#because being an addict to illegal drugs means having to pay a -lot- more money and also having to dodge the law while youre at it

[hotsugarbyglassanimals]

every time i try to explain drug prohibition to my mom it goes like this:

me: they made these class of drugs illegal because of racism and fear of abnormality first and foremost- mom: and because a lot of people were getting addicted and dying from overdoses me: no, actually- mom: but that's what happened!

[dia-smthidk]

So hiiii Diaaa!! IM the anon that dropped Sethe lore and I wanted to know something about the mafia thing Thats going on, what is your mafia about? (if I can explain myself well)

I mean, if its an organized crime, sure thing all your sonas are enough CAOTIC to Just make caos and destrucion because ✨yes✨, but you (as the mafia boss) must setle WHAT is the thing you do that is ilegal.

Assuming this mafia thingamajick happens in the 1920's, the golden era of animation and mafias, here are your options:

1- Alcohol traficking: With the Drougth law (a law prohibiting alcohol and its sale), a large part of the mafias took advantage of it to illegally sell alcohol, (which was relatively easy to get and make) and create speakeasies where they sold their alcohol and played music. The pros of this is that ALL kinds of people were involved, from the neighborhood rat to the puritanical politician, so you had them all tied up so that no one would talk about it too much. The cons are that, being the most well-known crime of that era, it was much more likely to turn the Police against you, plus it's an easy crime to charge.

2- Money laundering: A crime so popular that even now it is still being done. Although I don't know its mechanisms, you are all artists, so copying Ben Frankling face and printing it can't be more difficult than drawing Pomni demogorgon, or Corrupted Gangle. The pros are that it's easy, it's hard to identify (if you do it right), and that it has a lot of facades that are very easy to put up (e.g. the classic laundromat). The cons are that if you don't do it right, you're going to get caught right away and it got some REALLY hard punishment.

3- Drug dealing: This is one of the most popular crimes where I live in (if you can guess ;). Easy to do (growing marijuana or tobacco is ridiculously easy, trust me I have experience) this is one of the must-haves for beginner mafias. The pros are that, by making your clients addicted, no one is going to talk at all. The Cons are that (just like alcohol trafficking) it's super wanted, and there are entire institutions after you.

4- Cabarets & Pleasure Houses: *sigh* Do I really have to put this guys? (Yes, we're paying you for this!) As you can imagine, these are houses where people offer their "services", which are usually sexual. I don't want to say anything else, but technically it's legal in many countries and it's almost the same as with drug trafficking and addiction, no one wants to snitch. The Cons are, by having lots of workers, there are more probabilities that some one It's going to talk.

5- Hitmen: Although not very accessible to the common human, it produces far more profit than the rest of the crimes on this list. The pros are that your sonas are so violent and strong that they will clean the floor with the other shoddy killers. The Cons is that if your agency's existence is publicly known, you screwed up.

6- Trafficking in favors: The very foundation of the mafias, this "trafficking" consists of: You, a poor person, want to pay for your university or get a job, or whatever. This kind and wealthy mafia offers you money, help, or whatever you need, in exchange for you returning the favor in a while. The favor you return may be to give money, asylum, weapons, sell what your mafia sells, or not tell the police that the money your community uses is fake. And so, the rest of the poor people, taking pity on their own friend, don't speak out to protect and help him, and just like that, you, the mafia, become untouchable. You already know the pros, and the Cons is that, if some foreigners who doesent have debts to pay tries to do something, Maybe, just Maybe, they could defeat you (in a VERY unlikely scenario)

So, tthese are the options! What do you want your Majesty? Its up to you to decide! If this is a question already answered Im really really Sorry for Messing with you. And if your mafia happens in the actual times, you still can use all of them (except the alcohol traficking)

Goodbye, and good crimes!

I’m really busy at the moment so uh-

I’ll look over these in my freetime 👍

[yourtoradorasextendedwarranty]

So here's something that's REALLY confusing to me

There are people who know that Hunter Biden has broken the law. Not just 1 or 2 laws but probably close to dozens. And we have concrete proof of almost all of them.

What makes no sense is the people defending Hunter. Like look. EVEN IF you take a stance on political lines and you just don't want the "Reps" to get a win, how is this a win for you exactly? No really. Consider this~

Hunter Biden has:

-Committed Tax Fraud -Failed to pay his taxes for at least 3-5 years -Is visible doing hard drugs on camera and admitting to using and being addicted to those same drugs -Appropriated funds illegally to sleep with hookers -Slept with Minors -Lied on an official government form -Disposed of a gun illegally -Committed violations under the foreign agents act -Has used blackmail against a company using his fathers office as a weapon

And the list goes on. Had ANY OF YOU committed even 1 of these same crimes, our DOJ would bury you. Especially any of the money stuff. You would be in jail for the rest of your life. I mean look at this-

This is nuts. Why would you defend the Bidens? No I'm being for real.

How many of you get threats from the IRS when you don't pay EXACTLY what you owe on your taxes? And the Gov just added a LOT more people to the IRS under the lie of "Oh well we will go after the rich" when we KNEW that wasn't what was going to happen. And a lot of those same IRS agents are getting firearms training.

And what about all the "Poor whoa is me minorities" in jail for drug charges? What are we letting Whitey get away with it now? That's the hill you want to die on? "Fuck those minorities, Hunter needs to get off because Reps bad". OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH so you don't actually care about minorities. You just use them as a bludgeon.

Fact of the matter is I'm honestly shocked how stupid these people are. I'm not shocked they are pro crime. Why? Because they've always been pro crime. Republicans will BURY one another when they break the law because they don't want the association. Democrats will DENY and defend those that break the law because they think it'll make them look more "Caring". When if fact it makes them look like what they are. Complicit in crime so long as it give them power.

We really need to sit down as a country and decide what we want to do. We need to dismantle this 2-3 tier justice system. We need to enforce the laws. Or have them changed. And we need to make sure that if you are a political leader, you are not beyond prosecution.

And before I hear the "OH WELL WHAT ABOUT TRUMP".

What about Trump?

President has unilateral ability to declassify documents. VP's do not. Senators do not

Trump was "Found guilty" on a case that's over 40 year old, by a bias jury. Our legal system says that a trial needs to be fair. NY is a stronghold of Democrats and the Case was well beyond statute of limitations. And no amount of evidence could have actually existed to find him guilty.

Oh well Jan 6th. You mean that day were less than a percent of people a the capital rioted? Where feds were present? Where the Mayor denied use of the National Guard? Where Pelosi was underground seemingly aware of what was happening before it even did? When Trump said, "Go and protest peacefully"? When the rioters started rioting well before Trumps rally finished?

The fact is, if he's broken the law he should go to jail. However why is it that nothing has stuck? I can tell you why. Because if he had actually been guilty of anything, They'd put him in solitary for the rest of his life. So why lie? I don't care if you like or hate Trump. If and when I see him break the law I will call it out. But most of you hate him so much you still believe the pee gate bullshit. You still believe he was a Soviet Asset. Despite the fact we KNOW now that Hillary, Obama, and Biden as well as DOJ officials set that up. Which is a just world, they'd have all been arrested for election interference. Hillary would have already been in jail for destroying documents in an attempt to hide evidence of wrongdoing we know she did. Obama would be in jail for openly targeting a US citizen in a drone strike that killed a NUMBER of civilians. In a country we were NOT EVEN AT WAR WITH!

So I ask you again. Why exactly are you so happy to defend Hunter? Because in defending him, you are saying, "Yes I am part of the peasant class and I like being treated like a second class citizen." And yet you have the nerve to also scream, "Eat the rich" at the top of your lungs. Hunter is literally rich and not paying taxes you morons. He is the epitome of what you are supposed to be "eating". Why not start with him?

[shewritesss]

✍️Attitude to Money

Money is easier to accumulate and build up.

When you accumulate material goods, moth and rust consume them; there is always decay in everything physical.

Money gives you the power to accumulate, and I am afraid it also gives you power. Money is power, as we have learned to our cost. Money talks—not with an actual voice, but it speaks volumes. It is absolutely important that Christians who handle money, especially those who handle a lot of it, ensure that it speaks a Christian language.

In light of Biblical teaching, consider the following:

💴 Getting Money

The basic principle for Christians in acquiring money is to earn it honestly. If we are employed in a job that damages other people’s bodies, minds, or spirits, we should reconsider our occupation. Employment in an immoral or illegal job is not an option for a Christian—examples include the drug and sex trade.

Remember, Romans 13 says we are to pay our taxes. Pray for our government and pay taxes.

Insurance is acceptable because it minimizes risk—a risk you already have. This is not gambling. Earning money from investment is neither immoral nor illegal.

You should not live on charity, depend on others, or beg. Financial “cannibalism” involves living off others in one way or another.

You should work with your hands or your mind, exchanging something of equal value for your wage or salary.

In Christian work—those who preach, teach, or evangelize—the Bible is clear that they are working and deserve a wage.

Warning: Investments with unusually high rates of return should be approached with caution. Investigate thoroughly before engaging.

💶 Having/Keeping Money

A danger of having money is the temptation to believe that being more diligent, careful, or clever makes one superior. This can replace an inferiority complex with a superiority complex, trading one vice for another.

Big money often equates to big control. The danger lies in becoming addicted to it. 🤑

Money is not the root of all evil; the love of money is (1 Timothy 6:10).

Covetousness, or greed, is absolutely forbidden by God. Greed, simply put, is the desire for more and more. In contrast, contentment is a virtue. "Godliness with contentment is great gain."

Covetousness is greed, but contentment is gratitude.

You cannot serve both God and mammon (wealth). If money has become your god, you cannot serve God. It is utterly impossible.

💷 Spending Money

It is legitimate to borrow money for purchases and repay it with proper interest. Having a mortgage does not mean being in debt. Problems arise when you cannot afford to repay, leading to debt.

Debt is a sin. We are exhorted to keep ourselves out of debt because debt is essentially stealing. If I owe someone money and don’t pay, I am stealing from them.

The Bible says, "Make it your ambition to be dependent on nobody."

This also means making provision for yourself and your life. If your occupation requires retirement at a certain age, and you don’t want to be a beggar later on, it is right to provide a reasonable pension by contributing during your lifetime.

However, some people pay extraordinarily high rates into their pensions to become wealthy, intending to spend it all on themselves once they no longer need to work.

There is a careful balance between what you will need and how much you ought to save.

💵 Giving Money

The more you love and know God, the more generous you will be.

Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Remember: ALL THE SILVER AND GOLD IN THE WORLD BELONGS TO GOD AND WE ARE ONLY STEWARDS OF IT.

©️David Pawson ©️Freepik

[cabiba]

JAMES RUSSELL

Here are the differences:

First, get the basics right. These fall under the category of don't do anything stupid: Don’t have a child before you finish school and get married. Finish school (high school and/or college). Don’t get addicted to drugs or alcohol. Better yet, abstain from both. Don’t break the law, especially illegal drug use. Don’t hang around with losers. Don’t date one. Never marry one. Second, position yourself to make money. Money is not going to come and find you. You have to go find it. :

Second, position yourself to make money. Money is not going to come and find you. You have to go find it. :

Be ambitious. Don’t settle for a life of low pay and low prestige. Don’t hang around with others who are not ambitious. Never marry one.

Learn which careers and jobs make the most money. (This is really basic. Don’t screw this up.)

Pick something that is hard to do. If it is easy or fun, everyone wants to do it and it won’t pay much money. If it is hard, it will pay lots of money.

Strongly consider a STEM degree (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.) There are shortages and starting salaries are high.

Consider being an entrepreneur and running your own business. Research this carefully as it is very risky.

Marry someone who is just as ambitious and as capable of making money as you. Don’t settle for anything less.

Be willing to work very hard. Work harder than anyone else.

Third, learn how to hang onto your money and not lose it or waste it:

Don’t borrow money for college. Find a way to work your way through. Go to junior college first as it is much cheaper. Consider the Army Reserves or National Guard as they offer GI Bill that will pay most of your costs.

Don’t borrow money for cars. If you buy good used cars, you can pay cash. Wait until you are older and wealthier to buy new cars.

When you do buy cars and if you do borrow, research the best way to buy and finance. It makes a huge difference long term if you are really savvy about this. Car sales and financing is a racket and they will rob you blind unless you know how to avoid it.

Learn to live frugally. There is a lot of info on how to do this on the internet. Learn to live below your means. (Recommend Dave Ramsey info and methods). Make living cheaply your hobby.

Learn to cook and plan meals and eat healthy. It’s a lot cheaper than eating out and it is the only way to avoid being fat. Try to eat out only one meal per week.

Be disciplined. Defer gratification. It’s part of the grit and determination thing. Be an adult.

Fourth, learn how to grow your wealth.

Learn how to invest money in stocks and bonds. Learn the miracle of compound interest. You absolutely need to learn this. Buy one of the investing for dummies books or something similar. Go to Investopedia, or the Fidelity or Vanguard websites and read and study. It’s not that hard once you get past the mystery of it all.

Always maximize your 401K or IRA withholding. These are the best deal you will ever get because they allow you not to pay income tax on everything you withhold. Some employers offer a match. A match is free money. Always take the free money.Save as much money as you can. Everyone should save a minimum of 10% of earnings. People who grow wealth faster do much more.

These are the differences between people who start out with nothing and become either rich or stay poor.

Granted, some people are born with low IQs, physical disabilities, or have bad parents. Some are never taught any of these principles. Some are taught that it’s somebody else’s responsibility to take care of them. It can be argued that these are poor due to bad luck.

[sassyfrassboss]

You aren't automatically granted a citizenship. There are a ton of steps you have to take. He might have applied but doesn't mean he will get it.

>>It also takes a really long time to get a green card too.

Harry would've entered the US on a spousal visa (like Meghan had in the UK) but to stay here permanently, he would've needed to "upgrade" his visa to a green card, which essentially a permanent residence status. You do have to be here for awhile before you can apply for a green card. I heard once it was 3-5 years but I really don't know.

And don't forget, Harry first moved to the US during the COVID lockdowns. There's a HUGE backlog of immigration paperwork because the courts (which process immigration) and the State Department (which processes the visas) were shutdown or scaled back.

My theory is that Harry's here on a diplomatic passport or used his diplomatic status as Elizabeth's grandson/Charles's son to cut through the red tape and jump a lot of queues. That's why we haven't heard anything about his immigration status. (And why we never heard anything about Meghan's immigration status while she was in the UK other than "she's keen to follow the law".)

And as for his drug use, it is a no-no and it could cause him to be deported or have his green card/residency application denied. Doesn't matter if it's past/prior use or current use. The main reason for that disqualifier is the social welfare that a drug addict may need from the state and the US not wanting to add more people to an overloaded social system if they can avoid it. Same thing for criminals/felonies - if convicted, you'll be deported so we don't have to spend more money on you.

Will Harry be deported over his drug use and illegal burial? No. He's got diplomatic protection by being King Charles's son. He's also benefiting from male white privilege and he's "wealthy" so at most he'll pay a fine and that'll be it.

Okay this is what I thought.

Thank you for taking the time to write it out. I was too lazy to look it up for myself but I have friends who became US citizens and it took YEARS.

I always figured he has some sort of diplomatic status and I imagine if he did want to become a US citizen some red tape would be cut.

[popatochisssp]

Hello Poppy! I hope you slept well! Here is the reminder you requested to create a mob au hc post like the cowboy post. Have a wonderful day!

Thank you, it’s finally time! I’m gonna put it under a cut immediately because having twenty skeletons makes every post with all of them automatically a long one!

Full disclaimer-- none of the boys are bosses, that falls on the monarch(s) of their universes... but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own roles to play~

(Warnings: mentions of crime, drugs, violence, sex, brief sexism [probably not the way you’d think] and ableism, plus all the usual mob-tropes I may have forgotten to mention)

Sans (Undertale): He’s a...humble purveyor of items, quality goods produced economically in order to pass those savings on to the crafty consumer who might not want to pay full, exorbitant price for ‘name-brand’ luxuries... Yeah, he’s the ‘you wanna buy a watch?’ guy and he spends most of his days (strategically) wandering around the city looking for customers to hock knockoff, lookalike watches, wallets and bags to. The fuzz know him by name but can never seem to find anything to hold him on, so he’s mostly just a harmless nuisance to be shooed along elsewhere if there’s been any complaints. (He’s real good at making friendly conversation with the law enforcement and keeping all eyes on him, and frankly, if there were any real shady business going on somewhere nearby... well, the cops certainly wouldn’t know about it, too busy hustling him along down the street, now would they?)

Papyrus (Undertale): An upstanding citizen, unlike his brother who’s always in some little trouble with the law or other. He is gainfully employed at a fitness center, and he commutes there by car, because paid for his license to operate one and practiced his driving skills and saved up until he could afford a very beautiful, shiny car of his own! It’s a very nice vehicle...so nice, even, that he doesn’t like to drive it for...recreational outings with friends, in case the paint might get scuffed. That’s why his friends let him borrow their cars when they go out, and let him drive very fast (but safely!) all over the city, even at strange hours or by ‘suspicious’ locations. He’s certainly never seen anything suspicious going on, he just waits outside, and if he happens to keep a First Aid kit in his glove-box, that’s just taking precautions, isn’t it? Accidents happen, you know! (He’s the best getaway driver in town and he knows it, but plausible deniability--the less he ‘knows,’ the better.)

Sky (Underswap Sans): Just your average, ordinary businessman, running a nice little bar for average, ordinary folks of all kinds. Well... he co-owns the place with a buddy of his, Grillby, but Grillbz is a free spirit and a real man about town, so really most of the ‘running’  is down to him. And he loves it! So many people (monsters and humans) to meet and chat with and serve... human food and alcohol, of course. Monster food and alcohol isn’t legalized yet to serve to humans, and a black mark like that against his little establishment would be just awful. He adheres fully to the rules and regulations set forth by human governmental agencies, no magic in anything he passes across the counter, skeleton’s honor! ...Total bullshit, obviously-- he’s running a speakeasy for humans who want to partake in a little monster food or booze, because it’s not harmful to humans and that makes it an even stupider regulation than prohibition was. Grillby taught him most of the menu and cooks on the rare occasions he’s in, while Sky handles the liquid menu and keeps an eye-socket out for snitches and inspectors trying to catch him in the act. He’s never missed a rat yet.

Paps (Underswap Papyrus): He works at his brother’s place. In the back. Only part-time, though, Sky’s got it mostly buttoned up there, so Paps has a lot of leisure time to wander around the city, hit up his favorite joints, chat with friends--and strangers that can become friends, he’s a friendly sorta guy. And if he’s ever seen sharing a cigarette or two with one of those friends, of course it’ll be a totally normal tobacco cigarette, and no exchange of money or anything else incriminating about the interaction. ...Doggo is the one that does the deals, he’s got the Dog Treat supply and a client base that’s steadily starting to include humans--but since Dog Treats are classed as Monster Consumables and illegal to distribute to humans, in spite of being non-addictive, only mildly affective, and non-irritant to lungs, things get a little more convoluted. Paps hits up Doggo at Muffet’s (a wholly monster establishment) for the Dog Treats and a client list, ‘refurbishes’ the Treats to resemble cigarettes, and then meets up with anybody who prepaid for their order real casual-like to fence ‘em. He gets a little cut of the profits, and a discount when he’s picking up for pleasure instead of business--like a (slightly) more illegal girl scout cookie racket.

Jasper (Underfell Sans): Him? He’s just an average joe in all respects. He’s got a little auto shop, spends his days tuning up cars and bikes and such as the like, and most evenings out having fun with anybody else who’s out looking to have a good time--food and drink and maybe a little gambling, but small games, low stakes, for charity, yanno? Nothing illegal, he’d freely assure anyone concerned about the law. Yep, he’s a perfectly normal, law-abiding citizen...as far as anyone can tell. If he does a little work on the side, when specifically requested to, by perhaps one of his monarchs or one of the parties they’d approved to ask for his...services... Well, he’s certainly too quick and clean about it to leave any hard evidence behind, and he’s always far away from...whatever may have happened...with too many witnesses all in agreement that he was there and couldn’t have been anywhere else, unless he could somehow make it across town in the blink of an eye. (His side-gig is as a hitman. He keeps his shortcut ability very tightly under wraps to make for perfect alibis, and takes his targets out with magic bullets which he can disappear afterwards. If he’s ever somehow implicated in anything, he’s happy to point out to the nice officers that he doesn’t even own a weapon. They’re free to look, but all they’ll find is a set of knuckledusters he keeps on his person, purely for protection--and look how shiny the brass is, never even been used, officers! Guess they’ve got nothing on him, after all...)

Pyre (Underfell Papyrus): A law-abiding citizen. He must be--surely one can’t get more law-abiding than a lawyer...right? He actually does keep his (lack of) nose clean, but studying the convoluted mess that is human law doesn’t leave time for much else--even when your studies are funded by royalty and you’re given everything you need to open up your own practice as soon as you’ve passed the bar. Still, his skill and knowledge in arguing the law is very valuable and his services are in high demand, so he’s well-compensated for his chosen career and lives his life outside of it both comfortably and legally. His clients...are innocent until proven guilty and it would be an extreme failing of his duty to give any of them anything less than his best in the courtroom, regardless of their character, their associations, and what they happen to have been accused of. (Yeah, he’s a mob lawyer, used almost exclusively by Asgore and Toriel to protect them and anyone they send to him and all of their collective...interests. He respects the law, but values justice above it, so in spite of having a lot of clients who are definitely criminals in one way or another, he has no trouble sleeping at night.)

Mal (Swapfell Sans): He’s an accountant, nothing more, nothing less. ...For Toriel, of course, so he’s paid well for his services. And he has quite a head for numbers and figures, so he plays the stock market and does quite well there, too, smart investments and reading the writing on the wall, and all that. It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for his very healthy finances and his lavish lifestyle--fur coats, fine suits, fancy cars, shiny gold pocket-watches-- it’s all expensive and almost over the top, but hey, he is the money-man and all the numbers check out. It seems that he’s just very good at handling and investing his capital, it’s no wonder the monster-queen herself hired him on... (He is, of course, running several money laundering schemes at any given time, taking all the less-than-legally-obtained money earned by constituents of the [former] Empire and layering it through official channels to make it look legal in such a convoluted, complex web that it doesn’t raise any significant red flags. He’s got his claws in a lot of pies, and he takes what he needs off the top to live a little luxuriously, with Toriel’s knowledge and permission-- a perk for the necessary service he provides.) Whatever else may be true, it’s a simple fact that he’s very, very good at his job.

Rus (Swapfell Papyrus): With the lucrative career his brother has, the lucky SOB doesn’t have to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to, but he’s using the safety net to pursue his passion in art. Subjective as it is, it’s hard to say if he’s really any good, but people seem to like what he produces well-enough--not a household name, but people passionate about the subject might recognize his work and his pieces sell with at least moderate success. For all that it’s probably not going to make him famous or rich(er than his brother), he’s dedicated to his craft and regularly makes bulk purchases of his supplies, canvas and reams of paper and paint and ink and the like, to keep up his steady work and art sales. He seems like an altogether normal and down-to-earth sort of guy, nothing suspicious about him at all. (He’s a counterfeiter and works in tandem with his brother--they even hit a Bureau together to lift a set of plates for the one and only active crime he was involved in--and his art is just a really good cover for why he needs so much ink and paper and other supplies on a regular basis. He does love and care about his art career, that part’s not fake, but he’s also got a good eye-socket for detail and steady hands to replicate it, and if fake human money that looks really real can help monsters, he doesn’t really see why he shouldn’t.)

Slate (Horrortale Sans): He’s...been through a lot. All monsters have, really, but he was hit kind of especially hard and... Whatever Gerson, or Undyne, or whoever’s running things now up on the Surface are getting involved in...he doesn’t really want any part of it. He gets regular stipends for some unspecified ‘service’ he performed for the Queen, Underground, and while no human (alive) knows what that was, it’s apparently enough to live off of relatively comfortably without being employed himself. He has a nice little place with his brother on the outskirts of the city and he lives there quietly, peacefully. He rarely goes into town, just the occasional walkabout, stopping at restaurants or scoping out the architecture. (Part of his one concession to being left out of whatever illegal, mob-type business may or may not be going on: he needs a good mental map of the city and at least a few landmarks that he’ll definitely remember, because he’s the emergency evac should...anything...go especially south. The house phone doesn’t ring too often in the middle of the night, but when it does, he needs to know where he needs to be, and quick.)

Papy (Horrortale Papyrus): He’s, ah... not involved in any ‘business’ either, but he does spend a little more time out of the house, at the local hospital. He was allowed to make a study of human medicine and become a nurse by Very Special Exception--mostly due to some friends (or at least one) in high places, and some very backwards human attitudes about parts that constitute a ‘man’ and how a skeleton without any parts could perhaps be allowed into nursing--and he’s proven himself a valuable member of staff and even made friends with all of his coworkers. He’s happy at his job, and with his life, and returns home to his quiet, peaceful house every night with a smile. (He has a go-bag ready by the phone for those late night calls, though, full of healing items and medical equipment he may have subtly nicked from the hospital, just so he has everything he needs to treat a monster or a friendly human that may have gotten hurt...somehow...and for reasons they have no need to specify, can’t risk going to a doctor.)

Ash (Undergloom Sans): Just a poor street musician...or at least, that’s what most people figure, ‘cause he doesn’t dress too well and the trombone he plays while sitting out on the sidewalk looks like it’s probably the nicest thing he owns. He gets a couple bucks from time to time, but rarely any second glances, and that... That works in his favor. You’d be surprised how much people talk about when they think nobody’s listening (or at least...nobody important) and he can pick up a lot of interesting information of what’s going on in the city just by setting up in the right spot and waiting for folks to talk business. He’s pretty quiet when he’s not tooting the ol’ horn and great at blending into the background, and that’s made him the guy to go to when you want to know something--like how much somebody else knows, or if there are any plans in place for say, a raid or a sting or some kind. (Law enforcement is the worst about keeping proprietary information ‘proprietary’ when they think their only audience is some nobody monster bum sleeping on a bench...) He’s also got something of a whole information network going on with the actual homeless people in the city, since he gives great tips about places who are hiring or somewhere to get a meal or a bed for the night and he always gives his earnings from busking to those who need it more than him. He’s paid for the service he provides and he’s got a home to go back to, it just seems right that the music-money goes to help somebody else.

Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He works as a nanny for the Queen! Not too long ago, she might’ve opted to just stay home and look after her newly adopted child herself, while Asgore handled business with the humans, but... They’re freshly split now, and Toriel wants to be just as involved in things as Asgore as much as she wants to s l o w l y ease into being a full-time mother again. Yrus is the solution, already fond of little Frisk and a very warm and trustworthy soul who stayed bright even in the gloom of the Underground. He happily takes the job when asked and splits his time between supervising and caring for Frisk, and tutoring them in all the important subjects (math, history, magic, et cetera). He finds he has a passion for teaching and thinks he might go into that someday, when Frisk is older and Toriel has a little more time and confidence to no longer need him as a buffer. (Whatever it is, specifically, that takes up so much of Toriel’s time and keeps her out so late that he sometimes has to wait around well past Frisk’s bedtime for her to come back and ask after them... Yrus couldn’t fathom a guess and isn’t going to ask any questions. That would definitely be out of his scope as a simple child-minder and even if he knew anything, it would be an extreme violation of the family’s privacy for him to tell tales, which he’s happy to point out to anyone with a lot of questions for somebody so close to two of the Dreemurrs.)

Brick (Horrorfell Sans): He’s on his brother’s payroll. It seemed like the best way to kill two birds with one stone: he’s a big, scary-looking wall of bone who isn’t well suited to a regular-joe sorta job, and his bro’s a very high-profile guy who needs somebody big and scary-looking to stand next to him and be a deterrent. Nepotism, maybe, but they’ve been looking after each other their whole lives already and it’s something Brick knows he can do--he’d do it for free, but if King thinks it’s better (and safer) to have it as his job description, he’s probably right, so Brick’ll take the paycheck for it. King’s also very likely the only one who could stop him if he...lost control...somewhere out and about, so sticking close to him makes Brick feel better and hey, maybe they’re actually killing three birds with this stone of an arrangement. Still, he mostly just goes about town with King, standing around and watching his back and staring people down when he needs to while his brother carries on with his conversations and business. He hardly ever has to do anymore than that...almost never. (One of his favorite places to go is a little hole-in-the-wall craft shop, where King always pretends to take longer than he needs so Brick can peruse the yarn and try to pick up a little sign language from the nice old deaf lady who owns the place.)

King (Horrorfell Papyrus): Yes, yes, he’s very high profile--he did lead monsterkind for a time, getting everyone up to the Surface and settled there--but he’s since stepped down. He’s retired, and anything his successor may be involved in... surely, he couldn’t say. He and Toriel are barely in contact and the money he receives from her on the regular is a gift of goodwill, mostly for medical expenses (his leg, and his brother’s...well). All he does these days is collect for a charity, a pet project of his, Monster Reparations. Lots of people give such generous donations when he goes around to ask for them, maybe impressed a little by his fame, but he can’t feel too terribly about using it for such a worthy cause... (It’s a thinly veiled protection racket and the people and businesses who buy into it tend not to fall victim to ‘mysterious’ criminal activity. Toriel may be officially calling the shots now, but King, as the monster who put her back there, is in a very unique position of power in having her ear, an unofficial underboss totally off the books. Some ‘donate’ more than necessary when he comes collecting, hoping to earn preferential treatment, and sometimes they get it and sometimes they don’t--it’s entirely down to King’s opinion of them personally. ...The old woman who runs the craft store pays about half the going rate, and the immigrant who imports the miniature trees he likes gets a heavy discount, too. The deli-owner he overheard hurling discriminatory epithets at a customer, however, pays triple. You get the idea.)

Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He’s a researcher. Highly confidential, he’s sworn to secrecy and even mentioning that he’s being funded by Elder King Shroomba is pushing the boundaries of what he’s allowed to talk about. Still, he has his own facility, and several assistants, monster volunteers and sometimes human ones--but they have to sign papers swearing not to talk about what goes on in the lab, too. From what they are allowed to say, the gist is just that it didn’t seem like anything sinister was going on; not even a blood-draw... Merc seems pretty happy to leave at the end of every day, though, and whenever it comes up, he talks very fondly about being able to finish the project. (He’s researching DT, specifically how it can be used to enhance monster physiology and make them more resistant to damage from intent. Merc’s misadventure with DT destabilized him, but from 1HP he’s now more durable than ever, and his second attempt with his brother had less dramatic but still noticeable and successful results. The king wants that safety net for more monsters, especially ones who are on the front lines of...potentially less than legal dealings...who could really be at risk. Merc is reluctant, but with the stipulation of informed, willing volunteers for DT extraction and infusion, he can’t bring himself to turn down the resources and funding to research his own condition and bring the possibility of being normal again ever closer. He still has a hard time with the idea of ‘enhancing’ monsters, but the fact that it’s at least being done safely, willingly, and with a whole team behind it this time helps a lot.)

Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He’s in a wheelchair but not letting it keep him down, and he’s running a modest little newspaper stand on the corner--papers and magazines and cheap books--nothing all that special but boy, what an inspiration, good for him that he’s got a job and can run the place by himself! All kinds come and go from his stand, and sometimes he closes it up for a little bit in the middle of the day to take a...er...roll, with some people who must be friends of his, but he’s never gone too long, so nobody says anything to the poor guy about the inconvenience. He’s a dedicated businessman, or trying to be; won’t even let people help him with those heavy-looking boxes of deliveries he gets, and for a fella with no legs, he seems to be doing his best! (...The whole thing is a low-key smuggling operation and he is making bank off it. There’s a system of code-words in place related to the publications he sells for a ‘customer’ to indicate whether they’re buying or selling, and what--magic consumables, stolen/hot items, imported goods, the works--and where and when they want things to go down. There’s even hidden compartments in his custom-built wheelchair for some of the riskier stuff, because he knows no cop in their right mind would force a guy with no legs out of his chair just to search it with witnesses around. And that’s presuming any law enforcement were to even catch wise to his set-up, which he kind of doubts: he’s sly and subtle and even if he weren’t, he knows people see the chair before they see him. Why not take advantage of that?)

Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): He makes his living as a boxer, and a subsequent minor celebrity. Pretty much any match he’s in is an exhibition match--not just a monster, not just a little guy (...relatively), but a short skeleton monster who’s blind, wow! You don’t see that every day, that’s a spectacle! Plenty of ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s in the packed stands every night the sightless skeleton scrapper is in the ring and nobody can figure out how he bobs and weaves so well that he hardly ever gets hit. He loses some matches, that’s to be expected, even for a ‘normal’ fighter, but hey, people love an underdog story, so when he wins, it’s an uproar every time. (For his part, Pitch hates most of his ‘fans’ who think of him the same way they probably think of a silly little dog who learned a funny trick, but the fame in general, and the thrill of the fight... Those are enough to keep him in the ring. Just... maybe not quite enough to keep him fighting clean. He’s as dirty as sportsmen come and he and a few other monsters regularly play his own odds with the bookies: he’ll subtly use magic to cheat and stay in longer, or go down when he could easily keep fighting, whatever’s more profitable with the over/under from match to match. If he’s going to be a circus act doing what he loves, he may as well get hazard pay for his dignity... and y’know, a couple of idiots who think being able to fight is a ‘trick’ because you’re blind aren’t nearly so annoying when you’re being driven away from them in a luxury car, to your expensive house in the hills decked out with all the amenities.)

Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He’s got a place he looks after, keeps things running. Just a small joint, nothing fancy, a little cabaret variety show type place--singing, dancing, drinks on tap, that kinda thing. After dark, some of the...performances... might get a little more risqué, stuff that titillates like burlesque and striptease, but rest assured, his permits are all in order and everything’s on the up and up. Nothing illegal whatsoever going on here, just a bit of singing and dancing and everybody having a good time. (Most of the performers are sex workers--monsters, but some humans too--and patrons can negotiate private shows or off-the-clock ‘meetings’ at their discretion. Nemo opts to not know too much of the details of what his dancers do when he’s not looking, for legal reasons, but he makes sure they have a safe place to do it, are paid for their services, and don’t have repeat problem-patrons if any slip through. Being one of the gentlemen running such an establishment in the city that doesn’t happen to touch or steal from or mistreat the performers, his place is the place to get hired if that’s your line of work. He’s mostly just happy to be able to provide the job security and the job safety for a group that really seems to catch a lot of hell up here on the Surface just for how they make their money.)

Sunny (Gastertale Sans): He’s a busy guy, bouncing around from place to place, job to job... Being so scattered, you might think he’d be having money troubles by now, but while he may not be the type to stick with one thing and stay there for a good few years, nobody who knows him would say he’s unreliable--he’s the type of guy that you can give him a call anytime and if you need help, he’ll be right over, and he’ll get the job done well, too! Of course he lives with his fancypants brother, and the King and Queen probably spot him a loan or two now and then, since they’re friendly, so all in all, no one really wonders how he makes enough money to live so comfortably. The answer’s right there in their face...isn’t it? (Yes and no. He is the kind of guy you can call anytime to get a job done, and he will do it well, but the money he gets from Asgore and Toriel is less of a ‘loan’ and more of a ‘payment for services rendered.’ He’s a cleaner, the guy you call to make things go away, things that aren’t supposed to be there: stains, papers, weapons, evidence... He’ll get rid of it for you, and if you need a convincing coverup or an alibi for...whatever it is that you weren’t there doing, he’ll take care of that, too. If somebody’s calling him up for his special brand of help, they probably just want to put it all behind them and forget all about that nasty business. He’s happy to facilitate--after all, what are friends for?)

Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): Like his brother, he gets on well with the King and Queen. (They both feel like they’ve known the monarchs much longer than they actually have...somehow...) But in any case, unlike his brother, Aster is very well-organized and thoughtful, so he’s a natural choice as an...advisor, of sorts, when monsters surfaced and it was...decided that perhaps there would be some...activities and...ways of doing things that...should remain unknown to the humans. Not unknown to Aster: he keeps track of everything, reminding the monarchs of little details they may have forgotten, pointing out things they may not have noticed, making educated suggestions for courses of action with likely positive outcomes based on past experiences... He’s the linchpin between Asgore and Toriel that makes them terrifyingly more efficient than they would be without him, a consigliere-equivalent who certainly isn’t a boss himself, but he has the bosses’ trust and their ears and that makes him a person of great interest. But...no one can get anything useful out of him: he’s loyal, above all, and much as he values truth, he also realizes that perhaps not everyone deserves to know the full truth of everything, especially not those who might use that truth to bring some sort of harm or misfortune to his friends...or to monsterkind at large. ...And trying to directly seize his extensive notes on the private and personal business-doings of the Dreemurrs is an even more doomed endeavor--he writes them all in a strange jumble of symbols that no one’s ever seen, and the code-breakers never have it long enough to decipher anything useful before its back in his hands, reclaimed quite speedily after unlawful seizure of private property containing confidential information. Lots of well-meaning law enforcement have their sights set on him as some sort of criminal white whale, but the simile is all too accurate-- they’ll never catch him, and even if they do, there’ll be nothing to hold him on. He simply has too many friends (and family members) in very high, very useful places.

[thelastyetfabolousmidwestmadman]

Dark Side Of The Rising Sun Part 1

Yo what’s up!

After the success of my previous post, I’ve decided to bring a follow up where I talk about the many dysfunctions and issues facing Japan that I’ve learned in my research. Detective Conan often shows the criminal justice system of Japan in a positive light while in reality it has many issues due to the culture.

Now let me make this clear: Japan has many great things about itself that should never be ignored. However, these are real flaws that have or need to be addressed with many Japanese also recognizing them as problems.

Now I had to split this into parts as this is rather ungainly to put it all at once. If you have any questions please ask and I’ll do my best to answer them.

 Suicide

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world with about 15.2 deaths per 100,000 people.

This is due to many factors such as Suicide not being considered a sin as well as historical connotations of it being a honorable way to go.

It is also considered a act of revenge, apology, and protest.

It is mostly caused today by factors such as unemployment, alienation and intense social pressure.

Japanese society is overall tolerant of Suicide but this is changing in recent times.

Another factor is the need for acceptance over individuality.

People with mental illness are often discriminated against, stopping potential help.

Internet Suicide Clubs where anonymous people make/plan suicide pacts and commit group suicide are a major issue.

If you kill yourself via Shinkansen, your family will be fined heavily. It is also the cause of half of the train delays and referred to as a human incident.

Tall buildings have mandatory suicide fences to prevent people from jumping off. When they succeed, they take off their shoes before hand.

It is common for suicidal people to take insurance policies and wait a year or two to go through with it so their families would be okay.

Ikka Shinju or family suicides are when the entire family kills themselves together due to Asian views of the family. When the parents kill their children before themselves, this is called Muri-Shinju or murder suicides.

Oyaku Shinju or parent-child suicide are where a single parent kill their children along with themselves.

Drownings, overdoses, hangings, and jumping off places are the most common form of suicide.

Judiciary

Traditionally, the judge is hated more then the lawyer is in the west as the Judge is often viewed as a symbol of the Japanese nobility judging the common man.

If you are sent to trial, you are certain to be convicted regardless of innocence due to the countries 99% conviction rate. (Really makes Eri’s work more awesome and badass doesn’t it?)

The Japanese supreme court is one of the most conservative in the world, rarely ruling against issues that are blatantly unconstitutional and anti human rights. As a result, one of the more positive proposals for amendments of the Constitution is the creation of a separate Constitutional Court.

If you are sent to death row, you will never be told in advance when you are going to die.

Culturally, once arrested the person is automatically considered guilty.

Police are often reluctant to overturn convictions as they insist that only guilty are arrested and convicted.

The law when a child is considered criminally responsible is 14.

Judges are often pressured into making convictions as their careers are negatively affected by a not guilty verdict.

Prosecutors are given the choice not to pursue a case regardless of sufficient evidence.

Prisoners in Japan, while somewhat treated better then much of the world due to it’s focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment, have to follow strict military style regulations from minor things such as being forced to fold the bed, or to wash your face to more draconian measures such being beaten if you don��t march or sit the wrong way.

In turn, many have inadequate access to medical care as they don’t have many options for their healthcare.

It can take months or years before you are tried, meaning that a right to a speedy trial is completely nonexistent.

“Periods of reflection” where inmates are forced to be handcuffed, gagged and placed in solitary, are often not recorded by the warden.

Foreigners are forced to speak and write in Japanese.

Drug Use

It is considered vastly socially unacceptable to do narcotics in Japan.

Most drug addicts are even considered to be not human.

If a celebrity is caught doing drugs, his career is automatically fucked and he is blacklisted from the industry, as well as erased from current projects.

The most commonly sold drug is methamphetamine. This started after World War II due to Meth being legal for soldiers to consume in order to stay up late on petrol as well as from occupying Americans. After the was, it became a huge epidemic for 12 years.

Marijuana use has risen among youth. Despite it having little danger as well as medicinal uses, it is widely considered evil, with the law having no tolerance.

Overall, Japan has little drug use compared to the rest of the world due to the cultural taboo and strict laws. However, there are signs that it is being vastly under counted,

Most illicit drugs are imported from Taiwan and South Korea due to it being near impossible to grow it natively but it is becoming increasingly hard to do so.

Drugs overdoses are criminally under diagnosed.

Epidemics often occur due to low periods of economic growth and recessions. (Examples include the postwar period, the 70′s, and the Lost Decade after the Bubble Economy burst in 1989)

It is common for your family or doctor to call the police once you admit there is a problem. Then you are forced to take a urine sample and if it tests positive you are immediately arrested.

A lot of doctors open pharmacies to add to their income. As a result, many oversubscribe prescription drugs.

Hypocritically, Alcoholism is completely tolerated and not treated as a addiction due to alcohol being considering purifying in Shinto, a cure, and Japan having a intense drinking culture.

Child Abuse

For the most part, physical child abuse is considered a private issue and often ignored. While things are slowly getting better, Japan still has a long way to go. (Imagine if Kogoro did what he did to Conan in the west. Child services would be on him like a fly swatter.)

Child services often return the children to their parents even if they say their abusing them as the counseling centers need the parents to admit to their abuse.

It is a complete myth that Japan’s age of consent is 13. That is only the lowest one could set it. Most prefectures are set at 16 or higher. In turn, child molestation of those under 12 is heavily punished. However while vaginal rape of children is illegal, basically just about everything else as long as it’s statutory is basically alright.

Enjo Kosai or compensated dating is the practice of Teenage Girls to go on dates with older men in exchange for money and gifts. While not necessarily always leading to prostitution is treated as such and the girls are often blamed if they are hurt in the process.

Child sex trafficking of migrants is a serious issue and they are often treated as criminals and sent home without counseling.

Adoption of children is rare and frowned upon so many of them have to gro up in centers.

Children of unmarried couples are discriminated against due to the violation of the traditional Ie system and do not have the same protections or privileges of married couples because of its Koseki system.

Men are not obligated to pay child support and it’s near impossible to get them to legally as they can simply hide their finances by not telling them. Plus only one person can be named on the custody sheet.

Child Pornography was effectively decriminalized until 2014. No seriously.

Sexual Harassment/Assault

Domestic violence victims are disabused from coming forward due to the idea of bringing shame to their family.

Stalking cases are rarely taken seriously by the police

OH THERE”S WAY MORE BUT THIS LIST IS DARK ENOUGH SO LET”S SAVE THIS FOR A LATER DATE.

Working Conditions

Idols are heavily exploited and forced to follow strict rules such as having no social life, banned from having a boyfriend, etc. This is because they are supposed to sell a image of innocence and be there exclusively for their fans.

Anime creators are often forced to work long hours with little pay. This has resulted in a slump in the industry with very few new hires so they are forced to rely on the older animators whose health may fail sooner rather then later.

Funds are rarely given to films with artistic intent or that are political in nature, resulting the film industry suffering compared to the more internationally regarded South Korea.

Police Corruption

Until recently, Japanese police would work with organized crime to lower crime. The only reason they stopped was not out of concern for the everyday citizen but because they were embarrassed by the Yakuza when they began to show up more publically.

The media is often laughably compliant to the police, with they rarely offering a critical lens.

Police have undue influence on the Pachiko industry, with many retired officers being hired as muscle and for advice.

It is quite common for officers to embezzle from their slush funds.

In a effort to cover up crime, police often refuse to investigate mysterious or suspicious deaths, preferring to label them as accidents or suicide.

Police are often anti migrant and sexist to a fault.

It is neigh impossible to get a wiretap going due to rigid privacy laws.

Even the police can’t fire weapons as you need approval to even loose your gun so many officers have never fired a bullet.

Government Incompetence/Corruption

Voter Apathy is super high, with many elections having hilariously low turnout.

Many politicians have Yakuza connections, with the gang members serving as bodyguards and canvassing for votes.

Votes in the countryside are worth two compared to urban ones.

A lot of politicians are completely out of touch and constantly have to resign for gaffes (racism, sexism, historical revisionism, etc.)

Political acts are based on group consensus so it can take a long time to get meaningful reform done.

Criticism and debate is ironically frowned upon, with open criticism within a party being effectively banned.

Cronyism is common. While for the most part Japanese politics is based on expertise, many politicians are awarded ministries based on their support for the leader.

The NHK (Japanese version of the BBC) is largely neutral and free but the current Japanese government can dictate what it is to focus on temporarily.

Press Clubs are often given exclusive access to interviews and information from the government, so they get biased preferential treatment.

Okay I guess the point of this list is to bring attention to these issues and expand the opportunities of where to go when it comes to dark DC fanfiction. Don’t worry, here’s a cute Conan to make you smile!

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Psychological Apocalypse.”

Ha ha I think I love angst a little too much. Its probably unhealthy. Hope you guys have fun reading this extension to he burg war arc. Hope you are intrigued and interested to see what happens :) 

Warning: Mentions Drugs and drug related things.

Sunny was glad to hear the silence. 

Raised voices and angry yelling  had characterized much of the past thirty minutes as Adam made a call to the UNSC. She didn’t know what he was talking to them about because, despite his voice being raised, the walls were too thick to really make anything out. Down the hall Krill peered out from the medical bay where he was tending to the injured.

Sunny shook her head at him, and he returned to his work.

Neither of them knew what was going on, and Adam wasn’t talking, all they knew was that he had a plan they weren't going to like. The only person on the ship who truly knew what was going to happen was Conn, and the one thing about him is that he never gave away secrets, though the twisting of his expressions were enough to say that he was not particularly pleased about the idea either.

That made her worried.

Conn was usually into most things that caused other people emotional anguish.

He was an asshole like that.

Just then, the door next to her slid open, and commander Vir stepped out into the hallway. He was pale, white as a sheet. She would have said he looked sick, if she didn’t know better. Behind him, waffles, his service dog, followed after her head looking up ears pricked in concern. 

He didn’t speak to her, but turned and walked down the hallway. She followed after him, and Krill, peeking his head again, from the medical bay gave sunny another look . She could only shrug and continue following him down the hall and towards the cargo bay.

When they reached it, he almost immediately sat down burying his head in his hands suffering silently and refusing to speak to her. His dog sat in front of him nudging at his hands and face with her nose incessantly until he began to pet her. She crawled into his lap forcing him to pay attention to her as she did. It had been a while since Sunny saw that sort of behavior from either of them.

It was almost hard to remember that Adam had post traumatic stress sometimes. Hard to forget that he wasn’t actually cured of his demons. 

Though what would be making them flare up now?

The war?

The atmosphere of combat?

The people?

She worried for a moment that it might have been her before dismissing the idea. No, her and Adam were reconciled. There was no hard feelings between them, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t scare hi or even get him to flinch despite being the one who had done this to him.

It hurt her every day to think about it.

The dog’s tail beat against the ground.

They were there what seemed like an hour before red lights around the room began flashing, and crew members rushed to prep the airlock for an incoming ship. Adam took a deep breath and took to his feet looking pale but focused as the airlock doors slowly began to open.

A small ship rolled onto the deck.

It was a human ship, though the distinctive pulsing noise was clearly GA in nature. 

She stood up, curious to see what was going to happen.

Commander Vir walked forward just as the doors were opening.

A man stepped onto the ramp and then onto the floor pulling a hover cart behind him, with a large, dusty crate marked with the UNSC seal.

The two men stopped to face each other.

Adam did not offer to shake the man’s hand, instead inclining his head, “Amidral.”

The other man, who sunny had never seen before looked like a person hounded by his own inner demons. He was thin and scruffy, with unkempt grey hair and an outgrowth of stubble over his chin and cheeks, which were sunken and discolored.

“Not my title anymore, Kid.” 

He looked him up and down, “I've seen you in the news the past couple years. Was glad to see you were doing ok.” He shuffled his feet awkwardly.

Adam didn’t move, “Yes, I’ve had far more luck than the others.”

More foot shuffling, and the man looked down, “I know….. It was generous of you to donate your money like that.”

“I did what anyone would do.”

“No… no I don’t think so. There are a lot of men who wouldn’t have done as you did.”

More silence.

Adam nodded to the crate, “Is that it.”

“Yes.” The man whispered, “Though I wish you wouldn't have called.”

“Why are you even here.”

The man shrugged, “After  the indictment , well, I was found criminally complacent in an unethical and wildly illegal operation, however,” The man’s face twisted into an expression of shame, “The UNSC didn’t want the public hearing about it so, it was all kept quiet. I was silently demoted and my pay was cut.” he placed a hand on the crate, “I was made a keeper of this.” he looked away, “It has been a reminder of what I did yo you men and women….. 64, there were 64 of you, and now less than half of the original number remain.”

Adam’s mouth was pulled into a taut line, “And what happened to them.”

“Pills, guns, ropes…..” He went quiet, “Alcohol, addiction. Those that do live well, they aren’t much better off drugs, alcohol , rehab centers, mental health institutes. You and maybe five to ten others are the only ones I know who made it through…. Sane.” 

Sunny was growing very uncomfortable, she placed a hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away.

The strange other human eyed her up and down.

“But I see you’ve recovered quite miraculously.”

“I have.” His voice was stiff.

He motioned the other man to follow him, and together, all three of them walked down the hall.

They were almost to the medical bay when, the admiral cut in front of him stopping the two of them in their tracks though he had eyes only for the commander, “Please, Commander, don’t do this. There are other ways, other things we can try, other newer technologies. Every day I live with the guilt of what this project did, I suffer enough knowing that and I cannot allow you to throw away your sanity for…. For what?”

Adam pushed past him and shoved the doors to the medical bay open.

“You don’t decide what I throw anything away for… not anymore.”

Krill looked up from where he was standing next to one of the beds keeping tabs on one of his patients.

He looked concerned, “What is going on?”

“Prep a surgical suite.”

“Im sorry, what.”

“No questions, just do it!” The commander snapped, and krill stepped back in shock.

It wasn’t like adam to talk like that at all, but the look on his face had krill nodding and quickly hurrying from the room.

Adam followed after stopping before the surgical suite in a prep room with the box. Sunny stood at his shoulder while the other human tried to block the door. His expression was almost pleading. It  seemed as if he was about to begin crying, “Please commander, you don’t know, everything. You Don’t have the full truth.”

Adam knelt down in front of the box hooking his fingers under the latches and popping the locks with a soft click. He knelt there for a long moment staring at the unopened box before, reaching out, and flicking the lid open.

Sunny stepped back in shock.

Blood running cold.

“No… no no no, Adam, you can’t, you can’t do this. I won’t allow it”

Her voice overlapped with the other human “You don’t know everything, besides, it won’t work without the attachment, which I don’t have.”

Adam ignored the both of them staring down into the box. As she watched his hands and body trembled head bowed. His shoulders hunched under some horrific weight.

“No, No we are done!” Sunny reached out to close the lid, but in a flash her hand was caught, held fast by the wrist.

She tried to pull away but his grip was surprisingly strong.

He looked up at her, one Green eye blinking at her, It was cold though the edges around it glistened, “You will not interfere, and that’s an order.”

“Be damned about your orders.” She snapped back, “Adam this is insane, and I won’t let you go through with it.”

He stared at her, “I care about you sunny…. Very much, and that is precisely why, I don’t give a damn what you or anyone else says. I am doing this for you, for my family, for my species, for the UNSC, for the GA.”

Sunny shook her head.

The other human was almost panicked, “No, no ,you can’t even operate it. It doesn’t have all the equipment.” Commander Vir reached down and tugged up his pant leg silencing the man in one moment.

“Is that?”

“It is.”

“No…..” 

Krill stepped into the room now staring between the three of them and the box on the floor .

“What-”

“Sterilize the equipment, doctor, and prepare it for implantation.”

Krill started on.

“Now!”

He moved to do as asked, though he clearly didn’t like it. The medical staff walked in to help dragging the box into a DECOM chamber at the side of the room.

Adam went to follow, but the man caught his hand and held tight. He held so tightly that his knuckles and fingers had turned a gross, sickly white, “Commander STOP.”

He did turning to look the man in the eye, “You don’t know everything.”

The commander Pulled his hand out and turned away.

“Commander! I didn’t get indicted because of the suit.” Adam paused, turning to look at the man. He paused even further when he saw tears begin to spill down the man’s cheeks. Sunny stood stunned form where she was watching. His voice was soft and filled with pain “ I was indicted because we lied. We weren’t feeding you medication because your limbs had been ripped off though that was part of it. We were giving you medication because just wearing the damn thing is so excruciatingly painful the people we tested it on begged us to kill them.””

There was silence.

“The only way you were able to operate those suits. The only way that we could keep you alive during the process was because N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-amine, N-(1-(2-phenethyl)-4-piperidinyl-N-phenyl-propanamide.and (5α,6α)-7,8-didehydro-4,5-epoxy-17-methylmorphinan-3,6-diol diacetate….. That’s what is says on the official papers….. Do you know what that means?”

Adam shook his head though he was very still.

“Those are the scientific names for Heroin, Fentanyl and Meth.”

The silence was deafening.

 We had to get you high so you wouldn’t notice the excruciating pain of what you were using. We used the Heroin or the Fentanyl to keep you functioning, and then we added the amphetamine to cancel out the drowsiness and make you more focused. We got an entire platoon of men and women high, destroyed them physically and mentally to win the war.”

“You cannot survive that again….. You cannot expect me to allow that again.”

Adam was very quiet, and Sunny had a hard time reading his  face.

After a moment, “I would do anything again, for my species, for my family, for my friends, and for the GA.”

Then he turned and walked out.

Sunny ran after him begging pleading with him to stop, but he continued onward, ordering the medical crew to prepare him for the procedure.

Sunny glanced through the window onto the surgical floor to see the suit suspended above the operating table  its metallic frame looking like some sort of twisted scorpion, a parasitic thing  just waiting to infect.

The ex admiral was pleading, near incoherent now..

But the commander ignored them both standing with the medical team, who looked on in discomfort and horror.

He removed his shirt, and Sunny saw the small white scars running down the length of his spine, starting at the base of his skull and riveting into every vertebra. The scars on his shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms and hands were never so stark as they were in that moment.

Krill tried to protest as well, but was silenced.

The surgical team could not bend him, and so did as told prepping him, lying him down and preparing him for what was to come. 

He lay there silent staring up at the ceiling.

Outside the room Waffles barked and whined as if she knew what was about to happen.

A mask was placed over his face, and as he closed his eyes, a single tear leaked down the side of his cheek disappearing against the pillow on which his head rested. They knew they could do nothing, if Krill didn’t perform it, he would find someone else when he woke, someone less skilled perhaps, someone who could get him killed.

So they did as they were told Rolling him into the surgical suite with Sunny standing helplessly outside the door.

Somewhere, the dog was still barking toenails scratching against the floor as she whined and whimpered for her master.

Adam was placed on a breathing tube, and then rolled onto his stomach.

The ridges of his spine were bright against the light overhead.

Krill stepped forward hesitant unwilling to make the first cut.

Overhead the Steel Eye Exoskeleton loomed.

A psychological apocalypse. 

[pacificsandsrecovery]

Drug Prices: The Real Cost

It’s no secret drugs cost money, we all know from one avenue or another that drug prices can be high and there is a big financial drain on people with addiction. Drug prices are wide-ranging across different addictions and If you’ve ever wondered how much do drugs cost, you aren’t alone. It’s a common question, and one of the more important things to recognize is that when we talk about the monetary high costs of drug use.

Drug prices generally don’t even take into account the many other costs including health problems, emotional and psychological costs, and in some cases, the loss of life.

Illicit Drug Prices on the Streets

The following gives a rough estimate of what someone might pay for illicit drugs on the streets.

Marijuana

Marijuana is one of the most widely used drugs in America, and many states have made it legal medically and in some places, recreationally. Marijuana has a psychoactive chemical called THC. It’s used in a variety of ways. For example, it can be smoked, vaped, cooked into food, or used as a liquid.

Marijuana users pay around $20 a gram; an eighth of marijuana, which is about 3.5 grams, might cost around $40.

Heroin

Heroin is an illegal opioid that’s the cause of many of the deaths during the opioid epidemic. Heroin can be something that people start to use after they develop an addiction to prescription opioids because it is cheaper and easier to get.

The price of around 0.1 grams of heroin could range from $15 to $20.

Someone who is a heavy user might pay $150 to $200 a day for heroin. In a lot of locations, you can buy heroin for cheaper than you can buy cigarettes, especially in bigger cities.

There’s a reason for this—drug cartels have focused on providing a cheap product to a larger number of people who can’t afford an opioid prescription medication.

Cocaine

The effects of cocaine last only around 30 minutes, and the average price is $100 to $120 a gram. For someone who is a heavy cocaine user, they could spend upwards of $100 a day supporting their addiction.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine, also known as meth or crystal meth, is a powerful stimulant drug. It affects the central nervous system. This drug is very addictive and it’s usually smoked, although it can be injected, swallowed, or snorted.

The price of crystal meth averages around $80 a gram. One dose of meth is around 0.25 grams, so you might pay $20 for a dose.

Hallucinogens

There are a lot of other street drugs that fall into the larger category of hallucinogens.

MDMA, also known as ecstasy, usually costs anywhere from $15 to $25 on the streets for one pill, with effects lasting anywhere from three to six hours.

A single dose of LSD, also called acid, might cost anywhere from $5 to $20.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms can cost $20 to $25 for around an eighth of an ounce.

PCP, or Angel Dust, can cost $20 to $30 per gram, with a single dose being anywhere from one to five milligrams.

The Cost of Prescription Drugs

Prescription drugs can be just as addictive and even deadly as illegal drugs, and along with that prescription drug spending is higher than ever. Opioids are prescription pain medicines that can change how pain signals are sent between the body and the brain and they can, unfortunately, be very addictive. In 2017, nearly 59 prescriptions for opioids were written per 100 people in the U.S.

Vicodin is one example of a prescription opioid that has a high potential for misuse. Prescription drug prices are very high; if you get a prescription for Vicodin and you don’t have health care, drug companies may charge around $125 for 100 pills. That comes out to about $1.26 per Vicodin tablet. If you were to go and try to buy that same pill on the street, the list price would cost nearly four times more in most cases.

Adderall is one of the brand-name drugs that is highly abused amongst students. Prescribed to treat symptoms of ADHD. It is also sometimes abused by people who want the energy burst, focus, and concentration it can create. With health care or a discount card, generic drug versions of Adderall will usually cost around $25 a month. Buying Adderall on the streets or using it without a prescription may mean that you pay around $10 a pill.

The Other Costs of Addiction

Drug prices aren’t the only cost involved with substance abuse. Addiction is expensive in so many ways after you already spend money.

You might lose your job because of your addiction. You might not be able to fulfill your home duties, and your drug use could cost you meaningful relationships. You may also face legal consequences, which come with their own costs.

Sometimes people worry that the cost of addiction treatment is a barrier to them receiving the help they need. The reality is that untreated addiction is much more expensive than an addiction treatment program monetarily and in other ways. Addiction may cost you your life; An addiction treatment program, like Pacific Sands Recovery Center, is one of the best investments you can make.

[newagesispage]

                                                                        MAY                 2021

The Rib Page

*****

George Takei is sweatin’ with the oldies. He stars in a fitness app for gay seniors, Bar Belles. It was his April Fool’s day joke.

*****

Fox will bring us Crime Scene Kitchen on May 26 with host Joel McHale.

*****

Joel Hodgson has launched a new kick starter to create a new independent season of MTS3K, The goal is $2mil.

*****

Bob Odenkirk will release: Comedy, comedy, comedy, drama: A Memoir on Jan. 18 2022

*****

Leslie Jones will host the 2021 MTV Awards.

*****

$3 mil was raised for Next for Autism with help from Conan, Kimmel, Charlize, Chris Rock, Jack Black and Sarah Silverman.

*****

Have ya noticed that Gayle King looks great in yellow.

*****

Some people are not too happy that Elon Musk will host SNL on May 8. Miley Cyrus is the musical guest.** Musk tweeted: Let’s find out just how live SNL really is. Cast member Bowen Yang tweeted back, : What the Fuck does this even mean?

*****

Oh Seth Meyers: Every time I see the sea captain on your show, I miss him so much!!

*****

There is a spotlight on Foxconn which made a big splash for Trump at the start of his presidency. The company has done a lot of nothing but still gets tax cuts. Homes were demolished, roads were widened to nowhere and money was spent. Wisconsinites are upset that this big business is just folly and a big glass orb.

*****

Mike Lindell is a kook but he did try to appear to be a good sport on Kimmel.

*****

When will weed be legal on a federal level? When will drug testing for employment be illegal? We hear so much about personal rights with the gun laws and vaccines and masks. What about the right to do what we want with our bodies when we are not at work. Think of the administrative costs that could be saved if we just removed drug testing. Our experience and work ethic should mean more that what we do with our free time. This is not a problem at all companies. There are places in this country where it is near impossible anywhere in your area to get hired without a drug screening. One joint on a random Saturday night could keep someone from a great opportunity. A person in pain who reaches for an edible might miss out on the job that saves their lives.

*****

NASA sent the first flight to another planet. The Mars flight made history with the 30 sec feat.

*****

What? The Menendez brothers are popular again? From the Ramsey case to the Manson murders or Bundy, it all comes back around again.

*****

The Lizzie Borden house just sold for $2mil to Lance Zaal of U. S. Ghost Adventures.

*****

Quarantine and so much television et al proves one thing, the pharmaceutical and insurance companies have way too much $.

*****

Trump told everyone to boycott Coke and is later seen drinking diet Coke.** Trump sent out a statement about how bad the Oscars are. They threw it right back in his face. ** Federal agents have searched Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment. It stems from the 2 year investigation into activities in Ukraine.

*****

X-VP Pence is said to have pressured the Navy to reinstate former Mo. Gov. Eric Greitens. Greitens was accused of tying up, blindfolding, taking explicit photos of and blackmailing a woman.

*****

There is a crisis in schools with the lack of civics and history being taught.

*****

Hulk Hogan was hit with a chorus of Boo’s at his latest event.

*****

The latest sexual harassment news: Matt Gaetz  is being looked into for sex with a minor and sex trafficking.  Bill Barr opened the investigation.** Tom Reed has been accused of sexual misconduct by former lobbyist, Nicolette Davis.** Marilyn Manson has been sued by Game of Thrones, Esme Bianco for sexual abuse.

*****

What is going on with Bank of America? I am hearing from multiple people that often they do not get their statement in the mail. Is this a bad Postal service? Is this bad business practice? How many late fees had to be paid because of this? Not everybody wants to pay their bills online.

*****

Jack Hanna has revealed that he has dementia.

*****

Tiny Tim : King for a day is a new doc I must see. The film contains footage shot from Warhol’s Factory. There are excerpts from Tim’s diary read by Weird Al Yankovic and the story of how Tiny’s friend, Bob Dylan wanted to make a film with him.

*****

Lindsay Lohan’s Father, Michael has been charged with 5 counts patient brokering and 1 count of attempted patient brokering. This is an apparent scam of steering addicts into rehab for cash.

*****

Aaron Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova are dating. Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor are dating.

*****

JB Smoove has a new podcast brought to you by TeamCoco.

*****

Hey.. People working on the new Law and Order: Organized Crime….. TOO MUCH MELONI!!

*****

*****

Zach Avery, actor, was arrested for his participation in a $690 mil Ponzi scheme.

*****

President Biden has restored aid to the Palestinians.

*****

MLB put up a wall in Georgia but the Masters stayed.

*****

Hank Azaria has brought Brockmire to a new podcast.

*****

Tommy Chong isn’t allowed on FB because of his weed posts but they allow an imposter to use his name to sell weed.

Pennsylvania is trying to push thru 14 voter suppression bills.

*****

Joe Manchin. Ugh!!** Marjorie Taylor- Greene has let go of her America First caucus.** Ted Cruz has allegedly used $154, 000 of his campaign funds to buy up copies of his book to boost sales. This is an old trick but still illegal.

*****

For the first time, The Carter Center became involved in a U.S. election. They published videos and live webcasts as well as deploying observers across Georgia.

*****

Most health programs in Uganda, Nigeria and Ethiopia have resumed after Covid.** Tom Vilsack from the Dept. of Agriculture has announced the USDA will provide assistance to 30 million kids.** It is sad to me that we have to entice people to vaccinate. Football games, Church’s and shot for shot in bars?? Really? Saving the lives of others should be enough. WTF?

*****

Alec Baldwin, Alec Mapa and Kelsey Grammer are shopping around a new comedy that ABC decided to pass on.

*****

Chauvin was found guilty.

*****

Days alert: C’mon Ben, calm the fuck down! Don’t prove how out of control you are like everybody thinks. ** Xander is so funny right now.** How many people will Kristen be and how many times can one person melt down?? **Bring Carrie back!! **Jackee’ seemed a bit nervous in the beginning but she is fitting right in. More!

*****

The SAG awards came and went. With the Trial of the Chicago 7 winning best ensemble, Michael Keaton is the first person to be in 3 best casts for SAG’s.** Other winners include Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Daniel Kaluuta, Youn Yuh-Jung, Mark Ruffalo, Anya Taylor- Joy, Jason Bateman, Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek and The Crown.

*****

The Oscars were held on April 25. It was a bit of a yawner and why would a show set themselves up for an awkward end?? There was a commercial from P&G right before the broadcast that stated, “ Widen the screen so we can widen our view.” Nice sentiment.  Mank had so many noms and only 2 wins. People looking their best to me were Leslie Odom Jr., Glenn Close, Riz Ahmed, LaKeith Stanfield, Colman Domingo, John Batiste, Mia Neal, Questlove (gold crocs and a mask!), Desmond Roe, Travon Free, Trish Summerville, Marlee Matlin, The Lucas Brothers, Andra Day, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried, Nicolette Robinson, Regina King and Margot Robbie. Laura Dern looked like Big Bird, there were just too many feathers. Tiara Thomas had feathers but they looked great.  Angela Bassett had some power sleeves and Tyer Perry looked like a little boy.  Hooray for Emerald Fennell for her win for original screenplay but not sure about the dress. And Viola Davis?? Dana Murray?? Ashley Fox?? Hmm?? Winners seemed to have trouble getting to the stage. They often refused the steps or the walkway and sort of climbed up the side. I did love the intimate setting and it did remind me of the old clips of years before. Sound of metal and Ma Rainey both won. Tyler Perry and for the first time, an organization, the motion picture and television fund, took home the humanitarian award. I was thrilled to see My Octopus Teacher win for Doc. I loved Crip Camp too, that was a hard category.  The acting winners went in all directions.  Many critics complained that the films were real downers . Nomadland won best picture. Michael Moore put it best I think. Of the films this year, he said, “They force you to look backward with 2021 eyes.”

*****

Why the Fuck do we need a militarized police force?

*****

R.I.P. victims of the multiple mass shootings, victims of police shootings, the crush in Israel, Cosette Brown, Midwin Charles, DMX, Paul Ritter, Ethel Gabriel, G. Gordon Liddy, Buddy Peppenschmidt,  Prince Philip, Anne Beatts, Diane Adler, Vartan Gregorian, Monte Hellman, Jim Steinman, Michael Collins, Michael wolf Snyder, Johnny Crawford, Eli Broad and Walter Mondale.

[thorrowle]

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Thorfinn Charles Rowle MEANING: Son of thunder; Free man; Rule/Order REASONING: Charles after his father because that’s tradition NICKNAME(S): His mother sometimes calls him Finn/Finny but no one else has any nicknames for him PREFERRED NAME(S): Thorfinn, Rowle BIRTH DATE: 20th of November 1997 AGE: 23 ZODIAC: Scorpio  GENDER: Male PRONOUNS: He/Him ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Hetero SEXUAL ORIENTATION: I honestly don’t know. He’s never even really considered the possibility that he could do anything with another guy because it’s just been so ingrained in him that everything is a boy and a girl. NATIONALITY: British ETHNICITY: English CURRENT LOCATION: London, England LIVING CONDITIONS: His family manor TITLE(S): Heir of the Rowle family

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: England HOMETOWN:  London SOCIAL CLASS: Upper class EDUCATION LEVEL: Completed his NEWTS with all O’s because he is a nerd, but also really wanted to get a job on his own merit

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood  FATHER: Charles Rowle MOTHER: Grace Rowle   SIBLING(S): His sister, Sienna BIRTH ORDER: Eldest child CHILDREN: None PET(S):He has an owl. OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: N/A PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: No proper relationships ARRESTS?: None PRISON TIME?: None

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: Family money SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME: His job at the Ministry CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: He absolutely loves his job. He loves the travel aspect and dealing with people from all over the world but he also loves the politics involved with those people and the relationships that are made PAST JOB(S): None SPENDING HABITS: Doesn’t really buy a lot because he doesn’t really see a need to. However, doesn’t even consider the cost of things when he is shopping. MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: His wand

SKILLS & ABILITIES

LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin DRIVE?: Illegally JUMP-STAR A CAR?: Nope CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?:Not a chance RIDE A BICYCLE?: Yes SWIM?: Yes PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: He can play the piano  PLAY CHESS?: Yes BRAID HAIR?: No TIE A TIE?: Yes PICK A LOCK?: Probably not without magic

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: Sam Claflin EYE COLOR: Goldeny brown HAIR COLOR: Blondish/brownish/goldeny/auburn  HAIR TYPE/STYLE: Curly and pretty short. Long enough so that you can tell it’s curly but it’s still neat. GLASSES/CONTACTS?:  Nope DOMINANT HAND: Right handed HEIGHT: 6′3′’ WEIGHT: I’m not smart enough to figure that out sorry BUILD: Pretty tall and toned, muscular  EXERCISE HABITS: Works out probably four or five times a week. He was never particularly into sports but he likes working out at the gym to both keep fit and honestly, to make his body look good. TATTOOS: A big old dark mark on his arm. PIERCINGS: None MARKS/SCARS: He has a few that he’s gotten over his time in the death eaters but none particularly bad or obvious NOTABLE FEATURES: His dimples. USUAL EXPRESSION: A smirk CLOTHING STYLE: Very put together and carefully curated. He has probably never worn jeans in his entire life, much more favouring trousers. Usually formal, and even when he’s just hanging out it’s still half formal. JEWELRY: He likes rings but doesn’t really wear them all that often. Always wears a watch, but nothing else really. ALLERGIES: He’s allergic to peanuts. DIET: Generally a very healthy diet. He takes great care of his body and that includes taking care of his diet so he doesn’t eat a lot of junk food or drink a lot. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: None

PSYCHOLOGY

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral TEMPERAMENT: Phlegmatic PRIMARY INTELLIGENCE TYPE: Linguistic Intelligence APPROXIMATE IQ: 129 MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: None SOCIABILITY: Formal PHOBIA(S): None ADDICTION(S): None, maybe sex DRUG USE: None, his body is a temple and he doesn’t like feeling out of control ALCOHOL USE: Rarely and same as above PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: Not really, he’s much more prone to cruel words than actions.

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE: Formal. QUIRKS: Ridiculously flirty. HOBBIES: Reading, learning - especially new languages, HABITS: He raises his eyebrow a looot, plays with his wand a lot (heh) NERVOUS TICKS: He very rarely gets nervous but when he does he tends to zone out a lot and pay less attention to what’s going on around him/what’s being said.  DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: Being better than his father, making a good life for his family. FEARS: Disappointing his parents, letting Sienna down. POSITIVE TRAITS: Intelligent, patient, generous. NEGATIVE TRAITS: Judgmental, secretive, closed off. SENSE OF HUMOR: Dry, sarcastic humour.  DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: Occasionally. CATCHPHRASE(S): None.

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: Sex tbh ANIMAL: Dolphins. BEVERAGE:  COLOR: Green. DESIGNER: Armani. FOOD: Maybe like a roast dinner. FLOWER: He doesn’t have one. GEM: Also doesn’t have one. HOLIDAY:  Dislikes them all. MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: Apparition. MOVIE: Doesn’t have one. MUSICAL ARTIST: Oops again, doesn’t have one but he will get more into the music in the future when he’s like living with Glenda and what not. SCENERY: Like looking down after a hike up a mountain. SCENT: Trees, rain, woodsy smells. SPORT: He doesn’t watch any sports. SPORTS TEAM: None. TELEVISION SHOW: None. WEATHER: Sun. VACATION DESTINATION: Italy.

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: To be Minister. GREATEST FEAR: Letting his family down. MOST AT EASE WHEN: Honestly these days, when he’s with Glenda, lounging around after sex. She’s the least complicated part of his life so things are easy around her. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: Around his parents.

[kpop-bg-roleplay]

(I've decided to send all of our replies in one here for an overview so far! The rest of our rp is going through asks!)

Finding the same nine people you were joking around during the day, carrying weaponry and dealing with drugs in a dimly lit alley way was more than a shock to your system. The first to acknowledge your presence was Hyerin, and holy hell did her expression carry a complete 180' from how she looked that morning. Was this really the same person? "Elise, what are you doing snooping around? The night is a dangerous place."

-----

"I was about to go home actually", I answered her while holding my grocery bag slightly tighter in my hands at the scene in front of me. "What did you do to those people?", I asked the whole as my body language showed tensed up shoulders, ragged breath, pupils widened and having an even more paled up face than usually. The scene in front of me could be out of a crime scene. Bodies on the ground and only the guys I've called my so called friends standing in the middle of it.

------

All she did was look at Hongjoong, who immediately caught onto what she was thinking about and ordered the others to get back in the group car. Joining his right-hand, Hongjoong rolled his eyes, "None of your business, unless you'd rather get scarred."

------

"Alright. I've never seen anything", I asked him as I morphed my face completely blank despite my stiff posture before looking behind me briefly and then making my way, passing the car while only shaking my head in dissappointment at Hyerin.

------

They had no other business that night, and returned to the car before Seonghwa drove back to the cafe. Sighing as they all walked inside, Yunho  needed very little incentive to gather intel on you; you had found them out - in a way - after all.

------

"I'm home", I called out and walking inside my house to sort my groceries inside the fridge. I didn't hear anything besides the Amazon Echo greeting me back. Walking inside the living room to turn the lights on, with a beer glass in my hand I then went ahead to recall the memories of what happened a few hours ago. The bodies on the ground, Hyerin and the others being completely different from how I know them and knowing now that they're somehow involved in something criminal, I've decided to stay away from them as good as possible.

------

Finding your location, then everything else about you was easy. Yunho scoffed as he made his way through your systems, who actually kept Echoes? Especially when they're such easy targets. Yeosang couldn't have agreed more as he rerouted through the smart devices in your home, the data falling in his lap like candy. Meanwhile, Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Hyerin were in the leader's office discussing what they would do with you. Leave you and possibly risk having you reveal them to the police, or keep you under watch.

------

"And... another night alone with no friends to help me finish my food from yesterday", I sighed softly to myself as I looked at the time and walking upstairs to the attic. I opened the door to reveal hundreds rolls of paintings I've been doing in the past. When you walk upstairs, you can smell the plastic mixed in with a white substance called C17H21NO4 or for the Day to Day person between us, Cocaine. I use that particular powder in my paintings, hidden in the pigments and the paper that can be used to smoke it as a cigarette or joint. I've had some encounters indirectly with the dealers from BigHit and Pledis but had managed to keep my name clean up until now. I've started early with selling it in the black market as dupes for certain museums. The actual thieves swapped them out with mine and I can still see one of the not caught paintings in the next Art museum. Nobody has to know that unless they start to actually burn the paintings that most of these are priceless. I always have them in big jars that are labeled as Sugar and Flour, one being more intense than the other but the results are mostly the same.

The thing is, I started at the age of 15. I was stupid and unknowingly sold them online to finance my living expenses for some pocket money after my escape from the organization. Then I found out about it through an unknown source that works for those people and...here I am. Not even Hyerin knows about it, because I always lock the attic and most people wouldn't be assuming that there are illegal drug paintings in there in the first place anyways. She never seemed to be interested in it and asked me questions.

Here I am, making sure that my newest painting gets sold online as the address is always changing in alphabetical order. It can't be the same route as it's another drug dealers territory and he's a scary bulky man that I ALMOST broke his nose when we were talking the first time I've put it in there. I got away with a few bruises anyways, no big deal.

A few days since then passed after the encounter that they're in the mafia and I kept my distance with each member of Hyerins friend group. I went the other way when I heard familiar steps, excuse myself from attending classes and turning in my assignments online, and I ignored Hyerins texts and calls as good as I can. But...the Mafia people are persistent more than the scam callers or mild inconveniences on the street to make you donate to a charity.

I heard my bell ring one night on a Saturday, while I was finishing my painting for the night. I kept the door to my attic open and walking downstairs with my mask on before opening up. Well, it wasn't for sure the neighbors that got my packages or the delivery guy I've been waiting on for 20 minutes. It's them. And I immediately tried to close the door shut.

------

A week's worth of research, intelligence gathering and hacking on part of Yunho and Yeosang had paid off. And they weren't in the mood to be patient. In silent agreement, Seonghwa and Mingi kicked the door down together, the group walking in with a beyond intimidating presence. "Gather everything of value, I want to see this place ransacked, understand?" Hongjoong ordered, no room in his tone for debate. Hyerin seemed to have taken an interest in the jars, and began to walk towards you, "Interested in the world of narcotics, are we? How fascinating." Her words weren't scary on their own, but with a handgun in her hand and the more than evident danger she carried with her, Hyerin could induce a nightmarish fear in even the most hardened individuals.

------

"Do whatever you want, but if you want to take something... you have to pay for it first", I began saying and being to list all of the prices at each item they're holding, "You". I pointed at Mingi first who's holding my lamp, "I got it from Ikea for 25,99€ plus the light switch. You". I pointed to Hyerin as she's taking an interest in my jars of cocaine, "That includes highly concentrated cocaine and because it's opened it's going to be released in the air around us that will get us addicted. It's also 3000€ worth per kilograms. You." I then pointed at Yunho and Yeosang, "Individual paintings are worth 5000€ each, customized fakes are 10.000€ and up worth. The the ones you're holding are for my customers that pay lots of it and if you want to snatch it it's 40 Million€ worth. You". I pointed at San and Wooyoung carrying out my pigments, "I made these myself and they're mixed with the cocaine. I would say 500.000 in total and You."  I pointed at Hongjoong and Seonghwa that is taking a sit on my couch, "390€ and 5.99€ each of the pillows. And lastly, you." I looked over Jongho with a tired sigh, "Please don't raid my fridge...". I sighed softly before doing the math in my head, "That'll be 4.518.421,98€, please. I take checks too". And despite being terrified of every member of the Mafia people, I managed to sit down on the couch to cross my arms over my chest. Until I got a gun against my temple, which made me raise an eyebrow. My forehead started to sweat, my hands got clammy and my throat dried up immensely but I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "What are you going to do with me once you took everything out of my house and killed me? I mean, I didn't tell anyone about your hidden secret,Hyerin. I've lived my life in peace and didn't meddle in on your business. Don't you think that I deserve a different death than a gun against my head?", I began to speak slowly and looking at her direction with a small smile despite her glaring that already killed me, "I want to be killed in a different way, not like that"

------

Maybe the three eldest of Ateez had a twisted sense of mercy, or maybe they were interested, but once Hongjoong had processed how much money you could possibly bring in, he was at Herin's side, whispering in her ear. With an amused smirk, Hyerin put the gun back in the holster and chuckled, "Since my friend here is so~ interested in your works, Hongjoong thinks I should let you go." Her laugh was dangerous, as she called for the the others to bring the artworks to the van. Walking to you, Hongjoong crossed his arms, "You'll make us quite a bit of profit, you'll be pretty useful with us. " He remarked, voice twinged with interest. How much could you make them? Well, that was for them to find out. And it would cost you absolute loyalty to the mafia, and Seonghwa was still unsure whether you'd be a good fit.

------

"I choose death please", I replied blankly and sighing softly as I immediately shake my head at their direction and pointing at Hyerins gun, "Please shoot me, or roll me over with your car or burn me alive. Anything to satisfy your twisted fake conceptions of sadism."

------

A dark, slightly seductive (well, to the others, with you, who knew?) chuckle fell from the other female in the room, as she ran her tongue over her lips. Fuck, that was hot. Sadism? That would her be middle name. "Oh, oh~ I haven't been in the Crimson ward in so long~ maybe I should give our little friend here a personal tour?" She taunted, flicking your chin with the tip of her nails. "I agree with Hongjoong, let's take this one with us."

------

"Careful, I bite", I played along with with her and holding her cheek gently to kiss her forehead lightly, "But I would rather go ahead and begin suicide than leaving my house in the middle of the night. I can't leave physically this place, unless you want me to paint ugly paintings that aren't worth lots of money? I wonder what would happen if I just killed myself now?"

------

Okay, you were a brave one. Amused, Hyerin pulled you to your feet by you collar and whispered, her breath fanning your neck, "From now on, your life is in my hands, understand that? And don't you worry about the quality, you'll have a much better studio for your art." She saw something in you, and she wanted to harness that. The other members had long since emptied the apartment of your artworks, and they were in the van. They'd definitely sell to the highest bidder, and my God there were crooked curators who'd kill to get hands on your art.

------

"Let me say goodbye before I go", I requested to her and gently taking her hands off my collar to take a few steps back. "Would you be kind and wait outside? I won't take long", I added with a small smile that seemed almost too forced but I refused to cry infront of anyone

------

"Very well. Make it quick, and don't you dare think about running." Hyerin replied simply, her arms folded at her chest. Reading emotions was no effort, and it was clear you had no intention of streaking your face with tears in their presence. Walking by the door, she gave you one last look before she stepped outside, silently ordering the soldiers in the other cars to surround the building. Trying to flee wouldn't be a good idea, nor would breaking the miniscule amount of trust Hyerin had granted you.

------

Walking to my room that I usually put in my clothes in my luggage, I somehow played it off with no suspicion whatsoever for now. Taking out a piece of paper to then start writing a note to people who are going to be searching for me, at least I hoped that someone would care about me in my friend group. I sighed softly as I kept it short and simple to write down a simple note of me being taken away to a remote place for awhile. Wiping my tears away from my eyes as I hide the note in between the broken cracks of the house, I walked out of my room to do a last room tour to then join the group again. "My luggage, here's also my ID... I don't think I need it anymore from now on", I mumbled and avoiding their eyes as good as I can while handing my belongings to them. Walking over to the trunk, I willingly climb in to avoid talking to anyone as good as possible.

------

By the  time you stepped inside the trunk, the others had all piled in and were more than just a little impatient to get back. Taking the wheel, Seonghwa pressed his foot on the gas and soon you found yourself on the way back to the...cafe? The Twilight Cafe was probably the most innocent looking cafe on the street, and that's where they were returning to?

What?

Parking round the back, the members all filed out, entering the cafe and taking a seat. The three eldest remained, ordering the soldiers to bring your belongings into the main part of the building, and Hongjoong pulled you out of the trunk, a bored stare in his eyes.

"You'll be escorted to the living quarters. Don't cause any trouble; I'm not looking to get my gun out right now."

------

"Yes, Sir", I replied in a small whisper, following the people inside while keeping a straight face. I couldn't even hide my stiff posture, how I'm holding my hands behind my back as if I'm a prisoner and the bloodied underlip that I've bit on the whole time. It didn't help my situation at this point on how my stomach started to rumble loudly during the ride and how nauseated I'm feeling due to motion sickness.

I didn't look around the cafe at all, too scared to anger even more people and knowing that I'm not going to get my freedom back at all is the worst thing that could be happening to a human being. I know that I'm fucked at this point. Sometimes I wished to be not able to draw or paint, maybe then I'd be a normal person with a bright future.

'I want this nightmare to end already... please help me', I thought to myself almost desperately and started to pray in my head already. I'm thinking of ending my life at this point, ending the pain and start somewhere new. I think it's out of question right now and the pressure only pumped up my adrenaline rush in my system. My survival instincts are tingling and my heart beats even louder than a hammer against a wall.

The steps stopped ultimately, and I snapped out of my trance. It's a small room, enough to sleep in and change your clothes. Plus an attached bathroom, that didn't have security cameras. I'm slightly thankful for it at least, they give me the privacy to an extent. I didn't think much of what happened afterwards, nodding along the order for tomorrow and I was finally alone. Alone as I can get, at least.

So I quickly walked inside the bathroom to get everything out of my system and let my guard down. I cried in silence, hugging my knees and hiding behind my hands to muffle out my sobs. "I want to...go home", I whispered gently to myself and swallowing thickly, my body started to shake violently due to the pressure. I'm currently having a panic attack and I couldn't control it entirely. For some reason, I managed to pass out on the bed, shaking violently to the core and desperately trying to stay conscious to not cause even more problems.

------

Once you had been escorted from the initial cafe space, Hyerin immediately got up, getting her phone to discuss the latest findings with the financial heads at KQ -one of which she was a deputy to. There was much to discuss. And she'd definitely have to work overnight to draft up a reasonable report to KQ.

Among all the staff that walked around the complex, one stood out. Younger than Ateez's youngest, a high rank that almost rivalled Ateez themselves. With a tablet in hand, she walked through the dorms until she arrived at your rooms, a mutter of 'this wasn't used before...' coming from her.

She entered your room, making no announcement that she was entering. Maybe she had received similar training to the mafia members themselves, because her presence was palpable in the air. She tsked when she saw your condition, placing her tablet on the windowsill and walked over to you.

"Come to your senses, you've been brought here and you need to hurry up and accept it. Now what's you name? I have to provide KQ with accurate reports."

------

"Elise Liddell, Ma'am. I would appreciate it if I could use this night to eventually finish my mental break down until tomorrow morning", I answered her as quickly as possible, almost making it sound that I've rapped and my still shaking body leaning towards the cold wall. Wiping my tears away from my eyes, I avoided her gaze despite listening to her instructions intensely. "I'm just an ordinary artist, my paintings aren't real to be original.", I continued further, then quieting down as I don't want to spill out more information about myself and why I'm even doing my current profession as follows. 'Over my dead body, I'll be free in no time, even if I have to plot against them somehow', I thought, straightening my posture and eventually looking at the person nearby the windowsill. "What am I supposed to do tomorrow morning? I have to go to college and I don't want to be raising suspicion over my disappearence that soon", I asked her, coughing slightly as the crying made me thirsty, yet knowing that those bastards are going to love it to see me dying of dehydration soon.

------

The girl almost laughed. Almost. Scoffing, she tilted her head and gave you an overly sweet smile. But her eyes held something much, much more dangerous. "I'm not going to stop your precious little mental breakdown, go right ahead~."

The very idea that Ateez had someone as young as the girl in front of you working with them definitely seemed off.  Shouldn't she at least be in school? Reaching for her tablet, she was quiet for a moment before meeting your eyes.

"Ateez will take care of that. If you require something to drink I will put in a notice for the staff to provide a water dispenser."

------

"The absence of me entering college should be because I got either pregnant and have to leave due to my VISA or because I'm going back to Germany to fulfill one of the courses there. Any other reason isn't acceptable at all", I sighed softly and nodding slowly at the water dispenser for my casual use. "Anything else that I need to know?"

------

All she did was roll her eyes. It wasn't her problem, neither did she care. Whatever excuse they came up with would have to be the one you accepted. "You're not to enter Hongjoong, Seonghwa or Hyerin's office without letting either them or myself know beforehand." About to continue, her focus is drawn to someone calling her name.

"Minnie, you're needed in Seonghwa's office."

"Okay Kai, I'll be there."

At least you knew her name. Leaving the room and shutting the door behind her, you were left to your own devices, and thoughts, again.

------

'If she's going to tell them what excuse they should use in order to get me out of there, they also don't know who I'm close in contact too.', I thought to myself, drinking the water that Kai brought earlier to then walk to the bathroom and using some of the time to clean myself up as good as possible. The room had my luggage inside and instead of hyperventilating the whole time, I looked straight at the camera to flip off with my perfectly long nails to the person who watches me now. The ordering process of my stuff, made me calm down just a little bit, despite the shaky hands and the low blood pressure I'm feeling on my body the whole time. I sighed softly to myself, taking out my Notebook to write down the first informations about today.

----

Holy shit I forgot how long our responses were. Also I am practically gonna include eveny group I stan in this plot.

The rest of the complex was active, like a city that never slept. Throughout the night, footsteps rang through the building, staff - and some of Ateez themselves - working the night shift, keeping all operations stable. One location in particular that was lit up like daylight was the camera and intel rooms, where Yunho was asleep on a bed in the back, while Yeosang watched the moniters with his team, rolling his eyes as he checked the camera in your room. Thank God he’d only have to keep that camera installed for another few weeks. Watching new arrivals for their three month probation period was a pain, and more often than not he left the task to some unsuspecting staff. And that’s exactly what he did.

“Hey, Yang Jungwon, watch our new arrival, I need a smoke break.”

“Y-Yes Sir!”

[aleatoryalarmalligator]

Hello,

So, it's funny because i was depressed right? and then as we all know the world kinda got scary, and now it's like i almost have a reason to feel validated in my feelings of hopelessness, which doesn't make me feel great, but does seem to kind of level me in this strange way.

I spend too much fucking time on reddit. I live in Portland, and basically i worked for this really extremely poorly run restaurant/brewery pub called Laurelwood. It's a long story, but the place has the worst management. Some of the people weren't like, bad people, but the way it was managed was really bad in ways i would have to spend hours explaining. They recently did a deal with Ninkasi a little over a year ago and now you can find their beer everywhere, and i guess if you are into beer most people seem to like it, so it's not really a diss on their alcohol itself though i am more of a hard liquor/hard cider fan and beer isn't typically my thing unless it's some desserty imperial stout. They expected a lot from their employees - and because of their poor management they also kind of let a lot of us get away with stuff. So we kind of, as employees created a very strong personal work ethic and friendship amongst one another in turn, we within reason broke rules and had a system of doing it to where we remained competent and managed ourselves, as our management was failing and self centered. If it wasn't the really cool friends i made there - some of the closest friends i have ever had and a ton of first time unique experiences - i learned a ton about myself and grew a lot in that position, i probably would have hated it. the owner was the kind of boomer who wanted to pull in hype of like, young trendy Portland kids, but they really made it look like a bad wannabe applebees and never really valued the fact that we were basically keeping the place open for him, so the aesthetic was kinda lazy and the demeanor between us and our top heavy upper management was pretty separated.

Anyway, since of course i worked in this field when the whole pandemic thing happened, I was naturally laid off. They didn't pay us. They sent us a message saying they just didn't have the money, and it's clear that they hoped to just, kinda, take the money they had left and bounce. The message was vague and demeaning, and everyone in the last three weeks is essentially working for nothing. So, one of the brewers, a pretty nice dude named Brandon that i didn't know too well, went on reddit and was respectful and clear, about how this really messed him up. They not only cannot pay us for the last two pay periods, but they also had a lot of their previous checks bounce. This on top of the financial collapse. To me, it's bad, but i sort of expect a lot of bad stuff now. I mean, this kind of collapse was a long time coming. I imagine it's going to take literally years for Portland to bounce back. I hear horror stories from long time Portlanders about how pretty decent people just became homeless during the recession of 2008, and i have a feeling this is going to be even worse. I feel like thus far in my life, though i've had a lot of really bad luck with relationships and family stuff, and sometimes my health, I've never had to really worry about something like this so directly impacting me. When 2008 happened, i was 19, I had never worked and lived with my parents on bare minimum, but my life had always been that way so i never felt that bad about it, though on retrospect it was kind of neglect. I lived in a factory town that had particular staples and products that never were that hit by the market crash, so that particular town in Idaho never saw a real drop in unemployment. I read about the collapse a lot, watched the Big Short and stuff, so i have my fairly strong opinions about it, but it's never actually caused me to go without. My mother is a nurse at a nursing home, and my father worked at a bullet factory. And like i said, i was relatively unaffected.

The message from Brandon took off, on reddit, thousands of people are seeing it and are disgusted, and they are being turned in for not paying us, because that is theft, that is illegal. I am willing to sign whatever documents neccesary when it comes down to it, if i don't get paid eventually. I was already personally very bad off, and i have this bitter realization that after the damage of this pandemic takes it's toll, I'm gonna have to struggle hard. I am not even mad at this point in a personal way. I just think companies need to know you don't fucking treat people this way. That the principle of the matter is that we are not just cogs for businesses to step on. We need to make the wealthy, even the vaguely wealthy people know that they need to appreciate fully those who work for them and under them, and when something bad happens, and they better intend on taking care of those people, or whatever their business model is is going to fail. It goes without saying that this pandemic has exposed a lot of what was already there. I think some people are naive enough to believe this corruption or this problem was unexpected. Lawmakers, and people who are privileged should have worked to make sure that hospitals had enough for the worst case scenario, and that there needs to be a safety net for people. None of these issues are new. I mean, it's not, at all. This is the rich doing the same old shit they have always done, and i imagine, trying so hard not to be pessimistic, but imagining just the same that this is only going to get worse. There are so many homeless drug addicted and mentally ill people in Portland already it's crazy. There was already rent that was impossible for full time employees to pay. It's funny because all these 'luxury suites' are being built throughout town in Portland, and i wonder now who they think is going to move in. Most of them were empty anyway. It's a mystery to me, because in a way it is classic gentrification the way they tore down old buildings and built these giant fancy expensive apartment buildings everywhere, but kind of weird because they were mostly empty. I mean, how could that have been worth it to investors or business owners?

I guess there is a lot I don't know about the stockmarket, banks, finance, housing and such, but it stands to reason that if you spend hundreds of millions to build something and nobody can afford to live there or pay your inflated rent, why are you bothering? I was told that a lot of these places were because of the Portland's population grew so much and these buildings were just now being built from people who had hoped to ride the 'rich Californian movers' era. The rent has just become kind of unmanageable. It's normal to live in a house with four or five people, all working full time just to maintain a single bedroom in a house of half-strangers. Meanwhile, studios that don't even come with a separate bedroom are nearly 2000 dollars, and things that should be there to help the homeless like tiny houses are marketed to rich minimalists who are so bored and guilt ridden by their own privilege they have to pretend to be quaint little peasants in order to feel unique in their own position, that they literally make it expensive to live in something not unlike a camper. But Portland is now just kind of at a steady growth. They came to late, and now with what's happened, what comes next.

Anyway, i am not leaving this city. I hated Idaho. It was a sad place for me, and i see a lot of beauty in Portland. I feel like i have a personal relationship with a good portion of the city. I tried to walk ten miles a day the first year i lived here. I lost a lot of weight here, fell in love here, I had a lot of meaningful experiences, met new people, gained new perspective. I've been afraid for my life here, drank more here, lost and found myself i mean, it's been an adventure in and of itself that becomes clearer to me now the more i have been here. I really do love Portland. It's sad but a lot of places i really loved and appreciated here in Portland won't be here anymore when this is over. A lot of small businesses i really appreciated. The kind of stuff that makes Portland really interesting, or reaching for something new. I hope that culture will crop up again, but we shall see.

I have a dry cough, and i wonder if i am catching Covid 19. My throat tingles a little, and I've already had two fever/colds in the last month, so something tells me this is it. Like a pregnant woman waiting to give birth or something. I am self quarantining. I'm a little nervous because a friend of a friend has a cousin in the FBI who has heard word from his superiors that they are considering the possibility of a full on quarantine, closing even the grocery stores. I didn't want to give in to early hysteria, like the toilet paper thing baffled me. I remember people getting really scared about Pigflu and Birdflu in the past years, but it didn't seem to really spread too far, though i did catch the Pigflu. My foodstamps refill on the 7th, so i hope if this does happen, they don't close by then. I just need to get in and get some bare essentials, because it now is looking like it might be smart to stock up now.

It's funny too, because i am not a homebody. I naturally am inclined to be depressed if i stay in one place too long. I have a somewhat mild case of ADHD, and i love to move, and i enjoy working. If i won the lottery, i'd still work in some fashion for 20 hours a week because i realize i don't feel satisfied living for myself. I like having a civilian duty, even if it's just cleaning off tables. I like feeling useful and connected to people. But i have a leg injury that's not going to heal on it's own, so walking has hurt me for the last eight months, and now this, and i have a health condition that makes it pretty easy for me to gain weight. So i am trapped in the house, snacking and trying to find things that make me laugh or inspire me. I did get inspired to start making paper mache masks. I think i can make the most of my quarantine time. I just hope they don't close the grocery stores before i get my money.

I am worried about both my parents. I have a lot of family, so it's not that unlikely i could lose someone to this virus. I am not concerned with myself that much. I could die, but the chances are relatively low. I am reading a lot of informed reddit posts, about the aftermath of this whole thing, and i'm a little bit nervous.

[srandhawa21ahsgov]

Political Party Action

1. Criminal Law Reform and the positions/opinions of each Party:

Republican - On the Republican side, Criminal Law Reform is given, but only to a certain people depending on their crime. They look at the bigger picture and state that “every human life matters”. Republicans expect that “the essential role of federal law enforcement personnel in protecting federal property and combating interstate crime should not be compromised by diversion to matters properly handled by states and local authorities”. Also, they see both sides of the story. They mourn for citizens that are treated unfairly due to inequality and they also mourn for officers that have sacrificed their lives to protect out country. Through a Republicans perspective, reform occurs for non-violent offenders only. For example, non-violent people that have committed crimes have options including “community sentencing, accountability courts, drug courts, veterans treatment courts, and guidance by faith based institutions with the proven track records of rehabilitation, our platform emphasized restorative justice to make the victim whole and put the offender on the right path”. Republicans encourage states to capture people and hold them in mandatory prison for people that assault or cause serious injury to law enforcement. They also encourage that people who are locked up have the right to educational resources. Juvenile justice is put first ahead of adult justice in order to break the cycle of crime within a teen. The Republicans have a theory that “tyranny and injustice thrive when America is weakened. The oppressed have no greater ally than a confident and determined United States, backed by the strongest military on the planet”. I would agree with the Republicans Criminal Reform views because I think it is important to keep our country safe from violent offenders that intentionally harm our country but if the offender is non-violent then there are other ways that we can fix a person to make better decisions and get them on a good path to success. Prison time is not going to be beneficial for someone that is hooked on drugs. Proper care and treatment for that individual will help them become sober and create a life that they may have never had the opportunity to have. The Republicans do not mention anything about the wrongdoing that some law enforcement people have done. If we don’t change the fact that police officers have little or no consequence when it comes to murdering another citizens, then this is only going to cause more diversion and inequality within our nation. This is where the Republicans start to go wrong. Although, I do think that they do not pay enough attention to how serious inequality is and how certain people (people of different color, or race) are treated differently to white people. 

Democrat - Democrats believe that our criminal law justice system is “failing” and it needs to be changed from top to bottom. Their beliefs give people more opportunity, but especially for the convicted. They emphasize on the fact that we don't offer the incarcerated a chance to turn their lives around. Instead, this country as of right now wants prisons to be overcrowded and continue to rely on inhumane methods of punishment. Where is the change and reform? With the recognization of police brutality, Democrats think that it is “unacceptable that more than 1,000 people, a quarter of them Black, have been killed by police every year since 2015”. Those numbers will continue to rise unless we seek action and change. On the juvenile justice scale, Democrat's believe that every school should have sufficient funding and resources to employ guidance counselors, social workers, nurses, or school psychologists to help guarantee age-appropriate and racially equitable student disciplinary practices, rather than turning to police and locking them up in juvenile detention facilities. They will encourage federal government to stop incarcerating kids, and create community based alternatives “to prison and detention centers for youth and invest in after-school programs, community centers, and summer jobs to provide opportunities for young people at risk”. They support the ban of chokeholds and carotid holds and permitting deadly force only when necessary to prevent an imminent threat to life. Democrat's believe that we need to change our criminal law reform system from top to bottom meaning, increasing the use of drug courts, harm reduction and interventions, provide treatment diversion programs for those struggling with substance use disorder, eliminate use of cash bail, abolish death penalty, provide rehab, and ensure access to transitional housing for returning citizens (mental health and substance treatment). Democrats also acknowledge the change that needs to happen to all Law enforcement agencies. Changes will include “no-knock warrants”, improve “training and education for judges, corrections officers, prosecutors, public defenders, and police officers to ensure transgender and gender non-conforming people receive fair and equitable treatment in the criminal justice system”, increase diversity among the ranks of police departments, end the use of “private prisons and private detention centers, and will take steps to eliminate profiteering from diversion programs, commercial bail, electronic monitoring, prison commissaries, and reentry and treatment programs”. Personally, I 100% agree with the the Democratic Party. We as a country have NOT had an equal justice system for a long time. The Democrats want to submit a lot of change within our country and I think that everything they plan on doing will be very beneficial. Teaching police officers when to use extreme force and when not to use extreme force is very important. Creating a system where we provide treatment instead of locking people up will be more beneficial to creating a unified nation again. Even on the juvenile justice scale I think that the Democrats are going to do an excellent job. A teens brain isn’t even fully developed for many years because of the frontal lobe with makes teenagers prone to irrational decision making which is why they need support to head on the right path. 

Libertarian - This party believes in constitutional rights meaning they support the constitution. They favor “the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as gambling, the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes, and consensual transactions involving sexual services”. They support that restitution needs to be paid back to the victim that lost x amount fo money or property. The only thing that this party talks about is their view on crime and certain consequences that need to be done to the offender. I did not find anything about my topic which is criminal law reform. They did not talk about what needs to be changed about our criminal justice system. They did not talk about the fact that people are being locked up for the wrong reason. They did not talk about the fact that people with substance abuse should have the right to rehab or some facility to get support. THEY DID NOT MENTION REFORM. I think they didn't mention criminal law reform because it is too controversial and they don’t want to have people that disagree with them. Personally, I think it is a winning tactic to persuade people to vote for them because they didn’t form their own personal views about criminal justice, and criminal law reform. Also, I don't think it is a big enough party for them to go into depth about these topics. 

Green - The Green Party has many requests to reform the criminal justice system. There view is that prisons are being overcrowded, and the fact that our law enforcement places to much emphasis on “drug-related and petty, non-violent crimes, and not enough on prosecution of corporate, white collar, and environmental crime”. They understand that forty percent of those 2.3 million locked down come from America's black one-eighth. The Green Party suggests that in order to reform our criminal justice system we need to abolish death penalty, repeal three strikes laws, establish and fund program to strengthen self-help and community action through neighborhood centers that provide legal aid, alternative dispute-resolution practices, mediated restitution, community team policing, access to local assault care shelters, restrict police use of weapons and restraining techniques such as pepper spray, stun belts, tasers and choke holds, establish freedom on bail as a right of all defendants charged with non-violent crimes. Incorporate mental health and social services in bail agreements, protect victims' rights, ensure the opportunity for victims to make victim-impact statements. Consider forms of restitution to victims, eliminate the gun show loophole that permits sale of weapons without background checks, extend background checks to all private sales of firearms. The Green Party only considers prison time as a “last resort”. Not only do they talk about reform, they also talk about what needs to be done within prisons and jails to make the prisoners more productive during prison life. For example, they want to provide access to education, provide addiction and psychological treatment, and even consider job training while attending a prison. Personally, I agree with this party's position. I think that their opinions to reform the justice system is productive and can create a lot more change within our society. They recognize inequality within our justice system and they want to recognize ALL PEOPLE not just CERTAIN PEOPLE. 

Peace and Freedom - The Peace and Freedom Party believe that “Working class people are the primary victims both of street crime and of police reaction to it. The bosses use laws against victimless activities, "legal" and illegal expansion of police powers, military and paramilitary occupation of poor and minority communities, and diversion of resources to police and jails, to keep workers intimidated and dependent. This party’s idea of reforming our justice system is to abolish death penalty, repeal the three strikes law, stop trials and imprisonment of juveniles as adults, provide rehabilitation, decriminalize victimless activities including drug use and consensual sex. Legalize marijuana, stop unwarranted searches and seizures and restore constitutional rights, prosecute crimes of the wealthy and powerful against workers and the environment, abolish all torture in prisons and uphold prisoner rights. Personally, I agree with the Green Party. I think they lack to understand and publicize the problem of inequality but their forms of reform are great! They want to see less imprisonment and more rehabilitation and change. 

2. I identify with the democrats the most because they seem to recognize most inequality problems and they provide the most reform. I don't think that locking an individual with a drug addiction is smart and rational. I think that for non-violent offenders we need to seek change and reform to build a better nation and give people the benefit of the doubt. Yes I would vote for this presidential candidate. 

3. Yes my civic action was a topic during the debate. Biden did not give a specific plan about what he will do with racial inequality, and injustice. He only tells the American people what he wants to see happen not what he is going to physically do. He politically slanders Trump multiple times, and gives little fact about the issue. He has not done anything to make this issue better. He thinks that a psychiatrist would help a cop calm down to not make irrational decisions like kill someone but a cop's job is to already know these things. You should not be a cop if you are scared of getting hurt. But resulting to violence is not rational. Also, he sees the violent protests and thinks they are peaceful even when people are burning down things, and stealing things from stores. THIS IS NOT PEACEFUL!!! On the other hand, Trump slanders Biden by saying “you call African Americans superpredators”, who knows if this was true or not. Trump did not conduct a plan for decreasing racial justicement, or a treatment for treating inequality but he does make a good point by saying that he has law enforcement on his side and Biden has none. Biden couldn't even admit to have one 1 enforcement support coming to watch him. The difference between Biden and Trump in this situation is that Trump see’s reality and Biden sees fantasy. I don't think that Trump liked the violent protesters where people were going around destroying cities, this does nothing besides cause more violence. These were the things talked about in the presidential debate regarding justice, and reform. Personally, I did not agree with either of the candidates but after me reading the plan for what the Democrats plan to do about criminal law reform I 100% agree with their positions. I don’t think that the debate was constructive in any way shape or form which makes me think that both candidates messages did not support their party platform. Most of the debate was full of arguing, and slandering each candidate rather that respecting both sides. I think Biden did a better job at stating his facts. I think he was very effective at staging his facts based on his arguments, and specific policy plans.

[anotheronechicagobog]

Matt Casey x Reader I’m Sorry Part 1

Written by @anotheronechicagobog

A/N: Okay, so this ended up being waaaaaaay more than a oneshot. Sorry. I’m going on vacation with my family for a few days, I’ll be posting again as early as Friday, starting with the Jay Halstead series I started and then the request I’ve gotten from people. And to all the people who started following me, thanks! I was really nervous about writing fanfiction initially, you guys make me feel a lot less ridiculous. I really hope that you enjoy this!

Warnings: Swearing, child neglect, cancer, death, running away, daddy issues, fights

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It was your first day at Gaffney medical centre as part of the diagnostic medical team. And you honestly didn’t know if you should be excited or not. Considering my last name might not be welcome here. It’s no secret that your father, Hank Voight, was and still is, a dirty cop. He’s made friends but he’s also made enemies. “Dr. Voight?”

“Yes?” There was a tall blonde man in a Chicago Fire Department uniform. He let out a dark chuckle. “So the rumour’s true. They actually hired you.” You felt your stomach turn to lead. This. This was one of the many reasons you ran as fucking far and fast from Chicago the second you could. You straightened your shoulders, and use your sergeant's voice. “Yes, they did. They looked at my degrees, certification, research, contributions to various charities and medical journals, along with the fact that I’m the best doctor in my field in the western hemisphere, and decided to hire me.” Whoever this guy was, clearly did not hold a high opinion of either your father, brother, or both, and you couldn’t blame him. But the Fire Department and the hospital worked closely together, so you needed to make sure you’re here because you worked your ass off. He looked taken aback by your response, his blue eyes an open book, widening in shock. “So, which one messed with you? My father or my brother?”

“Uh- both.” He nodded, still shocked. Now it was your turn to be shocked. “What? My father and brother did something together?! Have I stepped into an alternate universe or something?”

“I’m Matt Casey,” he was looking at me in bewilderment and curiosity, “would you like to get a drink with me, by any chance? I think we have a lot to talk about.”

Later, after both your shifts were over, you met up at Molly’s. “So, uh, what exactly did my father and brother do to you?” In all honesty, you were well aware that what this man was about to say would be horrifying. You knew your father and brother, knew what they were like, at home, and at work. 

When you were fourteen years old, your mother said she hadn’t been feeling well, and it got serious enough to go to the doctor. Two days later, she and your dad sat you, Erin and Justin down and told you that she had been diagnosed with cancer, and her doctor said it didn’t look good. You- your mom’s little bookworm- did some probing and found out it was ovarian cancer. After that, you spent every spare moment either with your mom or researching ovarian cancer. The six months in between her diagnosis and death were difficult, to say the least. With medical bills piling up and no way to pay all of them on a detective’s salary, your dad did something that horrified you. He turned, started taking bribes, getting involved with gangs, and other organized crime groups. Even after your brother got involved, and you learned all the spots in the house where you hid both of their illegal items (guns, money, papers, and drugs), you and Erin, who was still recovering from her addictions and troublesome childhood, let it slide because they were paying your mom’s hospital bills and you both loved her so much. It was during a family trip to Disney World, at your mother’s request, that you began to suspect your mom wasn’t getting better and that if she died, they wouldn’t stop their... ‘activities’.

Erin was someone you had come to love and cherish. Your dad used to bring home troubled kids he met while working all the time. Usually, it would only be temporary. They were waiting for a loving relative to get custody, to live somewhere drug-free for a while. They were usually carbon copies of Justin. This was your dad’s not-so-subtle way of telling him he needed to “shape up”. Justin was always causing trouble, thus always being on the front burner, while you were always on the back burner. Your mom did everything she could to make time for you, while your dad didn’t, you gardened, cooked, sang, played music, painted and embroidered together. As you grew older, Justin caused more and more trouble, your dad spending less and less time with you. To the point where he barely knew anything about you, was completely unaware of what was going on in your life and forgot when your birthday was. Twice. This was all hard enough to deal with, believing that you weren’t enough, that there was something wrong with you, and feeling as though he’d abandoned you even though you saw him every day. All of that intensified when he brought Erin home. When they walked through the front door, and your dad stated who she was and that she was going to be staying for the foreseeable future, all of the air was brutally ripped from your lungs. A numbness settled over you when your dad told you that she needed to feel comfortable, so she was going to sleep in your room, on your bed, while you would be in a sleeping bag on the floor of Justin’s room. You nodded, trying to hold back tears, trying to be a good daughter and person, but you felt your heart breaking. It only got worse from there.

Two months later, your mom died. The day she died was traumatic for you, for expected and unexpected reasons. You didn’t like to think about either. Things at home got worse, as you expected, your dad and Justin didn’t stop. Erin was still sleeping in what was formerly your room, and your dad was all for helping Justin and Erin grieve, but not you. No, you were spoken to only when necessary, and when he did speak to you, he was on the verge of tears. You looked a lot like your mom so it was expected in a way. He didn’t pay much attention to you before she died, why would he start after? Four months after your mom’s death, it was your birthday. There was no cake, presents, party or “happy birthday” from anyone. Three days after that, it was Erin’s birthday. Your dad took the day off, said he wasn’t feeling well when really, he was busy setting up a birthday party for Erin. When you got home after your self-defence class, your dad, Justin, Erin and a multitude of family friends were there. There was a store-bought cake on the dining room table, a pile of presents near the empty fireplace, and birthday hats on everyone. Your stomach twisted into itself as a feeling of utter dread consumed you. No. This can’t be happening. I was fine not celebrating my birthday this year because mom’s gone, but... It wasn’t even an option to celebrate it... Why are they all doing this for Erin and not me? When your dad noticed you his smiled dropped. “Oh, hey kid... Thought you were going to be gone longer... Erin’s going to open her presents in a minute. Did you get her one?” Your dread turned to unbridled fury. You wanted to throw the cake on the wall, take a knife and stab her presents, scream at your dad, yell every swear word you weren’t supposed to know, in every language he didn’t know you knew, because they spend all their time breaking the law are cuddling up to Erin “Okay, everyone, time for the birthday girl to open her presents!” Justin yelled, pushing a laughing Erin in front of him. Your dad turned away from you and cheered along with the fifty other people who came to celebrate Erin’s birthday but not yours. Screw this. Screw them. You made your way upstairs, unseen by everyone except for Erin. Walked into Justin’s and then “Erin’s” room to pack your stuff into your mom’s old suitcase. Clothes, toiletries, a book your mom gave you, and a photo album. You found the small shoebox in the back of your closet, which you had been putting all of the money you’d earned over the years into. Dog walking, pet sitting, selling items you made at festivals, and playing the viola all around the city. I’m outta here. After boldly walking out of the place you used to call home with only Erin’s eyes on you, you were walking to the bus station when you came across two men in their twenties wearing Georgetown University hoodies loading up a car. “Hey, are you two going to D.C.?”

“Yeah... Why?”

“Can you take me with you?” They looked at each other. “Um... Are you ok?”

“I can give you two hundred bucks. Can you take me or not?” They shared another look. “Alright... I guess. I’m Will and this is Marcus. Is that all your stuff?” You rode with them the eleven hours it took to drive to D.C. and when you got there, they seemed worried, wondering if they had done something stupid. “Here’s your money, you can drop me off here, thanks for the ride.”

“Do you have someone you’re visiting? I’d much rather drop you off with them. I mean you’re just a kid, you can’t be wandering around in a different city after people who don’t know you drove you there. Man, this was a bad idea. Should not have done this.”

“My grandparents live here, they’re who I’m here to see. I’ll give you their address.” You try to smile in a reassuring way because Will looks like he’s going to puke, and Marcus looks paranoid, jumping every time something even resembling a cop car goes by. They calm down a bit on the drive to your grandparents’ house. “I’m going to walk you to the door and meet your grandparents,” Will stated, leaving no room for argument. When you knocked, your Abuelo answered the door. “Y/N? What are you doing here and who is this man?”

“My name’s Will Halstead, your granddaughter asked to be dropped off here, I just walked her to the door to make sure everything was ok.” Your Abuelo did NOT look happy. “Hank never said anything about you coming.”

“We need to talk about this inside Abuelo.” He nodded, stepped aside and motioned for you to enter. “Uh, here’s my contact information, in case you need to call me or something,” Will said, trying to hand a piece of paper to you, but your Abuelo took it from his hands before you could. “Thank you, Will.”

“No problem kid.”

Once inside your Abuelo and Babushka (grandmother in Russian) sat you down in the living room and waited for an explanation. You told them the whole truth, nothing about the illegal stuff, just that you were feeling neglected, unsupported, and betrayed the whole birthday thing. You also didn’t mention that it’d been going on for years. “Can I please stay with you?”

“Of course you can Kotik, just let me call Hank to tell him that you’re-”

“No, I’ll call Hank. I understand that he misses Camille, I do too, she was my only daughter after all, but it is not ok for him to be treating you this way, mi cielto. I need to have some words with him.”

The next two years were wonderful. You don’t know what was said on that phone call, but you didn’t have to see, speak to, or go back to your father. You got to live with your grandparents, see your uncles, aunts, and cousins regularly, and be praised for being talented and intelligent. It was a breath of fresh air, but your life’s experiences had taught you that something bad was going to happen. You can’t be happy for long periods of time. The rug was going to be pulled one way or another, and you were trying to brace yourself for it. Then it happened, two white-supremacists burst into your Abuelo and Babushka’s store and killed almost everyone. Your grandparents were included in the death toll. You were there when it happened and couldn’t help but feel like you were the reason they died. You couldn’t even help them, keep them alive until the paramedics came. Their memorial was the first time you saw your father, brother, and Erin in over two years. Your father and brother were avoiding their angry relatives, all wondering what happened that made you go and live with your grandparents. Erin approached you with a bottle of water, she handed it to you and sat down next to you, not saying anything. When it was all over, your father walked up to you. “Y/N? It’s time to go. You’re coming back with us.” He wasn’t even looking you in the eye as he said it. “Hank, are you sure we can’t stay a couple more days?”

He sighed “Erin I don’t think-” He was cut off by Erin’s glare. “Alright, two more days. After he walked away, Erin spoke up. “I saw what was happening, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I saw you leave, too. I didn’t know what to do then, either. But I know what to do now. If anyone- including Hank and Justin- aren’t treating you right, let me know, I’ll set them straight. We girls need to stick together, plus, I’ve always wanted a sister and I didn’t do a good job when we first met, so now it’s time to correct that... If you’re ok with that.”

For the first time since the shooting, you smiled.

“Y/N? Y/N?”

“Huh, what?”

“Sorry, but are you alright? You kinds spaced out on me.”

“Oh sorry, I’m fine, just took a trip down memory lane.”

“Was it a pleasant trip?”

“Not particularly. So, what did they do to you...” You gestured for him to introduce himself since you still didn’t know his name. “I’m Matt Casey, when I was reporting to a car accident, I discovered that your brother was drunk and had paralyzed a kid from the waist down”

You gasped and your eyes went wide. You were expecting bad, but not something that bad. “I reported it, but your dad-”

“Father. He’s not my dad. Dad’s care about their only biological daughter.”

“Oh, ok. Well, your father didn’t appreciate my honesty. First, he tried to bribe me into falsifying my report, then he started threatening me and my now dead fiancee. He went as far as having someone break into our house, plant drugs, and getting a search warrant.”

“Dios Mio, that’s just terrible. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, and it has been a few years. I just, we went through all this work to get him arrested, but then he got out a couple of months later as a Sergeant, in charge of the intelligence unit. I know that it’s been years, but I’m still a little angry about the whole thing.”

“I’m angry at him, too, so you’re not alone in that.”

“Yeah, about that, you seem to have some father-daiughter related anger, anything I should know?”

“No, sorry. I get that you’re probably curious, but I just met you. And I don’t even tell Erin all of that stuff, and she’s basically my sister.”

“Alright, fair enough. Well, I’m sorry for giving you trouble earlier. Maybe I could-”

“Hey guys!” Will exclaimed, overly cheery. His smile was bright, but his eyes were dark and furious. “What are you talking about?”

“Hi, Will. This is-”

“Oh, we’ve met. Lieutenant Matt Casey. Impressive.”

“Thanks... I think...” Matt was starting to get twitchy.

“Will drove me to see my grandparents many years ago, I was pretty young, and he was worried, so we kept in touch. My family basically adopted him whenever he was at university, he’s basically my older brother.”

“Oh, that’s nice to know-”

“Really? Why? Is it cause I’m stopping you from deflowering my little sister?” You choked on your drink. “Deflowering?! First of all, who says that anymore? Second, we’ve been sitting here griping about my father, and third, you know I’m not a virgin, right?”

“What?!”

Matt chuckled and stood up. He handed you a piece of paper, “Here’s my number, let me know if you want to hang out. I’m just going to leave you guys to your... discussion.” You gave an embarrassed smile while Will was gaping like a fish and make strange incoherent noises.

“Hi, Matt? It’s Y/N, I was wondering if you’d like to get some dinner? It’s been a while since I lived in Chicago, a lot of my old favourite places are gone. Give me a call back when you can, since I’m guessing you’re working right now. Bye!”

“Hey, Y/N, it’s Matt. I guess I just missed you, I’ve got a couple of restaurants in mind if you’re free sometime tomorrow maybe? Uh, yeah, call me back when you can please. Bye.”

The ED was in chaos, there’d been a bus crash and over two dozen people had been injured. “Dr. Halstead, Dr. Voight, trauma room three!” Putting on a new set of gloves, you rushed with Will to a gurney that held a teenage girl, who quite honestly looked scared out of her mind. “Hello, miss, I’m Dr. Halstead, can you tell me your name?”

“Izvinite, ya ne govoryu po-angliyski. YA ne znayu, chto proiskhodit. Pozhaluysta, pomogite mne.”(I'm sorry, I don't speak English. I don't know what's happening. Please help me.)

“Uhhhh...-”

“Ne volnuysya, my pozabotimsya o tebe. YA doktor Voyt, vy mozhete skazat' mne, chto sluchilos' ili chto-to bolit?”(Don't worry, we'll take care of you. I'm Dr. Voight, can you tell me what happened or if anything hurts?)

“So, I gues you’ll be taking the lead on this one.” Will chickled. 

Hours later, with only thirty minutes left in your shift, you took the opportunity to sit down. You leaned your head back and took a breath, letting the events of the past twelve hours hit you with full force. “So you had a rough shift too, huh?” You tiredly opened your eyes and saw an exhausted Matt Casey standing before you. You’re too exhausted to speak so you just nod. “I, uh, I have to head back to the station, for the rest of my shift, but I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner with me at seven tomorrow?” 

“Yes. I would love that.”

The next day you were trying on various outfits while your sister, Erin, lay on your bed teasing you and occasionally giving her opinion about your outfit. “Erin, cut it out and help me!”

“Ok, ok. Go for the skirt and sweater. It’s elegant and casual enough for a first date but doesn’t look like typical first date attire. So, it’ll be different.”

“Finally, some help from you.” You jokingly sighed out causing her to chuck a pillow at your head. You’re both standing there laughing -you in your bra and underwear, her in jeans and a t-shirt- when the doorbell rang. “Shit! He’s early! Erin, why are you smiling like that, Erin no!” Erin bolted out of your bedroom to answer the door knowing that you wouldn’t follow her in your state of... dress. You opened your door a crack to see Erin greet him. “Lieutenant Casey, please come in. Y/N will be just a few minutes.”

“Alright.” You closed the door and could only hear their muffled voices. You knew what was happening, though. Erin was threatening Matt and drilling fear into the core of his soul. You knew that this would happen when you invited her over to help you get ready, but she did this the first time she met anyone you were dating. You’d learned that it was better to do this as soon as possible, save yourself the emotional trouble of missing someone who’d run away with their tail between their legs. You knew you were right when you entered the living room to see Erin looking stern and Matt a little green. “So, Matt, are you ready to go? You know, presuming my sister didn’t scare you off?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah I am... Wow, you look great.”

“Thanks, you too. So, are you ready to go on a date with Hank Voight’s daughter?”

“No. I’m ecstatic and nervous as hell to go on a date with Y/N Voight, a fiercely intelligent, kind, strong, badass woman who worked herself to the bone to create her distinguished career on her own.” When he finished he was breathless and so were you. People either knew nothing or too much of your father and constantly having his name attached to yours always stung, and you worried that now you were back in Chicago people would assume that everything you had worked so hard for was handed to you by your dirty cop father. The fact that he understood this and acknowledged it made your heart swell. “Awwwwwwww” Erin interrupted your moment with a teasing voice and smile. “Well, now that you’ve both announced that you’re ready to go on a date, you should probably go on that date.”

“Erin’s right, Y/N, let’s head out.”

And you did, to a wonderful first date that led to many more. Eight months later and you had come to the conclusion that dating Matt was equal parts fantastic and stressful. After your twelve hour shift, in which both Matt and Hermann came to the ED to get checked out after they were punched by the drunk who caused a car accident which caused sickening purple bruises, you just wanted to go to bed. But you couldn’t. Even though Matt was finished with his shift and had tomorrow off with you, something wasn’t sitting well with you. He seemed too calm, too resigned to the fact that he’d been punched in the face. You were suspicious for some reason, which was ridiculous because he’d never given you any reason to be. Your concerned sigh was cut off by Erin’s special ringtone coming out of your phone. 

“Don’t be mad at Matt!”

“What?”

“Don’t be mad at Matt, it’s not his fault! Voight riled him up first. So don’t be mad that he and Voight got into a fight over you, ok?”

“Hold up, hold up, WHAT?! My boyfriend and my father got into a FIGHT?! Where and when did this happen?!”

“At the scene today... You didn’t know? He had to go to Med, where you work because Voight managed to sock him in the jaw, and Hermann got involved...”

“Why did they fight?”

“Y/N I don’t think I should-”

“Why, Erin?”

“Voight found out that you two are dating and he made a comment to Casey about it at the scene. Something along the lines of Matt’s only dating you to get back at Voight for a few years ago. Y/N, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, Erin. I have to go, and don’t worry I’m not mad at Matt.” After hanging up you left Med, and instead of driving to your apartment building, you drove to your childhood home. Your blood continued to boil and fester throughout out the drive, when you were storming up the walkway, and when you banged on the door. You were about to see your father, who you felt neglected by, for the first time in over a decade. You were more than ready for this.