#to some control over his appearance (although he is met w disapproval for it) -> to finding something he likes (as we see him now)

[moe-broey]

A closer look at my young Askr siblings designs! Sharena's kind of constantly fluctuates, but I've always had a really clear vision for an early teen Alfonse.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 24, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

On Monday, we learned that after last year’s election, John Eastman, a well-connected lawyer advising former president Donald Trump, outlined a six-point plan to overturn the outcome of the election and install Trump as America’s leader. They planned to cut the voters’ actual choice, Democrat Joe Biden, out of power: as Trump advisor Steve Bannon put it, they planned to “kill the Biden presidency in the crib.” This appears to have been the plan that Trump and his loyalists tried to execute on January 6.

That is, we now have written proof of an attempt to destroy our democracy and replace it with an autocracy.

This was not some crazy plot of some obscure dude in a shack in the mountains; this was a plan of the president of the United States of America, and it came perilously close to succeeding. The president of the United States tried to overturn the results of an election—the centerpiece of our democracy—and install himself into power illegitimately.

If this is not a hair-on-fire, screaming emergency, what is?

And yet, Republican lawmakers, with the notable exceptions of Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), have largely remained silent about the fact that the head of their party tried to destroy our democracy.

The best spin on their silence is that in refusing to defend the former president while also keeping quiet enough that they do not antagonize the voters in his base, they are choosing their own power over the protection of our country.

The other option is that the leaders of the Republican Party have embraced authoritarianism, and their once-grand party—the party of Abraham Lincoln, the party that saved the United States in the 1860s, the party that removed racial enslavement from our fundamental law—has become an existential threat to our nation.

Democracy requires at least two healthy parties capable of running a government in order to provide oversight for those currently in control of the government and to channel opposition into peaceful attempts to change the country’s path rather than into revolution. But Republicans appear to believe that any Democratic government is illegitimate, insisting that Democrats’ calls for business regulation, a basic social safety net, and infrastructure investment are “socialism” that will destroy the country.

With Democrats in charge of the federal government, Republicans are cementing their power in the states to support a future coup like the one Eastman described. Using “audits” of the 2020 elections, notably in Arizona but now also in Pennsylvania and Texas, Trump loyalists have convinced their supporters to distrust elections, softening the ground to overturn them in the future. According to a new poll by NORC at the University of Chicago, 26% of Americans now believe that “[t]he 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and Joe Biden is an illegitimate president,” and 8% believe that "[u]se of force is justified to restore Donald Trump to the presidency."

Arguing that they have to stop the voter fraud they have falsely claimed threw the election to Biden, Republican lawmakers in 18 states have passed more than 30 laws to cut down Democratic voting and cement their own rule. Trump supporters have threatened election workers, prompting them to quit, and have harassed school board members and local officials, driving them from office.

Although attorneys general are charged with nonpartisan enforcement of the law, we learned earlier this month that in September 2020, 32 staff members of Republican attorneys general met in Atlanta, where they participated in “war games” to figure out what to do should Trump not be reelected. The summit was organized by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, the fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), which sent out robocalls on January 5 urging recipients to march to the Capitol the following day “to stop the steal.” In May, RAGA elevated the man responsible for those robocalls to the position of executive director, prompting others to leave.

In states where Republicans have rigged election mechanics, party members need to worry about primary challengers from the right, rather than Democratic opponents. So they are purging from the party all but Trump loyalists, especially as the former president is backing challengers against those who voted in favor of his impeachment in the House in January 2021. Last week, one of those people, Representative Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), announced he was retiring, in part because of right-wing threats against his family.

Trump loyalists are openly embracing the language of authoritarianism. In Texas, Abbott is now facing a primary challenger who today tweeted: “Texans deserve a strong and robust leader committed to fighting with them against the radical Left. They deserve a leader like Brazil has in Jair Bolsonaro…..” Bolsonaro, a right-wing leader whose approval rating in late August was 23%, is threatening to stay in power in Brazil against the wishes of its people. He claims that the country’s elections are fraudulent and that “[e]ither we’ll have clean elections, or we won’t have elections.”

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) today used language fascists have used in the past to stoke hatred of their political opponents, tweeting that “ALL House Democrats are evil and will kill unborn babies all the way up to birth and then celebrate.” Yesterday, the leader of Turning Points U.S.A., Charlie Kirk, brought the movement’s white nationalism into the open when he told a YouTube audience that Democrats were backing “an invasion of the country” to bring in “voters that they want and that they like” and to work toward “diminishing and decreasing white demographics in America.” He called for listeners to “[d]eputize a citizen force, put them on the border, give them handcuffs, get it done.”

Today, we learned that the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be held in Budapest, Hungary, where leader Viktor Orbán, whom Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson has openly admired, is dismantling democracy and eroding civil rights. When former vice president Mike Pence spoke in Budapest earlier this week at a forum denouncing immigration and urging traditional social values, he told the audience he hoped that the U.S. Supreme Court would soon outlaw abortion thanks to the three justices Trump put on the court.

Establishment Republicans who are now out of power are not on board the Trump train. They are quietly backing anti-Trumpers like Representative Cheney. Former House speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, former Florida governor Jeb Bush—who was widely expected to win the Republican nomination in 2016, only to be shut out of it by Trump—and former president George W. Bush's former adviser Karl Rove have all donated money to Cheney to help her stave off a challenge from a Trump loyalist in the 2022 election. Next month, former president Bush himself will hold a fundraiser for Cheney in Texas.

Other establishment Republicans currently in power might be staying quiet about the party’s slide toward authoritarianism because they are simply hoping that the Trump fire will burn itself out. The former president is no longer commanding the crowds he once did, and his increasing legal woes as well as the investigation into the insurrection will almost certainly take up his time and energy. The mounting coronavirus deaths among his unvaccinated supporters also stand to weaken support for his faction.

But the fact that Republican lawmakers have ignored the Eastman memo, which outlines the destruction of our democracy, suggests that the party, which organized in the 1850s to protect the nation against those who would destroy it, has come full circle.

—

Notes:

https://bbj.hu/politics/foreign-affairs/world/budapest-to-host-cpac-in-2022

https://www.kptv.com/former-president-george-w-bush-to-hold-fundraiser-next-month-for-liz-cheney/article_8ba92a10-7103-5ee0-94ef-4bd813437e28.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/24/arizona-audit-just-destroyed-big-gop-lie-more-ways-than-one/

https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/05/04/more-staff-flee-gop-attorneys-general-group-after-it-doubles-down-on-insurrection/

https://bbj.hu/politics/foreign-affairs/world/budapest-to-host-cpac-in-2022

https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/pence-hopeful-supreme-court-restrict-abortion-us-80185222

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/republican-ags-group-sent-robocalls-urging-march-capitol-n1253581

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/us/politics/anthony-gonzalez-ohio-trump.html

https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/08/kansas-ag-aides-attended-war-games-summit-where-group-planned-to-combat-biden-win/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-17/more-than-half-of-brazilians-disapprove-of-bolsonaro-poll-shows

https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-deputize-citizen-force-put-them-border-order-protect-white-demographics

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/23/brazil-bolsonaro/

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[from comments]

Mobiguy

It is time to call this out as what it is - a well-documented attempt to overthrow the government, led by people too unconcerned or too stupid to worry about leaving a paper trail.

The January 6th sheep currently in court are not the problem. It's time to round up the ringleaders of this attempted coup and prosecute them on an open and shut case of treason.

Reasonable people insist on framing this coup as a robust political debate, but reasonable people are wrong. It is a naked power grab, an assault on the popular will, and blatantly illegal. Three evidence is there, in the seditionists' own hands.

A crime has been committed, even if it was unsuccessful. Failed bank robbers don't get to walk because they got no money. Failed murderers are still prosecuted. The evidence is there for all to see, and the alleged criminals aren't denying it. They're doubling down, and we're letting them. Either prosecute them, or remove the treason laws from the books since they're clearly meaningless and unenforceable.

In short: lock them up.

[yellowcanna]

Two Sides, Same Coin

Summary: Since the beginning of Quirks, Yokohama has announced independence from Japan and closed itself from the rest of the world.

To this day and age, no one knows what lies within the city of Yokohama—or that was what the public was made to believe. In reality, Yokohama has long fallen into the control of the world’s largest criminal organization known as the Port Mafia.

Follow Class 1-A as their principal organized a field trip to Yokohama! In their short trip there, they must change their perspectives and learn exactly what it means to be justice and what it means to be villains.

Rating: T

Genre: Crossover, shounen-ai (boy love)

Pairing: Contains mild Soukoku (Dazai x Chuuya) and Shin Soukoku (Akutagawa x Atsushi)

Author: Canna / Yellow Canna

Available on AO3!!

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CHAPTER 5

ARMED DETECTIVE AGENCY (DAY 1: SUNDAY)

Disappointment didn’t even begin to describe the students’ feelings when they stood within the Armed Detective Agency office.

It wasn’t like they got a problem with the office. It was a lovely office with emerald floor tiles and overall it gave off a nice, relaxed feeling.

It’s just that they had expected a bit…more. As in something that didn’t look like any other regular offices.

“Ah, Kunikida-san!” A boy perked up at the sight of all the people that came in. He jumped out of his seat by a desk and quickly came over to Kunikida.

The boy was young, maybe just two or three years younger than the U.A Students—which meant he must be in middle school. The boy has sun-kissed hair and was dressed in blue overalls with a straw hat tied around his neck and sandals on his feet. His clothing made him looked like a farmer that just came from the countryside. But is there a countryside place in Yokohama?

And more importantly…

The boy was cute!

The soft features on his face that still got some baby fat, those freckles and that pure smile instantly won over all the girls in the group.

“This is Miyazawa Kenji.” Kunikida introduced the boy to their guests. "He is one of our staff at the agency.”

Staff?

“Hello~!” The boy sang energetically with such sweet smile that it practically melted all the students’ hearts—even the guys! Well, most of the guys. They didn’t know if they were seeing things, but they could have sworn there were pink bubbles floating around the boy beaming at them.

“Nice to meet you all!”

“Nice to meet you!” The class chorused—the tension and disappointment from before were all cured by that gentle smile. The boy was just so adorable that they didn’t even bother thinking over exactly what Kunikida’s introduction actually meant.  

“What the heck are you morons doing?” Bakugou muttered to the sideline. With him were Todoroki and Tokoyami.

Crouched on the ground not too far away was Mineta who was biting his thumb and muttering a string of inaudible words. However, if listened closely, one could make out that most of his words were among the lines of “pretty boys should all die”.

“Kunikida-san, I got a call from Ranpo-san so I’ll be going!” Kenji informed the older blond. Kunikida nodded as he wrote something down onto his notebook.  

"Bye-bye!” The boy waved to the U.A guests, skipping around them as he bounced away like a ball of happy energy.

“Bye-bye~” The students waved back union as they watched the delightful boy go. Really, he was such a precious boy!

“Hm…” Kunikida stared at his notebook, then around the empty office. “Yosano-sensei!” He suddenly called, gaining the students’ attention. “Yosano-sensei!”

They waited for a while, but there was no response.

“Um, could this person have left the office?” Toshinori supplied helpfully when it looked like Kunikida was about to call again.

“No, she’s here," Kunikida said, holding up his notebook proudly. “I have everyone’s schedule written down, there’s no mistake.”

“Okay…?” Toshinori stepped back as he watched the blond opened his mouth, ready to call out again when the sound of the door slamming open echoed from the other side of the room.

“Stopped yelling, Kunikida. I heard you." The tired voice of a woman came, followed by a long yawn.

Everyone turned to see a slender, black-haired woman stepping out of a room. Her red heels clattered against the emerald tiles as she strolled towards them, her black dress swaying to her movement.

“This is Yosano Akiko-sensei.” Kunikida gestured to the woman. Mineta instantly got hearts in his eyes while the other students greeted the older woman politely. "She is our agency's physician. If you have any injuries, you can come to her and she will have you treated.”

“So you’re the ones from U.A High School?” Yosano hummed, hands on her hips as she regarded the crowd.

“Aizawa Shouta.” Aizawa greeted as he held out his hand politely. “Thank you very much for having us.”

“Oh? The one on the news?”

Aizawa was a bit stunned by her response. News? What news?

The Underground Hero didn’t have to think too hard before an answer came to his head. As an underground Hero, he tends to avoid media, so there couldn’t be much news about him. His expression darkened as he remembered that interview he had to do when Bakugou was taken by the League of Villains.

She couldn’t have meant that one, could she?

He heard from Toshinori that these people got access to the outside media…so it was true? It wasn’t that he doubted the former No.1 Hero. If anything he knew that his information was right, but it was just hard to believe until he could confirm it himself.

“If you have any injuries, come see me at any time." The woman said, taking his hand in a firm shake.

“Yes. I appreciate it.” Aizawa thanked, then stepped aside to let Toshinori go next.

“I am Yagi Toshinori, thank you for having us.” Toshinori offered his hand to the woman. Yosano took his hand in a firm grip—but she didn’t shake it. She just held the skeletal man’s hand, showing no sign of releasing as she stared into the ex-Hero's almost hollowed-out eye sockets.

A soft smile lifted her lips, one that was much different than the confident smile she wore when she made her appearance.

“Good to see you doing well.”

Toshinori froze as he regarded the young lady before him.

“…Have we met somewhere before?” Toshinori’s face was filled with uncertainty as he stared at the woman. He didn’t recall ever meeting someone like her, but the way the woman had spoken sounded like they should know each other.

“No.” Yosano let go of his hand and moved towards the students, not giving Toshinori the chance to question anymore. “So you are the Heroes-in-training?”

“Yes! We are!” Iida replied for the class, as it was his duty as the representative.

Yosano looked over each one of them, her gazes lingering longer on some more than the others. Specifically on those with more unique features.

“You there.” Yosano nodded to a certain invisible girl.

“Eh? Me?” Hagakure pointed at herself. Or at least, she appeared to be pointing at herself. Without any gloves, it was hard to tell.

“Is your blood and organs also invisible?”

“W-what?”

“I’m asking if your body from inside out is invisible, or is it only the outer layer of your body that has camouflaging capability that makes you invisible.”

“Uh…I’m invisible inside out?” Hagakure answered unsurely. She has no idea why the lady would ask her such a weird question.  

Yosano eyed the invisible girl with mild interest sparkling in her eyes.

“Will her invisibility be an issue?” Kunikida asked as he too eyed the floating clothing that’s a person.

Hagakure was practically sweating under the two adults’ intense gazes. Although no one could tell, her eyes were darting around, seeking her classmates for help.

“No,” After what felt like forever, Yosano finally drew her gaze back. “It won’t be a problem. If anything happens I will just have to get a bit more physical.”

The lady smirked as a weird glint flashed across her eyes. She then looked over to Tokoyami who stiffened under her sharp eyes.

“Well, like Kunikida said, come to me if any of you are injured. I will give you kids a special treatment~”

“Special treatment?!” Mineta was instantly panting out hot breathes at the explosive news.

“Seriously, that’s enough.” Kirishima who was standing behind Mineta frowned in disapproval.

“Since I’m not needed, I’ll be going out shopping," Yosano announced as she looked over to her co-worker.

“We’re low on Ranpo-san’s snacks and tea. If you could get some that would be much appreciated.” The blond man swiftly informed her, as if he knew she would say that.

The woman waved her hand as an indication that she will before walking straight through the students who immediately parted ways for her. Flashing the children a smile, she disappeared behind the door.

The kids stood there, listening until the sharp clattering of her scarlet heels faded into the distance. It was then that they all finally let out breaths of relief.

“Haa…she's finally gone," Hagakure muttered, sounding completely exhausted. 

“Right? I’m sweating just from her looking at me!” Asido whispered.

“Gero, it feels a bit unpleasant...” Asui felt like she should know what that weird look in that woman’s eyes was when she stared at them…but she can’t think of anything.

“What do you mean?” Uraraka blinked in confusion, unable to understand what her classmates were talking about.

“I didn’t feel anything?” Sato looked around, confused as well.

“What was it like?” Midoriya was immediately interviewing Ojirou, trying to get an understanding of what exactly did they experienced.

“She looked at your particularly long, didn’t she?” Shouji looked down at Tokoyami.

Tokoyami didn’t say anything. He just stood there with his arms crossed and brows furrowed, seeming to be thinking over that as well.

“It must be a pain to be so popular!” Sero joked as he nudged his bird-headed classmate with an elbow.

While some were confused and some were concerned…there were two individuals with a completely different reaction than the rest of the class.

“Think she’ll treat me if I get a little cut?” Kaminari wondered hopefully.

Mineta, on the other hand, was already fumbling with a piece of paper, about to slide the sharp edge over his finger when Iida snatched it out of his hand.

“Ahem!”

The sound of throat-clearing quickly reminded the students where they are. They quieted down, glancing at their homeroom teacher to find the man glaring at them warningly. Remembering how Kunikida was still standing there, they realized how rude they must be just now and hastily gave the blond man their full attention. 

Fortunately, Kunikida didn’t seem to notice their little chatters as he was checking something on his phone.

“It seems like the President is running a little late from his meeting.” Kunikida informed them, closing his phone and slipping it back into his pocket. “For the time being, you can look around the office and make yourselves comfortable. If you have any questions, now's the time to ask."

Jirou wasted no time raising her hand.

“Yes?” Kunikida nodded for her to speak.

“You mentioned before that there’s police here…does that mean you have your own government within Yokohama?”

Of all things Kunikida had expected them to ask, he did not expect them to still be hungover such trivial matter. 

“Of course,” was the simple answer he gave the girl.

“Then why the heck are these criminals running everything?!” Bakugou snapped.

“Because they’re criminals, you can’t expect them to maintain proper laws.”

“…HAH?!” The boy exploded. Obviously, this was not the answer he was looking for. "THAT MAKES NO SENSE!!" 

Kunikida arched a brow at the boy’s rudeness, but it was thanks to this that he finally took a closer look at the other children’s faces. He finally understood their problems now. In their eyes, these kids can only see the good and the bad. They are blind to everything in-between.

No, rather than saying they were blind, perhaps it was due to the environment they grew up in…

“Listen carefully as I will only repeat this once.” Kunikida began. “In Yokohama, there are two main forces that oversee the city. The Port Mafia, and the Government. In your world, those with Quirks are the norm, but in our world, ordinary people are the majorities. The Government governs over those ordinary people while the Port Mafia oversees Ability users. Of course, over time the Government also developed their own Special Ability department to oversee that as well.”

“Gero? But if there is government, why is Yokohama controlled by Port Mafia?” Asui asked in confusion.

“Because Port Mafia is stronger than the government, simple as that.” Kunikida replied. “They were the ones who secured Yokohama and created the barrier that exists to this day, so they gained initial control of this city. But!" The man adjusted his glasses. "Those are just matters of histories! One day they’ll lose their standings!”

“So…why is the government still around again?” Kirishima asked, not feeling as though the man had answered their questions. “If Port Mafia got control over everything, why are they keeping the government?!”

“Were you not listening to what I just said?” Kunikida was beginning to wonder if these kids got memory issues. “They’re criminals, they don’t run laws.”

“Then why didn’t they destroy the government?” Iida pressed on, and that’s when a small vein budged out from beneath the thin layer of skin on Kunikida’s forehead.

“That is what I kept telling you!” Kunikida gritted his teeth with a vein-popping onto his head. “They are Mafias, why would they bother with governing law and ordinary people?!”

“AND THAT’S WHY WE KEEP ASKING YOU!” Bakugou roared, finally having enough of going around in circles and not getting any answers. “WHY THE FUCK DO YOU STILL GOT GOVERNMENT HERE WHEN YOU’RE CONTROLED BY VILLAINS?!”

“THAT’S WHY I SAID—” Kunikida shot back at the kid.

“This is getting nowhere," Tokoyami grumbled as he stared at the screaming match between the grown adult and kid.

“There’s clearly a miscommunication somewhere…” Ojiro laughed weakly as he stated the obvious. As for where that miscommunication is…that's what they wanted to know.

“That’s enough!” Aizawa who had been watching by the sideline with Toshinori finally cut in. His intense glare made the students all withered under his gaze.

Kunikida quickly gathered himself and cleared his throat. He couldn't believe how he had just lost his temper to a brat who—in his opinion—was too old to be acting like one.

These kids were already sixteen! Seriously, how were they even taught in the outside world?!

“I am very sorry about that.” Toshinori hurriedly stepped up to apologize.

“No, I’m at fault too for raising my voice.” Kunikida sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Anyways,” the blond looked back to the kids, “during your stay at our agency, you will accompany some of us to learn how we operate. Since you are Heroes in training, I sure it will provide valuable experiences that you can use in your field of work. Other than that, you’re free to go around Yokohama. There are a few sightseeing locations in Yokohama you can go take a look at.”

“We’re free to go around? Just like that?” Uraraka was bewildered by the fact.

“Of course not.” Kunikida rebuked. The blond adjusted his glasses as his eyes narrowed over the students.

“As you know, Yokohama does not have Quirks. The citizens here retained the same genes as our ancestors before the rise of Quirks. When you go out, be sure to make yourself as normal as possible! Fortunately, it is autumn so no one would find it weird if you wear a bit more clothes.”

“Normal he says…he makes us sound like we’re not normal…” Ashido muttered.

“Like you for example!” Kunikida pointed a finger at the mumbling pinkie, causing her to jump in surprise. "When you leave the office, put on a pair of sunglasses and a hat to hide those horns and eyes! Your skin as well! If you can’t cover them up then put on foundations!”

“Eeeeh?!”

Kunihiga then turned to Tokoyami. “You there! Wear a hat and scarf to hide your beak!”

“What?!”

“And you!” Kunikida turned to Hagakure who staggered back.

“Me again?!”

“When you leave the office, cover yourself up from head to toe! Put on foundations on any part of your body that might be exposed! You’ll need sunglasses, face mask, and wig!"

And then, the blond began pointing out all the students that didn’t fit into his human criteria.

“Don’t hunch your shoulders! Straighten up! Don’t stick out your tongue either!” That was to Asui.

“We don’t have engines for legs, keep them covered at all times!” That was to Iida.

“Hide those extra limps!” To Shouji.

“Wear a hat!” Koda.

“Get either earmuffs or headphones to cover up your ears!” Jizo.

“Conceal your arms!” Sero.

“Wear a coat to hide your tail!” Ojiro.

“And you!” Finally, Kunikida turned to Mineta.

“Me too?!” Mineta shouted.

“Cover your head!” Kunikida demanded, jabbing his index finger down at the tiny boy. “We don’t have balls growing out of our heads!”

Mineta was petrified by the remark. A woman saying that may be appealing…but hearing that from a man turned into great insult…

Kunikida adjust his glasses as he regarded the students. Half of them looked as if their souls had gotten sucked out of their bodies. Midoriya briefly wondered if this could be considered discrimination.

"B-but…I didn't bring that much stuff.” Hagakure could finally voice out her opinion now that Kunikida stopped. Never did she think she would one day have to cover herself from head to toes like some wanted Villain.

“Same here.” Ojiro agreed. He never wore any long coat or got any clothing big enough to let him tuck in his tail. Why would he need that in the first place?

“Oh, with my Quirk I can—” Yaoyorozu was about to offer a solution when Kunikida held out a hand to stop her.

“I already have everything prepared.” The man told them. “There are boxes of clothing at the dorm you’ll be staying at. Be sure to pick out suitable ones before going outside.”

Then, the man looked over to Yaoyorozu.

“I’m sure that you are already informed, but it looks like I will need to remind you all that you are not allowed to use any of your Quirks inside Yokohama. That is the rule Port Mafia has set for you during your time here. As long as you’re within this city, you are under Port Mafia's watch. Do keep that in mind.”

“But—” Yaoyorozu was about to question why when the door behind the kids suddenly opened.

“Apologies for our lateness.” A female’s voice came as everyone turned to see a woman walking through the door. She has long brown hair and red glasses, dressed in office lady uniform. She stepped aside, revealing a shadow of a person standing behind her. 

“The President has arrived.”

A tall man with silver hair and dressed in traditional Japanese clothing walked through the door. The sight of the man instantly made everyone in the room tensed up. There was a pressuring aura rolling off this man and the scowl on his face only made him that much more intimidating.

“I am Fukuzawa Yukichi.” The man’s voice was deep and stern, just like his appearance. From these short, simple words, the kids could already feel authority coming off the man. “The President of Armed Detective Agency.”

Like what they’ve done with the other agents, Toshinori and Aizawa stepped up to greet the President.

“I am Yagi Toshinori, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Toshinori extended a hand towards the man. “We are really thankful for you taking us in during our stay here.”

“I am simply returning a favour to the Port Mafia boss by letting you stay with us. You have no need to thank me.” The man said stoically, making no move to accept his guest’s outstretched hand. He glanced at the students—his sharp eyes made the kids felt like they were being stared at by a predator.

“For the rest of the week, you will follow my subordinates and learn of how we operate within Yokohama. As future Heroes, I believe this will be a valuable experience for all of you. While you observe, you must listen to my subordinates and follow their instructions at all times. Those who cannot follow the rules will be sent out of the agency immediately, is that clear?”

“Y-YES!" The students all shouted in unison, unable to help but feel a bit excited as they learned that they will be having the opportunity to follow these people to work. This was just like an internship!

“My secretary will brief you in on the rest and show you to the dormitory where you’ll be staying.” With his speech done, Fukuzawa walked away, leaving behind his secretary to do the rest.

“I am Haruno Kirako.” The secretary lady said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "First, let’s go to the dorm and get you all settle down!”

And that was how the Heroes and Heroes-in-training got back onto the bus and drove about fifteen minutes down the street. Much like the Armed Detective Agency, the dorm they will be staying was very…ordinary—and a little bit run down as well.

They gathered at the open space in front of the building where the secretary pulled out the keys to the dorms.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have enough rooms for everyone. There are only ten available rooms, so I’m afraid you’ll have to find a roommate to share. Two of the rooms will need to be a three-person room.” Haruno turned to the two teachers. "I will let the teachers decide on the students’ rooming.”

“…You guys decide on your own.” Aizawa quickly brushed off that responsibility. He didn't care how the kids decided to pair themselves up and neither does Toshinori.

The students looked at one another. It didn’t take them too long to sort themselves out.

For girls, it was:

Asui and Uraraka.

Yaoyorozu and Jirou.

Hagakure and Ashido.

For guys:

Kirishima and Bakugou.

Midoriya and Todoroki.

Tokoyami and Shouji.

Sato and Koda.

Iida, Sero and Aoyama

Kaminari, Mineta and Ojiro.

Naturally, the two teachers also had to share one room. It was in their room that they found the boxes of clothing Kunikida had mentioned.

As they move into their new living place and began to unpack their belongings, a problem soon erupted as horrified screams resonated into the air.

“My phone’s gone!”

“My camera! I’m sure I put it in here!”

“I swear mine was in my pocket!”

“I had mine in my luggage!”

“My watch! Was it dropped on the bus?!”

“Has anyone seen my phone?! It got a pink case!”

“This is…!” Toshinori stared his empty pockets before turning to Aizawa who was glaring at his bag.

It wasn’t just phones and cameras. All of their electronics were gone, including digital watches some students had brought with them...

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

“Your electronics?” Kunikida looked at the group that has gathered back in the field after somewhat getting over with the initial panics. “They were confiscated by the Port Mafia the moment you entered Yokohama.”

“WHAT?!” Ashido was the first to react to the bomb dropped over their heads. “I just bought that phone! I got a lot of things in there!”

“Same here!” Uraraka joined in, almost breaking into tears at the news. “My parents bought that for me on my birthday!”

“You can’t just take them away without asking!” Kaminari complained.

“Don’t worry!” The secretary hurriedly reassured the kids who looked as if the world had just ended. “I’m sure you’ll get them back once you leave. They didn’t want to risk you taking pictures of Yokohama and bringing it outside.”

“I wish we were informed of that before bringing us in.” Aizawa was seething. Although he could understand the logic, he didn’t approve of the method. Who knew what those criminals might do to their personal devices! This was clearly a violation of their privacy!

“Then you can take it up to the Port Mafia.” Kunikida huffed as if it wasn’t his problem.

Aizawa’s eyes narrowed.

For a second, Toshinori feared the raven-haired man might start an argument with Kunikida, but fortunately, Aizawa held himself back. Toshinori knew how Aizawa felt. He didn’t like this either. If they were told of this beforehand, then they wouldn’t even bring any phones or electronics, to begin with.

As Heroes, their personal information was very sensitive. In this modern age, all these private information can be found in their smartphones. Their contact list, their browser history, their apps...there was no telling what the Mafias might be doing to their devices while holding onto them.

“Please don’t worry.” The young secretary continued to work hard to resolve the tension. “I’m sure all of your devices are safe! The Port Mafia has no reason to tamper any of your belongings. Now that everyone’s here, how about I go through the arrangements for everyone during your stay here?”

While none of them were happy, there was nothing they could do about it. So they just listened as the girl began to go over a list of things for them.

“There is a cafe called Uzumaki on the first floor of the agency’s building. All of your meals will be provided by them. Their opening hours are 8:00 am to 9:00 pm every day. When you go, just tell them that you’re from U.A and they will understand.

As you can see, there are no baths or showers in the dorm, but there is a bathhouse just across the street. We have spoken with the bathhouse owners and they are aware you are students from the outside. Between 6:00 pm to 11:30 pm, the bathhouse will close and only open to you guys. So for those with special body structures, there will be no need to worry about exposing your identities. When you go to the bathhouse, just show them this tag and they will let you in."

And then, each student and teacher received a small wooden tag with the bath house’s mark on it.

“Lastly, if you need of Yokohama’s money, you can exchange them with anyone in the agency or any banks in general.”

“Currency?” Midoriya’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yokohama’s currency different than ours?” The moment Sero asked that question, he already knew how stupid he must have sounded. Yokohama has been isolated for centuries. It would be weird if their money were the same as the rest of Japan’s!

“Yes. The exchange rate between Yokohama’s currency and Japan’s are 1:1.” The secretary replied. She pulled out Yokohama’s paper bills and coins, presenting it to the kids. Since Yokohama’s currency was also yen, it wasn't all that different than Japan's except appearance.

“Um, Haruno-san?” The green-haired boy hesitantly called out the woman’s name, unsure if he had got it right.

“Yes?” The secretary smiled at him. Okay, he got it right.

“Isn’t Yokohama is closed off? Why does the bank offer currency exchange?” Midoriya asked.

“Yokohama is only closed off from the outside.” The secretary explained. “The citizens living within Yokohama can leave and come anytime they want as long as their passport gets approved. Many large companies and even Port Mafias themselves have foreign business dealings with the outside world under the guise of a company in the outside world. That’s why our banks have currency exchange.”

The students were all stunned by the news. Never would they have thought that the people of Yokohama can leave the city. They had assumed it was a completely sealed off city where no one can come in or out.

But…that didn’t make any sense!

With a criminal organization controlling this place, why would they allow people to come and go as they pleased?

The secretary, oblivious to the confusion on their faces, reached into her bag and pulled out a phone. It was one of those extremely old flip phones that they don’t see anywhere else in the world nowadays. There wasn’t even a camera on that plain old device!

“These are rental phones for you during your stay. These will only work within Yokohama, so you won’t be able to make any calls to the outside world. It only has texting and calling systems. I have taped your phone’s number and the agency’s address at the back. My phone number has been set as your very first contact. If you have any questions or if anything happens, call me immediately.” The secretary instructed them seriously. “Even if you are lost, call me and I will immediately find help for you. If you got into any troubles and requires the police or ambulance, all emergency numbers in Yokohama are the exact same as Japan. Although do call us first as we might be able to assist you faster. Now then, please line up and I will hand out your phone. Unfortunately, we have limited phones, so I will give out one phone per dorm.”

Very quickly, the students lined up and soon received the phone which will be their only communication device during their stay in Yokohama.

“I didn’t think I’ll ever see one let alone use it," Jirou said as she examined the simplistic device with mild interest.

“I feel like we just went back to the Stone Age.” Sero heaved out a heavy sigh. Who in the world still use these things?! But then again, judging by how old this entire city seemed, they probably should have seen it coming.

“Here are your phones, Aizawa-san, Toshinori-san.” The secretary handed over two phones to the teachers. “Both of your phones’ contact lists got the complete contact numbers of all our employees, including the President’s. Please call anytime you need assistance."

“Thank you.” Toshinori examined the phone in his hand. Aizawa was doing very much the same.

The students may not know, but the two adults fully understood that Yokohama's technologies were way ahead of theirs. So why in the world do these things still exist here? Was there some sort of trick?

“Now then,” Kunikida who had been silent the entire time spoke. He glanced down at his watch. It was 3:00 pm already. This took more time than he liked, but fortunately, he had predicted this when making his schedule.

“I need to talk to the teachers back in the agency. There is nothing planned for today so you kids can go take a look around the city. Just remember to meet up in the office at 9:00 am sharp tomorrow. And remember,” he pointed towards some specific students, “cover yourself properly before you leave!”

The kids sweatdropped at the reminder of how some of them don't exactly fit the normal criteria. But they soon threw that behind them and started talking about where to begin their exploration of this mysterious city.

“Wait.” Aizawa quickly cut in as the class's chatter died down. The students all looked to their teacher with pleading looks on their faces. Aizawa ignored the stares directed at him and focused on Kunikida. “Is it safe for them to be wandering outside?”

“There is no need to worry. Arrangements have already been made.” Kunikida replied. Aizawa and Toshinori immediately understood what arrangement the man meant. “So long as these kids don’t use their Quirks, nothing will happen.”

Aizawa stared at the blond for a long time.

The raven-haired man weighted the danger…only to quickly toss that out of his head.

Who was he kidding? They were in the danger zone the moment they all took this field trip and thrown right under the eyes of the world’s largest criminal organization. There was no way he could keep the children lock up for an entire week. They will have to go out and see Yokohama at some point whether he like it or not.

On top of that, Nezu had given him a long talk of not restricting the students before setting off...

“I won’t stop you kids from going outside,” Aizawa turned to the kids with an intimidating look on his face. That instantly made all of them shut up and give their homeroom teacher their undivided attention. “But you must all go together, or not at all. And I don’t care what your reasons are, no one is allowed to leave the group. If one person needs to use the bathroom, three others have to follow, understand?”

“YES!" They cheered.

“Aizawa-san, Toshinori-san, this way please.” The secretary called.

Giving the kids one last look, Aizawa and Toshinori followed the two agency members back to the bus. Toshinori spared a glance back as they left. He looked over the excitement on those children’s faces as they ran for their rooms to get ready.

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

Arriving back at the Armed Detective Agency, the two teachers were showed to a meeting room.

“Please, have a seat.” Kunikida said as the secretary set down a pile of documents in front of the blond before leaving to let them talk in privacy. “Most of our jobs come from client requests and cases that may pop up from the police. As the President had said, your students will accompany us to observe our work. But before that, I need to get an understanding of them so that should anything happen, we can act accordingly.”

“And what do you expect to happen?” Aizawa questioned suspiciously. Something just wasn’t sitting right with him. His instinct was telling him there was more going on in this city than what it seemed on the surface.

“It is just precaution.” Kunikida replied, but the raven-haired man wasn’t convinced. “I have your students’ reports, but I would like to hear your input as their teachers.”

Aizawa and Toshinori looked over the papers in front of them. They were all detailed documents with the students’ photos attached to each one. There were descriptions of their strengths, weaknesses, Quirks, and personalities. 

“Where did you get these?” Toshinori’s brows furrowed as he looked through them, feeling uneasy that this agency got such sensitive information of their students.

“Relax, these were given to us by your principal.” Kunikida replied. “I need to make sure that these kids of yours won’t cause us any additional trouble. Especially these two.”

Kunikida gestured to two specific files with Bakugou’s and Mineta’s pictures stapled on top.

Aizawa was already feeling a headache coming. He wasn’t surprised by the man's concern about Bakugou. A lot of people were. Mineta, on the other hand, was one he didn’t expect yet probably should have.

“From what I gathered, this boy is very dangerous.” Kunikida said as he tapped his finger over Bakugou’s picture. “Just from our short interactions, I don’t need to read these reports to know that he has short temper and acts impulsively. As for the other one…”

His finger hovered over Mineta. There was a long pause before the blond man continued.

“…I frankly don’t understand the meaning behind his existence.”

The two teachers were unable to say anything back to that.

“If this Bakugou was a citizen of Yokohama, he would be put under heavy surveillance just for his personality alone never mind his powers.”

“I understand your concern.” Aizawa couldn’t remember how many times he had to repeat this line. “I can assure you that Bakugou has a high sense of justice—”

“That is not the issue.” Kunikida cut the Hero off. “Before you came, I looked over that interview you had after he,” he tapped at Bakugou, “was kidnapped by your world’s Villains.”

So they did saw that interview…

“Even those Villains believed he is better suited with them than as a Hero. Why do you think that is? This is not about whether or not they have a sense of justice; this is a matter of self-control. This is Yokohama, not your world. Your values of justices mean little here. This boy’s behaviour may not present an issue in your world, but here nothing will go his way. His rashness will only put the other kids at risk.”

“We understand. We’ll keep an eye on him to make sure he stays out of trouble.” Toshinori promised.

“I do hope so.” The way Kunikida looked at them clearly stated that he didn’t believe a word. “From what I can see, he doesn’t seem to be the type to listen to teachers either.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Aizawa gritted. Although he was a bit irritated by this interrogation—or that’s what it felt like—he nonetheless dipped his head politely.

“And give that other boy a stern talking about basic respect towards women.” Kunikida sighed, as if tired by just talking about this kind of subject. “I don’t want to get a call to go bail him out of jail for sexual harassment. Yokohama is very strict on that.”

“We’ll do that.” Toshinori sighed as well.

Mineta’s behavior was troubling indeed.

◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

 “…Mineta-kun?”

The group of students stared at the empty spot that Mineta was just at.

What happened?

What just happened?

One moment, Mineta was there and the next, he disappeared…

“Hey, bitch! What did you do?!” Bakugou demanded, glaring daggers at the girl standing right next to where Mineta was a split second ago.

“Ah?!” The girl snarled, turquoise eyes fearlessly meeting the explosive boy’s. She patted her dress as if there was some sort of germ on there and flicked one of her thick, auburn braids over her shoulder. “That disgusting pervert was looking up my dress and you got the nerve to question me?!”

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Please visit AO3 link for Author’s note!

[newsworthy56]

ATTEMPTS TO OVERTURN BIDEN… AND WHAT’S AT STAKE

spiritsoulbody.org

On Sep 25, 2021, at 12:07 AM, Heather Cox Richardson from Letters from an American <heathercoxrichardson@substack.com> wrote:

On Monday, we learned that after last year’s election, John Eastman, a well-connected lawyer advising former president Donald Trump, outlined a six-point plan to overturn the outcome of the election and install Trump as America’s leader. They planned to cut the voters’ actual choice, Democrat Joe Biden, out of power: as Trump advisor Steve Bannon put it, they planned to “kill the Biden presidency in the crib.” This appears to have been the plan that Trump and his loyalists tried to execute on January 6.

That is, we now have written proof of an attempt to destroy our democracy and replace it with an autocracy.

This was not some crazy plot of some obscure dude in a shack in the mountains; this was a plan of the president of the United States of America, and it came perilously close to succeeding. The president of the United States tried to overturn the results of an election—the centerpiece of our democracy—and install himself into power illegitimately.

If this is not a hair-on-fire, screaming emergency, what is?

And yet, Republican lawmakers, with the notable exceptions of Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), have largely remained silent about the fact that the head of their party tried to destroy our democracy.

The best spin on their silence is that in refusing to defend the former president while also keeping quiet enough that they do not antagonize the voters in his base, they are choosing their own power over the protection of our country.

The other option is that the leaders of the Republican Party have embraced authoritarianism, and their once-grand party—the party of Abraham Lincoln, the party that saved the United States in the 1860s, the party that removed racial enslavement from our fundamental law—has become an existential threat to our nation.

Democracy requires at least two healthy parties capable of running a government in order to provide oversight for those currently in control of the government and to channel opposition into peaceful attempts to change the country’s path rather than into revolution. But Republicans appear to believe that any Democratic government is illegitimate, insisting that Democrats’ calls for business regulation, a basic social safety net, and infrastructure investment are “socialism” that will destroy the country.

With Democrats in charge of the federal government, Republicans are cementing their power in the states to support a future coup like the one Eastman described. Using “audits” of the 2020 elections, notably in Arizona but now also in Pennsylvania and Texas, Trump loyalists have convinced their supporters to distrust elections, softening the ground to overturn them in the future. According to a new poll by NORC at the University of Chicago, 26% of Americans now believe that “[t]he 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and Joe Biden is an illegitimate president,” and 8% believe that "[u]se of force is justified to restore Donald Trump to the presidency."

Arguing that they have to stop the voter fraud they have falsely claimed threw the election to Biden, Republican lawmakers in 18 states have passed more than 30 laws to cut down Democratic voting and cement their own rule. Trump supporters have threatened election workers, prompting them to quit, and have harassed school board members and local officials, driving them from office.

Although attorneys general are charged with nonpartisan enforcement of the law, we learned earlier this month that in September 2020, 32 staff members of Republican attorneys general met in Atlanta, where they participated in “war games” to figure out what to do should Trump not be reelected. The summit was organized by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, the fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), which sent out robocalls on January 5 urging recipients to march to the Capitol the following day “to stop the steal.” In May, RAGA elevated the man responsible for those robocalls to the position of executive director, prompting others to leave.

In states where Republicans have rigged election mechanics, party members need to worry about primary challengers from the right, rather than Democratic opponents. So they are purging from the party all but Trump loyalists, especially as the former president is backing challengers against those who voted in favor of his impeachment in the House in January 2021. Last week, one of those people, Representative Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), announced he was retiring, in part because of right-wing threats against his family.

Trump loyalists are openly embracing the language of authoritarianism. In Texas, Abbott is now facing a primary challenger who today tweeted: “Texans deserve a strong and robust leader committed to fighting with them against the radical Left. They deserve a leader like Brazil has in Jair Bolsonaro…..” Bolsonaro, a right-wing leader whose approval rating in late August was 23%, is threatening to stay in power in Brazil against the wishes of its people. He claims that the country’s elections are fraudulent and that “[e]ither we’ll have clean elections, or we won’t have elections.”

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) today used language fascists have used in the past to stoke hatred of their political opponents, tweeting that “ALL House Democrats are evil and will kill unborn babies all the way up to birth and then celebrate.” Yesterday, the leader of Turning Points U.S.A., Charlie Kirk, brought the movement’s white nationalism into the open when he told a YouTube audience that Democrats were backing “an invasion of the country” to bring in “voters that they want and that they like” and to work toward “diminishing and decreasing white demographics in America.” He called for listeners to “[d]eputize a citizen force, put them on the border, give them handcuffs, get it done.”

Today, we learned that the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be held in Budapest, Hungary, where leader Viktor Orbán, whom Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson has openly admired, is dismantling democracy and eroding civil rights. When former vice president Mike Pence spoke in Budapest earlier this week at a forum denouncing immigration and urging traditional social values, he told the audience he hoped that the U.S. Supreme Court would soon outlaw abortion thanks to the three justices Trump put on the court.

Establishment Republicans who are now out of power are not on board the Trump train. They are quietly backing anti-Trumpers like Representative Cheney. Former House speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, former Florida governor Jeb Bush—who was widely expected to win the Republican nomination in 2016, only to be shut out of it by Trump—and former president George W. Bush's former adviser Karl Rove have all donated money to Cheney to help her stave off a challenge from a Trump loyalist in the 2022 election. Next month, former president Bush himself will hold a fundraiser for Cheney in Texas.

Other establishment Republicans currently in power might be staying quiet about the party’s slide toward authoritarianism because they are simply hoping that the Trump fire will burn itself out. The former president is no longer commanding the crowds he once did, and his increasing legal woes as well as the investigation into the insurrection will almost certainly take up his time and energy. The mounting coronavirus deaths among his unvaccinated supporters also stand to weaken support for his faction.

But the fact that Republican lawmakers have ignored the Eastman memo, which outlines the destruction of our democracy, suggests that the party, which organized in the 1850s to protect the nation against those who would destroy it, has come full circle.

—

Notes:

https://bbj.hu/politics/foreign-affairs/world/budapest-to-host-cpac-in-2022

https://www.kptv.com/former-president-george-w-bush-to-hold-fundraiser-next-month-for-liz-cheney/article_8ba92a10-7103-5ee0-94ef-4bd813437e28.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/24/arizona-audit-just-destroyed-big-gop-lie-more-ways-than-one/

https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/05/04/more-staff-flee-gop-attorneys-general-group-after-it-doubles-down-on-insurrection/

https://bbj.hu/politics/foreign-affairs/world/budapest-to-host-cpac-in-2022

https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/pence-hopeful-supreme-court-restrict-abortion-us-80185222

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/republican-ags-group-sent-robocalls-urging-march-capitol-n1253581

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/us/politics/anthony-gonzalez-ohio-trump.html

https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/08/kansas-ag-aides-attended-war-games-summit-where-group-planned-to-combat-biden-win/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-17/more-than-half-of-brazilians-disapprove-of-bolsonaro-poll-shows

https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-deputize-citizen-force-put-them-border-order-protect-white-demographics

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/23/brazil-bolsonaro/

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[perfecttimemachinestranger]

Scritches

Part I  Part II Part III Part IV Part V

Summary: Even fearsome demonic beings need to enjoy a few simple pleasures in (after-)life. For Krennic, one of them is scritches. This part concludes the story (2867 words, sfw fluff with a sprinkling of angst light).

Characters: Angel!Krennic, Demon!Lyste, Grand Moff Tarkin, Demon Squad Anon

For some background, or simply more of the ‘charming’ Angel!Krennic, see imperialgradients’ Necroholocron!AU masterpost

Huge thanks and much love to @imperialgradients and @nspamc for letting me play with their OCs. I’ve had so much fun with them, and even if this is the final instalment of this story, I can’t promise I’ll be able to leave them alone in the future 😊

Strangely enough, Krennic wasn’t hungover the following morning, and, furthermore, appeared content to find you sitting beside him. He graciously accepted to be scratched both between his wings and under his chin. After a while, he even crept closer and laid his head in your lap.

“Thank you for allowing me to share your quarters tonight, sir.”

“This arrangement is most convenient,” he admitted with a superior drawl. “I had excellent foresight in commanding you here, although I do not recall extending quite such an intimate invitation.” He waved a clawed hand towards the bed, you, himself.

“You told me to help you undress, and I was going to leave, but Lyste ordered me to sleep here.”

“The imp issued you an order?” His wings twitched and he raised an astonished eyebrow.

“He technically outranks me, sir. And he knew I had nowhere else to stay.”

“I enjoyed having an escort; it is befitting of my station. You will continue to accompany me today.” He took your wrist and put your hand back beneath his chin for more scritches. ��The present arrangement will continue as well. I am growing accustomed to a certain level of service and thus, I hereby command you to occupy this bed as a nightly occurrence.”

“Of course, sir. I will do my best to be useful.”

You couldn’t help staring as the director got out of bed; he was such a curious blend of greying soft-bellied middle age and otherworldly being. His feet, especially, caught your attention. How could they not, claws rattling against the floor with every step? And, apparently, even demons had knobbly knees.

Soon enough he was back fully dressed, stylish as ever with his cape and shiny, black boots, while you were still struggling to smooth out the creases in your tunic. Why had you let Lyste sleep on it? That question was easy to answer when the small demon peeked out from behind Krennic, flashed you a grin and looked at you with his eyes of bottomless black. You smiled back at the adorable imp, then flinched at the harsh command issued by the larger demon.

“Present arms!”  

With no other weaponry at hand than the broom, you grabbed that. Krennic eyed you critically, pinning you with his gaze until you squirmed. Then, suddenly, there was a crack in his resolve, just a hint of one corner of his mouth being tugged upwards, and the next second he was laughing loud.

“A perfect little soldier, have you seen, Lyste?” The imp straightened his back and saluted him.

“I’m trying my best, sir.”

He shook his head. “No. This looks ridiculous. You will ruin my image completely – how can the populace perceive my sovereignty when being visually attacked by such a disgrace?” He tilted his head pensively and pouted. Then he grabbed the broom and broke the stick; it snapped like a twig in his hands.

“There. Better.” He flung the broken wood into a corner. “Now, follow me.”

“Of – of course, sir.” His strength simply baffled you.

Apparently, Director Krennic could be incredibly efficient when he put his mind to it. He read reports and issued orders with astonishing speed, presided at meetings and provided comments to drawings and plans, even lectured you on the lesser-known features of the station, eyes aglow with enthusiasm.

At meal-times he reverted to demonic habits, diving into rare steaks with sharp fangs and a voracious appetite. And then, there were the naps. Without warning, he would crash to the floor and fall asleep, impossible to wake by any means. Often it didn’t matter, but now, the Grand Moff himself would inspect this section and it simply wouldn’t do to have a great white lump lying on the floor just in front of the weapons controls.

“Get him away from here,” hissed the captain in charge.

“I’m trying, I’m trying.” Crouching by the demon’s side, you gently scratched his neck feathers.

“Wake up, please, sir…” You tried scratching a little harder, but it just made him sigh contentedly. You gave a slight tug, just at the end feathers, and a single beat of his wings sent you tumbling over.

“He’s coming now,” the captain announced icily.

Desperately, you put your lips close to the director’s ear and whispered. “Tarkin!” The man twitched in his sleep and you repeated it. “Tarkin is coming, you have to get up, please, get up or he’ll have Lord Vader strangle us both!”

He opened one eye superciliously, and then, as you mimed “Tarkin”, he flew to his feet in a spectacularly undignified manner. He looked around quickly, then strode off with his nose in the air and neck wings proudly spread.

“Ensign!” he admonished. “Are you neglecting your duties? Count yourself lucky for having such a forgiving and understanding mentor as myself.”

Days turned into weeks and you settled in well in the Krennic’s undecorated but very dusty set of rooms. Any attempt to clean was met with immediate disapproval.

“Cleaning droids? How dare you imply that I would accept such artificial service?”

“I could do it myself, then.”

“Do you consider yourself worthy of touching my divine abode?”

He was being ridiculous, but it was clearly a touchy subject and not one you cared to argue with him about. With the director’s recent bursts of energy and fondness for napping anywhere else, it was not like you spent a lot of time in there anyway,

When you did, it was usually in bed.

One evening you were lying on your side, turned away from him and drifting into sleep in the best way possible. A strong arm rested heavily over your torso, holding you close as he leaned his cheek against your shoulder, his hot breath caressing your skin. You felt him nuzzle the nape of your neck affectionately, shivers of pleasure went down your spine, and then you suddenly squeaked pitifully, going tense.

“You are no longer content,” he remarked. “You ought to be, considering the attention being bestowed upon your inferior body.”

“Sorry. Unworthy as I may be, I enjoy this a lot. Just be careful with those fangs, please.”

“You still fear me.” His contented chuckle made you smile. At times like this, it was so easy to forget that he was demon. The reminders were annoying, but very necessary. You must never trust him completely.

“I do.” You lifted your arm and ran your hand along a scaly finger down to the sharp end of a claw.

“You are not expendable.” His teeth were at your neck again, dragging gently over the skin, over and over again until you were finally able to relax.

There are feathers everywhere. It’s the middle of the night and you should be asleep but instead there’s chaos, you’re tangled in sheets and blankets and his goddamned cape that he insists sleeping with. Its familiar fragrance ought to be calming, but now it just adds to the feeling of being smothered in softness. There’s motion, too, an odd gust of wind that sends your hair flying, getting it into your eyes. You can’t see a thing but there’s a distinct impression of wings. Too many of them, and too large. Can’t he just go back to sleep!

You reach out – a downy shoulder against your palm, heaving. It stills and you edge your fingers closer to his neck. There. Just a few scritches and you can both go back to sleep. He stills, and there’s a soft sigh, but then feathers – wings – beat against your face, and you can’t reach around them, your arms are too short. There’s more flapping and the mattress shakes and the entire room seems filled with strange beings that you can’t see but you know they are there. There is growling and sniffing and shuffling of feet. A whirlwind of blankets and sheets around you and you shy away, press against the comparative safety of the headboard. It’s shaking too, the racket enough to wake the dead. The wall is solid against your hand, and then it’s not, and you can’t breathe –

Breathe. In. Out. The air is fresh. Stillness around. You open your eyes and for a moment there’s grey blur where the room should be, but then, clarity. The huge viewport calls to you, beckons you closer. Nothing there, only space. Sleep, that is what you need. And yet, your feet move towards the viewport. As you look to the right, there’s movement just outside your field of vision. Great wings beating majestically, bearing their owner closer, allowing you to admire it as it flies past. Some kind of alien bird, no, a – a man. It’s him and, at the same time, it’s not. This glorious being of wings and faces – too many of all of them and yet they seem to fit him – is Krennic. The rude, arrogant drunkard of a demon! The metamorphosis is unfathomable and yet it is a fact.

He doesn’t deign a glance at you. You wish with all your heart that he would look at you, see you, even just to acknowledge your existence. There is nothing, although you stand staring, hoping until he is just a tiny speckle of light, one star among many.

You awoke to the insistent beeping of the datapad in the main room, left there in the hope that Krennic wouldn’t wake you if he decided to get up and play games at some ghastly hour. You often woke up earlier than you needed to, but with that weird dream it was no wonder you had overslept. Staggering into the other room, you barely noticed your surroundings, but once the cursed piece of technology was silenced, you began to take in the state of the bedroom. The bed was a mess, empty but for your pillow. All the bedding was strewn across the floor, pushed up against the walls as if some giant tornado had passed through.

As you began to put things back where they belonged, you got a distinct feeling of emptiness that went further than the expanse of the demonic director’s quarters. Something moving underneath the bed made you jump, but an inquisitive whimper put you at ease.

“Lyste? Is that you?”

A dark hand with a perfect set of claws became visible, and soon the small demon crept out of there. He looked distinctly unhappy, in spite of holding his trademark slipper, hurt and a little confused.

“Come here?” You sat down on the bed and patted the mattress beside you. Lyste inclined his head and then came to sit beside you, and somehow you just knew what was the matter.

“He has left us, hasn’t he?” Black pits blinked. “He’s gone.” A whimper, and then the imp bumped his forehead against your arm. You put it around him and began to stroke his head as you tried to sort out your emotions. Hurt. Betrayal. Sadness. Anger – no, not that. You couldn’t be angry with Krennic now any more than you could when he was near. Yours was a weird kind of friendship, but it had been that. If one could be friends with a demon.

Lyste’s insistent head bumping interrupted your thoughts. One look at him was enough to understand why. “Sorry. I know. I still have you.” You gave him a brief hug, careful not to startle him, and then he bowed his head. “You like scritches, too.” For Lyste, it was the base of his horns that itched and you spent a long time scratching him, long enough even that the first sharp pain in your chest began to pass. Director Krennic had left and there was nothing you could do about it.

“You will leave, too,” you told Lyste, who was now smiling and showing off his tiny, sharp fangs. “Your Eli will come for you soon.” He smiled even broader, then opened his eyes and ran his tail gently along your arm. “I – I will move on also. I just need a little time. But I will remember you, and him. I will look at the stars and know that you are there, somewhere. It will be painful at first, like now, but then there will only be good memories.”

Something caught Lyste’s attention and he rose swiftly, scurrying away out the door. You returned to the previous chores, and when the bedroom looked reasonably orderly, you went to dress. As you opened the wardrobe with your things, the only one you were allowed to touch, you immediately saw it – a single white feather lying on top of your tunic. It wasn’t a downy thing like those Krennic frequently spread about when he was moulting, but an elegant, yet strong, quill. Furthermore, it was almost twice as long as any of the feathers on his neck wings had been. Reverently, you took it between your hands and sensed a whiff of cologne at the same time as black smoke whirled in front of your eyes, only to be devoured by sharp light. The feather wafted out of your hands and for a moment you thought you had dreamt it, but when you looked, it lay there again.

Afraid to lose it, you kept your eyes trained at the feather as you dressed, and when you were done, you stuck it inside the side pocket where your code cylinder would go if you ever turned important enough to have one. This seemed the more unlikely to happen as you would now have to report to your superiors of your catastrophic failure in keeping an eye on the Grand Moff’s demon.

The great man was in his office, and chose to admit you at once, almost as if he had expected you.

“I’m sorry, sir. I – I can’t explain it, but he’s gone. I – I lost him!” Shame washed over you in unmerciful waves and you hung your head, unable to look at Tarkin.

The Grand Moff was silent for a while, then uttered dryly: “Escaped, is more like it.”

You lifted your head, surprised. “I should have tried to stop him!”

Tarkin eyed you calmly. “Tell me, Ensign, would you have had a chance of succeeding?”

“No, sir. But I should have tried. I was asleep. I’m sorry!”

“He was released. Good riddance, I say.” You stared at him. “Director Krennic’s usefulness here had come to an end,” he continued. “His presence, in any state or form, is no longer required. This station is now fully operational.” He emanated pride and satisfaction.

“Congratulations, sir.”

“Thank – what is that?” He stretched out a hand towards you but stopped short of touching the feather; instead, he slowly retracted his fingers.

“I’m not sure, sir, but I think it comes from him.”

His eyes widened and he pursed his lips, then said: “You may keep it, in private. I don’t need a constant reminder of my failure.”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Go, now. You can keep his quarters too. I know you’ve been staying there. Nobody else wants to go near those rooms. That entire section is cursed.”

“Cursed, sir?”

“Cursed! That wretched creature has done more damage than service to the Empire.”

Back in your home, you set to cleaning. Lyste’s presence slowed down the process, but his playfulness lifted your mood. The amount of dust on every horizontal surface was just astounding. The feather found its place on the narrow shelf opposite the bed, and while cleaning, you also discovered a portrait that fit the empty hook on the wall above it. It was a bit weird that someone would decorate their bedroom with an enormous portrait of themselves, but somehow that seemed to catch the essence of the handsome director.

“He’s insufferable, but we like him anyway, don’t we?” Lyste purred.

There were more surprising treasures to be found in cupboards and drawers, nothing neatly stowed, everything crammed in as if in a sudden fit to get rid of it all. Clothes, of course, among them an astonishing number of socks with pierced toes. A ring with the insignia of the engineering corps. A set of ancient-looking instruments, presumably for drawings. More clothes. The impressive DT-29 the director had claimed not to know the whereabouts of – that would have to be turned in to your superiors, later. And, perhaps the most surprising find of all – two full wine bottles, in addition to the numerous empty ones.

Work well done, you opened one of the bottles and poured yourself a glass. You draped Director Krennic’s cape around your shoulders and sat down in a comfortable chair by the viewport, from where you could both see the portrait and look outside. The soft fabric was so slinky it kept slipping through your fingers, but it still carried his scent. You lifted your glass towards the portrait and looked deep into his eyes. Cheers, Director. The once bitter taste of rich red was almost sweet on your tongue. Cradling the glass in shaky hands, you turned towards the stars again and soon had to wipe your eyes to be able see through the haze. Gone. Another sip, and fond memories flooded your mind, making you smile through tears. He is free now.

 THE END