

Fushiguro’s growth as a jujutsushi is a difficult matter, way more than Yuuji. Compared to Fushiguro who is already familiar with jujutsu from a very young age, Yuuji is like a child whose growth is still in exponential phase. Since his main weapon is his cursed technique, Fushiguro’s growth as the more settled jujutsushi in this case should mainly come from inside himself. But it’s been a rocky way for him.   

First, his mindset is working against his growth -- because he has Makora to rely on, he tends to summon it readily than try to explore his technique more. Then as fundamentally Fushiguro is someone compassionate, he puts cooperating and matching his level to people around him first -- which actually hindered his growth of ability, because his nature as jujutsushi is on the opposite side.  

As a jujutsushi, Fushiguro’s nature is the same as Gojo and Sukuna; a lone wolf who is the strongest on combat when he is alone. Gojo even implied once that Megumi’s cursed technique has the potential to be on par -- even beat his.

With not one, but two strongest jujutsu users invested in Fushiguro’s growth, I think it’s not an overstatement to say that he will be an incredible jujutsushi in the future -- if his growth does not fail him. And going by the current story development, it is more required out of Megumi to be stronger than ever, both as the person that he is and as jujutsushi.     

5. The future is as uncertain as ever

Now that Gojo is gone, the burden Megumi shoulders will be exponentially rising. More than to stabilize Tokyo back, it is the responsibility that he always feel over of keeping Yuuji as Sukuna’s vessel alive that probably will demand a lot out of Megumi. In addition to losing Gojo and the waking of Tsumiki as one of the Brain’s victims, Megumi needs all the strength he can muster, literally and figuratively, to be able to survive the coming of near future -- even though ironically he is one that is readily dying anytime. 

[porgthespacepenguin]

Thoughts about episode 2.8 (3/3)

Finally, I’m done with this episode. Oh, who am I even kidding, I’ll be back. I’m a woman possessed.

(By the way, watch out for an upcoming post about episode 2.1 because with the benefit of hindsight, this episode was unhinged. They’re toying with us.)

This time, I’ll start with plot things, before I go again on an inevitable Qcard tangent.

(Spoilers under the cut, you know the drill.)

Agnes goes to war

So, finally some movement on the A-plot front. Frankly, I’m relieved. We have only two episodes to go, and team Picard is all over the place:

Q is dying, has no powers, and cannot help them,

Rios has two civilians on board,

Guinan and Picard just lost a day with FBI!Guy,

They have no way home without the Borg queen,

In fact, they have no way home at all,

The Europa launch is in 19 hours,

The Queen has teamed up with Soong to prevent it,

And now she’s assimilating soldiers...

Need I go on?

Given that Queen Agnes needs to travel to the future somehow, and given that La Sirena is already borgified, I’m relatively certain she’ll manage to take over the ship.

Soong, despondent at finally facing some consequences for his actions, has clearly decided who to blame:

Even without his powers, Q is more than a match for Soong, on every conceivable level. But with every minute that passes, Q is weakening a little more, and Soong, already a dangerous man, has nothing to lose. So watch out, Q, please. You have enough problems without a powerful enemy.

The Queen explains to Soong that he has a choice to make:

“(...) two possible futures. One leads to you bringing humanity back from the edge of exinction. They’ll call you ‘the father of the future’. Your statues will grace capitols. Or you die alone, no glory. Forgotten in a pool of your own 90-proof vomit.”

Well, when you put it like that...

Of course, there’s a third option:

“Or... atonement, maybe even... forgiveness?”

But that would require some soul-searching, and wouldn’t get him any statues, so Soong doubles down and sides with the Borg Queen, bringing his considerable means to her cause: money, access to satellites, soldiers...

At least the man is consistent. Consistently evil, but consistent.

So team!Picard is dramatically outgunned and outnumbered. How are they ever going to pull it off?

They probably won’t.

In fact, I suspect things are going to spiral until we’re circling the metaphorical drain: one despair event horizon, potentially coming to your screens in episode 10. Yay?

But because this is Star Trek, this will be the darkest hour before the dawn, and they’ll manage to eke out a win at the last moment.

But it may cost them more than they imagine.

The Agnesification of the Borg

Speaking of the Borg Queen: in my post about episode 2.7, I wrote about the borgification of Agnes; turnabout being fair play, time to flip that thought upon itself.

We know, from 2.1, that the new Queen is different:

The Queen asks for Picard’s help, and later expresses a wish for peace. Utterly unprecedented, for the Borg, who normally behave quite differently, consuming everything in their path like locusts.

At the time of Star Trek: Picard, the Borg are shells for their former selves,

“(…) effectively decimated, functionally hobbled.”

Their civilization is essentially destroyed.

Yet here comes along a new queen, with a new fleet, from somewhere else. And her behavior is at odds with what Starfleet expects from the Borg, seeking negotiation over agression, integration over assimilation.

Something has changed – but what?

Enter Agnes.

Agnes, whose deep, abiding loneliness made her long for the perfect togetherness only the Borg could provide: who has not been assimilated so much as has assimilated herself.

In 2.8, although Agnes is still fighting, the Borg Queen has clearly taken the reins, and Agnes is fading. She’s killing people, eating batteries and behaving like a Borg instead of a human.

But when the Queen tries to kill Raffi, Agnes wakes up and refuses, walking away.

Later, as Raffi wonders that Agnes didn’t kill her, Seven remarks,

Indeed. Mercy is a human quality.

“It’s a Jurati quality.”

Much as the Borg Queen is changing Agnes, so is Agnes changing the Borg Queen in turn. And most likely, they’ll keep changing each other until only the best qualities of both remain.

As Agnes said to the Queen in 2.6 (an episode named “Two of One”!):

“It’s by design (…) 50/50, remember?”

Ultimately, this season of Picard is about the successful integration of the self. Fighting both sides of yourself is not the answer: reconciling them is.

Most prominently, of course, Picard needs to reconcile his brain and his heart. Agnes, on the other hand, needs to integrate her humanity with the Borg in order to chart a new course for them as a species.

Raffi vs. Picard, Heart vs. Brain

Raffi and Picard. What a fascinating pair.

The show cleverly plays them off each other as reverse images of two emotional extremes sharing a similar wound: a desperate fear of loss. 

But when their fear of loss is triggered, the way they react to it is diametrically opposite.

Raffi reacts with her heart and let her feelings overrule her judgement. She clings and manipulates, plucking on the emotional strings of others to get the reassurance she desperately needs: she praises Seven for her ‘Borgness’, guilts Elnor into staying, shames Picard for Elnor’s death… The list goes on.

Picard, her mirror, reacts with his brain and lets his logical mind takes over and shuts down his emotions, using virtue and duty as a shield, at times behaving more like an admiral than a friend.

He just doesn’t let himself get too attached to anyone. If everyone is temporary, and nobody takes root in his heart, then their inevitable loss will be survivable.

Both of them deflect any attempt at vulnerabilty. Raffi shields herself with dark, self-disparing jokes, and Picard with emotional distance:

Raffi and Picard need to find a middle path between the heart and the brain, and ultimately a healthier way to interact with others.

Mirrors, I tell you.

Considering all this, I find this parallel, shall we say… worrying?

Are they really going to do this to us? Have Q die in Picard’s arms?

(If you need me, I’ll be in the drawing room. Crying. In the dark. Thanks.)

Trios and Qcard

Oh, look, a Qcard tangent! Honestly, is anybody surprised at this point?

Because of Tumblr’s dumb-as-a-brick image limit, however, this section is now its own separate post.

That said, I encourage you to read it because CHOICES WERE MADE, and this show is unhinged for it.

Not, mind you, that I’m complaining.

That’s all folks

For now, at least.

If you’ve followed my ramblings across all three posts, I must commend your saintly patience and thank you heartily for reading. ❤️

Or, if you haven’t, and for some reason have a itch for more incoherent ranting:

And more: masterpost.

Episode 2.8 Part 1 (Q-card)

Episode 2.8 Part 2 (Soong vs. Q)

Also, feel free to ask me anything, should it tickle your fancy.

(I’d also encourage to read @celestialwarzone​‘s excellent metas if you haven’t already:

Cirque du soleil (Q and the sun)

Through a door, lightly

The meta to end all metas (upcoming)

You certainly won’t regret it.)

Read more:

[Back to part 1] [Back to part 2]

[five-rivers]

Auction

For @skellagirl

.

“Hey, Jazz,” said Danny, leaning into Jazz’s room, one hand on the doorknob, the other braced against the jamb. “Wanna help me mess with Vlad?”

“Do I?” responded Jazz, pushing her chair back. “What’s the plan?”

“Well,” said Danny, “Vlad left one of his creepy spy bugs in the kitchen again, and I was thinking we could have a loud conversation in front of it about how Mom’s going to that charity bachelor auction.”

Jazz frowned. “But she isn’t. She’s married.”

“Yeah, that’s the point. Vlad’s delusional.”

“Ah, I see,” said Jazz. “Yeah, let’s do it. Should we write a script?”

“Maybe just a backstory. I work better with improv.”

“I’ve seen your fights, Danny. You definitely do not.”

“That’s cold.”

.

Maddie was not here, and Vlad was going to commit murder. Just a little bit. The victim was already half dead, after all.

His teeth squeaked as he forced himself to smile at the vapid, crowds of rich single women below him. He could not, unfortunately, back out now without losing quite a bit of face. The only consolation he had was that he had already communicated the need to eliminate the wealthier bidders, so that Maddie’s bet would win, to his ghostly servants. If only he could get away from the crowds and duplicate himself to take care of the others…

But that would be suspicious too, wouldn’t it? He had to let at least a few bids go through. And some of them had to be high, otherwise he’d never hear the end of it from his ever-aggravating business associates.

Curse them and their golf-playing buffoonery. He didn’t even like golf. It took so long.

When his name was called, he went out onto the stage like a man expecting to be hung. Why did anyone think this kind of thing was a good idea? This was humiliating. Ninety percent of the people bidding were after his money one way or another, he was sure.

Not like Maddie.

He sighed and refused to make eye contact with anyone in the crowd as the auctioneer called higher and higher values. Finally, the number stopped climbing, and Vlad lowered his gaze to see who, exactly, he would have to waste a day with.

Well. At least it wasn’t someone who was after his money.

.

“So,” said Harriet Chin, not even bothering to hide the recorder she held in her hands, “Vladimir Masters. Do you have a statement regarding the Whole World Mission scandal?”

“Harriet,” said Vlad, “please, we’re supposed to be on a date.”

“Yes, and I get to decide our activities. And I want an exclusive interview with the elusive Vlad Masters. That’s what I paid for, after all.”

“And here I was, thinking that it was my ravishing, good looks.”

Harriet snorted. “Maybe for someone who didn’t see you and Jack in that ridiculous hot dog eating contest. Although,” she leaned back appraisingly, “you did fill out since then. Actually… I’m sort of surprised at how early the bidding topped out. Was the room filled with bitter exes, or is there some scandal I don’t know about?”

Vlad rolled his eyes. “I confess, I’m as surprised as you.”

“Now, that’s a lie,” said Harriet.

“Excuse me?”

“You still have that tell from college,” said Harriet, smugly.

“Excuse me? I do not have a tell.” If he did, he had to identify and get rid of it as soon as possible.

“You do,” said Harriet, still grinning.

Vlad weighed the pros and cons of simply overshadowing her and making her lose the day. She’d probably claim that he drugged her or something. Curses.

He sighed, heavily. “At least let me take you out to a restaurant instead of,” he flicked his fingers at his surroundings, “just standing here.”

“Oh, I don’t know. A person’s house can tell you a lot about someone. Didn’t your Wisconsin home blow up? What was up with that, anyway?”

“I released a statement regarding that some time ago,” said Vlad.

“Wasn’t it also raided by the government?”

“That was a misunderstanding. And I also released a press statement about that incident. It shouldn’t take you more than, oh, an hour to look it up online.” This wasn’t entirely true. Once it was out of the immediate spotlight, Vlad had spent quite a bit of money to have the whole story scrubbed. “Dinner? I am paying.”

Harriet looked thoughtful. “Alright, but I’m picking where we go.”

“Of course,” said Vlad, graciously.

.

He regretted everything.

“Harriet, I know Amity Park is small relative to, say, Chicago, but, really… There are good restaurants here.”

“Yes,” said Harriet, “but I wanted to eat here.”

Vlad grimaced and tried not to look at the booth where Daniel and his juvenile delinquent friends were sitting and filming him with a handheld camera.

“Of course,” said Harriet, apparently unbothered by the stickiness of the booth bench and the screaming of children in the other part of building, “if you wanted to go back to a more private setting so that we could continue our interview—”

“No, no, this is quite alright. I said I would get you dinner, and here we are, eating…” He glanced at the menu with derision. “Food.”

He could, just barely, call it that. Even if he’d discovered during his short-term ownership of the chain that certain of its condiments could be used as mid-grade explosives. He didn’t know how Daniel could stand it.

(On the other hand, he had to admit he was enjoying this. Just a little. He so rarely got to match wits against a competent adult.)

(Maddie didn’t count—He was trying to woo Maddie, after all. They were practically on the same side.)

Valerie Grey, looking intensely weirded out, brought their order to their table. Harriet, unperturbed by the grease leaking through the paper wrappings, began to sort though the offerings for the cheap chicken burger she had ordered. Vlad, meanwhile, stared down at his sandwich.

Someone had put an ectoplasm antagonist in the dressing. He glared at Daniel. He didn’t know how the boy had done it, but he was going to pay for it. Along with setting him up for this ridiculous ‘date.’

“Aren’t you going to eat?” asked Harriet.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Oh, stop being such a snob. I remember you and Jack living off of instant ramen.”

“That was then, this is now,” said Vlad.

.

“Seems to be going well,” said Tucker, adjusting the lens on his camera, “all things considered.”

“Kind of surprised they’re here of all places, though,” said Sam.

“I think Ms. Chin’s just trying to get a rise out of Vlad, to be honest.” He’d stopped looking at them, though, instead frowning at the kitchens. “I think Valerie put something in his food. Do you think we should do something?”

“Not really,” said Tucker.

“Yeah, I’m going to choose Valerie every day over the old rich white guy who wants to kill your dad,” said Sam. “Even if she has some slightly homicidal tendencies regarding you.”

“Fair enough,” said Danny. “Want to stalk Vlad and his date until they drive home?”

“I don’t have any other plans,” said Sam, easily.

“Same,” said Tucker.

“Cool,” said Danny.

.

“Are you frequently stalked by teenagers?” asked Harriet.

“No,” said Vlad.

“And isn’t that Jack and Maddie’s son?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Oh ho, there’s a story there, isn’t there?”

“A private matter, I assure you.”

“When you’re as wealthy as you are, Vlad, nothing’s a private matter anymore.”

“I fear I must disagree with you on that count. Where are we going, anyway?”

“It’s a surprise,” said Harriet. “Unless you want to give me that interview.”

“Ugh. No.”

It was a miniature golf course. Of course it was. He could never escape from the accursed ‘sport.’ At least the miniature version was marginally more tolerable. Or it would be, if Daniel and his pack of friends weren’t able to follow them in.

… Or maybe they wouldn’t follow them in. The trio veered off suddenly right before the exit. Vlad smirked. Not enough cash for the little badger to get in, hm?

This assumption was disastrously disproven when a ghost fight tore through the Astroturf that covered the third hole.

Harriet was very nearly thrown into the pond, but Vlad managed to catch her at the last moment.

She was blushing.

Butter biscuits.

.

“Well,” said Harriet, “that wasn’t the interview I wanted, but it wasn’t a total waste of time. Same time next week?”

“Fine, fine, whatever you want,” said Vlad. Then what he said caught up to him. “No. One date. One date was all you paid for.”

Harriet pretended not to hear him.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Monopoly Ask Meme Eyeshield 21 Edition

Send me a fandom and a number and I’ll tell you

1. Who is the banker?

Mamori is the only one everyone trusts enough not to cheat or play favourites so she ends up being the banker. She never minds though. She can only imagine what would happen if anyone else was the banker

2. Who is overly protective of a certain game token and refuses to play until they get that token?

Oddly enough, it’s Kid and that top hat. He must play as the hat or he won’t play at all. Of course, given the amount of work it took to get him to play in the first place, despite some grumbling, he always gets his way.

3. Who is the person that everybody always suspects of cheating even though “OH MY GOD IT WAS ONE TIME”

Taki hates the game. Loathes it. Wants it to be over quicker than it is. And so he might have cheated just once. Just a little. Not even badly. But he was caught (he’s a very obvious and flashy cheater) and he has never lived it down. Why he still plays is a mystery to him.

4. Who is the person who cheats and gets away with it because no one suspects them?

Suzuna. She looks cute and innocent and nobody would ever figure her for someone who would cheat but don’t let her fool you. She plays dirty and she plays to win.

5. Who buys everything they land on with a YOLO approach and no strategy?

Shin. To be honest, he just doesn’t understand the game.

6. Who suggests that they liven it up with alcohol?

Agon. Yamabushi. The Ha-Ha Brothers. Kid. Hell, even Kakei has been okay with the suggestion if only to forget the torture that is Monopoly.

7. Who has a very stringent strategy and is willing to do strange requests and weird dares in exchange for the properties they want?

Akaba. He’s definitely playing some kind of strategy and plays it hard. It’s just that no one really understands his strategy and it really doesn’t help him win. It’s just nonsensical and everyone just kind of likes making him do such outlandish things with his typical straight face. 8. Who INSISTS that they play by the rulebook TO THE LETTER?

Definitely Unsui. He’s a big fan of following the rules of a game and tries to keep the game to the rules instead of letting it fall into chaos.

9. Who throws the rulebook in the other person’s face and makes up new rules to make it better?

Is it any surprise that it’s Hiruma. Hell, he even goes back and changes his own made up rules sometimes just to make the game more interesting. Well, more interesting for him, at least. 10. Who has ridiculously good luck with the chance cards to the point of suspicion?

Okay, but is Riku storing all those really great chance cards up his sleeve and just pulling them out when he needs to? If it wasn’t for the fact that everyone knows he’s too aboveboard to cheat, they would honestly accuse him of it for how lucky he gets.

11. Who lands on all the taxes and as a result vows to vote for a different candidate in the next election?

Panther has terrible luck with board games. While he has natural luck in almost everything else, the man should never, ever touch a token or a set of dice because he will be guaranteed to lose.

12. Who goes bankrupt first?

Monta. He’s just really, really terrible at managing his money.

13, Which two people get into a screaming match?

With these people, who isn’t screaming at each other? Aside from the more stoic members of the teams, tempers tend to flare up, especially when any kind of game is involved and Monopoly tends to bring out the cut-throat attitude in everyone.

14. Which two people are secretly collaborating for a joint victory?

Agon and Hiruma have teamed up to win. They work really well together and secretly have plans to double cross each other anyway.

15. which two people are openly collaborating for a joint victory?

Everyone knows the Ha-Ha Brothers are all helping each other out and are a solid, united front.

16. Who flips the table?

Mizumachi does but not on purpose. He just is so rambunctious and gets so fidgety and flighty because he gets bored within ten minutes of playing that he starts goofing around and either flips the table or knocks the board over or something along those lines.

17. Who is the sore winner who in any other circumstance would be the one flipping the table?

Clifford does not lose gracefully. He hates losing and if he could, he would flip that table to keep from being defeated.

18. Who anonymously calls in a bomb threat to end the game early?

Marco. He does it both to keep from losing and because he really does not want to do this anymore. There’s a couple people who have cottoned on to what he’s doing but appreciate what he’s doing too much to call him out on it at all.

19. Who is the smart person who refuses to play in the first place?

The second Monopoly is mentioned, you would swear Musashi was aiming to beat Sena’s speed record. He’s having none of that shit.

[mimi-cee-hq]

A Pikachu for You - Kenma x Reader

Getting together headcanon stories from match-up requests

Summary: Ever since Kenma saved you from your freak-out in class, you had a crush on him. He noticed you often glancing at him playing his video games and then you started to get to know each other.

Genre: Cute fluff

Words: 805

A/N: This is from an anonymous match-up request. I know this anon loves Kenma so I tried to see if I could come up with a story with him and it worked.

Match-up stories taglist: @nxlx96, @nagichi-kenma, @muffins-puffins (let me know if you want to be added or removed)

When you freaked out over the buzzing near your ear, everyone in class stared at you. Now you were both embarrassed and scared.

Nobody else knew what was going on and you couldn't get the words out to explain what happened. But then you heard a "whack" behind you. "I got it," Kenma told you plainly. And then he gave you a small and soft smile.

That was when you started to have a crush on him.

You started to steal glances at him and would sometimes peak over his shoulder to see what video game he was playing.

Kenma obviously noticed so he told you he was playing Pokemon.

Because you were interested, he started teaching you about different strategies you could use and which moves were the best to keep for each pokemon.

With all the information he was sharing with you, you suggested he should make a tutorial video and maybe even post it online.

He had never made a video of himself playing and explaining things before. So you helped him out a bit because you had some experience with video edits. You even drew thumbnails for his videos.

You both had fun with this new project and messaged each other often to collaborate on his videos. You accidentally showed your sassy side because it was easier to talk to your crush when he wasn't right beside you.

Kenma was slightly surprised and commented on your sass at school the next day. When you got embarrassed about it and became flustered because he was standing right in front of you, he started to consider the possibility that you liked him.

After a couple of months, you got more comfortable with each other. One day you commented on a hoodie he was wearing, mentioning that it looked really comfortable. When he offered to give it to you, you got flustered and tried to refuse. He smiled, now fairly certain that you liked him.

You got anxious that Kenma's videos weren't getting a lot of views. He mentioned that just because the number of views were low, it didn't mean the video was bad. He continued to explain that it depended on the video platform's algorithms and that they just started out.

You were discouraged because the two of you worked so hard. But you knew he wasn't sugar coating his words to make you feel better. Kenma said things as he saw them.

One day, Kenma invited you to come to an amusement park with him, knowing you liked them. But when you found out that Kenma didn't like roller coasters, you felt bad. He told you he invited you anyway, knowing there were other things you could do together.

You both walked past the carnival games and Kenma saw you eyeing the stuffed animals. He usually wouldn't try the games because he thought they were rigged, calculating the probability of winning in his head. But of course you eyed the large stuffed pikachu, reserved for the most difficult games.

So as you two ate some ice cream together he watched the various people playing the carnival game. When he finally thought he understood how to improve his chances of winning, he approached the game area. He knew his chances were still slim but he wanted to try anyway.

After losing a few times, he started getting competitive. You told him he didn't have to keep trying but he said he was using the small amount of money he earned so far from the videos' ads. When you complied, he got really focused at trying to figure out how to beat the game. You thought it was cute and you liked seeing him like this.

He continued to play while you went to buy some drinks. As you walked back to him, you saw him suddenly turn around, looking for you. When your eyes met, he said with a large grin, "Y/n! I won!"

That wasn't a sight you saw too often so you froze in place and felt your cheeks heat up. When he got the large stuffed pikachu, he placed a necklace over its head. The necklace had a large pokeball as its pendant. He walked over to you and you were shaking for some reason.

"Here," he said. "This is for you." You took the pikachu and he gestured at you to open the pokeball pendant.

There was a little note inside: "Are you an HM move? Because I can't seem to forget about you."

So now you felt like dying, wondering if this was really happening. But then Kenma saw the note and muttered Kuroo's name.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Kuroo must have put it there. That was not how I wanted to ask you out."

That was the killer blow for you.

"Y/n? Are you okay?"

I hope you liked it. (Please don’t die on me, anon. lolll.) Fun fact: my s/o used to do pokemon strategy videos at one point so he was my reference for that part of the story. lol.

If you liked this one, check out my other stories in my masterlist.

*****

Match-up Request:

Hey, I'd like a HQ matchup plz! I'm a 5"4 straight female who is a little on the chubby/curvy side. I have longish blonde hair and blue eyes. In terms of personality, I'm a depressed and socially anxious little bean, but with the right people I can be sassy and fun. I like to play video games and watch anime (provided I'm in the right mood). I also like to make edits, write and draw sometimes. I'm okay with some physical contact like cuddling and hand holding, but PDA should be limited.

I like to wear hoodies and graphic shirts because I don't feel comfortable in "fashionable clothes" (I think I look like a potato). I have a lot of weird quirks like my phobia of pretty much any flying insect (but especially bees/wasps/flies bc I hate the buzzing noise they make). I love plushies and cute things. I'm the type who likes to do something if they go out (e.g. I'd prefer to go to a theme park rather than sun bathe at the beach). Ran out of things to say, hope I did okay ^^;

I love stuffed toys a lot - most of mine are Pokémon plushies.

So because I accidentally told this anon that I didn’t get her request, she had two versions. lol. The last line is from her second version.

[johannas-motivational-insults]

Catra’s refusal to admit mistakes

Something that seems to baffle much of the SPOP fandom is why Catra can’t just admit her mistakes and try to do better instead of continuing to dig herself a deeper and deeper hole. To be fair, the situation is very baffling. It’s complex. There are a ton of psychological issues in play, and when they interact things can get very messy. I’m going to do my best to explain Catra’s thought processes and hang ups and hopefully not write a fucking novel in the process. (But if you do want a novel that analyzes these concepts in a lot of depth, go check out my fanfic Demons. Shameless self-promotion, whaaaaat?)

I have already gone into how Catra’s external locus of control comes into play, so I’m not going to break it down in as much detail here. To sum it up, though, Catra has an internalized belief that she can’t really control anything and isn’t responsible for her behavior since it’s not her fault she was put in a shitty situation in the first place. She doesn’t believe she had any choice but to be the villain. This is deeply rooted in her fearful and abusive upbringing where she had little to no control over what happened to her. A large part of that is how consequences didn’t match behavior, i.e. she wasn’t rewarded for being good and her punishments were overly harsh as well as inconsistent, affected by external factors.

There’s also the sunk cost fallacy to consider. That’s the idea that you have to get something out of your investments (of time, money, effort, etc.), even if the costs keep piling up. (In terms of money, think of people who gamble larger and larger sums of money out of determination to win back their initial bet.) For Catra, this fallacy has convinced her that if she changes course and gives up on her goals, then everything she suffered in the Horde and all the effort she put into moving up in the ranks would be for nothing. She thinks getting to the top and proving her worth/winning respect would be the ulitmate triumph. Of course, we see her struggle with disillusionment over this in season 4, which helps set the table for what we hope will be a redemption arc.

These are only two examples of the ways Catra’s abusive upbringing affected her ability to admit her mistakes. The effects of abuse (especially in one’s childhood) are pervasive, affecting your thought processes and perception of the world in a million little ways that are hard to undo. I’m going to dig deeper now into some of the other reasons Catra struggles with this. They include an authoritarian environment, scapegoating, toxic leadership, poor behavioral modelling, an exaggerated fear of punishment, and the resentment of injustice.

(Please note: in this meta I’m not trying to make excuses for Catra and say she should not have to accept responsibility for her mistakes because she was abused. My aim here is to explain why it’s so difficult for her to shoulder blame in hopes that people will better understand her.)

Also under the cut, I’m going to finish this meta by examining how Angella and Glimmer are foils to Shadow Weaver and Catra, how Glimmer had a better example set for her and has now set an example for Catra.

Authoritarianism, injustice, and fear

It’s important to understand that Catra was raised to believe that apologizing or changing course makes someone a weak person or, worse, a bad leader. As Adora says, displays of weakness are strongly discouraged in the Horde. And in an authoritarian, militarized environment like the Horde, admitting mistakes is seen as a sign of weakness. You will very rarely, if ever, see authority figures admit they were wrong, let alone try to make amends for it. And since rank/pecking order is so important in these environments, that behavior filters down because no one wants to be at the bottom.

Fact is, no one who was raised in the Horde is good at admitting they were wrong (except maybe Scorpia, but she’s Scorpia). Even Adora is bad at this. She takes on responsibility for everything and blames herself when things go wrong, but that self-flaggellating catastrophizing is not the same as critically evaluating one’s actions and their effects on other people. That in particular is something she struggles with.

This may be a problem in the Horde at large, but it’s even harder for Catra to admit her mistakes because she has been blamed for a lot of things unjustly, as well as bullied by her peers and abused by her superiors. Accepting blame for anything feels unfair because she has already suffered the consequences of many things she did not do. In her mind, hasn’t the world punished her enough already without humiliating her over the mistakes she has made? Her defensiveness makes sense, in this regard.

Not only do abuse survivors tend to be defensive and angry at the world for the unfair lot it gave us, we have a very hard time being vulnerable with anyone. Because what if they hurt us too? Admitting mistakes and accepting their consequences puts you in a very vulnerable position, and when you are used to being punished unnecessarily harshly and/or undeservingly, submitting yourself to someone else’s judgment is terrifying. These experiences (especially when they occur at a young age) wire people a certain way, make you constantly afraid even when there is no need.

Toxic leadership and poor behavioral modelling

Returning to the environment factor, where do you think Catra learned this behavior of shirking responsibility for her actions? Fact is, Catra never had anyone model to her how to say, “I was wrong, I’m sorry, and I will try to fix it.” Militarized environment or not, Shadow Weaver and Hordak aren’t the type of people who are willing to admit their own mistakes and failures. They come up with excuses or pass the blame off to other people, usually Catra. Whenever something goes wrong, Hordak blames it on Catra and all her “failings.” Whenever Adora disappointed, Shadow Weaver assumed it was because Catra was holding her back. Catra is their scapegoat. They do not apologize to her, acknowledge any harm they’ve done to her, or make any attempt to fix it.

This is especially true of Shadow Weaver, who raised Catra and was the main adult in her life throughout her childhood. Even when confronted with the damage she has done to Catra, she refuses to accept responsibility or acknowledge any wrongdoing. We have seen this in literally every season in which they interact. Catra is rightfully salty about her unjust treatment but Shadow Weaver brushes off her anger, making excuses or sidestepping the accusations.

In 1x10, Catra throws Shadow Weaver a bit of shade while comforting her after Hordak gives her a scathing lecture. Shadow Weaver immediately deflects with an insult before acknowledging her own behavior but not its detrimental effects or her responsibility for it.

Catra: Don’t worry about that thing with Hordak. I've got loads of experience being yelled at. Mostly by you, actually. You get used to it.

SW: I will not get used to mediocrity like you, and I certainly don’t need your pity! ...I was hard on you, I won't deny it, and I won't apologize. I just wanted to prepare you for the world. I wanted you to be strong.

In 2x06, Catra flat out confronts her about it, and she offers a justification for her behavior, still refusing to show any remorse. When Catra persists, she sidesteps it by responding to another part of her outburst.

Catra: Why did you treat me the way you did? Why was I never good enough for you? Really, I wanna know.

SW: Because you remind me of myself. You always have. Nothing was ever easy for me, either. I wasn’t born to power like Adora and... others. I had to earn my power, fight for it. Why should it be any different for you?

Catra: I was a child when you took me in! What could I have possibly done to deserve the way you treated me? I am nothing like you! You are old, and bitter, and weak!

SW: Ah, but you are like me. And just like me, you’re losing your position with Hordak, I can see that even from my cell.

In 3x04, Catra has all but lost hope, throwing shade and heavy accusations at Shadow Weaver. But she does make one last desperate plea for acknowledgment of the harm done to her, right before she’s hit by the crushing realization that she has once again been pushed aside for Adora. Here, Shadow Weaver doesn’t even react to the emotional content of Catra’s statement.

SW: Catra, there’s no need for us to be enemies. I can help you. I can offer you a way out.

Catra: So, what? You’re on the side of good now? You made me this way, and you get to be the good guy? Do you know what happened to me after you escaped? Do you even care? You couldn’t wait to get away from here, from me! ...But you came back for Adora.

SW: I came back to stop Hordak. I will make sure he’s destroyed. Don’t make me destroy you too.

Saying she came back to stop Hordak is sort of an excuse, but Shadow Weaver doesn’t say it like she’s trying to appeal to Catra, unlike the two earlier conversations. Once Catra rejects her offer (which we know is disengenuous, to boot) she doesn’t even bother pretending to care. Catra’s resisting her manipulation and is no longer someone she can use, so why bother?

Notably, this is right before Catra learns about the dangers of the portal (i.e. that she made a mistake when she resolved to open it) and tasers Entrapta for trying to stop her, then immediately doubles down on that mistake by sending her to Beast Island. She got one more example of refusing to acknowledge her mistakes or accept accountability right before she does it herself. The statement “Adora was right” definitely gets to her too, but she was already in an unhinged state after being tortured by Shadow Weaver, once again with no apologies. Just something to consider.

So, Catra came from this environment where she got blamed unfairly all the time yet never got any sign of remorse from the people who hurt her. As I alluded to above, in this kind of situation it’s really easy to slip into the mindset of “why should I apologize when no one ever apologized to me?” (Especially if you’ve been through a lot of forced apologies, which are always humiliating, but particularly so when you are being unfairly blamed.) This is not an easy cycle to break. When you have this constant sense of injustice weighing on you, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking the world owes you something as payback and therefore you shouldn’t have to try to better yourself or move past it.

This also ties into Catra’s obsession with getting a win when she is someone who seems fated to always lose, no matter what she does. It’s not just about getting back at Adora, it’s about settling her score with an unjust universe that has always given her the short end of the stick. It’s pride and indignation and pain all mixed up in one toxic soup that pollutes the minds of the abused, and it is not easy to get over. Watching Catra hopefully start to do that in the final 13 episodes is going to be incredibly cathartic.

Glimmer and Angella as foils and examples

Full disclosure, I am writing this meta partly in response to people shitting on Catra and acting like Glimmer is so much better than her after I made a gifset contrasting their reactions to realizing their mistakes. So, I want to finish by comparing all of these observations about Catra’s upbringing with Glimmer’s upbringing. Angella is by no means a perfect parent, but she loves her daughter and tries to do what’s best for her. Most relevant to this discussion, she’s willing to admit her mistakes or change her mind when presented with new information.

For instance, Angella flips at Glimmer over the invasion by the Horde soldier in 1x03, but once she learns said soldier is She-Ra she listens and puts faith in Glimmer’s judgment, despite her misgivings. In 1x10 (in a great parallel scene to the Catra/SW one mentioned above), Angella surprises Glimmer by caring more about her well-being than her mistakes, and she admits some of her own: she ordered the battle that got Micah ‘killed’, and she gave up on the first alliance. She literally says, “I am the one who failed.” And in 3x06, she sacrifices herself in an attempt to make up for all the times she failed to act and protect people she loves.

Angella has enough humility to admit her own flaws and consider other viewpoints, and she’s not afraid to change her mind or say she’s sorry. That set a much better example for Glimmer growing up than Shadow Weaver did for Catra and Adora. And now, Glimmer has set an example for Catra. When Catra is at her lowest in 4x13, drowning in her mistakes and self-hatred and wanting to die, Glimmer shows her that she too can change course and try to correct her mistakes.

Like, did you all see the look on Catra’s face when Glimmer says she can’t use the weapon and needs to try and stop it? When Glimmer gets up Catra follows her, because this is such a compelling sight to her, something she’s never seen before. It was almost like she was thinking, “Wait, you can do that? You don’t have to double down on your mistakes?”

This is something Catra has to see, not only for its novelty but because it could give her guidance, and hope. If Glimmer can change course and atone, maybe she can too.

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP Meme from "Chapter Four: Flowers and Seeds" in the Children of Gaia Tribebook from "Werewolf: The Apocalypse"

Some offer quarter to enemies that seem repentant, willing to take the risk of betrayal in the hopes of redeeming a soul that all others would consider lost.

It’s not an easy task.

Hey, stupid, that light is green!

At least your mother tried to keep you

You’re contrary, but not as a joke; you legitimately believe that playing devil’s advocate is a good and necessary part of any important decision.

When you creatively misinterpret things that you see or that people say and do, allow them to misinterpret you and your ideas; fair is fair.

Act contrary about half the time, and refuse to be predictable; always keep them thinking about what you’re saying.

Anyone can laugh at you, but they should feel a little bit uneasy at the same time.

No one save yourself really knows when you’re mad (or do you?)

Let’s party!

The peace and love stuff was pretty good, but what you really liked was the permissive attitude toward lovemaking and altered states of consciousness.

Your teenage years were quite a ride.

To this date, you’ve been able to keep yourself from thinking about your dead tormentor’s face.

You’re a high school stoner turned apprentice ritemaster, expert in the ritual use of teacher plants, drugs and alcohol.

You like having a good time; drink, weed, sex and dancing. Some spirits like to possess you in return for giving you knowledge or using their powers while they are embodied in you.

This life is a trip, but you are beginning to see some problems.

You aren’t really certain what to do about this, and you’re becoming more and more nervous about the situation.

You need to get control soon, but you don’t know if you’ll have the strength to do it.

Fate is not always fair, but she’s real.

Now, pick a number, high or low.

You were an avid game-player even as a kid, loving any chance to beat someone else, any way to win.

You couldn’t explain the strange itch within you, but friendly competition seemed to salve it somewhat.

How often you lost and how much wasn’t important.

One day, gang members came looking for their money, and you discovered that you were a lot tougher in a fight than you had thought.

You’re a recovering gambling addict who’s trying to learn the purer ideas behind games of chance and skill.

Your fascination with all the arts of the game makes you a model arbitrator for challenges of that sort, although you like staredown and combat challenges much less.

Games of chance are your specialty, although you’re learning that games of pure mental acumen such as chess and go are a much better test of wits; but card games, matching luck with cleverness and people skills, are your favorite.

Research the odds before a confrontation; you don’t want to lose.

Act cool and secretive, hiding any advantage that you may have.

You were one of the lucky ones.

You enjoy teaching like nothing else.

Telling stories about the natural world, about wolf packs or other animals, watching your audience learn before your eyes — it’s exhilarating.

Luckily your work allows you to travel, besides providing income.

If you have a fault, it’s that your idyllic upbringing has somewhat sheltered you from the pain and blood of your people’s war — but who knows what the future will bring?

You wouldn’t have made it if a kindly person hadn’t taken you in as a pet.

Their desire to take you alive hampered them, and you killed two, much to their fury.

You want to become a better warrior but recognize that dancing is a valuable outlet for you.

Your undocumented status as an “immigrant” may cause problems at some point, as you have no identification at all.

Speak little, do rather than say, and be at your most eloquent as a dancer.

Savor combat as a chance to express your warrior’s soul through the medium of merciful discipline.

The pursuit of peace is neither easy nor safe.

It was, among other things, a poor time to be a woman. Women mostly kept to their assigned place as wives and mothers, aiding husbands in daily work but getting little or no thanks or praise in return.

The land belonged to those who could use it best.

Who needs me more than they? And they may listen.

Trees walking, rivers running uphill and fatal wounds healed were only the start.

They said we couldn’t do this.

Cops! Look out!

The crowd was breaking up, screams of fright as the cops showed up with shields and clubs to impose “order.”

Secure the area. Secure the area.

Rage, and they’ll all die.

Fuckin’ anarchists!

One cop or two?

Blood but no marks, no scars.

I won’t hurt you, dude.

They don’t know if this will work. . they asked me if I even wanted to try.

What about the guy who eats the shit?

That’s where I belong.

They need me, I know that.

Just as you must have dark in order for there to be light, peace must exist for there to be violence.

A chronicle that intends to focus on peace should also be something of an ongoing debate with many questions asked.

To begin with, what is Peace? Not just the literal definition, but what is the ideal, really?

Is there some deeper spiritual requirement for true peace to be achieved?

One person’s peace may be another’s prison.

Exactly who has the right to enforce peace?

Is even enforcing peace an oxymoron?

Medieval feudal lords maintained their personal “peace,” (the origin of the charge of “disturbing the peace,” a legal concept still in use) but their right to do so was backed by the not so peaceful concept of “might is right.”

By what means or what right do they keep the peace?

Is it even possible to create a lasting peace among humans?

Of course, even assuming that anyone thinks they know what peace is, exactly how are they meant to achieve it?

The real question here is whether peace should be a means

or an end.

Is a peace bought with war tarnished by the blood spilt to purchase it?

Or is peace so important that its long-term attainment

should be sought at any cost?

They refuse all violence.

A few others believe in the “break an egg to make an omelet” philosophy.

Most view peace as an eternal struggle that lies somewhere in the middle

Why bother?

Of course, peace is a never-ending struggle, but people can dream, can’t they?

Issues I’ve worked on include women’s reproductive rights, gay civil rights, recycling, organic gardening and farming, and police brutality.

There are many other worthwhile causes, and I’d urge you to consider working for or donating to them.

[sebastianshaw]

(Whoop, this popped into my head today while on my bike. For those new to this, this is not a ship, I just like to write my faves talking about stuff. I’ve had Haven ‘win” every conversation thus far, and while not as much of an unfair curbstomp as D.uggan writes with Emma, I like being more evenhanded with things. Hence Shaw getting a ‘victory’ here.) “I didn’t invent the dress code, Ms. Dastoor,” Shaw said, “It was here before I was. Everyone who signs up for this job knows what it entails, and if somehow they didn’t, they do when they get the uniform. They can walk out any time if they don’t care for it.” The four major branches of the Hellfire Club, the ones with Inner Circles, kings and queens, were in Manhattan, London, Hong Kong, and Paris. But they had lesser bases all over the world, in most major cities. And as they had, for better or worse, spread through British colonialism, that included one in Mumbai. Haven’s parents, as some of the wealthiest people in that city of South Asia’s billionaires, had been among the first people to be invited who were not of, shall one say, of British descent. Due to this history, they had refused the invitation. But Haven had accepted it, using the Hellfire Club’s galas and parties as an opportunity for hobknobbing, hooking her fellow elite into helping fund or promote whatever present philanthropic project was. Shaw certainly had no problem with this, plenty of other members did the same, and they were free too---it was far from the most dangerous kind of business conducted in these halls. Some of the Hellfire Club’s members really were as prim and proper as they seemed---not everyone becomes a kinkster just because their bank account reaches a certain number of digits--and Haven was one of these. And like the other more conservative sorts, she was therefore tacitly steered away from the more...libertine...options that the Club offered to provide guests who were open to such things. But, well, it was a little hard to miss certain things---even for Haven, who Shaw somewhat suspected didn’t know what sex was---such as a woman in a spiked dog collar, spiked heels, black corset, and matching panties offering to refill your tea and making VERY significant eye contact. ....god, he needed to tell the training management to REALLY start emphasizing how to read a room---and a guest---to the new girls. What if the waitress had tried that with someone who would make far more of a fuss, like some withered duchess or one of the few religious officials who WASN’T a complete hypocrite? And even Haven had a few things to say about it, moral crusader that she was, soft-spoken about it or not. Of course she did. “You may not have created it when you took power, but nor did you change it,” she pointed out, “And they need to wear it to get paid, yes? Perhaps that has something to do with why they do not walk away upon seeing that?” Oh, she was actually almost feisty about this...at least for her. Interesting. It prompted him to actually engage with her concerns instead of brushing them off as he would for most. People could yell at him all day, that was nothing, but Radha Dastoor raising her voice even a little was...attention-getting. “Yes, that’s how jobs work, Ms. Dastoor,” he said flatly, giving every appearence of being bored before this conversation had even begun, “There are requirements, and you receive pay only if you fulfill those requirements. And there are a thousand other waitressing and serving and cleaning jobs in New York, and if the ladies prefer the uniform there, they can quit and sign up for those instead.” “But this pays more,” Haven pointed out, “And they need that money.” “Yes, it pays more. because it takes more effort to stay in a corset and heels all day, put on a full face of makeup every morning, and maintain the figure that our guests want to see, “Shaw crossed his arms. He was not unaware of the difficult of these things. “If they don’t want to do these things, they can’t have this job, and no one is making them take it.” “Do you or do you not agree these costumes are demeaning and objectifying?” Haven asked, which he thought was rather changing the goalposts, but he entertained it. “I do not. Objectfying and demeaning are feelings, Ms. Dastoor. Clothes are just clothes,” he replied, “I’m sure some women feel as you do, but stay for the money; we all have to do things for our work we don’t like sometimes, and it is up to us when that outweighs the benefits of said job. But I also fancy some enjoy doing it as an added bonus, the thrill of it, as foreign a notion as I imagine that must be for you. And most, I expect, are neutral about it, only resenting the heels at the end of the day for the physical agony, but no personal issue with their backsides and bosoms on display.” He continued, “if I may be so bold, I think you are thinking too much of what YOU would feel in these shoes---literally and figuratively. You pride yourself on empathy, yet you really can’t imagine enjoying this, or even simply not hating it. You are...what is that word you used once before...projecting? You are projecting your own opinions. Allow these women theirs instead. And if their opinion is that they would prefer this job, with all its trappings, to all their other options in this city, respect that and let them be, unless you plan to personally offer them alternative options.” Haven was silent a moment. Her eyes were not on him, but to the side. She was clearly thinking. Perhaps on his point, or perhaps only on his suggestion. “I will...think of something,” she said, and then her eyes returned to him “But for the ones who refuse the offer I make, whatever it is---I shall do as you say. I cannot very well ask them to quit for MY sense of morality, it is true. Not when they still have expenses to pay and families to feed. Only try to make a world where it is truly a choice for them.” “Glad to hear it,” Shaw pocketed his hands. This was one other thing he appreciate about Ms. Dastoor----when she entered into a conversation with him, she would lose gracefully, not resort to immature tantrums and personal attacks like so many of the X-Men she so admired. It made him more likely to speak to her in the first place, to allow the engagement to happen at all, and to accept his own losses with a similar grace, if a gruffer one. “And, If it’s any consolation---I happen to like the way you dress. It’s...irrelevant, really, to this conversation, I suppose, but it...well, it suits you.” She regard him a moment, then smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Shaw. I think the same of you.”

[lifesasickjoke]

The Dirt

The Dirt - part 10

part 9

Pairing: Douglas!Nikki x Reader

Word count: 2710

Chapter summary: Today is the day where Nikki was planning on confessing to (Y/N), but he loses his chance when a certain British drummer interferes with his plans. 

Warning: Swearing, drugs, the usual

Authors note: I'm alive

‘Sixx here?’ Nikki finally answered his phone. I've been trying to call him for minutes now. He told me he had gotten a new phone, meaning a new number, so I wasn't even sure I was ringing him.

‘Oh, good, right number. Hey, Nik I need to ask you a favour.’ I breathed airily into my phone, walking around with it through my room, gathering together all my clothes and matching them into different outfits.

‘Uh, who is this?’ Nikki asked uncertainty.

I sighed, ‘it's me, Nik, your best friend, (Y/N)?’

‘Oh, (Y/N/N). Sorry new phone, I didn't recognize your number.’

‘No problem Niks, but  seriously need your help.’

‘Are you in trouble? Do you need help? Are- are you ok?’ suddenly Nikki sounded panicked. I laughed at him (in a nice way).

‘No no I'm not in that kind of trouble. I just need a ride to Vince's. Do you think you can pick me up?’

Nikki, unlike Mick and Tommy I have also asked, actually agreed to drive all the way out to Los Angeles to come to get me. I got ready for Vince's party in the hour that it took Nikki to drive down to our once shared apartment.

He moved out a couple of weeks ago to the new fancy mansion he had bought with the money he had made from being part of Mötley Crüe.

Everyone bought a new house, car and pool with their money, but being only an assistant to the manager didn't give me so many options with what I earned. Besides, I wanted to save the money I made for later on in life. I lied to Nikki when I told him I was thinking about buying a new apartment or house somewhere closer to the city centre, or on his suggestion, closer to him.

I squeezed my body into the dark red leather bombshell dress that stopped at my mid thigh. I just bought that last week to make myself feel better. I had to admit, I missed living with Nikki more than anything. I missed it that he would stumble in through the window at three in the morning (he and the guys nailed down to prevent the cops always busting in) and I missed out early morning convenience store raid for little snacks to get us through the day where we would just parole the city.

I then did my hair and makeup flawlessly and dug through my closet for some shoes.

Then I heard three loud honks from outside, it was Nikki signalling his arrival. I threw on the nearest jacket I could find and ran to the window and climbed out.

Nikki had pulled up in his Jeep, the door to my side was already open. I ran down the stairs and slid into the passenger seat.

‘Good evening my fair lady. Where could I take you for the fair price of a lunch date later on this week?’ Nikki mocked a cab driver, adding on a thick New York accent.

‘Redondo Beach please kind sir.’ I replied in a flawless French accent and stuck my tongue out at him.

Nikki and I gazed lovingly into each other's eyes for what seemed like ever with kind smiles plaster smack upon our faces.

‘I've missed you.’ I admitted, speaking first. Nikki’s smile grew even wider.

‘You’re right. It's been too long.’ he agreed, finally stepping onto the gas pedal and carefully driving towards Vince's party.

I scoffed in fake offence, even bringing a hand up to my heart to and clutching it to sell it more to him more, ‘it's been two weeks! Besides, I have even invited you over multiple times since then!’

‘I know, I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't find the time.’ he apologized, eyes briefly lifting from the road in front of him and onto me.

They seemed to quickly flicker over my figure.

‘Hey, you look really nice, but touch my jacket again and I'm burning all your makeup.’ Nikki complimented.

I couldn't help but smile.

‘Common Nik, admit it, this jacket looks so much better on me than on you.’

He side glanced at me again, the red traffic lights casting onto his face almost making it seem like he was beet red blushing.

‘You're not wrong.’

As soon as Nikki pulled up to Vince's house, (Y/N) had already been dragged away from him by Razzle who enthusiastically greeted her and the pressed multiple drinks into her hand and dragged her to the dancefloor by the waist.

Nikki blamed Vince for suggesting that they finally introduce Razzle to (Y/N). The crew was out in the town, lounging about and waiting for the next opportunity to cause trouble, excluding (Y/N) of course. She tried to prevent everyone from doing something they might regret when sober.

Tommy was hungry, so he and (Y/N) went to pick up some hot dogs from the stand across the road for everyone when Vince suddenly saw the frizzy hair that belonged to their British friend and invited him over to join them in their day out.

They came onto the topic of (Y/N) when Vince finally offered to introduce her to Razzle. Everyone agreed although Nikki was a bit reluctant.

He thought ‘what's the worst that could happen’, it's not like (Y/N) would fall for Razzle. Him and his British accent.

(Y/N) wasn't like the crowd of girls that were drawn like ducks to bread to Mötley Crüe when they were. Nikki thought Razzle would have no effect on her.

After five minutes of the acquaintance of (Y/N) and Razzle, Nikki could tell he was wrong.

Razzle upped his usual charm. It wasn't like (Y/N) fell right into his arms, it was just that she sort of did.

Nikki was in a bad mood that whole day, having to listen to Razzle tell cheesy pickup lines and terrible jokes and (Y/N) laughing her lungs out.

Dropping cheesy pickup lines and cracking terrible jokes to get (Y/N)s attention was Nikki's job. Now he had to sit beside her, watching the foam of his beer slowly disappear, in silence.

Ever since then, (Y/N) would ask if Razzle were coming every time she went out with the guys.

Today, she was whisked away by him again, and Nikki fell to the sidelines not being particularly happy, but also trying not to care too much. He honestly tried to distract himself. Why should he care about who she's seeing anyways? It's not like he was in love with her.

But he knew that was a big lie.

He snorted another line of cocaine before looking back up to the living room where Razzle was dancing with (Y/N) to a song his band, Hanoi Rocks, had written.

He guessed that Razzle had probably made up a lie for a pick up line, probably one that went along the lines of ‘this song was inspired by you’, but ever since (Y/N) had first heard this song, Nikki was forced to frequently listen to it because it was on all of her cassette and record playlists.

The song finally ended, and Nikki watched as Razzle tried to get (Y/N) to dance to the next one, but she politely refused and walked towards the couch where Nikki was sitting.

She caught his gaze, and her smile lit up. Nikkis breathe was honestly caught in his throat.

He hated this. He hated the butterflies in his stomach whenever (Y/N) teased him jokingly, he hated the rush of blood he got whenever (Y/N) wrapped two arms around him and snuggled into his side when they were both curled up on a couch, he hated it that he wanted (Y/N) to be more to him than a friend.

And especially now. He couldn't help feeling all sorts of things when (Y/N) was walking towards him. Her hips were slightly swaying (probably because of all the drinks she had or to the bass lines of the song playing) and the bombshell dress accented everything.

Her hair was slightly falling out of place and the lipstick was fading from her lips.

Mick beat her to the couch though, sighing deeply as he slowly sat down next to Nikki.

‘Goddamn.’ he cursed with a grunt.

That was when (Y/N) and Razzle dropped themselves on the couch as well.

(Y/N) let out a content sigh and Nikki's heart skipped a beat.

‘You okay there, Mick?’ Tommy asked. He was probably having the most fun out of all the people here at the party. He was pissed drunk, high, and had two beautiful girls hanging on his arms.

‘Yeah,’ Mick answered, ‘my back hurts from carrying this band all tour.’

(Y/N) scoffed and under her breathe replied with ‘yeah, right.’

‘Don't you love this guy?’ Tommy laughed.

Another girl from the dance floor came over for Tommy and squeezed herself into the last available space on the couch next to (Y/N), who politely moved to make more space.

Unfortunately, now (Y/N) was practically half sitting on top of Nikki who really couldn't stand it anymore.

Right then and there he made up his mind. Today was the day he was going to tell her what he had wanted to tell her for her all these years.

He could picture it already.

Nikki would pull (Y/N) away from the dance floor after having asked her to dance with him to one of the slower songs he knew where going to be played by Vince tonight (because Nikki begged him to include them just so he could have (Y/N) a fraction close to him that she would usually be) to the balcony that overlooked Vince’s garden, pool, and private beach section of the house. He would wait for a moment, maybe after he and (Y/N) had a lovely, deep and meaningful conversation about something, and then confess his feelings under the starlight. She would, hopefully, let him love her, and then Nikki would pull her into the best kiss he had ever given as the music and background chatter for the party slowly drowns away and just becomes a blur of the moment.  

That was exactly what Nikki was going to do, and he suddenly felt at ease again after the last couple of years.

He had a plan and he was going to go through with it no matter what.

All that was left for him to do now was to let Vince know that he needed the slow music and that he needed it right this moment.

To seem inconspicuous, Nikki bent down and did one more line of cocaine, then as he scanned the room. He spotted Vince standing in a more secluded hallway of his house with another girl. Nikki suddenly got an idea to slightly win (Y/N) back right at this moment.

He elbowed Mick, also successfully catching (Y/N)s attention, and began running his own hands all over his chest and mimicked a woman's voice.

‘Hey, are you in the band?’

Mick followed to where Nikki was looking.

‘What do you fucking think?’ he mimicked Vince’s voice.

(Y/N) laughed at their exchange along with Nikki and Mick.

Tom Zutaut wanted to add something to this conversation as well.

‘Have you met my wife, Sharise? Do you wanna have a threesome?’ he also mimicked Vince’s tone.

Nikki stopped laughing as soon as the words that left Toms mouth made (Y/N) stiffen up just slightly. The comment even made Mick raises an eyebrow.

‘Tom, what the fuck is wrong with you, man?’ Nikki scowled. ‘She’s fucking pregnant, man.’

(Y/N) cleared her throat and sat up a little bit straighter. ‘Yeah, that is fucked up.’ she agreed.

Nikki watched her face carefully, knowing that she was offended by Tom’s comment but was too proud to show it.

‘Don't be a fucking dick, okay? Look at her, she's fucking pregnant.’ Nikki seriously warned Tom.

‘Don't be a fucking dick, Zutaut.’ Mick added as he leaned back on the couch.

‘All right. I'm sorry.’ Tom apologized, now seeing how offensive he was.

Nikki inwardly cursed when he noticed that Razzle was walking back towards the couch. He had left a moment ago with Vince for more drinks. Nikki liked Razzle and all, of course. What's not to like? He was a fun outgoing energetic person. It was just that he was getting too friendly with (Y/N).

‘Come with me and Vince to get more drinks, love.’ Razzle asked, taking (Y/N)s hand and trying to lift her off the couch.

(Y/N) groaned and weakly tried to fight him off.

‘Nah, I have no more energy left. The dancing really tired me out.’ she whined trying to shake Razzle off.

‘We can buy more drinks at the store, that will give you energy.’ Razzle insisted, managing to lift her off the couch.

‘No seriously, Razz, my feet hurt.’

‘Then I'll carry you!’ he offered optimistically. In one swift motion, he scooped (Y/N) up into his arms.

(Y/N) did not like this sudden act, and Nikki noticed.

‘Hey, man, leave her alone, alright? She said she didn't want to go so fuck off.’ Nikki snapped.

Razzles jaw clenched as he considered the ‘’threat’’ and then he gently sat (Y/N) back down.

The silent tension between Razzle and Nikki could have been cut with a cheese knife. I was awkwardly standing next to Razzle, who is a nice guy and only meant well when he asked if I want to come with him. His hand was still sort off resting on my waist from having sat me down. Nikki's gaze momentarily flickered down to his hand and I could see the glaze that he usually got when he was about to start a fight pass over his eyes.

I heard Razzle chuckle wearily as he saw Nikki's hard set burning gaze bore into his hand.

‘Alright, alright, I meant no offence.’ he told Nikki, slowly, as to prevent any provocation, lifting his hand off my side.

I could sense the fight Nikki would initiate.

God, I love him, but sometimes? He can be a real dick. Especially now! Every time I get close to a guy Nikki does something to drive them.

At first, I always thought that he just had a very good sense of which guy is a jerk and which guy is a good potential choice. But now I knew Nikki was making a terrible judgment. There was nothing wrong with razzle as far as I was aware.

Nik was about to say something too, but I shot him the worst look I could master and he closed his mouth.

I needed to leave this room. Nikki was actually killing me.

I’ve waited my whole life for him to give me a sign that he wanted to be more than ‘best friends’ but he never even indicated that he was even remotely attracted to me and rather than sitting around like a dumbass I have actually decided that I needed to eventually get over him. He's had his chance (although I never told him that I was giving him one).

Razzel was the most perfect guy to help me get over Nikki, but I couldn't stand being close to either of them at the moment.

With one last glance at Nik, I turned on my heel and left the seating area.

Such a big house like this I'm bound to find myself an empty room where there were no pairs of people who are making out.

I ended up in a small bathroom on the second floor, furthest away from the party, thankfully by myself. The occasional giggle from a passing couple and their loud echoing footsteps could be heard from the other side of the door.

There was a sudden knock. I lifted my head out of my hands.

‘Occupied.’ I answered.

‘I know. I'm here for you. We need to talk.’ The voice replied.

I raised an eyebrow and slid off the rim of the bathtub to open the door.

Tag list: @getthefckouttahere @kingbouji3 @fandomshit6000 @spookyfrances @kwyloz @triplehaitches @myheadisinvaded @wonderboygenius @kawennote09@inthebackofmycarlaytheirbodies @the-dopemusiccoffee @versaceismehoe @glitter-rian @miss-ncthing@flizaa @evanpeters3826 @divaanya @extremesadnerding@oskea93 @technicallyvirtualmilkshake @thatbandchick39@virtualsheepeat @sighsophiia @thexbasketcase @anon-1112@heavymetalprincessa @normanreedus5150 @prettysureimgayxo @candystoregirl @yoinks-i-don’t-feel-so-good @mother-fronker @animalsgal @supernaturalvikingwhore@tamedhearts @discodeacygotmorerhythm @16cxndles@kellinplayingbagpipes @abaldboi@scarecrowmax @vintageratdoctor @raversam @nessa-030201@nassauartist @cierrasixx19 @shamelessobsessions @redhotvinyl@hi-my-name-is-Riley @snatchedbylele @lighthousefromthesea@tarahell @fatheadthefirst @my-names-blurryfvce @mixer3818@toadspleen @kwyloz @shannonwardski @gofficialm @oskea93@allieburakovsky @lovesick-heart0 @erosbabygirl @ironicterm00 @emmaelizabeth2014 @k--i--a @sharon6713 @mazzello-lee-jones-malek @disrogbitch @calumstuffs @rebeccaphillips14 @tiktokviralsensation @wheresmyvodkabitch @captainloki1 @nikkisixxterr 

The tag list is always open :)

Right well this one is terribly written I mean it's got no real plot no pictures and horrible dialogue but @discodeakygotmorerhythm made it all worth it.

But I promise as soon as my other laptop works again ill make all the gifs for this part and add those divider lines (apparently that's not an option on this computer)

[sterlingun]

Character: ― Nicholas ‘Nik’ Sterling Faceclaim: ― Theo James Age/Pronouns: ― 33 | he/him Occupation:  ― Lycan Alpha Hometown/District: ― born in Downtown, Houston / lives in Upper Springs, Houston

HEADCANONS

Though there’s no real blood relation between Nik and the old Alpha, over the years spent with the Lycans he’s grown to admire the man and regard him as a father figure he desperately lacked all these years. With the old Alpha growing weaker day after day, eaten away by the illness, Nik is terrified of the thought of losing him too, he still considers him his compass and most trusted adviser.

He still hasn’t given up on searching for his sister - even though the odds are against him, he believes he owes it to her to never stop trying, whether he finds her dead or alive. It’s the only remaining loose end from his youth, when his father was still there to wreak havoc on their lives. 

His brother used to show him card tricks when they were kids, and when he joined the Lycans - he left behind a worn deck of playing cards that Nik is still very attached to. It’s the only physical memory he has of his brother. After that, especially when he was on the run he focused a lot of his efforts on card tricks and learning to cheat his way to a win. It was a way to make money when he was on the run, and you can still see him absentmindedly playing with cards to this day, especially when he’s thinking about something, or something is bothering him. 

He wears black leather gloves a lot, and it’s very rare to see him without them - probably only closest to him have seen him without them. When he was a young boy his father would make him and Ethan hold a scorching hot iron bar to ‘test their durability’. It’s not a fond memory for Nik, and neither are the scars. Besides, he’s worn them so much they’re pretty much a part of his image these days. 

If you’re even remotely familiar with the way he walks, you’ll know he has a very specific gait. He tries to compensate for it, make it seem languid and aloof, but it’s still visible, especially on a bad day. This is the result of the first time he tried to kill his father, when the old bastard left him with torn ligaments and a broken patella. 

He’s got a thing for fast, expensive cars and has a garage by the house filled with whatever he’s passionate about currently. Do not start talking about them, because he won’t ever stop - you’ve been warned. He’s quiet usually, but oh boy this topic is a black hole. 

A bit of pyromaniac, if he can set it on fire and has a reason to - he will. And he prefers matches over lighters when it comes to lighting his cigarettes. He won’t ever admit it, but it’s got a lot to do with how he ended his father’s life. 

Watches are his thing. Majorly. You walk into his closet and there’s an entire section dedicated just to expensive, limited-edition Omegas and Patek Philippes and Piagets and god knows what. He thinks it adds to the whole look, plus to be honest - he’s a nerd about this stuff. Also another topic where you do not want to get him started. 

Likes to read a lot. Even if he had no formal education, you can strike up a conversation with him about pretty much anything from philosophy to literature to technology. I think he kind of values knowledge a lot, and it’s his biggest regret he had no chances to actually study and learn about something. 

His biggest vices are whiskey and cigarettes. You can always see him with one or the other, or both - depends on the situation. 

He has a set of two expensive silver guns that were given to him by the old Alpha and he will protect these things with his life. The story goes that Nik’s mom gave these to the old Alpha for their 10th anniversary, but the old man wanted Nik to have them and to remember that even though she made some bad choices, she did love Nik too. 

He’s got a tattoo on his back that says ‘Death before dishonor’ and on his chest a tattoo mimicking a scar from tiger’s claws hides a bullet wound he’d received fighting his father. There’s some small silvery scars on his back, he’s had them since childhood and isn’t too keen on discussing them. 

100% blames himself for losing his sister and the death of his girlfriend, he can’t be reasoned with when it comes to these topics, and even though he won’t admit it - he still has nightmares about both, as well as the death of his brother .You could probably classify him as a chronic insomniac, but try convincing him of that...  

WANTED CONNECTIONS

The Sister - She’s someone he’s lost a long time ago, and he never quite forgave himself for letting their father take her away. He’s spent the years since she’s been gone actively searching for her, either himself or through other means. I feel like he thinks of her as this pure thing from his childhood, untainted by their father because she was kept protected by their mother from young age. I think it’s a complicated relationship, because long ago he probably resented her for being their mother’s first choice while he was left behind, but there’s too much love there to truly ever allow himself to feel that. He wants to find her, but he’s terrified of what life has done to her innocence and well-being, and even more terrified that she’s died along the way because he wasn’t capable of finding her.

The Brother/Sister in Arms - Someone he connected with when he first joined the Lycans. It could either be someone who was suspicious of him at first, or someone who accepted him right away. I think it would make an interesting dynamic either way. Because it was tough for him at first, he was used to being alone and completely incapable of trusting anyone, a bit too familiar with violence given his age, had connections to the Reapers (even though he was obviously against them) etc. So he either butted heads with this person at first or he was trying to shoo them away because they attempted to reach out to him. But now he appreciates that they stuck around through thick and thin and they’re one of those rare people he’d trust with his life. Either male or female I think it could work either way I’d just be super excited to see this happen!

The Ex-brother/sister-in-law - Okay this is something I would love to see happen. Nik blames himself majorly for his late girlfriend’s death, because he pulled her into this life and refused to let go because he’d found someone he felt safe with for the first time. Now this could go either way - this person could be angry and resentful because they blame him for what happened to their sister, or they could be like 'she wouldn’t have listened even if you told her to leave’ because they know how stubborn she was and how much she cared about him, so there was nothing to be done and it was just a tragic story. Anyway this is my shit, there’s angst either way and I’m ready for it.

The Friend from Before - Someone he met and ran with for a certain period of time after he escaped Houston and before he came back and joined the Lycans. I think it opens up a lot of doors - like this person could now be back in town, or they’ve been here for a while, maybe they’re a Reaper (ooh drama), or unaffiliated, or want to join the Lycans, idk the possibilities are endless! I’m just excited about someone who knew him from before, I think that would make for an interesting dynamic to expore esp if there’s angst and someone left someone behind…

The Ex - Okay just like the one before, I’m leaving this pretty open to interpretation. It can be as casual or as angsty as we wish, we’ll just figure it out. I mean that journalist girl he fell in love with was his more serious thing, but he’s not that young I’m sure there’s been a lot of people along the way. It could be his crippling issues that got in the way, or both of them had crippling issues (entirely plausible tbh), they might have been too explosive for each other, or he wanted to protect them… It could be someone like the Friend from Before, so like during that time period (which would be super interesting actually!), or someone from Lycan he’s on bad terms with, or good terms? Honestly, sky’s the limit I just love exploring different dynamics and also heartbreak and also why people don’t end up working together.

The Mentor/Mentees - Ok the old Alpha was his mentor, but tbh I would like to see someone played who took him under his wing back then, like showing him the ropes, teaching him things, practicing with him, building him as a person etc. I just dig that okay? I dig it the other way around too though, so if anyone is willing to be his mentee and go through that stuff, I'm so there for it. Because he sees himself in a lot of the troubled people so he’s always there for it, even through it’s sometimes tough love. We can always work out the dynamics so that it fits both characters, but I would just love to see it happen. I think it brings out the protective/caring side in Nik.

More, more, more!! - I might add things on as I go, but honestly if you have an idea for a connection (does’t have to be one of the above) please feel free to reach out! We’ll work it out and tbh nothing’s set in stone.

THE STORY

He was born in Downtown, Houston - dirt poor trailer park kid who was still too young to be bitter and resentful about the cards he’d been dealt. His father was a petty criminal, hell-bent on trying to impress the Reapers, just as he was hell bent on spending what little money they had on gambling, or beating them and their mother. All in all - his childhood was a bleak series of weeks and months and years, spent alongside his older brother and a younger sister. 

Their father tried to groom Ethan and Nik for the life of crime, wanting to introduce them to the Reapers from a young age. But as soon as those two were capable of thinking for themselves, they realised most of it was just senseless violence and a promise of a life of subservience. They played along to an extent (training-wise) but generally rebelled against him even if they’d earn a beating after that. 

Eventually their mother disappeared, taking their sister along with her. As it would turn out, with Lycans on the rise she saw an opportunity and ran. Nik guesses she thought her ex-husband had already asserted too much influence over Ethan and Nik so they were left behind. There were stories that the Alpha took an interest in her, which sent their father pretty much further over the edge so next few years would be hell for the brothers. 

Nik and Ethan were each other’s stone during those formative years, but eventually their mother reached out to Ethan offering him a way out, leaving Nik behind once again. It was first of many brutal hits to come that Nik would have to learn to deal with.

Enraged by the fact she took his firstborn, Nik’s father tracked down their sister, and as retaliation, took her away from her mother and the Lycans. Nik saw her only briefly, exchanging barely a few words before she was sold off to god knows where. Seeing what his father was truly capable of doing, Nik escaped Houston, his mind set on finding and saving his sister. 

He’d spend the next few years bouncing around, erasing his traces along the way as he perfected his skills and looked for his sister - using his rage and determination as a driving force. 

Things would come to a halt though, when the news of his brother’s death reached him somehow. Apparently, their father had no problem driving a knife through his son’s heart the first chance he got. Broken and in disbelief, Nik flew back to Houston. 

He laid low for a while, before finally feeling prepared enough to strike down his father. That didn’t go down as well as he’d hoped, considering his Reaper friends got involved - but Nik was content enough with the damage he’d done. This was his first try after all. 

This was a catalyst for the Lycans’ Alpha to reach out to Nik - it seemed that out of the bunch, he was the only one left, and he was borderline insane with rage and hatred he harboured against his father and the Reapers. Which was exactly the kind of thing that was of interest for Alpha. 

He’d spend his late teenage years and early adulthood with the Lycans, being trained as one of their own, rising through the ranks, being subtly groomed by the alpha. He’d meet a girl in those years, a stubborn reporter he would fall madly in love with, and he’d probably tell you those were his ‘happy’ years. 

But his father wasn’t done yet - he eventually had Nik’s girlfriend beaten to a pulp, left do die in a dark, damp alley so that all Nik could do in the end, was say goodbye to her by the hospital bed and then go out to seek his revenge. 

It seriously messed him up, but he also seemed completely unable to rest until he tracked his father down and set fire to the house he was staying in. A cruel way to go, considering he knew of his father’s fear of fire - but Nik was long past caring. 

The rest was history. The Alpha continued to groom him to eventually become his successor but their time would be cut short by an illness that started tormenting the old man. A vote was cast, and though Nik got the majority - he didn’t get all the votes like the Alpha had hoped. Main concern among the deciding betas was Nik’s age - they were of the opinion that he was too young to take on such a responsibility. 

Though slightly reluctant, after the old Alpha abdicated about a year ago - Nik rose to the occasion and took his place as the new Alpha, and has been working out just what kind of leader he’s meant to be for the past year. 

[sleepieash]

let’s talk about izuocha

you could think of this as a counterargument to the claims of “izuku only likes ochako because she’s his first female friend” and “ochako only likes izuku because others brought it up first.” 

note: this contains spoilers for the manga and is very pic heavy!

so without further ado, let’s start with izuku and ochako’s first meeting! 

izuku’s first reaction to ochako is infatuation. there’s no denying that. he “talked” to a girl and said girl was nothing but nice to him. however, as their friendship develops, his feelings for her also develop. as well as her feelings for him.

evidence of this starts with

1. when izuku spots ochako trapped and immediately goes to save her

this is the first step to them becoming friends. because of his nature, izuku refuses to leave someone in danger. however, the fact that he sacrificed his chance to catch up to the others in points during the exam is so telling. because he did it all for another person. for ochako. all while remembering what ochako said to him earlier.

after the exam, it’s in the back of izuku’s mind that “this is it. i’ve failed.” and so he’s beyond anxious to open the letter from u.a. when it arrives. however, he didn’t expect that ochako would do what she did. 

all might said it himself. ochako was moved by his actions. which was what had her ask for a chance to split her points with izuku, someone she hardly knows. 

by this point, putting izuku’s initial interaction with ochako aside, the two of them have established a mutual admiration of each other. 

2. when ochako changed the meaning of izuku’s nickname

izuku’s spent most of his life having a nickname tied to him that means “useless,” telling him he couldn’t do anything. ochako turned that around by finding another meaning of it: “i can do it,” “always do your best.” 

this is especially important because if she’d never done this, deku wouldn’t have become izuku’s hero name. with her help, he turned a nickname that he originally hated into something that could empower him.

3. when ochako mentions her motivation for becoming a hero

this might just seem like an important moment for ochako herself but it’s also an important moment that aids in the development of her and izuku’s relationship. 

this is because izuku has spent most of his life seeing a select few motivations for becoming a hero. he wants to be like all might, smiling and saving people, he knows that katsuki wants to be a hero that wins and there’s countless people that are in it just because they idolize heroes and want the fame and fortune. 

ochako is in it for money but she’s doing it so that she can use it to benefit her parents as well. this is the first time izuku has heard of a reasoning like that and he’s impressed by it. 

he even remembers all this later when he sees ochako’s determination to get the lost points back. he remembers that the competition isn’t just a starting point for him but for ochako too. she has a goal she’s trying to reach and that makes him all the more determined so that they can reach their goals together.

4. when ochako refuses izuku’s help for her battle with katsuki

izuku tries to return the favor of ochako always helping him by devising a strategy for her to use against katsuki. ochako refuses due to her wanting to win on her own and not rely on izuku as she’s done in the festival once already. 

i find this part especially interesting as although ochako refused izuku’s help and is trying to rely on herself alone, she still thinks of him as she employs her plan against katsuki. 

her admiration for izuku still shows through as she wants to win against her opponent just like he did. 

so, when she loses it’s not just a disappointment for herself because of her feeling that she failed in going forward with her goal but it’s also a disappointment because she couldn’t do what izuku did. 

5. when ochako tries to look forward as izuku does

even in defeat, it’s still obvious that ochako admires what izuku would do in the situation. she’s commented several times about how amazing he is and one of those amazing traits is his ability to look past what has happened, take notes on it and improve. 

that’s why ochako mentions her loss but is determined to not lose in the future. she’s already thinking about how she can improve and prevent a loss in the future. 

and of course, izuku understands her feelings well.

ochako is happy that izuku is moving on to the next round, opting to root for him in the next match but she’s undeniably frustrated at her own loss. and only izuku matches that frustration since he wanted nothing more than to help her in her match and in the end, wasn’t able to. even if it was ochako’s refusal that was the catalyst for that. after all, he’s also upset that he’s not able to comfort her well enough in her loss. the fact that she is still rooting for him despite this is upsetting for him as well.

however, he acknowledges that she’s already looking to becoming stronger and her goal hasn’t changed even in the light of defeat. 

6. when aoyama alludes to ochako liking izuku

this part is a major point of controversy considering that ochako doesn’t mention anything about romantic feelings towards izuku prior to aoyama asking her. many people also argue that this is a moment where ochako’s character is diminished since it’s reduced slightly to a crush on izuku and has her focusing less on becoming a hero and more on romance.

however, if you think about it, there were several hints towards ochako’s feelings for izuku. frequent occurrences in the manga have involved ochako thinking of what izuku would do in a certain instance, reflecting on her admiration for izuku or observing izuku in situations. aoyama noticing all of this and bringing it up to her was simply the starting point for ochako to start thinking about her feelings and piecing together what she should do about them. 

which is what brings up the point on her becoming a hero.

from the one scene in the fight with thirteen, although ochako falters when aoyama takes her by surprise, she immediately regains her composure and acts accordingly, using the training she’d gained. 

because above all, she wants to be a hero and she’s determined enough to differentiate between when it’s time to focus on herself or focus on the task at hand. 

7. when ochako shows concern for izuku’s relationship with katsuki

ochako knows how much katsuki means to izuku and wants nothing more than for them to be friends again despite how katsuki’s attitude towards izuku is. she even goes as far as to discuss it with katsuki when izuku isn’t present. and although she doesn’t seem to get very far, she does seem to understand katsuki’s reasoning for his anger for things involving izuku. 

after their second battle, ochako even asks if they made up afterwards since she wishes for them to repair their friendship.  

8. when she accepts her feelings for izuku

although the the fight with thirteen had aoyama bring up the thought to her, i believe this is the moment where she actually thinks for the first time “yes, i might actually like deku.”

this is because it’s not izuku’s strength or quirk or anything that originally drew her to him. it’s his drive. 

izuku is smart, determined and has a goal in mind that he’s going to achieve. it’s these traits that ochako finds so admirable and what got her to eventually develop a crush on him.

so, when she catches sight of him outside practicing, although she’s in the middle of reassuring herself that “it’s not like that” she realizes that “yes, it is actually like that” when she sees izuku practicing with that same drive that she’s had admiration for all this time.

9. when izuku announces that the “ochako” he saved is not the real ochako

in this moment, izuku tells camie (gonna refer to her as camie even though it’s not the real one for this particular part) that he’s aware she isn’t the real ochako. 

he knows this because just as ochako has been watching his progress, he’s been watching hers as well. he knows what her limits are and he knows that she’d never just rush into a battle without a plan. he knows what the real ochako would do and that’s what lets him easily pick apart that camie is a fake.

and not just is she not the real one but she’s not the one he knows. izuku has spent so much time with ochako, learning about her and how she’d deal with a situation that he wasn’t tricked from the start over whether or not camie was the real ochako. 

10. when they have faith in each other

because of how much they’ve been through and how much they care about each other, they have the utmost faith in each other. 

both of them believe the other is truly amazing and they acknowledge each others’ abilities constantly. after how much time they’ve spent growing together, it’s no wonder they trust each other so much. 

above how they feel romantically for each other, they’re comrades, classmates, best friends... and because of how well they know each other by this point, that gives way for them to acknowledge the possibility that they’ve developed feelings for each other. 

the development of their relationship, romantic or otherwise, is so natural. both of them are dealing with their feelings but they’re also focusing on becoming heroes that can save people, achieve their goals and ones that others can rely upon. 

[prairiesongserial]

3.13

"Mr. Pemberley loses a life," Jacquet intoned, their expression unchanging as Pem flipped his life die over so that the five faced upwards. He and Cole both had five lives, now, and Cody and Nash both had six. Cody wondered if this game was going faster or slower than most Mia games tended to. He wasn't about to ask.

Pem didn't look as shocked as Cody might've expected. He had a funny little smile on his face that said he knew he'd been beat. Maybe this would get him back on track with the plan, Cody thought, though it was still anyone's guess if the plan was on or not. Pem certainly hadn't been minding what signals Cody had been giving him. And they couldn't very well get up and have a private meeting in the middle of the match. For one, Jacquet had said they weren't allowed to. For another, going anywhere together might show their hand, tell Nash and Cole that Pem and Cody knew each other more than they'd been pretending to. They might get a chance to talk between rounds, but for now - well, for now Cody could only wait, and hope.

"As the next person in the turn order, Mr. Nash will re-roll the dice, and continue the round," Jacquet said, still largely impassive.

"Damn straight I will," Nash said, sounding proud. Cody could see the grin in his eyes. "Good playin', Cole."

"It's all luck," she said, humbly.

Cody thought to wonder, for the first time, if Nash and Cole were also cheating. It would pose a complication, sure, but it would also mean they wouldn't call Pem and Cody out on it. Snitching on someone with a similar plan to yours was a great way to get caught, yourself. Still, Nash and Cole didn't have any sort of system set up as far as Cody could tell. And they'd been open about the fact that they knew each other well. If they were cheating, they were doing it a damn sight better than Cody and Pem.

"Would anyone like to raise the bet?" Jacquet asked. They glanced at the four players around the table, who in turn glanced at each other, wondering who would be the one to speak up. This time, no one did.

"I guess we're comfortable with the pot where it is," Nash said good-naturedly, sliding the cup and the dice away from Pem, and towards his spot at the table. "As long as Mr. Allison doesn't have another ante up to spring on us."

He looked towards Cody, arching an eyebrow. Cody forced a laugh.

"Nah," he said. He only had three chips left, and there was no point in betting them impulsively. He needed them, in case someone else decided to raise the bet mid-round. Everyone was taking their time, betting slow so far, but it was good to have some security. Pem had told him that the betting wouldn't stop if someone in the game could no longer match the highest bet - they'd be forced by the arbiter to go and borrow money afterwards, to hand over to the winner. If you refused...well, presumably you’d end up where John had ended up, or worse.

Nash rolled the dice under the cup, and took a glance at them.

"Mia," he said, with either genuine or feigned surprise. He set the cup back down, momentarily, and passed it on to Cody.

Cody stared down at the cup, as if looking at it hard enough might allow him to see through the side, and read what was on the dice inside. A Mia was a dangerous choice to make - like holding a bomb that would blow his arm off, no matter which way he threw it. He could call Nash out for lying, and run the risk of losing two lives, or give up and only lose one. There was no way to know for sure if Nash was lying or not, especially with half of Nash's face covered by that dust mask.

There wasn't even a way to cheat and get a look under the cup. A misdirect might have worked on Nash and Cole, especially if Pem were to pick up on it and play a long, but there was no way Jacquet wouldn't catch it. They were the arbiter, after all. And the whole point of this was not to be caught cheating.

"I don't suppose you could look me in the eye and tell me that again," Cody joked, trying to stall. Nash must have seen it in his face, and laughed.

"Sorry, Mr. Allison. I know it's a bitch of a hand to be dealt."

"I've been dealt worse hands," Cody retorted, holding up his bad hand and wiggling the stumps of his missing two fingers. It made Nash laugh again - and Cole, too, which brought with it a certain sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, it did nothing about the cup on the table, and the current dilemma.

“I think…” Cody said, trailing off. What did he think? There was no way to be confident, here. He almost resented Nash for putting him in a situation like this.

But what if Nash hadn’t wanted to be in this situation, either? That was something to consider. What was the benefit to Nash restarting the round and immediately calling a Mia? The only time it made sense to lie about rolling a Mia was when the score of the dice under the cup - either real or bluffed - was getting high enough that you absolutely had to stop the round from continuing. That way, things would restart, even if you were called out on your lie. There was no benefit that Cody could see to starting the round over when it had only just begun, not unless Nash had some specific vendetta towards him. And he just didn’t think that was true.

“I think I give up,” he said, lifting the cup up from where it sat on the table. Sure enough, the dice had landed on a two and a one. Mia.

“Good thinkin’, Mr. Allison,” Nash said, with a wink to match the sentiment. Cody grinned. Even if Nash and Cole were his opponents - and the people whose money he was trying to end up with, by the end of this - he was starting to like them.

“Mr. Allison loses a life,” Jacquet said, even though Cody was already in the act of flipping his life die so the five was on top. He wondered how Jacquet could stay looking so serious and unconcerned, even when the players around the table were sweating and making furious mental calculations. Lots of practice, maybe.

“Would anyone like to raise the bet before Miss Cole continues the round?” Jacquet asked.

“I’ll raise,” Nash said, and Cody’s heart sank into his stomach. He watched, helplessly, as Nash counted out three more chips into the center of the table, and everyone else did the same.

“I’m gettin’ to be tapped out,” he said, with a self-deprecating sort of laugh, tossing his last three chips into the pot.

“Me too,” Cole agreed. “I might have to borrow some more from the house, after this round’s over.”

“Aw, you can always borrow from me, Miss Cole,” Nash said, with a wink. “Now, roll those dice and let’s get goin’.”

Cole did so. She gave the dice a healthy shake, glanced under the cup, then set the cup back down, one corner of her mouth quirking up into a smile.

“Forty-two,” she said, sliding the cup over to Pem.

Pem looked at the cup, frowned, and shook it to roll the dice inside. Apparently, for whatever reason, he hadn’t trusted Cole. He set the cup back down and - so quickly Cody might have missed it, if he hadn’t been paying close attention - tapped his fingers twice against the side of the cup.

“Fifty-four,” he said. “Anyone else gettin’ a little parched?”

“I’ll buy you a drink between rounds if you like,” Nash offered, taking the cup from Pem. He glanced down at it only momentarily, before sliding it over to Cody. “Fifty-four, like the man said.”

Cody took a breath. This was the real moment of truth - either Pem was back on board with the plan, or Pem was really trying to cheat him. Everything he thought he knew about their alliance depended on what was under that cup.

At least, he thought wryly, his indecision over what to do would look real.

“I’m gonna call your bluff, Mr. Nash,” he said.

“Well, go on,” Nash said, nodding towards the cup. “Let’s see it.”

Cody lifted the cup. There, stark against the green cloth of the table, were the two red dice. One showed a three, and the other, a two. Thirty-two. Pem really had lied.

“Mr. Nash loses a life,” Jacquet announced. “Miss Cole will re-roll the dice and continue the round.”

Cody let out the breath he’d been holding. Pem was back on board. Maybe he’d never been off board to begin with. Either way, this was good news. All they had to do now was win the pot.

3.12 || 3.14

[constructionaccounting]

418: Steps Construction Company Owners Can Take To Avoid Employee Fraud

This Podcast Is Episode Number 418, And It's About Steps Construction Company Owners Can Take To Avoid Employee Fraud

Billing schemes. Skimming. Check-tampering. Employee fraud is a real risk for businesses with fewer than 100 employees. In fact, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, small businesses lose almost twice as much per scheme to occupational fraud.

If you Google Search "Construction Bookkeeper Embezzlement," you will see thousands of hits, and most of the problems construction companies suffered could have been avoided if the owner had known about and followed a few simple guidelines.

Unfortunately, until a contractor has gotten to know us, they tend to think of us as just another contractor's bookkeeping service. This means some contractors think we are crazy to suggest that any trusted employee, especially an in-house bookkeeper, would steal money from their company, and so they ignore us until it was too late.

Be aware of the "Employee Theft 10-10-80" Rule

Discovered over many years of experience and first-hand observation by auditors, accountants, fraud examiners, anyone involved in detecting employee theft.

Ten Percent - Of all employees, including bookkeepers, will steal in a variety of ways from office supplies, petty cash, graft, kickbacks, and payoffs from your suppliers, vendors and sub-contractors and even hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. They will do it regardless of how many security systems are in place because they lack integrity and have a "taker's" entitlement paradigm that states: "It Is Better To Take Than To Make." They cannot be stopped, only caught! And only then if you have systems in place and if you can convince the criminal justice system to take action, good luck with that!

Ten Percent - Of all employees, including bookkeepers, will never steal because they have integrity and a "Producer's" paradigm that states: "It Is Better To Make Than To Take." In the end, these are the people who will add so much value to your company you cannot help but reward them with more money, benefits, and recognition. Because if you do not, they will be recruited by your competitors. 

Eighty Percent - Of all employees, including bookkeepers, will steal if they feel confident they can get away with it and if circumstances allow for it due to weak integrity and a sense of "Redistributing The Wealth, But Not The Work Or The Responsibility."

Recognize the most common signs of fraudulent activity before an unscrupulous employee destroys your construction business:

Identify high-risk employees

When an employee has something to hide, their behavior may become suspicious; they may act closed off, secretive and defensive.

A typical clue is a worker who won't take time off for a holiday (because someone may take over their duties and discover the fraud). Others will try to cover up their improved financial status - a new car or home, for instance - with tales of a lottery win or inheritance.

In addition to employees acting suspiciously, high-risk employees might also include those:

struggling with debt

dealing with mounting bills because of unfortunate circumstances (e.g., divorce, a family member's poor health)

with a history of drug abuse 

involved in risky financial ventures (e.g., gambling, investments) 

If an employee has a motive for fraudulent activity at work, think of the following behaviors as red flags.

Access and opportunity

Unsurprisingly, the highest risk employees for fraud have trusted roles in financial services: Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, accounting, and bookkeeping.

To commit fraud, or in this case, embezzlement, an employee must have both access and opportunity - that is, access to funds, banking records, and accounting data. The ideal situation is someone entrusted with performing multiple roles; that is, they can both cut and sign checks, process AP, and handle bank reconciliations.

Unmanaged Control

Access is just one part of the equation when it comes to employee fraud. Also, keep a watchful eye on employees who exert control over certain aspects of their job. 

For instance, they may insist on:

working unnecessarily long hours 

working outside of regular business hours

performing specific job duties and refusing to share individual tasks

only dealing with a particular supplier or vendor*

* A common employee scam is known as "purchasing fraud" when a supplier or vendor inflates an invoice amount, the employee cuts a check, and both parties split the difference.

Red flag scenarios

Monitor your financial records closely, and investigate if you come across the following discrepancies:

Mismatched payees: the name on a cashed check doesn't match the name entered in the general ledger

Identical payments:  two checks have cleared for the same amount to different vendors in the same date range; one may have been authorized on the strength of supporting documentation for the legitimate payment. 

Questionable companies: a supplier or vendor with unprofessional invoices (i.e., apparent errors, a missing or incorrect address, home address, or non-existent web presence)

Construction Bookkeeping Embezzlement

Bad Bookkeepers will leave you with unfiled and unpaid taxes. They come in every race, creed, color, gender, age. There is no definitive profile, no absolute way to know which contractor bookkeeper is an embezzler until they have been caught and convicted, and even then, if you do not perform extensive background checks, you may never know it until it is too late.

Just because you catch a bookkeeper embezzling funds, don't think for one minute they will always be punished and made to pay you back. For the most part, you must understand that employees are poor innocent victims of brutal greedy business owners in the eyes of the public.

I have seen bad bookkeepers ruin too many businesses, especially construction businesses. In most cases, it was Bookkeeper Incompetence or Bookkeeper Embezzlement, and in other cases, it appears to me there may have been some deliberate identity theft; however, I cannot be certain.

All I know for sure is that I have witnessed business failures that have led to divorce, families destroyed, finances wiped out, and people living on the streets. In a few extreme cases, I know of contractors who have taken their own lives, and this needs to stop!

Final thoughts

Now that you know how to spot the most common warning signs for employee fraud, your management team must take steps to combat it.

Let this post be a reminder to watch for suspicious employee behavior. Segregate financial roles, so no one has unlimited access, control, or opportunity - and ensure your bookkeeping is always up to date so any "red flag" scenarios can be dealt with promptly.

About The Author:

Sharie DeHart, QPA, is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood, Washington. She is the leading expert in managing outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services companies and cash management accounting for small construction companies across the USA. She encourages Contractors and Construction Company Owners to stay current on their tax obligations and offers insights on how to manage the remaining cash flow to operate and grow their construction company sales and profits so they can put more money in the bank. Call 1-800-361-1770 or sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com

Check out this episode about Contractors Marketing - Accounting - Production (M.A.P.)!

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (73/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[1 March 234 Before Age.  Nat-Chezz II.]

Floating over a mountain range, Vigurd was busy sparring with her teammate and fellow Saiyan, Bodi.  None of the them liked Bodi very much.   He was asinine.   He spent far too much time trying to sound impressive or clever, and far too little time noticing that it wasn't working.   He also flirted with every humanoid woman within the sound of his voice.  No one liked his cheesy lines, least of all his own people, who found such blatant romantic overtures to be unseemly.  

Nevertheless, Vigurd found him to be a worthwhile sparring partner, if only because his power level was roughly the same as hers.  He hit on her just as persistently as any other woman, but she was willing to put up with it for the workout.   Besides, she had been putting up with a lot since she joined Zaperc's gang.  

Like Bodi and the others, she had joined Zaperc because he promised them a path to achieve greater power.   He claimed to be studying the Super Saiyan who had mysteriously emerged a few years ago, and he believed that he would eventually discover how to become one himself.   Vigurd was skeptical, but she ultimately decided that Zaperc might one day succeed, and she wanted to be there when he did.  

But she soon learned that Zaperc's followers only had the one goal in common.   As loathsome as Bodi was, the rest of the team hated each other almost as much.  Zaperc's son Brockle was a spoiled brat, Hijik was a misogynist, Lesseri was an opportunistic coward, and Jikama was a half-Chezzi wimp.  Indeed, part of the reason Vigurd enjoyed sparring with Bodi was that it gave her an excuse to avoid the others.  At least she could tune out his pathetic pickup lines while they fought.  

Even so, Luffa had turned out to be the worst of all.  Following Zaperc had been annoying enough, but it turned out that he knew even less about the Super Saiyan than he had realized.   Vigurd was amused at first to learn that the Super Saiyan was a woman who mocked everything Zaperc had been trying to do, but then Luffa assumed command of their team, and began a training regimen of equal parts humiliation and self-righteous preaching.

It didn't take long for Vigurd to figure out that Luffa was a hick.  Oh, her adventures had taken her to a few dozen planets, but the girl still clung to whatever backward morality her mother had probably taught her as a child.   Everything Luffa said was about honor and pride, as if either of those things mattered in a universe that was constantly trying to kill you.   But the most outdated nonsense Luffa spouted was her condemnation of Vigurd's use of artificial gestation facilities.  

A lot of expat Saiyans still bought into the old traditions like that.   Saiyan mothers were expected to regard pregnancy as their offspring's first battle in life.  They were supposed to set aside their own battles to ensure the birth and upbringing of their children.  They were supposed to pass down the old stories, which always seemed to be about Saiyan men getting too much credit for a lot of stuff that probably never happened in the first place.   Vigurd's own mother had taught her the same things, although she hardly expected Vigurd to believe any of it.  

And so, when Vigurd was Luffa's age, she became pregnant and refused to let it get in the way of her career.  The babies were brought to term, raised by caretakers, and left to fend for themselves.   It was survival of the fittest, after all.   If her sons couldn't find the strength to manage in the real world, then there was never anything Vigurd could have done for them anyway.  

For all of Luffa's might, she lacked the simple understanding that it was kill-or-be-killed.  Mercy, even for one's own offspring, was an opening for your enemies to exploit.   Maybe a Super Saiyan could afford to be weak, but Vigurd couldn't, and that was what Luffa didn't understand.  Luffa had somehow unlocked tremendous power within herself, but it was in spite of her old-fashioned values, and not because of them.   And now that Luffa had become this almighty creature, she was going to ram her morality down everyone else's throat.  

Vigurd thought about leaving the group, but just as she began to consider leaving, Luffa left the planet on some vacation outing with her alien wife.   That was the real hypocrisy of the whole thing.   Luffa expected women like Vigurd to be happy homemakers, while Luffa herself struggled to maintain a crumbling marriage to an alien floozy.  

"What are they even doing on Tingi V?" she asked aloud, as Bodi narrowly dodged one of her kicks.

 "Ah, who can say?" Bodi mused.  He knit his brow and stroked his chin thoughtfully.  A knowing smile grew on his face as he said: "But I know they wouldn't have as much fun as we would, my little cherub.   Suppose we--"

Vigurd caught him with an energy blast to his groin.   She didn't like to hit below the belt, especially in a training match, but he had left himself wide open, and besides, it was only Bodi.   She crossed her arms and watched as he tumbled to the mountains below.  

"Well, I hope she loosens up by the time she gets back," Vigurd said to herself.   "Otherwise, I'm bugging out for good."

*******

[1 March 234 Before Age.    Tingi V.]

The ground floor of the resort was a casino, and from early afternoon to late at night it was abuzz with patrons looking to spend their money on gaudily decorated games of chance.  Their excited chatter combined with the buzzes and bells of the electronic devices to produce a strangely soothing ambiance.

At one of the card tables a dealer was shuffling a pair of decks for three players.  One of them was a Saiyan in a red dress with a wig of long brown hair.  

"Well, at least I'm getting a handle on the rules," Luffa said to the dealer as she looked over her cards.  

"You can always try a lower stakes table, ma'am," he offered helpfully.  

"Nah, this is fine," Luffa said.  "I can afford to lose a few more times.  Keeps me motivated."

Luffa main problem was inexperience, but she never let that stop her before.  She had hoped to compensate with psychological warfare.  The real reason she stuck to this dealer was because he kept staring down the plunging neckline of her dress.  It wasn't an advantage she was used to using, but Luffa wasn't used to wearing wigs either.  This was because she wasn't supposed to be Luffa tonight.   It didn't make any sense but she had given up trying to figure it out.  

"Mind if I sit down?"

Luffa glanced up to see her wife standing beside her, only it wasn't her wife, even though she didn't look all that different from usual.  She had blue skin and short red hair in a bob style.  Her left eye shone a brilliant green and her right was covered with a black patch.  Her dress matched the eyepatch, though its sequins reflected the multi-colored lights of the casino.  The purse in her hand probably contained at least one weapon that she had managed to smuggle past security.  Luffa knew it was Zatte long before she approached the table.  Indeed, she had been waiting for her to show up all night long, but now she had to pretend that they didn’t know each other.  

"Suit yourself," Luffa said, gesturing to the adjacent seat.  "Your friend can tag along too if he wants, but I'm afraid I'm not much fun to watch."

"My friend?" Zatte asked.  

Luffa pointed her thumb over her shoulder as she laid down her cards to fold.  "That tall guy with the green hair," she said.  "You two looked like you were getting along pretty well."

"Oh him," Zatte said.  "Never saw him before tonight.  We were just playing the roto-wheel for a while, but I got bored and decided to move on."

"Too bad for him," Luffa said.  "You made a cute couple."

Zatte flagged down a server and ordered a drink.  "So you've been watching me?" she asked.  

"Maybe," Luffa said.  Of course she had been watching Zatte.  That had been the whole point, but they were supposed to pretend they didn't know each other.  Everything had to be a game with Zatte.  Luffa didn't mind that most of the time, but she preferred it when she knew how to play.

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Saiyan in a casino before," Zatte said.  

"That's because we're all terrible gamblers," Luffa said.  "If I need money, I just fight for it, or take it."

"But you're different?" Zatte asked.  

Luffa shrugged.  "I'm between assignments.  Figured this was as good a place as any to spend some downtime.  I like the atmosphere, and I can afford to practice a little.   Only trouble is my strategy isn't working like I thought it would."

"What's the problem?" Zatte asked.  

Luffa examined her next hand of cards and shook her head.  "Besides the fact that I suck at card games, I've been trying to watch this guy's mannerisms.  Saiyans are good at that sort of thing.  Helps you anticipate your opponent's next move.  Read his mood, things like that.   The thing is, he just works here.  If he was playing with his own money, maybe I'd have an edge, only he doesn't care if he wins or loses."

"That's clever," Zatte said.  "I wouldn't have thought of that."

"Well, it's only clever if it actually works," Luffa muttered.  She laid her cards down and folded again.  

"It seems to me like you've got a solution in search of a problem," Zatte suggested.  "You just need to play against someone with something on the line."

She reached into her purse and produced a hotel key, which she slid across the table to Luffa.  "I'm hosting a private game in my room later tonight.  Maybe you can try out your strategy there."

"You sure you want a Saiyan at your little party?" Luffa asked.  "We have a certain... reputation."

Zatte sipped her drink and smirked.  "You seem to know how to behave yourself," she said.  

"That only makes me more dangerous, doesn't it?"

"I'm willing to take that chance.  I like a little danger."

"Is that the sort of line you used on that green-haired man?" Luffa asked.

"Why worry about him?" Zatte asked.  

"I just feel bad for him, I suppose," Luffa said.  "He and I have something in common."

"What's that?"

Luffa looked at her next hand and snorted.   "We have the same taste in women."

"I can invite him instead of you," Zatte suggested.  "If it'd make you feel better."

"If you want to play it safe," Luffa said.  "Your other guests would probably appreciate it."

"There are no other guests," Zatte said.  "It's a very small get-together."  

"Not much of a pot that way."

Zatte finished her drink, then stood up to leave.   "Drop by when you're finished here.  If the stakes aren't high enough for you, I'm sure I can find some other way to keep you entertained."

Luffa watched her leave and noticed a certain swagger to her walk that hadn't been there before.  She turned back to the table, and noticed the dealer was now staring at the hotel key instead of Luffa's chest.  

She ignored it and continued playing, losing several more hands and a small fortune in credits.  

*******

When Luffa finally arrived at the room, she didn’t bother using Zatte’s key, since she already had one of her own.  She found her wife wearing one of the terry bathrobes that came with the room.  There was a bottle of wine on the table with two glasses, but at the moment she was too busy triple-checking their luggage to notice Luffa’s entrance.  

When she finally spotted Luffa, she blurted out “Oh, hi!” then snapped back into character and tried to lean seductively against the wall.  “I mean, hello,” she said as she tugged open the  shawl collar of her robe to make it more revealing.  “You didn’t knock, but then you don’t strike me as someone who favors a direct approach.”

Luffa had already taken off her wig and tossed it on the bed.  “Wait, are we still going?” she asked.  “I thought we were done.”

Zatte broke character again.  “Did you want to stop?” she asked.  

“I thought the idea was to pretend to be strangers around other people,” Luffa said.  “We’re alone up here, so I figured we were done.”

“Well, I thought we’d play a few hands to set the mood,” Zatte said.  

“Hold on, you actually wanted to play cards?” Luffa asked.  “I thought that was just a pretext to get me into your room.”

“Well, I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” Zatte said.  “It was going to be, you know, sexy cards.”

Luffa sat on the bed and took off her shoes.  “I’ll do whatever you want, Zattie, but let me do it barefoot for a while, at least.”

“You were great down there, Luffa,” she said enthusiastically.  “There were times I could almost believe you were someone else.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she said, “because I honestly have no idea what I’m doing half the time.”

“It’s therapy,” Zatte said.  “Dr. Shunga said we needed to spend some quality time together.  Work on communicating without telepathy.”

“Fine, but he never said anything about all this role-playing nonsense,” Luffa groused.  “What’s the point of acting like we’re other people?”

Zatte went back to inspecting their luggage.  “Because we do it all the time anyway,” she said.  “You’re a celebrity, so you have to wear wigs or cover your tail to keep a low profile, and I don’t want people to find out I’m a Dorlun.  And it’s kind of fun sharing a secret with you.  I guess I just like adding more secrets on top of that, especially for frivolous reasons.”  

“If you say so,” Luffa said.  

“I think you’d get more into the spirit of things if you would play a different species,” Zatte said.  “Like a felinoid  mining executive.”

“What the hell do I know about mining?” Luffa asked.  

“As much as I do, so what’s the difference?” Zatte said.  “We’re just pretending, so you can make stuff up.”

“All right, I’ll give it a shot,” Luffa said, “but I still don’t understand.”

“It’s about being more than yourself, Luffa,” Zatte tried to explain.  “I feel a little weird too, but playing a character helps me loosen up.   This way you get to be seduced by an exotic Avoirdupoian socialite instead of watching a Dorlun you already know fretting over how many clean socks you have left.”

“I like it when you triple-check the luggage,” Luffa said.  

Zatte stared at her.   “No, you think it’s dumb.”

“I never said that,” Luffa insisted.  

“You thought it,” Zatte pressed.  “I’m going to keep doing it anyway, but you don’t have to patronize me.”

“I’m not--!” Luffa stopped herself before her voice grew any louder.   “We’re doing it again,” she said after a deep breath.  “We’re taking something we picked up from each other’s minds and blowing it out of proportion.”

Zatte rolled her good eye.  “You say that every time you get caught in a lie, Luffa.  ‘Oh, we shouldn’t argue.   Remember what Dr. Shunga said.’”

“Bull,” Luffa muttered.  “You were the one who wanted to start seeing him, and he takes your side the whole time.”

“My side?!  Oh that’s rich.  Then why does he always blame me every time we link our minds together, even though it’s your power?”

Luffa set her jaw.   “Probably because you’re always cajoling me into using it,” she said through her teeth.  “I half-suspect you only do this role-play nonsense to confuse me so much that I’ll read your mind to understand it better.  And then you’ll just catch some stray thought about me not liking your butt or something, and I’ll catch hell for that!  I can’t win.”

“All you care about is winning!” Zatte said.   “You only ever-- Wait, what’s wrong with my butt?”

“It’s got a big crack in it,” Luffa snorted.   She took a moment to revel in her brilliant joke, but then she saw Zatte backing towards a mirror above the dresser.  “There’s nothing wrong with your butt, Zattie!” Luffa shouted.  

Only there was something wrong with it.  Whatever the flaw, even if it was too insignificant to describe, it still existed in Luffa’s mind, whether she consciously admitted it or not.  Nothing in life ever quite lined up to one’s imagined ideals.  For most couples, this was a matter of accepting one another as they were, not in spite of their imperfections, but because of them.  

The problem, Luffa knew, was that they had grown over-reliant on using telepathy to share their most intimate feelings.  It was just an easier way to communicate, one that bypassed the cultural barrier between them.  When they joined minds, Luffa’s pride dissolved into mist, and Zatte’s insecurities faded into the background, leaving nothing to get in the way of their mutual affection.  But this also exposed them to less pleasant feelings: petty resentments and half-formed thoughts that didn’t even make sense most of the time.  

True telepaths learned to filter out these intrusive thoughts, or to accept them as irrelevancies in the greater truths of the mind, but Luffa’s mental abilities were something she had stumbled upon mostly by accident.   She had found ways to develop them for combat purposes, but she lacked precision and control.  It was easy to mentally interrogate an enemy, or to communicate with an ally, but she found that she typically took more away than the information she sought.  

Dr. Shunga had asked them to cease their telepathic activities, and while this had helped, it also left them to deal with the resentments that  they had already created during past rapports.   Only now they had to deal with it across the cultural and emotional gulfs they were used to bypassing.   Literally anything could spark an argument.  This time it was Zatte triple-checking the luggage.  Six weeks ago it was Luffa’s ears.   There had been a month where they had stopped speaking to one another over a matter involving dental floss.    

The counseling sessions had helped, but-- as Dr. Shunga often reminded them--it was their marriage, and they would have to be the ones to put in the real work to save it.    By Luffa’s way of thinking, the true sign of improvement was that the arguments were getting shorter and easier to resolve, and the honest communication that followed was growing more productive.  

There were times, however, when Luffa missed Kandai, her husband from her first marriage.  It was another stray thought she hoped Zatte wouldn’t come across, but in spite of Kandai’s treachery, at least he had been a fellow Saiyan.  Marital bickering was considered a healthy part of Saiyan matrimony, since both parties understood that it couldn’t be taken too seriously.   When they were truly fighting, they did it literally, with fists, and the difference in their power levels had made this very rare.   At least then, Luffa had felt like she knew where she stood. 

Zatte was different.  She would joke around one minute and then make a cutting remark that hurt more than Kandai’s strongest blow.   Dorluns didn’t fight their spouses physically; they used words to hurt one another, and Luffa had found Zatte to be especially deadly in this regard.   There were times when Zatte almost seemed disappointed that Luffa couldn’t keep up with her taunts and jibes.  

Still, they were making progress.  They each weathered the storm, and eventually the apologies came like rays of sunshine, and slowly but surely they began to make up.  

“I respect your triple-checking the luggage,” Luffa clarified.   It seemed easier to find the right words when she was holding Zatte in her arms two hours later.    “It may be unnecessary, but you don’t do it because you need to.  It’s a discipline, and discipline is important to me.”

“I wish you would have put it that way before,” Zatte said as she kissed her on the cheek.  

“I... I just never had to put it into words before,” Luffa said.  

“The thing is,” Zatte said, “Keda managed to stow away in my carryall when we went to Extraliga.  She said I didn’t catch her because I only double-checked it that day.”

“Oh...”

Tears were welling up in her good eye.  “I know we agreed not to blame ourselves for what happened, but... I can’t help thinking she might still be alive if I hadn’t gotten sidetracked--”

Luffa held her close and mimicked a shushing sound Zatte often used to console Luffa when she was the one who needed it.     As she did this, she began to speculate, and then she remembered something Dr. Shunga had said in a session.   So instead of guessing what Zatte was thinking, she voiced her guess aloud, to see if it was correct.  

“I think I see now why you wanted us to pretend to be strangers downstairs,” Luffa said.  “Not so I’d get so confused that I’d have to read your mind to understand, but so that we could have a fresh start.  Set aside our problems for a while.”

Zatte smiled.  “You finally got it, you lunkhead.”

Luffa chuckled.   “Well then, how about we try something tomorrow...”

NEXT: Performance Review.