#he has to be doing it to infiltrate the government and expose something or other yeah?

[staying-elive]

I'm non American, so can someone confirm whether the building in the background of the SamBucky picture is supposed to be the US Capitol building?

Was just a regular date night out in DC? Or was this the night Sam and Bucky had a few too many drinks and Bucky thought... 'Hey Sam, do you know what'd be really funny?'

And that's how Bucky started running for congress.

[gamesception]

Sception Reads Cass Cain #37

Batgirl (2000) #17 - August 2001 Writer: Kelley Puckett Pencils: Damion Scott inks: Robert Campanella Colors: Jason Wright

Cass's book as been pretty downbeat for the last few issues. The tone of Cass's book overall is pretty sad and heavy, and normally I'm all about that angst, but the book can't live on angst alone, so have to have some brighter moments for contrast, you've gotta take the pressure off every once in a while if you want to keep building it or you just burn out the scale. So this issue brings us a refreshing change of pace, if only to give Cass and the reader a bit of a breather.

Sorry if this one goes up late. I'm running behind time wise, but I don't want to take a minimal approach to this issue, it's pretty important and has a lot of great moments. Do pease read it for yourself first, though.

The issue starts with this pretty cool sequence showing Cass's perspective as she gets distracted by the woman running away and lets this random goon land a punch on her. I like how the slideshow effect of the three repeated panels really emphasizes how much time Cass had to dodge this punch.

Followed by this great 'like father like daughter moment after she knocks the guy out where Cass and Bruce both have the same surprised and befuddled "Hmm" reaction to what just happened, with the same expression on their face and everything.

The perfectly synchronized training afterwords is also great, as is Bruce's worried expression. I can't keep copying every page over, we'll be here all day, but this issue really is great. One of my favorites. Again, go read it for yourself if you haven't.

Anyway, on the one hand this is such an indictment of Bruce. We the audience know that 'somethings been wrong' with Cass for a while, basically the entire time. She's consumed by guilt to a near suicidal degree and the loneliness and isolation of her lifestyle - even before she was forced out of Bab's clock tower but especially since - has left her without any companionship beyond her own self destructive thoughts, and the mission she's so dedicated to as her only hope of redemption continuously exposes her to the worst of humanity. So yeah, that Bruce didn't already know something was wrong, that he didn't anticipate how his decisions were making things worse, that he only notices that anything's off at all once Cass's mental state is bad enough that it's affecting her performance on the job? Yeah, that's pretty bad, if also so completely him.

On the other hand, you can see the concern all over his face. He should have seen this coming, he should have noticed it sooner, but now that he has he is very genuinely worried on her behalf, and that does count for something, even if he'll need help figuring out what's wrong or what to do about it.

And that help just so happens to call in the form of Barbara Gordon, who can hack in to delete the government's digital records on Cass's face, but needs her to sneak in and destroy the physical records.

At first Cass and Bruce don't feel like this is worth bothering with, as neither sees any value in her potential future civilian persona worth taking this risk to get it back, but Babs points out how they might yet connect the data they have to Batgirl and that convinces Bruce, which in turn convinces Cassandra because she absolutely does not think for herself these days.

I love this Jab Babs gets in at Bruce as Cass leaves, though I do wish it was made a bit more explicit that the *reason* Bruce has been keeping Cass on such a 'short leash' is that he doesn't fully trust her ever since David sent the video of her killing that man way back in issue number 4. On the surface Bruce is still deep in denial over it, but some part of it has to know, has to doubt at least. As is I'm pretty sure that's intentional subtext but because it's not explicit in the text I could just be reading in something that isn't really there.

In infiltration mission is pretty cool, starting with this sequence where Cass steals a key card off of a guard's bead chain, copies it, and puts it back without him noticing, which has Barbara admitting that the 'short leash' is starting to make sense. Just what exactly would Cass be capable of if she were allowed to run free?

....

The mission is successful, the files and physical evidence destroyed, and Cass's out-of-costume persona is free and clear. She can visit Barbara again, can see the sun again. Can. But will she?

Babs clearly doesn't think she will, at least not on her own, and so she goes to Bruce about it

It's a nice scene. I've missed Bab's presence in Cass's book the last few issues. This 'arguing over what's best for Cass' bit is fun, and also important characterization. I love how Bruce's expression as he says "Mole creature?" makes clear that he recognizes Bab's comment as a criticism of him and his lifestyle.

Of course, Bruce has a different idea of what's been bothering Cass. Not the isolation, not how /he's/ been treating her, but the mission. Everything's the mission for Bruce, and Cass is just like Bruce after all. The thing is, as right as Barbara clearly is here, Bruce probably isn't wrong either. Cass, like Bruce, dwells on her 'failures'. But taking down the villain responsible never actually makes Bruce feel any better.

Barbara still presses him to just order Cass to get some sun. The fact that she shouldn't need Bruce to tell her to do that, that this level of devotion and lack of independent motivation is a bad thing in and of it self, is too big of a problem to tackle today.

And to his credit Bruce relents!

I love these panels. You can feel how overwhelming the light is after so long in the darkness. Also good work from the colorist, showing this transition by going from all dark and cool colors that dominate her book to these warm (but washed out and too bright as her eyes struggle to adjust) colors. I mean, it's a fairly obvious trick, like being wowed when a musician changes chords, but it just works so well here.

And it's not just the sun, it's the people. Not just cass literally going from darkness to light but also going from being surrounded by victims and criminals, by the suffering and the cruel, and emerging into a wider world full of all the breadth and diversity of the human experience, loud happy annoyed worried people walking and running and shouting and living their lives that Scott does such a great job conveying with just a single page full of different and interesting faces.

And afterwards she's so happy, having picked up a rose from, somewhere, we don't see that bit. But of course Bruce needs to interrupt this moment of happiness.

So Cass does go to confront gov't man.

but clearly she doesn't actually feel better about what happened afterwords.

Her symbolism happiness rose, only so recently acquired, is already wilting. It's clearly not the sort of thing she can go to Bruce about. So, for once, now that she can, Cass actually reaches out to Barbara for help. About the rose. About what it means that getting justice for repentant sniper man's death didn't make her feel any better about it.

It's a great little scene to end out the comic. Symbolism's a bit on the nose, but it works. it's sincere.

The angst and darkness of the last few issues has been a lot, but it makes this bit of brightness feel all the more impactful. The underlying issues aren't resolved, it's still a problem that Cass has basically slotted Bruce into exactly the same unhealthy role that David used to occupy in her life. It's still a problem that Bruce let her do that. A real confrontation when Bruce can no longer deny the fact that she killed someone is still looming, as is her death match with Lady Shiva. But she's not quite so isolated now, and she's re-established a connection with someone who might actually be able to help her work through some of this stuff.

This might be the issue that best demonstrates the importance of Barbara Gordon in Cass's story, the key role she plays balancing out Bruce's influence. these interpersonal relationships and how they feed off each other - Cass/Bruce/David, Cass/Bruce/Barbara, they're the core of what makes Cass's book and Cass as a character so compelling.

......

Side note: I've waffled in the past over how much crediting to put at the start of each of these posts in terms whether to include inker and/or colorist even though I rarely comment on those issues. I'm wondering if I should also list the editor each time, as they also potentially have a pretty big say over what does or doesn't end up in the books, and keeping track of changing editors might be informative as to other changes in direction, or might show why some of Cass's side appearances work better than others?

For the Record, at least as far as her solo book goes, the editor as of issue 17 is Michael Wright, who took over from Dennis O'Neil starting in issue 14, the one where Bruce moved Cass out of Barbara's clock tower and into her own cave. Dennis O'Neil had been the editor of the book since issue 3 and co-edited issue 2 with Darren Vincenzo, who was the editor for issue 1. I think Michael Wright stays as editor for the rest of Cass's Batgirl run, save maybe for some one off exceptions here or there? So noting editors would be more for the sake of guest appearances.

There's also the issue of who's in charge at DC. As of issue 17 that's still Jenette Khan as President and Editor in Chief, but eventually Dan DiDio takes over, and it'll be worth noting when that happens. The fandom tends to assign him a lot of the blame for 'ruining' Cass's character, but as mentioned a few times already they also tend to date that downturn purely to the end of her ongoing title and heel turn in 'One Year Later.' I claim the decline started setting in much sooner then that, but I don't remember whether it started before or after DiDio's tenure as EIC began.

That's still a long way off from where this blog currently is, though.

Thankfully.

[ayphyx]

tell me ab ur ocs.

YIPPEE

Ok so i actually have a shit ton of oc but the main ones are Maria and Aelius as they are the main characters of a story I’m making. My friend’s oc Romeo is also important to the story

I have two oc stories, one doesn’t really have a name but basically takes place over tens of years in medieval Europe (basic i know) but it follows the rivalry between a knight named Courage and an “oracle” named Destiny. They’re both immortal btw and they’re basically humanized concepts of courage and destiny. I do have a drawing of Destiny posted. It should be in my “oc: destiny” tag.

The other story is actually a collection of stories. The series is called god & goddesses bc i don’t have a permanent name for it.

So far there’s 4 stories which are all interconnected and two are sorta interconnected but the most developed, important, and oldest one (4 years old!!) is the last story.

I’ll try to summarize it in a way that is still understandable but it’s basically colonization and genocide through the eyes of a god.

Ok some background information bc you’re gonna need it:

There are several religions existing in the world. These religions are divided into major (large) religions and minor (small, folk) religions. Every god from every religion (granted that they have enough believers) exist

Gods from the major religions (major gods) created something called the Major Pantheon which is consisted of every major god

The major gods created a sort of government to basically make sure major conflicts between religions don’t break out

The people in the government are called Higher Gods

There are laws in the major pantheon that apply to all gods

There is a social hierarchy but its not as important to this story

I’m not gonna list all the laws out but the important ones are (the bully points after this isn’t indented bc idk how to indent on mobile):

Gods are not allowed to create cults, encourage the creation of cults, or engage with cult members

Gods are only allowed minor interactions with humans (there’s more to this law but the rest isn’t that important to the story)

Maria is a major goddess of spring, she has a younger sister, Anastasia, and two older sisters, Tatiana and Olya (if you recognize these names from somewhere, no you don’t). Theta recall based off of seasons, Tatiana is especially important because she is also a higher god. She is also mixed white and indigenous (located around Eastern Europe and north Asia)

Aelius is a sun god from another religion (which i will call the Old Religion). While he is powerful and trusted, he is not a higher god. He is white (would be Mediterranean irl)

Romeo is in love with Aelius and a human, he is a poc

It’s told as a myth from a young woman, a foreigner, to a boy who’s native to the village the woman has immigrated to.

The myth tells the tale of Maria who is forced to leave her home and disguise herself as a human after Aelius destabilizes the major pantheon, murders and influences gods to murder each other, including Maria’s family. After the village she was hiding in is taken over by Aelius’s soldiers, Maria is forced to relocate to the Empire which is under Aelius’s control. There she finds an underground revolution and joins in. When the Revolution breaks out, it seems to have a chance of actually succeeding until the military is called in and crushes the Revolution in a massacre. Maria is distraught but then creates a plan to infiltrate the religious system and get close enough to kill Aelius. She is taken in as a seamstress’s apprentice. She eventually meets a man named Romeo who wanders in, wanting to be taught how to sew. They end up striking a friendship and Maria becomes comfortable enough to talk about her ideals and goals of revolution. Turns out, Romeo is actually the leader of Aelius’s religion, and disguised himself as a commoner to escape his role that he feels uncomfortable and unfit for. Romeo doesn’t dare to expose his identity but he does end up internalizing some of Maria’s beliefs and working to subtly implement them. Maria does eventually find Romeo’s true identity and feel betrayed but decides to use her friendship with Romeo to her advantage. Before maria kickstarts the revolution, she does confront Romeo about being in universe pope, they basically talk it out and shit. Maria begins the revolution by fighting and murdering Aelius and then sets fire to the capital of the empire.

There’s more to this and i can explain it to you in detail if you want but yeah that’s basically the summary of story 4 of g&g. I also would love to talk about certain themes of story 4 like divinity as dehumanization if you want me to. I also have several Pinterest boards of Maria, Aelius, Destiny, courage, and more if you want me to share them to you. 👍👍👍

My oc tags start with “oc:” if you want to know a little bit more about their personality through tumblr text posts. Aelius also used to be called sunny so when you see “oc: sunny” that means Aelius

Have a wip of Maria burning down the capital as an extra for reading literally all of this

[luchicm04]

Everything wrong with S.T. 03x01

Masterlist

Summary: this is just a list of my complaints about stranger things season 3 episode 1. Just some things that didn’t made sense to me when I rewatched it and wanted to expose them to see if I was the only one who thought the same. Many may sound silly, but kept me awake at night for a few days.

Word count: 1.1k

A/N: I think I wrote this when the season came up, so I still had no idea of what came next. Try to place yourselves in the body of a teenage girl back in 2019. BTW, this was my fav season💖

This was made from a sarcastic pov, mostly centered on the first episode but with a few elements of all the season. I tried to analyze everything from a realistic way, just to have fun, so if you don’t agree with something that is writen here, you can argue that in the comments.

posted on ao3

1) Up with the communism

The first scene of the episode shows how the soviets are trying to open a portal which is appearently the same that communicates the upside down world with ours. It isn’t explained how they built it, but in the previous season it was suggested that a scientist in the Hawkins lab could have copied the blueprints. Here are two things that I can’t understand. The first: Why did the soviets copy the machine? Did they know what it did? Why did they want to open that portal if supposedly they already know that it leads to a dangerous world filled with monsters? The demogorgons didn’t appear in the news, and the demodogs take place months later. Were there soviet spies in the lab? 

Second: How did they copy the machine? It is assumed that the Hawkins lab is a maximun security building where secret experiments are carried out that not even the government knows about. They used humans with powers as weapons, they opened a portal to other dimension, they masked several assassinations... How is it possible that not only the communists could infiltrate them, living more than 8000 miles away and with little to no idea of the building’s structure, but also steal the blueprints with not a soul knowing about it? 

Maybe they built it themselves, which could make sense because we could see that it fails and explodes releasing a huge amount of electricity that kills anything nearby. But how could did they build it themselves if the scientists aren’t even wearing electricity proof suits? And not only that, we can also see how a 14 year old kid is able to intercept their ultra-secret messages with a homemade tin antenna. If they are a prepared and advanced organization, they sure leave too much to be desired.  

2) Jim Hopper, the ‘love’ expert

After that scene we skip to Jim Hopper’s house, who is watching the tv. We see how he leans back on his seat to check on Eleven and Mike. It turns out they are kissing, and Jim gets angry and enters Eleven’s room. Ok ok, let’s see here... You’re aware that your adoptive daughter stays in her room from dawn everyday with her boyfriend, and it surprises you seeing them kiss each other? What did you expect them to be doing? Sudokus?! 

What’s more, we can see that in the following episodes he tries to make them break up by blackmailing Mike and lying to Eleven. And he is happy about it! I mean, if it was clear that sooner or later that was going to happen, what does it matter? You who are reading this pay attention to Jim Hopper, he is an expert. He hasn’t dealt with a teenager in his life, but that doesn’t mean he can’t tell her daughter’s boyfriend to go f*ck himself. 

And even more, what kind of shitty excuse is that ‘nana is sick’? The fact that Eleven has spent twelve years trapped and locked away from the rest of the world doesn’t mean she’s retarded. I woundn’t tell my daughter such an obvious and stupid lie knowing that she can break my neck with just a glance. 

3) The shi- shopping centre

When Mike and his friends arrive to the movies, the lights and electric devices turn off and everybody starts to complain. But doesn’t that mall have a back-up system? Didn’t they predict that with so many people using their facilities a few days after its opening there were big chances of a short-circuit. Specially considering the new crazy employee of the ice cream shop whose emergency procedure is flipping the switch up and down until the lights turn on again. How could they not foresee that before? 

4) Will, you are retarded

During this season we will see how each time the Mind Flayer is planning something, Will notices the danger because appearently he can sense it by touching his neck. It isn’t really explained how or why. It seems they use as an excuse the fact that he was a host in the previous season, and so they have some sort of link, but I thought they had already threw him out of his body using heat. Anyway, Will senses him more frequently each time, but the motherf*cker doesn’t say anything to his friends who helped saving him, nor to his mother who was the first who tried to save him, nor to the police man who discovered that he was still conscious while being a spy. 

Is this kid f*cking crazy or what?! In season 2 he could sense how the Mind Flayer had possessed him and kept quiet too. And what happened next? If not for Eleven, the demodogs would have devoured his friends, his mom, Jim and every citizen in Hawkins and possibly in all America, that’s what. And in this season he doesn’t say anything to anyone until he’s a 100% sure that the Mind Flayer is back. Guys, I present to you all, Will the Wise, or should I say Will the Wh*rebag. 

5) The mind flayer's mindless plan

At the end of the episode, we see that Billy crashes with a bush when some gooey stuff gets stuck in the windshield. We don’t know what it is not how it got there, and we won’t get an explanation later. They just forget about that detail. Anyhow, the Mind Flayer traps Billy and in the following episodes we see that he becomes a host like Will, but this time instead of spying, he is used for fighting. Everything is ok, except for the fact that Billy is one of the worst possibilities for a host in the whole series. 

To begin with, why is the Mind Flayer still in Hawkins? What is stopping him from emigrating to other further countries, or continents, or even another State? Why doens’t he just flies to Russia, where there already was the necessary technology to open a portal and invade Asia and Europe, without a bunch of teenagers who could stop him? He could’ve also taken possession of soviet soldiers and scientists that worked there, who were thousands, in case they travelled there to stop him. Eleven might have powers but she can’t be using them constantly against hundreds of people at the same time. It’s just that instead of going anywhere else it just stays in Hawkins, where he already lost twice. 

Billy works in the public pool during midsummer. If the Mind Flayer’s plan was to invade our world, we sure wasn’t going to win that way, but hey, at least it will get to go home with a good suntan. Listen to this advice guys. If you don’t know where to go on Summer, travel to Hawkins to get a nice tan alongside the Mind Flayer, a monstrous and evil creature who will try to conquer the town, but will humbly take his time to enjoy the Sun from the shadows of the local pool. 

[the-firebird69]

And it says 22 but they're really 27 States now and rising soon people see that no he did not really win the election and he's constantly trying to put people in prison and BG is in trouble and he's like going through the team he says and really Trump is a nobody and he has nothing it's like he got shot it doesn't remember what he had so that's going on right now that he is going to be sued now the process is that people who were giving citizenship are supposedly getting it taken away because the parents were not born in the USA and there's a certain number of years it goes back but it's pretty far like 25 years or something 30 years and he's sending out notices and they went out a day ago and some people have them and they're telling people and they give you some weird number 10 or 12 days and to leave the country so Trump is trying to say that our son's parents were in Canada is there a found out and stuff but they've been here for a long time in westborough so he's going out there and he's trying to erase the records which are all over the place but then he says they were Indian and it's real lame but he's intending on trying it so we're going into the full bore action and part of the reason why he wants to bring him up for the will reading is to say he's Canadian and he's an a****** but really it's kind of went to poor people are like and he's a poor guy. There's other people too that he's going to try and harass and expel and all that stuff and you'll be surprised what happens some people leave and go after his people and come back as them and infiltrate and take them down he's intending on doing it. This will have far reaching implications in that since he's trying to go after so many people and his voice is not that big firstly he's going to get his head beat in secondly he tries for our son and people hate him for it but it exposes his plan in operation to do it to people today is kind of mumbling then it said I'm not he knows just realizing tell me if it's right there when they're going after each other inside their own brains. This has far reaching effects. There's a huge deal going on with Trump he says the guy is so evil I can't help myself this kid is innocent and I look like a screaming Maniac working for Dave his people won't stop and he says you have to stop you're wrong and he can't hold himself and it looks evil this is going to be hell but the guy is critically injured and none of his people are doing the right thing so he's also doing this saying it's just a threat but everyone's obliged to take it he knows reality and if he does it to our son he'll be forced to Canada or something and he thinks that he'd have to live with Ronald beirutti and he would abduct Sherry and threatened for their stuff out west. And people don't want that. There's a couple other things going on the guy is accused of sacrilege because he has us fighting the Mac proper and they're going after him for it it's very big

It's like 400 beds at faucet right now only about 30 have pull out but about 50 will be out by tomorrow morning 50 more

--everyone was wondering where is this guy's character in Star wars.. well he was McCabe and there was a Mac there too so he is also Darth maul. People don't like him already and bja is also Darth maul there's a bunch of them

We think the hospital be half full by Thursday this people leave other people leave but not in that order.

And by the end of the week it'll be about 49 states suing him.

They're about 10 items that are now taking off. And they are going fast.. coming up their lawsuits about transsexuals. You have equal rights they're going to use the Constitution and federal and state laws and codes rules and ordinances and they said also use in civil rights rules and laws of the federal government and equal opportunity laws for housing and for jobs and every single paper that you can find you know sun will support you and what he says saying that they cannot do that and is evil also there should be a lawsuit about collecting information about them it should be protected and they're trying to fight it but people who with a birth defect need money lots of them do and he wants to knock them off and take the money and threaten social security there should be a lawsuit there over the handling of the information and there will be.. would rather it sooner than later

Other lawsuits out of those 10 now until it's 20 and yeah they're not complying with any of the executive orders and it's a fight and trumpsters are losing soon will not have enough power to do anything and they don't have very many spaceships have all the spaceships for their group.

But yeah there's another lawsuit and it has to do with green energy and it is about finding sources of energy other than fossil fuels something she can use it up and there won't be anything to drive and we have the technology and the Mac proper have the technology and there's a whole bunch of other tech for local power supply they think it would start a war between us and we tell them it's already happening and that they would be concentrated on because of their bad attitude and the max of explained to you what they're going to do and you never listen we listened to us and we know what to do and our son and daughter know and there's plenty of batteries around tons of them and we're not sure what the hell you talking about they say and he says we'll use up that stuff and we don't think so and so what if I warn you die and this war would be humongous and it's getting there too and that's what we're talking about the war over this particular item is tremendous you have a war that is going to be so big that you won't be able to do a damn thing and you and your feet will be sealed we enjoy your tirades but really it's not fitting right now and you've been threatening the power supply here and you've been going to jail three times you've gone to jail about 20 times since our son moved here it's only been I think a couple months and you accelerate your cancer from a stage 3 point five to five while he was here and you're still doing it a lot of people despise you for that

THIS GREEN ENERGY LAWSUIT THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON HAS ABOUT 5 MILLION FAMOUS SUPPORTERS ALREADY AND THEY ARE ALL TOP DOGS AND THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT HE'S GOING TO DO WHEN THE EMPIRE AND OTHERS HAVE POWER AND YOU DON'T ANDY CRINGES BUT REALLY THE REAL STUFF IS A LOT MORE HARSH 5 MILLION BIG WINGS BIG WINGS INCLUDING MAC PROPER ARE RIGHT UP IN HIS FACE ABOUT IT AND HE'S TRYING TO RAM HIS EXECUTIVE ORDER THROUGH IT'S NOT WORKING IN OTHER COUNTRIES THEY OPPOSED HIM TOO WE EXPECT THREE OR 400 LAWSUITS FROM THIS FROM TOP LEADERS

400 LAWSUITS ok each one of them is hefty and because he's violating law and he's being investigated for treason

Thor Freya

Olympus

Each one of these lawsuits has a criminal aspect because of that they will rush it into civil court

Because of his technique the civil courts will accept it quickly to hold their positions and they see them swarming around they have to stop them and the criminal element pushes them to the front

A few more things he's timing businesses in the way of progress harming VIP inventors and stealing money and assets people need to have businesses work stealing machines and wrecking them and they're drawing up charges for treason and it's connected with this bill that he's trying to get rid of with an executive order which is unconstitutional and they're going to get an earful from this a****** Trump and they'll see him he's well past it

Another topic is the election and how he rigged it and people going after him for it and they're saying it too you stole the election illegally we need it back if you don't give it back you're going to prison and you can see him in prison in around 40 had profile movies and 50 low profile movies and he stays around a little after he is expelled and you see him die in each one and about 10 TV series he's in prison off and on and total it's about 1,000 imprisonments and sometimes he's in two different prisons a day that he's alive no it's like a year and a half and he's not allowed here after a Time and he figures out that his all just die and it's a trick and they're using it now but it's not as big so he can't see it

There's a couple other lawsuits that are being prepared and people are going to do it a lot of it is about the election there's a lot of wrongful wrongful death lawsuits against him he's going to hell but there's a lot of them for crimes he committed in the last presidency because he is demanded his way back in and the powers to be including Mac proper want him sued for doing it and they are also suing him for crimes he's committing now and for crimes he has promised to commit and set out loud to rude way and it does in no way cover up what he's going to try and do and they said it because you're saying it in a rude way doesn't mean you're not admitting that you are intending on committing a crime it means that you're stupid and they're going after him for it with gusto at this very moment he is going to be brought in on charges for all sorts of crimes from Grand theft to attempt at homicide homicide pandering trees and more and he'll be taught a lesson that words matter and you can't have people write stuff about what you're doing and he's going to hell and yeah they keep driving in and out of here thinking that it's going to help them and boy these stupid these are little kids okay they do this all the time they're trying to intimidate our son and he says you're an underneath meter yeah get a life at least get hit by the damn thing. What he means is they're driving around all the time thinking they're free and Tommy f is telling them don't do this don't do that and a few minutes later the car is on fire and they're stranded 50% of the people that are stranded die because they have to walk and he's in no shape to walk far and he really should be made to cuz he had our son walking all over the place and the Sun is a lunatic. But really it's Tommy f saying to make them walk and it's good and the guy wasted his army and his chips are here and those ships will help stop anything Trump gets that's what's been promised by Tommy f and people hate Trump there's more in a moment

Thor Freya

Olympus

We here are just going to take a moment and beat them up. What I know is there's a few waves of radiation that went through and my husband's windows are opened and the air is coming in so I pretty much gets 95% of it and they say it's a little less like 90% but it's up to about 21 today five times and they say he's down to about 3.1% Prilosec.

He was so mean to David audette that he's losing his life to him over and over and David keeps killing him and killing him and Mary is killing her it's just as mean over and over and these guys say you're taking on the biggest we have you guys need him very badly bja saw the thing with me and it's real and I heard Grandpa put it down there in Antarctica and that's where the idiot was sending

Thor Freya and Zeus and Hera newada Ariana Olympus

[ladyloveandjustice]

I just watched Pop Culture Detectives critique as superheroes as reactionary and defending the status quo and villains as disruptors (even when their goals are wrong and authoritarian), and I think it did a fine job summing up the MCU, but I think it would lose something when if you’re doing a conversation outside that specific focus if you don’t acknowledge that there’s very significant times that WASN’T the case in early superhero comics.

For example, several early Superman comics have him actively disrupting society. He wasn’t a friend of the law early on. He destroys an entire “slum” and forces the government to rebuild better housing, and the police come after him for this.

He infiltrates a prison to expose its systemic abuse of prisoners.

He forces war profiteers to experience the terror of war firsthand until they stop.

But as the tweet thread I linked notes, this stops. Modern Superman often states he can’t interfere in wars because humanity has to sort out their own conflicts, that he can’t use his power against systemic issues because what if he becomes the power hungry god imposing his will on humanity? It’s interesting some comics posit that if Superman was more active about social change, he’s become the ‘invader’ Lex Luthor says he is. Especially if you consider Superman’s roots as an immigrant allegory, which makes it come off like he has to avoid being too disruptive or he’ll be labeled a ‘bad immigrant’.

There’s sometimes callbacks to the roots of Superman still, like the issue where he fights that cop probably (I was out of comics by the time that happened) but of course it’s pretty absent from the movies.

It’s also worth noting that Clark Kent is an investigative reporter (often exposing the crimes of billionaire CEO) which is an inherently disruptive job. PCD mentions that heroes do tend to be creative in their civilian identities but says it doesn’t seem to connect much to their superhero selves, but  I don’t think you can separate Clark Kent the reporter from his superhero activity, because they’re often closely tied together, I mean he literally took the job so he could get leads as Superman.

Then there’s Wonder Woman, who was definitely a disruptor in her early incarnation. She was absolute here to spread Marston’s idea of feminism and have others follow her. She wanted to make more Amazons. She wanted a society where women had power. She would literally take her female villains and introduce them to the pleasures of femdom and BDSM  reform them, convert them to her ideology, get them to join her ranks. The comic was CERTAINLY reactionary in other ways, and Marston’s feminism was flawed, but he wrote the comic explicitly because he was hoping for social disruption, that Wonder Woman would be the building block in the utopia he envisioned.

And there was some of that in SOME modern WW comics when I was into them- I was drawn to Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman because there was a huge emphasis on the fact she’s an ambassador for her culture, and diplomat actively working to change the world, someone who’s seeking social reform and has an ideology. However, it is true that even those comics were mostly about her reacting to threats in her superhero life. (And then in the movie’s that’s entirely absent- feminism isn’t bought up, she goes into hiding rather than mounting a social justice campaign.)

And then on the Marvel side of things. Cap fighting Hitler actually didn’t reflect the status quo of America when it came out. In-universe it did to a degree, because America had entered the war in the universe of the comic, therefore Cap was doing patriotism, but out of universe America HADN’T entered the war yet and it was controversial to take the stance we were definitely going to and sauy Hitler was bad. We all know the story of nazi-sympathizers coming to harass the creators and Jack Kirby declaring he would fight them. So there’s a very interesting dichotomy there!

Anyway, it’s interesting to see this discussion because it’s definitely a very minor theme in my own book about a girl who becomes a supervillain. Look forward to that, I guess!

[jeromesxreader16]

Such a Joker (53)

Part 52 Here!

~o0o~

I pack two sandwiches in my purse and proceed to cover my hair with the large silk scarf. "Where are you sneaking off to?" Babs asks walking past me and downing a drink. "Secret date? I figured you would get sick of the pale faced clown." I smile at my hands. I could never tire of my boy. I'm as crazy as him, maybe more, but he would never turn me away, and I could never leave him.

"I'm married." "Even better." I narrow my eyes at her. "Babs, I'm going to see my dad." She widens her eyes. "Now you're asking for a death wish." I walk out the door, my heels clicking every step. "If you say so."

I walk into the GCPD and can sense the chaos and tension thickly canned in the air. Not seconds later two individuals start brawling over bread. "Hey! Break it up!" My father pushes them back. "For all the new people here... everyone is welcome in Haven, but there are rules. And one of them is we leave the fighting outside. Government already thinks we don't deserve help. We have to show otherwise. Gangs want to tear themselves apart outside, that's their business. In here, in Haven... we help each other survive."  I hum with a slick smile as the two dispute the issue and the tension falls. Saved for another day.

I walk up to him nudging his arm. "Nice speech. I think it worked." He turns to me and gasps, but recovers quickly. "(Y/n). You're so big. No... Just-" "Pregnant, dad." He nods smiling. "So what happens when they find out the government abandoned them?" He sighs, shaking his head. I pat his back. "Come on paper man. You need some real food." I pull him into his office and remove the disguise. "Italian sub for you, and tuna for me." "You hate tuna." I smile sitting down. "They don't." I pat my swollen tummy. "So there are two of them?" I nod smiling.

"And you're happy? He treats you well?" I nod again smiling at him. "Of course he does. He's not a monster, dad." He grabs my hand over the desk and squeezes it. "I don't... like him. You know this. He destroyed the damn city for christ's sake, but he is the father of my grandchildren, and the husband of my only daughter, so I can promise you... I will never kill him." I kiss his hand and smile. "Who knew that'd be so comforting to hear."

~

I walk into the elevator with the smile ghosted over my lips. Crackling from the speaker erupts my mind causing me to shake and grab the wall in fright. "Aw, honey, I'm sorry." Ecco's voice pipes up from the speaker. I wave my hand in front of the camera with a smile. "No worries. All good here." I laugh placing a hand on my stomach. "Where is Jerimiah?" "Working down below. Would you like me to get him?" I smile up at the camera. "Let me go down."

"Uh... Miss, I think we should wait. He doesn't want you around the-" I press the button to the bottom floor faster than light. "Oops," I smirk up to Ecco as the elevator skips the main floor and descends below.

The two doors slide open revealing a steamed room with the funk of hard labor. I step on the uneven ground and see Jerimiah fanning himself as he watches his workers. I rest my hands on his shoulders and kiss his cheek. "You're working hard." He spins around with a glare. "And you're not supposed to be here." He grips my hips pulling me towards him.

"I missed you." I nuzzle into his chest. He hums as we rock back and forth. "I missed you, my love. Come on. No lady should be exposed to this heat." He places his hand on the small of my back leading me to the elevator.

Holding me the entire way up and then carrying me to our bed, never letting us go. "Are my darlings all suggled up?" He asks resting my head on his chest. The icy colored flesh proving wrong to the touch of fire on my fingers. "Yes, Jer." I mumble feeling my eyes draw to a close. "Never will I go a day without my family... even your father." He kisses my head before I can ask the question.

~

Jeremiah POV:

My workers work endlessly day and night to break the walls of the under the earth. Slowing down each day, getting on my nerves in the end. You're pushing my men way too hard. "We're not gonna break through for at least a couple more days. There is absolutely no way to make it on schedule." The leader of the pack of sweat cogs comes in.

My wife doesn't need to be kept in this filth any longer. How dare he disrespect my future.  "Well, not with that attitude, you're not." I slice the man's throat, as he falls to the ground, blood flowing on the dirt.

"Now... everyone... let's reach inside and dig... a little deeper, shall we? 'Cause that's the only way you're all making it out of this hole." I hum watching their fear thicken.

Two taps on my shoulder break my gaze from the project. "Oh, Echo. Are these all the recruits?" Skinny, no brains, slim Whitted. These are my soldiers?

"Well, I thought you would want quality over quantity. Not everybody can pass a .38 caliber test of faith." I smirk thinking of the trials and tests they've suffered.  "Yes... you certainly have set a very high bar for devotion."

"Oh. Almost forgot. Bruce Wayne and his sidekick Curls... Or is he the sidekick? Anyway, they tried to infiltrate our little operation here."

"Oh?" " Oh. And Curls can walk, really well, especially... for a paraplegic. Ah. And she wants to kill you." I glare at her with a snarl. This doesn't help that my wife is being cared for in the same building.

"A lot, FYI. If I see her, I'll give you a shout. Oh... and kill her." I nod rolling my eyes. Finish the job and move on for the better of my wife and children.

~

I walk into the GCPD questioning room with my scarf wrapped around my head, and my belly protruding out. Quite the look I must say. I open the door to see Victor Zsasz pushed on to the table by Harvey.

"Ow. This is a really nice table." I snicker and take my glasses off. "You do realize her thrives on the pain." The three pairs of eyes look at me.  "We got a dozen witnesses that saw you walk out of that building before it went kabooey."

"Yeah. I heard some gangs had taken over." Zsasz says turning his eyes to me.  "Figured, with you guys occupied, I might help myself to some of your supplies. Hey, do you guys have any canned peaches? Man, I'd trade an arm and a leg for that right now. Not mine, somebody else's. Maybe little baby Maniax's." He laughs reaching for my stomach before Jim swats his arm down.

"If you're innocent, why shoot up a city block full of cops?"

"Because it was full of cops." Zsasz and I say at the same time.

"Who were also trying to shoot me. And, guys, those were warning shots. I mean, if I really

wanted to kill you... you'd be dead. You got a pen? I want to write this guy a thank-you letter. Do the math. If I blew up a building full of people, I would have covered

every inch of my body in sweet, sweet scars. Mrs. Valeska...  want to do a strip search?" He winks before my father punches him. "She's married, pig."

I lock arms with my dad and walk through the station. "Got Lucius on the horn for you, Cap."

"Lucius, talk to me." I grab the phone holding it close enough for the both of us to hear. "Haven wasn't destroyed by a bomb. It was an RPG, like the one that took down the chopper."

"You sure?"

I'm holding what's left of it in my hand right now. We found pieces of it in the rubble. It was fired through the basement window, detonated the fuel oil tank. And we're still trying to figure out exactly which rooftop it was fired from.

"Rooftop?"

"Yes."

"Dad, the only angle you could hit this place from is above. Zsasz was on the ground. Looks like you need a new suspect. I think we need to-"

"Jim! Ah. I know the wheels of justice turn slowly, so I'm here to provide- a modicum of grease."

Rushing up towards the front, Oswald, the Mayor of fallen Gotham, stands tall and proud.

"You need to leave right now."

"Still claiming he's innocent, is he?"

"Yes. And as much as I hate to admit it, the evidence is backing him up."

Harvey busts out, "What the hell's going on?" "Harvey, according to Lucius, Zsasz couldn't have done it."

Oswald huffs with a smile. "I did not expect you to go soft, Jim. Actually, I did. Behind a grandpa and all must've changed your ways. Which is why I didn't come alone." Several gunmen come out armed and ready to fire. My father huddles me close and shields me from the view of guns.

"Bring me Victor Zsasz!"

"Leave, (Y/n). Go home!" Jim pushes me away towards the doors.

~

Jeremiah POV:

I wave my hat fanning my pale skin placed upon the crippling bones. It's so damp and hot in here, but I'm freezing. My heart has gone cold without her scent around. Not a touch, not a wiff, not a glace for days it seems. Where is my angel with my bundles of joy?

"You see, a river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence. So what do we do when we feel like giving up? Dig a little deeper. And what do we do when we can't possibly go on any longer? Dig a little deeper. And what do we..." A sharp blade stabs into my side crippling my speech. I look down seeing the masked figure in the striped coat. I gasp feeling my footing slide as the attacker shoves the blade into my stomach further.

"Deep enough?" The individual removes the mask revealing the little pussy of them all. "Well, Selina, I must say..." She pulls the blade out plunging it back in sharply.

"Don't say anything." Over and over again the blade is shoved into my side. The light dimming, the hot steam hitting my brow, the devilish laughter of my brother. This is near my end? Maybe so...

"Selina!" The rat is stripped away from me causing me to fall to the ground barely clinging to the life of happiness I have.

"Selina!" Bruce Wayne holds the fierce kitty back. "Stop. It's done! It's over."

~

The building is quiet. The entire place is quiet... Not one swing of an ax hitting limestone, making a light clink sound. Not the ring of my husbands voice calling to his men. Not even Echo meeting me at the door with my slippers and milkshake. Something is not right.

"Jeremiah?" I call out as if he could hear me from below. If not him then someone. One of the members at least, but no one came. I proceeded to enter the elevator only to see blood on the buttons and floor. They were having the graduation today, not everyone makes it.

The doors  open to the pool room and I could almost drop to my knees at the smell. Thick scent of blood coating the walls. I walk out of the elevator and down into the pool counting the dead. No Echo or Jeremiah. Good so far.

I make my way down to the tunnels where silence has taken over. Just a simple lone man sitting in a chair. "Where is Jermiah?" I panic pulling my jacket closer. Could he have left me?

"Mrs. Valaska!" "Where is my husband?" "He's off in the tunnels. He's got injured. I'm supposed to take you to him." "Well, go on!" He shuffles his feet in a pace of nervousness, tripping over rocks and pickaxes. "How did he get hurt?" "Someone came in and just stabbed the boss. She was taken away by Bruce Wayne." I feel fire ignite in my blood. Selina and Bruce. What a treat. Trying to kill my husband in my own home.

Down the tunnels I hear him. Groaning in pain as Echo stitches him up. "How could you let this happen?" I shout at her. "She was fast." "And you're supposed to be faster." I glare at her as she cowers at my words.

"Don't stress, darling. It's not good for the babies."

"Jeremiah." I kneel down next to him grabbing his face. "Are you alright?" He places his hands over mine, kissing them each. "I'm still alive. One thing I've still got on my brother. How are you, my love? I'm sorry. You must've been wrecked with worry." Jeremiah pulls me into his lap. I nod with my bottom lip out. "Yes, I was. I was so scared, Jer." He pulls me to him. "Aw my darling. I know. I know."

I shift my weight slightly causing him to jet in a sharp inhale. "Oh, honey. Stitches still sore?" He nods. "Never would have happened if you wore that armor I prepared." Echo hums, causing me to roll my eyes. "That bullet makes you sentimental of the wrong things." I huff out pushing her out of the view.

"Why would you not check who was working? You always do. You're always prepared." Jeremiah places his hand on my cheek again. "I had to let Selina thrust the knife into my flesh at least once. Verisimilitude trumps precaution, you see." "They think you're dead." I think putting everything together.

Echo stands to the side bouncing with information. "What is it?" She giggles jumping on her heels. "All systems go." Jeremiah lifts himself, placing a hand on the small of my back and leading us along behind Echo.

"You could've died." I whisper looking at the dirt. "I didn't." "But you could have, Jeremiah. That's my point. You have two children growing, and soon they'll be out in this world. They need their father. You've kept me safely away, but that won't mean shit if you're not around to protect your children." I move ahead of him in a fit of fire.

A hand grabs my shoulder spinning me around. Jerehimah dips me and pushes our lips together. His grip on my arm and hip so tight, keeping me pulled to him with no fight. He pulls away only an inch, looking at my eyes, looking into the soul. "Now, you may not understand everything I do, but I do it for you and these two kids. I think and I plan for hours. You sit up in the bed resting your feet like I tell you. When you start questioning if I'm going to make it, that's when this will fall apart. You're my darling. You've been mine for thousands of years. Never doubt me, (Y/n)." He places his hands on my stomach and pecks my forehead. "Come along now. We have things to do."

Leading me through the tunnels I start to see less of the dirt and more solid grey rock already formed into tunnels. "Where are we?" Jeremiah giggles pulling me alongside.

"Doctor. I'm hearing good things." Jeremiah says holding in laughter.

What is he up to?

The Doctor nods. "The bandages are ready to come off. Your assistant thought you'd like to see the results." Echo shakes her head in praise like a dog while Jer nods his head. "Indeed, I would."

He turns to me. "You won't want to miss this, (y/n)."

The Doctor unravels the bandages on the individuals faces revealing a profile built from professional lifestyle and diets. This is Thomas and Martha Wayne before my eyes... ALIVE!

"Oh, you two look beautiful." I smile looking down at her pearl necklace. "Down to the very detail with you." Jeremiah kisses my cheek. "I love family reunions, don't you?" "More than Christmas!" I cheer and giggle.

[sts-sophie]

They’re always listening... Exploring the Unavoidable Risks of IoT Data Collection

What is the IoT?

When I wake up every morning, the first person I speak to is Alexa. I ask her to turn off my alarm and tell me the news as I start to get ready for my day. As a common household name, many people are familiar with the Alexa virtual assistant featured in Amazon’s smart speakers. This year, nearly 24% of adult Americans reported owning a connected speaker and over the past few years they have become one of the fastest-growing consumer products in the technology industry. 

Speakers are one of many smart technologies currently on the market with devices ranging from televisions to coffee machines. Together, these devices make up the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT describes the network of physical devices that are connected to the internet with the intention of sharing and exchanging data. The market for IoT technologies is continuously expanding with an estimated 12 billion devices connected to the IoT this year.  

These devices are often very affordable, with Google recently offering one of their connected speakers, the Nest, for free with the purchase of a Spotify Premium subscription. Yet when it comes to technology, when something is too good to be true, it usually is. The trouble with emerging technology is that it can contain risks that are not always apparent until widely adopted by consumers. IoT devices have disseminated into our lives and we are now beginning to realize how much data we are exposing as a consequence.

Risks and Challenges

One reason why Google is able to sell their connected speakers for such an affordable price is because they can make money from it in other ways. Their primary method is through ad targeting based on personal data collected through these devices. “You're paying with your data”, Gabriel Weinberg, founder of DuckDuckGo, explains. This is not unique to smart speakers, any IoT device can be used to transmit collected data. To some this might feel like a violation of privacy, while others might find it useful to receive relevant ads. Regardless, there is a dark side to targeted ads that can result in negative consequences for certain consumers. For example, ad targeting can disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. Bill Budington, technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation outlines how diploma mill universities target low-income people. He argues “You pay thousands and thousands of dollars, and they give you a diploma that isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Targeted advertising has a really pernicious side.”

There are two further risks that are frequently discussed in relation to the topic of data collection. The first is data security. When it comes to data security, it is important to understand that nothing is ever 100% secure, as long as data is being collected there is always a chance that it can be exposed. For hackers, IoT devices allow for multiple avenues of infiltration. Some terrifying examples of IoT devices that have been proven susceptible to security breaches include St. Jude’s cardiac devices, Owlet’s baby heart monitors, or Jeep’s connected cars. We can only imagine the consequences that might result if these devices are infiltrated by malicious actors. 

The second risk concerns surveillance by law enforcement or governments. In 2018, a smart watch’s heart rate data was used as evidence in a murder investigation. It demonstrated that the suspect's account of the victim's attack by a third party did not coincide with the time of increased heart rate fluctuation by the victim, therefore disproving her story. Although the data provided in this example was helpful evidence in a crime, it demonstrates that law enforcement is capable of accessing and utilizing IoT devices. Where then do we draw the line when it comes to technology companies providing personal data access to law enforcement and government? What could it mean for citizens' privacy if government institutions are capable of accessing all this data? 

Finally, combining the risk of security and surveillance we are presented with the threat of malicious actors accessing IoT devices for surveillance purposes. IoT devices are often used as tools for domestic abusers looking to gain information on their victims. “Being tracked is so much easier than it ever was” states Sara Kirkpatrick, Researcher at Respect. Abusers can use these devices to monitor daily activities through smart cameras and TVs and track locations through smartwatches. Besides abusers, individuals could utilize these surveillance mechanisms to acquire sensitive information either for blackmail or profit.

There's no Escape

Many people feel secure, in their assumption that although their personal data is being collected in the comfort of their homes, they can control what information they’re exposing. However, this is not always true. Returning again to the example of connected speakers, the expected behavior from consumers is that the device is only listening when activated by the ‘wake’ word, this is usually the speaker's name. Yet these devices listen to more than people realize. It has been found that they often mistake a similar sound to the ‘wake’ word or in the case of an accidental software update at Google, simply listening when activated by any sound presented in the house. This violation of the expected behaviour is not exclusive to connected speakers, people rarely realize the extent of the data that is collected when they introduce connected technologies into their lives. 

One’s response upon understanding these risks might be to avoid the IoT altogether. Yet with more and more devices becoming connected to the IoT it’s becoming increasingly difficult to control what information is kept private. Devices we might not assume would benefit from internet connectivity are now becoming smart. Tools like toaster ovens are even becoming connected with decreasing availability of their non-connected counterparts. As a result, it has become challenging to perform the simplest tasks without the corresponding data being captured and transmitted.

Solving the Problem

It is important to analyze innovative technologies because it is in their time of emergence we are the most capable of making a difference in controlling their impact on society. When it comes to IoT devices, what control do we have to mitigate their potential risks? David Collingridge suggests the best way to avoid problems with emerging tech is to start by understanding where the technology is going, then improve the discussions we are having about these technologies and finally govern them in a new direction. We are already beginning to see where IoT devices are going, they are growing in popularity and only becoming increasingly problematic when it comes to data collection. What's important now is to improve our discussions concerning their risks and scrutinize their governance. 

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, in the US there is no legal criteria for the protection of a citizen's personal data. Weinberg believes we are in this present situation because of the lack of government regulations related to data tracking. However, additionally policymakers need to begin addressing the bigger battle of regulating the production of IoT devices themselves and the companies responsible for creating them. Discussing policies related to IoT governance and expanding the discussion surrounding their effect on society is a crucial first step in mitigating their potential risks, but concrete changes need to soon be made by policymakers as well. Otherwise, how will the development of these devices impact our lives? Will it become normal for us to expect all our conversations could be overheard?

[things2mustdo]

As you probably have heard in the news, earlier in August a Pennsylvania grand jury handed down a 1,356-page account of sexual abuse which involved around 1,000 kids and 300 priests during a period of approximately 70 years. It is another pedophilia scandal within the Catholic Church that adds up to their collection of countless other ones reported in recent years.

The commie pope—while on his two-day visit to Ireland—begged for forgiveness again, just the way he did in Chile back in January of this year.

You can notice how quick and scathing the mainstream media is to denounce these recurring events, after all we know who owns the MSM and the (real) Church has a long, well-known history of “anti-semitism” and resistance against the tentacles of globalism. I wish the media had the same commitment to inform the existence of other pedophile rings full of high-ranking people as well.

Is the problem of the church’s innumerous sexual abuse allegations really pedophilia? To me there is a deeper explanation for it, and that explanation is: homosexualism. 81% of the alleged victims are male and three-fourths of them are post-pubescent. As you guys are certainly aware of, the Church has a very big issue with homosexualism among its clergymen.

I have a theory for the high presence of gay men inside priesthood: until not long ago being gay was definitely not ok, homosexuals were not accepted as they are now, so they became priests.

The developed Western world of today encourages people to become gay, it applauds individuals for their gayness, but it wasn’t always like that. Now, try to imagine a closeted homosexual man living in the 50s, for example. What a better place to go than the Catholic seminary? People wouldn’t look you down, you wouldn’t have to get married, the place was filled with other young men (potential sexual partners) and that’s how the Church got corrupted by perverts.

Pedophilia x Homosexualism

One normie could argue “how homosexualism relates to pedophilia?” Any red-pilled person who has ever wondered what causes someone to become gay will notice that there is an undeniable link between pedophilia and homosexualism.

Let’s remember the occasion of Milo Yiannopolous’ resignation from Breitbart over comments which seemed to endorse sex between “younger men” and older men. Something that is—as he pointed out—extremely common among gay men. A 2009 report revealed that 74 percent of bisexuals had been sexually abused as children, I am pretty sure homosexuals follow the same numbers.

I won’t say homosexual behavior is exclusively caused by pedophilia because human (or animal) sexuality is a very complex topic which can certainly involve many variables. I just don’t buy that “born this way” hype, until this day not a single reliable proof of the existence of a gay gene or anything like it was discovered.

The Vatican once bought a £21 million apartment block above ‘Europe’s largest gay sauna’.

Pope Francis, a champion of the left-leaning agenda inside the Church, has been accused of covering up former Cardinal McCarrick’s abuse allegations (one of the many cases in Pennsylvania). The accusations were made by Carlo Vigano, a former Vatican ambassador to the US, and if it proves to be true–I am positive it is—that should result in pope Francis’ resignation. As a traditionalist Catholic myself I would be delighted with such an event.

Francis has already been complacent with other pedos before. One good example is the 2015 ‘Synod on the Family’ when the pope invited Godfried Danneels, a Belgium Cardinal convicted of covering up pedophiles in the 90s, to attend the meeting. Danneels is a hard-left priest that tries to push the Church ” liberal reformation” and admitted that he was part of a plot against (right-leaning) Pope Benedict and in favor of the election of leftie Francis.

To affirm that the Church’s gay/pedos are exclusively part of the left-wing priesthood would be too Manichean. I am sure there are tons of sick people who lean right also. But it can’t be denied that the liberals make up the vast majority of these issues involving sexual misconduct.

“Religious progressives”

For those who don’t know, the Catholic Church, just as any other political institution, is divided in factions that tend to be more liberal or orthodox. The liberation theology, for instance, is a movement created inside the Catholic Church (and some Protestant denominations) which aims to mix Christianity and Marxism.

Even if you are an agnostic don’t underestimate the influence they played in various regions such as Europe, Latin America and even New England. Brazilian Workers’ Party attributed their success to this movement and Unions.

Be wary of any religious leader that tries to push a liberalization of dogmas and traditions. Because all religions are intrinsically conservative according to their respective contexts, they establish doctrines that dictate sets of rules that must be followed properly in order to attain their objectives (whether is Salvation in Christianity or Nirvana in Buddhism). There are no (real) religions without their traditions.

Whenever you see liberal religious men doubt their characters. There is a good chance they don’t even bother with religion or spirituality, perhaps they are closeted atheist. What they do care about is the religious platform, which can offer various benefits such as large audiences, political influence, money and even sex.

Estimates of the number of gays in the priesthood are all over the lot, from 20 percent to 60 percent, although a Los Angeles Times poll in 2002 found only 15 percent of priests saying they were homosexual or “somewhere in between but more on the homosexual side.”

Every time pedo priests’ cases pop up in the MSM, secular people are very quick to point fingers and show their moral superiority, but they “forget” the existence of secular institutions that are way more sexually perverted than the “gayish” modern Church, such as Hollywood, the political and corporate world.

Real Church x Sissy Church

It is also important to notice that the Church was emasculated, an emasculation that took place during the process of secularization and establishment of liberal democracies across the Western world (e.g. French Revolution).

The Church had to be softened, becoming an institution that barely resembles the once powerful and great Church of the Crusades or the Inquisitions. This same phenom of emasculation can also happen in other secular institutions too, the Military, mainstream Music, Politics, Sports and even Boys Scouts. And it will only get worse as liberal-democratic globalism advances, so secular people: watch out!

St. Basil the Great, a 4th century bishop and Doctor of the Church, defended that gay/pedo priests should be publicly flogged. That was the (real) Church, not this sissy catholicism created after the Second Vatican Council (a modernist reform imposed in the Church from 1962 to 1965). A lot of things got bad in the 60s.

The (real) Church has a very important and vigorous story in the construction of the West. Always being a target to the globalists and that breed who rules the world, a clear obstacle to their goals.

Examples are many: Gabriel García Moreno, Catholic Equatorian president, who made a terrific job in a Confessional Equator and was killed by the Freemasons; Saint José Sanchez del Rio, who was killed by Mexican secular, freemason and leftist government with the support of the US, for refusing to abbandon his faith.

Inconvenient truths are ignored

The media only goes after what is convenient to their narrative, don’t expect them to expose Hollywood pedos nor the obvious link between pedo priests and homosexualism. The left has already pushed the normalization of pedophilia many times and I didn’t see the indignation of the MSM.

Late Vatican’s Chief Exorcist Gabriele Amorth once said, “The Devil resides in the Vatican and you can see the consequences”.

“The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops”. – St. Athanasius

Read More: The Vatican Has Disgraced True Catholic Values

I have noticed that many people have been falsely conflating what comes out of the Vatican as Catholic. Thus it is my duty to present to the esteemed readers of this fine site the true teachings of the Church which stand, ever more so today, in stark opposition to the rot of cultural Marxism and the effeminacy of the Papal pretenders in Rome.

Vicar of Christ?

Church authorities are not legitimate

It is a dogma of the Catholic faith that the Church cannot substantially change. This means that the church cannot contradict nor change her teaching from what has always been universally taught or has been solemnly defined. Any one who claims to be Catholic and knowingly professes a faith which contradicts a teaching of the Church is considered to be a heretic and is considered to have a removed himself from the Church.

As St. Thomas states: “[one] who disbelieves [even] one article of faith does not have faith, either formed or unformed.” This is known as the unity of faith which means that all Catholics profess the same faith. Likewise it means that heretics cannot hold a clerical office in the Church. Thus if a heretic were to be elected even to the Papacy they could not be considered a legitimate Pontiff because a heretic has separated himself from the Church (source).

Would a real Pope bow to a religion declared false by the Church?

Simply put, you have to be Catholic to be Pope, and the absurdity of a heretic claiming the See of Peter is where we find ourselves today. For just as the institutions in the West have been infiltrated and seized by the enemy, likewise have the institutions of the Church been usurped by apostate forces. The hierarchy currently residing in the Vatican are not legitimate authorities and do not represent the perennial teaching of the Church. Therefore I have listed for your benefit the actual Church’s positions on some current areas of contention.

The only time Francis has ever smiled at a Crucifix

On Communism

The Catholic Church is vehemently opposed to communism. Without Pius XII valiant efforts, communism would have prevailed over postwar France and Italy. The Pope went so far as to issue the Decree against Communism in 1949 which excommunicated any Christian who professed communist doctrine.

Catholicism is the enemy of Marxism as it teaches that there can be no separation of Church and state, and an atheist government is immoral. Catholicism believes private property is a natural right going so far to say that depriving workers of their wages is a sin which cries to heaven for vengeance (compare that to our socialist tax code!).

On Migration and Culture

The current Muslim invasion of Europe would be met with the utmost resistance. It has always been the Church which has sought to safeguard Catholic Culture and in ages past has gone so far as to issue a call to arms against non-Catholics who have sought to destroy it.

Pope Urban II issued the Crusades and Pope Leo the great even went so far as to personally travel into the heart of the Hun army—to Attila himself—to deliver Rome from the sack that was to come. In 1571, St. Pope Pius V formed the Holy League that would go on to defeat the great Muslim Turkish Armada that was plaguing the Mediterranean.

“Then I pointed like so and told them where to take their cultural enrichment”

The tradition of the Church has been to unite the West against external non-christian threats in order to preserve Western Christian culture.

“The natural law enjoins us to love devotedly and to defend the country in which we were born, and in which we were brought up, so that every good citizen hesitates not to face death for his native land…. We are bound, then, to love dearly the country whence we have received the means of engagement this mortal life affords.” – Sapientia Christiana Encyclical Pope Leo XIII

On Abortion and Contraception

So what is the real teaching of the Church in regards to abortion and contraception? The teaching is any member who has an abortion or supports abortion is automatically excommunicated from the Church. That’s right: every single Democrat who claims to be Catholic is actually excommunicated, including Nancy Pelosi who likes to sanctimoniously drone how she is a good Catholic grandmother.

Contraception is also considered a mortal sin because it is an unnatural stoppage of life.

“Hence, after the sin of homicide whereby a human life already in existence is destroyed, this type of sin appears to take next place, for by it the generation of human nature is impeded.” -St. Thomas Aquinas.

I know this is unpopular with the readers, but the teaching is that those who engage in contraception have already committed murder in their heart. Contraception is what allows people to engage in recreational sex, because the natural end of sex has been set aside so too then has the institution of marriage, whose end is children.

Likewise, because we have committed murder in our hearts, we have become a petulant, immature, vain, and a sterile people similar to any other people who have taken the risk from reward or the consequences from pleasure. This is the most difficult pill to swallow.

On Feminism

The Church condemns feminism in the strongest terms. There cannot exist feminism without birth control.

“…any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin.” -Pius XI Casti Cannubi

The Church asserts that Man is the head of the household and that a woman finds her vocation from being a good mother and housewife:

“This … does not deny or take away the liberty which fully belongs to the woman both in view of her dignity as a human person, and in view of her most noble office as wife and mother and companion; nor does it bid her obey her husband’s every request if not in harmony with right reason or with the dignity due to wife; … For if the man is the head, the woman is the heart, and as he occupies the chief place in ruling, so she may and ought to claim for herself the chief place in love.” -Ibid

The Pope has even gone so far as to condemn women’s suffrage:

“Woman can never be man’s equal and cannot therefore enjoy equal rights. Few women would ever desire to legislate, and those who did would only be classed as eccentrics.” -St. Pius X

On Pacifism

The Catholic Church is not simply just a religion of love and mercy. Christianity is not a weak religion, for our God is a God of Battles. Catholic Tradition encourages us to live our lives in the manner of our Lord Jesus who spoke of the struggle that his Church would have to endure.

“Do not think that I am come to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword.”-Mathew 10:34

Christians are not meant to sit idly as bystanders to the great struggle of good and evil in this world.

“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood: but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness: against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.” -Ephesians 6:12

[a-dorin]

unspoken | ben solo

word count: 2,056

warnings: cursing, smut (near the end), angst, mentions of execution

summary: after the arrival of the prisoners to the resistance base, you realize there is one prisoner who has arrived from your past. ben solo is at the resistance base. will old feelings arise, or will you push them away?

chatters of unease rose from the crowd surrounding the ship that docked, tension thick in the air. you sucked in a breath, shouldering through the growing numbers of resistance pilots, engineers, and other bystanders. your mind buzzed like the chatter, pondering why there was such a large group of people amassed around one single ship. 

silence grew over your comrades, the only noise heard the sound of the wind as it rustled through the trees. you held your breath as the doors of the ship opened, a silent gasp exiting your lips. it was almost as if your heart stopped. led by the jedi, rey, ben solo emerged, shrinking in his chains as he was eyed by hundreds of watchful gazes, the tension now crackling like static electricity. finn and chewbacca kept watch, blasters tight in their grip. more prisoners were escorted out of the ship, their signets and regalia gleaming red. 

"i want them all dead," a twi'lek sneered.

"what was that?" a blonde teen, donned in metallic armor challenged, his clains clanging against the metal, "say it to my face dickwad! i killed your mother and i can blast your brains out too!"

jeers rose from the crowd of rebels, urging the execution of the prisoners. you swallowed, anxiety growing within you. biting your lip, you watched in horror as the blonde lunged at a resistance fighter, spitting in his face. another teen boy, similar to the blonde, struggling against his shackles, in attempts to aid the blonde. 

you're here. a voice, all too familar crept into your thoughts, i can feel you. 

"quiet!" a voice boomed across the crowd. poe dameron, the leader of the resistance, climbed to the top of the ship, his arms folded across his chest, "let's show some morality here people. the resistance is not about immediate execution. all of these prisoners will be shown a fair trial. after all, there are not many of them left. the first order is dead, erased from the universe. there are no longer a threat."

"how can you say that with the supreme leader of the first order in our clutches?" a pilot snarled, "he is one with the force!"

"he has good in him," rey piped up, "i have witnessed it firsthand. ben solo, son of han solo and leia organa, will be given a fair trial."

"he's killed millions!" 

"kylo ren can fill oceans with the amount of blood he's spilled!" 

"he is still one with the dark side!"

"i don't buy it!"

"he is still a living being," rey's eyes hardened, her voice rising, "all of us, have taken another soul. we are not as good as we all believe we are. the resistance has taken lives too. innocent lives of engineers, medics, as well as maintenance workers on those first order ships. we will treat him with fair judgment. i have seen light within him. i hope you all will see it too."

as rey lead ben solo away, to the holding cells, the only thought lingering in your mind was the connection. how ben managed to infiltrate your mind. how he managed to sense your presence in a matter of minutes. 

what else could he see in your mind? what did he see?

darkness fell over the rebel base, the only light coming from the moon. your eyes scanned your surroundings, ensuring that you wouldn't get noticed. a shiver ran down your spine, heart thudding in your chest, pounding against your rib-cage. exhaling, a shaky breath left you. 

your mind was screaming that you shouldn't. yet, your heart told you otherwise. as you gazed ahead, the glow of the prison lights ignited your desire. something within your soul compelled you to do this. to go see him. 

every step you took felt like lead. like there was quick sand pulling you in. you felt as if you were moving in slow motion as you approached the prison. it was well past one in the morning, almost two. the guards were asleep, their snores filling the night air. letting out a scoff, you punched the code into the keypad, the doors granting you access.

inside, the resistance prison was quiet empty. many of the first order survivors were arrested without warning, as some were on solo missions. others were on the ship, managing to escape in pods before it was blown to smithereens. the blonde teenager from earlier was deep in slumber, his arms curled around his brunette comrade in the bunk. all of the prisoners were asleep, except you felt a pair of eyes burning through you. 

"hello (y/n)," your name rolled off his tongue, a soft smile brightening the dusty atmosphere. 

instantly, your hand gripped the bars, reaching for his, "i thought you were dead."

"kylo ren is dead," his brown eyes glittered in the darkness, rich with sheer joy, "he's gone."

"i wish i could touch you," you whispered, voice cracking as tears brimmed your eyes. 

ben tsked, raising a hand. his eyes shifted towards the lock, focused. the cell door slid open, ben stretching his legs, "how about we go for a walk?"

"what if we get caught-"

"you act like i have never stepped foot on this base before," ben chuckled softly, "i know the routine shifts. we'll be all right, flower, i promise." 

at the mention of you old nickname, a blush rose in your cheeks, eyes averting ben's gaze, "as long as i don't get you killed."

"oh that's cute," a voice cooed. 

you turned, embarrassment washing over you as two pairs of bright eyes were focused on you and ben, witnessing everything. it was the blonde teen from earlier, his companion wide awake as well. 

"phoenix," ben hissed, "please, for the sake of my sanity, will you shut up?"

"sorry ma'am," the brunette waved shyly, "he doesn't know how to act around strangers."

"whatever," phoenix yawned, "as long as y'all don't fuck in the cell we're all good. i can smell the phermones in here. just go fuck it out already."

"just make sure the guards don't notice i'm gone?" ben shifted his attention to the brunette, "please, bubba? for me?"

"of course," bubba dipped his head, "phoenix, let's get some sleep."

the boys quieted down, drifting off once more. ben let out a small sigh, "they're good men, just corrupted by the promise of power and glory under the first order. unfortunately, there is nothing i can do for them. it's up to the resistance government now." 

"i can try and pull some strings," you murmured, "i don't want to see their future be ripped away from them."

ben hummed, "i know. come, let's go out the back way."

"there's a back way?"

"who's the newbie now?" a smug smile crept onto ben's lips, "i used to live here, (y/n), if that's so hard to recall."

following ben, you glanced around warily as he fumbled with a handle, pushing open the heavy metal door with ease. your breath hitched in your throat as you watched muscle ripple under ben's tunic. he was longer the lean teenage boy you once knew. he was built, towering over you with ease. his thick, black locks hit his broad shoulders, strands swaying in the summer breeze. 

"i can feel your eyes," ben chuckled.

"sorry," you mumbled, your cheeks burning with humiliation.

ben ensured the door closed as quiet as possible, his eyes focused. once the door was shut, his palm connected with the wall, pinning you against it. your back hit the cool brick, eyes widened with surprise.

"don't be sorry flower," ben cooed, sending a shiver down your spine. his free hand reached out, cupping your cheek. his thumb caressed your cheekbone, brown eyes meeting (y/e/c) ones. his gaze softened as he admired your features, lips pursed as he took in the sight you, pinned underneath him. 

"ben," you whispered, "we're not teenagers anymore. we can't sneak around like this anymore."

"yet history repeats itself," his lips were merely inches away from yours, soft and plump in the moonlight, "here we are flower. what's it going to be? are you going to stay or are you going to leave?"

you swallowed, "i don't want to leave you."

"good answer," ben murmured. 

his lips crashed into yours, the kiss almost sweeping you off your feet. the suppressed feelings were now spilling out, expressed through needy, hungry, kisses. ben sucked on your bottom lip harshly, a muffled whine rising in your throat. fingers laced into his hair, tugging at the roots. 

ben's hands squeezed your breasts over your uniform, his lips drifting from your mouth to your jawline, pressing light kisses onto your neck. you moaned, instinctively bucking your hips forward. already, you could feel the outline of his cock through his pants, the wetness between your folds growing.  

"fuck," ben cursed as you ran a hand along the outline, panting slightly, "i need you, (y/n). i need you so bad.”

"how are we going to do this?" you breathed, the adrenaline washing over you. 

"we're going to find that out as we go along," ben hushed, kissing you once more. 

hastily, your fingers unbuttoned ben's pants, his hard cock springing free. you almost were in shock of his size, a hand wrapping around the base. one hand pumped, the other running a thumb along his slit. his tip was slick with precum, aching for relief. 

ben watched in awe as your hands were wrapped around his cock, sending waves of pleasure crashing over him. god, he wanted to feel you so bad. to feel your tight walls clench around his throbbing cock. as you jerked him off, his hand glided down your torso, unzipping the uniform. he noticed the wall your uniform fell off your shoulders, and how you allowed him to pull it down your figure. your nipples hardened as cool air hit your exposed chest, bens' cheeks glowing a pink hue. 

"i can't take it anymore," he growled, picking you up by your thighs. once again, your back hit the brick wall, a hand resting against your head, the other gripping your ass, holding you up, "you're going to have to do most of the work princess, but i promise it'll make you feel good."

you guided ben's cock to your dripping hole, bouncing experimentally. he threw his head back, his jaw slack, "fuck."

ben relished in how tight your pussy was. how tight you were for him. god, you were dripping, all over his cock, making a mess. you held onto his shoulders for leverage, riding every inch of his cock. as much as he wanted you to cry out his name, he was content with the quiet whines and moans escaping your lips as you fucked him. 

"ben," your eyes met his, both pupils dilated with lust, eyes shining in the night. 

"what princess?" 

"i'm getting close," you whined, your walls tightening around his cock. 

"i can feel it," he breathed, "why don't you cum then baby? cum all over my cock."

your rhythm intensified, ben placing a hand over your mouth as you came, smothering his cock with your juices. it wasn't long before he came himself, filling you up with his cum. the two of you let out a few shaky breaths, bodies tangled together against the wall of the prison. his strong hands guided you off his body, chuckling as you tottered as your feet hit the ground. 

"that was good," you panted, zipping up your uniform. 

"it was," ben agreed, placing a chaste kiss on your lips, "you should go. before we both get caught. i would be executed. you, i don't think it would be good."

"i don't want to leave," a pout formed, ben letting out a sigh. 

"i know," he nodded, "i'll see you one more time before my trial. i promise."

"okay," you mumbled, turning to walk away from the prisoner.

as you disappeared into the surrounding forest, tears welled up in the eyes of ben solo, his heart sinking. if only he got to utter those three words before you left. the words he had waited patiently to say. the words that never left his mind whenever he was around you. 

ben solo loved you. and now, it was too late. 

far too late.

tagged: @mmademusic @petalsrdead @smokahuntis @finhabastos @babiee-solo @obsessionprofessional @nicci442 @clumsycopy @kpatz

[loopy777]

Nickelodeon gives you the task of writing a series based on Korra's earthbending successor with no limits on what you can do. How would you write his story?

Interesting that you say “his.” There’s no rule that the Avatars have to alternate gender, but at this point the fandom assumes it so much that I’d just go with it to avoid controversy.

Anyway, I’d probably turn Nickelodeon down if they wanted me to write Korra’s successor. I have no interest in the future that seems to be getting established in LoK. I want the franchise to stay in the past forever; there’s more than enough room, and I’d even be open to throwing away the concept of “canon” to tell stories that might merely be in-universe legends.

But, I’m going to try to answer the question in good faith. If I was a professional television writer/producer, and my career depended on saying yes to this and trying to do a good job, here’s what I’d do:

Working Title: The Last Avatar

Our star is a poor Earthlands boy. The Earth Kingdom collapsed years ago, Balkanizing into a bunching of struggling nations divided up haphazardly among various tribes, local cultures, and convenient geographical groupings. Our Boy is an Earthbender, but he hasn’t pursued any official training because it’s largely a waste of time and money. Instead, he’s been working his way through an education, learning about robotics and spirit-energy, because demand is high for that knowledge. He repairs old robots for spare money, and even has his own glitchy assistant -- who can transform into a van -- who he likes to trash-talk to show his love. He’s a huge nerd.

Actually, the only reason he can defend himself with Earthbending at all is because of a classmate and friend who’s passed on her own lessons. This girl is one of seventeen young adults who currently use the Beifong name. She’s a Metalbender using her ability to innovate with circuitry, very interested in technology and business, but she also values some of the old ways and thinks Bending is an important part of Earth culture that should not be ignored.

Our Boy knows he’s not the Avatar because the Avatar is a super-famous influencer, activist, pop-singer, and advertising icon. She lives in the Fire Nation and has green hair. You should picture Hatsune Miku for her. There are bigger celebrities, and none of her movies have been huge hits, but the Avatar still has enough culture significance that she was born famous and has managed to stay in the news.

By the way, Fire Nation culture is dominant. All the best stuff comes from the Fire Nation. Their movies, television, music, and video games are popular all over the world. Their technology is better. Their quality is life is better. They have the best doctors, the fastest internet, bigger apartments, the most prestigious schools, and the best jobs. Immigration is limited by law, in order to maintain their high quality of life.

The United Republic and the Water Tribes have seized some former Earth Kingdom territory, so their influence has expanded. The United Republic invested heavily in technology, and they’re now a dystopian cyberpunk nightmare with a government that just does whatever its corporations say. The president of the United Republic is a position that rich men use to become richer. The Water Tribes are a lot better, having managed to transition to a constitutional monarchy and maintain something like a balance between life and technology.

Note that I didn’t say “spirituality and technology,” because the two are one. All technology is spirit-powered. Spirits can meld with the internet. Spirits can inhabit robot bodies. Spirits and humans meet in abstract Virtual Realities where the difference between the two disappears.

And all of this orderly chaos is set to collapse when Our Boy accidentally Firebends during a dangerous action moment. He and Beifong Girl realize he might be the Avatar. But Hatsune Miku has demonstrated command of all four elements. On separate occasions she’s been seen and filmed Earthbending, Firebending, Waterbending, and Airbending, sometimes two at once. So how can Our Boy also do that?

Beifong Girl urges him to contact the Air Nation and the descendants of Avatar Aang to find out. Except, when he does with her family’s help, Dual-Benders -- warriors using two different elements -- try to kill him. He’s been betrayed by the Air Nation- and possibly the Beifong clan. His friend helps him get away, but she isn’t sure she can trust her family. They both go on the run, not sure what to do.

The mystery of what’s going on will drive the whole series. Here’s our cast:

Our Boy: The true Earthbending Avatar, completely untrained. He’s a poor nerd thrown into the deep end of a global conspiracy, but fortunately he has a robot who transforms into a van, so at least he has transporation.

Beifong Friend: Our Boy’s best friend. Not a love interest. She’s the youngest Beifong cousin, an Earthlands patriot who wants to raise the former Earth Kingdom out of its divided state using technology. She’s also far too gentle for her family of power-hungry vipers, but she’s still a great Earthbender and will become a Metalbender warrior before the end.

Fake Avatar Hatsune Miku: An artificial biological/spiritual construct of the Red Lotus, able to Bend two elements at any one time by swapping out a set of four spirits (all of whom are intelligent, devoted solely to her, and have different personalities), and the center of a conspiracy that she’s the Avatar. The Red Lotus built her and are using her to advance their plans. She joins the hunt for Our Boy, officially decrying him as a Disciple of a Vaatu cult trying to destroy humanity. However, she eventually begins to have thoughts of her own and resent how she’s used and abused as a tool rather than a person. She becomes our Deuteragonist, going rogue and having her own journey and arcs that intersect with Our Boy. Depending on fandom reaction, she might becomes Our Boy’s love interest, but might also become just another friend. She eventually frees her spirit friends, giving up all Bending powers.

Water Sage-Candidate: A young man who is training to be a Water Sage/Shaman. He’s a new-age hippie type who distrusts technology but likes people and spirits, wanting everyone to be nicer and more supportive to each other. He’s suspicious of what’s going on with this supposed Vatuu cult, despite his master (a Red Lotus infiltrator) telling him to trust in the true Avatar. When Our Boy and his friends come to Water Tribe territory, he joins up with them to help expose the truth.

Air Detective: An Airbender, a master detective and manhunter, who has been tasked with helping to track down Our Boy. It turns out she’s honest and completely ignorant of what’s really going on, so as she hunts Our Boy, she realizes the greater conspiracy at work- one that seems to have set its sights on the Air Nation back during the height of Avatar Korra’s influence. She’s older than the main cast and largely separate from them, but she does spend a lot of time with Fake Avatar Hatsune Miku and becomes something of a mentor to her. She struggles balancing Airbender ideals and her own cynicism about humanity, and is probably the best fighter in the story.

The Red Lotus: Our villains. They have infiltrated every level of every government in the world, and have figured how to replicate what Raava did with Wan- use a melding between spirits and humans to swap out Bending powers. They have managed to get up to a human/spirit combo being able to actively use two at a time, but they’re hot on replicating the full Avatar experience. The idea is that they eventually want to give everyone full Avatar powers, ruining the office of the Avatar and empowering everyone with the strength to topple governments and businesses. Any single person can knock over a building and kill thousands. And for those who are incompatible with the melding process and explode- well, those are necessary losses. Red Lotus foot soldiers will often have, as one of their two elements, Firebending.

Red Lotus Traitor: A NonBender history nerd from a Red Lotus family. The more he sees as he’s initiated into the family business, the more horrified he becomes, but he successfully manages to hide it- which is good, because recruits who balk tend to wind up dead in ‘accidents.’ When Our Boy comes to the Fire Nation, he and his friends encounter the Traitor, which brings them to the Red Lotus’s attention, but the Traitor finally breaks free and gets the group out, joining them.

Boss Red Lotus: The leader of the Red Lotus. A NonBender. She and her family -- siblings, a father or mother we can maybe tie to a character in LoK, and maybe a kid or spouse -- are running the whole show and have inherited the plan that the Red Lotus are executing. What separates Boss Red Lotus is her personal investment in Fake Avatar Hasune Miku. She thinks of herself as Miku’s mother, and has become more interested in creating a higher form of life than merely giving humanity Avatar powers. She grows more obsessed when Miku goes rogue and commissions a more advanced clone.

Fake Love Interest: A love interest for Our Boy who is a little bit weird and a little bit cool, very pretty in a vaguely gothy way, and fond of bugs. This is actually Koh in disguise as a human, and the romance doesn’t work out. It will be awesome, trust me.

The bulk of the series is Our Boy and his growing group of friends tooling around the world in their robot-van, chased by Fake Avatar Hatsune Miku and the Airbender Detective, slowly uncovering the Red Lotus conspiracy and eventually rising up to save the world with the help of everyone who isn’t evil. The setting is dark and inspired by science-fiction, and there’s a theme of rediscovering the past, but the past doesn’t always hold the solution. Sometimes, the past merely contains the mistakes that led to today’s problems. The redemption of the world usually comes from getting in touch with the culture of the past, and mixing that with the wondrous new technology available today.

The ending I’m envisioning is a kind of embracing of the Red Lotus’s plan, but a non-destructive form. Everyone gets all four elements, but no one is killed by it, and the power level is completely normal. The Avatar, though, is the sole person to be able to Energybend, and it’s this role -- being able to explore the limitless potential of humanity -- that makes the Avatar important going forward. The significant Red Lotus are all sucked into hell or the Fog of Lost Souls or something, except for those who die outright, with the rest being rehabilitated.

Romance will be downplayed, aside from the fakeout with Koh, but if any of the recurring characters show some chemistry, there’s room to develop it. The Fake Avatar Hatsune Miku should be designed to be the audience’s tortured, angsty, badass waifu.

The next level of development for these ideas should come from the Concept Artist team, especially focusing on the weapons used in this setting. This will be followed by a more detailed revision by me with major plot points, and then going to the writers’ room for development of the first season. Entire characters or concepts may disappear or be added during that time.

Merchandising should emphasize the Tron Lines on everyone’s clothing that glow when Bending. Also, the Robot Van can be expanded to a whole line of transforming robots toys, although the word “transform” should not appear in any official material. We see video games as a major licensing opportunity, with a possibility for “canon” stories set in the same time period, intersecting with the cartoon’s main plot. To this end, final character designs should perhaps be modeled on voice actors, so that face scans or motion capture can be employed for AAA video game appearances.

And that’s my pitch.

[nebulawriter]

Hopefully by April I’ll be doing this once a week again instead of just chaotic whenever.

But I wanted to do actually black history and important civil rights movies, since I did romance for February. Plus I like the pun of “March to freedom.” So watching several classics of cinema for black civil rights, and just movies that I should have seen before. This time is Blackkklansman, because my roommates were up to see it with me.

What I know: It is supposed to be very good, the story of a black guy who joined the KKK or something? IDK, I saw David Duke was a character so THAT oughta be interesting.

General: Very good, though some interesting messages for a black social justice film. There was some nuance though, but I worry that white moderates seeing it will be like “see cops are good actually and the black justice movement and the kkk are the same.” which is categorically untrue. Are the creators responsible for them seeing it that way? Difficult to say and a topic way too big for this review.

Main Character: Ron was very interesting as a black police officer having to stand the injustices of the system and trying not to betray his community. I do think what was left in question was like, more of his story of why he wanted to be a cop? I know there are black police officers but obviously were less in this town at this time. I feel like thats an important part of his character we dont get, but I don’t want to just complain, he was very fleshed out and the conflict of his character was what made him interesting to watch.

Side Characters: Phillip Zimmerman was fascinating to me because I think hate is hard to really comprehend. Judaism wasn’t a big thing for him, but he is Jewish, and thats enough for him to be hated. I think that encapsulates the KKK. You had better be white. If you’re white, you’d better be Christian. If you’re Christian, you better be Protestant. If you’re protestant, you better be a man. It divides and divides and divides until you have a reason to hate everyone.

Other characters: The other cops were either less defined or just racist, but I think they were weirdly divided into ‘ok’ and ‘overtly racist’ which is not quite right. The black movement I feel like was supposed to be seen as unreasonable in some sense, but like they weren’t at all? The girlfriend was right every time. Every single time. The kkk were assholes and thats all I’ll leave them with. I could barely understand the one guy who was drunk all the time.

Plot: A black police officer calls the KKK and helps infiltrate them and makes several calls to David Duke. manages to expose a few members of government and stop an attack.

Story: Racism is a fucking rot that needs to be taken out.

Cinnamontography: whooo nelly was it beautiful, especially at the beginning as it took us into the story. I don’t have anything more, it’s just great.

Design: So many Afros. not a criticism, just damn.

Other: The end seemed a bit self-congratulatory, which I guess makes a good story. The last scenes of the 2017 white supremacist forces were very powerful, all the more so because I knew it all. I wonder if this movie would have been the same if it came out now, after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. There were plenty of black people killed by cops before, but I think the sentiment has been leaning more that cops are fully bad. Very curious.

[thegoldenreport]

MIND BENT

Pretending to be someone else is easy, especially when you’ve been doing it your whole life. Amber-Eye 098 is an top tier imitation artist from the Southern Moon district, who has almost twelve years of experience under her belt in deceiving the general public for fun.

She recently sat down with Golden Report executives to share one such experience - how she managed to infiltrate Jatty’s Candy Cave and impersonate the titular owner, while remaining undetected for three months.

If the name of “Jatty’s Candy Cave” doesn’t ring a bell for you or stir up a primordial urge to vomit, we highly recommend an appointment with your local re-education services to rectify the issue. But in the mean time, we’ll ask you a very simple question, what’s really in their candy?

Or to put it in a different way...

Are you meant to be seeing the buzzing, glitching, oozing shadow that stands in the corner of your room at all times?

…

AE098: Whenever I approach a new character, I choose to look first at their environment. Their people. You can tell a lot about how a person is supposed to act just by looking at their people.

Jatty’s Candy Cave, for example, is housed in a very elaborate sewer system underneath the inner city of West Logos. Jatty doesn’t voluntarily share this information, but somehow makes sure her customers spread it like the plague. She wants to be known far and wide, yet continues to stay hidden. Chosen isolation perhaps as a method of retaining control? A walking contradiction nonetheless.

Sending several camera flies into the underground system confirmed she didn’t work alone. A personal assistant named Rael followed her every beck and call. Visuals showed him to be a funny little man who changed his aesthetic and vocal inflection on the daily. Though tended to favor anything revolving around a space or astronaut theme. It was a good thing I wasn’t stealing his identity.

Jatty, on the other hand, donned an a-line purple skirt, skin tight black turtle neck, dark green combat boots (which just so happened to be the same shade as her nefarious chemical ingredient, zeroX), and a pair of velvet back gloves that extended her fingers into claws.

Unlike Rael, she wore this suit on the regular and showed no signs of switching it up. Which of course made things ridiculously convenient for my costumes associate. She does such a sublime job at matching garments down to the very fabric and shade. I had nothing but confidence in her work.

I remember spending long evenings in her sewing shop, top floor of the special ops building. Trying on the boots and pacing around the floor. Feeling out the walk of, shall we say...a potential murderer? An ill advised chemistry enthusiast? Mad science extraordinaire? I wouldn’t know for sure until I became her.

Everything is a performance. Everyone has a good side. Everyone loves to act for the camera that isn’t even there. You may be wondering why we even go through the trouble of full body espionage if we already send in a hundred camera flies to wire tap the place. To that I say again, everything is a performance. The name of the game is not just tearing down the curtain, but walking backstage. The one place a camera refuses to go.

Further audiovisual input revealed her voice to be low and musky, like she constantly had to be clearing her throat (of her own toxins, perhaps?). We had vocal modifier pills that could mimic this effect. And her walk was always brisk in comparison to the slower moving factory workers. She was a being in motion, a blur that could not stop for more than a few moments at a time. And it wasn’t just an urgency to it, but a nervousness, a real fear. I was excited to discover more.

In the days leading up to my deployment, special operatives performed what we like to call a body snatch. Methodically extracted in such a way that Jatty would not even think to deny leaving with us. We offered an opportunity, intentionally vague, but sweet enough to seal the deal. Or that’s how it started.

In reality, we slipped a sleeping agent into her water glass, while discussing terms in the late hours of the evening. I’m not entirely sure where they took her, but by that point, I was ready.

MEETINGS

This is the word I would use to describe my first month in character. I remember the night I slipped into her office chair, torn faux leather at a cherry red mahogany desk. I remember the stickiness of said office chair. I remember pouring through her journals, her agenda books, her middle school science books. She was a being on the move, constantly meeting with someone. But for what?

One such meeting that stook out to me was with a blue deer handler, and only in my second week of deployment. I had read about this particular blue deer. And the sweet nectarine like flavor of it’s blood. Our conversation was brief, speaking about his latest harvest for the factory. He had come across a surplus, could give more this month than before. I was immediately suspicious. Could this blood contain the hallucinogenic properties I had heard about?

Unfortunately, the answer was no. Can confirm. I tried it myself.

It was however the main component of almost all their candy’s flavor profile. But I couldn’t have cared less about the flavor.

CHEMICALS

My second month felt the most comfortable. No one had yet raised a suspicious eye towards me, save for a few factory workers who I quickly disposed of, as per my training. I had gotten used to the endless walking. Learning to digest informative material while on the go. Like all those mad scribbles in her middle school science textbook. Keeping all conversations either short or long depending on what the situation called for.

I had internalized every type of candy we made in the Cave. The pipes hissed. The air smelled like swamp water. The work room was a mental prison of blood, sweat, and flickering lights. It was here that I learned the ingredients. That I tasted the fruit for the first time. Although I was pretty good at pretending I had done it many times.

She must have built up a tolerance to the drugs they use if she does this on the regular.

The candy I tried was called Vox. A lime green sucker that slowly turns into goo as it melts in your mouth. The color is deceptive. One might expect it to taste like an apple or even a lime. It tasted like salted butter.

This particular candy among many others contained a key ingredient known as zeroX: an opaque, thick, dark green almost black liquid at room temperature. Meant to be highly addictive. Meant to simulate an adrenaline rush. Meant to make the whole body shiver. The eyes dilate. The palms sweat. You feel like an imposter in your own skin. You believe that the voices on the radio are talking directly to you. The paranoia crawls deep into your brain, filling the space behind your eyes.

But you don’t hallucinate.

Can confirm, as I locked myself in the chief office and rode out it’s side effects on the wave of a panic attack.

SECRETS

In the middle of month 3, we received a mysterious package from a tall man in a black trench coat. My assistant Rael brought it to me at my desk, during one of the few times I had felt comfortable sitting down. He seemed to know exactly what it was. And assumed I also knew.

It was a black box, no seams or openings, no buttons or lights or switches. The only thing of note was a silver etching of an eye marked out with an X. It was a symbol that made me shudder. I had seen it all over the textbook. I had seen it plastered on every police car and above every government building. It’s a symbol you should all know. That was the first secret.

Our own leaders were in on it. Turning a blind eye.

That was the beginning of the crack in my facade. That little pause. That miniscule choke before my answer. I noticed a glimmer of something in Rael’s eyes. Confusion. Doubt. Suspicion. Patrons not trained in this artform might miss a cue like that, but I knew I had to begin my extraction.

A week later, I exposed my taste to zeroC. One of two chemicals they used as zeroX was designated for hard candy and zeroC for soft. Only five percent of their production contained soft candy. They don’t talk about zeroC. They mix it under tables or in dark corners of the room where the light doesn’t touch them. Which leads to the second secret.

The black box was zeroC, ground up like powder to be mixed with the syrup.

I had been reading about this less popular ingredient written upside down between the lines of Jatty’s incredibly weathered textbook. Similar to the effects of LSD or DMT, but extremely more potent and infinitely more long lasting. Made with the same blood of that fantastical blue deer.

I was fearing the inevitable. My weekly tasting of the newest batch. I could not fake it. All the workers lined up to stare at me at I sat before their production table and consumed their poison. There are some things you simply cannot fake before that many eyes.

I felt the sweet juice explode in my mouth as the candy’s skin broke between my teeth. I swallowed with all the confidence of returning to my office to take a shot of my emergency counteractive medicine.

I immediately started to cry. A side effect I was not expecting. The emotion swallowed me as they all stared. Some perplexed. Some, dare I say, satisfied? I stumbled through the hallways. Rael chasing after me with a clipboard. I didn’t turn to look at him. Escaped to my office, shut the door, and locked it. Which brings me to the third and final secret.

I had been fooling no one. They knew.

Sitting behind the cherry stained mahogany desk was the real Jatty, holding the shattered remains of the syringe, which contained my antidote. Ice blue eyes magnified by the chemicals coursing through my body. Her glare pierced through my skull. I don’t know if she escaped, if I was set up, or if my extraction was on short notice. My supervisors have neglected to tell me.

But as I was there with knees buckled and tunnel vision, I saw the black shadow of a hand appear on her shoulder and she whispered.

Don’t forget this. You people have no control.

I blacked out after that. My supervisors came to collect me after some time. I felt their arms wrapped around me as they dragged me out, slipping in and out of consciousness. Unable to process the shocking and also very strange things I was hearing.

Something about not keeping the deal. Something about craving orange juice. Another thing about an early return. And another thing about wombats in space.

I was in recovery for three weeks afterwards while our physicians on hand constructed an antidote. The hallucinations have stopped, but the paranoia is still palpable. They offered me a mind wipe pill, asked me if I wanted to forget.

I told them it was impossible.

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

Officially Nowhere Ch 2

You were packing for a mission when Steve knocked on your door. You were always on high alert but more so now that SHIELD was infiltrated. Okoye assured you that you were not in danger. SHIELD didn’t even have you on their radar. You were still antsy.

You looked at your cameras and saw that he was alone. With your hand still on your gun you opened the door slowly. “Hey” he said a half smile briefly passing his lips. “Come in” you stood aside placing your weapon on the table. He didn’t speak. He dropped his bag and went to the couch.

“You planning on staying for a bit?”

He noticed your bags on the other side of the room, “I was hoping to spend a couple of days with you. But I see that I should not have assumed that would be ok. When do you leave?” “Not until tomorrow night. Normally I would love for you to stay. Some things are going down so I’ve been called away.”

You sat next to him with your legs crossed. You pat your thigh indicating that he should lie down. Once he does you rake your fingers through his hair. He hugged your knees like a pillow.

“Sam filled me in on everything. I can help you find Bucky.”

“You don’t have to get involved.”

“I want to. He needs help. You can’t do it all on your own.”

“Thank you.” You felt his tears hitting your leg. You reach down to hold his hand. “He didn’t even know me. It’s just as well. I couldn’t save him on the train and I couldn’t save him on the carrier.”

Your heart ached for this man. You wanted to take his pain away and the only thing that would take it away is finding Bucky. “We’ll find him.” you said softly.

He stayed quiet for a while. You continued finger combing his hair while he absentmindedly petted your leg. “Can we talk about you for a little bit?” he finally asked.

“What about me?”

“I did some research on the War Dogs. There wasn’t much in SHEILD’s archives. Why does Wakanda need intelligence so strategically placed?”

“Doesn’t every country implant intelligence everywhere?”

“Yeah. I suppose. But why you?”

“I told you. Good will visit when I was in the hospital. They listened to my story, decided that I had valuable skills and hired me.”

“You didn’t say you were in the hospital.”

Crap. You told Nat your whole story. You purposefully omitted all of it when talking to Steve. “Y/N, talk to me. Why were you in the hospital?” You mentally kicked yourself. You wanted to keep all of this behind you. You certainly didn’t want Steve to look at you different. He sat up to face you. “Look at me. You don’t have to tell me about your mission or why you work for a foreign government. I want to know why Sam had to save you and why you were reported dead.” You hid your face in your hands groaning. “I don’t want to tell you. God I don’t want to tell you.” You were already starting to cry. He squeezed your thigh letting you know he was listening and told him the whole story. This time you didn’t speed through like you did with Nat. You told him as many details as you could remember. He looked angry and scared. Exactly what you wanted to avoid. “Why are you in hiding?” his voice was stern. “It has nothing to do with my unit. It is because, as a War Dog, I really can’t draw attention to myself. The mission I’m going on is to track down a vibranium smuggler. He sold a lot of it and we need to know why and , more important, how he got it out of Wakanda.”

“That sounds like something we should look into.” You scoffed “‘We’ as in the Avengers? No way. You’ll make a mess of things. We have to be stealthy. When no one knows you’re alive no one is expecting you. I’m a ghost. I’m good at this. Stay out of it.” He trusted you but still made a mental note that this should remain on his radar. He’d ask Hill to check it out.

“Hey” you snapped in his face. “I mean it. Let me do my job.” “Ok! I got it. The Avengers won’t interfere. Let’s move passed this. Deal? No more heavy topics. Tell me about your life before you went into the service..” You talked for hours. You told him about your family and friends. Told stories about Sam and all of the heroic things he did. He told you about Peggy and his time in battle. You added movies and music to his list in his little notebook. You ate dinner and snuggled by the fire pit. It was going to be hard to say goodbye tomorrow. You didn’t have the heart to tell him just how deep you were going. He would worry. For now you would just savor the moments you had together and hope you would see him again.

You promised him a hike in the morning so Steve was up early. He got your packs together and went to wake you. “Hey, sleepyhead. Let’s go.” You threw the covers over your head in protest. “Oh no, ma’am. Get up or I’ll have to take you by force.” You opened one eye and said, “And how exactly do you plan to do that, Captain?” He laughed and shook his head, “You asked for it...” Little did you know, Steve had been thinking about fucking you all morning. He loved the way you looked when you were still sleeping. The blanket was barely covering you, shirt riding up exposing your back, the bottom swell of your ass just peaking out of your panties . He was already half hard. He pulled the blanket off and pinned you down in one quick motion. You wrapped your legs around his waist. “Well good morning, Captain” His facial expression was all business. “Legs down.” he said while locking his eyes on yours. You complied. With his free hand he lifted your sleep shirt. He twisted it behind your head keeping your arms in place. He sat up so he could slip your panties down. They were already wet. He ran his finger over the stickiest spot and then licked it off of his finger tip. He balled them up and grabbed your jaw forcing it open. He stuffed in your panties wet spot first. Your mouth went dry tasting yourself and laundry detergent. You tried to spit them out but he shoved them back in harder. He broke for just a minute to ask if you were ok. You nodded. He planted a quick kiss on your forehead. “We can stop any time.” Your eyes widened and you shook your head “no”. He chuckled and said, “Good.”

Your cunt was dripping. He licked a line down to you thighs. He inhaled deeply. His eyes closed lashes fluttering. The scent was intoxicating. He licked his lips bringing them close to your pussy. You could feel his breath on your skin. He slid his arm around your waist and used his thumb and forefinger to open you up. He flicked the tip of his tongue all around your clit but never quite touching it. You were aching for relief. He flattened his tongue and pressed it on your clit. It was too much. Your hips bucked and your thigh muscles quivered. Your legs tried to close. You willed them to stay open. He slid in three fingers stretching you. He pulled his face away asking, “Are you gonna cum for me? I want you to cum for me.” You moaned in response.

He lowered his head back down and sucked the defenseless swollen bud. He inserted a fourth finger and it hurt a little but in a very good way. His hand fucked you hard and fast. You couldn’t take it anymore and you released having the most intense orgasm of your life. He stood up and continued to finger you while he took his cock out. Without warning he was inside of you. All of him. The sensation was too much and you came again. “Already? Give me one more.” He fucked you harder. Your skin made a loud slapping sound. “You feel so good. Ah I’m gonna cum....fuck.....ah! Yes, y/n” He threw his head back slamming you down on him. You came too moaning against your panties. He pulled them out so your voice was unobstructed. You said his name and it sounded like a prayer. He pulled you close to his body and squeezed you tight. “Oh my God. That was amazing.” You kissed his cheek and said, “You weren’t half bad, Captain.” You both laughed. “Come on. You promised me a hike.”

You hiked for about a mile and stopped in a little clearing to have lunch. “So. How long are you gone?”

“Uhhhh I have no idea.”

“Where will you be?”

“Sokovia.”

“What’s in Sokovia?”

You rolled your eyes, “You know I can’t tell you. What’s with all the questions?”

“I guess I care about you, kid. I don’t want you to get hurt. I want to make sure you’re safe.” You gave him your warmest smile.

“I guess I care about you too. I don’t have any answers for you because I don’t know the answers. I don’t know if I can contact you. I have to go dark.”

He clenched his jaw. “So I’m just supposed to hang back and worry about you?”

“You don’t have to hang back and do anything. I’m sorry if I don’t feel any sympathy for you here. I haven’t really had anyone to answer to, Captain. I don’t plan on starting now.”

He held your hand to his chest and bent his head to kiss your finger tips. “You had better come back to me, Y/N.”

“Is that an order, sir?”

“You bet your sweet ass it is.” You stayed that way for a few more seconds. ”Do you know you said Steve and not Captain when you came that last time?” You giggled and turned yourself around so your back pressed against his chest. You rested your head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around you in a warm embrace and kissed the top of your head. “I’m not sure what we’re doing here, Steve” he hugged you tighter, “I don’t know either. I know I like you...a lot. Let’s not rush anything. Does that sound ok?”

“Sounds good to me. We need to start heading back. My ride will be here soon.” He kissed your temple, “Five more minutes.”

Steve threw his bag in the cab of his truck. “Please be safe. I’m begging you.” You kissed each other goodbye. You wanted to make it a really good one. “I’ll let you know when I get there. That’ll be the last time you hear from me for a while though.” “I know. Ok. If I don’t get in my truck right now I’m not gonna go.” You kissed one more time. He got in the truck and drove away. As he turned on to the main road he saw a chopper flying low. Must be your ride.

SOKOVIA

All roads lead from Sokovia. You were sent by King T’Chaka to track down Ulysses Klaue. It is believed that, with the help of the king’s brother, Klaue was able to smuggle a large amount of Vibranium out of Wakanda. You had to find out why. You were joined by War Dogs from London and Seoul under the cover of humanitarian relief workers. You were there for several weeks before all hell broke loose. Once the Ultron bots ascended onto the city, your team was instructed to head home. You knew Steve would be there. You asked to stay to help but your orders were clear. “This is not our fight” Okoye barked. You and your friend Grant packed the jet. You kept looking around. You were searching for him. “He’s not here yet. I would imagine the Avengers don’t know anything pertinent as of now. That amount of vibranium will level the city.”

”All the more reason we should stay to help.”

“Help how? Your boyfriend and his friends don’t want help. They only worry about their own agendas. The best way we can help is by getting out of the way.”

You boarded the jet. Before take off you sent the stolen weapons schematics to Maria Hill. Maybe you couldn’t stop Ultron but you could nudge the Avengers in the right direction.

Hill received your message. At the bottom was a note for Steve. Hill gave the information to the team.

“That’s handy information. Wonder how it landed in our laps.” Nat said smiling.

“I think this part was just for you, Cap” she handed him the note. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before reading it.

“You didn’t get this from me. You had better come back to me, Captain.

<3,

Y/F/I (your first initial)”

He smiled, folded the paper and stuffed it in his pocket.

The intention was to go back home after Wakanda but there was a lot to clean up. You hadn’t talked to Steve but, thanks to your home surveillance, you know he passed by. You weren’t ready to talk to him yet. There were talks of accords...basically a leash on the Avengers. You thought it was a solid idea. Steve wouldn’t. Just as you were about to put him out of your head you got a text from a colleague in Romania, Sergeant Barnes was spotted. You groaned and rolled your eyes. You could just forward the text to him but you knew he would call for more details. Shit. You dialed his number. It barely rang before he picked up, “Y/N? Where are you? I haven’t heard from you. I thought the worst.”

“I’m alive. I’m dealing with a mess here no thanks to you.” He heard the irritation in your voice. Best not to argue.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just happy to hear your voice. When are you coming back?”

“Soon. Look I don’t have much time to talk. Bucky is in Romania.”

“Romania? Ok. Can you meet Sam and I there? We can take him back with us...”

“No, Steve. I need a break. I’m going home. I’m not running around Eastern Europe chasing shadows. I said I would help you and I have. If I hear anything more I’ll send it your way.”

Steve was confused. You did not sound like yourself. He guessed you were upset about everything that had happened. He understood. He just wanted to see you. To hold you. “Can I see you when you get back?”

“Won’t you be in Romania?”

“It can wait.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’ll be there waiting for you.”

You found Nakia and told her you had to leave. She hugged you and got you on the first flight out. “He’s a good man, Nakia.” “The most well intentioned usually are. I hope all of this is worth it to him.” You embraced again and then got on the plane. The whole way back you were unable to rest. No one is perfect. Not even King T’Chaka could control his own brother. You supposed we were all pretty short sighted when it came to those we love.

As promised Steve was waiting for you when you got home. He took your bags and followed you in. He waited for you to speak. “I’m going to take a shower. You coming?” He smiled and bit his knuckle. He followed the trail of clothes down the hall. Once in the bathroom he stripped and got in the shower. Your mouth was on his immediately. His cock pressed firm into your hip. You reached down to start stroking him. He moaned in your mouth. He grabbed your hips, turned you around pressing your breasts against the cold tile, he lifted your leg and entered you from behind. You both came fast. Once you caught your breath you finished showering without talking. You did this little dance reserved for couples who have been together for several years. You scrubbed his back he washed your hair. This was comfortable and you didn’t want it to end. Maybe it didn’t have to.

You spent the rest of the night crossing movies off of his list. “You were right. Hans Gruber is the best movie villain.” “SEE?! I told you! Want to start Harry Potter?!” He laughed and pulled you off the couch. “Bed now. Harry Potter tomorrow.”

You rested your head on his chest. He ran his fingers up and down your spine. “Wanna talk about Sakovia?” He said yawning.

“No. It’s over and done. I do want to ask you something. You can say no. You can say it’s too soon. I know you’re looking for a place. I was wondering if you want your place to be here.” He didn’t say anything for several minutes. “Say something. Please.” “Are you asking me to move in?”

“I’m not not asking you. But if you want to then yes.”

“Yes. Yeah. I want to move in. I might have to stay at the compound sometimes. Yes.”

You smiled against his skin and he brought your hand to his lips to kiss your palm. “I wanted to say something to you too. While we were apart I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.”

“And I realized that I couldn’t miss someone so much if I didn’t love them.” He heard you snore softly. “Y/N? Damn it.” He brushed hair out of your face peaking down to see you completely asleep. “I love you, Y/N.”

You were up very early the next morning to work. You made coffee and toasted bagels. That was about as domestic as you could be at the moment. Okoye wanted a status briefing. You were waiting on her to come online when Steve wandered in. “Good morning, beautiful” he said after kissing your forehead. “Morning. There’s coffee. I’m getting ready to get on a video chat. You need to stay out of sight.” He saluted you, “Yes, ma’am.” Okoye rang in. Next to her was Prince T’Challa.

“Good morning, Mhibu. I trust you arrived home safely.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you again for the ride.”

“It is always my pleasure. Let’s get to it so the General can stop breathing down my neck.” Okoye did not look pleased. She never does.

“Y/L/N, did you deliver the package?”

“Yes, ma’am. All parties were satisfied.”

“That is good news. You missed weapons training this morning. Your aim was sloppy last time. Also, Princess Shuri perfected the range on your Kimoyo beads. We’ll send them with a messenger in a few days. Please keep them on this time. It is important for your safety.” Prince T’Challa rolled his eyes.

“Okoye, let Mhibu get back to Captain Rogers. She’ll will be back with us soon enough. I am sure you can scold her more then.” She clenched her jaw and bowed to him before marching away. “I am going to get an earful later.” You both laughed. He bid you farewell and you ended your call.

You didn’t look back at Steve who, most assuredly, had a lot of questions. “Go ahead. I know you want to ask.”

“What does Mhibu mean?”

“It’s Swahili for ‘dear one’. The Queen gave me that nickname and it stuck. Next?”

“What kind of weapons? What are Kimoyo beads...” You held your hands up asking for mercy.

“The Wakandans make weapons out of vibranium. It was likely some sort of knife or spear. Kimoyo beads contain my medical information, can start a vehicle, and can act as a communicator. I switched them off on my last mission. The General was pissed.”

“It’s like you left one army for another.”

“Yeah but this army is lead by women and the toys are much cooler.”

“I can work on your aim with you if you want. Maybe we can work on your hand to hand combat skills.”

“Captain, I am not an enhanced person. I don’t think it would be a fair fight.”

“Fine. Come back to the compound with me. No one will know you are there. You can work with Nat or Hill.”

“I don’t think so. I’m fine waiting.”

“Oh come on. It’ll be fun. I’m dying to introduce you around. Show you off a little.” You giggled to yourself. “I’m sure Sam would love to see you. Please.”

“Fine. I have about an hours worth of work to do here. If you can stop distracting me we’ll go.” He made a zipping motion over his lips and left the room.

You didn’t know why but you were nervous. Steve seemed excited almost giddy that you were meeting his friends. It was a long drive so you packed an overnight bag. The trip up was fun. You talked a lot about nothing. You played him some music you liked. You made him listen to Sgt. Pepper in its entirety. Once you got closer he could see you were anxious. He held your hand and squeezed, “Relax. You will be great.” You gave him an uneasy smile.

You pulled in and saw Sam waiting in the garage. You jumped out of the truck and he wrapped you in a bear hug.

“Look at that smile. You look good, girl. Love agrees with you.” You punched his arm, “Don’t tease me. I can take you out.”

He put his arm around your shoulder, “Come on. Everyone is waiting.” You shot a look at Steve who just shrugged.

When you walked inside most of the team was in the kitchen talking. Noticeably absent were Thor and Dr. Banner. Nat came over kissing your cheek. “Good to see you.” You looked her over, “How did everything heal up?” She flashed her skin. A small scar was visible but nothing major, “I’m amazing.” Steve wrapped an arm around your waist and said, “Can I borrow my girl?” Nat rolled her eyes but relented. Steve brought you over to meet the rest of the team. Clint and Rhodey stood and shook your hand. Vision did the same. Wanda kept her distance but was friendly. Tony came over and hugged you patting you on the back.

“Well look at this. Grandpa got himself a lady. Nice to meet you, Y/N. We have heard very little about you. It’s good to see you exist. We thought Jan over here was having himself a George Glass moment.” You laughed remembering those old episodes of “The Brady Bunch” you used to watch as a kid. Steve did not understand the reference. “ It’s from a tv show. I’ll explain why it was funny later.”

“So, friend. Are you staying for a few days?” Before you can answer Steve spoke up.

“She doesn’t want to train with me. I said I would go easy on her.” You looked back at him and scoffed. “Go easy on me? Please. I have more training than you ever had. You rely on strength and dumb luck.” Everyone laughed.

“Only one way to settle this.” Tony said pointing to the door off the kitchen.

Steve rubbed your shoulders and took a very condescending tone, “Baby, you don’t want all of this.”

“That sounds like a challenge.” Sam teased

“It sure did” you said as you tied your hair back. Clint clapped his hands twice, “We have ourselves a fight, ladies and gentleman.”

Tony payed out some ground rules. “Ok. Classic take downs only. No hitting below the belt. And please, Y/N don’t mess up Cap’s pretty face huh?” Your face was serious. You squared off and crouched planning your first move.

“Come on, Y/N. Make a move.” You remained calm and quiet. You blocked out the chatter in the room and focused on Steve. He kept urging you to strike. He was trying to get in your head. Just like you and Okoye practiced, you pounced. You lead with your shoulder driving it into his abdomen catching him off guard. You dropped and swept his knee knocking him on his ass. He hit the mat hard and everyone cheered. In one swift movement you were on his chest pinning his shoulders to the mat.

“I underestimated you” Steve said out of breath “I won’t make that mistake again.” He took you to the ground and grabbed the neck of your shirt which is exactly what you wanted him to do. You fought hard to free one of your hands. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. You grabbed his left hand with your right hand, twisted and applied enough force to really hurt his wrist. You had him locked in place. His only option was to roll and throw you off which might really hurt you. He felt like that might be a dick move. Damn this hurts! He thought to himself. With that he tapped. You let him go and collapsed. Your heart raced and you coughed while trying to fill your lungs with air. He helped you up and patted your back “You ok?” You did not feel this was a deserved victory. “Yeah fine. You let me win.”

“I did not. You are a tough little cookie.” You elbowed him in the gut. “Don’t patronize me, Captain.”

Tony handed you a towel. High fives all around from the team. “You need a beer, kid?” Sam asked. “Like ten of them.” You went back into the kitchen. Clint and Rhodey recounted your fight praising your take down skills. Nat hung behind with Steve who was wiping down the mat.

“You ok, Cap?”

“Fine. Only thing hurting is my pride.”

“You deserved it you know.”

“Did I?”

“You called her a weakling in front of your friends. Lucky she’s not me. I would have stabbed you.”

Back in his room you were getting ready for bed. Nat and Clint promised to spar with you first thing. Since they are not enhanced in any way you felt like your skill set was fairly even. Steve sat on the bed untying his shoes. You passed in front of him silently going back and forth from your bag to the bathroom. He watched you thinking of what to say.

The next time you passed he grabbed your arm, “Would you look at me?”

“Nope. Let me go, please.” He loosened his grip still holding your hand.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you in front of everyone. I was only joking and didn’t think it would hurt your feelings.” You pulled your hand free and went back into the bathroom locking the door behind you.

He got into bed deciding to give you space. Once you washed your face you were able to calm down a little. You got into bed and laid on his chest. He hugged you close. “Where did I go wrong?” you played with the draw string on his shorts and finally said, “Back at my house when you offered to work on my aim with me.”

“Damn it. I knew it. And when I teased you in the kitchen I just made it ten times worse didn’t I?”

“Yep.”

“I really am sorry. Do you forgive me?” he said pouting. You rolled your eyes. “Do you think you’re cute?”

“I mean a little.” He flashed that heart stopping smile again and pulled you in for a kiss.

“Of course I forgive you.” You kissed him again.

“Hey. I was trying to tell you something last night and you fell asleep before I could finish.” He cleared his throat. You rested your head on your hand so you could see his face better. He looked nervous. He started again. “I was thinking about when we were apart how much I missed you. I thought that the only way I could miss someone that much is if I loved them. So...that’s what I wanted to say.” Your heart skipped a beat. “You wanted to say you love me?”

“Well yeah. I love you, Y/N. I didn’t know if it was possible to love someone this much but I do.” You climbed on top of him and kissed him deeply. His hands were on your back rubbing gently. You pulled away, “I love you too, Steve.” You spent the rest of the night showing him just how much.

[kendrixtermina]

One thing that felt uncomfortable to go along with in the CF route for me was when Edelgard lies about what happened at Arianrhod to her closest allies (Black Eagle Strike Force) and blames it on the church. Can you give some insight as to why she does this? Especially when Edelgard criticizes the church for lying to the people of Fodlan, but isn’t she doing it here?

That’s certainly a moment that is genuinely ambiguous / a valid point of criticism and something I’d laud a whistleblower for exposing if it were a RL politician, but also the sort of realpolitik / appearance management that has taken place in most RL wars. 

Once you’re the leader of anything, allowing panic, division, etc. at bad moments comes with its costs. Of course this is hardly a carte blanche (see: Beating down legit protesters for superficial “order”), but neither is it a factor that can be ignored completely.

At the point of the Arianrhod attack Edelgard was one month away from seizing control of the landmass and ending the large-scale fighting, having one enemy taken out (the Church) and being able to turn all her resources on the other (the Agarthans)

The agarthans at this point know they’re losing control of Edelgard and they’re not stupid enough to have any illusions about her loyalty. So they fire a warning shot to demonstrate their superior weaponry. Arundel makes a thinly veiled threat to fire it on Enbarr. 

Of course at this point he basically gave away his location and allowed Edelgard & Hubert to come up with countermeasures, but they don’t want him to know that yet, their strategy involves that they keep being underestimated, let the Agarthans keep thinking that the “beasts” have no counter for the nukes pointed at their heads. 

But they still destroyed half a fortress killing the ppl inside. If she reveals that she’s got a rogue faction infiltrating her ranks that’s firing frightening superweapons nilly willy, there will be chaos outrage and disunity right before the final battle. If she doesn’t make a statement at all and declares it a mystery, no one will believe it and her own faction will get the blame throughout the country. So what does she do? Pin it on the enemy she is currently fighting anyways. The purpose here is not to reveal the Agarthan situation too early so they can focus on the church for now. 

It’s unclear if this was ever revealed to the public (probably not, I don’t think she’d cause a stir on principle alone) but the ending cards make it quite clear that the Strike Force was let in on the Agarthan situation later and helped her mop them up. 

Yeah, it’s defamation, an indisputable  textbook government cover up and maybe even technically a kind of propaganda, but her casus belli existed before it’s not like she’s basing it on the lie, and in most wars throughout history the factions have hidden or made a spin of failures & mishaps and made the enemy look bad. 

There are certainly many historical examples of such actions creating problems, such as fueling lingering resentments or creating general mistrust that can led to real information not being believed etc. so it’s by no means a safe action that is no big deal and I can see how it could be a legit dealbreaker for some, you certainly weren’t supposed to be 100% comfortable with it, or anything on the CF route, everyone involves is well aware that they’re doing ugly, costly things because (or so they see it) the alternatives are all worse. In that sense it’s the most self-aware one. It’s about actually looking at the bottom line of consequences, not what makes you feel like a hero. 

At the same time, doing things like that that squander her moral credibility genuinely IS a flaw in Edelgard’s leadership style - it’s probably why more ppl didn’t believe her manifesto, “she already lied to us cooperating with these shady guys”, making it look like a ‘he said she said’ situation to the wider public that can’t go & confirm the evidence for themselves. This is why Claude thinks he has a better shot at winning& implementing reforms in VW (”too shady for the ppl to get behind”) - just like Dimitri has no plans and Claude’s secrecy creating mistrust even when his secret plan is utterly benevolent.  Doesn’t matter how altruistic you are if you look suspicious it will have consequences I mean that’s how she loses on the other rouses, everyone ganks up on her cause she antagonized them all with suspicious actions. I’m not saying she’s any more perfect than the other 2. 

but putting that on the same scale as what Rhea did is comparing a candle to the sun. 

And maybe the Kantians in the audience will disagree with me but it can be a bit unhelpful to classify different actions of vastly different consequence and magnitude as “Lies”. There is a common principle (telling things that aren’t exactly true) but different magnitude. Clearly “The Confederacy was all great and glorious” and “I totally didn’t eat my little sister’s share of toffees” aren’t on the same level of immorality. 

Neither is below the “everythings fine and dandy” line but one is a lie about one incident for one clear purpose, and the other is creating a whole fake world view for the express purpose of control, maintaining harmful systems, suppressing any advancement of science & technology... for 1000 years. 

Scale, purpose and consequences are totally different. The arianrhod coverup coming to light would spark controversy & discussion on wether she should have done it under those circumstances; Some might change their opinion about her but overall everyone already knew that she’s not above dirty methods. If you told the average citizen of Fodland about all of Rhea’s lies, everything they know would be wrong. They would go from Adoring & worshipping her to being very confused about what’s true. 

It’s the difference between your average modern-day politician doing backroom deals with diverse industry lobbies to accomplish their other goals, and a place like Saudi Arabia. 

To get perspective here, let’s look at another example: Claude’s deceptions. 

He, too, ultimately wants what’s best for everyone and a lot of the time he decides to fool people to avoid fighting them, I don’t mean to bash him at all, but let’s look at his actions in and of themselves: 

Look at the sequence where he, Hilda & Byleth rope the church into helping them - that’s even more outright with the slimy politician tactics: He tries to downplay alliance involvement though he is totally in control, he says that “getting the church on our side will make fighting the empire look like a moral cause” implying that he doesn’t think it is one but wants to portray it as one to get ppl’s support, we’re told he made lots of promises to the merchants to get them on his side (so like that’s literal lobbyists), he installs Byleth as a figurehead, he tells the church ppl he wants to help them get back their old power when he really wants it to diminish and to drastically reorder the society.

He tells everyone he’ll help them save Rhea but while he still has basic human empathy for her & what happened to her he makes it clear he doesn’t want her to go back to being archbishop... at all. He even does this with Byleth: “Yeah, sure, teach we’re totally gonna save her”  though in their case he tries to hint that she’s not to be trusted for their own good. Despite his dishonesty, he’s actually a very good friend to them imho. (#broTP)

In the end the power struggle between Claude and Edelgard isn’t personal nor a righteous struggle - he’s just taking advantage of the chaos she caused and he needs the seat of power to reach his own goal. He thinks he can do it better and she’s in the way (and to be fair, she thinks the same about him) 

It’s your classic slimy politician: “he’s pretending to be for family values etc thing but really he wants power & is in cahoots with economic interests and he won’t do what he promised” etc. ... except with the plot twist that he’s deeply good and not actually all that ruthless.   In a sense he’s as much a total subverted trope as Edelgard.

So doesn’t he have the right to criticise Rhea either? Or do you see how, while not per perfect, he’s miles better and not remotely the same?

Edelgard isn’t 100% truthful, but by and large, she made her intentions very clear with the pamphlets and stuff (even if it meant antagonizing ppl who were against that) and all her soldiers generally know what they’re fighting for and are going to get out of it if they support her, or what the consequences will be if they fail, even if she kept some of the “how” to herself. 

Which isn’t to say that Claude ever makes ppl act against their interests even if it’s sometimes what he sees as their interests.

Under Rhea’s rule no one knew what the government’s doing, why it’s doing it, or to some degree, even that she IS the government... for 1000 years. There’s some cult of personality going on. She probably genuinely believes that it does benefit the sheeple to be “guided” by her, but she hasn’t even told Seteth about all she’s doing, she’s pretty much accountable to no one.

In terms of honesty, we could probably rank the lords like this: 

Dimitri (a few omissions at worst)

Seteth (lies mostly out of self-preservation)

Edelgard (some convenient secrecy here & there)

Yuri (about the same as El but I’d put him slightly higher for the fake betrayal) 

Claude (no one rly knows what he’s up to, but he gets ppl what he promised them and doesn’t outright betray them)

(very)

(big)

(gap)

Rhea (fake history, isolationist bubble, abuse of power left & right, manipulation, will smile in your face while planning to make you a meat puppet for her mom)

[justasparkwritings]

Codename Cupid: Chapter 4

Previous: Daddy’s Favorite & The First Date

Pairing: Kim Seokjin X OFC

Genre: Light Angst, Secret AgentAU, AgentAU, Light College AU

Rating: PG13

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: Swearing, Very minor mention of consensual sex 

Summary: Kim Seokjin meets the deciders of his fate, and the demise of his relationship. 

Codename: The First Heartbreak

Winter, Junior Year

          Kim Seokjin and Lee Euna began their courtship on the pretense of getting to know each other more for the sake of their economics project. What Seokjin hadn’t expected, was to fall into bed with Euna, to hold her hand on campus, to discuss New Year’s celebrations and date nights at the ballet or symphony. Euna knew how to wine and dine, sweeping Seokjin up in what he could only describe as a whirlwind romance. She wanted to ensnare him, to make her life so irresistible, he couldn’t breathe without her. The plan would’ve worked too, if Kim Namjoon hadn’t stepped in.

         It was late one Thursday in the middle of January, snow had fallen across campus coating it in a freezing blanket, when Seokjin arrived at his car. Resting gently on the dashboard was a note with a simple location, somewhere up town, no signature. Terrified by the thought of what would happen to him if he didn’t go, horrified by the thoughts of what might happen if he did go, Seokjin sat in his car, hands frozen to the steering wheel, eyes wide in shock. He had no good options.

         Turning his car on, blasting the heat and whatever podcast he had started in the library, Seokjin drove cautiously to the location. He could turn on find my friends, sending his location to his brother. He could call his brother, and ask to mute himself, so that he could hear whatever happened. He could just wait in his car, unmoving until someone came and got him. That seemed like the best option. Wait an hour or so before leaving and hoping to never find a note perfectly placed, with his name on it, in his locked car ever again.

         The best laid plans are always turned to shit, and as the minutes ticked by, an ever-present shadow kept growing. At first Jin thought it was an optical illusion, a trick of the light, but as it moved closer and closer, he became aware that it was in fact a man. A man rivaling his height, though shoulders less broad, and lips far from pouty, dressed in all black, his eyes cast down at Seokjin.

         “Kim Seokjin, glad you made it,” He said, reaching for the handle of the door, he opened it.

         “Who are you?” Jin asked.

         The man shook his head and nodded towards the building behind them, practically windowless, it stood stories high. How a warehouse could look so majestic confused him, never had he seen a building like this before. Exiting his vehicle, he paused.

         “Do you want the note?”

         “No, we won’t be here tomorrow,” The man said as he walked towards the building. Matching his strides, Jin followed. He watched the man enter a code and have his retinas scanned before they stepped into the building. The darkness was only alleviated by small lights along the floorboards, guiding them to another locked door. Jin didn’t dare speak, only watched in astonishment.

         This couldn’t be happening.

         “Have a seat,” The man said before following his own directions.

         “Who are you?” Seokjin asked, eyes trying to make sense of the dimly lit room.

         “Welcome, Kim Seokjin, to OT7,” The lights were raised and Jin gasped. Not only was he seated at a large conference table, but it was now clear that there were two other men, dressed in black, looking like the Korean Mafia.

         “Um, hello,” Seokjin nodded, staring at them.

         “I am Kim Namjoon,” The first man said, his bleach blonde hair neatly quaffed back, exposing his forehead and spectacles. “I am glad you received my note. This is the team,”

         “Min Yoongi, head of cyber intelligence, coding and security,” Yoongi said, eyes blinking quickly.  

         “Jung Hoseok, forgery and documentation,” Hoseok informed.

         “We have brought you here for a specific reason,” Namjoon said.

         “Okay,” Jin was still confused.

         “You are friendly with Lee Euna,” Namjoon began.

         “Yes,” Jin answered.

         “You’re a scholar of economics and finance,” Namjoon continued.

         “Yes,” Seokjin nodded, nothing was connecting.

         “We want you to join our team,” Hoseok said. “Want is the wrong word, you are joining our team.”

         “What team is that?” Jin was still confused.

         “OT7, we are a highly trained, highly specialized group of agents tasked with protecting the world from the scum of the earth,” Yoongi said, sitting back in his chair.

         “We look out for the good of the world,” Namjoon simplified. “It sounds nebulous, but I guarantee it is far more simplistic than you think.”

         “Why me?” Seokjin whispered.

         “You have been on our radar for years, and this year you stepped up to demonstrate your skills,” Namjoon told him.

         “We need a member on the team who can analyze the trade, monitor our marks and watch for any concerning trades,” Yoongi clarified.

         “More importantly, we need you to help us infiltrate the Lee family,” Hoseok spoke up, eyes moving from Yoongi’s to Namjoon’s, “That’s why he’s here, we don’t need to drag this out, the guy looks scared shitless.”

         “Infiltrate the Lee family?” Seokjin repeated. “That’s, how?”

         “You two are dating,” Yoongi said.

         “Sure,” Jin nodded.

         “To be direct, we need everything you have on Lee Euna and her family,” Hoseok said.

         “I don’t have much, I mean, I don’t know anything about their business,” Seokjin’s eyes widened, still confused how he had managed to find himself here.

         “Here’s how this is going to work,” Namjoon said. “You are going to work with us, you are going to be onboarded and brought into this organization. Then, you are going to tell us every last detail you have on Lee Euna. Finally, the second most essential part of this plan, you are going to break her heart so that Yoongi can put her back together, gain access to her computer and plant various tracking software. With the information Yoongi gathers, you will spend your days analyzing their business models, following their stock and going over every financial record we have access to. Do you have any questions?”

         “She loves me,” Seokjin’s eyes were wide, this was more preposterous than anything he’d seen in the business world.

         “All the better reason to end it now,” Yoongi said.

         “It’s, it’s almost Valentine’s Day, she loves Valentin’s Day,” Seokjin was pleading.

         “Even better,” Yoongi responded.

         “Why me?” Jin asked again.

         “Can you find me someone more intelligent, more equipped?” Namjoon questioned.

         “I’ve never broken someone’s heart,” Seokjin said, more to himself than to the other men.

         “There’s a first time for everything,” Hoseok replied, tone gentle.  

         “Who are you again?” Seokjin repeated.

         “Who are we,” Namjoon corrected, “OT7, your new family.”

         “Welcome, you’re gonna love it,” Hoseok said laughing.

         “Hoseok will pick you up tomorrow after your final class and bring you to our headquarters where we will begin your onboarding process. You will finish school early-

         “How?” Jin interrupted.

         “Summer school. You will quit your part time job and spend every waking moment not in class at headquarters. You have much to learn,” Namjoon finished.

         “I’ll have your new phone ready for you tomorrow, bring your computer so I can fix whatever shit software you’ve got on it and amp up security,” Yoongi informed him.

         “Am I, am I in danger?” Seokjin asked.

         “No, you’re not. Yoongi has a new trainee tailing you, so if anything goes wrong, he’ll be there,” Namjoon answered.

         “Who?” Jin asked.

         “That’s for us to know.” Yoongi smirked.

         “In any official documents, you will hence forth be referred to as-

         “Worldwide Handsome,” Yoongi suggested, a glint of terror in his eyes.

         “Codename WWH,” Namjoon nodded, “We use code names for every mission, need to know basis.”

         “Okay,” Seokjin said, eyes trying to focus on his new family. “What’s this mission called?”

         “The First Heartbreak,” Hoseok said, “I’m in charge of naming missions.”

         “Your task, before Hoseok picks you up, is to break up with Codename Cupid.” Namjoon instructed, voice harsh.

         “By tomorrow?”

         “Yes,” Namjoon answered.

~~~~~

         Seokjin drove until his gas tank was on empty, fear and confusion coursing through him. They, OT7, hadn’t given him much information, only his task: break up with Euna. Seokjin had never broken up with someone before, never watched the realization that the two of them weren’t building something come crashing down, gloss forming over their eyes as they tried to remain calm. He’d never hurt someone. He’d also never had a code name or been in some secret government organization. Was it a government organization? They hadn’t said. That was even more worrisome, expecting Hoseok to pick him up to take him to his first of what he assumed was many onboarding sessions. These men, the four of them, must be child prodigies, must be highly intelligent or bred to be in these positions. He couldn’t figure out how he fit into their plan, only that he had to.

         Barely sleeping, he trudged through his classes, absentmindedly taking notes, counting down the hours until he had to break up with Euna, and then promptly hop into a car with a man he barely knew, Hoseok. Euna texted frequently, concerned over his lack of communication, and was excited to see him over coffee.

         “Jinnie,” Euna called as she stepped into the coffee shop. Seokjin, having turned on voice recording, set his phone face down on the table.

         “Euna,” He said, refusing to call her by any pet name. It was a trait about him she found frustrating, his inability to verbalize his affection. She loved him, she could say it, she could identify the feeling within her body, but Jin? Never said, never tried to say it, just grateful that she wanted to spend time with him.

         “How are you? Where have you been?” Euna asked.

         “Just really busy,” Seokjin shrugged, closing himself off to her.

         “Oh?” Euna could see through his lie.

         “Yeah, and I’ve been thinking,”

         “I made reservations for Valentine’s day, it’ll be our 5-month anniversary too,” Euna sipped her latte, eyes bright but questioning.

         “About that, Euna, I’ve been thinking, and I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” Seokjin said. On his long drive around town, he practiced his speech. The words, written by Namjoon, had been kind and direct.

         “What?” Euna’s voice dropped. She hadn’t been expecting this.

         “I need to focus on my work, and with Dr. Cho asking me to TA this semester and next spring, and with the option to TA two sections next year, I need to focus. All my time needs to be directed at my work. I am graduating early, and I just don’t have the time to be in a relationship. I’m sorry, Euna, I really am.”

         Euna sat silently, eyes boring holes in the tabletop, her coffee forgotten. Hadn’t they been falling in love? Weren’t they planning a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend? Roses and chocolates and champagne at one of the hotels her parents owned, overlooking the city? Wasn’t he going to tell her that he loves her?

         “I can’t believe this,” She whispered, a tear dropping from her eye. “I thought we were moving forward, falling in love.”

         “I don’t know if I was,” Jin said.

         It was in that moment that Euna felt herself shattering. She wiped the stray tear away before setting her eyes on her now ex-boyfriend.

         “I trust you’ll be cordial in social situations,” Euna said.

         “Of course,” Jin nodded, his gut reaction to reach for her hand gone as he took in her downcast features.

         “Goodbye Seokjin,” Euna stood, staring into her full coffee cup.

         “Goodbye Euna,” Seokjin responded.

         On the drive to headquarters, Seokjin blindfolded, he listened to the droll of the radio. Hoseok didn’t say much as they meandered through the streets, onto the freeway and off. It was hard to tell what the actual directions was and what Hoseok was doing to throw him off. If only he knew how poor Seokjin’s sense of direction was.

         “WWH, you can take your blindfold off,” Hoseok said, putting the car in park.

         “Is this how it’s going to be?” Seokjin asked.

         “For the first month or so, then you’ll prove yourself and get to drive,” Hoseok responded.  

         “How did you get into this, group? Organization?” He was unsure what to call it, unsure what it even was.

         “Ah, that’s a story for another time,” Hoseok guided him towards the elevator. Having his retina scanned, the doors opened, and they stepped in.

         “Namjoon’s in charge?” Seokjin asked.

         “Yes,” Hoseok nodded.

         “He’s younger than me,” Jin stated.

         “Yes,” Hoseok replied.

         “Is he-

         “A genius?” Hoseok smiled.

         “Yeah,” Jin nodded.

         “Yes,” Hoseok nodded again.

         “Are all of you-

         “Gifted?”

         “Yeah,”

         “Yes,” Hoseok looked at him, knowing full well his response answered the unaskable question.

         “How did you-

         “All in good time, Mr. Handsome,” Hoseok winked and stepped off the elevator, glancing at the empty reception desk before turning down a hallway.

         “We’re briefing you before Yoongi takes over.”

         “Yoongi?”

         “Did you bring your phone and computer?” Yoongi asked, making his way towards the men.

         “Yes, I did,” Seokjin handed over the devices.

         “I didn’t ask if you have any other devices, iPad, tablet, anything,” Yoongi was busy looking over the material, not paying Seokjin any attention as he pulled off bar codes and shut down the machines.

         “No, no tablet,” Jin answered.

         “You do all that economics work, on this singular computer?” Yoongi questioned, disbelief in his voice.

         “I have a monitor-

         “Fuck, bring it tomorrow,”

         “Ah, Worldwide Handsome, have a seat,” Namjoon said entering Yoongi’s office. “I trust it you slept horribly?”

         “Absolutely horribly, worst night’s sleep,” Seokjin shook his head.

         Eyeing the dark circles adorning Seokjin’s face, Namjoon spoke softly, “You didn’t go straight home yesterday.”

         “Uh, no, I didn’t.”

         “Did you follow through on your orders?” Namjoon questioned.

         “Yes,”

         “Yoongi, send the voice memo and print the transcription,” Namjoon directed.

         “I’ll listen and transcribe it, give me 5 minutes,” There was no further discussion, Hoseok stood and moved to his office across the hall.  

         “Mm, let’s talk about Lee Euna,” Namjoon led Seokjin into a conference room on the opposite glass wall of Yoongi’s office. The exposed brick was laced with a variety of greenery, plants of all species crawling up the walls and windowsills.  

         “Alright,” Seokjin sat down, his heart moving his center of gravity to easily meet the cushion of the office chair.

         “How long have you known her?” Namjoon asked.

         “I’ve known of her since freshman year, but only became acquainted with her this fall when we became partners in Dr. Cho’s class.”

         “Who asked who to be partners?” Namjoon pressed.

         “She asked me,” Seokjin replied.

         “Any idea why?”

         “No,” Jin shrugged, he’d been wondering the same thing since she asked.

         “When did you begin dating?”

         “November,” Jin answered.

         “Two and a half months after the project began?” Namjoon clarified.

         “Yes,”

         “How is she, as a business partner?”

         “She knows a lot more than she lets on, about everything,” He shrugged.

         “What did you know of her family before you started seeing each other?”

         “They are one of the most elusive and public family’s in the world,” Namjoon started, “They have billions, donate to charity, and have hands in every aspect of the financial system, both in the states and globally.”

         “What do you know now?” Hoseok asked, setting the transcription in front of Namjoon.

         “Euna doesn’t talk about her family much…”

         “What do you know?” Namjoon asked again.

         “Dae-Seong is the devil incarnate, angry and vindictive, abusive to all three siblings. Jun-Seo is flirtatious and rambunctious, takes his job very seriously. Kwan-Min is much like Jun-Seo, and the two are inseparable.”

         “How does Euna relate to them?” Hoseok wondered.

         He took a seat next to Namjoon and stared at the greenery. Seokjin hadn’t spent enough time with him to understand the full duality of Hoseok, but he had the feeling there was more to him than met his eye.

         “She doesn’t, Dae-Seong has made it clear that she is the golden maknae of the family, and everyone should bow at her feet. He hates her and has made it his mission to turn the other two against her as well. When they announced she would take over the company –

         “They didn’t announce that,” Namjoon interrupts, eyes darting to Hoseok.

         “I thought they-

         “YOONGI!” Namjoon yelled, voice rattling the glass separating them from the coder.

         “Aye, what?” Yoongi asked, stepping into the room.

         “Lee Euna is set to become the next CEO of Lee Enterprises,”

         “Says who?” Yoongi shot back.

         “Mr. Handsome,” Hoseok said.

         “Is that really how I’m going to be addressed?” Seokjin rolled his eyes.

         “Yes,” Hoseok smiled.

         “It’s not in any papers or reports, no internal memos, nothing. No one has that information. Are you sure, Lee Euna is set to become CEO?” Yoongi stared at Seokjin, wondering if this string bean was holding the key to the gates of paradise.

         “She said it one night, we were talking about the future and jobs,” Jin informed them.

         “Did she offer you a job at Enterprises?” Namjoon demanded.

         Seokjin glanced from man to man, anger and frustration in their eyes. “Yeah, but I said that would be weird… We haven’t been together that long.”

         A pause filled the room, air the only thing exchanging between the men. Jin couldn’t tell if he had just fucked up, or royally fucked up.

         “Did she say when?” Yoongi asked.

         “No, probably a few years after graduation, her dad wants her to spend more time actual in the company before she takes over,” Jin answered.

         “Mm,” Namjoon nodded, his rage ebbing as he broke down the information. “What does that do for our plan?”

         “What’s the plan?” Seokjin asked.

         “Oh, Worldwide Handsome, you have so much to learn.”

Next: Searching for Seokjin