#the target is 92 and then some

[ranvwoop]

I have textured 42 little guys. if anyone was wondering how that's going about

[zoe-oneesama]

Now that it’s been brought back to the forefront of my mind in regards to yesterday’s SL asks, it really is genuinely kinda nuts how the potions were revealed in Season 2 and have only physically appeared (i.e. not just been mentioned or shown in a one-off picture or alternate timeline) in 13 out of what’s now 92 episodes (not counting specials) since their closest-to-chronological debut. Even more wild is the fact that, like you pointed out, only 3 out of 7 potion powers are canonically known to date. Apparently That Guy tweeted a few years back that one of the remaining ones is supposed to be a Fire potion (which, if true, may be the one Marinette was trying to figure out the “spicy little rock” ingredient for in Mr. Pigeon 72?) that gives the user the ability to walk on lava and/or a resistance to scorching heat, but they haven’t been able to use it since “Fire is something very difficult to use in shows watched by kids, because we have to pay extra-care that they won't see fire as a cool thing and play with it afterwards. Broadcasters tend to prefer not showing it at all.” To which I’m like?? A) You guys STAY hopping between whether you want your target demographic to be little kids or early teens in actual practice. B) There have to be a million ways that you can blatantly write the idea that fire is dangerous which is why the Fire potion would be NEEDED (or, y’know, have more faith in your audience’s ability to intuitively understand that from the get-go). C) If you already understood that a fire power up was genuinely likely to be a hard no-go with your broadcasters, maybe change your plans to only conceptualizing 6 instead of 7 potions before putting them in the actual show???

Right? And like, he said Lava as well. So do something WITH LAVA if you can't use fire! (I bet it would be easier to animate too!) Or, or! Invent a kind of goo or acid that burns LIKE Lava so they have to use the suit! That could be the debut episode, where it's impossible to get close because of the heat and burn of it until BAM! Fire Suit.

It's not like you have to use the suits OFTEN, they've only used the Ice one like two times I think, just do a debut episode and then use it for Ordinary Heroing, like actually running into a burning building and saving people. Pretty sure even kids don't think house fires are cool, so you don't HAVE to associate fire with a "cool" akuma.

A long time ago when I was ranting about this I was informed by a Anon that the others were "revealed" at some convention or expo and they were things like Air and Space (space hadn't been shown at the time), Sun and Moon, and like...Soul? So, what's the difference between Air and Space? Are Sun and Moon supposed to be Light and Dark, how is that following the Environmental Costume Change of the three we know? Wtf is Soul? Maybe it's a lack of cohesion that's making this difficult for them.

The more I hear about them, the more I think this idea was never fully fleshed out and will never BE fleshed out.

[twopoint99]

Possible spoilers if you haven’t already listened or read the book. Also, spoilers for The Horror of Dracula, 1958 and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1992.

One of my favorite things about @re-dracula is seeing the reactions of people whose main exposure to the story is through the many film adaptations. The differences in how the characters relate to one another are way too many to list from film to film. Even aside from the bizarre choices (Lucy as Mina’s sister-in-law - the Horror of Dracula, 1958, or Mina as the reincarnation of Dracula’s lost love - Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1992) the most important difference between those adaptations and re - dracula is that these are fully rounded characters who clearly care about one another.

Jonathan adores Mina, Mina loves him, and loves Lucy. The suitor squad and Van Helsing genuinely cherish Lucy and it causes everyone palpable pain when they see her slipping away. When the group finally gets together in one place, they all acknowledge and respect the various strengths they each bring, and they hold one another up as needed.

None of the characters seem cast aside, as often happens in film adaptations. Even the 1992 film, which includes all three suitors, doesn’t manage to make them all seem like full personalities. They appear more as aspects of an individual, or as tropes. Lucy herself in the ‘92 movie is the complete opposite of her characterization in the novel. Her behavior in the film is anachronistic at best, and offensive at the least. It is a perfect illustration of the stupid and misogynistic attitude in horror that “wanton” women are punished.

Not only that, but it also completely changes the story and the dreadful implications of it. Lucy isn’t targeted because she’s “done something wrong” (quotes because I don’t believe expressing/exploring one’s sexuality is wrong, no matter what my favorite genre keeps telling me), she is targeted because she is convenient. Dracula wasn’t musing in between leaving his castle and reaching England that by golly, he couldn’t wait to terrorize Lucy Westenra! He saw an opportunity, like any other predator, and he took it.

Of course, we’ve seen that he is very willing to play with his food once he feels in control. He was very pleased to be able to torment Jonathan, yet another character who is often treated poorly in adaptations - in the 1958 version he’s so smug and patronizing toward what appears to be a terrified woman, that I was actively hoping for his death.

In contrast, the novel/Dracula Daily/re-dracula show us a sweet, earnest man, one who is gentle and loving. He, like Lucy, is a convenient victim, and like Lucy, is innocent.

The true horror is that terrible things can happen to anyone, and no amount of wealth, education, or simple good-heartedness, will act as a shield. There are no preventatives, and no one “deserves” the terrible things that happen. The real strength of the story isn’t in deciding which characters(usually women) are worthy of saving, an overly simplistic approach that many film adaptations take, some more subtly than others. The story resonates because in spite of the randomness of the horror, the people involved decide to do something about it.

These people are not always perfect or even heroic. Dr. Seward (who I really enjoy, and who is also often portrayed badly in adaptation) is not a safe person for his patients to be around. He is ableist, arrogant, patronizing, and definitely not handling his own mental health well. He is also loving, practical, loyal, and in many ways exceptionally tender-hearted. All of the cast is achingly good in their portrayals, but Johnny Sims’ interpretation of Seward has been revelatory. The man is flawed, but gosh darnit, he’s absolutely human. His pain is visceral, his awkwardness is utterly relatable, and his attempts to make things make sense is so hard to hear, because we want the awful things to be a puzzle with a logical solution, but we also know that there is no motivation for what is happening, it is all chance.

Mina herself questions why they need worry about Dracula, once he is gone from England. By this time she’s had a horrific experience with the count and understandably wants to be done with the whole thing. Earlier, however, she begins her work of compiling all the information available about Dracula, because she understands that something may need to be done, for the good of all.

She is afraid of losing her husband, she is afraid of what other horrors may wait, but she also is able to put that aside to continue to pursue stopping Dracula, so that there won’t be another victim, and so that Dracula himself might be saved from the horrific reality he’s experienced for so long.

I have been telling people ad nauseum that re-dracula is hands down the best adaptation of the novel I’ve ever encountered. It is because it is treated as a story about people, real people, with real connections to those around them, real flaws and strengths, who grow to share a bond. They swear to stop Dracula, not out of vengeance, as Jonathan can be forgiven for wanting, but out of love for those they have lost and those they may save.

[shu-of-the-wind]

Notable quotes from this article include:

"The strike – which marks the first time all three of the Detroit Three carmakers have been targeted by strikes at the same time – is being coordinated by UAW president Shawn Fain. He said he intended to launch a series of limited and targeted “standup” strikes to shut individual auto plants around the US." "They involve a combined 12,700 workers at the plants, which are critical to the production of some of the Detroit Three’s most profitable vehicles including the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler and Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck."

"The UAW has a $825m strike fund that is set to compensate workers $500 a week while out on strike and could support all of its members for about three months. Staggering the strikes rather than having all 150,000 members walk out at once will allow the union to stretch those resources.

A limited strike could also reduce the potential economic damage economists and politicians fear would result from a widespread, lengthy shutdown of Detroit Three operations."

AND, THE BIG ONE: "Among the union’s demands are a 40% pay increase, an end to tiers, where some workers are paid at lower wage scales than others, and the restoration of concessions from previous contracts such as medical benefits for retirees, more paid time off and rights for workers affected by plant closures.

Workers have cited past concessions and the big three’s immense profits in arguing in favor of their demands. The automakers’ profits jumped 92% from 2013 to 2022, totaling $250bn. During this same time period, chief executive pay increased 40%, and nearly $66bn was paid out in stock dividends or stock buybacks to shareholders.

The industry is also set to receive record taxpayer incentives for transitioning to electric vehicles.

Despite these financial performances, hourly wages for workers have fallen 19.3%, with inflation taken into account, since 2008."

[taevbears]

Magic Shop - 11

You find out what Seokjin calls you behind your back.

⤑ pairing: OT7 x witch!reader, Seokjin focused ⤑ genre: magic au, romance, angst, hurt/comfort, found family, domestic/slice of life, action/adventure ⤑ rating: 18+ ⤑ word count: 12.0k ⤑ warnings: smut (penetrative), seokjin gets a little jealous and touchy (risky touching?), verbal sexual harassment, pet names, minor character death, public torture (whipping, implied starvation, not y/n or the boys), description of bodily harm, oppression of mages, implied shady business dealings, a bit of piracy, probable inaccuracies with 92 liners, mentions of violence, y/n and seokjin are so ride or die for each other lmao. ⤑ note: this is the 2nd half of jin's story! if you haven't read the ch 10 yet or need a refresher, please do so before reading this chapter! but man, the amount of times i had to re-write some scenes bc i was afraid it was getting too complicated. even though it's a long one, i hope you guys enjoy! i'd love to hear your thoughts on everything :)

Chapters: Series ML | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

In the time that Seokjin is away, there hasn’t been a single day where he isn’t thinking about you.

In the throes of battle, surrounded by enemies. Swords viciously clash against each other and arrows of fire shoot across the sky. An anguished cry from a fallen opponent pierces the air. And Seokjin, unceremoniously running his sword through an incoming enemy, wonders if you’re having a good day.

During a third round of drinks in a noisy pub. Drunk comrades are crooning classic love songs, their words slurring together as they belt out notes off-key. One of them is in their feelings and is crying under the table. Glass shatters from the corner of the bar and a brawl is let loose. As a chair flies over his head, Seokjin worries if you’re eating well and sleeping okay.

Late at night, in their makeshift camp that’s located in the middle of nowhere. The cackles of a small bonfire, the snores of his team, and the chirps of crickets fill the quiet night. Above him, the stars and moon are beautiful, and Seokjin gazes up at them forlornly as a wild bear approaches the camp. He ignores the menacing roar and the panicked screams as he realizes how much he misses you.

It feels like he’s been away from you longer than he really has. With every begrudging step, he and the Freelancers travel on foot to their destination. The location of their target is far, and the threats of wild animals, bandits, and other ailments make the roads dangerous.

But nothing – not even the merciless wrath of the Devoted gods – could withstand the constant bickering between the two leaders of the Freelancers.

Day in and day out, it feels like the two brothers – Adnan and Tariq – can’t settle on anything without a disagreement. Diplomatic and a pacifist, Adnan tries to help anyone he comes across who are in need. Tariq scolds him for giving away needed supplies and for wasting their time. But while Adnan is checking local inns and encouraging the guild to turn in for the night, Tariq and his followers unwind at pubs and bars until the early hours of the morning. They’ve been nothing but hostile toward each other. Not only are they getting on each other’s nerves, but it’s affecting everyone else as well.

“Have they always been like that?” Seokjin asks, keeping his voice low as he eyes the tent the brothers are in. Everyone is pretending they can’t hear them yelling at each other again.

Byulyi nods her head solemnly. “It’s been getting worse. Ever since their father got sick, he’s been giving Adnan the responsibility to lead the guild. But Tariq has his own ideas and wants to run things very differently.”

Just then, Tariq storms out of Adnan’s tent. A silence follows as the guild gauges his angered expression. And the tension continues to linger even after Tariq enters his own tent without a word.

Their mission comes directly from a wealthy nobleman.

There’s a looming threat of something in the nearby woods. Every night, the villagers hear a horrid groan. It spooks the dogs and the livestock. To make matters worse, those who’ve dared to investigate the strange sound have yet to return. No one knows if it’s a beast, a cult, or witchcraft. Whatever it is, it seems to be getting closer to the town.

The mission is considered complete if they are able to successfully investigate the mysterious sound and get rid of the threat.

“This feels spooky,” Junghwan whispers, inching closer to Seokjin. He nods his head, eyes flickering wearily at the treetops. A thick fog has settled around them, obscuring the path beyond what their torches can illuminate. Aside from their footsteps and the cackles of their burning flames, everything is so quiet.

Adnan and Tariq are in the lead, but a fork in the road has the group split. Some follow the leader down one path while the rest follow his brother. Seokjin pauses as he looks down the crossroads, not sure which way to take.

What would you do in this situation?

It’s funny how, even now, Seokjin is still thinking about you.

His friends stop as well. Nervously, Heeyeon asks, “What’s wrong?”

“Shh. Did you hear that?” Jaehwan whispers. Everyone falls quiet, barely breathing.

It’s then, they catch it. The sound of rustling.

Sunwoo is the first to jump into action. He draws his weapon, stepping closer to the source of the sound. Seokjin and Byulyi flank to his side, ready to assist, followed by Junghwan, Jaehwan, and Heeyeon. Seokjin unsheathes his sword as Sunwoo charges forward.

Caught in a small clearing is a group of three. One man and two women. Humans, at least at first glance. Seokjin would’ve thought they’re from another guild had he not seen the small, glowing light from the tips of their wands.

Mages.

The two groups point their weapons at each other, but no one makes the first strike. Sunwoo’s brows are furrowed as he demands, “Who are you?”

“We’re just trying to get away from it,” the man explains, urgency in his voice. “Let us pass and we won’t harm you.”

Byulyi frowns. “Get away from what?”

In the distance, Seokjin sees it.

Through the thick fog, a tall figure emerges. Its height reaches the tall tree tops, and its body is entirely made of roots and wood. It’s as if an old, rotting tree has come to life, but its shape has morphed into something humanoid. In its wooden face, glowing, yellow eyes stare back at them.

“Please, don’t hurt us,” a woman pleads, her lip quivering with fear. She looks like she’s been through hell. “Our friend got trapped in the Veil. We were trying to perform a ritual for her, but she didn’t wake up. We were just trying to summon her back, but something else came instead.”

The others look confused, but Seokjin knows exactly what’s going on. He’s seen this once before, when something Wicked possesses a mage’s body.

“Do you feel her?” Seokjin quickly asks the group. “Do you still feel your friend’s energy in that thing?”

“Barely,” she answers. The two beside her nod their heads.

“Then we’re not too late,” Seokjin sighs as he sheaths his sword. His friends look even more confused as he turns to them and explains, “That creature is a person. Human, like all of us.”

Their eyes dart to the mages, who stare at him with a stunned silence. Byulyi’s frown deepens. “But—”

“Human. We’re human. They’re human. That’s human,” Seokjin emphasizes, pointing at each of them, including the mages and the beast. He turns his attention to the mages again. “You guys are her friends, right? You have to keep talking to her, then. You have to help her remember who she is so she can snap out of it.”

A flicker of hope shines in one of the woman’s eyes. The other two aren’t quite as convinced. The man is the one who answers. “Don’t you think we’ve tried that?”

“If you care about your friend, you’ll try again.” Seokjin doesn’t waste any more time to persuade them. He gestures toward the creature, telling his teammates that they can weaken her a little and stop her from doing any more damage, but they can’t kill her.

As they reach the creature, she’s even bigger in person, more intimidating. Even the mages are trembling a little as they crane their necks up to see her. The creature sees the group approaching her, and when she moves, a terrible, haunting groan escapes from her. To Seokjin, it almost sounds like a cry for help.

Taking his advice, the mages call out to their friend, shouting her name, trying to comfort her, assuring that they can still feel her energy. And much to everyone’s surprise, it’s working. The creature leans down, body aching and cracking as she tries to level with her friends.

“S-Scared…”

That’s the only word she utters before a shriek of pain pierces in the air. 

Adnan and Tariq have followed the sound of the groaning and see their comrades in the face of a terrifying creature. They unleash their attacks, raining fire upon her, even as Seokjin and the others scream at the brothers to stop.

“Good work, son,” Adnan tells him, clasping the former warden’s shoulder proudly. Seokjin feels the sting of frustration in his eyes. “We’ll take it from here.”

The creature in the woods is slain and the Wicked mages that summoned it have been arrested. Thanks to the Freelancers of New Haven, the village is at peace.

The nobleman pays the group handsomely for their efforts. The pouch of coins feels heavy in Seokjin’s hands. It’s enough for him to take a break, visit his hometown with you and the others, and still have more to spare toward the shop.

Seokjin doesn’t feel right when he’s handed his share by the grateful nobleman.

Although the mission is considered a success, Seokjin can’t help but think about the mages and the monster in the woods, about Adriel from Blackstone Castle and his similar fate. He can’t help but envision you, Hoseok, or Namjoon as the creature instead and witnessing your ends before he could stop it.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” Seokjin says to the mages, speaking quietly as the others around him celebrate their victory. The mages are held together, wrists bound with nullifying ties that prevent them from using their magic.

Their fates are undetermined. But with the way things are in this world, injustice will be their demise.

He doesn’t expect the mages to forgive him. He doesn’t even expect them to accept his apology. Yet, one of the female mages looks at him with kind eyes.

“How did you know… about her? That there’s a way for mages to regain their humanity after they turn Wicked?”

Seokjin isn’t sure how to answer. He’s seen the head enchanter of Blackstone call out to his apprentice. He’s seen Adriel come back to his senses when his friend, Jackson, broke through to him. And although he didn’t completely transform, Taehyung is living proof that it’s possible to become human again.

“I’ve come to realize you mages aren’t all that bad,” he decides. It’s a long story to explain otherwise.

“Because you know one?”

Seokjin stares at her with surprise. “I-I don’t—”

“It’s okay. Your secret is safe with me,” she says with a knowing smile. She glances at the charmed bracelet around his wrist. The one that Hoseok and Taehyung made for him before he left on his mission. The one that you had enchanted to keep him safe while he’s gone. “Whoever you know must care about you a lot. Those are some strong protection spells.”

“Yeah…” Seokjin trails off as he looks down at it. Everyone at the shop made sure he was well-protected and taken care of before he left. It makes him miss you all more.

And it makes him feel even more guilty about how things transpired.

The mission is completed and Seokjin has been paid, but he knows that deep down, he’s failed.

“Have you gone mad?” Adnan remarks as he stares at his younger brother in disbelief.

“Either this, or they be sent to the gallows,” Tariq reasons, and before his brother could reply, he adds, “It will be a waste of their talent if they’re just hung to death or sent to a fortress to rot.”

Another argument is brewing between the two brothers, but this one has everyone split. Before the guild could leave the village to return home, Tariq proposes to bring the captured mages with them. To atone for their sins, he suggests that they work for the guild instead.

“No way. The Devoted leaders will have our heads if we allow such a thing,” Adnan reminds him as a murmur of agreement comes from the crowd. Working with a mage is bound to be trouble. It goes against the teachings of the Devoted.

Tariq rolls his eyes. “The Devoted leaders can kiss my ass. Those pompous prudes have their heads so far up their own asses, they—”

“Brother!” Adnan snaps, interrupting him. “We are not taking the mages with us! What if one of them turns into another one of those creatures? Or something even worse? We’ll be endangering the town. We’ll be tarnishing the reputation our family has built for the Freelancers.”

“Fine. Then I quit the Freelancers.”

With the tension rising between the two brothers, it shouldn’t have been surprising. Yet, Seokjin is still stunned to see the guild fall apart before his eyes as they speak.

“Brother, where are your senses?” Adnan asks, exasperated. It seems like this isn’t the first time his brother has threatened to leave the guild. But it’s the first time Tariq seems to mean it.

“You do things your way, and I’ll do things my way,” he concludes as he turns to the quiet guild. “I’m making a new guild – The New Order. Anyone who has what it takes to join my side is more than welcomed to.”

Those in favor of Tariq, who’s morals seem to align with his questionable practices, immediately get up to follow him. Some are a bit more hesitant, standing with Tariq out of fear that he’ll attack the remaining Freelancers than anything else.

Unexpectedly, however, Seokjin begins to stand up as well.

His friends look at him with shock. Jaehwan asks, “What are you doing?”

Truthfully, Seokjin doesn’t know. Before New Haven, he was part of an order that is similar to what Adnan envisions for the Freelancers: knights of the Devoted protecting the town from magic and all things evil. Clearly, that didn’t work out for him. Seokjin can’t be in a guild that hunts mages for profit.

Seokjin looks at his friends with a half-hearted smile. “Hopefully, the right thing.”

Somehow, the journey going back home feels longer than having to leave. Without Adnan keeping things in order, Tariq and his men are like a crew of pillaging pirates. They spend their new earnings sleeping with women, drinking at pubs, intimidating the villagers with violence, and finding ways to make quick coin through threats and theft.

Seokjin doesn’t want any part of it.

Someone pushes him a pint of cold ale. Tariq grins at him from across the table. “It’s on me, kid. Live a little.”

“Thanks,” Seokjin mutters, taking a sip. It gives him something to do than just sitting there, ignoring the sultry women around him who are batting their eyelashes and giggling to get his attention. It’s times like this where he really wishes you were with him instead.

Tariq sees the way Seokjin is visibly uncomfortable with the women around him. “You have a wife or something?”

“Yes,” Seokjin answers. Technically, you’re not married to him. But you’re still his.

“You heard the man. Go find someone else,” he orders the women. They sigh in defeat, but leave him alone.

“Thanks,” Seokjin tells him, more sincerely.

“I’m surprised you didn’t go with my brother,” Tariq continues, trying to make small talk. “You seem the type to follow him. Well-mannered, honest, a good person. Loyal to your wife, too. People like that love to kiss the ground he walks on.”

“I have my reasons,” Seokjin says vaguely. 

“We’ll have plenty more missions like this one in our future,” Tariq assures him. There’s a twinkle in his eyes that makes Seokjin mildly uncomfortable. “That thing in the woods was a mage too, right? Imagine having a monster like that on your side of the battlefield. We’d be unstoppable.”

Seokjin frowns. “Sir, what exactly are you going to do with the mages?”

Tariq doesn’t answer him. He just laughs heartily and tells him, “Just drink up, kid. You deserve it.”

Before he left, Seokjin made you a promise. That as soon as his mission is over, he’ll run straight home to you.

When he was still in town, he’d usually return to the shop by sunset. Yellows, oranges, and pinks would color the sky in a beautiful twilight, basking the town with a golden glow as he makes his way back to you. Every afternoon, you’d be the first to welcome him back, stepping out of the shop to meet him outside. All the anxiousness and worry melt away the moment your eyes lock with his and you see him running toward you.

Sometimes, he’d throw his pack aside and pull you into a tight hug. Sometimes, you’d trip over your feet to reach him first. Despite how hard the day is, no matter how tired and sweaty he is, or how busy you’ve been, nothing else matters as you both end up in each other’s arms.

You have no idea when Seokjin is coming back this time.

But every afternoon, you still come out of the shop to welcome him home.

Most of the time, one of the other boys keeps you company while you’re waiting. Other times, you keep yourself busy by sweeping the steps, watering the flowers, or hanging up laundry to air-dry. But lately, you’ve just been sitting on the steps of the shop and watching the sunset, wishing that Seokjin was there to share this moment with you.

“Do you think he’ll come back today?” Jungkook asks, sitting next to you on the steps. Even though there’s plenty of space around you, he’s huddled close to your side.

You smile a bit and lean on his shoulder. “I don’t know. I hope so.”

Jungkook hums, shifting around and pulling you closer to him so that you’re both comfortable. Out of all the boys, it’s Jungkook that comes out and waits with you the most. He helps you with the chores, he sings and shares a drink with you, he fits you between his legs and in his arms as the sun disappears and the air gets colder. You know part of it is because he’s adamant about spending more time with you, but you also know it’s because he misses Seokjin too.

All of you do.

Everyone has felt his absence since Seokjin has been away. It’s hard to walk past his room in the hallway and know that it’s empty. Or to eat dinner together and see the vacant spot at the table where he sits. You miss his silliness, his dramatic antics, the sound of his laughter, the sweetness of his smile seconds before he does something completely unhinged.

The sun dips lower and lower, and night begins to color the skies in dark blues and purples. More of the boys come out for a bit, and Jimin crosses over to say hello. The conversations between you and the boys drift from one topic to another, until Hoseok invites Jimin to eat dinner at the shop. The moon and stars appear in the sky, and one by one, the boys begin to head back inside.

Until it’s just you and Jungkook again.

“Come on, you two. It’s getting cold,” Namjoon says, opening the door to the shop. The light and warmth from inside feel welcoming compared to the chilly air around you.

“Maybe he’ll be home tomorrow?” Jungkook suggests, helping you to your feet.

“Maybe,” you reply, a bit sullen. You try not to look too disappointed as Jungkook wraps his arm around you and starts to lead you inside.

Just as you’re about to cross the threshold, you hear the sound of footsteps running toward you guys. The three of you look at the source of the sound and your eyes widen as you feel Jungkook’s arm suddenly slip off you. He sounds a bit choked up as he utters, “Jin-hyung?”

Hoseok passes by at that moment, most-likely to check on you and Jungkook as well. His eyes widen at what he hears. “Jin’s here? He’s home?”

Inside, there’s a commotion of chaos as the others stop what they’re doing and rush to the door. And sure enough, after some time apart, Seokjin is finally standing before you. The cold air makes his breath visible and his face is a bit flushed from running. 

He looks exhausted and travel-worn, but he’s as handsome as ever. “I’m ba–”

You don’t give him a chance to finish his sentence as you throw yourself at him, so happy and relieved that you’re nearly in tears. The others follow after you, greeting him with long hugs and affectionate squeezes. Seokjin keeps you close to him, one arm around you as he uses his free hand to return their greetings. As the excitement starts to spill back inside, Seokjin finally turns his attention back to you.

“I missed you,” you tell him, gently caressing his handsome face.

“Not as much as I missed you,” he replies, and he kisses you like he’s been waiting forever to have you in his arms again.

Tonight, the shop is the liveliest it’s been in a while.

Hoseok serves his best brews, and it isn’t long until the table is surrounded by flushed, giddy faces. The food Yoongi has made is extra delicious, and he smiles shyly but proudly when he receives compliments for his work. There’s loud chatter and laughter, and having the eight of you all together again fills you with a warm feeling that can’t be anything else but love.

Tonight, Namjoon keeps the shop closed. The curtains are drawn, the doors are locked, and a sign on the window reads that it isn’t open. Regulars frown and try to peer inside, wondering what’s happened. And perhaps, through the disguising glamor of a quiet and empty building, they’d see all of you have moved to the parlor.

“Tell us about your mission, hyung,” Jungkook asks, eyes wide with excitement.

“I’d rather talk about what you guys have been up to,” Seokjin replies, shaking his head slightly. “I’m sure you guys will hear more about it in the morning anyway.”

“That bad, huh?” Jimin asks with an arched eyebrow.

Seokjin grimaces as he takes a swig of his drink. The heat of the alcohol burns his throat as he swallows. “To put it lightly, I think the Freelancers are done.”

You all look at him in shock. “Really? What happened?”

“Decisions were made, and the guild split up,” Seokjin vaguely explains, though it only makes you all even more curious. “The good news is that I’m technically on a vacation now. I think I know how I want to spend it, too.”

Tonight, Seokjin unpacks from his long mission and begins to sort through the things he wants to take back to his hometown. As he tries to remember the things his parents and brother like, he hears a knock on the door.

He doesn’t need to turn around to know that it’s you.

“It’s nice to pass by and see that you’re here,” you tell him quietly as you step inside. The room is as pretty as he is, iridescently white walls and floorings that match the soft pastel furniture. Tables made of glass and light fixtures made of crystal. The room hasn’t changed since he’s been away, but you see small souvenirs of his travels on a shelf. Subtle things like the alpaca doll Namjoon snuck into his pack, a super tuna charm made of wood, toadstool mushrooms in a jar. “I’m sorry about the Freelancers. I know the guild was really important to you.”

“I’ll survive,” he says, coming to wrap his arms around you. He places a kiss on the crook of your neck, breathing in your scent as he holds you close. “I thought about you all the time.”

“Yeah? In what way?” you ask cheekily, and Seokjin laughs as you turn to face him.

Tonight, Seokjin shows you exactly, making up for lost time. You shudder as his soft, plush lips worships your body, how his large hands feel against your heated skin. Your soft moans and sighs only encourage him as you guide his hand down between your legs, whispering against his lips for him to touch you. Moonlight bathes upon your skin as he hovers over you, watching your reaction as his fingers slip inside you. There’s something addicting to the way pleasure is shown on your face, how warm and wet you are just with his fingers pumping in and out of you. How incredibly good you feel when he replaces his fingers with his cock. 

He feels your nails scratching his back as his steady pace quickens, his thrusts become a bit harsher, and he adjusts your legs over his shoulders so he could go deeper. Your little mewls and whimpers become progressively louder as you arch your back and clench around him. And Seokjin moans loudly when he nearly climaxes when you do,

You feel him pull out of you, and his fingers easily slide into you again. You twitch a little and whine out his name, a bit sensitive. But Seokjin smiles warmly and kisses you. “One more, beautiful. Can you do that for me?”

Tomorrow, all hell will break loose once word goes out about the Freelancers. But tonight, Seokjin puts that behind him. Tonight, he puts his attention all on you.

Word about the demise of the Freelancers spreads around town like a wildfire.

Two brothers, who once stood together in the face of danger, are now enemies in a competitive race to gain more influence and success to be the bigger, better guild. Many are loyal to the mission of the reformed Freelancers, and all the hard work Adnan has done to keep his family’s legacy. But there are just as many people who are equally willing to throw away their values and morals to join Tariq’s side, the admired and well-respected war hero of New Haven.

And Seokjin, like many others in the guild, is caught between the crossfires.

“Stay inside today,” Seokjin tells you and the others after explaining the details of his mission. Things he couldn’t say in front of Jimin without exposing any of them, He sees the expression on each of your faces when he described the creature, the mages in the woods, and how Tariq wants to bring them into his guild. He sees the sadness, anger, and weariness in each of you, and how the same thought crosses all your minds: that what had happened to those mages could’ve easily happened to you.

“Especially you, Taehyung,” Hoseok adds seriously, meeting his gaze. 

No one knows how the town will react to the news, but the raven familiar has already dealt with angry mobs and burning stakes a lifetime ago. He shouldn’t have to witness history repeating itself with another mage.

“I’ll be fine,” he replies, but holds you a little tighter to him, afraid to let you go. Seokjin sees your subtle nod when Namjoon mouths for you to stay with Taehyung.

A heavy weight fills Seokjin’s heart as he imagines the awful things that would be said about the captured mages. And how those words, in turn, would hurt any of you.

“We’ll be careful, Jin. Don’t worry about us,” Hoseok assures him with a tiny shrug. “It’s nothing we haven’t heard before. The wardens at Blackstone used to say a lot worse.”

“The wardens used to do a lot worse,” you add on quietly, looking at Seokjin. He visibly stiffens as he remembers those men harassing you at the castle, of the reasons Adriel became Wicked in the first place. It makes him worry that those captured mages could be going through something equally worse by the hands of Tariq and his men.

“What’s going to happen to those mages?” Yoongi asks with a frown.

“That’s what I’m going to find out.”

As much as he wants to take you all away to his hometown where it’s safe and away from this mess, he can’t, without good conscience, just skip town when people are in trouble. When he is the only one who understands their situation better than anyone.

“I love you. Be safe,” you tell him before he goes, caressing his face. He kisses you deeply and promises that he’ll come back to you.

Seokjin isn’t sure what he’s expecting when he heads out, but he knows it’s going to be a mess. Jimin catches his eye from across the street. His face is unreadable as he informs him, “There’s something going on at the town square.”

“Yeah, I told them to lay low and keep the shop closed,” Seokjin briskly explains as he makes his way to the square. Jimin follows after him, only a couple steps behind. “Things are going to be pretty rowdy today.”

“Is it true what Tariq has done? He brought mages into New Haven?”

Seokjin stops so abruptly that Jimin runs into him. He turns to face the florist, trying to keep his expression neutral. “Is that a problem?”

For a very brief second, Jimin looks conflicted. But he says, “No. It isn’t.”

Two mortals stare at each other, once on the same ground when Seokjin was still a warden, and now, assumingly, on opposite sides. Raised Devoted, Seokjin has been warned all his life about the evils of magic and mages, but it isn’t until he met you that his heart has changed. That magic could be beautiful and mages can be kind. But Jimin doesn’t know your secrets or the shop’s affinity with the unnatural. If he did, would he still oppose you all? Or would he stand together with Seokjin again?

“Seokjin? You’re here?”

Both of them turn and, to his surprise, Jaehwan is there. Seokjin hasn’t seen his friends since the guild had split up with the others choosing to follow Adnan. He offers a small smile, but it quickly fades when he sees the concerned look on Jaehwan’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“You better come to the town square. It’s getting bad.”

The last time the town square was this crowded, there was a fair for the guilds to bring in new recruits. People far and wide came to New Haven with the promise of new adventures, meeting new comrades, honing their skills, and opportunities for wealth. The eagerness and excitement from that day is still fresh in Seokjin’s mind.

Riots fill the streets. Opposing sides are brawling against each other and damaging property. Some are trying to contain the crowd, but their demands fall on deaf ears as arguments continue to escalate. A mob of people form around the stage where Tariq and the mages are. Vile things are shouted to their faces. Garbage and food are thrown at them. Even from his distance, Seokjin can see the mages are still cuffed with bonds that suppress their magic, terrified and defenseless.

“What’s happened here?” Seokjin asks when he, Jimin, and Jaehwan join the rest of Team Seokjin. They looked relieved to see him, happy that the team is reunited again, though they clearly wish it was under better circumstances.

“Tariq is holding a demonstration,” Byulyi informs stiffly.

Seokjin’s eyebrows furrow together. “A what?”

“Fear not, friends. The New Order – our new guild – will have everything under control,” Tariq assures the crowd, as if the hatred isn’t directed at them. “Soon, we won’t have to look at these mages as enemies, but as allies. I’ve seen with my own eyes what they can become once they unlock their full potential. Together, with the mages, The New Order will be an unstoppable force.”

“He’s truly gone mad,” Jaehwan murmurs with a frown. Even Jimin stiffens slightly at what Tariq is implying.

The younger brother suddenly grabs the male mage and drags him away from the others. He seems to be commanding him to do something, and the male shakes his head and trembles. At his refusal, Tariq extends his hand toward one of his lackeys, who gives him a cat o’ nine tails whip.

The first strike has the entire crowd silenced. Heeyeon gasps and covers her mouth, eyes wide. Junghwan’s jaw falls open. Byulyi and Sunwoo avert their gaze immediately once they realize what’s happening. The others are stunned in a mix of shock and horror. 

The second strike, Seokjin doesn’t even think. He doesn’t realize he’s making his way toward the crowd to stop them until he feels his friends pull him back.

But it’s after the third strike when the male mage finally gives in. On a clear, cloudless day in New Haven, the weather changes. Snow begins to fall from the sky.

Seokjin is taken back to that day in the library of Blackstone Castle, where you showed him the beauty of your magic for the first time. How you remembered that he liked the snow, but hated the cold, and made a winter wonderland for him.

This time, as Seokjin sees the snow fall, he feels sick to his stomach.

Tariq has proven his point. The mages, through methods of torture and pain, are under his command. One hint of disobedience, and he’ll be sure to break them physically and mentally. The public flogging is only a small taste of the lengths Tariq would do, and if they are successful, they’ll recruit more mages. Under the guise of equality and freedom, the mages who join would be doomed to a fate worse than imprisonment in their heavily-guarded fortresses.

When Seokjin became a warden, he was taught that he needed to protect people from the mages. Over time, he’s learned that it’s the other way around. In many cases, it’s the mages that need protecting.

“You’re not going to work for that guy, are you?” Junghwan asks him as the crowd around them begin to disperse. 

“Even though they’re mages, that’s still too cruel,” Sunwoo quietly agrees with a frown. It seems like the others share the same sentiment. Many mages get locked away as soon as they awaken their powers, so it wouldn’t surprise Seokjin if his friends have never seen a mage until now.

“I’m not going to work for him. But I can’t let him keep hurting those mages,” Seokjin decides as his gaze turns to Jimin. The florist has been awfully quiet.

Jimin meets his gaze, but his expression is unreadable. Then, quietly, he asks, “Why do you care so much about them? You’re only human.”

“I care because I’m human. Whatever your stance with magic is, I don’t care, but this isn’t right. Mages are humans like us. They bleed the same as we do. They feel the same emotions: fear, anger, joy, sadness, love.” Seokjin holds himself back, almost slipping that Jimin, of all people, would know this as much as he does. He looks at his other friends and tells them, “I understand if you guys see me differently because of this. I didn’t join Tariq because I agreed with his methods, but he was the only one in town that had me believe he’d give everyone a fair chance.”

But he was clearly wrong. Tariq treats the mages worse than animals. He doesn’t need to point it out for them to know that.

There’s a short silence that falls between them. Even Jimin frowns in silence as he thinks about what Seokjin said. 

Then, Junghwan looks around and asks, “So, what’s our plan?”

Seokjin blinks at him. “What do you mean?”

Byulyi smiles. “Well, we can’t be Team Seokjin without you, right?”

Unfortunately, it’s impossible for Seokjin’s plan to happen overnight.

First, he’d have to find out where Tariq keeps the mages. Even on their journey back to New Haven, he has them tightly secured and under his control. On the rare occasions Seokjin even saw them, they were never without Tariq or any of his trusted men.

Taehyung perches on Seokjin’s shoulder when he attends the first guild meeting of the New Order. Tariq rambles on about his vision of the future: conquering quests and vanquishing foes with magic, expanding overseas, having a powerful army under his command. When the meeting is finally adjourned, the raven follows the leader of the New Order.

It isn’t until later that evening when Taehyung returns and informs, “He keeps them in a cellar. There’s a key to it around his neck.”

“That’s going to be hard to get,” Hoseok points out with a frown.

“What are things that Tariq likes?” Namjoon asks Seokjin.

“Fighting, coins, beer, women,” Seokjin lists, then pauses. Several gazes drift to you.

“No fucking way,” Yoongi hisses, standing in front of you. “We’re not going to use her to be objectified by those people.”

“It’s fine, Yoongi. I want to help,” you assure him, gently rubbing his back. You can tell the others are uncomfortable with the idea as well. “I just have to talk to the guy until someone gets the key, right?”

“Flirting would help,” Namjoon adds, a bit regretful for even bringing it up with the way his jaw clenches at the idea. He glances at your breasts and mutters, “Showing some cleavage too.”

“Namjoon!” Hoseok snaps.

“It’s a suggestion!” he shouts, throwing his hands up in defense. “Her body is nice! I really like it!”

“You don’t have to do this, angel. I’m planning on asking Byulyi and Heeyeon to help too,” Seokjin reminds you, taking our hand in his.

“I can take care of myself,” you assure him, squeezing his hand. More quietly, you ask, “You’ll watch over me, right?”

Just as softly, he promises, “I always do.”

“Good.” You lean back with a smile. “Because if this Tariq guy tries anything, you might have to hold me back from taking him down.”

Seokjin laughs and kisses your hand. “I would love to see it.”

Then, he’d need to figure out how to break them free without anyone noticing. With all of New Haven knowing that there are mages in the town, it feels like everyone is high on alert. Keeping them in the shop is out of the question. Seokjin doesn’t want to risk anyone recognizing them and putting you and the others in danger. 

“My uncle might be able to get them out of town,” Jaehwan tells him when Team Seokjin reunites after the demonstration. “He travels pretty often, so he rarely keeps up with news about the town and the guilds. If we can pitch in some coins, I’m sure he won’t mind dropping them off on his next trip.”

“I know a lady who might be able to take them in for a few days,” Byulyi quietly brings up with a sad smile. “Her daughter had an awakening. She couldn’t do anything to stop the wardens from separating them, but she’s helped a couple mages since then.”

Seokjin nods, feeling a bit hopeful. Maybe this can all work out after all.

As they pass through the marketplace, someone catches Sunwoo’s attention. He nudges Junghwan, who looks over. “Whoa, who’s that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve seen her around town before,” Sunwoo says, eyes glued to someone in the crowd. “Do you reckon she’s new?”

Seokjin doesn’t know who they’re talking about, but as he looks up, his heart flutters at who he does see.

You.

Unexpectedly, you’re by the fruit stand, carefully examining apples before placing them into your basket with some eggs and flour. At your ankles is Yoongi in his cat form, seemingly having a staring contest with a toddler who keeps trying to pull away from her mother to pet him.

Like a moth to flame, and much to his friends’ surprise, Seokjin walks straight toward you. “Hey, sweetheart, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, Jin! Hello.” You smile happily when you see him, equally surprised to be running into him at this time. “I’m thinking of baking apple pastries for the boys. Want to help me make them?”

“I’m busy right now,” he tells you, and it’s then that you notice that he’s with company. “But if you haven’t started when I get home, I’ll help.”

“Okay.” You wave hello to the group that are just staring at you two. A mix of shy smiles and knowing smirks are on their faces as they wave back.

“Ah, I should introduce you,” Seokjin scolds himself as he places his hand on the small of your back and faces his friends. He tells you each of their names. “Guys, this is—”

“Your wife?” Jaehwan finishes.

“Wife?” you repeat as Seokjin’s eyes widen.

“Ah. The neck-biter.” Heeyeon states with a glint in her eyes. Seokjin’s entire face feels incredibly hot as you look at him, thoroughly confused.

“Jin, what are they talking ab—”

“Honey, I don’t think you have enough ingredients in your basket. Why don’t you buy more apples?” he interrupts, giving you his entire pocket money. Even in his cat form, he could swear he saw Yoongi rolling his eyes.

You blink in surprise, but laugh in disbelief. “Sure. I’ll see you at home, husband.”

If Seokjin was a mage, he’d probably have the ground swallow him whole right then and there. There’s still a curious look on your face as you kiss him briefly and wave goodbye to his friends. But for now, you don’t question it. Instead, you pick up Yoongi and turn your attention back to the elderly woman selling apples.

Byulyi throws him a knowing smile. “So, that’s her huh?”

“Yeah, that’s her,” Seokjin confirms bashfully, rubbing his neck.

“No wonder he always wants to go home after missions,” Junghwan comments. “I would too if my wife was that pretty.”

It will also take time for Seokjin to get into Tariq’s good graces, have him trust him enough not to warrant any suspicions. Without a team, it’s harder to do these difficult missions alone. It also doesn’t feel good biding his time while he knows that mages are suffering the longer he stalls.

“Here.”

“What’s this?” Seokjin asks, taking the map from Jimin. It’s of New Haven, but there are certain areas that are marked and circled.

“Those are the coordinates of hunter territories,” Jimin carefully explains as Seokjin’s eyes widen. “If you’re going to sneak those mages out, you need to avoid those areas. Especially during the witching hour.”

“How did you find this?” he asks, a bit baffled. He hadn’t even considered hunters would be patrolling around as well. “Did you steal it from a hunter?”

Jimin merely shrugs. “I want to help too.”

“Thank you! This is really helpful!” Seokjin praises as he continues to look it over. He notices that each hunter has initials, and frowns when he sees just how many there are in New Haven now. Ever since Blackstone Castle’s fall, it seems more of them have moved into town.

His eyes linger to where the shop is and notices that there’s a designated hunter marked there too. At least, there was. Black ink crosses out the initials, but if Seokjin were to hold the map up under a certain light, he might be able to read it.

J.M.

But finally, things are starting to fall into place. They only have one shot to get this right, and failure is not an option.

Everything goes according to plan.

After a successful quest, the New Order has taken over the shop’s tavern. A feast fit for kings is being served to them, as well as endless rounds of ale and lager. Music plays a lively tune in the background of the boisterous laughter and noisy chatter. The shop’s residents are all in position: Namjoon behind the counter, Yoongi cooking in the kitchen, Hoseok tending the bar, Taehyung in charge of entertainment and setting the mood, Jungkook standing guard and forcibly escorting people out when they’ve have too much. And then, there’s you.

You’re doing your usual tasks as well: cleaning tables, serving food and drinks, collecting coins after meals, and chatting up customers. Tonight, you pay extra attention to the leader of the New Order, smiling sweetly and fluttering your eyelashes when he speaks. You indulge in his stories of his latest conquests, fascinated with how the war-time hero managed to save his men from perilous dangers, and fake-laugh your way through his flirtatious advances. Sometimes, you’d follow Namjoon’s advice and subtly push out your chest or sway your hips when he has his eye on you.

And it’s working. Perhaps, a little too well. 

You have Tariq’s full attention. But Seokjin can’t stop staring at you either.

When you pass by, Seokjin waves you over. When you’re close enough, he motions you down and asks against your ear, “How’s it going?”

“Hard,” you admit, keeping your voice low as if you’re afraid one of the patrons would eavesdrop in the conversation. “I feel so awkward.”

Seokjin pulls back and looks around the tavern. Most of Tariq’s crew are starting to pass out from gluttony. The delicious food and alcohol that keep coming from the kitchen and bar make it too easy to overindulge. One bite sends tastebuds to euphoria; one sip has them craving for more. Listening carefully, it isn’t just the music that’s playing on a loop, but so is the sound of their laughter and chatter, making it hard to tell that one by one, Tariq’s men are starting to surrender to their slumber.

Part of it could be from eating and drinking too much. But more-likely, it’s from the sleep powder Yoongi and Hoseok have slowly been slipping into their food and drinks. With bellies full and their thirst quenched, they won’t remember anything when they wake: not the shop, not any of your faces, and not what will transpire tonight.

Tariq, none the wiser, sits in the middle of the tavern. He doesn’t notice that his men are slowly disappearing, being escorted by Namjoon and Jungkook into a mysterious door at the entrance of the shop. He doesn’t notice how one chef and one bartender could produce such a quantity of excellent foods and drinks within seconds, or that they’ve been tampered with. He doesn’t notice the seamlessly endless loop of music, ambiguous chatter, clinks of utensils, and faint laughter around him as Taehyung steps away from the parlor to assist you.

All Tariq can focus on is you. He can’t take his eyes off you. The glamor spell you put on yourself makes it hard for him to look away.

“Could’ve fooled me. You’re a natural,” Seokjin replies, turning his gaze back to you. Then, more seriously, he reminds you, “If you start to feel uncomfortable, we can call it off and go with another plan.”

“I’m okay because you’re here,” you tell him honestly. You trust Seokjin more than anyone, and he feels his heart race at your words as you smile at him softly. So sweet and innocent. Then, you lean toward his ear again and confess, “Besides, I pretend that it’s you I’m trying to seduce.”

His eyes widen, frozen from shock, as you casually pull away and return to your duties. He feels his entire face flush red as you look over your shoulder and smirk at him.

Perhaps, you’re having more fun with this than he initially thought.

The little exchange between you two doesn’t go unnoticed. Tariq suddenly waves for him to sit at his table. The key to the cellar hangs around his neck. Seokjin sees it as he slips into the seat in front of him.

“She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she?” Tariq inquires, gesturing at you with a nod of his head. “I saw you eyeing her all evening.”

“She’s beautiful,” Seokjin replies sincerely. With or without the glamor, Seokjin always thought you were attractive. He sees you working hard for the remaining guests, asking Taehyung to clear out a couple tables while a group calls you for more drinks.

“You like her, huh? Don’t worry. I won’t tell your wife,” Tariq jokes with a sly smile. A rush of heat colors Seokjin’s face red. He’s forgotten how everyone in the Freelancers, including Tariq and his friends, think he’s a married man. “I think she might have a sweet spot for me. I told her I’m going to change the world by bringing mages into the guilds. She asked me how that’s possible, and you know what I said?”

“What?”

“Control,” he casually answers with a sadistic glint in his eye. “You have to put them under your thumb. Let them know their place. These mages are vicious forces, and they have the power over all things natural and unnatural. Humans like us have to show them who is in command.”

“Or you could respect them,” Seokjin counters with a frown. “Mages are humans too.”

As a former warden, Seokjin has seen the abuse of power over mages first-hand. How worthless their lives are to the Devoted, who weed them out through Harrowings and false claims of corruption. Eventually, the mages will fight back. Like Adriel. Like the forest mage. And, inevitably, like you.

Tariq scoffs and waves you over. “Funny. She said the same thing.”

“Hello, sir. What can I get for you?” you direct your question to Tariq, but your eyes flicker briefly to Seokjin. The two of you are pretending not to know each other – the less Tariq and his men know about his personal connections to the shop, the better – but Seokjin can tell that you’re a little nervous.

“I just wanted to let you know that my buddy thinks you’re very beautiful,” Tariq tells you, trying to tease Seokjin.

You turn to him with a knowing smile. “Does he?”

“I do,” he replies, honest. Without thinking, his hand reaches out from under the table to touch the back of your leg. You nearly jump from contact, throwing him a bewildered look, but Seokjin remains cool, calm, and collected. There’s a small, smug smirk on his lips. Payback for what you told him earlier.

“I think he’s very handsome too,” you say, a bit flustered. It’s cute that you’re trying not to let him affect you. But he can feel the way your body tenses beneath his fingertips, how forced your smile is as you look at him nervously because Tariq is right there.

Seokjin doesn’t know what’s gotten into him. When he reached out, he meant to just comfort you, let you know that he’s there if you need him. Maybe it’s because you’re flirting with another man. Maybe it’s the way Tariq is looking at you. But the way Seokjin’s fingers tease up the hem of your dress becomes a bit possessive. A subtle reminder that, at the end of the day, you’re still his.

“Two ales for me and the kid, pretty thing,” Tariq finally orders, unaware of what’s going on with you two.

“I’ll be right back with your drinks,” you tell him with a pleasant smile, and nudge Seokjin’s hand away. As you turn to leave, you shoot him a look. And Seokjin has the audacity to wink back at you.

“I think she might have a sweet spot for you too,” Tariq comments as he watches you leave. His gaze lingers a little too long for Seokjin’s liking. “How was your mission?”

“It went well. As expected,” Seokjin lies with ease. Before coming to the shop, he was personally tasked to take care of some goons Tariq had a hit on. People he suspects are conspiring against him. Little does he know, Seokjin plans to do the same.

You give Hoseok the order, both of you eyeing the table where Tariq and Seokjin are. When Seokjin gives the signal – a very slight nod of his head – Hoseok grabs two clean glasses and fills them with ale.

“I knew I could count on you,” Tariq continues with a proud smile. Instead of killing them off, Seokjin had warned them of Tariq’s intentions and told them to skip town for a while. “I think you have the potential of being a great guild leader one of these days.”

“You think so?”

Seokjin watches as Hoseok sprinkles a light-blue powder in one of the drinks and mixes it in. A faint smoke emerges from it, indicating that it’s been tampered with.

“I see a lot of myself in you, kid. You’re driven, strong, and with a good head. You’re not influenced by the bullshit ideals that my brother and most of the town believes.” He pauses as he looks at Seokjin curiously. “Are you Devoted?”

“I was raised to be, but my beliefs don’t align with the teachings anymore.”

Before he hands the drinks to you, Hoseok tells you which one is which. You nod your head, making sure you don’t mix them up as you start to walk toward their table.

“Good. Same as me,” Tariq agrees with an approving nod. “The Devoted like to think their war against the mages is a noble cause, but at the end of the day, war is nothing but death and destruction. It doesn’t matter if the enemies you’re against are magical or not. I hope your family doesn’t give you a hard time about it like mine does.”

“Here you go. Two ales,” you announce as you place the cold drinks in front of them. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

“I think we’re good for now,” Seokjin answers, looking at you with a softer expression. The hardest part is almost over. It’ll be easy to snatch the key around his neck once the potion hits. “Thank you.”

“This is an interesting place you found here, kid,” Tariq tells him, looking around the shop. Something about this place feels so whimsical and enchanting. “I know New Haven like the back of my head, but I’ve never been here before. It’s almost magical.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Seokjin chuckles and raises his glass to Tariq. “To the New Order and to you, Tariq.”

“To the New Order.”

Clink.

Their glasses touch and they take a drink. For a moment, the loop of music and background ambiance stops. It’s quiet, and the shop’s residents watch as the golden liquid slides down Tariq’s throat. He finishes the last drop, and once he sets down the glass, everything resumes as normal. The lively tune plays on, and all of you are back to work and taking care of the remaining customers.

Everything is going exactly as planned.

Until it doesn’t.

“You’re really working that thing, aren’t you?”

Nearby, a group of drunk men have turned their attention to you. Seokjin sees their hungry stares before you meet their gaze. The way their eyes trail up and down your body, lingering blatantly on your ass and tits. He sees their smirks and hears their snickers as another man faces you and pats his leg. “Yeah, why don’t you take a break and sit with us, sweet thing?”

Seokjin feels his whole body tense up, ready to step in and snap at them to leave you alone. Tariq watches as well, more humored than angry, as his men drunkenly cat-call you and make lewd remarks.

“No, no. I’m quite busy,” you tell them firmly. Your eyes lock with Seokjin as well, a wordless assurance that you can handle yourself.

In situations like this, Namjoon would take over certain tables when they become too rowdy. He’d be the one who’d calmly but sternly have them wrap things up before they cause a scene. Before things escalate.

“Don’t be like that, baby. Come on. Give us a smile. We’re just trying to be nice.”

But Namjoon, nor any of the other boys, have realized what’s happening yet. 

The men chuckle darkly, and the way that they continue to undress you with their eyes makes Seokjin’s blood boil. It’s subtle, but the lights around the shop flicker briefly, as if a breeze has just passed through. As if the shop senses your uneasiness.

“I think you’ve all had enough to drink,” you start, glaring at the men before you.

“For a pretty girl, you sure are a bitch with a smart mouth,” one guy remarks as he suddenly grabs your arm. “Instead of talking back, why don’t I show you what else your mouth can—”

Ice-cold water from a canister is unceremoniously dumped on his head. The man instantly lets you go, and Taehyung pulls you close to him. Soaking wet, the man turns to the raven familiar and the empty canister in his hand.

With a blank face, Taehyung casually tells him, “It looks like you need to cool off.”

“Asshole!” the man snaps, getting into Taehyung’s face. A plate shatters to the ground, causing the remaining patrons – and the other residents of the shop – to stop what they’re doing and see what’s going on.

Taehyung remains unfazed by his aggression, but moves you behind him. 

Before Seokjin realizes what he’s doing, he suddenly stands up and makes his way toward you two before the others do. He pushes the man away from Taehyung. 

“Back off. Don’t you dare touch them.”

“Didn’t you see what this fucker did? If this little slut—”

The man yelps in pain when Seokjin suddenly grabs the front of his shirt and shoves him hard against the table. Plates and utensils clatter, and drinks spill over. Tension rises as the friends he was eating with stand up as well.

“I’m only going to warn you one more time,” Seokjin informs, his voice low and with an anger you’ve rarely seen in him. “Leave my friends alone, or I won’t hesitate to run a sword through you.”

Stubbornly, the man grits his teeth and clenches his hand into a fist. “Who the fuck do you think you are, huh?”

“Guys, that’s enough. Apologize to the pretty lady and her friends,” Tariq commands as the fist comes close to Seokjin’s jaw. The man looks ready to argue, but even he knows he can’t go against the leader’s orders. And once a half-hearted apology is made, Tariq continues to look at Seokjin curiously. “It seems you know about this shop and the people here more than you let on, kid.”

Seokjin doesn’t know when, but all the other boys are suddenly with you. Jungkook cracks his neck, mouth twitching as he stares at the group with darkened eyes. Yoongi stares at the group with a look that could put a wrath demon to shame. Hoseok has his hand firmly on your wrist as Namjoon murmurs for Taehyung to take you to Jimin’s. 

Not because you necessarily need protection.

But because they know how fiercely protective you are of Seokjin.

Seeing the man nearly hit Seokjin made you furious. Seokjin realizes that Hoseok is holding your wrist so you don’t use magic, murmuring against your temple to calm down. Even as Taehyung tugs you to come with him, you refuse to budge. Your eyes are glued to the group of men, and perhaps it’s the lighting, but Seokjin had seen that look on your face once before.

When you almost turned Wicked.

Yoongi steps in front of you, blocking your view of them and Seokjin. Whatever he says to you snaps you out of it. And when Seokjin peeks at you, your eyes are still the same. No trace of golden Wickedness in your irises. Even though you’re still angry and refuse to leave him out of your sight.

“I should’ve known this was some kind of set up,” Tariq begins, laughing in disbelief. “What’s this all about, Seokjin? Do you want money? Glory? Who the hell are these people anyway?”

Seokjin turns to him. In a tavern where most of his men have been knocked out, and where the remaining will soon forget, a truth is revealed. “This is my family.”

“Looks more like a coven to me,” Tariq states, eyeing the others. It starts to make sense to him why Seokjin picked his side over his brother’s. Why he seemed so concerned about the mages to begin with. “Is this about the demonstration? You’re upset that I hurt one of your kind, aren’t you?”

“Boss…” the man behind Seokjin croaks out, voice heavy with sleep. He wobbles on his feet and his eyes roll to the back of his head before the spell overcomes him.

One by one, the others start to fall into a deep sleep as well. And it’s only then that Tariq realizes he’s the last man standing. Without his crew, and for the first time in a very long while, Tariq looks terrified. “What have you done? What did you do to us?”

“Don’t worry. You won’t remember,” Seokjin assures him, stepping closer to him. “Not this shop, not any of our faces, not even the mages you tortured after the mission. To you, it will be just a dream. And you and your men will travel far from here and won’t harm another mage again. Am I clear?”

Tariq nods his head, eyes glazed over as the command settles in. His body begins to relax, fall sluggish, and then he slowly starts to slip to the ground. Already, the faces of Seokjin, you, and the others begin to blur before his eyes. Memories start to escape him. He wants to travel, get out of town, sail the seas, but to where?

“Good,” Seokjin finishes, holding out his hand as the hypnosis takes its effect completely and Tariq begins to pass out. “Now hand me the key around your neck.”

In the dark and damp cellar, three mages are barely alive. Old and fresh wounds are all over their bodies, and it feels like months since they’ve eaten anything but scraps of moldy bread or rusty water. They’ve lost count of their days, but at this point, anything is better than this hell, even the Veil itself.

A flinch of fear twitches in their bodies when the sound of the cellar key unlocks. It must be that man again, coming to torture them more, until they’re obedient like dogs to use as tools for his quests.

“Are you guys in here?”

One of the women dares to lift her head, seeming to recognize the voice calling out to the darkness. Her voice is barely a whisper when she answers, “Yes, we’re here.”

Light shines upon them like a candle of hope. And Seokjin is holding the torch. He looks relieved to see them, to see that they’re still alive, but frowns at the urgent conditions they’re in. He reaches into his satchel and pulls out small vials. “These should help a little.”

As the liquid touches their lips, they’re surprised. It’s a healing potion.

Already, the warm and rejuvenating effects surges an energy in them. Pain melts away in an instant. Life starts to shine back into their eyes. It’s a small and temporary fix, but it’s the best they’ve felt in ages.

With stiff and sore joints and muscles, they help each other out of the dark cellar and under the bright moon and its blanket of stars. Tears fall from the male mage’s eyes as he leans his weight on his friend, barely able to walk on his own. The team Seokjin was with is there to meet them, and Seokjin explains that they will help them safely get out of town and to a place where they can stay for a little while.

There is another group with them as well. Two male mages, one female mage, and their familiars. Another human is with them too, astonished by an entire guild of ruthless, cutthroat men snoring away as you all help carry them into Tariq’s house.

“Is that them?” the female mage that Seokjin had talked to after the mission inquires, looking at you all. Seokjin follows her gaze and sees Jungkook flexing to impress you before he hoists one of the bodies over his shoulder.

“Yeah. That’s my family.”

“Family, huh? That’s nice,” she continues. Despite how hectic and draining the night has been, you laugh and playfully smack Jungkook as you follow him inside. It’s once the two of you are out of sight where she finally looks away. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten your name.”

“Ah, that’s right. My name is Seokjin,” he says, a bit embarrassed that he had planned a whole rescue mission and didn’t even properly introduce himself yet. “And you?”

She smiles. “You can call me Lilah.”

“We’ve been here for hours and we didn’t catch anything,” Taehyung whines, visibly glum that the group decided to return back empty-handed. Hoseok chuckles and pats his shoulder to comfort him.

“It was still fun. I liked it,” Yoongi admits as Seokjin practically beams at him.

“What about you, honey? Did you like it?” he asks you, hoping you had a good time. Though, he can’t help but feel a bit disappointed that your first fishing trip together wasn’t as action-packed as he’d like.

“I won’t lose points with your parents if we show up without a fish?” you ask him, half-joking but also like you’re ready to go back out there and use magic to lure in the biggest catch if he says you would.

“Don’t worry,” Jimin says, putting his arm around you. “We can go to the market, buy a fish there, and say we caught it.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Namjoon mutters, thinking about it.

“Oh! I want to look at the marketplace here!” Jungkook states, eyes wide with interest when he realizes there might be new food to try in this small town.

Seokjin laughs. “We can go check some places out, but we’re not lying to my parents.”

The trip that Seokjin has been wanting to take you all to was finally happening. After saving up for it, and pushing it back, all of you have arrived at his small, fisherman town. Not much has changed since he left, and his parents were surprised that he had returned home with so many people eager to meet them.

But after they received his letters, they were equally eager to meet you. The one who changed their son to be a braver, more open-minded man. To see with their own eyes that their son is still good and hard-working, and is also very-well loved by his new-found family.

After a quick trip to the market, you, Seokjin, and Yoongi prepare a nice dinner for his parents. The rest of your group offer to clean up afterwards. As Seokjin adds vegetables into his stew, he hears his mother call for him to her bedroom.

“This belonged to my grandmother,” she tells him, revealing an old ring she’s been looking for. “When you marry that girl, use this ring.”

Seokjin smiles as he looks at it. He feels touched, surprised, but also sad. Mages aren’t allowed to marry. There won’t be a beautiful ceremony for you and Seokjin that his parents would attend. Giving you the ring won’t change the way things currently are between you and him now.

“I will, Mom. Thank you.”

“It’s beautiful, Jin.”

You look down at the ring around your finger. Under the sunlight, the diamonds sparkle beautifully. It reminds you of stars, and the way the surfaces of clear water glimmer. Coincidentally, it has seven stones embedded in the band.

“Even if it’s just pretend, my mom will be happy when she sees you wear it next time.”

You look up at Seokjin, and you see him staring at the ring as well. It’s a perfect fit. 

A moment of silence passes between you two before you finally ask, “Jin, why do you pretend that we’re married?”

He meets your gaze, a bit embarrassed now. He remembers when you met his friends at the marketplace and how they referred to you as his wife. Awkwardly, he looks away again and rubs his neck. “Oh, they just assumed. I never bothered to correct them.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.” Maybe it makes him happy to pretend as well.

“Do you want to marry me?”

He sighs. “You know I would if— why are you kneeling?”

When he looks back at you, you’re kneeling on the ground, holding his hand with the ring he had put on your finger. Then, you wrap your pinky around his.

“I don’t know if I’m doing this right,” you tell him, a bit shyly. “But maybe we can find someone who can officiate us. Maybe if the other guys want to be married too, we can include them. Maybe we can find our own way to make it work. But I love you, Kim Seokjin. I truly do. And if you’ll have me, I wouldn’t be opposed to having a worldwide handsome husband either.”

Seokjin stares at you, shocked, happy, and so full of love. He laughs and kneels down with you, holding your face in his hands as he kisses you.

Two weeks later, after you and the others return from the trip, Seokjin meets up with his team at the shop. They look around in awe and wonder before settling in the tavern. It feels strange that it wasn’t that long ago that everything with Tariq had happened.

Now, he’s embarking on a new journey overseas with his trusted men. None of them remember what had happened after they woke up. Tariq doesn’t even remember why he and his brother have fought, but he had decided that staying in New Haven was no longer what he wanted to do anymore. And Adnan could run the Freelancers however he pleases without arguing with his brother all the time.

Seokjin got word that the mages made it safely to a place, but the one named Lilah had left the group and seemingly disappeared. 

The other boys were upset that Seokjin didn’t give them a head’s up about giving you the ring or the proposal, but none of them were opposed to the idea of marrying you eventually either. Even Jimin returned to the flower shop and muttered about trying to find a ring that he had somewhere.

“Here’s some drinks for everyone,” you announce, setting down the beverages in front of each of them. Seokjin murmurs his thanks and pulls you down for a quick kiss. It makes Byulyi and Junghwan scrunch their noses as Sunwoo, Heeyeon, and Jaehwan smile at him.

“So, you and your wife are doing well,” Heeyeon remarks, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. 

“She’s great. We’re great,” Seokjin confirms with a tiny, shy smile. No one else is at the shop at this time, so you talk to Hoseok at the bar and pet Yoongi, who is sleeping on it in his cat form.

“I guess you could say things have been pretty magical lately?” Jaehwan inquires as Seokjin turns to him, surprised.

Byulyi laughs at his expression. “We figured it out a long time ago, Jin. It’s okay. We won’t tell anyone about them.”

“Oh. Okay.” He sighs with relief. “They’re the reason why I had to save those mages.”

“We know,” Sunwoo says with a smile. “It was kind of nice doing a mission like that. Without Adnan or Tariq. Just us, your mage wife, and your magical friends.”

Junghwan groans. “What are we going to do now? I still want to go on quests with you guys, but I don’t think I want to join the Freelancers again.”

“They’re slowly becoming like any other guild now,” Heeyeon agrees, shaking her head. After the rescue mission, they don’t think they could join another guild that sees mages as enemies either.

Seokjin is quiet as he thinks about the past few months. He used to be traditional, following his orders and duties diligently, listening to words of the Devoted. Now, he’s changed a lot as he thinks about what Tariq said, about how you and him are willing to make things work in your own way, how they’ve all started to see mages as friends and not enemies.

“Why don’t we just make our own guild?” Seokjin suggests, as he looks at his friends before him. They look back at him with interested looks and excited smiles. “We’ve done missions on our own before. We can do it again.”

“Yeah, we can just register as our own guild in the town square and start off by taking missions at the local community board,” Byulyi reasons, already starting to organize it together. “We’ll need a name though. What should we call ourselves?”

Seokjin glances at you and sees all the things he’s promised to you with the ring you wear around your finger. “Let’s call ourselves the Oathkeepers.”

Thank you for reading ♡ Comments & reviews are greatly appreciated!

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[phoenixtsukino]

"Netflix’s recent cancellation of Dead Boy Detectives is about more than a TV show – it’s about the fight for queer art and representation.

In a world of attacks on queer rights and queer folk, including rising transphobia, Dead Boy Detectives is a desperately needed piece of queer art.

[...]

The show centres and celebrates queerness and tackles serious issues regarding violence, justice, and accountability. It’s also an exemplar of diverse media representation and inclusion, with three of the four main characters people of colour.

It captured a loyal fanbase, excellent critical reception and reviews (including a 92% approval rating and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), and good streaming metrics, staying in the top 10 shows on Netflix for three weeks. It was even submitted by Warner Bros. (one of the show’s production companies) for Emmy nominations in several categories.

[...]

Positive, nuanced queer representation on screen is still hard to come by. Damaging stereotypes and tropes like “bury your gays” – where queer characters are killed off to further the narrative of heterosexual characters – are still routine on screen [...]

[...]

Much queer media still focuses on narratives of trauma and tragedy, understandably so in some ways, given the prevalence of these experiences in queer people’s lives.

But Dead Boy Detectives stands out by refusing to be reduced to representations of queerness as suffering. It does explore trauma, hardship, and death, but it also presents a world where queer love and solidarity are mainstreamed and valued, and where even queer joy and creativity flourish.

[...]

Netflix has long tried to market itself to audiences just like this as an alternative to more traditional media companies. Yet its cancellation of Dead Boy Detectives is another in a long line of queer shows and shows with queer storylines – such as Sense8, Julie and the Phantoms, and Shadow and Bone – to be axed by the company before their time.

The showrunner of Warrior Nun, another of Netflix’s prematurely canceled shows, even revealed that Netflix pushed back against the writers developing a queer romance for the show’s second season.

Meanwhile, the streaming service continues to platform performers such as Dave Chappelle, who used his latest Netflix special (his seventh on the streaming service) to double down on jokes made about the queer community, particularly targeting transgender folk.

It seems, then, that companies such as Netflix are still largely only interested in token queer representation, and only if and when it aligns with ever-shifting profit goalposts."

@netflix

[spotlightstory]

The Michigan Medicis of Donald Trump’s America

Left, clockwise from top left Blackwater founder Erik Prince; U.S. Sec of Education Betsy DeVos (Prince); philanthropist Elsa and Prince Corporation founder Edgar Prince. Right, philanthropist Hellen and Amway co-founder Richard DeVos; standing, businessman Dick DeVos.

If you ever wondered where the weird Republican ideas came from or how did we get here, well, here's a piece of the puzzle. Buckle up, it's a long read. Link to full article above. I pulled out quotes on topics below.

"In the solar system of elite Republican contributors, Richard DeVos Sr., who died Thursday at age 92—one of the two founders of Amway, the direct-sale colossus—occupied an exalted place, and his offspring did too. Since the 1970s, members of the DeVos family had given as much as $200 million to the G.O.P. and been tireless promoters of the modern conservative movement—its ideas, its policies, and its crusades combining free-market economics, a push for privatization of many government functions, and Christian social values. While other far-right mega-donors may have become better known over the years (the Coorses and the Kochs, Sheldon Adelson and the Mercers), Michigan’s DeVos dynasty stands apart—for the duration, range, and depth of its influence."

Conservative think tanks, advocacy organizations, and colleges

Grand Valley State University; Calvin College, attended by several generations of DeVoses, including Rich’s daughter-in-law Betsy DeVos, Northwood University, her husband Dick’s alma mater. Hillsdale, the libertarian-plus-Christian liberal-arts college in southern Michigan.

Other recipients of DeVos largesse: the Heritage Foundation, the Institute for Justice, and the American Enterprise Institute

"The DeVoses’ preference for “values-oriented” candidates reflect the teachings of the Christian Reformed Church. A small breakaway denomination of its Dutch forerunner, it has some 300,000 adherents in North America, many living in the same western-Michigan towns where their immigrant ancestors settled in the 1840s to pursue a faith.."

SCHOOL REFORM: Who can forget Betsy DeVos’s campaign to undo the state’s public-education system and replace it with for-profit and charter schools that, as she had put it two decades earlier, shared her mission of “defending the Judeo-Christian values"?

“[Among] her big ‘accomplishments,’” says Diane Ravitch, the N.Y.U. professor and respected education historian, “have been reversing civil-rights enforcement for kids with disabilities, putting administrators from for-profit colleges in charge of monitoring for-profit colleges . . . stabbing in the back young people with heavy debt for their college education, and being a constant critic of public schools.” One saving grace, Ravitch contends, is that DeVos has gotten very few of her budget proposals through Congress. 

LABOR UNIONS: Another target was labor unions. Amway and the Prince Corporation had no use for them. Now the family waged a public fight. After Dick DeVos was routed when he ran for governor of Michigan in 2006, he blamed his defeat, in part, on Michigan’s unions and began to push for a right-to-work law (weakening the unions’ economic power and political clout, a pillar of the state’s Democratic Party). In 2012, the bill got through, and Michigan—headquarters to the United Automobile Workers, no less—became yet another of the country’s right-to-work states.

FAMILY: "Betsy and Erik’s father, Edgar Prince, was a Chrysler-Plymouth salesman and then machine engineer who started a die-cast business and also had a tinkerer’s gift for inventions. One, the lighted vanity mirror on the flip-up sun visor (introduced in 1972), helped Prince become one of the wealthiest men in Michigan." (wow) "As he got richer, the elder Prince rewarded his hometown handsomely; Prince money has done much to preserve downtown Holland, which remains a 1950s time capsule of Candy Land façades."

The C.R.C.’s greatest figure, Abraham Kuyper, a Dutch theologian and prime minister who died almost a century ago, had declared, in words the faithful know by heart: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”  

The Princes and DeVoses—with neighboring homes in Holland—had effected a merger thanks to the 1979 marriage of their firstborn, Betsy Prince and Dick DeVos, then in their 20s. “Bible-reading jet-setter” was the description in a Detroit Free Press profile of Betsy.

Betsy and Dick own a 22,000-square-foot mansion on Lake Macatawa.

ERIK PRINCE was devoted to his father, who doted on him. He played four sports at Holland Christian and was the proudly straitlaced kid who, without being asked, put away the soccer balls after practice. Prince enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987 but was shocked by the frat-house atmosphere—too much for a junior culture warrior who’d been an intern at the Family Research Council. After three semesters, he transferred to Michigan’s Hillsdale College.

Today Hillsdale, under its president, Larry P. Arnn (former head of the Claremont Institute, a citadel of far-right ideology), is known as a feeder school for the Trump administration, including Betsy DeVos’s chief of staff, Josh Venable. In May, the week Vice President Pence gave the commencement address there, Politico called it “the college that wants to take over Washington”—citing many alums who are now D.C. power players. 

In 1989, Erik had been invited to a “youth” inaugural ball for Bush—and there had met Joan Keating, the woman who would become his first wife. Prince even worked as a Bush White House intern. “I saw a lot of things I didn’t agree with,” he later said. “Homosexual groups being invited in, the budget agreement, the Clean Air Act, those kind of bills. I think the administration has been indifferent to a lot of conservative concerns.” He left that job for another, in the office of California congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who has often been called Vladimir Putin’s top Capitol Hill asset, so valued, the Times has reported, that he was given a Kremlin code name.

Prince spent four years with the SEALs in the early 90s but moved on after his wife was diagnosed with cancer and his father, aged 63, died of a heart attack. The elder Prince left behind a business with 4,500 employees. The family sold it for $1.3 billion, and Erik, at 25, now had a sizable inheritance.

One of Prince’s instructors in the SEALs, Al Clark, was also looking to set up a security-and-defense training company. Prince had money to invest. Out of this came Blackwater, which began as an instruction facility for law enforcement, the military, and special-ops squads in Moyock, North Carolina. 

The article goes into detail about Blackwater and it is mind-blowing. Their involvement post 9/11, Russian arms dealings, US government contracts,

"The source says he resigned after he discovered that Prince had approved plans to illegally weaponize aircraft and “actively train former Chinese Red Army personnel that are now being deployed into Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar, and the Uighur region in China”—actions he perceived as supporting foreign interests above America’s. (Other Prince associates reportedly resigned for similar reasons.) Prince firmly denied the allegations."

[ngmn2002]

Ch 110: Random Thoughts

Ok, let's go...

ooooh, what a cool face, Tsukasa! ♡ You're so beautiful. Always so enchanting. Captivating boy! ✨

So he was referring to Akane after all.

Uh, strong words coming from Akane to say he will put Tsukasa to justice. Hmm. Nice.

How cheeky. How smug. So full of yourself, huh? ~ What a reallllly good mood you're in. Well, regarding the situation, you're so pleased. Almost getting to finish what you've been after for so long. ~ those who tell Tsukasa to follow their rules have it hard. Not remembering old No.3. lol

I'm done talking about his super speed and powerful SHARP hands. His hands are a weapon alone. OH!

He is wasting no time, right into business at full force. How admirable.

But seriously... the words... oh! He's been growing really smug since ch 91, 92 and now... woooh... one time playing with puzzle pieces and throwing them in the air all gracefully and the other Kaku's gears... this side of his... easy on me...! I get it everything is in the palm of your hand. I get it you're pleased you're almost at the finish line and enjoying your success on getting what you've been working hard and patiently on for long. BUT!! OH! ... even that Tsukasa art with the clock. oh. should I be calling you Mr. cool smug Tsu? ♡ it's impossible not to remember him! OH!

Uhhh... just thinking of Kou threatening little Tsukasa to get at him one day is sooooo funny at this point. You sure you can pull that off? lol

LOVE how this boy aged. From an innocent hum to a REALLY smug, fully in charge and capable one. UH! you want to go after Tsukasa after the scary 'hmm' face he showed you before and after what he did to you after showing it? Have to say you're brave. ~

Speaking of you, shouldn't you really be after someone else by now? If we were to assume Tsukasa hurt your friend, which is a big No-No to you, no one touches your dear friend and gets away with it, after what nat did, how will you react? Go at full force at him, kay? ~ Not to add, that's also the fake 'senpai' who used you in a really ugly way to get what he wants and left you with nothing before. Get a much called for 'revenge' on an ugly target. ~ Let me see you going. ~

You're still on the safe side. You still have time to reconsider, Kou. For your own sake. ^^

Here we go again...

Love how this boy changes from cheerful, playful, carefree… to being deadly serious and focused in like a split moment. He just keeps on switching between the 2 sides. A thing to admire about him. ~

Ahem, he is 'playing' with you Akane. ^^ seriously, he cut Akane's side with his pare hand and drew blood out of him, he crushes metal with them, punches a whole through metal or whatever... his HANDS! what are they made of?! even though I said I won't talk much about his hands.. here we are...

He is having fun. He is enjoying himself. Little smug foxie. ~

The amount of self confidence he has always impresses me. My goodness it's limitless… but this chapter is on another whole level. SO SMUG! I love that mood of his. oooooh SO COOL!!!

To go on and take out parts of Kaku to throw them at Akane. AHAHAHA Wha a cool move! ~ It's hilarious. What a reallllly good mood you're in. do you have a thing against kaku? you're treating him like ruins of the clock.

The punch he gave to Akane's chin, it reminded me of the one Hanako gave to Kou in the pilot. The twins share some moves. cool.

Later on he moved to give Akane a nice spin around, how fun! I hope Akane enjoyed the ride! twister no.4 seems to have given Tsu a fun idea during their chase lol Again, Akane's reaction. Same as the one Hanako made when Teru destroyed the ceiling of the far shore train. Hilarious. Hilarious.

One of Tsukasa's coolest signature moves!!!!! Hits with an iron fist!!!!!

Unbothered Tsuuuu!!!!!! unbudging Tsu!!!! Amazing Tsu!!!!!!

Wooh, I think I need to stop on Akane's words to give Kou some kind of credit.

His unbothered side! Hmm. Even though that happened when Tsukasa was letting his guard down and all... it still counts in a way. The only one to 'graze' almighty Tsukasa so far.

Hmm, wonder if Tsukasa wanted to, he could use Kokujoudai regardless of what Akane did, the one not to be really affected by Mirai's seal, rules in boundaries don't seem to apply to him, hmm...

Who is distracted Akane? Tsukasa wasted no time to go with his signature move while you weren't paying attention to him. He just switches between going easy to serious that's all.

And once more, another Tsukasa signature move. Smashing heads into things. The ground, table, wall..... he is still more gentle than No.6 on the head smashing regard.

It's again, funny, the guys going to call Tsukasa guilty and voice to want to bring him to justice were brought to justice by him on their very court table. One with Tsukasa stepping on it and punching a hole through his chest, the other getting crushed into it. woooh. Tsukasa shows no mercy I see. What a fun court. ~

Seriously, he gave Akane no room to prove himself. It was a one-sided fight. Was it a fight? Half of it Tsukasa was playing.........

Again, he is so fascinated by the insides of other things. Why not tell us what's on the inside of you, Tsukasa? We're fascinated by that, too. Come on. you want to show us that once you're destroyed? while I'm a sobbing mess? How can i see with my sight blurry? ........

Anyway, the insides of Akane is flesh, Tsukasa. So, it's a relief he survived your attack. didn't you notice the blood when you hit his side?

Having Akane freeing Mirai and asking her to run (both for her safety and because she holds the yorishiro, I assume he knows it's there. Even if he didn't before, it's just a fact at that point with Kaku down and him knowing it's not within him), then for her to throw herself in front of him to get the hit instead and protect him with a selfless act. They do care for each other after all. How sweet, despite Akane going they tricked him and he hates supernaturals. He seemed taken aback by what happened to her... falling to his knees checking on her closely maybe?

Even though I don't really care for either Kaku or Mirai so far, I like her gesture with Akane. It was nice to see.

Love how Tsukasa still kept his logo of 'gentle with girls' so far. He got her not on purpose, and the time they fought before too. Still, I assume if he failed with Akane, he will be going for her. Uh......... if that happened I was going to say goodbye to gentle with girls Tsukasa. It was nice to know you. haha.

So, I was thinking for a whole month before the chapter will I go counting triple kill on Tsukasa's list when the chapter is out? It's fun to get it. Even if none of them is really 'over'. I was also hoping to see Tsukasa bloody like the time with No.3, he looked cool back then. Uh, for that to happen it had to be Akane's or Teru's? blood... since the others are just made of gears. But of course, I wouldn't want for Akane to reach that point of being badly wounded... I would be satisfied with a small amount... like if the cut to his side left a bit on Tsukasa's hand... uh... I would pay to be in Hanako's, Nene's, Teru's place or the owls and watch Tsukasa in action and going -far shore No.6 mode but X1000 COOLER like they were doing. Ahahaha, their reactions were so fun. even Teru's was funny.

Turned out the yorishiro is...

Within Mirai like I guessed. ~

And some people go saying Tsukasa killes for fun. Yeah, once his purpose is done, he didn't walk back to Akane, despite his comment on wanting to know what's on the inside of him.

Still, Tsukasa didn't go with the pattern I mentioned. If he did... we wouldn't have had all that fight so... makes sense. and I would have said goodbye to that thing

And, Tsukasa finally got his hands on the yorishiro. Mission accomplished. A yorishiro holding another. No.7's holding No.1's. Amusing. Tsukasa. ~

Though, from all the things, it turned out to be a "key"? I'm so sensitive to that. Come on.

...

Hmm... what meaning could that hold?

I can't help but to go back to the time Tsukasa had Nene going back in time to get Amane's key. And, now we see him holding a key. Something feels fishy. What purpose might the 2? keys serve?

Why did he want Nene to get Amane's key? What purpose does it hold? At this stage with his plan on its final stogies shouldn't what he meant to do with making that happen come to play... with what he meant for Nene to do? What he meant for her to have? Does she still have the key with her at the moment? like... if she was brought back to normal, will it be there in her uniform pocket? Will we finally see it in use?

Hmm, I do wonder what all that Tea-party-Nene plan Tsukasa came with serves.

she seemed to help him together with her servant carry it. So? Did Tsukasa just come to them and told them "hey, we'll do this for a thing I want, nothing on your benefit." and the 2 just agreed? They were active parts of the plan. If it doesn't serve them, if it doesn't mean anything to them, if it even stands in her way if what Nene is supposed to do will turn out to be an obstacle in her way, would she have agreed to help and make her servant help? That feels so unlikely for a supposedly 'careful' evil person as her. What did they want out of that, too?

Did she just go with "it will be my chance to get the naive girl's trust so I can manipulate her easily all I want later on? Sending her servant with her to be her guide and lead her in the nowhere, and maybe to get something out of it... what did it hold?

Was she oblivious to Tsukasa's purpose out of that deal and just carried out with it for her to get the Nene trust thing and for nat to achieve something maybe? .........

Were the 3 working together or did they have goals of their own in there? Are they opposing to the point what Tsukasa wants might step in her and servant's way? Hmmmmmmmmmm..............

Everything in the tea party arc is questionable at this point. Everything in it is just tricky, full of lies, ACTING.

Generally,

What kind of 'trust' do they have in each other? What a 'trio'. Funny. Really funny.

How NOT to be a trio. Hahaha, they aren't together at all. Never have been. ~

Hmm... having this...

What do these smirks hold behind them? What is he after? What are they (SHE) after? Ha, she is even dancing and waving her dress around in there, what is it that really pleasing thing she can't wait to get?

In No.6's case I think it was her want to get rid of Sumire together with setting the stage of getting rid of Tsukasa, too. Someone doesn't seem to have a whole lot of patience. Now, she wants No.1, No.7, No.3 out of the way in one go. How funny. How funny. This rush storm inside of you doesn't show on your face little thing. ~

Uhhhh, what a fake you are. ~ Hmm... even that whole show of "I can't disobey him" you put, is it for real? ~ you've been going your way since the very start and until now. ~ what a thing you are. ~

I wonder... can snakes have the color green? ~

A 'careful' thing like her needs to really be as careful when facing Tsukasa. ~ He is not one to mess with easily. I hope she gets that with her 'he can't see me' or 'things are over now. a "betrayal" is so easy.' ~

Tsukasa dear, you happened to comment on being proud of seeing her going her way back in No.6's case. Do you, also, feel the same way on the other cases? Like now for example? What a magical being you are. ~

He asked her about if she is happy with hurting others and she responded yes, her actions right after that chapter with Nene, Sumire-No.6, this arc with the whole school and Mit 2.0. Clearly she is more than happy. She is going at full force. What a thing. ~ What a thing. ~

Snakes and cats... hmm... has to be the cat to outshine at the end, huh? I just can't wait to see how her deal with Tsukasa will come to an end, especially with little koku being in the mix. I'm so sorry I committed a crime on your side in the past, Tsukasa. I hope you can forgive me.

Seriously, the 4 are funny now. a cat, a green snake, a dog and a puppy. Let me take the cat and puppy and take my leave. ~

Ok, enough of that. Lots of other things to focus on. With the 2 going their (her) way.

So, her dog can wonder around, is it because of her lame gift or because he is special? Not that I care. Nor that I care for his show off in ch 92 or even him in the cover of vol 19. so booooooring.

Uhh, so Nagisa and Tiara are frozen, huh?

That's senpai to you. Who would care to call you that? What a waste. Out of the rare times I wished Mit 2.0 will go with his "you're lame attitude" regarding him and the gift, I didn't get it.

Ok, so he doesn't use his blood ability unless it's really needed as he voiced out before, because it's it makes him feel gross. You already are with or without it, don't be so sad. ~

His speech to Mit 2.0, I wonder if they made that clear to him before or not? From his reaction he feels oblivious to the whole deal. If that was the case, then scolding him like that when you didn't tell him a thing is called hypocrisy, you so lame so UNcool hypocrite.

Ok, so he wouldn't do that to Mit 2.0 without a clear purpose. Is it to force him to create a yorishiro so they can destroy next by putting him in a life threatening situation?

Still gross, considering they only want to destroy it, regardless. Forcing Mit 2.0 to have a thing to care about more than anything, only to destroy it. Meaning they use him like some kind of toy from start to end. They will keep it around until its deal is done to them just to throw it away when it's over. Oh.... wait a sec... a toy...?

Yep, go at the right person at full force, Kou. Go ahead and show me what the whole of "my purpose" speech you gave while looking at Mit's photos mean. Show me where you stand now.

Mit 2.0, I really don't get him or Kou or their deal. At a moment he is all "I gave up, end me" then the other "ok, let's go to the festival"....... both forgot the main issue, the main problem, Mit 2.0's unstable existence. A part of what Mit 2.0/they reached now lies within his/ their ignorance of the situation they are in. So, despite nat's speech being trash, it have a bit of truth within it. Mit 2.0 and Kou could have done better if they just gave things what they are worth, instead of leaving them for who knows when.

So now, Mit 2.0 is in a real 'dying' situation. That will really show his real desire, and prove if his want to "be gone" is really that strong or not. A chance to be gone came to you, Mit 2.0.. will you accept it or resist it? Or will you go "if I'm gone, I want Kou to finish me" like you told him before? Will you end up creating a yorishiro at that point? What might it be? A thing to be your living line and at the same time so precious to you?

As Mit 2.0 peeked into all of his "old self" memories using his mirrors, a thing to be important to his old self, together with him, it's a picture of Kou, might end up becoming his yorishiro? It's in Kou's house though... if we needed a thing within the school, maybe even No.3's boundary... Hmm...

Again, it holds a meaning for both him and his "old self". Kou gave it to him and he held into it thinking of the hell of a time I went with reviewing the chapter, it keeps on showing in his arms then disappearing at a later shot repeatedly!. A moon rock, scissors, skitch book... it holds a potential of having this " 'first' precious gift" in it. The Penguin chain sadly got destroyed so... can it be repaired if he wanted? hmm...

Can it become Kou's lame traffic earing? For fun, both Mit kept commenting on it, it's from Kou, they called him referring to it, old Mit died in a car accident, we got an event of Kou gifting him a traffic earing... and were told in an early chapter it's something 'improtant' to Kou. Imagine that one will be the case. It'll be so funny.

I'm left with these options, I don't really think Mit 2.0 is capable of creating a human yorishiro (make Kou his yorishiro), that seems to be one specific task with specific circumstances I see Mit 2.0 to lack.

Now, thinking of old No.3's yorishiro that's still there. Do we need it or is it just worthless and forgettable like its owner? Seriously, the only character in this story to lack everything including an "existence" is that bird.

Hmm, looking back at Tsukasa's deal with making Mit 2.0 No.3... his speech all along was only directed to that, it's Hanako who went for the "old" yorsirho. .......

From what we heard from nat, it doesn't connect to Mit 2.0 at all.

Uhhh, thinking about Tsukasa making Mit 2.0 and making him stay by making him No.3 and then feeding him so he can keep regenerating, after that Tsukasa? What did you have in mind to do after that? You told him he can become human, he can have his wish, he's kept on living on that hope until his life became hell and jsut wanted to be gone, then kept going once more, you don't lie, right? How do you plan to grant his wish? Take responsibility, Tsukasa. He is not a toy you made to be played with by others. He is a being with feelings, wants and wishes. Either be as responsible to grant his wish, or I don't know.. try to do anything for him for him to reach a stable piece of mind and being. you can't leave him at the middle of the road. I'm sure you won't leave any of your work undone.

So, once Mit 2.0 is a full mystery will he take a new 'complete' form? not that I hold a thing against it but I feel his design in there is a symbolism of many things. some might be Tsukasa codded, even when his yorishiro is destroyed, he'll just lose authority over the boundary... would that mean he is a step toward becoming "human"? From what was said, it seems so. Uh, I see all that thing in lots of ways, one of Mit 2.0 might end up just accepting what he is, now having a stable existence, and give up on that wish. Why did he want to become human to begin with? If he can have that in his life already, is there a need for him to become "human" anymore?

On Tsukasa's side of the wish thing, having Mit crossing to become a full mystery, if we assumed he still wanted to be human, maybe once all Yorishiros are destroyed, if what she said is true..... looking at it in another way than all will be gone... if we reduced this all to the "lines" between life and death... if we assumed the world will be rewritten so the living, the dead (ghosts), supernaturals are equal and can live together... that means Mit 2.0's wish is granted along the way? He can have the life he wants without necessarily becoming human. Is that what he has in mind?

Also, if what she said is really going to happen, will Tsukasa be as pleased to go with it? I mean he goes about the rules, not the beings. It's like he is after rewriting the rules of the world to create and new one where all can be free to be whatever they want, not to blow away everything. How would that be possible with him wanting to grant Amane's wish? In saving Nene's life? And living a real life with her? what wish could he have while gone?

Uh, the whole Nene will die once the yorishiros are destroyed deal too... it feels like once he is gone, she is gone too. 2 in 1. brace yourself Amane. The DOUBLE PIAN you'll get if that were to happen! Boy............. we're similar huh

I mean from what we got so far, Tsukasa doesn't care for his own being, but Nene's life is a part of the deal. A part of Amane's wish. We need to change her fate, don't we? You going this way is clearly the wrong path, Tsukasa. Unless........ you have other things in mind. Regarding Nene's life and the world (maybe even your complicated situation). Things Amane, her and us are oblivious to. I trust you.

You're just playing with our minds and feelings, dear. But I can go with 'wait and see'. Amaze me. ♡

Ok, moving on...

The face of "it's over". ♡ Thanks for all you hard work so far. KEEP it up. *coughing* to hear... Tsukasa referring to himself as "Amane's" yorishiro for the first time ever... uh....

Unlike the time he talked with her... there is a whole 180 between her and Amane's reaction. See who cares for you, dear Tsu. Even when you want to be gone, there are people? not to care and use your want as an easy to achieve step in their happiness plan, and there are people! who can't live without you, ready to pin you down, keep a strong hold around you so you won't leave, you precious boy!

Don't go I want to be gone based on fake illusions in your head. Please realize how much worthy you are. Please unleash this want to stay with Amane you have deep down within you. Please... Amane.... I'm begging you to prove to this boy how irreplicable and precious he is. How your world is just dull without him there. Please Tsukasa... this time get it. Understand him, please.

Nene, please help them both get over this miscommunication issue they have! Help them understand each other! Be the hand to bring them together!

I can't with that...... I just can't.....

Hmm... now.. what am I supposed to get from his talk? Mit 2.0 will make a yorishiro? Won't and that leaves us with No.1's and him? Is he on board with what the 2 went to do with Mit 2.0? ...

It seems they want the 7 yorishiros gone, not only 6. And, it looks like he knows that, too. Hmm...

Well, yes, she said 7. They need to forse Mit 2.0 to make one. It's clear now.

Uhh, now I started to see Tsukasa this arc, no in the entire story as someone trying to live the moment to its fullest before he says his last goodbye. When little, before he got killed, and now... he wanted to do something special before he is gone for good, change Amane's life for the better, give him happiness. A thing to remember him 'foundly' with maybe? Having him wanting to end things with his own hands this arc...... with the last yorishiro.... Amane... Nene... all he did along the way from the very start till now.....

How could he be that good of an actor... or so collected let's say... shows nothing on him... in their birthday before he left... the time he spent after he came back waiting to be killed (not sure about his last year though) ... now... he plays and signs and... oh... how are you doing on the inside, Tsukasa?

If I went please don't leave Tsukasa, will you grant that wish for me?

Teru's internal monologue,

Poor Nene, looking at Akane, keepers having a hard time.

Hmm... I don't get him. At the start of the story he kept on going on how much the 7 mysteries are evil and dangerous, then kept going after evil Hanako, and then... he tells Akane they are needed to 'support' the school and they will be needing No.1 to stand up for 'Tsukasa' turned out Amane took his leave at the end or...? , looking forward to see No.1 really in real action. Having him voicing if the Yorishiros are gone the land? I assume the one of the school will fall down... kinda reminds me of vol. 19's cover... would that be what happens?

The pillars he had at mind almost took the shape of those surrounding the hole in No.6's boundary under the school as I recall it, would it be like... the core of the destruction to come? The hole that links to the far shore as I recall it? Hmm... can we see No.6 in action once more? maybe even all the 7 in one place when that time comes? each pillar looks like this one in Sumire's... uh... sacred shrines... sacrifices... yorishiros... unseating pits of powers to return to an original form of theirs... what a huge thing...

With Nene's supposed 'sealed' fate this thing is doomed to happen......

Speaking of that, how did Teru know Nene's life span and death is directly linked to the yorishiros? Hmm...

The Minamotos have lots of things under their sleeves. while he was talking in depth about No.1, he didn't seem to know much about Tsukasa's position and not to pay attention to her being mentioned before… hmm…

Following the origin of the school, was it built on that same land Sumire's village lies on?

It seems… that land… the red house… school… are all linked.

I mean, we have No.6's boundary being under the school, the hole there that he used to sacrifice Aoi once she fell into it can be linked to that original cliff, having the same thing of: Supernaturals are coming in and attacking the place, let's sacrifice a girl to stop that agenda in Sumire's village, the same thing happened in the school, therefore had No.6 who is an "expert" in dealing with that, used the same agenda. We dealt with the situation the same way. Had the severance happening, similar to the thing in the village, again, with supernaturals stopping coming out for a while. The mess happened out of having almost half of the yorishros gone, the protectors to keep the land safe from that happening.

We see the supernaturals coming from that hole, in No.6's boundary in general, also there in the red house, which is directly linked to the kannagi place.

A 'sealed' well near the 'red house' and Teru saying there is water and all under it… having it connecting to the far shore.

It makes since we're in the same place, land and all.

Having that nat saying to Kou "This guy's been a real thorn in our side. He is been stopping just about every single supernatural that tries to make it to the mortal world... before they even get the chance to wreak havoc there."

Hmm, feels legit connecting it to his old rule, that he still takes on himself as No.6, taking care of the hole/cliff and its supernaturals crossing in.

Hmm, now maybe his disappearance makes sense? He did his last job, got over his duty... he is free to go wherever.

Since he is told the whole system is not needed anymore to protect the mortal world, his rule is over... he'll do just that.

So yes, the school seven mystries - yorishrio system, Sumire's village system... are 2 sides of the same coin, deal with the same thing. One just evolved from the other.

After all, that makes sense why the school is full of supernaturals and all, Mit, etc end up within it.

Ok...

Talking about the keepers...

Could their uselessness come from the destruction of their clock as he put it before lol? Could it be that they don't care to defend their yorishiro or if it's destroyed? Could it be they can't use their time power for some reason? And that feels to not be it for the most part, since Mirai used her time power on Tsukasa and it didn't work, Kaku was taken by surprise and was down, Akane couldn't even turn his head around, the moment he did he was done. Tsukasa is not an opponent to be underestimated.

Their time power seems to take a little time for them to activate once they decide to used, even.

Could they hold up before his speed even for a few seconds just enough for them to activate it? Did they fight knowing it's a lost call? I mean he showed to be faster than the 3 of them to react.

Talking a little more about it,

With Mirai's case, she promised to move his time until he is 'dust', if she had succeeded, that will give a whole different story from how the situation developed. was Amane sure nothing will happen to Tsukasa so he didn't step in? Feels so. He wasn't scared Tsukasa will get it hard once he called his name, it's the opposite. He didn't make a move until Tsukasa said that "me" of his.

Thing is, when Mirai moved Tsukasa's time, did she really touch only the handcuffs and moved their time only or was it something else that its time moved? Hmm... when she moves the time of a 'being' no matter what she touches on them, it will be their time that will move together with these things. With Nene, with Kou he grew up completely in appearance, powers, not only his clothes. Tsukasa... assuming she only touched the handcuffs, they should be the only thing to age but...

Oh? now I see why she is shocked and why he only smirked. Missing with a being of 'his own time' are we? Hmm, it's amazing how there seemed to a somewhat of explosion, a huge flow of power to feel "reflected" once she tried moving his time. Unlike any other case she moved time forward within before, even with Kou it was a small smoke cloud nothing much.

The mystery of the red house... the thing of its own time, own space, own rules, connected to the kannagi place... it was hilarious how Nene came out of one on the taps

Hmm... what's on the inside of you, Tsukasa-kun?

Anyway, so Mirai's power of moving time don't work on him, Akane's of stopping time don't feel to work, the clock didn't affect him how about Akane, and Kaku... if he turned back time without Tsukasa noticing any moment that would feel to work somehow.

Are the keepers just trying to go with the flow so they will "observe", see how things will play out before Kaku finally turns back time so then they can finally get serious? Knowing how things ordinally developed? That feels smart.

Thing is... turning time don't erase the memories of those powerful supernaturals so... Tsukasa will also remember how things went and time was brought back...

Hmm......

... what do the keepers have in mind? It would feel only legit they have something they are plotting.

A thing of wait and see...

Would what Teru mentioned to Akane about Kou come to play soon?

We're dealing a lot with 'time' this arc.

And finally...

Mr. ^_^.

Recalling it, Tsukasa... she never agreed to anything let alone promised anything, you came up with the game and didn't let her even finish her line of "I didn't agree to th-". ^^

Ok... that moment....

...

Uh, have to say it feels cute how Tsukasa was going on a rampage up until it's Amane he's facing. He is just too gentle and "Amane?" ... oh...

And, sure enough, they are back in position, with the knife. What a complete setting.

Seriously, Tsukasa... he loves going and leaving him behind. Yeah, Amane... you have to pin him down to the ground and keep him in place. Nail him with a knife, take a tight grip of his hands, make sure he doesn't escape. Go ahead and be as selfish to even keep him locked in your boundary like a prisoner. Keep a ring around his ankle so he doesn't go far away. If you don't do this, he will keep disappearing because of some illusions in his head.

Uh, just thinking how the rooftop scene summarizes the twins' deal, with Tsukasa being gone for some time, reappearing back suddenly in Amane's life, then after sometime leaves him behind. "See you later". What a game, Tsukasa. Now I see why he pinned Nene down. "Stop leaving me behind. That's enough already. I can't take anymore." Then... the way he ended up against the door, or even the time Akane gave him a speech about what he did... Tsukasa had him hard with his act of "disappearing" to leave him all alone and broken, regardless of how hard he tries to prevent it from happening. ........

"Without you, the world is empty, meaningless. It's just hell."

Take turns. How does it feel? not that I think you didn't take her turn in your past. but still made the decision anyway despite you getting the feeling of being left behind. Just thinking she will forget someday and find happiness in other things. and then got angry at her for doing just the same as you did in your past. Tsukasa's comment was needed, you did the same as her, you gave up on your future and life to supposedly stay with me regardless of me agreeing or not. Even if I wanted you to keep living and chase your dreams and have a future. why can't she do the same as you did. too? you won't accept her noble sacrifice? You're unfair. Amane. You just go with things your way. So selfish. Tsukasa, sorry but... in your case this time I want him to be as selfish. Hold you down and prevent you from sacrificing yourself. Maybe the same also goes for the other one in your past.

Uh, to think that he went to try his best to voice his feelings out to Tsukasa yet all he got was a "so?" ........... 💢

Tsukasa doesn't get his feelings, doesn't want to be saved........

The time Hanako saved him together with Nene, Tsukasa asked about it. Mr. can't talk gave a cold answer, to receive a cold "so" later. Ehhh, who started the mess...

"You were there, too. So might as well save you." - "I won't be able to save you." now imagine how much effort it took him to voice that out after he failed the other time. and Tsukasa... not any of Amane's tries to 'save' you reached you....

??????????

Explain yourself, Amane.

In connection to the 3-loop...

It's twisted how this "what about what a person wants" plays with Tsukasa.

The first time he left Amane without "asking him what he wants", he assumed hearing Amane's speech that's his want/wish and tried making it come true for him. Amane didn't include him in there, so if he is gone it's fine, Amane is happy. In a way, that felt like what Amane wants (unlike Nene who Amane was sure not to want him to 'save' her the way he went).

Then, when 12... I assume influenced by Kou's speech, he made sure to ask Amane to voice what he wants. To choose if he wanted him to stay or disappear. But, Amane stayed silent it seems, making Tsukasa take action. Who knows, maybe once again Amane's lack of answer had him assuming he is "whatever" just like he got when little. He doesn't need him there to be happy. Him coming back home brought Amane misfortune, so he is better off without him. His unworthy little brother. He can be happy having his dreams and future without any care for him, after all... isn't that the reason Tsukasa sacrificed himself in the first place? Until Amane gave up on all that, did what he did so they can be together. Was that what Tsukasa wanted at that point? Or did he want the opposite for Amane? He wanted him to live? Amane went and decided for them both how they will end either way. Uh. Regardless, now it feels Tsukasa at least appropriates Amane's efforts in there? At least he doesn't show to be offended by what happened, he shows to love it? Even when he doesn't understand the message? I don't really follow him there. Maybe it's the fact of he saw Amane not holding back in general and that had him pleased. It's a logo of his. And, he accepted whatever Amane decided with open arms.

And now, it's the same. Tsukasa went with "that's what you want".

He makes decisions based on a "part" of what Amane wants. But, what he really wants is there inside of him. He needs to voice it out for Tsukasa to finally understand it.

Amane tried explaining he doesn't want a wish if it meant he'll disappear... but was met with a "so?" his feelings not reaching his little brother. It seems Tsukasa is still stuck in here... and just had a lag, can't move past that.

So, Tsukasa needs him to say it clearly. "I love you. I don't want you to disappear. I want you to say by my side."

If Amane did... would he reconsider....?

Will Amane's feelings finally reach him? Will they get past their miscommunication issue? Will they finally start to understand each other a little?

Hmm... from what does Amane really want to save Tsukasa??? What does he have in mind??? If I were to tell him to take a first step in saving him, it would be to start with Tsukasa himself, save him from himself, save him from the illusions inside his head, save him from his self-doubt, worth issues that come from within him. Then, move on to the surroundings.

Why can't Tsukasa really see your love or understand any of your efforts? A part lies within your lack of putting your feelings into words and maybe also, it comes from deep within Tsukasa himself. He is so self-defeated, fast to give up on himself, he doesn't see how amazing or precious he his. He is fast to see himself in the wrong image. Which is so saaaaad. How is he supposed to believe someone really loves him? For what? You love worthless me? Can't be. Why? If anything, you must be in love with a false image you made of me. I'm not how you see me. You care for me because you're my older brother. It's a given. It's like a duty. You care for little brother. Do you care for 'Tsukasa'?

I see before Tsukasa gets to understand the love of anyone else, he needs to love himself first. How are you supposed to see the love of others when you lack self-love? When you're full of self-doubts?

Save him from that, Amane.

Before you ask even though he doesn't really, he is that selfless. if Amane hates him it's fine what matters is that he loves him and ready to do anything for him and his wishes and happiness for anyone's love, you need to start with loving yourself, accept yourself. Do you do, Tsukasa? If you don't, how is it possible for you to see, accept other's love or even understand it?

Before Hanako or even Nene try to help you, the change starts from within you. Start with changing the way you see yourself and feel about things, so you can move a step forward. Otherwise you'll keep stuck in the same place.

How do you see yourself Tsukasa? How do you feel about yourself? Please show me.

Goodness, doesn't this issue exist within both twins? Amane, too... struggles with accepting love and has self-respect issues. Both of them need help. Both need to be saved. Nene, too... at times... anyone to love me is fine..... I just want to feel loved......... ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

Their story is just tragic. One sees himself as really unwanted by whoever, not important in his twin's life and he is happy without him, even if he wanted to be with him he lacks the courage to do so, seeing he won't do right by his side, therefore keeps going with 'disappearing' from his life not finding the reason to stay anyway, can't get any signal his twin sends him to show the opposite, he wants to hear him tell his feelings, what he really wants, while the other struggles with that specific thing. Both are suffering. The one who rejects and the one who is rejected.

Tsukasa is miserable, Amane is miserable. Both are miserable. How many tears will they have me shed until they are happy?

One insists on leaving, the other tries with all his might to keep him in place.

Uhhh... how does it feel trying with all your might to have your moon not to disappear beyond the clouds so you can see him always?

Your beautiful unreachable moon... a thing to gaze at the grace of from afar, try so hard to catch. Make it all your. Your purpose. Steal the moon, Amane. Never let it go. You can do it.

How does it feel for you to be looking at your most precious moon in the eye, only to tell him I hate you. Oh...

A "I hate you" that holds I hate how you always go this way, how you're so fast to decide to give up on yourself, on us, disappear from my life to fill it with darkness and shatter my heart then come back to it to give it a light of hope and give my aching heat a chance of healing by having you close, then try to leave me again and again. It's painful to be left behind over and over again. I can't keep living with that. No matter how hard I try to keep you with me you insist on leaving, my feelings can't reach you no matter what I do. You keep rejecting all my efforts, refuse to understand my feelings. I don't get you. Stupid Tsukasa. You're so unfair. This side of yours, the way you decide things in this matter, this repetitive attitude of yours. I hate it so much. I don't want to play this game of hide and seek any longer. I hate it.

- let's play together like we used to? You said?

I don't want to play that kind of game. I'm sick of it.

If you love me, stop disappearing and leaving me behind. I don't want that. I love you, that's why I want to be with you. I want you here, with me. Always. Forever and ever.

How can Tsukasa see and understand Mitsuba's wish, his deal with Kou, if you're alike you can stay together forever, that's just a copy paste from his and Amane's, but can't understand theirs? Tsukasa.........

Why not shout all these out loud Amane? Might help you both.

He believes with the path he is taking, he is doing the right thing for your sake. Prove the opposite to him so finally we can have the 2 of you shine together.

All there is between you is pure love. Give it the chance to come out and see the light of day. Starting with gentle words coming out from deep down your hearts.

With the right amount of courage, determination, it will shine brighter the stars in the sky one day.

.

.

.

The twins. They are a lot. One powerful force.

May they reach their happy solvation.

****

What a chapter...

As per usual, I might be adding more stuff later.

Thanks for reading.

[workersolidarity]

[ 📹 Friends and family say goodbye to the martyred Al-Arabi family who were killed in a Zionist airstrike on their residential home in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip last night.]

[ 📈 Inforgraphic showing the current death toll in Israel's ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, with more than 31'988 Palestinians killed, mostly women and children, with another 74'188 civilians wounded since October 7th.]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🚀🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

"ISRAEL" COMMITS 7 NEW MASSACRES ON 167TH DAY OF ONGOING WAR OF GENOCIDE IN THE GAZA STRIP

On the 167th day of "Israel's" ongoing war of genocide in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of 7 new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of 65 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounding another 92 others over the previous 24-hours.

IOF soldiers admitted today to executing at least 140 Palestinians at Al-Shifa Medical Complex and its surrounds since the beginning of ground operations in the area four days ago.

According to both Palestinian and Hebrew media, the IOF said it had killed more than 50 Palestinians at Al-Shifa just in the last day, with occupation authorities claiming all 140 martyred Palestinians were "gunmen" and "terrorists."

However, constant air and missile strikes, along with intense artillery shelling of the area, some of which caused fires to break out in medical buildings, makes the likelihood of precise identification of targets impossible, and while clashes with resistance forces did take place, the hospital itself was filled with wounded and displaced civilian populations, many of whom were killed or wounded in the fighting.

Giving evidence to the Zionist crime of extrajudicial executions of civilians, eyewitnesses told Palestinian news agency SAMA News, that they directly saw occupation soldiers take 8-10 Palestinian civilians to the hospital's morgue before hearing the sounds of intense gunfire, after which, the Israeli soldiers returned without their prisoners.

Previously, human rights organization Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med) warned that civilians could be subjected to field executions and expressed concern about the situation at Al-Shifa Hospital and the danger to civilians sheltering inside.

Euro-Med has since told the local media that it has sent field teams to document the testimonies of witnesses to the deaths of 60-80 Palestinians who were executed by gunfire by occupation soldiers in and around the Al-Shifa complex.

In the meantime, heavy bombing and shelling also targeted the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City surrounding Al-Shifa Hospital, while lines of communication were cut off to the hospital and its surrounds by occupation authorities and as a result of the shelling.

At one point, an occupation Apache helicopter opened fire on local residential buildings near the medical complex.

At the same time, occupation soldiers give warnings over loudspeakers, telling rhe remaining civilians in the hospital to evacuate under threat of bombing and gunfire, while occupation forces fire on anything that moves in the vicinity of the complex.

Zionist forces are also intensively shelling with artillery, not just the Al-Rimal neighborhood, but also the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, along with the Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood and the Al-Shati Refugee Camp areas of Gaza City.

In one example, IOF warplanes bombed a residential home in the Al-Shati Camp, west of Gaza City, martyring and wounding dozens of Palestinians.

Meanwhile, occupation gunfire towards civilians waiting for humanitarian aid near the Al-Kuwaiti roundabout, east of Gaza City, resulted in several casualties today.

At the same time, occupation artillery forces shelled the town of Al-Qarara, to the northeast of Khan Yunis, in the central Gaza Strip, luckily however, no casualties were reported as a result.

In new atrocities committed by the IOF, Zionist artillery forces shelled the Abu Hasira family home on Al-Rashid Street, in the Al-Mina neighborhood, west of Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians and wounding a number of others, while artillery forces also shelled several other residential structures in the Al-Mina neighborhood.

Occupation aircraft also bombarded the residential home of the Saidam family in the Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, resulting in several casualties.

Similarly, Israeli occupation forces bombed a residential home belonging to the Kurd family adjacent to the Jaffa Mosque, in the city of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens of civilians.

In yet another tragic atrocity, Zionist warplanes bombed the Abu Al-Arabi family home, in the New Camp area, west of the Nuseirat Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, martyring at least 9 civilians and wounding a number of others, while large numbers of victims remain trapped under the rubble of the building.

Occupation aircraft also continue bombarding the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, for the fourth consecutive day.

Previously, Israeli fighter jets bombed the Issa family home, east of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of six civilians and wounding several others.

At the same time, occupation air forces bombed a residential home belonging to the Haboush family, west of Gaza City, martyring a mother and her son.

In another war crime, Zionist drones bombed a group of civilians gathered near the Hamouda intersection, east of Jabalia, in the north of Gaza, murdering three civilians and wounding at least 10 others.

IOF drones, aircraft and missile strikes also targeted several residential homes across a large area stretching from Al-Qarara to Al-Zanna, in the south of Gaza.

IOF soldiers also continue to detonate residential buildings west of Gaza City, including the Dhu Al-Nourin Tower, near the Al-Saraya Junction, and also destroyed the Al-Qishawi home, west of Al-Shifa Hospital, while occupation soldiers burned down several other residential structures in the area.

As a result of Israel's ongoing war of genocide in the Gaza Strip, the endlessly rising death toll has now exceeded 31'988 Palestinians martyred, more than 25'000 of which being women and children according to the United States Pentagon, with an additional 74'188 civilians wounded since the beginning of the current round of Israeli aggression beginning on October 7th, 2023.

#source1

#source2

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#source6

#source7

#source8

#videosource

#infographicsource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[is-this-fandom-who-knows]

Okay so I got several notes on my "Things Jason Todd should freak out over that happened while he was dead/in a coma/braindead/gone" post about using it in a timeline EXCEPT I listed those events off the top of my head and didn't actually look up when they happened relative to each other so I know that they weren't in chronological order so I am relisting each of those plus a few new ones in chronological order with issue dates here if anyone actually does want a timeline. If the comment references events that take place some time apart then I listed by whichever happened first. Check the issues listed to figure out when the second event happened. I may edit this post later.

"There's another Mister Miracle? And he's human?" (Mister Miracle Vol.2 #22, December 1990)

"Deathstroke killed Jericho? Damn and I thought Bruce was a shitty dad -" (New Titans #83, February 1992)

"Danny is dead?" (New Titans #84, March 1992)

"Donna had a kid? One that was supposed to grow up to be so evil that an entire group of Titans from the future came back in time to stop him from being born? Kid definitely got it from his dad." (Deathstroke the Terminator #14, September 1992) (Team Titans #1, September 1992)

"Apparently Miriam Delgado is a name I need to add to my list :)" (New Titans #90, September 1992)

"Since when did Deathstroke have a daughter and why is she missing an eye too?" (Deathstroke the Terminator #15, October 1992) (Teen Titans Vol.3 #12, August 2004)

"SUPERMAN DIED HOW THE FUCK DID THIS DOOMSDAY GUY JUST PUNCH SUPERMAN TO DEATH HE'S SUPERMAN." (Superman Vol.2 #75, November 1992)

"Okay what happened to Qurac? Entire countries do not just disappear." (Deathstroke the Terminator #19, February 1993)

"What the fuck do you mean Roy Harper's baby momma nuked it???!! Where did she even get nukes??!!" (Deathstroke the Terminator #19, February 1993)

"Also apparently Superman has a clone now???" (Adventures of Superman #500, June 1993)

"Who the fuck is this Bane guy and how did he break B's back." (Batman Vol.1 #497, July 1993)

"COAST CITY DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE - WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE?" (Green Lantern Vol.3 #46, October 1993)

"Hal Jordan became evil?" (Green Lantern Vol.3 #49, February 1994)

"Are the Green Lantern Corps around rn?" (Green Lantern Vol.3 #50, March 1994)

"What the fuck is the speed force." (The Flash Vol.2 #91, June 1994)

"Iris Allen is alive and time travelled here from the future with her grandson apparently??" (The Flash Vol.2 #92, July 1994)

"Dick and Kory broke up???" (New Titans #114, September 1994)

"Is- is Guy Gardner human, or -" (Guy Gardner: Warrior #0, October 1994)

"There's a Green Arrow 2.0 and he's the first one's kid? Poor guy." (Green Arrow Vol.2 #91, November 1994) (Green Arrow Vol.2 #96, April 1995)

"So Green Arrow also died and came back?" (Green Arrow Vol.2 #101, October 1995) (Green Arrow Vol.3 #1 April 2001)

"Wait who the fuck is Neron." (Underworld Unleashed #1, November 1995)

"Blockbuster is smart now?" (Underworld Unleashed #1, November 1995) (Impulse #8, November 1995)

"You're telling me that B had the opportunity to bring me back to life - back to him and he didn't fucking take it?! Yes I know that I was already alive and it was like literally a deal with the devil it's the principle of the matter!" (Underworld Unleashed #2, December 1995)

"Apparently while I was gone Gotham was targeted by a deadly plague, got hit by a giant earthquake, and basically got kicked out of the US?" (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #48, March 1996) (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73, April 1998) (Detective Comics #729, February 1999)

"Dick moved to Bludhaven and became a fucking cop?" (Nightwing Vol.2 #1 October 1996)(Nightwing Vol.2 #41 March 2000)

"What the fuck do you mean the sun almost got eaten." (The Final Night, November 1996)

"Look is Hal Jordan alive or not." (The Final Night#4, November 1996) (Day of Judgement #5, November 1999) (Green Lantern: Rebirth #4, March 2005)

"So... How old is Aqualad now? Why was he hanging out with Aquaman's dad? Why did that make him older?" (Tempest, November 1996 - February 1997)

"Oh, Aqualad's going by Tempest now? Good to know." (Tempest #2, December 1996)

"Supes got married? Congrats to him but I've met Lois Lane and I know she could do better." (Superman: The Wedding Album, December 1996)

"Martians almost took over the world?" (JLA Vol.1 #1, January 1997)

"Wait Donna's husband and baby died? Damn." (Wonder Woman Vol.2 #121, May 1997)

"The entire population had to run so that the Flash could siphon the energy to run a fucked up Hunger Games/Olympics crossover race set by a pair intergalctic alien gods so they wouldn't Alderaan earth?" (The Flash Vol.2 #138, June 1998)

"Someone actually decided to date the Joker? Is she insane? Don't answer that." (Batman: Harley Quinn, October 1999)

"Aqualad - sorry, Tempest- had a kid too?!" (Aquaman Vol.5 #63, January 2000)

"Flash got married too? IDK who Linda is but congrats to them both too I guess." (The Flash Vol.2 #159, April 2000)

"YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT BASICALLY EVERY HERO GOT THEIR AGE TEMPORARILY FUCKED UP? I NEED PICS ASAP." (Young Justice: Sins of Youth, May 2000)

"The JLA kicked B out and almost fell apart because they found out he had made contingency plans to take em all out? You're telling me they were actually surprised? Old man's paranoid as fuck of course he has contingency plans." (JLA Vol.1 #46, October 2000)

"What's all this about playing baseball to save the earth?" (Young Justice Vol.1 #27, January 2001)

"B and Supes told the rest the JLA their secret identities? I didn't think they had it in them." (JLA Vol.1 #50, February 2001)

"Commish got shot? By who? Are they still alive? I can fix it if they are he's the only cop worth a damn in this city." (Batman Vol.1 #587, March 2001)

"Y'all went to war with a guy trying to literally hollow out the universe? damn." (JLA: Our Worlds at War, September 2001)

"So Dickie finally got adopted." (Batman: Gotham Knights #21, November 2001)

"B got arrested and put on trial for murder? Imao." (Batman: the 10-cent Adventure, March 2002)

"WAIT HE WAS FRAMED BY BATGIRL 3.0'S DAD?" (Batman Vol.1 #605, September 2002)

"I'm sorry, Pretender's team led a bunch of other heroes, most of whom I've never even heard of, to invade the sovereign nation of Zandia? Like, I know it's just a nation for criminals to hang out and avoid justice, but still." (Young Justice Vol.1 #50, December 2002)

"One of the Pretender's friends was a ghost that was actually an interdimensional portal to Apokolips?" (Young Justice Vol.1 #55, May 2003)

"DONNA DIED AND CAME BACK TOO?" (Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #3, August 2003) (DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy, August 2005)

"Somehow the entire population got mind wiped and no longer remembers that Wally West is the Flash or that his identity used to be public. hm." (The Flash Vol.2 #200, September 2003)

"Jericho is alive???" (Teen Titans Vol.3 #2, October 2003)

"Is Jericho evil or not?" (Teen Titans Vol.3 #2, October 2003) (Teen Titans Vol.3 #12, August 2004)

"Raven is also alive and a teenager now???" (Teen Titans Vol.3 #3, November 2003)

"Blockbuster murdere- Catalina Flores? Ah, another name to add to my list, I see." (Nightwing Vol 2 #93, July 2004)

"The Atom's ex killed the Elongated Man's wife and hired Captain Boomerang to end the Pretender's dad? Damn." (Identity Crisis #1, August 2004) (Identity Crisis #5, December 2004)

"Why did Gotham become a war zone- oh it was one of B's contingencies? That tracks. Wait another Robin died? I don't care if she wasn't actually using the name Robin when she died what the fuck B?" (Detective Comics Vol.1 #797, October 2004) (Batman Vol.1 #633, December 2004)

"You were actually on to something working with this Orpheus guy but of course he got murdered too-" (Batman: Gotham Knights #57, November 2004)

"How many Green Lanterns are there anyways?" (Green Lantern: Rebirth, December 2004-May 2005)

"So Guy Gardener is human now, right?" (Green Lantern: Rebirth #2, January 2005)

"EDDIE IS A SUPERHERO NOW?" (Teen Titans Vol.3 #42, February 2007) [yeah I messed up on this one, Eddie didn't get his powers until post-Infinite Crisis]

Here's the link to the original post btw:

[perrysoup]

Been seeing stuff about the Green Party and one part has me worried.

Jill Stein

Now, I want to say that I have a hard time fully understanding all propaganda I get shown. That's literally the point of it, confuse people into thinking it's right.

(Note: this is using Propaganda as the following definition: information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.)

With that, I remember not knowing who she was until 2020 came around, and the key thing I was shown over and over was her apparent (I say that because I'm genuinely curious if what I was shown was evidence or lying by omission) ties to Putin and the Russian Oligarchy.

I'm gonna just Copy/Paste the section from Wikipedia so I don't miscommunicate what it shows:

On December 18, 2017, The Washington Post reported that the Senate Intelligence Committee was looking at Stein's presidential campaign for potential "collusion with the Russians."[90] The Stein campaign released a statement stating it would work with investigators.[91]

In December 2018, two reports commissioned by the US Senate found that the Internet Research Agency boosted Stein's candidacy through social media posts, targeting African-American voters in particular. After consulting the two reports, NBC News reporter Robert Windrem said that nothing suggested Stein knew about the operation, but added that "the Massachusetts physician ha[d] long been criticized for her support of international policies that mirror Russian foreign policy goals." Windrem reported that his publisher (NBC News) had found that in 2015 and 2016 there had been over 100 favorable stories about Stein on Russian state-owned media networks RT and Sputnik.[92] In 2015, Stein was photographed dining at the same table as Russian president Vladimir Putin at the RT 10th anniversary gala in Moscow, leading to controversy.[93][94] Stein contended that she had no contact with Putin at the dinner and described the situation as a "non-event".[95]

In an official statement, Stein called one of the reports, the one authored by New Knowledge, "dangerous new McCarthyism" and asked the Senate Committee to retract it, saying the firm was "sponsored by partisan Democratic funders" and had itself been shown to have been "directly involved in election interference" in the 2017 US Senate election in Alabama.[96]

By July 31, 2018, Stein had spent slightly under $100,000 of the recount money on legal representation linked to the Senate probe into election interference.[97] In March 2019, Stein's spokesman David Cobb said she had "fully cooperated with the Senate inquiry."[98]

In October 2019, Hillary Clinton said that Russia's ongoing efforts to influence U.S. elections included a plot to support a third-party candidate in 2020, which could either be Jill Stein, whom she described as a "Russian asset," or Tulsi Gabbard.[99] A few days later, Clinton's comments were clarified to indicate that she thought that it was, in fact, Republicans who were behind the plot.[100] Stein denounced Clinton's comments on both herself and Gabbard, describing them as "slanderous".[101]

So the question is, is she a Russian asset? Does she genuinely have a history related to Putin? I believe there is a photo of her at a dinner with Putin and some other GOP people, but is it taken out of Context? Is it a meeting where she realizes she doesn't agree with them stuff? Legit I don't know, I want information, with sources please.

[sevenofninehouseofmusiker]

First Contact canon says that Borg cubes are hot (39.1C and 92% humidity) but I don’t think that makes sense. I’ve always headcanoned Borg drones and xBs as cold, with little/no blood flow (but maybe some other fluid). The cold (like cryogenesis) preserves the remaining organic matter in a drone, and would keep the technological components functioning (like server rooms — all the money goes to venting heat and humidity). So in my mind Borg cubes and such would actually be incredibly cold.

EXCEPT FOR when they’re diseased/infected.

Okay now I’m going to tinfoil hat for a second here: what if we only *think* Borg cubes are always that hot, because the only times people have been able to measure it (aka people have been on a Borg cube) the observer effect skewed their perception. They assume it’s always that hot, but actually that was the cube’s inflammatory response to weaken and subdue foreign bodies (aka the Starfleet crew members who’ve been on cubes)

The goal is to burn out the infection before they burn their own cells (drones) out. It’s a very risky approach to killing off infections and surviving illness, but it’s incredibly effective — which is why we do it.

So maybe the Borg learned and adapted it from us.

And the lil security drones whose whole job is just targeting and destroying intruders are T cells?!

And they remember all the species they’ve encountered previously, so they *adapt* their defenses accordingly when they run into repeats

So Borg ships are kind of alive, and kind of large organisms with immune systems made up of the drones that live on them, and the Queen had a very special sort of symbiotic relationship with the ship through which she can manipulate all the moving parts and cells. They’re like bees or something.

Like, she can manipulate the ship itself as well as all the moving parts. She interfaces and *connects* with it in a way no other drone or organism can.

It’s kinda symbiosis????

they’re bees! or something! and despite all their big talk about biological and technological superiority, they still depend very heavily on some very basic matter and organisms, and the sum can only be as perfect as its stolen parts.

So I have a headcanon:

Let’s pretend cubes are actually fucking freezing. Like server rooms (I mean that’s kind of what they are, after all)

And similarly, drones are cold to the touch, maybe even cold “blooded” ?

Like. The nanoprobes, plus whatever other fluid that information and energy travel through their bodies in would be cold, to preserve all of their implanted tech. And the cold would also preserve the organic matter after the severe trauma of assimilation, keep the inflammation down and suppress the drone’s organic body’s immune response in addition to the stabilizing lithium ions.

Seven grew up traveling through space with her parents, and then she “slept” in the cargo bay on her first “home” post severance, so she’s accustomed to the cold.

And a paraphrase of a song lyric got me here: “and I’ve been freezing since the day I walked away”

Because, ultimately, Seven did get to choose to walk away from the collective herself (tho not the first time she was briefly severed, of the first half a dozen times Janeway chose for her. And she eventually walked away from Janeway herself.)

And there’s something here about being part of a collective — two, even, counting voyager — and still not having felt that warmth of family, of shared space, of connection. Even her bio family was more concerned with pioneering science than keeping each other safe and their child tethered to a home, connected to some kind of community. They walked away from that when they left their colony, robbed Seven of it when they took their young daughter with them.

Anyway, Seven chose not returning to the collective. Seven chose not leaving voyager for think tank, not staying in the delta quadrant and instead returning with voyager to their home. Not hers.

And then she chose abandoning the idea of Starfleet instead of trying futilely to plead her case and having to prove herself to another body of people she didn’t belong with, wasn’t human — wasn’t *warm* enough, in interaction and constitution — enough for.

She chose herself over that collective, too.

Seven chose to walk away from Bjayzl — after she’d probably traumatized her beyond recognition, but still.

And she spends years as a ranger on her own, on ships that are falling apart, and she probably has to prioritise which systems to repair.

And she probably never bothers to fix environmental issues that affect the ships heating.

Maybe it gives her an advantage against enemies that board her.

Maybe it numbs her, emotionally but also all her aches and chronic pains and nerve damage.

Maybe it makes her stiff, rigid, unyielding, keeps her from bending to someone else’s will ever again. Maybe it keeps her distant, emotionally and physically. She’s always been cold to the touch anyway. People always startle when they touch her.

And No one touches her now, anyway.

Maybe it reminds her of her roots, of where she belongs, where she’s eventually going to end up (drifting in space, because burying an xB is asking for pollution and graverobbers). Maybe it reminds her who she is.

And people have always found her cold in the way she interacts, all objective reasoning and no immediate friendly warmth. Starfleet probably saw that as a shortcoming, a lack of diplomatic and relational ability.

She’s always defaulted to honesty and efficiency, doesn’t have time anymore for faux warmth and developing familiarity.

Where Raffi is all warmth. Immediate affection, bundles of soft blankets (all of which have stories, were gifts from people or were her friends when she had none), smoke and sweat and desert sun, hot hands and beaming smiles, emotions that just radiate off of her physical body, heat that lingers in places she’s spent any amount of time, traces of her everywhere she lays her hands and lends her ear and offers her shoulder.

Raffi knows how to lie and manipulate, to keep the lines open in case she needs something next time, who can keep a mark wrapped around her little finger or keep an all out war from breaking out with a little sweet talk and several favors from friends

Raffi knows how to get close, how not to burn a bridge. How to hold Seven’s stone cold heart in her hands and keep it intact despite her heat, protect it from the external elements, the freezing harsh vacuum of space, of all that space Seven holds between herself and everyone, everything else. Raffi is the one to gradually coax her into relaxing, even basking in warmth

if human intrusion on a cube warrants an immune system-esque response, then maybe Seven initially responds to Raffi that way too. Like, just inherently.

I’m talking body being unreasonably warm when Raffi’s around, maybe a little shaky, getting flushed and lethargic and feeling…off. (But not necessarily negatively!)

And Seven is afraid of being vulnerable, of sitting still and getting attached and falling ill. She can’t afford to let someone in.

So she quarantines from the probable source of her symptoms — except actually maybe she likes how Raffi makes her feel, and maybe she feels worse when Raffi’s not around.

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Writing an enormous analysis of the patch is all well and good, but what do the balance changes actually mean for the meta?

Well, for one, I don't think any of the top tiers are going anywhere despite their nerfs, not even Sloshing Machine. Splash, Machine and Stamper all just have too much to recommend them. That said I think Neo Splash is probably leaving the top tiers, as with the paint and points for special nerfs it'll have a tough time competing with the Tentatek Splattershot for the short-range Triple Inkstrike Shooter niche (as a reminder, Ttek's Tri-Strike only costs 190p!)

The big, big winner this patch, however, is Ballpoint Splatling. It is the top tier weapon that got hit the least by a significant margin, only gaining another 10 points for its Inkjet, which only really undoes a buff it got in 3.0. Ballpoint was already considered a contender for the single best weapon in the game by a lot of pro players, and now it is no competition at all. Double Ballpoint is probably gonna become a pretty popular competitive team setup, and that would be bad for Splatana Stamper in particular, as it doesn't have a great matchup against Ballpoint (good lucking try to use Zipcaster while a Splatling is looking directly at you!). If Stamper exits the meta then this would be the reason, not the nerfs it got, though they hardly help.

In response to the rising stocks of Ballpoint and Inkjet, people will start looking for an answer, and the newly buffed Big Bubbler might just be what they're looking for. It remains to be seen for sure, but after the buffs it takes an Inkjet four shots, basically half its duration, to break the bubbler shield, and that's when hitting the weak point. It still gets torn apart by Crab pretty fast, but Crab in turn is very weak to Inkjet, and hey, would you look at that, we've got a bit of a rock-papers-scissors thing going on.

The fun thing about the weapons with Big Bubbler is that I could see people going to any one of them for their Bubble needs. Jr is always a good go-to option, though it lacks punch in the fighting department. Blaster, Splat Roller, and Zink Mini Splatling are good alternatives if you want to scrap, though none of them have a lethal bomb, and that's broadly speaking a downside in competitive play. Finally, there's Squiffer and the new H-3D for long-range options, and I know some competitive players, like ThatSRB2Dude, were eying the latter even before the Big Bubbler buffs.

Another good thing about Big Bubbler is its new resistance to Tenta Missiles, and that might genuinely matter in the face of Wiper Deco (or Diper, as some people are rather condescendingly calling it), with its 190p(?!) Missiles. I really don't know why they cost that little, and I don't expect them to stay at that cost for very long. Missiles have always been very strong, but so far none of the weapons that have them, except Flingza, have had any meaningful impact on competitive play, and Flingza has been very heavily nerfed as a result. Wiper Deco does not just have the lowest points for special out of all Missiles weapon, it also the only one of them that can really fire off its Missiles and then go in to fight the people that are being targeted. This is a big reason why the Kensa Splattershot in 2 was as good as it was, and we've never had a weapon that could really replicate it, until now.

While Wiper Deco is looking threatening on the surface, it remains to be seen if it works out in practice. Without a bomb it will likely have a hard time dealing with Ballpoint, lacking the range and DPS to fight it effectively, and Ballpoint is looking to step up in a big way.

Speaking of unknown factors, there's also the S-Blast '92 and the Painbrush. S-Blast's kit is largely seen as underwhelming, but datamining has shown that the weapon itself is looking incredibly solid, a mix of many of the best traits of other Blasters with very few of their downsides, and that might be enough to carry it into competitive play. Painbrush is looking like it will have excellent range, damage and paint, but absolutely atrocious ink efficiency, some of the worst in the game, in fact. Inkbrush and Octobrush have both seen competitive success, though the former a lot more than the latter, and Painbrush might find a niche as well, especially in Splat Zones, though it remains to be seen.

But all of this is just speculation, though. All we can know for sure is that competitive play will very likely revolve heavily around Ballpoint for the foreseeable future, and that is going to be shaping the meta until the next patch. By hitting all of the top tiers with nerfs, some of them very hard, Nintendo more or less uprooted the status quo of competitive play even before you consider the new weapons, and I'll be very interested to see how things go from here.

[marlonbrandto]

MAYNOS EXTRICATION FORCE

The Ethereal Aun’Shar’s vitals are critical, and an emergency pulse from his armor has reached the fleet in orbit. The forces closest to the surface have been redirected to the vaults entrance, to combat the enemy signatures closing in on his last known position.

1. An infamous breacher team composed entirely of veterans who are wholly devoted to the greater good, all from different septs. Every member dons black armor, with a single color marking of the sept they originally hail from on their pauldron. When a fire warrior joins Death Company, they relinquish their name, instead only answering to the serial number given to them. Their serial numbers are given in the order members join, starting at DC-1, the current newest recruit was assigned DC-107. Before entering combat, the members of the company all perform a unique Ta’lissera ritual, all impaling their non-dominant hands upon the ritual blade. With Tau physiology, one can survive such a wound for 7 hours before dying of blood loss if not treated by a medic. In essence, by joining Death Company, its members are already considered dead, and have nothing holding them back from sacrificing all for the greater good. Many members are the sole survivors of a squad registered as KIA, some just have nothing left to lose, and some see joining as a way of becoming a part of something greater. The mortality rate of Death Company averages at 92% over their 20 missions, but they rarely fail their objectives, and fight with a ferocity not even seen in the Vior’la. The members of Death Company are known to be silent and focused, having already made their peace with their fate, all that is left for them is a glorious death for the cause.

The Red Tri-Wings are a crisis team comprised of three renegade Air Caste pilots who were wounded after their aircraft were destroyed in the battle raging above Maynos. While their injuries rendered them unable to effectively pilot an aircraft, they found that controlling an XV8 battlesuit requires less manual dexterity thanks to the neuralink connection the machinery uses. Not waiting for an official transfer, the pilots attached the battlesuits to the top of an Orca dropship and provided fire support in order to allow it to break through the blockade forming around Maynos. In the 3 hours that they have been in service as a crisis team, the Red Tri-Wings already have 7 confirmed kills, all before making planetfall. Current radar scans indicate that they are now free falling through the atmosphere of Maynos, using their battlesuit’s thrusters to perform mid-air jinking maneuvers in their descent, returning fire on enemy aircraft who think they’ve found an easy target.

3. Fogbreaker squadron has sent two of their Tetras ahead of their main force. While the majority of the squadron aren’t projected to reach the battle until it is well under way, these nimble craft are fast enough to rendezvous with allied forces before the enemy engages them.

[riflebrass]

I had a pretty casual range trip today. The big thing I wanted to do is a side by side comparison of my Beretta 92 (left) vs my Glock 17 (right). I carried the Beretta for a lot of years and it's hands down my favorite gun in my collection. It's really nice. I made the switch to the Glock because it's about 12oz lighter which I hoped would stop my pants from sagging so much.

Since making the switch I haven't used the Beretta very much. I've been shooting a little more lately and it's felt like I'm doing a lot worse than when I use the glock. So today I tried it out.

As you can see that white sheet of paper has a fairly wide grouping. It all fits in the chest in case I need to trust my life to it but it's not great.

As for the target on the right a few outliers make the overall group pretty comparable but most of the shots are in a much tighter cluster.

My suspicion is that it's my muscle memory with the trigger. When the Beretta is in single action (hammer already cocked) there's some slack in the trigger that has to be taken up. Then you hit a bit of a wall and if you pull it just a little bit tighter then the shot breaks. It's like firing a two-stage trigger.

The glock trigger doesn't have that take-up so the trigger is already at that wall ready to break.

So going back to the Beretta that little bit of slack that has to be taken up is roughly the same distance the glock trigger travels when you fire it. When I get to that wall just before the break my brain tells me something is wrong and the gun should have fired by now. So that final pull to break the shot feels completely unnatural to me.

It's something I could re-train myself to fix, but since I'm carrying the glock already it makes more sense to stick with training on what I actually trust my life with and save the Beretta for fun shooting.

It just pisses me off that I suck with my favorite gun now lmao.

[dragon-in-the-watery-bowl]

Here's some more Danganronpa fankids, this time for (SDRA2)Yuki x Kizuna, Nagito and Kazuichi x Mikan.

Information under the cut:

Name: Emi Maeda (前田 恵美). Age: 16. Parents: Yuki Maeda and Kizuna Tomori. Gender: Female. (Possible) Ultimate Title: Ultimate Model. Birthdate: February 14 (Aquarius). Height: 167 cm. Weight: 50 kg. Chest Size: 85 cm. Blood Type: A. Likes: Clothing, expensive jewelry. Dislikes: Not having money to spend.

In a world where Utsuro and Akane Taira never joined the Ultimate Despair, and Yuki Maeda was able to be part of Hope's Peak's class 79 like he supposed to, Emi was born as his and Kizuna Tomori's daughter. Having adquired her mom's love for expensive things, but not wanting to leave her beloved dad in bankruptcy, she, like her mom when she had her age, manipulates other boys (and girls) to buy her things with her beauty, unaware of the enemies that she's making for herself in the process of doing this.

She also, behind the backs of all of those who see her as just a vapid girl, works in a animal shelter part-time, using part of the money she gets from her manipulations to keep it afloat because of her love for the animals inside.

Name: Mitsuki Komaeda (狛枝 光希). Age: 3. Parents: Nagito Komaeda and unknown woman. Gender: Female. (Possible) Ultimate Title: Unknown. Birthdate: August 7 (Leo). Height: 92 cm. Weight: 7 kg. Chest Size: 43 cm. Blood Type: O. Likes: Beautiful places. Dislikes: Pollution, noise.

Having come from nowhere, and having been found in a orphanage for kids left orphaned in the Targedy, the only thing that's known about Mitsuki is that she's somehow Nagito Komaeda's daughter. Still too young to speak clearly, she doesn't understands a lot of what the people around her tell her, having a lot of curiosity of the new world that now surround her, always wanting to see how the former Remnants of Despair do, something that her dad sees as a interest for talent, an assumption that will eventually be disproven once she becomes older.

Name: Kazuki Soda (左右田 和樹). Age: 5. Parents: Kazuichi Soda and Mikan Tsumiki. Gender: Male. (Possible) Ultimate Title: Ultimate Male Nurse. Birthdate: March 6 (Pisces). Height: 110 cm. Weight: 9 kg. Chest Size: 52 cm. Blood Type: A. Likes: Sugar, clean smells. Dislikes: Sugar-free food.

The young son of Kazuichi Soda and Mikan Tsumiki, born in awkward circumstances in a world where the Targedy never happened, Kazuki is clumsy and shy like his mom, which, alongside with her mom's talent, has woken up an interest on medicine, wanting to become a nurse when he's older. Sadly, all of this has made him a target of bullying, just like his parents before him, but the both of them are working, with their former classmates, to help him with it, and give them a better childhood that what they got.