#launching the biggest culture war in recorded history | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mariacallous · 2 years

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In 2006, when global investors still flocked to Russia—and Russians still cared about their international reputation—former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright spoke at an investment conference in Moscow. When her speech was over, an earnest young Siberian, speaking flawless English, asked why the United States kept picking on Russia’s human rights record when China’s was so much worse. “Because we expected more of you,” Albright replied.

Was it naive to believe that Russia would take a democratic turn after abandoning communism? As the Cold War ended, the West first embraced Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, and Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s first president, as democrats. The process of democratization began, with the Kremlin relinquishing its monopoly on politics and lifting restrictions on Russians’ ability to assemble, express themselves, and travel abroad.

But democracy did not take hold in Russia, and by the time I heard Albright speak in Moscow, Yeltsin’s successor, Vladimir Putin, was diligently dismantling the feeble democratic institutions that did exist. In their place, Putin patched together a facade that displayed all the rituals and institutions of a democracy—but was nothing more than an empty shell. After Putin extended his rule by another two six-year terms in 2020 and then poisoned and imprisoned his fiercest domestic opponent, Alexey Navalny, Russia emerged as an unabashed dictatorship. Seemingly at the peak of his power, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and threatened the West with nuclear war if it intervened militarily.

Both in Russia and the West, a popular explanation for Putin’s attack is that the United States and its allies are to blame because they expanded NATO eastward, forcing him to make a last stand in Ukraine. This narrative ignores that Ukrainians were deeply ambivalent about joining NATO before Putin first invaded their country eight years ago and that the alliance itself was divided over Ukraine’s membership, with Germany and France opposed and all U.S. presidents after George W. Bush completely uninterested in the prospect. Moreover, by seizing Crimea and kindling a low-level war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, Putin effectively derailed Ukrainian NATO membership by creating an intractable territorial conflict the alliance would be loath to inherit. Putin has since made clear that his real objective in Ukraine is to reconquer territory once controlled by Russia.

Calling NATO the instigator of Putin’s war of aggression is a distraction, not a reason. Even with East-West relations at their worst since the darkest days of the Cold War, the United States and its allies do not pose a military threat to Russia thanks to Moscow’s nuclear deterrent. That the Kremlin still plays up NATO as a bogeyman says more about Russia’s phobias than actual dangers the country faces. It is not the alliance’s enlargement that led Putin to attack Ukraine; it is Russia’s failure to become a democracy.

A democratic Russia would not have taken issue with an alliance of democracies moving closer to its borders. And a democratic Russia would not be waging war on another democracy, Ukraine, or threatening other European democracies. Russia’s failure to become a democracy is the root cause of its conflict with the West—and will be the country’s biggest burden in the era after Putin. This hard truth raises a big question: Can Russia, as long as it is run as an empire and afflicted with post-imperial phantom pains, ever become a democracy?

Because of Russia’s long history of despotism, many in the West doubt that Russians are capable of adopting democracy. And in Russia itself, the belief that Western-style democracy is impossible is shared not only by Putin supporters but also monarchists, communists, nationalists, and Eurasianists. They all argue that Russia must follow its own culturally determined path and that exactly because of Russia’s unwillingness to bend to the diktat of liberal democracies, it inevitably finds itself in conflict with the West.

The argument that democracy is incompatible with certain cultures can be heard by defenders of autocracy around the world. Local political tradition plays a critical role in how fast democracy takes root in a country, but it is not deterministic. South Korea is a vivid example of how a country with no democratic traditions can transform itself into a leading democracy within a couple of generations, whereas North Korea illustrates how that same nation can be trapped in a dictatorship because of an arbitrarily drawn border.

Russia was not preordained to despotism nor to a clash with the West. In 1991, the first time I visited Russia, the Soviet state was in its death agony, but the people I encountered were ebullient. For an American to meet a Russian in those days was like a reunion of long-lost relatives. We found a convergence of worldviews that communism was bankrupt and that Western democracy, whatever its pitfalls, was a superior political system. For many Russians, used to shortages and shabbiness, the appeal of the West lay primarily in the gleam of its consumer products. But plenty of Russians also recognized the intangible value of political rights and freedoms, especially after seven decades of one-party tyranny. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia started its new existence as a multiparty democracy.

Now, 30 years later, Putin has turned his country into a revanchist dictatorship. When he is gone, either dead or deposed, there will be no joyous reunions between Russians and Americans. The relationship will be marked by mutual suspicion, recriminations, and clashing worldviews.

How did things go so wrong?

Although the Soviet Union and the Western powers—the United States, Britain, and France—were adversaries during the Cold War, they shared a common victory in World War II. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s alliance with Western democracies was the main source of the Soviet Union’s legitimacy as a world power, cemented in its position as a founding member of the United Nations. At the same time, the Soviet Union’s monumental human sacrifice during the war served as an alibi for Stalin to seize half of Europe.

The Soviet regime relished the prestige that rivalry with the West brought while jealously striving to compete with it in practically every field of human endeavor. That’s why Russia’s rapprochement with the West that I experienced as a college student in Moscow felt so natural and almost familial. There was a genuine eagerness among Russians to live as in the West, both economically and politically. But Gorbachev’s policies of perestroika (“restructuring”) and glasnost (“openness”) could not reform the Soviet Union—and instead sped up its demise.

When the Soviet Union fell apart in December 1991, 14 newly independent countries set out to transform themselves into nation states—to varying degrees of success. The 15th, the Russian Federation, struggled to redefine itself. The fall of the Soviet Union signified the collapse of an empire that Russia had been expanding for centuries. Stalin’s territorial gains in World War II stretched from Prague to Pyongyang—the absolute zenith of Russian influence. In 2005, when Putin called the Soviet collapse “the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century,” he was not lamenting the Soviet Union per se but a Russian empire of unparalleled reach and power.

Russia under Yeltsin became the Soviet Union’s legal successor, with all the prestige (i.e. a nuclear arsenal, a veto on the U.N. Security Council, and a global network of embassies) as well as burdens (i.e. external debt obligations) that entailed. With 11 time zones and more than 100 ethnic groups, Russia remained a de facto empire, both in sheer size and mentality. There was no process of de-Sovietization or lustration, as a significant portion of the population looked back at the vanished empire with nostalgia and regret. Besides a few prominent name changes to their pre-communist antecedents, most places in Russia were not renamed. Statues of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin continued to overshadow Lenin Squares across the country, and Lenin’s mummy remained in its tomb in the Kremlin walls. Individual Russians were free to shake off the shackles of the past in their own lives, but a sense of loss rather than liberation defined the national mood. That feeling was exacerbated by the chaotic transition from a command economy, as millions of Russians lost their livelihoods and slid into poverty.

In 1993, a coalition of communists and nationalists in Russia’s parliament rebelled against Yeltsin’s painful economic reforms, forcing a constitutional standoff with the Kremlin. When Yeltsin put down the increasingly bloody rebellion by shelling the parliament, Russia first veered off its path of democratization. That detour took an even worse turn a year later, when Yeltsin ordered the brutal invasion of Chechnya, a tiny Muslim province in southern Russia.

As the Soviet Union began to democratize in the late 1980s, demands for self-determination grew in its constituent republics. Russia, by far the largest Soviet republic, contained some 20 “autonomous” territories in recognition of the ethnic groups who lived there. When the Soviet Union began to crack apart, a number of these Russian territories also pushed for greater sovereignty from the Kremlin—or, in the case of Chechnya, outright independence. It is likely that deeper democratization and a real attempt at federalization in post-Soviet Russia would have only accelerated the centrifugal forces first unleashed by Gorbachev. But while Yeltsin’s pitiless attack on Chechnya may have prevented Russia’s unraveling, it also marked the return to mass violence as a means of political organization.

Against the backdrop of the fighting in Chechnya, Russia’s former vassals—the three Baltic nations, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary—were in a hurry to join NATO. All of them had experienced Soviet invasions and had little reason to bet on Russia becoming a peace-loving neighbor anytime soon. From the point of view of Central and Eastern European nations, Russia’s divergence from a democratic path practically necessitated NATO membership as a guarantee against future aggression.

In 1996, Yeltsin agreed to a truce in Chechnya, but peace did not return to the war-torn territory. He left it to his handpicked successor, Putin, to launch a second, devastating campaign to crush Chechen separatism. Putin installed a ruthless puppet regime in Chechnya, buying its loyalty with petrodollars from an unprecedented oil boom. In contrast to Yeltsin, Putin was flush with the resources to paper over Russia’s fractures. He promised Russians restoration after a decade of disintegration. Stability, even prosperity, appeared to be at hand.

One of the secrets to Putin’s popularity has been his ability to exploit the strange mixture of pride and shame that many Russians carry inside them: pride for belonging to a unique civilization and shame for its lingering backwardness. As he turned Russia into a revanchist power, Putin compensated for the humiliation of corruption, poverty, and lack of economic opportunity with an aggressive foreign policy. He solidified his rule on the inferiority complex of an entire generation.

The Kremlin began to call Russia’s increasingly dictatorial system a “sovereign democracy,” implying it was not inferior to any other democracies and need not abide foreign criticism. On paper, Russia has a bicameral parliament, a supreme court, and a plethora of political parties, though only those candidates sanctioned by the Kremlin are allowed to participate in elections.

The “sovereign democracy” that Putin presented to the outside world was clouded by ideological incoherence internally. The Communists became reactionaries while the Liberal Democrats advocated unvarnished Russian chauvinism. Politicians often labeled “pro-Western liberals,” including Navalny, at times espoused nationalist, even racist, views. The ruling United Russia party, whose only mission was to carry out the Kremlin’s legislative tasks, soon took on the role that the Communist Party of the Soviet Union had once played.

For many Russians, the omnipresence of communist ideology during Soviet times and its glaring disconnect to daily life rendered any ideology meaningless. In post-communist Russia, ideological fervor, real or pretended, was replaced by cynicism and resignation to the powers that be. Similarly, admiration for Western democracies gave way to disillusionment after many Russians concluded that money and dirty deals were as much a part of politics in the West as they were in Russia. Political nihilism—the belief in nothing—has worked for Putin as a way to fill a vacuum and extend his rule. But that nihilism also reveals the weakness of his regime since few Russians will take to the streets to defend Putin if his grip on power is threatened.

Of course, the Kremlin’s appeals to rodina, or “homeland,” transcend politics. To the millions of Russians who were born in the Soviet Union, the word has an ambiguous meaning, since the borders of their original homeland shrank considerably in 1991. Not surprisingly, Putin’s annexation of Crimea, a jewel in the crown of Russia’s lost empire, was widely popular among Russians. In a world without ideology, imperial nostalgia still has a powerful draw.

Yet even self-proclaimed Russian nationalists are confused about whether they want to create a modern nation state, which Russia never was, or resurrect the Russian Empire. I once interviewed a nationalist leader named Vladimir Tor, who promoted a “Russia for Russians” and its separation from the majority-Muslim provinces in Russia’s North Caucasus region, such as Chechnya. When I asked him if Buddhist Buryats or Muslim Tatars had a place in his Russia, Tor seemed surprised by the question, then cheerfully amended his slogan to: “Russia for Russians and those who agree with that.”

In Russia’s ideological fog, only one label has real staying power: fascist. In the Russian context, the word conjures the armies that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler sent to invade the Soviet Union and has taken on the meaning of a monstrous enemy hellbent on annihilation. That’s why many Russians barely noticed as Putin’s Russia became more and more fascistic because Russians, by definition, could not be fascists—only their worst adversaries could.

The Kremlin’s branding of Ukrainians as fascists sounds absurd to Westerners because it so blatantly contradicts reality: The Ukrainian far right consistently performs much worse electorally than nationalists in established European democracies; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a Jew whose family suffered in—and resisted—the Nazi invasion of Soviet Ukraine; and, perhaps most significantly, Ukraine holds regular, competitive elections with often unpredictable outcomes. But Putin’s use of the word “neo-Nazi” for Ukrainians is intended for a domestic audience that understands its Soviet context. Ukrainians are one people with Russians, according to Putin, except for the “traitors” who are turning Ukraine into an “anti-Russia.”

Ukraine is, in fact, losing any resemblance to Russia. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Russia and Ukraine remained closely bound through family ties and friendships as well as supply chains and pipelines. But even as older Ukrainians could look back on a common Soviet past with Russia, a new generation began to see Ukraine’s future as a European democracy. The country’s strong regional centers and competing oligarchs prevented the rise of an omnipotent ruler as in Russia. In comparison to Russians, Ukrainians were poor but free. The Kremlin had no problem with Ukraine being a nominally independent country as long as its government could be bought with cheap energy. But when a Kremlin-backed president fled anti-government protests in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in 2014, Putin started seizing territory to stop Ukraine from slipping out of his control. The violence he unleashed on the country made Ukrainians turn against Russia and view NATO as a potential protector.

Ukraine’s success as a democracy is a danger to Putin’s regime because of the example it sets for Russians. Independent Ukraine started in a very similar place as Russia and has struggled with many of the same challenges: widespread corruption, an archaic judicial system, and overbearing security services. What has distinguished Ukraine from Russia is the development of a strong civil society, forged during two pro-democracy street revolutions. In their belated process of de-Sovietization, Ukrainians became citizens of their own country, while in Russia, Russians remained subjects of their ruler.

Ukrainian independence and Ukraine’s democracy are tantamount to a rebellion against the empire that Putin believes he must resurrect and lead. Putin’s rule, as eternal as it may seem, will also come to an end. But there are scant grounds to believe that his successor will be more conciliatory or democratically inclined. Even if a new Kremlin leadership agrees to end the fighting, grievances among Russian hard-liners may arise: that Putin was not violent enough or that the West prevented Russia from winning. It is hard to imagine a future Russian government voluntarily returning Ukrainian territory that Putin annexed.

The fundamental problem is that there is little prospect that Russians will come to terms with their country’s misdeeds in the same way Germans did after World War II. Even in democratic West Germany, it took four decades for the public to accept Nazi Germany’s capitulation as a liberation rather than a defeat. But an honest reckoning with the past was crucial for postwar Germans to overcome their imperialist legacy, reconcile with former enemies, and build a successful democracy.

For Russians of the future, the burden of the past will weigh doubly. If they are to find any closure, they will have to account not only for Putin’s crimes in Ukraine but also for more distant atrocities committed by his Soviet predecessors. During perestroika, Russians began to uncover the true scope of Stalin’s crimes. But in recent years, the Russian authorities hindered that painful work before making it all but impossible. What matters to Putin about Stalin is his “great victory” in World War II and the transformation of the Soviet Union into a superpower that rivaled the United States. For Putin, the last Russian empire has nothing to apologize for—and its ignominious collapse is a defeat worth vindicating.

If Russia is ever to become a democracy, it will depend on Russians unblinkingly examining their recent history and abandoning their imperial delusions. Only a Russia that owns up to the crimes committed in the name of empire can hope to begin to reconcile with its neighbors and earn their trust. Imperial thinking implies domination over others, competition with neighbors, and rule by an emperor. Democratic thinking means minority rights, international cooperation, and rule by the people. But as long as Russians do not see themselves as citizens of their own country—and instead as subjects of their ruler—Russia’s democratization cannot take place.

The challenges facing a post-Putin Russia appear even more daunting than those that the country faced after the collapse of communism. It is difficult to see what could move Russians to kill the empire in their heads and take the first steps to transform their country from a broken empire into a multiethnic democracy.

Russia had two chances at democracy in the 20th century: first in 1917, in the months before the Bolshevik Revolution began, and again in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Only Russians can decide if their next chance at democracy will be more successful.

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sagitorus · 2 years

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#THE MATCHMAKER | 20% EXPIRATION DATES!

in a controlled society where all intimate relationships are based on a dating app, two individuals learn the tips and tricks of earning love scores to become New Tokyo’s match made in heaven (or not)

pairings :: suna rintarou, fem!reader (feat. kageyema tobio)

genre :: angst, dating simulation, cyberpunk au, 18+

tags and warnings :: profanity, explicit smut, hookup culture, ooc

series masterlist :: next

They said joining ParagonLove™ for the first time could have you end up on two things: 1) you would either meet your soulmate right off the bat or 2) you would be forced to match with an insufferable person knowing that the relationship would fail, anyway.

Based on the voice recording he had posted, it was obvious that Rintarou Suna was leaning more on the latter. He was crystal clear about his intentions and there was not an inch of you that hoped for him to actually try and do things that could advance your relationship to the next level. Awesome. While holding back a sigh, you pressed your index finger onto the tiny button on your smartwatch to switch off the hologram. This was a waste of time, indeed. You figured that you have had enough of knowing more about your new match because you were quite certain that learning deeper into that guy’s personal life would only bring you disappointment.

Ever since the war was over, society had collapsed and the government had failed to save its people from the aftereffects of warfare. Corporations took over and rebuilt the country from ground zero. Hence, Japan, which was once led by an emperor and a prime minister, was now run by one of the biggest and most advanced multinational conglomerates in the world—The Paragon Industries.

Paragon and all of its creations had become so ubiquitous that no citizen of Japan would claim to have no knowledge about the company. With many subsidiaries to their name, they manage everything you could think of. Food, fuel, pharmaceuticals, arms, and technology. Name it. Paragon was everywhere.

And it has been 5 years since Paragon launched one of its many technological innovations called the ParagonLove™; a dating simulation app where people between the age of 21 to 35 can either sign up or be randomly selected to form a match with complete strangers across the country (also very clearly a way for Paragon to control its people, but no one would ever dare say it out loud). You had already memorized the ads about this app that they kept playing all over the city—from LED billboards to radio stations, they use the same scripts, the same footage, and the same taglines to make the whole thing a lot more dramatic and believable. You could almost hear this one celebrity’s voice as you played her advertisement in your head.

“Tired of inharmonious relationships that only lead to breakups? Tired of feeling unwanted and lonely? Whether you’ve had a long dating history or have been single since birth, finding your soulmate has never been easier! Introducing ParagonLove™, where you are now just one step closer to meeting your perfect match. With ParagonLove™, you’ll never have to go through heartbreak ever again. We carefully select your match based on your likes and dislikes, guide you with our extensive mood indicators to help you and your partner understand each other’s wants and needs, and provide you with our exclusive lodging together with your fellow Testers in our beautiful community at the heart of New Tokyo. Sign up now for more information!”

Ever seen or heard false advertisements before? That, without a doubt, was the epitome of it. The app didn’t do pretty well in the first six months with only a handful of people taking their chances at joining, so Paragon announced that anyone within their target demographic could be randomly selected to pick up their own ‘lovechip’ as part of their annual clearance. ‘ParagonLove™ is aiming to build a harmonious society’, they said. ‘You are part of the rebel forces if you don’t join’, they said. Since when has joining a dating app become such a big deal that you would get labeled as a rebel if you choose not to sign up?

Well, you weren’t one to speak because you were part of the minority who chose to enter the simulation autonomously. Others had no choice because they were chosen. Some receive their first match as soon as they turn 21. Some, in their late-twenties. Some, still waiting for their first match to come. Yours happened on your 23rd—the year when you finally received your first ever match after you had finally decided to give the program a shot. Part of joining the simulation basically means that you would have to leave your hometown behind and travel to New Tokyo where you would be obliged to live in an enclosed community to work on your love scores with your partner. The limit was two hundred couples a year, so that should be four hundred people living in the same village stuck inside what seemed like a real-life dating simulation game.

The thought of it alone was nerve-racking because it was only natural to be flooded by thoughts of what ifs and what nots while living with a complete stranger who was also simply forced to be in a relationship with you. You could easily know more about each other by browsing through your partner’s information on the app, but that still doesn’t mean that their every conscious thought would be transparent to you. You would have mood indicators to let you know how your partner is feeling, you would have guides on which necessary actions to choose when dealing with an interaction, you are basically living in a simulation like a bunch of A.I.’s getting into all of these relationships, and yet it would be difficult to know that your partner may only be doing things for the sake of improving your love score, especially when Rintarou Suna, in his most candid and descriptive introductory message, said that this whole ‘dating shit is pointless’.

Part of you agreed to him. The other part just didn’t give a damn.

Why? It wasn’t because you had similar views nor experiences. It was because the reason you even joined the program in the first place was because of a certain someone who had been chosen to enter the simulation not less than a year ago.

“Are you scared to know that he might’ve fallen in love with someone else?” asked Summer, your next-door neighbor and childhood best friend who had decided to sign up on the program at the same time as you because she didn’t want to be left behind in a rural prefecture living with old people. She was sitting across from you with a tablet and a cup of iced americano, peeking at your face ever so slightly before she flipped the pages of her favorite shoujo manga.

For a moment, you stared at the scenic view outside the bullet train and chewed on your inner cheek in deep thought. There was only one person she was referring to. One person who was deeply “That’s not possible,” you claimed after a minute of rumination, keeping your expression as firm as possible. “He promised me he wasn’t going to try and make things work with any of them until he gets released from the program.”

Summer’s lips formed an upward curve. The sarcastic kind. “If you trust him that much, then why couldn’t you just wait back home?” she pointed out, “Besides, is it even possible to get released? Once you’re in, there’s no way out.”

It was a deadend. You knew that, but you didn’t want to think of it.

“Look, I trust him, okay?” you replied, defensively. “I know we haven't communicated for over a year ever since he entered the program, but… I trust him. I know in my heart that he’s sticking by his promise that he won’t fall in love with another person. The only reason I joined is because… there could be a huge chance that Tobio and I will be each other’s perfect match as soon as I enter the simulation. The system will recognize how compatible we are and we’ll end up being paired sooner or later.”

Your best friend suppressed her chuckle as though she had heard the most asinine claim ever. “Babe, you know I love you, but,” she paused, putting her tablet down, “we both know how utterly foolish that is.”

“Then, laugh all you want.” You rolled your eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Staring outside the window was better than to receive your best friend’s judgemental gaze, anyway.

From her reflection on the glossy window, you saw Summer playfully raising her hands in surrender. “Chill, jeez. But for real, though. You’re just gonna use the people you’ll match with until you’re eventually paired with Kageyama?”

Shrugging, you answered, “I guess so.”

“You’re evil.” She chuckled. “But same. I hope Suna, or whatever his name is, won't get his feelings hurt.”

“The dude wants out of the program. He said it himself,” you said, remembering the guy’s voice recording, “Guess him and I can use each other, then.”

Two hours on this train ride was getting more and more unbearable, but looking at the view made you realize that you were already nearing the capital city. From what seemed to be an endless stretch of cornfields, scattered in hues of gold under the aureate horizon was soon replaced by the complete void of darkness as the bullet train entered a tunnel. You could barely make out the graffiti on the concrete walls as the train accelerated and passed nothing but an enclosed wall that nearly made you claustrophobic because of how long the tunnel was.

Passing the tunnel probably took half an hour or so.

And outside that passageway was a whole new world filled with neon signages and huge holographic screens that emit saturated tones of blue, purple, and pink. The famous A.I. of Paragon, Polly, appeared from the window and spoke in her robotic yet feminine voice saying, “Welcome! You have now arrived in New Tokyo.”

To your left, you saw Summer grinning at the sight. “It’s like a different dimension out here.”

It was, truthfully, a whole new world out there. You hadn’t been to New Tokyo before and although people have told you that there were parts of the city that weren’t exactly aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, you still thought of how the ugliest places in New Tokyo would have been the most beautiful parts of Miyagi. No city could have this much technology spread out in every corner. Even the average people walking on the streets had au courant outfits to prove that everyone in this city were trendy and fashionable by nature.

You felt out of place. Felt like you didn’t belong. Felt like… an outsider.

“You’ll be fine,” Summer mumbled, reaching for her bags from the overhead bin. She was quick to notice your bubbling anxiety from being in a foreign yet not-so-foreign city. “How about we go see what Tobio is up to?”

The plan was to enter the Lovers’ Village, have our lovechips implanted, leave our things at our designated lodging, and to navigate around the neighborhood in hopes of finding Tobio Kageyema.

And to be fucking honest, you were only looking forward to the last one.

Welcome to New Tokyo, Y/N L/N. Rintarou Suna is 5 km away. Would you like to leave your Match a message?

> Yes > No

“Aaah—ah!” Slam. “S-Suna-kun…!” Slam. “Y-Yes! Mm, more…”

Fuck, Suna cussed inwardly. Just look at her tits. He was definitely going to miss seeing those perfect, round breasts bouncing wildly while he was fucking her hard and fast. He could feel her walls tightening around his girth, satiating his sexual needs as she spread her legs even wider to give him deeper access for his tip to reach her g-spot.

He tightly gripped her waist to keep her body steady, pinning her down on the mattress as he rammed his hardened cock inside of her swollen pussy. Rintarou couldn’t help but mumble a “you’re so hot” to her ears—his warm breath arousing her even more with the way she was clenching inside. Goddamn it, she had the most delicious pussy he had ever fucked. That was the only thing he liked about her.

“Shit,” he grunted, increasing his pace by thrusting his hips faster than ever. He was on a mission to chase his orgasm, not caring how loud the girl was becoming under him. She was whimpering for his name, squeezing her tits together with her half-lidded emerald eyes and parted pink lips, telling him how much she would miss him and how she was so sad that their relationship was bound to expire soon. “I’m gonna cum,” was the only thing Suna cared to say, watching his member going in and out of her entrance before he started to feel a familiar coil in his lower abdomen. There, without waiting for her climax, he released his by pulling his cock out and stroking it above her tits. His warm seed dripped down on her nipple, leaving her panting and smiling with satisfaction.

“Suna-kun,” she weakly called for his name, pulling him down for a kiss. “Please kiss me.”

Rintarou wouldn’t normally indulge his Matches with kisses unless he was really horny or he was trying to build the sexual tension, but since he only had a few minutes left to spend with her, he decided that a short but passionate kiss wouldn’t hurt. After all, they weren’t ever going to meet again. She would have found her new match and he would have found his.

30 seconds.

That was what the expiry date showed from behind his lenses and Aeri was still shamelessly naked underneath him.

“Please,” she begged again, touching his nape and urging him to lean in. “I love you.”

15 seconds.

“Aeri.” He snorted and stroked her bright pink hair. “I told you never to fall in love with me.”

Sad tears filled up her eyes before she pressed her thin lips on his. “I know. I just couldn’t help it.”

5 seconds.

He deepened the kiss and let her roll her tongue around his—their mouths acting as each other’s suction as they inhaled each other’s presence before the timer went off.

Your relationship with Aeri Sakurai has expired.

Your final love score is 68%.

A minimum love score of 75% must be earned to level up.

Pulling away, he got up from one side of the bed and slipped on his sweatpants. He could see from his reflection on the mirror that there were faint purple hickeys she had left on his neck and shoulder blades, laughing to himself while knowing full well that Aeri did that to let his new match know just how much he regularly slept with his last one.

“Oh God!” she squealed, eyeing the ceiling but possibly seeing something behind her lenses. The lovechip usually gives you a vision of a screen that only you have access to, and that was possibly what she was seeing now. Her new match. “Oh my God, he’s hot!”

While chuckling, Suna raked his fingers through his hair and tossed a towel in her direction. “Clean yourself up and get outta here.” He then moved towards the nightstand to reach for a cigarette that he soon lit up. “Where’s the next one located?”

Aeri covered her naked body with a towel and scrambled to pick up her underwear. “32B,” she said, tiptoeing to peck his cheek. “I’m gonna be so far away from you.”

Two blocks away wasn’t that far, but there was no reason for them to keep seeing each other, either way. “What’s his name?”

“Koutarou Bokuto.” She hid her smile. “He’s quite a big guy.”

Just when Suna was about to wish her luck, the familiar bright purple notification popped up before his eyes. He took a long drag from his cigarette as he read through the message.

Congratulations, Rintarou Suna! We found a new match for you!

Name: Y/N L/N 尊名

Age: 23 years old

Location: Miyagi Prefecture, Japan

Dating success rate: 0%

Likes: astronomy, sci-fi movies, cats

Dislikes: rude people, ghosts, dark

Y/N L/N posted a recent voice message. Would you like to listen?

> Yes > No

“Did you get a new match?” Aeri waved at his face and tried to cut him out of trance. “Is she pretty?”

Suna blew a puff of smoke in between his lips and shook his head. “Average looking.”

It seemed as if his answer satisfied Aeri as she lifted his chin with her index finger. “It’s such a pity we only lasted for five months.”

“You were my longest,” he admitted, but chose to stay in his stoic nature. He wondered how long the relationship would last with you, though. Aeri and him spent five months because their sexual compability played a huge factor on keeping their lovescore steady at 75%. But they couldn’t maintain that percentage after five months because Suna himself couldn’t commit to doing more romantic actions that felt more like a performance rather than genuine acts of love. Unfortunately, one of the rules in this system was to maintain an average love score of 75% to level up, and by leveling up, that meant you would have a better shot at turning your match into your soulmate. And once you manage to reach the soulmate status, you would have more access to better privileges such as the ability to get married, the ability to make babies, and the ability to live in a better lodging. For Rin, they all sound like a nightmare.

So, if anyone ever asked him to give reviews on this dating simulation again, he would still rate it with 0 stars.

The only considerable privilege they could get out of reaching the soulmate status was to be released from the program with the freewill to choose where they want to live, what job they want to have, and receive monetary prizes from Paragon that they only offer to successful couples.

To be clear here, Suna never had the interest to join ParagonLove™ and all their bullshit about creating a perfect, harmonious society. No, he was randomly selected and he hasn’t been able to leave the program for the past two years. They said he had to perform his part and comply, otherwise it could affect his citizenship. What utter bullshit. He would rather have been selected to join the Japan Special Forces than to be trapped as an experiment in this corny episode of Love Island.

Who cares about technological advancement when in a societal collapse? People were starving. Starving. And yet, all of these assholes in Paragon only care about building more of those stupid androids and eccentric simulation apps. Guess that wasn’t enough entertainment for them, so now they wanted to mess with their personal lives, too. They were turning this dating simulation as though they were curating some kind of a music playlist based on their supposed taste. Suna couldn’t help feeling nothing but distaste towards the rulers of his country.

“Did ‘ya hear about the rumor that’s been goin’ around?” asked Atsumu Miya, one of Suna’s best friends in high school and also a ‘proud member’ of PL™. They were both seated on their respective bean bags playing a video game to burn the clock. “They said there’s this UFO sighting at a site near Sendai. Apparently, it crashed and they discovered aliens there.”

Suna stared at the holographic screen, uninterested about the rumor. “That happened over a year ago.”

“No, this one’s a different case,” the blond insisted, “Man, rumor has it that the girl’s really striking, too.”

“Girl? I thought you said it’s an alien.”

“An alien disguised as a human girl, basically.”

“Weird.”

“Yeah, but…” Atsumu yawned. “I heard it’s being tortured at the Fukushima Research Facility. It’s not on the news because they don’t want the people to panic, but they’re not doing a great job at hiding it. But that’s not even the best part. I heard the alien’s claiming to have met the head of the research department in another universe.”

Rintarou huffed. “Insane fucking world we live in. Who’s the new head of the research department again?”

A shrug was his best friend’s response. “Satoru Gojou? Tall, white-haired dude, heir to a prestigious clan?”

“Whatever.” He placed the cigarette back between his lips and focused on the video game. “Maybe the ‘alien’ is actually just a deranged person. They need to send her to an asylum.”

Frankly, stories and rumors like these could be heard all around the streets of New Tokyo every single day, but nothing was ever confirmed to be true. Perhaps only those working for Paragon know the truth. Perhaps they were just watching too many sci-fi movies to the point that they were creating all these absurd stories.

Something clicked on Suna’s mind as he recalled someone who might actually find these nonsensical stories interesting. “I got my new match today.”

“No shit,” retorted Atsumu. “I already saw Aeri leaving with her baggage this afternoon. Guess she’s off to see her new match, too?”

“Yeah…” A thick cloud of smoke crawled out of Rintarou’s lips before he patted the embers of his cigarette on the ashtray. “I fucked her one last time before she left.”

The sudden sound of the main door opening and closing had both Suna and Atsumu turning towards the stranger on the door. Her eyes were quick to scan his appearance, judging the messy apartment, and grimacing at the awful smell of cigarette smoke.

“Nice to meet you,” you greeted, unenthusiastically. “I’m your new match.”

taglist :: @maitaro @tamak00 @wolffmaiden @suhkusa @boosyboo9206 @fairywriter-oracle @rntrsuna

#suna rintarou x reader #suna rintarou x you #suna rintarou angst #suna rintaro x you #suna rintaro x reader #suna rintaro angst #suna rintarou smut #suna x reader #suna x you #suna angst #suna smut #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #enemies to lovers

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miaclemeverett · 4 years

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Wilbur, Fundy, and Purpled were interviewed for this great article on the Dream SMP and the Minecraft community! Full article below the cut.

"Minecraft" launched over a decade ago and the video game is as popular as ever. With over 126 million players worldwide, the voxel-based survival game drops adventurers into a world where they can craft, build, explore, destroy, and create to their heart's content. Aided by tools, blocks, and creativity, the simple sandbox world allows anyone on PC, console, or smartphone the chance to project their own feelings and creations directly into their virtual space.

"As long as you have the mind for it, you can really just do anything," 17-year-old "Minecraft" YouTuber Purpled, who has 700,000 subscribers, told Insider. "Because of how simple Minecraft is and how easy it is to build with it, you can create whatever you want."

In recent years, Microsoft's never-ending game has evolved into a tool for content creators to express themselves, leading to high-profile collaborations with some of YouTube's biggest personalities. By creating their own private "Minecraft" servers, creators have been able to craft ornate worlds and stories that they can explore in streams and videos, immersing fans in a cinematic-style universe.

Minecraft has a long history on YouTube

"Minecraft's" versatility has made it an incredibly popular game for content creators and influencers. In 2012, a change in YouTube's algorithm promoting watch time over video clicks led to a renaissance of "Let's Players" who recorded themselves reacting and playing their favorite games. "Minecraft" was one of the most successful, spawning some of the largest channels of the time like SkyDoesMinecraft (11.3 million subscribers) and Tobuscus (6.25 million subs).

Though the popularity of "Minecraft" remained fairly steady, content about the title waned a bit over the next decade either due to content fatigue or newer titles like "Fortnite" taking the spotlight. 2020 flipped the title back into the forefront, with both streamers and YouTubers capitalizing on the title's popularity.

The biggest breakout star for "Minecraft" in the past few years is Dream, an expert, faceless player with a neon-green avatar with over 17 million YouTube subscribers. YouTube labeled him the second overall content creator of the year and his streams consistently pull in a quarter of a million people.

In May of 2020, Dream decided to create a small, private server for his friends to play around in. This SMP server, or "survival multiplayer," started off with only a handful of content creators being invited. Soon, the server would expand to over 30 members, bringing in millions of views from fans who chronicle every moment of the lore the creators eventually created.

Viewership on Twitch of "Minecraft" content went from 17 million hours watched in January 2020 to 74 million in January of 2021, according to data from analytics company Rainmaker.gg.

How the Dream SMP grew from a private server with friends to a cultural milestone

Purpled has been playing "Minecraft" for the past eight years and is a high-ranking player in a multiplayer game mode called "Bed Wars." He had started talking to Dream in the summer of 2019, when the pair were both small, mutual fans.

"When the SMP was in its infancy, I just asked him if there was any room because he said how it's just for friends and if a friend wants to join, they can," Purpled said. "So I asked him, he said, 'Sure.' He sent me the IP and I was in."

The server was originally just a place to create and hangout, with no intention of creating an overarching story or plot.

Fundy, a 19-year-old Dutch YouTuber with 2.7 million subscribers joined when only a handful of other creators were on."I had talked to Dream on a few occasions, out-of-the-blue Dream sent me a message about a survival world that they had going on. It was very small at first," Fundy said. "I thought it could be a fun little side-project I could stream every now and then on Twitch, so I decided to join."

Fundy joined in the early days alongside Wilbur Soot, a 23-year-old YouTuber with 3.8 million subscribers. Soot, after attempting to create an "illegal potion shop" on the server, decided to establish a nation of non-Americans players called L'Manberg. Soot said he wrote a "treatment" for how the formation of his country would go, creating an official canon that fans could follow along with.

"I was invited into the Dream SMP near its inception but I only joined fully when I had an idea for building a country in 'Minecraft'," Soot said. "I write up a series of plot hooks and points that should tie together, however we improv dialogue and comedy throughout to take us from point to point."

These streams and pieces of content all had a canon that could be followed and consumed like a television show. L'Manberg eventually started a war against Dream for its independence, staging a rebellion chronicled in YouTube videos with millions of views.

These streams and videos aren't just randoms in "Minecraft" trying to defeat the end-game Ender Dragon — these are performers putting on a show that their fans can't miss. As the lore expanded, so did the rules needed to keep a sense of continuity and order. For example, each player only has three lives before they are removed and deleted from the server.

"It went from a casual survival game to a whole story-line filled with plots and twists," Fundy said. "Role-playing at this point is a key-feature of the Dream SMP, some parts are scripted, some parts are improv, and some parts are 'non-canon,' where it is just counted as a standard 'Minecraft' server."

The fan communities have risen up and made their voices heard

Over the next few months, the lore and world would continue to grow and so would the fan base. Hundreds of thousands of viewers would tune in for these streams, trying to keep up with the lore and content. To help catalog the story, a network of fans established themselves as lore keepers, documenting each moment for those that had to miss a stream.

The "DREAMSMP UPDATES!" account on Twitter has established itself as one of the most popular locations to find all this content and lore on social media. Starting in December 2020, the account has grown to over 147,000 users with just a team of seven administrators, ages 14-17, in different locations around the world, posting updates and stream notifications for fans. "Minecraft" is a game that appeals to all ages, but the audience for this content tends to skew younger, with 41 percent of Twitch's user base being 16 to 24, according to GlobalWebIndex.

"You can tell they're all friends and it's a lot more lighthearted in general and it shows," mod on the "DREAMSMP UPDATES!" Twitter account eclaire said over chat app Discord. "When it's not lore you see them actually having good chemistry and it really pulls you in because it almost feels like being pulled into a friend group."

User SamHQ first started the fan account with a couple of friends from high school but the group quickly expanded after the account tweeted that they needed more fans of certain streamers to join. She is online and runs the account "24/7" but "it's just like answering a text."

"When I started the account I knew lots of people who couldn't catch up because of work or school," SamHQ said. "So I gathered friends to help and now people rely on us when someone's streaming or to catch up with the lore when they can't watch."

For the fans that run the update account, keeping up with the Dream SMP isn't dissimilar to following the Marvel Cinematic Universe or a long-running television show. Characters come and go, but the improv and roleplay stay.

"The Dream SMP did something really special — taking an original idea, creating new things that have never been seen on 'Minecraft' and incorporating them with humor and characters that you can become easily attached with," mod NotAlex said.

Though other SMP roleplay servers, like EarthSMP and SMPLive, have been created over the years, none have been as successful or popular as the Dream SMP.

Finding a fan base on the Dream SMP can lead to major growth.

For the performers on the server, addressing fans and their responses comes with the territory.

"The Dream SMP viewers are very important to the Dream SMP, and the fact that they openly speak their mind about how a certain stream went only helps the streamers improve," Fundy said. "It's basically an instant review of what was liked and what wasn't."

Like most major fandoms with a young audience, fanfiction of these streamers has popped up online. Dozens of Dream fics and drawings exist online, some going a bit far and putting underage characters together. Dream responded on Twitter to those "ships," writing that they shouldn't "ship creators that are uncomfortable with it, and especially not minors."

The Dream stans, or the super fans, also tend to be very vocal online about the SMP. Hashtags on Twitter like #dreamnotfound and #dreamfanart consistently break-through to the trending page, confusing those who have no idea this world exists. The most ferocious of stans sometimes overstep the boundary between polite disagreement and outright harassment. This vocal minority has sent death threats and waves of harassment at those who criticize or disagree with their favorite content creators.

The growth and future of these channels is in large part due to the Dream SMP server

The popularity of Dream SMP has helped grow the content creators that take part in it. Since joining the server, Purpled is gaining three times as many subscribers a month on YouTube and has been introduced to an entirely new fan base. His streams used to pull in 3,000 viewers but now his average is closer to 35,000 to 40,000 viewers.

"Some people think of them as obsessive or stalker fans, but those are people that really like to talk about certain creators and really get invested in things," Purpled said. "And it's really nice because they care a lot more and connect more with the creator than the content."

These creators understand the power of the fan base and know that they come for the content.

"I think the Dream SMP is popular thanks to the brilliant creators and funny improv moments," Soot said. "I think we'll be seeing the emergence of a huge wave of roleplay-centric gaming communities."

#wilbur soot #fundy #purpled #dream smp

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Friday, September 3, 2021

US faith groups unite to help Afghanistan refugees after war (AP) America’s major religions and denominations, often divided on other big issues, have united behind the effort to help receive an influx of refugees from Afghanistan following the end of the United States’ longest war and one of the largest airlifts in history. Among those gearing up to help are Jewish refugee resettlement agencies and Islamic groups; conservative and liberal Protestant churches; and prominent Catholic relief organizations, providing everything from food and clothes to legal assistance and housing. “It’s incredible. It’s an interfaith effort that involved Catholic, Lutheran, Muslim, Jews, Episcopalians ... Hindus ... as well as nonfaith communities who just believe that maybe it’s not a matter of faith, but it’s just a matter of who we are as a nation,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. The U.S. and its coalition partners have evacuated more than 100,000 people from Afghanistan since the airlift began Aug. 14, including more than 5,400 American citizens and many Afghans who helped the U.S. during the 20-year war.

Hurricane Ida’s aftermath, recovery uneven across Louisiana (AP) In New Orleans, an ongoing power outage after Hurricane Ida is making the sweltering summer unbearable. But in some areas outside the city, that misery is compounded by a lack of water, flooded neighborhoods and severely damaged homes. Four days after Hurricane Ida struck, the storm’s aftermath—and progress in recovering from it—are being felt unevenly across affected communities in Louisiana. In New Orleans, power was restored Wednesday to a small number of homes and businesses, city crews had some streets almost completely cleared of fallen trees and debris and a few corner stores reopened. Outside New Orleans, neighborhoods remained flooded and residents were still reeling from damage to their homes and property. More than 1,200 people were walking through some of Ida’s hardest-hit communities to look for those needing help, according to the Louisiana Fire Marshal’s office.

More than 45 dead after Ida’s remnants blindside Northeast (AP) A stunned U.S. East Coast faced a rising death toll, surging rivers and tornado damage Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain, drowning more than 40 people in their homes and cars. In a region that had been warned about potentially deadly flash flooding but hadn’t braced for such a blow from the no-longer-hurricane, the storm killed at least 46 people from Maryland to Connecticut on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. In New York, nearly 500 vehicles were abandoned on flooded highways, garbage bobbed in streaming streets and water cascaded into the city’s subway tunnels, trapping at least 17 trains and disrupting service all day. Videos online showed riders standing on seats in swamped cars. All were safely evacuated, with police aiding 835 riders and scores of people elsewhere. The National Weather Service said the ferocious storm also spawned at least 10 tornadoes from Maryland to Massachusetts, including a 150-mph (241 kph) twister that splintered homes and toppled silos in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, south of Philadelphia.

President’s murder inquiry slow amid Haiti’s multiple crises (AP) In the nearly two months since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, Haiti has suffered a devastating earthquake and a drenching tropical storm, the twin natural disasters deflecting attention from the man-made one that preceded them. Add the constant worry over deteriorating security at the hands of gangs that by some estimates control territory that’s home to about a fifth of Haiti’s 11 million citizens, and the investigation into Moïse’s killing is fast fading from the public consciousness. Even those still paying attention, demanding accountability and pressuring for a thorough investigation give no chance to the crime’s masterminds being brought to justice in a country where impunity reigns. It doesn’t help that Moïse was despised by a large portion of the population. “The hope for finding justice for Jovenel is zero,” said Pierre Esperance, executive director of the National Human Rights Defense Network.

Fancy a beer in Britain? In some pubs, supplies are running low. (Washington Post) Fears are brewing among pint-loving Brits amid reports of a national beer shortage. Some pubs say they are running low on pints of Carling and Coors—the latest victims of the United Kingdom’s supply chain crisis, sparked by Brexit and exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, that has led to headline-grabbing scarcities of items including McDonald’s milkshakes, beloved Nando’s chicken and the polarizing breakfast spread Marmite. “We are experiencing some supply problems,” a spokesman for pub chain Wetherspoons said Tuesday, apologizing for any inconvenience caused to customers. The lack of beer has been attributed to the ongoing shortage of truck drivers to transport goods, a problem sparked by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union following a 2016 referendum that divided the country. The driver shortage has not been helped by the country’s “pingdemic,” in which tens of thousands of workers were forced to self-isolate after being contacted by the National Health Service app for coming into contact with someone who tested positive for coronavirus.

Merkel steps down with legacy dominated by tackling crises (AP) Angela Merkel will leave office as one of modern Germany’s longest-serving leaders and a global diplomatic heavyweight, with a legacy defined by her management of a succession of crises that shook a fragile Europe rather than any grand visions for her own country. In 16 years at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy, Merkel did end military conscription, set Germany on course for a future without nuclear and fossil-fueled power, and introduce a national minimum wage and benefits encouraging fathers to look after young children, among other things. But a senior ally recently summed up what many view as her main service: as an anchor of stability in stormy times. He told Merkel: “You protected our country well.”

India locks down Kashmir after top separatist leader’s death (AP) Indian authorities cracked down on public movement and imposed a near-total communications blackout Thursday in disputed Kashmir after the death of Syed Ali Geelani, a top separatist leader who became the emblem of the region’s defiance against New Delhi. Geelani, who died late Wednesday at age 92, was buried in a quiet funeral at a local graveyard organized by authorities under harsh restrictions, his son Naseem Geelani told The Associated Press. “They snatched his body and forcibly buried him. Nobody from the family was present for his burial. We tried to resist but they overpowered us and even scuffled with women,” said Naseem Geelani. As most Kashmiris remained locked inside their homes, armed police and soldiers patrolled the tense region. Government forces placed steel barricades and razor wire across many roads, bridges and intersections and set up additional checkpoints across towns and villages in the Kashmir Valley. Authorities cut most of cellphone networks and mobile internet service in a common tactic employed by India in anticipation of mass protests.

Women and technology in Japan (NYT) Japan is facing a severe shortage of workers in technology and engineering. And in university programs that produce workers in these fields, Japan has some of the lowest percentages of women in the developed world. Up to age 15, Japanese girls and boys perform equally well in math and science on international standardized tests. But at this critical juncture, when students must choose between the science and humanities tracks in high school, girls appear to lose confidence and interest in math and science. In these fields, the higher the educational level, the fewer the women, a phenomenon many blame on cultural expectations. “The sex-based division of labor is deeply rooted,” one young woman said. To help change the trend, two women with science backgrounds co-founded a nonprofit called Waffle, which runs one-day tech camps for middle and high school girls. Asumi Saito and Sayaka Tanaka offer career lectures and hands-on experiences that emphasize problem solving, community, and entrepreneurship to counter the stereotypically geeky image of technology. “Our vision is to close the gender gap by empowering and educating women in technology,” Saito said.

Taiwan Warns China Can ‘Paralyze’ Island’s Defenses in Conflict (Bloomberg) Taiwan warned that China could “paralyze” its defenses in a conflict, a stark new assessment expected to fuel calls in Washington for more support for the democratically ruled island. China is able to neutralize Taiwan’s air-and-sea defenses and counter-attack systems with “soft and hard electronic attacks,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in an annual report to lawmakers seen by Bloomberg News. The document offered a more alarming assessment than last year’s report, which had said China still lacked the capability to launch an assault. While Beijing isn’t believed to possess the transport and logistical capacity necessary for an invasion of Taiwan’s large and mountainous main island, the ministry recommended monitoring Chinese efforts to expand training and preparations for complex landing operations. China already has the ability to seize Taiwan’s surrounding islands, it said.

Those left in Afghanistan complain of broken US promises (AP) Even in the final days of Washington’s chaotic airlift in Afghanistan, Javed Habibi was getting phone calls from the U.S. government promising that the green card holder from Richmond, Virginia, his wife and their four daughters would not be left behind. He was told to stay home and not worry, that they would be evacuated. Late Monday, however, his heart sank as he heard that the final U.S. flights had left Kabul’s airport, followed by the blistering staccato sound of Taliban gunfire, celebrating what they saw as their victory over America. “They lied to us,” Habibi said of the U.S. government. He is among hundreds of American citizens and green card holders stranded in the Afghan capital. Victoria Nuland, undersecretary of state for political affairs, would not address individual cases but said all U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who could not get evacuation flights or were otherwise stranded had been contacted individually in the past 24 hours and told to expect further information about routes out once those have been arranged.

#headlines #news

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pop-punklouis · 4 years

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Do you have any book/movie recommandation to undersatdn better how the music/entertainment industry works? Thanks ❤️

three books i personally have are:

Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music— Greg Kot

Ripped tells the story of how the laptop generation created a new music industry, with fans and bands rather than corporations in charge. In this new world, bands aren’t just musicmakers but self-contained multimedia businesses; and fans aren’t just consumers but distributors and even collaborators. Since this digital revolution hit the music industry, its infiltration into every other form of media has been well documented, if often not well understood.

Music Entrepreneurship — Allan Dumbreck & Gayle Mcpherson

Music Entrepreneurship features an analysis of the changing landscape of the music industries and the value of the entrepreneur within them through a series of focused chapters and case studies. Alongside contributions from key academics across the globe, expert contributors from across the industry highlight successful entrepreneurs and offers practical help to the reader trying to navigate the business. Sectors examined include: The value of the music industries, Recorded music, Live events, Branding in music, Artist management, and Digital distribution

All You Need to Know About the Music Business (Ninth Edition) — Donald S. Passman

“The industry bible” ( Los Angeles Times), now updated, essential for anyone in the music business—musicians, songwriters, lawyers, agents, promoters, publishers, executives, and managers—trying to navigate the rapid transformation of the industry.

• Films/Documentaries

Artifact (2012)

Telling harsh truths about the modern music business, this riveting and award-winning documentary gives intimate access to singer/actor Jared Leto and his band Thirty Seconds to Mars as they fight a relentless lawsuit with record label Virgin/EMI and write songs for their album "This Is War." Opening up his life for the camera during months of excruciating pressures, Leto reveals the struggles his band must face over questions of art, money and integrity.

Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of (2015)

An emotionally open and honest film portrait, this documentary explores the highs and lows from boyhood to manhood that led the group to a London studio in 2012 to write a new album, make a film and plan their 20th anniversary re-launch. The reunion renewed friendships, but dynamic shifts reveal new and old tensions that need confronting and resolving. This is a surprising and rewarding journey filmed over two years that delves into the extremes of fame and fortune, betrayal and renewal of being in a boyband

Woodstock: Three Days that Defined a Generation

In August, 1969, half a million people from all walks of life converged on a small dairy farm in upstate New York. They came to hear the concert of their lives, but most experienced something far more profound: a moment that came to define a cultural revolution.

Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton: This Is Stones Throw Records

Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton is a feature-length documentary about avant-garde Los Angeles-based record label Stones Throw Records. The film weaves together rare concert footage, never-before-see archival material, inner-circle home video and photographs and in-depth interviews with the artists who put Stones Throw Records on the map.

Searching for Sugar Man

Searching for Sugar Man tells the true story of Rodriguez, the greatest ’70s rock icon who never was. Discovered in a Detroit bar in the late ’60s by two celebrated producers struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics, they recorded an album which they believed would secure his reputation as the greatest recording artist of his generation. In fact, the album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. The film follows the story of two South African fans who set out to find out what really happened to their hero.

B4TMD (Before the Music Dies)

This documentary from 2006 takes a good hard look into the American music and radio industry and it’s ever increasing commercialization of music over the last 3 decades. Featuring great interviews and insights from artists who are both new and old to the industry and their struggle to make art whilst operating in a business where that is not the priority. A great documentary (and one of my favorites) from a time when many artist where going their own way and leaving the old business model behind.

Downloaded (Napster)

In this day and age ‘Downloaded’ is an absolute must watch. It addresses the rise of the biggest change to the music industry in probably more than a century, digital file-sharing. Showcasing the history behind the now granddaddy of them all, Napster. Featuring interviews from the likes of Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, Beastie Boys, Trent Reznor, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, Don Jenner the former chairman of Sony Music and many more.

American Music (Off the Record)

Featuring well renowned theorists such as Noam Chomsky and Douglas Rushkoff, Off the Record is an insightful interrogation of the American music industry. Touching on the very relevant topics such as: the rise of indie labels and its circumvention of the ‘corporate machine’, the authenticity of live music and the downfall of privately owned music retailers.

Meeting People is Easy

Following Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ and its huge international success, the band undertakes a monumental world tour. The film follows them as they struggle with endless stadium shows, radio showcases and interviews over a course of two years with seemingly endless promotional work. ‘Meeting People is Easy’ is a no holds barred insight into the dissolution of mainstream success and the often unseen struggle that these artist go through when record industries treat a band as a product.

EMI: The Inside Story

EMI, if anyone is unaware, was arguably the most important record label in Britain and maybe the world, bringing us such giants as Queen, Pink Floyd Iron Maiden, The Beatles and many, many more. This documentary traces their rise and struggles throughout it’s many years in operation. Featuring interviews from members of Queen, Pink Floyd, the Sex Pistols, Pet Shop Boys and also former employees with insider knowledge and gossip from a very British institution.

#grey

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calligraphist-artemisia · 5 years

Text

Instinct (Part 1/3)

Summary: In which the paladins are unprepared for the strength of Keith’s instincts and Pidge is taken off guard by her own feelings. Pairings: Keith/Pidge; background Shiro/Curtis

Also posted on AO3 (note: I no longer post to fanfiction.net)

---

Part 1

There was a small, brown package on her desk.

Her desk, in her family's private quarters, and further locked behind a passcode that few people knew.

Pidge frowned when she saw it, barely able to take her eyes off of it as she shrugged out of her casual jacket and hung it on a hook near her door. She'd only been away for an hour, attending another meeting to address the fact that technically Katie Holt never attended the Galaxy Garrison, never mind her instrumental role in freeing Earth from Sendak's control before going on to stop Haggar from ripping apart every reality.

No, no, none of that really mattered once the war was over and the Garrison was placed under the control of the Worldwide Leadership Council, whose proclaimed goal was “peacekeeping” for all of Earth.

Pidge scowled.

Millions of people displaced from their homes, exposed to the cruelties of a ten-thousand year old war, and they were most worried about their public image.

She hated politics. She especially hated them when it stood in the way of her doing anything useful with her time. So what if she'd hacked Garrison records at fifteen, enrolled herself under a false identity, and launched her own personal investigation in the wake of the disappearance of the crew on the Kerberos Mission? They should be thanking her for exposing such a flaw in their system!

Okay, maybe that was too much, but if she hadn't illegally attended the Galaxy Garrison as Pidge Gunderson, she never would have witnessed Shiro's return with Hunk and Lance. They never would have been there to help Keith escape with him. They never would have found the caves where the Blue Lion was hidden for so long. They never would have gone to space, awoken Allura and Coran, and freed so many different planets. Earth never would have been prepared for the invasion.

Pidge would never try and claim full credit for saving the universe, it was fully a team effort, but she knew she played a pivotal role.

She shook her head gently, clearing herself of negative thoughts. She had a mystery to solve and it was much more deserving of her time than dwelling on the way things were being run in the past few months.

Pidge cautiously approached her desk, searching the package for any clue about who could have left it there. It was wrapped in plain brown paper and on top was a tiny note card bearing her name in vaguely familiar handwriting. She found herself relaxing at that. It was unlikely to be a threat if it was someone she knew well enough to recognize their handwriting.

She was careful not to jostle the package as she picked it up and began peeling away the wrapping. With no indication of who it was from, she let her mind wander to the different possibilities, based on who she'd given her personal code to.

Hunk and Lance were out of the question. The last she'd heard from Hunk, he had made it back out to the Dalterion Belt with his band of chefs (and Shay) and was seeing what food sources the various asteroids and planets in the area had to offer. Lance was busy with the small farm he ran with his family and was always quick to tell her when they were in the area to visit Veronica.

Shiro wouldn't go out of his way to sneak a package into her room when he could just pass it off to anyone in her family or give it to her directly. It just wasn't the way he liked to do things.

Keith was equally as unlikely, though she had to admit, she had no idea where in the universe he was currently located. Once it became clear that Earth was safe, he took up Kolivan's offer to lead a team of his own in peacekeeping efforts. He called when he could and sounded completely wrung-out whenever they talked, but there was a deep-rooted pride in his voice that spoke of how much he was enjoying his work.

It had been a while since she last heard from Coran and Romelle, who were both working hard at establishing order and blending cultures of the past with those of the hidden colony on the newly restored Altea. It was tough work and Coran often despaired at how much of their history was lost. Sometimes he'd send something to Pidge (bypassing all Garrison channels) either for her to research or as a gift, but always with a long note of explanation.

Maybe it was Matt, who knew how much her frustration was starting to get the best of her. He liked to surprise her with little gifts now and again, but like with Coran, he always signed his, if he bothered to wrap them.

Her parents then. Except not, because even they would have signed it or given it to her directly.

Pidge stared down at a metallic green box as she fully pulled away the paper. There was a simple latch on one side and hinges on the other, so she cautiously opened it up, prepared to shut it if there was anything weird or dangerous.

Hair pins.

At least a dozen of them, in an array of colors and styles; some practical and others more ornate, meant to be used as decoration rather than holding hair in place.

Looking over the box and wrapping one last time, Pidge determined that whoever it was from, they were determined to remain a mystery.

She'd just have to wear them in order to show her thanks.

---

Everything was a mess.

Shiro groaned as he received another message requesting a meeting to review Pidge's “questionable” standing in the Galaxy Garrison. He'd spoken openly about his feelings on the subject a number of times – just as Admiral Iverson and Commander Holt had done, as well as many others who knew her – and he didn't see why they needed him to repeat himself for a fifth time. They had it all on record! All they had to do was play any of the last four meetings or read the minutes from them.

But if repeating himself would be what allowed Pidge to get back to the work she loved without being scrutinized over her every action, he would do it. Again and again and again.

That didn't mean he couldn't be annoyed by it.

“Don't they have better things to worry about?” he asked bitterly, more to himself than his current house-guests, one of whom was sitting at his kitchen table eating leftovers.

Kosmo woofed quietly from beneath the table.

“Are they still complaining that I didn't go through the proper channels to dock on Earth, or whatever it was?” Keith asked. “Because we already explained why that wasn't possible.”

“Although highly amusing, I'm not sure Zethrid telling the port administrators to shut up and do their jobs correctly is a proper explanation. Why did you leave it up to her anyway?” Curtis asked, sounding amused. He neatly placed a plate on the drying rack and then reached for the next one, running his soapy sponge over the surface.

Keith shrugged. “She needs the practice. And I figured they'd give us some new bullshit excuse about why we can't dock again, which meant my best bet for smoothing things over was going straight to Iverson. He may not be my biggest fan, but at least he takes the time to listen to my requests instead of denying them from the start.”

Curtis's smile dropped and he looked immediately to Shiro, whose frown was firmly in place. “So we were right. They've escalated restrictions on entering and exiting Earth.”

“What am I missing here? Restrictions are common on every planet,” Keith said.

“Which is why we didn't fight them at first,” Shiro agreed. “You haven't been here since the Worldwide Leadership Council took over operations and have been forcing harsher and harsher restrictions to pass. The official word is that they're afraid an influx of new technologies and cultures could lead to the start of a fourth world war, but...”

Curtis crossed his arms over his chest. “They're clearly targeting the Galra. At least primarily, but there are others who have been affected.”

“Anyone of Galra descent tend to make people uneasy. Its understandable, but not when they're denying entry to known allies. We couldn't have won the war without Kolivan and the rest of the Blade of Marmora, but it seems that all it's taken is a year to forget all of that. Then there's this whole thing with Pidge...”

Keith snapped to attention. “What's wrong with Pidge?”

Shiro was slightly taken back by Keith's quick interest, but it was a chance to rant about another situation to someone who wasn't already in the loop, so he quickly summed up everything going on with Pidge, watching Keith's expression grow more thunderous by the minute.

“She's a hero and they're treating her like some kind of criminal,” he growled, fury in his voice. “No one cared about her age or any of that when we were busy fighting in a literal war, but now it's over and they think they can cast her aside? How can they do that to her, Shiro?” His anger broke, giving way to something Shiro rarely heard from Keith, except when he was concerned about someone he cared deeply for.

“We've been trying to work it out for months, offering any idea that could appease them and let Pidge join Commander Holt and Matt on the Defense Program, but we've made no progress,” Shiro said. “All that's done is had them restrict her time in the classroom labs even more.”

“We think they're trying to force her out. They want to cover up that they were bested by someone who was fifteen when she hacked the system.” Curtis voiced the (until then) unspoken opinion shared by everyone involved.

Keith was quiet for a moment. He reached under the table to pet Kosmo as the massive wolf nudged his leg for attention.

Shiro and Curtis gave him time to mull it over. It was a lot to take in on a normal amount of sleep, and it was clear from the bags under his eyes that Keith clearly wasn't getting enough rest.

It seemed not even Kolivan could train out the way Keith tended to broadcast his emotions, easy to read for anyone who cared enough to pay attention. Shiro could see the emotions playing out across his face – the anger on behalf of the youngest paladin, frustration, the furrowed brows of wonderment, and then stubborn determination.

Keith had some sort of plan formulating and Shiro couldn't wait to hear it.

Shiro gestured for Curtis to sit down with them at the table. (Why he felt the need to clean them every time he came over, Shiro did not understand. The plates were fine. Shiro could do them after he left, but no, Curtis insisted--)

“How quickly do you think they'd give in if I refuse to leave until she looks over the ship we arrived in?” Keith asked them.

“It's unlikely they would at all. They'd insist that you use one of the Garrison engineers and if you refuse that's grounds for imprisonment, no matter who you are. But... we could try?” Curtis sounded unsure of himself and Shiro couldn't help but reach over and squeeze his hand.

Keith raised an eyebrow at the action, but said nothing. Shiro was sure he'd be questioned later, once Curtis was gone for the night.

Curtis continued, slightly emboldened by the comforting gesture. “It's no secret that they don't like that you bypassed protocol and landed here, but they may be more willing to go with what you want if you extend your stay by other means. Like, say, a vacation?”

Shiro quickly caught on. “Not as a pretense, Keith. Contact Kolivan and tell him you're all finally taking some time off.”

“Going to tell me I look like shit next?” Keith asked.

“Not in those exact words, no.”

Violet eyes stared him down from across the table and then Keith tipped his head in acknowledgment. “I know the others would appreciate a vacation, even if they'll complain at first. I have eight others with me and they'll all need someone to show them around.”

“We have volunteers for just that,” Curtis said. “And I think I already know who can show Acxa around. She and Veronica got along well when we were all on the Atlas together. I don't know about anyone else though.”

Shiro was absolutely not volunteering to watch after Zethrid or Ezor.

“So, we take a vacation and on the last day make the request for Pidge to look over the ship?” Keith guessed.

Shiro nodded. “It might help if there are any repairs that need to be made.”

“Oh, like our communications system? Since somehow the Garrison couldn't hear us until we were already coming in for a landing, despite the fact that Kolivan, who is lightyears away, can hear me perfectly?”

“Best not mention that last part,” Curtis advised. “But yeah. It's even better, since Pidge enrolled herself in the communications program when she was here. Regardless of how she ended up in the Garrison, they can't deny that she studied the exact thing you need fixed, and she was good at it.”

Maybe it would work.

Shiro didn't have many positive things to say about the direction things were heading with the stranglehold the Worldwide Leadership Council had on the Galaxy Garrison, but it was more of a chance for Pidge to do something than they'd had in a while.

They just needed to be careful.

---

Even when it was just the four of them, dinner was not a quiet affair for the Holt family. There was always someone talking about the work they'd done that day or a new discovery that was made or even just something funny that they'd seen or heard.

Colleen wrapped up her enthusiastic description of a new variant of Juniberry she helped cultivate and while Sam launched into a round of questions, Matt leaned over to Pidge with a grin on his face.

“You know, Keith arrived today.”

Pidge looked up from her food, already more interesting in what her brother had to say than the ongoing conversation about plants. “Really? Is everything okay?”

“According to Shiro, he's here for a vacation with his team, and the first person he asked about is you,” Matt said, his grin growing wider.

Pidge knew that tone. It was the same one she and Hunk used when teasing Lance about his crush on Allura. She rolled her eyes, not for one second falling for his attempt to get her flustered. “Other than Shiro, I'm the only other person he knows is on base. It doesn't mean anything.”

“What doesn't mean anything?” Colleen asked.

“Nothing,” Pidge and Matt said in unison.

Colleen narrowed her eyes as she watched them pretend there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. After a moment, she went back to her conversation with Sam, though neither Pidge nor Matt dared to bring up the topic a second time, knowing their mom would hone in on it in a heartbeat.

Pidge was thankful that Matt knew better than to involve their parents in his teasing. Their mom would definitely take it seriously, and while their dad would accept it as a joke at first, the more Colleen treated it like a genuine thing, the less he would see it as the teasing that it was.

The last thing she wanted was for them to insist on supervision while she was around Keith. How embarrassing would that be?

“So how's the Defenders Project going, Matt?” Pidge asked, changing the subject completely.

“You know we're not allowed to talk about it outside of the labs,” Matt said apologetically. “But without going into too much detail, it's going a little more slowly than we'd like. There are some new restrictions being passed on what goods can be brought to Earth and by who, and until they work out all of the details, we can't get in the equipment and materials we need in order to continue.”

“Seriously? What are they thinking?”

Sam set down his fork, turning his attention to their conversation. “In a way, it does work to our benefit. We have more time than expected to run checks and extra tests to ensure everything will work the way it's meant to.”

“Except that all we can do is run simulations, which can't account for the differences that Altean tech makes when combined with our own,” Matt pointed out, sounding bitter.

Colleen cleared her throat. “I think that's enough work chatter for tonight.”

Pidge and Matt exchanged a glance, silently communicating: “What else is there?”

“Well then, how about a little good news?” Sam asked. “We have officially been granted permission to host a festival celebrating the liberation of the galaxy from Galra control.”

“Wait, really? Dad, that's awesome!” Matt cheered.

Sam nodded. “I need you all to keep this a secret for now. They won't be making the announcement for another few days, since they're finalizing the location and central theme, so no talking about it to anyone else.”

His family was quick to agree to that and the rest of their dinner was spent trying to guess what a Garrison-run festival would be like.

---

Pidge woke up in high spirits the next morning and, after breakfast, slipped into her comfiest clothing with the intent of finally sitting down to binge the new show Rizavi hadn't shut up about for weeks. With the longer pieces of her hair pinned out of the way with two bright green clips, she flopped down on her bed and reached for her remote.

“Katie, you have a visitor!”

She tried not to groan as her mom's voice rang out, loud and clear. She swore if Rizavi was at the door, waiting to drag her and Kinkade off on another crazy adventure that was sure to land the three of them in Iverson's office, she was going to run away and join Lance on his farm, just to have a moment of peace.

Okay, maybe that was a little extreme.

Pidge would hate living on a farm.

She bid goodbye to her relaxing day in as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her small purse, knowing it was best to be prepared when it came to Rizavi. The other girl wouldn't give her a chance to speak, let alone grab her things. (Honestly, she loved that Rizavi included her in outings, she just wished the pilot knew how to slow down sometimes – a sentiment shared by Kinkade.)

Pidge took a deep breath and opened her bedroom door. “Ri-- Keith?!”

Standing near the front door was Keith, his black hair tied back in a short ponytail, looking mildly uncomfortable in what she assumed was clothing borrowed from Shiro. (The cuffs on his pants were rolled up, for one, and the t-shirt with Godzilla on it had been a gift from Matt.)

Keith smiled softly when he saw her. “Hey, it's been a while.”

Pidge found herself smiling back. “Too long. Welcome back!”

“Did I come at a bad time?” Keith asked, gesturing to her bag.

Pidge glanced down to see what he was talking about. “Oh, no! No, you're fine. I kind of thought you were Rizavi. She likes to drop by unannounced when she has free time and I've learned its better to be prepared before I open the door. Do you want to sit down?”

Keith shook his head. “Actually, I was hoping you would go out to the city with me. Shiro was going to take me so I could pick up a few things, but they called him and Curtis in for some meeting this morning. He suggested I ask you.”

That was not a request Pidge expected to hear from him, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go shopping with Keith.

“I'll go, just let me grab Matt's keys,” Pidge said, turning away to grab her brother's passkey from its spot on the counter. She knew he would be down in the lab all day and wouldn't mind her borrowing it. “Mom, I'm going out with Keith!”

“Have fun, dear!” Colleen called back from elsewhere in the apartment.

Keith looked at her curiously as they left, moving out into the hallway and towards the exit. “Why do you need Matt's keys?”

“It'll get us into the garage so we don't need to take the shuttle or ask anyone else to drive us,” Pidge explained as she slid the card into her purse. “Technically I'm not supposed to have one, but the guards don't care as long as I'm careful and get back on time.”

“And here I thought I was the rebel of our team.”

Recognizing it for the joke that it was, Pidge teased back: “worried that I might steal your crown?”

Keith glanced down at her. “Depends. Do the guards really let you leave with a car or does it involve more sneaking?”

“Sneaking at first, but now they know me by name,” Pidge admitted. When he smirked at her, she rolled her eyes. “Well, alright then, King of the Rebels, what's the best story you've got?”

Keith took a moment to think about it, studiously ignoring the stares they received as they walked the halls.

Pidge figured they must have made an interesting sight. Her, the daughter of Sam and Colleen Holt, walking around in starry leggings and a too-big shirt that fit more like a short dress. And then him, almost a stranger to the Garrison after his time away, dressed in clothing equally as ill-fitting.

“I stole Shiro's car once.”

Pidge nearly stopped dead in her tracks. “You didn't!”

“I did,” Keith said with a nod. “He came to my school to talk about the space program and he brought this portable simulator so my class could try it out. I... I was difficult then, is the easy way to put it. Didn't get along with anyone. Didn't want to.”

Pidge had a sarcastic comment ready, but there was something about his tone of voice that had her hold her tongue.

“Anyway, all it took was one stupid comment and I needed to get out of there. Saw Shiro talking to my teacher and figured it was a lost cause anyway – the Garrison wouldn't want some troublemaker like me even if I did give it a chance. So I stole Shiro's car.” Keith shrugged as though it were no big deal. “I got caught, of course, and would have spent the night at a juvenile detention center if it weren't for Shiro speaking up for me. Even after all of that, he said I should apply to the Garrison. And the rest is history.”

Pidge let silence settle between them. She knew that he and Shiro were close, but it was the first time she heard the story of how they met.

“I, uh,” she paused for a moment to recall what they were talking about before. “I ran away from home and joined the Garrison under a false name. How's that for rebellion?”

Keith chuckled. “Not bad, but I punched Iverson and then ran away to live in a house in the desert before he could give me an actual punishment.”

“Wait, wait. Let me get this straight; you stole Shiro's car and you also punched Iverson? And Lance says I have no people skills!” She threw up her hands in defeat.

“So does this mean I'm still the king?”

“For now,” Pidge responded and for a moment had to wonder just what kind of challenge she'd accidentally initiated. But then they shared a glance and broke out into laughter over the whole thing.

They spent the rest of their walk just catching up on what they had been doing for the past few months. Keith spoke of the planets he'd seen and the people he helped, all the while keeping Zethrid and Ezor from terrorizing everyone with their playful antics. Pidge deliberately avoided her issues with the WLC, instead focusing on her personal projects and stories of Bae Bae running rampant through the base.

“Luckily, Iverson thinks she's hilarious and the MFE crew basically adopted her as their mascot, so she's living the best doggy life,” Pidge said as they reached a door to the garage. She took out the keycard and pressed it to the scanner so they could enter.

After a quick glance around to confirm there was no one around who would cause problems for them, Pidge held out the keycard to Keith. “It's your pick.”

Looking confused, Keith took the card. “My pick?”

“I know it's been a while since you last drove here on Earth, and I thought you might like to while you're here,” Pidge said with a shrug. “I normally drive one of the standard sedans, but the choice is all yours today.”

Keith took a moment to look around. There were all of the standard off-road vehicles favored by the Galaxy Garrison, built to handle the harsher terrain of the desert, but there were a surprising number of smaller cars mixed in, likely due to the expanded staff in the wake of the invasion.

Somehow, Pidge wasn't at all surprised when Keith gravitated towards the newest model of their Hoverbikes – one capable of switching between street and off-road modes. While it wasn't red like the one he drove while rescuing Shiro, it did have bright splashes of orange pain set against Garrison gray.

He climbed on first, checking over the controls and getting a feel for the bike, but soon he held out his hand to help Pidge up. While she got settled, he dug through a latched compartment until he found two pairs of goggles and handed one back to Pidge.

“Ready when you are,” Pidge said, carefully sliding them on over her glasses.

Keith took her words to heart and started the bike, which came to life with a humming purr and lifted up off the ground. He carefully guided it through the garage, hyper-aware of Pidge's light grip on his waist.

Pidge waved to the guards when they stopped at the main gate to scan the keycard one last time. “We'll be back by curfew!”

She squealed as Keith sped up on the other side of the gate, sliding her arms fully around his waist so she felt less like she would fly away at any second. Her hair whipped around her face, stinging slightly, and she pressed closer against Keith's back, using him to block the worst of the wind. Her heart pounded in her chest at first, but calmed down by the time they reached Plaht City.

Keith pulled into the first parking lot they found and miraculously found an empty space to pull into. Once he turned off the bike, he helped Pidge slide down and she laughed a little breathlessly, a massive grin on her face. He watched her pull free the hair pins and try to smooth out her hair, realizing after a few seconds that he was staring, and then joined her on the ground. He pointedly looked away, taking in the changes that they city had gone through.

The rebuilding seemed to have gone well, though there were still a few skyscrapers under heavy construction deeper in the city limits. What really caught his attention were the colorful tents lining the streets, full of goods from all over the universe, and arranged in a way that they didn't block any of the brick and mortar shops who had also thrown up bright banners to entice people inside. All of it did restrict the flow of traffic, however, leaving just enough street space for bicycles and a new trolley system to travel both ways. (Keith supposed that if an emergency vehicle needed to get through, there was enough space as well.)

It was an entirely different Plaht City.

“So, where to first? Or do you just want to walk and pick places as we go?” Pidge asked.

“I just need clothes,” Keith said, warily keeping his eyes on the crowded streets. He swallowed, wondering if he was really up for being surrounded by that many strangers, even with Pidge there to watch his back. There were too many unknown variables for him to be comfortable with.

Pidge seemed to pick up on his worry, because she nodded and said “I know a few good places, so it shouldn't take us long to find what you want. We'll just go until you're satisfied with what you've found.”

The two set off down the street, Keith following Pidge and hoping that she was right. After being in space for so long, he felt grossly unprepared for dealing with large crowds – even with his current peacekeeping tasks. At least with that there were only a few locals he needed to talk to, usually the leaders and those they brought with them to help transport supplies.

Keith kept an eye out for any threats and ways to make a quick escape if it came down to it. He didn't realize he was doing it until Pidge softly called his name.

“We don't have to do this today, you know,” she offered. “You just got back. We could ride around the desert or something.”

It was a tempting offer.

Keith shook his head. “Maybe once we're done, but I don't want to keep borrowing Shiro's stuff.”

“Not a fan of Godzilla? More of a Mothra kind of guy?” Pidge asked teasingly.

Keith couldn't help but chuckle at the silly direction their conversation turned. It did wonders to help him relax and he wondered if Pidge was doing it on purpose. “I think giant monsters are more Shiro's thing. I'm more into cryptids. Local legends. That sort of thing.”

“So not Mothra, but Mothman. Got it.” Pidge grinned up at him, pleased by her own joke.

Keith wasn't going to let her have all of the fun. “Let me guess, you're a Bigfoot fan?”

“They are the classic cryptid, with variations all across the globe, and you can't go wrong with that. Besides, I can appreciate that they've made a game out of teasing Bigfoot hunters over the years,” Pidge said.

(How was that a real conversation they were having? It was surreal.)

“Well, now that I know you've secretly been a nerd this whole time, I have to show you this place Matt and I found. You'll love it!” Pidge excitedly reached for her hand, tugging him along as she began walking faster.

Keith increased his stride in order to keep up with her.

It didn't take long to reach their destination, which was a small clothing shop tucked away in a corner next to a salon and a pizza place. Pidge pulled him inside and cut straight to the back of the store, where Keith quickly discovered the reason for her excitement.

Specialty shirts, separated by their subject matter. Cryptids were all lumped together and sorted by alphabetical order, with a miscellaneous category for any that were more rare. Across the back wall was an even larger section labeled 'Area 51'.

Keith didn't know where to start.

Pidge let go of his hand and laughed gleefully as she dove into the nearest rack. “This is where Matt and I did our holiday shopping. Ooo, look!” She held up a shirt with a picture of a purposefully pixelated image of the Loch Ness Monster.

He snorted in amusement and Pidge went back to her search. While it wasn't a place he normally would have picked to do shopping at, he figured he could at least get a shirt for Pidge, as a thank you for joining him. It was with that goal in mind that he joined the searching, holding u anything interesting for Pidge's approval or disapproval, and laughing at some of the more bizarre (and sometimes inappropriate) ones they found.

They each bought a shirt before leaving, and it was with high spirits that they set off to accomplish the rest of their mission.

Pidge was an interesting travel companion. She could talk about nearly anything and didn't always expect for him to have a reply, but it wasn't idle chatter. She knew a lot about how the city rebuild was going and which parts had been left mostly untouched, versus what had to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. More importantly, she did know the shops of the area.

By the time lunch rolled around, he had a decent set of clothes that would last him through his week vacation. After the last one, they grabbed a meal from the food trucks in the area and ate as they walked back to the hoverbike.

“Pidge, thanks for coming with me,” Keith said sincerely. “I'm sure you had other things you wanted to do today and I really appreciate it.”

She slowed down a little, staring up at him with a furrowed brow. “I can do those things anytime, you know? But you're only here for a little while and I'd give up a full week of work to spend time with you.”

Keith felt his cheeks heated up and he looked away from her, hoping she didn't notice. He struggled to find they right response without letting his own feelings spill out. “You, uh, might regret saying that when I tell you I'll be here for at least a week.”

“You are?” Pidge asked in surprise. “That's awesome! And okay, I slightly take back what I said before, because I know you'll want to spend time with Shiro too, but I really did mean it. I... I've missed having you around. More than I thought, actually...” She trailed off, lost in her own thoughts and clearly not expecting an answer.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, tossing their trash into the proper bins once they were done,and then there was no more talk as they drove the thirty minutes back to the Garrison.

#voltron #kidge #kidgemas #fanfiction #background shurtis #post season 8 #galra courtship #mostly canon compliant #Instinct

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tesworldthink · 5 years

Text

Tsaesci / Цаэски

Tsaesci (pronounced Say-es-see[2] or Say-chee[3]) are a race of vampiric serpent folk and/or humans, hailing from the continent of Akavir.[4] They originated from the Wandering Ehlnofey, just as the Atmorans and Yokudans did.[5]

A silver Akaviri mask bearing the likeliness of a Tsaesci.[1]

History

The First Tsaesci Invasion

For thousands of years, the Tsaesci lived, and presumably thrived, on Akavir, without disturbing or being disturbed by Tamriel. Late in the First Era, around 2703, the Tsaesci invaded Tamriel, at a time when the Cyrodilic Empire was still fairly small. This invasion is usually credited with forcing the Colovian Empire to officially join the Cyrodilic Empire, under then-Emperor King Reman I. The invaders managed to fight their way through northern Tamriel, into the Jerall Mountains near Bruma. Reman eventually defeated the Tsaesci, trapping them at Pale Pass and cutting off their supply lines until they died or fled back to Akavir.[6]

After their defeat, the Empire granted amnesty to many of the remaining Tsaesci men, including taking them on in key political and military roles. The Tsaesci presumably bred into the Imperial families, as Tsaesci surnames are now considered a thing of pride among Imperial nobility. There are rumored to be small clans of "true" Akaviri still on Tamriel, though the details are inconsistent. The military prowess of the Tsaesci was one of the key reasons the Empire was able to expand as successfully as it did.

A Serpent King

At the end of the First Era, in 1E 2920, a Tsaesci Potentate named Versidue-Shaie was advisor to Emperor Reman III as part of the emperor's attempt to conquer Morrowind. A theory states that the Potentate was secretly plotting to eliminate the royal family (another possible source of their depiction as "snake-men"), and eventually succeeded. The heirs of Reman III were all killed, in battle or by hired assassins, and eventually Reman himself died without a successor. The Potentate assumed command of the Empire, and ruled for over 300 years before being assassinated by the Morag Tong. His son then ruled for another 100 years, before he was also assassinated and the Elder Council put an Imperial back on the throne. At that point, the Tsaesci and Akavir in general disappeared from historical record, until the time of Uriel V and his Akaviri invasion.

Founder of the Fighters Guild

In 2E 320, a Tsaesci warrior, Dinieras-Ves "the Iron" presented to Potentate Versidue-Shaie, amidst the chaos of constant revolts and financial bankruptcy within the empire a solution to the plaguing issues. He suggested an order of mercantile warriors, named the Syffim, hired by the aristocracy which would serve in place of a standing army, as well as a percentage of the profits being invested back into the imperial treasury, effectively solving two of Versidue-Shaie's biggest issues. Following the Guilds Act, the Syffim was renamed to the Fighters Guild, an already popular name for the organisation and legitimised as an order. Versidue-Shaie's successor, Savirien-Chorak reformed the empire's army, breaking the reliance on the Fighters Guild for military capacities. Following the reforms, the Fighters Guild was reduced to more mercenary based work and Dinieras-Ves disappeared into obscurity.

Uriel and the Tsaesci

Around 3E 290, near the end of his reign, Emperor Uriel Septim V launched an invasion of Akavir.[7]Uriel had mostly succeeded in stabilizing his empire on Tamriel, including retaking lands recently lost to revolt, and was anxious to focus the might of the Empire outside of itself. Relying primarily on information retained from the First Era Potentates, and extensive reconnaissance of the areas between Akavir and Tamriel, the Emperor launched a military initiative to conquer the small island kingdoms in the Padomaic Ocean, to the east of Morrowind, most notably, Black Harbor, which served as a base for the Imperial navy.[7] When he finally reached Akavir itself (far to the east of Tamriel), he landed in the kingdom of Tsaesci, on the southeastern Akaviri coast.

According to the official record of the invasion, it was initially successful, but primarily due to a lack of Tsaesci resistance. Once the Tsaesci armies decided to put up a fight, the Imperial armies were routed in short order, with nearly the entire invasion force lost. Only a fraction of one naval fleet managed to return across the ocean to safety back home. The Emperor himself was killed before he was able to flee Akavir, and to date there have not been any subsequent attempts to invade the continent. In addition to the obvious military prowess of the Tsaesci, there are persistent rumors that the Tsaesci mages possess very potent abilities, including changing the weather patterns off the Akaviri coast, and large-scale disruption of magical communication lines.

Anatomy

The continent of Akavir, in general, is the least understood of all of Nirn's continents. Only three times in recorded history have inhabitants from the two continents mingled, all three being military invasions, two of which involved the Tsaesci. Thus, the Tsaesci are the only race on Akavir that the majority of Tamriel has even heard of. What little we do know about Akavir's other races mostly derives from accounts related to the Tsaesci Potentates during the late First and early Second Eras.

Even though the Tsaesci are the best known of Akavir's inhabitants, very little is known about them, and much of it is contradictory or cryptic. Within the current lore of Tamriel, there are two quite different depictions of the Tsaesci. Some evidence seems to indicate that they are humans, much like the Nords and Redguards from their respective continents. Other evidence, however, paints a much stranger picture, as vampiric snake-like creatures that feed on humans.[4] One source says that the serpentine beings are tall and beautiful with golden scales.[4]

Serpentine folk

Early depictions of the Tsaesci almost invariably describe them as having the upper body of a man but the lower body of a snake. The most direct evidence of these "snake folk" comes from Mysterious Akavir, which claims that the vampire snakes of Tsaesci ate all of the humans that once lived on Akavir.[4] The reputability of this book is frequently questioned, however, as few of its other claims have been independently verified.[citation needed]A much more reliable source is the series of 2920 books that describe the events that ushered in the Second Era. One of the key elements of this series is the plot by the Tsaesci Potentate, a close adviser to Emperor Reman III, to have the king and his heirs assassinated, and assume the throne in his place.[4] Though the books are written in a narrative, as opposed to a historical style, they are extensive, detailed, and the author is considered to be quite credible. These books explicitly describe the Tsaesci Potentate, and his son, in serpentine terms (as "eels", moving by "slithering", etc.) An obscure text known as "And We Ate It To Become It" purporting to be the Tsaesci's version of the creation myth, is strongly steeped in snake-like and reptile-like symbolism and phraseology.[UL 1]

In The Elder Scrolls Online, a reward for a quest in Stonefalls to bless the bones of those who died in the Second Akaviri Invasion has the following description: "These gauntlets were designed to choke the scaled throats of the Akaviri invaders." More evidence of this serpentine physiology comes from veterans of the Second Akaviri Invasion: Fedrasa Andrethi, who has become terrified of any reptile she sees since the war, especially lizards, and Denskar Earth-Turner, who refers to the Akaviri as "the Snakes."[8] It is also supported by Priestess Brela, who states the Akaviri were "Snake men."[9]

Men

Other written accounts of the Tsaesci seem to contradict the popular legend, however. A religious text on the Imperial creation myth, The Annotated Anuad, lists the Tsaesci alongside the Redguard and Nedes as one of the races of men. A detailed report of Uriel V's invasion of Akavir, which first attempted to conquer Tsaesci, describes them as mounted men, and makes no mention of snake-like qualities.

In addition, the Tsaesci had a very strong influence on Imperial culture dating from the early Second Era, including being the genesis for the Fighter's Guild and Imperial Blades. Despite this, there are no pictorial depictions, or any other physical evidence, that would indicate that the Tsaesci were anything other than human. The question has been further complicated by a recent re-discovery of a Tsaesci fortress, deep in the Pale Pass on the Cyrodiil - Skyrim border. The remains of the Tsaesci found inside, including the apparition of a Tsaesci officer, all appeared entirely human. The Tsaesci also interbred heavily with the aristocracy of the time. Modern-day nobles consider it a high honor to possess a Tsaesci surname and facial features.

During one of the invasions, the Akaviri built Sky Haven Temple as explained by Esbern during the events of Skyrim.[10] And inside the Temple lies Alduin's wall, built during their occupation of Skyrim. In the third panel, the Akaviri are kneeling before the Dragonborn and are depicted as humanoid figures which may mean they are human.[10]

Theories

There are a variety of theories that attempt to explain this contradiction. The most clear-cut are simply that one or the other of these conflicting images of the Tsaesci are simply wrong. Many scholars have attempted to reconcile the contradiction in a more practical manner. Some of the better-known theories are:

The Tsaesci are entirely human, as noted above.

The Tsaesci are entirely snakes, but have enslaved the humans on their continent (instead of eating them) and use the humans to make up the bulk of their armies. Goblins were also said to be the slaves of the Tsaesci.[4] As political savants, the Tsaesci were wise enough to limit their direct interaction with humans from other lands to only high-ranking nobles of both races. In this case, both the snake people and their human slaves would be considered Tsaesci, with the humans being able to blend in with Imperial society. Since the invading armies of the Tsaesci were more often referred to as "Akaviri" instead of "Tsaesci", it would seem the invasions mainly consisted of human Akaviri footsoldiers, with the Tsaesci only being present as high-ranking officers. This also puts a slightly different spin on the "amnesty" granted by Reman I -- it may have been more of an asylum for the human slaves against their Tsaesci masters.

The final theory is that there were two races of beings, one human and one snake-like. It is worth noting that the humans are never directly referred to as "Tsaesci" but usually as "Akavir". This supports the idea of two different races. During the two invasions the human Akavir still lived but sometime after the Empire's failed invasion, they were wiped out by the snake-men, the Tsaesci. Thus today there are no humans on Akavir.

Culture

Regardless of which of the views of the Tsaesci people are correct, there is a good bit of information available on their culture, dating from the time of their first invasion. They were known as powerful warriors, especially when mounted, and are very disciplined soldiers. Their battle prowess made them ideal as guardsmen, and by the Third Era, the descendants of Akaviri men were training nearly the entire Imperial Army, Imperial Guard, and made up the bulk of the Fighter's Guild and the Emperor's personal guard. The Emperors of Cyrodiil also traditionally kept a Tsaesci advisor, or Potentate, on hand.

The Tsaesci fought with daikatana blades, and wore dragonscale armor, their army gear became the source of most of the traditional raiment and banners of the Blades. They also apparently had tamed, and perhaps even rode, the Akaviri dragons in battle. The red dragon was eventually adopted as the main symbol of the Imperial Septim Dynasty. Of particular note, Reman I was the Emperor who instituted the tradition of lighting the dragonfires and was ruling Cyrodiil at the time of the Tsaesci invasion.

In addition to being powerful individual warriors, the Tsaesci are very potent as a unified military force. A relatively small invasion force managed to fight its way through all of Skyrim, and into the northern Jerall Mountains, before ultimately being stopped only by the combined armies of Cyrodiil, Colovia, and their allies. When Uriel V invaded Akavir, with as large an army as he dared pull out of Cyrodiil, he was soundly defeated by a Tsaesci army that, by all reports, was barely even seen before they struck. The military prowess of the Tsaesci so impressed Reman I that he granted amnesty to any Tsaesci left on Tamriel after their failed invasion and promoted a Tsaesci adviser to the high political office of Potentate.

They seem to make buildings of stone as evidenced by Cloud Ruler and Sky Haven Temple. They have blood seals that can only be triggered by a specific kind. The Tsaesci appear heavily based on both Imperial China and feudal Japan. The Chinese influence in the Tsaesci culture can be seen from their architectural style as well as their status as the most powerful kingdom in Akavir, which reflects pre-modern China's traditional status as the most powerful kingdom in East Asia. The Japanese influence can be seen from their weapons, the katanas, and dai-katana, which are traditional Japanese weapons, as well as their armor designs. They use hieroglyphic-like murals for story telling. In a book called Annals of the Dragonguard, a map with their written language can be seen.

Lifespan

Not much is known regarding the Tsaesci's lifespan, but the member of the race Versidue Shaie was known to have been alive from at least 2E 1–2E 324 until his assassination. From this it can be known that the Tsaesci can live for hundreds of years. Because the cause of death was assassination it is unknown how long the natural lifespan is.[11] According to some sources, the Tsaesci are in fact immortal.[12]

Notable Tsaesci

Versidue Shaie – Potentate (not to be confused with an Emperor) for three centuries after the death of the Reman Bloodline

Savirien Chorak – Versidue's son and potentate for around a century following his father's death

Dinieras-Ves – The founder of the Fighters Guild

Sidri-Ashak – An advisor and potentate to Brazollus Dor who managed the emperor's affairs

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Цаэски (ориг. Tsaesci) — вампирский змеиный и/или человеческий народ с материка Акавир.[1] Это древний народ, имеющий хорошо организованное общество и государство. Также они имеют самый сильный флот своего континента. Кроме того, предполагается, что представители этой расы являются могущественными магами, способными манипулировать даже погодой.[2]

В переводе с акавирского языка слово «цаэски» переводится как змеиный дворец. Как выглядят цаэски доподлинно неизвестно, поскольку эта раса полна слухами, а надёжных источников о них нет. Природа этой расы — это гобелен исторических противоречий, поэтому даже то немногое, что о них известно, подвергается сомнению. Невозможно отделить факты от возможных домыслов рассказчиков, стремящимися сделать цаэски более чудовищными.

Серебряная маска акавирца, вероятно, цаэски.

История

Предполагается, что цаэски произошли от эльнофей, точно так же, как атморанцы и йокуданцы.[3] В начале своей истории и до конца Второй эры цивилизация этой расы была доминирующей на Акавире, до того, как они начали свою войну с драконами и Ка По'Тун. В конечном счёте это ослабило империю цаэски, что привело к потере лидерства на континенте (только на суше, море осталось под их контролем).

Вторжение цаэски в Тамриэль

Ком��ндующий армией цаэски Мишаххи в Белом Проходе.

В течение тысячелетий цаэски жили и, по-видимому, процветали на Акавире, не обращая внимания и не тревожась по поводу Тамриэля. Ближе к концу Первой эры, около 1Э 2703, когда новая человеческая империя была ещё совсем юна и невелика, цаэски вторглись в Тамриэль. Считается, что именно в ходе этого вторжения Коловия была присоединена к владениям Ремана I. Захватчикам удалось пробиться через северный Тамриэль в горы Джерол возле Брумы. В конечном итоге Реман победил цаэски, заманив их в ловушку в Белом Проходе и перерезав их линии снабжения, тем самым поставив их в тяжёлое положение и вынудив их капитулировать. Часть цаэски при этом умудрилась сбежать обратно в Акавир.[4]

После поражения цаэски Империя предоставила амнистию многим из них, и даже впоследствии допустила их участие в ключевых политических и военных ролях, в том числе и к управлению самой Империей в первые 430 лет Второй эры. Выжившие цаэски в Сиродиле служили наёмниками и личными стражами дворян.[5] Они оказали большое влияние на имперские институты и культуру, в том числе и на доктрины и снаряжение Имперского легиона, создание прообраза Клинков, Драконьей Стражи и Гильдии бойцов. Именно благодаря цаэски в Тамриэле впервые появилось акавирское оружие и архитектура, благоговение имперской аристократии ко всему акавирскому и принятие дракона как символа людских империй. Предполагается, что цаэски в определённый период своей истории в Тамриэле породнились с правящими домами Сиродила, поскольку ныне фамилии цаэски считаются предметом гордости имперского дворянства. Ходят слухи, что кое-где на Тамриэле всё ещё могут обитать небольшие кланы «настоящих» акавирцев, хотя детали этих слухов противоречивы. Военное мастерство цаэски было одной из ключевых причин, благодаря которым расширение Империи не только не замедлилось, но и продолжалось с тем же успехом, что и раньше.

Король-змея

Кожаный шлем цаэски.

В конце Первой эры, в 1Э 2920, цаэски-потентат по имени Версидью-Шайе был советником Императора Ремана III в рамках попытки императора покорить Морровинд. Утверждается, что потентат тайно замышлял уничтожить королевскую семью (ещё один возможный повод впоследствии их изображения как «змеиных людей»), и, в конечном итоге, преуспел. Все наследники Ремана III погибли в бою либо же были убиты наёмными убийцами, равно как и сам Реман, погибший от руки ассасинов Мораг Тонг и не оставивший после себя наследников. После смерти Ремана III династия Реманов пресеклась, и Версидью-Шайе сам возглавил империю и правил ею более 300 лет вплоть до 2Э 324, когда он оказался убит ассасинами Мораг Тонг. Затем его сын Савириен-Чорак правил ещё 100 лет, прежде чем был также убит во 2Э 430 уже ассасином Тёмного братства, а Совет старейшин вернул престол имперцам, изгнавшим цаэски из Сиродила. Беженцы осели в Эльсвейре, где создали королевство Риммен. Известно, что в период Междуцарствия цаэски, совместно с камаль, предприняли попытку возродить Вторую Империю, но потерпели неудачу[5]. После этих событий цаэски и Акавир вообще исчезли из исторических источников вплоть до периода правления императора уже другой империи Уриэля V и его собственного вторжения в Акавир уже больше 7 с половиной веков спустя.

Основание Гильдии бойцов

Во 2Э 320 воин цаэски Диниерас-Вес «Железный» на фоне бушующего по всей империи хаоса, постоянных восстаний и полного банкротства Империи представил потентату Версидью-Шайе решение проблемных вопросов. Он предложил создать орден торговых воинов, названный «Сиффим», который, будучи нанятый аристократией, будет служить вместо постоянной армии, а процент от прибыли будет возвращаться им обратно в имперскую казну, эффективно решая сразу две актуальных проблемы имперской власти того времени. В соответствии с Законом о гильдиях, Сиффим был переименован в Гильдию бойцов, ставший впоследствии весьма популярным названием организации, и узаконен как орден. Преемник Версидью-Шайе, Савириен-Чорак, реформировал армию империи, ликвидировав её зависимость в военном аспекте от Гильдии бойцов. После реформ Гильдия бойцов была превращена в обычную наёмническую организацию, а сам Диниерас-Вес по некоторым данным пропал без вести.

Вторжение тамриэльцев в Акавир

Около 3Э 288, ближе к концу своего правления, император Уриэль Септим V начал вторжение в Акавир.[2] Уриэлю в основном удалось стабилизировать свою империю на Тамриэле, включая захват земель, недавно потерянных вследствие восстания, и он стремился продолжить расширение своей империи за пределы Тамриэля. Полагаясь, главным образом, на информацию, полученную от потентатов периода Первой эры и на обширную разведку областей между Акавиром и Тамриэлем, император выступил с военной инициативой по завоеванию небольших островных королевств в Падомайском океане, к востоку от Морровинда, прежде всего, Чёрной гавани, которая служила базой для имперского флота.[2] Когда он, наконец, достиг самого Акавира (далеко к востоку от Тамриэля), он высадился со своей армией на территории королевства цаэски на юго-восточном побережье Акавира.

Согласно официальному отчёту о вторжении, первоначально оно было успешным, но в основном из-за отсутствия сопротивления самих цаэски. Но как только армии цаэски спустя 2 года после начала имперского вторжения решили вступить в бой, имперские армии вскоре оказались разбиты, и почти все силы вторжения были потеряны. Только часть военно-морского флота сумела вернуться через океан обратно на родину. Сам император погиб прежде, чем сумел бежать из Акавира,[2] и до настоящего времени ни один последующий император так и не попытался вторгнуться на восточный континент. В дополнение к очевидному военному мастерству цаэски ходят слухи о том, что маги цаэски обладают очень могущественными способностями, включая изменение погодных условий у побережья Акавира и крупномасштабные нарушения магических линий связи. Этим и объясняется внезапная неблагоприятная погода, наступившая после начала цаэски активных военных действий, что совершенно не походило на простое совпадение.[2]

После вторжения

Поскольку после фиаско военной экспедиции императора Уриэля V никто из его последователей так и не пожелал попытаться повторить его попытку, любые контакты между цаэски и Тамриэлем отсутствуют, а потому история народа цаэски в период Четвёртой эры неизвестна. Предположительно, что после сюжета игры The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Нереварин, который, по слухам,[6] отправился на Акавир, мог столкнуться с цаэски, но случилось ли это и чем закончилось — неизвестно.

Внешний вид и особенности

Континент Акавир является наименее изученным из всех континентов Нирна. Только 3 раза за всю историю Нирна жители Тамриэля и Акавира сталкивались друг с другом, причём все 3 случая контакта были связаны с полноценными войнами между континентами, причём сами цаэски приняли участие в двух этих войнах из трёх. Таким образом, цаэски — это единственная раса во всём Акавире, о котором наслышано большинство жителей Тамриэля. Даже та, куда меньшая информация об остальных расах Акавира, что нам известна, в основном исходит от потентатов-цаэски на рубеже Первой и Второй эр.

И даже несмотря на то, что цаэски являются самыми известными из жителей Акавира, о них известно очень мало, и многое из этого является противоречивым или загадочным. В нынешних преданиях Тамриэля есть два совершенно разных образа внешнего вида цаэски: некоторые описывают их как очень похожих на нордов и редгардов, другие же приписывают цаэски человеческую верхнюю и змеиную нижнюю часть тела, а иные утверждают, что они полностью похожи на змей.[1] Распространено мнение, что цаэски высокие, покрытые золотой чешуёй, красивые и страшные одновременно, бессмертные существа.[1]

В дополнение ко всем этим противоречиям также утверждается, что так называемые змеелюди, очевидно, «сожрали» людей, которые жили на Акавире, хотя зная особенности акавирского языка вполне вероятно, что на самом деле имеется ввиду либо покорение и порабощение людей и меров Акавира, либо же их ассимиляция.[1] Предполагается, что цаэски сражаются без щитов и доспехов, используя в бою только такие мечи, как дай-катана.[7] Правда при этом есть сведения, что цаэски всё же облачаются в драконьи доспехи.

Они также поработили гоблинов с окрестных островов, и те работают на них и дают свежую кровь для питания.

Примечание: Судя по всему, образ цаэски — отсылка к мифологии индуизма, где присутствуют такие существа, как наги.

Змеиные признаки цаэски

Ранние источники почти всегда описывают цаэски как существ с верхней частью тела человека, но нижней частью тела змеи. Основной упор на «змеиную» природу цаэски делается в книге «Таинственный Акавир», которая утверждает, что вампиры-змеи цаэски сожрали всех людей, которые некогда жили на Акавире.[1] Однако авторитетн��сть этой книги часто ставится под сомнение, поскольку лишь немногие из многочисленных утверждений в этой книге были проверены независимыми источниками. Гораздо более надёжным источником является серия книг «2920, Последний год Первой эры», в которой описываются события, положившие конец Первой и положившие начало Второй эр. Одним из ключевых элементов этой серии книг является заговор цаэски-потентата и близкого советника императора Ремана III, Версидью-Шайе с целью убить императора и его наследников и самому занять трон.[8] Хотя книги и написаны в стиле повествования, отличного от исторического стиля, они обширны, подробны, а их автор считается весьма заслуживающим доверия. В этих книгах явным образом описывается династия цаэски-потентатов Версидью-Шайе и его сына Савириен-Чорака с применением «змееобразных» терминов, к примеру «угри», движущиеся «скользя» и т.д. Неизвестный текст, известный как «И мы ели это, чтобы стать этим», представляющий собой миф сотворения мира по версии цаэски, сильно пропитан змеиным и рептилооподобным символизмом и фразеологией.[9]

В The Elder Scrolls Online, несмотря на то, что второе вторжение акавирцев на Тамриэль проводилось силами расы камаль и возглавлялось их королём, Ада'Сум Дир-Камалем.[10], захватчиков называют «змеелюдьми». Так, например: наградой за квест по благословлению костей погибших в ходе второго акавирского вторжения в Стоунфоллз становится предмет экипировки, имеющий следующее описание: «Эти рукавицы были разработаны так, чтобы душить чешуйчатые глотки акавирских захватчиков»; ветеран Акавирской войны Федраса Андрети стала бояться любых рептилий, особенно ящериц; Денскар Землекоп в своих записях называет акавирцев «змеями».[11] Его также поддерживает жрица Брела, которая утверждает, что акавирцы были «змеелюдьми».[12]

Примечание: Правда в данном случае прослеживается сюжетная несостыковка: несмотря на то, что разговор идёт о камаль, слишком много намёков на цаэски. Вероятнее всего, эта несостыковка объясняется стереотипами, заставляющими тамриэльцев приписывать змеиные черты всем расам Акавира, либо же обычной невнимательностью и ошибкой сценаристов игры. Также не следует забывать, что внешность камаль нигде не описана, везде их просто называют снежными демонами, не вдаваясь в подробности.

Человеческие признаки цаэски

Храм Небесной гавани.

Не смотря на обилие источников, утверждающих о змеиной природе цаэски, существуют и другие письменные источники, прямо противоречащие этому утверждению. К примеру, в религиозном тексте об имперской версии мифа о творении «Детский Ануад» цаэски наряду с редгардами и нордами прямо называются людьми.[3] Подробный отчёт о вторжении Уриэля V в Акавир, который первым попытался покорить цаэски, описывает их как верховых людей и не упоминает об их якобы змееподобных качествах.[2]

Кроме того, цаэски оказали очень сильное влияние на имперскую культуру в начале Второй эры, в том числе и оказавших значительное влияние на Имперский легион, Гильдию бойцов и имперских Клинков. Несмотря на это, нет никаких графических изображений или каких-либо других вещественных доказательств, которые бы указывали на то, что цаэски были именно змееподобными. Этот вопрос ещё более осложнился недавним повторным открытием крепости цаэски в глубине Белого Прохода на границе Сиродила и Скайрима. Останки цаэски, найденные внутри, оказались полностью человеческими, а обитавший там вплоть до 3Э 433 призрак командующего войсками цаэски Мишаххи также выглядел как человек.

Примечание: это, впрочем, можно списать на игровую условность по причине того, что разработчикам игры The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion было куда легче использовать уже имеющиеся модели и текстуры человеческих скелетов и призраков, чем моделировать новые под цаэски ради одного квеста. По этой же причине во всех айлейдских руинах и пещерах Сиродила обитает исключительно человеческая нежить, без намёков на прочие расы.

Цаэски также часто породнялись с аристократией того времени. Современное дворянство считает большой честью обладать фамилией и чертами лица цаэски. Эсберн рассказывал, что после первого акавирского вторжения акавирская Драконья Стража возвела Храм Небесной гавани на месте одного из главных акавирских военных лагерей.[13] А внутри Храма лежит Стена Алдуина, на котором чётко видны цаэски, что стоят на коленях перед Драконорождённым и изображены в виде людей, что также говорит в пользу их людской природы.[13]

Теории

Существует множество теорий, которые пытаются объяснить это противоречие. Наиболее ясно, что одно из этих противоречивых образов цаэски попросту неверно. Многие учёные пытались примирить противоречие в более практической манере. Вот некоторые из наиболее известных теорий:

Цаэски — это люди, а слухи об их змееподобной внешности произрастают из-за пропаганды имперцев и преувеличениях в рассказах жителей Тамриэля.

Цаэски — это змеи, поработившие (иносказательная форма слова «сожрать» в акавирском языке) людей Акавира и использующие их как основу своих армий. Говорят, что гоблины также порабощены цаэски.[1] Будучи выдающимися политиками, цаэски были достаточно мудры, чтобы ограничить своё прямое взаимодействие с людьми из других стран только высокопоставленными дворянами обеих рас. В этом случае и змеи, и их человеческие рабы будут считаться цаэски, и люди смогут смешаться с имперским обществом. Поскольку вторгающиеся армии цаэски чаще назывались «акавирцами», чем «цаэски», казалось, что вторжения состояли в основном из солдат-акавирцев, причём цаэски присутствовали только как высокопоставленные офицеры. Это также несколько отличает «амнистию», предоставленную Реманом I, — это могло быть больше убежищем для человеческих рабов пр��тив их хозяев цаэски.

Третья теория состоит в том, что существовали две расы людей, одна из которых была похожа на человека, а другая была похожа на змей. Стоит отметить, что люди никогда не упоминаются непосредственно как «цаэски», а обычно как «акавирцы». Это поддерживает идею двух разных рас. Во время обоих войн между тамриэльцами и цаэски люди-акавирцы всё ещё существовали, но спустя некоторое время уже после неудавшегося вторжения Империи они были окончательно истреблены змеями-цаэски. Таким образом, на сегодняшний день на Акавире людей нет.

Последняя теория заключается в том, что цаэски изначально были змееподобной расой, но из-за длительного употребления людей Акавира в пищу (по итогу, полностью сожрав их) постепенно приобрели ряд анатомических особенностей последних. Отсюда и произрастают ноги у слухов о человеческом обличий этой змеиной расы.

Культура

Карта с письменностью цаэски.

Независимо от того, какое из представлений народа цаэски является верным, имеется достаточно информации об их культуре, на��иная со времени их первого вторжения. Они были известны как могущественные воины, особенно когда они были верхом, и очень дисциплинированные солдаты. Их боевое мастерство делало их идеальными гвардейцами и телохранителями, и к Третьей эре потомки акавирцев обучали почти всю Имперскую армию, Имперскую гвардию и составляли основную часть Гильдии бойцов и личной охраны императора. Императоры Сиродила также традиционно имели при себе советника-цаэски или потентата.

Цаэски сражались с клинками дай-катана и носили броню из чешуи дракона, их армейское снаряжение стало источником большей части традиционной одежды и знамён Клинков. Они также, по-видимому, укротили и, возможно, даже оседлали драконов Акавира, используя их в бою. В конце концов именно изображение красного дракона и стало главным символом династии Септимов. Особо следует отметить, что Реман I был императором, который основал традицию зажигания драконьих огней и управлял Сиродилом во время вторжения цаэски.

Помимо того, что цаэски являются могущественными воинами, они очень сильны как единая военная сила. Относительно небольшая сила вторжения сумела пробиться через весь Скайрим и в северные горы Джерол, прежде чем, в конечном итоге, была остановлена только объединёнными армиями Сиродила, Коловии и их союзников. Когда Уриэль V вторгся в Акавир с такой большой армией, какую он только сумел вывести из Тамриэля, он был окончательно побеждён армией цаэски, которая, по всем сообщениям, едва была замечена даже до непосредственного начала самой битвы — насколько она оказалась мала. Правда, судя по тому же отчёту боёв на Акавире можно сделать вывод, что цаэски также обладали высокой организованностью, поскольку уже в ходе боёв их численность увеличивалась вплоть до того, что в определённый момент сложилось впечатление, что войска цаэски превышали войска императора Уриэля V в несколько раз, вынудив 4 его легиона отступить и оставить Ионит. Уже позднее в ходе боёв часть этих легионов вместе с самим императором были окружены и перебиты, что заставляет предполагать наличие у цаэски не только могущественных магов и высокого военного мастерства, но и выдающегося стратегического командования, что делает их по-настоящему ужасающими противниками на войне.

Военная доблесть цаэски настолько впечатлила Ремана I, что он объявил амнистию любому цаэски, оставшемуся на Тамриэле после их неудачного вторжения, и назначил советником цаэски на высокий политический пост в качестве потентата.

Храм Повелителя Облаков.

Судя по всему, архитектура цаэски основана на каменном строительстве, о чём свидетельствуют Храм Повелителя Облаков и Храм Небесной гавани. Стиль оружия и снаряжения цаэски, а также их архитектура в значительной степени основаны как на имперском Китае, так и на феодальной Японии. Влияние Китая на культуру цаэски видно по их архитектурному стилю, а также по их статусу самого могущественного королевства в Акавире, которое отражает традиционный статус предсовременного Китая как самого могущественного государства в Восточной Азии. Японское влияние можно увидеть по их оружию, которое является традиционным японским оружием, а также по дизайну их доспехов. Они используют иероглифические фрески для изложения своих историй. В книге под названием «Анналы Драконьей стражи» можно увидеть карту с их письменным языком.

Цаэски также принесли огромное количество знаний об Акавире и драконах. Благодаря им появились легендарные архивы Клинков.

Известные артефакты цаэски

Клык Рассвета/Заката;

Бич драконов;

Драконий Камень Безумия;

Кольцо Глаз змеи.

Срок жизни

Мало что известно о продолжительности жизни цаэски, но известно, что представитель этой расы Версидью-Шайе жил, по крайней мере, свыше 300 лет в период 2Э 1–2Э 324 года вплоть до своего убийства. Из этого можно узнать, что цаэски могут жить сотни лет. Поскольку его смерть была насильственной, подлинная продолжительность естественной жизни цаэски неизвестна. Согласно некоторым источникам, цаэски могут быть бессмертны, и, если их не убить, будут жить вечно.[14]

Известные представители цаэски

Мишаххи

Сидри-Ашак

Версидью-Шайе

Савириен-Чорак

Диниерас-Вес

#The Elder Scrolls #the elder scolls online #the elder scrolls lore #TESO #tes #tes lore #teslore #Akavir #tsaesci #древние свитки #древние свитки лор #акавир #цаэски

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paralleljulieverse · 5 years

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This Week in Julie-history: Julie Andrews makes her solo television debut on 8 October 1949

Seventy years ago, the young Julie Andrews realised another major milestone in her budding career when she made her first solo television appearance in a special live broadcast of Radiolympia Showtime on October 8, 1949.*

At the time, British television was still in its infancy and Radiolympia –– an annual trade show held at the sprawling Olympia exhibition centre in London –– was a major showcase for the new medium (Law, p. 49ff). The 1936 Radiolympia was where the BBC first launched its TV services to the British public and, by 1938, “television was the main feature of the show” (Briggs 1975, p. 537). The outbreak of war in 1939 saw Radiolympia -- as, indeed, the rollout of television -- put on hold for almost a decade. When the show returned in 1947 it “broke all attendance records” with over 450,000 admissions as the postwar British public clamoured for the sense of promissory modernity represented by television and the entertainment broadcast media (Briggs 1979, p. 201).

By the time of the 1949 Radiolympia, an estimated 200,000 British households had a television set with new licenses selling at the rate of 1,000 units per day––an impressive uptake given TV service was still limited to the greater London area (Hilmes, 31). The country was, however, poised to get its first regional relay transmitter near Birmingham in December of that year, bringing TV to a potential new market of 8.5 million viewers across the populous Midlands (Pawley, 366). Consequently, the 1949 Radiolympia shaped up as “[b]iggest drive ever to sell TV to the public” with "every known trick ...employed to glamorize this new entertainment medium” (“British Launching”, 17).

A key attraction provided by the BBC at the 1949 trade fair was a massive television studio –– the biggest in the word, reportedly (Allister, 334) –– overlooked by a glass encased gallery where audiences could “watch rehearsals as well as transmitted performances” (“British Launching”, 17). Dubbed “television’s big shop window”, the BBC studio at Radiolymia hosted an enticing cavalcade of entertainment across the 12 days of the show with everything from fashion parades and cooking shows to dramatic teleplays, ice revues, and even a grand ballet (”The Scanner”, 21) . Inevitably, ‘variety shows’ formed a key element of the line-up with nightly tentpole specials scheduled for the all-important 8:00p.m. slot. These variety programmes showcased a range of acts drawn from across British and even European entertainment, including many performers who loomed large in Julie’s early career such as Pat Kirkwood, Richard Hearne, Peter Brough and Archie Andrews.

The biggest and best variety special was earmarked for the exhibition’s closing night on Saturday 8 October. Titled Radiolympia Showtime, it was all-out star-studded spectacular, hosted by popular radio personality, Wilfred Pickles, and featuring top talent names of the era such as wartime singing sweetheart, Vera Lynn, comedians Leslie Henson and Reg Varney, jazz trumpeter Kenny Baker, beloved music hall comic–– and Julie’s future stage 'Dad’––Stanley Holloway...and, making her solo TV debut, Britain’s ‘prima donna in pigtails’, Julie Andrews.*

Backed by the BBC orchestra under the direction of conductor, Eric Robinson, Julie sang two songs: her juvenile signature aria, the ‘Polonaise’ from Mignon and “I Heard a Robin Singing”, a number she had performed in the earlier Christmas panto, Humpty Dumpty at the London Casino. Given the embryonic status of TV at the time, there wasn't yet an established culture of TV reviews and most press coverage of the show, as of all the broadcasts from Radiolympia, focussed largely on technology and production aspects rather than broadcast content (Madden 1949). The Sketch called Radiolympia Showtime “a large scale spectacle on music hall lines” (Allister, 334), while the Daily Mail noted that “the baby of the show, Julie Andrews, treated audiences to some beautiful singing” (“Last Night”, 4).

It is not known if any record of Julie’s performance in Radiolympia Showtime exists. As a live emission, the broadcast wouldn’t have been recorded as a matter of course but, given its historical significance, it very well may have been filmed either “on set” or as a kinescope. The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. has a catalogue entry in its film holdings for Radiolympia Showtime (1949) which seems to feature "segments” from the show ––Kenny Baker is listed, for example –– but, whether or not, Julie’s performance is included is unclear. We can but live in hope...

Notes:

* While Radiolympia Showtime was certainly a major step up the career ladder for Julie and helped launch what would become a long association with television, it wasn’t in fact her very first appearance on the small screen. A year earlier, Julie performed on an another BBC variety special, Rooftop Rendezvous on 27 November 1948 (“Rooftop”, 27). For that performance, Julie was billed alongside parents, Ted and Barbara Andrews, so Showtime marked her solo TV debut.

Sources:

Allister, Ray. “Television.” The Sketch. 12 October 1949: 334-35.

Briggs, Asa. The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom: Volume II: The Golden Age of Wireless. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975.

__________. The History of Broadcasting in the United Kingdom: Volume IV: Sound and Vision. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979.

“British Launching Drive to Sell TV to Public Via Olympic Exhibit.” Variety. 14 September 1949: 17.

“Highlights at Radiolympia.” Radio Times. 2-8 October, 1949: 40.

Hilmes, Michele. The Television History Book. London: BFI, 2003.

“Last Night.” Daily Mail. 9 October 1949: 4.

Law, Michael J. 1938: Modern Britain: Social Change and Visions of the Future. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.

Madden, Cecil. “Television Close-Up.” The Sketch. 12 October 1949: 336-37.

Pawley, Edward. BBC Engineering 1922 - 1972, London: BBC, 1972.

“Radiolympia Showtime.” Programme Listing. Radio Times. 2-8 October, 1949: 43.

“Rooftop Rendezvous.” Programme Listing. Radio Times. 21-27 November, 1948: 21.

“The Scanner: Radiolympia is Television’s ‘Big Shop Window’”, Radio Times. 25 September-1 October, 1949: 44-45.

#julie andrews #television #debut #1949 #70th Anniversary #bbc #showtime #radiolympia #london #united kingdom #star

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buckybleeds · 5 years

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Supplementary Reading Materials for Chapter 2 of Nothing Fades Like The Light.

The first page is the one-page history of the US that Nick Fury gives to Steve the day after he wakes up.

The next two pages are from the 10th grade history book Steve is given to read.

All of these pages are technically-factually-true (except the last paragraph of “the cost of freedom” section of the history textbook where mutants and asgardians are discussed) but have a strong bias in their presentation.

Fury’s presentation of US history is VERY US-positive; the textbook is slightly less US positive but still much, much, much more biased than, say, Wikipedia.

Anyway, here’s the text of these pages:

This is the one-page history provided to Steve by Fury. Please note that it is technically factual but VERY biased in its presentation of American Contemporary History.

For release to Cpt. Steven G. Rogers

Per Director Nicholas J. Fury

4/25/2011

Vital points in US History from 3/5/1945 to Present

- April 12th 1945 Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt dies of stroke, succeeded in office by VP Harry S. Truman.

- April 30th 1945 Adolph Hitler commits suicide, Germany surrenders 5/7/1945 Victory is declared in Europe.

- September 2nd 1945 Japan signs terms of surrender after Americans halted a possible invasion through the use of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

- June 24th 1948 Soviet Union blockades communist-controlled East Berlin, prompting American airdrops of food and fuel.

- June 27th 1950 American troops are sent to support South Korea against invading North Korean communists.

- September 24th 1957 Black/White school segregation is ended by presidential order

- August 2nd 1964 Vietnamese torpedo boats attack American Sailors

- November 22nd 1963 US President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas,Tx.

- January-February 1968 North Vietnamese launch a coordinated offensive against American soldiers stationed in South Vietnam

- August 6th 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act, to prevent racial discrimination from hindering democracy.

- July 20th 1969 American Astronauts become the first men to walk on the moon.

- May 3re 1970 US troops launch offensive in Cambodia to counter Vietnamese troops hiding past the Cambodian border.

- January 27th 1973 The US brokers a cease-fire with Vietnam and signs the cease-fire agreement in Paris.

- August 9th 1974 President Richard Nixon resigns and is succeeded and pardoned by VP Gerald Ford.

- April 25th 1980 American Servicemen are killed attempting to free US hostages in Iran

- January 20th 1981 President Ronald Regan is inaugurated and Iranian hostages freed.

- March 30th 1981 Failed assassination attempt on President Ronald Regan

- June 12th 1987 President Regan demands the Soviet Union tear down the Berlin Wall.

- November 9th 1989 Berlin Wall demolished.

- February 1st 1992 US President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin meet to sign an agreement declaring an end to the Cold War.

- June 26th 1993 President Bill Clinton launches an attack against Iraq after failed assassination of former President George Bush.

- September 11th 2001 Terrorists destroy the World Trade Center in New York by flying hijacked planes into the towers, killing over 3000 people

- January 29th 2002 President George W. Bush declares war on Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 terror attacks.

- June 28th 2004 the US returns sovereignty to the Iraqi interim government

- September 10th 2007 The US remains committed to training operations, counter-insurgency measures, and fighting terrorists in Iraq.

[Here’s the text of the Vietnam War page from the 10th-grade textbook given to Steve]

Perspective Shift – Photography

[included image of a US soldier burning a home during the My Lai Massacre]

In March of 1968 American Soldiers killed over 300 Vietnamese noncombatant civilians, including many women and children, in what became known as the My Lai massacre.

Testimony given by Warrant Officer Hugh Thompson Jr. described ditches full of bodies, homes being burnt, and unarmed civilians being executed by American soldiers.

While there were eyewhitnesses and many credible reports of unsanctioned American violence it is largely due to the greater portability and durability

of cameras that the American public gave up support for the Vietnam War.

Famous photos of Nguyễn Văn Lém (“Saigon Execution” 1968), Phan Thị Kim Phúc (“Napalm Girl” 1972), and even the deaths of American students protesting the

bombing of Cambodia at Kent State University in Ohio (“Kent State University Massacre” 1970) made the reality of war more obvious to people reading newspapers at home and watching reports on television.

While mass media has always been a part of modern warfare there had never before been such a stream of violent, full-color images making their way off of the battlefield and into people’s living rooms.

Previous wars had sent newsreels showing successful battles and strong soldiers back to the home front, frequently as a tactic for promoting the sale of war bonds or increasing recruitment, but the visibility of the cost of war has become more and more apparent as it became easier to show what was happening on the ground.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: How does the internet and social media shift the way that American civilians experience war today? What do you think would be different about war today without cellphone videos or livestreaming?

US commanders were more grounded in offensive and aggressive warefare than defensive positions or missions. This, combined with the heretofore unusual challenge of fighting opponents who utilized guerilla techniques and could easily blend in with (or actually be) the civilian population made a unique challenge in terms of tactics and planning.

Additionally, after the initial surge US recruits were typically drafted and only recently trained and stationed overseas. They were unfamiliar with the local culture and languages, unfamiliar with the terrain and wildlife – even unfamiliar with the food. A recruit from Indianapolis would find himself in a very strange place standing on the bank of the Mekong river.

This led to engagements unlike any ever seen in American military campaigns – search and destroy operations were stymied on the ground by impenetrable jungles and the ability of the Viet Cong to disappear into the local population but bases were left poorly defended – the Viet Cong took advantage of these strategic inconsistencies and carefully provoked US offensive actions into Hill Fights in the Central Highlands as a diversonary tactic before launching the Tet Offensive.

The Tet Offensive (1/30/1968) was a major strategy launched at more than 100 cities, with focused attacks on government buildings, military installations, and the US Embassy in Saigon. During the first month of the offensive over 1,100 Americans and 14,000 Vietnamese civilians were killed.

The Tet Offensive marked the beginning of a collapse of morale among US soldiers and marked an end to majority support at home. Infantry units began to falsify or simply disobey orders or even turn around to attack their commanding officers, sometimes going so far as to kill those giving orders.

DEFINITION – FRAGGING

Fragging is the act of killing one’s own officer or teammates in war, named for fragmentation grenades because officers killed in grenade incidents were noted as accidental deaths. There were over 900 fragging incidents investigated in the later years of the war.

Questions were also being continually raised about the ethics and efficacy of US tactics. The use of Napalm was uncontroversial at the beginning of the campaign and justified as a way to protect US troops and eradicate cover for the Viet Cong, but after tens of thousands of civilians, many of them children, were killed or burned in napalm drops support for the war continued to drop as it became impossible to ignore that the American use of incendiaries on civilians was only causing increased support for the North Vietnamese forces.

Pathways Through American History: Chapter 21 – The Vietnam War

Hugh Thompson Junior, who is mentioned in the “perspective shift: photography” section of the history book Steve reads, is maybe the truest definition of an American hero - he was responsible for reporting and attempting to end the My Lai massacre, landing his helicopter between American soldiers and the Vietnamese civilians they were attempting to kill and evacuating survivors of the massacre. He faced tremendous criticism for his actions and was ostracized for testifying against American soldiers. He was eventually awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary bravery in flight. He threw it away.

You can read more about him being just the biggest swinging dick in the northern hemisphere here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Thompson_Jr.

Additionally there was an opera written about his actions and dedicated to his bravery and to the survivors of the My Lai massacre, which includes music played on instruments made from artillery left in Vietnam after the war. You can see excerpts from that opera here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQu9lxaDsI8

[Here’s the text of a page from Steve’s history book - this one is about the Patriot Act]

Take Note

[includes image of a sign that says “The FBI has not been here – watch this sign carefully to see if that changes”]

Librarians strenuously objected to the USA PATRIOT act, specifically Section 215, which allows the FBI to request books, records, papers, and other documents that a suspected terrorist might have accessed, including what books had been checked out from a library. The American Library Association stated that library records are fundamentally different from ordinary business records and that the provision granting access to library records would have a chilling effect on free speech but discouraging the use of libraries or the free exploration of information therein.

The sign pictured in this section was posted in a library in 2005; while libraries were not permitted to announce that the FBI had requested records because of the gag order attached to the provision they were allowed to post a sign saying there had been no requests for information and then surreptitiously remove the signs if that changed.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: Is checking a book out from a library free speech? Do you think you would search different websites if you knew your parents or school were monitoring where you went? Do you think it’s worth it to be careful about what you search if it means someone else doesn’t get bullied or hurt because of search filtering?

The Cost of Freedom

after 9/11 it became clear that our democracy was not prepared for the spectre of terrorism that had invaded our shores - but some of the responses have been criticized as worse than the cause.

The USA PATRIOT act continues to be controversial for many reasons, but most frequently cited are the normalization of mass state surveillance and erosion of personal privacy and the elimination of constitutional protections for certain classes of terrorist suspects.

Reauthorizations of the USA PATRIOT act have continually approved unwarranted wiretapping and gag orders on people (like librarians and internet service providers) who might otherwise warn people about data collection in the public interest. Some provisions have become more controversial as time has passed – for instance the “Lone Wolf” provision that allowed for the warrantless wire-tapping of individuals not connected to known terrorist groups has come under additional scrutiny as groups like the ACLU point out that the FBI’s definitions of “terrorist” are both expansive and opaque. Other sections are more and more accepted – nationwide service of search warrants for electronic evidence is wholly accepted now whereas the question of widening jurisdictions was seen as a threat to individual liberty when the act was signed into law in 2001.

Of greater concern are the changes made to criminal law in broadening the definitions of terrorism; it is now possible to be considered a terrorist for causing mass destruction as well as causing injury or death, and the definitions of “cyber terrorism” set down in 2001 might certainly give computer-users in 2008 some pause; accessing a ‘protected computer’ is a terrorist action, after all – or at least it can be.

The indefinite detention of non-US citizens is also of serious concern internationally, though American citizens are not subject to the indefinite holds that are possible for non-citizens. Constitutional scholars, civil liberties groups, and many activists contend that constitutional freedoms are guaranteed to all people on American soil, but that is a more and more difficult question to tackle when ‘aliens’ discussed in the law become literal Aliens, as the revealed Asgardians and their advanced technology prove. The protections that might be necessary for an accused immigrant don’t need to be enshrined the same way for beings we have no better description for than ‘demigod.’

Mutant activist groups have recently hopped into the fray in this conversation, as the USA PATRIOT act can also classify their genetic powers as terrorist weapons and the damage that is caused when an adolescent mutant matures into their talent has more than once been labeled a terrorist action.

A Different Perspective

President George W. Bush, who signed the USA PATRIOT Act into law, has stood by his decision all this time and continues to insist that it is in the best interest of the American people.

The Department of Homeland Security, a new branch of the Department of Defense, was also formed under President Bush and has seen similar ups-and-downs. The most well-known face of the DHS is the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, who most of us know from long lines at the airport and taking off your shoes to get on a plane.

It’s true that these things are inconvenient, but security usually isn’t convenient - there have been no attempted shoe or liquid bombings on planes since the TSA changed their carry-on policies, so maybe the trade-off is worth the inconvenience.

Pathways Through American History: Chapter 28 – The War on Terror

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lxnelymxth · 5 years

Photo

The Author

Moissanite is a Side Muse, meaning she will not take Priority on this blog. Interactions with her must be specified it’s for her.

Name: Moissanite Specific ID: Nicknames: N/A Pronouns: She/Her Height: Very Tall, roughly as tall as Hessonite Age: 18,000+ Years Sexuality: Pansexual

Affiliation: Homeworld Gem: Left Eye Weapon: Writing Utensil / Pen / Quill Abilities:

Advanced Intillect - Moissanite has been around for so long and has been a researcher / scientist for most of it. Due to this she knows a lot about gems, old gem culture, and technology from Era 1 - Mid Era 2

Photokinesis - Allows her gem to glow in the dark similar to a flashlight

Extreme Durability - Her form, like her gem, very rarely can be poofed and takes a lot for her form to give out.

Very Strong - Despite her more slim-like appearance in her legs and torso she is roughly as strong as any Quartz soldier

Standard Gem Abilities

Personality

Moissanite is cold, calculated, she does her job until it’s done. She finds Violence very trivial and pointless and prefers never to fight if she can avoid it. At best she is dismissive to most gems or will take immense interest in those who perk her interest.

Though she will not allow anyone to get in her way of what she believes must be done and will become very aggressive and confrontational if someone stands in her way.

History

Green Moissanite was an experimental gem type, an unexpected outcome of creating gems on a desolate planet’s moon. While it was seen as a waste to begin with as a moon could surely not have the right material for producing a gem considering it could not even sustain organic life. Everyone had been surprised to find not just Green Moissanite emerging but others like her but of different colors emerging from the trial kindergarten.

Perhaps it was due to the asteroids that would slam into this moon’s surface that gave it potential for creating these strong gems or it was just dumb luck that even the barest of rock can still support Gem Life. Whatever the reason may be the batch of Moissanites were very strong despite some of them being clearly off color. Stronger than most other gems that some would compare them to the Diamonds. Strong, intelligent, all around they were a force to be reckoned with but unfortunately there were only a hand full of them made as further experiments to re-create them failed.

Each one of these gems excelled in their field as they were assigned various tasks. Green Moissanite was tasked to become a researcher and gem scientist to improve the production of Gems. Moissanite would excel in this task as she would work with other gems to develop new formulas to produce new, better, and cheaper gems to make. Of course the Diamonds would order them to come up with new Gem Formulas and they would test what they believed would create that gem type. Creating new gems and enhancing the formulas of old gems to make them better.

Success followed the green gem wherever she went and one thing that she excelled in was keeping information down from the various tests and experiments she had done. Writing down what had worked, what failed, why the outcome of these things happened.

Knowledge was something she held above all else and finally, after thousands of years she was able to convince the Diamonds that she should experiment with one new idea. Tomes. A book that would be able to record anything in real time and allow anyone to relive the experiences that were written down or taken from other gems. With something like this she could easily understand mistakes that were made, or even in battles they could find better ways and strategize new ways of doing things based on studying the past more efficiently.

The Diamonds, with these new changing times, granted her request on a new Colony that would be overseen by Pink Diamond. A library of sorts would be given to her as a research outpost for her experiments.

Library 9 was born. A hub for various gems who pursued more scholarly objectives. War veterans would come to relax, to visit the planet. Various Pearls would be given to the Library to keep it maintained while Moissanite worked on the Tomes. Servants that would tend to the books that would come in and organize the library of gem and human literature as well as entertain any guest that was allowed to come visit the library as it became a popular, relaxed, hub for many gems.

Though the biggest success of the Library was the Tomes.

The tomes would prove to a success for the most part. Able to record, write, and note any information that was put into them either by writing it down or by being taken inside of the book. These books were powered by Crystals she had experimented on in secret. Crystals that gave the tomes an ability unlike any other novel: The ability to pull gems inside the pages and experience memories in a physical setting. Recreating entire places, gems, creatures, everything that was within the memory was recreated before anyone who would be pulled inside of it.

Immediately she would create various tomes to organize them based on importance, type, and how much information could be stored within them. Unfortunately for her though, Pink Diamond’s colony was starting to collapse. She was trying to order the halt of all production on this planet and shut down everything; including Moissanite’s library.

Treason was suspected, that someone from within the library was speaking to others about failures of the Tomes and how they were showing sentience. The Authority would warn Moissanite that she needs to stay on track and cut out any problems that would harm the project.

The War Reaches the Library

Many years after the success of the tomes and collecting information from gems even older than her she was able to obtain information that most gems believed to not be real. That the legends Gems would speak of in fable were true and she could learn from everything they had to offer.

Although the war would reach the Library and due to the increasing threat of these Rebellious gems she was given another Task. Find a way to help in the War, find a use for gems that were too weak. As she had been in charge of creating many gems that ultimately ended up being shattered in the war she was tasked with fixing it.

The answer was obvious. The shards of those who had fallen still held a consciousness. Part of the gem’s mind was still in tact inside of even the smallest shard. Perhaps there could be a way to make them whole again, to recreate them in a new image using other fractured minds. After all it wasn’t too far fetched that forcing them gems to fuse would fill the hole that the other shard still had in their mind.

Experiments were done with this idea along side finishing the tomes. Forced Fusions took a long while in order to form. Finding the right agent to force the two gems together, it wasn’t like she could just mash to shards together and they would work together she had to find a bonding agent for them to fuse. The Diamonds, while a bit distraught of the idea of using shards and bringing back potentially rebellious gems, couldn’t deny that it would be a good plan. After all, you would never need to make new soldiers when you could create new ones from the fallen prats of your enemies.

Moissanite would break through and find the agent and continue experimenting for years to come with more and more gem shards that were shipped to the Library. Choosing a Pearl at random she would put her in charge of keeping the experiments quiet and less rowdy so that no one would find them underneath the library. Other gems may not approve of her tests so it was important to keep them tended to.

Eventually the war escalated to Pink Diamond being Shattered. The Library was shut down and they believe this all to be the fault of one who continuously would tell the Authority that their experiments were not working. Pearl was suspected as she was the only other one besides Moissanite that tended to the Fusion experiments and thus she would be left behind as the others abandoned the facility. Fleeing the planet as word came that the Diamonds were Ending this war.

Something went wrong. As Moissanite was fleeing the planet, her ship was shot down as they were leaving the planet’s orbit. Leaving by ship was the fastest way to go as the Galaxy warp was filled with gems and many were scrambling to leave. The ship exploded and due to the explosion her form gave out and despite many believing her gem to be shattered she was launched into space and floated around there.

Floating in space, she had no light to take from in order to create a form. Forced to stay within her gem until someone finds her...

Present

Green Moissanite was Found. Found by a group of gems that were exploring space for leisure in this new Era 3. Reforming, she immediately went to Homeworld and found that everything she knew was gone, the Authority had grown so soft and weak. Her research had been forgotten, she had been forgotten, everything she had done to try and advance Gem Kind was thrown away.

Moissanite now resides between Homeworld and visiting the various Knowledge Spires on different planets to see just how much of her work was thrown away.

#Book Index

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freifraufischer · 6 years

Link

Something else we can learn from Captain Marvel's anticipated huge global debut this weekend (a domestic debut presumably flirting with $120m-$140m and a global launch between $300m and $350m) is that we can finally and safely ignore the online trolls that have hijacked the conversation for the last few years.

We saw this in 2015 when a handful of grouchy dudes complained about Mad Max: Fury Road being dominated by Charlize Theron's Furiosa, but the film still opened with $46 million and legged it to $153m domestic. We saw this later that year when a handful of trolls tricked the entire Internet into writing about an alleged campaign to boycott The Force Awakens over the presence of Daisy Ridley and John Boyega in lead roles. The film opened with $248m, legged it to $937m domestic (the biggest unadjusted grosser ever in North America) and grossed $2 billion worldwide. Yet, that campaign, where a few folks wrote some mean tweets and the entire media covered it as well as the "clap backs" that followed, taught the press a horrible lesson.

Namely, that we could take a handful of mean tweets from anonymous people and frame it into a trend story, either about the initial offense or about how celebrities or fans were responding or fighting back. Such was the case when the Alamo Drafthouse announced their intent to hold women-only screenings of Wonder Woman which naturally caused a negative online response from the sort of folks who were naturally opposed to a Wonder Woman movie in the first place. But rather than ignore them, we turned this into a national conversation, with folks actually debating the morality of what should have been a giant "Oh, neat, that sounds like fun" issue of a theater holding women-only screenings for a female-led superhero movie. Oh, and Wonder Woman then opened with $103 million and legged it to $412.5m domestic and $821m worldwide.

Okay, but what about Ghostbusters? Well, the two years between the announcement of Paul Feig's female-led Ghostbusters reboot (starring Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon) became a canary in the coal mine for Gamergate politics playing a role in more mainstream discourse, one which had adult men losing their minds online over the notion of a Ghostbusters movie featuring ladies. And the end result was that the merely okay comedy (the extended cut is ironically a lot better) earned a just okay $126 million domestic. It cost way too much ($144m), didn't play in China due to their prohibition of supernatural content and was mostly ignored overseas for a mere $229m worldwide cume. But, warts and all, Ghostbusters was still the biggest-grossing straight-up comedy of the year give-or-take Deadpool.

Okay, fine, but Star Wars: The Last Jedi took a hit due to viewer dissatisfaction right? Well, to the extent that post-debut online complaints about the movie (specifically the online criticisms related to the gender and race of its heroic cast) represented the general public (with a possible push from Russian troll bots), The Last Jedi still earned $620 million in North America and $1.335 billion worldwide. Yes, that was 1/3 less than The Force Awakens, which is about the same decrease as The Empire Strikes Back from Star Wars and Attack of the Clones from The Phantom Menace, along with (random examples) The Lost World, Batman Returns and (domestically) Fate of the Furious and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. That loathed super-flop The Last Jedi made about as much in North America as Aquaman ($333m), Mary Poppins Returns ($171m) and Bumblebee ($125m) combined.

Now we have Captain Marvel, which has been greeted with the usual wave of online hysteria both over the notion of a female-led superhero movie and the idea that Brie Larson's request that the junkets be slightly less 'a bunch of white dudes' was tantamount to white male genocide. Rotten Tomatoes had to revamp their system to prevent trolls from pushing the film's pre-release score to record lows before a single consumer (or critic) had seen the film. They tried that with Black Panther as well, to great ($700 million domestic) and unmitigated ($1.346 billion) success. I'm sure it'll get review-bombed this weekend by the same folks who pushed The Last Jedi's Rotten Tomatoes user score down to 51%.

But history shows that the online troll brigade and their YouTube videos arguing that the Oscar-winning star of Room and Short Term 12 is going to singlehandedly destroy the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to be about as effective as they usually are. Yes, A Wrinkle in Time bombed, but not because of the trolls. Solo: A Star Wars Story bombed, but not because of the trolls. Both films, incidentally, did okay in North America ($103 million and $213m respectively) but were utterly ignored overseas. Oh, and the newest game is attempting to pit Alita: Battle Angel (allegedly a female-led action movie that isn't plotting the destruction of the male species) against Captain Marvel. Nevermind that both films are or will soon be under the Disney umbrella. You know what? I absolutely endorse the #AlitaChallenge.

I'm serious, folks. I encourage you to flood the theaters this weekend and buy tickets for Alita: Battle Angel. You clearly didn't do so in the during the $170 million-budgeted film's first month in theaters, as it has earned just $74m domestic and an okay but not big enough $360m worldwide, so you're missing out on a damn good action fantasy. I loved Alita, and my daughter really wants a sequel. So if you want to boost Alita: Battle Angel's fortunes this weekend right as Captain Marvel opens with its expected $100m-plus debut weekend and thus give a boost to a big-budget action fantasy starring a Hispanic actress and directed by a Hispanic director, I'd count that as a win/win. Or hell, you can absolutely boycott Captain Marvel this weekend and instead buy a ticket to Greta, Happy Death Day 2U, Miss Bala, What Women Want, Isn't It Romantic, or The Prodigy. Vote with your wallet and show Disney what's what!

The likely (relative) success of Captain Marvel in theaters this weekend won't stop the online troll brigade or the flurry of online abuse that is still going to be directed and women on the Internet for the crime of being a woman on the Internet. Yes, it's worse if you're a woman of color on the Internet, but I digress. But we have a chance to look at the relative success of Captain Marvel and realize that the trolls, be they actual racist and sexist schmucks, bots or just people who just enjoy spreading chaos, don't represent the general pop culture populace. We don't have to treat them as news and we sure as hell don't have to give them a seat at the debate table.

They didn't make Ghostbusters a flop and they certainly didn't stop The Force Awakens, Ocean's 8, The Last Jedi, Black Panther and Wonder Woman from being a hit any more than (all due respect) #WokeTwitter prevented Bohemian Rhapsody from topping $850 million worldwide and Green Book from winning Best Picture. None of these people will be the deciding factor as to whether Captain Marvel, which is earning mostly three-star reviews, grosses closer to Ant-Man money, Doctor Strange money or Thor: Rangorak money (or behind). After this weekend, it's time we stopped treating them as anything resembling influencers of anyone beyond themselves or those already converted to their toxic point-of-view. They will never stay silent, but we have a choice as to whether to give them a bullhorn.

#captain marvel

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bountyofbeads · 6 years

Text

The entertainment industry is rife with sexual exploitation and sexual abuse just like the Catholic Church. #TimesUp #MeToo

This is a heartbreaking in- depth article of one of the most prolific directors in recent history.

‘Nobody Is Going to Believe You’

The Bohemian Rhapsody director Bryan Singer has been trailed by accusations of sexual misconduct for 20 years. Here, his alleged victims tell their stories.

By Alex French and Maximillian Potter |March 2019 Issue Culture | Posted January 27, 2019 |

ver the past two decades, Bryan Singer’s films—The Usual Suspects, Valkyrie, Superman Returns, four of the X-Men movies—have earned more than $3 billion at the box office, putting him in the top tier of Hollywood directors. He’s known for taking risks in his storytelling: It was Singer’s idea, for instance, to open the original X-Men movie with a scene at Auschwitz, where a boy uses his superpowers to bend the metal gates that separate him from his parents. Studio executives were skeptical about starting a comic-book movie in a concentration camp, but the film became a blockbuster and launched a hugely profitable franchise for 20th Century Fox.

Singer’s most recent project debuted in November. Critics gave Bohemian Rhapsody—which chronicles the rise of the rock band Queen—only lukewarm reviews, but it earned more than $50 million in its opening weekend. By the end of December, it had brought in more than $700 million, making it one of the year’s biggest hits.

The film’s success should have been a triumph for Singer, proof of his enduring ability to intuit what audiences want. In January it won two Golden Globes, including the award for best drama. But Singer was conspicuously absent from the ceremony—and his name went unmentioned in the acceptance speeches. He had been fired by 20th Century Fox in December 2017, with less than three weeks of filming left. Reports emerged of a production in chaos: Singer was feuding with his cast and crew, and had disappeared from the set for days at a time.

On December 7, 2017, three days after The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of Singer’s firing, a Seattle man named Cesar Sanchez-Guzman filed a lawsuit against the director, alleging that Singer had raped him in 2003, when Sanchez-Guzman was 17. The day after that, Deadline Hollywood published an interview with a former boyfriend of Singer’s, Bret Tyler Skopek, in which Skopek described a lifestyle of drugs and orgies.

According to multiple sources, Fox had no idea that the Sanchez-Guzman lawsuit was coming when the studio fired Singer. Still, Sanchez-Guzman’s claims shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. Almost from the moment his star began to rise, Singer, who is now 53, has been trailed by allegations of sexual misconduct. These allegations were so well known that 4,000 students, faculty members, and alumni at the University of Southern California had signed a petition asking the school to take Singer’s name off one of its programs, the Bryan Singer Division of Cinema and Media Studies—which the school did immediately after Sanchez-Guzman filed his suit. As one prominent actor told us, “After the Harvey Weinstein news came out, everyone thought Bryan Singer would be next.”

We spent 12 months investigating various lawsuits and allegations against Singer. In total, we spoke with more than 50 sources, including four men who have never before told their stories to reporters. A man we’ll call Eric told us that he was 17 in 1997 when he and Singer had sex at a party at the director’s house; another we’ll call Andy says he was only 15 that same year, when he and Singer had sex in a Beverly Hills mansion. Both men say Singer, who was then in his early 30s, knew they were under 18, the age of consent in California. (They asked The Atlantic to conceal their identity for fear of retaliation, and because they didn’t want certain details about their past made public.)

The portrait of Singer that emerges is of a troubled man who surrounded himself with vulnerable teenage boys.

The accusations against Singer cover a spectrum. Some of the alleged victims say they were seduced by the director while underage; others say they were raped. The victims we interviewed told us these experiences left them psychologically damaged, with substance-abuse problems, depression, and PTSD.

The portrait of Singer that emerges is of a troubled man who surrounded himself with vulnerable teenage boys, many of them estranged from their families. Their accounts suggest that Singer didn’t act alone; he was aided by friends and associates who brought him young men. And he was abetted, in a less direct way, by an industry in which a record of producing hits confers immense power: Many of the sources we interviewed insisted, out of fear of damaging their own career, that we withhold their name, even as they expressed dismay at the behavior they’d witnessed.

When asked for comment, Singer’s lawyer, Andrew B. Brettler, noted that Singer has never been arrested for or charged with any crime, and that Singer categorically denies ever having sex with, or a preference for, underage men. (He also disputed specific details in this story, as noted throughout.) Singer himself wrote an Instagram post in October that read, in part:

I have known for some time that [there may be] a negative article about me. They have contacted my friends, colleagues and people I don’t even know. In today’s climate where people’s careers are being harmed by mere accusations, what [these reporters are] attempting to do is a reckless disregard for the truth, making assumptions that are fictional and irresponsible.

Singer continues to enjoy the benefit of the doubt in Hollywood. This fall, Millennium Films signed Singer to direct Red Sonja, an adaptation of a sword-and-sorcery comic book, for a reported $10 million. (Asked why Singer was hired despite the allegations against him, a Millennium publicist said, “I am afraid the response is ‘unavailable for comment.’ ”) The protagonist of Red Sonja is a survivor of sexual assault.

In the spring of 1997, when Victor Valdovinos was in seventh grade, he showed up to school one day to find a big-budget film production under way: All around him were tractor trailers, mobile dressing rooms, and people with walkie-talkies behaving as though they owned the place. The movie was Apt Pupil, Singer’s first project after his breakthrough, The Usual Suspects.

Filming took over Eliot Middle School in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles. Late one afternoon, after basketball practice, Valdovinos stopped in an empty restroom. While standing at a urinal, he says, he felt a presence behind him. He turned and saw a bespectacled man in his early 30s. It was Bryan Singer. He looked Valdovinos over; Valdovinos remembers him saying, “You’re so good-looking. What are you doing tomorrow? Maybe I could have somebody contact you about putting you in this movie.” (Through his attorney, Singer said that he did not know who Valdovinos was and denied that anything had happened between them.)

The film, which was based on a Stephen King novella, starred Ian McKellen as Kurt Dussander, a former Nazi concentration-camp commandant living in Southern California, decades removed from the war and trying to keep his past a secret. The other lead was a 14-year-old named Brad Renfro—cast as Todd Bowden, Dussander’s neighbor, who discovers the Nazi’s secret and threatens to turn him over to authorities unless the old man tells him in graphic detail about the atrocities he committed. One scene has Todd taking a shower in his school’s gym, which triggers images of Jews in a gas chamber.

That scene would lead to a series of lawsuits against Singer and the production. At least five plaintiffs, all minors between the ages of 14 and 17, were extras in the film and, in essence, claimed that members of the crew had bullied them into stripping naked for the shower scene. The boys and some of their parents said they’d been aware that the job called for partial nudity, which they had been led to believe meant wearing a Speedo or a towel. One of the crew members later said he thought that there had been a screwup the day of the shoot—that only the adult extras were supposed to have been asked to appear naked, and that somehow the minor and adult extras had been mixed together. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to press any criminal charges; the suits—which alleged negligence, unlawful sexual harassment, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress—were settled for an undisclosed sum, and all parties were bound by confidentiality agreements.

As he watched the Harvey Weinstein scandal unfold, Valdovinos thought, “Me too— only I was a kid.”

By Valdovinos’s account, his experience on the Apt Pupil set was far more upsetting. After being dropped off by his father one morning, he was directed to the locker room. Shooting was about to begin. He remembers that the locker room had been divided—a screen here and lights over there. A crew member gave him a towel and told him to disrobe completely and wrap the towel around his waist. He was 13 years old. He hadn’t yet had his first kiss.

“I’m hanging out,” Valdovinos says. “All of a sudden, Bryan comes in. He goes, ‘Hey! How are you?’ Real cheerful. And I’m like, ‘Hi.’ I can’t remember his exact words, but he was kind of just saying ‘Come back here.’ He kind of directs me; he kind of grabs me; and he takes us to the back area, which was kind of closed off. Like, this is the whole locker room”—Valdovinos gestures to suggest the space—“they’re doing their stuff over there, and I was back here, in the towel, with no shirt and no clothes on, sitting on one of the locker-room benches. Bryan’s like, ‘Just hang out here. It’s going to be all day. Don’t worry.” Singer left, and Valdovinos waited for what seemed like hours.

Eventually, he says, Singer came back and made small talk. How are you doing? Do you need anything? “Every time he had a chance—three times—he would go back there … He was always touching my chest.” Finally, according to Valdovinos, Singer reached through the towel flaps and “grabbed my genitals and started masturbating it.” The director also “rubbed his front part on me,” Valdovinos alleges. “He did it all with this smile.” Valdovinos says that Singer told him, “You’re so good-looking … I really want to work with you … I have a nice Ferrari … I’m going to take care of you.”

“I was frozen. Speechless,” Valdovinos continues. “He came back to where I was in the locker room throughout the day to molest me.” (Three sources confirmed that Singer did drive a Ferrari at the time, and we were able to verify Valdovinos’s description of how the set was arranged and of certain people he says he met there. His father told us he remembers dropping him off for the filming and thinking that perhaps his son would become an actor. Singer’s lawyer said that he could find no record of Valdovinos’s having been an extra and questioned why Valdovinos was not able to produce a pay stub or other documentation.)

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