#if it helps the fact that his MOM is the president would ultimately win out and it'd be a no from him but it'd be a close call xP

[auntiewhiz]

Whiz can't help the way he cracks up even more when Richard goes a little pale and response very unconvincingly that there's no way Grant would want to bang him in the President's office. Whiz figured he'd called that one right and Richard is confirming that. "I hope you're right!" He says through gleeful laughter. He grins when Richard admits he's excited to see Grant's bedroom; of course he is. But he frowns when Richard says no sleeping and that Grant apparently made that very clear. He doesn't ask though, not wanting to bring the mood down again. "Then I guess you'll just have to snoop while you're both awake, after you have hot steamy secret White House sex."

Richard laughs and shakes his head. He is absolutely not living out a romantic comedy plot. But Whiz clearly won't be moved. But he pales a little at the idea that Grant might be into the idea of having sex in the President's office. Surely not. "No way," he replies not convincingly. It's his mum so he's sure that's a no. But it's Grant and he'd probably be tickled by the idea of all the past presidents rolling over in their grave that a First Son would be getting a blow job from an English Prince. He's not so certain he'd have the willpower to say not to that. Even if it's a terrible, horrible idea. At least Whiz is moving away from that so Richard can stop thinking about it. He laughs and shakes his head again. "I am excited to see it," he admits. "But I told you, he was very clear there's no falling asleep. So no snooping. Sorry to disappoint."

[theartofdreaming1]

Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch are slowly becoming a proper team! No more secrets! (for the most part)

As usual, my thoughts regarding this week’s prompts and (many) random thoughts on chapters 4-6 are below the cut.

heart

Losing that comfort of sleeping in each other’s arms after the Victory Tour must have been hard for Katniss and Peeta! Up until Katniss hurts her ankle, they probably didn’t really do much about it, just trying to make it through on their own... After she hurt her ankle and Peeta’s spending more time over at her place, I can easily imagine him staying over, at least until she’s fallen asleep, which might help a little... Since they are living only three houses apart from each other, I like to imagine that they can see each other’s bedroom windows from their bedroom (how else would Katniss know that Peeta sleeps with the windows open? I can’t really imagine that they would be able to open the windows of the train they were on - y’know, for “safety reasons” (i.e. making sure nobody can escape)); maybe they’d both light a candle and put it by their window, as a signal they are going to sleep... It’s not the same, but it helps a little 

mind

I mean, aside from the systemic rigging of the reaping system (i.e. poorer people generally having more entries, so they can have some food), I can easily imagine there being a manipulation of the “odds” when someone becomes too vocal or troublesome for the local authorities, such as someone trying to unionize a district’s workforce, for example

soul

In the districts, their impact has to be big - their win alone was a huge defiance of the Games as they used to be... sticking together and sticking up for each other ultimately led to them defeating the Capitol’s rules! In-between the Games and the Victory Tour I don’t think there was much noteworthy going on (although maybe the fact that, so far, none of the new victors’ loved ones had been hurt - Prim, Mrs. E., but also Gale and his family would be visible during the celebrations, I’m sure, same probably goes for the Mellark’s - might tell the people in the district that Snow and his cronies were aware of the attention any assassination attempt would gather and that this, in turn, might actually could become the last straw that would spark a revolution. In a way, that was proof that the people on top were at least a little afraid of what the people in the districts would do...) And then, especially during the visit of D11, with Katniss expressing her thanks and Peeta reaching out to share their winnings with the people from D11, another district than their own - it must have provided a lot of inspiration, I’m sure. 

As for the Capitolites, maybe some of them would notice for once how unhappy/riled up the people in some of the districts were... or at least stop to think about how this time, a show of love and companionship actually provided more “entertainment” and intrigue than the brutal gore and bloodshed from previous Games (also, longer lasting - there is actually much more “story” to be had from the star-crossed lovers from D12 than from any individual winner of previous Games, if you think about it... Their “love story” is still on-going, with an upcoming wedding and the promise of a family... it’s still creepy and voyeuristic as hell, though)

Chapter 4

Everything he [Haymitch] said was true about the Capitol’s expectations, my future with Peeta, even his last comment. Of course, I could do a lot worse than Peeta. That isn’t really the point, though, is it? One of the few freedoms we have in District 12 is the right to marry who we want or not marry at all. And now even that has been taken away from me. - God, this sucks so much! As Katniss rightly points out, her misery isn’t about Peeta at all - it’s about her (and also his, just pointing that out) agency being taken away! She’s being stripped even of that little sliver of agency that inhabitants of D12 usually have (choice of whom to marry, or whether to marry at all)

I wonder if President Snow will insist we have children. - Eugh, just the idea of Snow being the one to have the last word on that subject... 🤢 The invasion of privacy here... - The only person who should get to decide whether Katniss should have children or not is Katniss herself! Period!

My mind searches frantically for a way out. I can’t let President Snow condemn me to this. Even if it means taking my own life. Before that, though, I’d try to run away. - Boy, Katniss is even contemplating taking her own life, rather than to submit to the life the Capitol wants to force on her; it’s not her first choice (she’d rather run away), but it shows the desperation she’s feeling

Could I even manage to take everyone I love with me, start a new life deep in the wild? Highly unlikely but not impossible. - Later we will see that Peeta and Haymitch also belong into the category of “people Katniss loves” 😊(as well as her family, Gale, and his fam, of course)

“And Peeta’s team is probably still asleep.” “Doesn’t he need prepping?” I ask. “Not the way you do,” Effie replies. What does this mean? It means I get to spend the morning having the hair ripped off my body while Peeta sleeps in. I hadn’t thought about it much, but in the arena at least some of the boys got to keep their body hair whereas none of the girls did. - Gotta love that everlasting sexism that, even far into the future, still won’t allow women to have frickin’ body hair (y’know, like most humans do 🙄)

I can remember Peeta’s now, as I bathed him by the stream. Very blond in the sunlight, once the mud and blood had been washed away. Only his face remained completely smooth. Not one of the boys grew a beard, and many were old enough to. I wonder what they did to them. - Katniss seems to have committed every single detail about Peeta to her memory, including how his body hair looked when she cleaned him in the last Games... okay 👀😏 On a more somber note, what is it that the Capitol is doing to these poor kids?! The boys couldn’t grow beards and - I’m assuming - the girls wouldn’t get their periods while in the arena (since the Games can last for weeks, it would be a huge disadvantage if any of the girls also had to content with cramps + periods  - aside from worrying about getting murdered, I mean); it’s such a violation of one’s autonomy over one’s own body, yikes

Flavius tilts up my chin and sighs. “It’s a shame Cinna said no alterations on you.” “Yes, we could really make you something special,” says Octavia. “When she’s older,” says Venia almost grimly. “Then he’ll have to let us.” - Eeek, no thanks!😦 And frankly, it really shouldn’t be Cinna’s call to make but, y’know, Katniss’s!!! I don’t know, I get real panick-y just reading this exchange (I have never even gotten my ears pierced - my mom wouldn’t let them be pierced until I could make my own decision on that subject matter and as someone with skin issues and bad experiences with needles, I really don’t feel the need to have any unnecessary metal inserted into my body, so... I’m good)

His [Peeta’s] apology takes me by surprise. It’s true that Peeta froze me out after I confessed that my love for him during the Game was something of an act. But I don’t hold it against him. [...] “I’m sorry, too,” I say. [...] “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. You were keeping us alive.” - That apology of Peeta’s... *chef’s kiss*; it was totally understandable that Peeta was upset and needed some time apart from Katniss after her confession, which had caught him completely by surprise, not even Katniss blames him for that... But his apology shows that he really made use of their time apart to work out his emotions and to reflect on both their situations - that’s some emotional maturity to be envious of! Plus, his apology is a good move to get their communication channel opened up again

It would be nice if he’d come to me with this earlier, before I knew that President Snow had other plans and just being friends was not an option for us anymore. But either way, I’m glad we’re speaking again. - Come on, Katniss, cut this boy some slack! He can’t read minds - how is he supposed to know about these things if you don’t tell him anything? It’s nice that you’re glad that you guys are on speaking terms again, but communication isn’t a one-way street, y’know?

I remember the tiger lily cookie and, now that Peeta is talking to me again, it’s all I can do not to recount the whole story about President Snow. But I know Haymitch wouldn’t want me to. I’d better stick to small talk. - Katniss really should have listened to her instincts here - Haymitch might have a better idea of how the Games/Capitol works, but he knows little about teamwork, which is an important factor in their specific (and unprecedented!) situation; I’m not blaming Katniss for relying on her mentor here, but this entire approach is going to crash and burn in the next chapter

It’s good to feel his fingers entwined with mine again, not for show but in actual friendship. We walk back to the train hand in hand. - Not to say that you can’t have friendships where you frequently hold hands - you totally can - but it is noteworthy that I don’t think I can recall Katniss holding hands with any of her other friends... (somehow, I can’t really picture Katniss holding hands with Gale casually like that... nor with Madge or Finnick later on) 

At the door, I remember, “I’ve got to apologize to Effie first.” “Don’t be afraid to lay it on thick,” Peeta tells me.- There is something about this exchange that speaks to me... maybe because it reads like some sort of an inside joke between them? Or because it shows that, despite being on good terms with Effie, Peeta’s totally aware of how high-maintenance/over the top Effie is... I dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Peeta has painted the Games. Some you wouldn’t get right away, if you hadn’t been with him in the arena yourself. Water dripping through the cracks in our cave. The dry pond bed. [...] Others any viewer would recognize. The golden horn called the Cornucopia. [...] And me. I am everywhere. [...] “What do you think?” he asks. “I hate them,” I say. I can almost smell the blood, the dirt, the unnatural breath of the mutt. - These are the pieces Peeta meant to exhibit in the Capitol, right? I wonder if he hoped that these paintings of his impressions/memories of the Games might actually connect with some Capitolites and might even move them to feel some empathy for the Tributes? Maybe he hoped that they would be more receptive for that kind of thing if he packaged it in art?

“All I do is go around trying to forget the arena and you’ve brought it back to life. How do you remember these things so exactly?” “I see them every night,” he says. [...] “Me too. Does it help? To paint them out?” “I don’t know. I think I’m a little less afraid of going to sleep at night, or I tell myself I am,” he says. “But they haven’t gone anywhere.” - I do wonder, whether and how painting out these moments could have therapeutic value for Peeta - on the one hand, the act of painting out specific intrusions/flashbacks might be helpful because he’d end up focusing on the more technical side of painting, y’know? Focussing on mixing the right shade of a certain color might help create some emotional distance from the moment itself... also, since painting usually takes some time, Peeta would actually spend a considerable amount of time facing these moments head on, rather than trying to avoid them (avoidance tends to increase the frequency of flashback/intrusions) and maybe spending so much time on them could also help him contextualize them within the broader narrative of his life, which is the basic principle behind Narrative Exposure Therapy, which is said to be pretty effective at treating PTSD... just my two cents

I can’t believe the size of District 11. “How many people do you think live here?” Peeta asks. I shake my head. In school they refer to it as a large district, that’s all. No actual figures on the population. - Perfect example of how tightly the Capitol controls the information the people in the districts have about the other districts... which is basically nothing. Let’s keep them in the dark so they are less likely to connect with each other and band together...

Cinna comes in with a pretty orange frock patterned with autumn leaves. I think how much Peeta will like the color. - Lol, Katniss bringing everything back to Peeta because she definitely hasn’t a crush on the guy, I see 😉

And then he [Peeta] hesitates before adding something that wasn’t written on the card. Maybe because he thought Effie might make him remove it. “It can in no way replace your losses, but as a token of our thanks we’d like for each of the tributes’ families from District Eleven to receive one month of our winnings every year for the duration of our lives.” - Peeta, the rebel! Talk about an act of radical kindness! I’m so proud of him. But also, I think this is another excellent example of how he and Katniss are on the same wavelength (this took me some time to find, but here you go): I silently say good-bye to Thresh and thank him for my life. I promise to remember him and, if I can, do something to help his family and Rue’s, if I win. (Ch. 23, THG)

I look at Peeta and he gives me a sad smile. I hear Haymitch’s voice. “You could do a lot worse.” At this moment, it’s impossible to imagine how I could do any better. The gift... it is perfect. So when I rise up on tiptoe to kiss him, it doesn’t seem forced at all. - Peeta: does anything that exemplifies his sense of morality; Katniss: *swoons* - but honestly, it is so beautiful how Katniss is so attracted to Peeta’s goodness and kind heart - it also tells us a lot about her (she is quite pure, as Peeta will point out later in this book) and what she values

“Wait, please.” I don’t know how to start, but once I do, the words rush from my lips as if they’ve been forming in the back of my mind for a long time. - And then Katniss launches into one of her spontaneous, heart-felt, and inspiring speeches/acts, expressing her thanks, sympathy, and a sense of kinship with people beyond the borders of her district, beyond the superficial barriers the Capitol has been trying to maintain in order to weaken the ‘common folk‘ and keep the exploitation going

The full impact of what I’ve done hits me. It was not intentional - I only meant to express my thanks - but I have elicited something dangerous. An act of dissent from the people of District 11. - Again, Katniss has done something that will solidify her as a symbol of the revolution without intending to do so and that’s the point, I think - she inspires people through her genuine displays of caring for others (which, in Panem, is already rebellious on its own)

Chapter 5

“We’re going!” says Peeta, shoving the Peacekeeper who’s pressing on me. “We get it, all right? Come on, Katniss.” His arm encircles me and guides me back into the Justice Building. - Protective Peeta! Also, I think it’s interesting to note the wording of Peeta’s arms “encircling” Katniss and then “guiding” her - his arms surround her, and he’s leading her away from harm (at least to the extent that is in his power - can’t really be safe from harm in Panem, can you?), but it doesn’t seem smothering or oppressive  to Katniss in any way -”guide” has more of a connotation of giving direction without force, imo; in contrast, when Katniss talked about her kiss with Gale she mentions she’d never imagined how those hands [...] could as easily entrap me. (Ch. 2, CF); granted, these are two very different situations - the phrasing just stood out to me

“What happened?” Effie hurries over. “We lost the feed just after Katniss’s beautiful speech, and then Haymitch said he thought he heard gun fire, and I said it was ridiculous, but who knows? There are lunatics everywhere!” - Very telling how a clueless Capitolite like Effie wouldn’t register the rebellious aspect of Katniss’s speech; by keeping the Capitolites in the depths of sweet, sweet ignorance while simultaneously harshly trying to curb any spark of rebellion by cutting off the feed, the government is actually drawing the attention of the ignorant Capitolites to the act of rebellion itself (and also letting the people in the districts know that there was something censor-worthy going on); kind of shooting themselves in the foot here

As far as I know, Haymitch has only been here once, when he was on his Victory Tour decades ago. But he must have a remarkable memory or reliable instincts, because he leads us up through a maze of twisting staricases and increasingly narrow halls. [...] Eventually we climb a ladder to a trapdoor. When Haymitch pushes it aside, we find ourselves in the dome of the Justice Building. - I wonder how Haymitch has come to know this part of the Justice Building? Has he been to District 11 more often than Katniss supposes (he is friends with Chaff, after all), did his mentor take him there for some private conversation, or was there a moment during Haymitch’s Victory Tour where he felt so overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and powerlessness that he fled to the most desolate, solitary place he could find?

“I was supposed to fix things on this tour. [...] Calm things down. But obviously, all I’ve done today is get three people killed, and now everyone in the square will be punished.” I feel so sick that I have to sit down on a couch, despite the exposed springs and stuffing. - Obviously, all of this is awful and no one - especially a traumatized, 16-year old girl - should have to suffer carrying such a burden... But also, here we see one of the downsides of Katniss taking sole responsibility for everything - she totally forgot that Peeta might feel responsible too, only that he didn’t even know what’s at stake - which leads us to-

“Then I made things worse, too. By giving the money,” says Peeta. Suddenly he strikes out at a lamp that sits precariously on a crate and knocks it across the room, where it shatters against the floor. “This has to stop. Right now. This - this - game you two play, where you tell each other secrets but keep them from me like I’m too inconsequential or stupid or weak to handle them.”"It's not like that, Peeta-" I begin. "It's exactly like that!" he yells at me. - When kind, gentle Peeta’s mad, you know shit has hit the fan 😳 But also, being passed over/kept out of the loop seems to hit pretty close to home for Peeta (while I would like to know what his home life looked like before the Games, I have to admit that at this point, I’m somewhat afraid I might not be able to handle the truth...). I just think this scene is an important moment that leads to an end of (most of) their detrimental secrecy (hello end-of-CF-Haymitch!) and establishes their little team as such (hence the drawing)

“You’re always so reliably good, Peeta,” says Haymitch. “So smart about how you present yourself before the cameras. I didn’t want to disrupt that.” “Well, you overestimated me. Because I really screwed up today.” - Remember the last time someone overestimated Peeta (Foxface and the berries)? That ended in someone’s death as well... And, Haymitch? ‘Never assume’ applies to you, too!

“Do you think I gave them [Rue’s and Thresh’s families] a bright future? Because I think they’ll be lucky if they survive the day!” Peeta sends something else flying, a statue. I’ve never seen him like this. - Considering that his rebellious act of kindness is now threatening to become a sword of Damocles, hanging over those towards which he wanted to extend his kindness - simply because he’s been kept out of the loop (again)- Peeta’s anger is quite understandable

“Look, boy-” Haymitch begins. “Don’t bother, Haymitch. I know you had to choose one of us. And I’d have wanted it to be her. But this is something different. People are dead out there. More will follow unless we’re very good.” - Peeta doesn’t really care if it’s just his life on the line, but if other people’s lives are at risk? He takes no shit (it’s admirable in one way and deeply concerning in another); also, Peeta is right - while there still is a game to play, it’s not the Games, so different circumstances and rules apply

“From now on, you’ll be fully informed,” Haymitch promises. “I better be,” says Peeta. - Peeta generally is a very cooperative fellow, but don’t ever think he can’t be forceful and stand his ground when it matters!

“Did you choose me, Haymitch?” I ask. “Yeah,” he says. “Why? You like him better,” I say. “That’s true. But remember, until they changed the rules, I could only hope to get one of you out of there alive,” he says. “I thought since he was determined to protect you, well, between the three of us, we might be able to bring you home.” “Oh,” is all I can think to say. - This is such a quiet, sweet moment and also shows that Katniss, Haymitch and Peeta have been some sort of team from the start (also, in their team effort they actually managed to get the both of them back home!)

Everything is happening too fast for me to process it. The warning, the shootings, the recognition that I may have set something of great consequence in motion. The whole thing is so improbable. And it would be one thing if I had planned to stir things up, but given the circumstances... how on earth did I cause so much trouble? - Lol, you’re giving yourself a little too much credit here, Katniss ;) Frankly, the Capitol has been the one to create this powder-keg they are sitting on in the first place - all it needed was a little spark... All these injustices, the humilitation, the pain inflicted... it’s like an elastic rubber band that’s been stretched and stretched - until it snaps

“I’m something of an expert in architectural design, you know?” “Oh yes, I’ve heard that,” says Portia before the pause gets too long. - Bless Portia’s heart, making sure they avoid that awkward silence 😂

Effie looks so distressed that I spontaneously give her a hug. “That’s awful, Effie. Maybe we shouldn’t go to the dinner at all. At least until they’ve apologized.” - Aww, Katniss doing something nice for Effie!😊

Peeta and I join hands. “Haymitch says I was wrong to yell at you. You were only operating under his instructions,” says Peeta. “And it isn’t as if I haven’t kept things from you in the past.” - Peeta sorta apologizing, even acknowledging that he also had kept secrets from Katniss? We love to see it👍 - [...] “I think I broke a few things myself after that interview.” “Just an urn,” he says. - Peetaaa... stop diminishing your own physical injuries! Good thing that Katniss won’t let him: - “And your hands. There’s no point to it anymore though, is there? Not being straight with each other?” I say. “No point,” says Peeta. - Gasp! Honest, open communication as a good basis for a successful relationship? It’s more likely than you think!

“Was that really the only time you kissed Gale?” I’m so startled I answer. “Yes.” With all that has happened today, has that question actually been preying on him? - Peeta, you sly dog! Your priorities 😂

Some crowds have the weary-cattle feel that I know District 12 usually projects at the victors’ ceremonies. But in others - particularly 8, 4, and 3 - there is genuine elation in the faces of the people at the sight of us, and under the elation, fury. - I do think that it’s interesting how D4 is one of the districts being elated to see Peeta + Katniss and displaying such fury, despite being a Career district; just goes to show that, just because their odds are better at winning the Games, doesn’t have to make them more simpatico with the Capitol’s cruelty... (Considering how Finnick knows how to perform CPR, it’s highly likely that people in D4 are also used to awful and precarious working + living situations... maybe that’s exactly why they generally are so robust and do well in the Games; and maybe they are simply not that above joining the other Careers as long as it improves their chances of survival, like Katniss or Thresh had been... worked for a while for Peeta, too)

Effie starts giving me pills to sleep, but they don’t work. [...] Peeta, who spends much of the night roaming the train, hears me screaming as I struggle to break out of the haze of drugs that merely prolong the horrible dreams. He manages to wake me and calm me down. Then he climbs into bed to hold me until I fall back to sleep. After that, I refuse the pills. But every night I let him into my bed. We manage the darkness as we did in the arena, wrapped in each other’s arms. - 😭 Also: Very telling how Capitolite Effie just throws pills at the problem (with the best of intentions, I’m sure), which is an immediate, unpersonal, and superficial solution at best, whereas Peeta holding Katniss, offering comfort, understanding, a sense of safety, and human connection is so much more personal, intimate, and effective (for both of them!)

I personally killed the girl, Glimmer, and the boy from District 1. As I try to avoid looking at his family, I learn that his name was Marvel. How did I never know that? - You know why, Katniss -  I suppose that before the Games I didn’t pay attention and afterward I didn’t want to know. - Still, not knowing his name didn’t stop you from humanizing him, Katniss, and that’s important, too

Whatever we do seems too little, too late. Back in our old quarters in the Training Center, I’m the one who suggests the public marriage proposal. Peeta agrees to do it but then disappears to his room for a long time. Haymitch tells me to leave him alone. “I thought he wanted it, anyway,” I say. “Not like this,” Haymitch says. “He wanted it to be real.” - Come on, Katniss, don’t be so callous; Peeta’s just as much of a prisoner here as you! Also, it’s all about being real or not real with these two, isn’t it?

Chapter 6

... you would think that at this moment, I would be in utter despair. Here’s what’s strange. The main thing I feel is a sense of relief. That I can give up this game. [...] That if desperate times call for desperate measures, then I am free to act as desperately as I wish. - Honestly, I think it was pretty short-sighted of Snow to let Katniss know so clearly that she didn’t succeed in her task; she did her utmost and it wasn’t enough - might as well fling caution to the wind now. All bets are off. If there had been still some small chance she could have ‘made things right’, she probably would have been trying harder to comply to his expectations. (I’m sure Snow thought the upcoming implementations of his stricter regime would be enough to keep Katniss in check, but pride comes before a fall ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

It’s essential to get back to District 12, because the main part of any plan will include my mother and sister, Gale and his family. And Peeta, If I can get him to come with us. I add Haymitch to the list. - For such a ‘loner’, Katniss sure has a lot of people that are important to her... And how ironic that Peeta, who she isn’t sure she’ll be able to convince in following her will be a much more willing participant that Gale, who Katniss is pretty much banking on joining her

“You’ll probably have to pass a new law,” I say with a giggle. “If that’s what it takes,” says the president with conspiratorial good humor. Oh the fun we two have together. - The dynamic between Snow and Katniss is so strange; despite the obvious antagonism there is definitely some vibe of interacting with each other at eye level and it’s weird (Sidenote: Is there any law in Panem preventing minors from marrying?)

“I want to taste everything in the room, “ I tell Peeta. [...] “Then you’d better pace yourself,” he says. “Okay, not more than one bite of each dish,” I say. My resolve is almost immediately broken at the first table, which has twenty or so soups - couldn’t have happened to me; I hate soup (like, thick soups I maaaybe can get behind, but clear soup/broth is just flavored water to me, no thanks - then again, I’m a picky eater)

Peeta and I make no effort to find company but are constantly sought out. We are what no one wants to miss at the party. I act delighted, but I have zero interest in these Capitol people. They are only distractions from the food. - Well isn’t that a mood for every social gathering ever (one person I enjoy talking to and lots of food I like? Perfect.)

I pick up a small roasted bird, bite into it, and my tongue floods with orange sauce. Delicious. But I make Peeta eat the remainder because I want to keep tasting things - Katniss seems to like the combination of meat and fruit, huh? (the lamb and plums, now bird and orange sauce) Personally, it’s a combination that’s on thin ice for me; there are only a few dishes with that component I actually like and it took me forever to tolerate them (I don’t know if it’s the texture or the taste, but something makes me apprehensive about it); anyway, Katniss making Peeta eat the rest is such a casual, couple-y thing to do (or at least something you do with someone you feel very comfortable with, I think)

Peeta looks at the glass again and puts it together. “You mean this will make me puke?” My prep team laughs hysterically. “Of course, so you can keep eating,” says Octavia. “I’ve been in there twice already. Everyone does it, or else how would you have any fun at a feast?” I’m speechless, staring at the pretty little glasses and all they imply. - Oh boy, I have a lot of thoughts on this part: A) I just noticed how this is the second delicate/fancy glass/drink that’s bringing about a jarring revelation: first that orange juice with the frilly straw in THG, now these tiny wine-stemmed glasses, B) “Everyone does it” + “how else would you have fun?” are the shittiest reasons I’ve ever heard at a party for doing something stupid you probably don’t want to do (I’m having flashbacks to all the times I had people trying to pressure me into drinking alcohol as a teen - it was even legal, btw - although I insisted that I didn’t like the taste (which I still don’t, to this day); it was tiresome 😑), C) “everyone does it” - the people in the Capitol must have some messed up teeth if that’s a regular occurence (sure, they probably bleach their teeth all the time, but also... they’d really need to, D) the obvious: how effed up that they just puke to stuff in more food when in the districts people literally are dying from starvation?! (and yeah, unequal distribution of resources sadly isn’t just a thing in Panem, I know... but there is something about actively purging yourself just for funsies that’s just extra, well, sick)

All I can think of is the emaciated bodies of the children on our kitchen table as my mother prescribes what the parents cannot give. More food. - God, how awful! How powerless they must feel 😟

And here in the Capitol they’re vomiting for the pleasure of filling their bellies again and again. Not from some illness of body or mind, not from spoiled food. - Ooh, I’ve never noticed before how this passage not only recognizes physical reasons for purging, but also mental reasons! Wouldn’t have necessarily expected Katniss to acknowledge eating disorders like that, tbh... She has become a lot more cognizant and sensitive when mental health issues are concerned

One day when I dropped by to give Hazelle the game, Vick was home sick with a bad cough [...] he still spent about fifteen minutes talking about how they’d opened a can of corn syrup from Parcel Day and each had a spoonful on bread and were going to maybe have more later in the week. How Hazelle had said he could have a bit in a cup of tea to soothe his cough, but he wouldln’t feel right unless the others had some, too. - Aww, Vick is such a sweetheart! Hazelle is raising her kids right!

“Peeta, they bring us here to fight to the death for their entertainment,”I say. “Really, this is nothing by comparison.” “I know. I know that. It’s just sometimes I can’t stand it anymore. To the point where... I’m not sure what I’ll do.” He pauses, then whispers, “Maybe we were wrong, Katniss.” “About what?” I ask. “About trying to subdue things in the districts,” he says. - Peeta’s rebellious nature coming through again!

“Sorry,” he says. He should be. This is no place to be voicing such thoughts. “Save it for home,” I tell him. - I know Katniss means D12, but her phrasing of “home” evokes a more domestic, couple-y connotation again 😊

I don’t want to dance with Plutarch Heavensbee. I don’t want to feel his hands, one resting against mine, one on my hip. I’m not used to being touched, except by Peeta or my family, and I rank Gamemakers somewhere below maggots in terms of creatures I want in contact with my skin. - It’s telling that, while Katniss is not big on being touched aside from her family (does that include Gale? probably? although they hadn’t even really hugged until Katniss had been reaped, so... I dunno), she’s totally fine with Peeta touching her (more than that: remember how good she felt holding his hand again in Ch.4 and how she’s feeling safe in his arms when they are sharing a bed), it says a lot about how comfortable she feels around him

Plutarch steps back and pulls out a gold watch on a chain from a vest pocket. He flips open the lid, sees the time, and frowns. “I’ll have to be going soon.” He turns the watch so I can see the face. “It starts at midnight.” - Honestly, this very subtle hint/foreshadowing of the clock setup of the Quarter Quell arena is simply brilliant! And also, midnight is going to become an important point in time as well from here on out (lightning tree, in the hanging tree song, saving Peeta and the others from the Training Center in the Capitol)

It’s another mockingjay. Exactly like the pin on my dress. Only this one disappears. He snaps the watch closed. “That’s very pretty,” I say. “Oh, it’s more than pretty. It’s one of a kind,” he says. - The disappearing mockingjay on the clock is interesting because A) Plutarch can’t really be flaunting the symbol of rebellion as Head Gamemaker, duh, but also B) the clock arena will be the place where the Mockingjay will disappear (until the rebellion will be able to use her for their cause); and that last comment by Plutarch clearly is aimed at the Mockingjay (Katniss) herself

When I open my eyes, it’s early afternoon. My head rests on Peeta’s arm. I don’t remember him coming in last night. - Okay, Katniss must feel hella safe and used to Peeta joining her in her bed, because apparently she didn’t even wake up when he did, like... I’m a fairly heavy sleeper, but I can’t imagine sleeping so deeply that I wouldn’t jerk awake if someone crawled into my bed while I was snoozing

“No nightmare,” he says. “What?” I ask. “You didn’t have any nightmares last night,” he says. He’s right. For the first time in ages I’ve slept through the night. - Telling how the first time Katniss sleeps through the night is after Snow let her know her performance wasn’t enough; she’s must have been so tense and on edge, desperately trying to calm down the districts and convince Snow, that she hadn’t been able to sleep properly, aside from the obvious sleeping issues she’d have from the PTSD (I’m often that way before an important exam - especially if it’s an oral exam; I get tense just thinking about it 😓)

“I had a dream, though,” I say, thinking back. “I was following a mockingjay though the woods. For a long time. It was Rue, really. I mean, when it sang, it had her voice.” “Where did she take you?” he says, brushing my hair off my forehead. “I don’t know. We never arrived,” I say. “But I felt happy.” - Interesting how in Katniss’s dream, the mockingjay is Rue - lending further credence to the hypothesis that maybe Rue was originally meant to be the Mockingjay (would make Plutarch’s comment of the mockingjay being “one of a kind” a bit more hypocritical/exaggerated/dramatized, which still fits with his flair for propaganda/showmanship... and ultimately, Katniss as the Mockingjay was unique, but that doesn’t mean that the rebellion couldn’t have made someone else their symbol if they needed to); also, Peeta brushing Katniss’s hair off her forehead is so sweet and intimate 😊

After I got home, we [Madge and I] started spending time together. [...] It was a little awkward at first because we didn’t know what to do. Other girls our age, I’ve heard them talking about boys, or other girls, or clothes. Madge and I aren’t gossipy and clothes bore me to tears. But after a few false starts, I realized she was dying to go into the woods, so I’ve taken her a couple of times and showed her how to shoot. She’s trying to teach me the piano, but mostly I like to listen to her play. - Honestly? I’d love to read a fanfic about Katniss and Madge figuring out their friendship (let me know if there already are some!); it’s cute how they end up including each other in their hobbies 😊 Ah, the classic “I’m/We’re not like other girls”, which often is especially prevalent during your teen years (I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t been gulty of this in my past 😅)... Katniss might actually would have benefited from talking with Madge about her boys’ troubles, though... And it’s so funny how Katniss admits that she has no interest in clothes, despite it being her supposed “talent”, while she also admits that she does admire Cinna’s work

... there’s a mob scene. The square’s packed with screaming people, their faces hidden with rags and homemade masks, throwing bricks. Building burn. Peacekeepers shoot into the crowd, killing at random. I’ve never seen anything like it - I... I have. At least on tv... In different places, at different times, but... yeah...

[liquidstar]

something the latest chapter of kaguya-sama made me realize is just how much better all of the characters are doing in their lives now because of their friendships with each other, and i just think thats so sweet.

kaguya herself used to be absolutely miserable and never smile, but then chika made her be her friend and miyuki made her join the student council and over time she became so much more open and happy, you really see just how important all her friends are to her when she’s afraid that she might lose all the pictures of them she’s taken, they absolutely melted this former ice queen’s heart. through the series she gets more and more warm and acts more like a typical happy girl. the ending song for the second season also makes it really obvious that she sees her friends as her happy place, an escape from her terrible home life, she really does love them so much. in the latest chapter she makes it so clear that her friendship with chika is just as important to her as her relationship with miyuki, and that the only reason she didn’t tell her was that she was afraid chika would be mad that she has a new special person in her life, but because chika loves her friend so much she’s nothing but happy to see her finally have more special people in her life too.

and miyuki of course has gotten a lot better when it comes to accepting his flaws and not seeing himself as a failure, he only ever initially drops this facade around chika who becomes sort of like, a mom friend to him, and since a lot of his issues stem from his mom abandoning him its really important for him to see that not everyone will. and later on its much more directly addressed between him and kaguya he becomes much more able to be happy with who he is and not push himself so much or be afraid that people will leave him for not being perfect. not to mention his friendship with ishigami who he actually confides a lot of his issues in, despite the fact that he gets his relationship advice from manga, but the scene of them laying down under the tree and just talking, while very funny, is still a really sweet moment. his relationship with kei is also very big, because thats his sister, but he also sort of fills the role their mother usually would have for her. and though she’s annoyed by it, its really important for her because its implied that when she was with her mom she wasnt exactly treated well, she ran away to be with her father and brother for a reason, and kaguya was the one that actually gave her the strength to do so so it all comes back full circle. 

but chika has her own issues too, she seems like a very simple character, a typical genki girl. but she was a musical prodigy as a child, winning award after award. and yet she was so unhappy with that very ridged life, she had no freedom and all she did was practice. you can see it in her eyes in the flashbacks, despite the praise and trophies her eyes were were so dead and she was so different from the happy carefree chika we know. but then kaguya sort of became the straw that broke the camel’s back that forced her to quit, and it wasnt really out of kindness at first, but their friendship ultimately is what made her become the chika we know, the one who loves to laugh and play, its like she’s making up for lost time and finally getting to be a kid with all her friends. she is very much the gifted child who lost her childhood because of it, but she’s so much happier now. not to mention her friendship with the table-top board game club! its not given as much focus but you can really see her thrive in something she’s truly passionate in now, she loves making games and playing them with her friends!

ishigami’s whole thing can be pretty heavy, its played off as a joke at first but he legitimately is explicitly suicidal, but hes able to get better with the power of friendship. miyuki was very literally portrayed as a light coming into his life when he first enters his room to save him from his isolation. even before that though, miko also helped him, even if he didnt realize it, she was the one that advocated for him not to be held back a year which prompted the student council to look into his case and help him too. he has to get over a lot of his anxieties, at first he’s even afraid of kaguya, but he warms up to her over time too and they develop a pretty sweet relationship with her as his sort of tutor. and very critically, he joins the cheer squad. he actually put himself out there and made “normie” friends and it turns out it wasnt so scary after all. and his crush on tsubame is so important, because she rejects him, but they stay friends. he never once feels like she owes him anything or “friendzoned” him, even if it hurt to be rejected he wanted to be friends. she was really afraid of losing her friend that she loves so much, those feelings of platonic love arent in any way seen as lesser. and she helps him in the end by making sure the school knows that hes actually a nice guy and that means the world to him. theyre still friends and that relationship is important to both of them.

similarly though, ishigami also helped miko before they were even friends without her realizing it. he saw how much she was struggling with the constant bullying and decided to leave her a note to tell her that it gets better, and it was an incredibly important thing that stuck with her for a long time. their entire relationship is defined as “two people who secretly help each other” because theyre both hold such high personal morals that they dont expect good deeds to have to be pointed out or repaid. and then when she ran in the election, miyuki helped her get over her stage fright so people wouldn’t make fun of her anymore, and because he’s such a nice guy he even offered her a seat in the student council where she’d make a bunch of new friends, and despite going through sort of a rough patch she’s still ultimately far more confident than she’s ever been and she’s absolutely ready to become the president next year now, finally achieving her goal. and her relationship with miyuki becomes very sweet as they develop their relationship in the “senpai-kun and kohai-chan” chapters where they just bond as friends, often through her weird emo poetry but he supports her despite being terrified of it. 

hayasaka is one of the most loaded characters in the series despite not being in the student council. the arc that focuses around her is even titled “ai hayasaka’s friends” because they’re what help her out of her situation. since she was a child she was used as a pawn by the shinomiya family, not unlike kaguya herself, and she considers kaguya to be like her precious little sister. but she’s also been manipulated into betraying kaguya by becoming a spy for her abusive family. and the amount of guilt she feels over it is so painful to watch, but she’s too afraid to do anything about it. when kaguya finally finds out, she’s not instantly forgiven, but for the first time in kaguya’s life she wants to forgive someone who betrayed her, and they talk it out, and they can finally become proper friends just like they always both dreamed of. her friendship with miyuki is interesting too, because they have a clash of ideals about not letting your “true self” be seen by people, because they wont love you anymore, and despite miyuki arguing against it, it very much is an idelogy he shared at the time. but when she finally does show her true self she’s loved, and in the valentines chapter she confesses to him, not out of love, but out of friendship. she asks him to be her friend, and her circle of friends just grows from there with all her facaudes dropped.

all of their arcs just play into the greater overall theme of the series, which just comes down to honesty and vulnerability with the people youre close to, the series may be a romance but it places such important emphasis on all its characters relationships and how they can make each other better, its so nice. theyre just friends and they care each other. 

[laughing-with-god]

QQ has me shaking in my boots ✊🏻👏🏻 but I’ve had a lingering question for the last few days; if the rest of the BTS members were in QQ, what districts would they be from? Love your work 🥺❤️

oh my god, okay here me out; an alternative Quarter Quell Fic were all past victors must play again and all the bts members are victors who come to play the quell but they somehow all become yandere over Y/n.....Lemme know if that’s something ya’ll would like to read.  Anyway, here ya go;

(Btw I’m gonna base these profiles on the crackhead idea I stated up above, except I’m not going to do Jungkook and Tae bc they’re already in my Quarter Quell Fic and their games are being played right now so I don’t feel right doing profiles for them...it’ll deadass confuse me.)

BTS as Victors (Hunger Games AU)

Kim Seokjin- District One (Luxury)  

Jin originates from district one, most would say that he figuratively hit the birth lottery by being from this district.  

The first district is essentially the crown jewel of the capitol, it’s by far the most favored.  The main job of district one is to provide the capitol with all luxury items, so most people make their money by creating jewelry and makeup.  (Both of which are in extremely high demand in the capitol, so 1 is by far the most economically flourishing district.)

Jin never had to suffer food outages or abuse by peacekeepers because of 1′s good status with the capitol.  To further his prosperity, Jin’s father was actually the mayor of district one.  

Which makes Jins’ reaping all the more scandalous.  

There was a rumor that Jin’s father expressed sympathy towards the damaged and less favored districts (11 and 12).So when Jin’s name was reaped, people suspected that the system was rigged and Jin’s name was going to get called out either way.  Because after all, how would the capitol keep a loud-mouth mayor in check?  By putting his son in the games, of course.  

No one volunteered in fear of interfering with the capitol’s plans and getting in trouble. 

However Seokjin fancied himself an actor and practically skipped to the stage with a big grin on his face, announcing his name proudly and even stating that it would be an honor to compete on behalf of his district. 

His strategy was to get on the good side of both the audience and the gamemakers.  Unlike other tributes who sometimes couldn’t help the look of terror they had, Jin made sure to constantly look happy and would even compliment the gamemakers in his interview by saying things like, “This game is going to be the best one in years, I could already tell.”  “I caught a glimpse at the makers during my assessment and let me tell you...they’re not playing around this year.”

Because of this Jin wasn’t the target of any foul play or natural disasters bc the makers held no ill will towards him, if anything a lot of them actually wanted him to win. 

He earned himself many fans and thus sponsors, mainly due to his good looks and partly due to his surprisingly goofy nature.  

Jin was always sure to keep his attitude light. He constantly made jokes and did impressions in the arena, showcasting his humor bc the last thing he needed was to be painted as the bad guy.  His number one rule was to always keep his fans satisfied.  That kept him alive.  

He stuck to the career alliance; teaming up with his district counterpart, two and the girl from four.  He stuck with them because he knew he would need the numbers and the supplies.  But a bit more than halfway through the games, when the careers took down all the main threats, Jin zipped up all the tents that his sleeping allies were in, took a good amount of supplies and set the camp on fire; effectively killing the career pact.  

For two days after that he wandered alone but was having trouble with basic survival skills.  Unlike more than half the tributes, Jin grew up in a city with no true sense of nature.  He was struggling.

 That’s when he came across a boy from 11 and a girl from 7.  They both were rather weak and Jin offered them protection in exchange that they let him stay in their hideout with them.  But when 11 and 7 were under attack, Jin fled and let them be killed.  

Jin eventually had to go against the last tribute standing; a girl from 6.  She was also frail and only lasted that long because of her hiding skills.  Jin overpowered her and threw her off a mountain.  Thus, he became victor.  

He still is to this day one of the most popular victors and a really good mentor (although he mainly just advocates for having allies, using them, then killing them before they can kill you.)  

because of his good looks, he is often sold off to elite women and men for a night with a handsome victor.  Jin has no choice, it’s the only way he was able to make the president forgive his father.  (Think of Finnick Odair).  

Choice of weapon; spear, betrayal (all his allies will eventually end up killed by him)

Arena

Min Yoongi- District Six (Transportation)

District Six is responsible for all methods of transportation the capitol has.  The hovercrafts, the high-speed trains and advanced cargo ships are all products of 6.

Citizens from six are heavily oppressed by the peacekeepers.  Although not as poor as 11 or 12, they are one of the more rebellious districts.  It’s also the largest district and the most unstable, lots of the population suffer from a morphling addiction which is party responsible for the citizen’s disobedience.  

Yoongi came from a lower middle class background, raised by a single working mom who fell victim to the morphling epidemic.  Needless to say she was very absent from his life.  

Life at six is so bleak, when Yoongi’s name was reaped his first thought was ‘well, at least I won’t die in this shit hole.’  

He was very numb due to shock so he appeared very aloof when he went up to the stage; a total contrast to his counterpart who was bawling her eyes out.  

He managed to keep this stoic act up for the entirety of his time in the capitol, his thought process was that he never wanted to give the capitol the satisfaction of seeing him break.  

He mainly enjoyed all the food and luxuries the capitol had to offer, thinking that he had no chance of winning and might as well enjoy his last days.  

It wasn’t until his interview where even the host forgot his name that he realized that he might have a secret weapon under his belt; no one knew who he was, he was forgettable, someone who other tributes overlooked and even underestimated.  

He went to his mentor with this revelation and was told to go the ‘Joanna Mason route’.  

Ie; play weak and stupid until there’s only a few tributes left, then release your inner crazy and kill them all before they ever even saw you coming.

Yoongi figured it was better than nothing and decided this as his strategy.  

Yoongi had no help of sponsors or allies, all he had was himself.  But that’s the way he wanted it.  

He hid for more than half the game, his small stature making it easy for him to hide into small nooks and crannies.  He survived mainly on small plants, insects and any rainfall he was able to get.  

It wasn’t until he witnessed someone die near one of his hideouts that he allowed his murderous side to snap.  

It was a fight between a girl from 5 and a boy from 9.  The girl had knives while the boy had an ax, the girl managed to get him in the throat and he fell over dead.  After the girl searched his pockets for supplies, she turned around to stalk off, unaware Yoongi was only yards away.  

Yoongi silently got out of his hideout, took the ax and ran up behind her before chopping her head off.  

There was only four tributes left and Yoongi hunted them all down, tired with how long this game was taking and desperate to get home.  

he managed to kill them all, the tributes being caught off guard bc of his excellent hiding skills  

He became one of the youngest victors of all time, he was only 14.  

As a mentor, he’s actually pretty absent.  

Yoongi doesn’t like to get too close to the tributes because it becomes too emotionally crushing to eventually witness them die.  

His general advice for them is to lay low and never draw any attention towards you, the factor of surprise is the ultimate weapon for those with patience.  

Yoongi has never been the same since the games, he isn’t proud of it but he’s also become dependent on morphling; it’s the only thing that keeps his nightmares and depression away.  (Like Haymitch, except Haymitch was dependent on alcohol and Yoongi is dependent on drugs)

He despises the capitol even more now, hating the fact that they made him a murderer and he was forced to play into the very game he promised to never have a part of.

He lives with that guilt everyday and doesn’t think he’s any better than the ruthless career kids he sees every year

He’s quite belligerent too.  He is almost never given mentor interviews or screentime because he’s blown up one too many times that the hosts know to avoid him.  (Think Joanna Mason and the one catching fire scene where she flips shit on national tv).

Weapons; hiding, ax

Arena

Kim Namjoon- District Three (Technology) 

District three has some of the smartest tributes, and Namjoon was no different.

District Three is responsible for all the high-end technology the capitol has; the people may not be as strong as two or as flashy as one, but their intellect alone runs the capitol.  

Kids from three are good at creating functional tools, codes, wires, ect.  But sadly, these traits don’t translate well into the games given the clear advantage towards physical superiority over intellectual superiority.  

Namjoon was determined to show the capitol how far a smart kid can go.  

Like most tributes, Namjoon went into a little bit of a shock when his name was reaped.  

He walked up, void of any emotion and avoided any eye contact with the district representative or the female counterpart.  

When he was escorted into the room to say his goodbyes to his family is when he finally broke.  

But his mother made him promise to do anything to get back home, she didn’t care how dirty he had to get she just wanted her boy to live

This encouragement/promise was enough to motivate him to become the last one standing, he didn’t care how gory he would have to get.

He utilized his mentor heavily, talking their ear off and asking countless questions.  Soaking up any information/advice he could get, knowing it could very well be the difference between life and death.  

His mentor advised him to choose the Beetee Latier strategy, telling Namjoon that if he just got his hands on some tools and put his mind to it he could be the most dangerous tribute in that arena. 

During his training days Namjoon spent all his time in the rope stations, net stations and hook stations, knowing that his future plans would require him to be good with these skills.

During his interview, he hinted to the audience that he was very smart.  He was careful to not make it obvious enough to make him a target of the careers but enough to raise the interests of the sponsors.  

His personal score was also good, making the act of getting sponsors a little bit easier.  

When the game began, he ran off from the blood bath but not too far.  He stayed close enough to watch who left and with what supplies.  With this knowledge, he began to track the people who had the tools he would need to play out his plan.  

He would track these people very slyly, waiting until their guard was down to swipe their supplies.  

With these supplies he would build traps and set them up for tributes to unknowingly walk into.  His favorites were bear traps, snatching nets and digging up 8 ft deep holes then covering them up with debri for tributes to stumble into.

He managed to kill a decent amount of tributes before killing off what was left of the career pact.  

However, Namjoon wasn’t able to avoid hand-to-hand combat forever.  

When it came to the end, it was between a male tribute from 5, a girl from 2 and Namjoon himself.  Both tributes had weapons while Namjoon didn’t.  

He fought with them and got stabbed and sliced a good amount, but even with his fatal blood loss and fading consciousness, his brilliant mind came up with a plan.  

He staggered over to one of his traps, making the tributes think he was just trying to run away when the truth was he was trying to lure them to their deaths.  

They took the bait, got strung up into a net before being electrocuted to death.  

The last words Namjoon heard before he blacked out was the head gamemaker announcing him victor.  

Namjoon is now one of the greatest mentors of all time.  Whenever it’s his turn to overlook the tributes of his home district the chances of 3 winning goes up 50%

He is very good at strategy and has even helped the gamemakers create certain arenas for future games.  

namjoon teaches his students the importance of staying calm and sticking to a plan. “When kids are scared, starving and fighting for their lives they’re very easy to pick off.  Utilize that.”  

Weapons; stalking, traps

Arena

Jung Hoseok- District Eight (Textiles)

Hoseok was a victim of the reaping gamble.  (The process in which kids will enter their names in the reaping bowl more times than required in exchange for food)

Hoseok is the oldest of four children, his mother died with the birth of the youngest child and his dad died years later due to poor health via the unlawful work conditions in the factories. (District Eight is responsible for all the clothes the capitol has, this means the vast majority of citizens work in factories. Eight is also very oppressed so peacekeepers beat citizens and hand out punishments often.)  

Hoseok dropped out of school in order to help provide for his brothers and sister.  He is the only one working and he refuses to let the second to oldest child drop out of school to help him.  He just wants his siblings to get their education so hopefully they can end up with manager positions at the factories and wouldn’t have to suffer the awful conditions/abuse average factory workers go through.  

Hoseok is used to putting his name in more times than needed.  Of course it means his panic is through the roof when reaping comes but when the names are called and he’s not one of them, he walks away with a relieved heart and bags full of food for his siblings.  

Hoseok depends on that food, because it saves him up to three weeks of salary and he can use that money to get his siblings some new clothes that they had to wait all year for.  Along with some small gifts in order to make up for the birthday’s Hoseok wasn’t able to afford.  

Since this was his last year of being eligible for the reaping, Hoseok made sure to add his name more than usual, hoping to get more food so he could spread out the money for even longer. 

So in a way, when his name was called, he wasn’t completely surprised.  

But he was heartbroken, realizing that in his effort to provide for his siblings he may have robbed them of yet another caretaker. 

When it was time to say goodbye, he tried his hardest to be strong and promised them he’d come back.  

On the train ride over to the capitol he was completely inconsolable, unable to sleep at the prospect of his siblings having to watch him die on national tv.  

He went through the motions of the first days at the capitol, but it wasn’t until the training days begun that he was approached.  

it was a girl from 10 and she was only 13 years old.  She asked him if he had an ally and if he would be interested in working with her.  Hoseok was about to say no when he fell silent, the girl reminded him so much of his younger sister that he couldn’t help but want to protect her.  

They made an alliance.  

And it was working rather well.  Turned out the girl from 10 was very handy and knew how to keep her and Hoseok alive.  The arena was a freezing arctic and she skinned polar bears in order to keep her and Hoseok warm, later cooking the meat for them to eat.  

Most tributes that year died via freezing to death, very little fighting was done.   

Not the career pact though.

They found Hoseok and the girl from 10, holding him down and forcing him to watch as they tortured her. 

Eventually she died but he would never forget her screams for help.  

This was enough to make Hoseok snap.

So he did.

Hoseok became a monster, broke free and killed the pact.  There was only three (two boys, one girl), he stabbed one in the throat, strangled the other and tracked the fleeing girl down before holding her head under the freezing water till she drowned.  

Hoseok won.  

In a way he’s glad because now him and his family live on victor’s row and no longer have to worry about their next meal. 

 But his sanity will never be the same....

He is the kindest mentor, mainly because he knows that the majority of them won’t be coming back so he’s sure to be very nice and always offers to look out for their family when they eventually die.  

Arena

Park Jimin- District Four (Fishing)

Jimin volunteered for the games, an act that was surprising to everyone and anyone in four.  

It’s not that Jimin wasn’t strong, it was just that he didn’t seem like the type to hurt people and he was mainly just known as a really sweet local fisher boy.  

People wondered how such an angel could even think of volunteering, much less actually win the games...

(Rumors even spread that he must’ve been suicidal or in serious debt, why else would he volunteer?)

But he strutted up confidently and announced his name, holding a certain benevolence that made him seem self-assured in his own ability.  

Jimin was already acting like he won the games before he even got to the capitol.  

He never really showed any anxiety or distress, he talked to the escort and mentors very casually....as if they were all old friends.   

He also was extremely close to his designers/stylists, he allowed himself to get spoiled by the pampering and new clothes/makeup.  (This also could’ve been part of his strategy.  Most tributes could care less about their team but by Jimin becoming close to them, they most likely were more motivated to get him the best clothes, jewelry, makeup and overall helped him get more fans.)  

Needless to say he became popular very quickly, he was by far the most attractive tribute and his laid back/flirty personality was infectious. For the first time ever a tribute’s concept was sex appeal, something that was unheard of for tributes to do because of their young age.  

During his interview when asked about his strategy, Jimin just shrugged cutely and said “I’m a very lucky person, I doubt this will be all that hard.”

he buttered up the careers very nicely, they all basically just saw him as eye candy with lots of sponsors, not an actual threat.  

Little did anyone know, Jimin was actually playing a very intelligent game that requires lots of manipulation.  

His main objective was to stick with the careers until more than half the tributes were gone, then he would turn the careers against each other.  

It would start off really slow and deliberate; going to one career and saying “This isn’t any of my business, but I heard (blank) talking in their sleep about offing you.”  Or going to another and saying, “Don’t you think it’s weird how (blank) is acting?  Maybe they’re thinking about killing us and winning this thing for themselves.”

He creates chaos and distrust and watches as they slowly turn against each other.  

Eventually the careers would begin to kill each other, the alliance crumbling all thanks to Jimin.  

Jimin would wait until only him and another career remained.  At this point the career would realize that it was Jimin who destroyed the alliance...but it would be too late.  

It was a girl career and although she was strong, she was no match for Jimin who dragged her to the swamp and held her head under water until the cannon sounded.  

He would then kill the remaining two tributes, a piece of cake since he only kept the careers around to off the bigger threats, only weak kids remained.  

Wins the game and becomes one of the most popular victors of all time.  (Although it’s still a mystery as to why he volunteered, a lingering question Jimin has always refused to answer.)  

Because of him a new strategy in the games was born; The Jimin game (ie; get in an alliance, use the alliance for supplies/food/protection, then when all the big tributes are gone plant a seed of deception into the allies so they all turn against each other)  

Also because of him tributes began selling a more sexier side of themselves.  (Esp tributes from four bc Jimin mentors them into it so that they can get more sponsors)  

Jimin also frequents the capitol often, being an A-list celebrity and receiving special treatment whenever he comes around.  Unlike Yoongi, Jimin fully embraced his role and is always ready to give out interviews or guest on shows.  

he also sells himself to elite capitol women, not because he was forced to but because he enjoys the sex and gifts that come with it (sugar baby)

Although there is one catch to sleeping with the infamous Park Jimin.....you have to tell him a secret worth his while.  

What he’s planning to do with these secrets....no one knows.  

Arena

[almasidaliano]

Almasi for President

so in about 12 to 16 years, i am running for president. i do not believe the world will have ended then, though i do believe things will be different. hoping for better, not, not expecting worse. our system is broken. all of the systems are broken. the government is corrupt. the justice system is corrupt. those in charge are turning blind eyes, covering things up, and allowing the fall of our country. i will not be surprised if a civil war commences; although i'm also thinking they are going to really create and push for a purge. we are in real trouble then. that just goes back to what i said, are you standing for something or dying for nothing?

people were excited for biden to win. and i have to say, i was not one of them. biden seems like another puppet to me. obama was a puppet. he was his vp. crazy how biden is president and he has a black female vp now. that sounds like a win huh? wrong, she contributed to the failed prosecution of the officers who murdered Oscar Grant. that went over everyone's head during the election though. trump was just so bad had to get him out. biden is anti LGBTQ+. everyone wanted to put it on trump folks getting rowdy and such however, biden won and nothing changed.

trump's slogan was "make america great again." personally, i think he could have. trump's a businessman and to say the least, entertainment. they gave trump four years, why do you think they didn't renew his contract? because he was playing them. trump is a classist. he doesn't like poor people. personally, i think he just believes hardwork pays off, his did and so he just holds everyone to the standard he held himself. there are circumstances, however i think that's fair. he said all this racist shit everyone got mad. yet, he won by a landslide because the country said they would still rather this "bigoted, racist, sexist, classist asshole" than a woman. then the country complained the whole time. he exposed america and instead of society shining light and doing something they continued to do what we have been doing; pointing blame.

the system has failed us. the system failed us a long time ago. all trump did was present a call to action. the one thing i can give rednecks is they patriotic as fuck. they want the america they invision type shit. i feel like melanated people in general struggle with that because america never felt like home. america never wanted us here. but the fact of the matter is, this all we know. this is home now. there are 3 real options. 1. go back to where your bloodline stems. 2. sit and conform, hope they dont get you. 3. defend your rights, your home, and your people; come out on top or die trying. you have to pick something though. we have to do something because they those set to protect us are out to get us.

we do not have a democratic government not even a representative democracy like we once thought. sorry if you were today years old when you found out. we operate out of a republic; a constitutional federal republic. what's the difference? in a democracy, all that voting that we do, matters.  even if it was a representative democracy. we would have representatives to disclose our decisions. the electoral college makes final decisions on elections.

a constitutional federal republic means that the constitution which is the law of the land governs the land. if this is the law of the land, why do we have sub laws? the constitution needs to be amended. want to fix the race and inequality issues? let me tell you how, real easy fix. call a convention. take out any amendment that gives rights to people AND reword the beginning anyway folks see fit so that women and americans from all ethnic backgrounds get the same level of respect and rights. there will always be an unspoken division until things like that are rectified. before black people got rights we were not even counted as complete people, simply 3/5s of a person. life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. these are unalienable rights. my very existence guarantees me these rights.

the judicial system coupled with the criminal law system are hopeful, and still in need of reform. prisons are privately owned institutions, which are supposed to be forms of rehabilitation. instead, they are condemning people and treating them inhumanely; creating the same environment they were in on the outside, on in the inside conditioning them to be stuck in these ways as means of survival and then continue to place blame on them. officers need to take crimes more seriously. people are people, bias, prejudices, and profiling have no place in the workplace. officers are corrupt, arresting kids for selling, who just are trying to help their mother with the bills, then turning around and selling it back out on the streets. officers are wrongfully convictind and killing predominately (as far as the media is broadcasting) though not only melanated people. on top of that, they are walking free. lives are being lost and they arent even losing their jobs. tax dollars are going towards keeping them safe. however, if a civilian shoots a cop. up the river for them.

lawyers aren't fighting hard enough. especially defense attorneys. it is fairly simple to get a conviction with the right information, proving innocence is always a bit more complicated. the problem is that attorneys get too big eyed. they looking at how to get their clients off, accountability is another taboo in this society. there are a multitude of people who are innocent behind bars, as well as those who received heinous outrageous sentences. that is not right.

people factor more than necessary when trying to make a decision, yet they ignore the things that remind them a person is human. its this art contest over who can paint the best picture of the defendant. which story is easy for a jurors bias to sway? how people look matters. and it shouldn't. our government since the building of america, has created dividing markers.

just like with royal kingdoms, the wife couldn't have things of her own. her role was cleaning, cooking, taking care of the kids, and whatever else was asked of her. if there was a divorce, the woman got nothing. they had no rights. imagine being the first born as a female in a royal family and being told you can't have your kingdom, correction you can but you must marry to get it. then if you get married the new king running things not you. what is that? its called patriarchy. our government is run off a patriarchy as well.

so i never really believed there could be like a true separation of church and state because every law and decision made was based on people's morals and beliefs. there is supposed to be a separation of church and state yet, due to people's religious beliefs gay marriage had to get legalized, despite there being no law for heterosexual marriage. would that not make it illegal? since gay marriage had to be legalized though there was not a law for it either? then on top of that, how do you make it a law, and still for religious reasons, ministers and such can refuse? there are always stipulations and hinderances for the rights of those who are not white men.

ABORTION: i really do not know why we are still having this conversation. its literally conversations like this that have me looking at americans like--- seriously? once again there should be a separation of church and state. so religion cannot be a reason to outlaw it. how can you put out a law that dictates what someone can do with their body? all of life, i mean every part of life should be pro-choice. its just that simple. Pro-Choice. i am all for the right to decide for yourself. and men want to feel a way about women making that decision on their own. and while i do stand behind the fact that ultimately it is the womans decision, that does not mean she can't listen to an opinion. it is a part of the woman, literally grows inside of her an entire being. and fathers can just dip out and folks will just look at the mom and suddenly she should just become super woman. the pressure that comes with having a child is enough on its own. like thats a being that is dependent on you. some people are honest with themselves and know they arent ready or dont want it. all they need is support. the mental toll life takes on us is huge as well. still people do not consider that at all.

there is no point of incarcerating people, if they have still lost a chance at a decent life once they get out. jail is for rehabilitation. they go, do their time and then they are supposed to be allowed to try again. our government knows nothing of redemption, that's why all the top leaders go through so much to hide their dirt. they crucify civilians trying to make themselves seem superior, really they are just like you and i. almasi for president. im going to save the world.

-Almasi

[zhenyakatava]

[ long road trips, worn down friendship bracelets, walking in the front door without knocking and sitting down at dinner with your family, riding carts through empty grocery store aisles at 3am, skipping all the friday nights lights to hang out together, rocks thrown at windows, that favorite diner where you know all the employees intimately, shared clothes and drinks and ex-boyfriends, crying at grad parties ]

tw: suicide attempt

no one is really sure when they all became friends, but after it happened they were rarely apart, rarely seen with anyone else. walking down some backroad in a horde, driving down the freeway at 100 miles an hour, manning the pong table at the parties they were known for throwing in high school. in truth, they’ve been close since elementary school, all living in the same neighborhood, when one summer the girls and boys crossed paths and decided to consolidate friend groups. 

obviously, being the mixed group that it was, they had to make sure that no one altered the dynamics of the friendship by getting romantically involved. so, they all made a pact that nothing would happen between them. 

still, they experienced everything else together. they were all close by when they had their first kisses, their first joint, their first heartbreak, and for all manner of things good or bad. the friendship wasn’t exactly forged by fire, but with time -- mostly.

boy 2 was always the one holding them all together. he was hardly the parent of the group, but he was the one always willing to just be there. every time someone needed him. what none of them really knew was that he needed all that help themselves.

in their freshman year of high school, he made an attempt to kill himself, and several members of the group walked in to find him unconscious. they effectively saved his life, but none of them were equipped to deal with the knowledge that the person who seemed the strongest and stablest of them all was in fact the most vulnerable.

the event galvanized an already-strong bond and forced them to re-pledge themselves to the group and the promises they had made to each other. that’s why it felt like such a betrayal when tj and boy 1 slept together at the end of senior year, ending tj’s friendship with the rest of the group, more on her own terms than anything.

the group hasn’t been quite the same since then, always feeling sort of empty. now, though, the sixth piece is back in town and only time will tell whether time has been able to heal their old wounds and stitch the found-family back together.

SO, below the cut i have some aesthetics and little blurbs for the other five characters, but i don’t want to dictate everything! i want to work out dynamics, create a timeline for them throughout the years, and ultimately figure out where the next step for them is! whether the rest of them stayed friends or not, whether they left orlando or not, whatever! my only stipulation is they should be the same year as tj because they grew up together. if you have any questions, comments, concerns, pls don’t hesitate to hit me up here or on discord (🗣 morgan 🗣#3278)!

[ TJ COPSEY ]  the goody-two-shoes | 22, haley lu richardson, morgan

// no one ever really believed that tj was really friends with the rest of them. straight-a student, parents at every PTA meeting, and top-tier brownnoser, she never really fit in with the rest of them. she didn’t even truly live within the bounds of their neighborhood, but right outside of it with its crystal-clear pool and trimmed hedges and perfect family unit inside. the mom of the group, she stayed sober and watched after all of her friends at every party. the one party she did drink at, the night of graduation, she ended up sleeping with boy 1 and breaking the pact they’d worked so carefully to keep up through their ten years of friendship. needless to say, it didn’t go over well and she spent the year before freshman year of college by herself. even when the rest of them tried to reach out later, before she went several hours away to georgia tech, her pride got in the way and she’s been avoiding every phone call and text, every visit on breaks. now, though, she’s back in orlando post-grad and trying to navigate the situation.

[ BOY 1 ] the angst machine, reserved for jenn

 // the boy with the Traumatic Past, boy 1 cycled through several foster homes before finding himself in the little cul-de-sac where he’d call home. the family wasn’t perfect, but they were better than the ones he’d had in the preceding eight years. he fell in quickly with the neighbor boys, and although he was absolutely a bad influence, their families too. he’s always had a bad rep and a bad attitude, but to say that the group had a soft spot for him would be the understatement of the century. he could get away with bloody murder and, honestly, he kind of did when it turned out that tj got kicked out of the group for doing the same thing he got off scot free for. still, like everything else in his life, it’s something he’s been quite opportunistic about moping about. really, he’s not a chip on his shoulder and a woe-is-me attitude about life, and only like 50% of it is warranted. 

[ GIRL 2 ] the manic pixie dream girl, reserved for maddie

// girl 2 had always been rebellious, but she wasn’t always like that. honestly, she read books about girls that got every guy and made everyone’s head turn when she was young, and she ate that shit up. she’s wildly smart and always has been, but not many people would know because she hardly opened her mouth in high school. always acted like she was a guy’s girl, latching onto the boys in the group, but in truth she would’ve given her life for anyone in the group. she was the one that really spearheaded the oust tj campaign, not because she hated her or wanted boy 1 to herself, but because she took any betrayal of the group incredibly seriously.

[ BOY 2 ] the glue

// grew up in an average family (divorced parents, naturally), in an average suburban home with beige carpet and beige walls, with average grades and average talent and average everything -- or so he thought. becoming friends with these people was probably the best thing that ever happened to him and he’d say it, but that didn’t help in his struggles with mental health. after his attempt, he hated the way everyone started to walk on eggshells around him. in response, he did something with his life: he did whatever the fuck he wanted. more than likely, he has spent the past four years backpacking europe or #vanlifing or doing shrooms in a field in the middle of idaho. who knows, but he’s living, at least.

[ GIRL 3 ] the prom queen, reserved for alex

// she’s beauty, she’s grace, she’ll literally spit in your face. probably the poorest of them all; she grew up living with her mom and siblings in the basement apartment of some creepy old guy in the neighborhood. mom had awful boyfriends, worked late, you know the drill. but girl 3 hated the life she was living, so she changed it. she was never book smart, but she was people smart. she knew how to win people over and, more importantly, how to make people simultaneously fear and love her. she was the regina george of their high school, the only one that really had a separate friend group outside of theirs, but the other five were home to her. she spent most of her nights at someone else’s house, became all of their parents’ adopted child. wildly independent, yet always trying to find comfort in someone else.

[ BOY 3 ] the class clown president, reserved for emily

// probably never been serious a day in his life, and can’t lead a group for shit, but someone became the class president in high school despite it. he has a way with people, between his charming demeanor, sense of humor and good looks, but he doesn’t really know what to do with it. could probably be president of the united states of america if he tried, but he literally never has. 

[razieltwelve]

The Drift (RWBY x Final Fantasy x Pacific Rim)

“The Drift is not about competition. It is about communication. It is a union created by the sharing of every thought and emotion. The most common mistakes rookies make is to worry about who is in charge. You need to understand that the Drift not about winning or losing against your copilot. You win or you lose together. You live or you die together.”

Pyrrha soaked in every word. Grand Marshal Lightning Farron was a living legend. During the First War, she had served with incredible distinction as first a pilot and then, after being crippled in battle, as a marshal of one of the most important Arks in the world. Her tactical and strategic acumen had allowed her Jaegers to turn back the Grimm again and again.

She had even climbed back into the conn-pod one last time near the end of the First War. She had saved her Ark but at the cost of a series of severe strokes that had almost killed her. Even bedridden, she had still managed to develop the plan that had ultimately won the First War and closed the dimensional breach. 

Lightning had retired shortly after, but the advent of the Second War had called her back into service. There wasn’t a pilot alive who didn’t know who she was, and she was almost universally idolised for her skills not only as a pilot but also as a commanding officer. Pyrrha could not believe her good fortune in being assigned to Lightning’s Ark to complete her training.

“You’ve all done exceedingly well to get to the final phase of the training program. However, this will also be the hardest phase.” The grand marshal’s gaze swept over the cadets. “I will be blunt. The world is not fair. You need a co-pilot to operate a Jaeger. If you can’t find one, then you’re not going to be able to pilot.” Her lips curled. “Believe me, you don’t want to try piloting one on your own. I’ve done it twice, and I’ve flatlined more than a dozen times on the operating table as a result. I do not recommend trying it.”

Nobody laughed because it wasn’t a joke. The tremendous neural load imposed by a Jaeger was all but impossible to manage alone. It had been tried twenty-three times in the past, largely due to injuries suffered in the field. Only seven people had managed to operate their Jaeger alone, and of those seven only two had survived the effort. Lightning was one of them, and her mentor, Amodar, had been the other.

“The purpose of this phase of your training is two-fold. We aim to provide you with far more realistic and intensive simulator training, and we aim to test whether the potential co-pilot pairings we’ve identified have any chance of working in the field. Of the forty people in this room, I would be surprised if more than ten managed to make it through. The best class we’ve ever had managed fourteen graduates.” She turned, the augments supporting her crippled leg whirring softly, and nodded at their head instructor. “Colonel Yun. I’ll the rest to you.”

As the grand marshal left the room, the colonel took over. Oerba Yun Fang was another legend from the First War, and she had been in charge of training cadets for the better part of a decade. If the grand marshal radiated a sort of icy majesty, then the colonel radiated a sort of warm amusement at their trepidation.

“Relax,” Fang said. “The grand marshal’s job is to prepare for the worst-case scenario, which is why she comes across as a bit doom and gloom. My job is to make the best possible cadets out of you.” She grinned. “Now, the fact that you’ve made it here means that you’re all pretty good already. However, the real challenge is going from good to great, and you’ll need to be great to deal with what we’re up against.” She gestured, and a hologram sprang to life beside her. “The Grimm are back, and they’re bigger, stronger, and more numerous than the last time. They’ve learned from their mistakes too, which means we can’t afford to get cocky.”

The cadets all gulped. Pyrrha did her best to remain calm as well. She’d seen what the Grimm could do. A single one of the titanic creatures could easily level a city in a matter hours if left unchallenged. When the Second War had begun, the world had been caught off guard. If not for the ceremonial Jaegers that had been maintained from the First War, they would have been overwhelmed. Now, however, production of new Jaegers using the most advanced technology possible was in full swing.

The last Jaegers to be used in the First War had been the Mark Vs. The Remnant Defence Program now had access to not only Mark VIs and VIIs but also smaller numbers of Mark VIII Jaegers. One of those Mark VIIIs had saved Pyrrha’s homeland only two months ago, downing a pair of Category VI Grimm on the shores of Mistral.

“Rather than waste any time, the very first class you lot will be going to is the Drift compatibility test.” Fang’s lips curled into a toothy smile. “Now, there are several ways to test for Drift compatibility, but I’ve always been a fan of doing things the old-fashioned way.” Pyrrha’s eyes widened. Could the colonel be talking about… “That’s right. Combat. We’re going to hit the gym. You’ll have ten minutes to change once we get there. Do not dawdle. Anyone who’s late can be my sparring partner.”

X     X     X

As Pyrrha got changed, she chanced a quick look at some of the other cadets. Given their importance, many of the cadets were already well known, with some even being sponsored by national governments or companies. Pyrrha herself was sponsored by the Mistral government, and she couldn’t help but feel nervous at the thought of so many people relying on her and placing their faith in her.

Two of the other cadets were second generation. Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long were sisters whose parents had served as pilots in the First War. Summer Rose had been badly injured toward the end of the First War, but she’d managed to survive and was now a commander of her own Ark, albeit not one as large as the one Lightning presided over. Was it weird that they were here instead of there? 

Ruby was young too, right on the limit of what the program allowed for cadets. Had this been peacetime, there was no way the program would ever even think of letting a fifteen year old into a conn-pod, but they couldn’t afford to be choosy right now. There were far more Grimm arriving at far shorter intervals. The program - and the world - needed every pilot it could get.

Yang was two years older, and Pyrrha had been lucky enough to face off against her in some of the simulator contests different Arks had run during earlier phases of the training program. Yang might have a somewhat blunt approach to combat, but she had excellent instincts and a brutally effective fighting style that was perfectly suited to the melee combat that was so often involved in battle agains the Grimm.

“Nervous?” Yang asked.

Pyrrha blinked and then realised that Yang was talking to her. She smiled and continued to tug on her clothes as she walked toward the two sisters. “A little, yes. It’s just… a bit surreal to be here. We’re so close to becoming pilots and at this Ark, no less. Being able to serve under the grand marshal would be an incredible honour.”

“It’d be tough too,” Yang said. “This is the busiest Ark in the world. The grand marshal commands more missions each month than some of the smaller Arks do in a year.”

“That’s kind of scary to think about,” Ruby murmured quietly. “I mean… if we screw up...”

“Relax, sis.” Yang smirked. “Mom wouldn’t send us here if she didn’t think we could cut it. Besides, we’ve got one big advantage.” She threw her arm around Ruby. “We’re almost guaranteed to be Drift compatible.”

Pyrrha’s brows furrowed. Yang had a good point. Siblings were almost always Drift compatible to some degree, and research had shown that siblings who were the children of pilots tended to be compatible almost ninety per cent of the time. It was why the children of almost all of the pilots of the First War had found their way into the program. “That is a good point.”

“But what if we’re the ten percent?” Ruby whispered. “What do we do then?”

“Then we’ll manage.” Yang chuckled. “Relax. The reason there are forty of us is because a whole bunch of us are potentially compatible with each other. They’ve got backup plans in case our first choices don’t work out.”

“That’s right,” Pyrrha said. “But we should hurry. I don’t think it would be a good idea to be late.”

X     X     X

Fang watched the cadets go through some basic stretches and exercises. Having them fight right off the bat would just be begging for injuries. It was better to let them ease into it. Still, she could tell a lot just by watching them. Yang was a chip off the old block. Fang had run a few missions with her parents, and if Yang was as good as they were, she’d be a welcome addition to the Ark. Ruby was a bit harder to read. The girl was clearly talented, but she was so nervous about being younger than everyone that she was making mistakes in even the basic exercises.

The big surprise was the blond teenager. Jaune Arc had made it through each phase of the training program by the skin of his teeth. He wasn’t outstanding in any area, but he had the sort of grit and determination that could translate to success in the field. Just as importantly, he was one of the only people in the world who had a half-decent Drift compatibility estimate with Pyrrha Nikos.

Fang’s lips twitched. Pyrrha was a celebrity in Mistral. As a cadet, she’d set records for the earlier parts of the training program, and she’d topped every class she’d been in. Her simulator performance was outstanding, and she’d been one of the only people in history to approach the marks Lightning had set years ago. Her only problem was a lack of Drift compatible partners.

Oh, the Mistral Arks had done their damnedest to find people, but they’d failed. The preliminary Drift compatibility checks that they’d run in the earlier phases of the training program had turned up failure after failure. Of course, they’d been smart enough to conceal the results from Pyrrha. There was no point in making her nervous.

When the system had flagged Jaune as a potential match only a few weeks ago, the blond had been plucked out of the small Ark he’d been training at and shipped over to this one. Fang had no idea if he’d cut it, but they had to at least try. Pyrrha was too good a candidate to throw away, and if they could get Jaune up to speed, they could have a real success on their hands.

“All right,” Fang said. “I want everybody gathered around the sparring area. We’ll be doing a few bouts. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky and spot some compatibility.” She waited until they’d moved into position and then glanced at her scroll. The candidates had all been ranked in terms of their potential compatibility with each other, so it wasn’t hard to pick out a pair of them to start things off. “Xiao Long and Belladonna. You two are up first.”

Blake Belladonna was a cat Faunus who’d come out of a Menagerie Ark with some excellent scores. Like Pyrrha, however, she hadn’t had a suitable candidate for her co-pilot. Well, that wasn’t strictly true. Adam Taurus had been a possible candidate, but the young man had suffered a severe stroke after sneaking into his Ark’s Jaeger bay and attempting to pilot a Jaeger alone. The doctors were confident he could make a full recovery, but it could take as long as two years, and they needed pilots now.

Yang and Blake squared off in the sparring area, each with a staff in their hands. The blonde would undoubtedly have preferred to fight barehanded, but it was tradition to fight with staffs, at least for the first time. WIth a quick bow, the two began to circle each other.

Yang struck the first blow, but Blake parried it easily before replying with a strike of her own. With a small smile, Yang blocked the attack and went back to circling Blake. Another quick exchange followed, and Yang found herself on the back foot as Blake used her superior speed to press her advantage. However, that advantage was short-lived as Yang seemingly read Blake’s next move and locked their staffs together before hoisting Blake over her hip in a throw.

“Point.” Fang said as Blake got back to her feet with a faint frown. Yang smirked back. “We’ll make it first to three. We don’t want any of you killing each other this early.”

Blake’s eyes narrowed, and the Faunus darted forward. Her staff streaked toward Yang’s side only to divert toward her shoulder at the last moment. Yang twisted away from the strike, and she brought her own staff around at Blake’s ribs. Blake jammed her staff down and then upped the pace, the room filling with the loud clack of staff against staff.

Fang’s brows furrowed. This wasn’t quite what she’d expected. The compatibility index for Blake and Yang was only 0.5, which suggested a reasonable chance for a successful Drift, but it hadn’t even been three minutes and the pair had already fallen into a swift, easy rhythm. Neither they nor the other cadets realised it, but Fang knew what to look for.

They weren’t really fighting anymore. This was closer to a dance, and the frown had faded from Blake’s face to be replaced by a small smile. Yang returned it with a smirk, and Fang called an end to the bout because she’d seen more than enough.

“Okay,” Fang said. “That’s enough.” She chuckled. “See that, kids? That is what compatibility looks like. We’ll have to schedule you two for more intensive testing.” The smile on Yang’s face faded ever so slightly as she took note of the crushed expression that Ruby wore. Fang winced. Even if they were sisters, if Blake was more compatible with Yang than Ruby, then that was probably what Lightning would decide to do. Even small percentages in compatibility could make a big difference in live combat. “Nikos and Arc, you two are up.”

Fang watched as Jaune warily took up a guard position opposite Pyrrha. The boy wasn’t an idiot, for all that his training wasn’t quite up to par with the others. He’d seen Pyrrha going through her exercises, and her skill was obvious. For her part, Pyrrha smiled in a friendly way and readied her staff.

“Same deal, you two. First to three or until I’ve seen enough. Begin.”

Pyrrha breezed forward and launched a strike at Jaune’s head. The boy was a fraction too slow to block it, but Pyrrha pulled the strike before it could connect.

“That’s one,” Fang said. A few of the other cadets laughed, and she shot them a scowl. “Quiet. This isn’t about winning. This is about seeing who is compatible.” She nodded at Jaune. “Arc?”

“Yes, ma'am?”

“Loosen up. You’re not fighting for your life here. Just do what comes naturally.”

Jaune nodded and took the initiative. His staff swung into motion, but Pyrrha easily batted the blow aside. However, he used the momentum of her parry to accelerate his next strike. Pyrrha’s eyes widened ever so briefly, but she was still able to block the attack. The two staffs met, and Jaune lunged forward, trying to lock the weapons together, so he could either disarm the redhead or throw her. Pyrrha was even quicker to react. She let go of her weapon, realising that it would be almost impossible to keep hold of it with the leverage Jaune had managed to get, and instead grabbed hold of Jaune’s.

There was a brief scuffle before the pair broke apart, Pyrrha holding’s Jaune’s weapon and the blond holding hers. Fang raised one eyebrow. That had almost seemed choreographed. However, neither Pyrrha nor Jaune seemed to have noticed how unusual it was. Instead, their eyes were locked onto each other.

Pyrrha attacked, but this time, she held her speed to a level that Jaune could manage. Despite the hail of blows headed his way, Jaune managed to keep afloat, somehow reading just enough of her movements to stay out of harm’s way. Fang’s eyes gleamed. Clever girl. Pyrrha had realised early on that Jaune just wasn’t fast enough to keep up with her, so she’d slowed down just enough to see what would happen.

And Jaune wasn’t disappointing. What he lacked in speed, he made up for in anticipation. As bizarre as it sounded, he was actually able to read a lot of Pyrrha’s moves. It shouldn’t be possible. Even Fang would have taken a little longer to get accustomed to the redhead’s style, but Jaune had already caught on.

From the flush on her cheeks, it was clear that Pyrrha had realised it too. Slowly, she upped the tempo of her attacks, working her way up toward her normal speed. Jaune struggled to keep up, but he was gradually adjusting, reading further and further ahead. A sudden change of direction caught Jaune off guard, and Pyrrha tossed him over her shoulder. However, he managed to grab her leg as he hit the ground, and he ended up dragging her down on top of him.

The pair ended up pressed together with Pyrrha practically sitting on top of him.

“Okay…” Fang laughed. “I should probably stop you two there before you go any further.” The two practically leapt apart as the other cadets laughed. A few even yelled out suggestions. “That is what Drift compatibility looks like. Of course, we’ll have to do more testing, but it’s a great start.” Fang glanced back at her scroll. “Let’s see if we can make it three for three. Rose, you’re up. You too, Valkyrie.”

As Ruby and Nora took their positions in the sparring area, Fang glanced at Jaune and Pyrrha. Before their match, they had not been standing anywhere near each other. Now, however, they were standing side by side.

X     X     X

Lightning scowled as Fang put her feet up on her desk. “Don’t make me shoot you for insubordination, colonel. I’ve already told you to get your feet off my desk.”

Fang chuckled. “Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine?” she drawled. “Besides, we’re married. You’d feel bad if you shot me.”

“Which is why I would have someone else do it.” Lightning’s lips twitched up into a small smile. “So… how did it go? I would have liked to watch, but I had to meet with representatives from the Schnee Dust Company.” She shook her head in disgust. “We’re facing the apocalypse, and I still have to go looking for extra funding. Do people still not understand that if we lose this, we’re all dead? I might not like Jacques Schnee, but he is a practical man. In exchange for moving Weiss to this Ark, he has agreed to some very generous funding arrangements.”

“Weiss? I didn’t realise she was in the program.”

“She’s not. Her father has been having her privately tutored in Atlas for years. He didn’t want her in the program because then we’d be in charge of her progress. Now, however, he’s got no choice. If he wants her to pilot, he has to go through us.”

“But does she want to pilot?” Fang asked. “Her sister, Winter, was part of the program too, but she dropped out of the pilot side and switched to command.”

“Winter Schnee has proven to be an excellent field commander,” Lightning replied. “I’d poach her as a potential successor and assistant, but James has been most adamant in keeping his hands on her.”

“Damn. She must be good then.” James Ironwood commanded the largest Ark in Atlas. Anyone he considered good enough to serve as his second-in-command had to be brilliant. “But that leaves Weiss in a bit of a pickle, doesn’t it? She and Winter probably would have been compatible.”

“Yes. However, there is at least one candidate in the current group whose psychological profile and other markers suggest possible compatibility.”

“Oh?”

“Ruby,” Lightning said. “Although there is still Yang to consider.”

“Actually, that might not be as a big a problem as you’d think,” Fang said. “How about I fill you in on the details? It was a pretty good session, actually, we had several possible pairings make a good showing including our resident prodigy.”

“Ah, yes, I was hoping Pyrrha would find someone. Was it Jaune?”

“They look damn compatible,” Fang said. “I guess we owe Vanille another vending machine.”

Lightning scowled. Professor Oerba Dia Vanille was one of the most brilliant minds in the program. She was also totally addicted to energy drinks and had made it her personal mission to have a vending machine at every intersection in the facility. “Another vending machine is a small price to pay if we can get Pyrrha and a suitable partner into a Jaeger.”

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

So… this is a thing. Those of you who’ve read my other fan fiction might recognise elements of The Vestige (a Final FFXIII x Pacific Rim crossover I wrote). This is kind of like that… except it’s set in the future and on Remnant. This was also only supposed to be a really short snippet, but it kind of snowballed.

Oh well.

I do think there’s a lot of potential in this basic premise, so I might come back to this now and then.

You can find me on fanfiction.net, AO3, and Amazon. Please check out my newest story on Amazon. It’s called Monster Whisperer.

[momtemplative]

Saturday Afternoon, MACRO and MICRO

Definition of Macro: large-scale; overall. ie., THE FOREST.

Definition of Micro:  extremely small. ie., THE TREES. Definition of Macro, here: The wild world at large.

Definition of Micro, here:  The tiny home we inhabit, where we “shelter in place.”

MICRO—I sit here in our tiny RV that is parked in the driveway. It’s where I “go to write”, a creative parlor with wheels and a view of our magnificent choke cherry out the window that is just starting to think about blooming. (I don’t blame it for being hesitant.) 

Months back, Opal and her friend pretended this RV was a rescue vehicle for dogs—all dogs but mostly pit bulls, a breed Opal feels is highly misrepresented. From where I sit, in the passenger seat swiveled to face the rear, there are four black-and-white photocopies of gorgeous dog portraits staring at me. One pit bull in particular looks straight through me.

I’ve purposefully resisted straight-up news, aside from my nightly installment of “Good News Network” and NPR’s weekly “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” radio quiz show. But living without allowing for the outside to seep in feels unhealthy in its own right. Selectively permeable would be the proper thing to practice now. 

So I crack open my computer and dip my toes in the NY Times live coverage of the Coronavirus.

I can hear Jesse’s future voice in my head: How was writing?

Me: Good, but I’m feeling a tad suicidal now.

Him: Why?

Me: I read the news.

Him: Now why would you go and do that??

MACRO���“With President Trump having undercut the new guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by immediately declaring that he would not wear a mask himself, it was far from clear how many Americans would ultimately embrace the recommendation.”

MICRO— I return from the RV to find a house party of three people in my living room. Thankfully, my family did not get the memo that in this moment, life on the outside is complex and backwards. Ruth is on Jesse’s shoulders, no pants, shit-eating grin and fresh-cut bangs in her eyes. She shakes like a puppy with over-large ears and Opal twirls in her No ProbLLama nightgown to the Imagine Dragons song, Zero. Inside our little bubble, things are bumping! The sun floods the living room and even the anti-social cat seems obliged to hang out—from an appropriate distance.

MACRO—Governor Andrew Cuomo warns that, as infections passed 113,700 and deaths 3,500, New York State would reach the worst point of the coronavirus crisis within a week or so. He also said the state was using the machines for coronavirus patients at a rate that would exhaust its stockpile in just six days.

MICRO—Three boxes are stacked one atop the other in front of our door like a cairn. One box is for Jesse’s birthday next weekend, the others are for Ruth. 

It’s looking like COVID-19 will spit us out the other end proficient in at least one new talent—Opal’s is roller skating. She insisted on using my skates, which she found while foraging for activities in the garage like a squirrel for food. After a few days of wearing those up and down the down-stairs hallway, and back and forth on the sidewalk out front, I was certain the future for her ankles was bleak and we ordered her a pair on Amazon that were her size.

Ruth observed all this unfolding and with no intention of leaving empty-handed. Unfortunately, toddler-sized skates are much harder to come by. So, many weeks into the future, Ruthy finally got her own skates that go over her shoes and are, frankly, awesome. She also picked out the tackiest Olaf helmet—with a carrot-nose that actually protrudes—after instructing me to “search on Amazon for Olaf now please.” 

Each of those treasured items are contained in the boxes on our porch. I jump into our current porch-sanitizing routine (bleach wipes and spray lined up on the porch without apology)—wipe box, open, wipe down package inside, wash hands thoroughly. 

You can practically hear Ruth buzzing as suits up for a jolly, though quick to be exhausting, skate around the block. Her uniform killed, and would have worked as well for Halloween, Burning Man, a rave and a roller derby—mixed patterns for shirt and pants, knee pads and skates from Trolls, Olaf helmet. When she velcroes her final skate, I hear a faint, prayer-like utterance from Jesse: dear god. She is an eye-full that could save a life.

MACRO—Trump is getting help with the November election. His campaign just rolled out a new ad, titled “Hope,” featuring appreciative quotes from Gov. Cuomo and Gov. Newsom of California. With the lives of their constituents at stake, they’ve given him the made-for-TV sound bites he was never able to extract from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

MICRO— Thank god for these kids. If I were being force-fed the news then led to an empty house with, maybe, a roommate-peer who is also stressed and bloated with sad information, or if perhaps I were old and alone, I’d be struggling in an entirely different way. Sure, I have my moments of fantasizing about what it would have been like if COVID and shelter-in-place came at a time before or children, during a time when I could have relished cleaning and reading and making a weeks-long retreat out of an unsavory situation. But the fact is, these kids keep the scales level.

Not to mention the fact that affection is built-in. Even though Ruth is less interested in snuggling than she is in building block-towers or submerging every toy she owns in water, we seem to be touching constantly, in this or that way. Hugs from Opal and Jesse, snuggling on the couch for a show, holding hands on our walks around the block—it’s all-inclusive. The fact that this is not the case for everyone is something I am well aware of.

MACRO—Jared Kushner has embedded his own people in the Federal Emergency Management Agency; a senior official described them to The Times as “a ‘frat party’ that descended from a U.F.O. and invaded the federal government.” As The Washington Post reported, Kushner’s team added “another layer of confusion and conflicting signals within the White House’s disjointed response to the crisis.”

Kushner, you can’t shatter us.  Young girls in roller skates win every goddam time.

MICRO— Our block continues to be paradise. Any interest we had six months ago in selling this house has been waylaid and, thus, we are appreciating our home base in a truly different way. 

As we make our way down the block with two girls on their respective wheels, we holler at our beloved across-the-street neighbors, friends of 14 years. They sit, mysteriously, at a card table in their front yard, as if they are having an invisible garage sale. We exchange a boisterous, level-12-volume conversation from across the street, talking over each other and at the same time, expressing everything we possibly can in the tiny window we have while the girls scoot away on their skates. 

The corner that turns on to the bike path and is covered with ancient ponderosa pines smells musty and earthy and perfect. Like every camping trip ever taken. Every hike through the woods. A momentary dose of equilibrium.

When we circle back, our neighbors are still outside.  

One of them asks, “Hey, have you guys been wearing masks outside?”

“No, Governor Polis just suggests it for any public place—grocery, whatever.”

“We saw a few people driving by with them on.”

“Yea, so did we, we saw a few people out walking with them on, just outside.”

I guess the point is, if it’s not gonna hurt, you might as well do it. Hell, if we are in this far—as is shelter-in-place—then we might as well take it all the way. To pick up the slack for people who aren’t doing what they should be doing. (We are actually yelling all this in conversation across the street.) The idea that some people would still not be doing what they are supposed to be doing is ludicrous.  I’ve vented my rage at the college students of America over St. Patty’s Day, but they are all home by now, are they not? So who are we talking about here?

Fact is, as I just learned today, there are still five states that are not mandatory shelter-in-place. (I’m sorry, what??)

MACRO—“I can’t lock the state down,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, which has recorded more than 600 confirmed cases and at least 11 deaths. “People also have to be responsible for themselves.”

MICRO— Opal has been loving her evening ritual of putting Ruth to bed. She says it’s one of her most ‘special times of the day,’ though it happens only a few times a week. She takes her little sister down by the hand, gets her jammies on and teeth brushed, reads to her, the whole precious nine yards. She does that tonight, leaving Jesse and I to the quiet of ourselves and our space-sans-kids in the family room. 

Jesse promptly dozes off in the rocking chair. I lie on the floor with eyes closed in star-pose, taking up some glorious space. These days are taking a toll. But it’s also true that I laughed so hard on four different occasions this afternoon that I buckled over twice, slapped a knee and wet myself. 

So much is going well in our tiny Microcosm that sometimes it’s easy to forget the Big Picture Macro. Ignorance is indeed not far from a certain cheap kind of bliss. It makes sense why people do it, why people feel the need to avoid discomfort. But, ultimately, the mind knows when it is missing something. The soul knows when it is being cut-off. Our beings can feel when humanity is suffering, whether or not we choose to admit it to ourselves in so many words.

“Mom!” Opal whisper-yells from down the hall. “Ready!” Meaning, she’s ready for me to come and finish Ruth’s bedtime with a song. But by the time I get to Ruth’s snug and utterly safe kid-room, she is fast asleep.

4/4/20

(all quotes in italics come from the NY Times live coverage of the coronavirus from the previous week.) 

[thirstygirlclub]

Duchess - 17

Chapter 17 – Donati

Happy rarely had nightmares. Things that gave normal people nightmares weren’t the sort of things that gave him nightmares. However there was one thing that terrified him more than anything and that was his loved ones being in danger without him being capable of saving them. For this reason, almost every time he had gone to sleep since Catherine had been followed he had had a nightmare about it. The nightmare always played out differently in the end; sometimes he found nothing but a cellphone on the ground where she said she was; sometimes she was on the ground and not moving; sometimes he was watching her being hurt and was unable to do anything about it, like he didn’t exist. Every time he woke up his heart would be racing, his breathing would be heavy and Scrap would be lying across his legs almost as if he knew about the nightmare.

“Are you alright, Mijo?” Mama asked him as she watched him pouring himself some fresh coffee, “You look sick.”

“Nah,” Happy said, shaking his head and fighting back a yawn, “I’m good.”

Happy got his threatening, hard glare from his mother; a glare that was now being directed at him and making him shrink back slightly against the kitchen counter. No one scared him quite like his mother, not even Gemma. Mama had been the one to try and keep him in line when he was a child after his father had left and he respected her for it; she hadn’t given up on him like his father had.

“Just tired,” he elaborated with a shrug.

“Happy Lowman,” Mama said slowly and he knew he was in trouble, “if you do not tell me what is wrong I’m going to call Catherine and she can get it out of you. You know I will do it.”

The ultimate threat. Mama knew he couldn’t refuse anything Catherine asked of him and she would use this to her advantage. He got his talent for interrogation from his mother too although her techniques were perhaps slightly less violent than his.

“Ma…” trying to reason with her was useless but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try but the when she reached for the phone he caved and put his coffee on the counter behind him, “I’m just not sleeping. Please don’t call her.”

“Bad dreams?” Mama frowned and placed the phone back on the small dining table.

Happy nodded slowly and folded his arms uncomfortably. Mama had been awake and waiting for him to get home in the morning only to see their family pet covered in blood so there was no way he could have hidden what he had done from her. He had told her about it; the phone call, the attack, and the conversation he had had with Catherine afterwards, how she had been the first person to validate the feeling of fear when he had to switch prisons… the way she had held him afterwards. He hated being soft and vulnerable but it was different with Catherine; she made him feel more comfortable about it and didn’t laugh at him like he thought she would.

“Oh Mijo… she is safe.”

“I know.”

It didn’t help though because when he slept he wasn’t able to save her. The only thing that would calm him was when he stayed with her after she had danced for him; when he opened his eyes he would see her sleeping peacefully beside him, curled up on her pillow. He would confirm that she was safe by touching her hair or her hand before being able to get back to sleep. But he couldn’t sleep with her every night regardless of how much he wanted too. Vulnerable wasn’t something he was ever going to be happy about.

“I’ll be back later,” Happy said to his mother after a long silence, “love you.”

“I love you too Mijo. Have a good day.”

Happy nodded and slid the kutte over his shoulders so he could go to the meeting Clay had called that morning. He didn’t mind going into the clubhouse on his days off but on that day he would have preferred to have just gone back to sleep or maybe fix the fence in the backyard and the leaky faucet in the bathroom. They were jobs he had been meaning to do for a while but just never got around to it for whatever reason. It looked like they were going to have to wait a bit longer.

He backed his Harley into the line on the forecourt and started walking towards the clubhouse when Juice ran towards him looking excited.

“You gotta see this Man,” he said to Happy, “it’ll blow your mind!”

Happy raised his eyebrows in surprise at how energetic Juice was that morning. They walked together towards the clubhouse and into the chapel to see the guys already sat. They didn’t look excited like Juice did. In fact they looked serious and almost frightened. It must be serious. There was a laptop open in front of Happy’s seat and on the screen there looked to be a family photo. Happy didn’t recognise the people in the picture and looked around in confusion.

“What’s this?” He asked, pointing to the screen.

“You don’t recognise anyone?” Juice asked, almost bouncing in his seat and Happy shook his head, “Look closer. I didn’t recognise her either but it’s been ages since I last saw her. And the bandages and stuff.”

His eyes scoured the photo for a familiar face then he was drawn to a pretty blonde teenager who was smiling and holding a cute toddler with big grey eyes and a mess blonde curls. It was Mrs Duke-Dillinger as a teenager and Catherine looked to be about 2 or 3 years old. When Happy lifted his hand to point speechlessly at the image Juice nodded excitedly. There was someone else Happy recognised too. Greta. She had her arm around Catherine’s mom’s shoulder and smiling proudly. On the other side was a tall, slim man with grey eyes and grey hair in a sharp suit and shiny black shoes.

“She had Catherine when she was a kid,” Chibs said to Happy, almost gently as if not to upset the Tacoma Killer, “she was only 15. Those people are Luca and Greta Donati, her grandparents.”

“Luca Donati,” Clay said in a less gentle tone with clenched hands on the table, “is the head of the Donati crime family out of Queens and Brooklyn. They’re Italian mafia.”

Happy’s stomach dropped to his knees when he thought of all of the problems they had caused for the Duke-Dillinger family over the time they had been in Charming. Over a matter of 8 months they had destroyed their new houses and extorted all of their money from them. Had they known they had connections to the Italian mafia they wouldn’t have been so brash and obvious about who it was that had ruined their lives.

“We need you to ask the girl about it,” Clay continued, “and see what she knows.”

“Catherine doesn’t know anything,” Happy told him and shook his head, finally looking up at his president.

“Sounds about right,” Bobby laughed then stopped when Happy looked at him furiously.

“I’m not spying on her Clay. I can’t. She’s my… friend.”

Clay sat back in his chair and laughed. Happy had never directly refused an order before but Catherine was his friend and she trusted him more than she trusted anyone else in the town. She had told him as much even after he had terrified her.

“We know exactly what she is,” Clay said humourlessly, “and we all think you’ve gone far enough. Your little breakfast dates and dog walking isn’t getting you any closer to taking that virgin pussy. Give it up.”

Kozik put his hand on Happy’s shoulder as he trembled with anger. It wasn’t just anger though; it was a white hot rage that he had never felt directed towards another club member before. Clay recognised the look in Happy’s eyes and shuffled in his chair uncomfortably as he realised he had made a mistake. Hearing anyone talk about Catherine, the girl Happy adored, like she was nothing but pussy and a mouth was one of the things that he couldn’t stand. Catherine being a virgin was something that excited a lot of the guys in and around the club.

“She’s never mentioned New York,” Chibs cut in quickly, “unless she’s talking about a vacation she’s taken. They went for New Years a couple of years ago. That’s it. Nothing else.”

“What about her family?” Jax asked, shifting his eyes from Happy and Clay to Chibs.

“Nothing. ‘Daddy, Mom and Jack’ are all she talks about. That’s it. She doesn’t know she has anyone else. Duke-Dillinger’s ma died a few years ago.”

“Who’s her dad?” Happy asked suddenly as the realisation hit him and he couldn’t believe he hadn’t considered this when she talked to him about it, “Her mom had her when she was a kid. Didn’t meet Duke-Dillinger until she was 20.”

“Some… politician,” Juice shrugged and dragged the computer back over to him, “that got into deep shit when he had sex with a minor but wasn’t arrested. He paid them to have her aborted but it obviously didn’t happen. He’s dead now. ‘Suspicious circumstances’.”

They all knew what that meant. The fear that the family could have a politician assassinated meant jack shit for a biker gang in a small town in California.

Juice clicked a few different things on the screen then smirked slightly when he slid the laptop back over to Happy. On the screen were a series of images that must have been Catherine as she grew up. Chibs also looked over his shoulder and chuckled at the one Happy clicked. She was dancing. There was a fake plastic crown on top of her messy hair, fairy wings on her back and a ballet dress over pink and white striped leggings. Despite the situation, and his previous anger, Happy felt a small smile appear onto his face. He flicked through the other photographs of her getting older. It moved from family photos in New York to ones of her on her own in LA. Cornelia must have sent them to her father. One picture that tugged at Happy’s heart, through pageant photos and photos of her and her family at parties and events, was the one of her posing jokily beside an ambulance wearing a dark blue uniform with a badge on her arm that specified that she was an EMT, tough looking work boots and her hair pulled back like always was when she had left the club after a night of dancing.

“There’s only one,” Happy said quietly, as he moved through the other pictures.

“They weren’t as proud of her in the ambulance as they were when she was winning them money,” Chibs told him.

Happy was proud of her though; he made a note to himself that he would tell her that.

“After they killed this guy,” Juice said while Happy continued to look through the various images, “Cornelia changed hers and Catherine’s names to Dillinger instead of Donati and they moved to LA with Greta. I guess they thought it would be safer than being in New York with all the feds looking over the family. Guess when her birthday is.”

Happy looked up at him and shrugged. She had never told him about her birthday date, just the parties she had had.

“November 2nd.”

The same as Happy’s. He had never mentioned his birthday to her either and he could only imagine the excitable arm slaps he would receive when he told her. She would insist on a joined party, he just knew it.

“She really doesn’t know anything? What about the boy?” Jax asked.

“Nah,” Happy shook his head, “he’s never said anything either. Wasn’t even born until they she was 8. They would’ve been in LA by then.”

Jack knew something though. Happy always had a feeling that Jack was hiding something from his sister but there was no way of knowing what that was.

“We need to talk to the mom.”

Happy nodded and the meeting ended. As the men filed out of the chapel they collected their phones and Happy smiled at his wallpaper as it flashed up when he checked for any missed calls or texts. Catherine had been horrified when she had seen the default background one morning and had forced him to take a picture of her, Romeo and Scrap so she could set it for him. It always made him smile when he saw it.

Suddenly, the peace of the morning was interrupted by the sound of cars skidding to a halt in the forecourt and shouting.

“Cops!” One of the mechanics shouted to warn the club.

And he was correct but it wasn’t Charming PD; it was San Joaquin County. They shouted, guns out and pointing at the men, shouting for them to get out of the clubhouse and on the ground. Outside, Gemma and Viv were stood facing the wall with cuffs around their wrists and officers keeping them there. They were just chatting, seemingly unbothered by the situation, but looked over to their men as they lay down.

“Filip Telford,” the sheriff said, “we are arresting you on suspicion of the kidnap of Catherine Duke-Dillinger. You do not have to say anything-”

“Fuck off,” Chibs laughed and looked at Happy in confusion.

The officers started to cuff the men as they argued about the charge only to be told they were being arrested for being accomplices in the crime. Happy frowned and fought against the cuffs. Kidnap? Was this her family taking them out or-

“Excuse me?!” A familiar, voice said angrily, “What on earth are you doing?”

Catherine appeared out of the work bay. Happy was immediately worried about her but he knew the cops wouldn’t do anything to her. She had her arms folded as she stormed over to the officer with an angry look on her face. Happy thought she was adorable when she was angry.

“Stay back, Ma’am,” the cop said, “this is a police matter. If you don’t want to be arrested I suggest you go home.”

“I can’t go home. You’ve got the people I live with in handcuffs.”

Kozik turned his head to look over at Happy and smirked when he saw his face. Happy liked it when she was bratty.

“Ma’am-”

“Don’t ‘Ma’am’ me! I am Catherine Duke-Dillinger! Do I look kidnapped?!” she held her wrists out to prove she wasn’t tied up, “Am I in danger?”

“Wait-”

“If you don’t untie these men immediately I will call my daddy’s lawyers and get you and your entire department fired!”

When the guy froze, Catherine took her phone out of her handbag and started to swipe through it. She tapped her high-heeled foot on the ground as she put the phone to her ear.

“Don’t worry Mr Chibs,” she said to him, “I’ll sort this mess out. Daddy has the best lawyer in California. Yes, hello? Mr Emerson? It’s Catherine.”

“Ma’am-”

Catherine put her hand up to stop the man talking and continued to speak to the lawyer about things that Happy didn’t even know she knew about. She was using words like, false arrest, probable cause, unlawful detainment and warrant. The officer repeatedly tried to interrupt her but she continued talking louder with her hand still in his face and refusing to look at him until he finally gave in and ordered for his men to start uncuffing the men on the floor and the two women at the wall.

“There has obviously been a mistake,” he told her submissively, “we’ll review the report and speak to the caller again. We apologise.”

With a triumphant smile, Catherine thanked the man on the other end of the phone and hung up. She didn’t say anything to the officer; just immediately went over to Chibs and helped him to his feet kindly before turning and surprising everyone to help Clay. She took his arm and allowed him to lean on her while he stood stiffly. She treated him like he wasn’t a biker gang president and spoke to him like he was any other old man.

“Are you ok, Mr Morrow?” Catherine asked in concern with her eyebrows furrowed and dusting off the front of his kutte for him, “They shouldn’t treat you like that. It’s not fair.”

“I’m… yeah. Fine.” Clay replied gruffly, just as shocked as everyone else.

Catherine nodded then seemed to look over all of the men before walking through the group and watching the police cars leave with a smug smile on her face and her arms folded over her chest.

“How did you do that?” Juice asked incredulously as they all dusted themselves off.

“You just gotta be pretty, rich and not let them speak. Wins arguments with guys all the time,” Catherine shrugged and turned to face them, “Is everyone alright? I bet that was Uncle Jerry’s call. Mom wouldn’t have called the cops if she knew I was safe.”

“What are you doing here?” Clay asked sceptically.

“Oh! I um… I brought you guys breakfast. I was just giving your guys that were working on the cars some when they arrived.”

When they all looked over to the work bay they saw the mechanics with takeout containers in their hands and eating various foods with plastic cutlery. Happy smiled slightly when he noticed the bags of food on one of the picnic benches.

“I got us pancakes,” she said to Happy, the first time she had acknowledged him, “come on. I got you bacon on yours because I know you like it.”

As they sat together, eating and talking, Clay realised something that the rest of the club had known for a long time. Happy liked Catherine. Happy Lowman, The Tacoma Killer, was flirting with the young, blonde girl. He was pushing her, nudging her as they sat together which made her laugh and shout at him. When he wasn’t flirting he had his arm crossed over her back and his hand on the seat on the other side with his body turned towards her and her body turned towards his. They liked each other.

“That’s gonna be trouble,” Clay murmured to Jax and nodding to where Happy was teasing Catherine with his bacon, “if the Donati’s find out.”

“If you were the Italian mafia,” Tig said when he overheard their conversation, “would you rather have Hap watching over your daughter or some rich LA boy that don’t even know how to wash his own ass?”

“They’ve been following her; they probably already know who we are and who he is.” Jax agreed, “If they were worried they would have done something by now.”

Clay hummed doubtfully but couldn’t disagree. They had killed a politician and a lot of other high profile people in New York; SAMCRO probably wouldn’t stand much of a chance.

HMMMMMMMMM- A short but necessary chapter! What do we think?

How much does Jack know? What will Catherine think when she inevitably finds out? Does Clay actually like Catherine now? What do we think of the whole club knowing that Happy likes Catherine?

What will their joined birthday party be like?!

Anyway! I will see you in the next one! See you soon!

Lots of love,

From,

Doe

[hiphopguerrilla]

Pro Sasuke Uchiha : Constructive Criticism of Kishimoto’s Antagonist

Disclaimer: I am not a critic. To anyone that disagrees, my humble opinion doesn’t count for anything because I’m just some loser in his mom’s basement as far as you’re concerned. I’m little more than a disappointed fan. Thank you for reading if you’ve go this far. Hope you can read the rest with objective consideration and without bias. This will be a long rant, you’ve been forewarned.

So I’ve been on a spree of criticism of Kishi’s work. Cannot help being criticil of an Artist/Writer who has let me down just as many times as he/she has inspired me. So because he let me down he has inspired me to write about some of the things I’m very critical of because I have no closure from the series and I can’t help but feel “Next Generation”  wasn’t about love for writing the story anymore.

In the beginning of the series Sasuke isn’t yet the antagonist, but it’s clear Kishi intended the to of them to be rivals while building what was supposed to be, and in many ways, is a story of incredible bonds and friendship. It was clear he had a motivation behind what he wanted to do as far as the character developing into and I see, it seems anyway, that he deviated from that. 

By the early stages of the character development it is established through Sasuke’s monolgue to Sakura “I am an avenger” that he never stopped grieving the loss of his clan and family and that he wanted the same closure fans never got. He said to Kakashi “I will restore my clan” and while I’m certain this isn’t meant to be taken literally he wanted to do right by their memory. 

Understanding that he didn’t just lose his family, he was literally tortured at the age of 8(forced to endure something that had Kakashi bed ridden for a week), he lost connection to his heritage(remember Madara is one of the founding members of the village yet Sasuke had no clue who he was), he lost his idol in Itachi and was forced to deal with a damaged psyche that no one could really repair Itachi drilling in his head that he was some sort of coward. He has both an inferiority complex and a superiority complex because of the standard the Clan is held to. Rather than knowing what is and isn’t true with his parents to guide him through his mess of a life.

What’s disappointing is by the end of the series that wasn’t the main take away from his character. Why? Because the development of his character was stifled by Naruto. Yes, I’m talking about the main character of the story. It’s very relevant to know and understand that Kishi didn’t take time to develop many of the characters in the story. Tenten, Hinata, Lee to an extent, Ino, Choji, Kiba, and Shino among others I may even be forgetting because....yea its obvious.

So to the point. Naruto borders on being a gary stu because, seemingly, Kishi was more partial to him than anyone Sasuke included. That’s not to say Sasuke didn’t get charcter development, just he didn’t develop in a way that was understandable to the majority of fans.

As I was saying about the end of the story none of this is understood. Worst part being that Itachi overshadows Sasuke’s character in a way that is completely disrespectful to fans who had great insterest in the development of him as Sasuke’s antagonist. I do not in anyway disagree with the choice to make Itachi remain his loving brother, who made a difficult choice for the good of the village and the one he cared for the most, but to be honest the logic that comes out of Itachi’s choice and reasoning by fans loving him so yet having great disdain for Sasuke as describe: Whiny, emo, ungrateful, selfish, among other things is a fallacy. Most of those things are inaccurate as well hypocritical to praise Itachi at the same time. 

Firstly lest start with him being ungrateful or selfish. It was immediately after the death of his clan, that this clearly life altering even influenced him to decide without doubt that he would devote his life to seeing JUSTICE for what happened then. This is how the story STARTED, please understand that it wasn’t until part 2 that this turns into full blown revenge and blind hatred in a completely hypocritical manner that made fans who already disliked Sasuke absolutely loathe him. I’ll say again this is merely so Naruto could play hero and save his soul(see there I’m getting irritated thinking about this already).

If you have a goal like becoming Hokage, or President of the United States, or First Pick in the NFL draft, or becoming head Medic nin, whatever real life or fictional you know that you can’t just decide to give it up because people say it is Irrational. Sasuke’s ultimate goal was to avenge his family. That meant he had to become strong enough to defeat Itachi, which meant sacrifices must be made.

What did he sacrifice. A normal childhood, his friendships, and the closest thing he had to a family since his blood relatives died. Yet Sasuke is selfish? Sacrificing your frienships and chance at a normal life in favor of a decision you made at 8 years old because of the family you LOVED is probably the most selfless thing a person can do. I often see people compare him to both Kakashi, and Naurto in these cases to justify loathing his character and making silly memes to ridicule him.

Kakashi couldn’t get revenge on anyone, seeing as how his only family commit suicide, The White Fang was not murdered/slaughtered. As far as Rin and Obito, they died in the line of duty they weren’t killed simply because some evil bastard(as far as Sasuke knew) wanted to “Test my power.” 

Naruto, had no connection to his family until Jiraiya and also had no concept of vengence until Jiraiya died, and If we are really to give credit where its due, the only reason he chooses not to avenge him is 1. Because it would go agaisnt his Masters wishes 2. Because he see the weight Sasuke’s had to carry and wants to free his friend from that pain. He can’t do that if he chooses to walk a path that was not his. 

Another thing that Kishi made very clear was that was the point. Sasuke was at his best when he was written as a character that manifests his own reality, and walks his own path without regret. Let’s not forgot that Fugaku is nothing like Jiraiya. He didn’t raise Sasuke to aim for peace or anything like that, in fact, one of the Uchiha’s rules is that they don’t take prisoners. Yet another reason Sasuke took it upon himself to kill Itachi, it was his duty.

Then of course, yes I’m about to go there you’ve been wared, there’s the SasuSaku thing. Why? Just why? This relationship, was never called for from the get go. Another reason so many Americans are so messed up that they don’t understand the difference between true love and infatuation. Where does Sakura’s “love” begin, where does Sasuke’s more importantly? Was that established with any certainty?

In the beginning the bulk off their interaction consisted with Sasuke ignoring her and calling her annoying. The nicest thing he says to her the entire series is “Thank you.” seriously? Not “I’ll miss you.” not  “I care for you...deeply” but “Thank you.” Thats like something you say when someone passes the salt at the dinner table.

What is their connection? I refuse to bring up other pairs because is about Sasuke development as a character not SasuSaku. Sakura does nothing but follow Sasuke around like a love sick puppy and by the end of the series, it somehow pays off and while it may feel like a win for fans of that pair, to me as a fan of the overall series and writing that makes sense even in a fictional world where characters have superpowers. There should be some logic there at least. 

What we know at the start of part one is Sakura is a 12 year old girl with a crush on the most popular boy in school. Hilarious, that’s the foundation of this pairing, never in part one and hardly anything in the series at all does it explain where these “romantic” feelings developed. It least we know why Hinata admires Naruto (sorry nothing more on NaruHina,another time perhaps). 

And Sasuke never shows any affection to her what so ever besides “Thank you.” of course and gently lying her on the park bench. Don’t think I don’t notice the SasuSaku moments either. Like when he was about to break both of Zaku’s arms and Sakura hugs him. Probably as close ot romance as it gets and Sasuke is being hugged from behind. He doesn’t initiate the hug and he doesn’t hug her back, he stands there suprised at probably the first time he’s been hugged since his mother was murdered.

Understand this, if you take that as a sign Sasuke felt the same, fine. That is absolutely acceptable, even understandable. However, for me, that is a bit half assed. It’s really not much to go on over the course of 700 chapters to say they “fell in love”. Because to me love does not equate to trying to force someone to notice you for two years, having attempts at affection met with disdain and even physical assault, like when he slaps the apples she spent so much time carving out of her hands as she visited him and tried to feed him at the hospital. 

I’m sure I don’t have to mention the actual attempted murder at the summit to anybody so that’s all I’ll say about it for now. Now back to Sasuke’s overall story as I prepare to close. The summit was probably the biggest chance to turn Sasuke into an admirable character in fans eyes. 

Instead what Kishi does is comepletely wreck his character, so he can be the antagonist and be saved by Naruto. There’s even this little comparison by Karin where she see’s how evil and corrupt Sasuke is, another innocent he tried to kill, and then sees how pure Naruto’s soul is. It was ridiculous. I understand Naruto is the hero of the story, but that never meant Sasuke HAD to be the villain.

He even turns the entire situation with Danzo and his orders to have the Uchiha clan annihilated into a complete mess. Sasuke has gone batshit, and rather than being a person trying to do right by his clan and his brother’s memory, Kishi turns him into this absolute fiend who will murder even his own allies just to make some silly point based on a story told him by a guy who’s real faces he’s never seen even once. A guy who wasn’t even the real Madara Uchiha. As if Sasuke was never strong enough to separate himself from his emotions and what he believes is right. Itachi was already dying and he wanted Sasuke  to kill him as atonement. He killed the uchiha in favor of the leaf why would he want Sasuke to destroy the village.

If he were written properly Sasuke would’ve killed Danzo and walked his own path, facing Naruto one final time and either dying or leaving all of that mess behind. It would’ve been fine for him to return to the village if he there to sow seed and start a new with the Uchiha clan. Instead he's a glorified prize for Sakura and Sasusaku fans, as well as someone Naruto basically stalked for 2 years just to force him to not even be in the picture anyway.

As I said in the beginning, or someone in the middle maybe. Sasuke was at his best when he was written as an independent character walking his own path and sacrificing what mattered most to him in favor of doing right by his people, his family, his clan. I thank anyone who made it to the bottom of this post.

[hendrix-shop]

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Our way succeeded that America can still rise to the occasion we can put our differences aside and find commonality government can tell the truth and can build trust we can judge by content of character rather than color of skin we can care for one another that Americans can work together and forge community and a Morning Wood Running Team Start Hard Stay Hard Carpenter Vintage Retro T-Shirt competent government and of course we will wear masks because we are smart and because I care about you and because you care about me of course we will socially distance because staying away shows how close we actually are yes we will set up testing and tracing into whatever we need to do to mobilize to win this battle because we are America we win wars and we are the greatest country on the globe and for all the pain and all the tears our way worked and it was beautiful we show that our better angels a strong and that Americans will rise to their call we saw that even at the end of the day even if it is a long day that love wins America’s eyes have been opened and we have seen in this crisis the. Number and I look forward to that election and then that was just made up propaganda nap I am but by some of the many people that are working writing little statements I see all the time statement made you say says statement made per Joe Biden sleepy Joe he did make the statements that somebody did but they said he made it now I let him know I I’m not thinking about it or not it’ll not allow Madison in the report I haven’t seen the please go ahead and say anything this Saturday only nobody knows where he is so he obviously couldn’t have said it if you have a this is breaking news give Yellow Medicine on Saturday at oh thickset okay go ahead and listen to Leslie one more place in the back so yeah we’ve lost a lot of people but if you look at what original projections were 22 million were probably heading to 60 007 it has its far too many one person is too many for this and I think we met a lot of really good decisions the big decision was closing the border doing the band people coming in from China obviously. It hears that big showdown over Obama care which is the week after election day but the Republican rush to get her confirmed and the Senate’s refusal to even consider president Obama’s election year nomination to fill Justice Scalia’s vacancy has led to calls from many Democrats to increase the size of the Supreme Court if Biden is elected which of course the ideas to dilute the strength of the conservative justices so Biden saying he would have a commission to study at the Constitution does not specify how many justices the court should have that is set by Congress that number is changed half a dozen times it’s been nine for about 150 years but making the court bigger remains a highly controversial idea even among Democrats and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg opposed that she said last year that nine seem to be in the number savanna cam course is not just the presidency at stake is the makeup of Congress as well with Democrats obviously helping a strong performance in Job I would help them retake control the

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People that want to do harm we say stay the hell out its berries and when I can open the floodgates radical Islamic carriers and when I doing identity influx of refugees from terrorist regions you know that and I’m keeping the jihadists and the violent extremists the hell out of our country Tijuana maybe Michigan I think about what anybody like them to come to the wonderful sentiments I thought I knew you pretty well is not easy to of the evidence is very unpopular they people go after him again ultimately it what’s right people understand the together we will continue to protect American families fight for American workers support our police defend our Second Amendment which has been under say if I were not your president you wouldn’t have a Morning Wood Running Team Start Hard Stay Hard Carpenter Vintage Retro T-Shirt second amendment secure our borders as you are more broader on proudly stamped with the beautiful phrase may in the USA soaking wet because the media is getting it on the thing you look like how the day his hair was terrible it was all horrible bad man like he was named as. Medical care they quoted many of them and if we can help Republicans the superintendent running Simone F Mann North America correspondence to those who joins us at life in Los Angeles at the coming of the programs that give us an idea of how the president’s return has been received good morning Don it’s been received with the funky load of anger when he goes home and tells Americans not to let the virus donate them to be afraid of the reaction from other people as they will try telling that to the families of the 210 000 Americans dives because of the nine taking it was an extraordinary choreographed return to the White House from the moment they stepped out of the hospital it was primetime evening news time in America to the moment they got back to the White House walking up to the balcony immediately taking off his mosque and posing for that only pictures but it seemed as if he is making some sort of video succumb paying video it will stay in the coming days and is been strongly criticized for taking. Is Jesus a great big ovation worse you to their room with you on the back you’re not just Wilmington or Memorial campus right now also go alive Cypressand Katieand around the world will give everybody a great big ovation love you guys by that is that everyone of your here in fact very for some with this on my name is Jeremy this is my sweet beautiful lovely amazing wife Jennifer you like I like your hair like a rise of acceptance review with all of our kids this is this is my beautiful wife taking care of all of our kids to give her great big head Mother’s Day you have a lunch iron but were were we got an amazing weekend on the fact that we can crazy for us this week you all last night was Jaden’s James promand she would sure the problem do you still with us you still allow for now all actually see you were so busy all week to get all that readyand yesterday when it like we had a freedom cop riddle crazy stuff thought you may sod as the home to to make sure that I was in the picturesand make sure that up with the Bureau of God your boyand all subject was like dad to the British deputies at the door the doors like you will meet you at the door she was again accused with the doorsand I will give oceanographers know what she was like that oh my God do not do the shotgunand my dad was in town but that was still there but I was like as all good I got right hereand my dad had a piece like right there like that you’re in the house why are you so country where you will moment that my dear Dr McGrady began fighting Gaza was in high happy Mother’s Day one weekendand it was prominent with our still in only that no girl is extraand so we had we the disease in the makeand hairand many many epic talk a lot of money but I was right there beside her taking her wish to go monthly for this nominatesand so we were doing on thatand then only wrap them off like the fourth time I had a moment where I thought to myself I didn’t say that thought to myself weekend by in the world you now that I quickly came out outand got back into reality because you know what we were mom they were 24 Saturday we rarely get a breakand when I break is offered to us we pretty much probably won’t even take it in so it is great is great being a momand we we got it all taken care ofand she looked beautiful that I even with beating myself up over the fact that I wasn’t able to be there when she was putting her makeup on her she was getting dressed because we were behind on thingsand I was doing some running around steel like you that the house getting ready but that’s what we do we beat ourselves that over the slightest little thing so if your mom after reading the paperand just repeat after me say I am dealing a good joband you are my man you are doing God Aliand get everything right every not always the perfect okay you can let your baby the way that you can let them write only you can raise your babies can do it like you said don’t believe anybody they try to tell you you’re not doing it right that you’re not doing a good job you are in here at city we honor you guys today we honor all the nonsense that mom the foster mom than the others who maybe have lost their babyand that is Angel baby there shining down on you right now from heavenand they let you images on you kindly want you to have a very blessed day happy Mother’s Day to all the otherand our hope city kids team collaborated with our hope city worship team we use some of your kids at our worship teamand to gather they wrote an amazing song that I think you just gotta blow your socks offand so right now we captured it all on video without further ado IS perchance together city kids but also for our team is so weird to moms from the world what was the best meal that you won’t pursue dressing O Jesus is okay too much right as you timesand penetrating your mom first Godand is your mom one word is mom rhymes home on you as a result Simon with a you will we went to Joeand I gave you what’s your favorite thing to do with you all know what your most is is your monthly result formation just as a note in an inand out in the words this video will be going viral later todayand I’ll promise you will be walking in HEB this week to be like yours so majestic I just want to hug the white wears a gem like you don’t even know will give a great big candidate awesome job I think is funny but that’s actually the first recorded song from the city worship so guys can we please do an album hello amazing we we love mom’sand we we honor youand my mom is in the building it blessed you know I don’t know about your mom I don’t know your story I know that many of you come from varied backgroundsand with you knew your mom or not whether your mom was a challenge live with or not or maybe your mom was amazing I want to share account want to share my mom with you on this we can only give you some things that my mom has always told me my mom is always said mama momand my dad have always been reinforcers of faith I come from a long line of pastorsand preachers in church plantersand I remember when I was a kid we started the church in Winston Salem North Carolinaand when you start a church kind of weird people account to come out of the woodwork I don’t know if the enemy sends him like all the weird people are like hatersand of the church start let’s go try that one out would be kicked out of every other oneand so like this dude shows upand on like the first year there’s like 80 people in the church where this little building the center aisle in his blue pewsand that what you know the church was cut a smaller’s back door in the the stage in the right next to the stages of the outside doorand this dude comes in a startling part will down the middle on white rolling in the know we have a security team here we did have a security team therefore we how is my momand that might like this during worship but that such a gangster he just goes back there instead of stopping the got the start had to go back as I go okay so you keep doing part wills but I was gonna grab themand call them out his pats on the back all the way down the middle all the way across a broad that spat them on the backand the dead is open the side door padding right outand shut the doorand locked it that’s a thought he was strong arming a great job great job awfully sure you know my mother remember what’s on this specific we can service we had this guy come inand I don’t know there was mental deficiencies or challenges what he was going through at that time but he wore trenchcoat that day the churchand I was that was that there there was nothing elseand ought was telling everybody it was his birthday which was just wasn’t a good dayand we did have a security teamand auditors did know what to do so I go to my momand the like what we do shoes like all handled this right now I’m a mother will walk out the lobbyand my mom is small but your daughter Mike comes in small packages we have a great security team here at our church are pretty sure my mom could take all of them at once on the problem prayer Jesus in mom’s karate chops she walks up the stairs she says I don’t think so not to dice are not in the house of the Lord your God will act like this he looked at it is that you’re too littleand she stepped to him she said may be little but my God is bigand I tell you when I get out of this chart right now go get some clothes out there was like okay that’s that’s what was raised by I couldn’t help but live for God to automate but I of a mother or father report big faith into me the parade big prayers for me my mother would tell me this is she told me thisand she still says that she says God’s you usually got to do great things in your gotta learn to trust him she would say this you you can make a difference even when no one else’s first my next is that you can make a difference you can make a difference you can make a difference even if nobody else’s I believe it mother told me she got got something special for you these got an amazing anointing on you he’s going to use you to change the world powerful anointing on how believe it but I thought I was the only one also given a liaison to happen I gotta do something great for God he needs me I had no idea the got is a great anointing for every person has a great plan for every person God has a powerful moment a powerful anointing for every person before that verse of Scripture that says many are called but few are chosenand I’ve lived long enough to learn that those were chosen choose to be chosen at some point you gotta say I’m not going to go along to get along anymore I’m not going to just live to get to get bought home to say Lord here I am use me I’m going all in to whatever whenever however wear whatever you want from me that you were doingand hope city you’re never going to come hereand feel quite all the way comfortable drop jokes is okay not do that I tried to preach super series before work drive but I’ve always been a push you little bit outside your comfort zone because as regards pulled your callingsand comfort zones don’t go hand in hand Scott’s called you to go all inand do something amazing at our church we try to make it easy for you to do that we give your growth track AS you go through growth track you can learn more about our churchand you can learn more about yourself is ultimately got called you to do something specific that is some point you gotta say okay I can just be anonymousand the kingdom you got a plan for me you got a purpose for meand I want to go all in what would happen if today you went all in I asked people at our church but say this is the beginning of our church if you just give me one year just give me your go through growth track get in a group get in the group turns my next is a unique group saw me on the life or Bob group she automateand integrate to be in a group of people are helping you grow or help you learn your help you study the word of God Jesus when Jesus is first whenever he started his earthly ministry to go to group to follow disciples 12 he built a group he left his his kingdom he left the expansion of the church to a group you need to be in a group jump on the dream team watch what God does in your life in a year will happen if you went all in there many of you were here at one of our campuses for the very first timeand you came because your mama use the mama car on youand she was like the only thing that I want for Mother’s Day is for you to get yourself in church like I mama go to churchand you’re hereand you know what were not agreed upon you went on to make you feel bad for the honorand celebrate you become the church today thank you for what would happen if next week if you blow your mom’s mindand you showed up at just walked in this episode as I find joy last week on here this weekend for me not just for you your mom but you never know God called you to do something great you want to just go all in stop making excuses also part of the hard things got got great things for you but sometimes you gotta make a commitment Thomas Edison said most people miss opportunities because it’s dressed in overallsand looks like work what if you went all in it’s okay God I know this thing they look like a challenge him actually give you my life to give you my future to give you everything that I have all of me what would it unlock in your life if you just said okay I believe that I can make a difference even when nobody else’s nobody else in my families ever done this or maybe nobody else in my friend group is ever done is is going to go all in the challenges oftentimes we don’t we don’t want to take personal responsibility actually go all in words a dads that was all the dads that were your dad list of all of our dads a great big guys so you’re saying why are we honoring fathers on Mother’s Day that’s weird I will tell you here’s why because I want I want to encourage men or encourage our men because oftentimes this out outside of Easter the second typically the second largest attended weekend service in a year in American churches is Mother’s Day because mom is like everybody’s going to church with me todayand we honor moms like mom you’re amazingand one of the lowest attended weekend servicesand all the year is Father’s Day I don’t know why that is but I tend to think that is because on Mother’s Day weekend churches like mom you’re amazing chocolate covered strawberries or some sorbet we love you hear some rosesand a policy right about yourself a lot lately but I think would be an idiot not hope city we honor fathers were grateful for the men here who believe we love our menand our chart having said that some thousand sometimes bills because certain responsibility right now not your work in a condo city are hard working men all miss that you were hard working men but when we get home like hard Reston manual me like mom is never quit they never stop working it’s constant they can work 87 hours during the week will make somebody’s bed both bodies of dirty clothesand change 17 dirty diapers kicked somebody in the seat of the pants like predicate inadequate acting crazy that comes always I was remote list you know intelligence because like that Amy you come home you go get that plastic cup that weird plastic of this like faded but you keep itand you go go to the refrigerator you go get some ice in it because the mice in your overflow lies in it falls on the floor going to pick it up to you now kick it on the fritz don’t to death know why I know is what your boy does know what was wrong with you what came to pick up unlike us water is evaporated to go become a cloud on the help of Jesus some of we like to take responsibility not just meant everybody manual me like wherever we go shopping with our wives bless America my wife told me couple years ago she said I must go to the mall’s like your boy don’t do the ball so we’re on our way to the mall I already pantyhose my family don’t you don’t you be questioning with the malland would win when moms go to the mall like looking for a sale they’re looking for a deal they’re looking for the discount rack promote somebody you spend just as much money you just want more for your money right men when we go shopping with you we are not looking for a deal were not looking for sale not looking for the discount rack will look at one thing what are we looking for fellows for chair that’s right perch I just want to see a godforsaken chair that is not in the shoe department all the way over there effective you own a department store on his will give you something extra to sprinkle chairs liberally throughout your store we would love to go shopping at your store if there’s a chair will sit on anything your domain willing to push some for some shirts are likely to we find that share that share is like a waste is in the desertand we run for were like they are more sinister one because we know that other men are like vultures looking for that chair to get a firstand then you trick us trick is to sit in the chair for 30 minutes what I’m ready to goand we know the story those if your newly married let me educate you just a little bit okay when she says I’m ready to go site are you going to the checkout line yes I’m going to check out liable right do you have everything you need to start naming off places in the store that she might’ve forgot to go because once you relinquish your chair is fair game I think there should be like a 10 foot rule you want me what you get 10 feet off the check is us what happens to me all the church is like all honey I forgot you turnaround is like a 78 year old man Artie sit in your territory like finders keepers alike best playgrounds are should give me a chance few years ago we were in a department storeand I’m looking for a chairand I found one but it was a part of the decoration it’s a benchand they actually have manikins sitting on unlike why I saw this is just a number of moving your resolve this matter manikin so as I moved in beside the medicand I guess I’ll brush your arm I don’t know what happened in her arms like thisand whenever I set up so she was like like it my leg is if you do you gotta know what was in our raw guys are starting to move her arm back upand when I try to move your arm back up her arm came off in my head like youand I like looking women try to put her arm back on to try to put her on the whole upper body fell overand this is what I ended up with you right here Soma picture this when I in the prior site is legal because the bids like she was prayingand if you look at the you see her forearms is laid out on thereand I was like walking awayand as the walk away as managers like when I was a kid undecided See Other related products: Jesus These Bones Will Come To Life Again T Shirt

[gokul2181]

From Mumbai's maidans to IPL's big stage, Tushar Deshpande's journey hasn't been easy | Cricket News

New Post has been published on https://jordarnews.in/from-mumbais-maidans-to-ipls-big-stage-tushar-deshpandes-journey-hasnt-been-easy-cricket-news/

From Mumbai's maidans to IPL's big stage, Tushar Deshpande's journey hasn't been easy | Cricket News

MUMBAI: It hasn’t been an easy ride for Tushar Deshpande, who made an impressive IPL debut in Dubai on Wednesday night, taking two for 37, including the prize wicket of Ben Stokes, to star in Rajasthan Royals’ 13-run win over the Delhi Capitals. In the beginning of 2017, the talented Mumbai pacer, who had begun to impress with his pace and control in the city’s maidans while playing for Parsee Gymkhana in local cricket, went through tremendous personal strife. “In January, I suffered ankle posterior impingement, which required a surgery, and hamstring tear one after other. The injuries were going to keep me out the game for about a year. In March, I learnt that mother was suffering from (ovarian) cancer,” Deshpande told TOI from Dubai on Wednesday.

At a stage in his career where his sole focus had to be on cricket, Deshpande did well to cope with the massive personal blow, which ultimately saw his mother succumb to the deadly disease last year. “Her whole treatment period was tough, because it’s not just the cancer patient, but his/her family members too who too suffer, seeing the patient in so much pain. However, my father was a pillar of support for me at that time. Since I was injured in 2017, that one-and a-half-year period was very tough for me as I was not playing cricket, and my mom was suffering from cancer. Through that year, I just kept my hope, and focused on getting better with my rehab and fitness,” recalled the 25-year-old. On Wednesday night, Deshpande, bowling yorkers consistently, gave away just eight, when the Royals needed 22 off the final over, with Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal at the crease. After the game, his Capitals’ teammate and South African pace ace Kagiso Rabada praised the youngster’s ability to fire in yorkers at will in practice, and even called him a “future India prospect.” “I felt really good after making my team win and bowling in a crunch situation. It was something which I did not expect in my first game. I was just focusing on my death bowling whenever I was practicing, and just tried to execute what I had practiced. I was not trying anything new, as it was ‘game time’ and current situation. I’m now looking forward to do much better in the next game,” said Deshpande. A few tips from ‘KG’ in the nets about handling pressure helped the Mumbaikar cope with IPL arc-lights for the first time. “In the match, he didn’t say much. However, in practice sessions, I have been speaking to him about handling pressure in close games. He told me: ‘Back yourself and just decide which is the most effective ball in that situation, according to that wicket,'” reveals Deshpande, who was bought for Rs 20 lakh in the IPL auction by the Capitals earlier this year. Last week, the young turk, who was still awaiting his IPL debut at that time, sought tips from South African pace great Dale Steyn after a game between the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dubai. Deshpande sought Steyn’s advice on how to work on his fitness as a fast bowler. “Since he was the No 1 Test bowler for eight years, I asked him what exactly is the recipe for fitness for a fast bowler at the international level. I’ve managed to remain fit for first-class cricket, but I wanted to know how he remained fit for international cricket. He just said: ‘Its repetitive, good work, over and over again. It’s a simple thing, but you tend to miss it. It was important for me that Steyn told me this. I felt very good after listening to him,” Deshpande had said in a video tweeted by the Capitals.

Dreams 2⃣ come true ✨➡️ Meeting @dalesteyn62 🔥➡️ Playing alongside @KagisoRabada25 🤜🏼🤛🏼@TusharD_96 #Dream11IPL… https://t.co/yNzM5vsrrP

— Delhi Capitals (Tweeting from 🇦🇪) (@DelhiCapitals) 1602048600000

Like any budding pacer, he was in awe of Steyn, who picked up 439 wickets in 93 Tests@22.95. “I was just watching his eyes for a while. I’ve seen them on television, but this was the first time I saw those ‘crazy eyes’ in person. It’s an unbelievable feeling. I still can’t believe that I spoke to him, because speaking to your idol is a surreal feeling,” said Deshpande. Deshpande’s willingness to learn seemed to have left a mark with Steyn too. “Nothing better than meeting people who are enthusiastic and excited about becoming better players. Tushar is all that and more! I wish nothing but greatness for you my friend,” tweeted Steyn later

Nothing better than meeting people who are enthusiastic and excited about becoming better players. Tushar is all t… https://t.co/r2IOLazQC7

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) 1602088457000

“Despite the fact that his mother who was suffering from cancer, which was in stage four, he never changed his schedule. He was either in the gym, hospital, practicing or playing matches,” said veteran journalist Makarand Waingankar, who’s the youngster’s mentor. A couple of years back, Deshpande had impressed West Indies pacer-turned commentator Ian Bishop with his pace and accuracy in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. On Wednesday night, Bishop praised Deshpande’s impressive start in the big league. “Congrats to @DelhiCapitals again. They are a formidable team. That was some of the most exciting fast bowling on show in one game. Nortje, Archer, Rabada and don’t forget Tushar Deshpande were brilliant. Oh, and Ravi Ashwin too very good,” tweeted Bishop.

Congrats to @DelhiCapitals again. They are a formidable team. That was some of the most exciting fast bowling on sh… https://t.co/LO5ZTaWxnO

— Ian bishop (@irbishi) 1602698873000

In 2016, Deshpande was amongst the four fast bowlers chosen by the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Bowling Foundation for a training stint at the Centre of Cricketing Excellence in Queensland in Australia, under former Australian pace great Jeff Thomson. “From the time he came under ‘Thommo’ in that Bowling foundation till now, I have been impressed with his work ethic. He proved that yoga, especially pranayam is useful to a cricketer,” said Waingankar. Deshpande plays for Parsee Gymkhana in Mumbai’s local cricket. “It was an absolutely brilliant performance by him on debut. I’m really happy for him and his father. Unfortunately, he lost his mother last year to cancer. However, he stayed mentally strong, worked very hard on his fitness and waited for his chance. I always used to tell him just one thing, do all the things that are within your control and leave the uncontrollable, and he did that,” Khodadad S Yazdegardi, who’s the Vice-President and cricket secretary Parsee Gymkhana, told TOI on Wednesday. Yazdegardi is also a member of the Mumbai Cricket Association‘s (MCA) Apex Council. “I feel proud, and felt even more proud when the Capitals’ bowling coach (Ryan) Harris praised him a lot about his attitude and said he is a very good death overs bowler. He proved him right by conceding just eight in the last over. His biggest plus point is that he is a very good student of the game and a fast learner. In short, he has a very strong character and always gives his 200%, even while playing for our club in the local tournaments,” praised Yazdegardi. Interestingly, the IPL hasn’t been amongst Deshpande’s top priorities. The talented pacer wants to play for India in Test cricket. A couple of years back, he was asked by Kings XI Punjab to appear for a trial at Mohali, but he stunningly, he preferred to skip what some would term as the ‘chance of a lifetime,’ deciding instead to turn out for his club Parsee Gymkhana in a Purshottam Shield second round match against CCI scheduled at the same time at Parsee Gymkhana. Last year, a big furore took place in Mumbai cricket when Deshpande was dropped from the Mumbai team for the Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. After much hue and cry, he was eventually included in the squad, and proved his worth with some good spells.

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[dipulb3]

Analysis: Trump's attempts to discredit Biden could come back to haunt him in first debate

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/analysis-trumps-attempts-to-discredit-biden-could-come-back-to-haunt-him-in-first-debate/

Analysis: Trump's attempts to discredit Biden could come back to haunt him in first debate

“He’s a dumb guy, a dumb guy, always known as a dumb guy,” Trump said during a Middletown, Pennsylvania, rally Saturday.

The President also does not seem to have changed many minds as he continues to tout his “perfect” handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans — even though a majority of voters give him poor marks on that score. And Trump is all but certain to squander precious minutes during the debate re-litigating debunked conspiracy theories about Ukraine, Russia, Hillary Clinton, Hunter Biden and his own impeachment that resonate with few voters beyond those who already support him.

He previewed one of those theories at his White House press conference Sunday evening when he baselessly charged that Biden is on drugs, repeating claims from a tweet earlier that day.

“I’m not joking. I’m willing to take a drug test and I think he should too,” Trump said from the White House podium, as two of his debate coaches, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, looked on. “Check out the Internet. Plenty of people say it,” Trump said.

View Trump and Biden head-to-head polling

Biden has generally ignored those kinds of wild accusations, and when asked Sunday in Wilmington what he needs to accomplish in the debate, he replied: “Just tell the truth.”

Biden’s deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield responded to Trump’s drug test taunts late on Sunday: “Vice President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words. If the president thinks his best case is made in urine he can have at it. We’d expect nothing less from Donald Trump, who pissed away the chance to protect the lives of 200K Americans when he didn’t make a plan to stop COVID-19,” she said in a statement.

Passing the commander-in-chief test

With the debate looming large as one of their last chances to persuade voters, it’s an open question whether both men can keep the debate substantive Tuesday night and avoid the swift descent into the gutter politics that Trump seems to relish.

Republican and Democratic strategists pointed out in interviews this week that the debates are unique this year because Trump is such a polarizing figure and many voters will tune in with their opinions already hardened and unlikely to change.

Still, both men need to reach those pockets of voters they have battled over throughout the election: suburban moderates, soft Republicans and center-right independents, particularly those within blue-collar families in the Midwest, who gave Trump a chance in 2016 and are now skeptical that he deserves another four years.

With Biden expected to drill Trump for his cavalier and often heartless response to the pandemic, several GOP strategists said Trump’s best chance of winning back those voters is to avoid being drawn into a defensive posture on his handling of the coronavirus — and instead focus on the economy.

That is one key area where Trump has maintained voter trust, while portraying Biden as an empty vessel for socialist-leaning forces in the Democratic Party who want to raise taxes and increase regulations that the President says would cripple small businesses.

“If you are Trump, part of your mission here is making sure that any center-right voter who voted for you in 2016, and mostly votes Republican, has a reason to stay with you. The best policy ground for him to fight upon is the economy,” said Scott Jennings, former special assistant to President George W. Bush and a Appradab contributor.

Jennings added that as Biden tries to dwell on Trump’s missteps in his handling of the pandemic, the President “can’t get bogged down re-litigating the past” and must “constantly try to move the conversation to more fertile ground — and that’s the future, the recovery.”

Jennings acknowledged that while some of those center-right voters don’t approve of Trump when it comes to the coronavirus, “it is entirely possible, maybe even likely, that group would be willing to concede they trust Trump more on the economic recovery from coronavirus than they would trust Biden.”

Biden has an opportunity to persuade anxious voters that he would be the steady, competent and experienced commander-in-chief who could lead the nation out of its three-pronged crisis of the pandemic, the recession and the roiling debate over systematic racism and police brutality.

The New York Times reporting about Trump paying no federal income taxes in 10 out of 15 years, beginning in 2000, could help Biden drive home the contrast between Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Park Avenue that has become a key part of his messaging.

The former vice president’s challenge Tuesday night will be to “defend his record without being defensive” as Trump tries to “rattle his cage” with offensive taunts and personal attacks about his family, said Dan Pfeiffer, who was former President Barack Obama’s senior adviser for strategy and communications at the White House. (Trump telegraphed that part of his strategy with his references to Hunter Biden at his Sunday news conference).

“What has put Biden in this position (as the leader in the race) is that he seems like someone who could be president,” Pfeiffer said. “There’s a stature gap between Biden and Trump, and Biden has to be careful not to narrow that gap by getting pulled down in the mud with Trump.”

Another key test for Trump is whether he can resist his worst instincts in the form of gross exaggerations, factual inaccuracies and fringe conspiracy theories that have eroded voters’ confidence in his leadership.

While Trump’s speeches and interviews are often rife with inaccuracies, Frank Fahrenkopf, the co-chair of The Commission on Presidential Debates, told Appradab’s Brian Stelter Sunday that it won’t be the debate moderator’s role to fact check the candidates in real time Tuesday night.

Fox News’ Chris Wallace will moderate the first debate, which is expected to focus on six topics: “The Trump and Biden Records,” “The Supreme Court,” “Covid-19,” “The Economy,” “Race and Violence in our Cities” and “The Integrity of the Election.”

“The moderator is a facilitator,” Fahrenkopf said on Appradab’s “Reliable Sources.” “We don’t expect Chris or our other moderators to be fact-checkers. The minute the TV is off, there are going to be plenty of fact-checkers in every newspaper and every television station in the world. That’s not the role, the main role of our moderators.”

Trump has to remain on the offensive, said Brett O’Donnell, a veteran debate coach who prepared GOP presidential candidates including George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney for some of their presidential debates. “I’ve described this as the ultimate disrupter versus the consummate career politician,” O’Donnell said.

Facing Biden — whom O’Donnell describes as “the most conventional politician in a long time to be a party’s nominee” — Trump has a chance to use “Biden’s record from 47 years in politics to flesh out where he would take the country” and should also try “to push him as far left as possible,” O’Donnell said, to blunt Biden’s appeals to moderate voters.

“What makes the President difficult to debate is that he does stuff through branding. He doesn’t make these long-drawn out substantive arguments. … He just sort of brands you to make a point and then hopes it will be filled in after the fact,” O’Donnell said.

Biden’s ability to rebut those labels — whether about his mental acuity or the notion that he would lead the country toward socialism — will be one of his central challenges.

Polling gaps for both Trump and Biden

The President will also be looking for ways to address his enormous gender gap with Biden, who is leading him among female voters by some 30 points. (Biden is trailing Trump with men).

Trump may have taken a step in that direction with his Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, a mother of seven, to the Supreme Court in a well-choreographed ceremony Saturday night in which the federal appellate judge skillfully conveyed the attributes of her judicial philosophy while looking like a relatable figure to the key voting bloc of suburban independent and Republican-leaning women.

Trump has alienated many female voters with his style, his tweets and his callous comments about coronavirus deaths — like his recent statement at an Ohio rally that the coronavirus “affects virtually nobody” just as the US was crossing 200,000 deaths.

The ability of both Trump and Biden to try to make the debate a direct conversation with the average voter in the midst of their heated exchanges will shape the extent to which they are able to persuade. One aspect of that is showing Americans they understand the pain and anxiety the pandemic has wrought — though empathy has never been an area of strength for Trump.

“Both of these guys forget their audiences, and it will be interesting to see if they’re just debating each other all night long,” O’Donnell said. “The President has a great opportunity to speak to some of those suburban security moms through what’s happening in the cities; and he has an opportunity to speak to them through the Supreme Court pick.”

Whether he seizes that opportunity is another question. Because while message discipline and restraint may be the best tools he has to turn around his flagging campaign, Trump has often failed to use them.