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ricksbowen · 5 years

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one more time | pt. 4

IN WHICH: a nighttime visit turns into a whole other session.

INSPIRATION: she — harry styles, the less i know the better — tame impala

WARNING: this series will have smut in it and is pretty sexual all around ( read with caution ). there are implications of sex right off the bat, and everyone is 18+ and in their senior year. there’s also family problems mentioned.

pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4, pt. 5, pt. 6

The sound of his doorbell going off terrified Ricky in more ways than he wanted to admit.

He had spent five minutes getting ready to answer the door. The metal bat in his hand and the comical hockey helmet he put on were only precautions; who would ring at 12:16 AM? It only had to be a serial killer, and Ricky Bowen wasn’t going to be one of the stupid teens in every horror movie ever.

He was smart. He’d beat them up.

“Okay, Ricky. Just open the door.” Ricky jumped on the balls of his feet, his eyes trailing up to the peephole on his door. He nodded to himself, turning his head to crack it as he continued to hype himself up. “Peephole. Right— peepholes are great,” Ricky muttered, peering through the small hole.

You were standing outside. The rain that was pouring outside didn’t seem to phase you as you stared at the red rain boots you wore.

Ricky’s shoulders slumped ( he totally wasn’t excited for a serial killer to be at his door ) at the sight of you, relief coursing through his veins as he opened the door. Leaning cooly against his doorframe, Ricky managed a smirk past the hockey helmet over his head. “You look glum.”

“And you look stupid— who did you think was at the door?” You retorted, an eyebrow raising in question.

“Freddie Krueger. Jason Voorhees,” Ricky counted the names on his fingers, and even your sadness couldn’t stop the smile that crept on your face. “Hannibal Lector, the live-action Cat in the Hat—“

“You were scared of that movie?” you asked, cocking a brow in amusement. “I should’ve known you were a pussy,” you remarked, laughing softly at the ‘hey!’ he let out. You ducked under his arm, entering his house and shaking the rain from your hair like a wet dog.

“Umbrellas are a great invention.”

“Shut up, Bowen.” You shrugged off your coat, hanging it up alongside the other coats. You knew he was looking at you; rarely did you ever come to his house without a warning. “Stop staring.”

“I’m not,” Ricky retorted, averting his eyes to anything that wasn’t you. He pulled the hockey helmet off his face, shaking the mess of hair he had on his head. He watched you from his peripheral vision, your actions less lively than usual as you made your way to his kitchen. “I’m guessing you didn’t sneak out just for the hell of it.”

“Usually I do,” you answered, eyes darting up and down his pantry for anything edible. You knew you left some chips from the last time you were here. “My parents were arguing again. They were too loud, so,” you reached up for the familiar bag of chips. “I came here.” You didn’t want to get into the details of your parents’ problems. Ricky already knew most of them, from the growing rumors of an affair to your mom’s want to leave both you and your dad. “The only time they can get along is when they’re yelling at me,” you added quietly, almost inaudible.

“Stay as long as you want,” Ricky hummed, coming up behind you and reaching for a box of cereal. You always ranted to him because you knew he understood what you were going through. After everything that happened between his parents in his junior year, how could he not? “I can put on a movie or something.”

“Horror?”

“Sure. We can pick it apart like we always do,” Ricky said with a crooked grin, one that made you smile back. “We are still allowed to do stuff like that, right?”

“Like what?” you asked, making your way to his couch and flopping down on it.

“Normal friend stuff. I mean, we’ve had sex,” Ricky paused, staring up at his ceiling in thought. “Multiple times, In a lot of places,” he turned to the couch where you sat, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Your point?”

“Wouldn’t it be weird?”

“It hasn’t been weird,” you stated, sending him a puzzled look. “Has it been weird for you?”

“No!”

“Then what’s makin’ you change your mind?” you pressed further, the overwhelming feeling of curiosity making you ask him.

Ricky let out a sigh, clicking on a random movie. It seemed cliche enough; teenagers lost in the woods. Normally, the most cliche ones were the funniest ones to pick apart. He threw the remote back onto the living room table. “This girl asked me on a date today.”

Your eyebrows raised, surprised at the lack of emotion you had as you nodded. “Who? What’d you say?” you asked with a beaming smile, shaking him gently and making him let out another loud sigh. He picked a random horror movie, not bothering to look at the summary as he put it on.

“Just this girl I got paired up with for science. I went out with her today.”

“And? You can’t just leave it at that!” you pressed on, leaning into him with a cocked brow. Why didn’t he tell you? Usually you’d help him out with everything when it came to date, from what he was supposed to wear to where he was going to take her.

“She sucked; she kept on judging every little thing I did. All the jokes I made?” Ricky sucked in a breath, feigning disappointment. “She took them too seriously. When I said that I’d kill for a burrito, I actually don’t mean it,” he said, trying to keep a straight face as he felt you hit him as you laughed.

“Holy shit, she thought you were gonna kill someone?” you forced out behind bundles of laughter, throwing your head back as more guffaws left your chest. “I’m sorry, it’s just—“ you cut yourself off, a string of uncontrollable giggles following and making him bite back a grin.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, giggles,” Ricky said, words dripping with sarcasm as he looked at you from his peripheral vision. “I hope a jumpscare bites you in the ass,” he muttered.

“Aw, Ricky,” you sing-songed, nudging him playfully with a shit eating grin. “I’m sorry,” you said, your smile anything but sorry. Ricky still refused to look at you, faking the silent treatment and making you sigh. Ricky pulled his eyes away from the movie, setting them onto you and raising a brow.

“Are you really?”

“No, not much,” you grinned, and Ricky chuckled as he shook his head. He felt you move closer to him, putting your head on his shoulder like you always did when you both had movie nights. It was nothing but platonic.

The movie was watched in silence, the beginning dragging on for longer than you liked before the first teen separated from the group.

“She’s so gonna die,” you muttered, head still on Ricky’s shoulder. You felt him nod, eyes focused on the screen, and the music from the T.V picked up. The tension grew along with the devilish idea in your head. Ricky was staring at the screen with wide eyes, goosebumps rising on his skin, and the girl opened the door—

You let out a yelp. Ricky screamed bloody murder.

Ricky’s chest heaved, hand on his chest as he stared at you with frightened eyes. You were laughing, practically falling off the couch in laughter. Ricky swore he saw tears in your eyes.

“Y/N, stop,” Ricky whined, his high-pitched voice only making you laugh harder and clutch your stomach.

“I forgot how easy you were to scare!” you giggled, trying to calm yourself by breathing deeply.

“Please don’t do it again,” Ricky muttered, face burning with embarrassment.

“Or what?” you challenged, the smile on your face contrasting your glum expression moments before. It felt nice to smile, to laugh without having to worry about people yelling at you to stop. Usually, that was how things worked at your house.

Ricky moved closer to you, your smile faltering just a bit at the slightly determined look in his eyes. You knew the game he was playing.

“What’re you gonna do about it, Bowen?” you joked, knowing fully well what you were doing with him. You saw the way he clenched his jaw, and how the movie suddenly sank into the background as his attention was focused on you.

Ricky leaned forward just as you did, your lips pressing against each other. Your hands go to the sides of his head, pulling him down over you as your back hit the couch. Ricky hovered over you, deepening the kiss and making you let out a small moan in response.

He detached his lips from yours before reattaching them to your neck, making you tilt your head back to give him more space. You felt Ricky’s lips go down, his lips sucking a mark right above where your sweatshirt started to cover your skin. You felt him bite down, making you gasp, and you could practically hear him smirk smugly at the reaction.

Ricky’s hands tugged your sweatshirt up in a silent plea for it to come off, shivers running up and down his body when he felt your hands trail underneath his shirt. Wordlessly, you sat up and tugged it over your head, throwing it somewhere in the living room. You lifted your hips, pulling your pants off and revealing the black panties you wore.

Ricky swore he forgot how to breathe.

In turn, you tugged his shirt off, tossing it behind him. You pulled his joggers down, letting out a laugh when his lanky legs got stuck in them. Ricky sent you a sheepish grin, pulling them down his legs as quickly as he could. That too was thrown behind him, and you pushed him back, making his back hit the couch.

You straddled him, listening to the groan he let out when he felt you grind onto him. Ricky was looking up at you through his eyelashes, his mouth slightly agape as he breathed heavily. It was sinful how innocent he looked under you, gazing at you as if you were a goddess on earth.

To him, you were. To him, you had to be the most beautiful person, inside and out.

You looked down at him, leaning down to his neck and attaching your lips to his skin. Ricky let out a whine when he felt you suck in a mark right under his hear, the sound influencing you in more ways than one.

“Protection?” Ricky breathed, eyes shutting tight when he felt you grind down against him again. You were teasing him, the equally teasing smile on your mouth making him melt into a puddle.

“I’m on the pill,” you mumbled, pulling away from his neck and hovering over his dace. Your eyes were hungry and dominating, sending a sense of thrill down Ricky’s spine as he looked back at you with a lustful haze. It was obvious that he was enjoying it, being under you and having you tower over him.

Your hands went up to his neck, fingers wrapping around it as you grinded down onto him. He let out a moan, hips bucking up subconsciously at your movements. Your hand pressed against his throat only spurred him on more.

You pushed your panties aside.

—

The sunlight hit you in the face, making you rub the sleep away from your eyes.

You and Ricky had made it up to his room after having a few rounds on his couch. The stamina you both had was unbelievable, even for Ricky ( who you knew secretly loved working out ).

You opened your eyes, succumbing to the bright light shining through. The cotton white sheets that covered your naked frame brought you warmth, and you gently stretched. Only when you moved did you notice the arms that were wrapped around you, pulling you close to him.

Ricky never did that. He knew that you didn’t like having arms wrapped around you after sex.

You pulled his arms off of you, heart beating rapidly in your chest as you moved to the other edge of the bed. It brought back too many painful memories of him. Ones you never wanted to remember.

“Luka!” you squealed, head thrown back in laughter when you felt the arms that were once sleepily wrapped around you poke you in the stomach. You turned to him, face-to-face with your boyfriend.

“Aw, I never knew you were ticklish, babe,” Luka said, the crooked smile on his face making you roll your eyes. The sunlight that shone through his windows hit him perfectly, showing you the freckles that littered his skin. Your finger reached up, gently touching each of the little kisses of sun that were on his face. You moved your finger between them, connecting them like dots.

“What’re you doing?” Luka asked softly, cerulean blues observing your face.

“Counting your freckles,” you replied, making a smile appear on his face as he pulled you close to him. You turned around, making yourself the little spoon as he held you closer to him.

You moved your legs to the side of his bed, letting them hang off the edge. You let out a shaky exhale, the feeling of Ricky’s hands on your waist burned into your skin. You reached for his drawer, opening it and grabbing a random shirt. You pulled it over your head, standing up and stretching the tension away.

You hated how even the little things reminded you of him.

“Y/N? Are you leaving?” You heard Ricky’s groggy voice ask, his head peeking out from his blankets. His curls were like a bird’s nest, messed up from your hands sifting and roughly tugging on his hair last night.

“No— I can’t do that to you, you know that,” your words were soft, almost pointed towards yourself as you climbed back into bed. You pulled the blankets over you, making sure you kept a distance away from him.

“You okay?” Ricky asked, voice gentle and inviting as he gazed at you. He wasn’t blind to the sudden space between you both, his choice of wrapping his arms around you not even a memory in his mind. You knew he didn’t mean it, that he had always liked holding onto others, but the feeling always left you pained.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” you mumbled, your eyes meeting beautiful hazel ones as he looked at you.

Ricky observed you, taking in the little details. The messiness of your hair. The small amount of mascara that was smudged under your eye. The blooming hickeys he left on your neck that led to unholy placed under his own shirt. The way your eyes drooped because it was too early for you, and how your hair was a mess of tangles thanks to his hands running through them the night before.

Something changed when he looked at you. Ricky’s mouth fell agape at that moment, and something clicked.

He didn’t know what his epiphany was, but he didn’t want to find out.

—

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sharpnothashtag · 3 years

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The Good Ship CrushWay, Chapter 47

Bridge: KJ, Data, Daneel, Tasha, Tom, Patrick

KJ: Conn, current speed? Tom: Warp 3. KJ: Helm, current heading? Ro: 315 mark 47. KJ: When will we be there, Number One? Data: At current speed, 2 weeks, 4 days, 7 hours. KJ: Daneel, any word from Dukat? We'll be entering Cardassian space soon. Data: In 4 days at our present speed. KJ: Thank you. Daneel: (looking down, multitasking) Dukat's last message was a strange one--we'll be picking up a couple of people who need to be ferried to DS9. His neck was very tense, and he was more articulate than usual. Patrick: Was he annoyed, perhaps? Daneel: (clearly working on something else and not concerned about this) Unclear. KJ: (blinking...realizing she is going to have to get used to someone who doesn't read emotions that well) Are there any ships we need to be aware of in sensor range? Daneel: No. (KJ turns away) However (KJ turns back, fake smiling to put her best foot forward with new Lieutenant) there is a Gamma Class Nebula right (bringing it up on the viewscreen) here if you would like to study it. KJ: Would you like to study it, Lieutenant? Daneel: I have been. (buttons) There are some dilithium crystals that could be used as bargaining chips with the Borg, provided they are in a dire enough state to need them. I have also found trace elements of Galantium. KJ: Data, isn't Galantium the normal antidote given for Lyantirum poisoning? Data: Galantium Byzantride, yes, however it is only used for extreme cases. KJ: You saw the elevated Lyantirum levels from the weapon they were using. Are those levels severe enough to cause poisoning? Data: Yes, but all the drones rescued thus far have not needed the treatment. Hypothetically, with their method and frequency of travel, it would have taken a full year for the effects of Lyantirum poisoning to take effect. However, at the rate the drones were dying due to the phase variant disease, many of them did not succumb to the effects. KJ: Tom, take us by the nebula. Collect all the Galantium we can store. I have a feeling that the Borg we are about to encounter need help, and lots of it. Janeway to Seven of Nine. Seven: Yes, Captain? KJ: Coordinate with Dr. Crusher on the information I'm sending to both of you now. We need to know how the Borg reconstruction surgery could be altered due to the effects of Lyantirum poisoning. Communicate with headquarters that we have found a large cache of Galantium and are collecting it in hopes of using it for treatment. Janeway out. (turning to Ro) Ensign Ro, you and Commander Data figure out the most efficient way to dispense the treatment to as many drones at a time as possible. Lieutenant, you're in charge of harvesting the Galantium. Get down to Engineering, and make sure everyone is on the same page. Daneel: For clarity's sake, what page is that? KJ: (typing into the padd on the arm of her chair, over this before it even starts) The page where we save the Borg's asses. Again.

(throw to commercial)

B'Elanna: Emptying the Bussard collectors is going to take time, Lieutenant. Miles: We'll be here another 6 hours just making sure that they're ready--apparently no one at Utopia Planitia thought they were important enough to test before we left. Daneel: Understood. The Captain sent me to help in any way I can. (B'Elanna nods and takes them off to help clean and test the collectors. Miles is left in Engineering to deal with the programming side of things.)

B'Elanna: Can you hand me that plasma spanner? (Daneel hands it to her. B'Elanna clearly feels awkward.) So...Miles tells me that you and Data hung out last week. Daneel: (blushing deeply) Yes, we did. B'Elanna: May I ask you in what context? Daneel: We went on a date. B'Elanna: (beaming) I like the two of you together. You are both very sweet--almost innocent. Daneel: Innocent? B'Elanna: You're both consenting adults, so it isn't a "young love" situation, but it does feel like you two are generally inexperienced. Daneel: I don't come across as cold and jaded? B'Elanna: I don't think so. But I'm not really one to judge. Daneel: You aren't? You seem neurotypical. B'Elanna: That's true. But that doesn't mean that I trust the way I interpret people's characters. If I were fully Klingon, I think I would be a better judge. But (shrugs) I'm half human. Daneel: I kind of thought that I came across that way. B'Elanna: Why is that? Obviously something in your past has scarred you, but I do wonder why you think of yourself in that way. Daneel: Have you ever found someone who understood you in a way you didn't understand yourself? B'Elanna: Yes. Daneel: Besides Tom. B'Elanna: Strangely enough, yes, besides Tom. Daneel: Wesley Crusher is that person for me. (B'Elanna cocks her eyebrow.) We met while we were in the Academy. One day at lunch, I was studying for my robotics class with the textbook that Data wrote. B'Elanna: (sarcastically) A real page turner. Daneel: (enthusiastically) I know, right?! Anyway, the seat next to me in the cafeteria was open, and Wesley just interrupted my study session.

Flashback (Those of you who know me know I am not a huge fan of Wesley Crusher. That isn't Wil Wheaton's fault. I'm about to try to do him justice. Please bear with me, nonexistent readers and Wil Wheaton.) Wesley walks past Daneel without looking at them. It is as if he isn't allowed to go past--like a video game character hitting an invisible wall.

Wesley: I know this is a really weird thing to say, but I feel like I'm supposed to sit here. Glasses: (Daneel doesn't look up from their book) Go ahead. Wesley: (blinking in surprise, sits down. Notices the book.) Oh, Data's book! I really miss him. Glasses: (deeply surprised, about to fan-person) You know him?! Wesley: Yeah, he's on the Enterprise where my mom was assigned. Daneel: Cool! What's your name? Wesley: I'm Wesley Crusher. He/him/his. Daneel: Wesley? (Wesley nods. Daneel sticks out his hand.) Daneel Akares. They/them/theirs. I have a potentially strange series of questions to ask you. Wesley: (smiling, sitting back in the chair with finger guns) Shoot! Daneel: (hearing the screams of their friends as they exploded; immediately panicked, ducking under the table) Who's shooting?! Wesley: (surprised, talking to them slowly and calmly as he sits on the ground with them) I'm so sorry--I thought you knew that slang term. I just meant to go ahead and ask me the questions you want to ask. No one has weapons here. You're safe. Glasses: I'm sorry. (Daneel is hugging their legs to their chest) I'm still processing a lot of stuff from the Occupation. Wesley: That's okay. (He scoots around under the table to sit side by side with Daneel) What did you want to ask me? Glasses: (looking around) Do you know someone called "The Traveller"? Wesley: (shocked) Yes. He and I know each other well. Daneel: He saved my life. I think he was looking for you, though. Wesley: What makes you say that? Daneel: He called me by your name. He said he was "here to help find her." Wesley: I know when that was. I'll never forget it. Stardate 44161.2. The day my mom disappeared. Daneel: Did the Traveller find her? Wesley: Yes. It was one of the scariest times of my entire life. Daneel: I had a bomb inside my chest. He defused it. Wesley: I'm so sorry. (Daneel puts their head on Wesley's shoulder, still shaking a little.) Do you want to come to my quarters and get to know each other? Daneel: I would like that. However, you should know first that I am not romantically or sexually attracted to you. Wesley: (laughing) Nor I you. Come on, let's go. (Wesley gets up, dusts himself off, and offers Daneel his hand to help them off the floor. Daneel accepts.)

Conference room: KJ, Data, Ro, Miles, Bev, Tasha, and Tom

KJ: Data, report. Data: We have devised a solution. As soon as the threat of assimilation is neutralized, we will beam as many drones as possible into our six cargo bays. Galantium Byzantride will filter in through the environmental controls. Once the treatment is complete, Seven of Nine will take a sample drone, input the command to regenerate, and then we will head back to Utopia Planitia. KJ: How long will it take for the treatment to take full effect? Ro: Only an hour. It's a wonder no one has tried this method before. KJ: Tasha, I want security teams on those cargo bays nonstop until we get back. (Tasha nods.) Doctor, will there be any side effects that would affect the reconstruction surgery? Bev: There is a 30% chance of death with our current surgical routine. Data, Seven, The Doctor, and I will have to perform several holographic simulations in order for this to succeed. KJ: Understood. Lieutenant Daneel, are the Bussard collectors prepared? Daneel: Ready, Captain. Miles: Once the Galantium is collected, Dr. Crusher and I will need to coordinate on how to make the vaccine airborne. Bev: I have a plan in place for that--I'm in the final testing stages. KJ: Good work. Daneel, start the collection process. Ro, when we start the collection, drop the shields and immediately start recharging them. Tom, as soon as we're done, I want to be out of here. Ro and Tom: Aye.

Bev and Miles in Engineering

Bev: (typing in several codes) So, I heard the lovely pieces you, Data, Jean-Luc, and Patrick played at Worf and Deanna's wedding. Would you like to play for mine and Kate's? Miles: Sure. I'd love to. As far as the rest of the quartet goes, you'll have to ask them. Bev: Oh, I already have. I talked to Keiko before we left. She specifically told me to mention it while you were doing something else. Miles: (laughing) That's my wife, alright. She knows I do better when my brain is otherwise occupied. Bev: (laughs. Quiet settles in) So, this couple that we're picking up. Do you know them? Miles: Do I ever. Bev: ...do I get an explanation for that? Miles: (pressing a few buttons in a final flourish) Not at the moment. It's time to collect the Galantium! Bev: You can't just leave me hanging in suspense like that. Miles: I'll tell you this much: there is no more confusing couple in all of Starfleet, and of the same token, they are the most loving couple I've ever known. Bev: (smiling) I suppose I can handle that. Miles: (touching his combadge) O'Brien to Janeway. We're ready to start collecting. KJ: Acknowledged.

(Exterior shot of the ship. The Bussard collectors power up briefly, and then from the nebula, a Borg sphere emerges.)

KJ: (understandably pretty freaked out) Ro where the hell was that thing?! Ro: I'm picking up traces of...synthetic Lyantirum? Data: The cloaking device. Ro: We're being hailed, Captain. KJ: Take the damn thing. Borg: We are the Borg. Your technological-- KJ: I killed your Queen, you directionless drones. You report to me. Borg: Insufficient. Your simple human mind cannot possibly organize the thoughts of millions of drones. KJ: You look at me, Borg ship. I am the only person to ever negotiate with you. I am the one that has gotten away time and time again. You keep chasing me around the galaxy. Years ago when I was ripped away from my crew, it seemed that I was almost immediately forced to deal with you AGAIN. You're almost as stubborn as I am. But notice that I said almost. My efforts to help you have finally worked. Borg: We have noticed the voices disappearing from the collective. KJ: Yes, and that's because of me. And a few hundred other very important people. Patrick: (looking for permission) Captain? (KJ nods) My designation was once Locutus. Does the collective remember me? Borg: The collective recognizes Locutus of Borg. Patrick: Does the collective remember the plans of the Queen before stardate 16147.3? Borg: To research synthetic Lyantirum as a source for a superior cloaking device. Patrick: And did the collective achieve this goal? Borg: Affirmative. Patrick: How?

One drone's voice comes above all the others.

Drone: Because they assimilated us.

Three drones walk to the front of the viewing area.

Data: Sissun? Chuti? Keriss? KJ: The members of the Lyantirum think tank on Mars. Drones 1, 2, and 3: We were assimilated, and then the collective destroyed Jouret IV. KJ: I thought you weren't on Jouret IV when it was attacked. Drones 1, 2, and 3: We were not supposed to be. However, our transport ship was delayed by a plasma storm. We were assimilated. The colony was destroyed. We helped form the Lyantirum transport device and the synthetic Lyantirum cloaking device. KJ: Those devices are dangerous to you and to the space you use them in. Borg: Enough. This discussion is irrelevant. Assimilation is imminent. Resistance is futile.

The communication is cut off.

KJ: Ro, raise shields. Tom, prepare evasive maneuvers. Data: (on communicator) All hands, battle stations. KJ: The Borg have engaged us.

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kalyan-gullapalli · 4 years

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Post # 128

Bharat's Ratna...

If Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao were alive today, he would be 99 years old. On 28th June, 2021, he would have turned 100. So this year, the Telangana government is celebrating his birth centenary year. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao led the bandwagon of people demanding Bharat Ratna for PV (as he was fondly known), with BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy supporting this demand. Reports appear that Dr. Manmohan Singh wanted to give him a Bharat Ratna when he was Prime Minister.

Glowing tributes flew from all and sundry, even from Congress, whose party he belonged to, and who conveniently chose to ignore him since 1996, when he stepped down as PM.

No matter how significant PV Narasimha Rao's life was before 1996, it probably must have been hell since then, till 2004, when he died of a heart attack. First of all, he got no credit from his own Congress party for the path-breaking economic reforms he instituted and pulled the country out of the deep shit it had been pushed into by former governments and their policies. Dr. Manmohan Singh, instead, got all the credit.

Next, he was blamed for the party's 1996 electoral defeat, dumped and replaced by Sitaram Kesari. He was excluded from every Congress Working Committee meeting since.

To rub salt on wounds, he was charged with many corruption cases, some of them by his own party colleagues. He supposedly went through a very bad phase financially and had to sell his Banjara Hills house in Hyderabad to pay for his lawyers.

When he died, while undergoing treatment in AIIMS, his family requested that being a former PM, he should be cremated and his remains buried in Delhi. But Sonia Gandhi and her cronies didn't even allow his body to enter the AICC building in Delhi. That's when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy intervened, flew the body back to Hyderabad, and had it cremated with state honors.

But why was PV, a freedom fighter before Indian independence, a career Congress-man, an Indira Gandhi loyalist even in Emergency days, a State Chief Minister, a cabinet minister with Foreign and Home ministries and an ex-Prime Minister, treated with such disdain in his last few years? And now, why this drama about a Bharat Ratna? Therein lies a tale...

In 1991, PV Narasimha Rao had practically retired from politics. He had by then, seen it all, done it all. Renowned as a scholar - he was fluent in 17 languages - and known to be indecisive - a requisite for survival in the Indian National Congress in those Indira days - he was cooling his heels, when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, in the midst of electoral polling.

Congress emerged as the largest party in those elections, but didn't have majority. Sonia didn't want to enter politics just as yet. So PV was persuaded to head a minority government, simply because he was deemed harmless, and asked to lead a nation rocked by the worst economic crisis in its history - the country was bankrupt and had to pledge 68 tonnes of gold in return for aid from IMF, and was grappling with political uncertainty - this was the third government in as many years.

To put it mildly, to survive 5 years - 5 eventful years - and produce the results that he did, was nothing short of miraculous. If a Prime Minister's performance is to be measured by the difference he made to the country while in office, PV Narasimha Rao was probably the most significant Prime Minister India has ever had.

1. Economic reforms:

PV Narasimha Rao was the true father of Indian economic reforms. He brought in a technocrat - Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister of India, and backed him 100% to implement necessary reforms. He himself headed the Commerce and Industries ministry to dismantle the socialist policies of the License Raj. His ability to steer unconventional, unpopular reforms through opposition, while heading a minotity government gave him the title Chanakya of Indian politics. Dr. Manmohan Singh says PV was "his friend, philosopher and guide".

2. Nuclear testing:

Today, the world credits Atal Bihari Vajpayee government for India's nuclear testing programme, which culminated in the Pokhran tests of 1998. However, the tests were actually planned in 1995, during PV's term in office. They were dropped under American pressure when the US intelligence got the whiff of it. In 1996, when PV stepped down and Vajpayee became PM, PV met Vajpayee and updated him on the progress of the nuclear programme. Vajpayee said later, "Rao told me that the bomb was ready. I only exploded it." APJ Abdul Kalam described PV Narasimha Rao as a "patriotic statesman who believed that the nation is bigger than the political system".

3. Foreign policy:

He decided in 1992 to bring into the open India's relations with Israel, which had been kept covertly active for a few years during his tenure as a Foreign Minister, and permitted Israel to open an embassy in New Delhi. Today, Israel is one of India's best friends.

He ordered the intelligence community in 1992 to start a systematic drive to draw the international community's attention to Pakistan's sponsorship of terrorism in India and not to be discouraged by US efforts to undermine the exercise.

Rao launched the Look East foreign policy, which brought India closer to ASEAN. Subsequent governments have pursued this policy as well. Today, Narendra Modi is a strong advocate and practitioner of this policy.

He decided to maintain a distance from the Dalai Lama in order to placate Beijing, and made successful overtures to Tehran. These policies paid rich dividends for India in 1994, when Benazir Bhutto's efforts to have a resolution passed by the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir failed, with opposition by China and Iran.

4. Crisis management:

After the 1993 Bombay blasts, PV personally visited Bombay and after seeing evidence of Pakistani involvement in the blasts, invited the intelligence agencies of the US, UK and other West European countries to examine the facts for themselves.

It was during his term that terrorism in Punjab was finally defeated.

He also directed negotiations to secure the release of Doraiswamy, an Indian Oil executive, from Kashmiri terrorists who kidnapped him, and Liviu Radu, a Romanian diplomat posted in New Delhi in October 1991, who was kidnapped by Sikh terrorists.

He also brought the occupation of the Hazratbal holy shrine in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists in October 1993 to an end without damage to the shrine.

In 1993, a strong earthquake in Latur, Maharashtra killed nearly 10,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. PV Narasimha Rao was applauded for using modern technology and resources to organise major relief operations.

Okay. By now, I am convinced he has done enough to have become a high-performance Prime Minister, despite his inaction during the Babri Masjid demolition and the pan-India rioting that happened after that. But why the disdain, especially from within his own party?

Some commentators say that his shabby treatment largely owed to the fact that, in the dusk of his career, he refused to serve as a seat-warmer to the next generation of Gandhis. Once he became the PM, this previously indecisive, harmless, grand old man acted like the buck stopped with him. He stopped visiting Sonia Gandhi regularly, which she resented. In him, the Gandhi family detected a rival power centre that could diminish their centrality to the party and its fortunes.

Some others say that Sonia Gandhi was unhappy with the pace at which Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case was progressing. A few others say that Congress ‘punished’ Rao for his failure to safeguard the Babri Masjid and jeopardise the party’s long-nurtured Muslim vote bank.

Whatever be the real inside story, I feel compelled to reproduce the most glowing tribute to PV Narasimha Rao I read in the past few days.

“Rao is to India what founding fathers Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson are to the United States; Friedrich List to Germany; Hayato Ikeda to Japan; Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Keng Swee and Albert Winsemius to Singapore; and Deng Xiaoping to China.”

In my book, Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao is 100% a Bharat Ratna - a Jewel of India.

#pv narasimha rao #congress #prime minister #chief minister #indian economic recovery #economic liberalisation #globalization #dr manmohan singh #rajiv gandhi #indira gandhi #sonia gandhi #telangana #andhra pradesh #bharat ratna #bombay blasts #israel #pakistan #babri masjid

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smarthomesdholera · 4 years

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Dholera Greenfield Smart City - A Trillion Dollar baby - Part II

What all government authorities are functioning and operational in Dholera?

DSIRDA (Dholera SIR Development Authority)– Under the SIR Act 2009 a regional development authority were formed in February 2010 with the name of DSIRDA. Primary responsibility of this authority is planning and development like Land use Finalisation, Town Planning Schemes, Development Plan of SIR, co-ordination with local farmers, giving permissions etc. will be responsibility of DSIRDA only.

DICDL (Dholera Industrial City Development Limited)– In January 2016 a Special Purpose Vehicle company were formed with the name of DICDL in which Gujarat government has 51% stake through DSIRDA and Central government has 49% stake through DMIC trust.

RERA (Real Estate Regulation and Development Act) – As Town Planning Schemes are getting finalised in Dholera SIR now so slowly and steadily RERA is also getting active in Dholera SIR. This is certainly a good move because it gives a lot of comfort level to an investor as well.

SEVA SADAN DHOLERA – It is the same place where registries of Dholera Taluka properties are done and all the mutation work is also done in the same premises.

DIACL (Dholera International Airport Company Limited) – A Special Purpose Vehicle company was formed by Government of Gujarat with the name of DIACL which at present is operating from Udyog Bhavan at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Airports Authority of India (AAI) has majority 51% stake in the company, Gujarat government has 33% stake and the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) has the remaining 16%

Before commencing work on ground did Government made any Master Plan and why it took a more than a decade to see something on ground?

Yes, absolutely. Dholera SIR is an extremely planned city for which various multinational companies were hired to make its blue print.

Master Planning of Dholera SIR is done by British Infrastructure giant Halcrow which has executed projects in more than 70 countries from planning phase to deigning & management as well. American multinational engineering company AECOM has done designing of Dholera SIR and is completely responsible for implementing trunk infrastructure including roads, rail, drainage, water supply, water treatment etc. State government has hired Wipro as ICT consultants and companies like IBM and CISCO were hired for implementing technology used in the making of a smart city.

Starting from forming a legislative framework SIR Act 2009, Gujarat government formed a regional development authority DSIRDA in year 2010 and then in year 2012 Development Plan of Dholera SIR was sanctioned along with draft Town Planning 1 and 2 schemes were also sanctioned. In year 2012 only draft Town Planning schemes 3, 4, 5 and 6 were submitted to apex authority GIDB. Environmental clearance notification was received on August 22, 2014. Activation area pre-designs for roads and services was obtained in January 2015 and Roads and Services Contract for Activation Area was awarded in June 2015. In January 2016 DICDL was formed a city level special purpose vehicle company.

Dholera SIR is huge, it is one of the Largest Smart and Sustainable Cities to be developed in India. Total area is 920 sq kms comprising of 22 villages of Dholera Taluka. Government has taken up Town Planning Schemes practice and the region is divided in 6 Town Planning Schemes as of now which is to be developed in three development phases. Development Phase 1 we will see Town Planning 1 and 2 getting developed and one it is done after a decade we will see Town Planning 3 and 4 getting developed and after another decade we will see Town Planning 5 and 6 getting developed under Development Phase 3.

Dholera SIR is completely divided in zones and in all we have 15 zones in Dholera SIR which are like follows:

· Industrial Zone

· Knowledge & IT Zone

· Public Facilities Zone

· Solar Park

· Residential Zone

· High Access Corridor

· Logistics

· City Center

· Strategic Infrastructure Zone

· Agriculture Zone

· Village Buffer

· Tourism: Resorts

· Recreation, Sports and Entertainment Zone

· Green Space

· Coastal Regulation Zone

What is status of Dholera Greenfield Airport and Ahmedabad-Dholera Greenfield Expressway?

Let’s first talk about the much talked Dholera International Airport. I’ve already mentioned about DIACL that is the company which is going to plan and get airport work implemented.

1426 hectares of Government land has been reserved for Airport in Navagam Village of Dholera Taluka. Airport Authority of India has already prepared Feasibility Report, Detailed Project Report and EIA based on which all the required NOC’s and in-principle approvals have already been obtained for the Airport.

As per the latest news, central government has allotted Rs. 100 Crores as 1st instalment of funding for the said Airport and work of Land Filling in the region is getting started.

Besides handling logistics requirements of Dholera SIR, this Greenfield Airport will also handle the spill over traffic of existing Ahmedabad International Airport.

In adjacent Government land parcels available along with the Dholera International Airport, DIACL plans for an Aviation Zone and a MRO hub for manufacturing various parts of aircrafts or Aviation Academy, Flight training institutes etc.

At the same time, Ahmedabad-Dholera Greenfield Expressway tender has been assigned by NHAI and work is to commence now. NHAI is targeting expressway work to get completed in 18-24 months time frame. Initially it is designed as 4 lane expressway and later on it will be extended to 6 lanes and the best part is that scope of increasing lanes is considered from now only. This is the beauty about Greenfield projects actually. Along with the Expressway parallel Metro Trains are also planned.

What sort of technology is used to develop this new smart city and which all companies are involved in doing so?

Dholera being developed as a first Greenfield Smart and Sustainable city along with DMIC alignment in Gujarat, India is to witness a huge technical infrastructure like ICT, IoT, City Wide Applications, Data Centres, Networking, Wi-Fi etc. and companies like WIPRO, IBM and CISCO are already in planning and execution phase in Dholera Smart City.

About Author: Ms. Meenakshi Khurana, Managing Director, SmartHomes Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. which is the pioneer in Dholera Real Estate market as technically most advanced and innovative developers & builders.

SmartHomes Infrastructure: SmartHomes Infrastructure Private Limited, a real estate developer entered the Dholera market 6 years back and now is one of the leading and most innovative developers and land owners of inside Dholera SIR and on border of Dholera SIR. SmartHomes Infrastructure owns huge land parcels & multiple projects in Dholera Smart City. Smart Homes is focusing on developing projects in TP 1, TP 2 and 11 sub TPs of Dholera SIR which will be on both side of Express Highway near Airport and on the border of Dholera SIR.

Smart Homes mainly deals in Commercial, Industrial and Residential Land and Projects. Our customers are High Net worth Individuals, NRIs from more than 20 countries, multinational companies and its employees from organisations like ISRO, ICICI, SBI, UCO Banks, Army, Navy and Air force.

International businesses that are looking to start their industry in Dholera, Smart Homes provide them end to end solutions from land acquisition, required permissions from the government for setting up an industry and residential set up for employees.

To be continued in Dholera Greenfield Smart City – A Trillion Dollar Baby Part 3

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#dholerasmartcity dholerasir dholera smartcitiesinindia dholeraplots dholeragroundreport2020

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braveskyered · 5 years

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Knights Part 15

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

Please be aware that there may be some topics from here on out that you as a reader will find uncomfortable. Elaborating what they are in the beginning will be considered spoilers.

Do remember that this story is a work of fiction. Any similarities between characters or events to persons - living or dead - in our real world are purely coincidental.

Only those that have understood and thus agreed to the above have the privilege of continuing to read Knights to the very end with a clear head.

Do you agree?

Yes ←

Should you fail, then it would be wise if you hold yourself back and confront what hurts you.

Part 15: Tear Me Upside Down

- - - - - - - -

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

And Arthur knew he deserved it.

It was his arm that did the killing, after all.

He waited a few minutes after the wraith left and phased through the wall of his bedroom. He has to before he could start treating the wounds from the punishment right before. Thankfully, there aren’t any Dead Beats to keep an eye on him, so he has a little freedom. The wraith hasn't bothered to send its little helpers to watch Arthur for the past two weeks, and he made sure not to show his relief, lest it thinks to send them out again.

He assessed his injuries. They're on his shoulders and right arm this time, so it shouldn't be too difficult to tend to...

Grunting somewhat painfully, Arthur pulled himself off the floor somewhat and crawled down next to his bed. His right arm became too sore to move and twist, and Arthur wouldn't be surprised if there's a fracture or two at this point. Not enough for a cast, he thinks, but it hurt more than usual when the wraith's hand roughly grasped it, and thought he felt something crack.

He has no choice but to use his damned prosthetic left arm to pull the medium-sized box out from beneath. The forbidden box, he came to call it, because the wraith didn't like it whenever the box entered its line of sight. Otherwise, it would mean that Arthur hasn't suffered enough in this damned manor. Or worse, take the box and burn it to cinders like it did one time when Arthur first started collecting.

After some struggle, Arthur got himself into a sitting position, took off his shirt, and started to sift through the medical supplies he gradually smuggled in while ignoring the rest of the scars. The burn salve has always been his savior from the worst of it, so he took a somewhat filthy cotton ball and started applying the salve on his shoulders, careful not to let any of it get into his hair when he moved his head.

He must hurry before Vivi or Mystery come home, before the wraith would notice.

It took a while, but soon, Arthur was able to wrap some bandages around his shoulders, although the area around his left shoulder was rather sloppy in its wrapping. It's not like he can ask for help, so he did what he could. He then started to work on his right forearm. He took out the thin arm guard inside to use as a poor makeshift splint for what he hoped isn’t a broken bone, but it’ll have to do.

If anything, he could play it off as a mishap while working on the van. Or pretend he did it himself because he's a so-called masochist or something.

...Yeah, not happening. Arthur rolled his eyes. He never understood how that kink or whatever worked, and he knew no one would believe him if he used that excuse.

He dug into the medicine bottle and took out a few pills. The dose is probably more than what's typically directed for a person to take, but Arthur needed to reduce the pain soon or else there will be problems. Taking a small water bottle from the box, he swallowed the painkillers.

His self-treatment finished, Arthur put his shirt back on and tugged on the long sleeves to hide the wrapping. He placed the medical supplies back into the box and slipped it back under his bed, then quickly yet carefully gathered the few wrappers of the bandages from earlier and stuffed them into an empty potato chip bag. No one here ever bothers to check the trash. Arthur could only feel relieved somewhat as he tosses the chip bag into the nearby wastebasket. The Dead Beats are typically not smart enough to look through them, and the wraith has forbidden them to dig through trash like animals, so it works.

He then checked himself by looking into a small round mirror roughly the size of his palm he keeps on his desk. He could sigh in relief. Good. No one should be able to tell that he has bandages on.

Again.

Arthur isn't sure how much longer he'll be able to take the punishments he's been sentenced to have, but he must hold out for as long as he can. It meant that Vivi would be happy, since she loved Lewis so much, loved the wraith so much. It was like Lewis's death by his hand never even happened.

...If only it were that simple.

He could never see the wraith as a friend.

Lewis would be disgusted.

Arthur gripped at his stomach. It hurt. He hasn’t had a proper meal in two days.

He wondered if he could sneak to the van and eat that energy bar in the glove compartment. Vivi would just think either Mystery ate it or ate it herself and just forgot.

She always is a little scatterbrained like that here and there.

- - - - - - -

“Hey, Mom! Dad! Welcome back!”

Arthur blinked and gave an exasperated but amused smile upon seeing both Gwen and Percy grinning like little children in front of the cars, a funny sight considering that they have oil stains on their arms and faces.

“You should've seen the damage on this one!” Gwen was laughing as she spoke while gesturing to a large black pick-up truck, on one of the work stations, “The owner thought his truck's engine was constantly overheating since it kept giving out light smoke, but it's actually because there was an oil leak at the engine block. When we opened it, there was so much oil cooked on it, it was like removing a brick!”

“And that the tire alert kept turning on because the device itself was malfunctioning. All the tires were at the pressure they were supposed to be,” Percy made no attempt to hide his grin, although he seemed humbler about it, “But thankfully, our grand uncle had the parts needed to fix it.”

These were kids that were actively enjoying themselves. They weren't making fun of the owners, they were having fun just talking about the craziest and sometimes the most mundane problems a car could have. Arthur couldn’t help but feel proud of his little mechanics, especially once he noticed that they’re acknowledging Lance as family. He then saw Elaine walking over to the twins, no doubt to ask them how they’ve been since she and Arthur were gone.

He noticed that Belle is missing. He’s not sure if that’s a good thing. She often liked to blab about many things when she was a child.

“Where’s Aunt Morgan?”

“… to get lunch for us,” Gwen replied. Arthur didn’t hear the first part.

“They should be back in a bit,” Percy nodded along.

Food… does sounds good around this time. Arthur drifted off in his thoughts. He feels he’s forgetting something important. His brow furrowed at the thought, and he didn’t know why he has the feeling in the first place.

“They're active ones, I'll have to say,” Lance suddenly walked up, and to Arthur's surprise, is holding Vivian, “This one here, especially.”

How is Lance holding Vivian? She almost never lets anyone besides her family hold her! ...Then again, Lance is family. The little girl reached out to Arthur, and so he took her out of his uncle’s hold and into his own before sitting down to a nearby chair.

Arthur isn’t sure how to feel when he now knows that Lance is taking the fact that he is married with a family of his own… somewhat well.

“Your aunt-in-law explained everything about your family to me,” Lance glanced away for a moment, no doubt feeling awkward, “I can see why you didn’t want to tell me about them in your letters. But I must ask,” he turned back to Arthur, “Why didn’t you say anything? Why did you just leave? Why didn’t you at least tell me where you went? You know I would’ve helped you. I would’ve visited you, even.”

Arthur didn’t reply and kept his focus on Vivian, who reached up to grasp at his right shoulder. He somewhat smiled back at her while trying to keep his emotions in check and held his daughter’s hand.

Lance sighed and rubbed a hand against his neck, “Then again, if I’m not mistaken on why you left, I probably would’ve done the same thing if I were in your shoes.”

Arthur rose a brow slightly at Lance. Last he checked, his uncle is usually more gung-ho about life, a “move it or lose it” type of guy. Lance often thought that running away from things is a cowardly thing to do, which Arthur very well is and has done. It’s no secret that Arthur is afraid of many things and ran away from just as many horrors.

“I mean, even though they deeply regret it now, I still haven’t forgiven Joe and Lokia for what they said about you. They’ve never been in your shoes when... that happened.”

…If it was just that, Arthur knew he would have forced himself to grin and bear it.

“I really do wish that I was there for you, y’know. For you and your kids,” Lance turned his attention back to Elaine and the twins, who were somewhat debating over a certain part that needed replacing, “I would’ve loved to see them grow up over the years.”

Arthur could barely hold back a grimace so Vivian wouldn’t notice, “So would I.”

“What?

“I always knew you’d want to be there for them, but I couldn’t allow that,” Arthur tried not to tighten his grip on Vivian’s hand, “If I did, everyone here would know. If they knew, so would--”

Whatever anyone here in Tempo would know, so would that damn wraith, the monster that wore Lewis’s face and made his life hell after everything went wrong. The same monster that wanted him to suffer, wanted him dead, wanted everything he has.

Wanted him gone.

“Who else knows I’m here?” He had to know, if only to protect his three children. Vivian leaned closer against him.

“So far, it’s just me, Belle, Nobuhiro, and his wife Jolene. I'd count his mother, Fuyuko, but she's been more forgetful than usual ever since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years back,” Lance counted them with his fingers, “After we found out where you were, we all agreed to keep quiet about your whereabouts from everyone. I also asked Belle to not say anything to her family since she’s my main assistant despite… things. So as far as I know, no one else but us four know that you’re here. Regarding your children, we knew about Gwen and Percy from that article that led us to you, but we didn’t know about little Vivian here since it didn’t mention her.”

So Vivi and Mystery, and thus the wraith, do not know that he is here. Arthur could only give a slow breath of relief, but he isn’t fully relaxed, “I see.”

It’s only a matter of time until the monsters catch wind of him. Either he remains hidden or he takes his family and runs away again.

The conversation ended at that, and while Arthur took the time to let Vivian play with his hand, he listened to Elaine talking with Gwen and Percy about something. He isn’t sure what, but it sounded a little serious. He thought about joining in the conversation, but ultimately decided against it. It didn’t look like they’re being scolded, so he felt that Elaine is handling it fine.

“Um… Arthur? One more thing I should add. You see, the Yuki—”

The sound of a bell from the entrance door cut off Lance’s words.

“Hey, Lance, we’re back with lunch!”

Arthur glanced in Belle’s direction and saw her with Morgan following, both carrying multiple brown paper bags as the smell of food filled the air. It smells familiar.

Lance apparently kept the policy of closing the shop for an hour for lunch, as Arthur could tell when he saw his uncle place up a sign saying such. He didn’t see any other employee leaving or coming out, so maybe it’s only just Lance and Belle for now? It would make sense, since it’s just before Thanksgiving week, so many people would be out visiting family.

“Arthur, are you coming?”

Looking up, Arthur saw Elaine waiting for him. Before standing up, he gently let Vivian down from his hold, took her hand, and followed his family into Lance’s home.

He feels he has forgotten something.

…

- - - - - - -

YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW.

- - - - - - -

…

He coughed.

He gagged as he shoved one his fingers into his throat. He must get it out of his system before it becomes a part of him. Let the toilet take it instead. Let anyone take it! He can’t take it! He can’t have it!

How could I have forgotten?!

He didn't know. No one told him where the food came from. He was only told by Morgan that it was something she knew he would like. He should have known. Morgan wouldn't have – couldn’t have known. Belle is the daughter of chefs that own the restaurant that made the food she brought back with Morgan, so of course she would get something to eat from her family's restaurant! It was in typical paper bags instead of bearing the family logo of a pepper.

Who gave you the right to eat that?

The wraith didn’t like it whenever Arthur ate food from the Pepper Paradiso, or any food in general while in its sight, even when it was Vivi who provided it for him. He could only eat in the few times he was alone, and that was few and far in between. He never dared touch any food from the Pepper Paradiso ever since the wraith had beaten him the first few times he did, especially after one meal it made caused him to vomit.

"What happened?!" Elaine… Mystery?

"I-I don't know! He was fine and all of a sudden he just ran off and--," Belle… Vivi?

The pain was unbearable when that happened, and Arthur could only feel dread and outright betrayal the following day after stumbling across a tiny bottle tucked away into a corner of the counter when the wraith wasn't looking, only focused on Vivi. It wasn’t labeled, but it didn’t take a genius on Arthur’s end to learn what it was.

Arsenic. Tasteless and odorless. Poison.

A lesson.

The wraith would not only hurt him physically and emotionally, but also poison him to keep him in line.

Ever since then, any food from the Mystery Skulls was met with scrutiny. If Arthur found any flaw on the packaging of energy bars, he would refuse to eat it, saying he doesn’t have the appetite even though it would result in painful hunger later. He would only "play it safe" when no one was watching. The multitude of snacks Vivi packed in the van for everyone in the Mystery Skulls to consume, Arthur would gradually sneak one extra for himself when no one was looking. Considering how much both Vivi and Mystery consume, no one, not even the wraith, would notice if he sneaked away one or two more snacks that are mixed up within Vivi's “Mighty Snack Stash” pile.

Arthur felt awful for going so far as to steal food from Vivi, even though she had already offered him to take whatever he needed and whenever he needed it. Because of the guilt, Arthur would go without food for days at a time, relying only on water or energy drinks, or even on the wildflowers outside of the manor for sustenance. He gradually started losing weight despite his efforts, and he knew with dread that he had to do something before his weight loss became obvious.

Shortly after, Vivi, with the wraith next to her, had asked Arthur that question, for the only thing he has left. He may have wanted to give it at one point, he isn’t too sure, and often questioned it to himself relentlessly since it was wrong for as long as he could remember. In the end, however, the punishments from the wraith and the persecution from everyone else that he had suffered – and would have suffered from had he accepted – made him refuse. The burns he received right after he refused were the proof.

And that question became the final straw.

It's just wrong, wrong, wrong!

Well… it’s pointless now, since he has Elaine, but that might not dissuade them from getting what they want.

When Arthur left Tempo seventeen years ago, he didn't dare pack any food. He couldn't bring any possible poison with him, only opting to get food somewhere where the Mystery Skulls or the wraith or anyone he knew did not have any influence. No one had any justifiable reason to poison a stranger.

Soon, Arthur couldn’t cough up anything else other than a dry heave, and soon scooted away from the toilet. Even though his throat burned, and his hands felt clammy, he couldn’t help but feel relieved. He got the food made by Pepper Paradiso out of him before his stomach fully digested it. The wraith won’t try to force him this time, it won’t punish him as harshly.

Or at least, he hoped so.

He knew the lesson already, he was just tricked into eating it this time.

That's all.

“Arthur, my star,” a quiet and shaking voice, “Are you okay?”

Upon hearing a hand gently rub circles onto his back, Arthur looked behind him and saw Elaine kneeling behind him. He gave out a weak whimper before turning away.

“My knight,” Elaine didn’t stop with the rubbing motions, “My knight, please, talk to me. Are you feeling better now, at least?”

His trembling didn’t stop. He sensed Elaine doing some movements, but he couldn't fully focus on what exactly his beloved light is doing. The tears from vomiting blurred his sight.

“Here, do you need this?”

Wiping away a tear, Arthur looked up slightly upon seeing Elaine’s hand enter his line of sight. She’s holding some toilet paper out to him. Slowly, he took it from her and wiped his mouth of any remaining fluids.

“Did the food not agree with you?”

He didn’t dare answer her, not when the others could hear. He didn’t want Lance or Morgan to fly into a rage at Belle. He didn’t want Belle to receive the end of their wrath. He didn’t want his children to become more confused and worried more than they already are. He didn’t want to admit to Elaine that for a brief moment, he thought he had consumed poison, even though the meal Morgan got him was actually one of his favorites from the menu…

“Do you want to go back to the camper for a while?” Elaine gripped at his shoulder.

She caught on. Arthur gave a weak nod, and within moments, he heard Elaine say something to the others waiting outside. He then heard the sound of the toilet flushing, felt her slowly pull him up, had him wash his hands, before finally taking him out of the bathroom. He tried to not give anyone eye contact, especially not to his children.

He felt too ashamed to look at them, especially upon hearing his younger daughter wanting to reach out to him.

"No, Vivian. Daddy just needs some alone time. You can hug him after he's done, okay?"

Gwen, Percy, Vivian… I'm so sorry.

Moment later, Elaine escorted Arthur into the camper and had him sit on the small bed in the back. He heard her lock the door before sitting next to him. With the same tender kindness he always knew, Arthur felt Elaine take his right hand with her left, wrap her right arm behind his back, and leaned close to him. In turn, he wrapped his left arm around her, and held her close. Neither of them said anything, only letting the faint sounds of the desert nature outside to be heard.

And it’s only midday…

A part of him wished it would rain, but because Tempo is a desert town, Arthur knew that there will not be any kind of precipitation to keep the fire away. Rainfall is rare in desert towns, where it can be fairly hot to scorching during the day, and somewhat chilly to downright frigid at night, neither of which would keep the wraith at bay.

Arthur isn’t sure whether Elaine could protect him from the wraith, but their children have higher priority. Unlike him, those children had nothing to do with Lewis dying so long ago; thus bearing no sin. Gwen, Percy, and Vivian deserve to live happy lives, and not be imprisoned by an obsessive wraith that would want to hold them captive like toys to play with like it wanted to do with him. If being taken by the wraith is what it will take for them to be safe, so be—

“We won’t let anyone here hurt you or our family,” Elaine whispered with a tone of finality, “I promised that, as did my mother, as did Aunt Morgan, and as did Nana Niniane. I will make that promise again and again, my star, ever since the day we married.”

Arthur whispered into her ear, “Do you remember your other promise to me?”

Elaine went stiff, “How can I not. You wouldn’t marry me until I did.”

He looked down at his feet, “Elaine, you know that there’s—"

“I won’t let that happen, Arthur,” she held him tighter, “You know that. I refuse to let it happen.”

Arthur could only smile sadly. He knew that it’s only a matter of time until his happiness is taken away. And like him, Elaine didn’t want that happiness to end.

“If by some chance it does, Elaine,” he buried his face against his light’s hair, “The safety of the children comes first. That’s all I ask.”

Elaine gave out a low hum, then pulled away from his hold. Arthur watched her stand up and kneel down to reach into a small cabinet nearby. If Arthur remembered right, that cabinet held the mini-fridge.

“I have a small deli sandwich left from our grocery run on the way down here yesterday. It’s got turkey, lettuce, cheese, and a little bacon in it. Do you think you can stomach it since this isn’t from that Pepper place?”

She held out the sandwich wrapped in plastic in front of him.

Arthur thought about it. They’re in the camper, which is full of protections and wards that prevent any malicious entities from coming in. The food he has in his hands was made somewhere around the Texas and Arkansas border, which is hours away from Tempo. Anyone related to the Peppers or the Yukino family are nowhere near nor could they see him. Sure, there’s Belle, but he made it a point to stay away from her.

It... should be fine. Right?

He nodded, and Elaine removed most of the wrapping before handing the food over to him, which he took and sampled a bite. It didn’t feel like poison, nor did he see or hear any sign of the wraith. He took another bite, and only then did he realize how hungry he was.

“I’m not sure how to feel about this ‘Lewis Pepper’ now,” Elaine sighed, “If he had hurt you so badly back then that you couldn’t even eat in peace—”

Arthur furrowed his brow upon hearing Elaine’s mumbling. He’ll let her assume what she wants. Lewis is dead, after all. The wraith is the one that hurt him. That he knows.

He briefly wondered where Niniane went for her investigation, since he knew that the old woman has a low opinion on people who would vandalize graves, which are meant to be the final resting places of the deceased.

And an even lower opinion of the deceased in question.

- - - - - - -

This can't be right.

The last time he was here, Arthur could easily recall the details of the tombstone that used to be at the very same spot in front of him. It was one that held an engraving of a simple angel holding a cake in one hand and a pepper in another. The words engraved next to the angel was the name of Lewis Pepper, some memoirs that showed that he was a loving son and brother, the numbers that showed that he had only lived a mere twenty-one years, and that his life had been tragically cut short.

But now the tombstone is gone, with only a simple stone slab that held the dead's name and vandalized beyond belief.

Arthur could barely make out the word “disappear” made in faded red spray paint. The hateful words carved against the stone that basically damn the dead with sheer hatred. Arthur thought he recognized one of the kanji, based from the few times Vivi had taken the time to show him the ofuda her grandmother had taught her, and he could only tremble in apprehension.

Arthur isn't sure what to feel when he looked at the crack that was almost split in the middle. It looks too straight for it to be a natural crack.

“It looks like someone stabbed a blade of some sort against this grave,” Elaine muttered incredulously as she kneeled down and traced her finger around the large hole and crack in the middle of the stone slab, “Nana Niniane, this kanji here...”

“The first one can be read as 'hate,'” Niniane said grimly with narrowed eyes, “The other is 'eternity.' Whoever painted that with a stencil has developed quite a hatred against this individual, enough that they wish for this one to suffer even in death until the end of time.”

So why--

“Why would someone do this?!” Arthur gasped; the words barely audible even to himself.

Niniane gave a slight shrug of her shoulders, her arms not leaving their crossed position, speaking nonchalantly, “The hatred runs deep, I guess.”

He didn't understand. Why would someone desecrate Lewis's grave like this? Who would hate him enough to--

“Hm?” Niniane knelt down and looked closer at the engravings, and from what Arthur saw, noticed that something was amiss, “Arthur. I have one question to ask you. All I need is a yes or a no.”

It better not be about--

“This man is the one who hurt you, isn't it?” Elaine suddenly asked, “You said that he was your best friend.”

Lewis isn't--

“But on a case, a demon took control of you, and killed him,” Niniane continued after, “If he saw you in his last moments, he must have thought that you did it on purpose.”

LEWIS ISN’T--

“Rather temperamental, I take it. Either way, it’s obvious that he didn’t get away with it,” Niniane stood up and moved closer to Arthur, gently tracing a somewhat long fingernail around the burn scar around the front of his neck, “Little good it does to you, though.”

Arthur shivered upon feeling Niniane’s motion, which the old woman took as a cue to pull her hand away.

“My apologies,” Niniane turned to Elaine, “Well, it’s for the best that the two of you don’t dawdle here for too long. The hatred from the person who vandalized this, as childish as it is, is not something to be trifled with since this person used a rather awful magic to crack the stone."

"Anything else we should know about?" Elaine asked, "I haven't sensed anything to be wary of so far, but I wanted to ask you."

"Hmm… I have yet to sense anything paranormal in this city, myself," the old woman rubbed her chin in thought, "Now that you've brought it to my attention, I will investigate this matter, and maybe also find out who vandalized this fool’s grave. I will contact you or Morgan once I find any results.”

She gave them a minor curtsy, then walked away

Arthur turned his attention back to Lewis’s grave. A part of him wanted to clean the spray paint off to give Lewis a little dignity after the loss of the original tombstone, but when he knelt down and brushed two fingers against the red, he noticed that it was dry. His chest ached somewhat upon seeing again that only Lewis’s name remained legible. No date of birth, no date of death, not even a little epitaph to describe him. Everything else had either been scratched off or wasn’t engraved in the first place.

No matter what, this meager slab is a lost cause.

He felt a small tug on his shoulder.

“We should head back, my star,” Elaine whispered, “We shouldn’t keep the kids waiting.”

“…Right.”

He turned his back to the pathetic sight and walked back the way he came with his light.

- - - - - - -

Arthur managed to finish the small meal without any further issue, which made him feel both relieved and disgusted at the same time.

“I’m sorry you had to see me in such a state, Elaine.”

“Don’t be. You didn’t want to come back here, after all,” Elaine took the sandwich wrapping from him and tossed it into a small trash can, then sat down next to him again, “If not for the fact that you said you trust your uncle, I wouldn’t have tried to convince you to come here in the first place."

Arthur looked down at his left hand, then slowly clenched it into a loose fist. Everything went wrong because of this arm, and that even now, he is so weak.

"If anything, I'm just more worried about how the kids are handling this," Elaine sighed, "They need to have their little 'exercise' soon. Do you know of any places they should stay away from?"

To Arthur, he wanted his children, his precious reasons to live, to stay away from his past home, stay away from his past acquaintances, stay away from the past monsters. Stay away from Tempo. Away from everything Arthur once knew, so they wouldn’t be poisoned, or beaten, or broken, or trapped like mice in a cage…!

But if there are some places to stay away from at the very least…

He stood up, " Elaine, I need to apologize for ruining… you know.”

She looked up at him, “Do you want me to go instead?”

Arthur didn’t answer.

A knock was heard, which made Arthur’s legs feel weak and sat back down on the bed. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. Someone’s behind the door leading outside the camper. Why did he have to feel such fear? If he opened that door, he could get hurt again.

But then he remembered that his children are out there.

Before he made a move, Elaine stood up to answer whoever was outside. Arthur saw her raise a finger up to her lips to the guest he couldn’t see, then watched her step outside and close the door behind her, leaving him in the safety of the camper’s protections. He closed his eyes in despair at the thought of his life with Elaine and the kids ending. He didn’t want it to end. He wanted to live. He wanted to see his children grow up. He wanted to protect them, but he couldn’t because he’s so weak.

…Am I really that weak?

He opened his eyes and clutched at the moon pin near his heart in a dark realization.

I… I am weak. I know how weak I am. I know I don’t stand a chance against the monsters and demons.

He gritted his teeth.

But if I remain here, Gwen, Percy, and Vivian won’t be safe from them.

Arthur shook his head furiously before standing up, all traces of fear leaving him. If it were just him, he would keep cowering in the safety of wherever he could hide. But ever since he became a father, he couldn’t hide anymore. His past eventually found him after all.

Elaine can only do so much. I promised her that I would do whatever I can to ensure their futures.

Taking a deep breath, he walked to the exist of the camper to see Elaine talking to Gwen and Percy through the window. Arthur briefly wondered where Vivian is, but that question was quickly answered when he opened the camper door to step out when he saw his youngest child clinging to her brother’s leg. All four of them turned their attention to them, the children all showing concern, but none of them dared to speak out.

“Hey, guys. Sorry about earlier,” Arthur tried to keep his words steady as he breathed out a smile, “I hope I didn’t scare you that badly.”

That got Gwen to start. Arthur watched his eldest daughter out her hands against her hips and lean towards his direction, “Of course you scared us, Daddy! We were worried!”

Arthur could only smile as he brushed a hand against Gwen’s hair, “Your mother told me that the three of you need to go out and let loose with your power for a while.” Upon seeing that he has the attention of his family, he continued, “As I’ve told you before we left home, this place is known to have paranormal elements, so whatever you guys do, please be careful.”

The twins and Elaine looked at each other with uncertainty.

“Dad, about this place. So far, our grand uncle has been amazing to hang out with, but…” Percy began to ask uneasily, “Why did you leave? What made you leave?”

“Percy!” Elaine scolded.

It was an inevitable topic, and Arthur knew it as he let out a breath with a half-smile without one feeling of happiness.

The true reason he left Tempo.

Contrary to what most would think, it wasn’t because of the wraith hurting him. Arthur could endure those, or at least as much as he could until his body gave out and he would die. The punishments were something he knew he deserved, but it wasn’t the reason he ran away.

How can he tell them, children that are twins just barely in their teens and a little girl, the true cause of his misery? His heart began to ache painfully at the thought.

Arthur smiled at them while trying to hide the emotions threatening to spill.

"Stay away from the southern area."

"What?"

"Stay away from the outskirts south of here that lead to a dark forest, and you should be fine," he moved closer to the twins, and placed a hand on each of their shoulders, "However, if you come across any threat, especially if you encounter a kitsune, or a flaming wraith,” he took a breath to hammer the warning into them, “You are to run away as fast as you can and return to the camper. Do you understand? Do whatever it takes to get away."

Gwen tilted her head in confusion, "Why those specif--"

"There's a possibility that those two monsters are still in that area. Stay out of their territory, and you should be fine. Do you understand?" Arthur tightened his grip to make sure that there isn't any room for discussion.

The twins glanced at his hands on their shoulders, then at each other, before finally nodding at him.

"Good," Arthur gave a smile of relief and released his son and daughter from his hold, "Remember all the lessons your mother taught you, and Vivian?"

"Daddy?"

"No poofing away from Gwen and Percy unless they tell you to," he knelt down and playfully tapped a finger against his youngest daughter’s nose, “You need to do your part to help your big brother and sister, too. Okay, Vivian?”

“Yes!” Vivian laughed and hugged him, which he returned.

Once the preparations were made, in which Gwen and Percy quickly packed a few water bottles, some charms, and their phones from the camper, Arthur and Elaine watched the twins start to leave.

“Wait.”

The children stopped to look at their father.

“There’s one last thing I need to tell you,” Arthur took Gwen and Percy’s hands, and watched with a hint of amusement at Vivian’s attempt at joining in, “No matter what, stay away from the Pepper Paradiso.”

“The restaurant of Ms. Belle’s family?” Percy furrowed his brow, no doubt confused, “But their food is good?”

Arthur nodded, “I doubt her parents will do anything since Lance said they don’t know about you three, but please, stay away from the restaurant itself. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. Okay?”

The twins looked at each other, no doubt wanting to know more, but they soon nodded. Arthur made sure to embrace his three children a moment longer than usual, then he released them from his hold. Watching the twins run off north with Vivian flying after them.

Arthur reached out for his children upon seeing them disappear from his sight, a part of him wanting to chase after them, but he curled his hand into a loose fist and lowered his arm. Upon feeling a hand take his fist, he looked over at Elaine, who smiled at him.

“They’ll be fine, my star,” Elaine said gently with confidence, “I made sure they can take care of themselves. I even went through the trouble of making those protection charms for them.”

Arthur wasn't convinced, but he chose to believe in her and their children, "Okay."

"…I know you don't want the kids to get involved in this, so I waited until after they left,” Elaine said with an unsure expression, “I have to meet with Mr. Yukino soon. He specifically requested that I bring you with me. Of course, I told him that you're free to decline, but he insisted that I ask you.”

"Oh…” Arthur felt fortunate that Elaine is so thoughtful about his feelings, "Did he say why he wanted me?"

"He only said there was someone he wanted you to see. He didn't say who, though."

Arthur really didn't want to see Vivi, or her family for that matter. The wraith hated it whenever he spoke to them, even when they were the ones that came to him for something. He didn’t want to see Mystery, either. For all he knows, the kitsune that remained with the Yukino family might still want to hurt him because of the demon’s influence, or some other reason that’s beyond his understanding.

But above all else, seeing Vivi is out of the question. Back then, Arthur had refused to give her what she had asked from him. Arthur may have wanted to hand it over at one point, but after learning the truth of what happened in the cave that resulted in Lewis’s death, combined with the hatred and punishments he suffered through, he left Tempo.

And now, years later, Vivi will never get it.

He looked down at Elaine’s hand still holding his. Slowly, he moved his other hand to put over hers, “Okay. I’ll meet him. But only on the condition that it’s only him. If the person he wants me to meet is who I think it is, I will leave immediately and let you finish the job he hired you for.”

Arthur could tell that Elaine wanted to know more, but he saw her nod in response.

“Before we go, we should probably head back to Lance to let him know you’re okay. I know he’s worried. I’ll also apologize to Belle for what happened in your place, because I know talking to her is one of… your triggers, so to speak.”

Arthur didn’t say a word in response.

- - - - - - -

Thankfully, Lance has a car as a spare vehicle whenever his truck needed repair, so he had no issue lending it to Elaine and Arthur to use for the time being. Elaine made sure to lace the interior with stringed protective charms that could be removed later for Arthur’s peace of mind.

As Elaine drove through the town, Arthur watched the surroundings while in the passenger seat. Although he didn’t find it surprising that Tempo almost looked the same ever since he left seventeen years ago, he saw that the town did change in a few areas while he was away.

The small shopping strip that was in the middle of the town has expanded a bit, judging from the four – or was it five? He couldn’t tell - stores that were built on what were previously empty fields. The old shambling movie theater that was said to be haunted years ago had been demolished with a new one in its place, although it’s still under the same name. Another gas station was added on the same road as that small convenience store, too.

Arthur isn’t sure how to feel about these changes and more.

“You okay, my knight?” Elaine asked once they reached a red light.

“I’m fine,” Arthur smiled at her, “It’s just… It’s been so long, you know?”

Unlike Cantabile, Tempo has not been his home for the past seventeen years ever since he had cut all ties to this small town. It’s been so long that he doesn’t even recognize it as his old home even though Lance and everyone else remained.

Once the light turned green, Elaine kept driving, her attention focused on the road while listening to the directions of the GPS that was preinstalled in the vehicle. Upon passing a certain building, Arthur did a double take as he and Elaine drove past it.

“What’s up, Arthur?”

“…Nothing important. Let’s just get this thing with Mr. Yukino over with.”

Elaine shrugged and let the matter drop, much to Arthur’s relief. Meanwhile, conflicting thoughts kept swirling through his mind upon seeing the sight he just witnessed. The Pepper Paradiso shouldn’t look so… run down.

Well, it’s nothing for him to be concerned about.

…Right?

- - - - - - -

“Is this the place?”

“The address matches the one on the mailbox, so it has to be.”

“But haven’t you been in the Yukino residence before?”

“Yes, but it’s not the same house from before I left, so they must have moved while I was gone.”

“I see.”

Instead of a two-story house from what Arthur remembered, the house he and Elaine have driven up the driveway to is only an old yet modest ranch style home, which is a bit of a far cry from the elder Yukino’s taste. On the front porch were a few paper lanterns left hanging by the front doors, and just outside the sidewalk is a small Japanese rock garden with a tall stone lantern close to the middle (a “tōrō” if memory serves him right).

Other than the lanterns and the garden, there isn’t anything to indicate that Vivi might be living there. From what Arthur can recall, Vivi is the type of woman that would leave the pumpkins or other Halloween decorations well after the holiday itself for Thanksgiving.

“Halloween and Thanksgiving both use pumpkins! This is recycling!” …Or something like that, Arthur recalled while imagining it in Vivi’s voice and everything. As a result, he sincerely hoped that Vivi isn’t in the house, or anywhere really. It would just mean that the wraith or Mystery would be nearby.

He couldn’t bring himself to be hurt by them. Not again.

Elaine pulled herself out of the car and started to make her way to the front door of the Yukino family residence, while Arthur waited in the car. It was agreed between the two of them that Elaine is to be the one that would meet with them first, and then decide from there at whether or not Arthur should come out. He watched his beloved light press the doorbell, and within moments an older blonde woman in yellow answered.

Vivi’s mother, Jolene Yukino.

Arthur watched Elaine and Mrs. Yukino talk, and soon after Mr. Yukino quickly came outside, looking out of breath. A chill went up Arthur’s spine once he made eye contact with Vivi’s father, but instead of anger like he expected, Mr. Yukino instead looked… relieved?

Elaine exchanged a few more words to them with a stern expression, and upon seeing them nod to her, turned to Arthur and made the gesture to come to her.

It’s safe.

After trying to steady himself with a few deep breaths, Arthur stepped out of the car to approach the three, only focusing his attention to Elaine the entire time.

“Arthur, you really came,” Mr. Yukino gave a relieved chuckle, “You have no idea how much this means to us.”

“What do you want?” Arthur struggled to keep his voice steady as he held Elaine’s hand. Even now, he still can’t bring himself to look at Vivi’s parents. Not after what he did.

“A-ano… I mean, ah…”

“If it’s about your daughter, I’m not interested,” Arthur furrowed his brow, still focusing on his hold with Elaine, “I know that—”

“No, it’s not Vivi. She’s not even here,” Mr. Yukino glanced at the front door before turning his attention back to him, “It’s my mother I need you to see.”

That caught Arthur’s attention. From the few times he remembered interacting with Grandma Yukino, all Arthur can recall is her speaking at low volumes in Japanese with a rather condescending tone with some broken English (or Engrish?) mixed in whenever he entered their previous home for whatever reason, from picking up Vivi or dropping her off, and would sometimes give him handmade ofuda for some reason. She also did the same thing to Lewis and may or may not have approved of Vivi’s relationship with her late boyfriend when he was alive. Arthur didn’t even need to get started about Grandma Yukino’s attitude towards Mystery. She never trusted “that yako mutt,” or however she says it, before and after the cave incident.

In short, Mr. Yukino’s mother, the old and cranky Fuyuko Yukino, isn’t someone Arthur interacted with unless he absolutely needed to. So why did she want to see him now, of all times? Last he remembered, he didn’t have any sort of connection to her whatsoever besides the one through her granddaughter.

“I know I’m asking a lot from you, but we really do need your help,” Mr. Yukino started to look desperate, “Did Lance explain anything to you?”

Arthur rose a brow as he tried to recall Lance’s words

“Um… Arthur? One more thing I should add. You see, the Yuki—”

The sound of a bell from the entrance door cut off Lance’s words.

“Hey, Lance, we’re back with lunch!”

That might have been it, but he knew better than to blame Belle Pepper for interrupting. There’s a possibility that she didn’t know.

“No, he didn’t have the chance.”

“Oh, well, how should I put this?”

Mrs. Yukino held a hand over her husband’s shoulder in concern, but Mr. Yukino took a deep breath before explaining, “Ever since you left, Arthur, nothing has ever been the same.”

…What?

“The truth is, in the few times I saw you after… well, the truck incident, I couldn’t help but notice your condition. At first, I thought it was because it you were still recovering from your injuries, but as weeks passed, I noticed you weren’t getting any better, if not actually getting worse. When I heard from Lance that you left for a solo vacation, I thought that you were finally starting to. But then…”

Mr. Yukino looked pained, his wife trying to comfort him as silently as she could as he kept talking.

“When you hadn’t returned, things fell apart, one by one. I often blamed myself for not saying anything sooner, especially once we all found out what happened!”

Both Arthur and Elaine took a step back at the sudden outburst. The latter giving the former the look that they will leave if they have to.

“And the Peppers—"

“Hiro, darling,” Mrs. Yukino finally spoke, her voice quiet, “We don’t want to scare him off.”

“R-Right, sorry,” Mr. Yukino straightened his posture, “I’m sorry, Arthur, but it’ll be easier if I just take you to Kaa-sa-- er, Mother. Maybe then all this misery would stop.”

Arthur and Elaine glanced at each other, the latter curious, the former confused. The same question going through both their minds: What exactly happened after Arthur left for good?

Reluctantly, Arthur followed the Yukino couple inside their home with Elaine by his side.

You aren’t to step foot in here.

Arthur made the move to leave immediately, but Elaine pulled him back and gave him a hard nod, tightening her grip at his hand.

“I won’t let anything happen,” she whispered, her voice almost inaudible, “You’re with me.”

What gave you the right to ignore your boundaries?

“That person isn’t here, Arthur,” Mr. Yukino suddenly spoke, not looking at him, “I’m inviting you in here. If anyone complains, they can take it up with me.”

Elaine rose a brow at Arthur, and he shook his head. Not now. Please. She nodded, and finally, Arthur stepped inside with her.

The interior is what Arthur somewhat expected it to be. Various paintings and decorations of Japanese origin were laid out throughout the house, and from what he could see, were items from their previous home. Tucked into a corner in the living room, Arthur spotted a small shrine, likes the ones that are used to honor deceased family members.

But the picture on the shrine wasn’t Grandma Yukino, it was a tall and somewhat muscular man of American or English origin that appeared to be in his late forties. The man’s features, dark blue, almost black hair that partially obscured his dark colored eyes, and a bright grin with slightly crooked teeth, didn’t look like they stand out much, but…

“Who is this?” Elaine asked the question, “A family member?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Yukino sadly nodded, “He was our son-in-law, our daughter’s husband. He died in an incident at work on Monday, October 13th just last month, so we’re still on our forty-nine days of mourning.”

This man was Vivi’s husband? So whatever happened to Vivi? Was her son from this man? If so, then whatever happened to her relationship with--

Arthur and Elaine looked at each other, both suddenly realizing the implication of the death date Mrs. Yukino mentioned. While they were happily celebrating the birthday of their three children, the Yukino family had a death in the family. It wasn’t something they could control, but it did leave a sour taste in their mouths.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Elaine bowed down her head slightly.

Neither the husband or wife said anything and made a gesture to keep following them. Soon, the four of them reach a small bedroom, and when Mr. Yukino knocked on the door, the one who answered wasn’t Grandma Yukino, but a little boy.

The boy looked young, not even ten years old. Blue hair in a shade Arthur knew all too well shaped the child’s round face, wearing a sweater of a similar shade, dark blue pants, and a familiar blue scarf.

“Jason,” Mr. Yukino knelt down to ruffle the boy’s hair, “Some guests and I need to talk to Baa-chan for a while. How about you go play in the living room with Grandma in the meantime?”

“O-Okay,” the boy looked up at Arthur nervously for a moment, then took Mrs. Yukino’s hand and left the area.

Arthur noticed that Jason looks so much like his mother, Vivi. Did that child not take any traits from his father?

Whatever happened to--?

“Kaa-sama?” Mr. Yukino gently called out to the person in the bedroom from the hallway outside, “I’ve brought some guests.”

Upon being led inside, Arthur immediately spotted a small old woman sitting in a wheelchair next to the window. Her white hair with vague shades of blue, long at the sides and short on the back, were bound together. A white shawl with blue trim is wrapped around her shoulders, a dark blue blanket tucked against her legs. The woman’s face and general appearance gave the impression that she is withering away, little by little, enough to where her eyes appear to be always closed. The violet-colored glasses she always wore even before Arthur left didn’t make her look any younger.

From what Arthur could recall, Grandma Yukino was someone in her mid-seventies, if not in her early eighties from before he left. Wouldn’t that mean that’s she’s somewhere in her nineties, if not already one hundred years old by now?

“Kaa-sama?”

The old woman didn’t make a response, only staring out into space.

“Arthur, will you greet her? Just talk to her for a bit, she probably still remembers you. I hope.”

He glanced at Elaine, and while she looked unsure, she nodded. Slowly, Arthur and Elaine approached Grandma Yukino so as not to startle her. Then he started to speak, “…Yukino-sa--…?!”

A thin, bony hand quickly grabbed his wrist. It took every bit of restraint Arthur had to not jump away, and Elaine held his shoulders in an attempt to keep him calm.

“Ā… Āaaaa… sssssā…! Āsā…!”

Grandma Yukino’s eyes were wide open, looking at Arthur in shock.

“Āsā… You… safe,” she shook her head in disbelief and mumbled something in Japanese.

"Kaa-sama," Mr. Yukino said something to his mother in Japanese with a pleading tone. In response, Granny Yukino released Arthur from her grasp and spat out some angry words at her son.

While Arthur didn’t know Japanese very well, he could make out the words “onryō,” "yako," “kitsune,” “yōkai,” “yūrei,” and his own name a few times as she gestured furiously at the window and Arthur. Then Mr. Yukino started arguing back in Japanese.

As soon as she said “ruisu,” Arthur gritted his teeth in apprehension.

From the way Grandma Yukino is talking, she’s insulting Lewis from beyond his grave.

Arthur glanced down at Elaine, and he saw that she has her eyes wide and brow furrowed in disbelief at the sight of the elderly mother and son arguing. Before he could ask her what’s wrong, Elaine took something out of her back pocket and slipped what felt like paper into Arthur’s right hand, then held his hand like they always did to keep the object between them.

"--told you time and again that onryō is no good! You should've let me exorcise it long ago, and now we have to do it before it finds out Arthur is here and harm the little ones again!"

"Mother, we can't do that! We promised Vivi that we would try to fix--"

"That onryō already sapped the life out of Cayenne's--"

"MOTHER!" Mr. Yukino cut her off, looking offended, "You know that's impossible! It was only misfortune that happened! You already sealed Lewis long ago down at--"

"Don’t talk back to me, Nobuhiro! I told Vivi that we should have eliminated that damned onryō long ago. Everything has gone to hell ever since that thing manifested! Even more so after you and those Peppers drove Arthur away!"

Arthur started trembling as a feeling of apprehension went up his spine. Once he took a moment to process Grandma Yukino's words, a horrible thought entered his train of thought and...

Did I make a mistake?

Mr. Yukino sighed roughly, then turned to Arthur and Elaine, "I'm really sorry about all this, you two. I need to convince my mother, so you should wait outside. Could you tell my wife that I’m sorry if Jason gets scared?”

Elaine agreed, and soon, Arthur followed her out of Grandma Yukino’s room.

Another argument in Japanese sprang up once they left. After seeing that the living room is empty, they checked the door that led to the backyard and reached a small wooden deck. They finally found Mrs. Yukino sitting on a patio sofa with a cellphone in hand, speaking to whoever it is on the other line. Next to her is Jason, who is busy reading what looked like a children’s book. It doesn’t take much to figure out that they came outside so they wouldn’t hear Mr. Yukino and Grandma Yukino arguing.

When Arthur and Elaine approached, Mrs. Yukino’s eyes widened upon noticing the two of them and spoke a few hushed words to Jason before handing the phone to him. The young boy started to talk excitedly.

“Mom, when will you be coming home?”

Immediately, Arthur realized who Jason is talking to with dread.

Vivi is…!

Mrs. Yukino stood up to speak to them, “My daughter called while you were inside. I didn’t tell her that you’re here, Arthur, but I want to let you know that she’s on her way back from a job in Oklahoma. She’s really looking forward to seeing her son, since she’s been away for over two weeks. She said she’ll be home at around dinner time.”

“What was she doing?” Elaine rose a brow. Arthur glanced at her nervously.

“She is still in the paranormal business as the Mystery Skulls, even though the group itself has all but disbanded after Arthur left,” Mrs. Yukino sighed, “Ever since we realized what Lewis had done, Vivi had… well…”

A searing heat crawled into the beck of Arthur’s neck, “…What happened?”

“Vivi and Mystery have been mercilessly hunting and exorcising anything related to the paranormal left and right. No matter how much of a nuisance they are, malicious beings causing trouble to harmless spirits peacefully inhabiting somewhere, Vivi just eliminates them. She doesn’t take any chances anymore, saying that she doesn’t want a repeat of what happened to you. In other words…”

He could only hope that Vivi doesn’t run into his children.

“Ever since you left, Vivi snapped.”

- - - - - -

Y'all about to learn a lesson,

It’s coming straight from the top!

Part 16: 555

#mystery skulls animated #msa fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #msa arthur #arthur kingsmen #msa #msa knights #elaine knights

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enigmaticjblake · 5 years

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We have failed humanity

If you are reading this, chances of you being an intelligent and a self-aware human being just escalated.

Although I would admit that a bleak possibility of a hyper advanced alien race capable of travelling across time and space has discovered us already and has deciphered all possible forms of human communication only to come to the conclusion that we are among the most stupid races of all and are just not ready to join the ranks of the universal union. I guess that explains why aliens do not want to talk to us. We aren’t ready for an introduction yet.

We humans, on countless number of occasions we have exhibited our immaturity, selfishness and ruthlessness towards humanity.

We have educated ourselves to the tooth, invented newer technologies but we have lost the vision of protecting our planet. We have abused our oceans, our forests and our resources. Our planet is 4.543 billion years and humans are approximately 300-200,000 years old. If you mathematically condense the age of the planet earth into 24 hours, we humans have inhabited it only for a mere 3 seconds and look at what we have achieved.

Countless number of wars have ravaged our civilization over the years, ever since mankind emerged but there are two wars in particular that have changed the world forever. World War 1 and World War 2.

While WW1 lasted for approximately 4 years and lasted between Jul 1914 to Nov 1918 , it lead to the mobilization of more than 70 million troops and stands among the darkest phases in human history. Ironically it was supposed to be a war to end all wars, as the perpetrators claimed.

More than 15 million human lives were lost in the war.

It is shameful because there was another World War.

WW2 took place on a global scale and lasted between 1939 to 1945, that’s approximately 6 years of endless mindless destruction of humanity as a whole. As much as 30 nations participated in the war, which eventually turned into a battle of 2 factions; the Allies and the Axis. The major players in the war disposed off their entire economic, industrial and scientific capabilities to fuel the war and as a result, there were 90 million deaths all across the planet.

While that wasn’t enough, the world witnessed an unimaginable horror, imagine the world’s most excellent minds capable of thinking outside the box working with the express purpose of creating something that can wipe off humanity.

The atomic bomb was made in order to put an end to the war but it was more of showing the world who is the big daddy.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw something no one in this world should see. When the bombs dropped, the whole world changed that day. Both cities were burnt to crisp and the whole region was plunged into radiation. The effects of the same are evident till this day.

It was a demonstration to the prowess of the super power as we know it.

To be honest, not much has changed ever since.

As humans we were supposed to be on but we have divided ourselves.

Our egos have become so fragile that we jump into conflict too fast. Apes did that, pre historic man was no different and intelligent homo sapiens are also no exception.

If you are well aware of your surroundings, chances are you must have heard or read about World Wars. If you have not, you are probably too young or never got the chance to educate yourself.

On the third day of a fresh new decade humanity woke up to memes of World War 3.

There was this sudden discomfort, confusion and realization that we have damaged ourselves beyond repair now.

Whatever the reasons maybe, I see two ignorant world leaders trying to justify their fragile ego and are ready to take down the world along with them.

The possibility of the world engulfing into a third world war has never been so real, let us dive into the consequences humanity will have to face if a third world war erupts because the chances of it have never been this real.

1. There will be black rainfall

Soon as the bombs drop, the skies will go dark and there will be black rain. The rain wont clear the sky and the drops won’t be water. These will be oily drops which will possess harm if come in direct contact with any life form.

In Hiroshima, the black rain started 20 minutes after the impact, the rain covered a rough area of about 20 miles. The whole region was drenched with this black gooey substance which was highly radioactive.

The skies were burning and oxygen levels were dropping, people were struggling through the flames and dying of thirst. Out of desperation most started consuming the mysterious black liquid only to later succumb to a radioactive demise.

The substance was so radioactive, it altered the blood of the people it came in contact with, there is no doubt that if we witness such weapons of mass destruction, we will definitely see this black rain.

2. An electromagnetic shock wave will disrupt electricity causing a massive black out.

Any nuclear explosion will be followed by an electromagnetic shockwave that can potentially fry electric grids and circuits on a nationwide scale. Nuclear tests in the past were capable of doing so on a 1000 miles radius and this was discovered by accident. Ever since, or so called scientific minds have designed nuclear bombs in a way they emit these shockwaves. So not only it will turn off your Xbox or Playstation, the data on your computer will be erased, the food in your refrigerator will become inconsumable and water treatment facilities in the area will shut down eventually granted access to contaminated water.

For a long time, we will be living without electricity and contaminated water.

3. The skies will become so dark, the sun will black out.

Wherever the bombs fall, there will be an unfathomable amount of energy in that area will consume the surrounding area and will create a dense mushroom cloud almost 15 kms above ground level. This mushroom cloud will spread out into the sky which will cover up the entirety of the sky leading to a long lasting darkness. Survivors of this event will only see a black sky for almost a period of 30 years. Only after 30 years there will be chances of seeing the blue sky and a clear sun.

4. The planet will become too cold for food cultivation.

Dropping temperatures will be a direct consequence of blocking of sunlight by the dark clouds. The dark skies cause a nuclear winter on the planet, there won’t be any summer. It is possible for the animals to starve to death and all the flora, fauna and vegetation that exists at that point will wither away and die.

It will take approximately 25 years for the planet to recover from this climate change.

5. The Ozone layer will be damaged badly.

As we all know, pollution and carbon emissions are slowly damaging the ozone layer, in case of a nuclear holocaust the ozone layer is estimated to take a damage of 50%, this will allow the suns radiation to enter our atmosphere and will be lethal for all kinds of life forms. Life will just not be the same again.

Surviving life forms will go through extensive mutations, crops will become smaller and weaker and will even stop reproducing, humans will suffer from skin cancer and will die a painful death.

6.Billions will die of starvation.

It is estimated that even with continual efforts of harvesting any kind of crops or even if we adopt modern scientific farming techniques, it will take at least 5 years for us to get the first post war yield.

Low temperatures, high amounts of radiation in the soil and water will make it immensely difficult to harvest any kind of crops.

We just won’t be able to feed everyone. Those who will learn to survive will somehow manage to find food and people living beside coastal regions might find it a little easier but again, as there will be a black sky, most of the plankton in the sea will wither away which will kill our oceans. Anything fished out of the oceans for consumption will be dangerous; the first five years will be harsh and challenging and most of us won’t be able to survive.

7. Packed foods will be safe for consumption.

Sealed food is what will keep us alive for the first five years, bottled and canned food come with preservatives, granting them longer shelf life and it has been proven through experimentation that they can protect the contents from radiation. Stuff found on ground zero will contain smaller tracer of radiation but will still be consumable, just don’t expect them to taste good. The challenge will be to stock them as everyone will scavenge the wastelands for them. Just like how we see in most post apocalyptic sci-fi tales.

8. Radioactive bones.

Surviving humans will suffer from cancer, as earth will be bathed in radiation in the initial days of fallout. Strontium-90 is one chemical that tricks our body into believing its calcium and easily accepts it. The body sends this chemical directly into our bone marrow and teeth and thus leads the victim into bone cancer.

The only way to survive is finding out a solid enclosure and stay put till a few weeks have gone, two weeks is the safe period for radiation to reduce a 1000 folds. Birth defects, genetic mutation and deaths will be common. Same were observed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

9. There will be massive storms all around the globe

The first month will witness a crazy pattern in the weather, the nuclear debris wont just block out the sun, it will enter the stratosphere and there will be massive storms, heavy destructive rainfall, blizzards of radioactive snow and cold darkness. It will be a push back into the dark ages where the cave man used to struggle for basic necessities of life.

Things beside water bodies will be worse as temperatures will plummet into a dark nuclear winter.

10. Power vacuum

There will come a time when people will emerge from their shelters, bunkers and eventually try to re-establish civilization. This is will a very dangerous phase, imagine a shift of power into the wrong hands, imagine the world going back into a much darker age. All the efforts humanity took to establish social, economical and ethical systems will have to be redone. Again there can be misuse of power.

11. People will survive.

It is not secret that billions of people will die the moment a bomb goes off, billions more will die a slow and a painful death, be it starvation, freezing in the cold or radioactive poisoning. There are just too many ways to get consumed by the harshness of the post apocalyptic world while handful of us will make it. The handful of us will adapt, be stronger than ever, have the will to survive against all odds.

Those who survive the first 30 years of this apocalypse will be the one to see a new earth. An earth where plants will start growing back, the skies will be clear and the sun will shine like it used to.

The new world will look something like Chernobyl where nature has reclaimed everything.

Life will go on and people will start rebuilding everything and I hope that they do their best to learn from the mistakes their past foolish and selfish leaders have made.

Hopefully they will evolve into a much mature race and finally have the aliens talk to them some day.

#nuclearwar #fallout #notowar #worldwar3 #humanity

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aftermathdb · 5 years

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DEATH BATTLE Review: Ben 10 vs Green Lantern

Two guardians of the universe, clad in green. Though, one will be going home in blood-red stained clothes.

So, apparently the reason it’s not Ben 10 vs. Beast Boy is because Ben just outclasses Beast Boy with his variety of aliens.

Ben 10′s Preview.

Benjamin Kirby Tennyson started out as just your average ten-year old kid. But on a strange day for his summer vacation, an alien device did what it did, and stuck itself on his wrist with secrets that it hid. Now he’s got super powers, he’s no ordinary kid, he’s Ben 10!

Look, the theme song is catchy. It would be a crime not to reference it in some way.

Anyways, the alien device was the Omnitrix, a portable library that houses all sorts of alien DNA. It allows Ben to “Check out” an alien to transform into and use their superpowers.

From aliens that can control water, ice, electricity, and fire, Ben’s got it all. And if he finds an alien that isn’t in the library, the Omnitrix will scan and replicate the DNA, allowing Ben to have another alien to use.

(Ignore that timebar at the bottom. I thought I had cropped it out).

Though, the Omnitrix has numerous defenses to fight back against anyone who wants to take it from Ben’s wrist.

With all those superpowers, Ben also has aliens for smarts as well. Including Brainstorm, an alien who has an I.Q of one nonillion. That’s a one, followed by…

THAT many zeros. And still not enough to beat out EXE’s record of highest number ever recorded.

But if Ben wants to just suck, he can turn into Walkatrout… Who is a fish… with legs.

It’s easily his worst alien. And that’s saying a lot, considering he has an alien literally named “The Worst.”

Though, if Ben wants some refinement, he can turn into Molestache. Boomstick’s favorite alien, who does fisticuffs with his moustache.

The Omnitirx is easily one of the most powerful tools ever created. And apparently… Boomstick has one?

But if there’s ever a weakness of the Omnitrix, it would probably be the cooldown timer.

… Which is thankfully negated with Master Control, giving Ben unlimited access to everything.

But, there is one alien that blows the rest of them out of the water. Alien X.

Alien X is a Celestialsapien, a being that exists beyond the universe, and has control over all of reality. It even once survived the universe being destroyed by the Ahnialarg, and then recreated it. Hell! Alien X didn’t just survive the Universe being destroyed, he basically didn’t even notice!

HA! now we beat EXE’s record! Alien X managed to survive an event worth 4x10^69 Joules of energy!

Ben even managed to get past the “Needs to come to a unanimous decision“ thing later on, making Alien X the most powerful being in his universe.

And as Alien X, Ben has managed to fly fast enough to create a black hole.

If there was ever any real weakness that Ben himself has, it would be his immaturity. Sure, he’s pretty great at ingenuity and thinking on his feet, but for a long time, Ben was pretty immature, and has a bit of an ego.

But when lives are on the line, you can set your clocks. Because there would be only one time it could be.

HERO TIME!

Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)′s Preview.

Hal Jordan was just your average devilishly handsome Military Test Pilot. Until the day that destiny fell from the sky (sound familiar?).

Upon investigating an alien crash landing, HAl Jordan found Abin Sur, an alien being who had a powerful device known as a Green Lantern Ring. This device belonged to a group of protectors known as the Green Lantern Corps.

The Lanterns are essentially like space cops, and the universe is divided into sectors. Hal’s sector is designated Sector 2814, and he was given the prestigious job of Green Lantern.

The GL Power Ring is the ultimate weapon against those who worship evil’s might. It has a variety of tools to help with a fight.

Think of the Power Ring as the ultimate Swiss-Army Knife. Now think of that thing on steroids. Now think of those steroids as also being on steroids. Now think of the Swiss-Army Knife as having special treatment so as it doesn’t die from those steroids, add some more steroids, then times a thousand.

It gives Hal a bunch of different powers. From time travel, to matter manipulation, to phasing through objects, to a powerful shield.

It can also protect his mind.

And Hal can also reasonably scale to other Lanterns, like the time when Kilowog survived the Crisis on Infinite Earths event.

With all this power, you gotta be wondering: What the hell does this thing run on? And the answer is willpower. Part of the emotional spectrum that makes up sentient life.

Red is linked to rage, Orange to greed, Yellow to fear, Green to willpower, Blue to hope. Indigo to compassion, and Violet to love (This isn’t actually mentioned in the episode, but I thought I’d mention it here).

And Hal is definitely a powerful Green Lantern. Like…

With all that power, that definitely solidifies Hal as being the most powerful Green Lantern. It also means that he can irrefutably scale to other Lanterns.

Hal also could move from the center of the universe to a planet in moments.

This puts Hal in the high-end of the spectrum.

And being so fast that you nearly enter the Speed Force is all kinds of impressive for someone not connected to it.

And one time, Hal was without his ring. Meaning that he had to fly a ship moving faster than light on his own.

That is to say that Hal managed to avoid stars, planets, without the ring helping him.

And as a being who defeated the physical embodiment of willpower with his own willpower, Hal can do things that other Green Lanterns can do.

Green Lantern Kyle Rayner once survived the Big Bang, since Hal did that previous thing, it’s reasonable to say that Hal can do the same.

But the ring aren’t perfect. They do have a limited power source, and the constructs are limited to the user’s imagination and confidence in themselves. If they aren’t confident enough, they lose their will.

But there’s also a really big elephant in the room. An elephant painted yellow.

Thankfully, this was done because Paralax had corrupted the Green Battery, and is now a non-issue. Not that it compares to the weakness of Alan Scott, who had a weakness to wood.

But Hal is one of the best. Be it brightest day, or blackest night, no evil will escape his sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware his power…

GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!

(That’s not the end quote, so I figured that I’d put it here).

The Battle Itself.

Zack and Luis (Animation director) on animation, Ben will be voiced by Nicholas Andrew Louie and Green Lantern will be voiced Bradley Gareth. , Jerky on sprites, Therewolf on music (Emerald Warriors), and audio is led by Chris Kokkinos.

So, as we know from the preview, Hal tries to take in Ben for having a “Class A” Superweapon, and Ben fights back. Which immediately makes this one of the better stories around, as it fits both characters and their roles very well.

… I’ll put the reason why some people were put off by the use of kid Ben sprites in the “Overall Impression” part. Meanwhile, let’s look at this hand-drawn animation of Ben going Fourarms!

But, given that Hal has handled stronger blows before, he takes it in stride. Leaving Ben to go for Heatblast.

And one explosion later, Ben boasts that he could possibly beat Hal with Grey Matter… Which he turns into. But he quickly recovers and goes big. Way Big.

Hal, obviously not impressed, creates a meteor to smash Way Big with. So Ben brings out the big guns.

Behold! Alien X!

The fight is taken to space, where Alien X opts to just erase Hal.

But, as he possesses a device that lets him take a retcon to the face, Hal doesn’t break.

So Ben goes for a swarm tactic and tries to break Hal’s shield.

Hal recites his Lantern Oath to break free and summon a weapon to attack with.

This attack works, but Alien X rewinds time to knock Hal back.

He politely reminds Hal of a thing that he forgot about.

Which means that finishing blow in 5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

I wonder if that was a size ten sorrynotsorry.

I can’t tell if Present!Hal is talking about the battle wounds that he has, or the one-liner he made, and I’m okay with that.

Verdict + Explanation.

So, right off the bat, one of Ben’s biggest advantages was his absurd versatility in his transformations and his ingenuity. But Hal outclassed him in many areas.

Sure Ben has an absurd amount of versatility, but here’s the thing: He can only use one alien at a time. Whereas Hal has his whole package in his one little ring.

Essentially, even with Master Control, Ben is always playing catch up. Fourarms and Way Big are strong, but not on the level of what Hal regularly faces. Diamondhead is tough, but not planet busting tough. XLR8 is fast, but- You get the picture, right?

Alien X was really Ben’s best shot at winning. But Hal has not only fought alongside allies with that kind of power (Like Dr. Fate), but he’s also fought against that (Like Darkseid).

And even then, Alien X is still vulnerable to damage (albiet, it has to be super absurd). Ben’s own fight with the Galactic Gladiator proves that Celestialsapiens can still lose fights. And the fact that Alien X failed to stop the Anihilaarg was because Ben was busy arguing with the other two personalities about what to do. In other words, Alien X isn’t omnipotent.

There’s also no real evidence to suggest that Alien X could resist anything that Hal could either. Ben’s versatility put up quite the fight, but it wasn’t enough to match Green Lantern’s speed, strength, durability, tools, and literal willpower.

And don’t be green with envy. That pun was Ten out of Bens… Yes, these are all of Boomstick’s puns.

Overall impression.

7.8/10.

Overall, the fight is impressive. There are great hand-drawn moments in it, though I do have to knock some points for using Kid Ben sprites. Not only does the voice sound more appropriate for a teenager, these guys went on about how if the had “trimmed down Ben to his original 10-15, then it would be more fair of a fight to put him up against Beast Boy.”- That’s stuff that would lead people to think “Oh. So they’re going to use teenage Ben sprites.” This isn’t like using younger sprites of Jotaro or Naruto. The big heads never said anything about how “If we had used pre-Kurama friendship Naruto, then pitting him against Luffy would be fair” they just went straight into the battle due to power levels.

In short: Had they not made a big deal about it, then this wouldn’t be a problem.

Also, I think there’s a valid criticism about them primarily pulling from the classic-era aliens and only having Alien X from the AF/UA be the only one not from that era. Like… would have using Humungousaur instead of Fourarms been too much?- What about Atomix from Omniverse?- He’s delightfully hammy.

But, I can’t blame them for using so few. It would be a pain to try and animate all those alien forms.

But the spritework is nice, the research is solid, and it has great moments and callbacks to each character’s respective series. So it gets points for that.

Next Time…

*Inhales*

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Y’know, the last time a RWBY character fought, an entire hate group for them sprung up on Deviantart (I’m not kidding). So, this will be fun. Please excuse me for my lack of enthusiasm, but I have bad memories of that hate group and I am not looking forward to having to go through that again.

Is there a fight that you want me to review? - Send an ask/request, and I’ll look into it!

Do you want to read my fanfic based around DEATH BATTLE itself? click here!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next time for…

… Yeah, I got nothing.

#Death Battle #Deathbattle #review #screwattack

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austencello · 6 years

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The Demon - Arrow Music Notes 7x05

Oliver finally gets his wish to meet the Demon only to discover it is his former mentor then adversary, Talia al Ghul. He also notices the deadly results of Dr. Parker’s therapy and resolves to stop it.

Oliver and Talia in Level 2

Oliver rests after the psychological torture from last week as a guard arrives to tell him he is being moved to Phase 2. As he is given this information and a shock bracelet, a new electronic theme begins going up. The timbre quality is almost of rain drops or dripping water but going the opposite direction. Because of that, it gives an unnerving quality to this next unknown phase. It is over a low repeating electric bass note, used quite frequently in the prison music. The other repeating pattern during this section is a four-note motif as the guard mentions that the bracelet is for his safety and the other prisoners. It is a device to control the monster. Like the Phase 2 music from last week, it repeats each note several times. This pattern goes to a higher range over percussive beats and electronics as he is guided towards his cell and then plays with a distorted quality as he learns there will be no visitation rights in Level 2.

The upside-down rain motif returns as Oliver tries to talk to Diaz’s man to learn the Demon’s identity. After he pushes Oliver and then shocked by the guards, the Phase 2 music begins to play even more distorted than the previous time as they decide to cart him away and Oliver watches wondering what he got himself into.

Oliver awakens in his cell to end up fighting the Demon: Talia al Ghul. As he fights, “Talia breaks up fight” (5x16) plays with the wooden percussion often used with the League of Assassins and Nanda Parbat, ney flute, harp and then finally Talia’s theme as she is revealed (first heard in 5x10). The harp part and Talia’s theme returns as Oliver pieces together that Talia was behind all the attacks and Brick’s plans to get him down to Level 2. The ney flute (a Persian flute) then plays as she reminds him that she taught him to separate the man from the monster and that by exposing his identities, he became the monster. She then asked for his help to escape over the harp theme and the flute plays again as he angrily rejects to help after what she did to his family.

Oliver witnesses Diaz’s man being carted out dead and talks to Talia, trying to figure out what is going on. The instrument of her theme (electronic timbre resembling the duduk) and the cimbalom (an Eastern European hammered dulcimer used for Russian scenes, reminding of where they first met “Improper to Ask” 5x11) plays as she points out that he really has no idea what Dr. Parker is doing in “helping.” They both refer to the past over these instruments: she reminds him that he spent 6 years putting away criminals and asks why he should suddenly care about them, and he reminds her that it was her idea in pushing him towards helping and fighting for justice.

Oliver decides to investigate by meeting with Dr. Parker again, pretending to have a relapse of violent thoughts. He mentions that the guy he wanted to kill was already dead as brass plays three chords from the pilot/last episode, hints of the hero coming out. The Level 2/psychological electric guitar theme returns as Dr. Parker notices the old Oliver coming out, the one stuck in a cycle of violence and heroism with no regard for his family, repeating his indoctrination in the same way that the theme repeats.

The cimbalom returns as Oliver talks to Talia, agreeing to help her if she helps him expose Dr. Parker, an auditory reminder of when they used to be allies. Another instrument used for Talia/Nanda Parbat are antique bells like the gamelan (from Indonesia) and used quite a bit in Season 3. Oliver recognizes that the criminals are being treated as disposable instead of people and that no-one deserves that. Talia is upset that that this compassion was lacking when he killed her father. The bells (Talia) play over a low string melody (Oliver) as he apologizes for killing her father without thinking of his family, being concerned for his city. He knows that the only way this partnership will work is if they trust each other again, putting their feud behind them. Both the bells and the strings have melodies that are separate and take turns both in contrast, dissonance, and working together echoing their conversation and relationship.

Oliver and Talia “fight” as the string pattern briefly plays the Arrow theme before changing as they begin to fight. Violins and Basses have a very punctuated theme resembling in the fight between Oliver and Samson in 7x03 though the melody itself is different.

Oliver wakes up tied up in the room as the low dissonant bass prison note plays with strings. The Level 2 guitar theme returns over a string and brass rising melody as Oliver replies that he will fight the cycle of secrets and violence his own way, not Dr. Parker’s, the hero fighting the Doctor, the guitar contrasting the rising melody. Arrow string patterns (without the actual theme) play as they head towards the door, ready to fight their way out alongside low brass notes. The same theme that played as Oliver entered the cells of Level 2 returns as they leave the cell area.

The brief version of the Arrow string pattern returns as Talia says they must go after their epic fight and OIiver gives her the flash drive to give to Felicity, choosing to stay. A new violin melody plays over that as he tells Talia that she was wrong about separating the man from the monster. It just gave power to the darkness instead of containing it. While the string patterns lend an urgency to the scene, the melody reflects the light and heroism that Oliver has been growing in. He knows what it means to be whole now, one person instead of being split down the middle. The distorted prison bass returns as he turns to face off the guards as Talia leaves.

The ney flute and wooden percussion make a final entrance as Talia attacks Dr. Parker, putting the shock bracelet on him. Then Ra’s al Ghul’s theme “Meeting with Demon” (3x09) plays as she pulls out her sword to kill him: the Demon is back.

Meanwhile, Oliver is returned to Level 1 and one of the prison themes (often used for meetings with Brick) in the low bass plays as Stanley tells Oliver that Felicity came to visit. He’s back where he started with no leads on Diaz and Felicity still determined to go after him, leaving him very concerned.

Felicity determined to save Oliver

At the beginning of the episode, Felicity shows Black Siren how to follow their tracker on Silencer as she prepares to visit Oliver. When the dot almost disappears, Felicity goes into hacking mode. Music resembling her hacking theme for HELIX in Season 5 returns. The melody is not the same but the electronic instrument is the same and resembles that theme in tone as well with a few chromatic dissonances thrown in.

As Felicity visits prison and is informed by the guards that she can’t see Oliver, low distorted glissandos go up and down, reflecting the bad trouble Oliver is in and Felicity’s disturbed state. Strings play minor chords as she talks to Stanley until he mentions Oliver was set up and sent to Level 2 as the phase 2 motif begins to play. As Felicity refuses to believe Oliver would do this, her Helix instrument (resembling an organ) overlaps with the phase 2 motif. Darker Felicity is stirred into motion for the man she loves.

As she looks up the prison records with Black Siren watching, her pseudo-organ sound returns over string patterns. Felicity is determined to find out what is happening at Slabside to her husband and will not let anything stop her, mirroring her path in Season 5.

Felicity and Black Siren recruit Dinah to look through records on Dr. Parker to find out if anything shady was going on. Felicity bursts out that she should have been able to prevent things from happening by visiting him more instead of being mad over his decision that led him to prison. As she shares this, strings play a familiar melody with slightly different harmonies: “Let Darkness In” (2x17). It first played when Laurel was lost after Tommy died and buried herself in alcohol and revenge admitting it to Helena who had also lost herself to darkness after that the loss of the man she loved. The theme returns as Black Siren also talks about darkness in 5x10 “More Darkness talk” and then again as Oliver tries to reconcile Felicity’s decision to choose Helix and a dark path in 5x19 “Drinking Alone.” Now, Felicity is struggling with her own dark choices and what Oliver may be going through in prison. She feels guilty that she could have prevented it being so focused on catching Diaz. The music changes as piano (Oliver’s instrument) plays a new melody while Dinah reassures her that there was nothing she could have done. Felicity is worried that not only may she lose her husband to prison but that her greatest fear of losing him permanently will come true.

They do eventually find a file on Parker’s former patients and the raindrop Phase 2 theme plays as Felicity reads about the bouts of amnesia created by the treatment. The other Phase 2/Level 2 motif plays as Felicity realizes that they are trying to erase Oliver (continuing to the scene where they cart Oliver and Talia away).

A nice lighter moment occurs at the end when Laurel sort-of invites Felicity to lunch. The strings have a lighter, major feel for a brief moment.

Extra Notes:

- Curtis got a beautiful piano and harp melody as he tells Diggle that he doesn’t want to be Mr Terrific anymore and then Diggle’s response in ARGUS.

- Curious to know if the music for the painting will return.

- Sorry for the lateness of this review! There were some unexpected things that needed my attention instead.

@smoakmonster @herskirtsarentthatshort @ah-maa-zing @almondblossomme @scu11y22 @academyofshipping @green-arrows-of-karamel @jorahandal

#arrow music notes #arrow 7x05 #oliver queen #Talia al Ghul #felicity smoak #blake neely #nathaniel blume

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wanderingaunt · 3 years

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Invisalign-ing Patience - The Parallels between Orthodontics & Starting a Business

"My business is going to take off when I'm done with my Invisalign." -- Me, end of 2020

Life has an interesting way of teaching us lessons in patience.

When I was a pre-teen I entered into the world of orthodontics. I had a habit of sucking my pointer finger when I was a child, which pushed my teeth outward. At age 12, I got braces. As if being a middle schooler wasn’t awkward enough, getting braces topped it off. Luckily, I wasn’t alone in this stage of life. Many of my classmates and my sister, Lisa had braces alongside me. We at least got to make it a little more fun by changing the colors of our bands to match school colors and create an expression of our own. I had the added element of having a bridge in the roof of my mouth with a metal key that I would turn daily to expand my bite. It goes without saying, but I do not miss those days!

I was a structured kid who followed the rules out of expectation and approval. So naturally, when I got my braces off 2 years later, I made sure to wear my retainer every night. I wanted to be a “good” patient and seek praise from my doctor. For some reason though, when I got to college, I decided that my retainer wasn’t needed anymore. I had been wearing it for 5 years, so surely my teeth were in place by now…

Things shift in life when you let go of the structure holding it in place.

As you guessed, slowly over time, my teeth began to shift. From the outside, there wasn’t a noticeable difference. My teeth were slanted slightly, but it wasn’t anything to fuss about. What did cause a fuss, though, was my bite. I noticed that I was biting the inside of my cheek frequently when eating especially crunchy foods like apples and carrots. It was not enjoyable.

When I was in my late 20’s, I decided to go to the orthodontist to get a consultation about my bite. The first orthodontist I went to said that I would need to get braces again. Orthodontics has come a long way and made many advancements in the 16 years since I had had braces. Invisalign was a newer option that allowed you to move more freely through life without the constraint of monthly checkups or the pain experienced from wire braces. I was excited about this possibility. The orthodontist I visited said I was not a good candidate for Invisalign though, because of my bite. She said it would be a long journey (at least 2 years) and would cost at least $5,000 and not be an effective form of treatment. That was enough for me to say, “No Thank You” and go back on my merry way.

Money is often what stops us from taking action.

In this case, it wasn’t just the money that was stopping me. It was the thought of having to have braces for 2 years. I had plans. I was going to switch jobs, travel the world, and follow my dreams. And that couldn’t be done with braces.

Oh, how clever our minds can be to keep us safe from taking action.

I moved on and went back to living my patterned life. During that gap, my life really began to shake me up. I went through a long period of depression followed by taking inspired action and investing in myself through therapy, transformational programs, and retreats. 2017 was the year that things really began to shift. I dubbed 2017 as My Year of Action. I reached a point of exhaustion by repeating the same patterns, and not taking action towards what I said I wanted. I committed to showing up for myself consistently in ways I hadn’t done prior. It was the year I went on my first international retreat in Guatemala and realized that I was playing it safe in life. I knew after that retreat that it was time for me to quit my job of over a decade and follow my dream of traveling the world.

When I returned home from Guatemala, I raised the bar in showing up for myself inside of my Word of the Year, Action. I went to the dentist and told her that my bite was bothering me. She referred me to an orthodontist whom she highly recommended (Dr. Ortega at White Rock Orthodontics). I immediately booked a consultation. During the consultation, I learned that I was in fact a candidate for Invisalign. Dr. Ortega was confident that I could continue to live my spontaneous lifestyle as a traveler while correcting my bite. He said it would be a long journey and take at least 2 to 2 1/2 years. After all, teeth, especially molars, don’t move overnight.

My fear was screaming at me that this was too long and wouldn’t work, but my intuition knew it was time.

I thought back to my initial orthodontist consult 3-4 years prior. Had I committed to the process then, I would’ve been finished now. I didn’t want to wait another 4 years and be back in this same place with no action. So, on August 22, 2017, I committed to getting Invisalign and going down the path to fixing my bite. I had no idea that by making this commitment I’d also be opening myself up to the longest and most beautiful lesson in patience. After the initial “getting used to having attachments on my teeth”, Invisalign became a part of my lifestyle. I learned to embrace my smile and work my life around appointments. In the past, I would’ve been self-conscious about showing my smile with attachments on my teeth, but I learned that most didn’t even notice it. It became a part of me. I modeled in at least a dozen photoshoots and continued to travel all over the world while stopping back in Dallas every 4 to 5 months to get new trays.

When I hit the 2.5-year mark, I was a little disheartened to learn that my molars still needed more time to move. I received a whole new box of trays starting back to tray 1 of 24. At the rate of changing trays every two weeks, I was looking at least another year. I had made it this far, what was another year? That was a statement I never would’ve embraced prior to this journey. I used to think a month was a long time and that a year was an eternity… oh how naive I was.

It was around this time that I had also started my business and was navigating the world of being my own boss and learning to charge for my services. I thought committing to a multi-year journey with my teeth was challenging. Starting my own business, however, there was no preparing me for this ride.

It’s one thing to enter into something knowing how long it will take; it’s another to enter into something blindly believing it’s going to take off right away.

There are a lot of romantic success stories that entrepreneurs share that suck the newbies in:

I just had my first $10,000 month!

I went from broke to rich just by putting myself out there.

I have more clients than I know what to do with.

I made $50,000 doing one event.

While these are legit scenarios among many service-based entrepreneurs, it is not a common narrative. What’s missing from these stories is the work behind the scenes and more importantly, the internal work that others rarely see. So, while I celebrate business owners who reach these milestones (and wish to achieve levels like this myself), the way the stories are often shared can be a bit disheartening to those of us who are still building and refining our message and offerings.

If I was to share any wisdom with wannabe or newbie entrepreneurs, it would be to have patience. Take things one step at a time. One day at a time. Trust in the process and learn from those who have been where you want to go.

It was frustrating to hear from my orthodontist that I’d have to wear my Invisalign for another year to a year and a half. I wanted to quit and held back tears in the chair when I learned again that it would be yet another 6 months. But, I was so grateful that he was honest with me and asked me to trust in the process and trust that it would be worth it.

This journey with Invisalign has had so many parallels to running a business.

Timing is not something that’s always so easily predictable. I learned during this process to let go of linear time and trust in divine timing. There was a deep knowing that the process with Invisalign was here to teach me patience in all areas of my life. It taught me to trust in divine timing with the launch of new offerings and services within my business.

Don’t compare your timing or results to others’ journeys. I’ve had several friends get Invisalign as adults and the process only took them 6 to 9 months. When I first considered going down the path of orthodontics, I thought it would only take 9 months because that’s what I had heard from so many. But that wasn’t the case for me. My situation was completely different than theirs and would take more time. There was no sense in comparing my timing to theirs because it was unique to me just as theirs was unique to them. The same is with business. These days they say it takes 18-24 months for the average business to make a profit. While some can get there quicker, don’t discount all of the navigating, refining, and planning that takes place in the beginning phases.

Release attachment to the how and when. When I learned that the process would be longer than 2.5 years with my teeth, I learned to let go of expectations and surrender to the process. I couldn’t force my teeth to move. They had to go at their own pace, just as I’ve had to learn to go at my own pace in business. In 2020, I was set to lead my first international retreat in Spain. This was a big and exciting step for me! And then the pandemic hit. My travels, this retreat, business, and offerings were put on hold. I had to learn to pivot, try on new offerings, and release control.

Just when you think you’re done, another path appears. I attribute much of my journey to climbing a mountain. The peak can look so close to you as you’re moving towards it. But just when you think you’ve reached the top, another hill or path appears. It’s not as close as it looked. So then you’re faced with a choice, do you keep going? Or, do you turn around and call it done? I could’ve told my orthodontist that I was done when I learned I had another 12 to 18 months to go. But I knew from experience that the journey to the top is worth it. It’s worth it to keep going. The lessons learned along the way are priceless.

Consistency is key. My teeth would not have moved had I not worn my trays daily and overnight. While I didn’t always follow the recommended wear of 22 hours per day, I never went a day or night without wearing my trays. It was not easy to commit to at first, but after weeks of establishing a routine, I got used to the consistency and began to see results with each new tray and each check-up. I’ve dabbled so much in my business trying on different services and offerings. I’ve not been the best at sending regular newsletters or following what the “experts” say you’re supposed to do to run a successful business. But I have continuously shown up through the good and the hard. I learned that My Why was the foundation (or the trays like with my Invisalign) for everything that I do. And no matter what is happening in my life, as long as I’m holding to My Why, I will continue to show up and be seen.

When you learn to fully surrender and embrace the process, things begin to shift.

At the end of 2020, I learned that I had another 7 to 8 months left with my Invisalign. And I knew there was no point in fighting it. After all, I had already made it this far. So I surrendered and accepted where I was. I remember declaring to my sister, “My business is going to take off when I'm done with my Invisalign.” While I was half-joking, I had this sense that things would shift when I finally learned to let go of control, trust, and be patient.

I wanted to give up many times with my Invisalign. Just like I’ve wanted to give up many times with my business. I’ve gone through the common cycle that many entrepreneurs face of wanting to quit and find a regular job. Yet, something keeps me on this path. There’s a deep knowing within that I’m meant to keep climbing. I’ve come a long way on this journey. The pandemic showed me that I am capable of slowing down and being in one place for a time. It taught me that it’s okay to try on different avenues and embrace all of the many skills I have. It’s taught me to ask for support and open up to receiving. I’ve had to ask many friends and my sister and her husband to support me several times in the last year with money for bills and, at times, food. It has not been easy to ask, but it has been so humbling to receive.

It’s been my greatest lesson in patience. When I finally surrendered to the process, I let go of attachment to the end. At the beginning of June 2021, I went in for what I thought was a normal checkup for my Invisalign to learn that it was actually the day to have my attachments removed and be fitted for a permanent retainer.

Letting go of attachment allowed me to reach the finish line.

And guess what? My declaration has started to show evidence of the payoff from being patient. Last year, I applied for a grant with the Small Business Association (SBA) for Covid relief, and I was denied. I applied for unemployment and again, I was denied. I didn’t earn enough to be considered.

Last week, I went in for a 6-week follow-up for my permanent retainer. It was my final appointment for this leg of the journey. Everyone cheered me on and congratulated me as I walked out of the building. And at that moment, I knew. Things finally were shifting.

I reapplied several weeks ago for an EIDL Covid Relief grant through the SBA. Monday, I woke up to find a generous sum of money in my account.

While I did receive a large portion of money overnight, the work that went into being patient, trusting, and surrendering to the process did not happen overnight.

I wasn’t ready to get orthodontics when I first went in for a consultation. I was meant to go on this 4-year journey at this time in my life. And the same is with the grant money. Had I gotten the money last year when I first applied, I would’ve used it to escape rather than face my pain.

Patience is a beautiful teacher and one of the most challenging lessons we will ever learn.

Where in your life are you afraid to start out of fear of how long the process will take?

Where in your life are you wanting to speed up the process to be done rather than soak in the journey?

Where in your life are you wanting to quit because it’s gotten too hard or you simply can’t wait any longer?

Where in your life are you comparing your timing and your journey to others’ stories rather than embracing your pace?

I invite you to reflect on these questions and see what arises. And if you find yourself desiring support, reach out to me. I created a new customized program to support you with where you are now that is designed to fit how you best operate. Send me a message or schedule a curiosity call to learn more.

#invisalign #patience #patient #life lessons #trust #surrender #business #entrepreneur #solopreneur

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eris0330 · 7 years

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Hiraeth - Part one

☽Pairing☾ ; BTS | Reader

☽Genre☾ ; Angst | Fluff

☽Word Count☾ ; 1.4k

☽Summary☾ Returning back to Korea after years of being under the ground, to see your parents. You wished it was all it took, to feel complete again. The aftermath of confusion, betrayal and sorrow was the reason to never come back into the boys presents. But it wasn’t until, seeing one them enter the same cafe, at the right time.

☽Notes☾ ; A continuation of Metanoia & Tacenda, another sequel | Trailer

☽M. List☾ ; 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 [ongoing]

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“Remember to give us an update throughout the week, so we know where we can find you and hearing the process” Your luggage aligned along the walls of the airport, as the phone in your hand heated up from the longest flight you have ever been on. Your closest therapist, or friend as you sometimes liked to call it, gave you a green light to go back to Korea. The smells and weather change were overwhelming, compared to the building you had spent years inside of. You couldn’t remember much from how you got there, and what happened towards the end of a pitch-black hole. Maybe you just didn’t want to remember, the fragile pieces of memories that were left behind. “I will, every Friday I will give back a report” You promised into the microphone, already too dizzy to think of the ideas that were stuck in your mind while asking for permission to go back.

After waking up in the holy white room of people that assured you, that they were there to only help. The straps around your hands and legs, were nothing but terrifying and you felt like a child again. Your head hurt, it hurt so god damn much. Your body was aching and your eyes felt like they were on fire, with the same annoying high pitch TV sound of no signal. Your throat dry as the desert, unable to scream the pain inside that was not enough for simple words.

It wasn’t that everything was forgotten. The people who claimed to be doctors in special treatment, were nothing but telling you what happened from the source of previous doctors. You tried to kill yourself. Even today, at this very minute, it seems surreal of the thought. Were you given a second chance? They wanted to make you feel better, think positive of the opportunities around but worst of all, you were cut off from the world outside. Plastic surgery to the broken parts of your face and horrid scars along your back, it was already getting tough to never see the people that were there your whole life. Not your parents, no. But the boys with the greatest smile and most affectionate hugs. There didn’t pass a day, without the thought of them. Did they know you were here? Did they know you still thought about them? Did they know the feelings you couldn’t show properly? It was all unanswered questions, that you were scared to confront. You were told about the aftermath of someone’s death and that it’s not something you can lightly talk about, especially when you are the one searching for death.

“Same place, new beginning” Encouraging words to yourself, hoping that they would calm your fragile heart. The sounds of cars, people and the language you had left behind. Going back to Korea, was your own idea but it took the doctors weeks to approve of it. You were still under their radar, and was promised to see the outside once again you felt ready. Everything you had, was left right here and you were already on the way to search for the first priority.

“It’s nice to see you both again… Looks like Jia took good care of you, while I was gone” Sometimes you thought it was insane to talk to yourself, but realised after a while, it wasn’t so bad after all. It was like someone was listening to you, whether it was them or a stranger. Someone listened. The gravestones of a beautiful bouquet of flowers leaning against the stones, and a candle light burned out. You were glad, someone was there to take care of your parents, when you couldn’t.

Jia hasn’t had any contact with you either, no one has. The connection was cut and you had no option to get it back. Until today, that you knew where to find them all. But, you couldn’t. The pain that was reflecting inside yourself, was enough to keep you away. They never meant to hurt you, and you did something so horrible that they might never forgive you. Did they miss you too?

The doctors assigned an apartment for you, to live under their bills till the year you could finally financially start something new, by yourself. It was small, but comfortable. Just like the single room in the dorm, where no one entered unless they knocked. Your clothes scattered along the floor and only Hoseok was bothered enough to pick it up to throw into the washing machine. Everything you did, whatever you saw, was a single memory flashing of them. Your heart pounding harder and the feel of warmth growing in the bottom of your stomach, but your chest felt so heavy of their tears. It was internal war, as to whether find them or leave them in peace. After all, you didn’t look exactly like yourself, with the new nose and the scar across the cheekbones. Frankly, Jungkook would probably call you his twin and it just made you feel happier.

After unpacking and settling yourself in the new place, with the extraordinary scenery of Seoul. You decided to head towards the dog café nearby, that only peaked your interest. Animals has always been a huge interest, and the fact it existed, you couldn’t decline the temptation. The smallest and biggest fluffballs to greet a hello, a type of greeting you haven’t experienced for years. Their kisses were always so sweet but wet, it only made you laugh in joy. Taking a break to enjoy the view of dogs and the atmosphere that nostalgia created from your early years, felt like going back in time. People didn’t seem to change, until you noticed the entrance door open and the dogs rushed to greet like always. A familiar face, yet so skinny and defined it scared you. Jungkook were just a few metres away, petting a golden retriever who probably received love on a daily basis. He had become skinnier, but his smile, his smile was the same. So delightful and warm, it shocked you to even watch him come close to the desk. His tanned skin and still the same kind of fashion style, which you did praise him for every day. His navy lumber jack matched with a black shirt and black jeans. It didn’t surprise you, seeing his timberlands and handbag on the run, as if he was born in those shoes. He didn’t seem to notice you, but that would make sense when you tried hiding your face to look away. You just couldn’t help it, listening to his voice, ordering his Iced Americano and waiting patiently with the dogs jumping around his legs. Jungkook always loved dogs, and watching him play with them as the first sight, was magnificent. It didn’t take long, before he was out of the door again. The sound of cars and familiar songs playing in the speaker of the café, you felt it as a sign. You were dragged by his presence, and you couldn’t help but go for it.

Outside of the café, there were no sign of Jungkook. Couples and high schoolers filling the streets, and sunset coming along to give the right hue of remembrance. Your feet were dragged towards somewhere, but your mind was confused. You remember this street, it was here you met Jimin the first time during trainee days. Shop after shops, and streets forming to newer ones under the phase of your speed, a grey building came to view. It was, like your body knew what you wanted, but your brain couldn’t process it properly. Seeing Jungkook after so long, with that beautiful smile, was enough to make you determent. Opening the entrance door, to be met by a female receptionist. Her golden hair bundled into a bun and her glasses close to slip off her nose, fitted into the white reception room. Paintings of hills and sunsets, covering the walls as the sound of heels clashing against the marble floor.

“Hello, can I help you?” Her voice was like candy, so sweet and delicate that you got caught off guard. Apparently, by chance you were dragged towards the desk to look her in the eyes. Her pure skin of no imperfections that stand out, at the sight of another beauty. Your lips quivering, as the memories displayed under your closed lids to know exactly who you were looking for. It came as a stutter, but not desperate to make it sound familiar.

“I’m looking for Jane Kim”

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sophygurl · 6 years

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WisCon 42 panel MCU’s Black Superheroes

The full title of this panel was Show Me My Respect: A Critical Look At The MCU’s Black Superheroes

The panel description:

Has the MCU done its black characters justice over the last 10 years? Did Disney allow Ryan Coogler to give Black Panther the respect and nuance it deserves? Did the Russo Brothers f*ck up everything in Avengers: Infinity War that the black and NBPOC writers and directors established in building complex characters and storylines? Let's explore this decade-long journey into Phase IV to see how the MCU has and will continue to treat us.

The moderator was Jennifer Cross, with panelists Aunterria Bollinger and K. Tempest Bradford.

Reminder that these panel notes are only my own recollections and the things I managed to write down - my notes are incomplete and likely faulty in places. Corrections and additions are always welcome. Especially please do correct me if I get names or pronouns wrong!

Also I name panelists as that’s publicly available information but not audience members unless requested by that person to have their named added.

[I came into the panel a little bit late, so missed intros and probably some other stuff.]

Tempest was talking about the black best friend trope and that DCTV does this a lot. Rhodey is very underused, and Civil War turned him into the disabled black best friend.

Jennifer said Don Cheadle deserves better! Iron Man 2 gave complexity to Rhodey and Tony’s relationship and Civil War messed a lot of that up. It also made Rhodey disabled in a super questionable way [I missed some of this statement]. It was a literal cheap shot and felt like Joss Whedon saw him as an expendable character to use to elevate white man pain. Also the fact that Rhodey just automatically sides with Tony - what happened to the tension between them and Rhodey holding Tony accountable for his actions?

Jennifer made an aside to let the audience know that the panelists were going to be using a lot of code switching and AAVE references. She then went on to say “Fuck Infinity War - Russo brothers, take your white man pain to Ralph Lauren and buy some more polo shirts.” (lol)

Jennifer brought up that two black American men go to Wakanda for the first time and said nothing about it. Also they made Wakanda look “dank as shit.”

Tempest said the amount of Cumberbatch she had to stare at in Infinity War was too much - she skipped a whole movie to avoid him! (me too) One problem with IW was that there were just too many people in it, so they couldn’t properly focus on anyone.

Tempest added - why didn’t they just ask Shuri to fix things from the start? She was finally going to fix it, but she got interrupted by more man pain! Jennifer added that she loved the “you tried” moment with Shuri.

Aunterria talked about IW’s short shifting of Wakanda as if they were saying “well we gave you a whole movie - what else do you want?” But also how much worse it might have been if that had been the first introduction to Wakanda instead of coming out after Black Panther.

Jennifer brought up Winter Soldier and how Sam got to have a whole back story about his PTSD. In IW, we see him helping other people with their trauma but they never address how events are affecting him. She talked about how PTSD varies from person to person, and about how it can affect black people differently, especially.

Tempest brought up the gaybaiting of the series. Jennifer adds that she hates shipping, but she loves Sam and Bucky.

Tempest said that Sam has more back story than Rhodey in terms of story that isn’t tied to a main white character. She will also never forgive Tony for shooting him in the face in Civil War. Marvel tries with regards to race, but their attempts are inadequate.

She went on to talk about the character of M’Baku in Black Panther. She has a friend who was initially very upset about the inclusion of this character because in the comics the portrayal is very racist. Then he saw the movie and saw how great the character was. This is what happens when you give black people agency. Ryan Coogler had a lot of freedom in how he made BP.

Tempest added that white directors may try, but when trying to fix race in one area, they often make it racist in a whole other way. She brought up the Mandarin, for example. Why don’t you just ask an Asian person?

Jennifer said she wanted the panel to primarily focus on black people. The MCU fucks up all people of color, but the panel is specifically about black characters.

She added that she loved watching Rhodey kick Tony’s ass. When he said “you don’t deserve to wear this suit” - it was a calling out of his privilege. She also found it suspect that Rhodey didn’t notice Tony’s PTSD in Iron Man 3. He’s a veteran and a general and would be trained to look for those signs. She said “we’re 10% of the population in LA - find one of us and pay us to fix this stuff.” Especially important to find a black veteran officer to inform Rhodey and Sam’s characters. She no longer trusts white people to write black people.

Jennifer moved on to Valkyrie. She said she does love Thor because Chris Hemsworth. Also Taiki Watiti did surprisingly well. She loves Tessa Thompson.

Aunterria talked about her love for Danai Gurira as both Michonne in The Walking Dead and Okoye in the MCU. However, she still falls under the trope of the exceptional black woman giving it all up for a man.

Tempest countered that saying that Okoye fights for Wakanda over a man. She and T’Challa fight alongside one another and it’s clear that she would do the same for Shuri if she was queen. BP is not just about awesome black men, but black women too. There isn’t enough complexity in the other black characters in the MCU with the exceptions of Heimdall and Valkyrie. Asgard also had random Asian and black characters walking around that are never addressed or explained.

Jennifer loved Valkyrie drunkenly stepping off the ramp. Also the quietness of Heimdall’s character even when had more to do than just standing there. She talked about being a big Norse Scandanavian folklore nerd and said Asgard looks the way it’s supposed to look - it was actually diverse as shit. It took a man of color to finally make it look almost accurate representation-wise. She references the show The Almighty Johnsons as a show about Norse gods living in New Zealand.

Jennifer wonders if it’s going to take only poc behind the scenes to give us proper treatment. Way down in her soul is an optimist that “no amount of beating with Lucille can shut up” that wants to know if it can happen any other way.

Aunterria said she’s not optimistic about this. She can’t think of a poc character written by a white person that’s done anything meaningful or purposeful or accurate.

There is much collective groaning about Iron Fist.

Aunterria talked about making Luke Cage bulletproof but not talking about police violence. Giving black characters powers without engaging in the social issues around them.

Jennifer said she is mixed about Luke Cage. It’s the embodiment of respectability politics. But there is an effort to show Harlem and the gentrification of it. There’s this idea that poc don’t have any room to make mistakes. BP did so well that Kevin Feige is begging Coogler to come back.

Jennifer said that she loves the women in LC - especially Misty. There are lots of women who are all different people, all unapologetically black but in different ways. She’s watching it for the women. Praises Alfre Woodard.

Tempest uses headcanons to make movies better.

Jennifer addressed how Tessa Thompson was the one out of the women in the MCU cast to ask Kevin Feige about them wanting their own movie. Why did the black woman have to be the one to ask for what all these white women have been wanting? Why couldn’t ScarJo take her white appropriating ass up there and ask about it?

Tempest talked about the TV part of the MCU technically being in the same universe. TV shows have to include the big events of the movies but not the other way around. She said she stopped watching Shield when Daisy’s transformation killed the black male character (Trip) for one episode of white pain. Jennifer also stopped watching it in season one.

Aunterria is still watching Shield. She wondered if Trip had been killed because of the possibility of his entering into an interracial relationship. She said there is a new black male character (Mack), but his arc is all about suffering. Last season had a storyline about aliens enslaving white people, which was interesting. But the people of color come to save the white people. Jennifer interjects “Killmonger wasn’t wrong...”

Tempest adds “Joss is the most fuckassed fuckass to ever fuckass.” Jennifer asks what about Stephen Moffat? Tempest said - he’s second.

Aunterria said Shield did make the black man the team leader at the end of this season. Jennifer said - so he has to suffer for his reward now and his reward is to parent a group of white people? That’s even more fucked up!

Tempest said that BP gave her hope. Jennifer said - see, she’s not the only one with optimism. Tempest said that Coogler has some power right now - maybe he can bring in some friends and fix some more stuff.

Aunterria said that being a black writer right now is also hard because there is so much to fix. There is so much shit to work on before you can even focus on your craft - so it’s more work for them.

Tempest said her hopes are with the movies over the TV shows.

Jennifer said - “especially fuck babyvampJessica” (Karen from Daredevil). It’s like the paler you are, the more people will die for you.

Tempest said - as far as cleaning up, BP didn’t have to do that work because they were starting from scratch. There must be other characters that can be brought into the MCU movies that can be written by black writers.

Aunterria said those do exist, but the funding isn’t there. Tempest - but Gods of Egypt somehow got funding!

An audience member asked about Heimdall and if he would come back. Jennifer said that Idris Elba has said no on that.

Tempest talked about actors being semi-responsible to the narrative of their characters. RDJ even saying - maybe it’s time for me to go? Jennifer added - and then they throw more millions at him and I can’t be mad about that. Tempest said that we know all those people who were turned to dust are coming back. It was a bold decision to kill some of them - but we need to sunset one story in order to have a sunrise on another. Also - “fuck Thanos.”

Tempest said that something that ruins a narrative almost as much as white supremacy is the irresponsible choices of actors going on and on - except for all of the cast of BP - they can stay as long as they want.

Jennifer said that with Disney owning Marvel, Deadpool is now officially a Disney Princess (lol).

Tempest said she sat through all of Wolverine Origins just to see Hugh Jackman naked and she is done with Deadpool now.

An audience member asked about the character Cottonmouth on LC. Jennifer talked about him as a complex character bridging socio-economic status’s. She added that if you put trauma in a black character’s history, you need to do it in a way that is not just for show. She said the opposite of the example would be Zoe Walsh.

A member of the audience asked about Lash’s purpose on Shield. Aunterria said he filled in May’s backstory and explains things to us about her that we weren’t getting just from her side. But he was mostly there for gratuitous pain and suffering of a black man and Asian woman.

Jennifer said the MCU is allergic to black love. “Tweet that.” She wants to see a black male character saving a black female character - not just everyone else.

An audience member asked about Miles Morales. Jennifer said - we’ve had four Peter Parkers in fifteen years! Tempest said Tom Holland is at least finally a good one. Kevin Feige has said there is space for Miles, but she wonders who is going to write him?

Jennifer closed the panel with a firm statement for the white members of the audience, especially. She said - you will take everything good from our culture and appropriate it, but not our pain. You’ve taken our stuff for fun value and for show, but you don’t address our pain.

This panel was also livetweeted pretty extensively with #blackmcu if you want more/other perspectives from it.

[For context, I’m white.]

#wiscon #wiscon 42 #mcu's black superheroes #black mcu #mcu #black superheroes

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homesteadalternatives · 3 years

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“Is it okay to give CBD to my dog?”

Good question, and one many are asking.

Following the federal legalization of hemp, there has been no shortage of CBD products for pets hitting the shelves. With this growing interest, there is a need to understand the impact of CBD on animals, especially household pets like dogs and cats.

While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence of the benefits of CBD in pets, much of the research on the effects of CBD has historically focused on humans. Given there could be different effects of CBD in animals versus humans, researchers have started turning their eye to studying the effects of CBD in animals, particularly dogs.

Is CBD Safe for Dogs?

Early research indicates CBD derived from hemp is safe for dogs. Owners who use CBD products have not often reported significant side effects.

When asked about the specific ways that dogs can benefit from CBD, veterinarians we talked to say there are potential benefits in the areas of pain management, seizures, and anxiety.

A recent study used the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) to gauge US veterinarians’ knowledge level, views and experiences related to the use of cannabinoids in the medical treatment of dogs. Most participants in the study expressed support for using CBD products for animals.

Are There Side Effects for Dogs Taking CBD?

The most reported side effect of CBD in dogs appears to be slight lethargy, which is not particularly adverse, and in large single doses (>300mg of CBD), diarrhea. These large doses were found to be non-toxic.

How Does CBD Work in Dogs?

While we know a good amount about the bioavailability of CBD for human consumption, less is known about bioavailability of CBD in animals. To address this issue, a recent Phase I study conducted by scientists at Colorado State University investigated how CBD moved within the bodies of 30 dogs. The dogs, who were purpose-bred beagles, were given 1 of 3 different CBD formulations.

The formulations included a transdermal cream that was applied to the outside of the dogs’ ears, oral capsules that contained microencapsulated CBD oil, and an oral CBD-infused oil. Dogs received CBD each day for 6 weeks and had 1 of 2 doses: 10 mg/kg daily or 20 mg/kg daily.

The scientists monitored plasma concentrations of CBD during the first 12 hours of the study and again after 2, 4, and 6 weeks. They found that absorption was highest with the oral infused CBD oil and discovered that the higher the dose, the higher the concentration of the substance in the dogs’ plasma.

The researchers concluded that the formulations were tolerable for the dogs in the study. They found that administering CBD to dogs, especially through oral CBD oil formulations (like that used in our soon-to-come CBD dog treats), allows for the absorption of CBD.

How CBD May Help Dogs with Joint Pain and Seizures

Given that CBD does enter dogs’ systems and affect them at a physiological level, the next question is, “What are the effects and benefits of CBD in dogs?” Thus far, research has indicated CBD for dogs may provide relief from seizures and pain, particularly arthritic pain.

A study published this year researched the effect of oral CBD oil on 26 dogs with intractable idiopathic epilepsy, a common genetic ailment faced by dogs ages 1-5 that causes repeated seizures.

The researchers gave 12 dogs CBD-infused oil at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg and 14 dogs a placebo 2 times each day for 12 weeks. They found that dogs who received CBD experienced a reduction in seizure frequency compared to the dogs who received a placebo. The researchers also observed a correlation between CBD plasma concentration and seizure frequency.

Another recent study looking at the impact of CBD in dogs with osteoarthritis found that CBD significantly decreased joint pain and increased activity in dogs treated with CBD. Dog owners did not report any adverse side effects of CBD in their dogs.

Based on the dosing details of the study, the researchers concluded that 2 mg/kg of CBD taken twice each day can relieve pain and increase both comfort and activity in dogs that suffer from osteoarthritis.

CBD Dosage for Dogs: How Much CBD Should Your Dog Have?

Much like CBD for humans, specific dosing guidelines for CBD and dogs are not universally agreed upon. Based on the previously mentioned osteoarthritis study for CBD in dogs, 2 milligrams of CBD per kilogram of your dog’s weight can make a noticeable impact.

Below we’ve outlined our recommendations for our CBD dog treats (coming soon!).

CBD For Small Dog Breeds

We recommend small breeds up to 40 pounds receive treats with 5mg of CBD per treat. Review the table below to learn how much CBD is recommended for smaller dogs.

More Science About CBD for Dogs

Learn more about the science of CBD for dogs on our Science page.

The Future of CBD Use in Dogs

To date, much of the research looking at the effects of cannabis substances on animals has only been performed with explicit approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has limited the volume of literature on this topic.

However, anecdotal evidence of the benefits of CBD in dogs, such as its ability to provide pain relief, coupled with the increased access to CBD, makes a more systematic investigation into the influence of CBD on dogs more interesting than ever before.

Given the regulatory and scientific progress related to CBD and its use in animals, researchers are likely to continue investigations into how CBD may help pets. Over time, their research efforts are also likely to extend beyond dogs to other pets and will hopefully help to reveal the best ways to use CBD to improve your pets’ lives.

Try Laura’s Canine Alternatives CBD Dog Treats

Our CBD dog treats are available for both large breeds and small breeds. They’re made from USDA-certified organic hemp grown at Laura’s Mt. Folly Farm, and are perfect for promoting relaxation in stressful situations and mobility in dogs who need joint pain relief. Know that Laura is looking our for your pets!

Laura’s Canine Alternatives CBD Dog Treats (Large Breed)

Laura’s Canine Alternatives CBD Dog Treats (Small Breed)

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stone-man-warrior · 4 years

Text

January 7, 2021: 7:49 pm:

Cries for help remain unanswered.

Twenty-five years of trying to get help while in Oregon. and more time trying while in California more than 25 years ago, all unanswered.

There remains a vacuum of assistance.

The presence of lack of rescue remains persistent.

There are no helpful people anywhere around here.

Please send help.

Please send US Military to Oregon.

Please send medical services to Oregon.

Bring your own hospital, without your own, the terror army will kill you at the hospitals if you are injured while trying to help. There are no medical services for US Citizens in Oregon, only Canadian terror army is treated for health conditions, everyone else is killed at the medical facilities. Illusion of medical treatment facilities is present throughout the state.

======================

9:50 pm:

Donald Trump “Insult to Injury” terror:

The whole nation is in such financial distress that it was decided that every citizen should receive stimulus payments, twice.

That’s pretty bad financial conditions for that to have happened.

On the other hand, it appears that things are not so bad after all, in fact, it looks like everything is financially hunky dory, as the social security beneficiaries were only granted a 1.3% cost of living increase, it maxes out at 3% for a cost of living increase for elderly and disabled persons, and is calculated by some asshole this year, because clearly the cost of living has increased more than any other year of record, and that is well documented with the stimulus payments to tens of millions of citizens.

I am getting mixed messages from my government leaders here. One team says “Holy shit!, if we don’t hand out some coins, millions of people will starve because of Corona Virus.” while another team is saying: “Yeah, but we need to save some money somewhere, so, we’ll just fuck the old people and those gimpy fucks in the wheel chairs. canes, and crutches, they are all a bunch of leaches anyway, so, fuck ‘em... give ‘em a 13 just to let them know we mean business, and not to talk about the cut rate increase... they are all a bunch of Tiny Tim wanna bee’s... fuck Tiny Tim, and everyone who looks like him.”

Insult to injury, Christian style, from the top 1%.

It’s 1.7% light on the increase for cost of living.

Woodstock, 1998 Live Version of Edge of Seventeen by Fleetwood Mac.

youtube

The song is all fucked up in this version and the venue looks like three farmers took the barn apart to build the venue stage and fencing with a “Farm Pack” from the local lumber yard, for the “Jesus was a Carpenter” version of Edge of Seventeen in New York Catskill Mountains at Woodstock.

Google “Farm Pack” if you don’t understand what that is, or why the Farmer wants to be a Carpenter.

Mixed messages is a life-size thing, is giant blender where old and disabled people are tossed into along with some small children, for making a product that is sprayed onto the roadsides as a erosion abatement, keeps the mudslide from being noticed after the reigns come, for a prophet, and contracted by the state.

========

1-8-2021: 2:01 pm:

The Woodstock Version features Stevie wearing gold, she is famous for white and black, not gold.

It’s the “Sympathy for the Devil” version with a “Welcome to Jamaica, have a nice day” tattoo version, comes with a helicopter and alternate Harmonic Vocal Tuning, and, as noted, the screams of the crowd, were indeed heard.

=======

10:30 pm:

In the event that someone wants to do that math on “Jesus was a Carpenter” and why it’s associated to “Edge of Seventeen“ so heavily, need to have a look at 1985-ish United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Journeyman Wage Scale for Residential Carpenter Pay Rate.

There, you will find that the scale was about $17.50 per hour, while pay scale for Commercial Journeyman was about $22.10 per hour.

The $17.50 Residential Carpenters used to have a lot sayings, one is “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go” another was “Another day, another seventeen-fifty... and another oweee, damn, that hurt when I fell yesterday”

The Carpenters Union was hijacked back then, the story about is long and complex. It’s an important part of why the White House and Congress are all occupied by terrorists bent on ruling the world in league with Britain and the Vatican.

no one will speak to me to hear the story of Jesus worked as a Residential Union Carpenter who was making about $17.50 per hour when he was hit over he head and nailed to a cross on the jobsite.

Adam Schiff was there, part of the takeover of the carpenters union in the 1980′s. He worked for L & M Builders of Ventura County (Thousand Oaks and around there) and used the name “Cory” last name unknown, we used to have a Saturday night poker game together with some of the guys on the crew at the time.

I could be wrong... but I could be right... it was a long time ago, and “Cory” once told me he was an actor, just on the job to check things out, then one day, Cory said “I’m going to Montana”. He left, and that was the last I saw of him until I met him again here in Oregon at a dinner party at a friends house, Kurt Hill, the fork lift driver of Longboard Lumber in Merlin. There he was, “Carpenter Cory of Montana”, at the dinner party, some 25 years later on Jumpoff Joe Creek Road in Josephine county, where I was shot at by someone who ran into the forest after shooting, when Cory said “Can you go over there, and hand me that thing there...?” kind of way to put me in range. Paul Birch was owner of Longboard Lumber, turned out to be a hardcore Christian terror operative here in Merlin, and built hundreds of “Bomb Carts”... I never was able to learn more about the “Bombs” though, only that there was talk of tunnels, and a cabinet shop at Union Ave and Ringuette near the hospital. The carts were made of dimensional lumber and plywood, about four feet square, with a vertical back on one side, heavy duty castors, could haul about 1,000 lbs each, and there were hundreds made at Longboard Lumber by “Will”, an employee there at the Lumber yard, who also turned out to be a terror soldier who kept trying to kill me, for about 16 years so far, he used to stalk me to the Walgreen’s last year, often had a small boy with him. I think I killed Will at the Walgreen‘s in defense about one year ago. Paul Birch took his business dealings to Newport Oregon, to start a terror cell there when Longboard Lumber closed down about 10 years ago-ish.

Like I said, it’s a long story. is important, includes Fleetwood Mac, and Buckingham Palace.

============

1-8-2021: 3:17 pm: additional:

“Carpenter Cory Montana”: My memory is that his last name started with the letter n: neuman; newsome: neuter... something like that. “Cory Newsome” sounds hauntingly familiar.

There may be a connection to a US Postal Mail Carrier by the name of “Mo” who was the carrier for this route for many years when I first moved here to Oregon in 1996. Mo, used to always wear a beany, I have “Mo’s Beany”, but I do not know why, or how I obtained “Mo’s Beany”. The words “That’s Mo’s Beany” have been said my many a terror intruder into my home over a long period of time, as I keep “Mo’s Beany” clearly on display at a place in my home where terror intruders tend to hide when they enter. There are only very few places to hide inside my house these days, I have all of the rooms nailed shut to keep intruders from hiding in them. Had I not closed off all of the rooms in my house, I would have been killed a long time ago.

I advise US Citizens to reduce their living spaces to a bare minimum, as the intruders tend to hide, and wait quietly until the intended victims are asleep in their beds. That is the reason I have not slept in a bed in more than ten years... it’s far too dangerous to use a conventional bed. Sleep is a luxury I cannot afford, neither can you.

============

I think “Adam Cory Schiff” was stalking the L & M Builder’s owner’s son, Cory Reese, who was also part of the Saturday night poker game crew, back in the day when a card game was just a game of Dealers Choice, not global annihilation done by SAG Actors.

I considered Kurt Hill to be a friend until one day I saw him wrap a Pharmacist with cellophane shipping warehouse style plastic wrap, and drag the pharmacist out of the Service Drugs that used to be on 6th St. and toss him into a truck, and drive away from there. It was dusk, at the time. Kurt was a big giant of a man, very strong. I think I killed him in defense out by the mailboxes about ... a long time ago, in defense after some geese were seen running around with no heads on them, making horrible sounds out front on the road.

Seventeen-Fifty is the connection to “Edge of Seventeen“, Union Journeyman scale wages.

=================

11:28 pm:

Other Carpenter Union take over details:

There was a local union hall either on Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hills Ca, or near there, I belonged to that one for awhile, then moved my card to District Counsel 844. I learned that carpenters were being hired by the framing contractors, and they were being signed up as Journeyman, even when they had few skills, but I was not one of those, I did, however, join as a Journeyman having worked non-union for my whole life by the time I joined the union. There was a housing boom, carpenters were on short supply. (it turns out that the housing boom was a “manufactured housing arrangement”, so to speak, to create housing for the upcoming influx of Canadian terror soldiers. Tracts of houses, many thousands each tract, all in phased of one-hundred to four-hundred homes each phase, all around Southern California) Those Journeyman newcomers were paid union wage scale, worked forty hours per week, but were only actually paid for some other amount of hours, typically, about 20 hours were paid out at scale wage for a 40 hour week worked on the job. A carpenter and an employer came to agreement on the side, about hourly rate, about $10 was norm, so, the math was worked to pay $10 per hour, while reflecting full scale on the pay check, with reduced hours showing for the full week of work, making illusion that they only worked part time, about 20 hours or so.

Those carpenters were robbed of the necessary accumulation of hours to become vested for pension.

I demanded one dollar over scale, I was paid one dollar over scale, always, after I learned of that weird arrangement of hours. I was hurt before I became vested.

L & M Builders had a jobsite I worked on where a police officer was shot, and hand cuffed to his steering wheel, I heard him, used his radio to call for help, he died though right there in the car after I got his cuffs unlocked. That jobsite in Thousand Oaks, north side somewhere, at the edge of the city limits, was the weirdest place ever... they built the model homes, five or six different layouts, in a culdesac, to demonstrate what would be for sale later. We built those, then, some other crew of special people came and took the model houses apart piece by piece, then, we built the same floor plans again, on the same slabs. The houses were about 4,000 sq. ft. two story homes, all taken apart after completion of all trades... roofs were on, drywall was all done, plumbers had finished, electrician ran the wire, the HVAC was done... all done. Then, they took them apart, so we could build them again.

Same thing happened here in Grants Pass. The place that just is being completed now called Cascade Public Storage, was all built, completed, done... about ten of maybe twenty years ago... they took the whole thing apart, made it look as if the place was never there, and now, decades later, the exact same structures are there again. The place is weird. The construction techniques include every kind of method there is, block, iron, wood frame, metal frame, concrete... every kind of tradesman on earth was needed to build that thing, twice.

My guess is that the terror army is advertising for help wanted at that site in far away places to draw craftsmen to come to Oregon where they are captured and used as slaves, or are killed and replaced. It’s visible from I-5 at the exit 58 near Club Northwest, where the terror leadership is at, and CNW is the same as Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce as far as membership goes at the Club Northwest terror HQ. There used to be a National Security Administration Field Office next door to Club Northwest, but that seems to have been taken apart a different way, one NSA officer at a time, and was put back somewhere else as Department of Homeland Security, while they put a Department of Health Services where the NSA used to be, for confusion service. and to fulfill “insult to injury” terror protocols required by the Christian Church.

I am pretty sure that the leading Church components to the terror army are at the 9th St. Seventh Day Adventist Church, it’s next door to the Oregon State Police Field Office that’s on 7th St., but you have to hop over a block wall to get from one place to the other, last time I looked over there.

There is a fire station on Park St at the Grants Pass Pkwy intersection that is remarkable for having been built with that multi-faceted construction techniques that Cascade Storage is built with. The place is stunning to look at, is awesome building, is extreme expense for a fire station, way over the top, in my opinion.

These subjects of buildings are in the realm of a place called “Options of Southern Oregon” across from the Walgreen‘s, and another place called “Crisis Resolution Center” between where Walgreen’s and the Hospital are at, which might be the source of some of the most wicked of all of the killing contraptions used around here in Josephine County... very scary places are CRC and Options.

There are no shortages of impostors around here, so, in the event that someone who claiams to be the author of this account has found some helpful people to talk to, that’s not the author of this account. Be advised that I think it was the Sparacino terror cell that stole all of my old pay stubs from back in the day, and has stolen much personal items, to use to impersonate the author of this information. Clyde Baum at 333 Jackpine is famous for the lengths he has gone to impersonate the author of this information also. Both Sparacino of 545 and Baum of 333 are supported in their efforts to impersonate by the local Oregon authorities.

(account is hijacked again)

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