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cathkaesque · 5 years ago

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Why is supernova – the explosion and death of a star – an apt metaphor for what could now be about to unfold? Why could the coronavirus, an organism 1000th the diameter of a human hair, be the catalyst for such a cataclysm? And what can workers, youth and the dispossessed of the world do to defend ourselves and to ‘bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old’, in the words of the US labour hymn, Solidarity Forever?

The first stage of a supernova is implosion, analogous to the long-term decline in interest rates that began well before the onset of systemic crisis in 2007, which has accelerated since then, and which fell off a cliff just as coronavirus began its rampage in early January 2020. Falling interest rates are fundamentally the result of two factors: falling rates of profit, and the hypertrophy of capital, i.e. its tendency grow faster than the capacity of workers and farmers to supply it with the fresh blood it needs to live. As Marx said, in Capital vol. 1, “capital’s sole driving force [is] the drive to valorise itself, to create surplus-value… capital is dead labour which, vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks.”

These two factors combine to form a doom loop of awesome destructive power. Let us examine its most important linkages.

Many things both mask and counteract the falling rate of profit, turning this into a tendency that only reveals itself in times of crisis, of which the most important has been the shift of production from Europe, North America and Japan to take advantage of the much higher rates of exploitation available in low-wage countries. The falling rate of profit manifests itself in a growing reluctance of capitalists to invest in production; more and more of what they do invest in is branding, intellectual property and other parasitic and non-productive activities. This long-running capitalist investment strike is amplified by the global shift of production – boosting profits by slashing wages rather than by building new factories and deploying new technologies. This enables huge mark-ups, turbo-charging the accumulation of vast wealth for which capitalists have no productive use – hence the hypertrophy of capital.

This, in turn, results in declining interest rates – as capitalists compete with each other to purchase financial assets, they bid up their price, and the revenue streams they generate fall in proportion – hence falling interest rates. Falling interest rates and rising asset values have created what is, for capitalist investors, the ultimate virtuous circle – they can borrow vast sums to invest in financial assets of all kinds, further inflating their ‘value’.

Falling interest rates therefore have two fundamental consequences: the inflation of asset bubbles and the piling up of debt mountains. In fact, these are two sides of the same coin: for every debtor there is a creditor; every debt is someone else’s asset. Asset bubbles could deflate (if productivity increases), or else they will burst; economic growth could, over time, erode debt mountains, or else they will come crashing down.

Since 2008, productivity has stagnated across the world and GDP growth has been lower than in any decade since World War II, resulting in what Nouriel Roubini has called “the mother of all asset bubbles,” while aggregate debt (the total debt of governments, corporations and households), already mountainous before the 2008 financial crash, has since then more than doubled in size. The growth of debt has been particularly pronounced in the countries of the global South. Total debt for the 30 largest of them reached $72.5tn in 2019 – a 168% rise over the past 10 years, according to Bank of International Settlements data. China accounts for $43tn of this, up from $10tn a decade ago. In sum, well before coronavirus, global capitalism already had ‘underlying health issues’, it was already in intensive care.

Global capitalism – which is more imperialist than ever, since it is both more parasitic and more reliant than ever before on the proceeds of super-exploitation in low-wage countries – is therefore inexorably heading to supernova, towards the bursting of assets bubbles and the crashing of debt mountains. Everything that imperialist central banks have done since 2008 has been designed to postpone the inevitable day of reckoning. But now that day has come.

10-year US Treasury bonds are considered the safest of havens and the ultimate benchmark against which all other debt is priced. In times of great uncertainty, investors invariably stampede out of stock markets and into the safest bond markets, so as share prices fall, bond prices – otherwise known as ‘fixed income securities’ – rise. As they do, the fixed income they yield translates into a falling rate of interest. But not on March 9, when, in the midst of plummeting stock markets, 10-year US Treasury bond interest rates spiked upwards. According to one bond trader, “statistically speaking, [this] should only happen every few millennia.” Even in the darkest moment of the global financial crisis, when Lehman Brothers (a big merchant bank) went bankrupt in September 2008, this did not happen.

The immediate cause of this minor heart attack was the scale of asset-destruction in other share and bond markets, causing investors to scramble to turn their speculative investments into cash. To satisfy their demands, fund managers were obliged to sell their most easily-exchangeable assets, thereby negating their safe-haven status, and this jolted governments and central banks to take extreme action and fire their ‘big bazookas’, namely the multi-trillion dollar rescue packages – including a pledge to print money without limit to ensure the supply of cash to the markets. But this event also provided a premonition for what is down the road. In the end, dollar bills, like bond and share certificates, are just pieces of paper. As trillions more of them flood into the system, events in March 2020 bring closer the day when investors will lose faith in cash itself – and in the power of the economy and state standing behind it. Then the supernova moment will have arrived.

During the middle two weeks of March, imperialist governments announced plans to spend $4.5 trillion bailing out their own bankrupt economies. An emergency online summit of the G20 (the G7 imperialist nations plus a dozen or so ‘emerging’ nations, including Russia, India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia) on 26 March, declared “we are injecting over $5 trillion into the global economy.” These are weasel words; by ‘global’ they actually mean ‘domestic’! The response of the ‘left’ in the imperialist countries is to clap its hands and say, we were right all along! There is a magic money tree after all! – apparently not realising that this is exactly what happened post-2008: the socialisation of private debt. Or that, unlike post-2008, this time it will not work.

Some highlights of John Smith’s excellent article on the economic crisis induced by the coronavirus. The pandemic has popped the bubble that has been keeping our imperialist system coherent since the 2008 crisis. In order to keep that bubble going, Central Banks have been undertaking unprecedented financial measures which they are attempting to repeat again. The result will be a reckoning, as the bad debts of the system pass from the private banks and become concentrated in the Central Banks that are core to our monetary systems. We need to use this crisis to begin building a rational system based on the using resources for human need rather than the exploitative anarchy of capitalism.

#socialism #capitalism #coronavirus #revolution

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klcthebookworm · 4 years ago

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2020 My Year In Fic

2020 Fiction Word Count:

86691 / 126531 words. 69% done!

Insights To Not Forget:

So I had a beautiful plan that I was going to reset and hit the ground running for 2021. See Year Zero is Reset Year.

Covid-19 was officially found in my state March 9, 2020, and life found unforeseen territory.

March 24th, I had to adjust to working at home. June 1st, back to working in the office and commuting daily. November 30th, we're back on a modified work from home/office plan (day at home, next day commuting in). I haven't gotten sick and I haven't passed on covid-19 to anyone else. For 2020, that is the biggest win anyone can have. 1.83 million people (to date) didn't get that win.

Would I have forgotten about my buckle down and reset plans without a global pandemic distracting me? Quite likely, I tend to forget all my plans every year. In fact, the writing business plan that I made to cover the year (I use it below for all the goals of the year), the printed version is on my filing cabinet and covered with so many other notes, I can't read the plan. (Removed the notes). This is for 2019. I never printed out 2020's?

And you can see by the total words written, I came under what I wanted to write. Let's see what I accomplished this year.

Stories I Posted:

Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: Aftermath: Word count = 3309. The Fic Whining Circle was getting stories ready for May the Fourth. I decided that this story would be perfectly short to get it up and started writing on May 2nd. I didn't get it finished for May the Fourth, but put it up on Revenge of the Fifth. And then it turned out to be the only story I posted in 2020.

Stories I Finished:

Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences: Word count = 126,607 (31,008 written previously + 49,572 written in 2019 + 46,027). The first draft was finished on July 28th, and it took the rest of the year to get my first edits polished to a second draft for my beta to go over. Now I need to go prod her so I can start posting in 2021.

Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002: Word count = 5664 (387 written in 2019 + 5277). I finished this short story as planned after I finished Unexpected Consequences and before I picked up the next novel. I hope to post it after Unexpected Consequences, but I may need to use it for a May the Fourth story.

Stories I Didn't Finish:

Strix: Forget the Sun: Word count = 31,146 (26,588 written previously + 4279 written in 2019 + 279 written in January) I took a very tiny stab at this novel in January and promptly lost it to work on other things.

Star Wars: Looking For Home Future Timeline: Word count = 7598. So at the end of February, I got stuck on giving the Sequel Trilogy Trio better movie(s) and started writing detailed notes on a future story that will probably never been written. I had already put Rey and Poe Dameron in the sketchy future of the Looking For Home so I needed to figure out how to add Finn. I got stuck with the Third Act, and probably need to declare it has to be a trilogy to get the resolutions I want. Maybe I need a Death Star.

Star Wars: Everybody Lives But Maul: Another plot bunny developed during the year. Mara Jade was given to Darth Vader to annoy him so he would eventually murder her, but he bonds with her instead. So Palpatine orchestrates that Lady Vader's path crosses Maul's on Tatooine. Only Luke Skywalker and Biggs Darklighter ruin the planned outcomes, and Mara remains on Tatooine for her safety. I really don't know if it will be a novel or something else yet.

Star Wars: Everybody Lives But Maul: Prologue: Word count = 1385. So far all I have written in this AU is the scene of the adoption of Lady Vader. I don't know where this scene will end up in the finished work.

Star Wars: Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban: Word count = 22,882 (8093 written in 2019 + 14,789). After writing "MJ-0002," I came back to Mission on Mimban from the beginning. Still working on it.

What I Think About My Stories:

My favorite story this year: Star Wars: Unexpected Consequence. I can't wait to turn this one lose on the readers.

Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Star Wars: Looking For Home: Future Timeline. I really need to spend some more brain time on this one if just to find a conclusion that makes me happy.

Most fun story: Everybody Lives But Maul. I really wasn't expecting to write it accept the idea would not leave the muse alone and then this happened:

KLCtheBookWorm: I really don't know what to do with Vader and Leia... unless he goes into her cell deactivates the IO droid and "Now Princess can we discuss waging war against Palpatine? Because he orchestrated my first family's death, has tried to kill my daughter, and your rebellion has made her flee her safe haven so he will potential see her again. He will not have her or my grandson." Sithspit, why does the muse want to rewrite OT constantly? JediMordsith: lolol Hmmm.... that could be interesting. Or he could go to Bail. "I will give you your daughter back if you help me get mine back." KLCtheBookWorm: YOU GAVE ME MORE PEOPLE TO HELP LIVE! JediMordsith: Bail convinces the rest of the Rebel leaders to work with Vader to take down the Emperor because he knows what a father's love is. KLCtheBookWorm: I always consider Alderaan's destruction a fixed point in time But the conversation between Bail and Mon Mothma. "You wanna do what now?"

Yeah, at that point I will write it.

Stories I wrote that I never thought I'd write: Star Wars: Everybody Lives But Maul. Technically I haven't really started the narrative, but really, Muse, was not expecting yet another rewrite of the OT. This one is the third, after Rescue the Farmboy and Sororal Lineality.

Hardest story to write: Star Wars: Looking For Home Future Timeline. I have never gotten stuck in which I couldn't finish off an outline. And this is so stuck.

Biggest disappointment: Strix: Forget the Sun. I did not even try for NaNo during the pandemic. (Huge props to everyone who did). I'm considering to do NaNo in April instead in 2021 to finish this novel.

Biggest surprise: I only posted ONE THING! I'm not beating myself up for any of the results of 2020 because it was garbage year, but I honestly didn't plan to leave my readers hanging so hard. On the plus side, they will have at least 30 weeks of new content to read in 2021.

What's your favorite piece of dialogue you wrote this year? From Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: Aftermath.

Luke opened his eyes to Leia’s suspicious face. “She was arguing with Threepio. I went the other way.” “So she couldn’t put you back in the medbunk.” Leia bounced to her feet and helped leverage him out of his seat. “You are going right back to it and staying in it until we reach the Fleet, Commander.” “Aye, aye, Colonel,” Luke replied with less than the banter he normally did. He leaned heavily on Leia, more than he should. Lando finished locking down the controls and followed behind them. “Colonel? Not a General?” “Not a General yet,” Luke responded with a wheezy laugh.

It took a while to figure out what Leia's military actual rank is based of costumes and plot actions in Empire Strikes Back. Major Bren Derlin didn't get a yes from Leia because she loves the two men out in the cold, but because she out ranks him.

What's your favorite piece of description or narration you wrote this year? From Star Wars: Soroal Lineality: MJ-0002.

The last one she dared to open was a recording. Her memory replayed on the screen: a child’s best dress colored green as the recorder tilted down, followed by looking back at the sad adults in the shadows of the shuttle’s lights. She heard the woman’s quavering voice, “Please, don’t take my baby.” Then the gnarled hand extended from the sleeve of the black robe and a tiny hand took it, and the recorder turned to the lit hatch at the top of the ramp. Mara's surroundings registered in waves after that. Her glutes were tingling as she shifted from sitting in a collapsed position on the floor. The floor was cold stone. The recording was playing on a loop above her head. She hadn’t fainted because she wasn’t flat on her back. She climbed up to her feet and shut off the playback. Now the title of the file burned into her retinas, Primary Memory Imprint for Murdering Judges Clone Line.

I can't wait to share this story with readers.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would, less, or about what you predicted? Oh I came in under what I had aimed for, only writing to 69% of my goal that I set from what I wrote in 2019. But 2020 was a garbage year so I'm not beating myself up over word count results. As I went through the year though, I noticed that August and September were totally spent on just editing and no new words. That means I need to watch the schedule in 2021.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I have officially started the write a series of short stories and keep them under 7500 words. I need more practice writing short, which is why I plotted Sororal Lineality this way.

Did you meet last year's goals?

That's a no, and boy, how is it a no. 2021 Goal is to not have Leeloo laugh at me.

The goals from my unprinted 2020 one-page business plan are:

Use Ali Luke's Two Year Novel Plan to finish the Strix series

January - May 2020: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's first draft = Nope, not done yet.

June - October 2020: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's second draft = Nope.

Writing Star Wars AU fanfics

Finish Unexpected Consequences' first draft = Done

Start writing Sororal Lineality = Two stories done out of 28

Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban's first draft = Nope, but I am currently writing it.

Send Unexpected Consequences to beta reader = Done

Send Sororal Lineality stories to beta reader = Done

Edit Unexpected Consequences = In Progress

Edit Sororal Lineality stories = Done

Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank, Dreamwidth, Discipline Under Fire, Tumblr Random Thoughts, Pillowfort = Do once a week on Saturdays = I haven't been doing this at all. Tumblr posts happen when I'm home but usually reposting and not anything I have written.

BookWorm's Library website maintenance = Work on once a week on Sundays = Really need to do this

Make sure the software is up to date once a month

Add any files that need adding

Add Media Center to BookWorm's Library = Work on once a week on Sundays = Hasn't happened yet

Create section

Make artwork

Code section

Upload files

Add more fanfics to AO3

Upload Zackverse in story order = Nope, not yet

Upload Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences when edited on Ao3 = In Progress

Upload Sororal Lineality stories when edited = In Progress

Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to FF.net and the Library when finished = Oops, forgot about this

Upload Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to FF.net and the Library when finished = Oops, forgot about this

Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to FF.net = In Progress

Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to Library = In Progress

My daily writing plans to help the above list of goals get done:

Write 600 daily words. Can be split among the projects. I'm making the yearly goal to reach whatever number I actually reach on December 31st.

Write and edit every day.

Schedule website updates and fanmix work on the weekends.

Work in meditation time with Brain FM.

Use my Kanban Flow checklist consistently.

Don't let chores pile up now that you have two jobs plus writing to do.

Reward myself when goals are reached throughout my Reset Year.

Do you have any goals for the coming year? The goals from my 2021 one-page business plan are:

Use Ali Luke's Two Year Novel Plan to finish the Strix series

April - August 2021: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's first draft (I'm going to push myself to get it done in by treating April as NaNo, but more time is available if I need it)

Sept. - Dec. 2021: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's second draft

Writing Star Wars AU fanfics

Finish Unexpected Consequences' third draft

Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban's first draft

Edit Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban to second draft

Send Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban to beta reader

Finish Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban third draft/li>

Finish Sororal Lineality: Miha first draft

Edit Sororal Lineality: Miha to second draft

Send Sororal Lineality: Miha to beta reader

Finish Sororal Lineality: Miha third draft

Writing Zackverse

Work on Hyrueliana's overhaul

Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank, Dreamwidth, Discipline Under Fire, and Tumblr Random Thoughts = Do once a week

BookWorm's Library website maintenance = Work on once a week on Sundays

Make sure the software is up to date once a month

Add any files that need adding

Add Media Center to BookWorm's Library = Work on once a week on Sundays

Create section

Make artwork

Code section

Upload files

Add more fanfics to AO3

Upload Zackverse in story order

Upload Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences when edited on Ao3

Upload Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002 on Ao3 on May 4th

Reload Sororal Lineality: Aftermath on Ao3

Upload Soroal Lineality: Miha to Ao3

Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to the Library

Upload Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to the Library

Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to Library

Upload Looking For Home: My Home Is You to the Library

Upload Looking For Home: Outcast to Library

Upload Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002 to the Library

Upload Sororal Lineality: Aftermath to the Library

Upload Sororal Lineality: Miha

Update FF.net profile of where newer stories are now

My daily writing plans to help the above list of goals get done:

Write 600 daily words. Can be split among the projects. I'm making the yearly goal to reach whatever number I actually reach on December 31st.

Write and edit every day.

Schedule website updates and fanmix work on the weekends.

Work in meditation time with Brain FM.

Use my Kanban Flow checklist consistently.

Don't let chores pile up now that you have two jobs plus writing to do.

Here's to 2021. We'll get through it together.

#fic life #2020 goals #2021 goals #my year in fanfic

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nikcosterwaldaus · 4 years ago

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DON’T GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY

you’re sure for a quick demise

the town of exile has always been full of strange goings on, a safe haven for all that is unexplained and unnerving, but no one quite believed that there were bodies buried beneath the earth until the summer of 1993. seven teens went on a camping trip to the woods and all hell broke loose.

what started as a simple prank between a couple of them, setting traps around the trees, bushes and stumps to scare the rest of their friends, led them straight to ezekiel sutton - a leader of a very unsavoury cult, called the church of the all seeing eye, from the next town over - burying a mangled body in the damp earth. the air seemed to still, the wind blow ice cold, and the two pranksters ran back to their hideout to tell their friends exactly what they’d seen.

the problem was, ezekiel followed them back too.

in the dark of the night, the seven teens were stalked through the woods, tripped up by idiotic pranks and traps set by their friends. ezekiel got to them, one by one, taking them down and trying to make it so none of them would see the light of day. but, through the power of team work, they managed to outwit the killer; string him up, tie him down, wait until dawn to get help and escape from this forest of madness.

it’s been 27 years since the incident and it affected each of the group deeply. still living with the trauma of not knowing if they’d see another morning, they went their separate ways, trying to forget about that night and get on with what life they could salvage. now, however, things are about to change; ezekiel sutton has been released from prison and the teens - now adults - are all brought back to exile on a lie: their friend, mike, is dead.

but, when they all turned up at the church in their mourning clothes to pay their respects, who came out to greet them but mike themself. it was all a rouse to get them back, here, to exile. they needed help. ezekiel sutton was put away for one murder, but mike is convinced they’ve committed countless more. the only way they can prove it is by finding the bodies, and they can’t do that alone.

the characters listed below are based on archetypes from the it movies (and book), as well as the until dawn video game. please bear in mind you don’t need to have watched, read or played any of these to be involved in the plot. while they’re based on the characters from these franchises, they’re not identical and do not have any of the same relationship plots; we don’t expect anyone to adhere to gender or ethnicity when creating them apart from mike who we will want to keep bipoc; however, it would be fantastic if the rest of the group was diverse (characters of colour, disabilities, gender and sexuality), though it’s not mandatory - just something to think about!

all of the characters will be between the ages of forty-four and forty-five, so please make sure you follow the site’s play-by rules when choosing someone for the group! the request will include themes of murder, horror, death and stalking (serial killer > the kids). we’ll be trigger warning everything within the plot, but if you’re sensitive to any of these themes, please let us know and we’ll do our best to help you feel safe.

please note: we are more than happy to discuss any of these blurbs and they are completely open, we just wanted to give you something to go off if you’re creating a character from scratch. if you have anyone else that you might want to bring to this plot, let myself or pomona know and we’d be happy to chat with you!!!

main characters

bev / mike → prickly, confident, aggressive, independent

with a bad home life and bullied at school, bev struggled to fit in; that was until they found the rest of the group. being an outcast didn’t seem so bad when they were friends with a bunch of other outcasts and they became somewhat protective over the others - not that they let any of the group know that. they stayed in exile for a while after the events, slowly watching their friends leave until they realised there was no point; there was nothing to fight anymore. everyone had gone. now they’re back, bev is wary. they don’t want things to go back to the way they were because, last time, everyone left. they’re keeping the others at arm’s length until they can really work out where everyone’s priorities lie.

reserved for: lana

ben / ashley → shy, sweet, lonely, intelligent

the softest and kindest member of the group, ben took the incident in the woods the hardest and has suffered greatly since. barely able to keep their life on track, they’ve hopped from one thing to the next, never quite able to settle down. it’s a shame, for someone with so much heart, that they’ve had it broken and damaged in so many ways; yet they never let themselves become jaded. needless to say, they’re trying to keep the group in exile to help mike find more bodies, not only feeling some semblance of loyalty to them (and the others), but finally feeling whole again after so many years of turmoil and strife.

reserved for: mc

bill / sam → haunted, honest, reckless , brave

they always thought they were the leader of the group, but at the end of the day they were the first to leave town after the incident. their seat at the police station barely cold, they disappeared from exile almost a week after the group came out of the woods and no one ever saw them again. that is, until now. bill’s surprisingly straight and quiet about what’s happened in the intervening years - something about finding out who they really are and learning to forgive themself - but one thing’s for sure, they’re fitting back into that leadership role like no time’s passed at all. it’s just whether the rest of the group really wants them “in charge” after bailing out the first time around.

reserved for: pandora

eddie / emily → neurotic, loyal, obsessive, genuine

having lived a half shut-in, medically induced hell of a life as a kid along with their sibling, eddie was both ecstatic and terrified at the thought of moving away from exile. their mother made them believe (truly believe) they had a plethora of illnesses and it was only at the age of twenty-three, when their mother finally passed away, that they could go and leave the horrors of their childhood behind. they moved to another small town, settled down into a quiet little life and they were happy and dandy until mike’s letter came through. now, more than anything, even more than before, they want out of exile. but something is keeping them there, and they can’t quite pinpoint what. whatever it is, it’s fucking annoying.

played by: anais (miriam chomsky - rachel weisz)

mike / josh → intense, caring, introverted, observant

after the tragic, violent deaths of their parents, mike was raised under the stern but firm eye of their aunt and uncle. mike was something of an outcast at their school but in the summer of 1993, after a run in with the infamous bully henry, mike’s bond with the rest of the group was forged in the fires of joint misfithood. a grounding presence and the self appointed guardian of the group, mike was the one who remained in exile - literally and figuratively - to ensure that the influence of ezekiel sutton would be forever stamped out. yet, life rarely goes the way we want it to, and since the release of sutton, mike has been desperate to get the old crew back together to see sutton punished for the monster he truly is - desperate enough to even fake their own death.

reserved for: yenna

richie / chris → joker, insensitive, determined, brash

the nerdy clever clogs that forged themself a suit of armour out of terrible jokes and snide remarks, richie was desperate to cut loose of their past in exile and forge a new path in the bright lights of tinsel town. best buddies with stanley since their kindergarten days, but cementing themself in the ranks of the group with his corny humour, richie has always been happy to play the clown. yet, as with all clowns, the smile is little more than a mask, and beneath the mask and the armour is a soul wracked with guilt and self loathing. no amount of gallows humour will keep these old demons at bay, and richie is a hair’s breadth away from high tailing it back to beverly hills as fast as their porsche convertible can carry them.

played by: pomona (seth spector - joaquin phoenix)

stan / matt → weak, trusting, wise, sceptical

though stan has always been a key part of the group, they’ve never exactly felt like an integral part. they’re kind, generous and trustworthy, but always seem to be in the background. always seem to be the weakest link. not much has changed over the years. the initial pranks were stan’s idea and they’ve never let themself forget it, believing that if they hadn’t decided to trick everyone with stupid games, then they wouldn’t have all almost died. their bravery and strength haven’t improved and they still can’t quite find a foothole to grab onto. their life has been an undulating mess since they left exile and it doesn’t look like coming back’s going to make that any better.

reserved for: michelle

additional characters

henry / beth

a lost and twisted soul, henry was never destined for a life of bucolic bliss or carefree contentment. raised under the iron thumb of a domineering parent, henry vented their frustrations and rage upon their school peers with infernal ferocity. the infamous bully of their school, henry perhaps would have burnt themselves out with their own banal forms of sadism if it weren’t for ezekiel sutton. meeting sutton was like henry’s eureka moment, and while his connection to sutton’s foul deeds was never revealed back in the 1990s, it is henry who has been keeping the church of the all seeing eye alive and well. now with the return of their idol and mentor, henry is keen to prove themself as sutton’s most devoted follower.

pennywise / hannah

ezekiel sutton is a man of great importance. no one in exile knew who he was up until the events of summer, 1993; now everyone wishes they didn’t know his name. dubbed the executioner of exile, he’s been in prison for the past 27 years on one charge of murder. the police could never pinpoint the location of any of the other bodies he so clearly buried in the woods, and ezekiel never let on to having done anything but put the man he did bury out of his misery. the kids? well, he never meant to scare them. and you know how teenagers can be; so dramatic!

now he’s out on good behaviour and has no clue (yet) that the kids he never meant to scare at working to find his very real skeletons in his metaphorical closet and expose him for the serial killing ass he is. still, his old cult are welcoming him back with open arms, delighted he’s managed to maintain his innocence throughout his arduous trials.

ezekiel is a npc thus unplayable.

#exilebuzz #s: exile

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lemonandlimefic · 5 years ago

Note

Hello! You said the June profits would be donated to Black-owned businesses, do you have a post with donation receipts?

We hadn’t created a post about this, no, but we’re happy to share!

As an organization, we contributed to (or are now supporting on a recurring basis) the following organizations/BIPOC businesses:

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

The Free Black Women's Library (A literary art project that celebrates Black women writers)

For Harriet (Black feminist content and community)

The Conscious Kid (Parenting and Education Resources through a Critical Race Lens)

Noname Book Club (Community for readers of color)

In addition to the above, across our creative team, we’ve donated to and/or supported (or have begun volunteering for) the below BIPOC businesses, organizations and individual creators:

Black Lives Matter

Passionate Lips

Shea Shea Bakery

Reading Holiday Project

Equal Justice Initiative

Chicago Community Bond Fund

Baltimore Safe Haven

Black Young Professionals

ADvance Omaha Fund

Official George Floyd Memorial Fund

Philadelphia Bail Fund

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branwenblake · 6 years ago

Text

How Far We’ve Come

((I knoww.. I know I’m late.. Better late than never. I’ll upload the one for Day 3 later, but for now, enjoy!))

---

"Where have you two been?!"

Blake looks at Yang who’s scratching her head. She smiled, and stepped in, "I'm sorry, Weiss. I just needed some air."

Weiss rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“We fell asleep after, okay. We’re sorry!”

Weiss huffs. "Some air? You disappeared on all of us last night. The Atlas Ball is for everyone? How could you not have gotten air around such a healthy environment? You know what, I can't even deal with you right now. I do one nice thing and you bail!"

"That's enough, Weiss." Yang exclaimed, "She said she was sorry."

Weiss looks at Yang, then at Blake, and sighs. "You're right. I.. I was just really worried, Blake."

Blake smiled, and puts her hands on Weiss' shoulders.

"I know you were."

Weiss smiled too. Their moment was interrupted by a very loud Ruby Rose coming downstairs, and basically tackling Blake with a hug.

"Blaaaaake! You're here! Oh my gosh, you're home! Oh thank the Gods!"

"Good.. to.. see.. you.. too.. Ruby.."

Ruby takes a step back and scratches her head. "Sorry. I was just really worried."

"I know. Thank you. Yang made sure nothing happened to me so I'm okay. Maybe a bit dizzy.."

Yang scoffs.

"Shut up, Yang."

Ruby looked at both Yang and Blake sharing their own inside jokes and laughing. She's never seen her sister so happy. Weiss, on the other hand, was just irritated.

"Okay, okay, that’s enough to make a girl nauseous. Blake, this came for you. I'll be touring Ruby around today so you and Yang could get more air, or whatever."

Blake took the envelope from Weiss. Ruby gave Yang a hug, and they were out the door before she could even say another word. Turning the envelope around, she gasped. It was a letter from her parents. She immediately opened it. She hasn’t seen them since the battle at Haven, and she’s been waiting so long to hear from them.

“Who’s it from?” Yang asks.

Blake quickly scans the letter. “My parents. They just wanted to tell us that they’re doing good. I guess the White Fang have kept them busy, so I understand. I just miss them, you know. I just wish they’d call from time to time. I know that the White Fang needs rebuilding, but I’m here too.”

Yang kisses Blake’s temple, and as if on cue, Blake’s scroll starts ringing.

It was her mom.

“Mom!”

Blake felt Yang distance herself. She looks at her confused before turning her attention back to Kali.

“Blake! Oh, we’re so sorry we haven’t called lately. Did you get our letter?”

Blake smiles. “Yeah, I did. Just today, actually. It was so nice to hear from you and Dad. Speaking of dad, where is he?”

Blake sees her mom’s smile dim a little. “He’s been really busy these days, sweetie. I was in the study earlier and his desk is still filled with paperwork, and phone lines ringing from all over.” She pauses for a bit before continuing, “I’m so sorry, hon. He wanted to be here to see you too, but he’s just been swamped.”

“Don’t worry about it, mom. I’m glad the White Fang is in good hands.”

Before Kali could even speak, someone snatched the phone away.

“Blake! Blake!”

Shocked as she was, Blake started to smile so big. “Dad!”

“Blake.. oh it’s so good to see you.”

Blake almost laughed as she could hear her mom trying to reach for the phone, probably jumping.

“It’s so good to see you, dad. Mom told me you were busy. I would’ve been okay if you weren’t-“

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Blake started to tear up, she had missed her parents so much. Before she could even say a word, her mom finally snatched the phone away from Ghira.

“Hey sweetie, you’ve got a shadow.”

Blake looks back and realizes she forgot all about Yang being in the same room. She turned her head instantly when they met eyes, she was blushing, she knew she was.

“Hon, why are you red? Are you sick?” Ghira asks.

That made Blake blush even more. She hears Yang chuckle. “No! Dad! I’m not sick! I’m... you know what? No!”

Kali looked worried. “Blake, are you sure? Are they feeding y-“

“Mom! I’m fine!”

Kali and Ghira share a look before Kali asks, “So, does your shadow have a name?”

Blake turns around to face Yang, and smiles. “It’s just Yang, mom.”

“THE Yang?”

Her parents started moving to the couch, propping the phone up the desk so they could sit comfortably. Blake does the same. She gestures Yang to sit with her, but Yang decides to stand behind the camera.

“What do you mean, THE Yang?”

Ghira chuckles, “Hon, that’s the Yang you talked about almost every day when you were here?”

Blake started to blush again, “N-No that’s not-“

“Wait sweetie, is that the Yang you were dreaming about? You said her name a lot.” Kali asks. “Was it a dream? Wait no, I remember you were also writing letters to her.”

Blake couldn’t look up, but she knew Yang was staring at her. She also knows she’s wearing that gorgeous smile, probably ready to tease her all about this later.

“Oh wait no Ghira, wasn’t she the Yang that Blake almost called every day because-“

“Mom! We’re all here. We know. I know, I remember, I got it! We got it!”

“Oh that’s right, sweetie, you stared at her contact info all day..”

“Mom!”

Yang starts laughing, and Blake gasps a bit when she finally decides to sit beside her. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna!”

Kali smiles, “Blake! I know you told us numerous times how pretty she is, but now I’m really seeing it, sweetie!”

Blake turns and hides on Yang’s shoulders, “Mom, please stop.”

She hears a smile when Yang says, “Please don’t, Mrs. Belladonna, I’d love to hear more.”

“It’s nice to finally put a face in the name. We’ve heard so much about you from Blake.” Ghira states.

Blake finally faces the camera again. She’s still blushing and she knows it. Kali looks at Blake, then at Yang before speaking. This time, she has a genuine smile on her face.

“We know how much you’ve done for our Blake, and we couldn’t thank you enough. She’s our girl, and without you, she wouldn’t be as strong as she is today.”

Blake looks at Yang who looked beaming with happiness. She could almost see it all radiating off of her. It was refreshing.

“Blake used to be so shy, and it was fine because I know we raised her in a world that wasn’t so accepting, not that it’s any better now. We were there for her, but as adults, we get so wrapped up in the politics that we miss seeing our little girl grow up to an amazing woman.”

Ghira put an arm around his wife.

“Ghira and I, we aren’t perfect, but having Blake was one of the best things we’ve done in our lifetime. We know we failed as parents. So, when she showed up at our door step, alive and well, it just hit us how much we were missing.”

Teary-eyed, Blake couldn’t find any words to say. She loves them so much, and it’s so heartbreaking hearing her mom like this.

“So I guess what we’re trying to say is thank you, Yang. Thank you for taking care of our girl. We have another chance to see her grow, and we don’t want to miss a second of it.”

Kali and Ghira give both of them a warm smile, and she hears Yang take a deep breath.

“She’s family. I don’t turn my back on family. I will always take care of her,” Yang says, before meeting Blake’s gaze, “I wouldn’t change a thing about us, because she’s my partner, no matter what.”

Blake couldn’t stop staring deep into Yang’s eyes. It was like she was seeing a whole new side of her. The thing is, it wasn’t scary at all. It felt like coming home.

Much to her dismay, Ghira interrupted their little moment.

“Well, I’m glad Blake surrounded herself with the right people. She really has a thing for blondes. Don’t worry, Blake. I like this one.”

She was blushing again.

She sees Yang smile at Ghira. “I like this one too, Mr. Belladonna.”

She’s definitely blushing.

Ghira scoffs, “Drop the formalities, and call me Ghira.. as soon as you tell me about that Atlas tech arm of yours.”

Yang pulls up her sleeve a bit, showing off her arm to the camera. “Oh, this old thing? Let’s just say that you’d probably lose an arm wrestle if you challenge me.”

Ghira huffs, “Once you step foot in Menagerie, I’m taking you up on that, Xiao Long.”

“Okay grandpa.”

Blake joins both of her parents in a gasp. Slowly, she sees her dad’s eyebrows crease, and a frown beginning to form. She couldn’t tell if her dad was mad or- and he’s laughing. He’s laughing so hard. Yang joins in, and they start air high fiving through the screen. She sees her mom shaking her head, and all Blake could do was watch her dad and her partner bond. It was probably one of the best moments of her life.

“Okay okay, Ghira that’s enough.” Her mom interjects. “Yang, do you wanna see Blake’s baby photos?”

—-

After three hours of non-stop embarrassing stories from Blake’s parents, Yang and Ghira laughing over fishing and planning some jungle adventure thing, Kali teaching Yang all of her cooking recipes, it was time for them to go.

“I’ll take you up on all of it, Yang. I can’t wait until Blake takes you back home. You’ll love it here.” Ghira exclaims.

Yang smiled, “I wouldn’t doubt it, Mr. Belladonna. I hope it’s sooner rather than later.”

“Hopefully, you and Blake find some time to visit us. Busy as we might be, we’ll always make time for you both, okay?” Kali states with a smile.

“Thanks, mom. We’ll try to visit soon.”

“You girls take care, and please, as much as I’d love a grand kid, everyone’s at war, so take it easy on that front, okay?”

She starts to laugh at Blake with eyes that shot wide open, and a face as red as a tomato. She was so cute.

“Okay that’s enough! Bye mom!”

“Take care, sweetie. Yang, I’m counting on you to keep an eye on this one, okay?”

She takes the phone from the stand and does a thumbs up, “I’ll be watching her like a hawk, Mrs. Belladonna.”

“Kali and I are just one call away if anything happens. Please look after our stubborn daughter.”

“Will do, sir.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t mind it when you do it so-“

She starts laughing when Blake snatches the phone again before Ghira even finishes. “Okay! That’s it! Bye mom! Bye dad! Talk to you soon!”

Kali and Ghira laugh. “Bye sweetie, we love you.”

“Love you too.”

With that, and a huge sigh, she sees Blake end the call.

“I don’t know about you, but I love them.”

Blake buries her face in her hands, and Yang just couldn’t help but find her so adorable. Even her ears were wiggling as if they were out of control. It’s not every day that she sees Blake Belladonna flustered like this. She had to take in the moment before it was all gone.

“I can’t believe they embarrassed me like that.”

Yang chuckles, “They’re your parents. They’re supposed to embarrass you.”

Blake sighs, “You’re right.”

“I can’t wait to meet them in person.”

Yang stood up from the couch extending a hand to Blake. She was about to laugh at how confused she looked.

“Are.. we going to dance again?” Blake asks, definitely blushing.

Yang smiled. “No, but we are going for a walk.”

“Why?” Blake asks again as she takes her hand.

Yang shrugs, grabbing a scarf for both her and Blake.

“I met your parents, so you get to meet mine.”

“But, your dad’s back in Vale, and we don’t know where Raven is, remember?”

Yang looks at her before opening the door. “Just.. trust me on this one, okay?”

Blake nods, and Yang felt so relieved. Today had been such an unexpected day. From their little dance last night, to meeting Blake’s parents all within twenty-four hours? Unbelievable. However, it didn’t feel strange. In fact, it felt familiar.

Before they could go very far, she took Blake to a flower shop not far from their Atlas home. She bought a couple of roses, and got Blake to pick a flower of her choice.

Once they were done, she held Blake’s hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and led her to a quiet park near the edge of the city. Pools of snow have started to pile up, but it still looked pretty. Yang felt sad that not a lot of people visited this part of Atlas anymore, but was glad that it was peaceful and quiet. They kept walking until they reach a path leading to loads of bushes a bit covered in snow.

One at the end, Yang lays the roses she bought in the snow, so Blake does the same with the flower she picked earlier.

Yang smiles and tightens her grip on Blake’s hand, “Our mom used to tell us stories for when she would go on missions as a huntress. As kids, we never knew how much was at stake so everything was always so cool, and amazing. We didn’t know that one day, she’ll go on a mission and never come back.”

“She told us that when she’s in Atlas, she found a spot where the snow falls so beautifully, like magic. Mom was creative like that. She was always finding new things, much like how Ruby is with her curiosity.”

She chuckles and takes a pause. “I was really lucky that I had Summer as my mom. Even though it was brief, it was all I had. I was too young when Raven left, so that search for her within me was only because I didn’t know what it took to want to abandon your own daughter. It wasn’t because I didn’t have a real mom. Summer was our mom, and if I had been old enough to understand what was going on, I would have searched all of Anima without a question.”

She feels Blake tighten her hand on hers, as tears start streaming down her face.

“I know it’s silly because I know the truth, but I still hope that one of these days, she’ll come back and tell Ruby and I that she’d just been hiding. She wasn’t killed, or eaten, or hurt, that she just couldn’t leave a spot she’d found somewhere across Anima.”

“Yang..”

“Her gravestone’s back in Patch, but this was one of her little spots here in Atlas. I remember her telling me, so I thought that this was the closest thing for you to meet her.”

Blake looks at her and wipes her tears. With a smile, she lets go of her hand, and stand a bit closer to the snow patch with the flowers. “Hi Ms. Rose, I’m Blake Belladonna. Your daughter’s partner.”

Before Yang starts crying again, Blake grabs her hand without looking, and she felt her heart beating faster than ever before.

—-

“Yang is one of the strongest people I know,”

Blake starts. “She gives her strength for people who need it, but it’s like she never runs out of it. She never backed down on a challenge. I guess except when I left her because I was scared.”

She felt Yang tighten her grip on her hand.

“I didn’t have half the strength she had. I backed down, and I didn’t take responsibility for my actions. She took responsibility for my actions, for my past, and when I came back, she still let me be part of her life.”

The snow starts falling, and the trees carried such a melody in the air. Blake paused for a moment to look around, but when her eyes landed at Yang, she couldn’t stop. Yang had a huge smile on her face, and Blake couldn’t help but take a mental image of this moment. She couldn’t believe that her partner, who had an element exactly opposite of the snow, was so happy among it all. It really was magical.

She didn’t know it was partly because Yang was with her.

I don't like walking around this old and empty house

So hold my hand, I'll walk with you my dear

She turned her head back to the roses. “Yang was there for me when I couldn’t be there for myself, and I have you to thank for that. You don’t know it, but you made her the person she is today. I wouldn’t know where I’d be without that person. So, thank you.”

The stairs creak as I sleep,

It's keeping me awake

It's the house telling you to close your eyes

“I know you don’t really know me, because we just met but I’ll take care of Yang. We’ll protect each other no matter what.” Blake states, “I’ll take care of Ruby and Weiss too. You know how kids can be these days. And I promise you, that I will be there for Yang through any kind of day, whether she needs me to be or not. I’m not going anywhere.”

And some days I can't even trust myself

It's killing me to see you this way

“I don’t think I can ever take it if I hurt Yang again, Ms. Rose.”

She feels Yang’s heavy stares so she stood up and met her gaze, while still firmly holding her hand.

'Cause though the truth may vary

This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

“She’s my home.”

#bumbleby #bumblebee #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #bumbleby week #late #day 2 #barbara dunkelman #arryn zech #rwby

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years ago

Note

Hey! Any theories on the intro? And the upcoming fight with Oscar and Ironwood. I'm soooo excited 😖 gooo OSCAR!!😍

Hello again Luna. Well I don’t wish to discuss much out in the open since there are still folks who follow my blog and content who haven’t seen the episode as yet. So out of respect for them, I’m going to give my answer under cut.

Theories based on the intro. Whelp since the tradition since V6 is that RWBY opening sheds light on some of the story beats and subplots that will be focused on for part of the season, here’s what I’m anticipating is going to go down for V7:

Keeping Up with Best of the Best:

JNR_RWBY will probably placed under the guidance and supervision of Atlesian Ace Ops who will more or less oversee their continued training as huntsmen.

We’ll probably have at least one episode or two in which our young heroes head out on missions around Mantle and Solitas accompanying the Ace Ops in the field.

While I’d love to see JNR_RWBY work alongside the Aces for more than one mission; if I’m going off the footage in the V7 opening and the V7 trailer, the main mission will obviously be the one teased before in the trailer. The mission that takes place presumably in the Dust Mines of Atlas; infested with Centinal Grimm and another Geist Grimm.

Wouldnt surprise me if we got that mission episode between CH3 and 4 since I’m sure CH2 will involve the group being held in prison under firm interrogation until Ironwood arrives to bail them out (much like in @miki-13’s fanfic “Reconciliation”)

Oscar-Worthy:

While JNR_RWBY will be out with Ace Ops, they’re not the only ones getting a taste of Atlas style of teaching. As shown, Oscar will remain in Atlas to be trained personally by Ironwood.

James and Oscar weren’t fighting. I guess this was more or less a little friendly sparring match for Ironwood to test just how far Oscar is in his training and skills as the successor to Oz.

Like you, I’m interested to see how this match will go. However at the same time, I’m not rooting for Oscar to win this one on one. On the contrary, I’m more anticipating Ironwood to wipe the floor with Oscar in their first match. He’ll probably go easy on him at first only to later take it up a notch and become more aggressive, forcing Oscar into a corner.I’m hoping this first fight between them is actually more…I guess serious when it comes to the actual episode. This opening makes it look like these two are play fighting and Ironwood is humouring Oscar. Don’t get me wrong. I want Ironwood to more or less be a good teacher to Oscar but at the same time, I don’t want him to coddle him either. Ironwood has been shown to be a hard boiled badass of a soldier. A man who singlehandedly slam-dunked a charging Beowolf with one hand and shot it straight through the neck with his other hand.

Let that guy teach Oscar a thing or two on what it’s light to be a warrior. War is nothing to take lightly. One slip up—even the tiniest of them can easily open the door to victory or failure. I can see Ironwood drilling that lesson into Oscar very firmly.

One thing I’m also hoping for is that there will be an audience there to show Oscar support during his sparring match with Oscar. I know JNR_RWBY will be mostly out in the field but I think it’d be cute to have someone there on Oscar’s behalf to cheer him on and help him up after Ironwood kicks his ass the first time.

With Ironwood training Oscar for V7, I’m hoping for V7 that we can at least get one Oscar-worthy episode where he is the focal point or key driver of the chapter.

Similar to how we had the Jaundice multi-part episodes back during V1, it would be pretty great if Oscar got his own ‘Oscar-worthy’-titled episode that focuses heavily on his feelings handling everything (leaving home, the events of Mistral and Haven, Jinn’s story, Ozpin’s isolation, etc) while additionally trying to keep up with Ironwood’s rigourous training regiment which the poor boy unfortunately struggles with in the beginning.

As a matter of fact, one thing I’m anticipating for with Ironwood training Oscar is the show highlighting Oscar struggling at first. I understand that Oscar’s whole thing is that he picks up things fast while also being expected to inherit Oz’s muscle memory; which we’ve seen him achieve.

That being said, I hope it’s not another example of the Writers neglecting to portray Oscar as his own character first and foremost.It still bothers me that after two seasons, we still don’t know much about Oscar’s true thoughts and how he feels.

For the most part we’ve just seen him humbly accept everything that’s happened to him since the events of V4 and be perfectly comfortable with being puppeteered around by Ozpin while signing away his life to being another for Ozma to live through.

…Yep. Oscar has been with with the heroes for 48-49 days (1 month, 2 weeks and 4 days since V4 to V6, according to the RWBY timeline) since he first left his presumably sheltered life back in Mistral and he’s just fine with all that’s happened since then. Uh huh. That’s what the show and the CRWBY Writers want me to wholeheartedly believe. Sure.

It was especially worse last season where Oscar was supposed to be a focal figure of the season, like Ozpin, but the Writers once again overlooked him in favour of other characters (including ones who weren’t relevant to the main plot of that season).

This is why I believe an Oscar-worthy episode isn’t only warranted by strongly needed at this point. What could be even better is if that episode is used to spark a close friendship and potential brotherhood between Oscar and Jaune.

Why I want an episode where Oscar is seen struggling with his training and/or slowly beginning to fall apart from the pressures of everything around him to the point of frustration is because I can see it parallelling Jaundice where Jaune suffered through the same emotional struggles.

Jaune have come a long, long way from the whimpy kid he started off as. Perhaps he could use his experience to help and/or guide Oscar when he falters.

I believe it was mentioned in an interview with M&K that Oscar might share a similar story beat to Jaune when he first started out. I hope this means we’ll get to see Oscar go through an Jaundice-esque type of experience which in turn will prompt Jaune to want to help him since he sees his old self mirrored in Oscar. It’d be even nicer if this is followed up by Jaune offering to have practice sessions with Oscar to help him with improving his fighting technique.

While I’d still love for Ruby to be the one to help Oscar with his training, I feel like it’d be more meaningful if Jaune offers to help Oscar similar to how Pyrhha once offered to help him back in V1.

I’ve been waiting for a moment where Jaune becomes a big brother/ mentor type character to Oscar since V5.

Plus if Oscar is indeed destined to join JNR (as the opening alluded to), this would be a nice way to have Oscar and Jaune bond to build into the potential of them eventually become teammates and brothers in arms.

I’d love it if we get a moment where Jaune and Oscar are training together while Nora, Ren and even Ruby observe from a far.

Having RNJR be a part of Oscar’s training and development as a fighter is a nice callback to V5 where the five of them were being trained under Oz’s watch and guidance.

Plus this could provide another example of RNJR becoming Oscar’s Golden Circle of close confidantes.I’m seeing more and more signs of the Golden Circle being a canonical possibility as the series feeds me more evidence for my Pinehead headcanon.

I hope they don’t stop for V7. I really want to see RNJR become Oscar’s main group. JNR as his potential huntsman team and surrogate family and Ruby as Oscar’s best friend, most trusted companion and of course, his potential love interest (maybe).

So yeah it’d be nice if Oscar training Ironwood is a sign he might have his own Jaundice-esque episode that focuses on him and his growing friendship with RNJR. I mean it’d be nice if one of the episodes gave us that for him this season.

But given the Writers’ track recording on dishing those out; that’s wishful thinking. Ey who knows?

Schnee Family Affairs:

Judging by the fact that they are featured in the intro, apparently Weiss is going to have to confront the conflicts with her that she left behind in V4. This also seems to be tied into something to do with the Crimes of the SDC. As alluded to the audience during the World of Remnant episode on the Schnee Dust Company, the company has committed one or two nefarious deeds under Jacques Schnee’s leadership.

The intro also highlighted the new Robyn Hill character looking at tele-ad of Ironwood which later glitches to Jacques.This makes me wonder something curious but I’ll save it for my musing post.

All I will say for now is that there is a definitely a connection between this Hill character, Ironwood and Jacques Schnee. It can also be noted that Qrow will meet Hill face to face. My theory on that is that James will probably task Qrow to investigate some strange things going down in Mantle that’s connected to Hill.

My hunch with that is that Hill is the prime suspect in some reported mishaps down in Mantle when the reality is that it’s Tyrian Callows who's been causing trouble on Watts behalf.

That’s my hunch. Speaking of Watts.

Watts’ Mole?

In the opening Watts is seen observing an image of the Ace Ops. This got me curious about that. Why show a shot of Watts eyeballing them specifically of all things with a smirk on his face?

This made me consider two theories as a rationale. Either Watts is watching the Ace Ops because he plans on using them and their influence on the People of Atlas as possibly their finest soldiers to once again humiliate and mock the strength and integrity of Atlas’ Kingdom to the rest of the world; as it was done back during the Vytal Festival.

Or…the Ace Ops or at least ONE of their members is secretly in cohoots with Watts. While I understand that Watts’ gig is that he’s a genius, what if…he had a secret accomplice among the ranks of the Ace Ops who has been feeding him valuable Atlas intel that he then used against the Atlesian military.

We can assume that Watts’ was exiled from Atlas for reasons. But imagine if before being banished, Watts had a family? Like imagine if...Watts is also a dad and one of the Ace Ops members is secretly his kid who he was forced to leave behind when he was banished. Watts then reunited with said child and together the two have been working together to enact their revenge and said child is in the Ace Ops and has been feeding Watts valuable info to help with his schemes for years; including the Fall of Beacon.I could be completely wrong about Watts having a kid in the Ace Ops but…who knows. Let’s leave it on the table for now.

Attack on Mantle:

This shot makes me think that at some point for the V7 Finale, something big is going to go down in Mantle. Like there might be some big attack. Maybe Watts will create a stronger virus that’ll once again take over all mechanical lifeforms down in Atlas and the robot soldiers (inclusive of Penny 2.0 possibly) will suddenly turn fire on the innocent civilians, sending the People of Mantle into a frenzied panic which in turn will bring forth an army of Grimm to reign down on the Surface Kingdom. It might even attract another big Grimm.

Last time for V6, we got an underused Kaijuu Grimm. Perhaps this round we’ll get an Artic Yeti or Abominable Snowman type of Grimm. Who knows.

The Relic of Creation:

Well…we saw it clear as day in the opening. So we can bet the Relic of Creation will be a factor this season. I’m curious to see how Atlas uses this Relic since my hunch is that part of the reason why Atlas has been able to advance so much is due in part to them using the power of Relic of Creation. And since we saw the Relic, I wonder if this means we’ll get a teaser of the identity of the Winter Maiden and the Vault of the Winter Maiden.

Penny:

... As much as Penny’s shining smile in the opening brightens me up every time I see it, I can’t help but feel uneasy about that. I’ll talk more about on that later in a future musing post.

No Fire and Icecream?

Another thing to point out in the V7 opening is the lack of Cinder or Neo.

Even though they were teased heading toward Atlas at the end of V6, the V7 opening showed nothing of them. This makes me wonder if the two are even going to appear at all this season.

I mean take Adam Taurus for example. Even though Adam Taurus didn't appear until the later half of V6, he was still featured in the V6 opening.

Cinder and Neo; nowhere to be found in V7′s opening. This leads me to believe that we may not see these two at all for V7. Then again, it was said in another interview with the Writers that we’ll be learning about Cinder’s past at some point. I can’t remember if it was teased for V7 or a future season.

Either way I can’t really think that she’ll be a character for V7 since she wasn’t shown.

The same can be said about Salem’s army of Winged Beringels sent after Oz at the end of V6.

I guess they won’t be a factor for V7 either. I guess they’ll be saved for V8 (which is actually a good call).

Speaking of Oz, he was also omitted from this opening. Makes me wonder how much of a presence he’ll have this season.

I’m at least hoping for a thing where Oz comes back a bit for Oscar’s sake. Like maybe he and Oscar sort of reconcile but Oz doesn't take over Oscar’s body anymore. Instead he just plays a voice of guidance to him at times. I wouldn’t mind if Oz was relegated to that role for Oscar’s development. I want V7 to focus on Oscar since his side of things is often overlooked so much. He needs to be a focus.

Love is the Key:

Looking at how much times it was mentioned in the opening, it may seem that love is a central theme for this season.

It also seems like the lyrics to the V7 Opening might be alluding the Fox’s lesson from the Little Prince. Interesting.

With all this talk about love, I hope this means that romance is in the air for some of our young heroes.

I know we’re more likely to see love in the form of friendship (platonic love), family (familial love) devotion and responsibility to another person. But regardless of this, this squiggle meister is hoping for cupid to rear his fat naked ass and prick some of our heroes with a dose of love straight through the heart.

I want to see some of our characters fall in love with each other (particularly a certain pair of rosebuds who’ve been shown to really care about one another despite only knowing each other for 49 days and have been pretty chummy these past two seasons---just saying).

And yeah, that’s it. That’s all the theories I have for now based on the V7 opening. Anymore that pop up, I’ll just share in a musing or headcanon post. Hope that answers your question, fam.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#apocalypseluna786 #squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #rwby spoilers

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jarienn972 · 6 years ago

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A Simple Spell - Chapter One

A 2019 Captain Swan Supernatural Summer Tale

This day managed to sneak up on me a bit but it is finally time for me to start posting my 2019 @cssns story! After having so much fun taking a few creative challenges with last year’s event, I decided to take a huge chance by creating a bit of an AU universe here. Our setting will still be Storybrooke but I’ve twisted up some of the familial relationships to develop a different world where Emma is a young deputy who has just recently discovered a whole lot about herself - family she didn’t know she had and powers she didn’t know she had.

I want to extend huge thanks to the organizers of this event which has already spawned some amazing stories (many of which I need to get caught up on!) I also am so grateful for the assistance of my beta reader, @lassluna for helping me smooth out a few things and for the amazing art created by @cocohook38! (Edited to add this stellar piece of artwork to my post to complete the package!)

I am going to try to get new chapters posted every Monday, job permitting. I accepted a new position at work last month that curtailed my writing time a bit, but I’m working to make sure updates are as prompt as can be. Patience will be greatly appreciated and I do hope that everyone will enjoy reading this tale as much as I’m enjoying writing it!

Edited to add links: AO3 and FF.net and also added a cut that didn’t save yesterday.

If there was one thing that Emma Swan had learned during her brief residency in Storybrooke, it was that she had a lot to learn.

A whole lot to learn.

Perhaps it was finding the right teacher that had made adjusting more of a challenge than she’d anticipated but there was no doubt that she’d struggled during those early days. She’d battled with her self-confidence and fought against a sometimes crippling loneliness, but she’d needed to find those with like abilities - because in a town blessed (or cursed) with magic, proper instruction in the ways of the supernatural was an absolute necessity.

Eight months ago, she would never have even dreamed that a place like Storybrooke existed, let alone discover that this unusual little town had been her birthplace. Little details about her mysterious past emerged every day, but none more startling - and completely life changing - than the fact that she possessed a natural ability to utilize magic. It was becoming both equally fascinating and terrifying to learn new details about her past and the family that she and her late mother, Ava, had left behind.

Since she was a little girl growing up in one of the poorer sections of Boston, Emma had possessed an intense curiosity about her family. Maybe part of that stemmed from growing up in a city so steeped in history. She’d yearned to know more about her own ancestry, but her mother had never been particularly forthcoming about anything. It was always as though their past was some deep, dark secret - especially any mention of Emma’s absent father who her mother scarcely even spoke of.

After her mother passed away, Emma found that her desire to find the family she was missing couldn’t be tempered. She began actively utilizing resources available to her through her position as a bail bonds person to try to find any remaining family she might have and eventually, her tireless research led her to a half-brother, David Nolan, who resided in the small town of Storybrooke, Maine and served as the town Sheriff. She’d taken a step out of her comfort zone to reach out and after a few weeks of telephone conversations, David and his wife, Mary Margaret, convinced Emma to come visit them.

Initially, Emma had planned for just a brief weekend trip but as soon as she arrived in the quirky little seaside town, she found her insatiable curiosity piqued. By the end of the second day, she’d felt so comfortable and so at home here that she made the decision to relocate to Storybrooke - and that was when the fun began. David had hired her on as a deputy, giving her plenty of access to the town records to continue her research, understanding her need to fill in the gaps of her heritage. Absolutely nothing had prepared her for the shock of discovering the town’s biggest secret until she’d barged in on a drunk and disorderly call down at the Rabbit Hole and stumbled upon a man levitating above the bar, cheerfully showering the bartender and a few fellow patrons with what smelled like bourbon.

Stranger yet, Emma had sensed an odd energy even before stepping into the tavern. There was some sort of a connection she’d experienced with the levitating drunkard and he’d instantly dropped to the floor in a heavily-sauced heap the moment she’d raised her hand toward him. She hadn’t known what it was back then, but it had been the moment she discovered her first hint that she was a witch. And not just any witch - she’d been born with potential not seen before in Storybrooke - only she didn’t know it yet.

She hadn’t even known how to address the incident with David until he’d burst out in a fit of laughter. Having spent a lifetime in Storybrooke, he’d already figured out what his younger sister was skirting around. He confirmed for her that while neither he nor his wife possessed any otherworldly abilities (aside from his charming personality), the town was indeed was ripe with magic. Magic had been that unusual energy she’d sensed enveloping her and he was certain that if she could feel it, she could wield it, and if that was indeed the case, she needed to find a tutor quickly. He’d seen far too many citizens here who’d been driven mad by powers they couldn’t fully harness or control.

And oh boy, did she ever have a lot to learn!

She had a flurry of thoughts crossing her mind as she eased her battered old Volkswagen Beetle to the curb outside of the Sheriff station. It had just now dawned on her that today marked exactly eight months since she’d first communicated with her long-lost brother and found her life turned entirely upside down, although certainly for the better. She’d given up a lonely life of chasing bail jumpers in Boston in favor of this small town’s laid back lifestyle - well, mostly laid back.

She recalled arriving here expecting to deal with minor little crimes like tractor tipping, petty larceny and the occasional pickpocket fleecing the tourists visiting their picturesque seaside haven, but it certainly wasn’t what she’d found. Even though David hadn’t been particularly forthcoming about the town’s supernatural side, Emma had gotten used to arresting people for placing evil spells on their neighbors to make their crops fail or hexing their dog for growling at them. It was now just part of her day to day routine and she kept trying to immerse herself into magical education to hone the skills she’d recently discovered.

David had encouraged her to talk to Storybrooke’s Mayor, Regina Mills, who was well-known to be a practitioner of Wiccan arts. Her sister, Zelena, was also a seasoned witch and the two of them had developed a powerful coven that at one time had included several members Emma hadn’t even realized practiced witchcraft like the town’s pawn shop owner, a local waitress, and one of the elementary school teachers. Regina had initially been reluctant to bring Emma into their fold due to her inexperience, but upon learning she was David’s sister, she’d caved and agreed to help Emma. Emma had been studying under Regina and Zelena’s tutelage for nearly six months now which almost seemed unbelievable. Her brain was filled with Latin words and phrases that formed the simple spells she’d practiced and she’d helped brew a few potions, almost grateful that she didn’t know what some of the unsavory ingredients actually were.

She smiled to herself as she clambered out of her car, pinning her deputy badge to the waistband of her jet black twill pants. She felt she was adapting fairly well to her new reality and certainly believed that she was more confident today than she’d been eight months ago, and now it was time to start a new workday. She raised the rear hem of her crimson leather jacket to tuck her service weapon into the holster she wore at the small of her back, hearing the echo of David’s repeated complaints and suggestions that she switch to a shoulder or hip holster. She just found this style more comfortable as it allowed her to easily conceal her weapon beneath her nearly ever-present leather jacket, the garment she wore as though it were some sort of magical armor even long before she’d set foot in Storybrooke.

She unconsciously wrapped a stray tendril of blonde hair around her index finger, slipping the wayward strands behind her ear as she pushed open the front door of the station and strolled inside. Unsurprisingly, early bird David was already present, chatting with his other deputy, Graham Humbert. From what she could garner walking in on the conversation, they were discussing one of the town’s most bewitching potions - the virtually irresistible brew that Granny served at her namesake diner. By the level of chipper she was encountering in the squad room, and from the aroma wafting from the takeout cups in hand, she knew they’d both already partaken of Granny’s intoxicating elixir, which made her a little jealous that she’d have to settle for the inferior substance found in the station’s break room that passed for coffee.

“Good morning, Emma,” David greeted her. “I was wondering if you were going to make it in on time this morning. You got home pretty late last night…” She knew David wanted to ask if she’d had a date, but he held his tongue. It was no surprise that he and Mary Margaret had been encouraging her to go on a few dates, but considering that the other person present had been the other half of a disastrous evening a few weeks back, she was glad he didn’t ask. That single dinner date with Graham had not gone well, but they’d chosen to put it behind them so they could remain amicably working together.

As much as she’d appreciated David and Mary Margaret’s offer to rent out the upstairs bedroom of their loft, the longer she stayed, the more she thought it might be time to start searching for a place of her own. She’d inevitably wear out her welcome and there was definitely a privacy issue should she ever want to bring a date home. It wasn’t exactly the sort of thing you wanted your brother knowing - or especially hearing…

“I’m sorry if I woke you up when I came in last night,” she replied as she made her way across the squad room to her desk against the far wall. She took a precursory glance at the stack of files awaiting her before shrugging off her jacket and hanging it on the back of her chair. “Had a late night lesson with the Evil Queen and I stuck around the vault to read up on spell casting.”

“You know, you really should stop calling Regina, the Evil Queen,” David chided her, trying to keep a straight face until he was betrayed by a chuckle he couldn’t hold back. Emma certainly wasn’t the only person in town who used the nickname in reference to the town’s mayor, but Emma was one of the more vocal - probably the only one who’d ever said it to Regina’s face and lived to talk about it. “I know she’s a bossy pain in the ass, but she’s still trying to help you develop your magic.”

“I know, I know,” she assured her brother as she dropped onto her chair. “Some days, I could do without her condescending attitude though. I know she’s trying to help, David, but there are times when she treats me as though I’m beneath her and it really irks me. Same goes for the Wicked Witch…”

“The Mills family has been running this town for decades,” Graham chimed in. “They’ve been practicing magic since childhood, so it’s probably best to just give them a break. They wouldn’t have agreed to accept you into the coven if they didn’t believe you had potential.”

“Eh, I’m not worried about them throwing me out over nicknames. They call each other far worse and you should hear some of the things they call me,” Emma said, dismissing any worry the two men had. “Usually it’s The Prodigal or sometimes just Lucky Bitch. It’s all in good fun.”

“Yeah, well anyway, it’s time for the two of you to get to work,” David stated as he held up two slips of paper in his right hand. “Which of you wants to take the disorderly conduct call and which of you wants to take the vandalism call from the middle school?”

“Such excitement,” Emma groaned. “I’ll flip you for it, Humbert…”

“Oh yeah, when they’re equally bad, does it really matter?” Graham complained.

“You two decide quickly or I delegate,” David insisted. “I’m going to be in my office going over last week’s reports. Anything either of you would like to amend before I review them?” Emma and Graham each shook their head and began to debate which investigation would be the lesser one while David rolled his eyes at his deputies. He left them to their argument as he headed for the relative peace and quiet of his office.

———-

In the end, Emma wound up following up on the disorderly conduct call from the town harbormaster. David had insisted that she take the Sheriff cruiser instead of her own beat up Bug so that her arrival would look as official as possible since the complaint involved a ship full of merchant sailors from out of town. She hadn’t bothered with the lights or siren as the reported incident wasn’t currently in progress, having occurred earlier that morning. The harbormaster had encountered a drunken sailor tossing barrels and something described in the complaint as floatation devices into the bay. She wasn’t quite sure what these floatation devices might be, but she was certainly curious.

Her earlier phone call to the harbormaster’s shack had gone unanswered so she decided to head down to the marina and pay a visit to the vessel the unruly sailor had arrived on - an ancient-looking wooden merchant ship moored at the marina. She parked the cruiser at the harbor entrance, a few hundred yards from the gangplank and as she climbed out of the vehicle, she couldn’t shake the thought that the boat looked suspiciously akin to a pirate ship straight off of a Hollywood film set. While it might not have been uncommon for Storybrooke to attract some eclectic tourists, she wasn’t entirely convinced that the crew milling around the marina were actually merchants.

The vessel’s soaring masts towered above everything else in the harbor, maybe even over most of the buildings in town. It was also buzzing with activity this morning as crew members were busy loading and unloading cargo, some hoisting crates and barrels from pier to deck with a system of ropes and pulleys while others hefted merchandise up and down the gangplank. Emma made certain that her badge was prominently visible as she strolled furtively towards the gangplank and asked the first person she encountered in her path who was in charge. The uninterested and seemingly annoyed man stabbed a filthy finger at the top of the gangplank and replied that she needed to ask for the captain.

Emma nodded and thanked him before forging her way up to the ship’s deck while the man she’d so rudely interrupted resumed his tasks. She took a tentative step onto the plank decking and spied a mousy little man clad in a corduroy overcoat that had definitely seen better days and who sported a shapeless red knit cap atop his head. The man didn’t appear to have noticed her arrival so Emma called out in attempt to garner his attention.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for the captain. Could you tell me where to find him?” When it didn’t appear that he’d heard her query, Emma repeated her request a smidge louder. “Pardon me - where might I find the captain?”

“Oh, sorry, sorry,” the man apologized profusely as he spun around to face the unexpected guest. “Cap’n doesn’t like when we fall behind schedule.”

“So he’s here?”

“Who’s here?” the befuddled man asked her, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“Your captain,” she clarified, shaking her head in disbelief. “Is he here?”

“Oh, yes. Yes. He’s in his quarters.”

“Alright then, how might I find the captain’s quarters?” she pressed, growing rapidly frustrated with the lack of cooperation she was getting.

“Oh, the captain wouldn’t like a stranger poking about his ship. I’ll go fetch him. Please - wait here, miss…”

“Deputy,” Emma corrected him as he scurried across the deck, uncertain of whether he’d even heard her. She didn’t have much experience with ships, especially not with relics like this one but she had to admit that there was a certain beauty to the expanse of soaring masts and billowing sails. Well, sails that would have been billowing were they not lashed down while in port. She’d become so entranced that she failed to notice the figure wordlessly approaching her until he spoke.

“Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger, Love,” a velvety, deep voice with a hint of a British accent greeted her, rendering her momentarily speechless as she turned in the direction the voice had originated and caught her first glimpse of the captain. The timbre of his voice should have served as warning but instead, did nothing to prepare her for the appearance of the man who stood before her. He was probably a hair shy of six foot tall but it wasn’t his height that gave off an imposing impression, rather his all-black attire. Slim, black denim trousers. Polished black leather boots with a hint of a silver cap at the toe. A jet black oxford style shirt topped with a three button black leather vest. And over the entire ensemble, he sported a black leather jacket that glistened with a hint of salt spray and fell just past his hips.

Her gaze darted upward to get captured by a pair of sparking, sapphire blue eyes beneath a fringe of wind-tossed dark, chestnut brown hair. A broad smile stretched across his lips and one eyebrow inched upward in amusement as he soaked in her perusal of him.

“See something you like, Love?” he teased, lip curling into a lopsided smirk as he relished the attention. “My first mate, Mr. Smee, advised me that there was a lovely lass asking for the captain, and as I’ve never been one to keep a beautiful woman waiting, you now have my full and prompt audience. How may I be of assistance, M’lady?”

The words rolled off his tongue so smoothly that Emma nearly forgot why she was here, but after a few stunned seconds, her sensible self clawed her way to the surface and reminded her that now wasn’t the time to get lost in a handsome face. She had work to do. “It’s Deputy,” she corrected him. “Deputy Emma Swan of the Storybrooke Sheriff department. You’re the captain of this boat?”

“The proper term would be ship,” he countered, visibly cringing at the injustice done to his vessel. “And aye, I am Captain Killian Jones.” He extended his right hand in greeting to shake hers. She scarcely noticed that he kept his left arm tucked behind his back as he switched seamlessly to a business-like tone. “Since I don’t have reason to believe this is a social call, Deputy - as much as I might like it to be - how may I assist you today?” It was also his turn to surmise who he was dealing with in this pretty blonde package. She was certainly quite guarded. He’d noticed that the moment she realized he’d caught on to her visual assessment of him. She’d instantly faded into an embarrassed defensive before coming back with the steely law enforcement facade. But he’d also spied an intensity and curiosity lurking behind the warm emerald of her eyes. What a challenge it would be to find her softer side, he thought as she responded.

“Well, Captain,” she began in a fully, professional composed voice, “my office received a complaint this morning from the harbormaster that someone from this ship got a little too rowdy.”

“My apologies, lass,” he said with an over exaggerated sigh. “One member of my crew, Mr. Parsons, imbibed himself a smidge too much of your town’s finest libations. He returned to the ship too inebriated to locate the gangplank and when confronted by your harbormaster, he became perhaps a tad too belligerent and began hefting things about.”

“That much I’m aware of,” she reminded him with a note of sarcasm in her response. “The harbormaster reported several barrels and other assorted items being thrown into the bay. He hasn’t yet formally reported any damages…”

“It isn’t likely that he shall,” Captain Jones replied with a flat dismissal of her concerns. “I’ve paid him a tidy sum already to cover the damages and the offender, Mr. Parsons, has been confined to the brig as punishment.”

“May I speak to Mr. Parsons?” Emma queried, a tad miffed that the matter appeared to have been resolved long before she’d arrived. She was supposed to be representing the law here, not this cocky visiting ship’s captain. “I would like to speak to both him and the harbormaster before I declare this matter closed or decide that additional charges might still apply.”

“You are more than welcome to speak to him once he sobers up,” the captain assured her.

“Good. You aren’t planning on leaving port any time soon, are you?”

“No, Deputy. We’ll be here for the remainder of this week as we’re awaiting supplies yet to arrive from out of town.”

“Good,” she repeated. “I’ll be back later this afternoon.”

“I shall eagerly await your return,” he responded with a salacious grin. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Deputy Swan.” Emma rolled her eyes as he made his exit by giving her a sweeping mock bow. Was this guy actually for real? At this point, she wasn’t even certain what to put in her report aside from the fact that the matter appeared to be closed - at least until she spoke to the harbormaster.

But there was something else nagging at her subconscious as she descended the gangplank to the dock and Emma wasn’t sure how she should feel about it. The encounter with Captain Jones had her rethinking her actions from last night and silently wondering if perhaps she might have gone a bit too far… She had to push that out of her mind immediately though because there was no chance the two could be connected…

No chance at all…

#cssns #captain swan supernatural summer #cs ff #cs ff au #cs au ff #a simple spell #witch emma

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newhavencommerce-blog · 5 years ago

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Nightclubs in New Haven, CT 06510

When the sun goes down, you will get great nightclubs for spending time with your friends, date, as well as family. You will find diverse nightclubs in the city, and whether you are working on a tight budget you will still get places to party. Adding to the fact New Haven has nightclubs made in the best way money could buy; you can rest over assured to get great places for getting that perfect nightlife scene. The following are some of the great nightclubs in New Haven, CT:

Bar New Haven

Bar New Haven, is a top nightclub in the city offering the opportunity for visitors as well as residents to drink for the night attending the many top-rated events that take place here? With its large dance floor, onsite bar, as well as a restaurant selling delectable dishes, you will have plenty of foods and drinks for the night. The great news is Bar New Haven is an affordable nightclub that will not break your bank. It is also located in the city’s outskirts providing the much-needed getaway from the city’s bustling scene.

Club Vandome

Who said you must spend a considerable amount of money in order to get a nightie fun in New Haven? You will be surprised how things get on at the Club Vandome as aside from being pocket friendly joints, it has its own vibe. Many people come here to grab a beer, attend events, and to spend that perfect nightie time. Club Vandome address is 102 Hamilton St, New Haven, CT 06511, United States.

Member Spotlight

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You will find different types of bails bonds. Sometimes understanding which can be a pain in the ass. Connecticut Bail Bonds Group- New Heaven offer a wide array of bonds. They are the best Bail bonds service New Haven.

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newhavenbailbonds · 5 years ago

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mostlysignssomeportents · 6 years ago

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#1yrago Seasteading meets the shock doctrine in Puerto Rico, where ethnic cleansing precedes Going Galt

Naomi Klein's l(ooooo)ongread in The Intercept about the state of play in Puerto Rico is the comprehensive summary of the post-Maria fuckery and hope that has gripped America's colonial laboratory, the place where taxation without representation, austerity, chemical weapons, new drugs, and new agribusiness techniques get trialed before the rest of America are subjected to them.

Puerto Rico has experienced centuries of fuckery, including a brutal anti-independence regime that murdered and jailed American citizens for waving a flag, peacefully protesting, and pure speech acts in which factual recitals of the state of Puerto Rico became crimes.

The fuckery never stopped. After being colonized for medical experiments, chemical weapons experiments, and agribusiness experiments, Puerto Rico was colonized for financial experiments. First the island offered short-term tax incentives for businesses to locate there (the dubious benefits of this were wiped off the ledger and converted to deficits when all the businesses left the island after their tax holiday ended); then the island floated tax-free bonds that rang up massive debt; then came even shittier bonds with predatory interest rates that ballooned to 785%-1000% after their teaser rates expire. The Puerto Rican government was stripped of its power to govern in favor of an appointed board of finance industry execs whose job was to ensure that those bonds got serviced, at any expense -- including the shuttering of critical state institutions and the sale of state assets (often at sweetheart rates to their friends).

Puerto Ricans had just about had enough in 2017, and waves of protests and uprisings shook the island, stemming the tide and showing a solidarity that put the whole neoliberal project in jeopardy. Then Hurricane Maria hit.

You may remember what a piece of fuckery that was, but let me refresh you: there was the two-person company that employed a Trump cabinet member's son, who were awarded a $300,000,000 contract to rebuild the island's shattered power grid; the anonymous mercenaries who flooded the city streets; the not-even-trying spin-doctoring by Trump officials; Trump's war against local officials who stood up to him; the official indifference and incompetence, culminating in the paper towel incident, which is by no means the cruelest fuckery, but possibly the most emblematic.

(Naturally, elected Republicans rejected the Warren-Sanders plan to provide $146B in aid to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.)

In the wake of Maria, in the face of seemingly deliberate governmental indifference, community organizers, anarchists and socialists stepped in to fill the void, laying the ground for a new Puerto Rican resistance that could form out of the ruins of Maria.

But the new face of Puerto Rico is ferociously contested. A group of cryptocurrency speculators have hatched a plan to create "Puertopia," in which a radically depopulated island becomes a kind of on-shore off-shore tax-haven. Puerto Rico already offers a raft of tax-gifts to fly-in bankers; if you overwinter in Puerto Rico, you can avail yourself of a 0% capital gains and 0% interest and dividends tax-rates (this tax deal is not available to year-round, ordinary Puerto Rican residents). Move your businesses's registration to Puerto Rico and you'll enjoy a 4% corporate tax rate. All without leaving the USA or relinquishing your US passport!

The Puertopians and the neoliberal management of Puerto Rico have convergent interests, and those interests likewise converge with trumpism: since Maria, the island has experienced radical depopulation, driven by the incompetence of the relief effort; the government projects (plans) a 20% drop in population overall. There are official plans, some already underway, to sell off state assets at fire-sale prices, and to shutter public schools, end independent consumption-crop farming in favor of corporate cash-crop farms tended by low-wage workers who have no rights to speak of.

Against this are the green shoots of a new Puerto Rican resistance, reborn after Maria. The fact that decentralized, renewable energy; sustainable consumption-crop farming; and publicly run schools all weathered the storm more-or-less intact is an existence-proof of a better way for Puerto Rico, one grounded in fiscal sovereignty, educational sovereignty, food sovereignty, and the refactoring of Puerto Rican infrastructure to benefit Puerto Ricans and resilience.

Meanwhile, the Puertopians and the island's technocratic appointed managers plan to supercharge the factors that created a disaster on Puerto Rico: more filthy, groaning fossil fuels that poison the people and the land under normal operating conditions, and then do it a thousand times more when they're inundated by severe weather; more austerity; an end to public education in favor of Devos-compliant charter-schools; more centralization of the ports where fuel comes in and cash crops go out -- more profitable fragility that assumes that big business can always get bailed out by the state, while paying virtually no tax to support that state.

Klein's story shows how the "sovereignty" sought by the Puertopians -- the power to take away someone else's island through corrupt privatization deals and then run the place without any duty to the people you expropriated -- contrasts with the meaningful sovereignty of Puerto Rican resistance. When Devos tries to close their public schools and replace them with charter schools, the teachers and parents occupy their schools and refuse to allow them to be closed. Devos wants "school choice," but only if that choice is to funnel tax-dollars to for-profit charter schools that teach Dominionist gospel.

Klein paints a picture of a wildly overmatched resistance that is fighting "fast capital," "unencumbered by democratic norms" where "the governor and the fiscal control board can whip up their plan to radically downsize and auction off the territory in a matter of weeks." Meanwhile, the resistance is struggling with the administrative incompetence after Maria, struggling to feed themselves, to stave off critical illness, to survive.

The Puertopia vision is to transform the island into "a fly-in bedroom community for tax-dodging plutocrats," who believe that taxation is theft and pay lip service to "freedom" -- while enthusiastically backing the governor's plan to "penalize communities that set up their own renewable micro-grids."

But the resistance has an advantage: its history. They're not starting from scratch: they've been at it for a century, and they reached a zenith last year, just before Maria. The hurricane smashed the island, but the reconstruction process has brought people together in hardened, tight-knit brigades who are fiercely determined to free their homeland from colonialist exploitation. It's not a fair fight, but they stand a chance -- especially now, when so much of the world seems to be waking up to the manifest injustice of inequality and unchecked, late-stage capitalism.

It's a great read, and it holds out hope, which we all need -- especially the people of Puerto Rico.

https://boingboing.net/2018/03/23/from-maria-to-puertopia.html

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bountyofbeads · 6 years ago

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https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article232799597.html?__twitter_impression=true

FYI Epstein just engaged a new law firm .

Steptoe & Johnson specializes in representing clients who face specific government investigations. Why does Jeffrey Epstein need a law firm that specializes in criminal defense of ; Anti-Money laundering , Cartels & Conspiracies, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act , Fraud ? https://t.co/7K99pFlt25

NEW from Miami Herald: Leaked documents show Jeffrey Epstein kept funds offshore. Can the money even be tracked?

Leaked documents show Jeffrey Epstein kept funds offshore. Can the money even be tracked?

BY KEVIN G. HALL AND NICHOLAS NEHAMAS | Published JULY 18, 2019 07:00 AM | Miami Herald | Posted July 18, 2019 |

Washington

Jeffrey Epstein’s attorneys, hoping to persuade a judge to release the accused sexual predator on bail while awaiting trial, submitted a bare bones accounting of his financing this week.

Prosecutors — and the judge — seemed unsatisfied with the level of disclosure.

Now, documents obtained by McClatchy and Miami Herald provide a more detailed — but still very limited — look at Epstein’s wealth. They also underscore the challenge his accusers and the U.S. legal system might face in seeking restitution if he is convicted of the federal sex trafficking charges filed last week.

The records show that Epstein in February 1997 became a client of Appleby, a Bermuda-based law firm specializing in the creation of offshore companies and investment vehicles for the ultra-wealthy. A client profile cryptically describes Epstein’s job as “Manager of Fortune.”

These documents also show that from at least 2000 to 2007 Epstein was chairman of a company called Liquid Funding Ltd., which was initially 40 percent owned by the Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns, where Epstein worked after his short stint as a schoolteacher. Bear Stearns’ spectacular collapse and sale to JP Morgan Chase in March 2008 set in motion what months later devolved into the worst U.S. financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Epstein’s wealth has become a flash point in whether he is released from jail pending trial, a decision that should come Thursday. Federal prosecutors in New York cite his enormous wealth as a flight risk, and when asked to document his wealth lawyers for Epstein this week told a judge that the answer is complex.

He’s right about that. It’s unclear how long Epstein ran Liquid Funding, which tied back to a similarly named company in Delaware, and how much it contributed to the known narrative of Epstein losing big sums during the financial crisis.

But coupled with the fact that many of his businesses were operated in or with help from Caribbean offshore tax havens, the documents raise the likelihood that Epstein’s wealth is spread secretly across the globe. Wealthy people commonly employ opaque offshore companies to mask their true fortunes from tax authorities and creditors, although the companies also have legitimate business and tax-planning uses.

The client profile gives a glimpse into Epstein’s wealth, referencing two separate accounts with money kept in a bank. One listed more than $880,507 in the account in 2006/2007, while another bank account under Epstein’s name held almost $3.46 million at a high point over that period. This pales in comparison to the claimed value of his holdings — reported by his attorneys in court as $559 million — but suggests he had the ability to keep money in far-flung places. A check of the bank coding in the profile shows that Epstein banked at the time with HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA in Geneva.

The Epstein documents were among 13.4 million leaked to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, which shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. ICIJ assembled a team of international journalists to investigate what became known as the Paradise Papers when published in October 2017.

Within the Paradise Papers documents, there isn’t much underlying information. For example, it’s unclear why the Epstein client profile spreadsheet that appears in the database references sums of money for the 2006/2007 time-frame.

That’s shortly before Epstein was accused in 2008 of sexually abusing girls as young as 14. He took a lenient state plea agreement, which became the focus of a Miami Herald investigation in November 2018 that resulted in this month’s resignation of U.S. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, who in 2008 was the Miami-based U.S. Attorney working the plea arrangement.

That same Appleby client sheet on Epstein lists billionaire Leslie Herbert Wexner under “legal entities in relation with profile.”

Wexner is the wealthy founder of clothing company The Limited and co-invested with Epstein in the redevelopment of an area in Ohio where The Limited was headquartered. Both men appear tied in the document to Family Interest LP, which was owned by Financial Trust Company Inc., Epstein’s investment firm in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he owns an entire island, Little St. James. and where he had registered yachts and planes.

And on a curious note, given courtroom revelations about Epstein having an Austrian passport listing a Saudi address from the 1980s and a fake name, the Appleby client profile provides Epstein’s U.S. passport number but a date of birth of Jan. 20, 1963. He was born on that day in 1953, not ‘63. It’s unclear if he provided a false date, had a false passport or if Appleby officials simply fat-fingered an incorrect date.

Appleby officials did not respond to emails seeking comment about the offshore business provider’s relationship to Epstein. Neither did one of Epstein’s attorneys.

On another client spreadsheet, Epstein appears with his St. Thomas address. But the client profile lists a Palm Beach mansion address and 457 Madison Ave. in New York. That is a historic property called the Villard House, and the building is currently owned by the Sultan of Brunei.

In a notation on the client profile, correspondence to that New York address is directed to Harry Beller, whose LinkedIn profile shows that at time he worked for New York Strategy Group, a financial advisory firm to clients worth $1 billion and up.

Beller is a partner today in Louis J Septimus & Co, a New York firm offering tax, accounting and financial planning to corporations, partnerships, trust and estates. A person at the office confirmed that Beller had worked as an accountant for Epstein’s business, but said Beller was vacationing out of the country and unreachable.

The most voluminous document about Epstein in the Paradise Papers is a 541-page document detailing Liquid Funding Ltd., a company that was innovative for its time in trying ways to broaden the kind of debt that accepted on repurchase, or repo market. These involve a lender giving a borrower cash in exchange for securities that the borrower will buy back at an agreed upon date for a fixed price.

Rather than having stocks and bonds as the underlying security, Liquid Funding had commercial mortgages and investment-grade residential mortgages bundled into complex securities. The three main credit rating agencies — Standard & Poor’s, Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service — all helped Bear Stearns create the securities in a way that would allow the creative product to get a gold-plated AAA rating.

The early directors of this company included some big-name investors. One was Paul A. Novelly, CEO of St. Louis-based FutureFuel Corp., a fuel, biofuel and chemicals company. He is also CEO of Apex Oil Company Inc., a privately held oil company in St. Louis. He did not respond to requests for comment to his investor relations department.

Documents show Novelly was replaced as a director by James R. Burritt, at the time a hedge fund executive at Thomas H. Lee Capital but today managing director of alternative investments for California insurer Pacific Life. Burritt did not respond to numerous requests for comment.

A third director was Austrian national Marcus Klug, now a member of the governing board of Bundespensionskasse AG, a large Austrian pension fund. Reached by phone he confirmed he was a director when he worked for an Austrian insurance company that had invested in Liquid Fund, leaving the post in 2005.

Directorships of this company were not the same as a directorship of a brick-and-mortar company and instead were part of the structure of the investment vehicle.

“There was neither a physical board meeting or a call between board members,” Klug explained, adding of Epstein, “I never met him.”

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