#i am about to become homicidal fr

[bolithesenate]

i genuinely want to tear someones throat out with my teeth

[unabashednightmarepizza]

𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑠, 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡 8

Tagging: @augustwithquills, @idohknow @bloody-mf-bsc

Liked by freddycarter1, benbarnes, jessie_mei_li and 998,052,762 others

shadowandbone: A big thank you for our lovely Y/N Y/L/N- Barnes and her success! We are proud to have you and witness your art and talent from up close!

And a big thank you to the fans, who helped and supported us in this journey of winning not one but 4 awards in one night! We couldn't have done it without any of you!

And no, this definetly not her proud husband writing this.

View 696,357 comments

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: I will never get used to being called that name 🫠

jessie_mei_li: you both are such simps I'm gonna puke🤢😜😝

kittheyounger: ı'm gonna have cavities because of their sweetness... Who knew she loved being called "Barnes"?

freddycarter1: probably her husband?? And no, benbarnes, we don't wanna know the details... the last time terrorized me 😧😨😳

User5: First Y/N and now Ben... I knew they had the password!

User8: BIG CONGRATS TO OUR GIRL AND EVERYONE WHO WORKED HARD!🫡😎

User4: so proud to watch you all!

amita_suman: Don't let the picture decieve you, the bouquet is way bigger 😁

freddycarter1: I guess Ben's simping's proof is very obvious 😎

User11: our girl deserved every single one of them, alongside other ones she got! Must be hard to try to find a place to put them in their house where her babies can't reach lol

User2: Mother is mothering again. Slayed with that dress as usual.😎🫦

User9: fr, I bet my ass everyone was jealous of her because she is pretty, succesfull, happy, has a gorgeous husband and even more gorgeous and cute children... The list could go on.

User6: Ben must be damn proud of his wife. I think I saw him shed a tear while he clapped loudly for her 🥹

User13: the fact that Ben forgets his own password but uses this account freely baffles me... Girl, is he using your phone again?

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: No, surprisingly enough he isn't.

User3: WE CAUGHT HER, SHE HAS BEEN THE USER OF THIS ACCOUNT

User7: 🚨🚨🚨 OPEN THE DOOR Y/N WE HAVE THINGS TO TALK ABOUT

Liked by benbarnes, pascalispunk, jennaortega and 5,908,632 others

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: Only one minute... One minute I left him with our baby girl and he did this. I mean... She looks hilarious and Ben is very proud of his work but did you have to make her like that? She will look at these pictures one day!

View 562,512 comments

User3: Ben's cheeky grin, knowing that he wouldn't take sofa punishment is more hilarious djdjddj But babygirl Barnes looks so happy 🥹❤️

User6: His shirt was a paid actor lol

User18: That's why babies shouldn't be left with fathers, without guidance... It's never guaranteed if the baby would be glued to the ceiling or lost in the blankets lol

User3: Why does she look like she could take part as the baby in Adams Family? That joyous, blonde baby in fhe movies I mean??

User8: LoL I can see the resemblance now djsjdj she is cute tho I just want to squish her cheeks!

User3: so true! I don't like babies, but babygirl Barnes is an exception.

User6: she is the only baby, including their son, that I would gladly commit homicide for

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: As much as I am glad I have an army of protective SIBLINGS for my children, let's not do that 😅

User16: Is that a little bit of belly I see?? Dadbod!Ben??? Anyone?

User6: Okay but... Is it just me or did Ben become more happy and attractive ever since having a family?

user17: Only the best wishes to your family!

Liked by Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes, freddycarter1, pascalispunk and 6,784,231 others

benbarnes: The other half of my soul, my beutiful wife, the mother of our children and the joy of our chaotic yet happy family... There are many titles you have but the best one for me is Mrs.Barnes, happy anniversaries, darling. All the memories we made together (including yes, the mess in the kitchen many times we cooked together) is nothing but perfection to me. My only wish for the future is to be able to make more with our children.

I love you so much ❤️

Comments are restricted

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes: I'm the happiest I ever was, my love. Thank you for the joy you brought me, thank you for being my husband and the father of our children. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you 💐🥹❤️💓

[mattchase82]

REVELATIONS MADE BY THE SIX DEMONS DURING THE EXORCISM OF ANNELIESE MICHEL: AKA THE REAL EMILY ROSE

.

What Lucifer said:-

.

"I want to conquer the earth for myself. In the meantime, I make a rich booty. I am filling up my kingdom. I take whatever I can take, I must convince you of this".

.

"The majority have abandoned the Nazarene. How foolish! Those still faithful are a small flock".

.

"I took Judas with me! He is always at my service. He is damned. He could have saved himself, but he has not followed the Nazarene".

.

"The enemies of the Church belong to us".

.

"O, if you had an idea of how things stand below! The visionary children of Fatima have seen it. If you had an idea..... you would be on your knees day and night at the tabernacle. I had to say it because the High Lady compels me to". The 'High Lady' refers to Our Lady.

.

Fr Renz asks Lucifer - "You are responsible for heresies, eg those of Kung!". Lucifer replies - " Yes and we have still more".

.

Lucifer said - "The priests should say that I exist. Or else they will all go down!"

.

Today, hardly anyone believes any longer in the Immaculate Conception. And the Church? At present, most believe it is only a community. The modernists are killing it evermore. We are hard at work at this, and we throw much poison into the Church, so it might be discredited. By now, those who believe in the Church and are faithful and believe in Her [teachings] are very few. The rosary? They think it is "modern". Many believe that after life, everything is finished. These are very many, and they live accordingly, because they do not pray any longer. Sins reach Heaven: but the thing will not last long. The one of 1917 [the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima] said it. But only a few have listened to her. Death, tribulations, and famine, O yes, they will surely come again!”

.

What Judas said:-

.

"I am damned for eternity! You careless people, if you could just imagine what it is to be damned for eternity! I am damned!

.

"I will not come out of the girl. Down there, it is too tormenting".

.

"If people knew what was in store for them by not going to church! It will fair them extremely bad".

.

"These modernists are the result of my work and they already belong to me".

.

"They no longer obey the Pope in Rome. It is the one in Rome who still keeps the Church going".

.

"Humanae Vitae is also with no result. It is useless"

.

"The religious in monasteries watch TV and don't pray enough, do not kneel down and they extend their paws (ie, receive Holy Communion in the hand).

.

What Cain said:-

.

"I have killed my brother. I am burning"

.

What Hitler said:-

.

"Men are so beastly stupid! They believe that after death all is finished. But life goes on, either up or down"

.

What Father Fleischmann said:-

.

"I was a priest at Ettleben. I am damned. It is horrible down there. Judas pulled me down there".

.

" I am damned because I fulfilled my duties very badly"

.

"I have killed 1 person and I had women".

.

"I prayed too little. I was always in a hurry to finish my sacred duties. Now, I am down there languishing for eternity".

.

"No priests should marry".

.

"If the bishops did not permit communion in the hand, this would not have happened" (this refers to consecrated hosts being sold).

.

What Nero said:-

.

"You should follow the message of Fatima!"

.

"Humanae Vitae is decisive, the whole Humanae Vitae!"

.

"The rosary should be recited, or else it is the end!"

.

Fr Renz asks about Bishop Lefebvre. Lucifer replies, "Ha! That one! But they don't believe in him. What a pity".

.

Miscellaneous things the demons said:-

.

"The modernists are killing the Church. We are hard at work at this".

.

"No one speaks any longer of us, especially the parish priests".

.

"The bishops are so foolish as to believe the theologians like Kung rather than the Pope."

.

"This is the month of the rosary but very few recite it, because the parish priests think it's not modern. They are so foolish! If they knew its importance! It is a strong weapon against Satan and against us."

.

Nero said, "The Dutch bishops are heretics. They have become unfaithful to the Pope!"

.

"Catholics have the true doctrine and they run after the Protestants like prostitutes!"

.

"There in the synods, they continue to deliberate. The bishops already know what they should do. There would be no need of synods if they followed the Pope. For them the Pope is foolish! They are those who let that thing (the host) be given in the hands!"

.

"The doctrine is falsified in the Church!"

.

"Many do not go to church any longer. No one kneels down to the Blessed Sacrament. And the Church is not doing well since the time it was founded. The churches are so modern! The Nazarene and His Mother are now attacking!"

.

"People should go to confession".

.

Judas says, "The giving of Communion in the hand was my work".

.

"Holy water should come back to houses! Also, the crucifix should return to its place in the home".

.

"The Holy Face should be venerated!"

.

"It is very important to pray to St Joseph. Rather it is most important!".

.

"If the message of Fatima is not given due importance and Humanae Vitae, a new punishment will come".

.

"It won't last much longer. The chastisement is coming".

.

"The contents of the audio cassette must beforehand be made public. Many will yet be saved."

.

"Guardian angels are day and night near you, behind you. Today people do not believe in guardian angels. Guardian angels are my enemies. I hate them."

.

Nero said, "Abortion is homicide"

.

Lucifer said, "The apparitions of San Damiano and Montechiari are true. The Church did not approve them, but this is the fruit of our work."

.

Judas said, "People standing during Holy Communion pleases me more than kneeling. I do everything possible that no one be on his knees."

.

In 1975, Judas also said, "We are very happy with the new reforms. We are most happy with these changes."

.

"ABORTION AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH MONTH (THE ABORTION TAKES PLACE), IS MURDER AND THAT THE THINGS, THE EMBRYOS, DO NOT REACH THE VISION OF GOD. BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT BAPTIZED.

.

The Priest asks, Where to the Embryos go when they are not baptized? Not to Hell? NO!!!

.

MORE MUST BE PRAYED TO THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS THE PEOPLE MUST PRAYER MORE TO THEM BECAUSE, BECAUSE, BECAUSE, BECAUSE...

THEY ARE MY ENEMIES I HATE THEM. YES, BECAUSE, BECAUSE THE POWER OF HELL RIGHT NOW IS SO GREAT! YES, AND THE PEOPLE MUST IMPLORE THEIR GUARDIAN ANGELS SO THAT THEY WILL STAND BY THEM!

.

https://youtu.be/3xO7TfdxJqY

[kawaragi]

hiiiiiii! can i ask what kind of pellets you feed your rabbits? and do you use timothy hay for them? and can i ask for some tips on how to take care of them? i have a rabbit too but it's my first time taking care of one, so i still kinda don't know what to do yet heheheh. it's fine if you don't want to answer though heheheheheh

hi! i’ll answer this ofc hehe im not an expert by any means but these r just precautions me and my sister take from videos about rabbits and even asking my friends for advice ^^ so sorry for the small text!

1) rn we use smallworld’s brand for pellets - it works perfectly fine and my rabbits really like them so it works the best for us !! oxbow is a good brand too and probably recommended by a lot of rabbit owners

2) we use timothy hay yes ! if ur rabbit is really young and small, use alfalfa. and please remember to always always ALWAYS keep your hay stocked and accessible to ur rabbit. this is an important part of their diet and if they dont get to eat hay for a long while, they’ll go into this stage called GI Stasis. its very very deadly for rabbits bc it affects their intestines and since rabbits dont have the ability to throw up or fart it out, their intestines is a good place to check if your bunny is okay.

3) consider getting them spayed / neutered ! i know that pet owners are 50/50 on the spaying / neutering topic, but i’d say it’s quite beneficial. rabbits are territorial and have a dominant-submissive relationship with other rabbits. when unspayed/unneutered rabbits become mature, they will mark the place that is unrecognizable to them as their territory. whether it’s chinning, pooping, even spraying pee everywhere to put their scent on said places. it’s super troublesome and they’ll also try and reproduce if they’re unspayed/neutered because their hormones are going absolutely crazy. if your rabbit is a female rabbit, PLEASE go get her spayed. female rabbits who are not spayed are prone to uterine tumours.

i think thats everything regarding health so let’s talk about bunnyproofing your home!

4) my rabbits are free roamed during the day and we put them back in their cages when we go to sleep and we let them back out the next day. my rabbits are neutered so we don’t really have to worry about their past behaviors of spraying pee everywhere. we blocked out every little space that my rabbits could get into bc theyre very curious little things and could possibly get themselves in danger.

5) keep your cords and cables OUT OF SIGHT!!!! rabbits are so so SOOOO notorious for destroying anything and everything that gets in their way and unfortunately almost every household has a fuckton of cords and cables and theyre all bound to be cut by rabbits. getting cable covers is a good idea but we never got one, my dad just replaces them BDSNBS

6) cardboard r good toys for rabbits and they can chew on them! just watch them and make sure they dont chew too much otherwise it’s possible for them to get intestinal blockages (which i thought song had but… he was jusg constipated and gassy…) sticks are also good!! my mom takes apple sticks from my grandma’s garden and dries them up before giving them to my rabbits :)

7) i live in a carpeted apartment and having rabbits is like … homicide for the carpet :/ if u live in the same type of apartment as me pls make sure ur rabbit doesnt rip up the carpet as often 😭

8) RABBITS CAN BE TRAINED TO USE LITTERBOXES!!!!!! we didnt really have to train my rabbits, they just started using the litterboxes on their own and u can do this by putting their poops in the box with some hay and bc of the scent, it’ll make them think that that is their territory :3 it’ll save u so much trouble and less poop to clean up. other places will advice u to get like chips for the pee to soak in but we just use a regular like pee pad for dogs bc its easy to change out

9) block out any small spaces that they could potentially get into. that includes spaces under the bed, under the couch, behind the tv where there are cords and cables, dressers - i don’t have this problem with song bc hes bigger in size and he knows he cant fit, but i have this problem with sang! hes much much smaller and he fits in small spaces and crawls in them easier and its just a pain to get him out so keep this in mind if ur rabbit is a menace and smaller in size ^

i think thats everything for bunnyproofing? so here r some other like things fhat we do for my rabbits

10) rabbits are just like cats and dogs, they settle for anything in terms of toys - i gave sang a small box and he plays with it and chews on it. its important to give them something to chew on if theyre not chewing hay bc rabbits’ teeth grow out suuuuper fast and u have to keep them chewing on something bc if u dont, and their teeth grow out, it could cause some growth problems!

11) u dont have to worry about bathing them. like at all. rabbits clean themselves way often than normal, they dont smell either! the only times that should be okay to bathe them is if they r really fucking dirty for example soaked in their own pee. do not AND I MEAN DO NOT regularly bathe them bc it sends them into a shock and could even cause death. we’ve had to do this to song and sang before they were neutered bc theyd be really dirty and soaked in pee and it’s just… gross to see them like that. (if u really really have to bathe them, use baby shampoo! its easier for their skin and their fur)

12) fun fact: rabbits LOVE bananas. they absolutely go fucking crazy over it - just dont give them too much fruits like strawberries and apples in one day bc they could get diabetes 😭 we let our rabbits eat as much as they want bc they stop when they dont want to eat anymore of the banana anyway. unless its song. song doesnt stop eating.

13) rabbits are actually very smart! u can put them in a routine with their meals like if u get them used to eatinf at around 11 am or earlier, they know the time of when they’ll be eating. for me tho song runs over to his bowl when he hears the rattling of the pellets in the scooper we have.

14) rabbits shed yes!! u can use a comb to get the shedding off but do not use a wired one. they have sensitive skin like fr fr sensitive skin and wired combs could cause abrasions on their skin which is never a good thing!!!

15) rabbits are, by nature, prey animals. they are naturally good at hiding their pain and sickness so its very very easy to miss them. u can easily tell if a rabbit isnt feeling well is if they are keeping to themselves, their ears are cold, they lose appetite, they dont move as much - something that’s not common to their usual behavior. so always keep an eye out for them!

i think thats everything i could think of ???? theyre high maintenance yeah just like any other animal but they are quite easy to take care of ! theyre also really really funny animals its adorable and i could fr watch them do their own thing every day.

they can be a lil bitch but tbh its so worth it, they are such cute critters. I JUST AGH I HOPE THIS HELPED U CAN ALWAYS SEND ME AN ASK ABT SOMETHINF AND I’LL GLADLY ANSWER IT FOR U!!!

[quiescentem-puella]

Altered Carbon finale: why I hated it and why it felt wrong

This rant is mostly a translation on my chat with a friend, when I was frantically writing all the reason the finale of this wonderful series felt wrong to me. It was 4 am, I was sleep deprived and angry, so do not expect it to be a particularly cohesive rant. Also, it’s almost 2000 words long.

Disclaimers: of course, I can’t talk about the finale without spoiling everything, so read it only if you have seen ALL the episodes of Altered Carbon.

That said, let’s proceed.

Let’s start with two facts: I loved this show and I loved the chemistry between Ortega and Kovacs.

From their first interaction I was aware of the sexual tension and the potential of these two, but without really expecting anything (especially with the whole Quellcrest Falconer romance weighting on Kovacs). They had a good dynamic and they were extremely attractive: I was interested.

Surprisingly enough, the fact that they turned out not to be endgame was not the main reason why I hated the finale (even if it was certainly one of them).

This is gonna get long, so buckle up.

Ortega: same face, two lovers

I’m gonna start from something somewhat personal (but I hope it’s a sentiment shared by a lot of other people): I am fucking pissed off with how it all ended for Ortega.

When we discovered that Kovacs’ sleeve was actually her previous boyfriend’s I was a bit down because it meant that all the longing gazes, all the forlorn faces were directed to a ghost and not to Kovacs. But as the story progressed one thing became obvious: Ortega cared more about Takeshi than his sleeve.

I think it was pretty clear in general, especially after the fifth episode, but one instance that I can think of where Ortega is undoubtedly thinking more about Kovacs than Elias is when in the car rushing to the hospital she says, “He wasn’t dumb and you’re not that pretty”.

You. Even if when she wakes up she calls for Elias (and can we blame her? She has been partner with Ryker for we don’t know how many years; it’s a matter of habit, not love), here she is clearly associating that sleeve with Kovacs, not Ryker. I watched the show in English but I checked the scene in Italian to be sure: she’s not referring to a plural “you”, she’s talking to Kovacs. While it’s true that her initial interest was prompted by her love for Elias, it’s just as clear that by the end of the tenth episode she’s in love with Takeshi, no matter the sleeve.

This is why the ending enrages me so much.

I could have lived with Tak and Kristin parting ways (even if I would have been extremely saddened by it) but I can’t fucking accept that Ortega is going to go back with Elias wearing what she now recognises as Takeshi’s sleeve. I am not able to believe that after everything they went through together she is just gonna forget about Takeshi and go back to her lover like nothing changed, like she didn’t fell in love with someone else who was wearing that sleeve.

She sacrificed so much for Kovacs. She lost her friend, her whole family and her arm. Sure, she didn’t do it willingly, but she was ready to put everything at risk because she thought Kovacs was in danger. She was kidnapped, beaten and tortured and she was willing to go on for Kovacs.

She unquestionably, tragically loves him.

And that brings me to my second point.

Kovacs: past lover, present lover

Let’s go on with something that’s fucking obvious: Kovacs fucking loves Ortega.

I’m not even gonna discuss the whole “but he was in love with Quell first!!!!!” because love isn’t something you have a limited amount of and the whole I’m-dead-but-not-really thing makes it all a bit tricky. Kovacs can love two women and his love for Quell in the past isn’t diminished by his love for Kristin in the present.

But that’s the thing. Quell is in the past. She’s part of an era that is no more, an era Tak misses and he thinks he’s still a part of. Like it’s frequently remarked in the show, Kovacs is almost a relic of an ancient past and that weights on him immensely. It’s his burden.

This is clear by his visions, both of Quell and his sister.

Vision!Quell in particular is his tie to the past: she’s constantly telling him she’s just a fragment of his imagination but that doesn’t stop her from guiding him and influencing him. She’s the representation of his idolatry of her, something that Quell herself tells him it’s wrong (in the flashback episode she reveals herself for what she is: another human with all its flaws, who made mistakes and should not be put on a pedestal. Tak still doesn’t understand this, in my opinion).

In the moments before the crash of Head in the Clouds, it looks like he’s finally letting go of that past (on this point I’ll come back later). It looks like he’s finally free.

What the writers tricked me into thinking was that Kovacs was putting his ghosts to rest to start anew, with someone he loves equally deeply.

The fact that Kovacs loves Ortega is even more obvious than the other way around. He’s protective of her in a way that makes sense for a sister or a lover, not a simple friend. Even his own subconscious, in the disguise of vision!Quell, tells him he loves her. He is incredibly hurt by her calling him Elias, he continuously tries to save his sleeve for her, he runs to her rescue every time she’s in danger. While at first, he can’t seem to let go of his past love, he slowly falls in love with Kristin and Quell becomes a memory more than anything.

Choosing Ortega over her wouldn’t had meant sullying her memory or anything, but simply going on with his life like Vision!Quell suggest him to do multiple times.

Kovacs: betraying the “Envoy code”

Something I really liked was that, while the Envoys were clearly the “good ones”, they weren’t saints. They were soldiers fighting for a losing battle and they weren’t afraid to do what was necessary for their purposes. It’s the whole “the ends justify the means” spiel, but the fact that it is perpetuated both by the good guys and the evil ones makes it realistic instead of boring.

Quell is the leader of the Envoys, so it’s natural that it’s her voice that brings their “code” to life. I’m talking about the “befriend the locals” speech, of course, words that Kovacs tries to live by.

Key word: tries.

The best thing about these set of rules set by Quell is that Kovacs isn’t able to follow all of them, in particular this one. He initially uses the Elliot family and Ortega as means to an end but he gets attached to them in the process and they in return start to care for him.

He has, in a way, betrayed Quell’s teachings. He has evolved. He became something different.

By the end of the series Kovacs isn’t an Envoy anymore, no more than Rei is.

But now let’s talk about his homicidal little sister a bit.

Reileen: “I would do anything to get you back”

Something that really bugs me is: how do we know Rei was telling the truth?

It’s abundantly clear that she’s ready to do everything to have her brother back: I don’t think lying would be crossing any boundary. She has killed and betrayed her friends. She is gonna try everything.

When she tells Kovacs that Quell is alive it doesn’t feel like a big secret coming out, but more like a desperate last attempt to achieve her ultimate goal, namely having Tak by her side. She constantly uses his loved ones (like Ortega!!!!!) as a way to manipulate him and convince him to do her bidding. We don’t know if she’s telling the truth: frankly, I thought it was just another cheap trick.

(On a second note, what reason could have pushed her to save Quell? She was her primary enemy, the one that stole her brother from her. It makes no sense for her to aid her in any way)

But let’s say she’s actually telling the truth.

The other thing that bothers me is the following: would Quell be happy to be brought back?

Quell: the future she feared and hated

I must admit that I like Quell quite a lot: she was a fearless leader, with firm ideals and strong opinions. The fact that she was the one who invented stacks doesn’t deduct anything from her character; on the contrary it adds to it. It shows us that she was ready to right her wrongdoings, because that was what the stacks ultimately became in her eyes. She was ready to die to bring the real death back: she didn’t want to live forever. Not anymore.

That really clashes with Tak’s frantic search that starts at the end of the last episode. What is he gonna do when he finds her? Spun her back like nothing happened? Like he didn’t kill his sister, like his sister isn’t responsible for her death, like the world didn’t exactly become what she feared it would?

When Kovacs was ready to kill his sister and lose Quell forever, I was overjoyed. It was the final step in leaving his past behind, symbolised both by Rei and his lost lover. I saw it as Tak finally saying, “no, no more”.

He was finally accepting that the world he knew and the people that lived in it were dead. He was realizing that Quell was right: death was what ultimately made us all equals and it is a natural part of our existence. We cannot call ourselves human beings if we don’t have the possibility to die.

Quell was ready to die to bring real death back. She would have hated how the world turned out to be, because she was right and the rich are now immortal, the poor only poorer and more miserable.

It was such a big moment for Takeshi in the way I interpreted it. It was his turning point. It was his absolution.

And then it turns out it wasn’t anything. In the end it didn’t represent anything, not anymore. It wasn’t Kovacs letting go of his past. It was just him killing his sister. Nothing more.

 To sum it up

I think the main reason I was so pissed at the ending was that it ultimately represented a step back for everyone involved. For Ortega it was going back to a man that had left her thinking she betrayed him, a man I don’t think she loves anymore. For Kovacs it was clinging to the past so fiercely he leaves his new lover, his friends, for a quest that will probably bring him only more despair.

The reason I hated the ending so fiercely was that I watched these characters grow and develop, only to ultimately regress to how they started out in the first episode.

[lamujerarana]

108... doom and reed...

I hope you don’t mind that I changed the phrasing of the line you chose a bit, but I’ve had this idea rolling around my head for a while, and I wanted to write it.

***

MANY YEARS AGO, AT STATE UNIVERSITY:

“Richards, cease that insipid sighing!” Victor snarled over the chessboard they’d laid out between them on Victor’s dormitory bed. “If this is an ill-advised attempt to win the game by infuriating me, I assure you it will not succeed. I am the master of my emotions. This will not distract me!”

“To be honest with you, Victor,” Reed sighed again, much to Victor’s great and visible displeasure, “I’m hardly paying attention to the game.”

“That much is obvious,” Victor snapped. “I win in three moves. There have only been four so far. Even allowing for your limited mental capacities, this is deplorable.”

Reed peered down at the board and found that what Victor said was true. “I’m sorry, Victor. I suppose I’m just distracted.”

While Victor never rolled his eyes (because he thought it was undignified), Reed could tell he wanted to. “Richards, whatever is the matter with you, I am not interested. Go whine to your football player.”

Reed started to sigh, but a glare from Victor stopped him. “I can’t talk to Ben about it. It’s about Ben.”

Victor’s snort was full of scorn. “Did the insipid oaf forget to bring you flowers this morning?”

“No,” Reed said mournfully. Ben had never brought Reed flowers, no matter how badly Reed wanted him to. “He started dating someone. Alynn Chambers.”

Victor looked genuinely confused. “Then you and he are not—?”

“No,” Reed said and he sighed again because he just couldn’t help it. “That’s the problem.”

Cut for length.

Victor did not seem to realize that he had gotten himself sucked into precisely the conversation he had been doing his best to avoid. “Good,” he said firmly. “He is your intellectual inferior and by no means worthy of you, Richards. I don’t know what possessed you to waste any time on such a cretin. Surely even you can do better.”

“Intelligence isn’t everything, Victor,” Reed said. He slid one of his white bishops a few squares forward and took one of Victor’s black pawns. “Ben is kind, and compassionate, and generous, and brave—”

Victor cut him off, which was probably a good thing because Reed would have gone on listing Ben’s good qualities until he exhausted them, and there were a lot. “And he has biceps the size of my head. No doubt that had something to do with it. I would have thought you above such petty considerations, Richards.”

“It’s really more about the kindness,” Reed insisted. “And he has a nice laugh. Laughs are important, Victor.”  

“Oh, I’m sure you think so,” Victor said viciously. He slammed his black rook down where Reed’s white knight had been a few moments ago, though now it was rolling off the board and onto Victor’s dark blue quilt. “How you manage to maintain prolonged conversations with imbeciles like him is beyond me.”

“It’s not so hard,” Reed said dryly, “when you learn to value qualities besides intelligence. Haven’t you ever cared about anyone who wasn’t as intelligent as you? Parents? Siblings? Fr—“ Reed was going to say “friends” but he stopped himself. If his time at State U was any indication, Victor had never had any friends. But, then again, Victor never talked about his life before coming to State U at all. Reed knew little about it. “Erm. Anyone?”

Victor stared intently at the chessboard. “Well,” he admitted. “I suppose there was a girl. Once.”

Reed didn’t know what he was more taken aback by—the fact that Victor had had a girlfriend once, or that he was telling Reed about it. “Oh. Did it matter that she wasn’t as smart as you?”

There was a long pause. “No. I suppose not. There were…other factors.”

“Precisely,” Reed said. He slid his last white knight three spaces to the left. “That’s why I love Ben. Other factors.”

“Still,” Victor said. “It would be better to be with someone who was your intellectual equal.”

Reed laughed. “That would be a very short list. Currently, it would be comprised of, well, you.”

Victor raised his eyebrows. “Richards, while I am flattered and of course I understand why you are interested in me, I am simply not interested you. I could also point out that we are not equals, as I am clearly your intellectual superior.”

“Victor, I wasn’t—I already told you. I’m in love with Ben.”

“Ah,” Victor said. “That’s convenient, because I am still in love with my Valeria.”

“Good,” Reed said. “So we aren’t interested in each other. That’s settled then.”

“Of course,” Victor ventured, right as he toppled Reed’s king over. “My Valeria is an ocean away, and your Bernard doesn’t love you.”

“Ben,” Reed corrected.

Victor waved a hand dismissively. “His name is unimportant.”

“Well. I don’t understand what you’re driving at,” Reed said.

“I’m suggesting that we distract each other,” Victor clarified.

“Are you proposing a ‘friends with benefits’-style arrangement?” Reed asked suspiciously.

He was sure he must be misinterpreting Victor’s words.

“I have no idea what that means, Richards,” Victor said. “But we are not friends.” Reed wasn’t sure Victor would recognize a friend if he was sitting on his bed playing chess with him. “I am proposing sex without any emotional attachment whatsoever.”

“Why on Earth would I agree to that, Victor?”

“To forget your Benedict.”

“Ben,” Reed said automatically.

Victor snorted. “I do not care to recall his name. It is a waste of valuable brain matter.”

Reed thought it over.

Victor was actually very handsome, now that Reed thought about it, but there was a darkness to him, a rage, a coldness, that Reed found off-putting. He didn’t think he could ever love Victor the way he loved Ben.

But he supposed if it was just sex, that shouldn’t matter.

And he was, admittedly, desperate to forget about Ben, who had been all he’d been able to think about for years.

“All right,” he said. “You’re on.”

He suspected already it was the worst decision he’d ever made, but what was the worst that could happen?

NOW, AT CASTLE DOOM, DOOMSTADT, LATVERIA:

Reed found out years later in the middle of the umpteenth fight-to-the-death between the FF and Victor in Castle Doom.

Even Reed had to admit that Victor had, temporarily at least, gained the upper hand. His Doombots had managed to get power-negating collars round all of their necks, and handcuffs to keep them from attacking him anyway.

Victor, as always, was convinced he had won and that the FF were permanently beaten.

Reed wasn’t too worried. He knew he’d find a way out before too long. He always did.

He had plenty of time to come up with a way to escape, given that Victor was currently monologuing about his boundless genius.

Reed sighed. In some ways, Victor—now a dictator, clad head to foot in iron—had changed drastically from their days at State U, but in other ways…he was the same haughty boy who loved patting himself on the back for the smallest accomplishment.

Really, Victor never learned.

Reed was so busy trying to come up with a way out of their predicament that he was hardly listening to what Victor was saying…until, that was, Victor came to a halt in front of him, the heavy clang of metal ringing against stone floors, and said, “Richards, I must admit, you always did look rather fetching on your knees.”

Reed froze and hoped against hope that Ben, Sue, and Johnny wouldn’t catch the clearly sexual innuendo.

“Wait,” Johnny said, head poking out to Sue’s left. “What?”

“Reed,” Sue frowned, “what is he talking about?”

“He’s lyin’,” Ben said confidently. “Reed would never with the likes o’ him. ‘specially given how he treated me even when we wuz in college.”

“Have you forgotten?” Victor said, smiling beneath the iron mask. “I do not lie. I have no need to lie when the truth is so much more satisfying.”

“Reed,” Sue said, but Reed could hear in her voice that she was beginning to believe Victor. “Say it’s not true.”

“Dude,” Johnny said. “Tell me you didn’t fuck Doctor Doom.”

“No,” Victor said, although his meaning was rather unfortunately plain. “He did not.”

“Oh!” Johnny said when he caught Victor’s meaning, looking thoroughly disgusted. “Gross! Reed! Dude, just why?”

“I—“ Reed looked back and forth between Victor and his family. Now this he could find no way out of. “We were in college. He was just…Victor then, not a mass-murdering tyrant and supervillain. I had no idea he would become Doctor Doom. Besides, it only lasted a few months, and it was never anything serious.”

“No,” Victor said annoyedly. “Richards was far too besotted with his oafish football player.”

Victor glared at Ben, and Reed was uncomfortable with the degree of homicidal rage he saw in Victor’s eyes and half-tempted to throw himself in front of Ben protectively. He knew that Victor was perfectly capable of murdering Ben on a whim.

“Wait,” Ben said, remembering precisely what Reed had been hoping he wouldn’t. “Hold on. Is he that mysterious guy you were seein’ right before you ‘nd me got together? The guy you would never…tell me…anything about…and…you always came home with bruises in weird places…”

“Yes,” Victor said, seeming to take great joy in the dismay written all over Ben’s rocky orange features. “Richards was mine before he was ever yours.”

“I was never yours, Victor,” Reed said fiercely. “Not any part of me. I was always Ben’s. Even when I was with you.”

Something seemed to click for Sue. “Wait a minute,” she said, gazing up at Victor with something like pity in her eyes. “That’s what…this is all about, isn’t it? Reed chose Ben over you, and you’ve never forgiven him for it. Did you…were you in love with my husband?”

“No,” Reed said instantly. “Impossible. Victor never cared about me. It was just…sex.”

“Ew,” Johnny said. “Wrong. Did not ever need to know about this.”

“Richards is correct,” Victor said. “I never did love him.” Somehow, Reed didn’t find that quite as convincing as he would have liked. “I simply have never been able to forgive him for choosing that dimwitted lout over someone who was clearly superior in every way.”

“Why…would you care who I chose if you didn’t love me?” Reed said. Oh, god. He was…beginning to see Victor’s obsession with hurting him in an entirely new light. And Victor’s petty hatred of Ben—it was jealousy. He couldn’t believe it had never occurred to him that Victor had fallen in love with him. He was remembering now with great regret how indifferently he’d broken things off with Victor. It seemed cruel, almost. But he truly hadn’t thought that Victor cared. “Victor. If I’d known how you felt, I would have handled things very differently, I never would have—”

Broken up with him via text message. Ouch.

Victor waved a hand imperiously. “I have no interest in continuing this insipid conversation, Richards. Doombots, return them to their cells.”

As Reed was dragged out of Victor’s throne room, he couldn’t help but think that Victor looked…rather more lonely and tragic than he ever had before.

[the-martial-law-thingy]

by  Fr. Ranhilio Callangan Aquino Published 11:00 AM, May 26, 2017

The President must explain to Congress.

The Constitution obligates him to. He need not appear before the legislators in person, but he must, at the very least, send a written explanation. And whoever says that Congress need not convene to deliberate on the matter had better read the Constitution again. It is careless statements like these that confuse and confound.

The fundamental issue is what grounds to invoke to justify the declaration of martial law and thus how to characterize the actions of the Maute Group. The President's choices are limited to only two: Invasion or rebellion (which the Revised Penal Code makes synonymous with "insurrection"). On top of this, he must show that public safety necessitated the declaration of martial law.

Because of the supposed ISIS connection of the Maute group, the "invasion" track might at first seem plausible. But there are severe problems, foremost among which is the problem of fact. What, exactly, is the connection between Maute and ISIS, if any? Maute can claim that it pledges allegiance to ISIS. That will not make it part of ISIS nor even an agent of this clearly terrorist organization. Then there is the problem of law.

International law provides a definition of “invasion”. Philippine laws do not, because invasion is not a crime punishable by our Revised Penal Code, although the acts connected with or in furtherance of invasion may be crimes under the RPC. Under General Assembly Resolution 3314 (XXIX), the following is the legal notion of invasion:

"Any of the following acts, regardless of a declaration of war, shall, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of article 2, qualify as an act of aggression: The invasion or attack by the armed forces of a State of the territory of another State, or any military occupation, however temporary, resulting from such invasion or attack, or any annexation by the use of force of the territory of another State or part thereof xxx."

Consequently, invasion is an act of “aggression” by the armed forces of a State of the territory of another State. Clearly, under this definition, the acts of the Maute Group in Marawi do not constitute invasion. Even assuming that Maute and ISIS are allied, ISIS is not a state, although it calls itself “Islamic state” no other State recognizes it as a state.

Rebellion and prosecution

The only alternative left is to justify the declaration of martial law by characterizing Maute acts as “rebellion”.

And since the purpose of the group is to remove a part of the territory of the Philippines from allegiance to the government as well as to deprive the President of his powers over some part of the Philippines even if only partially (Art. 134, RPC), this position is tenable.

The next question is: How are the perpetrators to be prosecuted? This is of course an independent issue from the issue of the justification for the declaration of martial law.

First, the offenders may be prosecuted for the crime of rebellion. Please notice that under the amendment to the RPC brought about by R.A. 6968, rebellion need not involve murder, arson, and destruction to property. The gravamen of the crime of rebellion is “rising publicly and taking arms against the Government for the purpose of removing from the allegiance to said Government or its laws, the territory of the Republic or the Philippines or any part thereof xxx”.

Consequently, one charged with rebellion may be charged separately for whatever common crimes may be committed such as murder, homicide or arson, as long as it is not alleged that such acts were in furtherance of the rebellion – because there is no necessity to so allege.

In fact, it would be better to charge the offenders under the provisions of R.A. 9372, Section 3, “B”, also known as the "Human Security Act" of the Philippines, our version of the anti-terrorism law. Rebellion is one of the predicate offenses of terrorism – and the penalty is more severe: forty years imprisonment without possibility of parole.

There are equities to weigh.

On the one hand, it is never helpful to so constrict the powers of the President to cope with national emergencies. I have repeatedly sounded the warning: When you use the Constitution to shackle the President and he is faced with a grave threat (rightly or wrongly perceived), the temptation to break away from the letter of the Constitution increases until it becomes irresistible.

But when, as under the Constitution of 1935, the provisions are few and so much is left to executive discernment – provided we elect the right officials – then the Executive has enough maneuvering space within which to act decisively and still remain within constitutional confines. This is not merely a question of keeping a written document in place. It is a matter of securing a framework that allows our citizens to continue invoking their rights.

And it will certainly not help to warn that martial law may be expanded to cover the entire country without showing why this is to be done – since the people of Luzon and most of the Visayas have thus far – God be praised – been spared from the threat that has made of Marawi City virtually a war zone.

This will only feed the flames of suspicion that martial law was planned long ago. And, while "Batas Militar" has been traditionally used to translate "martial law" that only muddles concepts because military law is one thing – the law that binds members of the military, including the system of military justice – and martial law is quite another, although it involves the participation of the military in suppressing invasion or rebellion and in the conduct of the daily affairs of government. – Rappler.com

The author is vice president of the Cagayan State University and Dean, Graduate School of Law of San Beda College.