#if this turns out like seven deadly sins i will riot

[soapssuds]

you all better believe that mappa will absolutely deliver on this scene

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

@corrodedcoffinfest seven deadly sins halloween pop-up

dividers by @strangergraphics-archive

prompt: wrath ~ word count: 666 ~ rating: M - pov: Gareth ~ relationships: none ~ cw: canon character death, use of song titled “goodbye cruel world”

summary: school has reopened after the so-called earthquake, but Gareth is not thrilled to be returning without his best friend.

author’s note: written in the style of a script. the 2.5-minute soundtrack, found here, is absolutely essential to this fic.

**the song “goodbye cruel world” is used in reference to Eddie’s decision to sacrifice his life for his friends. it is not in any way intended to represent Gareth experiencing suicidal ideation. but please, if you need to, take care. 💜

SCENE: HAWKINS HIGH

The song begins with crashing sound effects; the final crash aligns with the visual of a car door being slammed shut.

LYRIC: I DON’T NEED NO

Closeup on a pair of heavy black combat boots, stomping across the parking lot toward the school.

LYRIC: ARMS AROUND ME

Cut to Gareth POV; a group of girls give him frightened looks and scatter at his approach, leaving him a wide path through the crowded hall.

LYRIC: AND I DON’T NEED NO

Closeup on Gareth’s nose and lips only, as he takes a deep drag from a cigarette and exhales smoke through his nose. His lip is pierced with a silver hoop ring. He carelessly throws the cigarette aside.

LYRIC: DRUGS TO CALM ME

Closeup on the cigarette, rolling across the tiled floor, still lit and trailing smoke.

LYRIC: I HAVE SEEN THE WRITING ON

Cut to: Inside of a locker. The Hellfire Club yearbook photo is taped to the inside of the door. A note has been shoved through the vent, which is abruptly ripped free. He throws a book inside, scattering papers everywhere.

LYRIC: THE WALL

The locker slams shut, revealing graffiti all over the front. The word SATANIST is clearly visible, and the camera slowly zooms in on it.

LYRIC: DON’T THINK I NEED ANYTHING AT ALL

For the first time we see a full view of Gareth as he stomps down the school hallway, scowling fiercely. He’s wearing his Hellfire shirt and red flannel vest, but over it a black leather jacket decorated with metal studs and chains. Ripped black jeans and the aforementioned heavy black boots complete the undeniably Eddie-like image, a stark contrast to the colorful summery outfits of the preppy kids surrounding him.

LYRIC: NO

Gareth roughly shoves aside a kid in a sports uniform. The kid is bigger than him, but looks scared of him.

LYRIC: DON’T THINK I NEED ANYTHING AT ALL

Camera shifts to a wider perspective as Gareth stalks away. Kids mostly ignore him, continuing to give him a wide berth. At the strong GUITAR CHORD he turns abruptly and though he doesn’t speak audibly it’s clear that he snaps “fuck off!” at a group of little band nerds who were staring at him. They jump back, frightened, and immediately scatter. Gareth disappears around the corner.

LYRIC: ALL IN ALL IT WAS ALL JUST BRICKS IN THE WALL

Closeup on Gareth’s hand, adorned with chunky silver rings nearly identical to Eddie’s, shoving open the door of the gymnasium. Pan around gym; it’s obviously a “first day back to school” pep rally or assembly of some sort. The gym is a riot of school spirit and colors and perky happy kids.

Gareth storms right past Jeff and Grant— who exchange worried looks— without acknowledging them, and climbs to the very top of the bleachers, sitting far away from all the other students.

LYRIC: ALL IN ALL YOU WERE ALL JUST BRICKS IN THE WALL

As the music fades into the next track, Gareth slumps against the wall, crossing his arms, glaring around the room as if daring anyone else to approach. Pan out reveals he’s sitting beneath a hand painted banner that says KEEP OUR SCHOOLS SAFE! with two large crosses and ichthys symbols painted on either side of the words.

Cut to Lucas, Mike, Dustin, and Will entering the gym; Dustin starts heading in Gareth’s direction but is quickly stopped by Jeff.

LYRIC: GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD, I’M LEAVING YOU TODAY

Gareth glares daggers at his friends.

Former friends?

LYRIC: GOODBYE, GOODBYE, GOODBYE

He unfolds the paper that was in his locker vent. It’s Eddie’s missing person poster.

LYRIC: GOODBYE, ALL YOU PEOPLE

Gareth's fingers briefly caress photo-Eddie’s face.

LYRIC: THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN SAY

Scrawled across the bottom of the poster in bright red ink are the words YOU'RE NEXT, FREAK!

LYRIC: TO MAKE ME CHANGE MY MIND

Gareth angrily crumples the poster and throws it as hard as he can.

LYRIC: GOODBYE

END SCENE

thanks a million to @the-unforgivenn for beta reading!

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 78

10 days have passed after the last chapter.

I'm absolutely certain Mustang's crew were all sent away to be killed. Every single one of them is in a hotbed location for the national transmutation circle. Looks like Falman passed the information about the circle to Breda and Fuery.

And Sloth has finished the tunnel. It's been about two weeks since he was put back into the tunnel so I'm going to guess the tunnel was started very close to Briggs. Maybe the passage Kimblee found last chapter was near the starting point?

We're back in Reole. About 4 months prior, Ed revealed the Leto church to be a sham and reported it to East HQ. Eastern Troops came in to keep the area from falling into a riot. But then Central troops were deployed and the Eastern forces were dismissed. That's when the riots turned violent. That was roughly a week or two later. About a month later, the riots were under control, but many lives were lost.

No explanation is given why the riots stopped. Maybe all the Leto supporters were killed or maybe everyone just were tired of fighting. The Homunculi got what they wanted so there was no need to continue riling people up. Now, everyone's coming together to fix the damage that's been done and move forward.

Rose managed to take Ed's words to heart. Last we saw her, she was on the floor crying because she'd discovered everything she believed was a lie.

But now she's managing to smile despite everything that's happened and she's doing what she can to rebuild and move forward.

There must have been a need for multiple access points to the tunnel for moving refuse and to just get Sloth back on task quickly when he wandered off.

Remember how I mentioned the tunnel was being dug counterclockwise and Sloth had come from the East when he reached Briggs? Do you know where you'd end up if you traveled along a circlular arc traveling southeast from Briggs? You'd reach Reole.

Pride's shadow is large, but it's not infinitely large. Hohenheim said it can move freely within the tunnel, not that it is everywhere. So Pride has likely been hanging around the east part of the tunnel to overlook the processes to remove rubble and guard the newer entry points from any potential intruders.

The survey team Pride killed had probably gotten too close to Reole and Pride ended up discovering them on its patrols.

Hohenheim and Pride's discussion implies the concept of the seven deadly sins exists in the FMA verse. It doesn't seem to be a concept in Amestris though since no one connected the dots over the naming scheme. I'm going to say that in-universe, it was specific to Cselkcess culture and religion.

And Hohenheim is calling Father out. He's surprised Father put in the effort to make Pride look like his old form, and he calls Father arrogant and pompous. Hohenheim knows Father is a hack.

10 days is too short to deploy a military force like the one from Drachma. We also need to remove additional days to account for Kimblee traveling to the country and informing them about Major General Armstrong being recalled.

Al hasn't put his legs back on. Is he still blacking out? Are they worried he might fall over?

And once again, Arakawa is being a coward cause we're not seeing the buttcheek part of that leg.

We also now know Jelso is the frog chimera and Zanpano is the porcupine(?) chimera.

And Zanpano is making a call to the President. Since he was working with Kimblee, he probably had the President's number. I just want to know why Envy is answering the line.

Wrath: Hello President's office. Fuhrer President King Bradley speaking. Zanpano: I'm here to report the whereabouts of Marcoh. Wrath: One moment. *Shouting* Envy, it's for you! Envy: *Excitedly runs into the room and grabs the phone* Hello? You said something about Dr. Marcoh?

back

[caxycreations]

Ooh! Thanks for the chance to gush about another city in Ferus, one I don't talk about as much! The city of Gala!

Gala was originally founded in the year 3846 by a collective of wealthy families seeking escape from the "inferior" citizens of the lower economic classes. They built Gala with their collective funds as a safe haven for the wealthy and the business elite. It became a corporate town, full of CEOs and executives and the like, home to all of the most successful individuals in the country.

When the people of Ferus learned of the corruption in the Ferusian police force in the early 3900s, Gala was the first city to break out in riots. The police in the city often wrote gargantuan fines and tickets, abusing the incredible wealth of the citizens, recording the appropriate fee and pocketing everything extra off-the-books, a shining example of the problems plaguing the country at the time.

The "elite" who had built the city, raised their families there, believing themselves so far above the rest of the citizens of the nation, fell from the pedestal they had placed themselves on and turned to violence in a matter of days after realizing how much of their money had been wrongfully taken. They demolished the very businesses they had built, destroyed the government buildings paid for from their ledgers, and openly attacked officers of the law with unfiltered prejudice.

When news broke out that Gala had become a hotspot of riots, criminals, and violence, other cities ran investigations, double, triple checking the integrity of local law, and cities which found it lacking fell with Gala in a wave of bloodshed and violence.

It wasn't until the riots were quelled and appeasements and compensations were made that Gala became what we know it as today.

The City of Seven, in reference to the Seven Deadly Sins. Gala, no longer a haven for the wealthy elite, opened its doors to all. With a reputation for the wealth stored within, many flocked to open gambling halls, bars, clubs, brothels, breeding clinics, and more. Any business they could charge hefty prices for, any business that catered to the ideas the city was once known for.

It built a reputation for being a place to go when you hit rock bottom, a bottle to drink yourself into. For decades this was true. But in the modern day, Gala has become a respectable city in its own right. Old Gala, now one of the many districts of the expanding city, is still home to the same sorts of business it became infamous for, but the newer districts have begun distancing themselves from such things, offering cleaner living, safer homes, and more.

Old Gala is still a tourist attraction, with Ferusians and foreigners alike traveling thousands of miles to bear witness to the den of debauchery. While the citizens of Gala are no longer the morally corrupt or sin-addled beings they were for a short while, the reputation lingers, and many Galan citizens are treated as entertainment rather than people, with those living in the newer districts considering them as the shameful side of their home town, and with tourists seeing them as lesser simply for where they live.

It's a reputation many Old Galans strive to distance from, but when their home is still very much in-step with an older time, it's difficult to do so, especially when many are forced to work in those "disreputable" fields of employment to make ends meet.

Worldbuilding Wednesday!

Hey folks, Arch here, with the only creative produce I'm allowing myself to make for a while! Here's this week's Prompt, hope it's of use.

In a response to a certain post I saw today, I'd love if you could tell us about something about a city / other settlement in your World! Who got there first, and who lives there now? What do the people there do? How are decisions made, and people organised? Is it part of some larger collective, or a standalone entity?

Tagging @athenswrites @caxycreations @hessdalen-globe @avrablake @theprissythumbelina @thatndginger @pluvia-b @lividdreamz and anyone who'd like to partake!

[infinite-xerath]

Runeterra Retcons 2: Aatrox and the Darkin

I did another one. There’s one more character I have in mind to do, but then I’ll probably take a small break from these))

Aatrox is an interesting case; while I don’t necessarily believe his current lore is BAD per se, I think he’s more-so a case of missed opportunity and wasted potential. Aatrox, to me, reeks of a case where Riot gave zero forethought to the future of this character when they created him. To fully understand why I feel this way, we’re going to have to take a step back and analyze some of the history of League itself, as well as some characters connected to Aatrox. So, with that all said, let’s look back at the history of this angry red swords and see if we can make sense of the changes given to him over the years.

Aatrox was released into the game back in 2013, under the title “The Darkin Blade.” Now, what’s a Darkin, you ask? Well, at the time, we didn’t really know, and it kind of became obvious that Riot didn’t either. Let’s have a read of his original lore, shall we?

I was always a fan of Aatrox’s original lore: an ancient, mysterious figure who shows up to help you turn the tides of a war, but only after you’d effectively surrendered your own humanity for the sake of victory. The fact that there was an entire race just like him became the center of fan speculation of years, and countless theories cropped up as to who and what the Darkin even were. Some assumed that they were related to the Seven Deadly Sins, while others thought they might be akin to the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Some thought they might just be a dying race, and that some might actually be benevolent, unlike Aatrox.

Unfortunately, Riot wouldn’t give us an answer for quite some time. All we knew was that Aatrox was a Darkin and that he looked a lot like typical modern depictions of demons. That does raise the question though: why didn’t they just make Aatrox a demon? He helps turn the tides of conflict with no apparent goal beyond just prolonging the chaos and suffering brought about by war. A lot of his voice lines even painted him as a psychotic “artist” of sorts, prior even to Jhin, that viewed conflict and bloodshed as elegant. Well, to better understand the full picture here, we need to take a step back and examine the broader picture here.

Now, admittedly, we’re delving in some speculation territory here, as it’s impossible to really say what Riot’s original plans for the Darkin were, if any. That being said, the inclusion of something like a demon would have had a lot of implications back in the day, as the Runeterra as we knew it then didn’t really have a “Heaven” or “Hell.” Sure, we had “angels” with Kayle and Morgana, but they were treated more like how Asgardians are treated in Marvel: more like a race of super powerful aliens than actual divine entities (keep that in mind for later.) If anything, what little we knew of an “afterlife” in League came from Yorick’s old lore, in which he acted like a psychopomp similar to Charon from Greek myth.

It wasn’t until Tahm Kench came out in 2015 that Riot properly introduced demons as a concept in the lore, retconning several other champions like Evelynn and Nocturne into being demons. For a bit of context: in Runeterra, demons are effectively malevolent spirits from the spirit realm that feed on negativity: fear, pain, hatred, and so-forth. When other characters started getting turned into demons, a lot of people, myself included, thought that Aatrox would meet the same fate. After-all, they hadn’t actually DONE anything with the “Darkin” outside of Aatrox’s bio, and he functioned in a manner similar to them. Some even theorized that the Darkin would be made to represent a specific breed of demon, and this theory gained even more traction when Tahm Kench was given special voice lines for taunting near Aatrox.

Then, on July 12, 2017, we got Kayn, and with him: Rhaast. Rhaast is the second Darkin character added to the lore: a talking scythe with an eye that possess its host. Kayn is able to hold back Rhaast’s influence, keeping it to a single arm through the use of shadow magic, but depending on your actions in-game, you can see what happens if Rhaast manages to win their struggle and take over Kayn’s body completely. With Rhaast’s introduction, it pretty-much cemented that the Darkin were living weapons that took over the hosts of their wielders, which made sense given that Aatrox’s sword was always hinted to be alive and have a mind of its own. In fact, the idea of the Darkin being living weapons, or at least being bound to their weapons in some way, was one of many fan theories raised since Aatrox’s release all the way back in 2013.

Unfortunately, the new champion’s bio didn’t give us a lot to work with. Rhaast was the weapon, but Kayn himself is the Champion, so a lot of his bio tells us more about Kayn’s backstory: how he joined the Order of Shadows, how he acquired Rhaast in the first place, etc. While this isn’t exactly a problem, it gave us no further information on the Darkin; what they really were, where they came from, and why there are only five left in existence all remained mysteries for the fans to speculate about. It still wasn’t even clear if the Darkin were connected to demons, or if they were something else entirely.

Now, it’s around this time that another theory began to start blowing up in popularity; technically, this was another old fan theory, but now that we had a general idea of what the Darkin actually were, there was another Champion wielding a living weapon that fans started to speculate might be connected to them: Varus. Varus is an old character, and though we won’t be deep-diving into him too much into this video, allow me to give you a tldr of his original story.

Varus was an Ionian archer set to guard the Pit of Pallas, a giant hole where his people had long ago sealed some unexplained corrupting purple entity that seemed like it maybe should have related to the Void somehow but didn’t. Varus resisted the entity’s influence for years until Noxians one day showed up and started slaughtering his people, wanting to get their hands on Pallas so that they could use it as a weapon because of course they did. Varus was faced with a choice: stay and guard the temple built around the pit or go back to his village and help his people fight. Varus chose the former and was apparently SUCH a badass archer that he single-handed kept the invaders at pay with his arrows, though this choice came at a cost: when Varus returned to his village, everyone he knew and loved was dead, including his wife and son.

Enraged, Varus returned to the pit and struck a deal with Pallas: he would allow the entity to inhabit his body in return for vengeance against the Noxians. Varus proceeded to wander the world with a bow made from the entity’s own solidified essence in the hopes of finding and killing… Basically every Noxian he could. Yeah, Varus wanted nothing short of full-on genocide, starting with the surviving soldiers that attacked his village. There’s a lot to go into there, but you’ve probably figured out the relevance of this by now: Pallas turned itself into a bow for Varus to take his vengeance in exchange for possession over his body. Not too dissimilar a living sword and scythe who also possessed people and had an insatiable hunger for death and destruction, right?

Riot seemed to agree, and in 2017 they released a music video along with a comic and an entirely new bio for Varus. Together, these updates served to not only retcon Varus’s backstory (a topic for another episode) but finally give us an update as to who and what the Darkin were. In a word: they were aliens.

In short, the Darkin were a race from another planet/dimension drawn to Runeterra for its abundant use of magic. They tried to conquer the planet, causing the Great Darkin War, which ended only when the races of Runeterra figured out how to seal the Darkin in their own otherworldly weapons. Varus, Aatrox, Rhaast, and two others were trapped in their weapons, which an unnamed warrior queen (possibly an Aspect) used to drive back the other Darkin and seal the portal to their world. The five that were imprisoned in their weapons were then scattered and hidden across Runeterra.

This, at last, brings us back to Aatrox’s new bio:

“One of the ancient Darkin, Aatrox was once a peerless swordmaster who reveled in the bloody chaos of the battlefield. Trapped within his own blade by the magic of his foes, he waited out the millennia for a suitable host to wield him - this mortal warrior was corrupted and transformed by the living weapon, and Aatrox was reborn. Though tales of the darkin have now passed into legend, he remembers only too well the destruction of his race, and wreaks his vengeance one sword blow at a time.”

So Aatrox was made into a general for an alien race who sought to finish what his people started by having the Runeterrans fight and slaughter one another in a series of bloody conflicts… For a few months, at least. Literally the next year in 2018, Aatrox finally got his visual and gameplay update, turning him into the World Ender we know today. Along with this came entirely new lore for him, as well as the Darkin.

Insert lore here

So… The Darkin are no longer invading aliens, but Ascended who went nuts and were trapped inside their own weapons. In other words, the Darkin went from being a race to being more of a derogative term for fallen demigods. What’s more, Aatrox received a VERY substantial alteration his character and personality: he went from being a war-loving “artist” who causes conflict for the sake of it to being a tortured soul who wants to die so badly that he’ll end all of creation to do it.

Now, like I said before: I don’t think this backstory is bad. I don’t hate it. It does a lot to flesh out Shurima as a region, gives us more info on the Ascended, and it adds a bit more nuance to Aatrox as a character. Imagine being trapped inside a weapon, losing all access to your senses. Imagine that the only chance you get to move is when you take over someone else’s body, transforming it into a warped version of your own former glory, only to realize that you’re on a time limit and the only way you can continue to walk, talk, see, hear, or feel anything is by slaughter’s people and consuming their blood. Imagine spending CENTURIES trying to find a way out, only to repeatedly learn that any means to free or even kill yourself ends in failure. Imagine being SO desperate to rest that you’re willing to end all of existence just to find peace.

I like Aatrox’s new story. I do. Honestly, the only real complaint I have is that Aatrox doesn’t exactly have a PLAN for how he aims to end existence? Like, he calls himself a World Ender and a god-slayer, but we only know of one god he’s actually slain (Pantheon) and given that Runeterra is still around, it seems like his world-destroying count is still at zero. Honestly, if he wants to end all of existence, I feel like turning the Void, a reality-consuming threat that he has FOUGHT BEFORE would kind of be the obvious solution? Honestly, I imagine that just chucking the sword into the Void would be a good way for him to end his own existence, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

So, if I like Aatrox’s new lore, why am I rewriting it? Simple, really: even if I overall like his current lore state, I feel like the road we took to get here was… Kind of long and unnecessary. It seems kind of obvious looking back that Riot didn’t have a clear long-term plan for Aatrox or the Darkin, as years of unanswered questions followed by multiple retcons kind of entails. From being the last survivor of an ancient race, to MAYBE being a demon, to being an alien, to finally becoming a fallen demigod. Aatrox’s history is practically a whole story in-and-of-itself, and I’ve long wondered how things might have turned out if Riot had, you know, picked a direction and gone with it a bit sooner?

So, here’s the basis of my rewrite: I’m gonna try and incorporate elements from all of Aatrox’s various backstories into a single, coherent biography. Can I manage it? Well, I’ll leave that for you all to determine…

When the skies are blackened by the flames of war and the earth is dyed red with blood, Aatrox draws near. For as long as conflict has existed among the races of Runeterra, the Chaos Blade has manifested to those deemed worthy, turning the tides of battle in exchange for the flesh of whoever wields it.

The true origins of the Darkin have long been lost time. Some say that they are the first weapons ever forged, corrupted by the malice of those who have wielded them over ages. Others claim that the Darkin are a rare breed of demon, of whom only five remain. Only one thing is certain: the Darkin exist only to bring death and destruction, and none embrace this more than Aatrox himself.

Tales of a wicked blade manifesting amidst the heat of battle exists across all cultures, from the frigid north to the blistering south. The sword is said to appear before warriors on the cusp of defeat: those who would give anything, even their own lives, for the sake of victory. Those who wield the Chaos Blade are granted inhuman strength and endurance, often haled as heroes for turning the tides of battle. With every foe slain, however, the Chaos Blade grows stronger, consuming the mind of its wielder and warping their flesh. In time, the hero becomes a mindless vessel, slaughter all in its path until slain. When its host falls, the Chaos Blade returns from whence it came, waiting for the moment that another might heed the sword’s call.

For ages this cycle persisted, until the day the sword manifested before a warrior of Shurima’s Ascended Host. After the Fall of Icathia, the Sunborn were called to face the encroaching threat of the Void, wielding celestial might and magic great enough to crush a hundred mortal armies. Before the Void, however, even the mighty Ascended began to falter.

The horrors summoned by Icathia steadily pushed north, consuming everything in their path and twisting the earth into maddening shapes. As their numbers dwindled, many Sunborn called to retreat, hoping to regroup within the capital and think of a plan. As some fled, however, the Ascended general Aatrox stood his ground. Pushing his draconic form to its limits, Aatrox struck down one abomination after another. When his great blade, soaked in the Oasis of the Dawn itself, was wrenched from its grasp, Aatrox fought with tooth and claw. Even if he were to fall, Aatrox would do everything in his power to slay as many Voidspawn as possible, resigning himself to death so the other Sunborn might rally their forces.

It was then, amidst the sea of madness woven by the Void, that Aatrox saw a sword embedded into the twisted earth. The blade seemed to call out to him, and Aatrox took it without question. In an instant, the general was filled with unimaginable strength and fury, and his allies watched in amazement as Aatrox fought with strength of ten Ascended warriors. Inspired by his newfound fury, the Sunborn rallied, their fighting spirits renewed at last.

When the conflict against the Void drew to a close, Aatrox was haled as a hero among heroes, though many of his former allies became wary of him and the wicked sword he now carried. Some suggested that the blade should be destroyed, while others, such as Aatrox himself, argued that its power would be instrumental if the Void ever returned.

Resentment and suspicion began to grow amongst the Sunborn, and the cracks only grew larger as Aatrox aided the other Ascended in summoning weapons similar to his own. The warriors of the Ascended host began to distance themselves from one-another and the capital, taking up posts across Shurima’s vast empire. They remained united only in the shared goal of protecting their empire.

And then the Sun Disc fell.

Following Xerath’s Ascension and the death of Emperor Azir, years of growing tensions erupted across the desert. Some Ascended raced for the chance to fill the now-vacant seat of power for themselves, while others insisted on finding a means to restore the royal dynasty. Debate soon turned to bloodshed, and Shurima was engulfed in a war that lasted centuries. It wasn’t until the Aspects of Targon intervened that the war was finally brought to an end.

Those wielding Darkin weapons were bound to their armaments with powerful magic, in-turn trapping the wicked weapons in the physical realm. The Darkin were scattered across Runeterra, and yet the souls of the Ascended persisted, stripped of bodies and senses.

For ages, Aatrox stewed within the sword that had become his prison, his soul slowly being corrupted further and further by the Chaos Blade until the two had become a single being. Ages passed and the sword was slowly forgotten, until a band of thieves broke into the Darkin’s prison in search of ancient treasure. When the thieves’ leader touched the sword, his mind was overwhelmed in an instant, his body transformed into a twisted likeness of Aatrox’s Ascended form. The Darkin slew the other thieves in an instant, drawing strength from their blood before breaking free of his long confinement.

Aatrox emerged into a frozen landscape with but a single goal: to bring about a war so violent, so destructive, that it would be the end of all things. He would be the World Ender, herald of a conflict to end all others. With every foe he slays, with every swing of his sword, Aatrox sews the seeds for violence and carnage, drawing one step closer to his magnus opus.

So, what did you think? As stated before: my primary goal this time around was to try and combine Aatrox’s various origin stories into a single narrative. Admittedly, I could only manage to do this by adding an air of mystery to the actual origin of the Darkin; maybe they’re demons, maybe they’re aliens, maybe they’re something else entirely. I know that might seem like a bit of a cop-out, but a large part of what made the Darkin so interesting to the community in the first place was the air of mystery surrounding them, and the room it offered for speculation and theorizing.

Another main concern, though, was that I wanted to find a way to blend old Aatrox’s personality with his new one. The thing I miss most about the OG Aatrox was that, despite being obsessed with war and bloodshed, he wasn’t just another rage monster. He was calm and composed, and a lot of his lines hinted at a deeper philosophy toward the inevitability of conflict rather than just “I wanna kill everything because I’m angry!” League has way too many of those, in my honest opinion. I thought that, by combining his mind with a semi-sentient sword that brings about carnage because that’s simply its PURPOSE, a little but of that old Aatrox might shine through.

But, as always, this is all just my opinion; how I, personally, would have gone about reworking the character. If you prefer Aatrox as he currently is, or think my version of the story is inferior, that’s fine! Feel free to share your thoughts and comments, but please, let’s try to keep it civil. After-all…

The last thing we want is to start a war over this…

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 42

Last time: Frostbite continues to not be an issue for female cast members, Ed gave a chemistry lesson, and Kimblee was just the worst. Onwards!

Al still hasn’t woken up? That’s… probably not a good thing. For now, Winry’s watching over his disassembled parts in a cabin, while the rest of the Crew huddle around a small fire. Marcoh and May are still going over the notes, seems that “gold” keeps showing up and they think it’s some sort of pattern. I dunno, maybe the author just liked shiny things?

Winry wanders over to see what they’re doing, Marcoh says they’re trying to decipher whatever code the author’s using. Alchemist are very skeptical of peer review after all, he even wrote all his own notes on the Philosopher’s Stone in recipe format to pad out the Reveal episode. For now, they’re banking on all these gold references as the- oh hey, Al’s back! Al’s brought back up to speed on what he missed (not much, they broke him down for easier carrying and took shelter in this cabin), everyone gets to play puzzle and put him back together. May’s left holding the notes, probably wishing she was helping reassemble her husband… wait, reassemble? Pieces? Aha! Winry and Marcoh are just a little freaked out at May tossing all the pages to the ground in a big mess, but then she explains that they need to physically overlap all the references to “immortality” and “gold”. Even Scar get in on all the fun! Later, all the pages are down, and… yeah, I don’t see it. But now May’s taking some charcoal to connect all the symbols in the notes, and draws… [Al]: “It’s the country-wide Transmutation Circle.” Marcoh’s not doing too well, the Chimeras are yelling at him for these useless notes that aren’t telling them anything they don’t already know. Scar’s not happy either, to see that his brother’s research ended up being the Bad Guy’s plan… wait, but these paper notes weren’t the only thing your brother wrote, or rather drew. Don’t you have a bunch of ink on your arm? Calling it now, there’s more to this than just what was written in the papers. Al seems to think so too, although not about the arm being relevant, he just thinks that there’s more hidden past this first code. “Truth within the truth”, right? Or maybe he’s just trying to keep everyone hopeful. Whatever it is, it gets Marcoh out of his slump. Alright everyone, stare at the papers again to see if anything oh for Leto’s sake, Yoki, cover your mouth when you sneeze! Now the papers are all disorganized, “you can’t even tell which side of the page is right-side-up anymore” oh I get it. Turn the pages around, see what symbol you can make on the other side! So the pages are turned around, the new symbols connected, and it’s a new TC! An Xingese Alkahestry one, at that. So what does it do? Episode 42 - “Signs of a Counteroffensive” Hello? Xingese Alkahestry TC? Any explanation there? No? We’re just going to go back to the tunnels? Fine, let’s see what Ed and his own Chimera troops are up to. That’s not Ed, that’s Kimblee, being a creep and licking his cut hand. I get it, you’re weird and disturbing, just use your Philosopher’s Stone to fix your injury for Leto’s sake. Oh hey Ed was right, Kimblee did get lost wandering around the mines. Look, can Kimblee just die already and we can get back to the Goths? They were at least fairly competent, and aside from Bradley’s sudden case of Red Eyes and Evil Gloating at The Mighty Armstrong they made for good villains. Now we’re just following the wanderings of an idiot who won’t even heal his injuries and forgot to bring a map on his hunt. And again! You know, when I see a giant red X scrawled across a crooked door that reveals a staircase winding down into darkness, that’s generally a sign that Bad Things are below and you shouldn’t go. But Kimblee ignores that and continues down even when there’s no sign of his quarry. Bones, too! Huh, looks like this is connected to Sloth’s Tunnel. Well that guarantees that the Mine Crew didn’t come this way, otherwise they would have been seen by oh hi Pride. Kimblee reports that he’s searching for Scar, Pride tells him to hold off for now, go ahead and oh crap it’s time to “carve the Crest of Blood” at Briggs. And Armstrong the Great’s not there! But on the other hand, Pride is telling Kimblee to do it on his lonesome apparently. I changed my mind, this is going to be a hilarious curbstomp. Back at the Fort, Sideburns has returned to exposit that Kimblee’s missing after an explosion in the mine shafts. Hearing that no body was found Buccy and Falman exchange a look, and ask if any Briggs troops went missing with him. Sideburns has to come to a stop to say that they also couldn’t find Kimblee’s two flunkies, and the Fullmetal Alchemist. Aw, Buccy does care about the kid who snagged his crush. Sideburns is checking in with Breda, who’s reporting that a border war with their western neighbor is racking up quite the body count. Down south Fuery, no! Don’t hurt the radio operator, I’m almost completely over my annoyance that he took away my Fuhrer Fury joke! [Fuery]: “Damnit! I’m gonna survive this! I’m gonna live! I won’t die for this-” ...Fuery? Alright, so… Sideburns is staying in touch with Roy through “a messenger connected to the Armstrong Family” hey it’s Granny Armstrong! Got some more flowers for us? Uhhhh. Sloth just finished the tunnel. That’s not good. Uncle says it’s almost time. Mid-ep pictures of Pride’s Shadows and Beard. Now we’re in a town that looks a little worse for wear, did a Protagonist come through here or something? The work crews stop to get a lunch break from a woman with pink bangs, peaceful countryside guitar music starts as a worker tells Rose wait a minute *quick search to earlier recaps* It’s Rose! It’s Liore! Aw, the town’s rebuilding after the riots the Goths started. I’d honestly written off the place as a loss, but they’ve actually survived and have that good old wholesome community vibe going on. It’s not perfect yet, with those comments about how they don’t have any meat and have to ration food, but it’s a start. Almost everyone’s working, aside from those too old or young to, or… wait, Ling? Uh what. Beard. Why are you pulling a Ling. What’s with this “oh poor feeble starving me” routine? Guys. Beard is gulping down soup at an amusingly fast pace and smiling and oh my Leto is is flirting with Rose? Seriously he’s turned into Ling, what is this. [Beard]: “Don’t underestimate yourself. A delicious meal and the smile of a lovely young lady are more help than you can imagine.”

I can’t make this up, Beard’s even getting a thumbs-up from the cook for that line. OK phew we’re back to mysterious Beard asking for direction, this is more like I’m used to. He’s looking for… aha, he’s looking for the Church of Leto! Finally, we can invoke His Letoness to smite the Goths and restore peace to this world. About time! The church hasn’t gotten the same repairs as the rest of the town, and when they go further in Beard finds a pool of toxic water blocking the way. [Beard]: “I get the feeling this was put here to keep people from going any further. So…” *walks straight forward to shock of Rose and Cook* *Transmutes a stone walkway, without any hand movements or TC?* Now he’s wandering off into the darkness, asking Rose and Cook to wait for him to come back. Obviously they’re a little perturbed by all this. So I think that Rose and Cook are going to be waiting for a little while, Beard’s gone far enough in to run into Sloth’s Tunnel. I wonder if him knocking a hole in the side will mess up the pattern? He’s walking along the tracks, impressed at the scale of it all oh yeah Pride. Well, time to see how Beard fares against a Goth! Never mind, Beard’s employing a Ciaphas Cain and getting the frig out of there. Earthbent spikes from the wall? Nope. Giant pillars to try and trap Pride? Nope. Excuse me? “I’m afraid that’s all I’ve got?” What the Leto are you talking about man, you are the original form of Uncle, how are you so intimidated by a single Goth? Admittedly it’s Pride who seems ridiculously strong even by Goth standards, but still. And now he’s tripped over a rock! Seriously dude, this is Kimblee levels of bad, can you… manage to get into your tunnel where Pride’s shadows recoil and can’t touch you? Huh. That’s… and now Beard analyzing Pride, noting he can’t reach past Central or the Tunnel, it’s his container. Pride is actually freezing, his constant disturbing motion stopped in annoyance as Beard picks apart his weakness and is he taunting the shadow demon from a foot away? [Beard]: *head tilt, slight smile* “Are you angry?”

Wow. Turns out Beard is a sarcastic little shit like Ling. Who’da thunk? Pride is claiming that he’s never angry, that he’s left all other emotions behind with Uncle. Beard lists off the Seven Deadly Sins: Lust, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath, “and of course Pride.” Beard snarks that Pride was Uncle’s biggest trait, and his fashioning of Pride in his original Toothy Shadow appearance is just a sign of his egotistical nature. Pride insists that Beard go with him to see Uncle, but Beard takes a rain-check on that. Before he leaves, though, he tells Pride to pass on a message: “Tell him Slave 23 will be dropping in quite soon. Just tell him to be patient and relax in his chair beneath Central, I’m coming.” Uncle is waiting for him, as are his four chess pieces… wait, which one is missing? Hey, Rose and Cook actually waited? You gonna explain what happened, Beard? [Rose]: “What exactly were you doing in there?” [Beard]: “Hmmm. Sending a declaration of war.” Wow. Beard is just hamming up his role as the New Ling, isn’t he? Back to Briggs! The guard is changing up on the roof, when they turn to dramatic music to oh crap it’s the Drachmans! Sound the alarm, close the door and turn off the lights! If they think nobody’s home, maybe they’ll just drop off a few Letoism pamphlets and leave! Or you can break out the artillery, that works too. I’m assuming this guy is the Drachman CO, given his uniform bling and impressive beard. He’s noting that they’re lucky The Northern Wall of Briggs is away (because they wouldn’t dare attack if they knew she was within stabbing range), good work Mister oh. Well, that’s actually not a bad plan Kimblee. Get the neighboring country to wage war on expansionist Amestris, make a Crest of Blood without having to dirty your hands. Or since this is Kimblee we’re talking about, kill to your heart's content while disposable mooks deal with those you don’t bother with. So, those are some big cannons pointed at Fort Briggs. Let’s hope their walls are reinforced enough to are you kidding me?! That’s the end of the episode? Boo! Ok then! A very interesting episode, the biggest thing for me is Beard’s characterization. Happily chatting with townspeople, going all Adventurer into the darkness, and I honestly can’t tell if he was actually running from Pride because he didn’t want to fight or to lure him towards the tunnel edge in a case of Obfuscating Stupidity. I’m curious to see where he goes from here, and if he reverts back to his standoffish Mysterious Absentee Father mode when he runs into Ed again. A good- Hold up, after-credits scene. Zampana? Oh it’s Boar! Wait who are you reporting to WHAT THE HELL DUDE. You’re selling the Crew out to Envy and Bradley? I liked you, why’d you have to be another Raven? Boo.

[yuki-d-raizel-blog]

Hero

Chapter 17/??

Relationship: Todoroki Shouto x Reader (Your/Name), (Full/Name)

Summit: It all begin at the Sports Festival when Shouto’s other half met Endevour by mistake. The student never thought to see his partner fight against his father just to show him that he is wrong. It started from that instant, Shouto’s new path started exactly from that moment thanks to his friends and his beloved one.

---

When the school is open again, inside the Class A there is so much commotion. Everyone is talking about the ones who compliments them, or someone that show their compassion on them after the festival, even Shouto is trying to get along with his classmates, such development makes you happy and proud of what you’ve done, everything was worth it. Izuku approaches you with a joke about your bandaged hands and sit next you. Hiding it from the others, you and Midoriya are worried for Tenya he has a dark light inside his eyes. Revenge, rage and bloodlust, can be fatally blinding.

Aizawa comes in finding the class deadly quiet. He explains that the lecture of the day is special, and the adolescents panic immediately, a surprise test? God please no, have mercy.

Thankfully, it’s not, everyone must find their hero name, so when they go in the internship, their identities will be safe and people will start to recognize them as saviors. A hero name to start a heroic career. He shows on the blackboard all the heroes’ requests they got after the festival. The most requested ones are obviously Todoroki, Bakugou and (Y/N). The others get some requests of sidekick too, still, the difference between them is too wide; Todoroki has 4123 requests, (Y/N) has 4010 and Bakugou has 3556 of them. During explanations, Midnight gets inside the class to check the students’ hero names are suited for the future heroes. Meanwhile, Aizawa will take a nap.

Someone has found their name already; Tsuyu, “Rain Season Hero: Froppy,” or Eijiro, “Sturdy Hero: Red Riot”. The woman is so excited to read and guess the meaning under their names, some are too weird or too long, so she corrects them or gives them another idea.

“This is going smoother than I thought.” <<The last ones are Bakugou who need to rethink of it, Iida, Midoriya and (Y/N), right?>>

“What name should I use? A name that will not scare people…” while you think about it, Izuku stands up and shows his code name, “Eh?” everyone read your mind, so they ask why he chose “Deku”, it was born to be derogatory, right? After his superb reason, you look at him doing a strong nod of approbation.

<<Have you done, (Y/N), Iida and Bakugou?>> the teacher says enthusiastic, when she sees your figure stands up from the seat, <<Oh (Y/N)-chan, come, come! I’m really curious about your choice!>>

“I’ll become a hero that reflects this name.” you sigh to release the pressure on shoulders, <<It’s embarrassing to explain it, so please listen to me, I don’t want to say this again…>> a light blush is raising in your cheeks.

<<Don’t worry, go ahead.>> the heroine and your classmates are fully focused on you.

<<I’ve chosen this name, because of this.>> hitting the earring, blue fiery wings appear on your back and lit the class with its light bluish light, <<People think that I am scary when I use this mode, but I want to be someone who can light up the path of everyone, and my Envy form is the brightest one. So, I’ll be “The Fallen Hero: Belial”.>>

<<Wait, who was Belial?>> the teacher replies thinking and then asks it at the class, but no one know the right answer.  

<<He was the protector of God’s throne.>> the girl touches again the earring that seals the bright and warm flames, <<The myth says that Belial went against God’s orders to save the people, who for him didn’t deserve to die. God took that as a betrayal, Belial was banned from Heaven and cursed by God itself. That curse was living with the stronger flames ever created, so everyone would be scared of him and he would live alone the eternity.>>  

<<…Do you see yourself in that angel?>> asks Kirishima, <<I don’t think it’s right, no one hates you, (Y/N).>>

<<Like the ones who accepted Belial.>> you smile proudly, <<At the beginning, Belial spent many years alone, but one day, a villager called him. He wasn’t scary or evil, there was nothing to be scared about a poor fallen angel. That person gave to him a reason to live: illuminate the path when the night falls upon the Earth. So guys, when you can’t see where to go, call my name and I will show you the way.>>

<<Angels can be evil too.>> Aizawa is woken up by everyone’s claps and cheers for your speech, <<Are you sure to follow the angel path and not the demon one?>>

<<Aizawa-sensei is cultured about ancient mythology.>> the girl takes her name and looks at the man with a smile, <<I’ve chosen Belial for a reason. Unlike Azael, Belial didn’t change his mind, he kept helping everyone and guiding them inside the scary and cold darkness. Belial gave them a light to follow, a strong feeling called “courage”, a warm wave that protected them from a cold danger. He kept doing it until God killed him, envious about the fact that the curse turned into a blessing.>>

<<So that’s why that form is called Envy and has blues flames…>> now the class knows the origin of one of the the seven sins you always carry with you, <<You thought about it a lot, eh?>> Midnight pats you on the back proud to have such wonderful students.

<<Yes, because like Belial did, I’ll keep moving forward and light the path for the one who cannot see it, until my last breath.>>

 ---

During the break lunch, you keep reading the list of the heroes that asked your help. You are too focused on it that you are forgetting to eat and ignore Todoroki, Izuku, Midoriya, Uraraka and Kirishima’s calls.

<<Ah!>> Izuku takes a piece of paper and a pencil, <<Her grandpa taught me this trick.>> he writes a sentence and slowly slices it under your eyes.

<<This is too far, this is one hasn’t what I want…>> your eyes keep scrolling the page, <<I guess the most active one is- Please look up.>> automatically, you raise your head and find a smiling Midoriya, <<Oh no, did I ignore you guys again?>>

Shouto’s arm passes through your vision field, grabs the papers and pushes over your lunch. He doesn’t say a word, his expression speaks itself.

<<Todoroki-kun was calling you for a while.>> explains Izuku, <<He brought the lunch, but you were focused on the paper that you didn’t notice him. I guess he didn’t know how bring you out that zone, so…>>

<<Oh… I’m sorry, dear.>>

<<You don’t have to apologize. Just eat your food before lessons start again.>> he says with a worried tone, <<You can’t take meds without eating. It’s bad for your health.>>

<<You really like get in your focused zone, aren’t you?>> jokes Kirishima, <<You are so cultured too.>>

<<Ah… my mom influenced me. I read every book that I can have…>> she blushes and plays with her fingers nervously, <<These day I wanted to buy a new one, but with this chaos…>>

<<Oh, now I remember.>> says Shouto after drinks his water, <<At your place, there’s a whole room filled with books. It’s like a little library.>>

<<Woah, did you read all those books?>> asks Uraraka, <<That’s why (Y/N) is so cultured and smart!>>

The break keeps going with your friends teasing you for read so much books, and when Todoroki said that he found your glasses, everyone started to pretend to see a picture of you with them.

You return to the class first to see which medicine you need, and all the girls are waiting for you. Oh no, and now? What they are planning? Those face aren’t nice at all…

<<(Y/N), can we ask something?>> Mina says with her cheerful smile on her face, <<What do you like about Todoroki-kun?>>

“I knew it!” <<Um…>> when you make a step backwards, Uraraka pushes you forward, <<I-I… Right now?>>

“What’s happening?” Shouto hides behind the door and hears what the girls say, “Why (Y/N) is so agitated?”

<<C’mon, say us what do you like about Todoroki-kun!>> Mina and Hagakure are so excited.

<<Ok, ok…>> you blush again and reply with a warm smile, <<I like his voice. It’s like I can hear the sound of it from the color of his eyes.>> the girls stay silent and then scream and hug you happily, <<Don’t say it to him, ok? I feel so embarrassed talking about these things…>>

<<You get embarrassed with everything.>> comments Mina again, <<You aren’t like your image looks like.>>

<<T-that’s rude! …Until I came here, I always done the opposite of what I do now, so I’m not used to all this “girl talk” and things…>>

<<You are too cute!>> before they could crush you with their hugs, the bell rings, saving your life.

Everyone get at their seats and wait for the teacher to start the lessons, but Aizawa gets in with a strange face. The lessons of the day are a little hard than usual, the students’ brain was still excited for all the support received. When the last bell rings, everyone greets All Might and prepares themselves to leave. While you and Todoroki are talking about the dinner, Kirishima, Uraraka and Midoriya slowly approach you to not disturb the conversation too suddenly.

<<What’s wrong guys?>> you ask a little worried, they look so uncomfortable, <<Something happened?>>

<<I-it would be bothersome if we ask you a f-favor, (Y/N)-chan?>> why Ochako is so agitated?

<<What’s happening? You are scaring me. Why are you so nervous? Did I do something bad?>>

<<Can we come to your place to study what the professors said today??>> Kirishima said that so fast that you barely understand a word, but fortunately you got the concept, they didn’t understand some lessons. The trio bows and screams, <<Please!>>

<<Woah, woah, raise your head guys!>> you make them look at you, <<Of course you can come, and of course I help you, why were you so nervous about it?>>

<<Since Todoroki-kun lives with you, we thought that maybe he doesn’t want us so…>> speaks Midoriya, <<And you two seemed focused on something, so I thought it would be something about the house…>>

<<We were talking about the list for the grocery shop, nothing else.>> replies Shouto confused, <<And why I shouldn’t want my friends near me? If (Y/N) says that you can come, I’m ok with it too, don’t worry.>>

<<Let’s go then!>> you smile and guide the group outside the school.

During the way, everyone has having so much fun. Before going to (Y/N)’s place, they stopped to a grocery shop to buy something, the girl said that she didn’t have anything for dinner since she needed to restore her home with food. The classmates help her gladly and they feel strangely adult. She organized the list together with Shouto and both are choosing the ingredients carefully and of course, they ask if everyone agrees with the choice. After paid everything, they start to walk again, fortunately, near (Y/N)’s house there is this huge shop center and they don’t have to bring those bags for too long. The girl apologized with them, because she couldn’t bring those by herself, and the classmates lightly scold her, she apologizes too much.

Once in front of the gates of the house, Midoriya, Kirishima and Uraraka stare at the building a little surprised. That house is really beautiful and big and… Wow. There is a colorful garden, the estate itself is modern and well kept… Guess her mom was really famous if she could buy a house like this.

<<(Y/N), did you leave the lights on?>> says Todoroki while you search for the keys inside your bag.

<<No, I didn’t.>> she notices a few lights are on, <<What the hell…>> she puts the keys inside the lock of the gate, but it is already opened, <<….>> she and Shouto looks at each other worried.

<<Only I and you have the keys, right?>> he asks, “Who the heck is?” everyone moves carefully and quietly to the main door, checking if there are some signs of break-in, but the door is clean.

Once inside, they take off the shoes quietly and leaves the bags there to avoid noises. In the instant, they put a foot on the warm parquet, a man walks in drying his hand with a towel.

<<Oh, welcome back sweetie.>> he smiles happily, <<How was your day?>>

<<Grandpa?!>> you exclaim, <<The hell are you doing here?! How did get in, you don’t have the new keys yet since I changed the… Wait, don’t tell me->>

<<Yes, I did it. Sorry sweetie, but I fixed everything already, so please forgive this old man.>> he joins his hands and makes a worried smile, “She will be angry? I hope not…”

<<Oh yeah, your quirk…>> she remembered, <<Next time, call or mail me. You gave us a heart attack!>>

<<Did you bring your friends along?>> the man rushes to pick the bags up and runs back to the kitchen, <<Make yourself at home boys, I’ll prepare something for you.>>

Everyone bows and thanks politely while you guide them in the living room to leave the school bags on the big couch. Uraraka, Kirishima and Midoriya noticed immediately the beautiful black piano inside that huge room. Everything is so stylish and modern, the last release TV, consoles, a big shelf where there are a lot of books, CDs, videogames, magazines, and a lot of pictures too. Curiosity wins over Midoriya and he goes to see those pictures while (Y/N) is voicing a few ideas for the future study session. He picks the first photo and looks at it. A woman dressed in a wonderful light blue dress between a few children and two adolescents.

“(Y/N)’s mom… What a beautiful woman. Who are these children with (Y/N)? And the older ones?” thinks Izuku when his eyes caught a recent photo. (Y/N) is older, as the children on the precious picture. The two who are hugging the girl are so alike, are they twins? There is a shy member held still by a happy tall guy, while the last one is smiling in a strange way. “I wonder who is this people… Their look doesn’t seem to be Japanese. Are they foreigners?”

His senses warning him to put the photo back and moves to a hero magazines. He follows his instinct and a hand rests on his shoulder making him jump. He turns to see (Y/N) with a smile and asking for his opinion about the idea she proposed.

“Thank you, instinct… Um, crap, I wasn’t listening at all…” <<Yes, no problem for me.>> he replies hoping that he didn’t screw something up.

<<Great.>> the girl walks away and when he is about to sigh relived, she adds, <<Come here Izuku and tell me what you didn’t understand, I will be back right away.>>

<<Yeah.>> Midoriya sits on the sofa and checks his bag, “Thank god she didn’t caught me…”

While everyone is setting the little table in front of the sofa with their stuffs, (Y/N) opens the door, leaves it a little opened and speaks with a worried and annoyed tone at the same time.

<<Grandpa, your wife is here too?>>

<<No sweetie!>> replies the man loudly from the kitchen, <<She had some urgent issues to do!>>

<<There is someone on the second floor, then?>> you ask looking at the little light that you can see after the stairs, <<There is a light on near my room!>>

<<My bad! I was there but I forgot to turn it off!>> he hears your footsteps moving towards the stairs, <<Don’t worry dear, I’ll go to turn it off! Stay with your friends!>> “Those idiots, if she finds out that you are here too, she’s gonna kill us all!”

<<He is hiding something.>> you close the door and sit between Kirishima and Uraraka, <<That old man…>>

<<(Y/N)-chan, can I ask something about your grandpa?>> says Ochako, <<What he did to get inside if he didn’t have the keys?>>

<<Oh…>> you sigh and touch the back of your neck a little embarrassed, <<His quirk wraps the time backward, but he can only use it on human that aren’t dead yet and on things that aren’t full destroyed. So, he broke the door and then fixed it.>>

<<He isn’t so old, but he doesn’t seem to be strong enough to break down your door.>> comments Shouto, he knows that the main entrance is heavy and not easy to break.

<<I think he used his quirk on himself.>> you guess since you didn’t see it and don’t have a footage to prove that, <<His quirk allows him to go back in time when he was younger, so his body changes as he wishes. And…>> you stop seeing Izuku writing on his notebook, “The nerd is awake?” <<Let’s start this session guys!>>

It takes a while before dinner is ready, so your classmates are taking their time to copy your notes. How do you this? They are well disposed on the page, you use a lot of colors to focus on different topics, advices are write in a spot where the eye often fall, and the topics themselves are much easier to understand with your notes… So organized! Shouto does his homework, he is quite smart so he doesn’t need a summit or something. Izuku as well, he just didn’t understand a step on an exercise, so once resolved, he helps (Y/N) with Kirishima and Uraraka.

In the middle of the last exercise, your grandpa knocks on the door announcing that the dinner is ready. The five students stand up and leave (Y/N) guides them inside that huge house. Once in the kitchen, they find the table full of steaming food, they smell so good too! Is your grandpa a chef or something?

<<Don’t you think you went a bit too far?>> you say look at the amount of the food, that’s too much.

<<Maybe…>> the old man invites the students to take a seat and eat without compliments, <<I saw that you lost weight again, I thought that you don’t eat well or you don’t have time to cook something healthy, so my hands slipped, haha.>>

<<Geez grandpa, you’re worrying too much.>> you sit too with a smile, <<I’m fine, but thank you.>>

Everyone thanks for the meal and starts eating while chatting and laughing. Those dishes look simple, but they taste so good and they are light too, so the students eat almost everything. During the dinner, a sound attires your attention.

<<What’s wrong (Y/N)?>> asks Shouto when he sees you stop eating, <<You don’t like it?>>

<<I heard a click sound.>> you reply thinking about to go and check or not, <<Like a door closed…>>

<<Sweetie, I know your senses are sharp, but if a door would be closed we will hear that too.>> says the man, <<But we didn’t. You are too tense dear, relax a bit more.>>

<<Yeah, you are right. Sorry guys.>> the girl starts to eat again, “You can’t fool me, I heard a door being closed, I’m sure of it. There is someone else here? Should I send my beasts to patrol the house?”

---Continue....

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 21.5, 22, 22.5, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, Last Chapter

[srseattlestreetnews]

Seattle Street News 52, Shakeup

International News:

Starfall—(by demmalition1 & Seattle Street News) 

A WARNING TO ALL RESIDENTS OF THE SEATTLE METROPLEX, THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST COAST, JAPAN, AND VARIOUS PACIFIC OCEAN LOCATIONS

Any areas where you see debris, wreckage, or other signs of damage from the explosion are possibility contaminated with CFD.

Be on  the lookout for falling orbital debris, TAKE COVER if any is     spotted.  Look for flaming streaks in the night sky, airplanes making     wild maneuvers, or light gray streaks across the sky of smoke or liquids.

If you  see a crash site DO NOT APPROACH and evacuate the area IMMEDIATELY.  You should then contact your nearest local authority to     clean up the “CLASS 5 BIOHAZARD SITE”.  Give them your  name, location, and the location of the debris site.

If you  are near the debris site and believe you are covered in any kind of smoke,  liquid, or other form of contamination IMMEDIATELY contact     local authorities.

If you  know of someone who has been near a debris site or someone they know has  been in contact with a debris site IMMEDIATELY contact local  authorities.

Last week, star watchers noticed two strange happenings in the sky: Mitsuhama’s Mars base launched back into orbit from the red planet and began moving back towards Earth; at the same time Evo’s space station began moving out of its regular location. The result of these strange movements happened explosively this week. Telemetry experts determined that MCT’s Mars base was heading towards Japan. Official corporate sources claimed no knowledge of why MCT’s Mars base was moving towards Japan, but we would never officially find out, because in an epic explosion, EVO’s space station rammed the base, destroying them both. The destruction resulted in a large debris field in space that will likely cause a Kessler Syndrome in orbit as well as raining huge amounts of debris onto our planet. 99% of the debris burned up in the atmosphere, but not all of it. Some of those man made shooting stars landed across the Pacific, from Japan to the North American West Coast. Our corporate overlords were silent on this incident, noting only that everything would be fine.

But everything is not fine.

Heroic reporting by our reporter demmalition1 has revealed a terrible corporate conspiracy and ongoing danger to us all. It began after Mitsuhama Computer Technologies (MCT) bought the Watney-Hellas Mars base from Evo last year. Readers will remember that the base was largely abandoned when it was overrun by CFD, resulting in a large number of Monads. As Mitsuhama corp PR put it, they were cleaning up the base and making it useable again. That is all we heard of the base for some time. MCT was mostly quiet. There was some trouble with sabotage of MCT space ships, sabotage that Ares was implicated in. That incident culminated in the explosion of the MSS Miyazaki and a space race between MCT and Ares to recover the wreckage. Again, MCT went quiet, with only a few bits of PR noting that they developed the New Dawn Suit, protective suits for first responders that also protects the wearer from CFD. This, along with previous reporting that MCT had been working secretly on a cure for CFD set the stage for what would happen, a conspiracy so heinous that MCT deserves to be removed from the Corporate Court.

As discovered by demmalition, through heroic undercover reporting, the MCT Mars base had been turned into a biological weapon by MCT and aimed right at Tokyo. MCT had filled that base with containers full of CFD—containers stolen from Evo. Then they sent this death bomb towards Tokyo. Their plan was to kill millions of people and infect millions more with CFD, all so they could then swoop in and “save the day” with their New Dawn suited first responders and their possible cure for CFD. They would in turn secure lucrative contracts in billions of nuyen as well as gain massive PR for their efforts. As an added bonus, they get to discredit EVO, one of their hated competitors.  

But this didn’t happen. Instead, EVO’s space station crashed into the Mars base before it could destroy Tokyo saving millions. What happened? Who was the hero who saved us all? As demmalition1 wrote, it was a madman who unwittingly saved us all.

Sillysonny was one of the slew of candidates who ran for Governor of the Metroplex. Sillysonny, who lived on the EVO space station, gave an interview insisting that he would be the best for the job. Unfortunately, as a person without UCAS citizenship, he was not eligible for the job and was one of a number people disqualified from the race. Then we didn’t hear from him. Maybe we forgot about him. But he did not forget about us. Up in space he stewed and brooded. And he went mad. And last week, he decided to get his revenge in a spectacular act of suicide and spite. He decided to take over the space station and crash it into MCT’s Mars base. As the space station careened towards the Mars base, he sent out a last transmission to the SSN: “You should have voted for me.  I could have saved you all.  Now there is only one option left.”

And then he crashed into the Mars base destroying it. He didn’t know the base was a CFD bomb. He didn’t know he was saving the planet. He just wanted to punish. It was an opportunity target. But that opportunity target, that madness, that spite, saved us all.

Well, he saved us from the worst. We are still in danger. Demmalition1 reports that we are not yet safe. The debris in space may possibility affect satellites and space stations worldwide. The debris that is landing across the Pacific, despite what Corporate News may say (or fail to say), contains some  CFD containers as well as infected debris from the wreckage.  In addition, some CFD clouds, which are invisible and tasteless may roam around the massive debris field for a month or more.  This debris field will stretch from Tokyo in the East to Seattle and Los Angeles in the West. It is highly recommended that all readers follow the above warning and take precaution for the next few months while this is cleaned up.

Features:

Once More 12--(by Breach)

We come now to living memory for most of you, but in case you’ve been off-the-grid a while, let’s review.

Emergence is what Technomancers call the process of awakening to their power. It’s similar to Awakening, I am told, but altogether different at the same time.  Resonance, like Magic, is tied to Essence, the theoretical measure of a person’s “wholeness”, but the two are incompatible; there are no examples of an Awakened Technomancer - in fact, Technomancers who have become infected by HMHVV and become Awakened have all reported the loss of their connection to Resonance - the are no Infected Technomancers.  It’s one or the other, it seems.

2070 could be called the Year of Emergence; it’s not like Technomancers just suddenly appeared, but after MIT&T’s paper, the public finally knew about them and started seeing them everywhere, even where they were not.  A hospital in Hong Kong explodes in June, and Mitsuhama blames it on terrorist Technomancers, introducing the idea of virtuakinetics to the public and spreading fear of their abilities.  Mitsuhama would seize the opportunity to become the world’s leader in Technomancer research - research that was fueled largely by hefty bounties being paid on any Technomancers brought to the corporation for dissection or autopsy.  

The dissections were not always done on deceased subjects.

Before Crash 2.0, “AI” was a rarely heard phrase, and the only true AIs in the Matrix were god-like entities capable of reshaping entire networks. The battle between the three seems to have wiped them all out, however, and there has been no sign of Deus, Megaera or Mirage since.  However, within the distributed wireless Matrix, a new breed of AIs have developed - truly sentient, sapient programs with personalities and lives all their own.  Their battle for rights closely mirrors that of Technomancers - a fight to be recognized as people, and as people deserving the same life, liberty and happiness the rest of us enjoy.  

In 2071, the Pueblo Corporate Council granted the first SIN to a “Digital Intelligence”, and Evo and Horizon both quickly followed on their heels.  These entities also remain the best refuge for virtuakinetics, even despite Horizon’s bad press after the Las Vegas incident (a protest turned riot turned deadly).

2071 also saw the rise and fall of Tempo, a horribly addictive street-drug that plagued most of the world (it hit Seattle especially hard).  It took a coordinated effort from the Corporate Court and strategic strikes into Columbia and Amazonia to destroy the drug’s source, and LoneStar’s inability to keep the drug off the streets of Seattle cost them their contract for law enforcement in the metroplex.

The strikes into Bogota were very likely the ultimate root of one of the biggest stories of the 2070s: the Aztlan/Amazonia war - but we’ll get into that next week.

Questions about history? Ask Breach! breach.ssn@gmail.com

 Gang News: 

BLAST: Has Anyone Seen Meo?

Chula Meo has been in hiding ever since he killed Ancient Street Sam TIB and was put on the Most Wanted by Mayor Lon Campa. No one has seen him at all…except a tipster. One of my tipsters in saw Meo buying some Seven-7 from Shamanic Medical Practitioner jNN. What does he need that for? Nothing good. But here’s the blast. MEO! If you are seeing this, don’t do anything stupid! Contact Shaman Law-Rents immediately! He has really, really important news about someone you care about. Not everything is what it seems! If anyone sees Meo, get them to contact SSN or Law-Rents right away.

 Seattle Street News is an independent activist news source released weekly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays

[Watch CorporateSINs on every Wednesday, 6pm PST or on Youtube at, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11c7BLFQtc&list=PLHKocVDXoWBtzze1SGGUnU6KB5UFrDLFo]

[riverdamien]

Taming the Tongue

Session 6: Taming the Tongue: James 3:1-18 3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,[a] and set on fire by hell.[b] 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,[c] these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. Wisdom from Above 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. I am often asked about my early life. In thinking about those first eighteen years the key moments had to do with my three pastors (teachers): David, Claude, and Bill. All three were pastors who nourished and supported me through the trials of adolescence. I learned how to be a pastor through their example--to listen, to care, and to support. None of them pretended to be perfect, they showed their faults, their weaknesses, but each one continued to love, and show an example of the face of Jesus. All three are in that Great Cloud of Witnesses now, and I hear their voices, see their smiles, and feel their love. For each one loved me in season and out of season. Each one taught me that when someone you trust says one or two sentences, doors to new worlds can be opened. OPENING How have one or two teachers had a significant impact on you, perhaps even affecting directions you have taken? STUDY 1. Read James 3:1-12. Having begun with a somber warning about how difficult it is to come up to the mark as a teacher, James expands the point of taming the tongue in general: taming the tongue in general, for anyone, is so difficult as to be almost impossible. Get that right and you've obviously got your entire self under control. The tongue, it seems, is the last bit of a human being to learn its lesson. How does James say in verses 3-4 that the tongue is like a bit and a rudder? Each time I read this passage I feel guilty, for the times I let stuff slip, the items written on social media when I was sick, depressed, or angry, and the reality we will continue to slip, and the tongue will burn like a fire. In my dealings with others and with myself I am reminded of Matthew 18:21-22: "Then Peter came to Jesus. "Master," he said, "how many times must I forgive my brother and sister, when he or she sins against me? As many as seven times" "I wouldn't say seven times", replied Jesus. "Why not seventy times seven?' 2. We know only too well how the tongue is a fire (v. 5), ready to set things a blaze, from the way the media, social media, fake mail, eagerly trips up people in public life. We know that one word out of place can ruin a career, or bring down a government. One unwise remark, reported and circulated on the internet and through social media can cause riots on the other side of the world. So, says James, the tongue is like a little world all of its own, a country within a country: the larger area, the person as a whole, may well be governed, but in this smaller region corruption and wickedness reign unchecked. When have you seen or experienced significant damage by words? 3. How does James explain the outrageousness of the inconsistencies of the tongue? (vv. 9-12). 4. What James is after, then, is consistency. He wants people to follow Jesus through and through, to be a blessing- -only people rather than blessing--and--cursing people. It is a high standard, we should expect no less if the gospel is indeed the message of salvation. The danger, as always, is that people will take the bits of the message they want, and quietly leave the real challenges to one side. But it can't be done. The spring must be cleansed so that only fresh, sweet water comes out. For this we need help. That, fortunately, is what the gospel offers. In what specific ways could you bless friends, enemies, family, coworkers, fellow Christians, those of other faiths, and those who do not believe more consistently? 5. How does this passage motivate you to be more careful about how you use your tongue? 6. Read James 3:13-18. Why does James connect humility and wisdom? 7. How does James distinguish the wisdom that is earthly and the wisdom that comes from demons? 8. When have you experienced the results of bitter jealously and contention with your community? Within yourself? 9. It is no accident that James follows his teaching on the tongue with a teaching on true and false wisdom. When he talks about "bitter jealously and contention", a spirit which is always carping and criticizing, he speaks of one which cannot let a nice word go by without adding a nasty one. This problem goes deeper. He has already said that the tongue is a fire set aflame by hell; now he says that a mindset like that comes from the world of demons. How might such an attitude of cynicism give the appearance of wisdom? 10. The challenge for God's people that James lays out in verse 17 is to be able to tell the truth about the way the world is, and about the way wicked people are behaving, without turning into a perpetual grumble, and in particular without becoming someone whose appearance of "wisdom" consists in being able to find a cutting word to say about everyone and everything. Offer some examples of speaking in a way that lights a candle rather than curses the darkness. 11. Why would this wisdom that comes from above produce the fruit of righteousness that is sown in peace? 12. What needs to happen for this fruit of righteousness that is sown in peace to thrive in your community? What is necessary in this time of distancing for this fruit of righteousness to thrive? What in particular can we do to nurture this fruit of righteousness at this time? PRAY: James paints a picture of the tongue and the evil that comes from it. He takes the tongue seriously and says that it is impossible for us to tame our tongue. He also describes the horror of false wisdom and the beauty of true wisdom. Ask the Holy Spirit to impress upon you the sin and damage that comes from the tongue. Now confess the sins to God that the Holy Spirit has brought to mind. Talk to him about "false wisdom" that is in you. Take time now to work slowly, one by one, through the characteristics of true wisdom that James mentions. Review your life in light of them. Humbly ask the Holy Spirit to grow in you true wisdom. Finally, praise God for his love and forgiveness and for the fact that you are always invited to turn to him to be forgiven. ------------------------------------------------------ Father River Damien Sims, sfw, D.Min., D.S.W. P.O. Box 642656 San Francisco, CA 94164 www.temenos.org 415-305-2124 "Keep alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong! Whatever you do, do it with love." I Corinthians 13: 16

[smilystore]

City-wide strikes bring Hong Kong to a standstill

Hong Kong was hit by widespread strikes Monday that brought chaos to much of the city's transport network, including Hong Kong International Airport, in the most ambitious day of demonstrations since the movement began in June. More than 2,330 aviation workers joined the strike, according to the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, leading to the cancellation of more than 100 flights to and from one of the world's busiest airports. Unusually long queues were seen in the airport check-in hall throughout the day. An internal memo circulated Monday by Hong Kong's flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific, said that the city's air space and runway capacity had been reduced by 50% for all airlines. Experts said Monday's strikes were the biggest to have rocked the city in decades.

Direct action protests also took place in seven districts spanning the semi-autonomous Chinese territory: Admiralty, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, Tseun Wan, Wong Tai Sin, Mong Kok and Tai Po. Organizers also called for a general strike at Disneyland, on Hong Kong's Lantau Island, where the airport is also located. Strikers included teachers, lifeguards at beaches, security workers, construction workers -- and almost 14,000 people from the engineering sector. Monday's strike followed the ninth consecutive weekend of protests in Hong Kong amid a worsening political crisis. The protests began in early June in opposition to a controversial -- and now-shelved -- bill that would have allowed extradition to mainland China. But they have since evolved to include calls for greater democracy, an inquiry into alleged police brutality and the resignation of the city's leader, Carrie Lam, among other demands.

Biggest strike of its kind in decades

The general strikes across Hong Kong on Monday are believed to be the first of their kind since 1967 when a Chinese Communist Party-allied union instigated widespread labor protests. At the time, Hong Kong was a colony of the United Kingdom and Mao Zedong was the leader of mainland China. As the protesters turned their focus from labor rights to the British colonial administration, work stoppages brought the territory to a standstill. The strikes were followed by deadly terror attacks in which 51 people died. Antony Dapiran, a lawyer and Hong Kong historian, said Monday's strikes are likely the biggest in the city since those in 1967. "I've never seen anything like it," he said.

Rioters in an industrial area light hundreds of street fires in an effort to slow up movement of riot patrol units in May 1967. "We've had rallies in Hong Kong before, we've had protests, but we've never had anything where multiple sites around the city have all simultaneously have been the focus of protests," said Dapiran, the author of "City of Protest: A Recent History of Dissent in Hong Kong." John Carroll, a historian at Hong Kong University, agreed that Monday's strikes were unprecedented in scale and organization in the city's modern history. He said that the best parallel with Monday's action was probably the 1925 general labor strike, which lasted for months. The 1967 strike was different to Monday's unrest, he said, because many workers were living in fear of going to work due to terrorist bombings across Hong Kong. "I have no idea where it goes," Carroll said of Monday's action. "But it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel here."

Fresh clashes after morning of transport woes

Monday's strikes followed a morning of transport chaos as demonstrators disrupted major transit routes across the city in the fifth day of protests in a row. Major subway lines were suspended or delayed during rush hour as protesters blocked trains from leaving stations. An average of 4.84 million passengers rides the subway every day, according to the Hong Kong Transport Department more than half of the city's population. Protesters also blocked roads and highways, including the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, a vital traffic artery connecting Hong Kong Island with Kowloon. As the afternoon wore on, clashes between protesters and police broke out across the city and police fired tear gas in five districts.

In Tin Shui Wai, police fired tear gas after facing off with demonstrators who were surrounding the police station and hurling stones at officers. Tin Shui Wai is close to the Hong Kong-China border, in the north of the city, and neighbors the suburb of Yuen Long, where an armed mob attacked civilians in a subway station last month, leaving at least 45 injured. In Admiralty, the heart of the city's financial district close to the government headquarters, tear gas was fired on protesters from above. Thousands of demonstrators dressed in black, the color of the protest movement, began blocking roads with traffic cones and street barriers on Harcourt Road. Pushing back at officers, protesters threw empty tear gas canisters at the police lines. A large group of protestors also gathered in Wong Tai Sin, which was the scene of clashes Saturday night when protesters threw water bottles and rocks at officers outside the police station there. Police responded by firing tear gas. Tear gas was also fired in Tai Po, in the north of the city, and Tsim Sha Tsui, a major shopping district in Kowloon.

1,000 rounds of tear gas, 160 rubber bullets, 420 arrests

Vehicles are stuck on the roads as protesters use barricades to block several roads at Causeway Bay to hold the anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong, August 4, 2019. In recent weeks the protests have become increasingly violent and unpredictable. Protesters swarmed the streets of retail hotspot Causeway Bay, on Hong Kong Island, Sunday night, blocking key roads. Police fired a barrage of tear gas in a bid to disperse the crowds. Earlier, in a separate demonstration in the eastern New Territories, a group of protesters gathered around a police station, throwing objects and breaking windows. On Saturday, marches began in Mong Kok, one of the world's most densely populated areas, and made their way to Tsim Sha Tsui, which wasn't on the protest route approved by authorities -- turning the march into an illegal assembly. The government on Sunday night condemned the unrest, saying in a statement that "blatant violation of the law, wanton destruction of public peace and violent attacks on the police will harm Hong Kong's society, economy, and our people's livelihood."

In a press conference Monday, police accused protesters of using "guerrilla tactics" to disrupt public order and said they had arrested 420 people since the unrest began on June 9. Charges have included rioting, unlawful assembly protesters have often veered off police-approved routes and attacking officers. Since the start of the protests, police have used 160 rubber bullets, 150 sponge bullets and fired 1,000 rounds of tear gas, a police spokesperson said. Also on Monday, Hong Kong's leader gave her first press conference in two weeks, calling for an end to the violence that has rocked the city. Lam acknowledged that her attempt to push through the now-suspended extradition bill had been a "failure." She pledged to "engage more, listen more and do more to meet the wishes of Hong Kong." But in a move that is likely to further anger protesters, Lam refused to resign and said it wasn't within her power to release those who have been arrested during demonstrations another demand of the protesters. Meanwhile, Financial Secretary Paul Chan warned that the risk of recession is rising in Hong Kong citing the protests and the global economic slowdown. "The demonstrations in the past two months and some activities that are brewing will affect people's life and the foundation of Hong Kong's success and hurt the economy. The victims will be the public. Please think it over," he wrote.

By Helen Regan, Joshua Berlinger, Jessie Yeung, and Ben Westcott

The post City-wide strikes bring Hong Kong to a standstill appeared first on Smile store.

source https://smilystore.com/2019/08/05/city-wide-strikes-bring-hong-kong-to-a-standstill/