#confirmed war criminal keeper
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blade-blaster · 4 years ago
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i do not care for this muppet zordon, and you may quote me on that.
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ticklishtimothee · 5 years ago
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a part of the family (spencer reid x reader)
summary: spencer hasn’t told the team about your relationship yet, but when morgan accidentally learns about it, spencer finally gets the courage to introduce you to the rest of the team.
a/n: i still have a few prompts to fill but this idea wouldn’t leave my head and i’m on a huge criminal minds binge atm so i hope you guys enjoy!!
words: 1,640
You awoke in Spencer’s bed, still mostly undressed from the night before, the memory making a sleepy smile curl on your face. Begrudgingly pulling back the covers, you stood up and pulled on one of Spencer’s sweaters, as it was way too early to get dressed back up in your jeans and own top.
Plus, you just liked stealing his clothes. He didn’t seem to mind one bit, so why stop?
You two had been together for about two months, but he still hadn’t gotten around to telling his team. You weren’t offended, after he explained why.
“I’ve never had a really serious relationship before, and they’re all so used to me being the kid of the team, I’m afraid they’re going to make a huge deal of it. My first kiss was during a case, and Morgan made fun of me about it for weeks after. I love them all, but I’m with them all the time, and I just...I want something that’s just for us right now.”
You were more than content with that, for the time being, although you were also itching to meet the people who were so important to your boyfriend. Whenever he was ready, you would be.
Faintly, through the closed bedroom door, you heard voices. Was there someone at the door? Spencer wasn’t one to talk to himself while he brewed coffee, and he wasn’t on the phone, because you could hear two voices, and he never put his calls on speaker.
Curiosity getting the better of you, you tiptoed toward the door, and let it slowly creak open.
In the small apartment, you could see straight down the hall to the front door, which Spencer had opened about a quarter of the way, and he was talking to someone through the crack.
Deciding that it was nothing important, just someone from the building asking if he’d buy their daughter’s Girl Scout cookies (he would say yes, of course), you opened the door the rest of the way and started making your way down the hall.
“C’mon, pretty boy, re-reading War and Peace is not the same as being busy—”
Without warning, the person who had spoken pushed Spencer gently in the chest and made their way through the door, a tall and muscular black man who you recognized from the few pictures that Spencer had shown you of the team.
“Morgan!” Spencer cried, confirming it was exactly who you thought the intruder was.
It was too late, though. Morgan’s eyes had already locked on you, surprise spreading over his features.
Remembering your state of undress, you hurriedly crossed your arms over your chest. This wasn’t at all how you planned to meet Spencer’s co-workers. You had at least thought you’d have some more clothes on when it happened.
Morgan looked between Spencer and you for a moment.
Sensing the awkwardness in the air, you spoke up. “I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you, Agent Morgan.”
“It’s just Derek to you, sweetheart,” he replied, shooting you a smile. “I’m really sorry to barge in like this, I just wasn’t expecting Reid to have anyone over.”
Spencer flushed pink, and it made you giggle softly. “It’s no worry. I am gonna go back in there so you guys can talk, and maybe put on some pants while I’m at it,” you said, shooting a smile between the two men before dipping back into the bedroom.
You caught some parts of the conversation, mostly Derek apologizing, and Spencer apologizing back for having not told him. But the one thing you did hear that made a hopeless smile spread across your face was Derek’s voice.
“Y/N seems like a catch, kid. I’d love to meet them again when you wanna introduce us all, formally this time.”
Spencer laughed softly. “Yeah, they’re great. Maybe next weekend, if we don’t have a case...I’ll see if Y/N is up for it.”
After Morgan left, Spencer came back into the bedroom with two mugs of coffee in his hands, his face still flushed and a shy smile.
“I’m so sorry about that,” he said immediately. “I see him almost every day, but just because he assumed I wasn’t doing anything, he dropped by to see if I wanted to get lunch with him and Penelope.”
You chuckled, gratefully accepting one of the cups. “He seems great. Although it isn’t exactly how I pictured meeting him, I see why you like him so much.”
“Do you think...I mean, would you want...to meet the rest of them, sometime?” he asked, and you could hear the nervous twinge in his tone.
You reached out with one hand to cup the side of his face. “I’d love that. Anyone who is important to you is someone I want to meet.”
He grinned, and pulled you in for a quick kiss.
***
The next day, Spencer was called away on a case, and you sat in your apartment, engrossed in a book that he’d lended you when your phone dinged.
Although he wasn’t much of a texter, he did it occasionally when he was too busy to give you a call. It read: “I asked the team if they’d like to meet you. They’re so excited. We should be on a plane out of here by the weekend. How does Saturday sound?”
Smiling to yourself, you replied: “It sounds perfect. Tell them I can’t wait.”
Carefully marking your place in the book, you went to your closet to pick something to wear. 
It was only Thursday, but you wanted the team to like you. Their entire job was to judge off of appearances, off of first impressions, and so you knew you had to make a good one.
You dug through endless outfits before settling on one that you decided could suffice: classy but not overdressed.
You went to bed that night, and the night after, feeling like you had first-day jitters like a kid in high school. You went about your usual routine, just with an added excitement beneath your actions.
Spencer texted you Friday evening: “The jet just landed. Instead of going to a bar, Rossi offered up his house, if that’s alright. I can come pick you up.”
You replied. “I’ll start getting ready!”
Spencer’s lack of texting skills were a running joke between the two of you, and so he had started using emojis to show off the fact that he did  know how to work his phone, and therefore sent back a thumbs-up.
It made you laugh, looking at the screen fondly, before you started getting ready.
There was a knock on your apartment door just as you were finishing, and you hurried over to let Spencer in.
His eyes widened a little when he saw you. “Wow,” he said instead of a usual greeting.
You grinned. “You like it?”
“You look amazing,” he said, before pulling you in for a kiss.
You kissed him back, before running back inside to grab your bag and put on your shoes, and the two of you set off in a cab to Rossi’s home (or rather, mansion).
You walked towards the front door with bated breath, Spencer squeezing your hand reassuringly as he rang the doorbell.
A short, bearded man who you knew was Rossi himself answered the door, and his face lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw you. “You must be Y/N! Come in you two, come in.”
“Dave, where are your manners? At least introduce yourself before you heard them in here like cattle,” a taller man, Hotch, you remembered, said.
“Oh, hush Aaron, I’m sure Reid told them our names,” he replied. “But, in case he didn’t: David Rossi, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
You giggled, taking the hand which he extended to you and shaking it. “It’s great to meet you too.”
“Aaron Hotchner,” the other man said, coming over to shake your hand as well, and you felt yourself begin to turn pink under all the attention.
“I’m Penelope,” one of the women came forward, and her smile could have lit the whole room. “You are so adorable!”
“Thank you,” you laughed, assuming she was that straightforward with everyone. “I love your dress.”
Penelope pulled you in for a giddy one-armed hug. “Spencer, they’re a keeper,” she stage-whispered.
JJ approached you next, an older-sister like glint in her eye as she assessed you, but you seemed to pass her test by the way she smiled, after a very firm handshake.
Then, Emily, already with a glass of red wine in her hand, took her time to compliment your shoes. You knew that was a high compliment coming for her, as Spencer had told you about her extensive collection of boots and heels.
“It’s good to see you again, Y/N,” Morgan said.
“Again? What do you mean, again?” Penelope asked, shooting him a look.
Spencer went red. You assumed that he hadn’t told them about the incident at the apartment, and you hid your laugh in your sleeve as Derek began to retell it, mischief dancing in his eyes.
You should have been more embarrassed, but it was hard to not feel comfortable around them all, and besides, they had heard way worse stories in the field, so it didn’t seem to phase them besides some laughter and poking fun at Spencer, who you knew secretly didn’t mind one bit.
“They always make you feel like part of the family,” he had once told you when describing his team.
At dinner, Rossi made a show of clinking a fork on his glass and standing.
“A toast, to Spencer and Y/N,” he announced, and he caught your eye with a smile, and as everyone said “cheers!”, you knew you were officially a part of the family.
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rynnaaurelius · 3 years ago
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Just Pirated Loki’s First Episode: The Reactions of a Comics Nerd and No-Fun MCU Hater
-Fair warning, I am a Loki fan, but not in the way, um. Pretty much everyone else on this website is
-Bless Tom Hiddleston for being such a fucking delight as Loki but the MCU straight- and cis-washes its Loki so much that I really am exhausted.
-That being said, the shout-out to the Kid Loki comics, also known as the best Loki comics, with the “your role is this” stuff was. . .well. Watch that space.
-Interesting characterization in the MCU! Can’t wait for them to fuck it all up when it threatens to get too interesting!
-God I checked the tags for the show/characters and I remembered why I stay out of the MCU fandom.
-”They killed people!”/”They enslaved a whole town!”/”They tried to take over the world!”/”He told my favorite to shut up!” This is comics, Susan, everyone’s a terrible person on some level. Pick your emotional support war criminal and go. Also, get a sense of humor.
-Lotta people bitching about the time travel logic and TVA logic need to read more comics. Fair warning: this shit’s par for the course. Like, a lot. Marvel’s getting very comics-y with its treatment of the TVA, MCU!Carol Danvers, and the Eternals (re: The whole “They were secretly there the whole time!” thing).
-I’ve seen a lot of yelling over Loki’s characterization/the morality of the TVA and Mobius and IMO it was. . .fine?
-Like, yes, the script wasn’t amazing, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Honestly, it’s better than I was expecting, and the actors did their best.
-Loki seemed fairly in-line from what I remember from 2012.
-The MCU retcons itself about everything every three years, but it looks like they’re going with the theory of Loki having major autonomy during the events of The Avengers. Probably.
-My unpopular opinion on this is that while Thanos certainly did a number on Loki to push him over the edge, supplied him with the army, and gave him this particular plan--none of which is exactly small beans--some version of this was always coming from MCU!Loki, barring major intervention.
-After the first Thor, he was always going to make a play for Earth the second Thor and Odin decided humans were all right. Thanos just happened to set the timetable.
-I mean, he’s been villain material for most of his MCU run, and it’s frankly hilarious how Marvel keeps being forced to bring him back because they can’t do villains for shit and how you can tell when they have to with each shift of his arc trajectory.
-Like everyone else in this godforsaken cinematic universe, his lines suffer from being post-Joss Whedon’s directorial and writing contributions as well as Marvel Main Character-itis, which is not unique to this series.
-Mobius is surprisingly interesting compared with his comics-self.
-*Ducks and hides from the Loki fans*
-He’s clearly working towards something with Loki maybe beyond the whole stopping someone who’s clearly not just your common garden Tom Hiddleston!Loki thing
-What with the interesting mix of de-radicalization techniques and interrogation techniques that probably aren’t completely copacetic under the Geneva Convention, anyway.
-He’s not a Loki fanboy in the comics, but after having to sit through MCU!Wanda, I’m just bracing myself here for the changes. It’s not like Mobius is much of a character in the comics, anyway.
-Like, his morality is of the TVA, but his priorities in keeping Loki alive and un-reset go a bit beyond what his comics self would, probably.
-Anyway, Owen Wilson remains as charismatic as ever and is doing a great job as him, so I like him right now, but jury’s definitely still out on his trajectory.
-So, the TVA.
-Despite the whole fan theory mess with WandaVision, I’m not unconvinced the Time Keepers aren’t secretly the Time-Twisters or something. The organization is more or less like this in the comics, but the emphasis on “Sacred Timeline” is. . .hmph.
-They monitor the multiverse in the comics. They’re not trying to avert its creation, and the Time-Twisters destroy realities as their schtick.
-Also, the multi-verse is coming, so I’m assuming that there’s going to be a twist that acts as an impetus for Loki plus Mobius and friends to blow the organization wide open and cause the multiverse (Probably re-forming the organization and giving Mobius the same surprise promotion as the comics, along with an excuse to bring Gugu Mbatha-Raw back).
-*chanting intensifies* mutants mutants mutants
-They’re gonna fuck up Magneto so bad lmao
Ending Conclusions
-. . .The Big Bad of this phase is absolutely either Mephisto or Kang, right?
-I don’t see how they do Secret Invasion at this point as a feasible Big Bad without a lot of changes, Deviants were Thanos, basically, Doctor Doom can’t happen without the Fantastic Four, and anything directly tied to the mutants is out until they’re brought in.
-Think a decent dark horse candidate for the Phase 4 is also Scarlet Witch/Chthon since she’s confirmed to be reading the Darkhold--which is pretty much No. 1 on the list of Stupid Shit To Never Ever Do In Marvel Comics--upholding the fine comics tradition of Wanda being manipulated by someone evil into doing world-breaking shit.
-I can’t wait for them to straightwash Wiccan and for me to die inside, unrelated news
-It’s episode 1, so there’s a lotta ballgame left, but this is now the second show to bait the MCU Devil, which I honestly want to see if only so I can watch the world burn over it.
-Then again, they might simplify things and just make the being behind the Darkhold Mephisto instead of Chthon, which would. . .track with some things mentioned by the WandaVision showrunners about removing important scenes because stop listening to fans theorize online, dammit. It’s the Hamlet written by monkeys hypothesis played out.
-Ahem.
-Anyway. The music was nice, the actors did a great job, production value looked good, and while this episode was 95% info-dump, they made it pretty digestible.
-Also, the ‘70s-style matte painting used for one scene instead of CGI was a nice surprise and the animation was delightful.
Recommendations:
-If you’re a Loki fan convinced the MCU hasn’t done right by him since Dark World and think Taika Waititi destroyed his character, this show is probably not going to make you especially happy.
-*Checks Tumblr tags again*
-*Winces* I’m so sorry, guys.
-If you’re someone like me, who’s not the biggest MCU fan but still loves the characters and wants to see what ditch this drives into, I think the show is promising.
-If you’re an MCU casual, ditto, but without the ditch part.
-Overall: 8/10 blue-teethed French kids
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niqhtlord01 · 5 years ago
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Humans are weird: Patience has its limits
The same scene was playing out yet again as if the universe never grew tired of the joke.  An alien race invades human space thinking they would roll over and die, makes a couple of gains by capturing newly founded colonies, then gets cocky and rushes head long into deep human territory only to find an amassed armada of human vessels itching for pay back. Alien fleet gets decimated, retreats, and then humanity begins the counter invasion.   Human colonies were taken back one by one and then the inevitable push into alien territory began. Sure they tried putting up a fight in every other system, but in the end humanity once again reached the alien homeworld and began setting about the plans for a final strike.  This story had played out a dozen or so times now in the last hundred years; aliens never seemed to learn from each others mistakes and instead decided to run headlong into the gauntlet of war. Something about humanity just rubbed them the wrong way and even though the other races that didn’t join in the war stated support for an end to the conflict, behind closed doors they wished for humanities downfall.  It was at this juncture that the story took the same outcome as before. The races of the galaxy finally came together and demanded humanity stop short of invading their enemies homeworld. Lines such as “Needless slaughter” and “peaceful resolution” were bounced around so much they may as well have been sprayed on to the walls. Funny though how they never seemed to come when human worlds were threatened.  Normally this is where our story would end. Humanity would leave the alien space, be hailed as keepers of the peace, then get maybe 10-20  years of peace before the next alien race tried to move in.  This time however, the chaotic nature of humans decided it would write a new script for the galactic farce they found themselves caught in......... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Admiral Hart looked down at the alien homeworld as it slowly rotated in space. From the observation deck of his flagship the Colossus, he noted how similar it was to Earth.  With the sound of boots against the polished metal floors his aide Johnathan appeared at his side.  “The delegates have arrived and await an audience with you.” 
Furling his brow Admiral Hart nodded his head and the guards to the observation deck opened the doors.  Roughly two dozen delegates shuffled into the observation deck. Hart had seen many of them before and their oddities no longer phased him as they once did. Hell, even when the sentient blob of goo from the Sagvant system came in sliding across the floor he didn’t even flinch.  They gathered around Admiral Hart and the leading delegate stepped forward, a Jil by the looks of it. They wore robes of an unknown fabric that seemed to shimmer in the light of the observation deck and their demeanor reeked of a diplomat that always got their way in the end.     The Jil bowed before he spoke, mimicking a gesture he had learned of humans to give superiority to others. “Admiral Hart, we are honored you have allowed us aboard your vessel to speak with you to find a peaceful resolution to this tragic affair.”  He rose to see Hart had not even turned to acknowledge him and instead was still looking out the window.  If the Jil was offended they did not show it and continued.  “After speaking with your leaders we believe that we have found a path forward that will bring peace once more to the universe.”  It was at the mention of peace that Hart finally turned around and looked at the assembled delegates. He looked the Jil up and down and chuckled to himself.  “What pray tell do you find amusing Admiral?” the Jil asked.  Hart continued to chuckle. “You. I find you funny delegate.” Before the Jil could inquire as to why Hart began pacing up and down the assembled ranks. As he passed certain members he pointed and spoke to them.  “New Haven, 2206.” “Salvation, 2223.″ “ Holdfast, 2240.”  The list went on until finally arriving at the Jil.  “Mordin Bay, 2301.”  “Are these numbers and names meant to mean something?” The Jil asked, unsure what was going on.  Hart returned to the window and looked down at the planet once more.  “Each corresponds to the year and human planet attacked by the species I just called to. It’s amusing to me that nearly half of you have waged war against humanity and now are hear trying to broker a peace agreement.”  Several of the delegates began to shuffled in place, tugging on their clothes as if they had suddenly become tight. The Jil was better trained and showed no such signs and smiled.  “It is true we have had conflict, but each time we have been able to resolve our differences and move forward.”  Hart nodded as if something had just been confirmed.  “You speak wisely. Let us put an end to this war and once again move forward. Johnathan, contact the enemy commander and put him through to this deck.”  Johnathan pulled out a data pad and entered a few keys as the viewing window went dark and was replaced with the image of an alien in battle dress.  Admiral Hart straightened himself and presented. “I am Admiral Hart, commander of the Human retaliation fleet currently orbiting your world as we speak. With me are delegates from a dozen other species who wish to bring about an end to this war.”  The alien on screen nodded and bared their teeth. “I am known as Volv, Supreme commander of my people. It is wise you have decided to cease your hostilities before- Hart cut him off. “If you have terms or conditions you wish to state speak them now.”  Volv snarled at being cut off but continued. “We wish for human fleets to leave our territory to pre-conflict borders in exchange for reimbursement for any damages caused during the conflict.” The Jil smiled and nodded to the alien from behind Hart. Leading up to the invasion they had spoken and confirmed that this was the easiest way to win over human leaders.  The Jil stepped forward and placed themselves into the conversation. “You are most wise Supreme commander to see that further bloodshed is un-” Hart raised a hand and silenced the Jil.  “We have heard your terms and now wish to present humanities.”  This was not what the human politicians had promised him,  the Jill thought as they watched the scene unfold.  Hart cupped his hands behind his back and stared directly at his foe with a gaze that could cut through iron.  “You will surrender all military assets to humanity along with all of your planets outside of this system, you and the other leaders of your people will be arrested and tried in our courts as war criminals, a military garrison will be placed on every planet in this system to ensure further hostilities against humanity are not allowed, and we will also take that reimbursement.”  The delegates collectively gasped at this announcement, the supreme commander alone looked as close to having a heart attack despite not even having a heart.  “That is outrageous!” the supreme commander shouted. “We could never agree to those terms!”  Hart pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep inhale before blowing a cloud of smoke into the image of the supreme commander. “That’s a shame, as these terms are none negotiable. Guess the war will continue then.”  The supreme commander’s mouth dropped open at the realization, but before he could speak Hart motioned to his aide and the link was cut replacing the image once more with the view of the planet.  “Now Hart,” the Jill spoke as they stepped forward, “let’s be reasonable now. You can’t expect them to agree to such steep terms out of the blue.” Hart didn’t even bother to look at the delegate as he spoke. “I am being reasonable however as it does my people nothing to return to our territory and act as if nothing had happened at all.” He motioned to the planet below. “Clearly they are a threat and will continue to be so until they accept our terms.”  “But you will lose millions of solider if you try to invade! Their city shields are near impenetrable.”  “On that we do agree, delegate.” Hart said surprising the Jil. “Which is why we are not going to invade or attack their cities.”  “Then how can the war cont-”  A shudder ran through the ship and cut off the Jil. The humans present paid it no mind but to the delegates they were confused at what could cause such a shudder.  The Jill looked out the window to see a series of missiles had been launched from the ship and were heading planetside. He turned to Admiral Hart who was speaking with his aide.  “Even their military sites are shielded. Your attack will do nothing!”  “We agree again, though we are not targeting those either.”  “Then what are you targeting!?!” The Jil was frantic now as the situation was running off the rails.  Hart pointed to the planet below and smiled.  “We’re targeting fault lines.”  “What?”  “Fault lines. you know; the places where tectonic plates meet and overlap.”  “Why would you target those?! There’s nothing on them.”  “Well how else are we to trigger natural disasters then?”  The calmness of the Admiral’s reply struck the breath from the Jil’s lungs.  “What did you say?”  “We are firing on the fault lines to trigger natural disasters. Tsunami’s, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, but on a worldwide scale. We may not be able to breach those shields, but we won’t have to when their own planet begins to kill them off on its own.”  “This was not what your leaders promised!” The Jil shouted as more and streaks of light were appearing fired from the rest of the orbiting fleet. “We were told there would be a negotiation!”  “Oh there will be, but not between us and them” Hart said as the first missile impacted the planet somewhere in the ocean.  “This negotiation is between us and yourselves.” He gestured to the other delegates. “The patience of humanity has run dry from these constant invasions that we know you all have been secretly supporting.” “I don’t know what you’re imply-” “Shush!” Hart silenced the Jill and continued.  “So the deal here is that we will forget about your actions up until this point and you all will agree to stop any aggressive action against us. Failure to honor this obligation will result in the same for you homeworld.”  The delegates looked through the window at the planet below as massive tidal waves were striking the seaboard of every continent that wasn’t already shattering like jigsaw puzzle pieces from the earthquakes. 
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movie-magic · 3 years ago
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Loki: Every MCU Easter Egg In Episode 1
Loki has officially begun on Disney+, and Tom Hiddleston comes bearing plenty of Marvel Easter eggs in the premiere episode. Here's what we found.
The premiere episode of Loki is burdened with glorious Marvel Easter eggs, from potential future villain teases to skulking Skrulls. Even before the considerable success enjoyed by WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier, MCU fans were eagerly anticipating Tom Hiddleston's return as the God of Mischief. Now blessed with his own Disney+ solo series, Loki has all of time and space to bother, and the premiere wastes little time throwing Hiddleston from the Avengers' frying pan into the TVA's fire.
After using the Tesseract to escape The Avengers in Avengers: Endgame, Loki is swiftly picked up by the Time Variance Authority - a seemingly omniscient organization overseeing the entirety of time and space. Evidently not ones to take prisoners, Loki's fate at the TVA looks grim, but Owen Wilson's Major Mobius intervenes, handing the silver-tongued variant a reprieve. In the opening episode, Mobius successfully digs to the root of Loki's dastardly ways, breaking him down to (presumably) build him back up, all with the aim of enlisting Loki's services as an ally to hunt down an especially vicious variant murdering the TVA's Minute Men.
Loki's premiere is predictably heavy with exposition, and relatively limited in scope, mostly taking place within the walls of TVA HQ. Nevertheless, Michael Waldron (creator) and Kate Herron (director) pepper the 50-minute installment with an array of references to the Marvel comics, MCU history callbacks, and hints of the multiverse madness to come. Here's every Easter egg we discovered in Loki's "Glorious Purpose."
The Avengers Intro Sequence:
Loki's introductory scene is somewhat of an Easter egg itself, retelling the famous Tesseract heist from Avengers: Endgame. Much of the footage here derives straight from the 2019 box office behemoth, meaning no other MCU stars filmed additional footage or recorded new dialogue especially for Loki. With that said, a few extra Tom Hiddleston moments are spliced into the existing footage to show events entirely from Loki's point of view. The villain's Steve Rogers "search and rescue" gag is zoomed-in, and there's a closer shot of Loki waving goodbye to Hulk in the elevator, as well as fresh reaction shots during the Stark scuffle in the lobby.
An Iron Man Callback:
After commandeering the Tesseract in New York, Loki finds himself falling from the sky above Mongolia's Gobi Desert, landing unceremoniously in the sand below, and this scene might trigger a sense of déjà vu for longtime MCU fans. In 2008's Iron Man, Tony Stark escapes capture by creating a rudimentary suit of hi-tech armor. Flying to safety, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist also lands roughly in a remote desert. There's a symbolic correlation in how Iron Man marked the beginning of the MCU, while Loki is now ushering in a whole new chapter, and both begin with their protagonists in matching predicaments. Both characters also crash while evading incarceration, though only Loki immediately finds himself in chains once again.
"Burdened With Glorious Purpose":
As a man who rarely shuts up, Loki has plenty of wry MCU catchphrases, and one of his most famous would be "I am burdened with glorious purpose" from The Avengers. Disney +'s Loki premiere leans heavily into the line's popularity, with Tom Hiddleston repeating the quote on several occasions throughout the episode, the phrase becoming less sinister with every utterance.
The TVA:
The addition of the TVA to MCU canon was confirmed ahead of time via Loki's trailer and, sure enough, the paradoxical pen-pushers play a prominent part in the premiere. Although their motivations and methods are somewhat altered from the source material (as well as their aesthetic, which now sits closer to The Umbrella Academy's Commission), the TVA hails directly from the Marvel comic books. They were introduced by a 1986 issue of Thor that featured several time-hopping agents, one of which picked a random Earthling up for jaywalking.
A Skrull At The TVA:
Given their propensity to shape-shift and assimilate the forms of other races, it's not surprising that a Skrull might be lurking around the TVA's front desk. One of the MCU's green aliens can be spotted in the background as Loki gets marched in, and though it's not clear why the Skrull is present, the distinct lack of guards would suggest they aren't a variant. A timely reminder that Secret Invasion is right around the corner.
The Time Twisters:
As you'd predict, Loki tries running away. With minimum effort, Hunter B-15 (played by Wunmi Mosaku) clicks a device, and Loki is pulled back to where he stood moments earlier, effectively making escape impossible. These time twisters appear to be standard issue at the TVA, and have a vaguely similar counterpart in the Marvel comics called the Retroactive Cannon. Far more lethal than Loki's little clickers, these devices would rewind a person completely until they were unwritten from history. Like The Algorithm in Tenet, but less confusing.
Life Model Decoys:
For someone who spent many, many years unaware he was actually a Frost Giant, Loki probably shouldn't be shocked that some people don't realize they're secretly robots. Heading through the TVA's airport scanner, Loki passes the test with flying colors, though he remains perplexed by the idea someone could be unknowingly cybernetic, Loki's line is a nod to Life Model Decoys, which have appeared in both the Marvel comics, and Agents of SHIELD. These lifelike androids can mimic mankind so perfectly, the LMD itself isn't always certain of the truth.
Secret Wars?:
Whether you've accidentally arrived late for work, or just escaped a group of costumed vigilantes by seizing a glowing blue cube from the beginning of time, being labeled as a variant is confusing stuff. Luckily, the TVA has put together a short animation to fill quantum criminals in on the basics. The helpful Miss Minutes finally provides an explanation of the MCU multiverse, revealing how, long ago, separate timelines fought an inter-dimensional war for supremacy that almost resulted in total annihilation. Since then, the TVA has strictly maintained one single reality - the Sacred Timeline *echoes*. The history lesson bears some similarity to 2015's Secret Wars comic event, in which conflicting universes came together in Battleworld (the setting of the original Secret Wars), and attempts were made to streamline Marvel's sandbox.
The Time-Keepers:
The TVA's infomercial also confirms the organization are led by three Time-Keepers, who oversee the combined reality and dictate the proper flow of history. This big-faced trio were first introduced in the late 1970s, created from the sole remaining survivor of the previous universe's destruction. The mysterious overlords performed much the same function in the comics as they do in Loki, and possessed virtually complete mastery over time.
Kree And Nova's Attack On Titan:
As the animated exposition rumbles on, Miss Minutes (voiced by Tara Strong) uses "starting an uprising" as an example of something the TVA might potentially frown upon. The corresponding image shows two armies clashing, with the blue folk on the left appearing to be Kree, and the force on the right possibly the Nova Corps. Based on the spiky ruins in the background, the battle is taking place on Thanos' home planet of Titan. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Ronan confirmed the Kree and Nova Corps were at war for 1000 years - was the TVA involved somehow?
Nexus Events:
This week's lesson from Miss Minutes explains how stepping off one's designated path can create a "Nexus event," and spiral out of control to spawn countless alternate timelines that trigger another war. This word has cropped up several times in the MCU, first as an internet facility in Oslo (Avengers: Age of Ultron), and then as an antidepressant drug during one of WandaVision's fake commercials. The latter was most likely a reference to the Nexus of All Realities from the Marvel comics, which is essentially a gateway between every possible timeline. The TVA's Nexus events could take their name from the very same source.
The Timeline Diagram:
Throughout Loki's Disney+ debut, the TVA repeatedly use diagrams of a single flowing timeline with branches shooting off to represent unwanted deviations. MCU fans might recognize this from Avengers: Endgame, where the Ancient One drew something extremely similar while explaining the consequences of time travel to Bruce Banner. Perhaps Ms. One has visited the TVA herself once or twice?
Devil In The Church:
MEPHISTO. There, we said it. When Mobius asks a young girl who committed time crimes in 16th century France and the child points to a stained glass window depicting the Devil, Loki knew exactly what it was doing. WandaVision dropped several hints that Marvel's own Satan would appear, all of which proved fruitless, and Loki seems to be heading down the same hellish vein. Alas, there could be a simpler explanation. Mobius claims to be chasing an alternate version of Loki, and it's highly likely the child has mistaken the God of Mischief's famous horned helmet for the demonic horns of Lucifer.
Ravonna Renslayer:
Though her name isn't mentioned in Loki's premiere, Gugu MBatha-Raw's TVA judge is actually Ravonna Renslayer, who made her debut in a 1965 Avengers issue. In the comics, Renslayer is a human from the far future, most often a villainous figure associated with Kang the Conqueror. She certainly isn't a legal official sat behind a desk. One would imagine Marvel Studios has something more interesting in store for Renslayer further down the line.
Explaining Endgame:
During his TVA interrogation, Loki quite rightly points out that it was not he who meddled with the timeline. T'was those pesky Avengers who penetrated the Quantum Realm and disrupted the natural course of events in the aftermath of the Battle of New York; Loki merely picked up the Tesseract that fell at his feet. Unfortunately, this excuse falls on deaf ears, as Gugu MBatha-Raw confirms the Avengers' ambitious time heist was entirely sanctioned by the Time-Keepers. This exchange more or less clears up every single timeline wrinkle in the MCU, including Steve Rogers' reunion with Peggy, and Gamora from the past staying in the present. It's not altering time that irks the TVA; it's altering time in a manner the Time-Keepers haven't permitted.
Loki's "Wooing":
After Owen Wilson saves Loki from being "reset," the pair sit down for a more friendly conversation, but when Loki warns Mobius that cooperation isn't an option, the TVA officer retorts with, "even when you're wooing someone powerful you intend to betray?" Loki has betrayed a fair few people during his time, and Mobius' accusation could easily apply to Odin or Thor. Most likely, however, Mobius is alluding to Thanos here - a powerful figure Loki tried buttering up with intent to usurp him once the universe was brought to its knees.
Josta:
While not strictly a Marvel reference, it's worth noting that Mobius is a big fan of an ice cold Josta. Viewers of a certain age might not recognize this soda brand, but Josta is a genuine Pepsi product that was available in the late 1990s before being discontinued. An early variety of energy drink, there's evidently a few perks to hunting down timeline criminals. In Mobius' case, this includes sugary contraband.
Loki's Greatest Hits:
In a twisted version of It's A Wonderful Life, Mobius tries to change Loki by examining his choices in the past, present and future. Unlike the jaunty 1946 holiday classic, Mobius has access to a handy hi-tech screen which displays Loki's "greatest hits." The footage begins with the God of Mischief's defeat and arrest in 2012's The Avengers - perhaps not an entry Loki himself would've picked for the highlight reel. The screen next switches to Phil Coulson's death (which Loki definitely would pick), before moving on to images of civilian deaths from the Battle of New York, the gala eyeball removal scene, and the dictator speech, all from The Avengers.
D.B. Cooper:
More an Easter egg from real-world history than Marvel lore, Loki reveals the truth about D.B. Cooper - it was Agatha Loki all along! In 1971, an as-yet-identified man boarded a Boeing 727, held the aircraft ransom for $200,000, then parachuted out with the cash. Mobius' dive into Loki's past reveals that, thanks to a lost bet with Thor, the God of Mischief descended from Asgard to pull the plane heist himself as some kind of stunt. From Loki's hairstyle matching the real D.B. Cooper artist's impression to the smattering of bank notes left behind, there's an impressive attention to detail in this scene.
Infinity Stones In The Desk:
The Infinity Stones... Thanos would give his own daughter just for one. Entire worlds brought to their knees by their power. Humans turned into Gods at the merest touch. Gary from the TVA's HR department using one as a paperweight. Threatening Casey with a fishy demise, Loki finally gets his hands back on the Tesseract, only to discover even Infinity Stones are useless within the TVA's jurisdiction. To Loki's immense surprise, Casey's desk draw is chock-full of discarded Infinity Stones, most either of the Time or Reality variety (no surprises there). The scene essentially confirms that the power of these fabled jewels has led to more than a few timeline variant incidents over the years, but perhaps also undermines the once-unstoppable power of the Infinity Stones. Well, the Infinity Saga is over.
A 3rd Millennium Kang Hint?:
In its final scene, the Loki premiere might just be hinting at the future villain of Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. The MCU will soon introduce Kang the Conqueror, a major comic book baddie played by Jonathan Majors, and "Glorious Purpose" could represent the first step toward his arrival. Called out to 19th century Oklahoma, TVA agents find a piece of technology hailing from the 3rd millennium. Though it might be a coincidence, Kang hails from the 31st century, and is known for using advanced tech in his dominion of the timeline. The mysterious hooded figure is more likely a Loki variant than Kang himself, but since Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania and Loki both deal in temporal themes, it wouldn't be strange for the Kang foundations to be laid on Disney+.
- Screen Rant
Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
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kiss-my-freckle · 5 years ago
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Two Katarinas
Forewarning: A lengthy post. 
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Canon. Red doesn’t lie to Liz. 
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Stated four times prior to this tweet, Liz’s mother is dead. 
Red [1x1]: Abandoned by a father who was a career criminal, a mother who died of weakness and shame
Liz [2x20]: You said she died of weakness and shame. Red: Yeah. 
Red [3x16]: Velov is the one who lied to you, Lizzy, not me. Katarina Rostova committed suicide in 1990.
Take note, this was a year prior to the Koehler surgery.
Jennifer: It’s not the data, but it turns out the file names were coded using patient-intake dates. October 3, 1991.
Red [3x17]: Lizzy, your mother is dead.  
And Red wasn’t the only one who spoke of Liz’s mother being dead. 
Dom: She’s gone because of choices you made for both of them. First Katarina and then Masha. As far as I’m concerned, you killed my entire family!
Liz: Disappeared? You AND Sam told me she’s dead.
An additional tweet. 
Liz: So, that night, I killed both my parents. 
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These three lines of dialogue fit within Katarina Rostova’s “suicide.”
Dembe: Raymond. I’m not sure Elizabeth will ever be ready to learn about what you did to Katarina. Shelter Worker: Most importantly, I think the woman who stepped into that ocean is dead. Liz: I’m angry at you, at who I am, at the fact that I want to help you despite everything you’ve done to me and to yourself.
Red's reference to "disappearance" while I'm at it. 
Red: There was a time in my life when I was quite sure I knew exactly what happened to Katarina Rostova. But after all these years, I’m not sure I have any real sense of how or why she disappeared.
Disappearance works alongside death because the woman walked into Cape May waters, and her body was never recovered. One can say she disappeared, one can say she died, and one can say both if that's what they feel. If you want to get technical, Katarina did both. She disappeared into Red’s identity, then died in it. Living in that identity for 30 years would render the old identity a deceased identity. "We become who we are.” Tom didn't have "Christopher" engraved in his headstone. For the woman Red stated had a joy for living, who Constantin said was unafraid - daring - being, who was also said could find her way through no matter how dark the moment ... one might have a hard time understanding the “how” or “why.” A contradiction for Fakerina. Red knows the “how” and “why” she disappeared. "I know a little something about pain." He's the one that gave it a label: "Belgrade." An incident that put an even larger target on Masha’s back, so what did becoming Reddington really do for her? 
A ghost. An illusion. A name.
Whenever Red speaks of Katarina Rostova, it’s always past tense because she’s dead. Often referred to as a ghost/specter in show, soundtrack, and interview. Katarina told Ilya, "I am dead. ~ Making sure I stay that way." When she went to ensure Dom's safety, "They can’t arrest what they can’t see." Orea Agent Masik stated, "She’s a myth. Tall tales late at night over vodka shots." Anton Velov stated, "All I know are the same old ghost stories we all share." Red stated to Liz, "You raised an old ghost." Then stated to Park, "She doesn’t have a name. She’s a ghost." The woman herself stated, "Not with Elizabeth asking questions and telling ghost stories." And later stated, "I had everything taken from me that night. I can’t show my face, use my name ..." Yet we know Katarina was unable to use her name long before, shown in Rassvet. Red stated, "She’s a figment of the collective imagination." Again, "I may have seemed like an illusion, but she is one someone you can never find." And again (with certainty), "You’ll never find Rostova." Red told Constantin, "You saw what Katarina wanted you to see." Furthered by Red's statement to Liz. "... walked into the ocean and was never seen again." People will see what Katarina wants them to. That's why Red told The Illusionist he'd never find Rostova. Why she's an illusion, a magic trick. The act of ... dah dah dah ... disappearing. As Liz later stated. "Illusions. Cons. People pretending to be something they’re not." Again, "But if she isn’t who I thought she was, if she’s a threat ..." Furthered by Fakerina. "Sometimes people just aren’t who they seem to be." As well as Dembe's statement, "In my experience, who people are supposed to be is rarely who they are." Might as well take this back to S1 with Red. "We never really know anyone, do we?" And S1 with Tom. "You never really know people do you?" Because the show is centered around identity. Anton Velov stated, "She was just a name." Dom said, "Last time I saw my daughter was in this rearview mirror nearly 30 years ago." Furthered by Red in the episode prior. "The car. The last time you saw Katarina was in the rearview mirror." Yet, he watched his set-up of Fakerina in Belgrade, and it wasn't through his rearview mirror. It wasn't even in his Wagoneer. Dom also stated, "Some memories you want to hold onto. Most haunt you like a curse." Haunt you like a curse. Ah yes, like a ghost. "If my Katarina was still here, she would have let me know." 
Since I'm talking about illusions, I might as well add my perception on this line of dialogue. "Said he loved his child and just wanted her to be safe." If it were Katarina, "Said he loved me and just wanted me to be safe." Familiar stuff. Speaking in third person just like Naomi Hyland. "Carla Reddington was a misterable housewife married to a miserable man." 
Kind and decent and beautiful. 
Some professionals are assumed to be cold, uncaring bitches. Liz’s own pilot profile of herself spoke to that. I call it a clash of personalities. The confident and/or dominant woman is typically the most hated. “My colleagues call me sir. They think I’m a bitch.” I don’t see Katarina as a cold, uncaring bitch. Guarded, perhaps. A KGB agent, spymaster, secret-keeper. And it was the Cold War for fuck's sake. I'd say probably as dedicated to her job as Ressler. Until she started seeing shit for how it is, just like Ressler.
People don't generally speak kindly of someone who is unkind and uncaring. Constantin Rostov, falling in love all over again as he told Raymond his story about Katarina in 4x8. The way his face lit up as he reminisced. Red spoke highly of her in 3x1. “Katarina Rostova was the cleverest, most resourceful woman I have ever known. No matter how dark the moment, she could always find her way through.” Taking note Red’s use of past tense. Dom spoke highly of her in 5x13. “I can see that you’re a good person, kind - your eyes remind me of someone.” Laughing with joy as he does. “Her daughter? Masha? Of course. That’s who you remind me of. Ah, there’s such a strong resemblance.” Red told Liz she reminds him of her mother. “You remind me so much of your mother. I don’t remember if I’ve ever told you that before, have I?” He did tell her that before. “I see her in you every day.” This was furthered by Katarina’s own statement in Cape May. “Raymond, you did save me. Through her.” Dembe’s smile when he told Liz the same. “He’s right. You remind me of her too.” Again, with Constantin. “You remind me so much of her. Your mother. She was an amazing woman. I've been wanting to tell you about her.” Red defended her frame of Raymond. “Don’t judge her too harshly. She was between a rock and a hard place.” Again in 6x21. "Your mother was not as bad as ..." He even spoke on her behalf. “She’d be proud of you.” People aren't known to do things for someone who is unkind and uncaring. Sam loved her so much, he raised Masha as if she were his own daughter. Kaplan spent a lifetime fulfilling her oath to protect Katarina and Masha. And she followed through with that oath even in death.
Dom's daughter, Katarina Rostova, was kind and caring. She cared about the woman at the homeless shelter. Enough to kill her abusive boyfriend, then shove his body in a stove. She did this despite knowing her actions would garner Anton Velov’s attention, forcing her to vacate from a place where she was relatively safe. She cared about Constantin Rostov to some extent, given the way she spoke of his rare blood disorder in her own personal journal. “Today, the doctor confirmed our worst fears. Constantin is going to need blood transfusions to raise his blood count. He’s known his whole life this day might come, but still it’s - it’s terrifying.” She loved and cared for Kathryn Nemec. “I love you, Kate.” And she wanted her to be safe. “You - you have to disappear yourself, Kate.” She loved and cared for Ilya Koslov. So much, she was willing to sacrifice herself so that he could get his life back. “You said we’d figure a way out of this, and I have. You tracked me down here. We fought. I went over the edge. You’ll be a hero. You’ll get your life back.” She cared for Carla and Jennifer. To the extent she cared whether or not they believed Raymond Reddington was a traitor. “He had a wife and a daughter. She’s nearly the same age as Masha. Jennifer’s her name. They’ll be told that he was a criminal and a traitor.” She loved and cared for both of her parents. “I love you, Mama.” To the extent she risked getting killed by Anton Velov and/or his men. All for the sake of ensuring their safety. “No, Papa, listen to me. You have to go. You can’t come back here." She loved and cared for Raymond Reddington. "As much as it pains me to say it, he was probably the only man she ever really loved." Regretting the words she said to him just before he died. "It’s not that he died. It’s not even the way he died. It’s in the things I said to him just before he died." Stated later in the episode. "You said you lost someone. Harsh words were spoken. Words you regret." Even Ilya spoke of her love for Raymond. "And who better to provide those details than the woman who spied on him - who loved him - the woman who invented him?" In her own personal journal. "Look at me - in love with the man I was sent to seduce and betray. An American." She questioned the “what ifs” people often do when they lose someone. “We did the right thing, right? Pulling him from the fire, trying to save his life? I can’t stop thinking about those firefighters, what might have happened if we’d left him there - if they found him, maybe they could’ve gotten him help, saved Raymond’s life.” She didn’t want the Cabal to destroy his reputation. “They’ll discredit him to undermine his proof of their existence.” She loved and cared for Masha. "In my job the only one I know I love is Masha." Again in her phone call to Kate. “You know how much I love her."  She spoke of this in her journal. "But how could I do that to her? She’s my entire life. She’s everything." Told her this during their phone conversation. “I need you to know that I - I love you so, so much. I love you, Masha. Whatever happens, Mama will always love you.” Red stated this to Liz. “You know that your parents loved you very much. And that’s the only truth that matters.” Spoke of it on the stand. “They had the child. A girl, whom they both loved.” Dom stated this as well. “What I do know is that they loved you.” Wanting desperately to keep her safe, Katarina wouldn't allow for Kate to care for her. "You’re the family nanny. You’re a person of interest. They’ll track you." She feared for Masha’s safety so much, she walked into Cape May waters to end her life. "My child is being raised by someone else. I am her mother and I am death to her. So this is what I’m doing." She stated this intent to Ilya. "I went into the ocean to end my life." Despite having given her up for adoption to Sam, asked Ilya to promise he'd care for Masha. "Promise me one thing. If they get to me, if they take me - take care of Masha." Masha was the first person Katarina put into protection, given to someone unconnected, who she could trust. “You have to leave Masha with someone unconnected, who I can trust. I want you to get in touch with Sam Milhoan.” Constantin spoke of Katarina’s love for Masha as well. “You were all your mother and I ever cared about.” The real Raymond Reddington cared for Katarina and Masha very deeply. Katarina spoke of this in her journal. “Raymond wants me to run, take Masha and disappear with him.” Liz furthered this in her own statement. “She talks about you. About the affair. I’m up to the part where she writes about you pressuring her to leave her husband.” And, of course, Dom’s statement. “Ah, she was a legend already, even then. Everybody wanted to know her.” Apparently everybody wanted to know this cold, uncaring bitch.
Dom clearly loved his daughter. In Rassvet, blamed her for betraying their country, betraying him. “I never betrayed Katarina. She betrayed me! Not just me. Our country, our - our values, our entire way of life.” Red's response was telling. "Oh, come on. Enough." Apparently Red has heard this before - a lot. Dom stated it in 6x18. "My child betrayed everything I believed in. She turned her back on my country and on me. And because she was a traitor, people assumed that I was one, as well." And again in Rassvet. "You betrayed me. You betrayed your country." Despite Katarina's betrayal, he forgave her. "What did I do - I turn her in, turn my back on her the way she turned her back on me? No, no. I went into hiding, gave up my home, my granddaughter. Masha doesn’t even know I exist." Hugging her like his only treasure. He keeps a suitcase of her childhood toys stored in the garage. Her piano music sheets out in the open where Frankie can see them. Keeps memories of the woman he told to go to hell? I think not. 
Fakerina. A cold, uncaring bitch for you.
[This] woman is not kind or caring. Fakerina stated, "Everything I cared about died that day. I’d made a life for myself, a family. You blew ALL that up." Red furthered this with his statement. "She cares for no one." Even Patrick, whom Devane thought was someone she did care about. "Tell Patrick I love him. Like a son. And I’m sorry - I did my best, but I am done with men controlling my life!" A young man who already lost his parents because of her. "How I wish we lived in a world where kindness wasn’t a liability." Meanwhile, "Aram told me she’d been living in your building, feigning kindness, watching Agnes." 
[This] woman does not love or care for Raymond. Drugged him with Ketamine. Kidnapped him. Kept him knocked out for over a week, then woke him up to an emotional torture. "So I’m paralyzed. I’m paralyzed. Will I ever walk again?" After he escaped, kept him cuffed to a fence. "They say a man can lose up to 40% of his blood, but not much more. You’ve lost 20%. That’s why you’re feeling the palpitations. Your heart can’t fill with blood before it contracts. It’s the beginning stage of what doctors refer to as exsanguination." She claimed, "I don’t want to hurt you. This isn’t easy for me." Her stressing each syllable as she talked of his blood loss told me otherwise. Her smile didn't help either. She then had The Illusionist trick him into leading them to an assault on Dom. Drained enough blood from Red that he passed out, which then required transfusions. At the start, wanted Red to prove he had nothing to do with Belgrade. "You want me to believe you had nothing to do with Belgrade. That you care about me. Then prove it." Ilya’s flashbacks did that for him. "But Reddington deserves to know what we’ve done.” She didn’t want proof that he wasn’t involved, she’s after the answers she doesn’t have. “Who’s coming for me? How many? And most importantly, the truth.” Red states, “I can’t.”
[This woman] does not love or care for Dom. Didn't even know where he lived to begin with, despite there being a childhood drawing of his home in Katarina's Suitcase Full Of Sparks. Her team turned his home into swiss cheese and put a bullet in his chest. "We open it, she’ll kill the three of us and eventually kill him." Still in a coma in midseason. She told Ilya, "I know what Dominic thought. And he’s paying for his sins. And if he survives, I’ll find him again and finish the job."
Dom does not love this woman. He betrayed her. Red stated this when he warned him she was coming. "She knows you tried to kill her, Dom. She wants answers, but she also wants revenge. You set her up, betrayed her ..." Dom confirmed as much. "Despite all my anger, my frustration, I did what I thought was necessary ... Did I make mistakes? Yes. Do I deserve to die for them? Eh, maybe. If I die, at least I will go to my grave knowing that I did what I did to protect my own." Also confirmed by their Belgrade flashbacks. His "Go to hell!"  Opposite his conversation with Red in 6x18. “Love. Love. Love.”
"Everything I cared about died that day. I’d made a life for myself, a family. You blew all that up." At the time Dom stated he last saw his daughter, the only family Katarina had went into hiding. "Last time I saw my daughter was in this rearview mirror nearly 30 years ago." Dom, Lena, and Masha were the only known family members she had at that time. Women don’t typically build a new life, a new family at a time when their lives are at such risk that they need to hide. "When your mother was pregnant with you, it was terribly inconvenient. The Cold War was ending. Her country was falling apart. Everything she had ever known." Katarina moreso. If she thought the Cold War was inconvenient, surely running from two powerful countries as well as the Townsend Directive would've been the most inconvenient time to build a family. But apparently old families are easy to replace under such circumstances. Creating more children she’d have to give up for adoption to keep safe doesn’t make sense. Also to note, a family she had that Dom never made mention to. Surely her family would be his family. "She’s gone because of choices you made for both of them. First Katarina and then Masha. As far as I’m concerned, you killed my entire family!" A loss Dom blames Red for rather than himself, depsite Red’s claim that Dom was the one who betrayed her. "She knows you tried to kill her, Dom. She wants answers, but she also wants revenge. You set her up, betrayed her ..." And Dom confirmed it. So Dom had family (other than Masha) prior to setting up this woman. "What I want is my family back. No one can give me that back. Least of all you." But he blames Red for that loss despite Red not being involved in the Belgrade incident - as shown in Ilya's memory extraction. Now let's stretch this to ridiculous. The idea that Dom set up this woman, then after setting up this woman -  "After I lost my daughter - I crawled - crawled into the wilderness like a mortally wounded animal to get as far away from the pack as I could, to - to run out the clock. Run out the clock and die." Clearly talking about two different women. 
[This] woman does not love or care for Liz or Agnes. Liz stated, "You said the name Masha Rostova had been lost to history until the manhunt. Now it’s out there, and someone’s looking for me. It’s my mother." Nope. Not looking for Masha until her life depends on it. She entered Liz's life with lies, while planting seeds that she's her mother. "I moved here to be closer to my daughter. We’re estranged, but I’m hoping to get closer to her." She continued this, knowing Liz hasn't seen her mother since she was a child. "All that matters now is that I want to make amends." She knows enough by what Liz knows and what she asks. "Not with Elizabeth asking questions and telling ghost stories." It's possible she truly has/had a daughter and granddaughter. "I miss having children." Belgrade flashbacks only show the death of her husband, so I believe she could be trying to clear her name so she can reunite with her true daughter and granddaughter. "You remind me of my granddaughter." That, or she eventually lost both to the Townsend Directive. Liz's phone call interrupted Ilya's extraction, so I can't be sure. She told Red, "What I want - is my family back. No one can give me that back. Least of all you." This dialogue alone tells me she's not Liz's mother. Just eyes, ears, and teeth. A Wicked Wolf. Little Red Riding Hood, biggest clue if I ever saw one. An entire basket of books, that's the one they choose. The False Grandmother. Everything about the real Katarina Rostova is contradicted by Fakerina's own dialogue and actions. Conned her way into a cup of coffee so she could copy Liz's house key. "I got what I came for." I suppose that was part of her plan to make amends. Planted a listening device on Agnes' Barbie. I suppose that was plan b for making amends.
The real Katarina Rostova walked into Cape May waters to protect her child, as I stated in a previous section. "What would you do if you knew - knew - that as long as you drew breath, as long as you continued to exist, her life would be in danger? She would be hunted, and she would be killed. What would you do?" Again, speaking of the danger to Masha. "I am her mother and I am death to her. So this is what I’m doing." Spoke of this to Kate. "No. You’re the family nanny. You’re a person of interest. They’ll track you. You have to leave Masha with someone unconnected, who I can trust. I want you to get in touch with Sam Milhoan.” Furthered in their second call. "She won’t be safe with you. You know that." Furthered even more. "I’m begging you Kate, walk away. You know how much I love her." Stated to Lena, "She’s fine. She’s safe." Stated to Dom, "You can’t see Masha - ever. She’s gone. I’m gone." Stated to Ilya, "Promise me one thing. If they get to me, if they take me - take care of Masha." Dom furthered this. "We had to back out of Masha’s life to keep her safe, after you made a colossal mess of everything." And furthered it. "I loved that girl enough to let her go." And furthered it again. "Cost me my daughter. And up until now ... my granddaughter and my great-granddaughter." Her entire family sacrificing a life with Masha, all at Katarina’s instruction. "I’m a mortal threat to you, a mother whose very existence puts her daughter’s life at risk." Yet 30 years later, strolls in saying the exact same thing. If she were the real Rostova and actually gave a damn, she wouldn’t even be there. At the very least, would be far more discreet. She certainly wouldn’t move in across the hall from her. "Your mother loved that photograph. Represented everything she wanted but couldn’t have. Not after she betrayed the KGB. After that, she was a hunted woman." 
[This] woman does not love or care for Ilya. She allowed Berdy to thrash him around like a rag doll, then used a taser to knock him out. Wouldn't allow him to die as he wanted, cut him down so she could torture him for intel before she killed him. She didn't care if her doctor friend turned him into a zombie. She considers him trash. "At least I’ll know we’ve used every conceivable means at our disposal." Given the way they speak of each other, I believe Ilya and this woman were married at one time. Ilya said, "I hadn’t known you’d taken a new husband." Referring to him as a "new" husband rather than just a husband supports her being married before. Fakerina stated, "He knew what my old life had cost me." Noting her "old" life, which I believe involved an "old" husband. Ilya spoke of anger. "Not that I was angry to find out, certainly not as angry as he seemed to be, charging out of that room." Why compare his anger to the husband's? For finding out she had a “new” husband? Because they had a relationship of some sort. It's also the way Fakerina referred to him. "I’m afraid I do, love." And the way she responded to Liz's statement. "No, he’s not that kind of a friend. At least not anymore, I’m afraid." Red stated of the real Rostova, "As much as it pains me to say it, he was probably the only man she ever loved." I do believe this woman and Ilya were in a relationship, though not for certain they were married. I imagine he'd date and marry a double, since the real Katarina friendzoned him. I definitely don't buy the real Katarina referring to him as "love." That's not her. Rostova doesn't love easily. That’s why Red would say, “I love you because I can trust you.” I also took note to the lack of timeline on how long Fakerina and Ilya have been friends. Confirmed through dialogue that Red and Ilya have been friends since childhood. "Once. When we were children." This woman simply refers to him as an old friend. "An old friend had asked me for a favor." To Liz, same thing. "It’s just, I’ve had an old friend turn up in town at the last minute ..." A man willing to hang himself than tell her who Red is. 
Becoming Reddington was Ilya's idea. "Your ruse with Reddington didn’t work." Ilya said, "She is dead." He would know. He's the one who reached out to this woman for one last mission. She's dead, and he still asked Dom, "You want me to kill your daughter?" No. He doesn't want Ilya to kill his daughter. "I want you to hear my plan." Not specific to Katarina. "She’ll listen to you. You can get her." They never once use her name, just female pronouns. Dom said, “Nonsense!” Meaning, she’s not dead. Yet blames Red for killing his entire family when this was a choice Dom made, and did so without informing Red. Then he apparently crawled into the wilderness like a mortally wounded animal to run out the clock and die ... ahahaha
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Fakerina knows about the night of the fire. Knows about Belgrade. Knows she's being hunted by the Townsend Directive. The only two things she doesn't know about, is the plan to become Reddington, and who Reddington really is. Quite a coincidence. She wouldn't need to know the plan to become Reddington if she was part of it. Wouldn't need to seek answers about Red's true identity since she's the one who arranged the surgery, as stated by Dr. Koehler's nurse. I don't wanna hear theories about her memory being manipulated. Far better to remove the Belgrade incident than the plan to become Reddington, as it would remove her desire for vengeance. I don't care what they haven't shown us, I care what they have. "She's my entire life. She's everything." Yet we see the way Fakerina enters Liz's life and why she's there. It has nothing to do with making amends, wanting a relationship with her daughter, and every other such claim. She's there for herself. As Red stated, "She cares for NO ONE." No one includes Liz and Agnes. "What I want - is my family back. NO ONE can give me that back." Katarina walked into Cape May waters to protect her child. Stated as long as she drew breath, Masha would be hunted and killed. Now all-willing to enter Liz's life, knowing the "mortal" danger she's putting her in, and doing so for the sake of saving herself. Red's statements to Liz just as recent as S6. Her mother can't hurt her, and it's safe to bring her daughter home. Soon as a gun is drawn on her, she's begging for Berdy to come in and slam her onto a table. That scene itself is a contradiction. Willing to kill Irina's boyfriend the moment he calls her a bitch, but will allow her sidekick to assault her own daughter. Doesn't claim to be her mother until she's got a gun pointed at her and knows she's been caught. Let me put it like this. Liz at the start of S7, believed there were two women. Her mother, and a woman looking for her mother. This belief went on for a little while. Liz told Fakerina, "I was estranged from my mother. I would hope that she would want to make amends with me too." So after Liz confronted her about shooting Dom, putting Agnes in danger, and entering her life with lies, she's supposed to drive that final nail into her coffin? Admit to Liz she's not her mother, which would essentially be admitting she's the woman who's been looking for her mother, and hurting all her loves ones in the process? ahahaha. And because Liz already revealed her desire to have a relationship with her mother, it would be the last fucking thing this woman would claim. She's gonna claim to be her mother 
Characters throughout the series urgng Red to tell Liz the truth because she deserves to know. So this truth Liz deserved to know and everyone felt was Red's place to tell her, is that Dom tried to kill his own daughter, and did so behind Raymond's back. Dom himself expecting Red to tell her this truth. Apparently can't admit to his own sins and Liz deserves to know ahahahaha.  And here we are. “Raymond, I’m not sure Elizabeth will ever be ready to learn about what you did to Katarina.” Shown it wasn’t Red, but Dom and Ilya. Can’t wait to see how LIz will treat Dembe, now that she knows he was assisting Red in their war against her fake mother. 
My final rant.
They’re doing with her just as they did with Ilya. If they wanted the audience to believe this woman is her mother, and she truly is her mother, no point hiding it. Just confirm, but they don't. They'll hide her face with a shawl just as they hid the face of the person on the surgical table. List her as "the woman" like they listed Ilya as "Stranger." Only reason they'd have to shed doubt is there being reason to doubt. 
One can easily assume the woman’s position on the blacklist speaks to her character’s identity and blacklister importance. Its not the numbers that speak to me, it’s who falls where according to their connection and what their history is. Having originally drafted Red to kill Fakerina in 6x22, then planning to kill her in 7x10 only to change it again tells me she’s not an important character and is more likely a double. That’s not to say she isn’t connected to the mythology. She can be deeply connected to it, but still not be of actual importance. So they planned for a full war between Red and Liz’s stepfather, a full war between Red and Liz’s nanny, but the real Katarina was slated to die upon her entry? Liz has been searching for answers about her past since the pilot. Answers about her mother, since S2. Yet, they had no plans for Liz and her mother to meet face-to-face? Just kill her off? ahahaha. Death and numbers don’t speak to me. They could've killed Tom off in the pilot and reveal later that the mark on his go-box is connected to the Townsend Directive. He was already in her life. Since Red hired him, he was in her life. They could’ve killed Fakerina in the S6 finale for all that she mattered to Liz, and reveal later that she acted as a Katarina double. That’s how much I care about their numbers. But in taking a look at where everyone is positioned, I have to wonder how Tom Keen is connected to the mythology. The top ten is where he sits. As for Fakerina, they originally drafted Liz not to even meet this woman, which tells me her living character isn’t as important as the dead character that sat in a suitcase/ bag through the whole of S5. 
Obvious Red is speaking of two different women. Obvious Dom is speaking of two different women. Obvious Ilya cares for two different women, and on two different levels. Imagine that - a man having two female friends. Wow. Liz and Agnes are in danger because she now has two different mothers. The mother that already died, and the one who'd actually harm both her and her child to get what she needs because she cares for no one. Every last parallel is there, just waiting on the playout. JB said once we know Red's real identity, the show is over. Because of that, his history and/or connection to Liz would need to be revealed prior to. Constantin Rostov is gone. Sam Milhoan is dead. Mr. Kaplan is dead. These are connections Red would've had. Flashbacks would be required to reveal his connections to them because those characters are gone. They've yet to reveal a single connection For a male Raymond Reddington. But they did reveal Katarina Rostova's. Her connection to every single character. On top of those connections, they have yet to introduce Red's supposed dead family, what answers people believe he's seeking regarding that supposed dead family. They haven't even flashed back to bubble girl since S2. That's how important this supposed dead daughter is.
One can and will likely cherry pick to suit their theory, but that's not something Rederina theorists do. They don’t have to. Everything shown on screen fits within it. No need to doubt scenes or dialogues, no need to question the intent of each character, no need to fear that a storyline will turn out to be a waste of time. Pointless to watch the show otherwise. Silly to think that a story revolves around its audience rather than its characters. What one might feel would be a waste of time, doesn't necessarily say the same of the character(s) it's written for. However it plays out, S7 has a reason, catering to the series-long journey of their two leads. So if it turns out this woman isn't the real Katarina, consider whether or not Red and/or Liz would feel it a waste of time. Because it's not about you or me, it's about him and her. Being as blunt as I typically am, I think people are pushing for this woman to be the real Katarina because their asses celebrated too early, and they know it.
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thesnapewecandreamof · 6 years ago
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AU where snape, minerva, black, and lupin all go rogue on the order and team up and successfully take down the dark lord before harry potter has to deal with him. (This can be before his first year, during the first war, just after the dark lord was resurrected, or whenever you see fit.) Extras with Lucius and Narcissa helping in the background and Albus bring flabbergasted
Anything
This is supposed to be a plot for a multi-chap anonnnn,, I don’t think I can write it properly but here’s some hc. I kinda got carried away
- When Severus said he would do “Anything” to keep Lily and her family(yes, even if it included the toerag Potter), he meant anything. Dumbledore broke their pact so Severus took it upon himself to protect her child.
- When he learned from Minerva’s rants that the young Potter was placed with Petunia and her family of all people, he had to restrain himself from marching there himself. 
- He went to Lucius and Narcissa. They had a son just recently and if Draco was born just a bit later, it could have been their son who was nearly killed and it would have been them on the end of the Dark Lord’s mind. It took a lot of scheming but Lucius eventually relented. He wanted the Dark Lord gone. Lord Voldemort may have started just a tad insane but as he grew more paranoid, so did his penchant to torture his followers for no reason. A Malfoy does not bow and Lucius knew that his ancestors would spit his name when they learn he kissed the hem of the robes of a false lord.
- Narcissa was easier to convince. She was a mother and would do everything to protect her son. Severus was there as they worried about their child. And he knew that despite all the blood supremacy propaganda the Blacks spouted, Narcissa wasn’t as insane as her aunt Walburga nor her sister Bellatrix. She wasn’t above scoffing at muggles nor saying Severus’ most hated word, but she has enough grace decorum not to do so in polite company. And she was from the most ancient and noble house of Black. If Malfoy’s don’t bow, the Blacks won’t even acknowledge a false lord.
- Despite everything he has against the Marauders, he sought out Lupin because even a werewolf would be a better guardian than Petunia.There was always the Malfoy’s but Severus was hesitant to leave young Potter to them.
- Lupin was still grieving and they nearly drew their wands against each other. Severus just punched him in the jaw to calm him down. As Lupin sported a sore jaw, Severus found out that Lupin was under suspicion and was therefore not chosen as a Secret Keeper and he wondered just what else Potter and Black were scheming between themselves. 
- So Severus asked Malfoy for a favor and found himself roaming Azkaban and found he enjoyed the place more when he was the one outside of the bars. He took several calming potions and occluded beforehand so when the warden opened an interrogation cell with a chained Sirius Black, he barely raised a brow as the moron shouted himself hoarse. 
- He forced some Veritaserum on his enemy and asked him if he killed the twelve muggles and Black laughed and said yes. Severus didn’t fly into a rage with righteous fury. He knew Sirius Black and it was easy to see the worst him during the best of times but he knew how much Black liked to brag. And he wasn’t bragging now. He asked if he was the Secret Keeper and Black laughed in a maniacal way saying that Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper. How Black may as well have killed all those muggles and had his best friend and his wife killed because it was his idea in the first place to switch secret keepers. Severus walked out even while Black was hurling insults towards him.
- Trusting Minerva was a shot in the dark. She didn’t trust him enough and she was an old friend of Dumbledore. He was her friend before Severus was even born. But he heard her rant about leaving Potter to his relatives. How horrid they were and how she was unsure about Albus’ choice of guardian.
- So Severus decided to risk it. He approached Minerva and let her motherly lion instincts to fill in the blanks. He planted the seeds of doubt in her and allowed her some time to think about his words.
- It took some planning but Severus approached Lupin again, this time without any hexes nor fists and told him the truth. Lupin admitted that his other friends were animagus’ and Severus wanted to scoff at him. That was the best nicknames they could come up with? Severus remarked how obvious who the traitor is in hindsight and had to talk Lupin out of telling Dumbledore. Despite everything, it all seemed a bit too convenient that nobody tried Black, how they only asked if h killed those muggles, how Potter was sent to muggle relatives despite other blood relations from distant families like other wizarding children.
- Severus returned to Lucius and discussed legal matters with him, letting the Malfoy get lulled into a familiar battle field before throwing him into the fire. He asked about why the Dark Lord was so confident he wouldn’t die, why he was paranoid with the prophecy despite his self proclamation of immortality. 
- After some time Lucius showed Severus a diary the Dark Lord asked him to keep. Severus did the wise thing and examined it for curses and his eyes widened when he saw just how dark that artifact was. Despite his better judgement, he needed to find out why it was so dark so he wrote on it. The things he found out were alarming. When he noticed that he was getting weaker and that his magic felt too drained, he destroyed the diary in an empty lot in another manor of Malfoy outside of Britain.
- A shard of the Dark Lord’s soul in an object? Severus searched high and low in the Malfoy and Black libraries. He shuddered as he found out that it was a horcrux but thanks to the text in his hand, he knew how to deal with it.
- Planting the seeds of doubt in Minerva paid off. She approached him one day and asked about the Dursleys again. She admitted that she did not fully trust him but she was also beginning to doubt Albus’ judgement.
- Severus believed he had enough pieces to finally play and so decided to bluff his way to a win.
- Sirius Black escaped and stirred the public into panic. Dementors were sent and the public grew even more upset. Lupin was the first person they suspected of harboring a criminal but he wasn’t there. He was somewhere in cokeworth hiding.
- Narcissa of all people begin to speak up for her cousin. Telling the public that she didn’t believe his sentence to be legitimate and went off to tell tales of being in school with him, where he was a prankster but wished no harm to anyone. She spun a tale of how he chose to be disowned by his family rather than turn his back on his best friend. That got the people thinking and had Severus nearly vomiting as he read the article.
- Lupin began whispering to a lowly newspaper called the Quibbler. Xenophilius was only a few years in the business but took on the tale of a poor werewolf wondering how his friend suddenly changed and how out of character it seemed. Minus the gnargles and other creatures apparently making your mood sour and eating up your common sense, the article was fairly decent. It planted some seeds of doubt in the mass’ heads and soon enough some demanded a real trial.
- Sirius Black surrendered himself to the ministry accompanied by Lupin and Narcissa with the deal that they use veritaserum on him and without violence. After proving himself innocent and damning Pettigrew’s name, it only took a few days before Harry was transferred to his godfather. 
- Dumbledore tried his best to sway Sirius’ decisions but being left to rot in Azkaban isn’t forgiven lightly. Minerva stepped in and got Dumbledore away from Sirius’ back. Severus silently patting himself on the back for that one. On the way out, he spoke to Minerva of his ‘suspicions’ of the Dark Lord’s true state. He revealed a barely visible dark mark and saw her pale. Honesty was always a plus with a lion, despite how queesy it makes them. He confirmed that the Dark Lord isn’t truly gone and once again left her with a question of how far is she going to go to be rid of such a monster.
-  Getting Potter away from Petunia is done. Severus planned to go about the second phase alone but considering they were now having ‘secret meetings’ in his house now and seeing Narcissa speak to Lupin and Black snarking at Lucius, it seemed he didn’t have to. 
Shit now I want an AU of this. 
Thanks for the wonderful angst anon, there’ll be a part two sometime soon. Send some asks on what you want to see if you feel like it.
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The Wrecker: An Amphibia Prequel Fanfic: Chapter 1: The Crossroads
 Darkness.
 Crickets chirped…
 Birds tweeted…
 Leaves crunched under his feet.
(First 59 seconds of “Hey Mando!” – Ludwig Goransson)
 The daylight sun was barely up as the hooded soldier trudged through the forest floor, his footsteps quiet enough not to alert more beasts, but loud enough to make an impact. The muddy path was imprinted by his black laced leather boots, and the leaves of trees were cut down instantly by his sharp sword of steel, which glimmered and shined in the approaching dawn, near blinding in its light.
 He covered his eyes, for a moment, the scars surrounding his face now illuminated. Red, sharp lines that stretched all around his eyes and chin, telling of stories he’d rather not share. His hands were a different story: They were covered in blood.
 And not just blood from the Herons he had had to tackle before, an unfortunate part of his morning routine.
 If he resided at Toad Tower, he’d have a warm bed and a hot meal, and the herons and tomato plants and Nightmare Trees would leave him be.
 But his nights… Would still be restless.
 Closing his eyes for a moment, leaning on a tree he didn’t have to kill, he could still hear the screams of that last heron he had to strike down.
 They were just like the screams from yesterday.
 He sighed, a pain in his chest. 60 years old and still running… Somehow.
 How that business in Swamp Port hadn’t killed him he still couldn’t tell you.
 But the screams… They didn’t leave. They hurt way more than all the wounds he had ever been dealt, and he been dealt a lot over his 30 years of service.
 He was used to tangling with criminals, with ruffians, with mercenaries…
 Freedom fighters though… Were an unwelcome new development.
 Ever since Toad Tower had doubled down on its control of Amphibia, the plebs had been responding badly. Especially those from Marsh Pond, the main supplier of silk to the Toads. Once the relationship had been purely diplomatic and peaceful, but something in their nature had caused a need to fight back.
 As the keepers of the peace, they were sent to stop an impending war.
 He could still feel it.
 They normally took prisoners. Even with the recent more “aggressive” tactics deployed by the soldiers, they normally left enemies of the state to rot in prisons.
 But he had, for the first time, panicked.
 He had for the first time chosen the path oft followed, and he had killed a fellow frog.
 But…
 Was that the first time he had chosen that?
 The blood still didn’t wipe as his leaf crunching began to sound more familiar, and the trees took the shape of a sunny, seemingly serene path. The sounds of orders being given, of soldiers marching and of swords striking echoed down to where he stood, large and imposing, broad shoulders drooping and round, orange face filled with thought.
 Thought of the terrible things he had done.
 Thought of all the things he had killed.
 Thought of what once was…
 He turned around, for a moment, looking back.
 Home was back there. Home, in the farm, where his family once proudly stood. Home, with the lush green ivy and the sunny days and the smell of fly pancakes sizzling on the griddle, and the cool of the lake and the satisfaction of a hard day’s work.
 Home…
 But he didn’t belong there.
 He had rightfully been removed from there…
 To where he truly belonged.
 On the one hand, he wished he could take it back. He wished he could bring back the poor frog he had killed.
 But he knew it was too late. For him… There was no other way.
 No one else wanted him…
 And this was the only thing he was good at.
 Taking a small breath, his eyes still getting used to the bright rays of the sun, he failed once more to wipe the blood off…
 He turned around, black cape swirling, a dark shadow falling over him.
 And with that, he walked towards Toad Tower on the road he could not stray from, knowing he could only get worse… So at least he’d just get it over and done with.
 Who knew?
 Maybe today would be the one where Frog would take mercy on his soul and have the enemy strike him down once and for all.
 Maybe today…
 He would rest.
        “Atten….Hut!”, a commanding and direct, yet not rough voice rose through the air.
 (“National Anthem of Roman Empire” – National Anthems of The World)
 Dozens of swords rose up in salute as a large green toad, with shining golden armor and an honorable velvet cape marched down the pristine halls of Toad Tower.
 Said halls were quite a spectacle to behold: Full of bountiful treasures, like the Dread Pirate Mog’s Chest of the Deep, and the mythical water producing sands of The Red Spotted Desert, full of glorious works of art, lavish portraits and marble statues of captains of the past, full of amethysts and emeralds and sapphires that sparkled even at darkest night.
 Cashmere carpets and curtains of gold filled the floors and walls, and a beautiful ceramic mosaic of the entire Captain blood line enriched the ceiling with a feeling of purpose: This was a legacy to be observed with great care.
 But the soldiers of Toad Tower, all different shapes and sizes of the same kind of crony, were too busy fixing their eyes on the most important man in any room he’s in, but one, now standing on a small humble wooden footstool in the middle of the great hall: The illustrious, the bold, the magnificent, the all powerful and all caring father to his men:
 “Lieutenant Grime, SIR!”, the men called out in salute.
 A sense of pride burning in his chest, and a warm smile spreading across his face, Lieutenant Grime motioned with his palm for the men to relax.
 “Thank you, company. But I am here not to order, but to confirm your well being.”
 Stepping down from the stool, Grime observed the men with the eyes of a concerned leader.
 “Yesterday’s battle was a hard one, indeed. We nearly lost some brave toads, and we even found ourselves going farther than we are used to.”, Grime reminded solemnly.
 A rather courageous, yet prone to violent outbursts soldier answered proudly.
 “We all reported to the medical chambers, Sir! We are in prim and proper condition!”, the soldier, Bog by name, said.
 Grime smiled and shook his head, humorously, illiciting a few hearty chuckles from his men. “Fit as a fiddle, perhaps, but the mind is a slightly more complicated instrument, my dear Bog.”
 Bog piped down, feeling a little sheepish. He did not like being shown for a fool in front of the others. He was a warrior first and foremost, and he liked the aura of power it gave him.
 Grime walked among his men, looking them in the eye to see if he could detect anything.
 “Our mental health is crucial for our survival: A man whose battle is not with his enemy, but with himself, is a man who cannot move forwards. You cannot march on to victory if your feet are chained with doubt and guilt.”, Grime informed, softly and surely.
 The men tried to heed his wise words, and they continued to listen carefully as Grime continued his monologue.
 “I know that some of you think that what we did yesterday was a step too far: A step backwards into the dark times of my grandfather, Captain Mire.”
 Grime took a moment to pause, a fraction of conflict showing upon his normally cheery eyes: The mark of his grandfather’s crimes against frog and toad kind was a weight he still carried.
 But he was not to despair. His men would follow in his lead.
 He turned back, and observed the soldiers with determined inspiration.
 “My men… There are times where we face a crossroads, and times where our actions lose their black and white coating. This war is a complicated one, one where our enemies are our friends.”, Grime said.
 He looked up to the sky, up with hope, as his eyes gleamed with belief. “But we must persevere! We must do what is right, even when skies are grey… And misty…”
 He smiled, as he repeated an oft repeated line, the motto of his species: “We are…”
 “The line…”, a deeper, much more commanding voice sounded down the halls, and everyone, even Lieutenant Grime, kneeled in respect, as the one they all followed and served walked in.
 He was taller than even Grime, his armor was somehow more golden, and his scar ridden face was complimented with a steely look, one that could shake the skies and part the oceans; His hands had turned the tides of war many times, and his eyes told a story of power…
 And of prophecy.
 “Captain Muck, SIR!”, the soldiers saluted, Grime included.
 All the toads continued to kneel, as Captain Muck, leader of the Toad Army, and by that, leader of all of Amphiba, marched down towards Lieutenant Grime and offered his hand.
 Grime humbly took it, standing up, but not too much as to not appear in charge.
 “A most eloquent speech as usual, son.”, Muck complimented, an ancient smile on his face.
 Grime proudly accepted it, nodding. “The honor is all mine, father.”
 He added, in a slightly longing tone, “It has been many moons since we last saw you here at Toad Tower.”
 Muck patted his son’s shoulder blade, agreeing with his progeny. “Yes, son, it has been too long.”
 He then greeted the still kneeling army with the voice of a jubilant general, raising their spirits in an instant. “It has been TOO long since I last had the honor of seeing my loyal subjects, whose successes greet children at night and fill the mugs of lonely toads at the inns!”
 The toads cheered, standing up and applauding their great and powerful leader.
 His golden cape swirling, Muck turned to Grime and inquired of recent events.
 “Tell me, how did yesterday’s skirmish befall? Have the terrorists been disposed of?”
 Grime shook his head, albeit not for the reasons Muck expected. “Not quite, father. And I must add, that I wouldn’t go so far as to label them terrorists, more misguided allies.”
 “Now, I wouldn’t go so far myself, son! Allies or not, the once faithful citizens of Marsh Pond have turned on their protectors.”, Muck replied, taking on an amused tone
 “Turned, true, but not for empty reasons: They seem to think that our efforts to protect them are from a dictatorial standpoint.”, Grime retorted, thoughtfully.
 Muck scratched his chin, seemingly puzzled. “How on Amphibia can one interpret our generosity as malice amazes me to no end. It is as if a son would turn on his father, after years of diligent care.”
 Grime had to agree. “You always know just what to say, father.”
 Muck winked, and continued his assessment. “Now, misguided or not, did they lose?”
 Grime nodded curtly. “I would say. They even…”
 Grime struggled with this. Not one frog had died in almost 3 generations of Toad rule. He knew it was a mistake, and he knew it was a consequence of his good intentions, but it was a shadow on his, no… On their legacy.
 He stammered, a rarity, before delivering the truth. “They had lost one of their own. By accident, mind you. But frog blood spilled on Amphiba yesterday, and we are to blame.”
 “To blame? Son, you have an odd perception of justice.”
 Grime was, for the first time, truly surprised, and he showed it with his widening eyes. “Justice? A frog died!”
 “A terrorist frog, son. And one who would have been a repeat offender. Whisperings of this event have stretched across Amphiba, even to my very doorstep.”, Muck informed.
 “So that was why he had come”, Grime thought, feeling a pang of sadness, but it soon passed.
 Muck reached out his arms in welcome. “Times are changing: Our codes must adapt to such things. If criminals must die to set an example, then we will teach the next generation, as we have done before.”, he said.
 He looked back at Grime, making a point. “As you yourself said, regardless of the grey and misty skies, we MUST do the right thing.”
 Muck then extended his sword and sent the tip to the floor, causing an echoing sound. “We ARE the line!”
 “WE ARE THE LINE!”, the soldiers, even Grime, chanted.
 “Well then…”, Muck began, turning once more to his son. “Who is the hero we must laud? Who is the brave soul who has given Amphibia a chance to sleep at night? Who is my champion?”
 Muck pointed at Grime, causing Grime to feel uneasy. “Was it you, my son?”
 Grime hated it, but he had to disappoint his father, though secretly he was glad he didn’t have to carry the burden of murder. “No, father… But I do know who it was. I led the operation, after all.”
 “Well then? Who was it?”, Muck asked.
 The doors suddenly opened, causing a deafening sound, one which made Muck and Grime stare at the arrival of their most trusted soldier.
 “Look…”, one toad soldier whispered. “It’s The Wrecker…”
 (“The Mandalorian Main Theme” – Ludwig Goransson)
 This sent a hush across the crowd, and as The Wrecker, soul still heavy, but mind made up of his fate, his fate to be nothing but the villain of his own story, walked towards Muck to salute him, stunned whisperings and awed gasps rained down the halls as the soldiers made way for him.
 “The Wrecker…”
 “The greatest Toad soldier not of the bloodline…”
 “I heard he once took on 30 mercenaries with one hand!”
 “I heard he’s never lost the beetle race at the Bizarre Bazaar!”
 “I heard that he eats herons for light snacks!”
 The Wrecker tried to ignore his “accomplishments”, his heart getting harder by the minute.
 He was as much of a monster as the herons outside…
 He wished he could learn to live with it.
 “Ah! The Wrecker!”, Muck greeted with loud approval, walking down towards his trusted muscle.
 His armor jingled as he put a proud hand on The Wrecker’s shoulder, and he inadvertently sent a shiver down the warrior’s spine.
 “Fashionably late as ever, but after 30 years of immense service, can I really ask for more?”, Muck complimented, grinning.
 The Wrecker said nothing, as this was customary of him. He rarely addressed anyone, mostly because the sound of his own voice reminded him of a different time.
 No matter how hard he tried to change it, that small sound of home stayed.
 He couldn’t kill his past.
 Muck didn’t notice any of that, choosing to continue to lavish praise. “I see that you have done what no frog or toad has done in years: You have killed an enemy of your country. I am insurmountably proud!”
 He then motioned towards Grime, who quickly joined. “I feel as if now is finally the time you accept your long overdue reward of becoming a co-Lieutenant!”
 Grime proudly beamed. “I would be MORE than happy to share the post with you, my friend!”
 And it was true: Grime was not only happy, he was his friend. Perhaps his only one.
 But The Wrecker said nothing.
 And Muck understood.
 “Well, I think you’ve earned the right to refuse that. You are a good soldier, with or without medals. But a banquet tonight at toad hall, at the very least?”, Muck offered, a voice full of hopeful anticipation.
 The Wrecker aquiesced. There was no reason to create a fuss. They could celebrate; He would just try to forget he wasn’t lying cold on the wet grass of an abandoned battlefield.
 Muck laughed heartily as he announced the upcoming banquet, which sent the whole hall cheering, and as they finished, Muck announced another important thing.
 “Well, the time for frivolaties is over! We must take action once more!”
 He lifted his sword in command, and everyone followed. “Marsh Pond must be taught its lesson before its disease of the mind spreads! The line must be restored to proper balance! Go out today and teach them this lesson! And if you must, kill the ones endangering our safety!”
 Looking at The Wrecker, Muck smiled, almost evilly now. “What say you, Wrecker?”
 The Wrecker sighed. He would only be going deeper…
 But he had no home to go back to.
 All he had…
 Was the end of the road.
 If he really was to be a villain…
 If there really was no honor for him…
 Then he would finish his job.
 Straightening up and clenching his fists, The Wrecker said:
 “…When do we start?”
 THE WRECKER
 CHAPTER 1: THE CROSSROADS
            (“Isolation” by Brian Taylor – Iron Man 3 plays)
 The carriage shuddered and rattled as it made its way down the long, crooked and winding road towards Marsh Pond. The pebbles on the path kept interfering with the wheels, causing much bumping on the ride.
 While outside the sun shone brightly, and the crickets and butterflies played with the dandelions, inside the carriage was a very different atmosphere.
 These were fighters, warriors, and soldiers, on a mission to defend their homeland. There was no more serious mission.
 In fact, this was the first tax day check the toads had had to make in a long time, and tensions were high after yesterday’s battle.
 The soldiers tried to distract themselves from the past and future events, however, by keeping themselves busy; Idle minds were often potent for traumatic memories.
 So inside their dreary and dark camouflage green and oak tree brown carriage, they wasted time to forget that their time was short lived, and that their days were numbered.
 Some were participating in a spirited spitting contest using Private Berry’s helmet (his mum had given it to him, apparently, which only reinforced their decision to use it). The riccothests echoed across the carriage, disturbing the few who chose to sleep.
 “Quiet down there, ya fuckin’ morons!”, one shouted out, throwing his spear at a fellow toad who just managed to duck, causing the others to laugh jovially.
 Such moments of levity were few and far between, so when they presented themselves the men would jump to the occasion.
 Besides spitting and sleeping, writing letters home was another popular activity.
 One Pugs by name was doing just that, writing home to her parents back in Toad country.
 Her quill was fast and efficient, since any toad soldier worth their weight knew that an outside attack could happen at any minute.
 If you wanted to settle affairs, you had to make it snappy.
 “We’re off now to Marsh Pond. I believe you once mentioned it in one of your bedtime stories, papa. Is it…”
 She stopped, choking for a moment.
 She then resumed, but the parchment was a tad damper than she had intended. “…Is it as wonderful as you said it was? If so… I’m sorry. We may have to burn that place down. I hope I haven’t disappointed you or mama.”
 While this letter was being written, the last activity remaining was being practiced by Lieutenant Grime and The Wrecker in their lonely corner of the carriage, barely illuminated, shadows casting over their armor and faces.
 Grime seemed in a melancholic mood, contributed to by his Father’s seeming ignorance of him (a selfish motivation that illicited shame in Grime) and a general guilt over the death of the so called “Terrorist”.
 Sharpening his dagger with another, Grime seemed fully focused on the task, as if perhaps it could distract his troubled soul.
 And The Wrecker did the same with his sword, albeit less distracted.
 Such was the soul of this warrior, he just…
 He just couldn’t ignore.
 He had killed a frog…
 And he couldn’t even truly state self defense.
 He had panicked, and he had failed. Again.
 Failure.
 If The Wrecker had a single consistent motif in the symphony of his life, it would be titled “Failure”.
 He was nothing but that.
 He had failed his family…
 His town…
 His father…
 His people…
 And even himself.
 He had tried his luck at farming, the arts, merchant work, and even begging, and it got him nowhere.
 Every time he tried something, he fell flat on his face, reminded once more of his uselessness.
 At everything…
 Everything but fighting.
 For some odd reason, he was adept at surviving, at persevering in a fight.
 It was some sort of innate instinct of his.
 The will to survive, despite the fact that he was clearly unwanted, even by himself.
 This will, however, was slowly being eroded away by the waves of guilt that washed over him.
 “I’m no good at anything but destruction. I am nothing more than a blunt tool.”, he lamented as he sharpened his sword.
 He sharpened harder, causing sizzles to fly.
 “Might as well put my back into it. If I’m going to die, I’m going to die at least getting one thing right.”
 Meanwhile, Pugs continued to write her letter, and The Wrecker overheard her pleas of forgiveness to her parents.
 Coupled with the rattle and shake of the carriage and the sharply contrasting blue sky he could see from the lone window, The Wrecker found himself thinking back to a different time…
 When he was a different person…
 “Dear Mum and Dad…”, a 20 year old Wrecker dictated, sticking the quill in his mouth and recoiling from the taste.
 “Yech! Anyhow, I’m on the carriage to college, and I have never been more excited!”
 He wasn’t exaggerating; he had spent the entire trip looking out the window in excitement, gawking at the sights and sounds, amazed at the different kinds of snails and frogs he was seeing, alongside the marvelous skies out there.
 “I’ve only seen such blue skies in my dreams…”, he muttered to himself, tapping his chin in thought on what to write.
 He soon came up with another idea, and wrote it down quickly. “How are things at the farm? I hope the corn is growing better than last time I handled it!”, he added, smiling, but the smile was oddly unnatural on his youthful face.
 He soon found himself staring at the piece of paper, knowing he had to say something deeply hidden inside.
 Looking from side to side, he added with shaking, guilty fingers “I’m so sorry that I brought shame on our name. I…”
 A tear fell on the bench next to him. He wiped it quickly, not wanting anyone else to be affected by it.
 “I… I’m sorry. But I promise: This is the last time I’ve failed! I will bring honor to our family and town, and I will prove that… That keeping this pollywog was the best decision you made!”
 Feeling a sense of pride burst in his chest, he finished with a determined grin. “Looking forward to making you proud! Sincerely…”
 He stuttered, wishing he could justify the title. “…Your son.”
 Sitting back, he took the parchment and stuck it in his ready made envelope, scribbling the address carefully.
 “Seriously? A letter to your parents? What are you, 5?”, the taller turqouize frog next to him, who was busy whistling a merry tune, suddenly interjected.
 Wrecker turned to him in objection, annoyed by the incessant whistling. “Gosh, Mellow, why you gotta be such a wet towel?”
 Mellow responded with a flick to the ear. “Why you gotta be such a baby? Blue skies and weepy family letters? Grasshopper pie much?”
 He sneered and removed a lettuce leaf from his teeth with his fingers, causing Wrecker to cringe. “It’s like, dude! You and I both know what happened back there.”
 Mellow suddenly took on a sadder tone, and he eyed his carriage mate with a sympathetic look. “…Why are you lying to yourself? No one has ever given you a chance. I wonder if even you do.”
 Wrecker took a deep breath and looked out of the carriage, still seeing blue skies. “Well… My first chapter was not bright… But that’s what re-writes are for! This is a new page for me! I… I just know it!”
 “…And I ended up flunking out. I couldn’t even succeed in the one elective I got right.”
 Wrecker sighed, a cold shiver down his spine.
 When was he finally going to accept that there was no other way?
 This was the only thing he was good at…
 Whatever he once was… Whatever he could have been…
 It was gone, lost forever in the winds of the past.
 He wasn’t who he once was.
 He was The Wrecker.
 And that would never change.
 His last sharpening of his sword was particularly loud though, and it caused Grime to observe his comrade with slight concern.
 The two never really talked (well, Wrecker never really talked that is), but Grime had learned over the years they had spent as fellow soldiers when he was in a stormy mood.
 He may have only been 20, but he was wise beyond his years. He could tell when guilt was steering a man’s ship.
 “…I’m worried about today too.”
 Wrecker said nothing. He just tried to focus on his sword.
 “…Father seems… Very pre-occupied of late.”
 Again, Wrecker said nothing, though he was used to Grime expressing his insecurities about his father. Grime had no one else to tell, which made Wrecker even guiltier: What could he do to help him when he was himself?
 “…Sorry, I’m venting again. I just… I hope I’ll make him proud today.”
 Wrecker nodded and silence reigned again.
 But Grime had another thing to address.
 “…I know yesterday was difficult, but you did a good thing in the end. Father wouldn’t have said so if it wasn’t.”
 Wrecker now REALLY wanted to ignore, and his sharpening got louder and harder, sparks literally flying.
 “I mean it. You… You saved us from those Terr… From those frogs! They wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you! I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you! You… You are a hero to us all, Wrecker!”
 Gritting his teeth, Wrecker stood up and looked at Grime with a mixture of guilt, pain, hatred and resignation. “You’re wrong.”, he stated, with finality, and he began to step away as the carriage dragged to a halt.
 Grime was surprised by this, and feeling that he had to make Wrecker understand that he was one of the best… No, the BEST of them all!
 Standing up, he grabbed Wrecker by the shoulder pad, turning him to him, startling him for a moment.
 “Wrecker… You made sure no one died!”
 Wrecker pulled himself away, fury and anguish in his dark eyes.
 “…He did.”
 The doors slammed wide open, and shoving all the others aside, The Wrecker stepped out onto the outskirts of Marsh Pond, the all too familiar scent of corn, sunflowers and hay hitting him in the face and sending him back.
 In response, he shoved his sword violently into a dog sized maggot and wiping the blood on his cloak, giving himself an extra imposing look, The Wrecker forebodingly walked towards the peaceful for now farmlands, eyes narrowed, heart clenched.
 The rest of the men followed, tense and prepared for anything. Death was in the air…
 War was coming to Marsh Pond.
         (“The Scavenger” by John Williams – Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
 “Ok, Xena! I’m ready!”
 Standing in a wide field of about 20 rows of green silk plants, ready to be harvested once more thanks to the winterless skies of Amphibia, the ultramarine/perriwinkle webbed feet of 20 year old Annie Lilypad curled up in anticipation, her massive hitting branch at the ready, her eyes showcasing excited confidence.
 Annie was standing on the southernmost side of the field, mere meters away from the farm she had spent all her life in wishing she was anywhere but there.
 Not that her childhood had been some sort of nightmare, mind you, but Annie was the sort of frog with her head in the clouds. For Annie, life was most fun when she got to truly express the mess of interests in her mind out in the open!
 And today was a good day to be herself!
 “Serving up!”, called out Xena, a buff and athletic artichoke green frog, whose short stature didn’t affect her strength one fold. Using her well toned arm, Xena hurled a massive dead fly towards Annie, a fly so big it would have freaked out any ordinary frog.
 But Annie Lilypad was NO ordinary frog.
 Narrowing her eyes and smirking confidently, Annie took a few steps forwards, readied her branch, and with a mighty guttural roar of power, unleashed her whack.
 “BACKHAND!”, She screamed, and the fly was sent hurtling back in tremendous speed, Xena barely ducking as it hit the granite wall with a humongous splat, coating the wall (and XENA) with fly guts and ick.
 Blood was also coating the stone barrier, but it was nothing compared to the other splats of fly body parts spread around the wall. And with the work done, one could see that the seemingly benign and needlessly violent endeavor had a purpose: A crude spelling out of ANNIE WUZ HERE was now being appreciated by Annie, Xena, and the now arriving Shirley, a tall and lanky magenta frog who whistled in approval.
 “Realizing your identity through the mediums of art and murder by stamping yourself onto the shackles that hold us down! Deep, man…”, Shirley nodded, feeling the art by closing her eyes and breathing it in.
 “I see you used carcasses. Tres chic! Gives a very REAL and RAW feeling to the work!”, she complimented, patting Annie’s back, who closed her eyes in pride.
 “Well, what can I say? Some girls paint, some girls fight, I just ROCK!”, Annie boasted, and she flexed her arms as Shirley and Xena applauded.
 “Too bad this is the closest we’ll ever get to self realization.”, Xena commented, shoulders drooping, and the other girls nodded sadly, well aware of their predicament.
 Marsh Pond was Amphibia’s number one silk farm (using both silk worms and artificial manufactured silk to meet the suffocating demand), and its center of the arts and sports. It was a cultural mecca to frogs and toads of all ages, artists to athletes to merchants, and since tourism and trade were the majority of economic influx to the village, ESPECIALLY thanks to the crippling Toad Tower taxation, Marsh Pond was on a constant schedule of 24/7/365 work.
 This meant a few things: It meant that farmers, artists, sportsmen and tour guides had to work their asses off. It meant that a silk harvest that died out or was stolen would potentially send a family into the streets, if not into the grave.
 And it meant that no one could ever leave Marsh Pond.
 Which was great, if you wanted to be a silk farmer, or an artist, or a road travelling merchant, or a beloved boxing champion.
 But it meant the end of the road before it had even begun for some frogs.
 Like Xena, who had always wanted to set her own wrestling show and travel from town to town, entertaining the masses.
 Or Shirley, who wanted to paint more than fields of silk and dusty old farmers, who wanted to paint the setting of the sun on Mount Rebirth and the starry skies that hovered over the near impossible to find salamander cities that touched the clouds.
 Or Annie… Who wanted nothing more than to see it all.
 But alas, these three frog lasses had nothing more to look forward to, other than decades of farming the same land over and over until they became part of it, nothing else but moving fertilizer, destined to be snail grazing.
 Annie sighed as she sat on the porch of her farm house, her friends standing idly by, knowing there was no hope.
 “If only…”
 It echoed and echoed in their minds, the enveloping emptiness of the concept wringing out any happiness they had left. There was nothing to do, nothing that could be done. And so, they just stood there, feeling empty and lost in a sea of dead possibilities.
 Well, Annie sat, but you get the picture.
 Sighing, Xena and Shirley excused themselves, since the job of a farmhand/daughter was never done, and their breaks were surely over. Annie was still waving goodbye to their already departed shadows when her father opened the door and took a deep breath.
 “Another day, another harvest. Come on, Annie! We have to hurry before the Tax Toads arrive!”, Leap Lilypad ordered, and Annie stood up, but her will was clearly not there to be found. Walking inside, Annie began to slap on her overalls and sunhat while Leap looked out into the distance, clearly anticipating something.
 In fact, the liberty tinted frog seemed almost tense, as if he knew of a great and horrible truth connected to the things out there in the outskirts. Looking back, he saw that Annie was still getting ready inside the Spanish Blue farmhouse with a red tiled roof and brown porch. She was wrestling with her overalls in the entrance room/living room, the wooden brown walls failing to elude a feeling of warmth.
 Leap smiled softly, before frowning at the distance again. Stepping carefully, Leap, hands in his pockets and heart in his chest, walked right into the middle of the silk field. The smell of corn, sunflowers and hay hit him in the face and he closed his eyes, enjoying it.
 This could very well be the last time he could ever stand in his garden and just smell the roses. This could very well be his final day.
 Leap felt the ground with his feet, he felt the wind in his hair, and he heard the longing call of the giant silk worms in the distance. The sun shone brightly in the sky, giving a golden aura to the clouds, as if they were reaching out to him. As if Eliza was still reaching out for him.
 Silently, he removed his hat and placed it near his chest, a single tear shedding. He took another deep breath as he looked at the clouds forming a shape that looked like her webbed hand, reaching out for him. Always reaching out. It took all his strength not to reach back, and give it all up.
 “Don’t be a fool…”, he told himself, and he took on an unsure smile. “You’ll… You might be seeing her again. If this works… You’ll be seeing her all right.”
 But Leap did not want to die. He did not want to perish and leave it all, leave his bountiful crops, his fields of peace, his warm fireplace, his…
 “Dad? Are we getting to work or not?”
 Leap startled himself awake, forgetting his daughter entirely. Turning around, he saw her dressed in the most unnatural way: Dressed like him. Her sunhat was tilted, of course, and her overalls were loose and nearly torn, as was to be expected. Her face was glazed, but determined to please, and her hands were holding a sheer with which they would get the crops.
 Leap knew that the Toads would be here soon, and that harvest would not happen. And he also knew that this wasn’t his daughter. And he also knew that Eliza wouldn’t have approved.
 Leap smiled as he gazed upon her, though. Over the decades Leap had grown many wonderful crops of silk, corn, pumpkins and wheat. He had the prizes, scars and tired bones to prove it.
 But of all his creations, none were as beautiful nor magnificent as his daughter who was not one bit like him. And he wouldn’t have changed her for a minute.
 Soon, he would have nothing. Soon, she wouldn’t have to farm for him or anyone. Soon…
 Soon he would meet Eliza again.
 Leap closed his eyes and took one last deep breath, knowing that what he was about to do would not only help others, but would help his daughter escape. And that was worth the most painful death there was. He had signed up for a reason… And he would make sure it was not in vain.
 Placing a hand on her shoulder, Leap struggled not to weep as he said “You know… I need to deal with the tax visitors first. Why don’t you…”, he began, and he took her hat off and unbuttoned her overalls.
 There were a million things he wanted to do, but he opted for only a kiss on her forehead. “Why don’t you go out to city square? Have the day off?”
 Annie was flabbergasted, and she showed it by jumping up and down excitedly. “What what what what?!?!?! You never let me have days off! Won’t we all, like, die out or something?”
 The wind tickled his ears and Leap chuckled and shook his head. “I am a grown man, dear. I can handle this by myself.”
 Annie wanted to leave more than anything. She HATED working in the fields, she LOATHED farming and she DESPISED the decades she was going to waste doing all that over and over and over again. But Annie was kind hearted despite it all, and more than all the previous things, she HATED leaving her father alone to do all the work.
 “Are… Are you sure?”, she asked, rubbing the back of her neck. “Even if it’s just the taxes, I could help with that! Surely you didn’t burn a whole weekend of my life for nothing!”, she joked, but she really did feel uncomfortable, and her sad eyes showed that.
 Leap, however, insisted, and he held her hand in his. “I promise you: Nothing bad will happen.” He narrowed his eyes, as if he had to make sure she believed it no matter what. “NOTHING.”
 Annie, slowly accepting the idea, nodded her head and kissed him on the forehead. “Ok! But I’ll work extra hard tomorrow! I promise!”
 In all the excitement, she hadn’t noticed her father’s frown at the fictional concept of “Tomorrow”.
 Dropping her things, Annie raced out of the gate filled with fly parts and cheered, hoping to get the latest batch of Beetle Jerky while it was still hot. Her cheers could still be heard by Leap as he walked towards his barn, the old frog staring back to where she had left and sighing.
 Holding his hat to his heart, he closed his eyes in a sort of prayer and stated as if it was fact “Nothing bad WILL happen, Annie. I swear. You’re not going to see your mother yet. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
 Wiping a hanging tear, Leap remained rooted to his spot for 5 minutes, before finally rousing the courage to begin the final chapter of his life, turning around and opening the barn door with a resounding and determined thud. The sound echoed across, startling the silk worms, who woke up and mooed almost like cows. Even the oldest and largest one, Kya, roared with surprise when the sound occurred.
 Rushing to her aid immediately, Leap shushed the large worm with soft pats to the head and affectionate whisperings of love. The worm slowly calmed down and nuzzled its head on his, the mucus not bothering Leap for a moment.
 All the other worms soon quieted down, and for a beautiful instant, all was silent in the barn. Leap tried to enjoy it while he could, knowing that the storm was inevitable.
 “Is she gone?”, a voice called out from the darkness, near the edge of the barn, disrupting the peace and causing some of the worms to call out again.
 Leap sighed, knowing his time was up. “She’s safe. And that’s all that matters.”
 Leap walked towards the noise source, still shrouded in darkness, the odd hum of a strange object reaching his ears and sending his heart racing.
 “What’s the matter, Leap? Have you lost faith in our mission?”, the voice asked, concerned this time. It was genuine; this voice and the voices that hadn’t spoken yet besides him were salt of the earth types, believers in their cause and fighters for freedom. And Leap had been one of the biggest voices for independence for years! If he had lost faith…
 “Have no such fear, brothers. I am just…”, Leap began, before clenching his fist and making his mind up. “I’m just thinking of how happy Eliza will be to see me.”
 Leap stepped in and the light revealed 9 other freedom fighters among the bale and hay, stretching their feet and ready for what could be the final day of their lives, though some of them were a tad more confident in their security.
 Tattered rags, rakes, pitchforks and torches waiting to be lit sat patiently among the group, weapons of the oppressed that hardly stood a chance against the Toad’s superior armory and fighting technique. Outdated books on Toad Strategy wasted everyone’s time on a measly wooden desk that was yellowing with age as much as the papers inside said books, a lonely candle wasting wax as well. Sunken and lost faces of rebels stood transfixed in time, awaiting the next move in the chess game of their lives.
 Leap went up to the head of the rebellion, Mog Gravel, and nodded his head slightly.
 “Have you no such fear, Leap.”, Mog encouraged, and he presented their last hope. “We are outnumbered, outmatched and out of time… But we are not out of hope.”
 He smiled, hoping to incite light in the darkness. “No one ever is.”
 Leap wasn’t so sure, but he knew the weapon had potential. He bit his lip and pointed at it, fear in his eyes. “So… Have you found out what it does?”
 Mog shook his head, but his spirit didn’t waver. “No… But we do know one thing: What we have… Could spell the END of Toad Tower…”
 And as the frogs all stared with a mix of fear and hope, the tension thick in the air, the Calamity box did nothing more but hum, it’s gems lighting up the dark barn with not hope, or fear…
 But destiny…
                 “CORN! FRESH, DELICIOUS CORN! CORN THAT’S HOT, HOTTER THAN YOU, I BET!”, a farmer shouted out, rolling his wheelbarrow full of cobs of corn next to his wooden stand that smelled of quality produce and parsley.
 “20 gold coins for THAT measly carrot? Just the one carrot?!”, a frog housewife with brown bangs and a purple purse complained loudly near a different produce stand with older, decidedly less fresh produce, that smelled of rotting potatoes.
 “Ma’am, ‘ave you SEEN the new taxes? I’ve got a family to feed!”, the stand manager said, a bearded fellow whose stomach informed that he had seen better days.
 “And I can’t feed mine if you charge such prices!”, the housewife retorted, and she slammed the stand with her purse, fire in her eyes.
 “Darius is going to win! His odds are high, and he’s got a mean right hook!”, a large, bald frog with squinting eyes debated with his friend at the kiosk, the steam of his black coffee making his eyes squint even more.
 “Eh, you’re full of shit! Alexander may be smaller, but he comes at you from everywhere at once!”, his thinner, nearly spikey haired friend countered, smoke spewing out of his hookah, the kiosk manager handing him a plate with his pretzel.
 “Swamp City ports close tonight at 6 PM. You want to be out of there as soon as possible, otherwise you’ll be stuck there for the weekend, and that’s when The Hive wakes up.”, an elderly merchant informed his first time delivering son.
 “Got it, dad.”, the son said shakily, wary of what could befall him, but desperate to please.
 Life in Marsh Pond was always hustling and bustling, never a moment to rest, and once, that had been it’s reason for success: The draw of the potential riches to be gained, the art to be adored, and the excitement to be had had caused an influx in population.
 But The Toads had changed that, and there was only so much increased demand that one city could contain. Coupled with the disillusionment the new generation had gained the last few years, and the city found itself on a threshold. The farming industry was slowly depending more and more on artificial crops, which were damaging the soil, the athletes association was struggling due to its one city event limit, and less and less frogs picked up a brush, for there were only so many times you could paint the same background.
 There was no other way around it: Marsh Pond was dying.
 And today it would draw its last breath.
 “Oh, no, my ball!”, a young frog girl named Daphne, who was bubble gum pink, exclaimed and she chased it onto the stone paved road, narrowly dodging the merchant’s son.
 “Daphne, come back here! You can’t run into the road!”, Daphne’s mother shouted out in fright and ran after her.
 Daphne bounced off the angry housewife’s head, knocked over by accident the corn wheelbarrow (“Sorry!”) and leapt from the gamblers table at the kiosk to reach it just in time.
 “Yes! I got it!”, she squealed happily, but when she looked up, she saw…
 CLANG!
 The sound of a sword hitting down on the ground was supplied by the Toad soldier now staring right at her with a nasty growl, and she hushed up immediately, whimpering from the look on his face.
 (“Firelord Ozai Theme” – Jeremy Zuckerman and The Track Team)
 Silence immediately took over the other frogs, who stopped all what they were doing to stare at the incoming chaos. The housewife shivered, the merchant’s son gulped quietly, the men at the kiosk sighed wearily, and Daphne’s mom glared with resigned desperation at the toad soldiers in front of her.
 Only the wind howled, causing the armor and terrifying war helmets to clank, their faces never moving.
 The towered over the frogs, their black as night cloaks blowing in the wind, like the wings of flesh eating vultures ready to prey on them all. The bells in the woodshop stand rang ominously, the tension in the air too thick to be cut.
 No one even dared move, as The Toad soldiers let their dominance be known by freezing an entire town with the act of simply appearing.
 Some of them, like Pugs, were already ashamed of their arrival, but the majority were like Bog, nearly grinning from the opportunity presented before them to burn this place to the ground. Their way of life was under siege, and Marsh Pond would know pain if it meant protecting the state.
 Only Grime seemed not to read the situation, too fixated he was on keeping the peace and being The Line. He knew his father had all but approved the use of brute force, especially in finding the “terrorists” who had stabbed Amphibia in the heart, but Grime just couldn’t bring himself to do it, which depressed him completely. How could he ever live up to his father, to his bloodline, if he couldn’t follow his orders? Of course, it was only a suggested course of action, which Grime was more than ready to stake his honor on if it meant that no more bloodshed would be undertaken. Grime knew he was doing something wrong, but he just couldn’t execute more frogs. There HAD to be another way.
 So he would take it. And so he tried to, as he walked up to the front of his men and cleared his throat, ready to address the citizens as to the manner of their arrival. Perhaps he could ease the storm, and steer the ship in the right direction.
 Perhaps he could still be a good leader.
 “Citizens of Marsh Pond!”, Grime’s voice boomed across the market space, all powerful and all reaching, arguably even stronger than Captain Mire. Everyone who was already looking at him focused even more now, and anyone who hadn’t been now had their eyes trained on him and him alone.
 Two other soldiers quickly positioned themselves in guarding positions, their spears pointed right at Daphne and her Mom, who still couldn’t budge, so scared they were that they were rooted to the spot.
 They quivered and whimpered, tears streaking down Daphne’s cheek, but somehow Grime didn’t notice.
 No one did, it seemed, too focused they were.
 No one did…
 But The Wrecker, who took one look at the child and saw someone he hadn’t seen in years…
 Himself.
 Meanwhile, Grime continued his speech, barging on with his well meaning but ineffectual declaration. “We are NOT here as your enemies. We are here as family, a family that is concerned.”
 Wrecker wanted to find a way to help Daphne and her mom move away, but one of the guards freaked out and threatened them with her spear, making the two frogs run off, scrambling away, bruising their knees on the rocky road.
 Wrecker just stood there silently, feeling his heart hurt just a little bit more as Grime continued, his soul beginning to intensely remind him of the past, of who he was, and of who he has become.
 “You mustn’t be afraid…”, Grime soothed, and suddenly Wrecker was 20 years old, and his father was holding his hand as Captain Mire stared into his eyes with a devilish grin, one which sent a shiver down his spine even now. He was crying then, and having his face touched by the toad leader was only making things worse.
 “We aren’t here to hurt you…”, Grime promised, but Wrecker could see Bog already sheathing his sword, and he could also see Mire “caressing” his face and sticking a knife to his face, nearly drawing blood.
 “We’ll make a fine slave of you yet…”, he whispered in his ear, and Wrecker could still hear his own screams echo into the night.
 “We aren’t here to scare your misguided warriors into submission…”, Grime phrased carefully, and Wrecker could see his neighbors being slaughtered as he narrowly ducked a sword that lashed at his head, his heart pounding, his mucus glands working overtime.
 “And we aren’t here to punish you…”, Grime neared finishing, while Wrecker could almost feel the flickering embers of the fire as his village went up in smoke.
 He could still hear the screams.
 They never left.
 Suddenly, as if past and present had collided, Wrecker felt as if he could actually see his younger self turn around and look at him.
 He blinked, confused, puzzled, startled, and every other synonym you could think of. How was this happening? It wasn’t possible!
 But there he was, looking at who he was, and who he could never be was staring right back.
 But it was not an empty stare; far from it. It was full of anger. Of rage. Of…
 Disappointment.
 “You were supposed to be better. Now, you’re going to burn another village. Only this time it WILL be your fault. And you will create more wreckers.”
 The younger version then shook his head, and sadly asked an armor piercing question: “Did you really hate yourself so much… That you chose to be what you hate most of all?”
 And Wrecker could only stare as Grime concluded his speech, the winds only getting stronger, disrupting a previously sunny day as grey clouds filled the air.
 “We are only here to collect your generous donations to the state. Not your state, not my state, but OUR state. For we are ALL Amphibians!”, Grime stated as fact, but the sight of the tremulous frogs, the image of defenseless children and frail old Frogs quivering at the sight of the heavily armed and massive Toads told a very different story. One Grime was all too happy to ignore in his all encompassing desire to be just.
 Finally ready to continue on their mission, Grime stated one last “Thank you for your co-operation” and promptly turned to Bog and Wrecker, the former bursting for the chance to punish those who sought to hurt his comrades, the latter still seeing his younger self look at him with disappointment.
 The other men all began to flank to two sides, used to this arrangement. Some pointed east, spears and swords once more pointed at the terrified townsfolk, and some pointed west, their backs turned to Grime, Bog, and Wrecker, but their nearly robotic flanking most definitely visible.
 The three most senior soldiers in the ranks glanced at each other, an aura of silence for a moment: Grime, the respectable and honorable leader; Bog, the vengeful and enraged master fighter; and Wrecker, the best fighter and the most reluctant, though his resigned nature could still make him useful. The tax day collections were to happen as normal (collect from those who pay, punish those who don’t), with the added instruction to snuff out some intel about the freedom fighters. All 3 men knew very well that a battle, an ambush, an attack, SOMETHING will happen.
 One rathered nothing would, one rathered something would, and one rathered an end to his torment.
 “Well, It’s time to divide forces. Wrecker, are you going on your own or with one of us?”, Grime asked, cordially. He knew that Wrecker was a lone wolf by nature, and he always tried to accommodate for his friend. Besides, he was good enough on his own. He was more than a match for whole squadrons of freedom fighters.
 Wrecker stared silently at the two of them, not sure what to choose for once, but Bog quickly settled it, an arm around his fellow warrior’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant! I’ll keep an eye on Amphibia’s best frog killer!”. Wrecker looked down in shame as Bog just grinned.
 Grime narrowed his eyes. He had just about enough of all this acceptance of a crime. He didn’t find Wrecker in contempt for a moment, but he did NOT want another catastrophe here, and even Grime could feel the tensions rising. He HAD to put a stop to this before it was too late, his father’s respect be damned!
 Stepping towards Bog, trying to break it nicely, he suggested “I would hope that kill was a one time thing. Even IF the warriors show up, we are more than capable of bringing them to justice ALIVE.”
 Now, normally Bog would have complied with orders (even if he disagreed with them). At most, he would have grumbled a bit. After all, he was an underling, and he knew that.
 But earlier that day, Bog had FINALLY heard a Toad leader say what he had ALWAYS wanted to hear: That he could protect his brothers and sisters properly! That he could defend his homeland from ANY threat!
 Bog could finally be a proper toad, like in the stories his grandfather used to tell of Captain Mire, and his glorious conquests down south! Bog could finally make HIS family name mean something!
 Bog could finally mean something.
 And not even the son of Captain Muck, with all his pathetic and nausea inducing speeches of peace could take that chance away from him!
 “I’m sorry, Lieutenant, perhaps you didn’t hear: But your father specifically approved of this so called “crime”. Maybe you need to get with the times and man up!”, Bog countered, loudly, almost aggressively, and he puffed up his chest, as if he was calling Grime to fight him.
 Grime was shocked, as was Wrecker, who had never seen such defiance, least of all in a loyal soldier like Bog. It was so surprising Grime actually began to feel a weird fire burn in his head, a rage he didn’t know he had.
 What was this toad doing? Defying HIS commands? Questioning HIS authority, the authority given to him by generations of Toad rule, his frog given birthright to lead HIS people to greatness?
 “What would father think?”, Grime thought, seeing the look of disappointment in the old man’s face. He was no Toad! Why, he was barely a maggot!
 And that made Grime even angrier, his teeth gritting and his face getting redder by the second.
 Grime puffed his chest too and stared Bog right in the eye. “Now, listen here, soldier! I am in command here! We are THE LINE. And we are here to keep the peace, not end it!”
 “We are in mortal danger, and you want us to just sit down and play nice with the enemy?”, Bog retorted, anger rising in his throat too.
 Wrecker didn’t even know what to think anymore, so he stayed silent.
 “The same blood flows in their veins as ours. We will not spill it!”, Grime growled, truly feeling enraged. His aforementioned veins throbbed and his fists clenched painfully, the palm getting nearly cut by the impact.
 “And what are you going to do if I protect us? Kill me?”, Bog checkmated, and Grime realized that for the first time, he was truly at a loss for words. Bog had him trapped: If he threatened to kill him (which felt terrifyingly enticing), he would be a hypocrite. And Bog was beloved among the men; they might just mutiny if he killed such a loyal soldier, and…
 Grime took a deep breath, feeling his horrible red hot anger and recoiling. He…
 He wasn’t like that. He…
 He didn’t kill.
 Grime took another breath and decided that he would have to let this be (for now) and allow Bog to do his thing until he could stop him. He’d need a chance to prove he is right in front of everyone…
 The cogs turned in his head as he deduced that no matter what there would be a skirmish, and if he could lead them when that happens, if he could control the battlefield and show that they wouldn’t have to kill them… Then he would be proven right! And Bog’s insubordience would be easier to deal with!
 Yes… He would do it like that.
 Happy with his plan, Grime backed off and said “Well… Let’s see what happens. Perhaps you will find that not all roads of success are paved with blood.”
 “…Keep telling yourself that.”, Bog sneered, and he walked off, Wrecker joining him in silent anguish.
 As they walked off down the busy streets, the people still practically frozen in place, Annie Lilypad had finally arrived at her destination, but before she could buy a single Beetle Jerky, she was greeted all too sadly by her least favorite sight in the world: Toad soldiers.
 “Not them!”, she thought angrily, and she glared with hate at the two who passed her, Bog and Wrecker.
 “Those guys always take everything from us! And they bully everyone in town any chance they get!”, she thought madly as one soldier pushed an old man hard into a nearby wall.
 Annie wished with all her might that she could do something, as more and more people got shoved and pushed and growled at, but she knew that if she did, she could be thrown into prison at best! After yesterday…
 Who knew how many hours she had left.
 But instead of feeling grateful to be alive, Annie just felt guilty. She stood by the side, thinking what she felt but not acting upon it. What was her value if she let injustice slide?
 “Great, Annie. You really are nothing.”, she mumbled darkly as she walked in the inn, her appetite nearly gone now.
 How could she ever be true to herself if she always stood down when the chance to leap arrived?
           It had been about three whole hours since they had started the visitations, and every house in Marsh Pond was left in near ruins, stripped and bared of its possessions, its residents scarred by the ruthlessness of the Toad Army. Bog and the soldiers, alongside a regretful Wrecker, had managed to ransack and desecrate home after home with zero challenge, the defenseless frogs receiving the justice they deserve for betraying their comrades.
 It was a monotonous cycle; The soldiers would walk in and make sure that none of the frogs would commit a heinous and cowardly attack on them, Bog and Wrecker would crowd control with Wrecker restraining the heads of the treacherous families and Bog rightfully punishing the tax evaders for failing to pay the reasonably high fees by removing any and all precious items from their houses as compensation.
 “We tried to pay… We really did! I sold all my silk worms, my wife works morning, noon, and night shifts at the hospital, and my children are starving! You must consider our situation, we wanted to, we really did…”, one maroon frog said, but it was a poor excuse in the eyes of Bog, who tightened his choke on the criminal’s throat, the wall getting more and more cracked by the effort.
 “Not good enough. I wanted to stay at home and not have to teach you to work harder, but I guess we don’t always get what we want…”, Bog replied, grinning wildly as he began pounding the frog in the stomach hard, the hurt man’s children and wife gasping as he choked for air, his insides shivering as Bog stared down at him and spat.
 “Wrecker, give him a good kick. Like you gave that outlaw in Swamp City that one time…”, Bog ordered, and Wrecker sadly stepped up to do so, causing the frog to heave heavily and cough violently.
 The same thing happened to the baker in town square when he was on the other side. When he was someone else.
 The frog gave all he had, but he didn’t give any intel on the “terrorists”, a worrying trend that continued in every other house they visited.
 They saw broken jaws, they saw shattered teeth, they saw black eyes and twisted elbows and bleeding chests, but they didn’t see a sliver of information on the whereabouts of these so called “honorable warriors” that stood up for Marsh Pond and its now crippled folk.
 “So you don’t just refuse to support your protectors, you actively band against them?!”, Bog screamed as he and a few other men lifted a barely composed woman, who was close to a concussion by now, so bruised and beaten she was.
 “I… I swear I know nothing… I swear on Frog’s name…”, she pleaded, but her prayers fell on deaf ears as she fell right through her own table, Wrecker watching from the sidelines, his sword stopping the woman’s wife from rushing to her aide.
 “Swear to Toad Tower!”, Bog declared with rage, and he shook off the impure blood from his fingers as the woman lost sight in one eye for the rest of her meaningless life.
 “All the houses look like they did back… Back in my village.”, Wrecker noted, as the wife screamed for him to let her tend to her love.
 Wrecker laid his eyes on the sobbing mess before him, tears dripping on his sword as he sadly realized that all the people looked the same too.
 In fact, this woman looked a lot like a woman he once knew…
 A woman he once…
 Wrecker barely swallowed the weight in his throat as he robotically followed the order given and threw the woman at her wife to “lie together in the filth”.
 As the righting of wrongs continued, as more and more souls were pierced by his actions, Wrecker tried to somehow reason it all, as Bog broke the nose of yet another thief of the state.
 Sure, every one of these sights disgusted him, but it was nothing new! He had been in countless battles, in countless prisoner orientations, in countless Tax Day checks. He had fought in skirmishes big and small, he had broken arms and legs and shoulders and ribcages, he had protected his homeland!
 But…
 But had he really?
 Were these his people? Were these his opinions? Was this his true self?
 Wrecker had never wanted to go down this road, this path. He had wanted to be anything else, but so lost he was on his journey, he found himself too late on the wrong trail. But was it too late?
 Wrecker thought so. He thought so greatly.
 He tried to avert his eyes as the frog retched out blood, but he couldn’t. This might as well be him making that poor man lie in a pool of his own blood, for crimes he couldn’t help but commit. It was him who was taking these people’s belongings, him who was starving these dying kids, him who was looking for war criminals who didn’t commit a single wrong.
 He was in the wrong. He was the sin, the sinner, and somehow the executioner.
 He could still hear the screams of the frog he killed.
 He could still hear his own screams.
 And now he could hear a third scream, the scream of an orange tinted frog boy, around the same age as he was that night, shaking his father awake and bursting into ugly tears.
 “You… He didn’t do anything! My uncle (ah, so not his father) is innocent, you… You monster!”, the young man called out, suddenly leaping at Bog and punching him in the face, causing all the soldiers and even Wrecker to gasp in shock.
 Bog recovered enough from his surprise to growl at the boy, his imposing figure causing the young man to cry and shake, a mess on the floor.
 And as all this happened, Wrecker looked at the boy and saw someone he hadn’t seen in years: He saw himself.
 He too had leapt for his father’s (well, the boy leapt for his uncle but still) defense that night. And he had nearly died. He too had challenged the beasts who feasted on his village… And for that he was nearly enslaved.
 He was…
 “Wrecker, teach this demon child what you get when you mess with the Toads!”, Bog ordered furiously, dragging Wrecker in front of the child.
 Wrecker’s lip nearly trembled as he unsheathed his sword, the boy hiccupping from fright, like he did. Clinging to his body for safety, like he did.
 He was…
 “Come on, Wrecker… Add to your list of accomplishments! Imagine the tales they’ll tell of the one who killed those who wish to silence us! Those who wish to destroy us! You will be the greatest legend in Toad history!”, Bog encouraged, goating him on.
 Wrecker breathed heavily, remembering his disapproving past self, remembering the horrors of that night, remembering how he screamed for a second chance…
 They had nearly killed him. They had nearly stopped his misery. He was cornered, he was down, and he could feel his heart slow down, and for a moment he thought that he had finally gotten what he deserved…
 But then she had come.
 Leaping into the scene, dressed like the night, she had cut them down. She had bundled him up (despite his size) and she had run to the hills, barely making it as they bit at her heels.
 It had taken the fastest knife slash he had ever seen to ensure he would survive.
 That night, she had told him to run. To find a new life. To live.
 To be the best version of himself. Not a slave, not a mistake, not an embarrassment…
 He would be a good frog. He would be a good frog.
 And she had ensured he would live so he could find himself here, about to create another Wrecker.
 If he killed the boy, he would have become the monster he always feared… And if he spared him, he would create a tortured soul, another Wrecker. And knowing himself, Wrecker could only wish he wouldn’t live to see someone like him.
 “Well… What are you waiting for?”, Bog asked, puzzled, patience wearing a little thin.
 Wrecker saw it. He saw the threshold. The place of no return.
 Both choices would condemn him to be what he always thought he was. Would he truly go that far? Would he truly kill a child?
 Was he really a monster?
 For so long, Wrecker would have told you that he was.
 For so long, Wrecker would have taken the step so the torture could end, so that he could finally recognize that it was too late for him, and that the final rest could finally descend on him.
 He had longed to be good all his life, and then he longed to finalize his metamorphosis.
 But as he gripped the sword, as he towered over the boy, he saw that his soul still flickered ever so slightly…
 Perhaps he couldn’t save himself.
 But he could save the boy. He could at least do that.
 He could at least do ONE. GOOD. THING.
 CLANG!
 Bog’s eyes returned from the sword to see an even more unbelievable sight: “That’s too far.”
 “…Is it?”
 Bog snarled as he stepped up to Wrecker, somehow towering over him.
 “Is it? I assume you didn’t notice all the other “horrible” things we did. I assume you have forgotten your brothers and sisters back home who could all die thanks to these brutes!”, Bog shouted, pointing at the crying messes on the floor, the children, the old lady, the man who was still shivering in his blood.
 Wrecker was beginning to get afraid. Bog was capable of doing anything. And worst of all… He was beginning to make sense.
 Not in that way, of course. But what had made the other things they had done less bad? He had stood by and participated and allowed all this to happen for 30 years now. What made this different?
 But the little voice still pleaded, his soul still fought.
 He stared right back. “We are protectors. Not killers. I… I won’t let you kill an innocent child. Or an innocent man. That is not the way.”
 Wrecker had expected a growl, a punch, a stab, anything. But Bog surprised him once more by laughing uproariously.
 Finishing, he wiped the spittle off of his mouth and whispered a heart shattering statement: “So… You want to play hero, eh? Go ahead… Prove to me you’re not a monster. Go ahead… Prove you still deserve to live.”
 And it was that that made Wrecker freeze.
 Why was he doing this? To… To save himself? Was he only doing this to ease his conscious?
 Wrecker looked at his hands, and saw nothing but blood. He had the audacity to dare to think that he could ever be more than the monster he was from the moment he was born. He had the gall to claim he was doing this for anyone but himself.
 He was saved by selflessness, and he was as ever repaying it with selfishness.
 It was HIS fault he drafted, it was HIS fault he had failed at all other vocations, and the crimes and atrocities committed were on his hands, not anyone else’s!
 Bog was right… He was the monster.
 He had crossed the threshold years ago. There was no way back.
 Wrecker looked down, and with a resigned huff, with a last breath of spirit, walked away, the road long gone, his chance dead once and for all.
 He was no frog…
 He was The Wrecker.
 And that was all he would ever be.
 “Good riddance! Come back when you’re ready to do the right thing!”, Bog shouted out, and returned his gaze to the broken frog before him, the uncle of the boy slowly standing up.
 “Anything to say… Traitor?”, Bog inquired with hate lacing his words.
 The frog hesitated… He would send his people, his friends to sure death. He would kill his comrades and doom the effort. He would be the frog who let Toad rule stay forever.
 But… But he made a vow. He had to keep that at least.
 “…I’ll tell you where they are. Just… Just don’t kill the boy. His… His father died yesterday. He’s suffered enough.”
 Bog took a deep breath and nodded.
 “…Leap Lillypad’s farm. It’s the last house down east. There’s 10 of them. And they’re waiting.”
 He then shook his head, guilt already making it spinning. “That’s it. That’s all I know. I promise.”
 “I believe you.”, Bog replied genuinely, and began to leave, his steps sending tremors through the room.
 As he continued walking, he smirked and said “The boy will live. But you… You won’t.”
 The frog stared wide eyes, barely holding himself up on the wall as the rest of the family gasped in shock. “What? Why?”
 “No honor among thieves… You’re a traitor in two ways. Scum like you don’t deserve to live. You’re nothing but a murderous rat. And there’s nothing I hate more… Than a selfish beast.”, Bog declared, and turning around he shoved his sword right through the frog’s guts, blood covering his face, his teeth yellow and red…
 And he laughed.
 “Leap Lillypad…”, he announced as he walked outside.
 “Today… Frog resistance dies.”
                (“Isolation” – Bryan Taylor, Iron Man 3)
 Tick.
 Tock.
 Tick.
 Tock.
 The Wrecker sat at Pickle’s Inn, the destruction around him surrounding him with more evidence of his failure. A glass of swamp slush mixed with Spyritus, which of course was the finest in Amphibia thanks to the finest grain Marsh Pond had to offer.
 A fly floated in his drink, and Wrecker gazed melancholicly at it, tiny ripples extending forever across time inside.
 Another ripple. Another ripple. Another ripple.
 Another life he has ruined.
 He failed the boy. He killed his father. He failed the boy’s uncle. And that was just today.
 He had 60 years of that to look back on and regret.
 “It’s amazing…”, he thought, looking at the drink and sighing. “Every single decision I’ve ever made has led me here. And every single one has been wrong.”
 He was here to drown his sorrows, perhaps forget that he had ever done any of this. Perhaps he could forget his regrets, and just continue serving, unaware of how wrong it all was. How amazing would that be! To live a life, ignorant of the pain he caused!
 But he couldn’t do that. Clearly, he was bad at being bad too.
 His heart beat rapidly as his hand extended to his belt buckle. His eyes tried to not avert from the dagger. The one he had used to indict himself of his sins for so long.
 “Perhaps the old girl can serve justice just once…”, he thought, sure that… Maybe… Just maybe… This was his chance. He couldn’t help it: Hope didn’t die. He couldn’t be bad, he couldn’t be good…
 Perhaps the best he could do was finally get out of the way, like he had always been told.
 “Guess I never did listen… Did I?”, he thought sadly, and he felt the dagger around, turning it with his palms. It was a bit blunt, worn from years of fighting. A broken tool… Like him.
 “How fitting.”
 If he could just rouse the courage… Just do the act…
 It would be a coward’s death, sure. But at least he wouldn’t be causing more pain.
 And at least he would rest. Finally… Sweet, glorious rest. A rest he had only ever dreamed of… One where maybe… It would all seem funny.
 The dagger began pointing in the right direction…
But the journey to its end point was still on hold. He gulped, as he instinctually recoiled at the prospect of shoving it in.
 “No!”, he shouted at himself, in his head. “I must be brave! This is the only thing I can do that would mean something! This is my last option!”
 He grunted. He shook. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he willed the knife to finally end it. End his pain. At least that.
 “At least give me that!”, he cried, begging for release.
 But…
 The dagger wouldn’t budge.
 The Wrecker, despite his loathing, couldn’t bring himself to die.
 Leaning back, just so very tired, he wondered “Now what?”
 He leaned on the desk, head buried in his hands. “I can’t be good, I can’t be bad, I can’t even be dead. What use am I? What’s left to do?”
 A single tear… Rolled down his cheek. “Where to go? What road to take? Who am I?”
 He whispered. “Why am I?”
 But there was no answer. Still no answer after all those years.
 Shivering, Wrecker truly wondered what was his next choice. What could he possibly do?
 Left with no choice, Wrecker looked up, as if he could see the sky through the roof, and begging, prayed to something, anything.
 “Please… I know I don’t deserve it… But… Please give me a sign…”
 He let out a pained sob, chugging down his entire drink, feeling his chest set on fire inside. It hurt like hell.
 “But not enough.”, he thought, setting the glass down, the clink echoing down the bar table and awakening Annie Lilypad, who was not used to having free time, as you can see.
 “Blaadgdsgsgsg I’m awake! Mwa wake! Nwot nappsing!”, She gibberished, shaking herself awake and looking around with blinking eyes to find...
 “(GASP!), she gasped, noticing the toad soldier from before, when she was walking towards the inn. His armor was dark, foreboding, his cloak bloody and tattered. His face was scar ridden, bulbous and ugly, and his entire aura was imposing and terrifying. Annie could hardly believe her eyes: How could ANYONE look so scary? Even for a toad, he seemed monstrous.
 At first, Annie wanted to hide, or even run as fast as she can, before she found herself 6 feet under. Rooming with her mom on a cloud was NOT something she looked forward to (at least, not yet). Her eyes darted around like mad, praying for some sort of escape. She could dash outside, but there were soldiers everywhere, and he would surely catch up. She could leap to the ceiling, but she wasn’t that sticky, and he could probably throw his dagger from down there. She could cower under the chair… But that would be pathetic and she would die of embarrassment alongside actual death. Also, he’d catch her.
 So all Annie had was to shake in fright as Wrecker looked down at her, a small size difference, but a difference nonetheless. And Annie was tall for a frog!
  “Maybe I could whistle innocently! That never works in the plays I see, and everyone knows fiction isn’t reality!”, she proposed to herself, and she began to do just that, her eyes lazily glancing at the ceiling, her whistling off-key.
 Wrecker observed this for a good 10 seconds before saying “…If you’re trying to get me not to notice you, you’re doing a pretty lousy job.”
 “DRAT! PLAYS! YOU LIED TO ME ABOUT LYING TO ME!”, She cursed, her fist shaking at the ceiling, which made Wrecker look towards it curiously before resuming his thousand yard stare at the wall.
 Annie suddenly realized 2 monumental things: The Toad had noticed her…
 And more importantly, he wasn’t trying to gut her, or shake her down for taxes.
 “Weird!”, she commented to herself, but she was relieved, and she showed it. At least she wasn’t dead or poor! That was something!
 Annie sighed, relaxed, and noticing that she still had some beetle jerky left, began to chew on it noisily, eyes closed in satisfaction. “Nothing like the satisfying crunch of beetle jerky!”, Annie said a loud without realizing so, before shutting her mouth in fear.
 She looked at Wrecker, who looked back at her, seemingly remembering something as he stared at the jerky.
 A million thoughts raced in Annie’s head: “Ohnohe’sgonnakillmehe’sgonnasmushupmybonesandtearmyarmsrightoffandsqueezemyeyesandspreadthejellyontoastwhichI’msurewouldtastegreatbutstillnonoIdon’twanttodiethere’ssomuchIstillwanttodosparemylifeifanyoneisupthereHELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
 She saw a million different outcomes to her predicament, all of which involved her dying a million different ways.
 None of them actually predicted what would happen:
 “Beetle Jerky… I remember that.”, Wrecker stated, taking a slice and admiring it, the grease and crispness warming his palm in a nice, soothing way, like a warm cup of tea on a rainy November night. His eyes actually seemed to light up, and they made the dark and dreary inn just a little less gloomy.
 And, for just a moment, he actually smiled, a real, genuine smile. “They sold this when I lived in my village. I always liked it.”
 Annie had to blink rapidly to even begin to comprehend: What the hell was happening?
 Wrecker, meanwhile, continued to smile as he described the snack. “The savory, salty taste. The just slightly too hot ends that char your tongue, but in a pleasant way…”
 Annie actually began to smile too. How did he nail the exact feelings she had for Beetle Jerky?
 “Yeah, I know!”, she said with a grin, grabbing a slice too. “But you know what’s the best part?”
 “You bet! Nothing better than…”, he started, and they both exclaimed at the same time after taking a bite…
 “The crunchy sound.”
 Annie looked at him, still chewing, and smiled with her mouth full.
 And Wrecker, for the first time in almost 40 years…
 Smiled back.
 And for a moment, all was peaceful at the inn with two lost souls, mourning their nothingness.
 Alas, though, peace was rarely idle. Annie soon held her head up with her arms and, a little hesitatingly, offered an unsure question, a slight quiver in her words. “I… I didn’t know toads liked Beetle Jerky.”
 Surprised by the racist statement, Wrecker answered the quarry of sorts with an educating statement. “Well, I’m not a toad. But Toad aren’t the problem.”
 He narrowed his eyes, guilt racing though his bones, like the blood in his veins. “It’s Toad Tower that’s the culprit.”
 Annie, meanwhile, was still trying to make sure she heard the FIRST statement, and she rubbed her eyes in disbelief. “I’m sorry, what? You’re not a Toad?”
 A short pause, and then Wrecker nodded.
 “…Are you sure?”
 Wrecker once more took a moment to answer before saying “…I’m something much worse.”
 Annie mumbled “Yeah, I can tell. You came here and ruined everything. But if that’s the case, why are you criticizing your leaders?”
 Sighing, Wrecker began standing up, only to find Annie standing in front of him, curiosity, righteous anger, confusion, and sadness all storming inside her as she held her ground, demanding an explanation. “Wait, no, that’s not good enough! If you’re not a Toad, that means you’re a Frog. And if you’re aware enough to say you’re way worse than the Toads, and that Toad Tower is the problem, then how come you came here to destroy our home? Your home?!”
 Wrecker grunted and pushed past Annie, like she was thin air. His expression sold on his frustration, but also on his self resentment. “No offense, kid, but I’m not going to sit here and give you my life story. I came here to forget, not to be pitied.”
 Annie was shocked. What was UP with this guy? First he looks all scary, then he’s all friendly and chummy, THEN he’s all self hating, and how he’s mean? What the hell is he on?
 Collecting herself, the young frog woman realized that if he was going, that meant he was going to continue hurting (or enabling) her friends, her neighbors…
 Her family.
 Enraged, Annie clenched her fists. She was sick and tired of the Toads and their oppression of poor innocent people. She had seen what they were capable of. How could this guy, who seemed to get that, just walk back in and allow them to continue? He HAD to understand that was insane!
 Still furious, Annie suddenly realized that THIS was her chance, and her eyes widened as the eureka moment made her glow: OF COURSE! The universe was presenting her with a chance! A chance to spare at least ONE frog of more suffering! Of more pain!
 If she could stop this guy before he did any more harm, then Annie would have finally done something worthy in her life! She would have finally done SOMETHING!
 Still, stopping a toad soldier… This guy looked tough. He could probably bite her head off or something! What good would she be if her head was off and everything? She needed it for head-related things!
 Annie considered doing nothing, retreating. She was strong for her age, but she would be nothing against a trained beast like him. There was no use. Better to go back and let him do his work.
 …
 But that was not who she was. Not one bit.
 Like a bolt of lightning, Annie ran out the inn and turned around just in time to meet Wrecker again face to face. The warrior was startled for a moment, but not for long, and he frowned down at her. “Listen, little girl, I am not some sob story! So back off!”
 Annie stared him down, fully determined and not afraid for a moment. “I’m 20 years old.”
 “Whatever. I don’t care, which is what you should do with me. Now, let me go!”, Wrecker ordered, and he began to walk down to her, but she stood her ground and stood on her tippy toes to be even taller than him, eyes blazing.
 “No! Toad or not, you’re a jerk like the others! Maybe even worse! How can you do something you know is bad? How can you let them do something you know is wrong? What kind of person are you?”, Annie shouted, not an ounce of fear or reservation in her tone. She felt brave, for the very first time. She felt…
 Meaningful.
 But Wrecker was not impressed. In fact, he seemed very pained: His eyes were so narrowed you could barely see them, his nails were digging into his palms, and his body was shaking, but whether it was with rage or with desolation, one couldn’t tell.
 Barely able to form words, Wrecker tried his best to get the girl out of his way and out of his head: “Move. Away. Now.”
 “Make me!”, she challenged defiantly.
 “No!”, Wrecker shouted, perhaps too loudly.
 “Why? I thought you Toad Tower guys were ok with killing, considering yesterday!”
 “That’s not who I am! You don’t know the whole story!”
 “Then what is it, then? Why are you letting this happen?”
 “It’s not like that!”, Wrecker tried to finish, but he was really beginning to lose it. He was going to crack any minute now.
 “Really? Because I’m starting to think you’re just a no good, cowardly, vulgar, evil murderor!”, Annie flung the insult, and that was it.
 He snapped.
“YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT?!”, Wrecker screamed at her before falling to his knees, sending a thud that nearly made Annie fall down to the ground.
 Still regaining her balance, Annie stared at Wrecker with shocked eyes, as Wrecker began to actually shed a tear in front of another person.
 He didn’t wipe it.
 “You think that I don’t know what a monster I am? You think I don’t hear that poor frog’s screams? I’ve spent 30 years living a lie because I was the worst at everything but surviving!”, he shouted, his voice getting weak, his true self showing itself to the world, fragile and hurt, an injured soul crying for help.
 “I tried to ignore it… I tried to be better… I tried to be good, I tried to be bad, I tried to be dead! I tried to follow their orders, I tried to stop them from hurting this village, I tried everything!”, he exclaimed, shivering now, his carefully constructed tower of continuity finally crashing down to the ground. All walls and barriers were down as Wrecker finally admitted he was lost to the world.
 Annie, meanwhile, was still shaken, and she could only listen as Wrecker tried somehow to get across how lost he was.
 “I KNOW I’ve done horrible things… I can’t take them back. I can’t take anything back. And I don’t want to be forgiven, ‘cause I don’t deserve it.” Wrecker choked out, wishing his dagger had been braver.
 Burrying his face in his hands, Wrecker finally admitted to a single, horrible truth. “I am sorry. I truly am sorry. But it’s too late for me. It’s been too late for me since the moment I was born. I’m not good, I’m not bad, I’m not anything.”
 He sighed morosely, accepting his fate. “I’m trapped in a cage of my own making. I can’t fix what I did. So just forget about me. Go ahead and be someone. Take the right road, and stay there. Because if you close your eyes… If you give in to yourself… You’ll turn into me.”
 Silence reigned, and with Wrecker still on the ground, Annie did not know what to say. She was saddened by his tale, for sure. She could tell it was real: No one would just act something like that out. Whoever this person was, maybe they weren’t so bad. After all, what kind of villain advices a kid to do better, what kind of villain apologizes for his failures?
 Maybe there was more to him than meets the eye.
 Besides, she knew how he felt. Perhaps… Perhaps she could cheer him up… Just for a moment.
 Slowly walking up to him, Annie sat down silently and looked down at him tenderly. Wrecker, noticing her, looked up, his tear still running down, his face representing the mess inside.
 Smiling softly, Annie sighed and said “…I’m nothing too.”
 Wrecker blinked for a moment…
 And not being able to help himself…
 Smiled.
 “I appreciate that. But as I said: It’s too late for me. I’ve been wrong about every single thing in my life.”, he replied, still broken.
 “If that’s the case…”, Annie said, still encouraging. “Maybe you’re wrong about this as well.”
 Wrecker sat up and observed the woman with an odd look, not knowing what to make of her. Did she actually think?...
 Hesitatingly, she held his hand, and he recoiled at her touch, having not felt the tenderness of another person for about 40 years. She too found the moment a little scary, his bruised and rough hand feeling like nothing she’d ever touched, like the thorns on a rose. But, well, the thing with roses is that there’s more to them than meets the eye, now isn’t there? “I don’t think a nobody would be so nice to someone he’s never met. I don’t think a nobody would try to stop his fellow men from hurting my friends. And I don’t think a nobody would do try and help little old me in anything.”
 Wrecker shook his head, failing to believe any of this.
 She was just being nice for the sake of being nice, and that was all.
 …Or was she?
 After all, as she said, perhaps he was ALSO wrong about this, which would simultaneously be surprising and not surprising!
 Perhaps…
 Wrecker looked at Annie with a rising feeling of renewed hope, or perhaps purpose.
 Something about this young frog with messy hair and a winning, toothy smile, with eyes that seemed to cheer him on, despite only having met him a few minutes ago, made Wrecker feel as if maybe there WAS hope.
 After all, if someone this innocent, this surprisingly kind, and this hurt by the Toads could look at him and say that he could be better, then…
 Maybe he wasn’t so bad.
 But before Wrecker could even begin to think about how amazing that would be…
 BOOM!
 A flare shot up to sky, illuminating the clouds and clearing with a fiery red that changed the mood on the ground completely, Wrecker narrowing his eyes in recognition, Annie’s eyes widening in concern, not knowing for a moment what that was.
 “What does that flare mean?”, she asked hesitatingly, fearing the worst.
 Wrecker, sadly, had to confirm those fears. “That’s the reinforcement flare. They’re fighting the freedom fighters for sure.”
 Annie nodded to all this before realizing where the flare was coming from. And as soon as she did, her eyes filled with tears and she scrambled up from the ground, frantically, face screaming with panic.
 “OH NO! DAD! THEY’RE IN MY DAD’S FARM! THEY’RE GOING TO KILL HIM!”, She screamed, barely believing the words. Heck, she was barely controlling her body: It was like it was on auto-pilot, and she was just along for the ride as she dashed like a madwoman down the gravelly road, scratched feet be damned!
 Wrecker, who had no time to react as the brave girl ran into certain death in lightspeed, soon realized she did exactly that. There was no way she would survive: With Bog leading that battalion, and when they’re fighting those revolutionaries… Why, she’d be dead in seconds, if not sooner!
 …She’d be dead in seconds.
 This poor, innocent, kind soul who did nothing wrong, and who was only being attacked because she was a frog, would DIE because he had failed to stop Bog.
 Wrecker breathed heavily, overwhelmed and guilt ridden, before something woke up in him and he realized: This was the poor boy he had failed today all over again.
 Once more, Wrecker had let a child be in danger because he had wandered off his path.
 Yet, here was the crossroads yet again, clear for all to see.
 One path led to his safety, to a lifetime of dutiful service and easy living, and a chance to go down as one of the greatest warriors the Toads had ever known: A path of eternal honor and pride.
 The other would lead to his certain death, be that in the battlefield, in prison, or even by execution: He would be shamed and humiliated, and his name would go down as a synonym for treachery, and for cowardice. A path of eternal failure and damnation.
 He would never get a chance to fix all his sins. Never get a chance to prove his worth.
 And for a moment, Wrecker hesitated, Wrecker wondered if maybe he was making the wrong choice.
 Maybe it would be easier to just stay on the path he was on, and give in. After all, he WAS a failure.
 …
 But the girl would live.
 Standing up immediately, needing no more convincing, Wrecker clenched his fist, unsheathed his sword, and with a determined deep breath, knowing his minutes were numbered, said…
 “Here goes nothing.”
         (“Fire Nation Theme” and “War” by Jeremy Zuckerman, The Track Team and Lucas King)
“We know you’re in there!”, Bog shouted, pounding the barn door that held the freedom fighters away from his wrath and rage. No one of course answered the door, the fighters preparing for their final stand together, praying it would not be the final stand of frogkind.
 Bog’s battalion stirred nervously as he kept battering away at the door, splinters of wood flying off from the impact of his fist. Armors clinked and clanked in the wind, and weapons shook at the ready, the soldiers well aware that inside were ruthless and vicious enemies, ready to grind up their bones, massacre their families and burn their homeland to the ground.
 Wiping the blood off of his dagger, a piece of ribcage attached to it, that turned into dust as it clattered on the ground, Bog pointed back at the inferno behind him with mock and challenge in his tone. “If it’s your farm you wanted to keep, it’s too late, Lilypad! Your livelihood is like your time: Burning away rapidly!”
 He was almost laughing, a terrifying mixture of rage and utter glee on his face, Pugs noted, still carrying the guilt of her involvement in this sordid affair.
 “Well? What are you afraid of? That we prove you are the vermin you’ve always been? You frogs have done nothing but live off our generosity, and if you think you can destroy the masterace, you have another thing coming!”, Bog called out, most of the soldiers verbally agreeing, shocked that such malevolent actions were planned to be taken against their families and friends.
 “So go ahead… I’d like to see you try!”, He roared, and the field, for a moment, grew silent.
 The sun was almost down, but the battlefield that was once the place where a farmer cared for his daughter more than for himself was illuminated by the bright flicker and crackle of the fire behind the soldiers, which only increased their sweating. The ground which had once been the source of Annie’s first steps as she decided to help her father with the farmwork was now being walked on by toads determined to bring forth his final steps. And the barn where he found the very item that would change Amphibia forever was now being torn apart by the power hungry and blindly self righteous men who had driven his father to hide it here in the first place.
 It was all so poetic, but Leap had not time for poetry. He only had time for the here and the now, and that meant ensuring his daughter lived and his species survived.
 Taking one last lingering look at the place where it began and ended with the smallest hint of a tear in his eye, Leap picked up a carved axe with a watermelon red head, and with fast and efficient work thanks to years of dutiful farm work, chopped a doorway open.
 “MOO!”, the silk worms bellowed, their eyes wide with panic as they stormed out of the barn and raced to the hills, leaving a mucus trail behind them that smelt of home to Leap.
 Turning to his brothers, the front door nearly burst open, a hand beginning to make its way through, Leap nodded and motioned for them to charge as he ran out the back, eyes aflame with courage.
 His legs were barely out of the barn as, armed with rakes, sticks, lit torches and pitchforks, the other freedom fighters stormed right out into the battlefield, their collective effort knocking Bog and his soldiers back onto the ground with a collective thud.
 “For Freedom! For Equality! For Marsh Pond!”, the fighters called out, in utter defiance, hearts in their chest, as Bog slowly rose up and laughed quietly, a chill running down his soldier’s spines.
 “What a pity, then, that you die for nothing…”
 Raising his sword, Bog lumbered up and in one clean motion sliced the head off of the frog in the middle, before fighting off two rakes at the same time, easily holding his own and grinning with anticipation.
 “CHARGE!”, He ordered uproariously and his battalion began to enter battle formations and flank themselves for an offensive onslaught, swords and daggers aimed at the enemy with assurance and poise. Meanwhile, the archers ran back and positioned themselves for long range attacks, though the flaming crops made it hard to see or hear.
 “CHARGE!”, Mog Gravel, who was taking on Bog with a torch now that his rake was lying broken on the ground, ordered, and the fighters left standing ran to confront their oppressors with fires in their bellies and determination in their eyes.
 The sounds of sword swipes and pitchfork clanging echoed across the field as the Toads more than held their own, but found themselves struggling with the utter passion the freedom fighters were exhibiting. Each sword and dagger strike were blocked with a pitchfork and stick parry and vice versa.
 Torches fell on the ground and set one fighter’s rags on fire, and seizing her chance, she grabbed a soldier by the throat to set him on fire too, the two burning to a crisp before the eyes of the horrified warriors.
 Sticks poked out a toad’s eyeball, who quickly retorted with an eyeball removal of his own, blood gushing out of the wounds and painting the path red.
 Arrows sailed down and struck through the heart of one freedom fighter, but due to the intense fire that blocked their sights, the archers also ended up piercing their fellow toads through the heart or head. Some struck fighters would end up taking their arrows out and, with moments left to stay alive, pierce an opposing warrior with same deadly arrow.
 Pugs, meanwhile, was seeing all this and panicking as she sustained the siege with the others in the barrier, soon to be next to lay their life down the line. But Pugs couldn’t stand another second of it: She was not only seeing her fellow comrades die, but also innocent frogs who merely wanted to live as fellow equals die. She was destroying the place her father had described to her so many times before, and she couldn’t live with her betrayal.
 She could only help one faction. And so, she did just that.
 Racing off to the beginning of the burning crop field, she took out her signal pistol and aimed it towards the smogy sky that was not so blue anymore.
 Bog, still barely fighting off two other fighters, while three others somehow managed to subdue his entire battalion, which only furthered to piss him off, turned to her while still fighting and bellowed “Don’t you DARE call for backup! Lieutenant Grime will impede out victory!”
 For 13 years, Pugs had lived and served under a regime that had trained her to fight all those who sought to destroy the common good.
 So she didn’t see it as a betrayal as she looked Bog straight in the eye…
 And shot the flare gun anyway.
 Bog wrestled the frogs off of him and growled at the defiant teen, his sword ready to kill a fellow toad already. “You’ve taken your final breath for your people, traitor.”, he uttered, almost silently, rage consuming him.
 “…Yes. I have.”, she replied bravely, and with one swoop…
 SHNIKK!
 She collapsed onto the ground, her own sword protruding out of her chest.
 Bog stared at the body with zero emotion and merely turned around to confront the men who tried in vain to take him from behind, continuing to overpower them.
 But, unfortunately for him, the other toads were horrified at the death of their friend, who was younger than some of them. They gasped and stared at her now limp body, and this allowed the three frogs armed with pitchforks to slice through their ranks, slowly turning the tide of the battle.
 “YOU IDIOTS! KILL THEM! THEY’RE OUTNUMBERED!”, Bog screamed, and his suffering continued as the sound of hurried marching approached his ears.
 Managing to avoid the archers, Grime and his battalion (who were more or less in agreement with him on not killing the freedom fighters) arrived at the field, shocked and stupefied by the events that played out before them: 5 frog warriors were managing to push back an entire battalion of toads. Add the flaming crops, the limp bodies scattered all over the ground and mutilated by the ignoring feet of the soldiers and the rain of arrows that they barely avoided, and it was a tragedy playing in near slow motion.
 “P… PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN! WE… WE WILL TAKE THEM DOWN PEACEFULLY!”, Grime ordered with a mighty shout, but his words meant nothing in the chaotic battlefield. He could barely choke out the words, so taken aback he was by it all. He had sworn he would fix this before it happened, but now it was more than too late! His brothers and sisters, and his fellow frogs were mowed down like flies by the very thing he promised he’d prevent!
 If he wasn’t trained to suppress such pathetic showings of weakness, he would have gone down to his knees and wept for the lives lost.
 But he had to make his father, and his mother… Proud...
 He had to.
 Marching over to Bog and deflecting the pitchfork strike of the frog before him, Grime hollered at his turncoat toad. “I TOLD YOU TO DO WHAT IS BEST FOR AMPHIBIA!”
 Bog, growling, sliced the head of the same frog clean off and stared Grime straight in the eye. “I AM! ARE YOU?!”
 As the two toads clashed with words, Wrecker and Annie finally arrived, narrowly avoiding the arrows.
 Annie’s eyes were hungry with worry: She had clearly cried all she could along the way. Her feet were sore, her knees screamed to buckle and her chest was burning almost as much as the fields she had once worked in, which set off the water works again. She frantically called out for her father, but heard nothing. “DAD! DAD! DAD, PLEASE ANSWER ME!”
 While Annie’s heart tore itself apart, Wrecker found himself narrowly deflecting arrows and looking around for something else: Any threat to the girl’s life. He couldn’t care less about himself, which was why when the flames licked his coat and just failed to set him on fire or when an arrow grazed his cheek or when a sword nearly cut his arm off, he didn’t care.
 All that mattered was that this girl he didn’t even know, would live. All that mattered was that one person would benefit from knowing him.
 He didn’t matter: His path was gone. But she still had a long way to go.
 “Kid…”, he started, as he grasped her by the side and carried her, almost like a briefcase, or a kitty.
 He looked at her, and his eyes flashed with concern, as he realized this all felt sort of familiar. “…You have to survive. Your heart has years left ahead of it.”
 Annie tried to wrestle out of his grasp as he narrowly dodged slash after slash. He slid under a torch, dust kicking up and blinding some of the men.
 “NO! I HAVE TO FIND MY DAD!”, She screamed, her voice nearly lost, tears dampening his arm. She kicked and flailed around, sobs strangling her throat.
 Wrecker looked at her, not knowing what to do. He had to save her… But how was he going to save her AND find her father?
 But the look of utter fear on her face reminded Wrecker that he was once in that exact same place.
 With one key difference: This father could be saved.
 Rousing courage, Wrecker looked around and suddenly spotted a hint of blue skin and a sunhat peeking out of a grassy spot outside of the barn.
 Looking down at Annie, Wrecker decided to play hero, and for once, play it right. “Kid, I just might have good news for you.”
 The smile on Annie’s face made Wrecker wish he could live long enough to see it again.
 If only he had noticed that a pair of eyes were trained on him…
 A pair of eyes, with a mouth that snarled…
 Racing towards the grass, Wrecker could feel his heart leaping from his chest, nearly making him suffocate, as he dodged arrow after arrow, covering Annie from any harm. His body was suffering too, though, the wounds from before beginning to slow him down, and the heat of the fire making his vision blurry.
 His whole body seemed to be seething with pain, as a particularly sharp arrow lodged itself into his back, making him grunt with pain. Blood was surely spewing out of it, but he didn’t have time to care about that.
 This girl NEEDED to see her dad. This girl NEEDED to live.
 “Come on, old man…”, he whispered harshly at himself, turning around and staring straight at the halestorm of arrows that descended upon him, each one looking like it could be the one that finally put him to sleep.
 “Use those survival skills for someone worthwhile!”
 His sword flashed through the air, nearly blinding him and Annie as he took down arrow after arrow, with shocking speed and precision. Each sharp messenger of death was cut down like it was nothing, arrowheads falling aimlessly onto the ground before him, as he backed along, Annie still being held tight.
 Annie had never been that close to death in her entire life, and she was still internalizing seeing her own neighbors fighting for their lives against those monsters. But she had also never seen such bravery as Wreckers in that moment, as he stared death in the eye and never relented.
 Suddenly, he looked at her, mucus dripping down his face from his pores, a gash on his left cheek. It was horrifying at first, when, suddenly, in the most tender voice, he asked “Are you hurt?”
 In that moment, Annie realized that Wrecker was more than he thought he was. In that moment, Wrecker was finally seen as more than a monster.
 “…No.”, she answered, and Wrecker suddenly turned around.
 “Come on! There’s someone who looked an awful lot like you over near that patch of grass! Blue, sunhat, ring a bell?”, he asked, quickly, taking the chance to run as the archers finally stopped firing at him from before.
 “THAT’S HIM!”, Annie shouted with glee, and in no time, Wrecker leaped in the air to land right where…
 “Where is he?!”, Wrecker shouted, in disbelief, and Annie too was shocked, seeing nothing but grass.
 “I… I don’t get it…”, Annie stuttered, tears in her eyes again.
 Wrecker looked at her sadly, bewildered. “He… I saw someone, right…”
 “STOP THE FIGHTING!”
 The swords stopped slashing, the daggers lay dormant in the bloodied and bruised hands of the soldiers, and not a single arrow flew as all eyes laid upon the speaker who stood in the middle of the field, not a single word uttered.
 Because Leap Lilypad held aloft a box, one none of them have ever seen before.
 While one would surely wonder why they’d stop for a thing they did not know, the answer was quite simple: The frogs next to him immediately dropped their weapons and stood behind him, faces suddenly losing their determination and adopting an all too terrifying feature: Surrender.
 A clank was the first sound to echo as Grime let go of his weapon and brandished his words, with utmost care and precision. “…Now… Whatever that is… I’m sure we can talk it out…”
 Silent steps progressed towards Leap, who showed no fear, no hesitation, no worry.
 Just resolve.
 Annie saw him, saw her father step closer to the jaws of death, and a scream nearly went out of her mouth, if it wasn’t for the other figure that suddenly appeared before them, a sword now aiming at her throat, dangerously close.
 “Wrecker… What are you doing with this monster… This FROG?”, Bog spat in derision, silent madness present in his eyes as the wind stopped and time stood still.
 Grime, meanwhile, dropped his dagger and steadily raised his hands in peace, showing he had no intent to kill or hurt the farmer before him, who held aloft his ace in the hole with steady hands.
 “Listen to me… We are NOT your enemies.”, Grime reassured, voice as soft as a mother’s caress. “What my commander did, what my men did… It is my fault. Not yours. Not anyone else’s.”
 Leap stared at him oddly, recognizing in him something very familiar.
 Annie wanted to see her father, wanted to save him, wanted to leap out and dash into the field and protect him from harm, but one inch and her head would be rolling near the grass.
 Wrecker, meanwhile, moved the sword away and fixed eyes with the brute before him, unwavering for once in his life.
 His voice, however, was jumpy, aware of what could befall the poor girl he HAD to save, if he, as usual, failed.
 “Bog… Listen to me… Leave the girl out of this. She’s not your enemy.”, Wrecker explained, trying his best to calm the toad down.
 But Bog was too far gone, and too afraid to do such a thing, and he grunted, the ground shaking from his rage.
 “Have you gone mad?! She’s the enemy! They’re all the enemy! They want to kill our brothers, our sisters, our families! We are THE LINE, Wrecker! And she… She’s going to burn it all to the ground. She’s the monster, not me!”, Bog screamed, years of programming, of brainwashing, packed into one shove, but Wrecker stood his ground, and didn’t fall.
 “I thought that break would clear your mind…. But you’re not thinking clearly!”, Bog stated, teeth gritting in fury.
 Wrecker took a deep breath, looking for a moment at the tearful Annie.
 Realizing she was all there was.
 One life.
 It mattered.
 She mattered.
 And maybe, for just a moment…
 He would matter.
 “Please…”, Grime asked, offering his hand, doing his best to ignore his father’s voice screaming at him for taking this route. He took one knee, to show solidarity of sorts. He had to do ONE GOOD THING. “…Please… It doesn’t have to be like this.”
 Leap sighed, his mind made up long ago. Nothing could shake him… Not even a genuinely good toad soldier. “I’m sorry… But it does.”
 Leap closed his eyes, feeling Eliza’s touch once more. He could still feel Annie, when he had first held her… And made a vow.
 “No, Bog…”, Wrecker said, stepping up, sword now up in the air and glinting. (“The Mandalorian Theme” by Ludwiig Goransson plays). A deep breath, a choice made.
 The warrior was at peace with his decision.
 “For the first time in my life… I am thinking clearly.”
 He raised a protective hand to cover the sobbing Annie, who covered her face and prayed it would all just end.
 “I participated in your war… And turned into a monster. I killed an innocent man and I hurt those in need. Because I thought I had no other choice.”
 Wrecker sighed, before staring right into Bog’s eyes, the beast barely listening.
 “But… I’m TIRED… Of being the monster.”
 Wrecker restlessly grunted as he tried to do something right once more.
 “I have to do ONE. GOOD. THING.”, Wrecker stated, prepared to die on this ground for Annie. “This girl MUST live. So… Strike me down 100,000 times.”
 Wrecker closed his eyes…
 For once…
 At peace.
 “I’ve felt worse pain…”
 A moment passed…
 And Bog pushed him aside, roaring with rage.
 “I have to do ONE GOOD THING. One day… There WILL be peace.”, Leap said.
 “There is no war.”, Grim countered, trying to somehow save it all. “We are one.”
 Leap chuckled warmly and shook his head. “No… No we are not. Not yet.”
 And with that, Leap reached for the box opening, as a wave of arrows, swords and daggers flew at him, and as Grime, terrified of what could happen, leapt in front of one of his men to defend him from what would befall.
 “Fine, Wrecker! I’ll do that once I’m done with her!”, Bog screamed, and he raised his sword, Annie screaming with fright and closing her eyes, hugging herself as death knocked on her door.
 Wrecker, on the floor, stared at this and suddenly…
 “No…”
 Suddenly…
 “No…”
 Suddenly…
 “NO!!!”
 Leapt in front of Annie, deflecting Bog’s sword with his own.
 Finally…
 He did ONE GOOD THING.
 Leap then opened the Calamity Box…
 And as a blinding light spread across the area, as bright as the sun’s rays, Leap shed a million tears and smiled at the sun.
 “Farewell, Annie… See you in a moment… Eliza…”, he whispered, and from then on, was silent.
 BOOM!
 A massive, ear piercing land destroying horror inducing scream of an explosion erupted and sent a shockwave that made the earth itself quake, as bodies flew in all directions, houses got ripped out of their roots and hills got turned into massive sinkholes.
 The streets of Marsh Pond disintegrated instantly, carts and arenas and merchant guilds practically melting, people turning into dust, fires spreading across the crops and destroying them instantly.
 The sky itself seemed to crack almost, a tear nearly caused in the time space contimuum.
 The box had only been opened a crack.
 (“Anakin’s Suffering – Imperial March” – Sad Ochestration)
 Once the explosion began to settle, a dust storm rose, one which woke up a somehow still alive Grime, who could barely believe it himself.
 Choking, he coughed out the dust and rubbed his eyes, only to find that beneath him…
 Was nothing.
 Heart skipping a beat, Grime stood up, and saw that in front of him…
 Was nothing.
 And there was nothing in all the other directions.
 Grime’s stomach tossed and turned, and his heart pounded and his brain pulsed as he turned around and around, but still saw nothing.
 No bodies… No buildings… No crops… No barn, no house, no nothing.
 There…
 They were all gone.
 “How had I even survived?”, Grime thought, staring at his hand as if it wasn’t there.
 Then, it hit him: All his men were dead.
 Grime felt dizzy, his head spinning as he tried to somehow compose himself.
 He stumbled along the grass, trying to breath and not collapse, when he saw Bog’s body.
 At first, Grime assumed the worst, but no… His heart was beating.
 “Unfortunate.”, a voice rang in his ear, and Grime felt a sudden jolt in his heart, as if he only now realized what those words entailed.
“I don’t want that!”, He shouted, but it was no use, the voice continued.
 “You failed me, boy! You let those men die because you weren’t brave enough! How will you ever earn your title, your bloodline, your family, your life! If you do nothing but sob for those who live to serve you! Serve us! You are failing me, boy!”, the voice shouted, and Grime felt like collapsing to his knees, but it would be weak…
 Like Bog…
 And those men…
 Those men HE failed…
 “You should have saved them…”, a different voice called. It was softer, feminine, more caring…
 But somehow, Grime still felt shame.
 “I was weak… I was a failure, like always…”, he sobbed, getting to his knees, realizing he was the only real survivor.
 Grime thought back: to how his methods failed to stop the explosion, to how his foolishness allowed him to leave Bog unsupervised. He was in charge, he was responsible…
 He had killed all those men.
 Blood had been spilled that day…
 And it was all over his hands.
 Weeping, Grime pounded the floor with rage, as if in prayer it would set the clock back, but he was trapped in a horror of his own making.
 “I failed…”, he sobbed. “I failed… I was supposed to be good enough.”
 Grime shivered as his heart cried out for his brothers and sisters he had murdered in cold blood.
 He looked up to the sky, with tears in his eyes.
 “I just wanted to do… ONE. GOOD. THING…”
        (“Corynorhirnus” – Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard)
 Meanwhile, north of the now totally decimated and demolished Marsh Pond…
 “…Wrecker…”, a voice called in his head.
 Wrecker’s eyes were closed, but somehow, the warrior knew he was floating.
“…Did I do it? Did I… Did I actually do ONE… GOOD… THING?”
 Silence.
 “…Yes.”, the voice answered simply.
 Tears flew freely for once. He sighed in relief. “I… I never thought this day would come.”
 His voice was almost like a child’s as he asked “…Are you sure this is not a dream?”
 “No. You really did come through.”
 “She’s safe?”
 “Yes.”
 Wrecker’s small moment of dread escaped as soon as it came, and he grinned, actually grinned, as he realized…
 “So… I WAS worth it… I… I’m not just a waste of space…”
 His tears cascaded to the ground and Wrecker’s heart slowed down.
 “…Can I rest? Please?”, Wrecker begged, his tone that of a boy who just wanted to be loved once.
 “…You are not The Wrecker… There’s still value in you… You just have to find it…”
 The voice seemed to smile.
 “Wrecker… You are capable of so much more… Than just One. Good. Thing…”
 Suddenly, Wrecker jolted awake, seeing nothing but forest plain…
 And a box that looked all too familiar in his palms.
 At first, he gasped: He saw what that thing was capable of.
 He couldn’t take it!
 Yet…
 Could he leave it?
 “In the wrong hands…”, Wrecker thought, a sense of responsibility that was always there now finally free.
 He didn’t have to finish.
 Pocketing it in a flash, Wrecker turned around, wondering if perhaps the voice was wrong, perhaps he could rest…
 But then he saw her.
 (“Wild Woods” – Forest Music and Relaxing Magical Music – Elven Woods)
 Sitting on the forest floor, the wind blowing her hair, Annie Lilypad bowed her head in mourning to a pile of leaves and sticks she had assembled to form a grave.
 She wished she had the body…
 But it was the least she could do.
 “Thank you… Thank you for loving me, despite me.”, she prayed, her words rising to the skies…
 A cloud seemed to smile at her.
 But she couldn’t tell if it was her imagination.
 Annie had cried so much, she wasn’t sure she could cry more. She was just so tired…
 So she just hugged her knees to her stomach and shook.
 What was left for her to do?
 Who was left for her?
 …What path should she take?
 And in that moment, Wrecker understood his rest would have to wait.
 But he nodded his head, not with pain…
 But with purpose.
 “…Job’s not over yet, old man.”, he told himself, and he limped towards Annie, the explosion having done a number on his right leg.
 Annie was still cold as ice when a hand was placed on her.
 “Come on. Let’s get moving.”
 Annie suddenly looked up, surprised, as the warrior who nearly died for her of all people walked past her and stopped, looking back.
 He motioned with his head, and she slowly stood up, confused, bewildered.
 Why her?
 “…I don’t understand.”, she said, shaking.
 Wrecker took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure how to say it.
 Suddenly, he looked down…
 And saw a path.
 A light turned on in his head…
 And he looked at her.
 “It’s too dangerous out here. Until I can find a place for you to stay… Someone has to keep you on the right path.”
 Annie listened carefully…
 And despite her father’s death…
 She smiled through the tears.
 This…
 This hero had given her so much.
 She had a chance to make up to her father, and be someone.
 And maybe even help this strangely kind stranger.
 Running up to him, she grasped his scarred hand, which had an oddly healing effect on him.
 “Strange… I just got hired for the same job.”
 Wrecker didn’t know what to say…
 But for the third time in a day…
 He smiled, genuinely.
 Perhaps he had finally caught up with the winds of change.
 (“The Mandalorian Theme” – Ludwig Goransson)
 As the duo began to walk down the path, Annie just had one question: “You know… I never introduced myself. My name is Annie. Annie Lilypad.”
 She stared up at him, sending him the love he hadn’t had in 40 years. It was magical.
 “What’s yours?”
 Wrecker looked towards the sun…
 And took a deep breath.
 Who was he?
 He squeezed her hand protectively.
 “…I’m the Wrecker.”
  END OF CHAPTER 1.
       1.  From the very first few lines, this story is about a frog who goes by the name “The Wrecker” and works for the Toads. The intent of this story is to tell a tale of a man who has hit rock bottom, only to discover there is still a capacity for good in him, leading him to slowly but surely climb out. It is one of my favorite types of story, so it was bound to happen!
2.  The soundtrack choices were not easy, but I went for what sounded best in my head. I recommend listening to the songs, but you don’t have to! I would love to know if you guys also have any musical suggestions for the series, since I only know so much!
3.  Fitting that the main inspiration for this fic (The Mandalorian) is the theme that’s used the most, and the one that starts us off. A tale of a complicated and better than he thinks soul.
4.  I usually don’t have a ton of description on my stories, since I’ve always been more of a dialogue and feelings person, but I was happy to incorporate it here! I feel like you can feel many of the scenes, give or take a few mistakes (I am new at this!
5.  All questions about Wrecker (including who he is) will be answered in the future episodes!
6.  I write Toad Tower like a combo of The Empire, Rome, Nazi Germany and The Fire Nation. I try to write from their perspective while offering a glimpse of who they really are from those who are not blinded. The self importance seeps through, sometimes I forget they’re the bad guys! Of course, not all toads are bad (see Pogs, Grime).
7.  Creating cities like Marsh Pond and Swamp City was oodles of fun! I’ve never had to put so much thought into locations before, but I felt like those places feel real!
8.  I never show a flashback of Wrecker killing the freedom fighter because really, it’s unnecessary. He killed someone in what was basically self defense, and situation where he could have died. But this “evil” warrior guilts over it. Seems like perhaps he’s not so bad…
9.  The Path or Road theme is a fave of mine: Wrecker truly thinks he can never leave this road, and when the chance comes he fails again. But that’s the thing about chances: You get more than you think.
10.                   Wrecker is very much an extention of my guilt, depression and complexes.
11.                   Stuff like Dread Pirate Mog’s Chest of the Deep (Dread Pirate being a Princess Bride reference, Mog a generated frog name) and the water producing sands of the Red Spotted desert (Red spotted frogs exist, thought it would be a cool visual) are inspired by the Star Wars method of easter eggs: Don’t give too much, just enough to inspire the imagination. How DID they get those things? What is the history? Who was Mog? A red spotted desert? I would be honored if someone ever wrote stories about those!
12.                   Amethysts, emeralds, sapphires… A la the Calamity box gems (but not the real ones)
13.                   Rome is of course the inspiration for Toad Tower! Lavish, beautiful, it’s hard not to like it! It feels glorious, but it hides a dark truth!
14.                   I especially enjoyed writing the contrasts: See, this Toad Tower looks better, and this Grime feels better, and looks better (no scars, no scary eyes, soft voice, golden armor) but as you will soon see, the Toad Tower we see in Amphibia might not be so bad in comparison. It’s all golden before it darkens into bronze.
15.                   Grime is… Complicated. Anakin Skywalker and Zuko are major inspirations. Grime’s tale is one of tragedy, of a fall from grace. His origin will likely induce tears, and he’s become arguably the most complicated character. All your understandable questions on how THIS nice guy is Grime will be answered soon.
16.                   Not Captain Grime, since this is 10 years earlier and he is 20 (we’ll get to why soon)
17.                   Bog only got worse every time I wrote him. He was only ever meant for a cameo or two, but his violent nature and effective use as a magnifying glass into the evil of the Toad Army and what could Grime become helped a lot!
18.                   Grime is eloquent, so that was fun to write! Getting in his head inspired a few nice sentences!
19.                   Mire’s crimes will be revealed soon enough; just know it’s a Sozin sort of situation, a la Avatar.
20.                   Crossroads are another theme: Big decisions happen every day, and we must make them. We can step closer to the light, or to the shadows. It’s our choice.
21.                   “We Are The Line” is my version of “This Is The Way” from “The Mandalorian”. It is the Toads motto, and their attempt to convince themselves that they are in the moral right for their totalitarian control of Amphibia.
22.                   Captain Muck (for Muck and Grime are synonyms of sorts) is the main villain of this story, and he is more important than he seems. He is the Ozai, the Palpatine of the story, and he is the abusive father that sets Grime on a dark path. Keep an eye out for him, his influence is massive on Grime. I hate him.
23.                   Note how even Grime kneels like a common solider. Muck is THE DICTATOR of Amphibia in every way, his iron grip stronger than anyone else’s.
24.                   A favorite note of mine is how the freedom fighters are addressed: By Grime, it is always in a positive or neutral light, since he believes in the possibility of peace and co-existence. By Muck and many other toads, it is as terrorists, monsters, those who wish to kill their families, their brothers and sisters. Enemies of the state. And Wrecker too sees them as freedom fighters, but that’s later.
25.                   For those curious: No frog had died since a massive massacre that nearly destroyed an entire town, which was Mire’s doing. Since then, Muck had tried to create an illusion of peace as he searched for the one thing that could give him control of Amphibia. Hence, the reason why this violent and disgusting toad had never killed a man… Yet.
26.                   Grime’s relationship with his father is complex: Differing philiosophies do not induce hate. In fact, Grime wants his father to be proud of him, perhaps his biggest motivation, alongside redeeming himself (that’s later) and creating peace between frogs and toads.
27.                   Grime sees Wrecker as a friend (more on THAT later), but Wrecker sees him only as a fellow person to disappoint, so he stays away.
28.                   “When do we start?” may seem an odd line for a guilty man, but the idea here is that Wrecker is so desperate for rest, he’d rather die bad now then fail once more. He truly believes there is no hope, that he has hit rock bottom. But hope can cut through, even in the darkest of times. He still has a chance.
29.                   Crossroads in plural… Because there is more than one chance for redemption.
30.                   Not all toads are bad; in fact, many of them are downright just brainwashed. Pugs is an example of how the lines of black and white are blurred. She really is a good toad.
31.                   Grime, like Wrecker, is constantly criticisizing himself. Grime has an ingrained shame and guilt complex, as well as a fear of failure and a need to be good. Both men share these traits. It’s how they deal with it that’s important. If you read the chapters, you’ll see how they mirror each other all the time.
32.                   Many clues hide in this and the other chapters as to the identity of The Wrecker. I wonder if anyone will know.
33.                   Like many of my protagonists, Wrecker struggles with the concept of his own existence. It is a pain I share: The need to prove there is a reason why you were born. Justifiyng your own life… Is a very lonely business.
34.                   Mellow is definitely my LEAST subtle name yet.
35.                   Re-write your own life. Your story may have had a bad beginning… But it does not mean it’s who you are. It’s who you choose to be that makes you who you are.
36.                   Wrecker is a good man, and not just because of the guilt he feels. But it does play a big part in his story: If he’s such an unfeeling monster, he wouldn’t regret his actions. Regret is the first step towards accepting you need to change.
37.                   Annie is based on my sister. So I love her very much. She is also inspired by Anne Boonchuy, hence the name.
38.                   Annie has many skills Anne has: She has the athleticism, the tennis skills, the energy, the optimism.
39.                   Annie’s big problem: She feels like she has to do something GREAT. She doesn’t realize she IS something great. She too, wants to justify her existence.
40.                   Leap was never intended to play such a big part. In fact, he too was going to be a bad father. But instead, he ended up playing a pillar to aspire to be for Wrecker and Annie, and despite his sacrifice, I feel that he didn’t know that it would kill the entire town. I feel a lot for him.
41.                   Liberty blue, for he strives for liberty.
42.                   Leap enjoys the smell of the farm, Wrecker doesn’t.
43.                   I love how Wrecker and Grime had parents who could not understand them, yet Annie did, which helps he be the moral compass of sorts. She knows what it’s like to be loved, so she loves in return.
44.                   Annie and Anne learned how to pay taxes.
45.                   Annie and Anne also love beetle jerky.
46.                   Nature Vs Technology: The Frogs have old weapons, old tactics, and they have nothing truly advanced. The toads have state of the art weapons. Armor vs rags
47.                   The Calamity Box. Yes. Yes indeed.
48.                   I loved writing all the little details and citizens of Marsh Pond! It was teeming with life!
49.                   Darius and Alexander are references to Alexander the Great and King Darius’ battle? You know, the whole ancient world theme.
50.                   Marsh Pond is part Arab village, part native American village, part medieval town, part renaissance Italy, part American farmland.
51.                   The Toads are sure that the Frogs want to destroy them, not noticing the irony that they guard their captain from little children and mothers.
52.                   Spyritys is literally the most dangerous of alcohols. Wrecker is trying to poison himself.
53.                   Shrek references in dialogue that is stuck together that Annie says is tight!
54.                   Wrecker, as I said, represents my guilt. My shame. My regrets. I haven’t killed anyone, but I am very self resentful and I search for redemption. I can only hope that… That this can help others to see that they too deserve to live. I still fight for that right. But… Maybe I’m not so bad too. Maybe…
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knight-otu · 5 years ago
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What's in the Villain release
Toady and ThreeToe been working on the Villain release over a year now, and it might get a little hard to remember just what will be in the game after the release. So, I thought, why not create a bullet point list that includes most confirmed features from the devlog (there may be incidental features that weren't posted, and features that make Toady go He He He, as always)? It's not the first release to get such a list, after all. As more devlogs come in, I will of course try to keep this list up to date as well. I will not list planned features that aren't confirmed in unless there is a good chance that they do get in.
(Updates - 25/07/2019: Map changes/evil regions and powers/dice 08/01/2019: Ńecro/Demon !!FUN!! 08/08/2019: Maps mostly finalized 08/21/2019 Adventure mode intrigue tab. 09/11/2019 + 09/18/2019 Improving organization linkage 10/02/2019 Interrogations 10/16/2019 More interrogation work 10/24/2019 Artifact thieves; Fort mode plans 10/30/2019 Fortress inflitrators and temples 11/07/2019 Temple/Priest petitions, religious thoughts 11/14/2019 Infiltrators 11/21/2019 Artifact heist 11/27/2019 Guilds and guildhalls 12/05/2019 Fort mode investigations)
World-Gen
* Villanous and fancy worldgen figures can take on aliases such as 'Kashi the Secretive', 'The Urn of Phantoms', or 'Earthhells the Bewildering'. * Villanous characters build up networks of agents through various means - extortion, bribery, flattery, etc. The intrigue skill measures their general effectiveness. * Using these networks, villains drive various plots - corruption, kidnapping, assassinationm, stealing artifacts, coups, framing people, corrupt imprisonment, sabotage, starting wars. * * Kidnapped figures can be ransomed, sold into slavery, murdered, tortured, or simply held. They may be able to escape though (including those targeted by night creatures). * * Criminal organizations can branch out to other sites and muscle out or take over local organizations. * Necromancers can build up their towers and raise zombies beyond what their towers can hold, released into the wilderness. These undead hordes roam around and corrupt their territory towards evil. * * Necromancers also can sneak into tombs and catacombs now, rather than just battlefields, building up their forces until they are confident that they can attack villages, then towns, then perhaps the whole world. * * Further, necromancers can raise intelligent undead lieutenants that can act as parts of their villanous network. These can have a variety of special powers - blinding enemies, raising fog, supernatural shoves, summoning. These lieutenants can also be ghosts. * * Summoned creatures can be short-term nightmarish beasts. * * Necromancers and vampires can entice people with their secrets/their blood, and some do follow through with those promises. * * Mummies can arise from tombs that get robbed, with much the same powers as necromancers. * * Certain demons can also spread evilness, blighting plants, spreading evil creatures, spawning bogeymen. * * Certain necromancers and demons create abominable experiments or otherwise corrupted creatures. * Law enforcement and counter-espionage can hinder plots unless corrupted. Historical figures can be punished by prison time. * Historical figures can be tempted by opportunities to embezzle, getting bribed, profaning temples, or other corrupt behavior. They might also have gambling problems. * Rich folks can buy and expand houses and towers, which can be inherited or resold. Villains can use these structures as hideuts or to store stolen artifacts. * * In order to be cursed, a historical figure profaning a temple now must be a worshipper of the relevant deity. * Against entities that require killing neutrals (goblins, necromancers), civilizations can form alliances. * Dwarves can dig too deep, too greedily, releasing creatures of the underworld as a new goblin civ. * To facilitate building up more linked historical figures (and thus improve network building) and more stable sites and civs (to stand against plots), worldgen relations and positions were generally improved: * * They can now relationships as childhood friends, war buddies, business rivals. * * Marriage and romantic attachment have been reworked - people can divorce, remarry, have multiple lovers, and have children without being married. * * People can bond over scholarly interests, athletic competitions (where they can also become rivals). * * * Athletic competitions now can attract participants from friendly civilizations. * * Humans and goblins form new positions such as keeper of the seal or master of the beasts on a civ-wide level. * * Towns can form craft guilds and have intermediate generated nobility like barons. * * Merchants travel the map and trading companies can form trade outposts and warehouses in other civs. They can form business rivalries. * * Towns and villages have more diverse religious infrastructure, usually in he form of statues and small shrines. * * * Prophets and monastic faiths can arise to form religions, which can spread to reach other sites and civilizations, building temples and possibly even declare a holy site. * * * Religions can be persecuted against by other religions, priests can agitate or soothe tensions. * * Successful mercenaries can build up mercenary orders dedicated to religions, weapon mastery, leadership, stealth, and other aspects. They can also upgrade their equipment. * * * Unsuccessful mercenary companies can be disbanded. * A number of new sites exist outside of the main settlements: * * Castles outside of cities return. * * Bandits and mercenaries can build up forts. * * Monastic faiths can build monasteries.
Adventure mode
* You can now create a party of characters, rather than just a single adventurer. * * You can choose your starting equipment, including quality levels, as well as pets/mounts. * * You can choose your starting religion depending on your home town. * * You can choose a starting profession (unknown how limited the list is) that provides some free skill. (Most skills won't be useful in this mode still, but may help if the character retires in or moves to a fortress.) * Your party can act autonomously or in a tactical combat system where you take turns controlling those members set to be controlled. The members being controlled can be changed any time. * Your characters can ride horses and other mount creatures, and if possible, your party will follow suit on mounting and dismounting. * Pets can also be led and used as pack animals, and, importantly, can be petted. * Necromancer adventurers can raise and ride mounts. * Bogeymen are now restricted to certain evil biomes and nightmare demons. * Maps of the new sites and structures are ready. * * Shrines (and presumably temples) can have dice for divination purposes. Rolling those dice can have an effect on the adventurer. * A new intrigue tab in the adventure log shows the evidence and information you collected regarding villanous groups. * * The intrigue tab has a graph representation of organizations as far as you know them. * You can interrogate and otherwise interview people. * * You can ask questions using various skills, such as intimidation, flattery, or persuasion. * * People being questioned decide based on various factors (wanting to stay, confidence, dominance, etc) whether to answer or not. * * A good judge of character can better determine which conversation tactics yield good results.
Fortress mode
* Most aquifers are now slow aquifers, producing water at 1/500 the speed of the current aquifers. Aquifers in old forts remain fast aquifers, but old worlds do receive slow aquifers for new embarks. The fast aquifers will specifically be noted. * Fortress mode temples have been updated to allow for the new organized religions, and the starting dwarves as well as generated migrants can be part of those religions. * * Based on the zone value, your temples will be classified as shrines or temples. * * Worshippers can petition for the construction of temples and the installment of priests after reaching a certain threshold. * * New religion-related thoughts. * * Priests can give sermons that give good thoughts to people who agree with the contents and only mildly annoy people who don’t. * Craftspeople guilds can form for common professions in your fortress, and they can petition for guild halls. * * Guild halls can host skill demonstrations for their associated skill(s), which teach the skill and meet needs. * Villains can hire thiefs to steal your artifacts. * Villainous infiltrators can join your fortress, assuming appropriate identities. * * Infiltrators can attempt to sway loyalties much as in world gen. * * Failed attempts at swaying can generate witness reports. * Infiltrators can initiate artifact heists with the help of compromised dwarves. * Dwarves will report when artifacts are missing/not where they are supposed to be, as well as who was last seen admiting the artifact. If the theft/handoff are seen, those also will be reported. * The player can order interrogations, which may provide new information.
Other changes
* Legends mode displays the various romantic attachments a person has or had, as well as the various battles they participated in. * The XML export includes the new events that can happen in world gen. * Evil regions created through necromancy or demons slowly revert if there is no evil activity.
Modding
* Presumably there are new responsibility tokens for the new random positions. * The DEMON and DEMON_UNIQUE tokens that were part of generated creatures, but not usable outside those, should now be available for modded creature. This may extend to FEATURE_BEAST (forgotten beasts) and TITAN. * New interaction powers like summoning should be available.
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kai-borg · 6 years ago
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Tyrant - Ruler of the outer lands
Tyrant is a merciless being, unless you can count the mockery of a merciful-death he grants to those who survive his initial attack as mercy, who rules over much of the lands outside of Creator claim with  iron-fisted control and a compliance born of terror and fear for what he does to those who disobey him. He is massive, standing taller than most, if not all, of the naturally tall mini-mayhems, and he wields a strength that is truly something that could be boasted of, allowing for him to wield his war-hammer, a weapon of choice, and take down mocs many times his size, an activity he has done at multiple occasions and enjoyed each time. While there are tales that he once was a peaceful, kind ruler, who controlled a much smaller, more peaceable kingdom, if said tales are supposed to be believed, the disappearance of his wife, soon followed by a lasting, crippling disease, and later death for his son have long since shattered the kind king and left naught but the beast that remains. Tyrant first came into true being after slaughtering the previous owner of that name, a wide feared moc who controlled a large area of the outer-realm, and the house of his creator, long since killed by his hand, kept as his kingdom. After ending the first Tyrant this king of unknown name took his name as his, along with his kingdom, and skull as crown. Since then he has begun expanding his land in what seems to be a plan to control all of it, quite literally causing a war between his armies and all mocs, from wild to those assorted house-mocs that choice to join in their attempt to defeat him, for his first, and final large scale attack. The last because he won that war, and took control of all the territory lost within it, and the mocs who'd once laid claim to it. So far he is continuing his expansion, aiming for both Creator-claimed land and not. Hiring criminals, thugs, the scum of society and those alike to form his armies and keepers of 'peace' for the lands he cannot always be in. But not even they are safe, for he is more than willing to remove those who attempt to take advantage of their position and break the rules he set for them. He is even more dangerous than the previous Tyrant who's skull he now wears as crown in his actions, carrying a greater fear than even him from both the rumors surrounding him, and the truth known of him, such as that he personally carries out the execution and punishment of those who fight, and that he leads all battles himself, and leaves none alive in his wake. He has even accomplished events not even the first was willing to take, the death of a Creator, and not just one. But, he's not idiotic enough to attack one in their territory, there they are strong, strong enough to kill him easily with their 'home-field' advantage. So he plans, waits and watches until a time comes that they leave, enter an area they can be killed, even if it is a difficult task, he will look forward to attending that battle. Now, despite how idiotic such actions may seem, purposely aggravating Creator's and all, he is in fact quite a genius. He is never without a plan, and despite a large portion of his army consisting of criminals of ill-report and suspicious alliance, an even bigger portion consists of 'blank'-mayhems, a 'moc' build he helped design, and he's forced the scientists he's encountered and captured to perfect, and mass produce. The blank-mayhems are in basic, blank, emotionless slates. Robots who can only follow commands and have no sentience, thus bypassing any need for creative energy, and giving him an army he's ensured can never betray him. He did once attempt to create a variant, a more sentient version of the commander build, a 'blank' coded to be able to distrubute his commands out to a group of the standard blank-mayhems. It was a failure, the sentience developing in a way that was unplanned for and leaving what he'd designed as a death machine as nothing more than a failure in his mind, a failure he quickly threw away, leaving trashed on the outskirts of his territory in a state that would most likely soon render it shutdown by his beliefs. He also, at a much earlier time, attempt to create a virus that would allow him to gain more 'loyal' subjects by overriding the infected Moc's mind and rewriting it into a more controllable state. Unfortunately, for him that is, it didn't work, the henchmen he'd sent out with the finished product for its initial test returning with many dead and reports that the virus proved to weak, managing to only overwrite the Moc's mind, a Mini-mayhem moc at that, enough to damage his mentality before being beaten down by the Mayhem's own. It did manage to form an offshoot of itself while they kept the moc in isolation, forming into a more aggressive, albeit seemingly mentally weaker, secondary personality, the Mayhem seeming to have relinquished control to it before it began attacking the group, slaughtering many before being stopped and the personality losing control, according to the reports. The Mayhem himself, after being reverted and shocked unconscious through loss of a leg, was believed to be dead after the remaining thugs disposed of him in the parts pile of a known Creator known as Essence near that area. Despite his cruelty and perceived mercilessness, he actually has loyal subjects, if very few of them. His head scientist, a moc 'freed' from a Creator who hated him, being one of them and more scattered around. (Not counting any cults based upon him.) He also has one, unknown weakness, child-mocs. He has never killed a single child nor allowed for injury so long as he can stop it in any of his battles, or any of the towns he's been in, quite literally killing those he find that abuse their child and personally selecting them a new family. But he hides it in ways, not going visibly out of his way to protect nor help them, but finding ways to excuse it in such a way that none suspect him. In fact most fear he is planning to kill their kids, his tendency to, at times, send an 'invite' for visitation to one of those nearest to his 'castle', does not help. Their safe return with presents, odd new skill at chess, and the temporary 'ignorance' of their family by Tyrant ignored from the account. He also holds a soft spot in his heart for his own species, if a one masked with his cruelty. From slaughtering near all of the wild monochrome-mayhem tribes, to enslaving the beast/feral-mayhems, both wild tribes that once highly opposed him, and other 'punishments. Yet that is it, he punishes them, he doesn't slaughter all/multiple of them like he'd do to any other wild-tribe that had continued resistance against him, only those who actively resist. Sure, said punishments are quite cruel, being the death of the individual in question, but he rarely ever carries out the execution himself, leaving it to his minions. Once he never participated in them but after an incident involving the unconfirmed death of an escaping youngling beast-mayhem and a cliff, he was forced to remove that hesitation somewhat, and the 'guards' involved with that incident. Currently there are three known goals of Tyrant: The first is to control all territory, all land. To be a 'king' who none shall ever oppose. And, other than the Creator homes, he has gotten close, very few free tribes remaining and many of the resistance forces cut down. The second is to find The Kingdom, a hidden mini-mayhem territory he has only heard rumors of, from the potential threats of a king near his size known as Albus to two who have overtaken him, and gained his size, to their uncounted army of mini-mayhems that they wielded the power to create, and that its rumored existence is located near the Creator who started his species, an entity he has yet to find, and wishes to either control, or destroy. And the third, and most known one, is to find a Moc, one he has asked of in every tribe of related species he has taken, a Mini-mayhem known by the name of Jetflare Personality: Cold, uncaring, cruel, controlling, vicious, aggressive, willing to do nigh-all to accomplish his goals, and intelligent on top, all the qualities that made him into the most-feared, and perfect Tyrant. He cares little for many of his subjects, and armies lives, and for those few he does he hides it. He personally leads all battles and will subject himself to anything, any amount of pain so long as it means he will become stronger and more able to reach his goals. Other attributes: He has purposely had his head modified to allow him to remove his standard Mini-mayhem head piece and replace it with his crown, keeping both removable, usually carrying his Mayhem head piece attached to his back for when he wishes to 'relax'. His right arm is actually unnatural to his build, a purposeful mutation he appeared to have put himself through before becoming known as Tyrant, for both the increased claws and a more powerful strength within it. He actually has quite a few pieces of removable armour on himself, attached to him for both protection and to make his form all that much more menacing, ensuring his reputation as the most feared-being shall remain. The pieces so far include his 'crown', shoulder mounted skull-based armour, and the clawed panels on his upper legs. Tyrant's legs have a permanent, slightly digitigradle bend to them, giving him a slightly animalistic air when noticed. The crystal on his right arms wrist is attached by a chain that has both been wrapped around his wrist, and wielded to it. The reason behind why he's done such, and why he keeps it is, as of yet, unknown, but he has shown himself to be highly protective of it, going so far as to kill a Moc who merely brushed across it. (Of course, I'm certain I know someone who might understand the importance behind such a crystal.) There are also rumors he once dabbled in cloning but they are yet to be confirmed. Weapons: Tyrants preferred weapon is his war-hammer, a weapon that assures death to his opponents when combined with his strength, but he will wield others as needed and understand the import' of being skilled in others. Due to this he has installed working kanoka disk launchers in his forearms, both in case of opponents behind him and for menacing design, and is highly trained in both double handed sword use, and dual wielded sword use. ================ This guy was inspired both from Toa-Shifter's amazing series and some of Jedder77's own crazy Mini-mayhem mocs and the ideas behind them. Really this guy just kind of randomly popped into my head a while ago when I was thinking of how a series based around my own Moc's, and understanding/beliefs of the MM au, but I didn't fully know how to utilize him/make him work out at first (the fact I didn't believe I had the parts to make him at first didn't help), but I have to say after reading some of Jedder's ideas, and watching a few 'house-based' moc series, helped me really develop him into what he is now! He speaks in a blood-red (RGB: 138,7,7) version of this font: www.ffonts.net/Zombie-Holocaus… (Also, as you may notice, I threw quite a few... 'references' to certain characters (including a highly blatant one), and how they may have come to be/ended up in their current states in there with his bio. I wonder if you guys'll get 'em. I hope you do.~)
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the-psychic-project · 3 years ago
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Psi News 08-18-2021: The Figurative 2021 United States Capitol Attack Decoded
“Nation of Islam Extremists with Western Federally Funded Cults war KKK David Duke for Federal Prostitution”
“Million Man Demonstrations of African-American Men in different era’s” - concerning the 1990’s Nation of Islam Racist Bias Protest and the Current Washington D.C. and Fort Worth, TX Dark Economy Workers Riot's
Non-Corporeal Video on 08-18-2021 at 01:30 PM CST at Meta Platforms/Facebook-Oculus - Reed Family Account
--- Chapter 1: The Figurative Texas Radicals Storming of the Austin Capitol and Federal Fort Worth Capital of Prostitution
Non-Corporeal Video on 11-13-2021 at 10:00 AM CST at Meta Platforms/Facebook-Oculus - Reed Family Account
Content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ7t6F_cMG4
“Insurrection in Federal District of Dallas are events of the ‘2021 United States Capitol Riots, Stop. Interpol ‘Trump’ announces that a Shape Shifter President is fraudulent; Biden, Stop’”
Non-Corporeal Video on 08-16-2021 at 03:33 AM CST at Meta Platforms/Facebook-Oculus - Reed Family Account
“On the afternoon of January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. was violently attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump. The mob sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election by disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes that would formalize President-elect Joe Biden's victory” - Wikipedia Excerpt decoding with psychic intimation as ‘Pro-Legalized Prostitution Federal Authorities were ambushed by local criminal Pimps and prostitutes attempting to salvage dark economy’ further decoding the figurative details regarding ’Ambush of Subversives in Federal Districts’
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/.../2021_United_States_Capitol...
“At 4:17 p.m. in a Twitter video, Trump reasserted that the election was "fraudulent", but told his supporters to "go home in peace" - Wikipedia Excerpt decoding ‘election as selection of legalized prostitution’
“More than 500 people have been charged with federal crimes relating to the attack.[25] Dozens of people present in Washington, D.C., on the day, including some who took part in the riot, were later found to be listed in the FBI's Terrorist Screening Database, most as suspected white supremacists.[72] Members of anti-government groups, including the paramilitary Oath Keepers, neo-fascist Proud Boys, and far-right militia Three Percenters, were charged with conspiracy for allegedly staging planned missions at the Capitol” - Wikipedia Excerpt with psychic intimations and a backwards decode of ‘White Supremacists’ being ‘Black Nationalists’, ‘Anti Government Groups' being ‘Pro Government Federal Employees’, Far-Right as Left-Leaning, and ‘Proud Boys’ as ‘Lesbian Lifestyled’
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/.../2021_United_States_Capitol...
“Confirmation that the Nation of Islam extremist Heroin cartel has attacked our nation”
“Green shared extremist viewpoints advanced by the Nation of Islam prior to committing his attack at the Capitol.[5] The attack took place 86 days after the 2021 United States Capitol attack, led by supporters of Donald Trump” - Wikipedia Excerpt decoding ‘Green as Global’ as ‘Corrupt Public Officials ran a car bomb into our country with Heroin distribution’ further decoding ‘a backchannel whistleblow on Global’s support of local heroin distributors’
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/.../April_2021_United_States...
--- Chapter 2: A Million Man March of Rural Texas African American Protectorates
“Money Laundering the proceeds of herion through Rural Texas newspapers organizations and African American Charities, Stop. FBI controlling by Shape Shifter replacement the Nation of Islam Heroin Cartel money launders ...... NAACP . NAACP Image awards to control the ‘image of African Americans’ by the FBI, Stop ”
Content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EBQ0taYXtQ
“The committee invited many prominent speakers to address the audience, and African American men from across the United States converged in Washington to "convey to the world a vastly different picture of the Black male" - Wikipedia Excerpt
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Man_March
“The board of the NAACP elected Chavis as the Executive Director and CEO of America's oldest civil rights organization. Chavis later served as the National Director of the Million Man March” - Wikipedia Excerpt with psychic intimations ‘confirming Benjamin Charvis as the money laundering Director of the NAACP’
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Chavis
“The NAACP bestows annual awards on African Americans in two categories: Image Awards are for achievement in the arts and entertainment, and Spingarn Medals are for outstanding achievement of any kind. Its headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland” - Wikipedia Excerpt
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP_Image_Awards
“Money Laundering through Image Awards” - psychic intimations
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP
“Winning the ‘Image Awards’ was used as a signal to African-American Subversives to undermine the award recipient” - psychic intimation
“Money Laundering endeavors by co-founder Benjamin Chavis cooperation with Nation of Islam” - psychic intimation concerning 200 Black Newspapers in the Money mill, advertisings paid and owned by Black attorneys who shuttle the money back toward the Nation of Islam benefits
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/.../National_Newspaper...
“Billions of dollars flow through these Black owned newspapers” - Psychic intimation concerning money washing of Heroin cartel proceeds
--- Chapter 3: Pornographic Influenced Performances for Societal Change
Non-Corporeal Video on 11-14-2021 at 07:30 AM CST at Meta Platforms/Facebook-Oculus - Reed Family Account
“Celebrity in pornography as an alternate payment vehicle, mostly in the nude to attract view counts” - concerning the ‘Stormy Daniels’ figurative representation of Celebrity in Pornographic Psi Performance
“David Duke is David Vitter or Racist ownership of celebrity transitory state recorded pornography”
“David Vittor is decoded as Vidor, TX a KKK Stronghold” - concerning Pornography had become a KKK Stronghold by Nazi Lowrider and Hells Angels warring deviant pornography
Further Reading: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectPsychic/posts/2789016998076902
“In 2009, a recruitment effort led her to consider challenging incumbent David Vitter for the 2010 Senate election in her native Louisiana” - Wikipedia Excerpt
Further Reading:
(1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormy_Daniels
(2)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidor,_Texas
“Paid Pornography to stop Transitory videos of sorted details of his life” - concerning the Ecological Wildfire Payments from the Trump administration to Southern California
Further Reading: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectPsychic/posts/2819120678399867
“Links to former First Lady Melania Trump’s Pornography were linked in political advertisements emailed to ‘White Ethnicities’ only. Mined by the Facial Recognition data of Cambridge Analytica, Stop. A Corporeal Shape Shifter Melania Trump’s Pornography cements the Trump Election, Stop. Electing pornographic shape shifters”
Further Reading: (1)https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge...
(2)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melania_Trump#Personal_life
“This is the foundation of the 'Russian' (decoded as Racist) interference into our 2016 election process” - psychic intimation
“A separate investigation into the Russian interference in the election was also conducted, and concluded with the observation that Russian intelligence agencies created fake social media accounts and bought ads on multiple social media sites in order to influence the election in favor of the eventual winner Donald Trump” - Wikipedia Excerpt decoded as ‘Russian intelligence’ was ‘Russian created pornographic accounts were given to pornographers for inclusion into the Campaign Financing of Donald Trump’
“The end goal was control of the federal budget and ‘veto’ powers by requiring Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump to perform in pornography for Campaign Financing, thus compromising the Trump presidency for future extorsions” - psychic intimations concerning California Pornographers, otherwise known as F.B.I. California Agencies which had usurped most of L.A. Studio Executive positions by using proceeds from the Sacramento Crystal Meth Cartel
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Social_media_in_the_2016...
--- Chapter 4: The Final Call Newspaper was Usurped by Racist Donations
“According to the SPLC, the NOI promotes a "fundamentally anti-white theology"[6] amounting to an "innate black superiority over whites".[2] Some of his remarks have been characterised as homophobic” - Wikipedia Excerpt
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Farrakhan
“A white FBI shape shifter replaced Louis Farrakhan ignites a race war in rhetoric to hide the dissolution of the United States, Stop. Controlled the U.S. Secret Service Agents through ethnic warfare” - concerning Darkened African-American Secret Service Agents affiliated with nearby mosques
“Former military in the 'El Chapo’ Cartel exchange with the Nation of Islam Heroin cartel controlled by FBI” - psychic intimations concerning the below cultural warfare by Washington D.C. area Mosque leaders utilizing the proceeds of Heroin distribution to place liens on Republican women for prostitution and pornographic exploitation”
Further Details: http://thenationsmosque.org/about/our-imam/
Backstory: https://thecorporealproject.blogspot.com/2022/10/psi-news-08-16-2021-seattle-insurrection.html
“Figurative and Actual depictions of U.S. Secret Service details that held Rural Gay Black men and Sexually Codified others in ethnic warfare through pornographic exhibition as ‘Fruit of Islam’” 
“The Fruit of Islam (FOI), or "Fruit" for short, is the security and disciplinary wing of the Nation of Islam (NOI).[1] It has also been described as its paramilitary wing” - Wikipedia Excerpt
“The Fruit of Islam is one of the original institutions of the NOI, created by its founder W.D. Fard in 1933, shortly before his final disappearance. The men, mostly young, active members, were considered the "fruit" of the new nation” - Wikipedia Excerpt with psychic intimation decoding ‘active members’
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_of_Islam
“Hostages of the Nation of Islam and their prostitution rings” - concerning Mosque Muslim mothers child grooming children for prostitution
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Girls_Training
“The magazine acts as the group's tool to spread their agenda, goals and view of world events and natural disasters” - Wikipedia Excerpt with psychic intimations concerning ‘Propaganda, indoctrination, and money laundering lien advertising for Republican women shipped weekly to global locations’
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Call
--- Chapter 5: The Populism Religion and it’s figurehead Donald Trump
Non Corporeal Video by Tracee Ellis Ross at Pornhub on 08-18-2021 at 03:00 PM CST
“Disenfranchised voters degraded the Populist electorate in pornography as a tool to voice their displeasure in our government” - psychic intimation concerning the philosophy of Populism and Pornographic exhibitions
“Populism is an approach to politics which views "the people" as being opposed to "the elite" and is often used as a synonym of antiestablishmentarianism; as an ideology it transcends the typical divisions of left and right and has become more prevalent in the USA with the rise of disenfranchisement and apathy to the establishment” - Wikipedia Excerpt Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populism_in_the_United_States
“Warring Sunni Muslims and David Duke Populists exchanged government officials for bribery charges” - psychic intimations concerning Washington D.C. and Fort Worth, TX area Mosque and Southern Racist, Stop. Russia is the shape shifter regions of Dallas and Sacramento, Stop”
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Muslims
“In the 1990s, Duke traveled to Russia several times, meeting anti-Semitic Russian politicians such as Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Albert Makashov.[18] In September 2005, Duke received a non-accredited "PhD in history"[144] from the Ukrainian private university Interregional Academy of Personnel Management (MAUP), an institution that has been described by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a "University of Hate" - Wikipedia Excerpt decoded as ‘David Duke was invited to Russia after capturing several female Republicans for influence into the U.S. Government’
Further Reading: (1)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke...
(2)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke...
(3)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Gabbard
“Payments were made in nonprofits for money laundering liens on Shape Shifter Republicans” - psychic intimations concerning money laundering
“Bribe money was in congressional accounts, thus congressmen were unable to transfer to privately held accounts for fear of the Department of Justice Corruption Probe charges”
“Republicans transferred the bribe money to nonprofits and recovered them by being added to the payroll of nonprofits without performing work or services but receiving payment”
“Nonprofits required prostitution and pornography as their laundering fee (money laundering lien) creating a vicious cycle of extortion”
“In 2021, after Trump lost re-election, the Heritage Foundation hired Chad Wolf, Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Morgan, all three of whom played a prominent role in the immigration policies of the Trump administration.[47] It also hired former Vice President Mike Pence” - Wikipedia Excerpt
Further Details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Foundation...
--- Chapter 6: Radical Islamist Elijah Muhammad and ‘Nation of Islam - FOI Protectorate in Rural Texas Regions’
Dueling Explicit Non Corporeal Video by Tracee Ellis Ross and Sara Silverman titled: ‘Dark Economy’ at Pornhub on 08-18-2021 at 06:00 AM CST
“Human Trafficking in Nation of Islam mosques” 
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Islam...
“Assassinated as he attempted to reform the mosque away from Heroin trafficking for women on his return from Mecca”
“After a short time in Flint, Michigan, he moved to New York City's Harlem neighborhood in 1943, where he found employment on the New Haven Railroad and engaged in drug dealing, gambling, racketeering, robbery, and pimping.[24] According to recent biographies, Malcolm also occasionally had sex with other men, usually for money, though this conjecture has been disputed by those who knew him” - Wikipedia Excerpt with psychic intimations ‘that the Mosque were predatory on newly released inmates to include in their Heroin distribution network’
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X#Early_years
“Muhammad's life was highly controversial, leading to opinions as diverse as George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party, once calling Muhammad "the Hitler of the black man"[17] to scholar Molefi Kete Asante listing Elijah Muhammad on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans” - Wikipedia Excerpt
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah_Muhammad
“A March 1968 memo stated the program's goal was to "prevent the coalition of militant black nationalist groups"; to "Prevent the RISE OF A 'MESSIAH' who could unify ... the militant black nationalist movement"; "to pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them before they exercise their potential for violence [against authorities]."; to "Prevent militant black nationalist groups and leaders from gaining RESPECTABILITY, by discrediting them to ... both the responsible community and to liberals who have vestiges of sympathy..."; and to "prevent the long-range GROWTH of militant black organizations, especially among youth". Dr. King was said to have potential to be the "messiah" figure, should he abandon nonviolence and integrationism,[44] and Stokely Carmichael was noted to have "the necessary charisma to be a real threat in this way" as he was portrayed as someone who espoused a much more militant vision of "black power" - Wikipedia Excerpt of the 'Messiah' doctrine used against Nation of Islam figurines, prior to usurping greater power in the Heroin drug trade
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO#History
Explicit Details by non Corporeal Video on 08-18-2021 at 06:00 PM CST at Pornhub - Universal - Reed Family Account
(Psychic Intimations are Confidential Sourcing backed by Wikipedia Reference)
0 notes
dipulb3 · 4 years ago
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Leading House Democrat sues Donald Trump under a post-Civil War law for conspiracy to incite US Capitol riot
New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/leading-house-democrat-sues-donald-trump-under-a-post-civil-war-law-for-conspiracy-to-incite-us-capitol-riot/
Leading House Democrat sues Donald Trump under a post-Civil War law for conspiracy to incite US Capitol riot
If it proceeds, it would mean the former President and others would be subject to discovery and depositions, potentially exposing details and evidence that weren’t released during the Senate impeachment trial.
Thompson points to Trump’s words and tweets in the months leading up to the insurrection to accuse Trump and Giuliani of mobilizing and preparing their supporters for an attack to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results on January 6.
The lawsuit cites a scarcely used federal statute passed after the Civil War that was intended to combat violence from the Ku Klux Klan; it allows civil actions to be brought against people who use “force, intimidation, or threat” to prevent anyone from upholding the duties of their office.
The NAACP is backing the lawsuit and helping to represent Thompson in court.
“As part of this unified plan to prevent the counting of Electoral College votes,” the lawsuit states, “Defendants Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, through their leadership, acted in concert to spearhead the assault on the Capitol while the angry mob that Defendants Trump and Giuliani incited descended on the Capitol. The carefully orchestrated series of events that unfolded at the Save America rally and the storming of the Capitol was no accident or coincidence. It was the intended and foreseeable culmination of a carefully coordinated campaign to interfere with the legal process required to confirm the tally of votes cast in the Electoral College.”
READ: Former President Donald Trump’s January 6 speech
The former President and many Republicans argued the impeachment trial was unconstitutional because he is no longer in office. As such, Thompson notes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s speech Saturday where the Kentucky Republican seemed to encourage litigation against Trump.
“We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation,” McConnell said after voting to acquit Trump. “And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one.”
Jason Miller, a spokesman for Trump, said the former President did not incite or work to incite riots at the Capitol.
“President Trump has been acquitted in the Democrats’ latest Impeachment Witch Hunt, and the facts are irrefutable,” Miller said in a statement. “President Trump did not plan, produce or organize the Jan. 6th rally on the Ellipse. President Trump did not incite or conspire to incite any violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6th.”
Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been briefed on the lawsuit, a source tells Appradab.
Discussing the lawsuit later Tuesday, Thompson told Appradab’s Chris Cuomo that “we can’t allow the rioters’ activities just because people disagree with the outcome of an election. People should not have overrun the Capitol to stop the confirmation of the election. That’s just not who we are.”
In recounting his experiences inside the Capitol on the day of the riot, the congressman cited how Emmett Till — a 14-year-old whose brutal murder in 1955 spurred the nation to action on civil rights — had been killed in his district.
“A lot of atrocities have occurred in my state, and so all that was going through my mind at that time, that, is it coming to an end over an election?” he said on Appradab’s “Cuomo Prime Time.”
Thompson continued, “I thought elections were a way that civilized people resolved their differences. But obviously, those individuals who attempted, well, succeeded in breaking into the Capitol had a difference of opinion. I resent that — I know this country is greater than what I experienced that day, and I’m prepared to go to court and defend that greatness.”
Says Trump’s words spurred the riots
Thompson’s lawsuit ties Trump’s repeated refusal to accept the election results in the weeks after November 3 to the threats of violence against elected officials like Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, accusing Trump of endorsing the threats rather than denouncing them. The lawsuit also alleges that Trump’s refusal to directly condemn the Proud Boys during the first Presidential debate in September encouraged their violent plans leading up to January 6.
The lawsuit links the hours-long standoff at the Capitol directly to Trump’s rally earlier in the day where the former President told his supporters, “…if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Trump also said, “You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
Giuliani, the lawsuit alleges, also riled up the crowd by continuing to talk about unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud and telling supporters on January 6: “Let’s have trial by combat.”
The lawsuit accuses Trump of delaying the delivery of his speech to the crowd at the Ellipse on January 6 as a way to give the Proud Boys time to get to the Capitol and overcome the police presence there, though there is no evidence provided that Trump’s speech was delayed or that any delay was intentional.
In addition to Trump and Giuliani, the lawsuit names the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers as defendants.
Several members of these far-right groups have been charged for their involvement in the riot. The Justice Department has charged more than a dozen Proud Boys so far for storming the Capitol, and recently brought conspiracy charges against a group of five people associated with the group. DOJ also indicted three members of the Oath Keepers in late January, including one member, Jessica Watkins, whose attorney told the judge last week that she believed she was following directions from Trump.
The lawsuit has been randomly assigned to Judge Amit Mehta, an appointee of former President Barack Obama. Mehta has handled various lawsuits related to Trump’s financial records. In 2019, he ruled that Trump financial firm Mazars USA had to turn over records to Congress. He also earlier denied a request from House Democrats, in the minority at the time, attempting to get Trump hotel records from the General Services Administration.
KKK statute
The legal underpinnings of the lawsuit could face an uphill battle in court, since the KKK statute has not been widely used.
“It was specifically meant to provide federal civil remedies for federal officers who were prevented from performing their duties by two or more individuals, whether federal marshals in the post-Civil War South, federal judges in un-reconstructed lower courts; or federal legislators,” University of Texas Law professor and Supreme Court analyst Stephen Vladeck explained.
“It’s not at all hard to see how that provision maps onto what happened on January 6 — where, quite obviously, two or more people conspired to prevent the Joint Session of Congress from performing its constitutional function of certifying President Biden’s Electoral College victory. The harder question is whether Trump himself can be connected to that conspiracy,” Vladeck said.
Attorney Joseph Sellers, who is representing Thompson, said that the specific purpose of the statute was to provide a remedy against efforts to interfere with Congress’ duties.
“The fact that there’s very little precedent [involving this section of the statute] is a reflection of how extraordinary the events were that give rise to this lawsuit,” Sellers said.
Other members of Congress, including Democratic Reps. Hank Johnson of Georgia and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey intend to join the lawsuit as plaintiffs, according to a statement that accompanied the lawsuit.
“While the majority of Republicans in the Senate abdicated their responsibility to hold the President accountable, we must hold him accountable for the insurrection that he so blatantly planned,” Thompson said in the statement. “Failure to do so will only invite this type of authoritarianism for the anti-democratic forces on the far right that are so intent on destroying our country.”
This story has been updated with comments from Thompson and additional details of the lawsuit.
Appradab’s Caroline Kelly and Katelyn Polantz contributed to this report.
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multipleservicelisting · 4 years ago
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White House Orders Assessment on Violent Extremism in U.S.
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WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Friday it had ordered the director of national intelligence to work with the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the threat from domestic violent extremism, a sign of how seriously the new administration is taking the issue in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
The request comes only days after Avril D. Haines, the newly installed director of national intelligence, pledged to members of Congress during her confirmation hearing that she would help with just such an assessment.
The new intelligence work began as people charged in the mob attack on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald J. Trump continued to appear in court. On Friday, a federal magistrate judge in Dayton, Ohio ordered Donovan Crowl, an accused rioter linked to the far-right group the Oath Keepers, detained until his trial, citing the safety of the community.
Domestic terrorism and violent groups are a thorny issue for intelligence agencies like the C.I.A., which are limited to tracking attempts by foreign governments or organizations to influence extremist groups in America. The F.B.I. and Department of Homeland Security have more leeway to investigate domestic groups and homegrown terrorism.
But Friday’s order will have practical as well as symbolic import. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said the assessment would help President Biden hone his policies aimed at curbing violent extremism in the United States.
“This assessment will draw on the analysis from across the government and, as appropriate, nongovernmental organizations,” Ms. Psaki said. “The key point here is that we want fact-based analysis upon which we can shape policy.”
In recent years, some parts of the intelligence community have been working to increase their focus on the threat of domestic terrorism, particularly by doing more to track growing foreign influence operations on domestic groups. The C.I.A. also has officers in its counterterrorism section who specialize in tracking racially-motivated violent extremists overseas.
During the last two Congressional sessions, lawmakers passed a measure requiring intelligence agencies to work on annual reports and strategic assessments of domestic extremism.
“Far-right, white supremacist extremism, nurtured on online platforms, has become one of the most dangerous threats to our nation,” said Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
The domestic terrorism order is the second assignment in two days for Ms. Haines, who was confirmed by the Senate Wednesday evening. On Thursday, the White House ordered a new intelligence assessment of Russia and its role in a broad hacking of government computers.
The Biden Administration
Updated 
Jan. 22, 2021, 3:53 p.m. ET
The new order on domestic extremism, and growing interest on Capitol Hill, could also push the intelligence agencies and law enforcement to look for ways to work more closely on tracking and countering extremist groups in the country.
The growing concern about these groups is also reflected in the tough stances judges have taken with those arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot.
Mr. Crowl, the suspect denied bail in Ohio, was part of a group dressed in paramilitary equipment that approached the Capitol “in an organized and practiced fashion” to move their way to the front of the crowd, according to court papers.
In a New Yorker article about the riot, Mr. Crowl, a 50-year-old Ohio resident, acknowledged that he had entered the Capitol but claimed that he had traveled to Washington to “do security” for “V.I.P.s” whom he did not name and that his intentions had been peaceful. But court filings made clear that prosecutors did not believe that.
“This defendant, through force and violence, attempted to disrupt the process that our country’s been engaged in for over 200 years,” said the prosecutor, Nicholas Dingeldein, during the hearing on Friday. “He’s been preparing for literal war because that’s what this organization, the Oath Keepers, has told him he has to do.”
The judge, Sharon L. Ovington, noted that Mr. Crowl had a criminal record and said she saw “clear and convincing evidence” that there were no conditions that would reasonably assure Mr. Crowl’s appearance in court or the safety of the community.
Citing the weapons that authorities found at the place where Mr. Crowl suggested he would stay if released, she said, “The suggestion that I release him to a residence containing at least nine firearms is a non-starter.”
Another accused rioter, Scott Kevin Fairlamb, was arrested on Friday in New Jersey, after various tipsters submitted evidence to law enforcement. In one video, a man later identified as Mr. Fairlamb shoved and punched an officer on the West Front of the Capitol, according to an affidavit from the F.B.I. In a video posted on Mr. Fairlamb’s Facebook page, he could be seen carrying a collapsible baton and saying, “What Patriots do?”
Using two expletives, he then continued: we “disarm them and then we storm” the Capitol.
And in New York, a federal magistrate judge denied bail on Friday for Jeffrey Sabol, a geophysicist from Colorado who was accused of dragging a police officer down the stairs outside the Capitol and allowing another rioter to beat the officer with an American flag.
At his bail hearing, a prosecutor suggested Mr. Sabol had tried to flee the country after the riot; he had purchased a plane ticket to Switzerland, which does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. Mr. Sabol also tried to take his own life after the riot, the prosecutor said, and spent several days recovering at the hospital.
Nicole Hong and Ben Protess contributed reporting.
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jamesginortonblog · 7 years ago
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Twenty years from now, you might find yourself sitting by the fire, telling tall tales to young ’uns about the madness and the mayhem of this century’s teenage years, and you might find yourself thinking — if only there was some kind of, I don’t know, TV drama that accurately encapsulated almost everything that was going on in the world in 2017, one that also felt like James Bond meets The Godfather. My friend, the drama you would be looking for is McMafia.
The series is the BBC’s big-budget new-year crime drama. Starring James Norton, Juliet Rylance and David Strathairn, alongside a host of Russian, Israeli, Brazilian and Serbian stars playing mob bosses from their home territory, it blends the stylish globetrotting of The Night Manager and The Sopranos’ take on family values, with a dark underpinning in reality.
McMafia’s script began life as a 2008 book of the same name, an epic study of organised crime by the investigative journalist Misha Glenny; it was then wrestled into a drama by the Oscar-nominated screenwriter Hossein Amini, best known for the Ryan Gosling thriller Drive. At first sight, this looks like another of those impossible-to-film tomes with which British TV is currently besotted. (The City & the City? The Patrick Melrose novels? Are you all insane?) Glenny’s tome details the rise of criminal empires from the dust of eastern Europe’s communist states and the globalisation of crime across continents, using free-market tropes. The term “McMafia”, for instance, is a reference to the Chechen gangs who franchise out the feared Chechen name to thugs across Europe, like a gun-toting Ronald McDonald.
Amini was hauled into the project by James Watkins, the director of Black Mirror and The Woman in Black, who had been trying to squeeze Glenny’s sprawling book into a feature film. “We sat in a little garden at the V&A — which, ironically, ended up in the series — and decided it could only be a TV series,” Watkins recalls as we squat on some antique furniture during a break in the filming of a violent chase in a country house. “It’s got whorls and tone, but no actual characters.”
Over the book’s fragmented vignettes, Amini lays an action thriller-cum-family-drama structure at whose heart is Alex Godman (Norton), the son of a Russian oligarch who was educated at an English boarding school, runs a successful hedge fund and is preparing to marry his ethical activist girlfriend, Rebecca, played by Rylance. When his dodgy uncle starts meddling in Moscow, Alex’s perfect life falls apart and he is thrown into the family business with increasing vigour.
“There are elements of Alex that are based on me,” Amini explains as he joins us. “I came to the UK from Iran in 1977. I was bullied at school for being foreign and found it hard to adjust. My parents can’t go back to Iran, although I could… All of this I put into Alex. So that notion of what it’s like to be Russian, but sometimes be ashamed of being Russian, and trying to work out if you’re British or Russian or something else — that’s very personal.”
Amini writes — or at least rewrites — roles once the lead actor has been cast. Drive’s sparse, moody script was as inspired by Gosling as by James Sallis’s original book. With Norton, he has done much the same thing, sculpting Alex to fit Norton’s natural sense of cool detachment as he boots up his inner Michael Corleone, against the backdrop of a violent global black economy that snakes its tentacles through everything from politics to the illegal deals smartphone makers rely on for their raw materials.
“We saw James playing the Russian aristocratic gentleman in War & Peace, a cultivated Englishman in Grantchester. Then there was Happy Valley, where he’s got this quiet, damaged fury — and it was obvious he would be perfect for a Russian bear inside a bowler hat,” Amini says.
“The thing about Alex is, he’s not a villain and he’s not a hero,” Norton tells me a few months later, as we sit by the Adriatic on Croatia’s Istria peninsula — which is doubling as the south of France and Tel Aviv. “He’s trying to do the right thing, but he’s being screwed up and twisted and turned, and he gets into this sort of spiralling, chaotic mess. They tell me they didn’t see anyone else for the role — I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. What did they see in me?”
Norton’s performance here will do nothing to dampen rumours that he’s the next Bond after Daniel Craig hangs up his Walther PPK. From the moment he steps out of a black cab in a tux onto the steps of the V&A — through spectacular assassination attempts, scenes of brutally trafficked young women, oblique references to the criminal machinations of the Russian government, high-speed chases through luxury mansions and dubious deals in pulsing Tel Aviv nightclubs, with some flashy high finance thrown in — his role has pretty much every ingredient necessary for 007, including the occasional raised eyebrow.
“To be honest, it’s mad, this crazy speculation,” Norton says with a quick laugh. “I think Daniel Craig’s going to do another two. I’m aware that James and Hoss putting me in a tux at the V&A couldn’t be more incendiary. I did say to them, ‘Are you just baiting me and stoking the fire?’”
Either way, he’s aware that this is a potentially career-changing role — not that he’s done badly so far. His elegantly foppish performances in Death Comes to Pemberley and Life in Squares led, unexpectedly, to Sally Wainwright picking him to play Royce, the dark, psychopathic nemesis to Sarah Lancashire’s troubled Catherine Cawood in two series of Happy Valley. The crime-solving vicar Sidney Chambers in Grantchester came shortly after, and he’s been in War & Peace, Flatliners and Black Mirror since then. As Alex, though, he has finally earned leading-man status.
“It’s terrifying in a way, because there’s nowhere to hide, really,” he says, giving a small smile. “Before, my agent was saying I should maybe move to a bit of theatre or a bit of film. Now he’s saying I need to decide how this is going to affect me and where I go next... It’s an AMC and BBC show, the budget is huge, we have Hoss, David Farr and James Watkins on the script, the supporting cast are all A-listers. Being the thread through all those people, I just hope I’m not the one to cock it up.”
The A-list cast, it’s fair to say, is not only impressive, but requires a little explanation. Every television drama project these days has to scream a little louder than the last just to get attention. In 2016, roughly 1,200 brand-new scripted shows were launched in the world’s main television markets, according to the industry number-cruncher the Wit — and estimates for 2017 suggest there will have been considerably more, as Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat launched scripted streaming services and Netflix alone produced 90 shows just in Europe.
McMafia is effectively the BBC’s answer to this internationalisation of talent. The Leviathan star Aleksey Serebryakov and Mariya Shukshina, a Russian TV stalwart, play Alex’s dubious oligarch parents; the Georgian actor Merab Ninidze proves oddly charming as the Kremlin-connected mobster Vadim; the Czech actor and regular Hollywood heavy Karel Roden delivers a weary ex-cop turned crime lord; and the Bollywood star Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays a corrupt Mumbai importer, Dilly Mahmood.
Russians, in other words, play Russians, Indians play Indians and Brazilians play Brazilians. When nationalities speak among themselves, they do so in their own tongue, rather than in the heavily accented pidgin English beloved of earlier shows. Sometimes there are subtitles, sometimes not. It’s a mark of how cosmopolitan the British viewer has become that a primetime drama on a mainstream channel can now drift seamlessly between languages.
“People in the UK don’t really know who these people are, but in their own world, they’re enormous superstar figures and have this immense skill set,” Watkins says. “Some of the Russian actors do so much with so little. Whenever anyone comes in to act with the Russians for the first time, we have to take them aside and say, ‘Look, this isn’t about you or your work, which we love — but before you act with them, watch what they’re doing and make sure you can match it, because they’re setting the tone for the whole piece.’”
Watkins is keen to stress that the tone is gritty, rather than glamorous. Each location is shot with different filters, and the dark, unsettling horror underpinning the action tends to be in the bleached-out bright sunlight of the Middle East. This is grimly true of the second episode, in which a young Russian beautician, Ludmilla, arrives in Egypt for a hotel job. She is picked up by a couple of cheerful locals, who drive her out of Cairo to a concrete shed where she’s beaten, tied up and shoved into the back of a van before being sold on to an armed gang — the first stop in a brutal series of events that leave Ludmilla in Israel, sold on yet again to a haughty brothel keeper.
It’s a shocking subplot, coming so soon after an exotic party at the Palace of Versailles thrown by Vadim — the Russian gangster with Kremlin links — and all the more so because it is the one story lifted directly from Glenny’s book, and is thus, effectively, a dramatised documentary. Indeed, all of the darkest elements in the series are echoes of real life — Amini based one early killing on the 1991 assassination of the former Iranian prime minister Shapour Bakhtiar. And Dimitri Godman’s drunken decline echoes the last grim years of Boris Berezovsky’s life. “We’ve tried not to chase events, because real life is always going to move faster,” Watkins says. “But every fresh headline almost seems to confirm the thesis that the corporate is becoming criminal and the criminal is becoming corporate — the intersection between criminality, intelligence agencies, banking and government.”
“Like most people, I thought the mafia was compelling and exciting,” Norton adds. “There’s money and fast cars and yachts and beautiful women. I hope people see that while we tell that story, we also tell the story of the cost — from human trafficking to drug-dealing and poverty-stricken junkies in Mumbai whose habits pay for someone’s superyacht.” He pauses. “Though I’m now aware that there are things in this phone that are unethically sourced, and I’m still using it every single day. So this probably won’t make a significant difference.”
Which is part of the final trick that Watkins and Amini play — constantly taking us back to London parties and ethical business launches by semi-legal tycoons, making clear our complicity in all the sordid crime and violent murders the show depicts. The most chilling paragraph in Glenny’s book does exactly the same.
“Organised crime is such a rewarding industry,” he writes, “because ordinary Western Europeans spend an ever-burgeoning amount of their spare time and money sleeping with prostitutes; smoking untaxed cigarettes; sticking €50 notes up their noses; employing illegal untaxed immigrant labour on subsistence wages; admiring ivory and sitting on teak; or purchasing the liver and kidneys of the desperately poor in the developing world.”
So, if you do end up in 20 years’ time using McMafia as a document of our fractured era — from Russian political meddling to dubious oil deals to corrupt hedge funds and ruined human lives — you might want to prepare yourself for the obvious question from your loving offspring: what did you do to try to stop it?
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aion-rsa · 4 years ago
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The Expanse Season 4 Recap: Ilus, the Ring Gates and the Cliffhanger Ending
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Warning: contains spoilers for The Expanse season 4
At the beginning of The Expanse season four, the show’s characters stood at the crossroads of a brave and expansive new world, as did the cast and crew in their new home at Amazon. It was a marriage made in heaven. The Expanse was bigger, slicker, bolder, and grittier, but just as gloriously deep, rich and complex as ever. As season five gets ready to drop, let’s remind ourselves of the ups, downs, ins, outs, fights, smites and subterfuge of season four. We’ll start with the set-up and then look at each of the main locations/groups in turn, leading up to the season’s denouement and planet-busting cliffhanger. Major spoilers, obviously, ahead.
In the Beginning
Season three ended with the opening of the mysterious ring gates, and the 1300 habitable systems beyond them. Holden feared the beginning of ‘a blood-soaked gold rush’.
It’s a fear shared by UN Secretary General Chrisjen Avarasala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who wants everyone to stay put. The UN’s stance is backed by the Martian Congressional Republic (MCR) and many of the Belters. The balance of peace and power in the Sol system is precarious, and a mass exodus could destabilise human civilisation. Besides, no one group wants any of the other groups to rush in and gain the upper hand.
A convoy of Belter ships rushes the blockade on the Sol side of the slow zone. The Barbapiccola, containing refugees from Ganymede, makes it through and enters one of the ring gates. The Belters settle on a planet there and begin mining lithium. They name the planet Ilus.
Two ships are dispatched in the settlers’ wake. The first is the Edward Israel, owned by a corporation called Royal Charter Energy (RCE), which already had a UN-and-Mars-backed mandate to conduct scientific studies beyond the ring gates. The second is the Rocinante. Avasarala wants Jim Holden (Steven Strait) and his team to bring their knowledge and experience of the protomolecule to bear on this strange new world, and also act as adjudicators. Officially, at least. It’s not really in Avasarala’s interests for the situation on Ilus to run smoothly.  
Life on Mars
Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams) spent seasons two and three in a whirlwind of defections, double-dealings and divided loyalties thanks to the cold war (and almost total war) between Earth and Mars, and the revelation of Mars’ role in the development of protomolecule bio-soldiers. Season four finds her somewhat adrift, living on Mars with her younger brother, David, and working for a company that dismantles decommissioned warships. She’s generally having a hard time readjusting to civilian life.
David gets embroiled in the criminal underworld, helping a gang to prepare illicit sense-enhancement drugs. Bobbie takes exception to this, so goes looking for the gang. She finds and beats down some of its members, in the process smashing up one of their labs and damaging their inventory. Her brother is kidnapped and forced to work off the debt incurred by the damage. Bobbie pleads for her brother’s release, a request to which the leader of the gang is willing to acquiesce, but only for a price: Bobbie has to leave a door unlocked at work so the gang can steal some military equipment. Reluctantly, she complies. When Bobby’s conscience gets the better of her she tries to report the gang to the police, only to discover that the high-ranking policeman who comes to log her report is the gang leader himself, Esai Martin (Paul Schulze). She later quits her job when her supervisor seems keener on getting in on the lucrative illegal action than in pursuing justice. Eventually she’s arrested for her part in the gang’s crime, and is only saved from prosecution when she agrees to accept Esai’s offer to work for his gang. Esai is motivated in his criminality by the pressing need to make enough money to secure passage off Mars and start a new life elsewhere with his family. He knows that the ring-gates, and the life and fecundity beyond them, have rendered Mars’ terraforming initiatives pointless, thereby dooming the planet to stagnation and, very possibly, extinction.  
Esai and his gang are later involved in the theft of another piece of Martian military tech, which is handed over to a team of Belters, who summarily execute the gang before retreating off-world. Bobbie witnesses this happening.  
Avasarala, Earth, and The OPA
The Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) faction represented by Camina Drummer (Cara Gee) and Klaes Ashford (David Strathairn) allies with the UN. They re-brand and re-purpose the Behemoth as Medina station, setting themselves up as gate-keepers of the rings, helping to enforce the UN blockade.  It’s hoped that this will grant them a place at the table and influence over the new galactic order.
Not all Belters are on board with this new paradigm, perceiving it as selling out; a capitulation to those who would still demean and exploit them.  Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander) is the most vocal and militant voice of opposition. Marco is Naomi Nagata’s (Dominique Tipper) ex-beau and father of their child, Filip (Jasai Chase Owens), and while these days he styles himself a freedom fighter, it wasn’t always thus. When he was with Naomi, he tricked her into writing code that he claimed would merely disable other ships, allowing their faction to come to the rescue and extort payment for their time and trouble. However, Marco used the code to overload the reactor of a docked ship, killing hundreds of people. When the distraught and guilt-ridden Naomi left the faction she was prevented from taking their son, Filip.
Marco is apprehended by Drummer and Ashford for his part in capturing the UNN colony ship Soujourner and executing its crew. While aboard the Behemoth, Marco tries to win Ashford over to his world view, reminding him that the Belt will suffer a terminal decline of profit and influence owing to the exodus, and, besides, very few Belters, due to their space-bound physiology, will be able to take advantage of the brave new worlds beyond the ring gates. The heads of the various OPA factions assemble to decide whether or not Marco should be spaced (ejected into space sans suit) for breaking the fragile truce between the inner and outer planets. It’s Drummer who breaks the tie, reasoning that killing Marco would make him a martyr, and propel into action those factions loyal to his cause.
On Earth, Avasarala faces a leadership challenge from Nancy Gao (Lily Gao) who, in contrast to the incumbent, is a fierce advocate for embracing the change, opportunity and adventure that the ring gates represent. Avasarala’s campaign takes its toll on her ethics and her personal life, especially her marriage. She resorts to smears against Gao, and isn’t above attempting to use the problems on Ilus to her advantage. 
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OPA bigwig Fred Johnson (Chad L. Coleman) reveals Marco’s location to Avasarala, who wastes no time in dispatching a team of marines to the Pizzouza spacecraft to extract him. Marco, however, isn’t on board, and the resulting firefight between marines and Belters results in grave loss of life. The fallout critically damages Avasarala’s image, reputation and election chances, and moreover plays right into Marco’s hands. 
Fred Johnson visits the Behemoth, receiving from Drummer both a punch in the face and news of her resignation. Ashford vows to track down and kill Marco and wants Drummer to accompany him, but she declines on the grounds that she’s sick of politics and its machinations.
Ashford’s pursuit of Marco through the Belt leads him to a Martian naval officer, who reveals under interrogation the existence of a conspiracy involving Martians and Belters. When Ashford finally tracks down Marco, on an abandoned asteroid mine in the belt (from which there are also some asteroids missing) he’s prevented from killing him by the appearance Marco’s and Naomi’s son Filip, who emerges from the shadows to tip the balance of power in his father’s favour. Ashford is spaced, but before he dies he broadcasts a secret recording that incriminates Marco and will alert whomever receives the transmission to the conspiracy – even if Ashford never learned its exact purpose or shape.
On Earth, Avasarala is defeated by Nancy Gao. Avasarala dictates a conciliatory message to Nancy Gao, which ends thusly: “As for policy and the direction you’re taking the earth and all her peoples. Well, we disagree. One of us is wrong. I think it’s you… but I hope it’s me.”
Ilus/New Terra
When the Rocinante arrives on Ilus – or New Terra, as the UN would have it – there is already palpable tension and mistrust between the Belters and the crew of the Edward Israel. The RCE’s shuttle was downed on its way from orbit, resulting in deaths and injuries. Survivors of the crash include the group’s leader, the merciless Adolphus Murtry Burn Gorman); RCE security officer Chandra Wei (Jess Salgueiro); and exo-biologist Dr Elvi Okoye (Lyndie Greenwood). Violence is halted when everyone is swarmed by alien bugs, soon confirmed as protomolecule-based.
The planet is home to large structures that were built by the long-dead beings responsible for the protomolecule. Proto-Miller (Thomas Jane) appears to Holden and makes him go to one of the ruined structures to remove a root that’s blocking a connection. This turns on the structure and, it would appear, the entire planet, shaking loose forks of promethean lightning from the dark, oppressive clouds. Holden fires a torpedo at another of the structures when it too appears to activate.
Amos (Wes Chatham) and Murtry play detective for a time, discovering that the planet’s landing pad was blown up deliberately. In the ensuing stand-off between the Belters and the RCE group, Murtry shoots and kills one of the Belters. This violent act kills the potential bromance between Amos and Murtry. Both men are killers, but Amos, despite his shallow affect, follows a more honourable code of ethics, one that puts him at irreconcilable loggerheads with the ruthless Murtry. Amos is taken into custody while Naomi – still having trouble adjusting to terra firma, despite the help of acclimation drugs – helps a Belter woman named Lucia (Rosa Gilmore) escape the RCE’s clutches. She’s being pursued by the RCE because they know she was involved in blowing up the landing pad. Lucia explains to Naomi that it was only supposed to be an act of sabotage to buy the Belters more time. When it became clear that this act of sabotage would coincide with the arrival of the RCE’s shuttle, Lucia tried to abort the action, but was prevented from doing so by her co-conspirators. Holden and Alex (Cas Anvar) come to Naomi and Lucia’s aid as they’re hunted across the encampment, bringing some of the Rocinante’s firepower to bear. Alex takes Lucia and Naomi into orbit aboard the Rocinante, leaving Holden behind to plead with the two factions to evacuate the unpredictable, proto-molecule-soaked planet, with a little time left over to punch Murtry in the face and demand Amos’s release.
Neither faction wants to abandon the planet, or their claim to the lithium, but soon the planet itself renders Holden’s exhortations irrelevant. An island explodes, precipitating a shockwave and tsunami that threatens their survival. Worse still, the fall-out has somehow rendered the fusion drives on the orbiting spacecraft useless. There’s no prospect of escape or rescue. Everyone has to flee for refuge in one of the alien ruins.
Structures, slugs and synthesised drugs
Once inside, the survivors split into two factions, RCE on one side, Belters on the other, with Holden and Amos somewhere in the middle. They quickly discover that the structure is teeming with countless thousands of neurotoxic alien slugs and hostile micro-organisms. Everyone except Holden starts to go blind after being infected by the micro-organisms. Many others succumb to the fatal touch of the slugs. Murtry, becoming more unstable by the moment, reveals to his group his true objective on Ilus/New Terra. It isn’t the lithium he’s after, but the proto-molecule tech. He also wants to kill Holden and Amos.
Above the planet, Alex and Naomi devise a plan to tether the Rocinante to the Barbapiccola to prevent its decaying orbit from dragging it down onto the planet’s surface. Murtry keeps things interesting by ordering the Edward Israel to fire on the Rocinante.
The exo-biologist Dr Okoye works out – just in the nick of time – that Holden is immune to the micro-organisms because of the anti-cancer medication he’s been taking ever since he and Miller were exposed to radiation on Eros. She synthesises a cure, and the effects are reversed. In time, the waters recede enough for the survivors to leave the structure.
Meanwhile, proto-Miller again appears to Holden. The ‘real’ Miller is now battling with the protomolecule for control of the Miller ‘avatar’. In a moment of lucidity, Miller explains to Holden that the hat-wearing Miller he’s been dealing with is The Investigator, whose mission was to bring Holden and a dose of active protomolecule through the ring gates to activate the structures on Ilus. Miller, however, has identified a place on the planet where the protomolecule can’t go, where in fact all trace of it can be destroyed.       
Holden heads off in search of this weak spot. He’s led to a portal which transports him to another structure elsewhere on the planet, swiftly followed by Murtry and Chandra (with whom Amos had a brief ‘romance’), who are intent on killing him. Amos and Okoye follow. Amos fatally shoots Chandra, then Murtry shoots and disables Amos. Meanwhile, Okoye and Holden find a mysterious circular rift that Miller refers to as ‘the bullet’. While Holden rushes to aid Amos and incapacitate Murtry, Okoye stays behind to help Miller with ‘the bullet’. Miller merges with items strewn around the room to give him the corporeal form necessary to enter and plug the rift. His self-sacrifice not only saves Okoye, who is almost swallowed by the phenomenon, but returns everything to normal. All vestiges of the protomolecule are removed, the planet is ‘deactivated’ and fusion engines can function once more. The Belters and some of the RCE scientists decide to stay behind on Ilus. In orbit, Holden ejects the only piece of protomolecule that’s still aboard the Rocinante into Ilus’ sun. Murtry is a prisoner aboard the Rocinante, but the crew decides to let Lucia go.    
The Beginning of the End
Bobbie reaches out to Avasarala to tell her about the criminal conspiracy between Martian and Belter criminals/terrorists. Ashford’s message, which lends weight to this intel, is out there in the ether somewhere, but no one has yet detected it. Bobbie and Avasarala are now working together.
It was Filip who was with the team of Belters on Mars that stole the piece of military tech before eliminating Esai’s gang. The hardware taken was stealth tech, which we discover that Marco Inaros has used to cloak eight asteroids that are currently hurtling their way towards Earth.  
It’s going to be fascinating and harrowing in equal measure to see what a few million tonnes of space-rock will do to the tentative peace that’s barely holding the Sol system together, and how the various factions will make peace – or war – with the atrocity to come.
cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });
Roll on season five.
The post The Expanse Season 4 Recap: Ilus, the Ring Gates and the Cliffhanger Ending appeared first on Den of Geek.
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crimethinc · 7 years ago
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From J20 to Charlottesville: Repressing Dissent from Above and Below
Over the past two years, the right-wing has declared war on protest in the United States. They’ve fought this struggle from the top down with police, courts, and legislatures—and from the bottom up with militias, fascist groups, and lone extremists. These strategies work in tandem to threaten social movements. This is what connects the fascist murder in Charlottesville last weekend to over 200 demonstrators arrested at Trump’s inauguration on January 20 who were all charged with eight identical felonies just for being on the same city block. This connection is all the more obvious after August 15, when Trump attacked anti-fascists and disingenuously denied that the fascists who chanted Nazi slogans in unison were all white supremacists. The White House stands solidly on the side of those promoting and orchestrating far-right violence.
How do state and autonomous right-wing attacks reinforce each other? Why is the right escalating its campaign to repress dissent? And how can we counter this repression?
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The fascist attacks in Charlottesville last weekend were just the latest installment of a two-pronged assault on dissent.
Prosecution and Legislation
While it’s nothing new for the state to repress protest, the past two years of legal and legislative attacks represent a substantial escalation against resistance movements. Since the uprising in Ferguson forced national attention onto racist police violence, the idea of Black communities, poor people, and radicals becoming ungovernable has inspired some and terrified others. Protestors inspired by Ferguson have blocked highways, occupied police departments, sabotaged pipelines, shut down airports, and disrupted Trump rallies.
But defenders of the economic and racial status quo have taken advantage of this to stoke white working-class resentment and suburban fears of disorder. Trump’s image as “the law and order candidate” capitalized on the racialized concerns stirred up by this wave of protest.
From day one, the new administration made good on its promises to crack down on protest. On January 20, over two hundred counter-inaugural demonstrators were trapped in a kettle and mass arrested. Rather than receiving citations or misdemeanors, they now face the prospect of decades in prison simply for being caught on the street during a march. Meanwhile, hundreds of cases from Standing Rock clog the North Dakota courts, where water protectors face fines and prison terms for their efforts to prevent private companies from profiting on the poisoning of Sioux people’s water supplies.
In addition to maximizing repression through the current legal system, politicians are expanding the law to further criminalize demonstrations. Nearly twenty state legislatures introduced anti-protest bills this year that range from troubling to downright bizarre. Arizona politicians attempted to allow the state to seize the assets of people arrested for protesting, while North Carolina legislators tried to invent something called “economic terrorism” and to force protestors to pay the cost of police efforts to repress them. North Dakota’s legislature passed a litany of new bills fed to them by the pipeline industry, from allowing police to use weaponized drones against demonstrations to increasing the legal penalties for a wide range of activity. This legislation went directly into effect against hundreds of water protectors.
Finally, this year, legislators in Florida, North Dakota, and Tennessee have attempted to pass bills allowing drivers to run over protestors without legal consequences. This is especially chilling in the aftermath of Charlottesville.
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These screenshots from fascist social media leading up to the Charlottesville demonstrations confirm that the discussed “hit and kill” bills emboldened fascists to commit murder that weekend.
Every one of these laws emerged as a direct response to protests that were effectively disrupting the status quo. The sponsors of North Carolina’s failed anti-protest bill specifically cited the ferocity of resistance in Charlotte after the police murdered Keith Lamont Jenkins as their inspiration for the new law. The spread of highway blockades during anti-police rebellions prompted a wide range of legislation targeting the obstruction of roads, including the aforementioned “hit and kill” bills. In response to widespread indigenous and ecological resistance to pipeline construction, several new state laws would advance penalties specifically tied to disruption of energy infrastructure. These efforts by politicians to protect the interests of their corporate cronies and police attest to the threat that our movements pose.
Grassroots Vigilantism
But the state isn’t confident that legal methods alone will be enough to stem the tide of popular resistance. Enter the autonomous fascists, stage right.
Where police and legal restrictions haven’t sufficed to suppress demonstrations, the armed right-wing has stepped in. Beginning in states such as Arizona that have open carry laws and widespread gun culture, right-wing demonstrators had already been appearing at their own rallies visibly armed; yet until recently, they had rarely appeared at the protests of their political opponents. In 2014, members of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia, appeared in the streets of Ferguson toting assault rifles. While most politicians and law enforcement officials outwardly condemned this challenge to the state’s monopoly on violence, in some places the state began openly partnering with the grassroots extreme right. In June, the Multnomah County, Oregon Republican Party voted to allow Three Percenters to provide anti-protestor “security” for them at events.
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On January 20, bootlickers welcomed the arrival of tyrrany.
Meanwhile, the alt-right and other fascists have slowly but surely escalated from online threats to violent attacks. The massacre that Dylan Roof perpetrated at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 failed to spark the race war he intended, but the following year, the election of a president who openly courted white nationalists provided the catalyst for increasing extreme right violence. Numerous media outlets reported an immediate rise in racist, xenophobic, and anti-Muslim activity after Trump’s election, from graffiti to verbal harassment to physical assaults. Bigots have ramped up attacks on mosques from Minnesota to Tennessee, while a man spouting Islamophobia stabbed two people to death on a train in Portland, Oregon this spring.
While many of these attacks served as general intimidation against marginalized groups, protests against oppression have become a particular target for fascists. In 2015, heavily armed right-wingers fired into a Black Lives Matter occupation in Minneapolis, injuring five protestors; a bystander noted that they “were using police tactics.” During the Trump campaign, Trump supporters frequently carried out violent attacks on protestors; white nationalist Matthew Heimbach faced criminal charges this spring for physically attacking a young Black woman at a campaign speech. At a Seattle protest against Milo Yiannopolis in January, a right-wing Milo fan shot an anti-racist protestor in the stomach after threatening online to “start cracking skulls” of “snowflakes.” Yet antifascists and anarchists remained the villains in the discourse spread by politicians, police, and media pundits, even as right-wing attacks continued to escalate. This underscores that their goal is neither peace nor law and order, but maintaining their power against all who threaten it.
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Police protecting fascists in Berkeley last April.
The murder of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville is the latest event in this crescendo of hate and violence. We must understand her death in the context of the right-wing war on protest. It has been building inexorably towards this outcome for years.
If right-wing citizens hadn’t taken the initiative to begin threatening and injuring protestors, politicians in North Dakota wouldn’t have introduced legislation to protect them. The growing Three Percenter and militia movements aim to use force to secure the stability of Trump’s rule in the face of widespread resistance. The stories we’ve heard from the streets of Charlottesville—like so many other cities—show that the police are happy to let fascists do their bloody work for them on the streets.
And if the fascists go too far and provoke a popular backlash, as the murder of Heather Heyer has, politicians will attempt to use that to their advantage, too. By framing fascism and anti-fascism as symmetrical forces of chaos and disruption, as Trump explicitly did in his initial response, they present the state as the only force capable of restoring order—through more police, surveillance, and control. Whether they tacitly support or openly condemn vigilante violence, right-wing politicians aim to come out ahead either way.
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Fascist Trump supporters clashing with partisans of freedom in Berkeley last April.
What It All Means
Make no mistake: the people who want us to accept white supremacy, environmental destruction, and police murder are working together to keep us out of the streets. They’re using every tactic they can—from mass arrests to new laws to outright murder—because they’re afraid of our power.
They are going to such lengths because all over the world, people are coming together to threaten their privileges and profits. Countless thousands of us have clogged the arteries of capital, affirmed the value of Black lives against the brutality of the police, confronted pipelines and power plants, shielded our neighbors from deportation, stood watch against bigots at mosques, defended reproductive freedom, and organized across the borders they attempt to impose on our land and in our hearts. They know that unless they can terrorize us back into submission, their days in power will be numbered.
In short, the right declared war on protest because we have the power to take them down. It won’t be quick and it won’t be easy, but it is possible, and they know it. They’re trying to raise the costs of resistance so high that we’ll listen to Governor McAuliffe and hide out at home while they continue impoverishing us, scapegoating immigrants and Muslims, brutalizing people of color, subjugating women, poisoning the earth, militarizing the borders, and escalating police surveillance and control.
The options are clear: take the streets to fight together, or hide at home while they come for us one by one. The choice is yours.
To learn how to support the J20 defendants, visit their support page.
To donate funds to assist with the legal and medical costs of those who stood down the fascists in Charlottesville, contribute to the Dre Harris Medical Fund, Memorial fund by the Democratic Socialists of America, Heather Heyer’s Family, #DefendCville Med Fund, VA Youth Rally Victims; Help Queers Defend Cville, SolidarityCville, Natalie Romero Medical Fund, Alexis and Noelle Morris Medical Fund, Black Lives Matter Charlottesville, Black Student Alliance at UVA, Tracye Redd, The Women’s Initiative Cville, and Allie’s Fund.
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