#the 14 year old will kill the hijacker for me!

[clonerightsagenda]

Roy Mustang's manga introduction is learning a 14 year old is trapped on a hijacked train with a violent criminal and going "oh thank God I was worried I'd have to do my job today"

[raguonmynieceandnephew]

"It's so unfair to the Rat Grinders that they are killed instantly and the Bad Kids get to roll death saves." SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUP

THIS IS LONG, AND HONESTLY FOR MYSELF, SO YEAH READ IF YOU WANT

I swear to god, this discourse is going to fucking be the end of me. Idk what kind of mind boggling spell Brennan Lee Mulligan wove into the fabric of the universe that spread through the data center of Dropout in order to absolutely hijack y'all's brains when it comes to Cocklord Assgape and her ragtag of character foils but whatever it was has made you Rat Grinder stans INSUFFERABLE in this site.

The levels of treating fictional characters as if they were real people have reached a level I honestly have never anticipated, to the point of y'all actually being mad AT THE CAST for "mistreating" them and ACTUALLY QUESTION BRENNAN'S CAPACITY TO DM. Do you not get how fucking insane that is?

We can't make fun of Copperkettle, one of the most pathetic, petty and incompetent villains in D20 history anymore (even though she is masterfully written and developed to generate this reaction from us) anymore because it's bullying apparently. I saw an account flip the fuck out because someone compared her rivalry with Kristen to Drake and Kendrick's beef. KIPPERLILY IS NOT A REAL GIRL. SHE IS A MAKE BELIEVE CHARACTER IN AN IMPROV SHOW SPAWNED FROM THE BRAIN OF A 36 YEAR OLD MAN

And then what truly pissed me off the MOST about this whole hell is the fact that, being chronically online avid consumers of this goddamn show, I would think you would have but a grasp of the main cast of characters' characterization.

Why the uproar about Riz saying they should chop Oisin's head off? The same Riz who tortured that pixie from Freshman year by shooting off their finger one by one? The same Riz who murked a disarmed and unconscious Coach Daybreak without battin an eye? The same Riz who ATE THE CORPSE OF KALVAXUS?

And the whole Fabian vs Ivy debacle MY GOD, THE GIRL WAS RACIST TO HIS GIRLFRIEND AND USED HER LAST BREATH TO CALL MAZEY "OBJECTIVELY UGLY". And the funniest thing is that is not even the most unhinged shit he has ever said.

And finally, Death Save Gate: THE RAT GRINDERS ARE NOT PLAYER CHARACTERS. THEY ARE NPCS! THE RULES FOR EACH WORK DIFFERENTLY, ESPECIALLY THEM BEING BOSS ENCOUNTERS. Imagine having to still hit Ivy or Oisin 2 more times to kill them when there is 14 foot tall Porter throwing legendary actions left and right, with Jace, and other 3 spell casters + Mary Ann and KLCK up and running. It's called balancing the fucking game. Also, game masters are entitled to break, mold and make up any rules they want if they find necessary in order to service themselves and their players. IF YOU PLAY WITH ALL THESE RULES AS THEY COME, GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR TABLE. THIS IS NOT YOUR TABLE.

Not only is Brennan DMing for his CLOSEST FRIENDS EVER, he is also shooting and producing an ENTIRE TV SHOW. So yeah, i think he knows wtf he is doing.

"But the Ratgrinders had no real development": True. But it wasn't for lack of trying from the players. Everytime they tried to know more, the dice didn't let them, so they decided to focus on the mystery. It simply do be like that sometimes.

"But they are just kids!": And so were Penelope, Dayne, Ragh, Zayn, the Bloodrush Players, Aelwyn and Biz. Why wasn't it a problem then? Because most of them were evil to some extent and were about to bring the fucking apocalypse to the world? Yeah, sounds familiar right? And the ones who were manipulated or had any sort of redemption worked their way into earning it, right? Yeah.

In conclusion, I fucking love the Rat Grinders, I truly do, and not unlike 90% of this website, i'm still holding on to hope that they have any sort of development and redemption in the last episode, because I agree, they ARE children and they WERE manipulated by Porter and Jace, but like, can we also agree that they are fucking assholes and had it fucking coming? Also, the BKs are children too y'know. SO STOP BEING FUCKING ANNOYING.

[nebulablakemurphy]

Moves & Countermoves (Part 20)

Summary: No one ever wins the games, even fourteen years later, Y/N is still playing.

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19

“Soldier Abernathy,” Boggs’ voice is the one to finally break them apart.

Y/N moves to her feet, straightening out her gear. “Yes.”

“Civilian Abernathy.” Boggs also acknowledges the man on the floor.

“Yep.” Haymitch groans, pulling himself up.

“There’s been an incident.” Boggs squares his shoulders.

“What kind of incident?”

“Peeta attacked Katniss.”

“He what?” Y/N stammers.

“Our Peeta?” Haymitch is getting older, surely he’s heard wrong.

Boggs nods. “Follow me-”

Without another word, Boggs ushers them to Katniss’ room in medical. She is limp on the bed, being changed into a hospital gown. She looks the same as she had when Haymitch left her, save for the large angry bruise, blooming over the expanse of her neck.

“Damn it,” Haymitch murmurs.

“How could this happen?” Y/N turns to Boggs.

“I stepped outside to give them privacy. When I heard the commotion, I went straight in. He’d already put her through the medicine cabinets and had her on the floor. It happened fast.”

Y/N brings a hand to her throbbing temple. “Thank you for…” Y/N breaks off. “I should’ve stayed with him.”

“Not your fault, soldier.” Boggs says, immediately.

Haymitch passes a hand over her back. See, you stubborn thing? Not everything can be your fault.

“I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.” Boggs excuses himself.

The doctors trickle out, leaving Katniss in her neck brace, hooked up to a bunch of beeping monitors.

“She’ll be out for a while, by the sound of it. We should check on Peeta. Try to figure out what the hell’s going on.” Haymitch kisses Y/N’s temple. Watching his wife stroke dark hair away from Katniss’ face.

Y/N nods.

Peeta’s room is not much better. He is restrained, for his own safety. Unconscious after the attack, Boggs had to get him off somehow.

The results of the bloodwork returns without traces of any hallucinogenic drugs. The only abnormal thing found in his system is trackerjacker venom.

“So what does this mean? He thought Katniss was someone else?” Haymitch asks Dr. Aurelius, who’s come to deliver the news. He’s not a regular doctor, he’s a head doctor. Maybe he’s here to make sure they don’t lose their shit?

“Well…it’s hard to say. I’ll need to speak with him once he regains consciousness. For now, it seems a bit odd that he would remember Y/N in the hovercraft and in this room, only to not recognize Katniss a moment later.”

There must be something…something she’s missing. “So you think he knew it was Katniss and did that to her anyway?”

“I understand how difficult this may be for you to hear, but Peeta did attack Katniss with the intent to kill her.” Dr. Aurelius explains.

Haymitch shifts, meeting Y/N’s eyes.

“That’s why he’s restrained?” Y/N presses her lips together.

“This is for his own safety.“

“I don’t understand.” Y/N cuts him off. “He held my hand all the way home.” There’s just no way. “Peeta wouldn’t do that to Katniss.”

“I know it is painful for you to see them this way. But given your experience on the hovercraft, I have every reason to believe that we can help him work through this.”

“How?” Haymitch wonders.

“With the knowledge that he recognizes Y/N, we will be able to use a trusted source to sift through the information fed to him by the Capitol. In theory we will be able to reverse this fear conditioning.” Dr. Aurelius is already working up a plan.

“So that’s what you think this is? A response to fear conditioning?” Haymitch asks.

“He has lacerations, old and new. Evidence of shocks and beatings, that with the presence of trackerjacker venom suggests what one would consider brainwashing. A hijacking, if you will.”

“Have you ever treated a patient in his condition?” Y/N gnaws at the insides of her cheek.

“I have never seen anything like this, no.”

“We’ll do whatever we can,” Y/N says, immediately.

“For now there is nothing to be done. Katniss and Peeta are resting, which they both desperately need. I might suggest you do the same.”

“If it were your kids, could you rest?” Haymitch bites out, bitterly.

Aurelius nods, in understanding. “No.” He stares for a moment more. “As Peeta’s family is deceased, you are his next of kin. You will be involved in making medical decisions. If anything changes you will be the first to know.”

“Thank you.”

“There is one more thing, before you go.”

“And what might that be?” Haymitch retorts.

“Johanna Mason has requested that you also be listed as next of kin, until she is found to be of sound mind.”

“What about Finnick?” Y/N wonders, they’ve always been close.

“Finnick struggled during separation with Annie.”From what Aurelius can see, he’s still struggling. “He is in no position to make decisions about her medical care. Rather her be a ward of the district, she would have you.”

“Of course, we’ll take her.”

————————————————————————

Pollux is with Madge, when they return to the children, keeping all three entertained. There’s someone else, perched in the corner, quiet, just watching.

“Mom?” Y/N says, warily. She’s only seen her once since they’ve been here. The older woman was deep into detox and screamed at her to get out.

“Hi, honey.” As if nothing has happened. As if nothing is wrong.

“Mommy, look what we made for Peeta!” Arista holds up the off white paper banner, lined with drawings and colored flowers.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Y/N chokes down her despair. How can I explain this? “It’s beautiful, he’ll love it.”

“You’re sad,” Everest calls her bluff.

Haymitch steps closer, saving her, the way he always has. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

“Is it Peeta?”

“Yeah,” Haymitch breathes, perching himself at the end of Everest’s bed. “Come here.” He pats the space on either side for his children. I’ll take this one.

Y/N follows her mother out into the hallway.

“How are you holding up?” The older woman asks.

“I’m ok.”

“Good.”

“So you’re out of rehab?”

“If that’s what you want to call it, yes.”

“You look really…healthy.”

“Y/N I saw Finnick’s broadcast and I- I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you. That I couldn’t protect you. I know I wasn’t the best mother-”

“You did the best you could,” Y/N cuts her off. “As a mother, I understand that we can’t always be there the way we want to.”

“But you are there. Everyday and every night, you are there for those kids. They know that no matter what, their mom is coming home. They know that you will always be there. I’m sorry you didn’t have that.”

“It’s ok…I’m-” Y/N wraps her arms tightly around herself. “I’m ok.”

“When I lost Maysi, I lost myself. I tried to get it back, to get a grip, to keep pushing but I couldn’t. When you got reaped,” she breaks off. “When I saw my baby girl get taken from me I- I mourned you. I mourned you the second you got on that train and I never stopped mourning you. But you weren’t dead, you were alive and my mind, especially with the morphling, couldn’t comprehend that.”

“Mom, please, stop.”

“I know you must be angry with me.” Her mother tugs at Y/N’s hand. “But I need you to know that didn’t deserve that. You didn’t deserve any of this, you are so good. You are good and you are brave and you are strong. Better than I ever was or could be. And I’m going to be here for you now, if you’ll let me.”

Y/N nods, silently, brushing away tears. “Thank you.”

————————————————————————

The guilt grows, festering like a wound. Guilt over the strain on their marriage, guilt for their absence from their children. Guilt for Katniss, neck braced, in a coma. Guilt for Peeta, restrained, turned into a weapon meant to kill the only girl he’s ever loved. Guilt for Johanna, tortured and stripped of her dignity. Guilt for Cashmere, who lost her brother. Guilt for Madge who takes on so much burden that is not her own.

“He’s been asking for you.” One of the doctors from Peeta’s team catches Y/N in the hallway.

The voice is enough to snap Y/N back to the task at hand. Haymitch is with Katniss, such is their agreement, until Peeta feels more at ease in the presence of others. Triggering him is not worth the risk.

Through the observation window, she can see him struggling, tugging at the bonds. Two doctors are beside him, attempting to soothe him. Y/N enters the room without hesitation, fighting her way into his line of vision.

“Peeta.” She says softly, moving towards him.

His thrashing does not stop, but he registers that she is there.

“Can we clear the room?” Y/N asks.

“Of course.” The doctors nod, they too are at a loss.

Peeta’s breathing is so shallow and rapid, she fears he might be hyperventilating. His eyes searching her sadly, warily. “I thought you didn’t want to see me.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Don’t you know what I did?”

Katniss. “I’m not upset with you, Peeta. I just want to help you.”

“You don’t know what it was like.”

“You’re right, I don’t.”

“But Snow did stuff to you too, didn’t he?”

“Nothing like this,” Y/N swallows the lump in her throat. “I brought you something, from the kids; my kids.”

“I remember…” Almost. Memories dancing near the surface of a frozen lake.

“They made you this,” Y/N unrolls the slightly crumpled paper. “Sorry I smushed it.”

Peeta’s eyes well up with tears. “Can I keep it?”

“Yeah, of course, we’ll find somewhere to hang it up.”

————————————————————————

“My colleague, Dr. Maes, informed me that the two of you had a rather…colorful conversation, at the bed side of her patient, Johanna Mason.” Dr. Aurelius says, during his later session with Y/N.

“She’s not a good fit for Johanna,” Y/N explains. “I’d rather you see her.”

“I couldn’t possibly take on Peeta, Katniss, Johanna, Haymitch and yourself.” Aurelius explains, “given her condition-”

“Take me off the list.”

“Are you sure that’s the best decision?”

“It’s the only option I have.” Y/N crosses one leg over the other.

“Tell me why.”

“What?”

“Tell me why that’s the only option and I’ll consider it.”

Y/N takes a steadying breath. “You’re the best they’ve got down here and we both know it. This isn’t about being a lost cause, or a martyr. It’s about people needing you more than I do.”

Dr. Aurelius sighs, “I’m sure Haymitch will follow your lead.”

“I didn’t mention it to him yet.” The longing pangs in her chest.

When she does tell Haymitch, later that night, he’s half asleep.

“Whatever you want, Angel.” He murmurs, pulling her closer.

They’ve hardly seen each other. She feels the strain on his heart, tugging at her own. Y/N fists a hand in his shirt. “You’re what I want.” More time with you.

“You have me by the balls,” he scoffs, “Stop torturing yourself. Everyone has to pay the piper and revolutions don’t come cheap. If we have to keep going like this; for however long, we’ll do that.”

“This is enough for you? Five minutes to ourselves before bed, after being apart all day?”

“You’re enough.” Haymitch breathes, “you’ll always be enough.”

Just you and me.

————————————————————————

Katniss wakes a day later, clawing at the brace around her neck and breathing hard. The monitors surrounding her beep frantically as Boggs tries to calm her.

“Hey, Katniss. You’re alright.”

Her hands move back to the brace.

“Don’t, you’re swollen.” Boggs stills her fingers.

Katniss leans back in defeat, her voice is but a broken whisper. “Peeta.”

Part 21

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[scotianostra]

August 15th 1963 saw the last hanging in Scotland - 21-year-old Henry Burnett who was executed at Craiginches Prison in Aberdeen for the murder of seaman Thomas Guyan.

Thomas Guyan had married Margaret May on the 2nd of February 1957 and a year later they moved into a first floor flat at 14 Jackson Terrace, Aberdeen, in a house owned by Margaret’s grandmother, Annie Henderson.  Margaret gave birth to a son in September 1958 followed by a second one in February, 1961.  However the second son was not fathered by Thomas who, although he knew this, would not divorce her.  Thomas was often away for lengthy periods at sea. Burnett  met Margaret Guyan, when they were working at John R Stephen Fish Curers in Aberdeen. Margaret Guyan later went to live with him at his home in the city’s Skene Terrace.

Burnett kept her locked in the house and on one of the rare occasions she was allowed out alone, she met her estranged husband Thomas Guyan, and agreed to go back to him.

When she refused to return to Burnett, he stole a shotgun from his brother’s house, went to Guyan’s flat at 14 Jackson Terrace in Aberdeen and knocked on the door.  When Guyan opened it Burnett shot him in the face at close range.   He then dragged Margaret out of the flat at gunpoint and hijacked a car at a petrol station but was captured at Ellon near Peterhead within the hour as two PC’s.had followed the vehicle. He offered no resistance to the officers. During the journey he had proposed marriage to Margaret and she had accepted!

During the trial, the solicitor-general spoke of the ‘sordid background of a sailor’s wife being unfaithful to her husband when he was at sea.’ Burnett entered a plea of insanity but the jury took just 25 minutes to bring back a guilty verdict.   A few days before the execution Burnett wrote to Margaret saying: “Well, my darling, you will be wondering why I did not kill you up in Skene Terrace.  “Well, it was because I loved you. I could easily have done it if I had wanted to but what they were saying in court was a heap of rubbish about me being insane even at the time. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

Margaret was allowed to spend half an hour with Burnett on the day before the hanging.  She would stand by Burnett till the end and later claimed: “My heart is with Harry (as she called him). People can talk but I still love Harry.”

Harry Allen was the hangman, assisted by Samuel Plant. Allen hanged the notorious serial killer Peter Manuel in 1958 at Barlinnie.

A crowd of some 200 people had gathered outside the prison. HMP Aberdeen as Craiginches is now known, closed in January 2014 and Burnett’s body has now been re-interred elsewhere

[brewing-mischief]

Damien who has 100% bonded with Dan over murder and violence and seeing the dark side of life while also expected to act like normal teenagers when they are NOT are having a blast.

Menwhile Bruce/Dick/Jason/Tim are all INCREDIBLY concerned that Danny the 22 yearold librarian has a 5 and 14 year old kids he is biologically related too and who they call Dad. Like they meet Jazz while she was in a rush one time and asked if Dani and Dan were her siblings too and she said no, they're Danny's kids. Gotta go bye! And didnt think about the interaction ever again while Bruce/the older kids are getting more and more concerned.

Cause looking at those numbers Danny was NOT at the age of concent when the two of them were conceived. The Batfam is now desperately trying to secretly hijack their DNA to run tests and get child support for him cause Danny keeps making comments that he's on his own and he WON'T take the money Bruce keeps trying to give him! Even when he gives it anonymously, Danny knows its him and returns it!

So fine. If he wont take Bruce's money, Bruce is gonna make sure SOMEONE pays. Specifically whoever dumped these kids on him.

Damien is unfazed by all of this, 100% taking the "I'm a clone" explanation from Dani and a "I'm him from another timeline that will now never occur" from Dan as he himself (Damien) is a test-tube baby from a illuminati assassin league with a father that started the vigilante job.

Why dont Bruce/Dick/Jason/Tim take the clone theory?

1. Kids say stupid stuff all the time. Especially when playing imagination games. And older siblings will play along at times.

2. Hes just some guy. He's not like them, who are tied up with supervillains and underground courts. Why would someone clone him?

3. Cloning is EXPENSIVE (have you seen superboy's catmas set-up??) Damien, do you really think one man could just clone somebody? You need a whole team of scientists honey. AND even Superboy needed 2 doners. It's not like a human clone can be made from just ONE peice of DNA

The funniest thing is that the D-team is not even hidding it. Like yeah they're not gonna straight up tell strangers hey here's my life story, but if you ask and they trust you sure here's the truth. Sometimes they just say it anyway cause Danny is so tired and he knows no one believes him. Hes spent most of his term years lying about NOT being a half-ghost hero. Mabye hes just done telling lies

Bruce, observing Dani at the library while picking up Damian - "so...tell me, Mr. Nightingale is the mother in the picture?"

Danny - "Nah, Dani there was cloned from me when I was fourteen. She use to be a lot bigger but her ecto-signiture wacked out when we came here so now shes small."

Bruce Desperately trying to de code Danny's trama-truth for what actually happened. - "I see"

Dan, leaning back in his chair completely nonchalant-" I'm from another timeline where I murder more than half of humanity due to my lack of a soul, that I killed with my bear hands because it kept whining about our dead family."

Bruce, more concerned. Beliving this is a teen's attempt cope with real trama by villianizing himself though jokes - "do you have you're soul back now?"

Dan nearly falling off the chair and has to catch himself - "uh...I...dont know..."

Dan looks panicked at Danny who is now also looking suprised. Neither know. Cause hes 14. And 14 was when Dan killed himself and fused with Plasmius and wow now they have a lot of questions as to what this reset actually did. Like hes not as murderous as before but wow, um ok but like-

Danny, quickly showing the kids and Bruce out to avoid them seeing Dan freak out- "well it was so nice to meet you Mr. Wayne, Damien remember to return that library book you have due tomorrow and yes, John I will bring snacks tomorrow for the book club. Thanks so much yall! Bye!"

Bruce, convinced now more than ever of all the bad things the Nightingale family had to face before this and if they are still in danger. This is the first civillian friend Damien has ever had and by golly is he going to protect them

Prof. Danny Nightingale

Danny honestly has no idea how he became a science professor to a bunch of kids in Gotham University where he works as a librarian...

Danny Nightingale is a 22 year old librarian who has been working at Gotham University for nearly 2 months now. he is currently raising a 5 year old de-aged (or not up to you) Dani, who prefers to be called that in order to start confusion and chaos, and a re-formed 14 year old Dan (he's stuck in a kids body or aging up slowly is up to you) who is attending Gotham U (maybe he's in the same class as Damian and they bond about stabbing??)

And even though Danny's just a librarian but after helping some kids with their science homework and protecting them in a rouge attacks, he's practically formed a club for any kid who needs help with anything, but mostly science and mental stability, Danny should really thank Jazz for all those lectures...

tag me if this gets used cuz I wanna read!!

[owlixx]

CoD Notes: MW3 Beat

I had heard that the 2011 MW3 was coincidentally also unusually short like 2023 MW3. I didn’t track my playtime, but I did beat it in just a couple sittings, so I’ll have to pull the mission list back up as I go along here to try and recall the exact order of events.

The opening picking right up where MW2 left off actually confused me as a kid because I barely remembered what had been going on. These games were just a couple years apart but 11 to 14 years old is a pretty big jump for a young boy to make since I was a little late to the party on MW3.

This whole game starts with and features a whole lot of Price fretting over Soap, which is doubly funny with a guy named “Yuri” being the most heavily involved with that.

Anyways, I think of the New York mission as the first real mission of this game and it highlights one of my main criticisms of this game: how disconnected the US part of the campaign feels. This story feels like it jumps back and forth wildly between a personal quest for revenge on Makarov and then getting to see WW3 itself as a slightly more ordinary troop on the ground.Now, the New York opening mission itself is fine and serves as a pretty fun introduction to the game with the epic scale and rooftop battling, but it starts to wear thin later on. Also what’s up with that funky grenade launcher they give us for one mission with no ammo refills? Feels like it was meant to exist solely to be in trailers.

The submarine assault mission is fun but then the subsequent boat section is a little too similar to the ending of MW2, especially the way the NPC moves around the boat just like Price.

The first Yuri mission is…fine. Driving the little robot tank is classic gimmick-y CoD but fun enough.

I enjoyed the plane hijacking mission pretty well. I think that’s one of the better reasons to force the player to suddenly be a new character: to both rapidly kill them off and also to serve as exposition for what the bad guy is doing and how high the stakes are.

The African village assault is fine, reminded me of playing RE5 especially in the way of thinking “is this problematic?” the whole time.

The SAS London warehouse assault and subsequent train derailment is a pretty fine mission. I’d be more okay with hopping to this one-off character if we didn’t have so many tangential American missions.

And then of course, the Act 1 closer is the skippable “offensive/disturbing” gas attack victim mission. I think it’s meant to really highlight the destruction on a more personal scale but it just comes across not only cheesy, but a poor imitation of No Russian, which genuinely unsettled me a bit as an adult. This just made me laugh. I also had misremembered this mission as taking place in Paris, whoops, but that’s not until later.

Then there’s the post-gas German mission…can’t remember much here.

Then another, different African country mission for Yuri which only realized was a different place because the wiki told me just now. I enjoyed the sandstorm part.

Then some more pretty bland stuff for Frost in Europe for a couple missions…

Then fighting with the “resistance” which is fun but felt like it could’ve been fleshed out a bit more on the exact circumstances.

And then the big finale of Act 2 where Soap dies and Yuri’s past is revealed! So funny that he dies in both MW3’s, I suppose people are mad about it in the new one because it’s too obvious? I don’t have this massive love for Soap like some fans, I mostly just think the concept of making a silent protagonist into an NPC later is kind of a fun gimmick like in Borderlands, but I’d be much more sad to see Price go and honestly I think it hurt more to see Yuri get killed because I was actually conscious of his character while playing as him. Specifically, I really like the twist that he was with Makarov all along.

Which brings us to the castle infiltration mission. This mission isn’t bad, but the best part is Price antagonizing Yuri the whole time. I really like the complexity of their dynamic here. It reminded me of Bulletstorm, how your cyborg buddy and the soldier woman you recruit verbally abuse you the whole game.

Failed daughter rescue mission, can’t remember a thing about it. Actually I think that’s the one where you get a building dropped on you which is a little fun.

Then the big Russian president rescue mission which is pretty grandiose. However, most of what I remember is Sandman sacrificing himself and Price being like “noooooo!!!!!” Which is hilarious because they barely know each other and all the US characters in this game are soooo boring. I wonder if that’s because the real US military funded this and forced them to write the US soldiers with a very specific cookie cutter propaganda personality.

And the the big finale, where you finally get to play as Price, and in Juggernaut armor no less. A fun finale, if a bit short for all the buildup to it. I like Price as the sole survivor here, I think it fits his character.

So yeah, in the end, I can barely remember anything from the US soldier side of things. It’s deeply funny to me that Yuri gets a face, a character model, a voice actor, a backstory, a playable flashback montage, and Frost gets precisely zero of those things despite playing as him half the game. It feels like IW wanted to have their cake and eat it too, experiment with “what if protagonist interesting?” without committing all the way. I mean, I realize that silent protagonists were kind of the standard there for a bit, especially with technological restrictions at the time, but it seems so silly now in the era of third-person cinematic games like Last of Us and God of War becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Also this game isn’t super visually distinct in the US side of things. Yuri gets all kinds of locales from African village to night time castle to the overcast grey village they airlift Soap out of at the beginning. Yuri gets varying shades of brown and grey as he trudges from country to country meaninglessly since they all look the same. Oh yeah, it is very funny with the Eiffel Tower falls.

Like MW1, I enjoyed use of the G36C with red dot sight most. Although I hit up the ACR from MW2 when I could find it. Which reminds me…this game feels very similar to MW2. I know they’re all very similar to one another, but I think especially going from MW2 on 360 to MW3 on PC means I can’t tell what’s different because it’s a different game versus just a different platform.

Oh, also I did do precisely one survival mode run after the campaign, on Terminal since I had never done that before and had been itching to try it there. Made it to wave 19 in one try, which I am pretty happy with. It’s kind of a clunky mode, if I’m being honest, but I appreciate that it has its own rank and XP, setting the precedent for stuff like BO2’s zombie ranks, BO3’s 3 separate mode rankings, and BO4 and onward having integrated ranks across modes.

Also I could’ve sworn that I only ever played one map in survival but I checked my highs scores and I seem to have records for almost every map. I think the reason I thought that is because half the maps in this game have the same drab, grey palette.

I played one match of multiplayer using Plutonium, the fan mod that adds a server browsers and some other features. The prospect of starting back at level 1 isn’t super enticing, especially when there was basically just one active match. I do appreciate that this game added gun levels, which feels sorely lacking in MW2/BO1. I don’t love camo just being one of the things unlocked via gun level. I do like gun perks decently. I think Black Ops 2 is finally the first game to start handling attachments better.

Overall, I think MW3 had the weakest campaign of the trilogy. MW2 had the spectacle while MW1 had the cohesion, but this game borrows a lot of the same spectacle from MW3. Slow mo breaches were a lot cooler the first dozen times, for example. Driving a boat was cooler the first time.

[veeceda]

Proshippers aren't bad and here's why.

The definition of proship is someone who respects other people's ships regardless if they like it or not. You don't need to ship anything to be proship. Pro is a prefix, meaning support. It does not mean problematic.

Does fiction affect reality? Yes, but your brain can tell the difference between fiction and reality. There are a lot of things people like in fiction that disgust them in real life. Imagine playing video games. You hijack someone's car, kill people and mug them, or kill your enemies. But you know it's not real. When you go to the movie theater, you submerge yourself in the story. But when you leave, you know none of it was real. Let's take disney movies for example. It may be an emotional roller coaster, but you know it isn't real. Snow white was 14 but I don't see anyone screaming at disney that fiction affects reality. We all grew up with disney and most of us are fine. When I was 12, I shipped billdip. Back then, it was normal for 12-14 year Olds to ship weird stuff. It never made me believe these things are okay in real life. There is 0 evidence to suggest that if you indulge in proship content you are going to become a monster.

Is it weird or gross? Sure, but it's not bad to be weird.

Can it be used as grooming material? Yes, literally everything can. But you're not going to blame the candy company for grooming and try to ban candy.

"Kids are going to think it's okay in real life"

In my opinion, if you can't tell the difference between fiction and reality you probably shouldn't be on the internet. I can't speak for everyone, but I for one advocate for proper tagging (tagging is useless on Twitter though.) Most proship accounts don't allow people under 18 to follow them. If a kid ignores their dni it isn't their fault. I don't think it's fair to accuse people of being groomers just because you were groomed by a proshipper.

I am using my freedom of creative expression to have fun. Art is one of the healthiest coping mechanisms out there. You tell proshipper to go to therapy but there's literally art therapy.

Nobody has died because of a drawing. If not harming anyone and doing what I like makes me a bad person so be it. You only live once and I may as well live happy.

"It's morally wrong"

This is the same argument homophobes make.

Notice how advocating for art censorship has saver NO ONE?

So it's not hurting anyone, makes people happy, but you hate us because we're freaks. It's the same argument homophobes make.

I've been proship since I was 14. I haven't hurt anyone.

[electronicdelusionstarlight]

Ok, here's how I'd set up an actual BNHA Elder Scrolls crossover in case I ever get around to write it:

1) While he's, like, 4 years old in his living room watching TV, Izuku's Quirk activates. It will not get an actual official name but we can call it Planeswalker Spark ala MTG. Basically kid can tear a hole through reality and launch himself into a different plane of existence, which is what Izuku accidentally does here.

2) It's a slow process tho, which gives Inko plenty of time to rush in from where she was to tackle her son away from the sudden green glow brightly shining around him, a impulse decision based on her Instinct to protect him at all costs, which only ends up with both of them getting sent to Skyrim.

3) Izuku incidentally also happens to be a Shezzarine. His quirk is a mutation from her mom's side, whose Quirks usually affect space in some way, and is completely unrelated to this. Anyway, he and Inko are on the cart to Helgen now, usual shit, The plot of Modded Skyrim takes places, with Inko taking on the brunt of the adventure and trying to shelter Dragonborn Izuku from his destiny.

4) After many trials and tribulations, 2 DLCs, 4 guilds, 1 Dragon War, several adopted orphans as well as so many quest mods it's unreal, Lucien Flavius and several members of the College of Winterhold manages to reverse engineer Izuku's quirk, and gives him an enchanted ring to better control it. Kid can now safely use it without risking ending up somewhere completely different from his planned location. Izuku is now 14 years old. He also had to do terrible things no matter how much his mother tried to shelter him and take the brunt of the war crimes. This leads to PTSD obviously, but also to a now blue and orange morality system, chief among them his general disregard with killing or not killing someone.

5) Getting back to 10 years prior, Izuku's Quirk causes a ripple in the Tachion Field surrounding earth, which is felt on I-Island. David Shield spends the remaining 10 years monitoring and trying to better understand the phenomena, since it could be revolutionary in the till then hypothetical field of time and space travel. When Izuku activates his quirk back 10 years later, I-Island has by then built a teleportation device, hijacking Izuku's trip and sending him to I-Island.

6) Meanwhile on a familiar junkyard, Hatsume Mei's scrappy device built via salvaged parts, spit and lots of duct tape comes to life on her back, individuating a sudden tear in the now constantly decaying Tachion Field. It's happening in the middle of the ocean tho, so she can't really deal with it now.

7) Anyway, David Shield needs Izuku at hand for his Quirk, but Izuku and his mom came back to Japan trying to live a double life since by then most of their friends and family are in Tamriel. Except, both of them have been declared dead for years, and Hisashi, the bitch, ran away with the insurance money, so they don't have a life to return to. David Shield can't let them get back to Tamriel tho, again, he needs Izuku on planet for his new research, bit also realizes that if he actually wants to leave he can't really stop him, except Izuku, you know, still wants to become a hero, just like his mom is in Skyrim. So they reach a compromise, he will try to get into UA, and will take a new identity as Mikumo Akatani, usual excuses to have Izuku get into 1-A you know?

8) Izuku can't really make his Quirk public tho. So, after forging his and his mother identities as a foreign dignitary from the states and her son, and his Quirk is listed as "Cataclysm" (The last perk in the destruction skill tree for a Fire (and Earth) mage in the Ordinator Mod). He is after all a member of the college of Winterhold, trained under the Great and Powerful Destruction Magician Uncle J'Zargo the Magnificent himself, of course he knows plenty of spells. However, he can't really explain all of them as one Quirk, or better yet, he can, it would just get really complicated, so he just goes "My mom can move things with her mind, my... Father, ugh, can blow fire from his mouth, obviously my Quirk is being able to control flames with my mind, usually from my hands but some times also via vocalisation."

9) Which means Izuku has to really contain what shit he can do. It's a very superman like situation, since he needs to remain in control at all times and also not slip up and pull spells he couldn't explain as his "fire" quirk, least people start asking questions. Some people however notice.

10) Tsuyu and Todoroki start an unofficial conspiracy theorist fan club over it.

Tsuyu was there with him at the USJ, where in his sudden hyperfocused competence over the crisis situation made her realize A) This is not the first time this boy has almost died in his life and B) Back in the water at the USJ, she could swear she saw his hands shining as some strange light washed over him, and she could swear he could swim as fast as her back then, and for such long periods of time she could swear he could breath underwater. That makes it really suspicious.

Todoroki sees another kid with a powerful fire quirk but also the signs of a hard life and who seems to not like his father, and instantly goes "Oh... same hat." So his conspiracy is that Izuku is actually Endeavour Bastard Son he had after a premarital affair during a visit to the states 14 years prior, and he has a corkboard to prove it. He also realizes that he's trying to contain his power just like he is, which makes him believe he too must have done a pledge just like him.

11) Shinso beats Bakugou on the first match of the tournament. Doesn't really matter to the overall crossover I just wanted to point this out.

12) Anyway, this explodes during the Sports Festival. It's Todoroki Vs Midoriya, and 1) everyone is comparing the two due to similar Quirks, which Izuku finds really unfair to both of them, 2) Todoroki is being a stubborn ass with his quirk and 3) Izuku can't really talk now l, can't he? That would make him an hypocrite, and he might be a Mage, an Honorary member of the Explorer Guild, a Dragonborn and also a Bard College Student for some reason, but he's not a hypocrite, so he just up and SNAPS because hey, maybe Todoroki will actually unleash his full potential if someone else does it first too.

13) So, Izuku Midoriya, on national television, starts blasting. Armour Spells, Ice Spells, Lightning Spells, Mind Spells, Water, Wind, Air, Poison, turns himself invisible, summons a Dremora Champion, shouts with the power of the souls of the Dragons his mother slew, Todoroki actually has to start using his fire but is mostly out of sheer survival now ("There is always a bigger fish out there, and one day you deciding not to use your full power just because of a stupid pledge will get someone killed. Trust me, I know. You better start realizing that now Todoroki"), and is still a close match because Izukus spells all start from his hands or mouth after all, and Todoroki has now something to prove more than ever.

14) Without his robes on tho, Izuku Magicka is depleted in the end, ending up in a tie as the two collapse from exhaustion. Rather than an arm wrestling match this time, Izuku is disqualified due to the sudden mutation of his Quirk. He's fine with it and probably expected it, bit this still bums Todoroki out, as well as all of his classmates and friends.

15) After the Festival there are 4 leading theories on Izuku now:

A) All Might, discovering via Tsukuachi that Izuku's identity is fake, as well that he looks a bit like a missing case kid from 10 years ago, AND knowing that AFO is back due to the USJ... Believes Izuku is a mole, and is working, willingly or unwillingly, for AFO after he was implanted with all those Quirks. He is now incredibly suspicious of him, and it kind of shows. Nighteye is on the same page despite not having talked to the man in years, and is subtly trying to have Mirio scout out the kid to see if he's a threat. Mirio is too much of a Golden Retriever to even realize what has been asked of him tho, and just think Nighteye wants him to befriend another kid with a promising Quirk.

B) Todoroki now knows the truth. Izuku is Monoma's long lost twin brother. His Quirk allows him to copy the Quirks of those around him (Iron Skin and Stone Skin would be Tetsu Tetsu and Kirishima Quirks after all, Invisibility is Hakagure, Fire and Ice are either his or Bakugou's, Lightning is Kirishima, and Tsuyu mentioned how he could swim and breath underwater while near her, meaning he was using her Quirk). He has connected the dots.

C) AFO still remembers his brother's lover, the stories she came up with, the long periods of times she was gone, only to return with a haunted look in her eyes... The powers she hid from him, thinking he wouldn't notice, the way she fled right after his brother lay lifeless on the ground, almost disappearing into thin air with his broken body... The family his brother hid so well from him, as if they were in another world all together... They never told him, but he knew, he knew she had some sort of Quirk, one that had been then inherited by this new Mikumo Akatani, so similar to HIM yet so different, back from the other world in revenge for his ancestor.

He has to capture that kid. He's family after all, and his quirk belongs to him, it's his by right as his brother's keeper. And with it, he will be able to extend his reach to worlds beyond his own.

D) the official version, the one David Shield puts out, is that Izuku's Quirk evolved unexpectedly due to the new environment he was in, mentioning it as a precursor of Quirk Singularity.

E) The only one who actually got it is Hatsume. She can tell Izuku is the source of the Tachion Spikes and subsequent decays as he "returns home" in Skyrim when leaving school, so she perfectly understands that he's a powerful warlock from across dimension who had come here with the power of science and unholy magic to infiltrate society posing as a hero. Obviously, she's going to help him do it becoming his evil vizier and grand artificer of course. Worst case scenario, she can now market the shit out of him as a hero using her babies, best one, he succeeds and she gets to rule Australia out of their "Deal." I say "Deal" because Izuku isn't even sure he got half of what she was saying, but she seems nice and if Skyrim taught him anything is that you should treasure everyone willing to be your friend, so they hang out together, scheming and plotting without even realising it.

Tsuyu however pretty much got the gist of what Hatsume was saying (it was a crowded lunch break after all) and while she does know Izuku doesn't seem the type of the interdimensional conqueror, she still decides to call dibs on North America in exchange of becoming his Grand Admiral.

And Who knows, maybe he'll end up starting an actual line of Dragonborn Emperors there too.

Anyway that's the rough draft.

[justlightlysedated]

20 Questions

20 questions, writer's edition, I was tagged by @lambourngb 😊❤❤

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

71! 70 for roswell and one for vagrant queen

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

468, 583!!

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

not entirely sure tbh, but let's count now:

timkon, bandom, glee, specifically pukurt, but some other ships too, merlin, doctor who, torchwood, teen wolf, agents of shield, runaways, the old guard, vagrant queen, and obviously, roswell new mexico

i think there might be more, but i don’t remember rn

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

the cost of greatness, which i cowrote with marlo

a cure i know that soothes the soul (does so impossibly), the first pwp i wrote for this fandom lol

the person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger, which i wrote for marlo

for better or for worse (til death do us part), which i also cowrote with marlo lol

it might be your wound but they’re my sutures, which i also wrote for marlo

so the pattern im sensing here is that my most popular fics were written with/for marlo which sounds about right lol

5. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

i am not sure tbh, i write some pretty angsty one shots and longer fics, but i TRY to at least give a slightly hopeful ending, tho now that i’m thinking about it, i think the angstiest thing i’ve written was that prompt fill based on the song, for island fires and family, i remember SOBBING the entire time that i wrote it (there is miluca in that one), but ALSO there is the fic i wrote in reaction to the season one finale, which also made me cry, which was called, we both know how this story ends

6. What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

once again i’m not sure, like i said before, i try to give my fics hopeful endings if they’re really angsty, and i love me some hurt/comfort, but i’m not entirely known for writing happy, fluffy fics, tho i do TRY sometimes for certain people

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've written?

yes!! i do love me some crossovers, and i guess i would have to say the malex, sort of doctor who au, i’m technically still writing for tove

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yes??? but i’m not sure if i could classify it, like i’ll write pretty much anything within reason and if it doesn’t squick me out

9. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

okay, so like don’t hate me, but no, i rarely, if ever respond to comments, i just don’t know what to say at all, like i’m the type of person that really wants every single message to be unique and special, but there are only so many ways to thank someone for reading your fic, so i just tend to post things and then thank everyone for reading afterwards, if there is someone that shows up often on my notifications, or if someone asks me a specific question pertaining to the story, then i will answer, i also answer back if i wrote the fic for someone and they left a comment, and if i’m sent an ask on here about something that i wrote, but i am simultaneously the world's most shy and confident person ever, when it comes to my writing, so i’m so sorry

this doesnt mean that i dont appreciate every comment that i get because i really do, im just super shy and awkward and i may write good-ish, but i do NOT have the same way with words in person

10. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not really?? if i have i don’t remember it, usually i’m the one who talks the worse about my own writing

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes, the only kurtbastian fic i’ve ever written was translated into russian

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yep!! as y’all probably saw from my top five fics up there somewhere, marlo @bestillmyslashyheart is basically my fic writing soulmate, we just really click when it comes to writing

14. What's your all time favourite ship? to write for?

atm it’s malex, which is more than obvious, BUT before they hijacked my brain and made their home within my neurons, it was skimmons!!! i wrote fic for them for YEARS, even after i stopped watching aos

15. What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, i’m just gonna talk about fics that i’ve posted and haven’t updated and not any of the hundreds of wips that have never seen the light of day, my original witch au tbh, i just, roswell made maria and isobel somehow related, and just made me really uncomfortable with the ship, which is the main reason that i’m not gonna finish the fic if i’m being perfectly honest, there is ALSO that au i had where michael’s daughter from the future comes back to the past and she had been raised by alex, because of reasons that are petty, probably my space opera au as well, and only because i just want to write other things MORE

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think i’m good at describing things, especially kisses, i LOVE writing kisses, it’s one of my favorite things, that and my fight scenes are two of the things i pride myself the most on

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

dialogue, sometimes i feel the characters are ridiculously out of character, but then i don’t care because sometimes in canon characters are also ridiculously out of characters, also describing things, because sometimes i just feel like scenes don’t flow right, i am definitely a comma whore, and use dashes and hyphens in places they definitely shouldn’t be used, run-on sentences are my best friends, also english isn't my first language, so, sometimes the way i phrase things just come out wrong

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

tbh completely honest, i follow the nora sakavic method where you just write the dialogue in english like, “hey there love,” they said in perfect french, and i only break this rule if i actually know the language because just translating straight from english always makes things sound stilted and weird

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

dc comics, i wrote several timkon fics which i posted on livejournal

20. What's your favourite fic you've written?

oh, i know that love is all about the wind, how it can hold me up and kill me in the end (still i loved it), no specific reason why, i just love it with my entire heart!!

and that's it!! im not gonna tag anyone cause I saw that most ppl were already tagged, but if you want to do this just say that I tagged you!!

[the-doodle-nerd]

Thanks so much for sharing those backstories! They were AWESOME!!! Also could post the bts info on the search for Whit, the labyrinth, the green ring conspiracy, a name not a number, and the Novacom saga. Thanks so much! 🥰❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (also please don’t feel like you have to rush post these cause it’s kinda a lot 😂)

The Search for Whit was originally going to be called “The Mentiri Files” and the character Alfred Brownlee would make a reappearance on the show.

In The Labyrinth, Jason and Sue were supposed to come to see Jack and Joanne who were attending an antique show for J&J Antiques, but Alan Young couldn’t come in so they had to find somebody else. They thought of The Barclays going to a pastors’ conference, Eugene and Katrina on a family vacation, or Sue’s relatives being old-time con artists. They chose the Jacobs because the dishonesty in the story ruled out the Barclays, and they wanted an older AiO character, so that ruled out the other options, and they thought Dale and Ann fit.

The names in the GRC and the Labyrinth are based off of money and Oliver Twist, send another ask if you want more detail. 

The GRC references the backpack of counterfeit money found in Gower’s field in The Scales of Justice.

Mr. Grote was supposed to appear at the end of the GRC but they decided to save that for later. And whit drops an Easter egg for the next episode (the Labyrinth) by saying “Don’t get lost in the labyrinth.”

Eugene was going to ask Katrina if her “overzealous efforts to help Buck” were caused by the news of their infertility, but the AiO team decided that it was too big a bombshell to drop in the middle of a dramatic saga. (Personally I wish they did do this)

Buckle Up, Novacom has a bunch of facts!

Novacom is inspired by Timeline (1999) and Jurasssic Park (1990) 

Some names the AiO team thought of were Dark Star Media and Galaxy Broadcasting before deciding on Novacom, a contraction of nova and company. 

Richard Maxwell is Kathy Kathy Buchanan’s idea because she was concerned that Connie didn’t have any friends her age and all her friends were old men. Her “fun simple love story” got hijacked and we got a love story with a riot. 

Originally, Arthur Dent encouraged Mitch to have a relationship with Connie, but the actor was unavailable, and the AiO team wrote him out of the episode.

Kathy Buchanan ordered a cake to celebrate Katrina and Eugene’s wedding, and when the bakery commented on how short notice it was Kathy told them that the bride’s fathers was on his deathbed and they decided to get married at his bedside. She told them the whole story when she picked up the cake and everybody had a good laugh.

Exit has the most scenes as of album 50, most episodes have 10-14 scenes but Exit had 28!

In Twisting Pathways, you can hear a ish tank in the background in the scene of Mr. Charles and his assistant. The AiO team had a running joke that Mr. Charles owned a tank of piranhas.

Dr. Jennings from the Passages novels makes a cameo in Box of Miracles.

When Mitch rescued Connie, Marshal Younger didn’t want it to be too mushy and added the line “Did you get a haircut?” As the first thing Connie says. His opinion was, “For me, that line made the show.”

A scrapped idea had Arthur Dent “programmed to kill” Whit, but he ends up choosing to shoot Mr. Charles instead and Whit jumps in front of the bullet to save Mr. Charles. 

And finally, A Name Not a Number. 

Jack might have been revealed as an NSA agent. Tasha was supposed to show up in Odyssey with her 12 year old assistant named Molly (who has a twelve year old assistant???) Molly gets kidnapped by Mustafa, when she visited Wonderland. Mustafa threatened to drown Molly at the Odyssey Water Works near Trickle lake. (Sound familiar?!?!) Jason and Tasha confront him but he gets away with TA-418. They worried about the scariness and violence about a little girl being threatened by a terrorist. But doing that to Emily is totally fine. Plus they had trouble with water scenes.

[nanoland]

I asked the boys who are stealing, why are they doing this?

One of them, David (not his real name) told me in a sorry and sad voice that his father lost his job in May so he needs to take over and care for the family. His father didn’t receive any benefits and he is so stressed he shouts every day.

David doesn’t like to see his mother humiliated like that.  

Jabu (not his real name) told me he hijacks cars because he has no job. He has to make a plan to get food three times a day. His grandmother died and with her, her income. What stresses David a lot is that his 15-year-old sister  is dating an old grandfather because of hunger. David told his sister to stop selling herself to the devil and he would hustle for her.

Themba (not his real name) told me had a good education. But he doesn’t want to work for little money. You work and then you have to give taxes to the government and they just steal it. He’s got two brothers. He waits for them to go out and rob. When they come back successful, it is his job to make sure the things are sold within a day or two. They call him snyman. He told me that in lockdown people need alcohol and cigarettes. So they rob taverns. They know in one day they will make thousands of rands. Even police are buying from them.

I asked him: “What if you get killed in the mission?” He replied: “Inja nenja inelanga layo malume” (“A dog, it’s got its own day, my uncle”).

I asked him how long he will do this?

He told me forever if he needs to.

All the guys I spoke to said that people in high office in government are stealing billions, so who will stop them “eating whatever they find in a basket”?  

I was emotional when I looked at these young boys. I felt heartbroken looking at these clever boys. Just fighting to stay alive in this broken country.

Between Orlando and Noordgesig highway around 9pm, no one ever walks that side. It is open season. If you walk there you will be a victim. Get robbed or stabbed. If you are lucky you will get help on time. But these days people don’t go out if they hear someone screaming or asking for help. You don’t know if it is a trap or a real emergency.

Everything is stolen and sold. You go into your yard and the rubbish bin is gone. Pikitup charges R500 for a new one but you can buy one on the street for R50.

Indlala ibanga ulaka. Hunger makes you angry, a young boy, Siphiwe (not his real name), told me. He used to steal other kids’ cellphones and money at school. He says his mother was not working, so he didn’t have lunch money or his own lunchbox. It started as a one-day thing – he took a teacher’s expensive phone and sold it in town for R500.

It was the first time he had held that much money. He went to a butcher and bought meat and groceries to impress his mother and siblings.

After that it became a continuous thing. I asked him if he didn’t feel sorry for his victims when they cried, looking for their belongings. He just looked at me and said: “Uncle, inyoni yakhela ngezi nsiba zenye inyoni” (“To survive you need to take risks”).

In 2019, a gentleman asked him to wash his car. But it happened that the gentleman left his phone in the car. When he saw the phone he was  tempted. He took the phone and gave it to his friend to sell. But when the owner of the car returned he saw his phone was missing.

The police took Siphiwe. He wasn’t able to write his final Grade 11 exams.

- Fighting to stay alive in a broken country by Tshabalira Lebakeng, 14 July 2021 

[aion-rsa]

Line of Duty Timeline: Can This Help To Solve the Jo Davidson DNA Mystery?

https://ift.tt/3s4cUyW

Warning: contains major spoilers for Line of Duty series 1-6.

You could say we’ve taken this too far. You could be right. You could also say that, for a Line of Duty fan attempting to solve the Jo Davidson family mystery, it’s useful to know that Tommy Hunter was 13 years old when Jo Davidson was born, making him more likely to be her brother than her father. Or that John Corbett was born two months after Jo Davidson, making it impossible for his mother Anne-Marie McGillis to also be her mother.

And then there are the real questions, such as: the day before AC-12 raided Hillside Lane Station in series six, it was Kate Fleming’s 35th birthday. Did she bring in doughnuts? Had Kate come in worse for wear from one too many glasses of white in Frederico’s with Jo? The people demand to know.

Taken from police records glimpsed on screen and episode scripts, below are the key dates mentioned in Line of Duty, in chronological order, right from the start. We’ll update as series six continues. Use it to bolster your theories and beat your friends in arguments. Carry the fire, team.

Prior to Series One

16th July 1963 Edward Gerard Hastings is born. Aged 2, sniffs out a ring of corrupt toddlers at his playschool 10th May 1965 Future OCG leader John Thomas ‘Tommy’ Hunter is born in Glasgow 12th April 1976 Lindsay Elizabeth Denton is born. With a fringe 22nd April 1979 Jo Davidson is born. Suspiciously 3rd June 1979 John Corbett is born to Anne-Marie McGillis in Northern Ireland 1982 19-year-old Ted Hastings joins the Royal Ulster Constabulary, one of two Catholic officers in his unit. Befriends a CHIS named Anne-Marie McGillis 18th April 1989 Anne-Marie McGillis is kidnapped by the IRA 23rd September 1985 Steve Arnott is born. Wearing a waistcoat 3rd November 1985 Kate Fleming is born. Crime doesn’t know what’s about to hit it 29th June 1989 Ted Hastings is injured in a pipe bomb explosion that kills a fellow Catholic officer, he suspects a deliberate attack and a cover-up conspiracy. He moves to England. ca.1990 A teenage Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan starts working as a caddy for Tommy Hunter at the Edge Park Golf Club 1990s A group of 17 men including Tommy Hunter and CS Patrick Fairbank routinely sexually abuse the boys at Sands View children’s home 14th November 1998 Social worker Oliver Stephens-Lloyd is found murdered by the OCG after pursuing the Sands View boys’ abuse allegations. It’s made to look like suicide 21st March 1999 John Corbett joins the police service, aged 19 29th July 1999 Joanne Davidson joins the police service, aged 20 29th November 1999 Ryan Pilkington is born to mother Keely on the Borogrove Estate 2001 Anne-Marie McGillis’ corpse is found with signs of torture by the IRA 9th May 2006 Kate Fleming joins Central Police, aged 20 15th October 2007 Steve Arnott joins Central Police, aged 22 2005 A 15-year-old Lisa McQueen is admitted to a police programme for teen offenders

Series One (Unknown 2012)

– Steve Arnott’s counter-terrorism op is botched and CI Osborne demands a cover-up. Steve refuses and is recruited by Ted Hastings at AC-12 – DCI Tony Gates receives the Officer of the Year award and is investigated by AC-12 for manipulating his unit’s stats – OCG money launderer Jackie Laverty runs over her accountant. Her lover DCI Tony Gates helps to cover it up. She’s murdered by the OCG, who blackmail Gates to cover up a string of drug murders – DCI Gates gets a confession from OCG leader Tommy Hunter, delivers him to AC-12, then kills himself by stepping into traffic so his family receive a ‘line of duty’ pay-out November 2012 Deborah Devereux is arrested for assault against a neighbour, DI Buckells at Kingsgate Station has the charges dropped in exchange for sexual favours

Series Two (September – November 2013)

21st May 2013 DI Lindsay Denton terminates her pregnancy, at lover DCC Dryden’s behest 16th August 2013 DCC Mike Dryden is photographed by the OCG engaging in a sex act with underage victim Carly Kirk, who goes missing that day. To fake an alibi, Dryden takes responsibility for his wife’s speeding ticket issued that evening 5th September 2013 A police convoy transporting former OCG head-turned-witness Tommy Hunter is diverted by DI Lindsay Denton, then ambushed and three officers are killed 14th September 2013 Tommy Hunter and DC Georgia Trotman are murdered in hospital by bent copper DS Jeremy Cole September 2013 – DI Denton is charged with conspiracy to murder, remanded until the 18th of November 2013, released, then rearrested and sentenced to life, serving 585 days inside until her successful appeal.

Read more

TV

Line of Duty Series 5 Recap: Framing Ted Hastings

By Louisa Mellor

TV

Line Of Duty recap: the story so far

By Louisa Mellor

Series Three (May to July 2015)

13th May 2015 Danny Waldron shoots dead his childhood abuser Ronan Murphy and instigates a police cover-up, later torturing Linus Murphy – another abuser – to death 1st June 2015 Danny Waldron is fatally shot by PC Hari Bains, blackmailed by the OCG 13th July 2015 Danny Waldron’s funeral takes place 17th July 2015 Lindsay Denton is murdered by DI Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan, who attempts to frame Steve Arnott for the crime 18th July 2015 Dot sends an ‘Urgent exit required’ text to the OCG and is shot out of an AC-12 interview. Kate gives chase and Dot is killed saving her from an OCG bullet. She records his Dying Declaration giving clues to the identity of corrupt officers in league with the OCG

Series Four (March to May 2017)

11th November 2016 The dismembered corpse of sex worker Baswinder Kaur is found 25th January 2017 Leonie Collersdale, also a sex worker, goes missing 9th March 2017 Hana Reznikova is abducted as part of the OCG’s attempt to frame Michael Farmer for the Operation Trapdoor murders 17th March 2017 Roz Huntley hits her head at Tim Ifield’s flat and, thinking her dead, he makes plans to dispose of her corpse. She wakes up and in a struggle, accidentally kills Tim Ifield then attempts to cover it up by cutting off his fingers and disposing of his laptop and phone 4th May 2017 Hastings fatally shoots a ‘Balaclava Man’ attempting to extract and/or kill solicitor Jimmy Lakewell from AC-12 headquarters 5th May 2017 ACC Derek Hilton is found dead, supposedly a shotgun suicide but more likely murdered by the OCG. At a later date, Roz Huntley pleads guilty to the manslaughter of Tim Ifield and is sentenced to 10 years in HMP Brentiss Prison. Jimmy Lakewell pleads guilty to perverting the course of justice and is sentenced to HMP Blackthorn

Series Five (February to July 2019)

Late Dec 2018/Early Jan 2019 -Gill Biggeloe, working for the OCG, lies to John Corbett that Ted Hastings is the corrupt officer responsible for his mother’s death by the IRA. He records the conversation 22nd Jan 2019 Operation Pear Tree officially begins, implanting John Corbett in the OCG 15th Feb 2019 The OCG hijack a heroin shipment Eastfield Depot, murdering 3 corrupt police officers 23rd Feb 2019 PC Maneet Bindra is murdered by the OCG. RIP 27th Feb 2019 The OCG hijack a ballistics transport carrying firearms 4th March 2019 Lisa McQueen meets with DCS Hargreaves, whom she’s been blackmailing over his visits to an OCG-run illegal brothel 5th March 2019 The OCG raid the Eastfield Depot, John Corbett shoots Hargreaves dead 10th March 2019 Steve and Kate question Steph Corbett about John Corbett’s NI connections 12th March 2019 Ted Hastings visits Lee Banks at Blackthorn prison, John Corbett is murdered by Ryan Pilkington 14th March 2019 Patricia Carmichael of AC-3 interviews Ted Hastings over his alleged corruption after he poses as ‘H’ in an unofficial undercover op which results in the arrest of Lisa McQueen and the death of Miroslav Minkowicz. Lisa later makes an immunity deal and gets witness protection. Gill Biggeloe is found to be corrupt, arrested, and also ends up under witness protection Late March 2019 Operation Pear Tree is concluded, finding no link between police corruption and organised crime. God, give me strength! 27th July 2019 Ryan Pilkington officially joins Central Police

Series Six (October 2020 – ?)

10th September 2019 Gail Vella is murdered outside her Moss Heath home October 2019 DCI Jo Davidson is made SIO of the Gail Vella murder investigation 2nd or 3rd October 2019 Gail Vella’s funeral takes place 26th October 2020 CHIS Alistair Oldroyd phones his handler to say he heard ‘Ross Turner’ boasting of killing Gail Vella. Det Supt Buckells delays the operation to pick up the suspect until the next morning. 27th October 2020 1:23am: a burner phone found at PS Jatri’s home makes an outgoing call. Operation Lighthouse is diverted to an armed robbery, causing more than two hours’ delay. Terry Boyle is found at Ross Turner’s address at Beechwood House and arrested on suspicion of murder. The freezer formerly containing Jackie Laverty’s corpse is dumped 29th October 2020 CHIS Alistair Oldroyd is found dead 2nd November 2020 Farida Jatri requests a transfer from MIT. She is replaced by PC Ryan Pilkington. Carl Banks’ corpse is discovered at an industrial site, the prints on the knife match those of Alistair Oldroy 4th November 2020 AC-12 tries to raid Hillside Lane Station but are sent back, then return later to seize the Operation Lighthouse files, some of which are missing and later found in DSU Buckells’ car 8th November 2020 Ryan follows Jo to her home address on Croxton Street 10th November 2020 Kate and Jo go for a drink at Frederico’s Bar, followed by Ryan 11th November 2020 PC Ryan Pilkington attempts to kill Terry Boyle, successfully drowning PC Lisa Patel by forcing the police car into Edge Park Reservoir November 2020 A police convoy carrying witness Jimmy Lakewell comes under fire by the OCG. DI Arnott shoots a sniper. Lakewell is murdered in prison by OCG member Lee Banks. DNA deposits found at Farida Jatri’s home reveal that Jo Davidson is related to a significant nominal from a past investigation End of November 2020 AC-12 is due to be merged with AC-3 and AC-9, and Ted Hastings, mother of God, is due to retire

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Line of Duty continues on Sunday the 18th of April at 9pm on BBC One.

The post Line of Duty Timeline: Can This Help To Solve the Jo Davidson DNA Mystery? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3tjUFG6

[nickydestati]

just an overview of my fics, mostly for navigation purposes!

MULTI-CHAPTER

 Sing, o Muse (completed)

Sing me, o Muse, of the love of Yusuf and Nicolò, stronger than hatred and all-consumer death, one that saved many men from the house of Hades, strong-greaved Greeks and Trojans alike, tamers of horses. Sing it from the moment when they first slew each other, These enemies, bound by fate to face eternity together.

Or: what if Nicolò and Yusuf met during the Trojan War instead of the crusades?

Between the Lines (completed)

Yusuf and Nicolò are characters in a fairy tale, designated by their Narrator to be sworn rivals, fighting over the heart of a woman. (In the blank space between the lines, however, a whole different story unfolds.)

Or: what happens if your characters decide to hijack your story.

The Music of Your Soul Calling Mine (completed)

In all senses but the literal, Nicky is lost. In an attempt to find himself again, he leaves Italy for a year of solitude in the US. Soon, he finds a safe harbor in the local museum, a place where he can think and find rest. A place where he one day meets an intriguing pianist by the name of Joe. It is Joe who rekindles Nicky’s dream of becoming a cellist he had been forced to cast aside, and it is Joe who stands by his side all the way to achieving it. But most of all, it is with Joe that Nicky finds everything he didn’t know he was looking for and more. 

ONE SHOT

Confession to the Crescent Moon 

After killing each other many times and failing to keep the other dead, Yusuf and Nicolò begrudgingly decided to work together to figure out what was wrong with them. In search for answers, they chase the women they keep seeing in their dreams, but it is a long and troublesome journey. Even so, the two men come to know the human behind the enemy. For Nicolò, this comes along with the crumbling of everything he has ever held for truth. But the more time he spends with Yusuf, the more he discovers a new, life-altering truth. And one night, he slips away to make a confession.  

DUOLINGO PROMPT SERIES

under the cut because there are a lot and there will be more! 🦉

1. I Am a Butterfly (also on tumblr, Joe x Nicky, modern au)

After a long and hard day at work, it's always nice to come home to your husband and an unexpected butterfly. 

2. My Wife? I Adore Her (tumblr, Andy x Quynh)

When the Guard goes dancing at a club, Andy quietly reflects on her love for Quynh.

3. He Is Not My Enemy But My Friend (tumblr, Joe x Nicky, pre-canon)

After years of travelling together, the hostility between Yusuf and Nicolò has changed into something neither of them expected.

4. Our Garden Has a Beautiful Yellow Flower (tumblr, Joe x Nicky, soulmate au) 

When Yusuf was eight years old, his mother told him about hearts and flowers and souls meant to meet. Or: another take on the soulmate-trope.

5. Is It His Jacket? (tumblr, Nile & Booker, post-canon)

Even though Nile hasn’t been part of the family for long, she feels the stinging emptiness Booker leaves behind, like a gaping wound. 

6. Who Am I? What Am I? (tumblr, Joe x Nicky)

Nicolò used to think there was only one heaven and that it was unattainable for people like him. Over the centuries, though, he has been proven wrong.

7. Saturday Night (tumblr, Joe x Nicky, college au, band au)

After years of friendship, Joe has finally mustered the courage to ask Nicky on a date, but he is in for a surprise. 

8. Why Don’t You Come With Us? (tumblr, Booker centric)

Sebastien does not know how they find him because even he does not know where he is anymore. There’s only this endless ice, this perpetual snowfall that lives within him and clogs his ribs. He’s so cold, so cold. 

9. It Is Not Enough (tumblr, Joe x Nicky, Pygmalion au)

Yusuf has always loved marble. Ever since he first set foot in the workshop where he started his apprenticeship as a little boy, he felt as if he understood it. As if it shared its secrets only with him.

10. On Which Balcony Are You? (tumblr, Joe x Nicky, modern au proposal fic)

Usually, Joe was more of an improviser, a let’s-see-what-the-moment-brings kind of man. He just followed his heart wherever it wanted to go and dove into things head first. This time, though, Joe had planned everything meticulously, feverishly almost, because this had to be perfect.

11. Who Did You See in the Mirror? (tumblr, Joe x Nicky, pre-canon)

On their travels in search for the women in their dreams, Yusuf and Nicolò come across a woman claiming to possess a magical mirror that can tell them a truth about themselves. They do not expect it to work. They expect even less that it will change everything between them.

12. Night of the New Moon  (tumblr part 1, 2, Andy x Quynh, Siren!Quynh)

It is said you should stay clear of the water when the new moon resides in the night sky. It is said something lures unfortunate souls into the depths with an ensnaring song. It is said they are never to be found again.

Andromache never believes what is said until she has seen it with her own eyes.

13. Does He know? (tumblr, Joe x Nicky, pre-canon)

“Does he know?”

Nicolò clears his throat and focuses on the scimitar again, pretending to clean the spotless metal. “Does he know what?”

“Does he know that you love him?”

14. You Do Not Believe Me (tumblr, Andy x Quynh, angst)

Andromache may have stopped the search for Quynh, but her attempts to get her love back from the grasp of the ocean will never cease. She has not given up on her, and she will prove it.

15. Refrigerators (tumblr, Joe x Nicky, crack)

When all is silent and his family has settled in the warm embrace of sleep, Nicolò sneaks out of the house to meet his secret lover.

Or: a crack Romeo and Juliet AU no one asked for.

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Queen on Love

1) “All your letters in the sand cannot heal me like your hand” (’39, A Night At The Opera)

2) “You’ve got the power to love, to live, you can’t say it ain’t right” (Action This Day, Hot Space)

3) “Her ways are always with me” (All Dead, All Dead, News Of The World)

4) “Rule with your heart, live with your conscience” (All God’s People, Innuendo)

5) “You took me for everything that I had, and kicked me out on my own” (Another One Bites The Dust, The Game)

6) “You and me are destined” (Bijou, Innuendo)

7) “Just give me your body” (Body Language, Hot Space)

8) “So you think you can love me and leave me to die, oh baby, can’t do this to me baby” (Bohemian Rhapsody, A Night At The Opera)

9) “Your smile, speaks books to me” (Breakthru, The Miracle)

10) “Oh rock of ages, do not crumble, love is breathing still” (Brighton Rock, Sheer Heart Attack)

11) “This message is love” (Calling All Girls, Hot Space)

12) “This thing called love, I just can’t handle it” (Crazy Little Thing Called Love, The Game)

13) “It took me all night to get hold of the right introduction, blew me out of sight” (Dancer, Hot Space)

14) “From all this gloom life can start anew” (Dear Friends, Sheer Heart Attack)

15) “You make me smile when I’m just about to cry” (Delilah, Innuendo)

16) “Remember love’s stronger, remember love conquers all” (Don’t Lose Your Head, A Kind Of Magic)

17) “She don’t take no prisoners” (Dragon Attack, The Game)

18) “If I can’t have you when I’m waking, I’ll go to sleep and dream I’m with you” (Dreamers Ball, Jazz)

19) “Oh, won’t you take me home tonight” (Fat Bottomed Girls, Jazz)

20) “Oh now that I’m here, I’ve got to give you all that I ever had” (Feelings Feelings, News Of The World)

21) “Friends will be friends, when you’re in need of love they give you care and attention” (Friends Will Be Friends, A Kind Of Magic)

22) “Get your kicks, get your tricks with me, get up and dance honey” (Fun It, Jazz)

23) “Funny how love is the end of lies when the truth begins” (Funny How Love Is, Queen II)

24) “You say it’s enough, in fact it’s too much” (Get Down Make Love, News Of The World)

25) “Come marry me, for evermore we’ll be good company” (Good Company, A Night At The Opera)

26) “When I’m not with you, I think of you always” (Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, A Day At The Races)

27) “When a red hot man meets a white hot lady” (Headlong, Innuendo)

28) “Love, love, love, this could be heaven for everyone” (Heaven For Everyone, Made In Heaven)

29) “Cause I’ve never seen anything to compare with your smile, I’ve never seen anything that came within miles” (Hijack My Heart, The Miracle sessions [non-album song])

30) “I’ll be your hitman, a fool for your love” (The Hitman, Innuendo)

31) “I can’t live without you” (I Can’t Live With You, Innuendo)

32) “It’s strange but it’s true, I can’t get over the way you love me like you do” (I Want To Break Free, The Works)

33) “I love every little thing about you” (I Was Born To Love You, Made In Heaven)

34) “Told my girl I’ll have to forget her, rather buy me a new carburetor” (I’m In Love With My Car, A Night At The Opera)

35) “I never thought that this could happen to me in only seven days, it would take a hundred or more for memories to fade” (In Only Seven Days, Jazz)

36) “I live my life for you, think all my thoughts with you and only you” (In The Lap Of The Gods, Sheer Heart Attack)

37) “I can see what you want me to be” (In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited, Sheer Heart Attack)

38) “It’s criminal how I can see right through you” (The Invisible Man, The Miracle)

39) “I don’t want my freedom, there’s no reason for living with a broken heart” (It’s A Hard Life, The Works)

40) “Oh you know that I can love you, though I know I can’t be true” (It’s Late, News Of The World)

41) “Oh to fall in love was my very first mistake” (Jealousy, Jazz)

42) “Forget all the sadness cause love is all you need” (Keep Passing The Open Windows, The Works)

43) “Well I loved a million women in a belladonic haze” (Keep Yourself Alive, Queen)

44) “She’s all out to get you” (Killer Queen, Sheer Heart Attack)

45) “So then my love we may whisper once more, it’s you I adore” (Las Palabras De Amor, Hot Space)

46) “My love please stay, don’t stray my love” (Leaving Home Ain’t Easy, Jazz)

47) “I’ve come here to sell you my body, I can show you some good merchandise” (Let Me Entertain You, Jazz)

48) “All you do is live, all I do is die” (Let Me Live, Made In Heaven)

49) “Love is a roulette wheel” (Life Is Real, Hot Space)

50) “And cast me from your spell and let me go” (Lily Of The Valley, Sheer Heart Attack)

51) “Take heart my friend, we love you, though it seems like you’re alone” (Long Away, A Day At The Races)

52) “Misuse her and you’ll lose her as a friend” (The Loser In The End, Queen II)

53) “When I get older, I will be there at your side to remind you how I still love you” (Love Of My Life, A Night At The Opera)

54) “We never cry, we never retreat, we have no conception of love or defeat” (Machines, The Works)

55) “Living with painful memories, loving with all my heart” (Made In Heaven, Made In Heaven)

56) “Well I keep dreaming about my baby, but it ain’t gonna get me nowhere” (Man On The Prowl, The Works)

57) “Take a little love from me, I want to share it with you” (The Millionaire Waltz, A Day At The Races)

58) “That time will come, one day you’ll see, when we can all be friends” (The Miracle, The Miracle)

59) “Don’t you know honey, that love’s a game, it’s always hit or miss so take your aim” (Misfire, Sheer Heart Attack)

60) “I don’t want to make no waves, but you can give me all the love that I crave” (Mother Love, Made In Heaven)

61) “One day she tells me that she cares, another day she tells me she don’t love me” (My Baby Does Me, The Miracle)

62) “Get in that sinking feeling, that says my heart is on an all time low” (My Melancholy Blues, News Of The World)

63) “Come on baby let’s get together, I’ll love you baby, I’ll love you forever” (Need Your Loving Tonight, The Game)

64) “Why did you have to leave me, why did you deceive me” (Nevermore, Queen II)

65) “Whatever comes of you and me, I love to leave my memory with you” (Now I’m Here, Sheer Heart Attack)

66) “So give me your hands, give me your hearts” (One Vision, A Kind Of Magic)

67) “And no one ever told me that love would hurt so much” (One Year Of Love, A Kind Of Magic)

68) “But pain is all I got when all I needed was some love and affection” (Pain Is So Close To Pleasure, A Kind Of Magic)

69) “We got love and we got style” (Party, The Miracle)

70) “Love runs from my head down to my toes, my love is pumping through my veins, driving me insane” (Play The Game, The Game)

71) “I’m here for your love and I’ll make my stand” (Princes Of The Universe, A Kind Of Magic)

72) “A man who cried for a love gone stale, and ice cold hearts of charity bare” (The Prophet’s Song, A Night At The Opera)

73) “Radio, someone still loves you” (Radio Ga Ga, The Works)

74) “Let me take your hand, let me be your guide” (Ride The Wild Wind, Innuendo)

75) “C’mon honey, we’re gonna rock it tonight” (Rock It, The Game)

76) “My heart is always with you, no matter what you do” (Sail Away Sweet Sister, The Game)

77) “Each night I cry, I still believe the lie, I love you ‘til I die” (Save Me, The Game)

78) “They’ll see the heartache, they’ll see our love break” (Scandal, The Miracle)

79) “I love you madly, let my imagination run away with you gladly” (Seaside Rendezvous, A Night At The Opera)

80) “Well she’s gone, gone this morning, see what a fool I’ve been” (See What A Fool I’ve Been, Queen II sessions [non-album song])

81) “You are mine, I possess you, I belong to you forever” (Seven Seas Of Rhye, Queen II)

82) “I know the day I leave her, I’ll love her still” (She Makes Me, Sheer Heart Attack)

83) “Whatever happens, I’ll leave it all to chance, another heartache, another failed romance” (The Show Must Go On, Innuendo)

84) “I just gotta get out of this prison cell, one day I’m gonna be free” (Somebody To Love, A Day At The Races)

85) “What you’ll do for loving when it’s only just begun” (Son And Daughter, Queen)

86) “Oh brother, cause he’s somebody, somebody you can love” (Soul Brother, The Game sessions [non-album song])

87) “Got to get to know each other, but we got plenty of time” (Staying Power, Hot Space)

88) “Baby let it bleed, you’re in charge of my heart” (Stealin’, The Miracle sessions [non-album song])

89) “Believe and we’ve got everything we need” (Sweet Lady, A Night At The Opera)

90) “I love you for your mind but give me your body” (Tear It Up, The Works)

91) “I got a way with the girls on my block” (Tenement Funster, Sheer Heart Attack)

92) “Let us never lose the lessons we have learned” (Teo Torriatte, A Day At The Races)

93) “Oh my love, we’ve had our share of tears” (Thank God It’s Christmas, The Works sessions [non-album song])

94) “Those days are all gone now but one thing’s still true, when I look and I find I still love you” (These Are The Days Of Our Lives, Innuendo)

95) “Give me all your love tonight” (Tie Your Mother Down, A Day At The Races)

96) “Torn between the lover and the love you leave behind” (Too Much Love Will Kill You, Made In Heaven)

97) “And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night” (Under Pressure, Hot Space)

98) “I loved the footsteps that she made” (White Queen, Queen II)

99) “Oh I believed you, went on my knees to you, how I trusted you, but you turned me down” (Who Needs You, News Of The World)

100) “What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us” (Who Wants To Live Forever, A Kind Of Magic)

101) “No more questions now, let’s enjoy tonight” (You And I, A Day At The Races)

102) “Sooner or later you’ll be playing by her rules” (You Don’t Fool Me, Made In Heaven)

103) “Anywhere you go, I’ll be right behind you, right until the ends of the earth” (You Take My Breath Away, A Day At The Races)

104) “Whatever this world can give to me, it’s you, you’re all I see” (You’re My Best Friend, A Night At The Opera)

[scotianostra]

August 15th 1963 saw the last hanging in Scotland - 21-year-old Henry Burnett who was executed at Craiginches Prison in Aberdeen for the murder of seaman Thomas Guyan.

Thomas Guyan had married Margaret May on the 2nd of February 1957 and a year later they moved into a first floor flat at 14 Jackson Terrace, Aberdeen, in a house owned by Margaret's grandmother, Annie Henderson.  Margaret gave birth to a son in September 1958 followed by a second one in February, 1961.  However the second son was not fathered by Thomas who, although he knew this, would not divorce her.  Thomas was often away for lengthy periods at sea. Burnett  met Margaret Guyan, when they were working at John R Stephen Fish Curers in Aberdeen. Margaret Guyan later went to live with him at his home in the city’s Skene Terrace.

Burnett kept her locked in the house and on one of the rare occasions she was allowed out alone, she met her estranged husband Thomas Guyan, and agreed to go back to him.

When she refused to return to Burnett, he stole a shotgun from his brother’s house, went to Guyan’s flat at 14 Jackson Terrace in Aberdeen and knocked on the door.  When Guyan opened it Burnett shot him in the face at close range.   He then dragged Margaret out of the flat at gunpoint and hijacked a car at a petrol station but was captured at Ellon near Peterhead within the hour as two PC’s.had followed the vehicle. He offered no resistance to the officers. During the journey he had proposed marriage to Margaret and she had accepted!

During the trial, the solicitor-general spoke of the ‘sordid background of a sailor’s wife being unfaithful to her husband when he was at sea.’ Burnett entered a plea of insanity but the jury took just 25 minutes to bring back a guilty verdict.   A few days before the execution Burnett wrote to Margaret saying: “Well, my darling, you will be wondering why I did not kill you up in Skene Terrace.  “Well, it was because I loved you. I could easily have done it if I had wanted to but what they were saying in court was a heap of rubbish about me being insane even at the time. I knew exactly what I was doing.”

Margaret was allowed to spend half an hour with Burnett on the day before the hanging.  She would stand by Burnett till the end and later claimed: “My heart is with Harry (as she called him). People can talk but I still love Harry.”

Harry Allen was the hangman, assisted by Samuel Plant. Allen hanged the notorious serial killer Peter Manuel in 1958 at Barlinnie.

A crowd of some 200 people had gathered outside the prison. HMP Aberdeen as Craiginches is now known, closed in January 2014 and Burnett’s body has now been re-interred elsewhere

[scribbles97]

Left Behind -- Chapter 17

In which Lucy gets caught out, Hugh Creighton-Ward is a flirt, and Scott is just Scott...

PART 1 /  Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / Chapter 17 / Chapter 18 / Chapter 19 / Chapter 20 / Chapter 21

Read on Ao3

Before she could reach the lab, her phone vibrated in her pocket, making her hesitate with a frown. Anyone who would call her direct number was there on the island. In terms of Tracy Industries and International Rescue, all calls would be diverted through to her desk in the lounge and answered by whomever was around at the time. 

She couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows as she looked at the caller ID. 

“Well this is unexpected.” She smiled, pausing in the hallway to lean against the wall.

Hugh chuckled across the line, “I can call another time but I think you’ll appreciate what I have to say.”

She tutted at him, “Now, Hugh, I never said that it was unwelcome.”

“Ahh, so you look forward to my calling?”

Heat had risen in her cheeks at the tone of his voice, low in implication. 

“You certainly always have something important to say,” She smiled, “So what’s going on today?”

Footsteps sounded further down the corridor, making her look up to check who it was. As Hiram and Kyrano rounded the corner, she waved slightly and gestured to the phone pressed to her ear. 

“I have some news regarding your friend Gaat that I thought you might like to hear.” Hugh told her, voice softening. 

Automatically, she stood straighter, eyes going to the brother of the man he had just mentioned,

“If it’s that he’s recruited an apprentice to help him build a new Zero-X, you’re late to the party Hugh. Kyrano told me just that this morning.”

Hugh scoffed, “Lucy, darling, your news is correct, yes, but it’s also old.”

She frowned, dropping her eyes from Kyrano, “Old?”

“Darling,” Hugh sighed, “My intel says that the Zero-X mark two is ready to launch. Gaat is just waiting to complete the programming on it. As far as I can tell, he has a functioning T-Drive.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she swallowed, “That sounds dangerous.”

“Very.”

“Lucy?” Kyrano interrupted, “What is it?” 

She waved him off with a shake of her head, “Hugh, how sure are you?”

“I’ve seen photos of it myself, Luce. Parker has a friend that got recruited by Gaat, I trust my source.”

She cursed with a sigh, “Hugh, you can’t tell anyone this,”

“I sense a but?”

Glancing to Kyrano, she pursed her lips, “Hugh.”

“You have my word Lucy, you should know I’m a man of my word.”

Hugh was someone she could trust, if she asked him to keep quiet she knew he would. He had been there for her through thick and thin over the last four years. Supporting her through her grief and depression, Hugh had been the shoulder she had needed. 

“Kyrano found new footage,” She murmured, “The last launch was successful, the Zero-X didn’t explode Hugh, it launched. We believe that there’s a possibility, a slim possibility, that Jeff could be out there.”

“What?”

“What?”

She turned at the second voice, eyes widening at the figure of her eldest standing at the far end of the hall. Cursing she shook her head, looking to Kyrano and Brains and back again to Scott. 

“Shit.” She uttered, “Hugh, I’ll call you back.”

“I want details Lucy.” He stated, “What’s the plan here?”

“Later.” She growled, “Scott just overheard our conversation.”

The sound of realisation across the line said perfectly that Hugh understood what she meant. 

“Right,” He sighed, “I’ll talk to you later then.”

Even though he couldn’t see her, she nodded, “It’ll be tonight.” She promised. 

The line cut and she looked to Scott and then to Kyrano, “You two get up to the lounge and make some excuses for us, dinner arrived twenty minutes ago and if you don’t hurry up Virgil and Gordon will have eaten it on you.”

Both began to walk without a word being said, ducking past her and then Scott with a quiet nod of acknowledgement. 

Scott was practically screaming at her with his eyes, arms folded across his chest as he waited for answers. 

Rubbing her face, Lucy sighed and pointed further down the hallway, “Lab, now.”

Scott nodded, gesturing for her to go first, “After you.”

“Look,” She started with a sigh as they walked, “I only found out this morning, okay? I wanted some form of confirmation before I said anything to you boys.”

Scott scoffed alongside her, “So the pizza was to ease your guilty conscience.”

“No!” She exclaimed, spinning to face him as they reached the lab door, “How dare you even think that!”

He shrugged, “Well how else does it look? You’re keeping a big secret from us about Dad and want to soften the bl--”

“It’s nothing like that!” She snapped at him, punching in the code for the door and holding it for him to step through, “Ask your Aunt, we agreed on a pizza night when John called last week to day he’d be home. I only found out about the Zero-X this morning when Kyrano got here.”

“And who else knows?” Scott asked, leaning against one of the work benchest with his arms still folded as she closed the door behind her slightly harder than necessary.

“Nobody.”

“Apart from Hugh Creighton-Ward, Kyrano and Brains?”

“Well considering all three of them came to me regarding the Zero-X, yes. They know.” 

She shook her head as she looked him up and down, he wasn’t her teenage boy anymore, nor a rookie in their team. Scott had taken lead as commander of their team around the time Virgil had joined as an operative, giving Lucy the time she needed for the business and other admin work. There were times when he still looked to her or his aunt for guidance, but he was good at what he did, a born leader much like his father had been. 

Much like his father was. 

Maybe he held authority as team leader, but she was still the head of the organisation. Most importantly, she was still his mother, and protecting her boys from being hurt was one of her priorities. 

“I didn’t want to not tell you.” She uttered, looking away, “You should know by now I don’t like keeping secrets from you boys.”

“Then why?” Scott rolled his shoulders, “Why bother keeping the secret Mom? Dad could be alive and we could be out there looking for him!”

“Could.” She emphasised, “We don’t know for sure yet Scott. It’s a tiny chance that he is maybe out there.”

Cold clenched around her chest as she said the words, sensible thoughts stamping down the swelling of hope that had been lingering all afternoon. She needed to be realistic, otherwise it wouldn’t just be the boys that ended up getting hurt. 

“Well we need to do something and find out! Thunderbird Three is--”

“It would take centuries for Thunderbird Three to get anywhere near where he might be.” She shook her head, “This is why I didn’t want to tell you yet. Stop for a minute and think Scott.”

His sigh was heavy as he looked down with pursed lips, nodding slightly in acknowledgement of what she was saying. It was perhaps his biggest flaw as a commander, act first think later wasn’t always the best course of action, not on a rescue and not in looking for his father. She knew that he would learn with time and guidance, but for now he still needed the reminder sometimes to just slow down.

Taking a holoprojector from the desk, she set it down on the workbench next to where he was perched, bringing up the new footage Kyrano and Hiram had shown her earlier. Scott was biting his lip as she talked through what she knew, clearly eager to ask questions, get more answers, but knowing that he should wait until she had told him everything before he did. 

“Is there a way to get a signal out there to find out?” He murmured, as she finished, reaching out to zoom in on the predicted area where the Zero-X may have ended up, “Surely if he’s out there, he’d figure out a way to contact us? It’s Dad.”

Lucy nodded, reaching across to rub his back, “I’ve made the task of finding a way to get some communication out there a priority for Hiram.” Pursing her lips she shook her head, “We’ve considered hijacking the Calypso research ship to help.”

Scott snorted, a grin breaking through his frown as he looked to her, “Is that legal?”

She shrugged, “If Gaat does have a functioning T-Drive and I can get hold of the plans I’ll build them a brand new ship and fund a new trip as compensation.”

If it meant finding Jeff, she knew she would go further than that if necessary.

“And how are we going to get our hands on Gaat’s T-drive?” Scott murmured, “Because last I looked, IR wasn’t in the business of stealing.”

Shaking her head, Lucy sighed, “I’m still working that out. Most likely Hugh will be my way in.”

“Mom?” He frowned, reaching up to hold her shoulder, “You’re not doing this on your own.”

Looking up to him, she raised an eyebrow. Grown man or not, she refused to lead him into the pits of danger and to a man that had potentially killed his father. 

“I need you to stay here and stay safe,” She told him, “I need my commander to keep the team in order.”

His frown spoke volumes, the blue of his eyes widening as he shook his head, distaste scrunching his features, “Don’t talk like that, it sounds like you’re not going to come back.”

She hadn’t considered the possibility, but refused to acknowledge it. Nothing Gaat could do would stop her from coming home to her boys, she was going to make sure of it. 

Shaking her head at him, she smiled slightly in assurance, “I don’t even have a plan yet, but of course I’m going to come back.”

Scott shook his head as he pulled her into his side, “Good, because I’m not telling Alan that he can’t fly Thunderbird Three yet.”

She had to laugh, knowing that Scott had such a soft spot for his youngest brother, he would instantly cave and let him into the rocket. Wrapping her arms around him she nodded with a smile, “Don’t worry, leave that to me kiddo.”

Pulling away she reached to her phone in her pocket, “I’d best call Hugh and see what he’s saying.”

Scott frowned at her, “And what about dinner?”

If she were honest she hadn’t been overly hungry with the new information that had come to light, the chips had only been something to keep everyone else from nagging her about eating. 

“I’ll come up and get a sandwich later or something.”

It seemed to be enough to convince him as he nodded and turned towards the door, “I’ll give you a shout if any calls come in.”

She thanked him as he left before hopping up to sit on the workbench. As the phone dialed she flicked through the papers that had been left scattered, schematics and calculations that went far over her head filled the pages.

“Kyrano sent me the clips,” Hugh answered, “I can see why you’ve got to the conclusion you have.”

Sighing, she shook her head, “Hiram is working on sending out a signal, something about bouncing it off of the Calypso and on to the Oort Cloud.”

“Sounds promising,” Hugh agreed softly, “But what are we going to do about Gaat and his new Zero-X?”

 Running a hand through her hair, Lucy rolled her eyes. Hugh would no doubt already have a suggestion and would simply be waiting for her to ask. There would have been an idea formulating in his head from the moment he found out about the ship, and she knew all the details would have been checked and confirmed before he had even called her the first time. 

“You mean you don’t have some grand plan ready to share with me?”

He chuckled across the line, “Well, I am rather glad you asked darling.”