#sick with so much rage and grief and a need for justice above all else

[frootbyethefoot]

trophy hunting

[ID: a digital drawing of maki harukawa from danganronpa v3: killing harmony. maki is standing dead center, with a blank, almost thousand yard stare, and a neutral expression. she is holding a black and white checkered piece of fabric, with a splash of bright pink blood on it.

behind her are three panels. the first panel, towards the left shows a crossbow, the strike-9 poison bottle, the antidote covered in blood, and a bloody handprint. all of the panels are in greyscale, except for the bright pink blood. the second panel, in the middle, shows kokichi oumas clothing with blood running down the back. the final panel shows kaito momotas jacket, with blood running down the sleeve. END ID/]

[dailyawakening]

oh please tell me your thoughts on loki! she's actually a rather interesting character and i dont think intsys could do her justice so i would love to hear your ideas!

this response is so late because A) I’ve been trying to figure out what to draw for it and B) I’ve been trying to figure out how to structure the monster novel that by necessity needs to be attached to anything relating to my Loki thoughts. 

As a disclaimer, all of this is entirely my own invention based on the original mythology and what we’ve seen of canon; I’m resigned to the fact that there’s no real chance any of this will become part of Heroes, but this is what makes me happy personally, so I’m going to stick to it as an AU if nothing else.  So with that out of the way: let’s talk about Loki. 

I decided that the easiest way to go through this would be in the major stages of Loki’s life, with each one showcasing a different appearance (Loki’s a shapeshifter, after all).  It’s not always easy to put myths in order, but I have a pretty strong personal plot thread that runs through Loki’s myths, so let’s start at the beginning: with Loki’s early experiences as one of the Aesir. 

Loki is not technically a god – not in the way that Odin and Thor are, at least.  Loki is a child of jotunn, and more than likely is a jotunn as well, rather than one of the Aesir, so under normal circumstances would not have counted among their number; however, Loki and Odin forged a blood pact and swore an oath to treat one another as brothers, and so Loki was adopted into the Aesir fold by bonds of kinship. 

Loki is not truly evil, and never has been.  Loki is a mischievous spirit, fiery and wild, fond of trickery and games, and those have a tendency to get out of hand sometimes, which leads to big problems.  But Loki’s word is also their bond, and when they swear an oath, they keep it.  The myth of Idunn shows this very clearly: when Loki is captured by a jotunn, they swear to give him whatever he asks, and he asks for the goddess Idunn, responsible for keeping the Aesir young and strong.  When Loki is released, they do exactly as they swore, and lure Idunn into the jotunn’s clutches; however, when the rest of the Aesir realize what’s happened, they force Loki to promise to get Idunn back, which Loki proceeds to do. 

This oath keeping is important.  It will come up again. 

Now, because of the bond they swore, Loki was often called on by Odin to perform various tasks, many of which sent them wandering across the various realms – of course, Loki also succumbed to wanderlust sometimes when left bored too long, and had been known to wander off.  On one of these wanderings for whatever purpose, Loki met the jotunn Angrboda and ended up having a rather extended affair with her – enough that three children came of it: the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jormungandr, and a daughter named Hel who seemed neither living nor dead.  

Loki loved those children.  They didn’t care a whit that they were seemingly strange: those were Loki’s babies, and Loki doted on them endlessly.  Eventually, though, Odin had need of Loki again and summoned them…and rather than leave the babies behind, Loki decided to bring them back to Asgard.  Now, the Aesir were significantly less thrilled about these children than Loki, but when Loki asked the Aesir to look after them in their absence (calling on Odin’s pact when he falters), they relented, and Loki left the three children with the gods. 

For a while, things were fine.  Unfortunately, Fenrir and Jormungandr in particular grew at an alarming rate, and the Aesir came to fear what monsters they would eventually become – so rather than let them become destroyers wreaking havoc on Asgard, Odin chose instead to deal with them while Loki was absent on a mission: Fenrir was bound with the ribbon Gleipnir (only managed because Tyr, the Aesir he trusted most, agreed to place his hand in Fenrir’s mouth to prove it was no trick – and he lost that hand for his deception), Hel was exiled to the realm of the dishonored dead (those who died of sickness and famine rather than gloriously on the battlefield), and Jormungandr was thrown into the swirling chaos of the Tempest before Odin used his might to quell it. 

Loki was…less than pleased when they got back.  Vascillating wildly between rage and desolation, they took out their suffering through increasingly malicious pranks on the Aesir (the theft of Brisingamen and the shearing of Sif’s hair), which ultimately ended in Loki paying the heaviest price.  Eventually, grief took its toll, and Loki gave in to a listless depression; it was their inability to care at all that made them discount Svadilfari’s strength, and they came to pay for that, too – though the price came in the form of a new child, the eight-legged colt Sleipnir that Loki bore as a mare.  Unwilling to see another child suffer the same fate as the first three, Loki gave Sleipnir over to Odin in hopes that leaving him in service to the Aesir would protect him from harm…and, at least, Loki would still be able to see the child. 

And it’s here that we reach the first turning point: realizing how unstable Loki had become owing to the loss of their children, Odin decided to take drastic action and try to ground them in the present – by arranging Loki’s marriage to Sigyn.  No one actually expected the marriage to be more than lip service, with the two leading separate lives within the same house; however, much to everyone’s surprise, Loki and Sigyn readily came to care for one another, and Loki finally began to heal from the loss of their children.  They still mourned, yes, and still worried for Sleipnir, but much of their playfulness returned as they found joy with their new wife.  Settling with Sigyn and becoming a more committed member of the Aesir led to the first major shift in Loki’s appearance, as well. 

Loki and Sigyn had a child together: a son named Narvi who they both loved dearly.  Having a child to raise once more helped to ground Loki still further, and they finally settled comfortably into their role and came to be almost friendly with several of the Aesir.  When Thor’s hammer was stolen, Loki helped him first to find it (by using Freya’s cloak of feathers to fly to the realm of the jotunn; he promised to return it and made good on his word) and then retrieve it, and even won a new ally into the fold with their antics.  Loki and Thor traveled together as allies for a spell, no less, and had a rather harrowing encounter with a jotunn skilled in illusion (during which Loki lost an eating contest with a wildfire and had an unwitting encounter with Jormungandr, something they mourned once the truth was revealed because they had no idea).  And beyond that, Loki even came to the aid of mankind alongside the other gods, helping to save a boy from being devoured by giants when even Odin and Thor could not. 

Sadly, this period of happiness was not meant to last.  In time, Odin’s second son Baldr began to have terrible nightmares about his own death; fearing deeply for her son’s life, his mother Frigg went to every plant, animal, and other object in the world and begged them to swear to do Baldr no harm, to which they all agreed. 

And this is where things get dicey: Odin, wise and well-traveled already, had knowledge of what would come to pass at Ragnarok and after – and because of that, he knew that Baldr would rise from Hel to claim the world after the rest of the gods and men had fallen, inheriting the new and beautiful world that rose from the fire and flood.  With Frigg’s frantic attempts to keep her son alive, that prophecy would be endangered.  Odin, of course, is known as a good and honorable god…but looking at the myths more closely, it sometimes seems that he’s only ‘good’ and ‘honorable’ because he has others do his dirty work (it was his order that had Loki lure Svadilfari from his work, thus cheating the builder of his prize, after all) or claims that he acts in everyone’s best interests (as he did when he bound or exiled Loki’s first children).  

So in order to preserve his son’s ability to inherit the world, Odin went to Loki and asked him to find a way to take Baldr’s life. 

Naturally, Loki balked at that.  But Odin cited their blood bond, and insisted that it was necessary.  In the end, Loki agreed – on the condition that his family be spared from whatever followed, for there could be no doubt that there would be a heavy price to pay for this.  Odin swore it, and Loki left, discovering that Frigg had failed to ask the mistletoe for its oath and using it to create an arrow; and while the other Aesir were having a grand time throwing things at Baldr and watching them bounce off him without doing a thing, Loki tricked Baldr’s twin brother Hodr into firing the arrow – which struck Baldr in the heart, killing him instantly. 

It took little enough time for the gods to realize that Loki was behind the crime, and they proceeded to shut him out of everything.  Wracked with guilt and emotionally unstable, Loki gradually neared a breaking point, which led to the roasting of the other gods at Aegir’s house (which Loki intruded upon by pointedly reminding Odin of the same blood oath he’d cited to make Loki agree to the plot).  Realizing that Loki posed a great danger should the truth come out, Odin took drastic action: when the other Aesir, incensed by Loki’s criticisms and sharp words, hunted them down to be punished for Baldr’s death, Odin turned his youngest son Vali into a wolf and had him attack Loki’s son Narvi, viciously murdering the boy; and to make matters worse, the Aesir then used Narvi’s entrails to bind Loki to a stone beneath the earth, transfiguring them into chains before affixing a snake above Loki’s head to drip poison onto them for eternity. 

Only one stayed beside Loki through this: their wife Sigyn, who remained by Loki’s side catching the poison in a bowl (though she had to leave to empty it on occasion, and when she did the searing poison made Loki writhe violently enough to cause earthquakes).  And it is because of Sigyn that Loki remained passive for so long: her presence kept Loki calm, kept their thirst for revenge from overwhelming them, for she reasoned that if they did slip those bonds and set Ragnarok in motion, then Loki and all of their children all would die, just as Narvi had.  At least now the children had life and could have pleasant dreams – and at least now, Loki had Sigyn. 

But at some point in the very recent past, something happened: Sigyn vanished.  Loki had slept, and when they woke to the searing pain of the snake’s venom, they found that their wife was nowhere to be seen, and no amount of calling and pleading made her reappear.  That, truly, was the last straw for Loki: all their grief and despair turned to fury and hate in that instant, and the fireball they became incinerated both their chains and the snake that had so long tormented them.  In the aftermath, only one link of the chains remained intact, and Loki kept it close, fashioning it into the buckle of the belt they wear.  And without Sigyn by their side, Loki allowed that desire for vengeance to burn through them, which has led to where things stand today. 

The shape Loki now assumes is strategic as much as comfortable, meant to distract enemies and give her more openings in combat. Everything she does is self-serving, up to and including her alliance with Surtr – hence her betrayal when he ceased to be useful.  What she seeks: her children.  Calling on Veronica to secure Naglfar and raise the Tempest, she sought Jormungandr (and still seeks him, as each foray into the Tempest has left her empty-handed); and now that Surtr’s power has been added to Hel’s army, giving her the ability to break the barrier Askr put in place, Loki seeks her lost daughter.  And in the end, she intends to make the treacherous Aesir suffer for the pain and misery they caused her and her family for so long. 

[oh-no-an-opinion-blog]

I really liked Lanque’s Route in Friendsim, especially the “problematic” endings

Discourse and Spoilers, don’t read if you’re just looking for rage fuel. Or do. You control your own actions, and as long as you take responsibility for them everything will be Gucci. We good? We good.

Fight me if you want, but I’m putting it out there. I am happy to have a character who is trans, but who also has other elements to their personality even if they aren’t innocent. Yeah he’s got flaws, so does everyone else. Alternia is an alien planet with a culture is clearly different from ours, and that needs to be taken into account when considering what’s “problematic”. We’re talking about a planet of kids being raised by animals or by themselves on the streets into a classist society where they are allowed to murder each other for a physical trait that they can’t control somehow permissible but as soon as someone acts like an ass and tries to get some serious action it all goes to the fan? There’s a lot more “problematic” behavior we could be worrying about but we only hyper-focus it on Lanque because he’s canonically trans. Not every trans person is a good person, and characters who are trans shouldn’t be sheltered from some more tricky personalities to handle.

Idk man, I fuckin loved how V straight-up went out and said that you had to own up to looking at the problematic material. They called out the discourse, and after writing a route like the one they did for Marvus none of us should be surprised. The idea of it being Hussie is one I personally like, but even if it’s not I think it’s great that they don't hold back just because of what some fans think. They deal with characters like they’re actual people, meaning that some will be what others think is problematic. 

I’ve seen a lot of people upset at the fact that Lanque called out Lynera, and don't get me wrong that was hella uncalled for, but have y’all considered that maybe since we haven’t known Lynera for the last 2.43 sweeps (which is what, about 5 years? As long as a middle or high school career?) we don't know the kind of shit she’s been talking? It’s a bit unfair to judge yet, really. He doesn’t take her feelings into account, but then again was she taking his when she was saying shit?

Lanque is selfish, but dare I present the fact that he’s gotta sacrifice himself to the caverns when he goes off-planet? Maybe he’s projecting a bit when he is so crude calling out Lynera, holding on to the little bit of freedom he can still take before the trials. I dunno, food for thought.

If the issue is the sexual nature of this route I would like to remind people that the MC still has the ability to make choices for themselves, shown when they refuse the drugs even after Lanque tries to coerce them into it (good job protag I love you) and aren’t being forced to do it in a fashion similar to how Ardata controls them early on in the game. That, and after being denied Lanque doesn’t force the MC to do anything. Yeah he pokes fun, but he still stops. As for dancing, it's sexual, and the MC even states that they know what he wants and it might be more than they’re willing to give, but they go with it because it “feels good”. That’s kinda why people do things like this in the first place, isn’t it? And in the bedroom scene, again, the MC doesn’t say no because you as the player consented at the start to seeing the kind of material that the mature content warning covered such as sexual situations, language, and coercion. The decisions of the MC are executed based on the presumption that you followed the rules Ardata set when you first agreed to play through this version of the route(aka being of legal age to see mature content, being aware of the specific mature content contained, and knowing yourself well enough to know whether or not you could handle possibly problematic content). If you looked at the warnings and thought “I can’t handle some of these aspects” and yet continued on anyway, that’s on you. If you did it just to fuel your rage against Lanque, same deal. You could have played it safe, and even if you didn’t whether the MC and Lanque “pail” is up to you. You either consent by keeping your mouth shut like Lanque tells you too or you don’t by calling Bronya in to take care of the situation, which you get rewarded for by getting the good end. Even the Hiveswap team knows that there’ s only so far they can go reasonably, literally labeling the option as “Call in his mom. This has gotten problematic enough.” 

Yes, opting out of it does get you some grief, but it’s a reflection of the general crowd that wanted to see a “safe” character in a world that really doesn’t have them (not to mention the nicely added piece in there about bi erasure, especially since trolls have a default bi/pan sexuality but as soon as same-sex attraction is seen that concept is thrown out the window). They gave some people what they said they wanted, but not without a clear jab to say that they’re not doing it necessarily because they want to. And don’t worry folks! Us sinners who decided to go all the way and then get tossed aside got dunked on too (but hey alien coochie amirite). So teasing for both sides! Equality! Yay!

The team honestly had the right to pull this. We couldn’t even behave when we first learned his damn pronouns. TWO LETTERS threw everyone into an uproar. Let’s not forget that this is considered THE SECOND ROUND OF DISCOURSE and there will probably be more when he reappears in Hiveswap Act 2. They were damned either way they tried to go, so they did both. It’s a spiteful move, but the Homestuck fandom is one of the few places where that can be done thanks to the unique relationship between us as players and readers and community creators, and them as canon creators and the facilitators for the whole thing. 

I’m sick of flop/problematic/discourse culture. I’m sick of overused exclamation points!!! being used!!! to try and make a point more valid!!!! and right!!!! I’m sick of wig-snatching, tea-sipping, uwu-ing, social justice phrased-as-if-you’re-above-all-of-this bullshit being perpetuated as legitimate discussion. Yeah, I sound like a dick here and I’m being petty, and that’s the point. This isn’t so much satire as it is how I close I can get to posting something related to discourse. I’m not putting out a twenty-page analysis on how “bad” Lanque really is or isn’t until my hand is forced to give my evidence over and explain how I as someone who is over 18 with reasonably neutral views sees him not being that problematic compared to a lot of other content I’ve seen with similar themes and actions. I’ve played Dramatical Murder and Boyfriend to Death, and if you want problematic I dare you go play one of those games.

TL;DR Ardata warned you, everyone complaining about how problematic her party was is playing right into the hands of the team, and the only ones to blame here for the drama are ourselves.

If you get owned, fucking own it. And boy, we sure as hell did.

[alexwolffe]

Top 10 favorite Wakfu episodes (with your thoughts and facts)

@thetristevaguard

My top ten favorite Wakfu episodes? Lol this is kinda hard,I kinda wanna say them all, but I’ll do my best (I’m gonna do it from season 1- season 3)

1) s1ep The Child from the Mist - just because of the waythey introduced the characters and world captured my much younger mind (lolI’ve been a fan since it first came out on Netflix) in a way that kept meinterested and invested in the characters and plot that have continued to thisday.  I love how grougaloragran wasintroduced and asked what was in the baby carriage (a baby, what else?) andRuel and Alibert’s dynamic, how adorable Yugo is, that there was a guybasically reading a pin up magazine in the restroom (sigh Anakama, this is akid’s show) and how Percedal is introduced.

2) s1e4 The Ugly Pageant - Okay this episode never fails tocrack me up. Ever. I’ve watched it so many times, because it’s so funny!  Plus it’s the second episode where the BotT(before the naming) is actually actively on the quest.  It starts to show the established dynamicsand roles within the group without giving away too much.  Percedal shows how he is a knight byattempting the “typical knight trope” with rescuing a princess from atower.  Which doesn’t go as planned.  At all. I also love how Eva looks reallypretty but feels uncomfortable in such nice clothes, Amalia doesn’t even try tobe “ugly” (until Yugo “helps” lol Siamese twin princesses), and Ruel’s A+costume. Seriously Ruel’s costume was FANTASTIC.

3) s1e21 – I enjoy this episode because we get to see Adamaitraining Yugo in how to use wakfu and use his unusual powers.  Not only this, but we get to see how Nox andIgol’s relationship. (It’s passive aggressive just saying). We also get to seeIgol’s one track mind and relentlessness when giving chase. Also that sun burnyikes!

4) s1e25 –I remember so clearly watching this when it wasout on Netflix and knowing this was the only season (at the time). I was heartbrokenwas Percedal died. Yeah Yugo was my favorite but stupid, loyal, and kindPercedal the Knight dying? With no continuation? That was just shocking. Plushe stayed dead. There wasn’t even abody to “revive.” And to see the strong Evangelene sobbing? And the sweet Yugoso enraged with grief? Nope, I was heartbroken; the gang had gotten togetherbut Percedal was dead. It had a huge impact on me.

5) s2e3 – DALLY WAS ALIVE. My pure joy and Percedal being like alive and attainable, heh heh fairlycertain my fam thought I was crazy (but hey my bro was excited too lol). AlsoRemington, lol he and his cat brother, I really like them honestly. I alsoreally love how he and Eva flirt with each other but it’s not even friendly,they literally insult each other with every snide flirtatious remark. I justfind his random appearance in this arc (and later other arcs) to be anenjoyable breath of fresh air.

6) s3e8 – This was actually the first time that I realizedthat Yugo was trying to hide something under his hat. That’s right, it took meup to the 8th episode of the second season to realize that Yugo washiding something under his hat. I just thought it was a part of his otherwisesomewhat plain costume. I never thought there was a secret, I never had anysuspicions or anything. I mean Sadida males have plant heads *shrugs* I neverquestioned it. Also the boys stripping and Yugo asking what “inhibit” means butneither Ruel nor Percedal knowing. Basically it’

Bonus: “Justice demands…….justice!” And the size of your armordecides how much of a “good guy” you are lol

Bonus bonus: Yugo’s tofu underwear

7) s2e26 – Yugo’s wings and the Percedal family starts. Thatshould pretty much sum it up, yep. Seriously, sex between Eva and Dallyhappened sometime off screen during the second season…..that’s just boldAnakama, dang. But in all seriousness that fight between Yugo and Qilby said somuch about the two characters, and really showing the sad reason for why Qilbywas sooooo warped and twisted. Honestly his entire existence would be sofrustrating exhausting….but he still needed to be locked in the void. He waspsychopath. *shrug*

8) The entirety of The Quest for the Six Dofus Eliatropes –cuz they could have just been a movie, just saying. No episode stood outbecause they were all AMAZING. Not even kidding. These three episodes? Well Iwatched them sooooooooo many times, trying to figure out what was going tohappen for the past few YEARS. Years, Anakama, years. Not cool bro. Anyway, theamount of detail and character development in these 3 episodes? Wow, there wasso much character development and I realized things I never had before. LikeYugo had a crush on Amalia? Yeah that’s when I discovered this ship….I reallyam oblivious. And Percedal and Eva had 2 kids? Time had clearly gone by at thispoint.  But my favorite parts? The fightagainst Count Hareburg (RIP s3), Yugo’s fight with Adamai (heartbreaking but Istill feel like Adamai was putting too much trust in what I called “the creepysnake lady”) (and he was getting on Yugo’s case about caring/trusting someoneelse over their brother?) (sorry still salty) (there better be repercussions ins4) and the epic battle that raged above the world of 12

Bonus: baby Ogrest calling Otomai “Daddy” *death by too muchcute*

9) s3e2 – The emotions that are present in this episode arebeautiful and heartbreaking. And Princess Amalia with her gravely sick father,a usually strong and occasionally goofy character, that, that was reallyrelatable. Even if that’s never happened to you, you at least have probablyknown someone or known someone who knows someone who that’s happened to. AndArmand was really getting on my nerves, but that might have been how he copes,I guess. Still rubbed me the wrong way though. I don’t he’s a bad characterthough, just not super likeable but I can’t figure out quite way yet. Then poorYugo was also crying, he was probably feeling so many emotions, I’m notsurprised he was crying. More than likely I’d say it was most likely a mixture ofguilt, anger, fear, remorse, and maybe some mourning. It was stated in s1 thatYugo can feel the Wakfu presence of other beings, and that was when he was juststarting to learn how to use his powers, so he’s much stronger, now? Could hehave felt the king’s wakfu presence slowly disappearing? I dunno. Also Dally isjust so sad and Rubi is such an old softie, he’s just lucky that Dally isoblivious….and dumb.  Okay Elely, isprecious and perhaps slightly OP, but not in a bad way……never pick a fight withher. EVER.

10)s3e7 – Battling to keep their underwear. *breathes in,breathes out* boi. Anakama I applaud thee, only you could make a serious battleabout fighting for underwear. But it was a fierce and well fought battle which youvaliantly won in the end. And then the kiss. Now that was a passionatekiss.  It was well done, but the emotionsthat followed after it…..were FANTASTIC. Typically the kiss fixes everythingbut this kiss both makes Yugo and Amalia closer and farther, leading todifficulties later.  But what somewhatannoys me is that dragon blood makes Yugo age slower but Adamai looks like hehad steroids with a growth spurt. Kay guys that doesn’t compute, just saying.  But back to Yugo and Amalia, I find theirrelationship so interesting honestly, and personally I can’t tell if it’d workout or not. Cuz clearly they both want each other but neither (mostly Yugo) canmake up their mind.  Like Yugo is precious,but he either needs to accept Amalia accepting his younger self or let her moveon…..as harsh as that sounds

But yep my top ten episodes plus reasons and facts, phew,you have no idea how tempted I was to copy and paste the Wakfu episode listWikipedia page…..this whole series is fantastic….

Now your turn ; )

[projectclockwurk]

Endless Love

[WARNING: Instance of a character using a homophobic slur]

You would think, in this day and age, that military personnel would be above acts of violence against their own people for something they have no control over. Like whom they love, for example. But you’d be surprised how many give in to that carnal desire to kill all because of one person. The ring leader who people follow without question, if they’re convincing enough.

When my husband of five years enlisted, I was scared, I’ll admit. I was afraid that he might volunteer for combat once he got out of boot camp. That was my biggest fear because we’d already discussed how we’d keep letters pretty gender neutral in case any of the others wanted to take a peek. You can’t be too careful and we thought he’d be safe from ridicule. It worked. He finished boot camp without any grief from the others for being gay.

After finishing up training, he came home for a time and we enjoyed ourselves. We went out to dinner and the movies and spent a day in bed. It was nice but it didn’t last long before he was gone again, headed to Germany for half the year.

Everything was normal until two months into his stay when the calls stopped. The first day I didn’t think anything of it, he had told me that things were getting pretty busy and he might not be able to call me every day like usual.

So I let it go. Even let the second day go. The third day is when I got the call.

He was gone. Found in his room, beaten to death. They’d only discovered him the previous day and an investigation was being launched into my husband’s murder.

They sent his body home in a plain, black casket that I had to pick up from the airport. I was barely holding it together when I arrived. My chest was tight and I felt like I was going to pass out. I couldn’t believe he was gone. I couldn’t believe that this nightmare happened.

Once he was buried, I was on the people leading the investigation. I was so determined to get justice for my husband and when they found them, the ones responsible for it; I hired two different lawyers all in an attempt to get them locked away for good.

All they got was a dishonorable discharge. Dishonorable discharge for murdering my husband. I was sick to my goddamn stomach that the legal justice system failed again.

I was told to move on; there was nothing else I could do. I wanted to scream and lash out at someone but I controlled myself for the simple fact I knew that Charlie, my Charlie, wouldn’t want me to get in trouble.

So I tried. Tried to just forget the men responsible and focus on visiting Charlie’s grave every day and on work. Books wouldn’t write themselves, after all.

It hasn’t been very long since then. I haven’t been paying too much attention to how much time has gone by but I know it hasn’t been too long. The wound is still very fresh and Charlie’s things haven’t been packed up yet. I don’t think they ever will be. It would just be too depressing to reduce his life with me down to a few cardboard boxes.

So for now and probably till the day I die, they remain exactly where he left them. And here I sit, in front of the TV as a hellish storm rages outside. I should go to bed though, there’s nothing to do and no more to say for the day. I didn’t get to go visit Charlie today because of the storm and that doesn’t sit right with me. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to.

I was able to visit him the next day, though it was later than usual because when I went outside, ready to get into my car and go, I noticed muddy footprints going around the house. I investigated quickly; taking comfort that I had indeed locked all the doors last night and it didn’t look like the house had been broken into.

Of course not, Michael, you would have noticed footprints in the house too.

I shook it off and left and when I got to the cemetery, I saw that it was something of a mess with fallen trees and trash littering the ground.

“Can I get in?” I asked the groundskeeper.

“Sure, but be careful walking around. Some trees fell and a few of the graves were disturbed last night. Step on them wrong and your foot is gonna sink through the ground.”

“I’ll watch where I step.”

He wasn’t kidding. The grounds really did look awful, more awful than I had originally thought, and some of the grave stones had been damaged or knocked over.

Even Charlie’s grave had been disturbed, dirt upturned slightly and headstone tilted back. There was nothing I could do here. Trying to fix the stone might just make it worse. So instead I sat and talked and talked and talked until I didn’t have anything to talk about anymore and once again made my way home.

The rest of the day time went by without anything interesting happening. I went about it like any other day and at night; I opened my laptop and sat in front of the TV.

It was only when I was getting ready for bed that I heard movement upstairs. A shuffling that maybe could be mistaken for those sudden, unexplainable noises a house makes at times but then it happened again and I knew it wasn’t the house. Somebody was upstairs.

Slowly, I closed my laptop and set it down next to me. I stood from the couch and went to the kitchen, trying my damn hardest not to make a sound as I made my way to the landline.

I would have loved to have used my cellphone but it was upstairs and I was not about to go up there. Not until the police arrived and gave me the all clear that my home was safe again.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I think there’s somebody in my house,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“I said I think there’s somebody in my house.”

“Where do you believe they are?”

“Upstairs.”

“Alright, is there somewhere safe you can go?”

“My neighbors but if I go, I can’t stay on the line. My cellphone is upstairs.”

“That’s okay, sir. Can you give me your name and address? I’ll send someone over there right now.”

“Michael Fredericks, I live at 23 Pine Avenue.”

“We’re sending someone over now, Mr. Fredericks. Please call back the moment you are safe.”

“I will.”

I hung up and carefully made my way out of the kitchen.

I was barely past the threshold when I was hit in the face by a bat, causing me to collapse onto the floor. I felt blood gush out of my nose and fill my mouth with its harsh copper taste as my vision blurred.

I was able to make out the shape of somebody walking past me towards the front door but no real details, my eyes still trying to focus in.

I heard the front door lock click.

“Remember us, asshole?” the figure said as they opened the door and three others stepped inside.

I recognized the voice before the face. It felt like my heart stopped right then. It was one of the bastards who killed my Charlie and as I regained the ability to see properly, I saw that it was his friends standing in the doorway. His accomplices.

Without hesitation, I scrambled to my feet and ran for the back door. I just needed to get outside, get away from them. The second I was out, I’d start screaming for somebody. I was bound to be heard then and hopefully they wouldn’t pursue me.

I nearly made it when I was tackled to the ground. One of them had aimed for my legs with it, caught me, and once again I was slamming into the floor. I was dragged backwards, further away from the door and freedom away from these people.

The one that had tackled me flipped me over and pinned my arms and legs with his own. Any struggling I attempted was in vain. He was much stronger than I was and had more of an advantage with the positions we were in.

“Trying to get away? Why, afraid of facing the consequences for getting us discharged, you fag?”

“You killed my husband,” I bit out, all my fear leaving me for just this moment. “You deserve more than a dishonorable discharge, you fucks!”

They deserved to burn in hell for it. They had escaped proper justice and now were here to kill me too. At least I would see Charlie again.

“You have a real bad mouth on you, huh? How about we shut you up?”

His hands came up to wrap around my throat, his thumbs pressing down hard on my windpipe. My own hands flew up to grab at his arms, trying to pry them off. It was no use.

His friends were standing around snickering and laughing.

I was quickly losing oxygen, my breath coming out in small rasps of air.

I do believe that at some point I lost consciousness but it wasn’t for long. A second perhaps of darkness and then I could breathe again but the suddenness was strange and seconds later I realized why.

They were screaming. At something I didn’t know what but the one who had been choking me was gone. I couldn’t see him but the others were looking towards the direction of the front door and then I heard it.

A sound like somebody choking on their own blood and it sounded awful.

In a flash, another of my attackers was gone. The two remaining men tried to flee but they didn’t get very far before being snatched up themselves.

I heard, rather than saw, each of their bodies drop to the ground one by one. Dead weight.

Oh my God.

I tried to scoot away, tried to get to the back door again but then there were footsteps coming towards me. I put up an arm defensively, not that it would do much to protect me from whoever the hell had taken out the others.

I let out a shaky breath when the light caught the other individual. It wasn’t much, but I would know that face anywhere.

“Charlie?”

My husband was standing there, covered in mud, with blood around his mouth.

“Michael,” he said.

“How?” the word was barely out of my mouth when I stumbled to my feet and threw my arms around him. The dead bodies of those men and the blood coating my husbands face were the furthest things from my mind at that moment. I just wanted to hold him again.

“I’m so sorry, babe,” Charlie said, holding me close.

“No, no don’t be sorry. I’m just…you’re back, that’s all that matters it’s…how did…I don’t-”

“I don’t know either. I just woke up in the dark and clawed my way out of it. I…I came back home during the storm but was afraid of coming to you directly so I stayed in the woods until I saw them come in. I couldn’t let them hurt you.”

“Thank you. Thank you for coming back, for protecting me. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

“Shh,” he soothed. “It’s okay now, I’m here and I won’t ever leave you again. Ever.”

The way he emphasized that word caught my attention.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m,” he took in a breath. “I’m different now. I can’t explain it but…but I know, if you want it…I can make you like me. We never have to be apart again.”

By the time the police arrived, none of the bodies were there anymore and no blood to be found. I just told them that the noise ended up being a raccoon that got in through an open window. They laughed it off, said it happened and bid me a good night after being sure I was okay.

I was fine and now, I’m more than fine.

Charlie is alive and well and we’re never going to be apart again.

I have to stop here, it’s been a few days and I really need to eat. Charlie wants to take me into the woods to hunt deer. He said its better this way and I have to agree.

Feeding off of people would just bring about too much unwanted attention.

[ladystylestores]

Coronavirus, Seoul Mayor, Ava DuVernay: Your Friday Briefing

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good morning.

We’re covering coronavirus surges around the world as places reopen, a NASA scientist’s three-year ordeal in a Turkish prison, and Ava DuVernay on art and activism.

States that moved to reopen earlier, like Florida, Arizona and Texas, are driving the higher numbers. Hospitals across the South and West are being flooded with virus patients, forcing them to cancel elective surgeries and discharge patients early.

Tokyo recorded 224 new infections on Thursday, surpassing a record set in April. Most of Australia is now off-limits to people from the state of Victoria, as the country responded to an outbreak spreading through Melbourne. With virus cases soaring in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the country had reopened parts of the economy too early.

Case study: The imposition of a second lockdown in late June in the English city of Leicester as those in other regions were returning to jobs and pubs — part of Boris Johnson’s “Whac-A-Mole” approach to the virus — has angered residents.

A different milestone: The intensive care unit at the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Bergamo, Italy had no Covid-19 cases for the first time in 137 days. The hospital commemorated the occasion on Wednesday with a moment of silence, followed by a round of applause.

Seoul mayor is found dead

The authorities in South Korea said on Friday that they had found the body of Mayor Park Won-soon in northern Seoul, hours after his daughter reported him missing.

His disappearance came days after a secretary in his office told the police that he had been sexually harassing her since 2017, several news outlets reported.

Mr. Park, 64, had left his daughter a “will-like” message, according to the Yonhap news agency. He had canceled his schedule for Thursday and called in sick to City Hall. No suicide note was found at the scene, a senior detective in Seoul said, but there was also no sign that he had been killed by someone else.

Context: The mayor of Seoul was considered the most powerful elected official in the country after the president. A prominent human rights lawyer who championed women’s rights, Mr. Park had often been named as a possible successor to President Moon Jae-in.

Three years in a Turkish prison

Days after a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016, Turkish police officers stopped Serkan Golge, an American NASA scientist, at the airport.

To his disbelief, they had received an anonymous tip that he worked for the C.I.A. and was part of the terrorist group accused of masterminding the plot.

It was four years before Mr. Golge ended a nightmare in which he was held in solitary confinement and became a bargaining chip in high-level disputes between the Turkish and American governments. He returned to Houston just last week.

“It is a very small room — it barely sees the sunlight, and the guards took me out only one hour a day,” he said of that confinement, in his first interview since returning home. “And I stayed in that room, in that small single cell, for three years.”

What happened: Mr. Golge was held in prisons, alongside military officers, judges and prosecutors, before moving to solitary confinement and facing charges of overthrowing the government and Constitution, which carried a life sentence. He was eventually convicted on a lesser charge and released from prison in May 2019.

Context: His experience is a rare defendant’s perspective into the Turkish judicial machine. Some 70,000 people have been accused in the Turkish courts in connection with the failed coup and many prefer to keep silent even once free.

If you have some time, this is worth it

29 short stories about this moment

As the coronavirus pandemic swept the world, The Times asked 29 authors to write new short stories inspired by the moment. As Rivka Galchen writes, “Reading stories in difficult times is a way to understand those times, and also a way to persevere through them.”

Read the original short stories, from authors like Leila Slimani, Margaret Atwood and Yiyun Li, this weekend.

Here’s what else is happening

Thailand: The cabinet approved a draft bill on Wednesday that would give same-sex unions many of the same benefits as those of heterosexual marriages. The bill, which needs Parliament’s approval, is a major step for one of the most open countries in the region for L.G.B.T.Q. people.

Russian death-for-hire plots: A Chechen man who claimed he had detailed the world of contract killing to the Austrian and Ukrainian authorities was shot near Vienna last weekend. He had said there was a price on his head.

Trump tax records: The Supreme Court has cleared the way for prosecutors in New York to see President Trump’s financial records, a stunning defeat for President Trump. But Congress cannot see them, at least for now, meaning they won’t be made public before the November election.

Melania statue: After a wooden statue of Melania Trump was burned near her hometown in Slovenia, the American artist who commissioned it wants to interview the arsonist as part of a new project.

Snapshot: Above, Cairo under lockdown. The coronavirus brought a much-needed deep cleanse to the city and stripped it of its grit, our correspondent writes. But without the noise, bustle and grind, was it really Cairo?

What we’re listening to: Behind the Bastards podcast. “I was enthralled,” writes Shaila Dewan, a criminal justice reporter, by the “mini-series on policing, including its roots in slave patrols and its embrace of the Klan.”

Now, a break from the news

We’re in a moment of upheaval — hundreds of thousands marching, a pandemic, an upcoming U.S. presidential election. What’s the role of storytelling in this moment?

The story has been told from one point of view for too long. And when we say story, I don’t just mean film or television. I mean the stories we embrace as part of the criminalization of Black people. Every time an officer writes a police report about an incident, they’re telling a story. Look at the case of Breonna Taylor and her police report. They had nothing on it; it said she had no injuries. That is a story of those officers saying, “Nothing to look at here, nothing happened.” But that’s not the story that happened, because if she could speak for herself, she would say, “I was shot in the dark on a no-knock warrant in my bed.”

This is a moment of grief and rage for so many. How can those emotions be translated into art?

The answer to your question for me personally was the creation of our Law Enforcement Accountability Project — LEAP — which uses art to hold police accountable.

It links to the idea that an artist and an activist are not so far apart. Whether you call yourself an activist or not, artists use their imagination to envision a world that does not exist and make it so. Activists use their imagination to envision a world that does not exist and make it so.

Many people in the United States are just beginning the fight for racial and social justice. You’ve been in this battle a long time. What’s your advice for sustaining the fight long term?

The battle is ongoing whether you keep it going or not. The question is how are you going to react to it? That’s up to everyone to decide for themselves.

But the battle is not by choice. I would rather not do any of it. I’d rather just make my films and go about my day. But if I don’t buy into the fight, then I don’t get to make my films.

That’s it for this briefing. Have an energizing and safe weekend.

— Isabella

Thank you To Melissa Clark for the recipe, and to Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the rest of the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about why an early scientific report of symptom-free coronavirus cases went unheeded. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: Climate activist Thunberg (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • “The 1619 Project” from The Times Magazine will be developed into a portfolio of films, television and other content in partnership with Oprah Winfrey and Lionsgate.

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[ladystylestores]

Your Friday Briefing – The New York Times

India’s caseload soars to a record

India recorded nearly 25,000 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, its highest single-day total, as new research showed that the virus transmission rate was up for the first time in months.

Hospitals are overwhelmed and health officials are struggling to respond to the surge in cases. Public health experts said the toll was linked to crowding in major cities. At least two states, Bihar and West Bengal, are reintroducing social distancing measures they had lifted in June.

In addition, an important metric, the country’s virus reproduction rate, has increased to 1.19 in early July, from 1.1 in late June, according to research by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai. The rate had been steadily falling since March when the country was under lockdown.

Details: India’s outbreak is the world’s third-largest after the United States and Brazil. As of Thursday, India had more than 767,000 confirmed infections and 21,129 deaths, according to a New York Times database.

Seoul mayor found dead

Police officers found the body of Mayor Park Won-soon in northern Seoul, hours after his daughter reported him missing, the authorities said Friday.

There were no immediate details about his death. His disappearance came a day after a secretary in his office told the police that he had been sexually harassing her since 2017, several news outlets reported.

Mr. Park, 64, had left his daughter a cryptic “will-like” message, according to the Yonhap news agency. He had canceled his official schedule for Thursday and called in sick to City Hall. Hours later, his daughter called the police, and hundreds of officers were sent to search for him.

Context: The mayor of Seoul was considered the most powerful elected official in the country after the president. A prominent human rights attorney who founded the country’s most influential civil rights group, Mr. Park had often been named as a possible candidate to replace President Moon Jae-in.

Related: The suicide of Choi Suk-hyeon, a promising South Korean triathlete who had filed complaints against her coach and teammates for abuse, has led to a national outcry over the mistreatment of South Korean athletes.

Studying in the U.S.: ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come’

Our reporters talked to students whose lives were thrown into disarray after the Trump administration announced that it would strip them of their visas if their classes moved online.

Many universities see the move as a political one, meant to pressure them to reopen. But for the young people caught in the mess, it could be life-changing. Here are some of their accounts.

Confusion: “I still like this country,” said Andy Mao, 21, from Shanghai, who is studying biology at New York University. He had planned to go to graduate school in the U.S. “But if Trump gets re-elected, we will face huge uncertainty.” He has decided to look into universities in Canada and Singapore.

Despair: India cut off internet access to Ifat Gazia’s hometown in Kashmir, and her studies in the U.S. offered safety from a region in turmoil. “I considered myself lucky when I landed,” Ms. Gazia said. “But when this order came this week, I felt only despair.”

Resignation: “If they really don’t want me here — and the administration has made that very clear in a number of ways — maybe I shouldn’t have come,” said Macarena Ramos Gonzalez, a native of Spain who is nearing the end of a Ph.D. program in applied physiology at the University of Delaware.

If you have some time this weekend, this is worth it

29 short stories about this moment

As the pandemic swept the world, The Times asked 29 authors to write new short stories inspired by the moment. As Rivka Galchen writes: “Reading stories in difficult times is a way to understand those times, and also a way to persevere through them.”

From authors like Leila Slimani, Margaret Atwood and Yiyun Li, here are 29 original short stories to read this weekend.

Here’s what else is happening

Thailand: The cabinet approved a draft bill on Wednesday that would give same-sex unions many of the same benefits as those of heterosexual marriages. The bill, which still has to be approved by Parliament, is a major step for a country that is one of the most open places in the region for L.G.B.T.Q. people.

Trump tax records: The Supreme Court has cleared the way for prosecutors in New York to see President Trump’s financial records, a stunning defeat for Mr. Trump. But it will not allow Congress to see them, all but ensuring they won’t be released before the November election.

Snapshot: Above, Cairo under lockdown. The coronavirus brought a much-needed deep cleanse to the city, ridding it of traffic and pollution, our correspondent writes. But without the noise, bustle and grind, was it really Cairo?

What we’re listening to: Behind the Bastards podcast. “I was enthralled by this five-part mini-series on policing, including its roots in slave patrols and its embrace of the Klan,” writes Shaila Dewan, a criminal justice reporter.

Now, a break from the news

Watch: Set in Kashmir, “Widow of Silence” explores a woman’s quest for freedom and agency. Our reviewer calls it “a serenely beautiful tragedy about women and war.”

Do: Designing a garden? All it takes is a few well-placed plants — and some guiding principles.

At Home has our full collection of ideas on what to read, cook, watch, and do while staying safe at home.

And now for the Back Story on …

Ava DuVernay on art and activism

Ava DuVernay’s films about Black histories and experiences have come to feel more essential than ever. She spoke with our In Her Words newsletter about the role she sees for artists in a time of unrest in the U.S.

We’re in a moment of upheaval — hundreds of thousands marching, a pandemic, an upcoming U.S. presidential election. What’s the role of storytelling in this moment?

The story has been told from one point of view for too long. And when we say story, I don’t just mean film or television. I mean the stories we embrace as part of the criminalization of Black people. Every time an officer writes a police report about an incident, they’re telling a story. Look at the case of Breonna Taylor and her police report. They had nothing on it; it said she had no injuries. That is a story of those officers saying, “Nothing to look at here, nothing happened.” But that’s not the story that happened because if she could speak for herself, she would say, “I was shot in the dark on a no-knock warrant in my bed.”

This is a moment of grief and rage for so many. How can those emotions be translated into art?

The answer to your question for me personally was the creation of our Law Enforcement Accountability Project — LEAP — which uses art to hold police accountable.

It links to the idea that an artist and an activist are not so far apart. Whether you call yourself an activist or not, artists use their imagination to envision a world that does not exist and make it so. Activists use their imagination to envision a world that does not exist and make it so.

Many people in the United States are just beginning the fight for racial and social justice. You’ve been in this battle a long time. What’s your advice for sustaining the fight long term?

The battle is ongoing whether you keep it going or not. The question is how are you going to react to it? That’s up to everyone to decide for themselves.

But the battle is not by choice. I would rather not do any of it. I’d rather just make my films and go about my day. But if I don’t buy into the fight then I don’t get to make my films.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Melina

Thank you To Melissa Clark for the recipe, and to Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the rest of the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about why an early scientific report of symptom-free cases went unheeded. • Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Part of a constellation (four letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • “The 1619 Project” from The Times Magazine will be developed into a portfolio of films, television and other content in partnership with Oprah Winfrey and Lionsgate.

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