#public security section 9 once again

[aceyalonso]

dirty dancing - DANIEL RICCIARDO

pairing : boss/bartender!daniel ricciardo x stripper!reader kinktober day 9

summary : what happens when y/n does a simple dance routine that turns into something dirtier?

warnings/notes : swearing, smut (with some plot), kinda public sex?, unprotected sex (always use a condom guys!), creampie, multiple orgasms, oral (both!receiving), fingering, begging, filming (security camera), hair pulling, dry humping, body worship, praise kink, use of "baby", "good girl" and "sir"

word count : 3.9k

a/n : i miss danny ric so much guys

main masterlist | kinktober masterlist

Y/n's body glistened with sweat as she moved gracefully on the stage, her lithe figure accentuated by the dim lighting of the empty club. The rhythmic beat of the music pulsed through her veins, guiding her movements as she practiced her new routine. Her long, dark hair swayed with each turn, the strands clinging to her skin like a second layer.

Daniel wiped down the bar counter, his eyes occasionally glancing towards the stage where Y/n performed. He couldn't help but admire her dedication and the way her body moved so fluidly, as if she were one with the music. As he finished cleaning, he noticed her looking in his direction, a questioning expression on her face.

"Hey, Daniel!" Y/n called out, her voice carrying across the empty space. "I'm trying out a new routine. Do you think it looks okay?"

Daniel set down his cleaning supplies and took a seat on one of the bar stools, facing the stage. He leaned back, his muscular arms resting on the counter as he watched Y/n intently. "Sure thing, Y/n. Let me see that routine again," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Y/n's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she nodded, ready to showcase her moves once more. She took a deep breath, centering herself before the music began. Her hips swayed sensually to the beat, her body undulating in a mesmerizing dance. She ran her hands along her curves, accentuating her assets as she moved.

As she danced, Y/n's eyes locked with Daniel's, feeling a surge of energy from his gaze. She could sense his appreciation for her performance, and it fueled her passion, making her movements even more alluring. The music swelled, and she spun around the pole, her long hair whipping through the air as she executed a series of impressive spins and flips.

Y/n gracefully came to a stop, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She smiled at Daniel, grateful for his attention and feedback. "Thanks for watching, Daniel. I really appreciate it," she said, walking over to the bar.

"No problem, Y/n. You're doing great," Daniel replied, his eyes roaming appreciatively over her form. "I noticed you seemed a bit unsure during that last part. Have you thought about incorporating some audience interaction?"

She leaned against the bar, her elbows resting on the polished surface. "Interaction? Like what?" she asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Well, for that particular section, you could give someone a lap dance. It would add an extra layer of excitement to your routine," Daniel suggested, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Y/n's eyes widened slightly at Daniel's suggestion, a blush creeping across her cheeks. "A lap dance? I don't know, Daniel. That seems a bit... risky," she said hesitantly.

"Risky? Or exciting?" Daniel countered, leaning forward with interest. "Think about it. The way you move, the way you command attention... a lap dance would be a perfect fit for your routine."

Y/n bit her lower lip, considering the idea. She had to admit, the thought of giving a lap dance to a willing audience member did send a thrill through her body. "I guess you're right. It could add something special to the performance," she admitted, her voice soft.

"That's the spirit!" Daniel encouraged, his eyes never leaving hers. "Why don't you give it a try? I'll be your willing audience member," he offered with a playful wink.

Y/n raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Oh really? And here I thought you were just being helpful," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you sure you're not just using this as an excuse to get a free strip show and lap dance?"

Daniel leaned back, a roguish grin spreading across his face. "Me? Never," he said, his tone light and playful. "I'm simply offering my professional opinion as a bartender and your boss who's seen countless performances."

"Besides," he added, his eyes roaming over her form appreciatively, "I'd pay good money to see you dance like that."

Y/n laughed, shaking her head at his audacity. "You're supposed to be professional, you know that?" Despite her words, there was warmth in her eyes as she looked at him. "Alright, fine. If you're so eager to be my guinea pig, who am I to refuse?"

She sauntered back to the stage, her hips swaying with each step. She turned to face Daniel, a sultry smile on her lips as she began to move to the music. Her hands ran through her hair, tossing it back dramatically as she started to undulate her body to the beat.

Daniel watched intently, his eyes never leaving Y/n as she danced. He could feel the heat building in his body, her movements both alluring and tantalizing. As the music swelled, Y/n approached the edge of the stage, her eyes locked on Daniel's.

With a graceful leap, she landed in front of him, her body mere inches from his. She began to sway her hips, her body moving in a hypnotic rhythm as she slowly backed up, pressing against him. Daniel could feel the heat radiating from her body, her curves pressing against him as she started to grind.

Y/n turned to face Daniel, her back pressed against his chest as she continued to move. She reached behind her, her hands finding Daniel's and guiding them to her waist. She could feel his breath hot on her neck, his body tense with restraint.

"How's this?" she asked breathlessly, her voice husky with desire. "Is this what you had in mind?"

Daniel's hands tightened on her waist, his thumbs tracing small circles on her skin. "It's... perfect," he managed to say, his voice rough with need.

Y/n arched her back, pressing herself closer to Daniel as she continued to grind against him. She could feel his arousal pressing against her, and it sent a thrill through her body. She turned her head slightly, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, "Is there anything else you think I should add?"

Y/n's breath hitched as she felt Daniel's lips brush against her ear. His voice was low and husky, sending shivers down her spin. "Maybe you should move your hips more," he suggested, his hands sliding down to grip her hips firmly.

Y/n gasped softly, her body arching into Daniel's touch. She began to move her hips more deliberately, grinding against him in a slow, sensual rhythm. Her hands came up to tangle in her hair, tossing it back as she arched her back, pressing her ass against Daniel's growing arousal.

"Like this?" she asked, her voice breathy and filled with desire. She could feel the heat building between them, the air thick with tension and unspoken words.

"Just like that," Daniel replied, his voice strained with effort. His hands tightened on her hips, guiding her movements as she continued to grind against him.

Y/n's movements became more frenzied as she felt Daniel's arousal pressing insistently against her. She could feel the heat building between them, her body responding to his touch with an intensity that surprised her. She ground her hips harder against him, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Fuck, keep moving like that and I'll bend you over the bar," Daniel growled, his control slipping. His hands gripped her hips tighter, pulling her closer as he thrust his hips against her.

She moaned softly, the thought of being bent over the bar sending a jolt of pleasure through her body. She turned her head, her lips brushing against Daniel's as she whispered, "Is that what you want? To fuck me right here on the bar?"

"Yeah," Daniel groaned, his control slipping further with each passing second. "I've thought about it every time I see you dancing. The way you move, the way you look..." His voice trailed off as he pulled Y/n closer, his arousal pressing insistently against her.

"I've wanted to bend you over this bar and fuck you senseless for months," he admitted, his voice husky with desire. "Tell me you want it too, Y/n. Tell me you want me to fuck you right here, right now."

Y/n's breath caught in her throat at Daniel's words, her body trembling with need. She could feel the wetness between her legs, her desire for him overwhelming. "Yes," she breathed, her voice filled with want. "I want it. I want you to fuck me, Daniel. Right here, right now."

With a swift movement, Daniel spun Y/n around, pressing her against the bar. His hands roamed over her body, exploring every curve and dip as he kissed and nipped at her neck. "You're so fucking beautiful," he murmured against her skin. "I've wanted this for so long."

As Daniel continued to kiss and caress Y/n's body, he confessed his deepest desires. "I always think about you, Y/n," he admitted, his voice low and husky. "I imagine what your lips would feel like wrapped around my cock, how good your mouth would be." His hands slipped under her top, his fingers tracing patterns on her bare skin.

"I think about how tight your pussy would be, how it would feel to be inside you," he continued, his arousal evident against her backside. "I've dreamed of this moment for so long."

Y/n moaned softly as she felt Daniel's hand slide under the waistband of her bottoms, his fingers finding her most sensitive spot. She arched her back, pressing herself closer to him as his skilled fingers began to play with her clit. "Oh god, Daniel," she gasped, her body trembling with each touch.

"That feels so good," she moaned, her hips moving in time with Daniel's fingers. She could feel the pleasure building within her, her body responding eagerly to his touch. "Please, don't stop," she begged, her voice filled with need and desire

Daniel's fingers continued their relentless assault on Y/n's clit, occasionally dipping into her wet folds before returning to her sensitive nub. "You're such a good dancer, Y/n," he praised, his voice filled with admiration. "The way you move, the way you command the stage... it's incredible."

His other hand roamed over her body, caressing her curves as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. "You're so beautiful, Y/n. I can't believe I'm finally getting to touch you like this," he murmured, his fingers never ceasing their teasing motions.

Y/n's moans grew louder, her body writhing under Daniel's touch. She could feel the pleasure building within her, her body trembling with anticipation. "Daniel," she gasped, her voice filled with desperation. "I need more. Please, I need you inside me."

Daniel's lips found Y/n's neck, his kisses trailing up to her ear as he whispered, "Be patient, baby. I want to make this last. You're so perfect, and I want to savor every moment with you." His fingers continued their relentless teasing, dipping into her wet folds before returning to her clit.

"You're so responsive, so beautiful," he praised, his voice filled with awe. "I've watched you dance for so long, dreaming of this moment. Let me make it unforgettable for you."

Y/n's body trembled under Daniel's touch, her moans growing louder with each passing second. She could feel the pleasure building within her, her body aching for more. "Please, Daniel," she begged, her voice filled with need. "I want you so badly."

Daniel's fingers moved faster, his touch becoming more intense as he felt Y/n's body tensing beneath him. "Cum for me, baby," he urged, his voice low and husky.

Y/n's body arched as the pleasure reached its peak, her moans echoing through the empty club. Her orgasm crashed over her like a wave, her body shaking with the force of it. Daniel held her close, his fingers never ceasing their teasing motions as he helped her ride out the intense sensations.

As Y/n's orgasm subsided, Daniel began to place gentle kisses down her back, his lips trailing over her skin like a feather. He held her arms behind her back, keeping her bent over the bar as he continued to worship her body with his mouth.

"You're so beautiful, Y/n," he murmured, his voice filled with adoration. "I want to taste every inch of you." His hands roamed over her curves, his touch gentle and reverent.

Y/n's body trembled under Daniel's ministrations, her skin sensitive from the intense pleasure she had just experienced. She could feel the heat building within her once more, her body craving more of his touch. "Please, Sir," she whispered, her voice filled with need. "I want you inside me. I need you."

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise at Y/n's unexpected request. He had never heard her call him "Sir" before, and the sound of it coming from her lips sent a thrill through his body. "Oh, you want to play that game, do you?" he asked, a playful smirk on his face.

He released her arms, his hands moving to the waistband of her shorts. "Alright then, let's see how well you can follow orders," he teased, slowly pulling her shorts down her legs. "First things first, I want you to spread your legs for me. Give me a good view of that pretty pussy of yours."

Y/n's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and excitement at Daniel's command. She had never been spoken to like this before, and the new dynamic between them sent a rush of adrenaline through her body. She obediently spread her legs, exposing her glistening folds to his hungry gaze.

"Good girl," Daniel praised, his voice low and husky. "Now, I want you to reach back and spread yourself open for me. Show me how much you want it."

Y/n's hands trembled slightly as she reached back, her fingers gently parting her lips to reveal her most intimate parts. The cool air against her heated flesh made her shiver, her body aching for Daniel's touch.

"Fuck, you're so wet," Daniel groaned, his eyes roaming over her exposed flesh. "I can't wait to taste you."

Daniel sank to his knees, his face mere inches from Y/n's glistening folds. He inhaled deeply, savoring the intoxicating scent of her arousal. "You smell divine," he murmured, his breath hot against her skin.

Without further hesitation, he leaned in and ran his tongue along her slit, a low moan escaping his lips as he savored her taste. Y/n gasped, her body trembling as Daniel's skilled tongue explored her most sensitive areas. He alternated between long, slow licks and quick, teasing flicks, his hands gripping her hips to keep her steady.

"Oh god, Daniel," Y/n moaned, her voice filled with pleasure. "That feels so good. Don't stop."

Daniel continued his relentless assault on her clit, his tongue circling the sensitive nub as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. He could feel her body tensing, her moans growing louder and more desperate with each passing second.

His tongue delved deeper, exploring her folds and tasting her essence. He could feel her body trembling, her moans growing louder as he brought her closer to the edge. He slipped a finger inside her, curling it to stroke her G-spot as he continued to lick and suck on her clit.

"Oh fuck, Daniel!" Y/n cried out, her body convulsing as the intense pleasure consumed her. Her juices flowed freely, coating Daniel's face as he worked her through her orgasm. He didn't let up, continuing to lick and suck until she was a quivering mess, her legs barely able to support her.

As her orgasm subsided, Daniel stood up, his face glistening with her juices. He leaned in, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, letting her taste herself on his tongue. "You're so fucking delicious," he growled, his voice filled with desire. "I want to feel you wrapped around my cock."

Daniel took Y/n's wrists in his hands, holding them firmly behind her back as he pressed his body against hers. "I want you to feel every inch of me," he murmured, his voice low and husky. "I want you to remember this moment, the way I make you feel."

He reached down with one hand, freeing his hard cock from the confines of his pants. Y/n could feel the heat of his shaft against her backside, the anticipation building within her as she waited for him to enter her.

"Please, Daniel," she begged, her voice filled with need. "I want you inside me. I need you."

Daniel thrust his hips forward, driving only half of his cock into Y/n's tight heat. She let out a desperate whine, her body aching for more. "Please, Daniel," she begged, her voice filled with need. "I want all of you. Don't tease me."

Her hands gripped the air behind her back, her nails digging into her palms as she tried to find something to hold onto. The sensation of Daniel's cock stretching her, combined with the vulnerability of having her hands restrained, sent a thrill through her body.

"You want more?" Daniel growled, his voice filled with dark promise. "Then beg for it. Show me how much you need me."

Y/n's body trembled with desire, her mind consumed by the need to feel Daniel's cock filling her completely. "Please, Sir," she whimpered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I need you. I want to feel every inch of you inside me. Please, don't make me wait any longer."

Daniel's hands tightened on Y/n's wrists as he slowly began to pull out, the head of his cock barely kissing her entrance. "I'm not convinced," he said, his voice low and teasing. "You'll have to do better than that if you want me to give you what you need."

Y/n's body tensed, her muscles clenching around his shaft as he withdrew. "No, please!" she cried out, her voice filled with desperation. "Don't stop, Daniel. I need you so badly. I'll do anything, just please, don't take this away from me."

She arched her back, pressing her hips against his, trying to draw him back inside. "I'm sorry for not begging properly," she whimpered, her voice breaking with emotion. "Please, Sir, I'll be a good girl. I'll do whatever you want, just please, let me feel you inside me. I can't take it anymore."

Daniel's heart raced as he listened to Y/n's desperate pleas, her words fueling his desire. He could feel her body trembling against his, her need for him palpable. With a low growl, he thrust his hips forward, driving his entire length into her tight heat.

"Fuck, you feel incredible," he groaned, his voice thick with pleasure. He began to move, his hips rocking against hers in a steady rhythm. "Is this what you wanted, baby? Do you like feeling me inside you?"

Y/n's moans grew louder, her body responding eagerly to Daniel's thrusts. "Yes, oh god, yes," she panted, her voice filled with ecstasy. "I love feeling you inside me. Don't stop, please don't stop."

As Daniel's thrusts became more intense, Y/n's moans grew louder, echoing through the empty club. "Fuck, you're so loud," Daniel panted, his voice filled with a mix of arousal and amusement. "At this rate, you'll be heard on the security camera footage."

Y/n's face flushed with embarrassment, but the thought of being caught only heightened her arousal. "I don't care," she gasped, her body writhing under Daniel's touch. "I want everyone to hear how good you make me feel."

Daniel's hands roamed over Y/n's body, his fingers digging into her hips as he continued to thrust into her. "That's right, baby," he growled, his voice low and husky. "Let them hear how much you want me."

He released Y/n's wrists, allowing her to grip the edge of the bar for support. He reached up, gathering her hair in his hands and twisting it into a makeshift ponytail. "I want to see your face when you cum," he murmured, his voice filled with desire. "I want to watch the pleasure wash over you as I make you mine."

He began to thrust harder, his hips slamming against Y/n's backside as he drove into her. The new angle allowed him to hit her G-spot with each stroke, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her body.

"Oh god, Daniel," Y/n moaned, her voice raw with emotion. "I'm so close. Don't stop, please don't stop."

Daniel could feel his own release approaching, his body tensing as he fought to hold back. "Cum for me, baby," he commanded, his voice strained with effort.

Y/n's body tensed, her muscles clenching around Daniel's cock as she neared the edge. "I'm cumming!" she cried out, her voice filled with ecstasy. Her orgasm crashed over her like a wave, her body shaking with the force of it.

Daniel continued to thrust, his own release building with each stroke. "Fuck, Y/n," he groaned, his voice thick with pleasure. "You're so tight, so perfect. I'm going to fill you up, baby. I'm going to make you mine."

With a final, powerful thrust, Daniel buried himself deep inside Y/n, his cock pulsing as he released his seed. He collapsed against her back, his body trembling with the aftershocks of his orgasm.

As Daniel caught his breath, Y/n gently pushed him off, a mischievous glint in her eye. She knelt down, her hands caressing his thighs as she positioned herself between his legs. "I'm not done with you yet," she purred, her voice filled with desire.

Without warning, she took him into her mouth, her tongue swirling around his sensitive flesh. Daniel gasped, his hands instinctively reaching for her hair. "Fuck, Y/n," he groaned, his voice filled with awe. "You're insatiable."

Y/n continued to work his cock with her mouth, her head bobbing up and down as she took him deeper and deeper. She could feel him growing hard again, his body responding to her touch.

"I want to taste you," she murmured, her voice muffled by his cock. "I want to taste you, too."

Y/n's eyes locked onto Daniel's as she continued to suck him off, her lips gliding along his shaft with practiced ease. Her hand slid between her legs, her fingers finding her sensitive folds and beginning to stroke her clit. The combination of sensations sent a jolt of pleasure through her body, and she could feel some of Daniel's cum spilling out onto the floor.

Her other hand cupped his balls, gently massaging them as she worked his cock with her mouth. She could feel him growing harder, his body responding to her touch. "You like that, don't you?" she purred, her voice filled with desire. "You like watching me pleasure myself while I suck you off."

Daniel's breath hitched, his hips bucking slightly as he felt her fingers exploring her own body. "Fuck, Y/n," he groaned, his voice thick with arousal. "You're so sexy. I love watching you touch yourself."

Y/n's fingers continued to explore her folds, her arousal growing with each stroke. She could feel Daniel's cock throbbing in her mouth, his body tensing as he neared the edge once more. She increased her pace, her head bobbing faster as she took him deeper and deeper.

"I'm going to cum again," she moaned, her voice muffled by his cock. "I want you to watch me, Daniel. I want you to see how much you turn me on."

Daniel's hands gripped the edge of the bar, his knuckles turning white with the effort of holding back. "Cum for me, baby," he growled, his voice strained with desire.

Y/n's body tensed, her orgasm building with each stroke of her fingers. She could feel the pleasure mounting, her body trembling with anticipation. With a final, powerful thrust, she pushed Daniel over the edge, his cock pulsing as he released his seed into her mouth.

As Daniel's orgasm subsided, he looked down at Y/n, his eyes filled with admiration. "You're such a good girl," he praised, his voice low and husky. "Swallowing every last drop like that. You're incredible."

taglist

for all posts; @nepobbylver @wobblymug @xoscar03 @irishmanwhore

kinktober taglist; @cloud-55 @emryb @sie17136 @jaimeleannavanlloman @wosof1 @wholetmewritethat @glitterbitch1 @under-seasoned-pasta @sinners-98-world @lewishamiltonismybf

[fancoloredglasses]

Star Trek, part 4: The Next Generation (Making the Federation even more Mary Sue)

[All images are owned by Paramount. Please don’t sue me]

The introduction of the Enterprise-A in Star Trek IV opened up the possibility of new adventures of the USS Enterprise, so when it was announced in 1987 that a new Star Trek television series would be starting, fans were hopeful that the crew of the Enterprise would go from the big screen back to the small screen.

They were very wrong.

(Thanks to Great80sTV)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (or simply TNG) takes place 80 years following the original Enterprise’s five-year missions. Gene Roddenberry is once again at the helm of the show, though he is assisted by Rick Berman, who would become the official showrunner following Roddenberry’s death.

The Federation of the 24th century is, if possible, even more utopian than before, having signed a peace treaty with the Klingon Empire (even if more than a few Klingons aren’t happy about it)

The latest ship to carry the legendary name, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) is a Galaxy class starship, capable of longer missions into deep space. Warp technology has progressed far enough that the formula for warp speed had to be amended. Now (according to fan publications) the calculation is to a power of 5 (meaning that Warp 5 would be 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5, or 3,125 times the speed of light. Using my Alpha Centauri example from my review of the original series, it would take about 9 1/2 hours at Warp 5 to reach Alpha Centauri from Earth, a much more reasonable time frame.

In addition to better Warp and defensive technologies, the Enterprise had a new technology known as holodecks, that made life-like imagery that the crew could touch and interact with, as a way to keep the crew from going stir-crazy. And the holodecks never, ever, ever had anything go wrong inside. Nope. Never. Not even once. (excuse me as I stifle several giggles)

Two other things that were different than previous Enterprises.

(Thanks to April 5, 2063)

Since the Galaxy class was designed to go farther out than was previously possible, crew quarters are large enough to allow the families of the crew to join them on board. Because of this, the saucer section can be detached from the Engineering hull to allow the civilian population to be evacuated in cases of extreme peril.

One other change was in the uniforms.

(Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter)

Starfleet has replaced the uniform used for over 70 years with an almost “throwback” uniform with the uniform color matching divisions (though red is now operations and gold is now service; but don’t worry, we’ll still call the doomed security personnel “Redshirts”)

You will note that the uniforms are all onesies. This will be changed by Season 2 (along with several minor changes as the series progresses, almost as if whoever designed the uniform didn’t plan for the comfort of the wearer)

Now let’s meet this new crew…

The Enterprise’s commanding officer is Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played by Sir Patrick Stewart, a Shakespearean actor who had never seen Star Trek before auditioning) Stewart takes the gravitas he learned on stage and brings it to the 24th century, setting the tone of the series to something a bit more thought-provoking and less fist-provoking (just one question: why is a French starship captain talking with a British accent?)

Picard’s First Officer is Commander William Riker, who tends to be more Kirk-like in his command style. He’s not the type to get into a brawl or anything, but he’s more the smooth-talking type who leads his team when danger presents itself. He tends to lead missions that are away from the ship, preferring the Captain stay within the relative safety of the Enterprise.

The Second Officer and Chief Navigator is Lt. Commander Data (played by Brent Spiner, who previously was known as recurring character Bob Wheeler on Night Court), an android created by Dr. Noonian Soong capable of independent initiative. Despite rumors to the contrary, Data earned the rank he holds. His journey of learning to be as human as possible often puts him at the center of humorous situations (like when he tried growing a beard) He (and it’s been confirmed that he is male, with all of the plumbing to match) is incapable of showing emotion or using contractions, and often gets so wrapped up in what he’s saying that he has to be cut off by whomever he’s talking to due to not knowing when to stop spouting facts.

Some time during the series (it’s never explained in or out of canon when or how), Data acquired a cat, which he named Spot (despite the fact that the cat had stripes) There were four different “Spots” throughout the series and NONE of them looked alike (plus Spot’s gender changed at least once) Spiner has gone on record saying he hated doing scenes that included Spot, as they always took three times as long to shoot due to the cat not cooperating.

The Ship’s Counselor and advisor to the Captain is Lt. Commander Counselor Deanna Troi (played by Marina Sirtis), a member of a telepathic race known as Betazoids (she mainly uses her abilities as an empath, preferring not to use telepathy) Troi is actually half-Betazoid. She previously had a relationship with Riker that ended amiably, which comes back into play every now and then.

Her mother Lwoxana (played by Majel Barrett) is infatuated with Picard, much to his chagrin.

The Chief Helmsman (and eventually Data’s best friend) is Lt. (later Lt. Commander) Geordi La Forge (played by Reading Rainbow host LaVar Burton) La Forge is blind (due to a blind girl wanting a role model on Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry having an ironic sense of humor by making the pilot blind) The object that looks like a banana clip (because that’s what it is!) is a VISOR (Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement), which is connected to implants on La Forge’s temples that feed his brain sensory data, including infrared and ultraviolet emissions. Starting in Season 2 (following Season 1’s “Chief Engineer of the Week”), La Forge is transferred to Engineering where he remained through the remainder of the series and beyond.

Lt. Worf (played by Michael Dorn) is the first and (thus far) only Klingon to serve on a Starfleet vessel. He was the last survivor when the Romulans attacked a Klingon outpost when he was a boy. A Starfleet crewman found him and raised him. He is still very much a Klingon warrior, though tempered by Federation ideals.

He serves on the Enterprise as…well, I’m not entirely certain what his duties are at the start of the series other than to be the Token Klingon.

[FUN FACT: The prosthetic Dorn wore in season 1 was stolen after the season ended, so a new one had to be crafted but wasn’t an exact replica, which is why he looks different from Season 2 onward]

The Chief Medical Officer is Commander Dr. Beverly Crusher (played by Gates McFadden) Unlike Dr. McCoy, she doesn’t have any memorable catchphrases. Her husband was killed under Picard’s command years prior. She and Picard have unresolved romantic tension throughout the series.

Since families are allowed on the Enterprise, Dr. Crusher is allowed to bring her son Wesley (played by Wil Wheaton, who was previously known for Stand by Me) aboard. Wesley is a child prodigy who…

Look, I’m just gonna say it. I never liked Wesley (though I’ve gotten a lot of respect for Wheaton since he left the series) because he was pretty much a Mary Sue. He knows more about every aspect of the Enterprise than officers who’ve spent years to earn their posts. Despite being a teenager, he refers to the crew as “grown ups” rather than “adults” and (at least in the early parts of the first season) threw tantrums when the people in authority wouldn’t let him get his way.

That being said, he managed to somehow gain the respect of the crew (especially Captain Picard)

(Thanks again to April 5, 2063)

Last, but certainly not first, we have Head of Security and Tactical Officer Lt. Tasha Yar (played by Denise Crosby) Yar comes from a colony that had broken down, now ruled by the strongest. At times it seemed like there could be romantic leanings between Yar and Worf (and there WAS a sexual encounter with Data!) however, this never came to fruition as the season 1 finale will explain.

(Thanks to Frustrated Idealist)

It turns out that Denise Crosby had the same issue that Nichelle Nichols had (her role was essentially window dressing), but unlike Nichols, Crosby didn’t have a famous comedian to urge her to stay so she left the series. With Yar’s death, Worf was moved to her position (which really should’ve been the case from the start, given he’s a Klingon)

In addition to Wesley’s field commission and the transfers of Worf and La Forge (oh, and Riker grew a beard), there were two casting changes for season 2.

Backstage tension between Gates McFadden and the show’s head writer (who had gotten more authority as Gene Roddenberry started stepping back) caused McFadden to be fired. In canon, Dr. Crusher was reassigned to Starfleet Medical (though Wesley stayed aboard for some reason)

Replacing Dr. Crusher is Lt. Commander Dr. Kate Pulaski (played by Diana Maldaur (who had appeared in an episode of the Original Series and was best known for falling down an elevator shaft on LA Law) Dr. Pulaski was far more gruff than Dr. Crusher (more similar to Dr. McCoy, but without the catchphrases), and proved to be unpopular. She was replaced when the writer left and Rick Berman asked McFadden to return for season 3.

Finally, we come to the other Nichelle Nichols story she enjoyed telling.

There was a young black girl who saw Uhura and was amazed there was a black woman on TV who wasn’t a maid (this was the 60s, so that kind of thing was almost unheard of) She would be inspired to become a stand-up comedian, and eventually a popular movie actress. When TNG started, she went to Roddenberry and told him she wanted a role on the show…ANY role!

That little girl’s name?

Whoopie Goldberg, who was given the role of Guinan, the bartender of the Enterprise’s Ten Forward lounge. Guinan is of a race with cosmic-ish abilities (when the Enterprise is involved in a temporal event that changed history, Guinan was the only one who knew something was amiss)

Also over the course of the series we got interactions with Original Series crew members...

Admiral McCoy (retired, now over 130 years old)

Captain Scott (retired, who was suspended in time for over 70 years)

...and Ambassador Spock (well, Vulcans do live over 200 years)

It’s the interactions between the cast members that sets the series apart from the Original Series, and it truly is an ensemble cast; every cast member is given their chance in the spotlight on a number of episodes (particularly Data (in his quest to try to be more human) and Worf (as he tries to find his place between two cultures))

With the Klingons more-or-less friends, Starfleet needed more recurring alien threats to deal with (the Romulans were still around, but were quiet during the early seasons)

The Ferengi are a race that personify the absolute worst a capitalist society can be, prioritizing profit above all else (they even codify it in their code of “ethics” known as the Rules of Acquisition) Unfortunately, rather than being the threat they were intended they turned out to be little more than comic relief.

The Cardassians are a militaristic race bent on conquest (there are certainly a lot of those hanging around in the galaxy, aren’t there?) They tend to be cruel to those they conquer. However, to prevent a war the Federation ceded a number of Federation colony worlds that once belonged to the Cardassians, leaving those who chose to stay to fend for themselves against their new rulers (this may be the first crack in the utopian facade the Federation shows) Many Federation citizens (including a number of Starfleet personnel) formed a resistance group known as the Maquis, who are dedicated to freeing the colonies left to the Cardassians. Both the Federation and the Cardassians treat the group as terrorists.

Q (a member of the Q Continuum, played by John deLancie) is an omnipotent entity who appears occasionally to attempt to teach the Enterprise (and more importantly Captain Picard) about the fallacies of humanity and the dangers of What Lies Beyond. Many times his antics are played for laughs, but unlike the Ferengi there is always a dangerous undercurrent to Q’s games. Unfortunately, his antics have gotten Q in trouble with his fellow Q, and at one point he had been stripped of his powers and made human for a brief period.

Q is directly responsible for introducing the Federation to the gravest threat to the galaxy…

The Borg.

The Borg are humanoid beings that have been enhanced with cybernetics and, due to their hive mind, are able to adapt quickly to dangers (a phaser will down a few Borg, but they will quickly adapt and be able to repel future blasts on that light frequency) Any time they encounter a new species, they assimilate the species and their technology into their Collective.

The series ran for 7 seasons, beginning and ending with Q putting the humanity on trial (with the crew of the Enterprise playing the role of defendant for the entire race) The series laid the groundwork for two spin-off series set in the same era (plus at least one that debuted after 2010, so I won’t be covering it), but those are tales for future reviews.

If you would like to watch the series it’s available on Paramount+, PlutoTV, or behind your favorite paywall. If you would like to see an episode reviewed, please let me know!

One quick note before I go: I would like to show the tale of the first Meeting of the Generations (which occurred during the filming of Star Trek V), as told by Wil Wheaton.

[DISCLAIMER: This is told entirely from Wheaton’s perspective, and I’m sure William Shatner has a different take on it, but given all the stories about Shatner over the years, I’m inclined to think this is closer to the truth]

(Thanks to Eric Webb)

[black-paraphernalia]

The debt ceiling ‘deadline’ is June 1—what to know about the standoff and how it could affect your money 

(For the answers and the full read please click on title)

Published Thu, May 18 20231:33 PM EDT Updated Fri, May 19

1. What’s the debt ceiling?

2 .So the U.S. is about to hit the debt ceiling?

3.How could the debate affect the markets—and your money?

9 questions about the debt ceiling, answered What is the debt ceiling? What happens if the US breaches it? And other questions you were too embarrassed to ask. By Li Zhou and Dylan Matthews

  (For the answers to the 9 question click the above title 9 question)

This spring, Congress finds itself standing at a familiar precipice. Once again, if lawmakers don’t agree to suspend or raise the debt ceiling, the federal government risks defaulting on its loans, which would likely cause a massive economic crisis. To add to this urgency, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently announced that a default could happen as early as June 1. (excerpt from VOX.com)

1) What is the debt ceiling?

2) When is the US expected to breach the debt ceiling?

3) Has the US ever breached the debt ceiling before?

4) What would happen if we do breach the debt ceiling?

***** Once we breach the debt ceiling, the federal government will not be able to pay its bills, or for things like Social Security checks, payroll for service members and other federal employees, and Medicare reimbursements. Interest payments on past debt could go unpaid, which would mean the US government would default on its debts.******SHUTDOWN

5) Has raising the debt ceiling always generated this much drama?

6) Can Joe Biden raise the debt ceiling by himself?

******* Invoke the 14th Amendment Some legal scholars have argued that Section 4 of the 14th Amendment, which specifies that

 “the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law ... shall not be questioned,” renders the debt ceiling unconstitutional, as it threatens the validity of the US’s public debts by creating the possibility of default.”

 The New York Times’s Jim Tankersley reports that the White House has been seriously debating the idea in recent weeks. ********

7) Biden, as Obama’s vice president, negotiated the debt ceiling standoff in 2011. How did that play out?

8) Can’t Congress just get rid of the debt ceiling?

9) Where do things go from here?

THERE WILL BE MORE POST UPDATES TO COME ON THIS 

NOTE ---- FOR ALL WHO ARE RECEIVING ANY FORM OF GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS OR CHECKS - PLEASE READ BP POST FROM 2021 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN (LISTED MID DOWN ON HOME PAGE) CLICK LINK BELOW TO READ 

WINTER IS COMING 

STAY CALM AND BRACE AND PREPARE 

BLACK PARAPHERNALIA DISCLAIMER - PLEASE READ

[grigori77]

PLEASE reblog this one far and wide to get it some attention, I really do want to get as many opinions as possible, once again this is a matter that's PARTICULARLY close to my heart - this is a follow-up to this previous poll I did, since there was a whole PILE of stuff that I couldn't fit into just one list. This is a BIG ISSUE!!!

*Yes, I know that these were VERY MUCH Marmite movies that some people were REALLY down on, but I'm among a big de-hard fanbase for both that really enjoyed them and WISH there was more.

[temmysilver]

In today's episode of "what can I do to distract myself from work," I started looking at this thread as a "How *blank* are you?" quiz, given the seven months I spent as a library worker. Should anyone be interested, my "answers" are below. This is obviously not meant to discredit op at all, every library is different and I just wanted to compare and contrast experiences

1. True, not that that was a problem in my library. There were digital clocks on every computer on standby.

2. True, but lucky me, I wasn't the one who handled public email questions.

3. I can certainly believe it, but never encountered this problem myself. I did, however, meet plenty of adults who didn't know how lending worked.

4. True, but luckily we marked that particular section as crime/thriller.

5. False. Again, I have no doubt that op has faced plenty of book defacing, but we simply didn't. Lots of dogearing, though.

6. Lmao true, but we had push/pull doors. Patrons did often jiggle the handle before our sign said we were open, though.

7. True, true, true.

8. TRUE.

9. False. There were plenty of old folk who came up to me directly, but they were always fascinated by what I could find on the computer.

10. True. Some husbands also don't understand that we can all hear you when you give the health insurance person on the other end all your personal information.

11. True, through and through.

12. False. Nobody came to us from a job center, but there were plenty of times when we provided services not in our job description. I helped people with job applications, booking appointments, and once helped a lady write a letter to the sheriff after she had been robbed by her landlord.

13. True, and the same goes for every other business/service that is meant to help people. They also assume everyone has a smartphone.

14. TRUE

15. True and false. Our library was supposed to be quiet, and we did our best to keep it down, but the group of adults swearing up a storm in the kids section, the guy who was always playing in a vr headset, and the man who liked to occasionally exclaim in joy to his music (which he listened to through headphones) could never be fully shushed.

16. True true true true true true tr--

17. True, my goodness.

18. Truuuuuuuue

19. True, though we never had trouble securing an event.

20. False. Yes, two people always had to "volunteer" to supervise for an event, but we always punched our clock back in for the duration of it.

21. False. We always got the supplies we needed thanks to the "head" library in our system, which was a lot bigger and nicer. We did often have to fix certain appliances (mainly the printer and the toilets) ourselves, though.

22. True.

23. TRUE jfc, I was left sobbing at the end of my first week after I shut down this old ass man I'd been helping all week and he started slinging every slur in the book at me, the other staff, and the other patrons. I though he was going to follow me back to my car. (My coworkers and I walked in a group afterwards.)

24. True true true true.

25. False. Some folk liked to strike up conversation about what they just turned in, and I was always happy and excited to listen, but neither I nor any of my coworkers deliberately started one of these conversations.

26. True. My favorite were the third graders who came in every Wednesday because their school didn't have a library inside it.

27. True <3

28. I personally cannot drink caffeine, but my coworkers? Boy howdy.

My personal closing addition points:

1. Libraries often have way more stuff to check out than you think! In addition to books and DVDs, my library had CDs, vinyls, and board games!

2. One person higher in this blog chain mentioned inter-library loan, and I wanted to point it out again. If you want a specific item and your local library doesn't have it in their system, you can go online and fill out their ILL form. A quick questionnaire about the item's details will get you that item. If it is available in ANY other library in America (sorry, I don't know how/if ILL works in other countries), it WILL be reserved for you. This is how I get all my DVDs nowadays

3. Fun fact: most people who work in a library are not actually librarians! Jobs specifically with "librarian" in the title are reserved for managerial positions, and require a doctorate in library science to obtain. I held the position of "Public Service Assistant"

Quiz/rant OVER!

[netflixia]

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - Season 2 Teaser Trailer 

Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki bring a vision of the future in 2045 to the landmark near-future science fiction franchise “Ghost in the Shell.”

Fully prosthetic cyborg Motoko Kusanagi leads Public Security Section 9 as they once again take on cyberbrain crime.

The second season streams worldwide from May of 2022.

[upismediacenter]

OPINION: Functionaries, not Families

Photo credit: Sulat Nadera

Monarchies, sovereignties, and empires—the world is past these, especially the Philippines, since it is now a democracy and power supposedly emanates from its people. However, history is repeating itself with political dynasties surfacing throughout the country.

‘Political dynasties’ refers to political families dominating elected positions and public offices, treating the elective office as if it is their personal property or an heirloom to be passed down, according to a study by Dr. Teresa Tadem, a political science professor, and Dr. Eduardo Tadem, a professorial lecturer of Asian Studies. It is almost like a hereditary monarchy, with bloodlines ruling their respective provinces for generations on end. Our country has been monopolized by several powerful political dynasties; in fact, when you search for its definition, the Philippines is always mentioned as an example.

It is quite clear that these families have one goal: to keep themselves in power and secure selfish access to public funds. This explains why members of politically-inclined families always keep running for office. Additionally, they take pleasure in rewarding—or giving authority to—people who have proven their loyalty, despite representing flawed advocacies such as UniTeam, presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s tandem. This is done to create alliances. For example, during the 2016 general elections, 9 out of 12 senate winners came from the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s slate, as stated in an article by The Asia Foundation. The Aquino political dynasty produced two presidents, five senators, and several members of the House of Representatives. They are one of the most influential lineages with regard to the government.

Another example is the 2019 midterm elections, wherein, according to Rappler, at least 164 families had winning members that included senators, House Representatives, and governors. This figure represents how many clans enjoy a great deal of influence in their respective regions.

The upcoming 2022 presidential elections are practically the same as past referendums, with different candidates from powerful political dynasties vying for their respective spots in the government. Two of the most notable factions are those of Leni Robredo and Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM) and Sara Duterte-Carpio. The latter seems to be the more notable of the two, as BBM is the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and Duterte-Carpio is the daughter of the current President Rodrigo Duterte. Both candidates’ parents are infamous for violating human rights and killing thousands of Filipinos during their respective terms. As the political climate currently stands, the execution of justice upon the Marcos and Duterte regimes remains a significant challenge. The UniTeam tandem, coming from two powerful ancestries themselves, is supported by numerous political dynasties, which include but are not limited to the Estradas, Arroyos, and Villars.

These clans have actually faced lawsuits, all with the same charge: plunder. Another common denominator of these groups is that they were pardoned and freed on bail, proving once again that they can get away with anything without accountability. This makes it difficult and almost impossible for social movements and civil society to challenge the power base of these political families, as Drs. Tandem have stated in their study. Evidently, they have the power and the means to endure such legal trials. They even have the budget to run for office—again, and again, and again.

According to Article II Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law. This constitution has been active for 35 years and yet no law has been made to prohibit, limit, or regulate political dynasties. Isn't it ironic that the same people who are supposed to uphold and enforce our constitution are infringements to its doctrines?

The issue is so transparent and easily understandable that one could not wrap their head around the situation—that these people are free and may possibly even be re-elected. This mockery and abuse of the country’s electoral system and our democracy is unacceptable.  The thing about democracy is that the people are meant to choose who they wish to lead. It does not sit right with us that people are willingly electing families as if wishing to return to a monarchy.

But why are people even electing them into office in the first place? Individuals tend to look for a familiar “brand,” or a familiar face and name, rather than choosing which candidate has the best platform and advocacy. It’s as if people only look at the marketing rather than doing extensive research to find out who is best fit for the job. There is a strong link between celebrity status and electoral triumph. In an article published by TIME, it’s stated that there are at least 36 personalities running for office this upcoming election. To name a few, there is Francisco Domagoso (Isko Moreno), a former TV star and Manila’s mayor, and Manny Pacquiao, world boxing champion and senator. Both of them are presidential aspirants. Scandals, dramas, and gossip interests voters, says anthropologist Anna Pertierra in an interview with TIME. “Many voters may not really feel like a traditional politician is going to solve the problems that they feel that they’re experiencing,” says Pertierra. But then again, the majority of Filipinos do not have the privilege of having instant access to information, and even if they do, the education system is not sufficient in teaching them media literacy and fact-checking. People struck with poverty who are desperate for immediate change, false promises done by political candidates, and a mass disinformation campaign who not only target the poor, but the wealthy and educated as well, all create a recipe for disaster. The success of Duterte's presidential campaign which focused on eliminating corruption in 6 months, only for him to later back down on the said promise, is an example of this. Disinformation farms are getting better and better at fooling people into believing fake news and spreading mass hysteria. In addition, families who are gravely in need are very susceptible to vote-buying. The people aren’t entirely at fault. They may just be victims of circumstance. You know what they say, bad systems breed bad leaders.

The presidential system we have, in the first place, is very cutthroat and breeds a winner-takes-all type of mentality. Candidates go to great lengths to get elected into office, with some, according to a story from the Washington Post, running disinformation and troll farms just to make defamatory remarks about the competition and influence people’s opinions.

Government action is needed as soon as possible to put an end to this fiasco. Reforms in the education system are a must, as well as eliminating poverty. Our current system encourages the people and the media to be the watchdogs of the government, but given the current state of the country, we don’t think this is enough to keep the government in check. We need a change in the political system as a whole—not just in leadership. //by Pia Marantan and Paul Tumaliuan

[wehatejulietsimms]

A/N: i'm gonna respond to this in sections bc it's quite long so bare with me.

Howdy y’all, 🤠 again. Yes, I didn’t in fact die. I’m sorry though that I kept getting sidetracked and couldn’t submit this until now, my boss decided to keep dumping her work into my lap. So I just wanna preface this by stating that I’m going to try and say what I want to as coherent as possible, but I have pretty severe ADHD so I’m not always as easy to understand as I think I am in my head, and I often go off on tangents, over explain things and circle back to topics randomly without realizing. Im basically going to go over their relationship over the years as I said previously (I’m not gonna go into detail about every single scandal and shitty thing Juliet did over the years, because we’d be here all year. so I figure I won’t cover them here, but rather let people ask specific questions if they want to. Remember, I was present for pretty much everything so feel free to ask.😊), but I’m also going to do kind of a mini deep dive into Andy’s behavior and actions (because although the snakes will hit you with every excuse in the book, and tell you that you’re looking too far into things and that it doesn’t matter, it does. The way a person acts in general and towards people around them is very relevant when talking about someone’s health, happiness, and well-being.) To start off, let’s take it all the way back to the time before Juliet’s reign of terror, when Andy and Scout were still together. In all honesty from what I saw of them together (and I saw pretty much everything they posted, I’m only a year younger than Andy, and I was quite into him when he was on MySpace and such, and I always watched anything with him and Scout together because they were fucking adorable lol) they had a really healthy relationship. Not once did I get weird vibes from them. The way Andy acted toward and with Scout, you could tell they really loved each other and were happy together. They had nothing to prove. It just was normal. (For any of you who are younger, or didn’t come into the picture until Andy was already post-scout and would like to see some videos of them together, you could generally search on YouTube for it, but also there’s a specific channel on there called like bring the milk tea or something that has videos of old Andy blogs and also Andy and scout on stickam and such. Worth a look if you’re curious) They weren’t constantly all over each other like possessive pack dogs *ahem Juliet ahem* and whenever Andy mentioned scout he didn’t need to shower her in compliments. They both seemed very secure in both themselves and the relationship. Super cute. Initially when they broke up it seemed quite odd. I didn’t really expect it. It got even weirder when he states that he and Juliet are together. It didn’t feel like they fit together at all (and no I’m not talking about from a fame or success perspective. At least not yet lol) As I’ve said I got bad vibes from Juliet right from the get go. Andy already seemed to be acting not like himself. (Also snakeys have argued that it’s just that he’s more mature now and that’s why he acts nervous and constantly looks Ike he wants to die. 🙄 maturity doesn’t mean losing your fucking personality and being unhappy most of the time. Jesus Christ.) it seemed like they got possessive of each other and constantly needed to show people how in love they were. Pictures, videos, and fucking public love paragraphs to show they are, in fact, in a super real relationship and they love each other. It also felt like Andy’s family was in on this whole weird charade.They (Chris honestly) started to defend her degenerate behavior and attack anyone who had even a whisper of negative things to say about her or their relationship. It was like watching a group of awkward, pretty mediocre actors put on a play about them being together. (I’ve hit the text limit now, but there will be more that I will write just after I submit this one though, fear not haha. N, you can either post this now or wait until I submit the rest, it’s up to you.) 1 / ? -🤠

A/N: i was here for a lot of it as well so i do remember some of this. although i did join the fandom shortly after him and juliet got together (i joined like around the time she was on the voice) i literally remember hoping that him and scout would get back together bc juliet just rubbed me the wrong way and i didn't know why at the time. & side note i actually do recommend people go look at old videos of andy and scout they were really adorable. there is this one video of them singing (i think a carrie underwood song lol) in the car and it's really cute. but yeah just bc he's older doesn't mean his whole entire personality changes. you can be any age and act however you want. i could even use jenna marbles & julien solomita (a youtube couple) as an example, they've been together for i think like 8 or 9 years and are about the same age as A&J (julien being around andy's age & jenna around juliet's age) & although they can have mature adult conversations and all of that, they still act like idiots and joke around together. neither of them look uncomfortable or are afraid of saying certain things like andy is around juliet. so andy aging doesn't mean shit in regards to his personality doing a 180.

🤠okay, so part two here we go. (Also I apologize if I get the chronological order of anything I talk about incorrect, I’m a bit scattered sometimes and the next ask I make will be the one where I talk about the domestic abuse and I tend to get quite heated, which only makes my brain function worse lol) so the point at which Andy was trying to get fans to go vote for/ support Juliet when she was on the voice seemed really fishy. I’m all for supporting the work of the people you love, but it’s kinda strange how hard Andy was pushing this at the time. Too hard in my opinion. I’m obviously aware that it was helpful in the end and he more or less got what he was asking for. But it was like he absolutely needed people to vote for her. As if he would get in trouble if they didn’t. So around 2012 or 2013 it felt like things really went down the shitter from there and just got progressively worse. (I never knew why for the longest time, but after they revealed that Vegas wedding that happened in about that time frame, it made a lot of sense.) Andy’s behavior began to change towards his fans. There are a lot of accounts of this happening from fans themselves and a lot of people said that 1. It was worse with Juliet around, and 2. a lot of the time it would happen towards females especially. ( I think more towards the “pretty” fans but don’t count me on that, I don’t know for sure.) This was completely night and day. Especially coming from the same man who used to always defend his fans and once stated something along the lines of he would never have a crazy or awkward fan story because he loves and is grateful for all of his fans and he won’t get upset if they’re just really excited. I would understand if these fans crossed the line in some way (like the later incident of fans finding his address and harassing them, which is unacceptable no matter who the people are) but from most if not all of the fan stories I’ve heard, they didn’t. They were being respectful and didn’t do anything to warrant this happening to them besides showing up. Which brings me to my next point, a lot of these negative experiences were caused by Juliet. Either she was the one being mean to people, she was causing Andy to be mean to people on her behalf, or her presence was upsetting Andy to the point that he was angry and started being rude and irritable. What scares me the most are the accounts of Andy having a whole Jekyll and Hyde thing, depending on weather or not Juliet was present. Happy when he’s free of her and miserable when he isn’t. In videos of him where Juliet is behind the camera he always seems nervous and strange. Like he’s afraid to mess up. That’s fucking alarming to say the least. You would think that the last thing one would want to do if another person brings them this much anger, stress, and anxiety, the LAST thing they would want to do is fucking marry them. Right? He literally started barely smiling at one point and really doesn’t anymore. I mean for Christ’s sake look at his wedding photos. What’s suppose to be one of the happiest moments of your life and to quote another anon with a different ask, he looks like he’s being dragged to the gallows. (And I get really fucking Angry honestly when snakeys tries to pass it off as “oh he’s awkward he doesn’t know how to smile” or “omg he’s being dramatic for the aesthetics” in some pictures, yes. But why the fuck would you look like that in pictures with the “love of your life” who you now regularly write cringy paragraphs publicly professing your love and complete adoration for? Andy knows how to smile genuinely. Ffs he used to. He smiled genuinely when he was a kid, he smiled genuinely with scout, and he smiled genuinely when Juliet wasn’t around. He doesn’t smile when she is there, and if he does, it is pretty much always visibly fake.) So I may backtrack a little later, but right now I want to talk about the fact that Juliet IS an abuser. More specifically, the plane incident. (Word limit. TBC.) 2 / ? -🤠

A/N: yes. 100%. when it comes to the wedding photos i will never understand people (specifically snakeys) writing off his behavior as him "just being dramatic for the aesthetics". is that something he would do in photoshoots? yeah. is it something he may do on stage? sure. something he would do in an interview? maybe. but candid shots of him on one of the "happiest days of his life"? wtf no. & idk why people think that.

🤠 Just before I start, again, with the pictures, I really don’t think that Andy is enough of a self absorbed egotistical dick that he would actually sit there and put on the whole “miserable tough guy” act in every fucking photo he takes. Ah yes, the infamous plane incident. So straight up, Juliet exposed herself as an abuser, and brought out every bullshit excuse in the book (and made Andy go along with them) to try to cover it up. 1. She was drunk. Honestly this is total bullshit. I say this same thing when people defend cheating or any other degenerate behavior with the excuse of intoxication and I will say it now. Being drunk does not make you a different fucking person. It does not change the thoughts in your head. What it does do is impair your ability to make decisions and judgement skills in general. It’s the same reason why people drive drunk. It’s routine. Its what they would normally do. And because they’re drunk, they can’t see any reason why they shouldn’t do that. Juliet gets drunk, she and Andy fight, she wants to hit him, and because she’s drunk she doesn’t think that she shouldn’t fucking put her hands on him. 2. She hit him in ���self defense” and he broke her ribs.(There’s several points I have debunking this) first of all let’s get this out of the way, no one on that plane (including the very real witness who just so happened to be an adult film actress (I think?) who you so love to discount because of it) saw him strike her or even touch her at any time. Two, you are in fucking airplane seats sitting right the fuck next to each other with an armrest in between. It would be pretty fucking hard to break your ribs unless they were made of actual glass, or Andy’s real name is Bruce fucking banner. Bones are surprisingly strong and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it’d be damn near impossible for him to do that to you, which brings me to three, if he had broken your ribs you would not be fucking standing up, thrashing around, whining like a little bitch, and oh by the way, continuing to abuse your husband for the second time on that flight. Four, you had a miscarriage. (When I was trying to conceive with my husband it was very difficult. I had two miscarriages before I finally had my son. I’m fully aware of how devastating having one is.) which is why if you are not lying (which I fully believe that Juliet would stoop that low just to get sympathy, especially with this big of a scandal. But I don’t actually have proof of this so I will say that it is just speculation on my part) I don’t fucking care. I am not unsympathetic to her if this did actually happen as I said, however, You do not get to make any excuse for putting your hands on another person out of anger. Ever. I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what kind of stress you are under, I don’t care if you are inebriated in any way and I sure as hell don’t care what the fuck you have between your legs. You do not hurt anyone. Point blank period. Five. You are a woman, you can’t hurt him. This one, actually enrages me. We all know your crusty ass pulled this one out (and threw around trump supporters a few times for good measure) because you know damn well how society and the media views and deals with abusive women. Women can abuse. Women who are shorter or weaker than their target can abuse. The fact that there are people who either don’t know that or don’t agree with that is absolutely baffling. Six. The same (I believe) porn actress. Literally saw you beating your own face with the restraints you had to be put in (which by the way flight attendants only ever use restraints as an absolute last resort when someone becomes a danger to the others on board, so she had to be acting absolutely deranged) to give yourself a bloody nose to claim Andy hit you. Then you proceed to act like a child and tell Andy to call your fucking dad. (Which kinda proves that whole Scientology thing honestly) what in the hell. I stg as long as I am breathing I will never let this go. This is actual fucking domestic abuse. (Word limit TBC.) 3 / ? -🤠

A/N: yeah her hitting him "bc she was drunk" was never a good excuse not only for the reasons you mentioned but, also bc let's be real at no point are you ever going to get served enough alcohol on a plane to make you that drunk i don't care what anyone says. also when it comes to the excuse of him "breaking her ribs" does she forget that andy actually did break his ribs a while ago? i think she even visited him when he was recovering so she should know what kind of pain he was in. & if he actually broke her ribs, there's no way she would have even been able to stand bc i know andy sure wasn't able to. he said it was one of the most painful things he's experienced. (i don't think i need to comment on the rest of this. it would just be redundant. you hit the nail on the head with that.)

🤠 I don’t care if it happened just that one time ore more likely is an everyday occurrence. Abuse is abuse and should never be tolerated. Kind of getting away from the plane thing. Andy always seems, as it’s been said on here before, afraid to mess up. Like he might mess up, and make her mad. A common behavioral pattern in abuse victims. He also at this point and for a decent amount of time before, doesn’t seem like he loves her anymore. Like he keeps up appearances and pretends, but it’s like it’s a job he’s forced to do. He’s tired and burnt out but was probably manipulated into staying and juliet is probably clinging for dear life. Also I don’t know if I’m the only one who thinks this, but I swear, the veganism and sobering up was just a cover up, most likely formed by either Juliet herself or her fucked up family, after the plane incident to hide their tracks and regain some public favor (because you know, if you advocate for animal rights then you can’t abuse your husband 🙃) Andy never gave a shit before though. Even though it was unhealthy he loved to drink and smoke and was very outspoken about that. And he used to never give a fuck about eating meat or consuming animal products like leather. I mean they’re still selling leather goods ffs. I would get having minor fuck ups because you don’t know any better, but it’s fucking leather. And now Andy is unhealthy and miserable as ever, but the culprit is malnourishment and Juliet rather than cigs, alcohol, and Juliet. My final thoughts: I do definitely believe in the Scientology theory, but if not that than I definitely believe that Andy was and is being manipulated for his fame. On several occasions it really looked like they broke up, including the time when they did, and then said it was a joke. It really doesn’t feel normal. Also, Juliet doesn’t really care about Andy that much. She never wears her wedding ring, she sells all their shit, including sentimental items, and now that she’s gained more popularity from being with him, suddenly doesn’t want to put him in her bio or write him the same creepy ass paragraphs or anything. It’s fucked up how shes so keen to say she did it all herself when really she’s been riding dick for fame since before she even met Andy. It also always kinda seemed to me that Amy was kind of uncomfortable around Juliet. We all know that Chris loves to kiss her ass night and day (most likely to do with the Scientology thing “if” it’s true), but Juliet and Amy always seemed to have a weird relationship like it was tense and forced. Also I just want to mention the time that Juliet talked about screaming at the woman over what I believe was a game night and brushed it off as being competitive and no one gave damn. Fucked up. To finish off this already way too long little series, I think Andy is a very vulnerable insecure person who got manipulated by several people (not just Juliet) some of whom he probably really trusted, and they helped to get him in Juliet’s (equally if not more insecure) hands so she could hurt him as she pleases. I truly hope that even now both he, and his parents (even though Chris really grinds my gears) can get out of this whole shit show, relatively unscathed. I know this is probably pretty unlikely, but hope springs eternal I guess. As I said feel free to ask any questions you may have and I will try to answer them best I can. Thank you for reading. 4 / 4 -🤠

A/N: yet again you hit the nail on the head with this part so i don't need to comment too much. other than the fact that i do agree that juliet and amy's relationship does seem weird.

[orandoesthings]

I figured I would do a cheeky little OC questionnaire for fun. I've basically been writing a very queer novel for the last year (and then some), and most of my characters are some flavor of queer, so I thought I would fill out these questions for the lead of my novel.

BIRCH LEWIS-WYNDHAM

1. Birch is a trans man and uses He/Him pronouns exclusively.

2. Panromantic/Asexual. Basically, he likes the idea of being in a relationship with pretty much anyone, but is not interested in sex.

3. He's always kind of felt weird with his gender and was always a little grossed out by intimate scenes in film or real life. He has very supportive (and gay) parents, but I think he took longer to discover his gender than one might expect, given the circumstances. Probably really started thinking about it when he got into some online blogs in middle school, then opened up to his moms about his feelings and one of them is like, "You know you can just be a boy." Then the whole world opened up to him.

4. Birch has two moms. Thea is a lesbian and Fiona is bi. The two have been together for about 30 years, and are married. His local family is very supportive. His hometown is not so much, but they get by.

5. Birch was originally part of a completely different story, but was always trans. Eventually, he spun off onto his own narrative and I figured the rest out as I built him.

6. He likes labels, but isn't married to them. He likes the feeling of community in labelling himself as "queer," "trans," or even just, "gay," but he doesn't like being seen as just those labels.

7. At this point, he's pretty secure about his identity. It would be pretty surprising if he started questioning his gender. His orientation could shift, maybe being more sexual the longer he's on T, but not much in the way of change is expected.

8. Birch used to swim in his middle school swim team, but had to quit in high school because he wanted to swap teams to be on the boys' and his school would not accommodate. Otherwise, he has seen little pushback on his gender because he passes fairly well. He did feel bad about his asexuality during high school because of the extreme obsession with sex so many high schoolers have, but he got over it when he got out.

9. Birch is a human in the USA, planet Earth, in the year 2018.

10. Hell yeah. Every year him and his moms go hard on pride celebrations.

11. Bit of yes, bit of no. He'll really only identify as a man in public and to strangers, but those he's closer to, he'll open up about that. Just easier that way.

12. Eh... Not really. Not anymore at least. Again, he's comfortable as a man, and no amount of transphobia will push him to want to change being trans. He did kind of want to be allosexual in high school because of the perception of sex and love, but he got over that after graduating.

13. Birch is pretty solidly monogamous. He could maybe be convinced to try polyamory, but he does get jealous quite easily, mainly because he values love and trust beyond all else.

[Section 2]

14. Yes... Birch (and also a couple others).

15. At least one. I really want to have more neopronoun users, it's just tough to write for them in mainstream media.

16. Probably several times. It's always a process. I know I once changed a character from being a cis man to a trans man, and some characters I start writing as straight but shift to some level of queer. I like to think of it as being similar to real world self-discovery.

17. A few. I am a pansexual, non-binary, genderfluid person. I have a few pansexual characters, several non-binary, and of those, at least 3 of them are genderfluid.

18. As of right now, all my characters have labels to some degree, but I'd be very interested in writing a labeless character in the future, or maybe having one change to renounce all labels.

19. Depends on the story. Some stories work with homo/transphobia, and some don't really need it. Ultimately, it is based entirely on the story I want to tell.

20. I don't know. Maybe they helped me explore gender in a way that I never really thought about, but I attribute my genderfluid identity to DMing D&D (wait, should I have been counting D&D PCs/NPCs in this, because those aforementioned numbers skyrocket at that point).

21. Uhh... Bear with me as I struggle to avoid procrastination and try to finish my novel and short stories. I really want to share more with everyone. I would love to see what everyone thinks of Birch and his friends/family when the stories are ready. Thank you!

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈PRIDE THEMED OC ASK GAME🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️

Bc I wanted one and didn't find it so. Here

[Send ask aimed at a specific character]

1. What's your oc's gender identity? What's their relationship to their gender?

2. What's your oc's orientation? (Romantic/sexual/platonic alterous ect) Do they have opinions about it?

3. How did your oc discover themself? Did something cause them to question, or did they always know?

4. Is your oc's environment supportive about their identity? How does this impact them?

5. How did you figure out your oc's identity?

6. How does your oc feel about labels? Theirs, or in general?

7. Is there something that could cause your oc to question their identity? What?

8. Have they had struggles with their identity, be it due to internal or external reasons?

9. Are there cultural or lore specific aspects to their identity? If applicable, does their species affect it?

10. Does your oc celebrate Pride? How?

11. Is your oc open about their identity? Are they more lowkey or more blunt about it? Why or why not?

12. Does/did your oc ever wish they could change the way they are? Why? If it's in the past, how did they get over the feeling? (this can be about internalized homo/transphobia)

13. Would your oc be open to a poly relationship? Why or why not?

[Not aimed at a specific character] / [Aimed at creator]

14. Do you have ocs on the aro or ace spectrum?

15. Do any of your ocs use neopronouns? Which ones?

16. Did you ever change an oc's identity when they were already established? Why?

17. Do you share identity with any of your ocs? Which ones?

18. Do you prefer to give your ocs specific labels, or keep it unspecified? Why? If applicable, do you change their labels depending on circumstance?

19. Do you have preferences about depicting homo/transphobia in your stories? What, and why? Does it vary by story?

20. Have your ocs helped you in self discovery? How?

21. Free ramble card wee

[eroticcannibal]

Common myths and misconceptions about home education

So in case anyone has somehow missed it, I have recently become a Big supporter of home education in a very lefty way, which has meant I have had to challenge a lot of views I have previously held about home education and that I know a lot of other lefties hold too. I am of the opinion that embracing home education, not as a last resort, but as the primary form of education for as many children as possible, is a vital part of achieving the required shifts in society needed to meet the goals of most leftists. So I am taking it on myself to convince you all that it is a very good thing, and also to clear up some misconceptions people have about home education that may make them feel they are unable to do it.

(A note, I am from the UK and shall be using UK terminology and specifics regarding law, policy and other such things will be from a UK perspective. I shall be using the term home education, as that is the legal term in the UK and is distinct from home schooling, which is the term for what school children have been doing during the pandemic.)

And I would also like to extend a quick thanks to Education Otherwise and the mods at Home education and your local authority for teaching me A LOT.

Have any questions about anything I’ve not covered here? Just let me know!

1. “Home education is illegal.”

- Sadly, home education is illegal or restricted to the point of inaccessibility in most of the world. From the research I have done, it seems that only the US and the UK have reasonable laws around home education (if I am using a very broad definition of reasonable, it is still not great). I do hope I can change this section soon, and I would *heavily* encourage people to campaign for the right to home educate post pandemic, perhaps cite any benefits learning at home has provided to children, perhaps???

2. “Home education is a tool used by religious fundamentalists to brainwash children!”

- This is a view many hold, and for good reason. For many of us, when we think of home education, we think of christian fundamentalists in the deep south of America, pulling their children out of school to avoid the liberal agenda. The truth is, anything can be used as a tool of indoctrination. This can happen in home education, and it can happen and has happened in schools too. In my own communities we have had instances of schools being a site of religious radicalization of children. The reality is this is far too complex and deep an issue to be solved by deeming any particular form of education as “bad”. I am not an expert on how best to deal with such issues, but I do feel that things like outreach and building a healthy community with otherwise more isolated religious groups would be a better way to address these issues.

3. “You need to have x qualification to home educate.”

- Again, a reasonable view to hold, given that state run and private education does require educators to hold certain qualifications, but in practice it quickly becomes evident the same does not necessarily have to apply with home education. Educational qualifications are very much focused on delivering an education in a classroom, which is a far cry from home education. During our home education of our child, my partner, who is a qualified SEN TA, has struggled far more than I have with educating our SEN child, despite the fact I hold no qualifications.

We live in amazing times when it comes to education. There are many things that parents and communities have to teach a child, and there are many things a child can teach to themself if given the tools to do so. You can even learn together! Their are endless resources available, books and games and documentaries, and even home education groups and private tutors if you feel that is the right fit for your child. You don’t need a piece of paper for your child to spend a day with their nose buried in a book, or to help the neighbor with his vegetable patch, or to cuddle up on the sofa while watching Planet Earth.

4. “You are required to follow the national curriculum.”

- This does vary by country (that allows home education). As a general rule, the stricter a country is about who can home educate, the stricter they are about what must be taught. In the UK, you are not required to follow the national curriculum. Education must be “efficient” and suited to the child’s “age, aptitude and ability”, and LAs do require that english and maths are covered. Other than that, you are allowed to tailor the content of education to the child and their interests. We have recently dropped geography for now and are only just picking up history again. It has also given us the freedom to focus on areas our child needs that would not be covered in mainstream education, such as anxiety management, trauma processing, self care and hygiene.

5. “Home education looks like school/is just filling out workbooks/etc”

- The thing you will always hear from experienced home educators when you begin home education is “home education doesn’t need to be school at home”. Much like you can tailor the content of the learning to the child, you can also tailor the delivery to the child. Some child need structure, timetable, instructions. Some need freedom and to bounce between topics. Some need to have an hour learning maths and only maths, some need to go dig up your garden “for science”. Some want to learn every day, some will need extended breaks.

Learning happens all the time, from the moment they wake to the moment they sleep. As an example, at home we have some workbooks, as both me and my child have ADHD and need someone to go “ok learn this” rather than us having to work out for ourselves what we need to cover for core subjects like english and maths. For the rest of most days my child is left to their own devices to binge youtube and netflix and work on their art. We try and go for a woodland walk every few days, where we have Deep Discussions about all kinds of topics, and we are also working on growing edible plants and baking cakes from around the world. We are more hands-off at the moment, due to the current bout of anxiety, but when that settles again we will get back to history themed crafts and STEM activities. Post-pandemic, we will be signing our kid up for swimming classes and “after school” clubs, and looking at sending them down to my mum for the home ed groups where she lives, like the forest school. A lot of home education outside of a pandemic is in groups and community based, or will make use of libraries and museums and other public learning opportunities. Frequently very little will happen at home.

In fact many home educators will advise new families to “deschool” for a while before jumping in to learning. This is a period where you “get school out of your system”, and just exist. Learning does not have to be intentional, you will be surprised how much you can achieve by just having fun.

6. “Home education is expensive.”

- It can be, ask my bank account. However, it is perfectly possible to deliver a quality education with little to no money. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s doable. Their are many online resources for free (check out oak academy), and libraries have plenty available too. Even paid resources can be very cheap if you know where to look. (psst, if your kid thrives with worksheets and powerpoints, get yourself a twinkl subscription, download everything you need for a year then cancel it.)

(This does not apply to exams. Get saving!)

7. “Home educated children are not properly socialised.”

- This is only really true during the pandemic. The rest of the time, home educated children are free to socialise whenever they want, with whoever they want, in whatever setting they choose. Socialisation while home educating is in the opinions of many of a higher quality, as they are not limited to groups of a similar age and background. Many home educating families form groups for their children to socialise together too. For ND children especially, socialising while home educated can be far less stressful and far more fulfilling than in school.

8. “Home educated children won’t get qualifications.”

- Just plain not true. Arranging qualifications can be costly and time consuming, but it is possible and regularly done. Some children may return to school or college to access exams for free, and I have heard of a handful of cases where individuals were able to secure prestigious university places without any qualifications. Home education also allows for more freedom with how exams and qualifications are approached, for example, many home educated children will pick one GCSE to focus on at a time, rather than covering numerous topics over 2 years and having exams for all of them at once like children in school will.

9. “Home education is a safeguarding risk/is used to cover up abuse/home educated children are not seen.”

- In the UK at least, home education is not considered a safeguarding risk, no matter what authorities may tell you, nor are home educated “not seen”. They still visit medical professionals, they still engage with their communities.

Now I shall add the relevant paper here should I find it again, but the idea that home education is used to cover up abuse to a statistically significant degree, or that home educated children are at more risk of abuse, is false. Home educating families do face a significantly higher risk of social services involvement than other families, but far less abuse is found in comparison to other families. It is also worth considering, when talking about social services involvement, that many families pursue home education due to failures by schools regarding a child’s vulnerabilities. In most cases, especially the Big Ones, where a home educated child is abused, the child was already known to authorities as a victim of abuse, therefore home educating did nothing to hide said abuse.

Children are also routinely abused in schools, which is another common reason for home educating.

10. “Home education has to be monitored or approved.”

- Depends on the country, I know in Japan home education is monitored by schools, however in the UK, monitoring is not lawful. Local authorities may make informal enquiries to ensure a suitable education is being facilitated (keep EVERYTHING in writing and please go straight to “home education and your local authority” group on FB for advice, you WILL need it!). In England, if your child is in mainstream education, you can deregister at will, from a special school will require LA approval. In Scotland deregistering requires LA approval. (Again, head to the aforementioned group for advice).

11. “You can’t work/get an education while home educating”

- It is hard to balance work, education and educating your child, but it is possible, people do it every day. Obviously, having at least one parent free to educate unhindered at all times is an ideal situation, but in the real world it often does not work that way. Parents may have to home educate regardless of their other commitments if a child truly needs to escape the school system. Many parents work or learn from home, and sometimes it is even possible to combine these activities with home education. Professional artists and crafters can pass down their skills while working, distance learners can invite their children to sit in on lectures. The really great thing about home education is it is flexible. Do you have a whole day of meetings? Let the kid play minecraft all day! Going to be in the office all day? Drop the kid off at the local forest school or something else they can do all day. Drop them with the grandparents to help with the gardening!

12. “Home educated are behind/achieve less than school children.”

- Their is no evidence that home education is of a lower quality than school education. Many children are home educated specifically because the school environment was detrimental to their education, and thrive with home education. Plenty of children are able to learn more simply by having 1-to-1 attention, without the distraction of an entire class. And others may well be “behind”, and are educated at home because of their specific needs that mean they will never thrive in an academic setting, so they are allowed to focus on learning skills that will allow them to live independently.

[littlefreya]

The Way to Hell - Part 6

*No permission is given for reposting my work, copying it or parts of the source material and claiming it as your own*

Summary: Post Mi6 - August manages to escape with his face intact and just won himself the title of being the most dangerous man on earth. With every agent in the world on the hunt for him, life became a living hell, but that’s okay because hell is where he reigns.

Too bad for the woman who’ll stand in his way.

Chapters: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10| Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 |

Pairing: August Walker x OFC (Ingvild) | August Walker x ofc Suzy

Word count: 5K

Warnings: Dark themes, rough oral sex, gagging, hinted anal, mentions of rough sex, and August twisted thoughts.  

A/N: The adventures of August and Ingvild continue 💖 thanks again for reading and giving me your feedback, it keeps me fueled so keep it up :D! Of course thanks @agniavateira​ for editing my work and being my muse.

Title: Stargazer

The love boat sets sail through the icy water of the North Sea. The apostle, Knight_of_Cockn3ss, or whatever that kid’s name is, wasn’t joking when he mentioned a romantic cruise.

The traitorous sun hangs mid-sky as August trails across the deck. A beige fedora covers his dark curls and a matching cream-coloured suit over his sturdy body. In his right hand rests his laptop, he is not daring to leave it out of sight even for a minute. His eyes observe the surroundings; he must be the only single person on this trip, surrounded by timid couples on the verge of divorce and sugar daddies with their sugar babies.

‘At least the young girls are pretty.’ August greets a tall blonde, holding one hand behind his back and giving her a small bow before continuing on his way.

He’ll have to endure this trip for a couple more days, which isn’t ideal by any means, but he can’t risk getting caught or killed. Airports all over the world are swarming with security guards, agents, and assassins on really fucking high alert by now, all of them waiting for him.

The irony of the situation is that a long time ago used to be one of them. A wanted target on a scale of world catastrophe would spin a web of agents worldwide and Agent Walker would always get there first. That’s why they called him “The Hammer” - he nailed each target on the head, among other things.

No one cared about torture and extreme violence. He once brought back a target in such a dire condition that Erica was forced to send him to psych evaluation. He bluntly told the psychiatrist he enjoys the violence for no particular reason why, and then fucked her over the desk.

He scoffs at the memory, breaking into a wolfish grin.

Standing on the rail, his gaze is glued to the blue horizon, following the trail of sea-foam left by the boat as it slices through the water, disturbing the peaceful life beneath the sea. Slowly, his chaotic mind begins to drift, reveries of the CIA reminding him of her.

Golden locks of hair glow like hot sand on a summer day. Sweetly, she jokes about buying a yacht, telling Erica to fuck off so they can leave everything behind, and sail into freedom.

Memories are perfidious. Why has she been on his mind so much as of late? She’s been dead for years, flesh eaten by worms and the insects.

She is no more but a sack of rotting bones.

To condemn her memory is more than she deserves.

August’s nostrils flare. For whatever reason, his mind wanders to the girl who lived. Gently snorting, he shakes his head, remembering the condition of how he left ‘poor little’ Ingvild; half-naked, wrists tied up to the bed, probably crying to whatever father figure she has.

After what he did to her, she’ll probably retire from Icarus.

“I’m coming after you,” he mimics her voice in his head, and laughs while making his way toward the stack of beach lounge chairs. The section is nearly empty as most of the lovebirds are dinning in the main hall and unlike the degenerated visitors of this cruise, he is here solely on business.

Much work is left to be done. “Knight” has promised to meet him in London’s sky tower, suggesting he may or may not have a source of plutonium. Whether he’s a broker, a source, or a possible troll matters very little to a man on the run. Desperate times are ahead; he may be sticking his neck out, might be stepping into an obvious trap, but choice is scarce at the moment.

‘This is not the type of anarchy I dreamed of.’

That little girl, Ingvild, was the first to come. There will be others, endless more until the world will fall apart.  

“I’ll keep coming after you.” Her voice hinges on his troubled mind.

He opens his laptop with a groan, trying to ignore the truth that lies on his mind like a pile of heavy brick.

‘You should have left her pretty face to die in the bottom of the lake.’

“Oh, but to miss out on all the fun that followed in that bedroom?” he speaks to himself quietly, unlocking his laptop with a retinal scan.

Luckily, his old drive is still accessible on the cloud he encrypted. Years of work and dirt collected on the CIA and the government nestles on a single server. The ugly truth, the lies, the corruptness. Thick and black like a pit filled of tar.

Erica Sloane has her own dedicated special folder. Personal vendetta was never on his agenda, it was never about revenge, it was about a cause but sweet Erica deserves whatever damnation he could think of. He hopes that when he detonates his nuclear bombs, that once this world falls apart, she’ll sit on a front-row seat to see her failures raining down like fire from the sky.

A vicious smirk paints his face as his fingertips slide onto the touchpad. August scans through his many folders, seeking a specific one regarding illegal weapon deals. It would be a lovely afternoon at the CIA had one of these recordings or documents would find their way to the public eye.

August slides the cursor around, entering one of the CIA’s subfolders when his smile fades away.

He thought he deleted her folder a long time ago, but it seems like mistakenly, he placed it in another section instead.

And now here it is. A name he thought he’d never see again: Lacey.

Strange, he hardly remembers what she looked like. How long has it been? Six? Seven years ago? In his dreams, she’s nothing but a rotting corpse, but the mind has a tendency to alter one’s memory, doesn’t it?

Was she even sweet at all?

‘Manipulation was her strongest trait anyway.’

Without mustering a mother breath, he deletes the folder, and proceeds to search for the files he means to leak. He muses if they caught up with the notion that it was him who poisoned the well this entire time. Years of stirring chaos while sitting with his laptop of his bed while Sloane and her high-ranking management freaked out and did all that’s in their power to cover shit up.

It was so hard to keep a poker face and pretend he is trying to help. One particular time, he got so ecstatic he had to go and jack off in the men’s room.  

‘That was a good one.’

Something abruptly disturbs his attention, making his heart nearly drop.

‘It can’t be, is that...?’

A petite brunette passes through the lounge, joyfully trodding along the deck. Her hair is tucked back into a ponytail. No, it can’t be her, not in the situation he left her at. By what sort of dark magic would she exactly appear here out of nowhere?

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if the little Valkyrie turns out to be some sort of a witch.’

The brunette feels his gaze upon her figure and turns. He is met with a brown, warm gaze, rather than the sharp icy lustre that is Ingvild’s trademark. Less pretty as well, but looks about the same age, perhaps a year or two younger.

Another sugar baby, weary and discontent.

August realises he must have been staring with a dumbfounded look as she decides to smile back and make her way to him.

“Good afternoon,” she greets in a Midwestern accent. August’s eyes focus on her painted lips and in his mind, he imagines wiping that cotton candy pink lipstick by his thumb.

“Afternoon,” he smiles kindly, tipping his fedora with a welcoming bow.

Always the gentleman.

The young woman moves to sit on the seat in front of him, crossing her legs together as she takes in his sight. She observes and assesses how old he is and how much money he must own.

Probably looking for a new target.

‘Not old enough to be your daddy, but you can still call me that if it floats your boat.’

“Are you a secret agent?” She jokes, peering at his laptop before he smooths his hand on the lid to shuts it. He pretends to be intrigued by her senseless, obvious seduction when his mind once again forced him to go back and compare her to living-dead girl.

It seems like he can’t get away from her. Perhaps her threats were a curse? Even halfway across the sea, this total stranger reignites his curiosity.

‘Does Ingvild has any values? Any empathy toward others?’

She did experience fear in those little moments when his knife penetrated her soft little gut - that look in her eyes; like a virgin, fucked extremely rough for the very first time.

Thinking of those big, terrified eyes light up a snarl on his bewhiskered lip.

There was an inch of vulnerability in that sweet farewell kiss, a sense lost look on her face as if she couldn’t fit that emotion into any drawer inside her brain. It made her look so much more beautiful.

He wonders what she would have looked like if he went ahead with his besser urges and fucked her.

‘Maybe she’d finally break into tears. Fuck, I’d love to see her cry.’

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?” He interrupts the sassy brunette as she speaks of Lord-knows-what. It seems that she doesn’t even realise he wasn't listening to her for the last 5 minutes she been babbling . The girl smiles sweetly, tucking a brown lock of hair behind her ear. The diamond bracelet that decorated her wrist dangles as she does.

“Suzy.”

“Suzy,” August repeats and smiles charmingly before giving his lips a quick flick of a tongue. “Would you like to join me in my room?”

The brunette pretends to blush beneath the layers of foundation on her face and fakes an argument inside her mind as if she actually considers refusing his bold suggestion.

~*~

Back in his room, he pushes the petite brunette to her knees. He wipes away her makeup, smearing the pink paint with the crudeness of thumb. Suzy giggles, thinking she probably had men do worse than that by now.

‘Oh, darling, we haven’t even started yet.’

August’s large hand traces her rounded face, knuckles brushing against her cheek tenderly while running down to meet her lips again.

“Open up sweetheart,” he commands in a relaxed voice, his index finger demanding entrance to her velvety mouth. She spreads her lips open slowly, allowing him to slip in his long digit to explore the wet cavern while his thumb caresses her chin. Much to his delight, she sucks on his finger obediently, moaning as he slowly pumps in and out of her hot mouth.

“Good girl,” he praises, his free hand reaching to unbuckle his belt urgently and free his aching cock from his trousers. He tugs at himself for a second, staring how she suckles on his finger with fake devotion. She probably do want his cock, but it’s his money that she’d care for more later.

‘Oh, how disappointed you are going to be once I’m off this boat, baby.’

“How about I’ll fuck that pretty little throat, hmm?” August asks and without waiting for an answer, pulls his soaked finger away and clasps his hand around the hollows of her cheeks instead, forcing her to keep her mouth open.

She voices no protest, only her eyes staring at him wide and helpless. He pays no attention, preferring the sight of his cock sliding in between those puffy lips and pushing into the warm depths instead. A prolong groan slips out of his mouth, emphasising the relief of finally getting his dick wet.

Usually, he loves to watch, yet he lets his eyes roll back and shuts them tightly this time while she in the background. It only makes him fuck her throat more vigorously, his hands cradling and saddling her head, forcing her to meet the violent thrust of his hips.

“Don’t touch me,” he rasps breathlessly, as her her dirty paws snake for his waist. Terrified, she pulls away, intimidated by his voice. August’s eyes remain shut yet he can feel the wetness on her cheeks as his thumbs dig into them. Those tears are enough to send him over the edge, and he comes into her throat without any warning, grunting a couple of times and lingering inside her mouth to make sure she’ll swallow him clean.

‘That’s right little Valkyrie angel, you’ll take what I’ll give you.’

The mists of fantasy fade as August blinks his eyes open. Debunked by the plastic-type of woman. Slowly, he pulls his cock out, impressed by the mascara that’s smeared beneath Suzy’s now glassy red eyes. He wipes her lower lip clean and then gives her chin a gentle pinch with a soft grin.

Suzy gives out a weak smile in return, trying to look satisfied while remaining on her knees. He can tell that her little brain is pretty much half-through into realising she made a mistake by following the devil into his room.

Tall and menacing, he looks at her drenched by vile mischief. August moves to sit on the queen sized bed, petting the empty spot next to him. She follows, fighting her instinct to put a hand on his knee as she is used to, afraid that he will bark at her again.

“Tell me, Suzy,” he coaxes, reaching for the wallet in his pocket and drawing out a Trojan condom.

“Have you ever tried anal sex?”

****

“Ingvild,” the old man calls her name once he brings her to her new home. It’s a simple, minimalist apartment with naked walls and generic black IKEA furniture.

Silent, she peers at him, holding her small luggage between sinewy fingers. Everything that she possesses in the world is in that suitcase; a bunch of plaid skirts, white buttoned shirts, and a few books about fairies and monsters.

This man called Liam, is he to be her new father? He never even offered her a smile and hardly bothers looking into her eyes. Instead he grunts and sighs while making his way around the house and gesturing for her to follow.

At least he is kinder than Mother Superior. At least in here, no girl is going to pick any fights with her and get her into trouble.

“This is your room,” Liam gestures. The pubescent girl sneaks closer, peeking inside with curiosity. It’s not what someone would call a girl’s room by any means, very much like the rooms they had at the orphanage. It contains a single bed with a thin mattress and white metal bars and on the bed rest some casual clothes for her to wear.

At least she won’t have to wear skirts anymore.

As little Ingvild continues to scan the room, she picks on a small library housing some books and a learning desk with a computer. Probably for her to gain some knowledge of the world. She never had any of that at the orphanage, just the bible and the “forbidden” books of fairytales she stole from one of the nuns.

“Today you can rest,” Liam speaks, watching the little girl as she moves to place her luggage inside and sits on the bed.

“Tomorrow, you will start your first day of training.”

‘Training?’

Ingvild says nothing, only glares at him back quietly. It’s quite clear no woman is present in the house which makes her wonder; the orphanage doesn’t allow single parents to adopt, especially not men. Was Mother Superior this desperate to get rid of her that she decided to throw her at the first person who asked?

“Just so we’re clear, girl,” Liam grumbles, “I am not your father. You call me Liam and that’s that.”

She nods silently and watches him leave the room, shutting the door behind. Sighing, she falls back to the mattress, her silver eyes fixing at the ceiling in wonders of what sort of new life has she been sold ito.

“Ingvild...”

A low, velvety voice calls for her again, the mattress dipping, shifting with the weight of the one who joins her. As she turns her face aside, she is met with hungry eyes and a smile so cold it makes her heart shrivel.

August.

*~*

A loud thud wakes her with a sharp inhale. Though her face remain stoic, quickly readjusting to the sight of moving ground as the plane’s wheels make their landing. ‘Arrogant August Walker, invading my dreams’, she curses but pays no more thought to why he was there. Analysing dreams was never her thing. They were just memories of random things that happened to her in her childhood and August is no different as he had been on her mind for the last 72 hours.

He was a job.

One that she needed to get over with.

Liam was at her throat with this one specifically, nagging her like an old shrew. He wasn’t used for her taking her time with it, not his special girl.

Massaging her strained neck, she waits for the last person to leave the plane, observing the empty cabin and noticing how used it appears with all the crumpled, empty snack bags lying on the floor.

‘Ungrateful’, she thinks before exiting her seat and tip-toeing to get her luggage.

The arrivals terminal is infested with agents. Having been trained for years, she sees right through their casual attire, so fake they almost look like B-movie actors. It’s those badly selected outfits and their observant gazes - eyes obsessively fixed on every gate. Every airport in the world must be the same right now, desperate to catch this nightmare of a terrorist.

‘As if he would be stupid enough to travel by plane.’

With a high profile target like August on the loose, it almost feels like the world is on the brink of war.

‘Is that what he wants? To be an anarchistic god that plows chaos everywhere?’

Maybe that’s why he gave her back her life, to humiliate her, to show her how easily he can twist everyone’s life and disrupt the world people know.

‘Mephisto, Lucifer, Hades, Hel.’

“Remember that you’re only alive because I have allowed it.”

A sudden shard of pain sears through her torso, the wound reacting to the phantasm of his low timbre which plays in her mind. It makes her slow on her steps and chews on her inner cheek to suppress a moan that has been begging to escape her lips since yesterday afternoon.

“August Walker”, the name rolls on the tip of her tongue.

Her very first failure, the very first man who killed her.

It almost feels like a bond now, intimate and twisted. August went deeper than any other man ever did - he fucked her internal organs.

‘Is that is why you “performed” for him in the shower? Why you thought about him, slipping inside you with his cock rather than his knife?’

Ingvild huffs tenderly and passes in-between a couple reuniting with passion, her shoulder sharply bumping against the woman, who yells at her while she remains indifferent, never bothering to look back.

Putting on her shades, she continues to head for the exit. The wound in her gut throbs even further, all of a sudden and just when she is tempted to give into the pain and acknowledge it, the new mobile device in her jacket’s pocket begins to vibrate.

Liam, who else?

“Papa?” She answers, the big exit sign finally flickering in front of her eyes.

She can see Liam rolling his eyes without having to see his grumpy old face.

“What progress do you hope to make with this lead? Someone says they saw him in Singapore yesterday, you should be following these threads instead.”

Ingvild holds her breath, knowing very well the lead is false. August was with her a night ago, so close she tasted him, so near his fingers dug deep into her flesh, leaving an imprint on her bones and even though there is something quite demonic about him, she doubts he can be at two different places at once.

“I need access to his world, I need to pick up the clues,” she explains, yet the sad truth is that she has no idea what to look for. August is not a rookie idiot, he did a fine job leaving zero clues back at the bed&breakfast room they “shared”. Not even the receptionist who ogled her oddly when she left could tell her where he was heading.  

“Just get it done, Ingvild. You’re acting like a child, this isn’t like you,” Liam mutters before hanging up.

‘He is right, this isn’t like you.’

Ingvild feels hooks clutching her guts, not just the pain August inflicted upon her, but something deeper, something desperate, leaving a void in that same spot. The fact that he slipped between her fingers seems to torments, just as much as the fact that she lied to Liam for the first time. It makes her feel like a rebellious teenager. She never keeps secrets from him and there she is, lying through every word.

Absentmindedly, her fingers press against her lips as she exits the airport.

~*~

The address led her to a small suburban house in southern London. It’s the type of house that has large glass windows where anyone standing outside can ogle freely. Rich people houses, as she likes to call it. She had a few missions in the past with people living in homes like this one - always an easy kill.

A blond woman meanders about inside the house, wearing a grey silk nightgown, preparing for bedtime probably. According to Walker’s file, she’s the most recent ex - Sydney. They broke up a couple of months before he decided to go on what he thought would be his final mission, his deathstrike.

‘If only.’

Glancing from the gravel path that leads to large metal doors, she learns the woman’s delicate manoeuvres, her mind reciting every graceful gestures as she crouches down to place food for a large Maine coon cat.

‘Is that the type of woman he likes?’

August would strikes her as a man who would fuck anything with a heartbeat but he did have more than a few relationships. She can’t help but wonder if he has a type, noticing how Sydney is more of a woman than a girl; solid income, big name lawyer, a woman who can take care of herself, a woman to start a family with.

Not that she imagines Walker starting a family anytime soon.

She is pretty too, with her mid-length straight golden hair, bright eyes and a shapely body. Ingvild looks at her own outfit: jeans, sneakers and a black sleeved shirt, nowhere as classy as beautiful Sydney.

The hour is late, still she walks toward the door and rings the bell.

“Can I help you?”

Ingvild is greeted by green eyes and a subtle Welsh accent. She gives her one of her fake smiles, trying to look as charming and pleasant as a sweet doll.

“Sydney Bedford?” She asks, while briefly scanning her body. She tries to imagine what August liked about her the most; her figure? Her angelic face? Her emerald stare?

“I have some questions about August Walker, he used to…”

Sydney shakes her head vehemently, waving her hands in the air. Something in her eyes drastically changes the moment the name “August” slaps her across the face.

“Are you MI6!? Please, I don’t want to speak about that psychotic loser anymore.”

Ingvild smiles calmly, a soft chuckle leaving her throat.

“Oh you see, he disappeared…”

“Good riddance!” Sydney replies, her eyes filling with anger, her face turning red within seconds. “Listen. I already told them everything I know.”

“Please,” Ingvild begs, batting her long lashes and tilting her head like a cute little kitten. “I’m new in this and my superior will be mad if I don’t at least speak to you. May I please come in? It’s important for my investigation.”

The same childlike charm that works on men might as well work on women, for different reasons in this occasion. Sydney is a single 36-38-year old woman who lives alone with her cat.

She must have wanted a family, perhaps with Walker, no wonder she’s furious.

Leaning against the door frame, Sydney scrutinises the young girl, believing she is younger than she really is with that pale smooth face and big innocent greyish eyes.  

“Come on in, dear.” She opens the door wide, letting Ingvild step inside before closing it behind her.

The main entrance leads into a large living room, furnished with a black leather sofas and a glass coffee table. She owns a TV that is larger than Ingvild's entire living room and the walls are moulded with grey bricks, shiny from some cut stone.

Ingvild imagines how lovely it would feel to crack the shimmering stone with August’s skull.

“Would you like some tea?” Sydney offers while heading toward her luxurious kitchen.

“Please,” Ingvild answers, walking around the house and examining every corner to learn of the woman who invited her in. She nearly stumbles as the large cat rubs against her foot. “Oh,” she exclaims, lowering herself to pick the chubby feline to her arms.

She never owned a pet. Liam said it’s unnecessary.

“So like I said,” Sydney calls from the kitchen, putting the kettle on the stove. “I don’t know anything about August and where he is. All I can tell you is that he was weird.”

“Weird? How?” Ingvild asks, stroking the cat behind his ears and while it purr against her chest.

Sydney places two mugs on the black marble counter in the kitchen and opens a cabinet, looking for some tea bags. “He would disappear and then return after weeks, telling me not to ask any questions. Then, he would go away and come back in crazy hours. He was a gentleman of course but arrogant and demanding, never taking no for an answer.”

Ingvild turns to look at Sydney, arching her eyebrow as if she is surprised to learn this about the man who stabbed and drowned her in an icy lake. “Is that so?”

“Yes!” Sydney shouts back, her chest heaving as she throws the bags into the mugs and turns toward Ingvild.

“Everything had to go his way, and I won’t be surprised if he had a mistress or another family, or god! Maybe an illegal drug practice.”

The cat jumps down from Ingvild’s embrace, and she brushes the grey hairs off her black shirt. “What makes you think this way?”

“Like I said; disappearing in the middle of the night, coming back... I knew something was off so I went and... wait I… I shouldn’t tell you this, you’re an agent!” Sydney looks around her, as if she’s afraid someone might be listening to their conversation.

Ingvild takes a step forward into the kitchen, her grey eyes seeking Sydney’s, giving her a warm, kind smile. “You can tell me anything Sydney, you are not in danger, I promise. We just want to locate Walker, he hasn't reported to HQ in a while.”

Sydney observes her gaze, trying to determine her personality. She thinks the young woman seem gentle with those unique eyes and the hair that’s tucked back to a strict ponytail.

“I had him traced,” she whispers. “I know I wasn’t supposed to because he is CIA, and trust me I was scared but I had to know.”

“How did you do that?” Ingvild asks, tilting her head with curiosity and slight disbelief. It seems odd that a man like Walker was bugged by some dumb lawyer woman.

“I did his laundry, it wasn’t hard to hide something inside the pocket of his jacket. I mean, inside the fabric, where he can’t find it.”

Ingvild can’t help but let out a small snort, amused by the fact that the infamous CIA agent got made so easily. She covers her mouth with her fist, shyly smiling into it, but it’s noticed by Sydney who stands in front of her, staring oddly.

“Where would he go?”

“Some place in South Kensington, almost every day for the last month of our relationship. He would vanish there for hours and then come back. I have the address, hold on.” Sydney leaves the kitchen and walks through a long corridor.

Not bothering with politeness, Ingvild follows her, easy off her feet like the big grey cat, carefully exploring this new territory. She imagines the fights August would have with this woman and then the passionate sex afterwards while her hand runs against the texture of the garnet.

“Oh!” Sydney exclaims, confused to see Ingvild in the doorway of her bedroom. The young woman looks around curiously, trying to find any memorabilia from August; a photo, a clothing article, man cologne. It seems like he was never even been here, though there is a certain coldness in this room that feels strangely familiar.

‘No, not August, his touch is warm.’

“He did trading or something,” Sydney says as she hands her over a small yellow note that was hidden in her purse. It has the address to August’s “secret lover”.

Ingvild takes the notes, memorizing the address before placing it in her jeans pocket. “Trading? Can you elaborate?”

She shrugs. “He asked me to not disturb him while he was doing some dealing, I don’t know what it was… it looked fishy but it might just be CIA stuff.”

Ingvild nods silently, scanning the room again and again and eventually taking in the sight of the empty bed. Her mind fills in the gaps, painting an image of August fucking Sydney into oblivion, his muscular body ramming into hers, one leg held over his shoulder while the blond little bitch screams in ecstasy.

“How was he in bed? Would you say he performed well?” Ingvild asks, her eyes gesturing toward the mattress.

Sydney frowns, giving her a slight repulsed face as she finds her question remarkably rude.

“How is this relevant to the investigation?”

She means to berate her when she witnesses Ingvild’s kind smile growing remarkably cold.

The young woman remains silent, taking a step closer and making Sydney almost stumble back as sudden fear creeps in. Grey frigid eyes, like icy shards, her nostrils slightly flares as she catches up the scent of her expensive perfume.

“How is this relevant to the MI6?!” Sydney asks again, trying to dismiss the tension yet continues to draw distance from the young agent.

“I never said I am MI6.”

Sydney’s back hits the wall with a soft thud, she attempts to flee but Ingvild’s hands lock around her shoulders, forcing her against the wall with a thud. As small as this woman is, she is way stronger than she appears.

“How was he in bed?” she repeats, her voice becoming more demanding while her glare threatening to spear into Sydney’s skull. “Would you say he satisfies you?”

Puny gasps peal from Sydney’s mouth, her green eyes becoming moist with pure fear.

“Please, don’t... He was... Rough.”

“Bondage?”

“He... he..he choked me,” she answers in a trembling voice, her lower lip quivering, much to Ingvild’s delight.

“He was too rough, he was big and he didn’t care, it was as if he enjoyed my pain...”

Ingvild licks her bottom lip, imagining Sydney thrown on the bed with August treating her like a rag doll, wrecking her completely. Bruises left everywhere, tattoos on her skin for the world to see this fine artist’s work. A cold flame licks at her spine, crawling down to the small of her back.

She’s uncertain why.

“Would you say he loved you?”

Sydney’s peers at her quietly, thinking of her answer for a few seconds while Ingvild’s fingers bury into her collarbone, voicelessly demanding a response.

“August Walker is incapable of love. He is dead inside.”

________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: I don’t own August Walker or the Mission Impossible Frenchise

[thr-333]

Could you possibly do one where Mari/Mari and marine is/are the daughter/son of the joker?

I actually planned quite a lot for this after you asked but could never get my thoughts to make something comprehensive so I give up here's what I got!:

-Twins are Joker and Harleys kids born before the two split up(and so help me they will split up this story needs gay aunt Ivy)

-As you might know, these two clowns have another kid; Lucy. Harley left Lucy with her sister when she was born. In canon, she thinks Harley is her aunt but I would say in this fic she learned the truth when the twins were also dropped off.

-So the twins grew up in Gotham with their aunt and big sister knowing full well who their parents are; as such they make the responsible choice to suppress every part of themselves that resembles them and constantly dye their hair in an effort to avoid looking like them. You know healthy coping mechanisms. -

-Naturally, Marinette has brown hair with blue eyes and Marion blonde with brown eyes.

-Their personalities are a bit different from Mismatch. 

-Marion is still a trickster and a trouble maker but this time around has Marinette fully involved and responsible for his shenanigans. He has a bit of a habit of talking to himself(or singing random phrases), sometimes in the third person; he hates when he does, so Marinette always tells him off. He’s always gets the impulse of dying his hair outlandish colors and will vehemently deny his favorite color is green.

- Marinette is crafty, both figuratively and literally. She’s smart, her mother is a doctor after all she can be manipulative to people that arent her(close) family to protect the ones she cares about. She has a deep-seated fear of becoming a trophy, an object to be put on display like her mother and so dresses the opposite and pushes away her love for fashion.

-They will always call each other Mari but if someone else tries they both answer its a nickname they strictly use for each other.

-In a world where Gotham exists it makes absolutely no sense that Gabriel wouldn't start his reign as Hawkmoth in Gotham(the place with the most negative emotions like geez) so that works out perfectly for the twins becoming heroes(Adrien can move to Gotham or be left in Paris to be kept safe your choice)

-Instead of the twins proving themselves by helping an old man up off the street they go a step further is beating up the thugs that try to rob him(all Fu’s set up of course). When they come home to find two mysterious boxes on their beds they make the only rational conclusion children of the joker would; it’s a bomb!

-Not wanting to get the police involved for obvious reasons they find the security footage(which gets the police involved in a different way) and start tracking down fu to see why he’s trying to kill him.

-And as you may recall at this point in canon Ladybug and Chat Noir are defeating an Akuma, well they're not here they’re off to beat up an old man so thats Batman’s job for the time being.

-The twins get caught up in the fight as civilians and are saved by Batman who immediately recognizes them(you don't think Batman has case files on all of Jokers hellspawn?) so that’s gonna be a problem later but never mind that for now~

-The twins track down Fu, who is wondering why they aren’t out fighting the Akuma. Long story short Fu comes back to the house with them and proves they aren't bombs giving them the miraculous.

-I’m a bit indecisive on the names. I thought Marinette would be Red Bug and Marion Black Cat(yes I know that names already taken I don’t care). But I thought Crimson Bug would work better because then their names would start with the same letters. Then I wanted alliteration like Black Bug and Crimson Cat but that obviously doesn't make any sense since Chats color is green not red-- then I realized it would be completely in character for them to call themselves that confusing everyone in the process so no one quite sure whos name is who(if you wanna write it go with whatever I just thought it could be funny)

-As for costumes Marinette's probably wouldn't be skin tight because deep down she really doesn't want to look like that but more practical armor or less form-fitting at least. Marion's hair turns green when he transforms something he freaks out about and Marinette's turns red(glowing or not either would look cool)

-So anyway they go off to defeat the akuma blah blah blah Batman seeing these two young untrained superheroes can only think of one thing: I have to adopt them. So that’s gonna be fun!

-Anyway they go back home trying to be sneaky and immediately get caught by Lucy: ”Don’t tell Aunty!”-- ”Oh I already know” (her names Delia by the way)

- So now the twins get a support system and a family that will look out for them unbelievable right? This support system immediately threatens Fu making sure he actually trains them and doesn't just set them loose on Gotham.

Anyway that's the end of my semi-cohesive plan and here's a vague outline for the fic:

1. Becoming ladybug and chat noir setting up adoption, and school(Bruce invites them to Gotham academy to keep an eye on the jokers children)

2. First day at school setting up Artemis(and by extension young justice), and own passions, Adrien is also at this school now so Marinette falls, Jason finds out falling in love with Marion

3. Becoming friends with Artemis, convinces them to give their passions a try, Marion runs from hood, some let me adopt you stuff also Jason's spite for Cat Noir

4. Skip a bit of time a few months or so, young justice need help Artemis suggest mari and mari, Marinette has a smackdown with batman about their heritage, at odds with young justice Artemis comes to their defense. Young Justice have an ‘oh’ realization on the job when Marion sings a lullaby to a scared child, now the young justice form the mari and mari protection squad

5. Doing ladybug and cat stuff batman approaches them again this time luring them into adoption with a partnership on finding hawkmoth, Red Hood and cat fight. Marion comes back all huffy and there's a scene with Lucy this time comforting them, Marion goes out to get air runs into hood marion bristles stirring Jason to meet him as a civilian, class come to visit, at odds with lila

6. Doing well at school even made a few friends when the Paris class come to visit completely under lila’s control, lila tries to slander the twins for not worshiping her only to out herself when she tells everyone they laughed at her(the twins never laugh), Jason also drops by further discrediting her, lila tries to throw their heritage in their face but they get support openly working with heroes as civilians, this little section ends quite happily with them being sort of accepted at school and batman tolerating their existence for not attacking the person who tried to make their life miserable

7. Time skip few years out of high school now, ladybug and cat are working well with gothams vigilantes widely considered part of the batfam even if no one knows each other's identities. As mari and mari they are doing good work mainly outside of gotham. Marinette is starting a fashion boutique with a little financial help from Wayne enterprises she also does costume design for heroes and villains, villains mainly because she can't stand their current outfits. Marion quite likes his music but isn't sure how he will feel in the public eye is great friends with Jason and the skip picks up with them officially starting to go out identities unknown. They are still hesitant about their identities in civilian life Marinette starting her business under a false name and Marion cant start his because of his heritage. Jason officially has to admit they are going out to the family is met with grilling by aunt and sister, joy by harley once she tries giving them sex advice they leave, his brothers tease and both are tense about Bruces reaction but he begrudgingly accepts. Are out as ladybug and Cat still snippy with hood but it’s not as bad they are closing in on hawkmoth. Go to hang out with young justice as well they aren't well-liked in Gotham but they’re fine with that(not really)

8. NOW things can go to shit joker finally has enough of them deciding to get a hold of them but I think it should be as ladybug and chat revealing their identities to the world. The twins are terrified rightfully so. Get saved now it’s weird between hood and marion, marion feeling betrayed Jason knew who he was and knew who his father was but still decided to date him and he just can't understand why. Adrien was so scared for Marinette and now they both have to work out why. Gotham is at odds the heroes they admire are born from a villain they fear. Bats are a bit weird feeling like they were tricked while also kind of acknowledging the twins are good people

9. Harassed in their everyday life now the twins go to young justice where they get met with awe for being established independent heros, bats there are acting weird but the twins say something to shift perspective leaving to let them mull on it. Jason tries to apologise saying he doesn't see Marion like that blah blah Marion has a breakdown asking how he can be anything but a villain. Marinette's having whiplash going from loved to hated and still dealing with the trauma of seeing her father. They snap. In public a big ol scene and they get akumatised everyone sees it, it’s on tv. Hawkmoth comes out to get their miraculous the batfam can’t beat him. He’s monolouging probing at their deepest fears when they snap back to reality realizing none of it’s true every part of them has worked to be good people and they are they don't hand over their miraculous beating the akumatizaton and beating hawkmoth while akumatised.

10. They are released from the hospital a few days later, getting hesitant recognition on the streets. It's not thunderous applause but it is something. Their family comes to pick them up, Adrien is crying to Marinette about not scaring him like that(her family took him in when Gabriel was revealed). Marion gets picked up by Jason they patch things over. They get accepted into the batfam and work as ladybug and cat for everything. Marion decides to start playing music and Marinette reveals her face to her fashion brand.

[creepingsharia]

Kenyan Jihadi Pilot Arrested, Plotted to Conduct a 9/11-Style Attack Directed by al Shabaab

This guy was arrested in the Philippines a year and a half ago. Don’t be distracted.      

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       

Wednesday, December 16, 2020            

Kenyan National Indicted for Conspiring to Hijack Aircraft on Behalf of the Al Qaeda-Affiliated Terrorist Organization Al Shabaab              

Cholo Abdi Abdullah Obtained Pilot Training and Researched How to Hijack Aircraft in Order to Conduct a 9/11-Style Attack at the Direction of al Shabaab

The Department of Justice announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Cholo Abdi Abdullah with six counts of terrorism-related offenses arising from his activities as an operative of the foreign terrorist organization al Shabaab, including conspiring to hijack aircraft in order to conduct a 9/11-style attack in the United States.  Abdullah was arrested in July 2019 in the Philippines on local charges, and was subsequently transferred on Dec. 15, 2020 in connection with his deportation from the Philippines to the custody of U.S. law enforcement for prosecution on the charges in the indictment.  Abdullah was transported from the Phillippines to the United States yesterday, and is expected to be presented today before Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger in Manhattan federal court.  The case is assigned to United States District Judge Analisa Torres.

“This case, which involved a plot to use an aircraft to kill innocent victims, reminds us of the deadly threat that radical Islamic terrorists continue to pose to our nation.  And it also highlights our commitment to pursue and hold accountable anybody who seeks to harm our country and our citizens.  No matter where terrorists who plan to target Americans may be located, we will seek to identify them and bring them to justice,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.  “We owe a debt of gratitude to the detectives, agents, analysts, and prosecutors who are responsible for this defendant’s arrest.”

“Today’s announcement shows that foreign terrorist organizations, like al Shabaab, remain determined to plot, plan, and conspire to commit terrorist acts across the globe against the United States, our interests and our foreign partners,” said FBI Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Jill Sanborn.  “Let there be no doubt that the FBI and our law enforcement colleagues, and in this case specifically those in the Philippines and Kenya, will not stop in our mission to hold terrorists accountable for their actions.  The charges announced today against Cholo Abdi Abdullah eerily draws parallels to the heinous attacks on this country on September 11, 2001.  The FBI, along with our U.S. Government and international partners, will continue to be in lockstep against terrorism and will not allow the safety or security of the public to be threatened – no matter where in the world it may be or whomever is responsible.”

“As alleged, Cholo Abdi Abdullah, as part of a terrorist plot directed by senior al Shabaab leaders, obtained pilot training in the Philippines in preparation for seeking to hijack a commercial aircraft and crash it into a building in the United States,” said Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss.  “This chilling callback to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, is a stark reminder that terrorist groups like al Shabaab remain committed to killing U.S. citizens and attacking the United States.  But we remain even more resolute in our dedication to investigating, preventing, and prosecuting such lethal plots, and will use every tool in our arsenal to stop those who would commit acts of terrorism at home and abroad.  Thanks to the outstanding investigative work of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the FBI’s global partnerships with law enforcement agencies around the world, Abdullah’s plot was detected before he could achieve his deadly aspirations, and now he faces federal terrorism charges in a U.S. court.”

“Nearly 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there are those who remain determined to conduct terror attacks against United States citizens. Abdullah, we allege, is one of them,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. “He obtained a pilot’s license overseas, learning how to hijack an aircraft for the purpose of causing a mass-casualty incident within our borders. Fortunately, the exceptional work by the men and women assigned to the many agencies that comprise the FBI’s New York JTTF have, once again, disrupted a threat to our communities.”

“As alleged in the federal indictment against him, Cholo Abdi Abdullah had obtained pilot training and begun plotting a terrorist attack against a target in the United States,” said NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea.  “But the outstanding work of our NYPD detectives and federal agents of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with all of our law enforcement partners, put an end to those plans and ensured that no one would be harmed.”

As alleged in the Indictment,[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:

The charges in the Indictment unsealed today arise out of a coordinated scheme by the terrorist organization Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, commonly known as “al Shabaab,” to target Americans both at home and abroad.  Al Shabaab, which has sworn allegiance to al Qaeda and serves as al Qaeda’s principal wing in East Africa, is responsible for numerous deadly terrorist attacks, including attacks that have claimed American lives.  Recently, al Shabaab has embarked on a string of terrorist attacks as part of an operation purportedly in response to the United States’ decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, which the group has dubbed “Operation Jerusalem Will Never be Judaized.”  In particular, these terrorist attacks perpetrated by al Shabaab include an attack on Jan. 15, 2019, at a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 21 people, including a U.S. national and survivor of al Qaeda’s 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, New York; a Sept. 30, 2019, attack on a U.S. military facility in Somalia; and a Jan. 5, 2020, attack on another U.S. facility in Kenya, in which three Americans were killed.    

As alleged in the Indictment, Abdullah was an al Shabaab operative who participated in a plot to hijack commercial aircraft and crash them into a building in the United States.  Beginning in 2016, at the direction of a senior al Shabaab commander who was responsible for, among other things, planning the 2019 Nairobi hotel attack, Abdullah traveled to the Philippines and enrolled in a flight school there (the “Flight School”), for the purpose of obtaining training for carrying out the 9/11-style attack.  Between 2017 and 2019, Abdullah attended the Flight School on various occasions and obtained pilot’s training, ultimately completing the tests necessary to obtain his pilot’s license.

While Abdullah was obtaining pilot training at the Flight School, he also conducted research into the means and methods to hijack a commercial airliner to conduct the planned attack, including security on commercial airliners and how to breach a cockpit door from the outside, information about the tallest building in a major U.S. city, and information about how to obtain a U.S. visa.

Thanks to the extraordinary work of the FBI, law enforcement authorities foiled this plot.  Abdullah has remained in custody since his arrest on the local charges in the Philippines.

Abdullah, 30, of Kenya, is charged with conspiring to provide and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (al Shabaab), conspiring to murder U.S. nationals, conspiring to commit aircraft piracy, conspiring to destroy aircraft, and conspiring to commit acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries.  Abdullah faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.  The specific penalties for each of the charges is reflected in the chart below.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Assistant Attorney General Demers and Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding efforts of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the NYPD. They also thanked the FBI Hudson Valley office and the New York State Police.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the FBI Legal Attaché Offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Manila, the Philippines; the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division; the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; the U.S. Department of Defense; “...the Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Kenyan Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, the Joint Terrorism Task Force-Kenya, and the Kenyan Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions; and the Philippine National Police, Philippine Department of Justice, the Joint Terrorism Financial Investigations Group - Philippines, and Philippine Bureau of Immigration, for their assistance.

This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys David W. Denton, Jr., Sidhardha Kamaraju, and Elinor Tarlow are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division.

The charges in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.                  

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein are only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Attachment(s):  Download u.s._v._cholo_abdi_abdullah_indictment.pdf

[anavirable]

A semi-deep dive into the Equality Act

HR5, otherwise known as the Equality Act, is a bill in the United States that would, at a federal level, prohibit discrimination based on “sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system.” So, for example, this bill would make it illegal to deny a couple housing for being a gay couple. Which is great! Unfortunately, the implementation of the bill has a lot left to be desired.

On thing you may notice is that this bill includes sex in its added protected categories. The Equality Act correctly identifies:

(4) Women also have faced discrimination in many establishments such as stores and restaurants, and places or establishments that provide other goods or services, such as entertainment or transportation, including sexual harassment, differential pricing for substantially similar products and services, and denial of services because they are pregnant or breastfeeding. 

The Equality Act explains the struggles of LGBTQ people as:

(3) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (referred to as “LGBTQ”) people commonly experience discrimination in securing access to public accommodations [...]. Forms of discrimination include the exclusion and denial of entry, unequal or unfair treatment, harassment, and violence.

(As a side note, yes, this bill flat out calls gay people “queer” in this legally-defined acronym.)

From there, the Act refers a few times to “LGBTQ people and women” as the groups they’re aiming to protect. So far, not too bad, and this bill will help more than it hurts. It also does make some great points. For example:

(12) Discrimination based on sexual orientation includes discrimination based on an individual’s actual or perceived romantic, emotional, physical, or sexual attraction to other persons, or lack thereof, on the basis of gender. LGBTQ people, including gender nonbinary people, also commonly experience discrimination because of sex-based stereotypes. Many people are subjected to discrimination because of others’ perceptions or beliefs regarding their sexual orientation. Even if these perceptions are incorrect, the identity imputed by others forms the basis of discrimination.

This correctly identifies the discrimination people experience due to failures to conform to various sex-based stereotypes. Unfortunately, the bill continues with:

(13) Numerous provisions of Federal law expressly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, and Federal courts and agencies have correctly interpreted these prohibitions on sex discrimination to include discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex stereotypes. In particular, the Supreme Court of the United States correctly held in Bostock v. Clayton County, 140 S. Ct. 1731 (2020) that the prohibition on employment discrimination because of sex under title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 inherently includes discrimination because of sexual orientation or transgender status.

Last year’s Bostock v. Clayton case was a case in which a trans-identified male sued for discrimination after being fired from his job for following the women’s dress code. The court correctly ruled in favor of the trans-identified male - this person was fired for failing to conform to sex-based stereotypes. Unfortunately, the court did not use this reasoning to support its decision. The court did not find that separate dress codes for women and men is sexist - instead, it said that it’s sexist to force a person to conform to sex-based dress codes rather than gender identity-based dress codes. It’s difficult to express how painful that is. Transphobia under these laws isn’t a crime - it’s just a form of sexism based on gender identity rather than sex. Which means any case that comes down to sexism vs “transphobia” has no real way to legally differentiate the two.

And the Equality Act reinforces this decision. The majority of the act is just rewriting the Civil Rights Act to include “sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity)”. Sexual orientation and gender identity aren’t even their own protected classes - they’re just legally identical to sex.

In places where sex was already a protected class - for example, in employment, the Equality Act waters down these protections:

(c) Other Unlawful Employment Practices.—Section 704(b) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–3(b)) is amended—

(1) by striking “sex,” the first place it appears and inserting “sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity),”; and 

(2) by striking “employment.” and inserting “employment, if, in a situation in which sex is a bona fide occupational qualification, individuals are recognized as qualified in accordance with their gender identity.”.

Now onto the most important part, the definitions. I’ll start with sexual orientation:

(5) SEXUAL ORIENTATION.—The term ‘sexual orientation’ means homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality.

This is fairly straightforward, assuming everyone agrees for example that “homosexuality” means “same-sex attracted.” Since the bill doesn’t further define it, the sex-based versus “gender”-based distinction is still up for debate, should it ever become legally relevant. Next:

“(4) SEX.—The term ‘sex’ includes—

     “(A) a sex stereotype;

     “(B) pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition;

     “(C) sexual orientation or gender identity; and

     “(D) sex characteristics, including intersex traits.

You’ll notice that none of these are just... biological sex. The closest is “sex characteristics, including intersex traits,” and it’s listed last. You’ll also noticed that “sexual orientation or gender identity” are once again listed under “sex,” which makes most of the rest of the document redundant overkill. But, onto our last relevant definition:

“(2) GENDER IDENTITY.—The term ‘gender identity’ means the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth. 

That’s right, gender identity is literally defined as “gender-related identity”! This is what people are talking about when we criticize the self-ID aspect of the law. There is literally zero way, in reality or under this law, to determine whether a person truly has the gender identity that they claim. There is literally nothing stopping “cis men” from using this federal law to access women’s spaces except for their good word. And we know how that turns out.

So, what does this cover? This applied to titles II, III, IV, VI, VII, and IX. Most relevant to feminists would be Title 7 and Title 9.  The Rules of the bill say that, in respect to these titles:

“(1) (with respect to sex) pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition shall not receive less favorable treatment than other physical conditions; and

“(2) (with respect to gender identity) an individual shall not be denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity.”

This is the part where the bill finally distinguishes between sex and gender identity. The conclusion? Women only need sex-based protections for sex-based medical conditions. Sex-segregated spaces are sexist against people with a gender identity. It would honestly be so much less painful if the bill didn’t pretend like it was actually improving women’s situation. You know, like the bill literally addressed at the beginning, about how women are discriminated against in the public sphere. Now we’re somehow being sexist for wanting sex-based rights.

Anyway, the Equality Act sucks and will do more harm than good. Which is a shame, because there are definitely positives to it - namely in providing protections for same-sex attracted people. The good news is, the fight isn’t over yet. See my next post on how we could have the best of both worlds.

[imagine-that-one-thing]

Her Majesty. || 9

Morphine.

Pervious Chapter || Chapter Eight.

Anastasia’s POV 

Growing up, my life wasn’t simple but it wasn’t exactly disastrous as it is now. Growing up, I would run through the gardens and fields, I’d love travelling through tunnels and secret passages, I’d enjoy the carriage rides and royal duties, now, I sort of despise them. 

I feel like life is on a downward spiral and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. There’s nothing I can really do to fix any of the situations that have arisen from the last few days. 

I haven’t been able to see Harry since we landed a few days ago, once my family got into the palace to get a few personal items, we were moved to Windsor Castle and Harry was taken to the emergency room. Matthew has done his best to keep me in the loop; Harry had surgery on his dislocated shoulder, and that’s as much as I was told. My father has us on strict lockdown, I’m not allowed to leave, even with security. For the most part, I’m not even allowed to roam the outside of the castle in the areas where the public eye can see me. I’ve had Oliver on my services, the poor fella is doing his best to learn the ropes as quickly as possible, but after the boat incident, he’s shaken up.

If I’m being honest, I am too. Oliver hid me down in the galley of the vessel, he shoved me into a small area and closed the door. I felt suffocated but I knew I had to stay tranquil. I could overhear footsteps and mumbled breaths before the scuffling of bodies caused me to hold my breath. I could detect Oliver in some sort of altercation, suddenly, a piercing gunshot silenced the altercation. I gasped and grabbed the gun Harry had given me, I wrapped my hands around it and began to silently pray, not only for my safety but for Oliver and everyone else’s. “Princess,” Oliver whispered before he reopened the door and crouched down to my level, “Hey, we need to get off the boat quickly, I’m going to ask you to close your eyes and I’ll carry you. You don’t need to see this.” Oliver softly informed, “I’ll tell you when you can open your eyes, but keep that gun in your hand, okay?” Oliver commanded, gesturing to the gun as my hands shook, “It’s okay, you know how to use it, right?” 

I nodded my head, abruptly realising that this is real. My life was truly in danger and I have to rely on Oliver to keep me safe. If I had my choice, I wouldn’t have him to be the one keeping me safe at this moment, I prefer if it was Harry, I know I can trust him. But, I have to leave my life in the hands of a stranger. I barely know him but I am left vulnerable and in his hands. “Okay, close your eyes, I’ll carry you out,” Oliver directed and I did just that before he picked me up and carried me out. 

I’m not sure what Oliver had to witness, I can only assume the gunshot was him killing his antagonist, but I’m grateful I didn’t have to observe the aftermath of it. I’m shaken up over it all and I’m not the one who had to fire the gun and cripple someone. 

I stroll down the bleak hallways with Oliver, administering small conversation in an attempt to pass some time, for the first time in a long time, I don’t have royal duties to tend to. I haven’t had to take calls or have meetings, I haven’t even had to reply to letters. My father has completely given me some time off. And as much as I appreciate it, I’m wholly bored without Harry. There’s only so many occasions I can wander the grounds with Oliver before I know he’s getting weary of me. 

I grin as Matthew rounds the corner and begins to make his way to us. Matthew glances at Oliver and nods, “Go watch the monitors for the east wing. I’ll take the Princess from here,” Matthew instructs, and Oliver immediately begins to walk off. 

Matthew watches Oliver walk away and round the corner before he beings to speak, “I don’t suppose you’ve found Harry yet, huh?” Matthew beams at me. 

I shake my head, “I don’t know where my father has hidden him,” I respond in all honesty. I have no clue where Harry is.. Since Harry’s surgery, for some reason, my father transferred Harry into Windsor. But to which section and room, I’m unaware of. Nobody has been able to tell me, the staff don’t know anything, my mother couldn’t give me any answers and Matthew has been in and out of the grounds trying to get things under control.

“Come with me,” Matthew directs, leading the way. 

We talk for the length of our journey, essentially discussing the events of what has occurred, what will happen and he also briefed me on the fact that at any given time, I can be put into an entire lockdown due to the high risk of an attack on the family. It’s scary to imagine that for some reason, the family is being targeted. I’m not sure what my father has done, but it seems as though he has done business with the wrong people. I don’t want to know the details at this point. My mother is beginning to feel the aftermath of everything, she has secured herself in her room for the last two days because, she too, has no understanding of what is transpiring. I don’t think she can wrap her head around everything either. She was fortunate that she didn’t chaperon the event on the boat. Part of me queries if she is getting ready to go into the shadows and turn against the royal duties she has. Her assistant has been handling everything, taking phone calls, responding to emails and letters, probably teamed up with my assistant as well. 

My mother is a strong-minded character, she is never truly silenced, she has nevermore before locked herself in her chambers and dismissed all duties, but whatever is happening at the moment is destroying her, it is destroying us. She has dealt with a lot when it comes to life as a Queen, she has been followed by the press, she has been scrutinised and dealt with a few haters, she has learnt many languages and always been by my father’s side no matter the cost. She makes it all look easy, being a Queen, but deep down, I know it has to be taking a toll on her by now. It is all taking a toll on my father, he still wants to step down as King and hand the crown to me in just a few months, but I don’t want it. I don’t want the strings that come with it, I don’t want the constant fears of having to look over my shoulder any more than what I already have to. 

This is not how it was meant to be, this is not what it is like in all the stories my parents told me. This is not how they told me it would be when they announced I would be taking over soon. 

This is not a fairytale. This is not a happy ending.

Matthew and I reach a door and he turns to me, “He won’t stay awake long, he’s getting groggy, I’ll be right here if you need me, okay?” 

I nod my head before Matthew unlocks the door and allows me into the room where Harry is. I step inside the relatively small room with white walls and gold-trimmed ceilings. There is a fireplace in the corner of the room and right in front of the bed there is a dresser that has a few candlesticks on it and a glass box, from afar, I can assume it is a jewellery box of some sort. Along the walls, there are various paintings. I am not sure what it is but Windsor has more paintings than I think I can count. 

I observe Harry in the bed, half up with pillows propped against his back and neck and a pillow under his left arm that is encompassed by a sling. Harry opens his eyes and gives me a meagre smile as I shuffle closer to him. “Hey,” he breathes out. 

“Hey, heard you got that morphine you asked for,” I smile, attempting to lighten the mood while I kiss his forehead. 

“Mhm,” he hums, “Jus’ enough to knock off the edge for a bit.” 

“How’s the pain?” I question, guilt tugging at me while he does his best to conceal his discomfort. 

He might be in a comfortable bed with godawful portraits staring at him and morphine at his request, but it doesn’t make me feel any better about the situation as a whole. 

“They still have me on morphine, so not bad. Your father has your doctor watching me. I don’t know why you don’t like her.” Harry answers with a smug grin. 

Whenever I have the doctor, she doesn’t give me pain meds, she tends to sit and watch me while hooking me up to Iv’s and taking my blood. Unlike him, I get a different treatment. Then again, I have yet to have an incident where I need strong pain meds. When I broke my ribs, she did put me on some pain meds but she made sure it was nothing strong.

I’m shocked my father has the private royal doctor looking after Harry, just as much as I’m surprised my father didn’t let Harry go back to his own private area at Buckingham, but instead made sure Harry was at Windsor with us. I don’t know why my father is being so generous, but I won’t challenge it. 

I playfully roll my eyes, “You just like the pain relief.” I respond, resting on the edge of the bed. Harry takes a breath and shifts some of the covers, revealing his arm before he reaches over with his right hand and intertwines his fingers with mine. 

Harry lifts his lips into a small smile, “I love you,” Harry sweetly breathes out while his thumb grazes circles on my hand.

“I love you, too. You worry me though.” I sigh. 

“Why?” 

I lift my shoulders into a shrug, “You… you put your life on the line for me and Dad, you could have died.” 

“Jus’ a bad shoulder, Anna.” 

I shake my head. It wasn’t just a bad shoulder, he put his life on the line when he went back for my father while leaving me to get off the boat with Oliver. “It could have been worse. I think we should get married.” 

“We are getting married,” Harry tiredly smiles, drifting towards the ring on my necklace. “Hey, don’t cry, I’m fine.” Harry murmurs, noticing my eyes beginning to well up with tears that have been threatening to fall for days. I have kept myself together for the last few days, mainly because I don’t want anyone to see me breaking or to ask questions. After all, how am I meant to tell my parents, who have no clue about the relationship, that I am petrified of losing Harry? I am terrified of what is happening and the fact we are in danger. I am scared for us all. I never thought all the protocol and the hypothetical emergency situations would come true. 

I can’t help but worry and believe that things could have been a lot worse with Harry. Things nevertheless could be a lot worse. Harry still has to defend me and do his duty, we never know when something critical could transpire. 

“No, I want to get married soon. No waiting.” I inform Harry of my thoughts. 

I don’t want to wait and plan a long drawn out wedding, there is no need to have some lavish wedding and spend years planning it. All I need is him, all we need is to be happy and in love. That is all it takes.

I don’t even need the dress, all I require is him— to take me as my wife. 

We can get married, have a somewhat normal life together in the castle and ultimately have children, although, I am not quite sure I want my children to be subject to the royal mess that I have had to go through. The concept of children has always been iffy with me, part of me wants them but the other part doesn’t want them to grow up in this lifestyles. 

But, if I do not have children, who takes the crown? 

Which extended family member takes it? 

“Anna… darling, ” Harry begins, “I can’t have this talk right now.” 

“Oh..” I trail off, assuming he no longer desires to get married and is reconsidering everything. 

I don’t blame him for aching to revise his proposal and concept of marrying me. I wouldn’t want to marry in this life. His life will never be the same again once anyone discovers that we are married. He will invariably be followed by the media— he won’t just be a bodyguard— he won’t just be my husband. 

“No, no, I mean… Anna, I’m getting sleepy... I’m seeing double of you… I want to marry you,” Harry immediately reacts, reassuringly. 

“Can I stay here with you?” I softly challenge, not wanting to appear needy. 

It isn’t that I’m being needy, it’s more the thought of losing him doesn’t settle well with me, I was left in the dark for the first few hours he was at the hospital. Nobody told me much information and it pained me. It distressed me not knowing. If I’m here, I’ll know, I’ll be informed and I won’t be left in the dark. I know he is okay and recovering from surgery, but I don’t want to just leave him by himself. 

Harry shakes his head with heavy eyes, “I can’t.” 

“Why?” 

“Anna, I can’t let you stay with me. If-if something happens…” Harry takes a moment to take a few breaths, “I can’t protect you or get up quick enough.” 

“Matthew is right outside.” 

Harry shakes his head, “I’m sorry, I love you.” 

I heavily sigh but respect his wishes. I lean down and kiss his warm cheek, “I love you, too,” I whisper, smiling at him as he nods his head and closes his eyes. “Get some sleep, I will be back later.”

I unobtrusively step out of the room where I’m welcomed by Matthew. “He won’t let me stay with him.” 

Matthew nods his head before closing the door behind me and commencing to walk with me. “He’s groggy, Anna.” 

“But I don’t see why I can’t stay? You’re right here.” 

Matthew sighs, “If something happens, he doesn’t have the strength to get you to safety or to fight someone off.” 

“What could possibly happen? It is the middle of the day.” 

It is midday, if an attack on the family is going to happen, I believe it would be more logical if it was to occur at night. I would say the castle is moderately safe at this hour. 

“Princess, a lot of things. It’s for your safety.” 

Everything appears to always be about my safety, it is like the world revolves around me— but it doesn’t— there are other people in this world. “And what about his safety?” 

Matthew sighs and takes a moment of quietness, “Princess, he signed up for this. He knew his life could end up on the line. We do our best to make sure we are all safe, but you are the priority and so are your parents, not us.” Matthew tries to explain, but I don’t want to listen to it. 

I know that Harry signed up for this job, but it doesn’t mean he should be compromised. “He should be a priority, too. He’s going to be my husband.” 

“He’s the bodyguard right now until he’s the husband and no longer on the service, he can’t be the priority. It’s something you’ll need to take up with your father. It isn’t my decision. I can’t compromise you in order to protect Harry.” 

I roll my eyes and heavily sigh, attempting to understand Matthews point. Matthew isn’t in a position to make decisions when it comes to me and Harry, at the end of the day, I am the one Matthew has a responsibility to protect. He is the head of security, as much as I am Harry’s responsibility, if something goes wrong, it will all turn out to be Matthews fault, he is the head, he has the overall say and power when it comes to what Harry and Oliver do.  “Do you think you could help pull off a wedding without anyone knowing?” I question, curious to whether he can help me.

“I swear you are determined to get me fired,” Matthew laughs, “For you and Harry, I’ll do my best. What do you have in mind?” 

I lift my shoulders into a shrug, “I don’t know, but I want to marry him as soon as I can.” 

“A shotgun wedding… you know that doesn’t look good, right?” 

“What?” 

“Princess, a shotgun wedding makes people think you’re pregnant.” 

I shake my head instantly. “I’m not… and nobody will know, it’s a private wedding for just me and him. You can be the witness and make sure nobody sees.” 

Matthew side-eyes me as we continue to walk the tranquil and aged hallways. “Is Harry onboard about this?” 

“Uh…” I trail off, “Well… maybe? He’s a bit groggy and said we should have this conversation when he’s feeling a bit better.” 

“Mhm, I can see why,” Matthew laughs. “Not a conversation to have while on pain meds and in and out of sleep.” … “When he agrees to it, I will see what I can do. Until then, your assistant wants you, I will take her to you before I have to go check the systems, if you need me, you call me, okay?” 

I nod my head in agreement. 

The most salutary thing about Matthew is that he is sort of like a second Dad. If I ever need him and I can’t get ahold of Harry, a simple call or text and Matthew will be at my side as soon as he can, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, he will be there. 

Harry’s POV 

I gradually come to terms with the fact that someone is speaking. I can’t entirely hear the words he is saying, I don’t understand them. It takes me a moment to adequately open my eyes and recognise the voice that echos the once peaceful room. 

The king relaxes on a chair with his back to me, his hand pressed to his ear. I do my best to adjust my focus, a little confused as to why he’s talking to himself, but then I realize. He’s on the phone. 

“No, this eye for an eye ends now. I’ve paid my debts, you don’t get my daughter…. NO! You listen to me, you piece of shit, don’t come near my family. You have gotten the money you wanted, you got some of the assets, I am not giving you any more. You don’t deserve them and your son doesn’t deserve to be a royal or King. I don’t know where you evil wife is, but if she comes anywhere near my family, I will make sure my security team doesn’t let her leave with her life” The king is stern as he speaks to whoever is on the other end of the phone, I can only assume it is the Ace’s family he is talking to. 

I am not sure why he doesn’t have Matthew deal with them, I am sure that there is a way to have them silenced. If I had a say, I would have their heads, mainly because they are endangering Anastasia. Unfotiently, I do not get a say, I do not get to make the commands, all I can do is listen to what I am told. If the King doesn’t want us to deal with them, there is nothing I can do. “No, I did everything I could; I changed the will and testimony as you insisted, there is nothing more I can do. If you want the wedding, get your son to sweep my daughter off her feet, simple. Don’t think I forgot that he is the reason she broke her ribs. I ought to have had Harry kill him right there and then for that stunt.” 

Great, they’re nevertheless attempting to marry Anna off to that prick of a prince to accommodate the fact that his family saved the Queen. If someone saved Anastasia from dying, I would be eternally grateful, but I would be damned if I was to let some ignorant want-to-be sit there and threaten me and my family. This eye for an eye wouldn’t fly for me, I would be putting my foot down—— more so, I would be pulling the trigger on whoever was threatening my family. The king is a powerful man who knows various people, surely there is a way to settle this. There is no way this family has better ties than the King of England. 

“Oh, please? What more can you do to me? I have the top security there is, you cannot get past them….. NO! You listen to me, I don’t care that you’re part of the mafia or have mafia affiliations, the only person who will be swimming with the fish will be you, I will make sure they drown you with concrete on your feet, do you understand me? You as much look at Anna the wrong way and I will have you killed. This is over.” The King’s voice booms like thunder causing me to wince and hold my hand to my head. 

Fuck, I did not need a loud voice to ring through my ears.

The King turns to face me as I move amongst the sheets, he hangs up the phone and steps closer to where I rest. I blink at him a few times, striving to wrap my head around what he has said. I only wish I got the rest of the conversation and woke up sooner. “How are you feeling? How’s the pain?” the King challenges as he clears his throat, perhaps hoping I didn’t hear his phone call.

“Like shit,” I respond honestly, “I have a horrible headache and I’ve had pain for a while, just in and out of sleep from it.” 

“When was the last time the doctor was in here?” 

“Hours ago, I think this morning?” 

I’m not quite sure what time it is now, all I know is my head feels as though I have someone hitting it with a brick, it almost takes the pain away from my shoulder. 

The King nods his head and starts to type on his phone, “The Doctor will be back up here in a few minutes.” 

“Sir, where is Anastasia?” I softly question. 

The king stares at me and raises a brow, “I uh— I actually don’t know,” he cocks his head to the side, “Why?” 

“I’m not on her service, jus’ making sure she has someone watching her.” 

I might be stuck in bed and in pain, but I want to make sure she is still being cared for and looked out for, I know Matthew can be trusted, as for Oliver… He is called Eageltte for a reason, he is the baby in training.

The King nods his head, “I will get ahold of her.”

♔♔♔

Anastasia begged me to let her stay with me for the evening, once she started crying again, I couldn’t tell her ‘No’. I can’t sit and let her cry, the minute she has tears I become putty in her hands. I can’t do it. That is the easiest way for her to win an argument with me, I cave once she cries, every single time. 

I felt bad for her, tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes as she explained to me that she hadn’t been sleeping the last few nights, she has been stressed and I gather she is still shocked from what has happened in the last few weeks. From Henry pulling his stunts to what happened on the boat, I don’t blame her for not wanting to fall asleep alone. I don’t blame her for not wanting to fall asleep without myself or Matthew standing at her door on guard. 

Unfortunately, she doesn’t feel safe anymore unless I or Matthew are around. There was once a time she would request me to give her time to herself without being observed because she hated all the security, now she is begging me not to make her go to her room. 

Against my better judgment, I let her stay. I allowed her to crawl into bed with me on the conditions that Matthew stayed outside. The last thing either of us needs is for anyone to walk in and see us. Whether it be the doctor or the King himself. I can’t trust that he won’t try to use my room as another private call area. 

I’ve been in and out of sleep, mustering enough energy to check to make sure she is still asleep beside me before falling back asleep. By the time I manage to sit up and glance at her, I am about ready to knock back out again. With each time I wake up, she has shuffled closer to me, I don’t mind, I find it endearing. I will never complain about her wanting to be close to me in the bed, I will never complain that during the night she finds ways to place her hand on me. I will always do my best to make her feel safe and protected with me, and I will do my best to make sure that she has what she needs in this life. I will make sure she has the husband that she needs and merits, someone to be there for her, to support her. She deserves the world and I will do what I can do to make sure she has the world. I love her with every being in me; at the risk of seeming cliche, I love her and intend to love her until my last breath. She truly is everything to me, she is the daydreams of all daydreams. 

I wake up immediately as I discover the door creak open, I force myself up immediately and reach to the side table where my pistol is, “Don’t shoot, it is me,” Matthew powerfully whispers, “Get her up and in the tunnels, the alarm has been pulled,” Matthew directs, and my heart rapidly begins to race. 

I swear at this point, there is not a moment where something isn’t happening.

“Anna, Anna, darling,” I mildly brush Anastasia’s arm, drawing her from her sleep without causing her to panic.  

The last thing I need is for her to panic, she already has enough trouble sleeping as it is. The poor girl doesn’t need to be woken up in a horror of a stir. 

Anastasia sighs and groggily glances at me, “We need to get in the tunnels, get up,” I instruct, forcing her up and out of bed without explanations. “Matthew take her,” I command, grappling to get up quick enough as she grabs a blanket and wraps it around her. 

Anastasia shakes her head, “I’m not going without him.” 

“Now is not the time to be stubborn, Anna,” I mutter, taking a deep breath and pulling myself to my feet, “Matthew, pull that mirror and dresser, it’s the hidden opening,” I gesture towards the gold-trimmed mirror and dresser that I have had the privilege to stare at a few times while in and out of sleep. 

“Fuck, Harry, it’s stuck,” Matthew grunts.

I step around Anna, “Anna, baby, move for a second,” I gesture for her to step away, using my good arm to help Matthew with pulling the secret compartment open, “This is why I didn’t want her staying with me,” I grunt, not too pleased with the fact that if she had of stayed in her place, she would already be safe and sound in the tunnels. “Fucking hell,” I murmur, using all the strength I have to get the passage open a little further. 

“This will have to do, we can fit,” Matthew instructs. 

I glance towards Anastaisa and she steps closer to me. I place my pistol in the waistband of my sweatpants and she slips her hand with my own, “Go, I’m right behind you,” I assure her, “And Matthew is behind me, we are fine,” I continue, supporting her through the passage before she freezes at the vibration of Matthew closing the passage door behind us.

“Harry—” 

“It’s okay, just the door. Here, I’ll go first, it is dark and you’re already startled,” I benevolently tug her behind me and I take the lead. 

I am familiar with the tunnels at Buckingham, Windsor not so much, we are infrequently here and we never utilise these tunnels, we have never needed to, not to mention, the tunnels are remarkably old and dusty.  If I had to decide which tunnels I would prefer to be escorting through, it would be Buckingham’s, at least I know the tunnels there are clean. There is no telling what is down in this chilly, sullen and old passage. 

I can tell these tunnels haven’t been accompanied in years, there are cobwebs everywhere, broken stones and rodents scurrying around. “Harry, this place gives me the heebie jeebies,” Anastasia whispers, gently pulling back on my arm. 

I nod my head and turn to her, “I know, sweetheart, I know,” I respond. 

There is something very unsettling and eerie about the tunnels we are walking through. I can’t quite put my finger down on it, but there is something not right.

The castle started to be built in 1070 and it took sixteen years before it was complete. Over the years, many King and Queens have adjusted the structures and design, for the most part keeping the stone foundations. The castle wasn’t built to be of a Royals residence, it was built specifically for a fortress, and for the most part, it has done exactly that. Windsor Castle has been in the royal family for almost 1,000 years and 39 monarchs have graced its halls, I am not surprised the tunnels are starting to decompose and are in horrid condition. This castle is meant to be one of the safest castles, after all, it has survived the bombings of World War II. 

With the fact that St. George’s Chapel is the burial place to deceased monarchs and not all of them were buried at peace, some were beheaded, some poisoned, some killed by natural causes… I wouldn’t be surprised if this castle and the tunnels were haunted. Perhaps that is the eerie feeling that wraps around us as we walk. 

I can’t help but feel as though we are being watched, and I know Anastasia feels the same way. 

Matthew takes my attention from focusing on walking forward with the little light that we have with the flashlight on our phones. “Harry, do you know where you’re going?” Matthew questions.

“Honestly, no. We’ve never used these tunnels.” 

“Thought you had a photographic memory?” Matthew mutters.  

I stop in my tracks and turn to face Anna and Matthew, “All due respect, Matthew, I’m coming off a morphine-induced sleep the king put me in, we’re lucky I’m walking.” 

Anastasia heavily sighs as she let’s go of my hand and puts a little space between us, “I can lead the way, I used to run around these when I was younger.” 

I glance towards Anna and shake my head, “No, we can’t see a thing, the last thing we need is for a surprise attack with you in front.” I respond and she looks towards Matthew for his response, “Don’t look at him, I made the decision that it was safest for you to be in the middle.”

Anastasia raises a brow and I know by the ways her eyes stare at me that she is far from amused by my comment. I don’t tend to be dominant too much with her, I try to let Matthew make the decisions so that it doesn’t cause arguments with her and I. “Says the one who is in front and has a slow reaction time.” 

“Anastasia—“

“Harry,” she cuts me off, “You two don’t have a clue where we are, that’s unsettling.” 

“And you know where we are, Princess?” I question, adjusting the sling as she crosses her arms over her chest.

“Don’t talk to me like a Princess, you know I hate it.” 

“And you know I hate when you make my job harder than it needs to be, so let me and Matthew figure it out.” 

“You’re being an asshole.” 

“Yeah, well, I have bigger things to worry about than you calling me an asshole.” 

I don’t want to be an asshole to her, it is not my intentions, but right now, I need to figure out how to get her out of the tunnels securely and in one piece. Matthew and I are both compromised, he doesn’t know these tunnels, and I can only remember parts of the map that I glanced at weeks ago while attempting to uncover a map to the castle in Ireland. 

“Are you two done bickering? At any moment we could get attacked,” Matthew questions with his arms crossed over his chest. 

I nod my head, “We came in on the far west side, very back corner of the manor, we took a right because there were too many rocks closing off the closest exit on the left which would have to lead us under the church and out into the river street car park,” I begin to retrace our steps, “Which means, we’ve been walking for around fifteen minutes which puts us around about near the kitchen. Which implies we should be travelling towards East Terrace Lawn and will come out at Queen Victoria’s walk.” I notify Matthew, attempting to retrieve the map of how Windsor is set up, but my thoughts are still a little hazy. 

“There’s another entry and exit, Harry,” Anastasia familiarises me, “It’s this way.” She motions to the right where there’s a small hole in the wall. 

There is no way I want her following a hole in the wall, and there is no way I want to manoeuvre my way through the small hole. 

I shake my head, “There were only two on the map.” 

Anastasia rolls her eyes at me and huffs, “I’m going this way.” 

“Anna, you’re going the wrong way, can’t you just listen to us?” 

Anna disregards me and manages her way through the space, prompting me to glare towards Matthew. “My future wife is highly fucking stubborn.” 

“Are you going to go after her?” He asks, unsure of what to do. 

It is a fine line between us bickering as a couple and bickering as a Princess and a security guard. 

I shake my head, “I need a minute,” I respond, resting against the wall, “She won’t walk too far without us, she’s partially scared of the dark still.” 

Anastasia didn’t want to sleep without me, I highly doubt she will walk too far in the dark on her own. She wants to prove a point, I understand, but sometimes she needs to just listen to us, we know what we are doing, we were hired in these positions because we are damn good at our jobs. Up until now, I have never questioned our ability to keep her safe.

“She’s right though, it’s another exit.” 

I close my eyes and take deep breaths, my shoulder throbbing with pain. “Near the dungeons,” I nod, “But it’s dangerous to walk through, it leads out to the River Thames, and I don’t know about you but I’m in no position to swim for my life again,” I respond, acknowledging that Anastasia is correct, there’s a hidden tunnel that isn’t on the maps, but it doesn’t mean it’s the most trustworthy option, in fact, I’d say it’s the most dangerous. “It is cold, I don’t need her swimming in cold water either.”

“Fuck me,” I huff, adjusting my shoulder in my sling. “Matthew, call her back, if I do it, she’ll walk further just out of spite,” I command, not wanting Anna to wander any further towards the River exit. I don’t want to have to swim after her because of her being stubborn and I also don’t know what is down that tunnel. For all we know, the walls’ could cave in.

At the moment Matthew goes to open his mouth, a high pitched scream sends chills down my back. My eyes widen and I accelerate off the wall immediately, forcing my way through the hole. 

[cpp93227]

18th Floor, Henley Building,5 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong Tel: +852 2810 0863 Email: info@iplsa.net/

Dated: 23 March 2021

BY POST & BY EMAIL

The Honourable Ms. Michelle Bachelet Jeria

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Email: InfoDesk@ohchr.org

Dear High Commissioner,

Responses of the International ProBono Legal Services Association concerning Allegations against China in the “2021 World Human Rights Report” issued by Human Rights Watch

INTRODUCTION

The International ProBono Legal Services Association (IPLSA)

1. The IPLSA was founded in June 2018, as a non-profit organization registered in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong) of the People's Republic of China (PRC). 2. The core objectives of the IPLSA are: –

 i. To provide for or assist in the relief of the poor or necessitous persons for the benefit of the Hong Kong community;

ii. For the advancement of legal education, to provide for or assist in the advancement of education, learning or legal concepts;

iii. For the advancement of legal education, to promote international legal exchanges;

iv. For the advancement of legal education and relief of poverty, to promote and motivate youngsters, including young lawyers, to have a greater vision of the global legal framework, and to provide for or assist in the relief of poverty; and

v. For the advancement of legal education, and to patronize all works and matters in respect of legal education for the young lawyers and students.

 Human Rights Watch (HRW)

3. Human Rights Watch is an international, non-governmental organisation that focuses on human rights worldwide, with its headquarters in New York, USA.

4. On 13 January 2021, HRW released a report entitled: “2021 World Human Rights Report” (the Report). The Report covers more than 100 countries, and HRW asserts that its aim is to examine human rights conditions around the world. However, as with their other reports of recent years, the Report has largely targeted China, claiming a human rights deterioration.

5. In its China section, the Report insinuates at the outset that China’s anti-epidemic actions were mere attempts to conceal the outbreak. This is in spite of the fact that China promptly alerted the World Health Organization, and other countries, to the outbreak. The Report even describes the

imposition of lockdowns on Wuhan and several other regions as “acts of authoritarianism”. However, China’s vigorous epidemic prevention and control efforts have been hailed by experts as far-sighted and crucial, with other countries subsequently emulating its example. This slur, however, was simply a foretaste of what follows.

6. The IPLSA finds it extraordinary that what is basically an anti-China rant has been presented to the world as objective reporting. The Report contains extravagant allegations of human rights violations in China, which are defamatory, tendentious and unsubstantiated. It even concludes that “there has been a growing deterioration in China’s human rights situation”, which is far removed from reality, and could have been lifted out of the songbook of any of its geopolitical rivals.

7. As the IPSLA is, in particular, deeply aggrieved at the Report’s misleading picture of the situation in Hong Kong, which will have given observers a wholly false impression, it is left with no choice but to try to put the record straight. As a first step, a media briefing is being scheduled for 23 March 2021 in Room 502 of the Legislative Council Complex, Hong Kong, China.

Xinjiang

8. In recent years, issues related to Xinjiang have been politicized by the HRW, and others. The impression that this is being done in order to discredit China is unavoidable. The report is, frankly, a mishmash of half-baked theories and twisted analyses culled from hostile reports in the Western media. Rumours are treated as facts, slurs are presented as truths, and mountains are made out of molehills. Although catchphrases like “large-scale surveillance”, “forced labour”, “genocide”, and the like are waved around, what is wholly lacking is any attempt at objective reporting.

9. The IPLSA will itself be conducting a fact-finding mission of its own in Xinjiang (and Tibet) in the third quarter of 2021 and will thereafter make its conclusions known to a wider audience, including the HRW, which appears to have relied wholly upon unauthenticated reports and hearsay.

 Hong Kong SAR

10.In relation to Hong Kong, the IPLSA is able to confirm from its experiences on the ground that the Report is primarily fiction. In 2019, an insurrection was launched, which injured many people, including police officers, who were routinely attacked with Molotov cocktails and other weapons, caused huge damage to public and private property, caused many people to lose their jobs as businesses closed, turned universities into bomb factories, blocked highways, preventing people from getting to work and children from attending school, and targeted people from other parts of China or with different opinions, including one man whom the protesters killed with a brick and another they set on fire after he argued with them.

11.Although the Hong Kong Police Force, with bravery and professionalism, saved the city from destruction, without, amazingly, any of the fatalities which have arisen recently in police anti-riot operations in, for example, Chile, France, and the United States, this has been consistently disregarded by the HRW, which is wedded to an anti-China agenda. Although the protest movement and its armed wing sought to destroy Hong Kong and provoke an armed confrontation with Beijing, knowing that this would spell the end of one country, two systems, they did not succeed, and the city has largely returned to normal. Instead of congratulating the city upon its survival and the central government for its restraint, HRW has continued to whitewash the protest movement and its political backers, even though they almost destroyed one country, two systems.

12.It is mind-boggling that, in its Hong Kong reportage, the Report completely disregards the Independent Police Complaints Council, which, in May 2020, issued a 999-page report on the recently concluded protests. It largely exonerated the police force of misconduct in relation to the protest-related violence which began on 9 June 2019, and placed responsibility for the horrors which wracked the city squarely at the feet of its perpetrators, the protest movement and its armed wing. That HRW has disregarded the IPCC report, is, the IPLSA considers, proof positive of its determination to suppress the truth and mislead the world.

13.The Report, moreover, misdescribes the National Security Law for Hong Kong, which was promulgated on 30 June 2020, as “the most aggressive assault on Hong Kong people’s freedom since the transfer of sovereignty in 1997”. In fact, this new law has restored peace and stability to the city, ended the widespread violence and the bombings, been welcomed by businesses and the law-abiding public, and enabled our educational institutions to function again. It has, in short, saved one country, two systems from those who wished to destroy it, knowing full well that, if it failed, this would harm China as a whole, which is precisely what they, and their foreign backers wanted.

14. Once again, however, the Report, in its eagerness to demonize the National Security Law, conceals the important truth that the new law is actually human rights heavy. It even stipulates that, in its application, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights applies (Art.4). It also states that the presumption of innocence must be respected, together with other fair trial guarantees (Art.5), although the Report reveals none of this to its readers. It is, in fact, from start to finish, an exercise in deception.

15.Whereas the Report, moreover, mentions that a “pro-democracy” legislator had to be removed from the acting chairmanship of the Legislative Council’s House Committee, it fails to disclose that this was simply because, for seven months, he abused his position by not only preventing a new chair from being elected, but also blocking the passage of any legislation, thereby frustrating the work of government. In many places, this is tantamount to misconduct in public office, yet the Report seeks to place a favourable gloss upon this systemic abuse of parliamentary procedures. Although it highlights the arrest of various prominent people for their alleged involvement in offences against public order, the Report does not mention that they are all entitled to a fair trial according to law and will only be convicted if prosecutors have proved their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

16.Indeed, although the Report mentions that the media tycoon Jimmy Lai is being prosecuted for participation in an allegedly unauthorized march, it ignores his acquittal last year, after a fair trial, of a charge of criminal intimidation, which speaks volumes for HRW’s real agenda. While the Report plays up the disqualification of particular members of the Legislative Council, it fails to explain that this was because they had violated their oaths of office, with some of them even having urged foreign powers to harm Hong Kong and its officials, something that would be viewed as intolerable throughout the world.

17.As the IPLSA is based in Hong Kong, it is able to provide first-hand accounts of recent events. This is reflected in its report in support of these responses and entitled: The Fallacies about Human Rights Watch’s Report and Facts about Human Rights in China.

RESPONESES

18.In light of these matters, the IPLSA concludes that the Report is unprofessional, biased, and politically tainted. In relation to Hong Kong, key incidents are either ignored, or else distorted and misrepresented. Particular events are taken out of context, and no attempt is made to explain the basis of governmental initiatives. Although basic facts could easily have been ascertained, this has not been done, and this raises real concerns over the motivations of its authors. The Report has been compiled in a way designed to place the PRC in the worst possible light, and to portray a false picture of events in Hong Kong, and this must be called out and condemned unreservedly.

19.Whenever situations like this arise, it not only embarrasses its victims, but also brings human rights reporting in general into disrepute. When such reporting is devalued, it leaves the public uncertain as to what can and cannot be believed, and this affects adversely even genuine areas of concern. The IPLSA, therefore, invites the United Nations to have no truck with the Report, to urge HRW to aspire to objective reporting in future, and to use its good offices to ensure that NGO’s operating in the area of human rights do not debase their operations by mis-reporting of this type. DS

20.If the IPLSA can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@iplsa.net.

Yours sincerely,

INTERNATIONAL PROBONO LEGAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION LIMITED