#to be clear this is not about the shipping polls directly but. it IS about some of the comments ive seen from some people on why they

[andoutofharm]

sometimes you just have to look yourself in the face and say what are we gonna choose. are we gonna keep making everything into a joke and something to mock and survive that way or are we gonna look for the light that has to be there on the other side of this. i have to fight for it. you have to say i do value sincerity and hope and i want to look for the light coming through and fight for that instead of just getting by on spite alone.

[wistfulrat]

・❥・lesbian wangxian reccs ・❥・

ao3topships poll gate made me realize there are hundreds nay thousands of u who dont know abt lesbian wangxian ?? that’s so sad can i proselytize u real quick

mimilamp cinematic universe (the ppl’s mcu) sorry for starting this list with a whole author catalog. as if it's my fault!! these gave me covid. no listen mimilamp fics have feverish lesbian angst levels of hot horny despair that could paralyze a large forest animal. and on a sentence level it's just stunning. messy dykes fumbling toward love confessions while making emotionally insane choices and the sex scenes fuckn bang ??? god is real

good, good - 13.5k E Wei Ying has two broken wrists and now she needs Lan Zhan to help her do stuff (jerk off)

here’s a story - 46k E Wei Ying reluctantly joins her recently-dumped best friend, Lan Zhan, on a couples' holiday retreat. Snow! Drinks! Truth or dare! There's a s-s-s-single bed! You'll never guess what happens next.

out of your system - 20k E “Maybe you should get me out of your system,” Wei Ying blurts. “Maybe that’ll help.” // Wei Ying finds out her best friend Lan Zhan is in love with her and offers a really super solution.

exposure therapy - 14k E Wei Ying clambered up from the floor, put the joint on the corner of the night stand, announced, “Exposure therapy,” and got into Lan Zhan’s bed. // Lan Zhan doesn't like to be touched, Wei Ying likes to touch.

know no one else - 20k E Lan Zhan moves out, Wei Ying's boyfriend moves in. Six months later, Lan Zhan visits, they go to a party, and Wei Ying has something to tell her.

74243 this author should be studied in a lab bc these 2 fics ruined my life. a pulitzer prize short fic with immaculate tone followed by the fuck nastiest shit you will ever read. "wei ying swipes right" still a top 3 bar of all time re: fic summaries. like people died.

chef’s kiss - 6.5k E Wei Ying said, “You know, in some ways I’m kind of depressed. I took your biggest dick on my first try. Now I don’t have anything to build up to.” “There are bigger ones available,” Lan Zhan said lazily. “I can pay for express shipping.” // (Lan Zhan works the late shift.)

pull out game weak - 22.7k E Wei Ying swipes right.

plonk this is the only fic in many ways. dyke nmj's mustache academy award winning breakout role. possessive hot dyke lwj. the sentence "don't knot her you freak." have u ever seen a group chat get rabies in real time. the slut rot breached containment. it was a public health crisis. it brought back horny cinema. cultural reset.

good friends - 11.5k E “I could invite her over for when the game’s done,” Nie Mingjue offers. Lan Zhan hums, considering it. They do that sometimes. Take omegas down together.

occultings will i ever get tired of -wwx thinks she's straight and wants to practice being gay with sadsack lwj who is like sure im in love with u and this will cause me psychic damage but mayhaps that's the cost of being homiesexual--? no i dont get tired of the classics it's called taste

give me one good honest kiss - 25k E The text keeps flashing over and over in Lan Zhan's head like the bulb lights on a marquee. They’d been talking about homework directly before that, swapping notes on music theory in the baroque period. Then, like a fork of lightning out of a clear blue sky: wanna practice kissing? 😚 // Wei Ying suggests an arrangement. Lan Zhan, in love, deals.

saltyfeathers ok so like sure it's ill advised to get your cartilage pierced at claire's but if you wanted the experience of participating in deranged hysteric behavior that kinda bangs in a badgood way? well then.

the mall that has it all - 8k E She introduced herself in the food court, breathless after sprinting across it in Lan Zhan’s direction and vaulting over a table only to crash into the seat across from her, ask, “Can I have a sip?”, spring forward with both elbows on the table to wrap her burgundy lips around Lan Zhan’s smoothie straw, wrinkle her nose, and say, “What is that, kale? Not really my thing, as like, a mall goth. Oh!” A pleased, chaotic exhale. “My name’s Wei Ying.” Lan Zhan said, after taking a moment to fully process the last forty-five seconds, “What?” or; mall goth au

[piosplayhouse]

honestly wrt the queer poll sometimes i do feel like the reason scum villain gets the "dirty trashfire" treatment is because binghe is so agressively bisexual and that's disgusting to the ~our pure sexless yaoi hualian~ crowds who want their ships to be one The Man Gender and one The Uke Gender and for nobody to need enemas

Hmmm interesting ideas �� even though biphobia is pretty bad in fandom still though I don't really think that plays a super huge role considering I don't think that many people actually know Binghe is canonically bisexual weirdly enough (obviously if you headcanon him otherwise it's fine but I do personally think it says something that Shen Qingqiu, famous for such hits as "he must be asexual since he hasn't married any women at age 20" does directly say he's bisexual).

I'm thinking the purity culture plays a big role though, even if people don't think about it that way. As in, I don't think everyone saying it's a dirty trash fire is saying it because they hate gay sex (though that is a substantial crowd of opinion) but because instead because it's a comedic commentary on sex, over sexualization in media, and objectively poor-quality literature/erotica. Because it jokes so much about objectification and fetishization through narrators who somewhat embody those traits, people that think that has no place in media in general automatically discount it as a bad representation, and because it's a comedy, people don't feel the need to look under the hood and read deeply for the actual meta commentary. I also mentioned this briefly before, but in terms of when SV gets friendly fire from other danmei fandoms, I think the comedy sometimes goes over a lot of western readers' heads even if they're somewhat familiar with how translated Chinese text reads. Like they can forgive somewhat awkward phrasing in the face of the grand, sweeping narratives of mdzs and tgcf and whatnot, but in the more character-focused sv, it becomes more difficult to parse and more likely to come off as "bad" because translated text can come off as weird sounding to native speakers just by nature! This isn't really anyone's fault, but since sv is much more clear and frank with its language and literary devices (though still pretty sophisticated imo, just not to the point of being a great epic or whatnot), this becomes more inexcusable to people.

[alaynestone]

You don’t have to post this if you don’t want. I just wanted to say I was one of those curious, openminded fans willing to entertain the idea of samjohn (mostly bc deanjohn feels so congruent with canon + there’s so much interesting meta on it that managed to convert me + incestuous households usually affect all of it’s members) but just like you said I was immediately put off by the blatant character assassination that pervades everything from fics to edits to the propaganda in that incest poll lmao.

I guess that’s the major difference - deanjohn requires little to no stretching of imagination bc it already fits seamlessly into canon, whereas samjohn almost demands ooc shenanigans to work.

I also just found the way fans talk about it nauseating for some reason, though that’s likely more of a reflection of my own personal triggers. I love digesting incest narratives, but the fetishistic angle of that blog really makes my stomach turn. That’s not a moral judgement on anyone else’s enjoyment btw! Just another reason why this ship didn’t resonate with me.

thank you for sending me this. it's clear that a lot of people feel the same way.

when i first joined fandom, the few j/s fics were straightforward evil!john non-con. not my thing, but i understood why it was written that way. then came the inexplicably popular fandom creation of "sexkitten sam" which continues to pollute the entire sam/dean fandom and of course extends to other ships too. i'm not even gonna get started on why that's "problematic" because that's not the point, it's not remotely in character. even as an exaggeration sam is not the kind of person to attempt to find agency in outward submission or objectification. he's very vocally not compromising his identity to please his family and especially john. dean is more like that so when you have sam acting like a fetishized pinterest aesthetic moodboard version of dean and dean acting like an old man from wattpad i'm understandably left squinting at the screen. then it's genderswapping sam and using that as a personality eraser because women are automatically submissive and naive and trad?

who is being converted by all this when it has nothing to do with sam, john or even dean? where is dean in all this actually? a core aspect of their family is that dean is closest to both sam and john who rarely had much opportunity to bond without him. there was a distance between sam and john throughout sam's childhood and adolescence. most of his parental needs were being fulfilled by dean even if that was never enough. their situation with their father wasn't the average one where they were simply 2 kids fighting for his attention.

for the most part j/s appears to be about "envying" dean's position in the family. it's about diminishing or straight up erasing dean and more notably about feminizing sam. either directly or otherwise. people generally seem to have big issues with the fact that sam is a man and confidently so. most of the annoying tropes in wincest fandom have this at their core. and of course in order for sam to be "the woman" dean needs to genuinely and authentically be the most stereotypical of cishet men. it's very transparent because right from the start the show poked holes at dean's performance of masculinity. it was very much the point. dean's gender issues could fill a book yet any alternative interpretation of sam and gender seeks to cast dean as the oppressive bigot who would never get it? stopping here before i get off topic but to make myself clear: in theory i respect headcanons i don't understand, but not when they spitefully exist to deny dean's depth in every possible way.

to return to my point about dean's pseudo spouse and mother position being enviable, it misses the point of how harmful john's parenting was to both of them. it's no coincidence that they both view themselves as the unfavorite. dean believes he's taken for granted, only valued for what he can give, how well he can perform his roles, how successfully he could play at being an adult even before he hit double digits. dean can't just exist and be himself while sam is uncompromisingly himself. because of that he believes john doesn't like him, never liked him, rejected him, didn't have time for him, didn't trust him enough with the family secrets, even when those secrets directly concerned him. as of season 1 he still has contempt for dean for what he views as unquestioning obedience to john and letting himself be molded by john. dean had to fight for every scrap of approval and affection and sam refused to do the same if it meant sacrificing his own needs and identity. not everyone reacts to abuse the same way and both characters are very much shaped by their different reactions to their environment. and any j/s shipper argument that is built on the idea that sam was the one john loved more is not only gleefully mocking dean's parentification but ignoring that sam being comparatively sheltered and treated like a son is yet another reason why john would not cross such a line with him. dean "gets it", dean lost mary too, dean is his partner and his confidant, dean can handle adult responsibilities, dean is loving and supportive, dean isn't making him confront his parenting failures, dean can't say no to him. like you said, it doesn't at all stretch the imagination to make j/d fit into dean's backstory. "you are not a child" - "i never was".

as i have been saying, any remotely ic exploration of j/s would have to follow both j/d and s/d. i can't believe in a universe where j/s is the only incest that happens in the family. i think a theoretical plausible j/s fic would have to not only accept but embrace its adjacency to the 2 ships that are compliant with the canon. but whether sam knows for a fact about j/d or not, there's no way he isn't severely impacted by the proximity to that relationship in a number of ways and that's a very compelling dynamic in its own right.

tldr i agree with you anon. people can read and write whatever they want but there's a big difference between incest subtext that is believable and just saying things in a way that's meant to provoke.

[clovermarigold]

Daggers & Daffodils Chap. 28

To those who are reading this on wattpad and AO3. I highly suggest checking out https://www.tumblr.com/blog/clovermarigold Which is where I post my works on Tumblr. I have extra content for my other series and may decide to do the same for this one if it garners enough interest. It is also much easier to send out announcements there, so you'll be more likely to know when new chapters will be released, what delays there are, as well as participate in polls that directly affect the plot. As a bonus, I am currently taking requests, so if you have questions about the fic, maybe want some head cannons of our favorite berserker drop on by!

think i might have outdone myself with the fluff in this one. also, BACK TO REGULAR LENGTH CHAPTERS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, eyes fliting from the number of dragon hunters guarding the edges of the ship to your friends on the deck bellow you. It was clear they had tried and failed to escape. What made the situation worse was the fact that Heather seemed to be the one to foil the plan. Beating Astrid in a one on one. Something Tuff would not be letting her live down, despite being unarmed while Heather had her axe.

The whole situation felt wrong, being betrayed by such a close friend. You couldn't help but feel a bit petty. She had been so mad at you for 'not being honest' about your relationship with Dagur, and now here she was. Aiding him in his deranged mania, capturing and selling dragons, all the while preaching about being a happy family together?

She was furious with you, and suddenly she was yours and Dagur's biggest supporter. It didn't feel right. But regardless of how it felt, what mattered now was getting of this ship. Heather had convinced Ryker to make them work on the ship, an uncomfortable feeling settling in your gut when Dagur kept you from inheriting the same punishment. The idea of special treatment felt wrong in of itself, and you would much prefer working if it meant you could see Silver Tongue. 

The ship was on lock down now. Sneaking out would be near impossible, and that wasn't even taking into account the berserker currently attached to your hip. Deranged as he may be, he was smart. He kept you on a shorter leash than you gave Scabbard on wash day. 

There was always some part of him resting on you, whether it be a hand loosely playing with your fingers, an arm casually draped over your shoulders, or you 'least favorite' his head latched onto your neck, his chin hooking over your shoulder to keep you in his arms in front of him. 

The two of you walked the ship, Dagur rambling about floral arrangements, invitations, and other wedding chores. It was clear that though security was tight, the guards were all tasked to individual prisoners, focusing on one rather than communicating with the others. In this case, dividing and conquering would be your best bet. Knowing your brother, he was no doubt formulating a plan to break you and the others free. But how long would that take?

"What do you think?" you were caught off guard by Dagur's question. Was he talking to you? Of course he was, but you weren't exactly listening, "I don't really care". Dagur's smile dropped, giving you a once over. He was thinking something, you were sure. But whatever it was, he made no comment, only pulling you in closer to his side as he sped up your pace, choosing to refocus his attention to patrolling. 

Well, that was the opposite of what you needed.... Wait. The opposite of what you needed! It would only be a matter of time until Hiccup came back with his plan of action, whatever that was, so why not make things easier for him.

"I'm sorry" he paused your pace to shoot you a shocked look, "I just... Don't feel comfortable with all these people possibly eaves dropping".

He switched to a more concerned tone, "It's only temporary, you won't have to worry about them for long" the crazed look paired with the ominous warning left you on edge. Biting the inside of your cheek you pushed down any mixed feeling you had and decided to commit to your half-baked plan.

"Personally, I would pref-" he cuts himself off when you wrap yourself around his arm. "I don't like Dragon Hunters" you state bluntly.  His opposite hand moved to rest on yours, currently wrapped around him, "We can go back to the room".

"No!" you paused, recollecting yourself, "No. I don't want to go back in that room again... I need fresh air". You shoot a glare at a hunter you catch staring. Dagur notices too, grip tightening ever so slightly.

You don't catch what it is, but Dagur must have done something, because in a matter of seconds, the hunters on the back half of the ship excuse themselves. Mission complete, with the back half completely unarmed the ships integrity would be compromised. All that was left was to keep it that way. 

A deep breath sounded from the man beside you. You knew him well enough to tell he was in thought. About what, you had no idea. But considering it was Dagur, that was probably for the best. 

You pause, thinking of what to say, "Is she happy with you?" was all you could come up with. And it was an important question in your mind. Heather had been very clear in her conflicted feelings about staying with the group. For her to do THIS was completely out of character for her, but at the very least you could get a gage of why. 

"Of course," the way he jerked his head sharply showed genuine confusion to the thought it would be anyway else. 

"I just... want to know that she's ok" not entirely untrue. You wanted her to be as well as she possibly could. So, strangling her unconscious would feel more rewarding. You mentally chastised yourself for thinking something so cruel about a friend. Then again, was she even still your friend after this. 

"Y/N", it wasn't anything new, but it always felt a bit wrong when he called you by your name. He only ever did it when he was trying to point out 'flaws' in your beliefs. Even when he said it to tease you, he did it in a way that felt like a nick name or a term of endearment. You don't like how much he's been saying it. Every time he says it the pit in your stomach feels a bit larger.

"I promise you; I will never do anything to hurt our family" it was said seriously. Something that felt foreign and uncomfortable on Dagur. Not even threatening, just a solemn oath. Granted you saw the irony in the promise, with him actively trying to kill your brother. But you suppose that was just because in Dagur's logic Hiccup wasn't a part of your 'real' family. 

It didn't excuse anything, but at least you were learning a bit more of how his insane and unruly logic worked. The fact that you were likely the one to know it best concerned you to no end. 

Not knowing how to add to the conversation and emotional bombshell that just happened, you contented yourself to tightening your grip around Dagur's arm, slightly leaning your head in as well. 

To your surprise, Dagur didn't take this as a sign or excuse to tease, make a move, or even comment on anything. Instead, he stayed silent, quietly watching the horizon. Though you did feel his thumb ever so slowly beginning to move up and down on your wrist.

It was... peaceful. Actually, now that you think about it, this might be the most calm and gentle moment you've had in months. Sun shining a warm blanket on your skin, mist cooling you in waves, and the faint sound of Dagur's heartbeat mixing with the ocean.

It made your mind wander. Back to when you were kids playing on the cliffs. Chasing each other because one of you wouldn't stop cheating. Getting tired and sleeping under trees instead of going back to the village because your parents would make you go home. Simpler times.

You didn't notice when Dagur's head had moved to rest on yours. But it didn't bother you as much as it should. Just an extra pressure, but not an uncomfortable one. Like a blanket, just heavy enough to make you feel extra safe. 

For a moment you wished time would stop. That you could stay in this moment, free from any expectation or plague of reality the world would throw at you. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and you would be pulled from your peace in a cruel and painful way.

A howl sounded from underneath the ship. And not just any howl, you knew that sound, "Silver tongue!". Dagur was quick to try and grip your arm, unfortunately for him you were just quick enough to slip past him and run towards the hull.

"You have no idea who you're messing with!" the sound of Astrid yelling from her cell only made your blood pressure spike ten times over as you nearly leapt down the stairs. The scene of horror you were met with was more than enough to shatter any moment you thought you were having. Silver Tongue strapped down in a cell struggling harshly against three hunters as they roughly pulled the arrows from his wing and left him. 

You moved to rush them when a sharp pain emitted from your scalp. "And where do you think you're going" Ryker, "I thought you two were keeping an eye on this one". 

"A mistake on my brother's part" the sharp sting dissipated as you were traded into the much softer hands of Heather. "His wounds will get infected if you don't let me treat him" you pulled against Heathers grip to no avail. Looking back, you were met with Heathers dethatched gaze, though you could sense a faint guilt behind her steely exterior. 

"That's the buyers problem. I won't go wasting any supplies on faulty merchandise. Sides" he leaned closer to the cage, causing silver tongue to let out a low growl. "His hides already damaged beyond worth. Suppose his skeleton would make a good center piece".

"I'll kill you" Your thrashing was enough to break out from one of Heathers hands. And had you not been so quickly traded into Dagur's you may have been able to get a good swing in on the bastard, "Heh. Put her in the brig. Before I throw her in a cell". Threats aside didn't stop you from putting up a fight as you were dragged away back into that Odin forsaken room again. 

---------------------------------

"I think that little brat's growing on me" Ryker joked.

"Ryker! Rykeeee" a frown spread across Dagur's face as he felt a twitch in his eye. Oh, so he was going to call his wife a brat after insulting his sister, and him. Well, that wasn't going to happen. Damn the plan, Dagur would rip out Rykers spine for the whole fleet to see if it meant putting him in his place. 

A glare from Heather pulled him from his murderous thoughts. 'Fine. You luck out today', it was a good thing Heather was there. With the exception of you no one else could, or even really knew how to ground him. Ryker would get to live for today, but that wouldn't stop him from making... alteration to the plan, specifically ones regarding what he would do to him once everything came into focus.

 "Little side note" his smile dropped, "If you ever disrespect my wife again or so much as touch her, I won't hesitate to wear your ribcage as my battle armor". The ship went quiet as the two stood still, neither moving so much as a hair.  

For a moment, Heathers fingers brushed over her axe, waiting for a fight to break out. "Hmph, keep her out of my hair" Ryker turned with a huff.

"What hair" Dagur mumbled like a child, only for a smack to hit him upside the head. "Ow, what was that for" Dagur turned towards his sister.

"For almost screwing everything up. I want to beat Ryker too, but we can't do that until we get to Vigo" Dagur rolled his eyes. "I don't see why you're so obsessed with meeting Vigo, the guys not even that interesting. You don't have a crush, or something do you? Because he is way older than you and as your brother I absolutely forbi-" Heather shoved a hand over his mouth before he started yelling.

"No, you idiot. We need Vigo so we can get access to the Dragon hunter monopoly, then when the time is right. WE take over" a sinister look took over Dagur. "Oh, I knew you were a genius, mom would be so proud". Heather bit back an insult and hit him on the back, "Go check on Y/N. I don't doubt she's losing it"

"I don't understand why she's so upset over that overgrown lizard" Heather turned sharply to her brother, "You wouldn't get it!".

"Alright alright, touchy subject" he backed away slowly.

Stopping outside the door he could hear you pacing, gods he hated it when you were worked up like this. Don't get him wrong, it was adorable, and hot. But only when it was, he was the one to work you up. Not Ryker.

knocking lightly, your pacing stopped. "My love" he opened the door carefully, stepping in. "I know you're upset so I thought we coul-" A fist collided square with his nose sending him stumbling back.

 ---------------------------------

You were angry. No, that would be an understatement, you were livid. So naturally the first thing you would do upon having anyone dare to enter your space would be to knock them as hard as you could in the nose. Your dad always said you had a nasty right hook.

It didn't surprise you when it was Dagur, honestly, who else was it supposed to be. That didn't cause you to feel any twisted form of guilt like it usually would. No, if anything you wanted to do it again.

"Wow!" Dagur said shocked clutching his nose, which was now bleeding, "If you don't give me my dragon I swear I'll rip you're damn head off!".

Dagur nodded still clutching his nose with wide eyes, "ok ok.... You're very pretty right now, can I kiss you?". You raised your hand to hit him again, though this time he was prepared, swift to dodge, "Ok I get it. I'll get the overgrown lizard some medicine or something".

"I mean it, Dagur. Real medical attention" he put his hands up assuring you repeatedly. 

"Have you been working you because I think I can smell colors" taking a deep breath you have him a once over. Damn it, did you give this man a concussion?

"Sit on the bed" obediently, without so much a word of argument, Dagur listened. Lifting his chin up you checked his eyes, making him track your finger. ok, visual awareness seems fine. You snaped in his right ear, "Ow, what was that for?".

"Good, you can hear fine. You're being dramatic, you're fine". You moved away from him. How had things been so fast to go to hell. One moment you were having the most relaxing rest of your life. The next you were angrier than you had ever been in your life.

"You know, you're getting a lot better at this" you turned to the idiot in question, "Hitting you?".

"No, acting like... you" you raised a brow. "Actually, expressing yourself. A month ago, you wouldn't even yell at me beyond 'you're delusional, I'm never gonna marry you, Dagur', " he said in a terrible mock imitation of your voice, "Now, you're actually dealing with the real problem".

"The real problem? My problem is that you can't help but ruin my life!" you scream. "THERE! Right there! You're actually learning to speak your mind. Not the rehearsed argument you tell yourself to sleep at night, your actual thoughts" he laughed.

"You're insane" you groan in irritation and half disgust, "Ok. bit of a step backwards but some of that is you".

"Can you shut up" Dagur, to your relief, did stop talking.

Gods, even when he's not talking it's like you can hear voices in your head yelling at you. Wait.... no. Those aren't in your head. "Dragon riders!". Hiccup!

"Stay down here" Dagur shot up, slamming the door behind him, the sound of a lock sliding into place confirming your suspicions. 

You hadn't been successful in managing to make his plan easier, so you would have to hope his plan would work. A scratching at the door grabbed your attention, followed by a small spark of fire through the crack underneath, "Scabbard! Good girl".

She let out a pleased chirp at your praise. "Ok, pleeeeease find a way to understand me and slide the lock open" silence. "I will give you all the fish if you unlock this door", nothing. "I will give you all of Silver Tongue's fish if you open this door" the metal bar rang as it hit the floor.

"You little con artist" Scabbard shot up off the ground, purring as she nuzzled herself in a vise grip around your neck. "I know, I know, no more privacy when I get home huh".

Sneaking upwards you were relieved to see the hunters were preoccupied with Hiccup and Snotlout in the air, allowing you to get into the hull where your friends were already making their escape.

Granted they were still dealing with the few dragon hunters downstairs with you. You trusted them to be able to handle them, your priority was Silver Tongue. Quickly, you slid past and ran to his cell, cutting the ropes as fast as you could. It wasn't clear if the hunters had done it, or if it had been Silver Tongue while trying to free himself, but he was covered in small cuts and scratches, bruising covering underneath his second left wing. 

"It's ok, were going to get you home, and clean you up" he let out a low pathetic growl and huff, he was exhausted, sorry Scabbard but you weren't getting any of his fish.

"Y/N!" Astrid called. "I'm coming. Come on buddy, you got this". Carefully, he pushed off the ground, launching up through the open hatch in the ship Storm fly had blasted open. 

Dagur was right, you had gotten better expressing your anger. And with Thor as your witness Ryker was going to learn just how much anger you had.

---------------------------------

thank you for reading!!! A longer chapter to make up for the wait. Thank you to everyone who has been commenting, I read every single one.

ps. no proofread on this one so sorry for spelling and grammar errors

Taglist

~~~~

@demogorgon-master1

@mj-jabami

@alicee-carter

@amearla

@milenaester14

[worstshippoll]

literally what is the point of something like this. obviously people are allowed to find ships annoying, but this is just breeding hate and hostility. if these ships are supposedly "harmless" why bother saying they're the "worst"? of course nobody likes to have something they like randomly attacked. like even if that's not the intent of the blog... have you looked at the tags on people's reblogs? there's no fun in everybody harassing each other over why the thing they like is actually arbitrarily terrible.

I appreciate you not being aggressive about your concerns, but it's just not that deep. If you don't find any fun in this you have 0 obligation to participate and my feelings will not be hurt if you block this blog. I have kept the bulk of this easily avoidable to anyone who does not want to see it by having a dedicated tag for the posts you can blacklist and not putting anything directly in a shipping tag. I severely doubt anyone is going to feel empowered to start shit with completely random people outside of this poll because of it, and if they did, they were already the kind of person who would have done that.

No one, to my knowledge, is directly "harassing" anyone (and I think people tend to throw that word around much too lightly in this context), and I feel I have already made it clear that I find any genuine hostility distasteful and frankly embarrassing for that person, but I do not have control over it. The most I can do is say I think it's way more cringe to get so uncontrollably heated over a joke poll run by a random stranger on a dying blogging platform that you feel like you need to start beef with randoms about it than it is to care about two imaginary people you think should kiss.

We have real problems. Like Sisko losing the bald guy bracket.

[comshipbracket]

Antis DNI - Block the tag "comship" if this causes discomfort.

Remember, you are voting for the ship you prefer, not the ship you find more problematic

Propaganda for both ships under the cut.

Disclaimer: All ships (other than NozoCoco) on this bracket are FOLLOWER-SUBMITTED ships, the Mods do not always hold necessary knowledge to be aware of any errors or fanonizing what should be canon material that may arise.

Jimthan Propaganda (One-sided Toxic Dynamic, Underage - Both Jimmy and Nathan are children)

"Jimmy and Nathan have an adorably onesided dynamic where it's never entirely clear if Jimmy is fully aware just how much Nathan hates his guts. Fueled partly by their different feelings on summer camp, Nathan has tried to get Jimmy killed multiple times, almost always ending in his own misfortune as a result. Much like a classic Looney Toons pair, Jimmy's insistence on fair play and good sportsmanship somehow always wins against Nathan's schemes. Even after encountering a situation where it is Severely, OBJECTIVELY clear that Nathan is just a straight up evil person who wants him and everyone else involved in the camp Dead, Jimmy seems to openly consider him a friend who he's glad to see every summer. This doesn't mean he never fucks with him, but Jimmy's attitude being so chill and friendly makes a wonderful contrast against Nathan's seething hatered. They also seem to be on mildly reasonable terms at school, partly because whenever Nathan has to directly interact with him, he feigns friendship, making the whole dynamic that much more complex. Please let my disabled babies win against the conventionally attractive anime people, i mean no disdain for the other ships i just think that would be really cool!!"

Stannarrator Propaganda (Codependency, Toxic Power Dynamics - In most endings)

"The Stanley Parable is a game about The Narrator wanting to tell a story through their game but having to rely on the Stanley's choices. The core of the game is that Stanley and The Narrator are bound to each other: Stanley needs The Narrator to make the "parable" he lives in, and The Narrator needs Stanley to make the choices that drive the story.

The Narrator clearly has the most power in this dynamic, since he can alter the world the Stanley lives in: modifying the rooms, creating and deleting objects at will, reloading the game, altering Stanley's perception, knowing almost everything and being almost everywhere. But, despite all that power, he isn't able to control the one thing that keeps his story existing: Stanley's choices.

Okay, spoilers to both the original 2013 game and the Ultra Deluxe remake from here on out since it's impossible to talk about them without spoiling a lot of the endings.

In one of the new endings on the Ultra Deluxe remake, the Skip Button ending, The Narrator creates a button that lets Stanley skip his dialogue `inspired` by a bad Steam review, but when Stanley clicks this button The Narrator is left all alone in that room, and which each click the skip becomes longer, from minutes, to hours, to weeks, to months… And in the fifth skip (where Stanley stays frozen for like, one, two weeks), The Narrator breaks up, talking about how he needs Stanley to listen to him and how scared he is of slipping back into the silence he passes through every time we use the skip button. In his own words, `I can't lose myself in the stretch of emptiness between you and me.` Of course, since it's the only way to advance in this ending, we skip again, and again, until The Narrator ends up eventually disappearing after the 12th or 13th skip, leaving Stanley alone in a desert, and that's where the ending stops, though it continues on the Epilogue, but I'll leave some things to add as propaganda during the polls.

Despite this, The Narrator still has more control of the situation than Stanley, like on the Explosion ending, where he traps Stanley in a room while the building's destroys itself as consequence for choosing to activate the Mind Control Machine instead of shutting it down to free everyone. He keeps acting like Stanley is nothing but a vehicle for him to pass a message through his story. `Watching you try to make sense of everything and take back the control wrested away from you…it's quite rich. I almost hate to see it go!` `You're only still playing instead of watching a cutscene because I want to watch you for every moment that you're powerless, to see you made humble. […] You wanted to control this world; that's fine. But I'm going to destroy it first, so you can't.`

But there's one point where they're equal, they both want to free themselves. On the Museum ending, we meet a being that is higher than The Narrator, the Female Narrator (yeah, that's her name), and she gives the best description of the relationship between these two: `Oh, look at these two. How they wish to destroy one another. How they wish to control one another. How they both wish to be free. Can you see? Can you see how much they need one another? No, perhaps not. Sometimes these things cannot be seen.`"

[fssanctuary]

Welcome to Four Swords Fright Fight!

🕯️Overview

Four Swords Fright Fight is a creative fandom event taking place during the month of October. All are invited to participate to contribute prompt-inspired fanworks for the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords manga by Akira Himekawa.

This post has information about how the event works, what the rules are, and helpful links.

The Four Swords Sanctuary Discord Server is proud to host this event! Click the link for more information about us—we're a creative fandom community for brainstorming, encouragement, writing sprints, and more!

📝How it Works

Each week is themed around a set of two opposing prompts:

Note: For text description of this calendar, see this post. 

Throughout each week, contributors will post fanart, fanfiction, and other fanworks based on one of the two prompts using the event tag #fsff23 (no space). Any single piece of work you post will count as a “vote” for your prompt of choice. Then, at the end of each week, we will declare a winning prompt based on the number of works created. 

This is not a competition with a prize. The “fight” aspect of the event is similar to Tumblr polls, simply a fun way for everyone to get invested and inspired! 

If you're curious about participating, please glance through the information below. The FAQ for additional questions can be found at this link.

🌙Timelines and Deadlines

This event will take place for the entire month of October, but we encourage you to start working on your contributions now!

Each week, we will count anything posted in the tag from 12:00 A.M. PST on Sunday to 11:59 P.M. PST on Saturday. This allows the event coordinators to count submissions and announce the winning prompt on Sunday. Please remember to use the #fsff23 tag so we can find your work. Anything lacking the tag won't be counted. 

🔮Reblogging and Collection

This blog will also be reblogging contributions from the tag throughout the month! You can find specific conditions for featured works in the Event Rules. There will also be an AO3 collection for fanfic contributions posted there, same conditions apply. 

Browse the AO3 collection at this link.

🍷Event Rules

- You must tag your post properly to be counted! Use the tag #fsff23, any content warnings, and make it clear in tags or text which prompt you'd like your vote to count for. 

- This event welcomes ship-related content. No participant is obligated to create, interact with, or enjoy ship-related content—however, we expect all participants to be respectful and nonjudgmental of those who do.

- All submissions properly tagged will be counted in the weekly prompt competitions—however, if you would like your work reblogged here, it must abide by the following two conditions: 

No sexual and gory content over an approximate PG-13 rating. For example, we are happy to feature characters kissing or splattered with blood (the event is Halloween-themed, after all), but not explicit erotica or graphic body horror. And while you are welcome to submit NSFW fanworks to the event (provided they abide by the “do not tolerate” rules below), we require that you warn and tag accordingly, or your submission will not be counted. TL;DR: Please keep suggestive/gory content PG-13 if you would like to be featured, and be mindful of participants who do not wish to see NSFW content. 

Featured fanworks must be directly based on the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords manga. While we appreciate that the LOZ fandom is large and interconnected, this event focuses specifically on Akira Himekawa’s interpretation of the Four Swords characters and story. As such, we will not be featuring or counting content based on other LOZ games or crossover AUs. It is, however, acceptable to thematically or visually reference other LOZ properties. TL;DR: Only fanworks of Akira Himekawa’s Four Swords manga will be featured in this event. 

- We do not tolerate content containing the following two things: 

Inappropriate depiction of characters explicitly identified as minors. Given the ambiguity of character ages in the text, we would like to make clear that we only welcome NSFW content under the assumption that all characters involved are adults. We also require that such contributions are properly tagged and labeled as mature. 

Hateful attitudes such as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, antisemetism, ableism, etc. - We also do not tolerate harassment of event participants. If you have a problem with something or someone in the tag, please bring it to us.

[basketleaftea]

Online Marketing Tips for Small Tea Brands – Basketleaf

In today’s digital-first world, even small tea brands need a strong online presence to grow and thrive. With the right online marketing strategies, you can attract customers, boost brand visibility, and drive sales without breaking your budget. This guide provides actionable online marketing tips tailored for small tea brands operating on  best businesses under ₹1 lakh or less.

1. Build a Strong Social Media Presence

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp are essential for building brand awareness.

Showcase Your Products: Post aesthetically pleasing photos of your tea blends, packaging, and brewing process.

Engaging Stories: Use Instagram Stories to poll followers, announce new blends, or offer limited-time discounts.

User-Generated Content: Encourage customers to share their tea moments and tag your brand.

Hashtag Strategy: Use a mix of trending and niche hashtags like #TeaWithBasketleaf to reach more people.

2. Leverage WhatsApp Marketing

WhatsApp is a powerful tool for directly communicating with customers.

Broadcast Messages: Send updates about new blends, offers, or discounts to customers.

Customer Support: Provide instant assistance and take orders through WhatsApp Business.

Exclusive Offers: Create a VIP WhatsApp group where members receive special deals.

3. Build a User-Friendly Website

Having a website gives your tea brand credibility and allows customers to explore your products online.

Keep It Simple: Use easy-to-navigate pages with clear descriptions and beautiful product photos.

Offer Online Ordering: Allow customers to order tea directly from your site.

Include Testimonials: Display positive reviews to build trust.

SEO Optimization: Use relevant keywords like “best business under ₹1 lakh” to improve visibility on search engines.

4. Sell on eCommerce Platforms

Expand your reach by listing your tea products on popular eCommerce platforms.

Amazon and Flipkart: Use their vast customer base to boost sales.

Meesho or Shopify: Platforms like these are great for small businesses looking to sell online.

Social Commerce: Sell directly through Facebook and Instagram shops.

5. Collaborate with Micro-Influencers

Influencer marketing is a great way to promote your tea brand without spending a fortune.

Find Local Micro-Influencers: Work with influencers who have 10K-50K followers and are active in your niche.

Offer Free Products: In exchange for reviews or social media posts.

Run Giveaways: Collaborate with influencers to organize contests that promote your products.

6. Use Email Marketing to Retain Customers

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to nurture customer relationships.

Collect Emails: Offer a small discount in exchange for customers’ email addresses.

Send Newsletters: Share updates about new products, offers, or tea tips.

Abandoned Cart Emails: Remind customers about items they left in their cart.

7. Run Targeted Ads on Social Media

Social media advertising can help you reach new audiences without spending much.

Facebook and Instagram Ads: Promote your products to tea lovers, wellness enthusiasts, and gift shoppers.

Target Locally: Run ads in specific cities or areas where your products are available.

Optimize for Conversions: Use clear call-to-actions like “Shop Now” or “Order Today.”

8. Use Content Marketing to Educate and Engage

High-quality content helps position your brand as an expert in the tea industry.

Write Blog Posts: Share articles on topics like health benefits of tea, chai recipes, or sustainable tea farming.

Create Video Tutorials: Show how to brew the perfect cup of tea or create iced chai at home.

Launch a Tea Podcast: Discuss tea culture, wellness, and entrepreneurship to engage your audience further.

9. Offer Discounts and Limited-Time Promotions

Online promotions are an effective way to boost sales and attract new customers.

Flash Sales: Offer a 10% discount for a few hours to create urgency.

Free Shipping Offers: Encourage larger orders with free shipping on purchases above ₹500.

Referral Discounts: Give customers discounts when they refer friends to your online store.

10. Track Results and Optimize Campaigns

Monitor your marketing efforts to see what works best and optimize your campaigns accordingly.

Use Google Analytics: Track website traffic, conversion rates, and popular pages.

Social Media Insights: Analyze engagement metrics to see which posts perform well.

Ad Performance Metrics: Monitor click-through rates (CTR) and adjust targeting if necessary.

FAQs

1. How can I promote my tea brand online with a small budget?

Use social media marketing, WhatsApp broadcasts, and influencer collaborations to promote your brand without spending too much. Create content that educates and engages your audience to build a loyal following.

2. Do I need a website to sell my tea online?

While a website adds credibility to your brand, you can also sell through eCommerce platforms or social media if a website isn’t feasible initially.

3. Are social media ads effective for small tea brands?

Yes! Targeted ads on platforms like Instagram and Facebook allow you to reach the right audience at a low cost. Start with small ad budgets to test what works best for your brand.

Conclusion: Grow Your Tea Brand with Smart Online Marketing

Starting a tea business on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t compete with bigger brands. By leveraging social media, eCommerce platforms, email marketing, and influencer collaborations, you can build brand awareness and drive sales effectively. With consistency, creativity, and smart strategies, your tea business can become one of the best businesses under ₹1 lakh.

[arpov-blog-blog]

Trump’s announcement on Monday that he supports leaving the debate about abortion restrictions to the states sparked a torrent of political attacks, with Biden and his allies accusing their GOP rival of ushering in “cruelty and chaos” in the post-Roe v. Wade era.

The offensive marked a new phase in the Biden team’s bid to make reproductive rights the defining issue of the presidential race. In addition to accusing Trump of paving the way for Roe’s elimination, Democrats on Monday sought to tie him directly to the harshest state abortion laws — and their real-life consequences.

“Trump once said women must be punished for seeking reproductive health care — and he’s gotten his wish,” Biden said in a statement released by his reelection campaign. “Women are being turned away from emergency rooms, forced to go to court to seek permission for the medical attention they need, and left to travel hundreds of miles for health care.”

Across the country, Democrats moved swiftly to capitalize on the opening that Trump provided in a nearly four-and-a-half minute video where the former president took credit for gutting Roe, and argued that individual states should determine when and how harshly to restrict access to abortion.

Prior to the announcement, Trump had come under intense pressure to stake out a clear position after toying for weeks with endorsing a blanket 15-week ban. Trump has privately fretted that the issue is politically toxic for Republicans, especially if they don’t come out in support of exemptions for the life and health of the mother.

“Trump’s statement provided Republicans much needed clarity on this issue,” said Nicole McCleskey, a Republican pollster. “He helped put it to rest by saying, ‘leave it to the states,’ which is what majorities of voters agree with.”

Yet in the immediate aftermath, casting the issue as a state-level decision opened up the former president to criticism from all sides. Anti-abortion activists expressed disappointment with Trump for not coming out for a national policy.

And Biden allies, wary of letting Trump cast his abortion position as a moderate one, emphasized that he had made little attempt to distance himself from the strictest abortion measures around the country.

“Let’s be clear, Trump is not only extremely proud of overturning Roe v. Wade, he supports the nightmarish abortion bans happening in states across the country,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes said in a statement.

Democrats also seized on what Trump didn’t say — namely, that he did not explicitly rule out signing a nationwide abortion ban if elected, and refused to condemn states that had banned abortion without exceptions.

In a sign of how critically Biden’s team views the moment, Biden campaign officials kicked off Monday’s press call with an extended admonishment of initial media reports they argued mistakenly indicated that Trump was opposing a national abortion ban.

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Trump promises a ‘deal’ on abortion that will please everyone. It likely doesn’t exist.

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What Liberals Get Wrong About ‘White Rural Rage’ — Almost Everything

“His allies do have a plan to ban abortion nationally, without ever going to Congress,” Chávez Rodriguez said, pointing to GOP efforts to restrict medication abortion.

Biden in his own statement said there should “be no illusion. If Donald Trump is elected and the MAGA Republicans in Congress put a national abortion ban on the Resolute Desk, Trump will sign it into law.”

The president singled out Florida’s plan to impose a six-week abortion ban, noting it as an example of a state-level abortion restriction that would make the procedure “illegal before many women know they’re pregnant.”

Trump, who is a Florida resident, has not said whether he supports the state ban and did not address the issue in his video."

[nikethestatue]

so let’s break something down here because my mind is like ?????

i was reading this random thread and someone pointed out how majority of the acotar shippers for Az are gwynr*els.

now, how in the world is that logically possible? Canonly possible? there was no hint of any romance between the two in the acosf or the bonus chapter per se. now you can ship who you like but I’m m just trying to understand this by logic and numbers.

I do not know how true this is, so correct me if I am wrong but how can there be so many of them with nothing in canon to go off of? there needs to be a scientific research on this.

there is no way all these people are gwyr*el or gw*n fans because if they are claiming that we don’t know a lot about Elain, heck than what do we know or a side character who was only introduced in the most recent book? Also how well do we know Azriel outside of everyone else pov just like Elaine?

Now I want to hear your thoughts and others from the fandom that want to chime in. But here is what i think: a good majority of gwynr*els are first and foremost Elain haters/dislikers and that can only be for the following reasons plus more, give me some of yours if you can.

1. First: the read acosf as a stand alone: which still makes no sense but if someone doesn’t have the brain capacity to think wait this can’t possibly be a stand alone? How can we expect them to have the reading comprehension to pick up on all the 4 books and the novela’s foreshadowing and clear evidence that Elaine has been involved in every single aspect. Even though we don’t see her often, we still see that she does so much. How does your brain not register that? outside of ships, let’s be real for a second. This is ridiculous to me.

2 . She has more feminine traits and they want all woman to be warrior princess with a sword. apparently you are strong or exciting if you don’t sword play or ar

3. they self insert

Azriel wants Elaine and you have to be delusional to deny that lol. but moreover this whole Elaine doesn’t challenge Azriel thing sends me because first of all we don’t know them enough to assume they don’t challenge one another. But also, not everyone wants to be challenged. Have you all ever wondered why Azriel choose Elaine and not anyone else? Because maybe just because he wants peace and quiet??

Honestly I forgot where I was going with this lol but yeah I’m saying the numbers aren’t adding up. I feel like on tiktok/insta a lot of casual viewers + like, like things and move along but it’s in the polls where we see the actual numbers. for instance that whole Romeo&Juliette art send them freaking with “we refrained from voting” 😭

Sorry for the rant, but in hindsight, what I am asking is: how do these numbers make sense? How does this ship make any sense? Where are these ppl getting the nerve from?

One word answer to all your questions:

TikTok

The rise of Gwynriel directly coincides with the rise of booktok and TikTok.

Now, you can just blather on and on without anyone checking for facts. You can make up any headcanon, and if you are someone with lots of followers or convincing enough, people will simply think that you are telling the truth. That it actually happened in the books.

That's why the most common questions from newly minted Gwynriels, who've been drinking from the TikTok and Insta firehouse, is 'where is the Gwynriel book?' 'where can i read all the cute Gwynriel scenes?" 'i saw adorable art of Gwyn and Az, what scene was it?"

The answer is:

YOU CAN'T FIND IT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T EXIST.

But essentially, that's how it got started and how it spread. No other vehicle was more useful to useful idiots than TikTok.

They think that ACOSF is chockful of Gwynriel, and then, when they finally read the book, it they are very disappointed because there are no Gwynriel scenes.

They attribute 'you are the new ribbon' saying to Gwyn, even though of course it was Nesta who said it.

They think that Gwyn is walking around parading in her regifted necklace. No she isn't.

They think Azriel just about confessed his love to her, where as all he thinks about is Elain.

It's really quite sad.

But that's why you have to check your sources and your facts.

[greatworldwar2]

• MV Wilhelm Guftloff

MV Wilhelm Gustloff was a German armed military transport ship which was sunk in January 1945 by Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea while evacuating German civilian refugees from East Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Estonia.

Wilhelm Gustloff was constructed by the Blohm & Voss shipyards. Measuring 208.5 m (684 ft 1 in) long by 23.59 m (77 ft 5 in) wide, with a capacity of 25,484 gross register tons (GRT), she was launched on May 5th, 1937. The ship was originally intended to be named Adolf Hitler but instead was christened after Wilhelm Gustloff, leader of the National Socialist Party's Swiss branch, who had been assassinated by a Jewish medical student in 1936. Hitler decided on the name change after sitting next to Gustloff's widow during his memorial service. After completing sea trials in the North Sea from March 15th to 16th, 1938 she was handed over to her owners. Wilhelm Gustloff was the first purpose-built cruise ship for the German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeitsfront, DAF) and used by subsidiary organisation Kraft durch Freude (KdF) (Strength Through Joy). Her purposes were to provide recreational and cultural activities for German functionaries and workers, including concerts, cruises, and other holiday trips, and to serve as a public relations tool, to present "a more acceptable image of the Third Reich". She made her unofficial maiden voyage between the 24th and 27th of March 1938, carrying Austrians in an attempt to convince them to vote for the annexation of Austria by Germany. On March 29th, 1938 she departed on her second voyage carrying workers and their families from the Blohm & Voss shipyard on a three-day cruise. On April 8th, 1938 Wilhelm Gustloff under the command of Captain Carl Lübbe departed Hamburg for England where she anchored over three miles offshore of Tilbury so as to remain in international waters. This allowed her to act as a floating polling station for German and Austrian citizens living in England who wished to vote on the approaching plebiscite on Anschluss (Union of Austria with Germany).

After undertaking a further voyage on April 14th to 19th, 1938, she went on an Osterfahrt (Easter Voyage) before her actual official maiden voyage, which was undertaken between April 26th to May 6th, 1938 when she joined Der Deutsche, Oceania and Sierra Cordoba on a group cruise to the Madeira Islands. Between May 20th, to June 2nd, 1939, she was diverted from her pleasure cruises. With seven other ships in the KdF fleet, she transported the Condor Legion back from Spain following the victory of the Nationalist forces under General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War. From March 1938 until August 1939, Wilhelm Gustloff took over 80,000 passengers on a total of 60 voyages, all around Europe. From September 1939 to November 1940, she served as a hospital ship, officially designated Lazarettschiff D. Beginning on November 20th, 1940, the medical equipment was removed from the ship, and she was repainted from the hospital ship colours of white with a green stripe to standard naval grey. As a consequence of the Allied blockade of the German coastline, she was used as an accommodations ship (barracks) for approximately 1,000 U-boat trainees of the 2nd Submarine Training Division (2. Unterseeboot-Lehrdivision) in the port of Gdynia, which had been occupied by Germany and renamed Gotenhafen, located near Danzig (Gdańsk). Wilhelm Gustloff sat in dock there for over four years. In 1942, SS Cap Arcona was used as a stand-in for RMS Titanic in the German film version of the disaster. Filmed in Gotenhafen, the 2nd Submarine Training Division acted as extras in the movie. Eventually she was put back into service to transport civilians and military personnel as part of Operation Hannibal.

Operation Hannibal was the naval evacuation of German troops and civilians as the Red Army advanced. Wilhelm Gustloff's final voyage was to evacuate German refugees, military personnel, and technicians from Courland, East Prussia, and Danzig-West Prussia. Many had worked at advanced weapon bases in the Baltic from Gdynia/Gotenhafen to Kiel. The ship's complement and passenger lists cited 6,050 people on board, but these did not include many civilians who boarded the ship without being recorded in the official embarkation records. A German archivist and Gustloff survivor who extensively researched the sinking during the, concluded that Wilhelm Gustloff was carrying a crew of 173 (naval armed forces auxiliaries), 918 officers, NCOs, and men of the 2 Unterseeboot-Lehrdivision, 373 female naval auxiliary helpers, 162 wounded soldiers, and 8,956 civilians, for a total of 10,582 passengers and crew. The passengers, besides civilians, included Gestapo personnel, members of the Organisation Todt, and Nazi officials with their families. The ship was overcrowded, and due to the temperature and humidity inside, many passengers defied orders not to remove their life jackets. The ship left Danzig (Gdańsk) at 12:30 pm on January 30th, 1945, accompanied by the passenger liner Hansa, also filled with civilians and military personnel, and two torpedo boats. Hansa and one torpedo boat developed mechanical problems and could not continue, leaving Wilhelm Gustloff with one torpedo boat escort, Löwe.

Against the advice of the military commander, Lieutenant Commander Wilhelm Zahn (a submariner who argued for a course in shallow waters close to shore and without lights), Wilhelm Gustloff's captain Friedrich Petersen decided to head for deep water which was known to have been cleared of mines. When he was informed by a mysterious radio message of an oncoming German minesweeper convoy, he decided to activate his ship's red and green navigation lights so as to avoid a collision in the dark, making Wilhelm Gustloff easy to spot in the night. As Wilhelm Gustloff had been fitted with anti-aircraft guns, and the Germans did not mark her as a hospital ship, no notification of her operating in a hospital capacity had been given and, as she was transporting military personnel, she did not have any protection as a hospital ship under international accords. The ship was soon sighted by the Soviet submarine S-13, under the command of Captain Alexander Marinesko. The submarine sensor on board the escorting torpedo boat had frozen, rendering it inoperable, as had Wilhelm Gustloff's anti-aircraft guns, leaving the vessels defenseless. Marinesko followed the ships to their starboard (seaward) side for two hours before making a daring move to surface his submarine and steer it around Wilhelm Gustloff's stern, to attack it from the port side closer to shore, from whence the attack would be less expected. At around 9 pm (CET), Marinesko ordered his crew to launch four torpedoes at Wilhelm Gustloff's port side. The three torpedoes which were fired successfully all struck Wilhelm Gustloff on her port side. The first torpedo struck Wilhelm Gustloff's bow, causing the watertight doors to seal off the area which contained quarters where off-duty crew members were sleeping. The second torpedo hit the accommodations for the women's naval auxiliary, located in the ship's drained swimming pool, dislodging the pool tiles at high velocity, which caused heavy casualties; only three of the 373 quartered there survived. The third torpedo was a direct hit on the engine room located amidships, disabling all power and communications.

Reportedly, only nine lifeboats were able to be lowered; the rest had frozen in their davits and had to be broken free. About 20 minutes after the torpedoes' impact, Wilhelm Gustloff listed dramatically to port, so that the lifeboats lowered on the high starboard side crashed into the ship's tilting side, destroying many lifeboats and spilling their occupants across the ship's side. The water temperature in the Baltic Sea at that time of year is usually around 4 °C (39 °F); however, this was a particularly cold night, with an air temperature of −18 to −10 °C (0 to 14 °F) and ice floes covering the surface. Many deaths were caused either directly by the torpedoes or by drowning in the onrushing water. Others were crushed in the initial stampede caused by panicked passengers on the stairs and decks. Many others jumped into the icy Baltic. The majority of those who perished succumbed to exposure in the freezing water. Less than 40 minutes after being struck, Wilhelm Gustloff was lying on her side. She sank bow-first 10 minutes later, in 44 m (144 ft) of water. German forces were able to rescue 1252 of the survivors from the attack, figures from research make the loss in the sinking to be "9,343 men, women and children". Many ships carrying civilians were sunk during the war by both the Allies and Axis Powers. However, based on the latest estimates of passenger numbers and those known to be saved, Wilhelm Gustloff remains by far the largest loss of life resulting from the sinking of one vessel in maritime history. About 1,000 German naval officers and men were aboard during, and died in, the sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff. The women on board the ship at the time of the sinking were inaccurately described by Soviet propaganda as "SS personnel from the German concentration camps". Before sinking Wilhelm Gustloff, Alexander Marinesko was facing a court martial due to his problems with alcohol and for being caught in a brothel while he and his crew were off duty, so Marinesko was thus deemed "not suitable to be a hero" for his actions. Therefore, instead of gaining the title Hero of the Soviet Union, he was awarded the lesser Order of the Red Banner.

[ask-de-writer]

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT : Part 55 of 83 : World of Sea

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to World of Sea

SEA DRAGON’S GIFT

Part 55 of 83

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

140406 words

copyright 2020

written 2007

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users   of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may   reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information   remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in   my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical   compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

New to the story?  Read from the beginning.  PART 1 is here

///////////////////////

Someone in the melee noticed them in a brief moment of better visibility. They frantically called, “Boarders aft!”  Shocked into further action, Captain Mord left the fight and led the two hundred and fifty foot charge back to the map table.  They were too late.  Kurin was gone.

In a small boat, barely out of sight in the fog, Tanlin bent her back to carefully muffled oars.  The Sea Hawk circled once and disappeared into the mist.  Shortly, they heard it scream, back near the Longin. The bird came back and circled, flying low and slow ahead of them. In short order, the Wide Wing lead them to the other three boats.

It swooped down and landed on Tanlin’s heavily padded shoulder, talons adding another few small rips to the pads.  Tanlin chucked the Sea Hawk under the beak and then gave it a bit of dried skelt.  The razor sharp beak took it gently from her fingers and made short work of it.

As Kurin looked on in amazement, Tanlin said, “Good, Skye.  Good. Now, show us t’e way t’ ‘ome an’ nest.”  The big bird bobbed its head, and launched off her shoulder, beating up, out of sight.  Tanlin had a faraway look, as if the world about her was a dream.  

She shook herself and pointed surely through the fog, “T’at way, swift an’ quiet.”  After they had rowed for a bit, she ordered, “Step masts.  Rig t’e sails.  Lively, now!”  Without a word, the crewmen and women leapt to obey.

A cat’s paw breeze swept through the fog and filled their sails.  In a short time they were clear of the fog and scudding north through the chop raised by a brisk breeze.

Finally, Tanlin relaxed, but only a little.  She called to the other boats, “Wad t’ey nae look at our message at all?”

“No, Captain.  We were driven back by knives.”

Shaken, Tanlin asked, “T’ey refused ye rescue?  T’e Longin broke the Groit Law?  Ye were attacked wit’ knives?”  She paused and swallowed hard.  In a calm voice belied by shaking shoulders and tears she asked, “W’at losses?”

“One dead, three wounded, one missing,” they replied.  

Kurin saw Tanlin crumple a bit but then brace herself.  ��‘Oo died?”

“Macoul, the helmsman,” they called back.

“T’e wounded?” she asked, shaking but dry-eyed now.

“Gemma Colin, Darkistry Colm and Lenai Halin, Captain,” they called back.

“An’ t’e missin’?”

“Bosun Modanet.”

Then she did cry but she held her course.  “A good ‘elmsmon gone. Doctor Corin’s daughter.  M’ best friend.  Arnat’s mot’er. Oi can ‘ope t’at t’e Bosun got our message t’ yer Ca’tain. I’ ‘arm t’ t’ese few ‘urts so muckle, ‘ow does anyane survive a war?”

Kurin tried to distract Tanlin from her grief.  “How did you train Skye so well?  I never heard of anyone taming a Wide Wing before.  It was like he understood you.”

Tanlin did smile, though there were still tears in her eyes, “She.  Skye’s a female.  T’under’ead’s bock ‘ome on t’e nest.  Huh, she just got bock t’ t’e ship.  She brought ‘im a fish.”

“But how did you train her so well?” asked Kurin, in genuine curiosity.

“Oi dinnae.  Oi defended t’eir nest wen t’ey decided t’ make ‘t in our rigging w’ile we rode in t’e eye o’ t’e storm.  Oi brought t’em some fish, because t’ey’d been days wit’oot food.  T’ey adopted me.  T’en w’en Mecat gave m’ a Dragon’s Gift, t’ey were on m’ shoulders, trin’ t’ protect m’ from a Groit Dragon.  T’ey got included in t’e Gift.

“Sorry, Oi’m upset an’ tellin’ ‘t badly.  Let m’ calm down an’ Oi’ll tell ‘t better.”

“Did I hear one of the crewmen call you ‘Captain’?”

“Full o’ quest’ns, arenae ye?” said Tanlin, smiling in spite of herself.  “Aye, Ca’tain Barad stepped down voluntarily, for t’e good o’ t’e ship.  T’e crew elected m’.  T’was unanimous. Ye con poll t’em yersel’, i’ ye wont.”

“What I would want is to hear Barad say that he stepped down voluntarily,” said Kurin almost wistfully.

“T’en ye shall ‘ear ‘t from ‘is ane mout’, an’ t’at, soon,” said Tanlin firmly.  She pointed.  The sails of the big square-rigger could be seen coming over the horizon.  A Wide Wing could be seen leading the ship.  When it was clear that ship and boats had seen each other, the bird dove from five hundred feet up, hitting the water cleanly, with only a small splash.  A few minutes later, it surfaced and took off, circling back to the high lookout where the nest was.

“T’at wa’ T’under’ead,” said Tanlin, proudly.  “Wen we get t’e wounded taken care o’, Oi’m going t’ take t’em a basket o’ fish, for t’eir chicks.  Oi’m part o’ t’e flock, after all, an’ tis the duty o’ t’e flock t’ care for t’e young.” She cocked her head in self-conscious imitation of a bird.  “Oi’ll take care o’ ye, t’.  Wont t’ ‘elp feed t’em?”

The Grandalor turned into the wind, using it as a brake, to stop so that the party could board.  

“What fortune?” called a light baritone voice that Kurin knew.

“She came wit’ us, Barad,” Tanlin called back.  “T’e price wa’ ‘eavy.  We ‘ave t’ree wounded, ane dead an’ ane missin’.”

“You heard the Captain,” Barad’s voice called.  “Get four stretchers rigged, now!”  Their boats bumped up to the Grandalor and tied up to a piece of cargo net that had been hung over the side for use as a ladder.  The boarding party swarmed up the net, except for Tanlin and a few others who stayed behind to tend to the dead and injured.

Tanlin turned to Kurin, “Go on, get aboard.  T’ese folk volunteered t’ be in t’is party an’ ye are t’e reason t’at t’eir blood wa’ shed.  I’ ye donnae get aboard, t’will ‘ave all been for naught.”

“I’ll go aboard, never fear that,” Kurin answered seriously.  “These people risked their lives to get me here.  I can take a few minutes to help them.  I know bandaging and that abdominal wound  needs to be rebound.  She is in shock.  Wind her tightly.  Her arms and legs, too.  It will help to keep her blood pressure up.”

“Thank you, Kurin,” said a dark haired woman, injured in both an arm and a leg, as she helped wrap the more gravely injured woman.  “I’m Darkistry, by the way.  I hope that Lenai will be able to thank you herself.  I wish that we had known this trick of bandaging two hours ago.”

“I wish that I had known it was needed,” Kurin replied seriously, bandaging an arm.  “Captain Tanlin, this woman needs to go first. She’s in deep shock.”

Tanlin, who was steadying the first of the stretchers, said, “OK, Kurin, can ye ‘elp get Lenai int’ t’e stretcher?  Oi’ll ‘old ‘t steady.”

Kurin placed the crewmen along Lenai’s still form and directed, “Everyone, lift at once, on my mark… Lift!”  They all lifted until she was high enough for Tanlin to get the stretcher under her.

Tanlin signaled for the stretcher to be raised and called, “Number ane, ready for lift!  Get ‘er directly t’ Doctor Corin in sickbay!  Oi t’ink ‘e’s going t’ ‘ave t’ operate on ‘er.”

Darkistry said, “Take Gemma next.  She’s lost a fair bit of blood and got a nasty blow to the head.  My cuts are pretty deep, but I’m not bleeding much, I just need a ride to the deck and somebody to lean on until I can get stitched up.”

“Ye’ll lie flat an’ stay t’at way until we can take care o’ ye,” Tanlin ordered.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Darkistry replied with an almost impudent grin.  As an aside to Kurin, she confided, “I never was very good at taking orders but I think that I’ll follow these.”

They helped Gemma into her stretcher and Darkistry into hers.  Crewmen went up alongside, to keep the stretchers steady.  An honor guard of Macoul’s friends came down and escorted his body up to the deck.

When they were alone in the boats, Kurin demanded, “What are you up to, Tanlin?  This ship,” she gestured at the Grandalor, “has been rebuilt for war!  I’m not blind.  You’ve changed the bow profile for better speed and ramming strength.  It’s been reinforced with at least two layers of Wing Ray for hardness and penetration.  Your bowsprit has been reinforced and broadened as part of that.

“Your standing rigging is over twice the thickness needed for storms and it’s been moved to absorb ramming shocks better.  Your rigging and sails have the coloration of fresh fireproofing by Hag extracts.

“What do you hope to gain by all of this?”  Kurin ended her tirade, hands on hips, face set and angry.

“Oi’ve made ye a promise, an’ ‘t’ll be kept!  T’is ship ‘as been remade because we see precious little o’ justice in t‘e actions o’ t’e Council!

“We are nae paddle ducks t’at ye can cut t’e ‘ead off wit’ nae struggle!  We’ll fight for t’e rights o’ the Groit Law!  Wen we can get a fair trial, we’ll submit t’ real justice!

“We’ve a few prisoners t’at we belive need t’ go for a swim t’ yer foster fat’er Iren’s halls!  T’eir trial’ll ‘ave t’ be a fleet matter.  We are ‘olding t’em until t’ey can ‘ave t’e chance t’ rebut charges o’ mutiny an’ murder!”  Tanlin paused for breath, fire in her eye.

“Tell m’ Kurin, w’at’s t’e second o’ t’e Groit Laws, t’e ane right after t’e ban on slavery?”

“The right to rebut charges.  Everybody knows that…” Kurin trailed off.

“Name m’ t’e court w’ere we can answer any charges?  T’ere’s nae such court for us.  We were condemned wit’oot trial.  Ask yer friend Sula i’ t’at precedent isnae w’ere t’e Ca’tain o’ Ca’tains got ‘is start?  T’en ask ‘ow many ships an’ lives were lost as a result.  T’e answers’ll appall ye.  

“Groit Law is put aside at groit peril.  We’ll send for Sula an’ Ca’tain Sarfin, along wit’ a quorum o’ t’e Council, yer ane Ca’tain Mord an’ ane ot’er ‘oo ‘as an interest in t’is case.  Blind Mecat.  Ye know ‘er, Oi believe,” Tanlin finished with irony.

“How can you send for Cat, or the others, for that matter?”  Now Kurin was curious again.

Instead of answering, Tanlin said, “Cume up t’ t’e deck an’ brace yersel’ for w’at ye’ll see.  Ye’ve nae beheld t’e worst t’at’s t’ be seen, yet.”  Tanlin did not wait, but climbed the net.  Shrugging, Kurin followed.

TO BE CONTINUED

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[nicollekidman]

For someone who has never watched s*n, how are j*ns*n and jmo alike? And what did you mean about Lana having more at stake?

god this is like sticking my whole entire face into a hornet’s nest bc someone was like “please do so and report back”. but oKAY very surface level, the swan queen and d*ancas fandoms are similar in how they interacted with the source material, but the reaction to this fandom involvement could not have been more dissimilar. keep in mind that i am nOT involved in s*n and really have no idea what’s going on in that sphere but i’m well aware of the fandom portion. 

once upon a time had a thriving gay fanbase almost from day one, the majority of whom were gay women invested in swan queen as a relationship. as soon as ouat entered the convention sphere, it was apparent there would be… certain dynamics at play. shippers were discouraged and actively derided for daring to bring up emma and regina’s relationship (regardless of context). the only person remotely comfortable engaging with the topic was lana, who always treated us/the subject with respect, although she needed to remain distant. jmo was always very clearly uncomfortable, and she and lana NEVER even sat next to each other or really took photos together at cons. it was clear that disney/abc had a huge agenda in using conventions to further the narratives of each season and each main relationship. plus, lana is a woman of color, in a Main Villain role on a disney television show. i would imagine that it’s difficult to be in that position and try to thumb your nose at the company line, just to engage with the gay fans that are keeping your show afloat. the swan queen fandom was looked down upon and people were actively harassed,  and jmo was much much much more reticent to engage with any of that, much less be seen with lana. winning online polls and making a lot of noise online does NOT a lucrative fanbase make, especially when you’re using disney material. lana was not as secure in her position, and it would not have benefited her to be any more vocal than she was (she did her best). 

on the s*pernatural side…………. they could not be more aware than 99% of their fanbase is women, and a huge chunk of those fans are gay themselves, but even more so, ship d*ancas. the entire meta-framework of the show is built around acknowledging fans, and celebrating (or earlier on, degrading) fandom works specifically of the slash variety. whether you think it’s all a ploy to keep the show running or whether you think anyone has sincere appreciation for these fans, the fact remains that for the cast/crew of the show, being a fan of s*pernatural comes with the assumption of shipping at least one slash pair. then you shift to the convention scene, which is likely going to be the most enduring legacy of the show. it’s run by women, 90% of the questions are asked by women, and all the actors are more than used to photo ops which more often than not cross into cringe territory. jens*n is similar to jmo in that he often punts questions about de*ncas over to misha, who has a much easier time being flippant and joking about it to take the heat off of j*nsen. however, j*nsen is in a much more stable position regarding his ability to engage and placate shippers. he’s second on the call sheet on a series filled with men, and his show was on for 15 seasons. the fandom and shippers were addressed directly in canon narrative, and it’s not like he was going to be fired or even admonished for playing into the fan’s hands (not to mention all the rampant rpf). in fact, the shipper shennanigans are encouraged by everyone because it keeps the fandom engaged. so any demuring/avoiding of the subject by j*nsen is because of his own personal uncomfortableness with the topic, and doesn’t come from the hire-ups (jmo was similar but also disney would’ve thrown down the gauntlet). j*nsen has also become way more open and chill with addressing d*ancas questions, although you can tell it’s still not his first instinct. 

i also think this has a LOT to do with femslash vs slash and what is considered acceptable/fun versus disrespectful but that’s a whole other rant. 

BASICALLY…….. based on their public interactions with fans / the costar they’re shipped with, you can tell that both j*sen and jmo were naturally uncomfortable and would’ve avoided the topic entirely given the chance. however, j*nsen got past that (mostly) because fan engagement was encouraged (and absolutely necessary for continued viewership) by the higher-ups, and he’s actually very close to his costar irl. jmo stayed very distant and closed off because everyone involved with ouat who mattered (again, minus lana and some of the guest stars) viewed swan queen shippers as an undesirable audience and didn’t want to encourage it. 

[tdp-fandom]

Result Discussion: Favorite Ships (part 1)

The main result table · Ship list

CW: This discussion contains mentions of three ships which some people might not be comfortable with (sibling incest and adult/teen relationships). Only their shipnames are mentioned - the nature of these relationships is not discussed in any way.

Before I begin, I would like to address an issue I’ve noticed - I have not been consistent with ship names! You’ll see Jamaya in one chart and Janaya in another, Aruthari in one, Arunari in another. The decision to change Kadia to Kaudia has been recent (due to Kaudia being the ship name actually used by the shippers).

To prevent any major confusion, I updated the ship list to include alternative spellings of shipnames. If you’d like me to include an alternative ship name, please let me know! ^u^

Terminology:

Total Ships refer to the ships people voted for when asked to choose all the ships they ship (click here for the list). I will also use T to refer to these ships.

Favorite Ships refer to the ships people voted for when asked to choose only one ship which they consider their favorite. I will also use F to refer to these ships.

I will use the word rank to refer to the position a ship takes in terms of number of votes (rank #1 is the one with the most votes, while rank #14 is the one with the least votes for Favorite Ships. For Total Ships it’s rank #40).

As in previous discussions, I will refer to Rayllum, Janaya and Ruthari as the Trio.

Favorite Ships vs Total Ships

The first thing I would like to discuss is how favorite ships differ from total ships in terms of popularity. Cross-referencing both can allow us to understand which ships are actively shipped by people and which are just liked “in the background”.

If you read my discussion on total ships, you probably remember that I pointed out the flaw in the first question of the poll (i.e. “What ships do you ship?” is too vague a question). Hopefully comparing the two categories will counter some of that vagueness.

To compare both lists, removed any ships that don’t appear on the Total Ship list and the ones that were not chosen as a favorite ship by anyone. Here’s the list of ships that were removed from this comparison.

One problem, though - there is no way to directly compare the results, since Total Ships have 40 ranks and Favorite Ships have 14.

Trying out different methods

Take the top 10 Favorite ships as an example:

From the table it is clear that Rayllum, Janaya and Ruthari retained the same positions in terms of popularity. Viravos appears to have jumped higher - from #8 to #4. In fact, the only ship in the top 10 that dropped in rank is Corpeli - from #6 to #9. But it’s not a dramatic drop, right?

Aaaaaand this is where it gets problematic. #6 out of 40 is a much higher position than #9 out of 14. The best way to think about is to find the most obvious points of correspondence:

F1 corresponds to T1

F7 corresponds to T20

F14 corresponds to T40

Here, F refers to the rank in Favorite Ships and T - in Total Ships.

Now things become a bit more clear. T6 is closer to the first category and F9 - to the middle. So if I were to simplify the comparison, I’d say

the Trio remain at the beginning of the list;

Viravos, Gremaya and Corpeli jumped from the beginning to the middle;

Virrow, Sorgren and Raydia remain in the middle;

Sordia jumps from the end to the middle.

This method is even more evident at the end of the list:

These are the last nine ships on the list. At first, the green ones seem like a vast improvement in position and the salmon one - a slight worsening. But if we apply our new categories:

F1 - T1 [beginning]

F7 - T20 [middle]

F14 - T40 [end]

we see that:

Aarrow, Aaruthari, Claravos, Clyx, Grenavos and Rugren remained at the end;

Ezris, Grazi and Kasren fell from the middle to the end;

Sabos had the most dramatic fall - from the beginning to the end!

But then this method is still too broad. Aarrow and Aaruthari both get into the same group - “remain at the end”, even though Aarrow was closer to the middle of the list than Aaruthari. I figured these three categories could be broken down even further:

I divided 40 by 14 and got 2.857, which I rounded up to 3. Hence, three T ranks for 1 F rank. This is obviously not the only way you can arrange this table, as you could alternatively “lock” the first place (1 - 1) and do the others in triplets ( 2 - 2, 3, 4; 3 - 5, 6, 7; etc), which shifts the values quite a bit.

But let’s use this one for now.

I rewrote the Total Ship ranks so that they match the Favorite Ship ones according to the table (e.g. if a ship is ranked #10 in Total Ships, the corresponding rank is going to be #4):

This comparison is very intuitive and more accurate than the three simple categories I used before. We can compare the results for the last 9 ships again:

OLD: Aarrow, Aaruthari, Claravos, Clyx, Grenavos and Rugren remained at the end; NEW: Aarrow and Grenavos fell by three positions, Claravos - by two, Aaruthari, Clyx and Rugren - by one. (We can immediately see that Aarrow and Grenavos were the most popular of this group);

OLD: Ezris, Grazi and Kasren fell from the middle to the end; NEW: Ezris and Grazi fell from #10 to #14, while Kasren fell from #8 to #14 (Kasren clearly suffered a bigger fall);

OLD: Sabos had the most dramatic fall - from the beginning to the end! NEW: Sabos fell from #3 to #14 (I don’t know if this makes the fall feel more dramatic or not).

This method is still not very accurate:

it conflates several different positions into one (Viravos and Gremaya are now both #3, whereas originally they were ranked #8 and #9 respectively);

there are at least two ways to group the ranks into triplets, neither of which is particularly accurate and both yield significantly different results.

Notice how with this method most ships seem to have fallen in rank, some remained and only one rose! Also, even though Janaya and Ruthari did not change position, this method makes it seem like they fell in rank.

I don’t exactly know why that is, but it’s probably due to the fact that the “value” of a rank feels different depending on the total number of participants. Think of it like this - it sucks to be the third our of three, but it sucks a bit less if it’s out of 40, doesn’t it?

In the next part, I will discuss the method I decided to use in the end.

Part 2