#this is partially my friend allie's fault but it's mostly my fault

[aceredshirt13]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: 大逆転裁判 | Dai Gyakuten Saiban | The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (Video Games)

Rating: Explicit 

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply 

Relationships: Sherlock Holmes | Herlock Sholmes/Mikotoba Yuujin 

Characters: Sherlock Holmes | Herlock Sholmes (Dai Gyakuten Saiban), Mikotoba Yuujin 

Additional Tags: degradation kink, accidental arousal, Coming Untouched, vaguest hint of a daddy kink but like, it’s probably easier to list what kinks herlock DOESN’T have, One-Sided Attraction, for the six years they were roommates. but by the fic’s post-canon end they are an, Established Relationship, yujin mikotoba: accidental dom, and also he’s the most clueless idiot alive, title taken from a translation of “Em Poses A 100” by MAK & SAK feat. XANA 

Summary:

Yujin is a patient man, but he is not immune to bouts of frustration. Especially when it comes to his friend and flatmate failing to put in his share of chores.

Herlock is a stubborn man, but he is not immune to feeling properly scolded. Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?), his reaction is… rather different than anticipated.

~

an unofficial (and very stupid) submission to the miku weeku

[activatebutterflyshield]

Something something the album Coyote Stories by The Crane Wives is about the current objectively horrid state of the world and also a call to action on changing that.

Okay. Starting with “Keep You Safe”. Here, the singer starts out as a young adventuring child who is afraid of joining their friends in slightly dangerous games. They never joined in, too afraid to face the consequences. As they grow up, they get more and more scared of the world as they see more and more slightly dangerous things happening around them. The refrain is a mantra that “Time is not your friend / Time is not your remedy / No amount of waiting will make you, make you brave / No amount of fear will keep you / No amount of fear will keep you safe”. The singer in this song is symbolic of the current state of the world, with so many people afraid of what is to come. The fears keep on piling up, from climate change to war to so many other things, and the people stay afraid, but they never grow any safer by being afraid. Time can and will march on, and, as the song says, “Come what may”.

Going on to “The Moon Will Sing”. The singer speaks of an unfulfilling relationship, with someone or something that keeps on leading them on but never fulfilling their promises. They mindlessly follow the something, and quietly ignored their neglected heart for a time. The chorus is “The moon will sing a song for me / I loved you like the sun / Bore the shadows that you made / With no light of my own”, in which the singer is lamenting their neglected state, but is also speaking of it in the past tense. They’ve moved on now, and are recalling the unhappy past. The singer in this case still represents the state of the world, but of a slightly altered state. They used to be in a bad place, but they’ve changed for the better, reflecting how the world has started to shift for the better. We’ve caught sight of our sorry state and are trying to remedy that.

Next is “Allies or Enemies”. This one is blunt and very personal. The singer immediately references “wildfires and weeds”, as well as an “awful damn disease”, all of which are rather familiar to 21st century Homo sapiens as omnipresent news headlines in the backgrounds and foregrounds of our lives. We are intertwined with these tragedies just as the singer is intertwined with the subject of their song, to the point that neither can conceive of a world without the tragedy or the subject. Anything and everything may or may not happen, as “All is fair in love and war”, but if this dynamic keeps up, it will be “the death of me”.

“Unraveling” is mostly a heaping pile of metaphors and symbolism. The singer is lamenting their lost loves, people who seemed to care for them before disappearing without a word. Though these men were kind and seemed to help, each and every one would eventually disappear and leave the singer worse for wear. Perhaps the best line to be applied to the world’s current state is the one about the carpenter: “Sanded my rough edges, crafted new and lovely things / But now my love is gone / And I can’t help the fracturing”. The carpenter represents the groups and people who have shepherded the world into its current state, keeping the population complacent by plying them with pretty little gifts and things to distract them while profiting all they can. But as soon as the carpenter has gotten what they wanted, they leave the world to its own devices to deal with the consequences of their profiteering. These profiteers are partially the ones at fault for the current state of the world.

“Hard Sell” does, in fact, hit hard. The singer is clearly going through something rough, holding themself together through sheer will to live. They’re trying so hard to get better, but it’s so hard to improve that it seems that they’re “working with barbed wire and moth wings”. To go on a tangent, the decision to specifically say “moth wings” and not bird or fly wings evokes (in my biology-addled brain) the image of salt and pepper moths. These are moths that rapidly evolved to have darker coloration thanks to the sooty, polluted conditions of the Industrial Revolution. The singer is using the only things they have: a metal material designed to harm and keep out and the wings of an animal greatly impacted by human-spurred climate change, and they’re lamenting that it seems that everyone might be going through the same thing. And its true; we’re all facing the same consequences of the state of the world in one form or another, and the only difference is how we present ourselves to the rest of the victims out there. We’re all affected, and we all need to “stop pretending now” and get something done.

Finally made it to “Rockslide”, the song that got me down this track in the first place. It has a runaway rhythm with a singer that speaks of feeling the “wild weather” that’s “got the mountain shaking weak”, and of the “quaking” of “rocks … a’tumblin while the people are asleep”. That wild weather is all the rapid and negative changes rocking the world, or the mountain. And the rocks are the consequences crashing towards the people so ignorant they might as well be asleep. Though the singer prays that they might keep their soul and that “you”, whom they’re singing to, wants to settle down, they also acknowledge that they must run or “the devil we will meet”. The people of the world must run, or make changes, else they’ll face the horrible consequences, or the devil. The devil, or “monster”, is coming and does not care what it hits.

On to “Metaphor”. Oh boy, “Metaphor”. The singer here is someone broken, jaded, the sort of person who’s been hurt ten too many times. They are a liar, a scavenger, a (metaphorical) killer. “You can’t trust a single thing I say”, they sing, because they’ve been lied to and forced to survive in the corners and the margins of the world. They are loud, they are hurt, and by goodness do they not want to go through that again. I really shouldn’t have to say why this is all to real to so many people in this world. They’re the ugly, hard to look at truth of the world, the headline you’re afraid to finish reading, the words just a little too raw to be fake. “I’ve gotten good at making up metaphors”, they sing, because that truth is too hard to bear without at least a little bit of sugarcoating.

Now comes “The Hand That Feeds”. Do I really need to explain this one? “I’ve seen good men spoiled / Chained to their jobs like hounds / They work and sleep, and work again / In the darkest nights they howl”. The people of the world, those who by all measures should not suffer, are chained and bound, deprived of freedom beyond their desperate laments. This is the fate the singer’s father wants his child to avoid, the snare he wishes them to see and remain free of. They sing of how “He taught me that the hand that feeds / Deserves to be bitten when it beats”. No matter how good it looks, you should never take the deal. Never shake the hand of the devil, despite his honeyed words, and remain your own self. That hand only wants to drag you down deeper.

Next is “Little Soldiers”. Okay when I started writing this thing I had just finished All Quiet on the Western Front and so I had a lot of sad war metaphors about this one, but it’s been a while and most of them have vacated my brain in the meantime, so… here goes. “On the broken backs of all the words we spared” they sing, “Like little soldiers in the trenches / It was a march we made towards ruin and despair / but we held hands all the while”. The singer here is recovering from a horrible loss, of the ending of a relationship they thought was good and healthy, but in reality was false to both parties. Both the singer and their former partner are representative of the common suffering of the common people, of their past struggles and strife, and how, in the end, they banded together to fight for each other. The refrain reflects this bittersweet dynamic, switching between “I swear that I loved you” and “I swear that you loved me”. The common love was the only good thing in the lives of the partners, and is all they can look back to in the end.

Following is “Sleeping Giants”, with a return to a feel similar to that of “Rockslide”, as forces beyond mortal comprehension threaten to wake. “I feel the mountains / Shifting under me / The sleeping giants are finally waking”. The singer is hyper aware that they are in danger, and said danger is something so alien, so powerful, and as unexpected as the land itself was shifting beneath their feet. Their pulse is racing, they are in fight-or-flight as all those prophecies from the previous songs in the album begin to come true. “The moon is humming / Lovely melodies / The forest echos, the trees are crowing / Hungry, hungry harmonies”. Natural keystones as far separated as the trees on the Earth and the moon in the sky are calling out in tandem, something is wrong. Something is terribly, horribly wrong.

A rather abrupt tone shift as “Of Everlong” follows. It’s a very short song, barely more than a minute, and its poetry is perhaps the strongest. I’ll just write the whole thing here.

“Out of the ocean / Over the harbor / Lay no sons and / Lay no daughters / Among the mountains of everlong / Twas there I wrote me / A sad, sad song / And if my lover / Will not hear it / Take my voice and / Take my spirit / Leave me weakened / And dig my hole / Only my lover not I can keep my soul / Only my lover not I can keep my soul”.

The singer, a lover much like the one mentioned in “Little Soldiers”, is singing a lament that they are alone, here in the mountains of everlong, beyond all reach of other people. Here they sing of what they have lost, or perhaps never had, a tune that can only echo about those mountains and never reach beyond the ocean. They declare that they’d rather die than never see their beloved again, consigning themself to eternal loneliness rather than risk breaking their heart all over again. Theirs is a song of what was and what will never be, of a world of memories that was long taken by the mists and will never emerge from the horizon with the breaking dawn.

It stays melancholy with “Never Love an Anchor”, with a rocking rhythm like a ship in a calm sea, and a singer who laments that they were never enough for their beloved. They were unable to care for their child, their spark of light impossibly kindled in a life made of sorrow, and feel that it is all their fault. “And I tried to do the best that I could / But try as I might I couldn’t bring myself to hold you”, they cry, a gentle, quiet admittance of defeat. They knew that they could never be enough, and so gave a chance to their beloved in exchange for defying their own selfish desires. This singer acted for the good of the many rather than the good of the few, giving what hope they did have to the little one so that they may rise just a bit higher. “On some level, I think I always understood / That a ship could never really love an anchor”, they sing, an admittance of their own failings, and a declaration that their beloved will be better, will have some brighter future, some breaking dawn at the horizon to look forward to.

The final song of the album is “New Discovery”. It’s a final declaration of the singer’s hope for a brighter future, of some true and real goal that they might strive for. It may not be real, it may be a mirage, but by goodness will they bite and claw and fight for it. “I want to believe / There’s something left for me / A new discovery”. It’s a hope, a faraway paradise, an impossible pipe dream, but it’s something. And to a person at the very end of their rope, to those who might sing of their trials and tribulations and torments and tragedies, something can be everything. It doesn’t need to be grand, or golden, or even great. It just needs to be better. And that is something everyone should be able to get behind.

Hope is famously that thing with feathers, the creature at the bottom of Pandora’s box, the last feeling humanity will ever have. It will drive us on through the deep, dark night, be our guiding lantern in the shadow of the dragon, and when we see the light of the sun shatter over the eastern horizon, we’ll think, yes. One more day. One more day to live and to learn, one more chance at making things better. There will always be nights; times of death and destruction will come again and again for the foreseeable future. But the night is always followed by the day, by hope and a new chance to take another step towards a better future.

Never stop fighting to see that next dawn, to once again behold the sun declaring that a new day has risen.

Never stop working to make things better.

[thehollowprince]

lol at Firestar fans who spend so much energy defending her against being called a Cop. "I agree the team should be more diverse BUT" and then like 4 more paragraphs about why it's not Firestar's fault. White privilege and fragility at its finest. No one's saying it's just Firestar's fault, no one wants Call Me Alex on the team either, but Firestar fans just need everyone to know that voting for her had nothing to do with racism.

I want to preface this by saying once again that, when the roster came up for us as fans to vote on a new member of the X-Men, when I saw Firestar, I had had to pause. I had completely forgotten that she was even a mutant.

That's partially my fault, because it's not like she's been totally absent from the various X-Titles over the years, but it's also the fault of Marvel, because she's mostly known for being a part of the Avengers or one of Spider-Man's Amazing Friends or a member of the Young Allies.

The most recent thing I could remember of her was her being a teacher at the Jean Grey school after the Schism. And admittedly, I only remember that because she professed her love to Bobby, who shot her down.

That being said, I'm still upset that she was "voted" onto the team. And yes, I put the that in quotations, because much like last year, I think that Marvel manipulated the vote to get on the mutant they wanted, the one with the "complimentary power set". They literally just replaced one fire-based mutant (Sunfire) with another (Firestar), taking away one of the few characters of color that get any screentime in the process.

I also maintain they manipulated thr vote to get her on specifically because of her connection to the Avengers. It adds a layer of drama for them to exploit given how we've entered the phase of Krakoa where people are questioning things.

Does that mean that I think she's going to betray the X-Men to the Avengers?

I can't honestly answer that yet, but this exchange between her and Tony...

... doesn't ease my concerns at all.

The thing that irked me about that exchange with the Firestar fan in the comments of my post was that I also talked about how I wasn't happy with the rest of the line-up for the new roster of the X-Men and how it was chosen to both "play of safe" (Magik, Iceman) and to cause drama (Forge, Havok, Firestar).

I'm not even happy that Jean and Scott are staying on, and I love both of those characters.

To circle back to the first part of the ask, I'd like to point out that I didn't call Firestar a cop, I called the Avengers cops, because they are. And I maintain that, even if they have mutants on their roster. They're not really there to protect people, they're there to Avenge. It's in their name for crying out loud!

If anyone needs further proof of the Avengers being cops, go read the beginning of AvX, when the Avengers inserted themselves into mutant affairs for no real reason. Or, if you need a more recent example, here's a page from the first issue of Judgment Day.

They literally abducted Sersi on nothing more than Tony's hunch.

They're cops.

[welcome-to-the-cafe]

Lust, Caution (2007)

What a good movie. Very stressful, suffering watch though. I will never look at Tony Leung the same ever again. Not that I've seen that many of his works (I'm sorry), but going into Shang-Chi after those bedroom scenes....hmhmhm.

Let's get into it.

The setting is my favorite period of Chinese history, Republican Era, partially because elicits strong feelings from yours truly, and partially because it has great aesthetics. The dresses. The cars. The gap between rich and poor. The impending invasion and atrocities you only know about in retrospect. The intrigue. The nationalism. What an awful time for living, what a great time to make art about later.

The students and their patriotic play reminds me of the my own college life and my own amateur play. Of course, theirs had much more public appeal and impact...and darker inspirations. Wang Leehom (who I recognized instantly but could not name until much later), was phenomenal as the wide-eyed idealistic Kuang Yumin who yearned to make "real contributions" to his country. This was his natural undoing of course, and that of his friends, being sucked into his charisma, and love interest, the main character Wong Chiachi. They were all doomed the moment he came up with the naive assassination plot.

The crux of the scheme is Chiachi, who is a phenomenal actress in all levels of story and metatext. An interpretation of her skill is that she injects true feelings into her performances; when she acts as Mrs. Mai, she really thinks of herself as a young lonely socialite, not an innocent college student. This is also her undoing, I believe. As Mrs. Mai, Chiachi is not fully able to isolate her heart from her target's advances. When she tells Mr. Yee she hates him, she is telling the truth, because she does think he is evil, but what following seems also to be honest; that she hates him for being away.

This is one criticism I have of the plot; I do not believe the movie did enough to show how Chiachi and Mr. Yee bonded emotionally. Like, they fucked. They fucked kinda gruesomely to be honest, because it seemed mostly to be sexual abuse (though mutual). I guess that's the point, that it was just lust that bound them together, but at the same time, I felt it should not have been enough to infect Chiachi to the point of giving it all up for him. Maybe that is just my own disappointment in her.

Perhaps it's a combination of push and pull. Chiachi is pulled by lust toward Mr. Yee, but it may not have been enough without the push from her "allies". More strongly portrayed than the fucked up lustful affair, I think, is the growing resentment and internal feelings of betrayal that Chiachi felt for her allies. Mr. Yee used her body for rough sex, but the revolutionaries (or "terrorists" as we started out calling them) used her body too for murder. Whether it was justified murder or not is moot; murder itself was horrific, something that all these students all knew they would hesitate execute. They openly worry about this multiple times: in their initial planning, when practicing shooting, when their prey is almost in the clutches. The wide-eyed idealist tries to convince everyone that it is easy, because he know it isn't. During the fight with Mr. Yee's chauffeur confronts them, Kuang Yumin stabs him less out of practical necessity I think, but as a learning opportunity to take life; to "blood" himself, and the group, to push everyone over the edge of hesitancy. Each of the students took turns to stab the dying chauffeur in order to cross the murder threshold. Traumatizing themselves together, they would be more willing to take on Mr. Yee. Chiachi, however, is truly horrified and runs away. This was what she was being exploited to do, and she couldn't handle it.

Her exploitation by allies is honestly to me the most heartbreaking part of the movie. She joins the outfit because of her crush on Kuang Yumin, but it was Yumin's scheme that set her as the honeytrap. It was Yumin who let one of his friends take her virginity, instead of stepping up to the role himself (Bruh! You like the girl! Go fuck her! 我的天呀。。。). Yeah, yeah arguments for authenticity so need someone with more experience, but that friend only screwed a prostitute once. It just adds to the suffering, for Chiachi and for the viewers. And then it was Yumin who brought her back into the scheme. Of course, she consented, but he knew two previous undercover mistresses were killed, so if he truly wanted to protect her he would've left her alone...or like banged her properly. By the Heavens. We know this bothers Chiachi a lot too because she tearfully asks him about it after a heated exchange with the mission controller. Speaking of which, what an asshole. "We move when I say we move". Like sure dude, we feel for you that your family got killed and you want to make this scheme count, but can't you see you're betraying this woman again and again every time you let her get raped and don't make a move? Of course not, he's blinded by rage. And yet the wuss doesn't have the stomach to listen to her recount her trauma. What an asshole, jesus.

I think it is frustrating to think about, because it all makes sense in a fucked up way. It is like solving an equation that returns an unfavorable answer, and yet you cannot find sufficient fault in each step.

So yeah I believe Chiachi betrayed the cause more because of push than pull.

Although...I only now remember the tender moment at the Japanese geisha house, where she sings for him the sweet folk tune. Previously he commented on the Japanese being afraid of the Americans, suggesting that he's just a nihilist resigned to his job; the sweet nostalgia of her opera bit may have cracked him for real for the first time in a while.

The final shots of Mr. Yee being sad about Chiachi...yeah, I still have zero sympathy for him. My headcanon is that for consorting with mistresses so much, the Japanese betrayed him to the Republic and he is led into a trap, where he is injured in a brutal confrontation, but is successfully captured. He is then jailed until after the Second War, where he is released to work for the KMT's counterespionage. However, he is not as sharp as he used to be, and he is led into another honey trap, only this time, he is busted the very first time he tries to rendezvous with the girl. He is captured again, and when his past is revealed after the Liberation, he is paraded to the middle of Shanghai and shot in the back of the head.

Looking forward to Tony Leung once again in Shang-Chi.

[reginaofdoctorwho]

ok so i started this as a draft days ago and barely remember where i was going with this idea but i tried to fill it out a little more. basically it’s just that anytime Curt says he misses being a spy he misses being a spy with Owen or the spy he was with Owen. so probably everything is what everyone knows already

Curt ties being a spy with Owen. completely, intrinsically, whatever, okay?? in Spy Again Curt says “Owen would want me to do this”, and lists

hop in a jet and fly again

grow a spine again

do my best not to cry again

wear a suit and tie again

drink martinis and drive again

get by again

feel like a real important guy again

as what he’s going to do as a spy. let’s check off what happens before Owen’s reveal (i’m trying to include some)

hop in a jet and fly again

grow a spine again

do my best not to cry again (i’m trying to be nice here he’s probably doing his best despite what happens)

wear a suit and tie again (literally part of the mission)

drink martinis and drive again (he’s sobering up)

get by again (barely my dude)

feel like a real important guy again

which, decent, but our dude is also having gay flashbacks, messing up a very simple and clear mission, and mistakes flirting for fighting (to quote my friend “Amelie” “he’s,,, so bad at pretending to be straight”) this all being with him having been one of the greatest spies, to the point of recognition years after he retired.

and post Owen’s reveal

hop in a jet and fly again (we’re going to count whatever that in

grow a spine again

do my best not to cry again

wear a suit and tie again (i mean he doesn’t need it??)

drink martinis and drive again (ok i don’t know maybe?? he does shots before and THEN chases Owen and then he’s drinking whiskey when he meets with Tatiana)

get by again

feel like a real important guy again (look at him at the end

more below the cut because this is already long and it’s going to be even longer

Okay, to be more in depth, (this’ll sound like a lot of my other posts) at the beginning Curt Mega is truly a great spy. yes, he was captured by Oleg, but the entire interaction with him Curt is still in control. he mocks Oleg, breaks his fingers, hits the bat back at him, all while holding a conversation (and flirting) with Owen. he’s confident the entire time, he’s willing to go against plans and is overconfident to a fault. While Cynthia is somewhat rude and pays more attention to Owen in the beginning (”finally someone who knows what the hell they’re doing!”) but i think she’d treat him the same as Curt if he ever did decide to work for her. it’s partially a “bring in new talent” and partially a “keep the old talent from being overconfident” thing. i don’t think it’s an actual mark on what pre-fall Curt was like as an agent. but either way, their record was six minutes to get out of a building presumably set to explode (or implode. fuck if i know) and they were still both confident and eager to lower the time even more. and they would have accomplished it, if not for Owen falling. what i’m saying is pre-canon Curt was a very effective agent, was good at his job, and was likely almost never out of his depth.

in Spy Again, he’s talking about becoming a spy again, but he links this to Owen, believing that being a spy again would enable him to work past Owen’s death (”but maybe this time’ll be different, it might be what I need”). he’s haunted by the “memories” not “memory”, which could be taken as any time he and Owen worked together, not just when he died. he wants to be a spy, but even stating that and the things he misses about being a spy (above lists) starts to remind him of Owen (”and i know just where i’m goin’, me and my partner Owen!”). he sees himself post-fall, with his beard, alcoholism, and trying and failing to improve (”i do what i can, try to make a plan, to be a better man, but nothing seems to stick”) and again relates it to Owen (”Owen please, if you could see what’s become of me, what would you think?”). Curt decides Owen would want him to be a spy again (”i once was a spy. i think you’d want me to spy again”) and repeats it to make it stick (”Owen would want me to do this”), and that is what truly starts him off again. or so it would seem.

in his first mission back, Curt can’t start again. he has to talk himself into doing his job again (”looks like that someone has to be me. you came here to do this, so do the job, stop acting like a little pussy”), and then mostly rides along on what Tatiana does anyway (”i second that motion!) a far cry from the beginning Curt who did his job eagerly. and we are again reminded that Curt was a great spy when Sergio recognizes Curt on sight and says “is that Agent Curt Mega? ... i can’t believe this, the most famous spy in the world busting my arms deal. hey, would you mind signing something...” followed by DMA immediately being able to disarm Curt with ease, showing the contrast. Curt does recognize the baked goods are the way to hurt Sergio, but also loses the bomb to Tatiana

Curt is, at this point, still waiting [in a way] for a partner. it is not implied in the beginning that he and Owen worked together every mission, rather the opposite in fact (“MI6 didn’t tell me you were on this mission”), but he still seems to almost expect a partner, and goes off what Tatiana says even though they’re not working together, and they both train their weapons on the baked goods.

Cynthia points out that he’s been on an early retirement for four years, which Curt is very quick to correct as a grieving period. his hands shake during Cynthia’s drill, he fumbles the gun, and he has none of the grace or style of the beginning. when Cynthia mentions Owen and Curt’s alcoholism (”i remember when i got the call that Owen died and you lived, i screamed into Susan’s neck for fifteen seconds, then i locked it up and moved on. you on the other hand, you drank yourself to rock bottom...”) Curt doesn’t even look at her. when she poisons him, he’s still able to repeat back (in essence) what she said, showing that the spy of the past is still there, deep down.

Eyes on the Prize II is the (i think) first time we see Gay Flashback-Owen. he is notably not slipping and dying, as would likely be going through Curt’s head if he were haunted by that specific memory alone (going back to the “haunted by any memory of Owen”) thing i mentioned, but is instead also saying “keep your eyes on the prize” with the ensemble, again lining up Owen with Curt’s idea of being a spy.

during the casino scene Curt is clumsy with his acting, and is trying to get information from Tatiana (it’s all very awkward. “make it a white russian, hold the vodka, please, thank you so much” “excellent choice. one vodka martini bone dry, and one glass of cream”), but as soon as another person joins it (Dick Big), the relationship between them turns from enemies trying to get information from the other to an uneasy team (”i’m hardly alone, the woman and i were just about to-”), with Curt even giving a russian toast, and although Tatiana definitely notices when Curt is given a gun by the dealer, she politely declines to mention it, and when Curt offers her his arm while Dick is off finding a waiter, she smiles. and while it could be argued that it is just them working undercover, this did feel more genuine than when they are alone and back in their assumed positions (”besides, without that horrible face fungus, what will i have to yank?” “we are talking about fighting, right?”) Tatiana also recognizes that Curt is alone in more ways than one, both without backup and without anyone he can trust fully. in the short time they’ve been together, they already are close enough to friends that Tati apologizes for bringing him to DMA

despite the two of them being on opposite sides during this encounter, they are already beginning to act as partners/friends, and Curt takes her betrayal more personally than he should have

i’d also like to take this moment to point out that DMA almost instinctively stabs the Nazi henchman for saying “seems his noggin’s a bit dense!” of Curt

during Torture Tango, it seems like he’s having a natural reaction to getting tortured. Curt is nervous, he’s afraid, he’s ready to die (”you sick bastard, why don’t you just kill me already?”/”i can’t deny that i’m gonna die”). but this is NOT how the torture scene at the beginning went, even before he knew Owen was there. at the beginning scene Curt is arrogant, throwing Oleg’s words back at him, breaking his fingers, keeping a cool tone and staying in control the whole time. this time he barely talks to the DMA, he doesn’t fight back, he just accepts it. also, he sings “i once was a spy but i won’t be a spy again” and “thought i could say goodbye, but i can’t lie i wanna be a spy again” despite the fact that he is a spy again. he says he wants to be a spy again, but he already is a spy again, what he’s missing is Owen. he was once a spy with a partner he loved and could trust completely, and the partner felt the same way about him. that is what i believe enabled him to be such a good spy, he had someone who knew everything about him, being gay included, and he was able to act more confidently as a result. what he misses is less of the “go get the girl and go save the world” and more seeing his partner even for short periods and having the confidence that comes from being known. also, curt is on the verge of death and is still thinking of Owen (”doesn’t even matter if i killed my best friend”)

back to Tatiana, who’s having her own crisis. “is Mega my enemy do i let him die? i’ve got to think about my family ‘cause no one’s looking out for me...” she, at this point, has not interacted with Curt beyond the arms deal, the casino, and betraying him to von Nazi and DMA. despite this she still sees him as a possible ally, and ultimately does decide to betray von Nazi and DMA for him (to his understandable confusion). when she unties him, he only calms down when she holds her arm out to him, but he becomes so distracted by it and Gay Flashback-Owen that he doesn’t notice DMA is waking up until he’s already been shot.  i’d also like to point out that Gay Flashback-Owen is doing the same arm out pose Tatiana is doing while holding Curt’s arm

end of act 1. can i get a wahoo?

when Curt is with Barb, he acknowledges that he’s fucked things up, but still catches himself on saying he is a [great] spy again ”i was, i am, supposed to be the best”

i think during the gala he is trying to be the Curt from the past while ignoring why he was that way. he insists on going rogue, he confidently (and foolishly) announces that he is a spy, the prince will be assassinated, and that the Russians and Americans know, despite the fact that it doesn’t seem like a good idea if thought about at all. With blowing up the facility at the beginning there was some merit to it. they had been seen, they stole the plans and possibly wished to muddle why they were there, the facility might have had more plans they didn’t know about and they were already on a time limit. they also had a limit on the tech items they had (no rocket shoes :’( ).

when Tatiana rescues him again and takes him to his mother’s safe house, who mentions a “constant parade of drinking buddies, for poker or wrestling or whatever you boys do in the rumpus room” and while we could make an argument about Curt trying to move on after the fall, i think this youtube comment on the video is a fucking treasure and i will forever remember it.

i’d also like to point out now that Tatiana is truly the only character that i believe could “replace” Owen for Curt. he needs someone in his life who can know even the parts he hides from those closest to him, someone on equal footing with him, someone who doesn’t idolize him, and someone who works well with him. he can’t tell his mother, because she wants grandchildren, she wants a daughter-in-law, she wants to plan a wedding. it can’t be Cynthia, she’s his boss, it’s set during the Lavender Scare when he could lose his job for being gay. it can’t be Barb, who has an intense crush on him, and even when she does act in a platonic way, she is willing to risk her job based on the fact that it’s him (in an almost awestruck way). Tatiana is unimpressed with Curt when they first meet, they become friends quickly, work together to stop von Nazi and DMA, they are both spies at the top of the field, and she accepts him (”you’re cool with me?” “till the end!” “cool :)”). also, i think it’s interesting that Tatiana believes she is saving someone (her family) by leaving them behind, while Curt believed he killed someone (Owen his lover) by leaving them behind. just kinda parallels i think

before Doing This, Curt says he is is afraid that “[he’ll] never be the spy [he] once was” and that he believes he shouldn’t need anyone else. when Tatiana says he’ll get everyone who cares about him killed with his line of thinking he says the line “i already have.” explains about Owen, and adds “and that was back when I was the old Curt”.

during One More Shot, Curt acknowledges that he tried to get past missing Owen by trying not to need anyone else, which was wrong (“i used to think i could do this by myself i was fine, i didn't need any help“). this is him starting to take his friendship with Tati and being able to use it to see that while he cannot work alone, he doesn’t need one specific person to make him the man he is.

this of course promptly goes out the window when DMA is revealed to be Owen

however, Curt still calls Tatiana “partner” before going after Owen.

when he does go after Owen (One Step Ahead), he still thinks of Owen as the man from 1957 (”what happened to the man i knew?”). when Owen begins to explain, Curt tries to remind him of what they did “together. two of the greatest spies to ever live”. once again associating him and Owen together with being a spy

also, once Owen is dead (idk if i hope for real or not) again, Curt does make a change for the better. he’s able to be fairly confident around Cynthia, he tries to be enthusiastic about Barb’s tech/data analysis merge, he is able to talk about his “ex lover returned from the grave” with Tatiana. i do find it interesting though that he does not tell her about the other facilities, again taking it upon himself to fix it, and only telling her “give me a ring if you’re ever stateside”.

in a final moment, Curt is able to move on from Owen, and acknowledge “i once was a spy, i’ll always be a spy” with or without Owen.

[siennahrobek]

“Let me get this straight,” Cody struggled to express. You worked with Alpha-17.” The two of them had gone through the Temple after General Kenobi finished up his few communications and then explained to Cody what had happened on Kamino. The whole thing was rather bizarre, although not unwelcome. He definitely wanted as many of his brothers to flee with him and the Jedi as possible. He just never thought that Alpha-17 would lead a mutiny against the Kaminise and other natborns on the planet to take it over and start preparing for their own evacuation, planning to stay with the Jedi.

A few Temple guards would give General Kenobi a glance and then type something into their comm devices. Cody wasn’t entirely sure what they was about but Obi-Wan seemed rather unbothered.

General Kenobi hummed. “Many times.”

“You know Alpha-17.”

“Quite well, actually.”

“And he staged a mutiny after you warned him of the chips and Sith.”

“It appeared that way.”

“We are speaking of the same Alpha-17, correct? Big, burly, strictly loyal to the Republic, implies that the Jedi are kind of dumb and doesn’t seem to particularly care much about them, Alpha-17?”

“I wouldn’t say he dislikes Jedi,” General Kenobi replied, brows creasing.

“The Alpha-17 that practically doesn’t speak particularly kindly of anyone outside his-,” Cody stopped and thought about this for a moment. Did…was it possible? Alpha-17 of all people? There were stories about him being vaguely nicer ish when he came back and was stationed at Kamino full time as a trainer but, Cody had thought they were just that, stories.

General Kenobi glanced at him. “What?”

Cody shook his head. He would have to wrap his mind around that whole idea for later. “Nothing, sir. Just surprised he staged a mutiny and evacuation for you.”

General Kenobi snorted. “He didn’t do it for me. I just warned him.”

“As you say, sir.”

Time went on and the two of them worked harder and harder, talking and moving and even scouting the perimeter. Everything was in a hustle and bustle. Finally, someone mentioned anything Kenobi wanted to bring along. He had paused, like he hadn’t really thought of it; he hadn’t been anywhere near his own quarters. Cody surmised he probably hadn’t wrapped his head around the fact that he would probably never return.

It took some urging, but the two of them finally made their way to Kenobi’s quarters.

They stood at the doorway of his quarters; his general’s name emblazoned on a plate at the door. He hesitated before opening it and stepping inside. Cody hadn’t been here before; usually when he was in the Temple there was a reason and with all the duties that he and General Kenobi had, there wasn’t a lot of time for relaxation. The jedi took a deep breath of stale air and turned on the lights.

It was simple a small, although Cody had a feeling that the lack of personal items was due mostly to the war and being out all the time, rather than anything else. He didn’t spend much time here, Cody knew.

“Go pack some things, General,” Cody said, quietly. “I’ll see what I can get from the kitchenette.” He didn’t wait for an answer when he moved to the kitchen area, putting a few things of silverware in a box before setting it outside for one of his boys to pick up on their rounds down the hall. Afterwards, he had waited a few minutes for his jedi to return from his room, but curiosity got the better of him and he walked towards the door. There was an open duffle on the bed, a few items Cody couldn’t quite make out stuffed inside over the clothes. A dark case sat next to it. General Kenobi sat on the mattress, an unfamiliar lightsaber in his palms as he stared at it. It wasn’t Kenobi’s, Cody knew, and he was fairly certain it wasn’t Anakin’s either, as that one was clicked to the jedi’s belt.

“Whose is that?” he asked, softly.

“This saber was my masters, Qui-Gon Jinn. I had used it for some time after he died, used it to defeat the Sith, Darth Maul that had killed him,” General Kenobi explained, his voice a little void of the usual tones Cody was used to hearing from him. “I had used it afterwards before Master Yoda told me I should go to Illum to construct another. He would have hated what we became.”

“I didn’t know Ge-Master Jinn,” Cody admitted. “But in the end, you have saved countless lives of not only civilians and innocents, but me and my brothers as well. This was going to happen with or without you. The Jedi just did what they could to protect those they could and bring down the death toll. You always told me it was a Jedi’s duty to put others’ lives before your own, to help and protect them the best you could, to work for the greater good. I believe you did the best with the crappy situation you were forced into.”

General Kenobi’s gaze was warm and kind but very tired. He stood up and walked towards Cody before taking Cody’s arm and pressing the hilt in his palm. Cody couldn’t look at him and just stared at the saber, his mind buzzing. “I would like you to carry this, use it if necessary,” General Kenobi said with a deep breath.  “It has been sitting in my drawer for too long; it should protect people once more.”

“General, I-,” Cody started but General Kenobi shook his head.

“Trust me, Cody,” he assured. “There are few as worthy.”

The hilt was warm in his hand. He closed his fingers and nodded, firmly. “I will protect it with my life, sir.”

General Kenobi smirked. “I’m fairly certain it will be the other way around.”

Cody didn’t even get a chance to answer when General Kenobi’s commlink beeped. Pressing a button, he answered with a simple “Kenobi here.”

“Obi-Wan,” came the grumbling yet pleased voice of Kenobi’s diner friend, Dexter Jettser. “At least you’re alive.”

An eyebrow hiked up on his face as General Kenobi looked vaguely surprised. “Was there a doubt?”

“The Temple looks partially sunken in and is on fire, the clones are killing jedi,” Dex replied, uncharacteristically serious and dour. “I wasn’t sure if you were planet side or not and had doubts.”

“I am alive and have survived the siege on the Temple. We have pushed the attacking force back for now and are starting to…pack,” he replied, carefully. Dex seemed to get his meaning.

“Understood. You have a friend in me, always,” the besalisk promised. “But I have two Jedi here, one is in pretty rough shape. I’m working on transport for them, but it might be a moment. I don’t know where you will be. I won’t send them to the Temple, obviously.”

“Before the war, I asked you about a certain poison dart,” General Kenobi hummed, almost amused. Cody raised an eyebrow raised an eyebrow at him.

“Gotcha, that helps,” Dex replied. Cody didn’t know exactly what that meant or how Dex seemed to know exactly what General Kenobi was talking about, but they appeared sure and Cody could trust General Kenobi.

“And Dex?”

“Yeah?”

“The Clones, it…it isn’t their fault,” General Kenobi added, quietly. “They have chips in their brains that force them to comply. They are easy to find if you have an advanced enough droid and medical equipment and easy to remove but we did not know about them until recently. The Sith…the Sith have done this.”

For the first time ever, Cody heard the diner owner let out a string of curses. General Kenobi looked a little surprised too. “I understand,” he repeated, nearly in a growl. Dex had been pretty good to the clones during the course of the war. He gave them snacks and even passed along treats through General Kenobi for the 212th. They were welcome in his diner. “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan. I know how you feel about those boys.”

General Kenobi cast his eyes aside and closed them for a long moment. “We are doing all we can at this point,” he added.

“You should get going. I will leave you to it. Good luck, Obi-Wan. Stay alive.”

The new silence felt like it consumed everything. Neither was willing to speak. General Kenobi grabbed his bag in one hand and the dark case in the other and made his way towards the door. “We should get going,” he finally let out.

“I’m sure the evacuation is well on it’s way,” Cody added. “I have gotten a few updates; the ship is quickly filling up. Things are running mostly smoothly. Organa’s ships have sped things up rather drastically. He’s a good ally.”

“That he is,” Obi-Wan agreed, as they got through the door. Two soldiers came up to them and grabbed the box from the front and offered to take Kenobi’s other things. It only took a little urging to get him to give them up. “I hope Ahsoka, and Master Feemor have gone up,” he murmured. “Rex was with them; I believe he is fine.”

“I haven’t seen him yet,” Cody confessed. “I didn’t know he was planet side.”

“I had warned Ahsoka not to come but she did anyways. I felt Rex as well, but I think Master Feemor had convinced him to go to the Healing Halls immediately,” General Kenobi explained, softly as they worked their way down the halls, abandoning the jedi’s quarters for what would probably be the last time. It was no sentimental affair.

“But not Ahsoka?”

“No,” Obi-Wan replied, a bit bitterly. “She had stayed just long enough during my duel with…with Anakin to watch him slaughter a youngling and a padawan. After that, Master Feemor took her away. I don’t know what to say to her when I see her,” he admitted.

Cody clenched his gloved hand into a fist, trying to work through and release his anger. He was generally good at it, except for the fact that the person who betrayed them was someone Cody thought would never try to kill his general. Killing innocent children…that was beyond terrible. He tried not to think too hard on it, but did he want Skywalker to burn. They continued to walk down the halls, a bit briskly. “Do you know this Master Feemor? I’ve been hearing a lot of him from you.”

He seemed to think about this for a moment, bringing a hand up to his chin, trying quite hard to think. “Not really. The name sounds vaguely familiar, but I cannot seem to place him. When we escape, I will have to ask him some time. He helped me turn away the homing beacon for the jedi out in the field. And he assisted me, at least at times, with my duel with Anakin.”

There was a pause and Cody narrowed his eyes. Someone he would have to look into, for sure.

Thoughts and silence were broken by the incessant beeping on Obi-Wan’s commlink. Cody was hoping, if anything, it would just be an update from Master Drallig or Boil on how the evacuation was going. Perhaps they were almost done, and they could get a move on. They were not so lucky.

“Obi-Wan,” Senator Amidala’s voice was part fury, part relief and part frustration. There was a lot to pick up on and Cody’ wasn’t sure how to feel about it right now. Did she have to do this now? “Finally, you picked up. Obi-Wan what in the world is happening? I have been trying to get a hold of you forever! I can’t get in contact with Anakin and then Ahsoka said something that just could not be true at all about him. Bail and I went to a Senate meeting where Palpatine created an Empire and said the Jedi were traitors! What is happening?”

This was not going to be a pleasant conversation, Cody knew, especially from the look on General Kenobi’s face, which was drawn out and exhausted. Talking with politicians was never pleasant. At least with what General Kenobi had said about Organa, that man had made things extremely brief, offering up his ships and services instead of pressing for questions.

“I do not have time right now, Senator,” Obi-Wan replied, his voice as calm as ever. It was probably good she couldn’t see him; he looked exhausted and probably not entirely pleased with her at the moment. “We are evacuating the Temple of as of currently and Anakin is a complicated subject.”

“We need to talk.”

“About Anakin or about your pregnancy?”

“Y-You know about that?”

“Of course, I know about that,” Obi-Wan added with a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The pregnancy thing was new to Cody, but he knew about Skywalker’s relationship with the Senator. They weren’t nearly as subtle as they thought they were and Cody had an amusing time ribbing Rex about it, although it wasn’t generally blatantly. “And Anakin is the father no doubt.”

“Y-yes.”

“That is very dangerous, Senator,” he sighed lightly again. “How far exactly are you along now?”

“I’m due within the next week or two.”

Obi-Wan’s face dropped so far Cody started to worry. His expression then hardened into determination. “Senator, you must leave and come with the Jedi-,” Cody shot him an alarmed looked. “If you want the children to survive.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Look this is all very complicated but you are going to need the help of the Jedi Healer. Pregnancies with force sensitives can be extremely difficult, especially when the pregnant partner is not,” General Kenobi explained, clear and steady. “And with Anakin’s midiclorian count and power with the Force, it is entirely possible you will die if you do not get help from Jedi healers when it is time for you to give birth. And given the fact that you are carrying twins-.”

“Twins?!”

So apparently the Senator did not know that. Wasn’t there pre-birth care for upcoming mothers, Cody mused.

Obi-Wan barely skipped a beat. “That also puts the risks much higher. The jedi are not sticking around the Temple to get slaughtered by the new emperor. So, if you want your children and yourself to live, you need to come with us.” His statement was firm and unyielding. There was no real debate, no choice to really make if she wanted her children to have a chance.

The Senator was quiet for a long moment. “Alright,” she conceded. “For my children. I do not believe what has been said about Anakin. He is a good person and can be saved…but I need to think about my…children right now.”

“If you are to come with us, you must leave immediately. We do not have much time and we cannot afford to wait. We have our own children to think about as well,” Obi-Wan gritted his teeth before taking a deep breath and smoothing himself out. “If you need help to get to the Negotiator, contact Senator Organa.”

“I will take my own ship,” she announced. “Just let your men know I am coming.”

“We will. Goodbye, Padme. I will explain that I can when we meet again.”

Obi-Wan didn’t wait for her to respond and hung up. There was a moment of silence before he leaned himself against the wall, as if he couldn’t hold himself up again. “This is a mess.”

“She doesn’t know about Skywalker?”

“I believe Ahsoka may have called her but…Padme loves him, I doubt she would want to believe it. She sees the best in him,” he shook his head.

Cody nearly snorted. “So do you. Sometimes it’s just not enough. Come on, General, I know you won’t go up until the last ship, until everyone else is aboard, but we can find somewhere to help until then.”

“I would like to see how the medical staff is doing; things would be going rather slow for them, as it is more difficult to move the injured. And also, perhaps, some of the freed clones if we can. I cannot imagine the difficult time they are having, waking up from being brainwashed only to run around to evacuate without being able to deal with what has happened to them.” He sounded so mournful, just thick with feeling and tension, more than Cody had ever really heard from him. General Kenobi tended to be quiet and private with his grief, although open with his praise. It was a bit rare to see such a show of heartache in others’ presence.

This was hard. For him, for Cody, for the Jedi. Cody was just trying not to think about it right; one thing at a time. He could only do so much to help and save as many as he could. Every so often his fist would curl, his legs would shake, his brain would get full, but Cody did what he did best; he pushed on. And on and on.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see the outcome right now. He was still trying not to think about the fact that he had been, although briefly, brainwashed and taken over by the Sith. Even though he hadn’t done any damage, the feeling was still there, oily and disgusting. It made his skin crawl.

Cody couldn’t imagine what the rescued 501st was feeling right now.

But General Kenobi was determined, and Cody couldn’t help but go along with it. He would stay by his general’s side. He just dreaded what he would see when he saw his brothers and what was left of them.

[going-through-some-stuff]

Entry Eighteen - Monday, June 14 2021

So this has definitely been the longest amount of time between posts (almost a year for those keeping track) and holy shit has stuff happened. Currently we’re in the process of cleaning up the house that I live in so that we can sell it sometime this summer. I never realized how truly dirty this place was until I (and my dad and step-mom) went over it with a fine-tooth comb. Like I knew it was bad but *damn* is it bad. I’ve spent multiple days working on this shit and there’s still tons to do. I’m also definitely not in the mood to clean today but I have to so I’m going to. But my procrastination aside, some actual big stuff has happened. I graduated college, which is great and also horrifying. Since I dropped the accounting major to a minor, I finished undergrad in December of 2020, and spent this last semester doing just graduate level courses, which are very much different from undergrad courses (especially econometrics holy shit that class was a lot of work). But I did enjoy it overall and learned a lot of cool stuff, which made it worth it. I didn’t do the full masters program, just got a certificate, which is just a 12 hour program instead of 36(?) and is mostly just the core classes about econometrics. It also means I don’t have to do any sort of thesis and/or capstone which is amazing. I’m also apart of a new group who are so much god damn fun to hang out with. For the purposes of this blog I’ll call them Brian, Emily, Siobhan, and Katie. Brian, Siobhan, and Katie were all also economics majors, which is how I met them, and Emily is Siobhan’s childhood friend. We all started talking around the beginning of the fall 2020 semester, but we didn’t really get to know each other until around winter break of the same year when we did some house sitting for Siobhan’s sister and spent the weekend hanging out. That was honestly one of the most fun weekends I’ve had in a long time. We’ve hung out quite a few times since then, especially because Katie is dead set on meeting everybody’s parents for some reason. The only parents we haven’t met yet are Brian’s, which he (much like myself) is trying to put off for as long as possible. Overall though they’re an amazing group of people and I absolutely love hanging out with them and talking to them. Speaking of people I love talking to, I’ve been talking to my friend Ally a lot more recently, and they’re so much fun and we have such great chaotic energy together. We’ve been friends since I was a senior in high school (they were a junior at the time) but we didn’t really become close friends until the last two-ish years when we’ve started talking all the time. They’re one of my best friends and I can talk to them about truly anything. That being said, I think I really like them. Idk if this just happens to anybody (especially AFAB people) who shows me any amount of human decency, but I really do want to date this person. I really want to tell them but I don’t know how, and also they live an hour and a half away from me, so I don’t want to try and do this long distance because I’ve never even been in a relationship, let alone one where we don’t get to see each other barely ever. I also don’t want the feelings to not be mutual and have it be awkward and hurt our friendship. Part of me feels like the feelings are mutual because of the way they talk to me, but I really don’t know for sure. I’m also 100% okay with being friends so like it’s not the end of the world if I never tell them, but also I feel like they deserve to know. Literally everybody I know that has come to me with this same issue I have told them to just tell the person because they deserve to know the truth, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Maybe part of it is because I’ve been on the receiving end of that situation a couple of times myself and it hasn’t ended super well either time. Those were pretty different situations where the first person was a friend’s ex (I also handed that poorly so that’s also partially my fault) and the other one was a married coworker (which is a whole other issue that could have its own post), and both times the feelings were not mutual. I really don’t know what to do, but I just reached out to a mutual friend both me and Ally are close to who met his current partner through a different mutual friend, and him and his partner were friends before dating, so we’ll see what wisdom he can bring forth to me. Anyway, I’ve got a house to clean and other general stuff to do. It’s ya boi, AW signing off.

[rotationalsymmetry]

Long post about how justice needs to be about the people harmed, not the people causing the harm. From justice for individuals to social justice. Some non-graphic discussion of rape. Behind a cut, partly because of the rape stuff but mostly because it’s really long. Somewhat rambly.

I’ve got one more in me. At least. Hang on.

My brain will fan out in one of a thousand arbitrary directions and then not want to go back. I can do this.

Ah, right, “as usual this isn’t about being a bad person.” The US and I’m assuming the Western world in general, has a really skewed idea of justice. We think it’s about the person causing harm.

Let’s say someone rapes me. Let’s say it’s one of those mythical rapes that almost never happens: a stranger in a dark alley relying on physical force. OK. That’s bad. That’s not a stealing baby formula kind of crime, it’s not something that just shouldn’t be illegal in the first place or something that wouldn’t be an issue under a more fair economic system, that’s really bad.

(A massive percentage of the prison population is there for nonviolent drug crimes, and in general illegal is not the same thing as wrong.)

Is putting the rapist in jail going to help me or other people? I mean, maybe I’ll feel a little bit safer, maybe?

Except that’s not how most rapes happen. The guy who actually raped me wasn’t a stranger who physically overpowered me. He was my boyfriend. And he didn’t need to overpower me because I trusted him and thought that since I’d said that I wanted to do some things and not other things he’d respect that and, well, turns out I was wrong.

There is no way in hell I would have gotten a conviction, if I’d even contacted the police, if I’d even seen it as rape at the time. I’d have to prove, in a court of law, beyond a reasonable doubt, that it wasn’t consensual, and how do you do that? And most rape victims can’t. Because most rapes are committed by someone the victim knows — a boyfriend, a spouse, a friend, an acquaintance — and they’re not committed using physical force. (Alcohol/drugs are really common, although not in my case.)

How do you prove it was rape? You don’t.

That’s the bad news. The good news is, you don’t have to punish the rapists to create a world with less rape in it, or to support people who have been raped. You can tell the truth about rape and dispel the myths. You can make therapy widely available, and medical care including abortion widely available and cheap or better yet free. (In spite of what a certain Republican politician has claimed on the record, there’s no special magic that keeps people with a uterus from getting pregnant if they didn’t want the sex.)

Oh, and including generous support for parents who don’t have a lot of resources, for victims unlucky enough to get pregnant who choose to not go the abortion route.

You can promote consent culture (talking about what getting consent looks like) and fight slut shaming (slut shaming is always also rape victim shaming) and promote bystander intervention and make certain kinds of “locker room talk” socially unacceptable and spend an inordinate amount of time talking about “It’s Cold Outside”.

You can address the myth that false accusations of rape are common. You can impose social and economic consequences on accused rapists without waiting for or requiring legal confirmation. You can bring “missing stairs” out into the open. You can decide this isn’t a good time to talk about the Rule of Three when a rape victim asks for a curse in your online pagan group. You can believe victims and support victims and not ask a bunch of weird “ok, but you must have done something to make him think you wanted it” type questions.)

(Um, I’m mostly using male perpetrator/female victim language here, but rape absolutely happens in queer contexts and women can sexually assault men or boys, and believing male or nonbinary victims and people who have been victimized by women or other not-men is important too.)

Hmm. I don’t think this is exactly what I wanted to talk about here. But I guess I’ll roll with it?

Anyways: if my rapist was in prison that wouldn’t do a danged thing to help me. What helps me? Project Unbreakable. Yes Means Yes. Other people who have been raped talking about their experiences. A lot of people being very emphatic that it’s not a “misunderstanding” thing and it’s not the victim’s fault. People talking about what the emotional fall-out of being raped can look like, and how there’s no “wrong” way to react to being raped. People who make it possible to talk about this stuff without getting a lot of weird ass reactions.

And, you know, health care and stuff.

And this is what justice should look like: what helps people who have been harmed, what mitigates the damage, what promotes healing. Which pretty much always starts with speaking truth and dispelling the myths.

It’s really, really, really not about the perpetrators.

And it’s the same thing with all oppression related stuff. Racism isn’t about white people. This anti-immigrant xenophobic stuff going on in the US, isn’t about white US citizens who are overly fond of weird candy metaphors, it’s about immigrants and their families and what they need.

Fighting the patriarchy fundamentally isn’t about punishing men or doing anything with men at all, and taking the focus away from men is a really important step in fighting patriarchy.

Fighting ableism isn’t about temporarily abled people at all, and I have to say as a formerly temporarily abled person (or at least formerly able bodied person) that term resonates with me hard. It really is a fundamentally unreliable state of being.

Anyways: it’s about disabled people. It’s about being clear on the differences between what our conditions do to us and what a human-made world does to us. It’s about taking our voices out of the margins and putting them in the center. It’s about resources and support and challenging the idea that worth is connected to productivity or independence. It’s about being real and upfront about how while work often needs to be done, work isn’t worth. It’s about acknowledging that sometimes what happens to us isn’t caused by us. It’s making space for seeing people who are sick or injured who aren’t getting better, ever. It’s about representation in media, it’s about accommodations, it’s about addressing stigmas. It’s not about abled people at all.

So: I’m disabled, ableism is (partially) about me. (Definitely partially though — there’s some forms of ableism I don’t experience, and other forms I rarely experience compared to others.) When we’re talking about a type of ableism I experience (like...doctors assuming you’re not really that sick because you look healthy) my voice is important; when we’re talking about another type of ableism (like...people with developmental disabilities being treated as less than human) I need to get into ally mode and support.

I’m white: that means my opinion is intrinsically less important when the conversation turns to racism, because it’s not about me. My role is to support, to not get in the way, to use my privilege to amplify people of color’s voices. Mostly to step back. To listen. To not make it all about me.

Idk, I don’t want to act like different forms of oppression are interchangeable, and I think sometimes I do fall into that way of thinking. They’re not, there’s significantly different issues and concerns. But there’s also some extent to which ideas about one form of oppression can be transferred to other forms, some extent to which generalizations can be made. It’s easier for me to “get” racism if I think about the ways I’m marginalized. It’s not a substitute for listening though.

Anyways. I think people mess up on this a lot. Like, so much of oppression talk would be easier if there weren’t so many people whose immediate reaction to hearing oppression words like “classism” or “racist” or “patriarchy” or “transphobia” was to think “you’re telling me I’m a bad person” or even “you’re saying all men are bad” or whatever. That’s not what it’s about.

You can be really clear that that’s not what you’re saying, and people will hear it anyways because that’s what they’re primed to hear. That’s how they’re primed to think about justice. Which is one heck of a barrier to actually getting justice.

[lettersofwrittencollective]

The Pull (43/?)

Summary: The Ragnulf’s are one of the oldest lines of werewolves known. A gift from ancient times was given to the line. Though not all of the line will experience it. There are some who will experience a Pull. This Pull leads them to their true mate, a soulmate. The problem is, just because the wolf finds their true mate does not mean that they are the same for that person.

Author: @lettersofwrittencollective​

Pairing: Stiles x Hale!Cousin OC (Reader)

Word count: 1780

Warnings: mentions of death, angst, threatening adults 

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Noshiko seems to be annoyed that she has to share her story with them but she listened to her mate and so Kira, Scott, and Alaric all listened as Noshiko told her story. 

Apparently, part of the reason she hadn’t been that worried about getting caught was because she had someone looking out for her. She’d managed to somehow, start a relationship with one of the medics, a Corporal Rhys.

Corporal Rhys had been in charge of hospital inventory and that quickly, 

At first, she hadn’t told him about taking anything off the trucks at first but he’d begun to suspect one of the other bunks and she believed him to care about her enough that she told him. It had been a gamble but it paid off as Rhys turned a mostly blind eye. 

Noshiko tells them of how, not long before the end, Rhys had been worried about the things that had been taken. He began telling her more often to be careful but she had thought him too paranoid.

“Enough,” Alaric growled, “you’re stalling.” 

“And we don't wanna hear your Casablanca story,” Kira tells her while Scott reminds that they want to know how to save the boy. 

Scott’s face changes, like something, occurs to him and he asks, “when the sun goes down, the Oni are gonna come after him again, aren’t they?” 

“Your friends gone, Scott,” Noshiko tries to point out but Scott shakes his head. 

“I don’t think you know that - not for sure.”

“You brought your Oni here,” Alaric reminds her, “You need to call them off.”

Noshiko merely ignores Alaric and addresses Scott, “It’s not your fault. Stiles maybe your best friend. He may even be a brother to you but he is Nogitsune now. He is Void”

“Can you call them off?” Scott questions her, ignoring the rest of her comments.

“Noshiko,” Alaric calls when the woman says nothing “You need to call them off.” 

She turned to glare at the man and shook her head, “When you hear the rest of the story, you won’t want me to.” 

“Look, I’m not particularly interested in the story. The only thing I want to know is how to separate the Nogitsune from the boy. Once that’s done you can hunt down the Nogitsune for all I care.”

Noshiko and Alaric stared at each other for a minute before she tilted her head, “Why is the boy so important to you?” 

Alaric didn’t say a word but there was a look in Noshiko’s eye. It looked almost like she was trying to figure out something. 

Making your way through the city, you’re sure that Noah, Argent, and Derek aren’t too far behind you but you don’t dare look back. 

You know we’re going to have to do something about it, she tells you and you can hear the anger. 

No, you tell her. Her first instinct - your first instinct - is to rip Argent apart but, Allison doesn’t need to suffer and besides -  his wife’s already dead. 

He killed mom

No, Victoria did and she’s dead now.

You heard him Victoria only okayed mom's death. That doesn’t mean she’s the one that actually killed her.

Doesn’t mean Argent was either.

Please! You don’t believe that and you know it. Hunters are matriarchal societies but he was still her mate… he would have made sure what she wanted was done. 

You’re silent for a minute, she’s not wrong and you’re pretty sure that Argent would have at least had a major role in your mother's death… 

Pulling up to the Argents loft, you get off your bike and make your way up to their apartments. Ally lets you in and tells you to grab something from her dad's office.

Looking down, you see a few different ropes, chains, zip-ties hand-cuffs, pepper spray and some tasers you shake your head, “Is this all?”

“It’s everything non-lethal I could find,” Allison says and you nod your head. She looks like she’s worried and goes to say something else when a voice interrupts you.

“Take all of it,” comes Argents voice and you try not to stiffen while she fights to at least be allowed to growl at him. 

“What’s the plan here?”

“Well our best shot is for Derek and Natasha to try to pick up Stiles’ scent at Eichen House, especially if he went through something stressful there,”. Argent says and you notice something.

“Wait- is Stiles not currently at Eichen House?” You question the group in front of you and they turn to look at you. Surprise etched in their faces.

“No one told you?” Allison asks and you shake your head. 

Reaching out to you, she takes your hand in hers but you shake your head, “He’s not at Eichen anymore is he?” 

She shakes her head and you heave out a sigh, you focus on the bonds and you can feel that he’s frustrated and annoyed, there’s fear but you haven’t bonded so you don’t have an actual location. Looking around at the others around you you nod your head, “alright then, we need to find him. But it doesn’t make sense for all of us to go to Eichen.”

“Well, where else has Stiles been showing when we know he’s not been, Stiles?” Argent questions and while you try to remember you keep getting stuck on last night and what you’d smelt and felt coming from him in Eichen. 

Picking up some of the rope, you hear Allison give a quick list, “the school, the hospital, the station.” 

“Hold on,” Derek interrupts, “We did this already. He disappeared and we started looking for him only to walk right into a trap at the hospital.” 

“That’s not actually how it worked out,” you growl out. Eyes turn to you but you look at Derek. Partially because he’s the one you’re annoyed with and partially because you’re worried about snapping at Arden you focus on him and point out, “Stiles wasn’t the Nogitsune when he ended up in that cave.”

“No but the Nogitsune has already gotten in and was messing with his head,” Derek says as he comes up and puts an arm around you. It’s a comforting gesture but you don’t have the time right now to be comforted- Stiles needs you guys to figure out the Nogitsune. 

“So what do we do?” Allison asks, “Wait for him to come to us?”

“We can’t- the Oni will be after him as soon as the sun goes down,” you remind her with a shake of your head. Then more to yourself than anyone in the room, you mutter, “So how do we get them out of the way?”

“Scotts actually working on that right now, with Kira.”

You can’t help but scoff, “Unless she can convince her mother to call them off, that’s not much help. And considering what her Oni’s swords are apparently covered in - I highly doubt she’s interested in helping.”

“Wait, what do the Oni’s swords have?” Argent’s voice breaks in and both Derek and Allison look at you but no one says anything. Noah must have caught onto the worry in Argent's voice because he calls your name again and when you turn to meet his gaze, you can see the worry and you shake your head.

“Emerald Wolfsbane,” you tell them and Argent is cursing. At Noah's confused look, you shake your head, “It’s fine for humans but can be lethal to wolves.”

“So you need to not be careful around it,” Noah asks and both you and Derek nod your heads. 

“How do you know these Oni have this - Emerald wolfsbane?” Noah asks you and lift your shirt to show him the scar that will forever be etched into your skin now. 

His face pales at the sight and he shakes his head,  and addresses four of you, “Look I’ll understand if anyone wants to back out.”

“No way,” you say before he’s even fully finished his sentence, “I’m not walking away from Stiles.”

“And I won’t be the first wolf to run from a fox,” Derek says as he crosses his arms. You know that it’s more for you than any kind of pride but there’s only so much that he can get away with. 

“I’m carrying the lightsaber,” Argent points out as he looks down at the baton in his hands. 

Allison comes to stand next to you and takes your hand, “No one’s walking away.”

There’s a silent understanding between the five of you and you turn to Derek, “You and Argent go to Eichen House, see if you can pick up his scent.”

When he nods his head, you look at Allison, “You and I will go to the school and...”

“Actually, I’d like you to go with me to the hospital,” Noah cuts in and you turn to him, ready to deny him when he finishes on a whispered plea, “Please?” 

Slowly you nod your head and Noah tells you he’ll meet you downstairs. Allison grabs her stuff and you both make your way out of the room. 

Standing in the room, Derek watches as Argent picks up one of his guns and a clip.

“Making sure you have some lethal options, just in case?” He asks the older man who turns to him. 

“I like to prepare for the worst,” he says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 

Derek shakes his head and scoffs, “You realize that if you kill him, you’ll condemn her and we will hunt you down.”

Argent simply nods at him before making his way past him and out of the apartment. 

You’re not far behind the Sheriff when Alison calling your name stops you, turning around you wait for her to catch up 

“What happened?” she asks without preamble an you raise an eyebrow at her. You point to yourself and then towards Sheriff.

“Uh- Sheriff asked-” 

“Not that,” she interrupts you as she takes your hands and then looks back towards her apartment building, “With my dad.” 

“Ally,” you say but what can you tell her? Shaking your head you look back towards the building and then at her. 

“Something happened, you won’t even look at him now,” she says and you shake your head. 

“It’s not for right now… We’ll talk about it once we save Stiles, I promise,” you tell her before squeezing her hand. You looked at her, begging that she work with you and were grateful when she nodded her head. 

Letting go of her hand, you ran over to the Sheriff's cruiser and noticed he was holding the door open for you to get in. 

-

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- 

taglist:   @nicole-lynne​ @fandom-princess-forevermore​ @capandbuck​ @biles-bilinski-24​ @stiles-o-dylan24​ @queenofmonstersanddemons​ @falling-stars-never-cry​​  @blueraindrops​ @its-livelovelife​ @screamxqueenx94​ @ceceliaking-18​ @jasmineshwayze1994​ @dear-vista​ @fangirlbitch02​ @riseandshinelittleblossom​ @jessicakimba​ @truthdaze​ @seninjakitey​ @kateeee0817 @squadkyoya​ @lucifersnipnips​ @niawoods​ @stiles-o-dylan24​ @pansexualbitchesofhell​ @bloodrose-scythe​ @fox-in-a-mousetrap-8​ @findingmyselfinthismessedupworld @shantayok​ @yougottalovefandoms​ @that-idiot125​ @booklover240​ @southsiderepresent​ @walkingdeadfan25​ @cutiepiemimi13​ @luckyfriess​ @all-will-be-well-love​ @marauderskeeper​@peachyinparis @-thatgirloverthere-​  @softpeteparker​ @readingkate17​ @humbledarkness​ @xceafh​ @applcrumbl​ @my-suga-kookies​ @weweirdosclub​ @southsideprinxexx​ @supernatur-alis-life @perfectlyseavey​ @twilight-loveer​​    @fullangelimagines​ @tropical-booda​ @sarcasticsagittarius1998​ @jxhn-mxrphy​ @lemme-read-all-the-things42​ @bluehairwithanartsysoul

Could not tag the bolded 

Do not copy and paste my writing anywhere without my consent. This work is the property of lettersofwrittencollective . Associated characters belong to MTV and are being borrowed for this work, all OC’s are the property of lettersofwrittencollectiveThese works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.

Posted 14 August 2019

[realm-sweet-realm]

Mixed Ink AU shorts #1

"Top o' tha mornin' to ya! My name is Shawn Flynn, and today we're here because of somethin' the lovely Allison Pendle here found in Joey Drew's backroom! Allison would you like to tell us about this very special discovery?"

Allison looked to the video camera. "Am I on it? Am I in the right place?" She whispered to Shawn.

Shawn got up and checked. "Yep."

"Alright. So, first of all, I didn't find it, my boyfriend did. But no matter. What we found is a potion. If you mix it with ink and give it to two people within fifteen minutes of each other, they'll switch personalities. Now, Joey had the thing labeled as 'useless,' and I guess he's right. But he forgot one thing we could do with it. Shawn?"

"Use it on random people and watch what it does for own selfish entertainment while filming for prosperity!" Shawn yelled as he raised his arms, his voice full of mocking enthusiasm. A camera made him into an even bigger ham than usual.

"Alright. And you know who I think we should use it on first?"

"Who?"

"There's this little girl- a fellow voice actress named Susie Campbell. I've tried to make friends with her, but the girl is just so bitter about being recast that she can't bring herself to be anything but rude to me. I think we should switch her with someone a little angrier and see what happens."

"Like me?"

"Dude, you're the one using half his vacation days on this. Let's not risk you losing your nerve to film this just yet."

"Okay. Well, Joey definitely has anger issues," Shawn pouted, thinking about how he'd been screamed at for mispainting one lousy doll.

"Hmm... Not a bad idea, but Joey can usually keep his anger under wraps when it's good for him. Oh, idea! Let's swap me with someone more obnoxious so that I can really get her angry!"

Shawn snapped his fingers. "My good buddy Lacie knows just the guy."

--- "Welcome to the beautiful and uncharted territory of the Joey Drew Studios recording room. Here we can find a variety of luscious wildlife, such as the strange and pointy Sammy bird we see currently striding towards us."

"Hello, are you lost?" Sammy said in a far more polite tone than his face conveyed.

Shawn clicked off the video camera. "Nope. Here making an official, uh, documentary. Just as Joey Drew asked. We just need some footage of the voice actin' and music makin' and we'll be on our way."

"Alright, then. Just don't make noise where we're recording, okay?"

Shawn nodded. Sammy turned away, and Shawn started up the video camera again. "Truly magnificent creatures."

Shawn then endured what felt to him to be an absurdly long wait while the music room recorded gold. Whenever he could, Shawn would add in a quip about wild Jackolopes or the like, but mostly he was waiting for the moment when a break was called and Susie and Allison emerged. "The wild Susie is a jealous little bird, but this subspecies of Susie, the Joeyed Susie, is especially bitter. Let's watch as she observes the wild Bertrumed Allison's every move."

Allison was strutting around like she owned the place. "Mrs. Campbell, could you fetch me some water? The great Allison Pendle is thirsty." Allison was looking down on Susie like she was a servant, and Susie was gritting her teeth. She left grumbling.

"Ooh, I think we're about to see a show of dominance!" Shawn said.

Susie returned with a bottle of water and, with a fake smile on her face, tossed the bottle at Allison. It was uncapped, and it spilled all over her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Allie. You know a pal like me wouldn't do something like that on purpose. But you know, I'm just as clumsy out here as you are in the recording booth. I mean, as I am. Of course. That's what I meant," she said in a voice that made it clear that it wasn't.

Allison looked just puffed up with rage. "How dare you. I'll have you know that I was a distinguished model before this, and that is a kind of acting all on its own. You're pretty and talented enough, but standing next to me you look like you fell off a turnip truck and landed in proper society last week."

Everyone in the room gave them a little space. The girls were acting pretty weird, but they'd been expecting this to happen eventually. Shawn set the video camera on the floor- it took all his effort not to start laughing. Meanwhile, Susie was infuriated. She sprang on Allison, and the two were wrestling on the ground in seconds.

"Despite their tiny size," Shawn whispered, "Susies are savage." Indeed, she was- Allison, being the bigger and stronger of the two, quickly grabbed her shoulders and rolled her over onto her back, but Susie was still scratching her up with her claws. Allison smiled, knowing she was in the superior position.

Then, Joey burst in and immediately looked devastated. "Somebody separate them!" he yelled desperately. Norman came down from his recording booth and tore Allison off of Susie with relative ease. Joey looked distraught. "I wish I could say I was surprised. I knew that this was a long time coming, and I know this is partially my fault. We need to talk and work something out. You two, my office, first thing tomorrow morning. And please, try not to kill each other before then." Joey looked just about ready to cry.

---

The next clip took place in Shawn's apartment once again.

"Thank the Lord almighty that we were able to find an antidote," Shawn said, "or Susie and miss Allison here might justa' talked themselves out of their jobs."

Allison nodded. "I made sure she got some, too. Can't let this go too far. As for Joey, we think we'll leave him like this a while. He's nicer this way. And hey, maybe he'll come in handy for our plans tomorrow."

[pheonix-sassafras]

Subject Interview- Marcus Guerriero

Quotes: "You think you can get away with that bastard?"

"Yes, sir. I'm absolutely sure I'm not going to do that shit for you.... sir."

"Fuck off and go to hell. If I see you again, you'll be meeting the Lord next."

"Hey... it's okay Sweetheart... I'm not gonna hurt you, honey. Come here, I'll protect you."

Name: "Marcus Guerriero, a pleasure to meet you."

Introduction: “Ciao, Miss, I’m Marcus Guerriero, a pleasure to meet you.”

Nickname: “Oh, boy... let's see here. Soldier boy, Italian bastard, and by a rare few Mark, but mostly I'm called Marcus. Feel free to give me one; trust me, I'd tell ya if I don't like it."

Preferred name: “Marcus.”

Age: “24.”

Gender: "Obviously, I'm a man."

Race: "Italian, well I'm a tiny bit of a lot of other things too. But I'm mostly Italian."

Sexuality: "Straight" 

Powers: "What makes you think I'd tell you? Well, don't go doing anything crazy now, Oi mio... I'm a magic-user. I can heal, do a lot of small magic. Happy? Good." 

Weapons: "You will never see me without a few small knives and or a pistol. You might see me with a sword or rifle from time to time as well, the sword more often then rifle. Where? Well, I’m afraid that wouldn’t be too smart of me to tell ya would it?" 

Personality: "you're asking me? What can't you tell? Oi, mio Dio..." (Marcus can be slightly arrogant and acts like a big tough guard dog. But once you can crack his outer persona he projects, you will see he is actually a softy, loving children and is kind and caring. He would do anything to see someone smile. But the moment danger comes, he will protect those he cares about with his life)

Drunk: “Can’t say I ever am.” (Swears vividly, even if in front of children. He thinks he is the cutest thing and tries flirting with everyone but can flip and turns into the bitchiest thing in a millisecond but is most often fun to be around.) 

Coffee: “Black. No, no sugar, no creamer. Black. What do you mean how do I drink it like that, it tastes good.”

Beliefs: "I believe in a god. As the saying goes, there are no atheists in a fox hole. What else do you want me to say?"

Voice: "What? You are listening to me, you tell me.” (Marcus has a very rich sounding deep voice. He has a slight Italian accent, and his voice will catch slightly on the English words, but when he speaks Italian it is smooth and easy to listen to)

Abilities/ skills: "Weren't you listening? Ay.. sharpshooting, hand to hand combat, healing, first aid, archery kind of. That one is a work in progress more so than the others. I'm still training, don't give me that look."

Inabilities: “Well, if I must answer. I have trouble showing how I feel, and for the life of me, I can’t shoot a bow to save my life. But I am working on that.” 

Love to be done: “I love it when people hum. When someone is happy enough to absentmindedly hum, I could listen to that forever. “

Likes: "What Italian doesn't like women, but not in a disrespectful way. After all, such graceful and beautiful creations must be protected. I like a little bit of beer here and there. I love to visit the ocean, it has and always be my first love, to be surpassed only by the love of my life. I like nature and the calm, the peace and quiet. However, I like a fair fight and a good challenge as well."

Dislikes: "I hate, absolutely hate rude men. Girls are not something to be joked about inappropriately. I hate abusive men, god if I ever hit a woman that didn't deserve it kill me then. It takes everything I have not to kill every sexually abusive man I see. No means no bastards. Drunkards annoy me, as do rude children but not enough for me to do anything. Unfair fights I don't tolerate."

Treasures most: “Having a family to come home to.”

Weakness: "Ah... well... children. I can't bear to see children hurt. Those I love, I can't let them get hurt. I also have a somewhat short temper. As far as personal weaknesses in my skill, I don't defend my back well or my left side. But I'm working on that. I have been caught with a sword in a gunfight, having only knives. That won't happen again, I hope. My archery is not reliable. In hand to hand combat, I take a lot of risks. But no risk no reward, right? Anything other than that is my fears of small enclosed spaces, having my movement restricted,  and the dark. Don’t laugh, have you seen what happens in the pitch black?"  

Strength: "I'm nearly a perfect shot with a rifle, still working on it too. I wouldn't say I've mastered the skill of sword fighting, but I'm pretty good at it. Oh, and if you hurt the ones I love, I will do anything to kill you. You have been warned" 

Completely break: “That wouldn’t be wise for me to share, would it?” (he will have a mental break if his movement is restricted or senses are taken away or small enclosed area for long periods of time.) 

Faults: “I am too nice to people who don’t deserve it.”

Things never to be done: “Insult my family, and you will find yourself at the focal point of my anger and temper for a long time if you don’t die in the original attack. I know how to kill 7 ways to Sunday, I will find a way if the need arises.”

Biggest secret: “You aren’t nearly important enough to me for me to share that Miss.”

Act when depressed: “Well, I’d have to say I stay home and sleep. Nothing wrong when you have to take a day every now and then. If you saw and did half of the things I have done, you would understand.” 

Shows affection: “I will do anything I think you will like, try to show the wonders of my job and the life I truly want. I will open up about myself and my life. If you are lucky, I will play the guitar.”

Home: "I travel around a lot."

Occupation: "Pirate, spy- but keep that a secret."

Pet: "Hmph. Yes. I also have a 3-year-old rescue German Shepard named Buckshot."

Bio: "What all do you want to know? Listen, you don't have to know every little detail of my life. You're lucky I told you all of this. Fine. I'll tell you. When I was younger, my family was killed while my brother and I were out working. My family was poor, but the robbers still tried to get every ounce of money we had. When I arrived home, I found them dead. All of them, from my little 5-year-old twin sisters to my mother and father. The police never caught them. I was raised by a family friend. I joined the war as soon as I could, along with my brother Lee and friend Kyle. Lee died in an ambush, Kyle died in an attack. Jackson became my lifeline after he was promoted to Captain. My group believed I had what it took to be a spy. So... here I am. Don't look at me with pity. I don't want that."

~Appearance~

Hair color: "Chocolate Brown."

Hair Style: "As well kept as you get at sea."

Hair Type: "medium length."

Eye color: "I've been told icy blue."

Skin color: "Tan, I guess."

Makeup: "Does war-paint count? Then hell no."

Nails: "Am I supposed to pay attention to them?"

Body Type: "Fit. I work to keep myself working to keep myself strong."

Height: “6’3”

Weight: “210lbs.”

Tattoos: “I have a Celtic knot for family and father on my arms.”

Scars: "My back is covered in scars, my arms are covered in various scars. A few on my stomach, a few on my legs."

Outfit: “Take a look” (Doesn’t wear a hat all the time, but is seen with a black hat occasionally. Wears a long brown jacket that partially covers swords scabbard. He always has his sleeves rolled up. Carries at least 1o knives hidden in various places. Carries his sword on his left hip even though he is left-handed, dagger behind his sword and pistol on his right hip. Wears a silver and black cross, believes it is the only thing that keeps him from going dark. It is his father’s and the only memento of his family.)

Birthmarks: "None"

~Family~

Dad: "Steven, he's dead."

Mom: "Analisa, she's dead."

Brother: "Lee, he's dead."

Sister: "Avalyn and Francisca, both dead"

Lover: "No. Not anymore, anyway."

Kids: "Avalyn and Ally"

~Relationships~

Mentor: "Maria"

Apprentice: "None"

Friend(s): "Maria, Lyra, Lily."

Best friend(s): "Jackson and Kyle."

Group: "I only follow orders from the Grey Armistice."

Enemies: "Too many to count, way too many to count. Are we done now? Good"

[alastar-wyatt]

Influneces

Rules: Try to write at least three answers in each category, but don’t sweat it if you only come up with one. The ‘creator’ refers to you, the mun.

OC: Sroel Gwynn aka  Alastar Wyatt

Who has influenced them in a good way:  

1. @selisegraves​ for being good-friend. She drove him off the harder, beaten path that would have been easier for him to stay on. His desire for wanting to please was honed in on Selise, and being that Selise was more lawful than he, he strayed away from the unsavory professions.

2. @alliesdelimma​ for being his friend and girlfriend. Though she has disappeared for well over a year now, before hand when she was constantly in his presence, Alastar was well-behaved and protective. Even taking on a more fatherly side when Allie decided to tip-toe into professions he was all to keenly aware were dangerous.

3. Arius Lightmantle for being the evil that sways the uncertain to good. Though to say influence, if it wasn’t for some pesky individuals, Alastar would have accepted his more sinister side, he saw the wrong doing in Arius actions and decided that enough was enough. He learned what not to do, and for that, knows who to stay away from when they really wish someone harm with carefully planned wording.

Who has influenced them in a bad way: 

1. Lucialle Vitae for tapping into his shadow magic. At first, Alastar believed he was joining a company focused on trading across seas. That was not the case and immediatly was taken in by Vitae as an apprentice, and perhaps if time had been kinder on the two, eventually successor. Alastar was trapped into his contract, black-mailed and threaten to learn her ways, until one day the company vanished leaving him and more than few other employees behind. 

2-3. There were plenty of events that influenced Alastar in a bad way, but much like #3 in the first question, they were influences that taught him how not to act, how not to get caught, etc. Alastar has always been the one influencing bad habits upon others. @ayaidus-nightoak​ would be one of those few that Alastar believes is on the course that he is because of Alastar, as well as, @alliesdelimma​ who he also believes got on the wrong road because of his past actions. 

Habits they picked up from other people:  

1. @selisegraves​ for reintroducing tea’s to him. He long lost his passion for drinking tea when he was forced to live on the run for several years. He has picked up drinking lavender teas specifically. 

2. Arius Lightmantle, for shaping his interactions with others. Indeed, without Arius influences, he wouldn’t have learned how to hold himself properly and conduct himself well in front of others without his guidance.

3. @varyem-rhaine​ for attempting to instill goodness in others. After a single,but many, heartfelt moment between the two character’s, Alastar has been wanting to return the favor by encouraging others to do what there truth self is calling them to do. 

Who gave them a valuable lesson: 

1. @selisegraves​, which is no surprise. She was his first lesson in trust. After being neglected, manipulated, etc, for his whole life, Selise taught him how to trust again, but just not how to trust, but prove one is trusting and loyal, because man, did he have to prove it.

2. @varyem-rhaine​ for the same reasons as his last mentions. V taught him how to listen to himself. Perhaps it was not intentional, but all those words people had been saying to Alastar, finally hit him when V stated he had a good heart. If a man who had seen all sort of things, been through all things, could say that to Alastar, he believed it. 

3. @karthe-surick​ you wouldn’t believe would you! This lesson would be more, or less, in the department of ‘how not to act’. Yes, Karthe’s insanity, though an attraction for Alastar in the beginning, grew to large and too fast for him eventually. Since they were both traveling the same boat, upon the same river, Alastar decided he would not become so dependent as Karthe had become, so obsessed, on so many things. 

Whom they have/had major influence on: 

1. @ayaidus-nightoak​, simply because you keep telling me! From my understanding, Alastar taught him the ways of intelligence work, despite the fact that Alastar finds himself quite incapable of doing these things. 

2. @alliesdelimma​ because if she had been left to her own  standings, she would have become much like her Vitae, in the fact that she would have picked up a sword and dark magic. Instead, Allie, finding comfort in, not only, Alastar, she stayed true to her monkish life and passions of traveling. 

3. @selisegraves​ I would say yes, because without Alastar would have taught Selise not to be so nice to ever misfit that walked into her room? ( @ayaidus-nightoak​ sorry mate, all that nice healing spells went away partial because of Alastar idiotic mistakes. )

Who has picked up some of their habits: 

1. @alliesdelimma​ picking up his paranoia, perhaps. 

2. @ayaidus-nightoak​ picking up on the bits of training they have had together.

3. I’m sure there are more, but not even people talk to me about our characters interactions. But then again, who really sits down and goes, woah that habit is definitly formed because of that person. I know I don’t!

Who would like to be more like them: 

1. @selisegraves​, he has always been fond of Selise harder exterior and forsight.

2. @varyem-rhaine​ for his talent in his profession and the command he has over people. 

3. @alliesdelimma​ to be carefree and happy even among the worse of situations.

Who got a valuable lesson from them: 

1. Arius Lightmantle, after Alastar betrayal, bringing down his current operation at the time, Arius has long since been more careful in his planning of achieving his goals. 

2. @ayaidus-nightoak​ cuz murlocs. You’ll never do it again, I’m positive.

3. And probably lots more, though less obvious. Alastar sense of immorality at the time caused a lot of people to step back and think. 

Their character traits they share with their creator: 

1. I honestly love these questions, because, I learn ever time that each character is practically me. Alastar stubbornness in akin to mine, at least back in the day. I am more crafty about how I get my stubbornness portrayed. 

2. Desires. We both have a goal in mind of what we wish to see ourselves, but seem incapable of achieving, mostly due to a sudden wave of depression, or because we are truly, and utterly, lazy. 

3. Loyalty, to a fault. Once an attachement has been made, even if the other person doesn’t want it, we both have a tendency to hang out and want to stay with that person for the rest of ourselves. Even if it invokes a toxic relationship.

Who besides the creator helped to shape them: 

1. Arius Lightmantle. Yes, the man without a tumblr was a founding father of creating Alastar. Without his push for me to come back to WoW and RP, I would never had made Alastar.

2. @selisegraves, because little does she know she has a hand in all my creations. All. There is no lie. I like to tie things together in nice neat bows.

3. My mother. During the time I created Alastar, my mother was going through cancer. Alastar was my first character who had an attachment to his mother, whose mother was loving, but not necessarily kind and motherly. Alastar lost his mother, before I lost mine, and I believe this was my way, before she had died, for me to learn how to coop with the possibilities. 

What characters inspired them: 

I cannot label 1-3 on this one, for none of my characters are ‘inspired’ by anyone or anything. I suppose, as I’ve learned from time to time, that my ability to create characters on the spot, unique and variable as the can become, is rather innate for me. Pictures, books, people are influnces, but not an inspiration.

I remember clearly how I came up with Alastar. I sat there, for perhaps no more than five minutes, and an imagine came to mind. An young man crouched ontop of a flat, red and brown stone, rooftop. He was grinning a cocky smile, short brown hair, white skin, bright eyes, and handsome features. He did have some scars, though that didn’t make its way onto Alastar character. He was holding an old-fashion pistol in his right hand, and had his left resting across a sword hilt. He was also wearing leather boots.

Everything noted above was crafted with Alastar in beginning, except for the scars, but those scars i first imagined translated into his backstory. After all as soon as I envisioned him, my next thought, what could create a young, cocky, duel-wielding boy with scars, and yet still seem filled with life? 

@ayaidus-nightoak

@selisegraves

@alliesdelimma

@varyem-rhaine

[survivorneworleans-blog]

Ashley Sarah:

I know the game just started but I'm already super excited!!! Maybe it's just the theme or maybe it's the hosts idk?? I can't wait to see what happens!!! As for my tribe?? I'm happy to see some glad to meet new ones and targeting ones that already getting on my nerves.

Nicolas:

Sydney, Zakriah, Liana and Dom all hate me, born to die.

Ruthie:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my tribe but I’m really nervous, I think I’ll be good through the first vote at least but I’m excited about my tribe and excited that it’s going to be a double tribal this round!  I hope Ashley has good feelings about her tribe too!

Nicholas:

yall this game is going to be so messy dsfnfuehuei, i won’t stop until nicolas and julia rae are voted off.

Dom:

I fucking hate Nicolas and Sydney. it's either going to be me or one of them as the first boot. I do have logan on my side and I have Liana.

Dom: IM SUDDENLY TRYING IN THIS GAME, kait is on board with getting Nicolas and Sydney out, logan is down and liana is with me. Kait said that she likes brian so brian might be with us.

Nick:

FUCK THESE RATS. Why the fucking hell is Queen Amanda getting targetted round one. This is ugly as fuck like fucking fuck fuck. Daisy is playing her regular ass messy game where she runs around telling everybody a random name of somebody she hasnt talked to and just going up to people like "I've heard Amanda". Amanda, Ruthie, and I have a threesome going with a possible kicker of Chris. We are lowkey trying to circulate Zack, mainly because he is scary at comps and friends with ugly fucking people ie Nicolas and Matthias. Anyway I am just gunna sit here and eat my hat while I shit a brick.

Zakriah:

I'm having mystic falls flashbacks but instead of there just being one Christian who hates me there's literally half this tribe that hates me I need to stop playing Tumblr games

Ruthie:

I AM FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW OH MY GOSH.  So Nick want’s to form an alliance of him, me, amanda and chris and I’m not going to turn down an alliance!!  I don’t know if Amanda even likes me but I want to work closely with her in this game because I really like her and we’ve never worked together!! Also Chris seems nice and I keep hearing good things so this is exciting!  I heard someone say Amanda’s name so I told Nick of course!  And we decided to throw another name out and he suggested Zack so I told Daisy I heard Zack and she freaking said from who? and I’m just like I BARELY KNOW YOU I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU DO THINGS and now I’m just freaking out, I told her in a nice way that I’d rather not say who told me and oh my gosh I can’t wait to be the first one out, I’ve got to figure out a way to work this southern charm so I stay!  (party)

Daisy:

omg im so shady ruthie told me she heard zacks name and she was considering telling zack so i told him myself to get on his good side aksmdkdmf, so basically i talked to nicholas and andrew and i think i'm in a great place w both of them and they both wanna work w me and nicholas suggested voting for chips but andrew thinks we could use him as a number which is true bc he doesn't really do much else oop. and then nicholas said amanda which is perfect bc she's barely talked to me or anyone it seems. and then i'm talking to ruthie and she says she heard zack but she won't tell me who told her and she was like, being super sweet, all innocent saying how she might tell zack bc she would wanna know if it was her, etc. now here's the thing. i think zack is shady. which may partially be bc of his recent switzerland confessionals but also bc he was talking in tribe chat all day but not answering my pms! so i wouldn't mind seeing him gone, but ik there isn't gonna be a majority on him. people like him and stuff, and i'm very certain that it was someone just randomly throwing his name and nothing will really come of it. so i figured i could earn some brownie points by telling him before ruthie could, but also telling him that ruthie was thinking of telling him so that he doesn't get upset at her and end up exposing me for being shady

Julia:

ok so far I think I'm doing alright. I really thought I was going to be first boot because Andrew and chips don't like me and theyre very involved in the survivor community so like,, they have a lot of connections BUT I talked to chips and I think I could get him not to hate me maybe??? and Nicholas told me that Andrew wants out Amanda and doesn't want to vote me out which I'm ok with. I want to make a sinnoh alliance with me, Nicholas, ruthie, colin, zack, and Andrew because that's majority and I feel like I can trust them. I was trying to get on nick's goodside bc he has many connections but this man is so hard to TALK TO!!! but I'm going to talk to him a lot because I really cant have him hating me rn, that would literally be the end of me bc literally everyone on the other tribe hates me so I don't wanna be fucked during merge. by the looks of it, I think Amanda is going to go this tribal and if she doesn't, as long as it isn't me I'm ok. ruthie and Nicholas both told me no one has said anything about voting me out so I think I'm good!!! the only people I haven't talked to is zack and Andrew but I think I could get good with them easily,,,, I think ill be able to work with daisy bc she hosted me before and I don't think she really knows a lot of people on this tribe?? idk but I feel like if I can get on her good side, her and brian would be good allies to have during merge. next immunity, I'm going to try rly hard to get a good score so my tribe will want to keep me around so I can win immunity for sure ^-^ but ya idk tomorrow ill be more active in peoples pms and right now I'm just going off of previous relationships to keep me safe!

Ashley Sarah:

wow go Brian so much going on with telling others where searching is hmm maybe they are honest maybe not?? We shall see !! First challenge was fun tho and I think it's a pretty good group and curious to see how tribal goes and if people vote personal or smart

Colin:

OK so the vote is between Amanda and zack apparently. Tbh I'm good either way, I'm close with neither of them. I'm less close with Amanda but! Whatever the rest of the tribe wants.

Also there was talk of a bb sinnoh pre-made and that would be so good for me. Stay tuned hehe!

Amanda:

So apparently bitches already want me gone week one NOT TODAY ASSHOLES.

Ashley Sarah:

first tribal always sucks but let's hope it's not too messy

Nick:

IM GAGT. AMANDA REALLY DID FIND AN IDOL

Nicholas:

uh so amanda should be going. i hear shes a sweet gal but she never messaged me so adios queen! nick is pretending like he has a majority on zack but i don’t think thats the case. i might make an alliance soon with daisy/ruthie/julia/andrew for majority purposes but idk

Brian:

btw here’s a confession/tribe assesment

Labonair (Red Tribe)

• Ashley - Seems very friendly, hoping we get a chance to talk more

• Brian - The eventual winner

• Dom - we haven’t really spoken at all, though thats mostly my fault/the hosts fault for starting the game on fkn Canada day

• Kait - LOVE her tho we’ve clashed personally in the past I think it’s 100% behind us and I would totally consider her a friend, hoping we can make some magic happen

• Liana - love her as well, but we’ve played in THREE games and one mini together and except for one quit we both voted each other out of them so who knows!! Also she would be TERRIFYING as a gamer if allowed to play alongside Chips (again, LOVE him but we’ve clashed in other games) so hoping one of them goes before swap/merge

• Logan - Obviously a big fan of Logan as he’s a dear friend of Daisy’s and therefor a dear friend of mine

• Nicolas - looking like he’s going to be the first boot, which sucks because I literally have no reason to vote him out except to vote with the majority (or so I’ve been told)

• Ryan (See Dom)

• Sydney (See Ryan)

• Zakriah - (See Ryan, Sydney, and Dom)

[mekha-draws]

So, nice update huh?

Now I can finally re-accomodate my lair in a sort of 'working' way X,D

Just so you know:

Main Bleuspont: first off is the current leader (Laikann) and her crew (Fischia keeping her role of mediator and Ganny stepping down as counselor/mentor figure to Laikann, Cale and Pariah are...very close to Laikann for a reason and won't let her rule alone like the previous leader -Ganny)

Aside of them, the rest of the dragons in this page are 'common' folks, just dragons with no external working position (i.e. Sol and Estela are cooks Jangali is a vault keeper, etc) in the clan that either keep to themselves or just don't wanna live in the outsides (Artisan's Ward)

Main Bleuspont is an underwater lair, similar in appearance to a system of caves deep down to the ocean floor. It holds the rooms of most dragons from the lair, among with nesting/training grounds and many other places to go around, it's spacious as heck and tends to be a little bit (too much) cold.

Another important piece of this lair is The Garden, the grand main cave of the lair that can be seen when one enters the lair, it provides the oxygen and a sustainable source of food, items and ingredients that clanmates use for their benefit and the lair's.

The Garden was built by Foresta in order to win her spot among the clan a long time ago, due to her astounding work and the love she holds for her project she is still the main keeper of said place. Some dragons also love more to stay in there because it's usually warmer- and comfier- than their place

Record keepers, aka library nerds, they keep account of many (if not, all) of the lair's histories and events also recording such things as entrances and departures, births and deceases and many other things. Some things have gone awry recently and previous records have suffered strange modifications/fixes, all pointing towards the spontaneous change in power. The keepers are the most introverted in nature as they are more to keep to themselves in order to protect their secrets from curious eyes

Guards-Hunt: All dragons involved in hunting and gathering activities belong here, they train among the Guard: a group dedicated on protection of the lair's territory from non-allied beastclans. The Guards and Hunt are the most extrovert of dragons among the clan as they tend to be in the outsides of the ocean plentifully

The Magic Crafters are kind of reserved with their work but they (almost) always mean well, they try to find ways for their elemental magic to improve the life of fellow clanmates and some enjoy teaching their findings to the youth. They gather deeper down into the lair as a sort of 'security' measure in case an experiment goes wrong. A common aesthetic thing among them is the excessive use of crystals, mirrors and minerals scattered on the floor/they keep on themselves (this is partially Lumina's fault as she implemented and illumination method consisting in trapping Light inside spheres to keep the dark corridors and tunnels alight, thus they believe a better way to contain and work their magic is through injecting and/or imbuing object with it and working from there. I.e. in Argen's case, he crafted his own "magic crayons"** for spell writing)

The healers from the lair also live a bit farther from the main lair but continuously do rounds across the lair to see how everyone is doing. in some cases, they check on therapy patients or just mess around the Garden to try new herbs for potions and medicine. Their work is no more dangerous than what the magic Crafters do so no one really knows why they decide to just separate themselves so much (although from mouth of the healers, they do so because they want to remain as neutral as possible with their clanmates, due to troubles with the old ruling family among other things, they still aren't used to the many changes that have occurred). They tend to be great with hatchlings and (some) love to teach them the ropes of living deep down here

All previous clan groups live permanently deep in the ocean, however, a small group strayed away far ago and started to work on it's own, free to most of the ruling from Bleuspont but still compliant and loyal to the place: the Artisan's Ward. Some are artists/merchants that make a penny out of their works (Napoleon, Candela), others due to a health problem have decide to stay outside in the open to protect fellow friends (Rejalgar, Oropimente), others being more used to the outside but still in need of a home, it's a mixed bag in here. Bleuspont provides protection and maintenance to the territory/near areas and the Ward provides a quantity of money/items to the lair's reserve (it works kind of like a business), the exchange is not exhausting nor forceful, in fact, the dragons here could spend months without turning a coin and their protection would still stand, after all Bleuspont was founded on a promise to give shelter and home to those that needed it.

The courier's group is the group with more external workers from all the clan, they go forth and back everyday to deliver from letters to packages anywhere and when. The clan is not super communicative in the first place, but the couriers lend service to nearby clans and fletching groups that so require. They work with the rules of the clan but mostly use the main lair and the Ward as resting stops and enjoy their stay as much as possible as for many of them Bleuspont is the one place they can call home. When the job is low one can often see them lounging and messing around the Garden (much to Foresta's dismay but low key happiness)

[thatsjustsupergirl]

nell411 ha respondido a tu publicación “So in February I was having to go to the hospital 3 times a day for a...”

I've never been involved in a fandom on Tumblr while it was super active, I avoided being on here when Doctor Who was crazy popular because I knew how it was and I didn't want it to make me hate the show. So this is sort of new for me. I find the characterization especially bad for Kara, everyone just treats her like a puppy now. I want to grab the writers by their figurative shoulders and ask if they saw season 1. She has a lot of darkness that we haven't seen much of this season. She isn't a puppy. I also wholeheartedly agree about writers having Maggie call Alex Ally, Alex is already the short form we don't need shorter. And why the collective obsession with Maggie calling Kara "Little Danvers"? Like sure the kid sister thing, I get it. But it reads awkwardly and I feel like it doesn't make a lot of sense for Maggie to call Kara that.

Hahhhh, I forgot about the Little Danvers thing. That has also become rampant to the point that I mostly roll my eyes at it because, again, it sounds forced in most contexts. Once or twice as a joke when all three of them are hanging out and it’s unclear who Maggie is talking to? Sure. All the time, though? They’re not friends like that, number one, and number two, it’s a huge waste of time -- Kara is much faster and simpler to say. (Again, this might be an American English nuance re: brevity, slang, and naming conventions.)

I think I’ve written a situation once that had the reverse, where Winn was interacting with Alex and wasn’t sure if they were friends yet, so he gave her a fancy honorific to show his respect. XD

ETA: Kara’s characterization devolving into a mess of junk has been partially the fault of the show’s writing this year, and a few S1 fans (@motorcyclegirlfriends and @randomthingsthatilike123 in particular) have been fighting the good fight to educate people on how off-base that is.

[blschaos3000-blog]

Its 1:26 pm warm/Memorial Day/never forget

Welcome to 8 Questions with…….

Today’s interview is a little different in a couple of ways. Today’s guest,Blaine Kelley,is my first politicallt active guest. Now I usually find the folks I talk with via Facebook or a third party.  But Blaine is also my first Twitter guest,he and I have been friends on that platform for around three years now. And yes,Blaine is one of the most active voices against Donald Trump and his fascist regime. He posts different news articles,gets out in the street and encourages everyone to excercise their right to vote no matter how hard the Republicans are trying to deny and suppress that right. I have found Blaine to be a warm and generous man who loves his family and his country. He is willing to discuss just about anything as well….in fact he and I have had some really nice chats about life in general. What I respect most about Blaine is that he will be friends with just anyone based on face value,he doesn’t judge anyone and lets their actions speak for themselves. In today’s world,that is rapidly becoming a rare trait. I know by posting this interview that I am showing where I stand in today’s world and while I plan to interview other activists,my blog is not a political one nor will it become one. Simply because I think politics are dead and good people like Blaine Kelley are fighting for the life and the future of this country. So I hope you will really read the answers to the 8 Questions (plus a couple more) that I asked Blaine Kelley……

Please introduce yourself and share a little bit of your background with us.

Hello- My name is Blaine Kelley. I am from central California. I have always lived here and have no desire to live elsewhere.  I went to school at Pepperdine University where I studied Economics and Literature. I Attended Law School at Southern Cal.  I worked as a civil attorney for over a decade until I burned out on the grind.  My mother was suffering from cancer and I spent several years attending to her while she battled it. I began to feel the need to go back to work so I invested in a construction corporation and became a board member and the VP of operations. I continued this for a decade finally selling my shares and entering the corporate consulting world.

How are you and your family coping with the Covid-19 lockdown?

  During this time I met my spouse and we relocated from San Diego to The Bay Area. When Covid-19 struck I had been following the science for several months. I was not surprised at the lightening speed of the spread in the US. I was prepared.  We have been sheltering In place longer than most of the country and it shows on the infection growth curve for California.  I feel very lucky for this.  We have two children, 10 and 14, whom I have taken the responsibility of educating during the pandemic. Many of you know this is quite a challenge. Beyond this the “lockdown’ has presented many obstacles: Being isolated from friends and family is a challenge the video calling only partially overcomes.  Further it is a daily challenge to stay physically mentally and physically fit without access to the “normal” outlets that keep me and my family on an even keel.

When did you become politically active and what was the issue that peaked your interest?

  I am 50 and became interested in politics during high school.  The Iran Contra Affair was interesting because my best friends neighbor was arrested for weapons trafficking. We lived in a small beach community so this was A BIG DEAL.  My family was always involved in political activities. My grandfather was a contemporary of Cesar Chavez and Delores Huerta. He marched with the farmworkers from Delano to Sacramento. It wasn’t uncommon to visit them and dine with famous social and political figures.  The strong pro-union sentiment is something I still support and am proud of to this day. Political corruption has always been one of my main areas of interest when thinking about the political perspective. Weather local or national, corruption has been and will be, the single biggest danger to the democratic ideal most Americans cherish.

What is “the Resistance”?

  The Resistance to me is merely a group of citizens who are fed up with the corruption that is choking our Democracy right now. We see the questionable validity of our election process, and more importantly, the disastrous results that political apathy and general ignorance have delivered upon us all.  Within my circle of allies you will find individuals from across the political spectrum. What we have in common is a passionate love of our Country and a steadfast belief in the Rule Of Law.  Without fair and balanced laws society will not function as envisioned by the founders, the citizenry, and the our allies across the world who, by necessity, need the United States to be the Beacon of Justice for the World.

Do you feel only having two political parties have led us down this path in which we have a fascist president?  What three things would you reform if you could do so?

  I have little experience with anything other than the two party system. Accordingly, my thoughts on a parliamentary system are not favorable. I think 90-95 percent of Americans all want the same thing but want to take a different route across town to reach the destination. Accordingly, more parties won’t solve this issue but more imput and cooperation will.

Do you feel a corporate owned press does more damage then good and why/why not?

  The so called free press is partially at fault for the current fiasco we have in Washington. We have ZERO requirements that “the press” report Facts, Truth, or anything advising the consumer that opinion is being presented as NEWS.  This is an epic failure of Congress and the Courts. It is difficult to determine if the big three (MSNBC.CNN.FOX) are mostly responsible for the authoritarian crisis we currently face. What is clear, Ratings (income) are the primary goal of all media in the United States. This is problematic as the echo chamber effect is fully our current reality.  Obviously this is not the way to unite all citizens for any common good. Divide and conquer is a successful strategy that has been effective for thousands of years.

How can we recover our country or have we gone past that point?

I definitely think we can save our county and political system. We have not yet lost all respect and understanding for and of the Rule Of Law. We are close as normalization of authoritian actions is “normalized” by Fox news and to a lessor extent by the other two daily. We also see most Members of the GOP doing the same in furtherance of personal and professional necessity. The margin is razor thin for the upcoming election. If America is to be saved some wholesale changes must be made if the Authoritian corporate machine is defeated in November. Among these are Citizens United, wholesale voter repression/suppression ,and  term limits to nave a few.

How do you explain what is happening to your kids?

10 and 14 have a basic understanding of the problems we face. I explain how (corny but deal) Truth and Justice are integral to the American Way. I define Justice as; those who fail to follow the laws of man, as passed by our court or, made by our lawmakers, are punished according to those same laws. That clearly is not happening!

Do you feel the revisionist policies in our schools have played a part of the rise in fascism here?

I don’t consider revisionist content in schools the major problem but rather the wholesale elimination of content the culprit.  Ignorance of the designed mechanisms of the political and legal worlds is the biggest educational failure I see. This has led to a loss of respect for both The Law And The Political Process. Loss of respect has led to apathy.

How do you encourage people and which people encourage you?

I try to encourage others to do one simple thing….VOTE. By explaining that the ability to vote is a privilege I hope to inspire others to become more aware of their ability to affect other lives in a positive way. I tend to barrage people with facts……sometime too many. Lately I have just pushed the idea that if you vote you rightfully have a say in the outcome. People that inspire me are those who understand that wisdom is important yet easy to acquire. It isn’t all  about IQ but about paying attention and digesting what you see in a meaningful way.

Do you feel we as a society have become much to reactionary because we feel powerless to do anything?

  No on the contrary we are way too fucking apathetic.  Many will passively sit by and watch while tragedy occurs RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.  Two examples: Last year my Spouse and I were at the store and witnessed a man hitting his wife!  I ran up and, along with another, grabbed the man separating him from the woman. There were at least 15 other bystanders doing NOTHING. Four months ago I was driving and a woman was running in traffic. She was  screaming….. She was being chased by a man.  I pulled over and inserted myself between her and the man allowing her to get in her car and escape. Taking personal responsibility to make my city a better place for all is what everyone needs to do. We have to get out of our personal bubble and take some responsibility to make life better for everyone. Liberty and freedom are not going to last for any of us unless all of us work together.

 What do you like to to do for fun when you’re able to do so?

I enjoy a wide variety of things. Books, live music, and the outdoors are my favorites. Somehow eating delicious things seems to be involved in most of those activities. My family is the center of most of these a interests. Traveling to a concert, sporting event, or a National Park we find a way to experience new foods along the way.

The cheetah and I are flying over to watch to attend a political rally but we are a day early and now you are playing tour guide,what are we doing?

Accordingly I would encourage you and the Cheetah to check out the bay and the museums here. Mainly because great food is always near. A trip to the Capital is a short hop as well. The Cheetah would love a romp through the many estuaries in search of things to smell and chase………

I like to thank Blaine for talking the time to chat with us and being candid  about his views on the state of America. As November gets closer,this next vote is the most important in our nation’s history. If we don’t retake back our country then,we never will.

You can follow Blaine on his Twitter by clicking here.

Feel free to drop us a comment below. 

8 Questions with………political activist Blaine Kelley Its 1:26 pm warm/Memorial Day/never forget Welcome to 8 Questions with....... Today's interview is a little different in a couple of ways.