#war reporter!kara

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #29

July 26-August 2 2024

President Biden announced his plan to reform the Supreme Court and make sure no President is above the law. The conservative majority on the court ruled that Trump has "absolute immunity" from any prosecution for "official acts" while he was President. In response President Biden is calling for a constitutional amendment to make it clear that Presidents aren't above the law and don't have immunity from prosecution for crimes committed while in office. In response to a wide ranging corruption scandal involving Justice Clarence Thomas, President Biden called on Congress to pass a legally binding code of ethics for the Supreme Court. The code would force Justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political actions, and force them to recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have conflicts of interest. President Biden also endorsed the idea of term limits for the Justices.

The Biden Administration sent out an email to everyone who has a federal student loan informing them of upcoming debt relief. The debt relief plan will bring the total number of a borrowers who've gotten relief from the Biden-Harris Administration to 30 million. The plan is due to be finalized this fall, and the Department of Education wanted to alert people early to allow them to be ready to quickly take advantage of it when it was in place and get relief as soon as possible.

President Biden announced that the federal government would step in and protect the pension of 600,000 Teamsters. Under the American Rescue Plan, passed by President Biden and the Democrats with no Republican votes, the government was empowered to bail out Union retirement funds which in recent years have faced devastating cut of up to 75% in some cases, leaving retired union workers in desperate situations. The Teamster union is just the latest in a number of such pension protections the President has done in office.

President Biden and Vice-President Harris oversaw the dramatic release of American hostages from Russia. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan held since 2018, Russian-American reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Alsu Kurmasheva convicted of criticizing the Russian Military, were all released from captivity and returned to the US at around midnight August 2nd. They were greeted on the tarmac by the President and Vice-President and their waiting families. The deal also secured the release of German medical worker Rico Krieger sentenced to death in Belarus, Russian-British opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, and 11 Russians convicted of opposing the war against Ukraine or being involved in Alexei Navalny's anti-corruption organization. Early drafts of the hostage deal were meant to include Navalny before his death in Russian custody early this year.

A new Biden Administration rule banning discrimination against LGBT students takes effect, but faces major Republican resistance. The new rule declares that Title IX protects Queer students from discrimination in public schools and any college that takes federal funds. The new rule also expands protections for victims of sexual misconduct and pregnant or parenting students. However Republican resistance means the rule can't take effect nation wide. Lawsuits from Republican controlled states, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming, means the new protections won't come into effect those states till the case is ruled on likely in a Supreme Court ruling. The Biden administration crafted these Title IX rules to reflect the Supreme Court's 2020 Bostock case.

The Biden administration awarded $2 billion to black and minority farmers who were the victims of historic discrimination. Historically black farmers have been denied important loans from the USDA, or given smaller amounts than white farmers. This massive investment will grant 23,000 minority farmers between $10,000 and $500,000 each and a further 20,000 people who wanted to start farms by were improperly denied the loans they needed between $3,500-$6,000 to get started. Most payments went to farmers in Mississippi and Alabama.

The Biden Administration took an important step to stop the criminalization of poverty by changing child safety guidelines so that poverty alone isn't grounds for taking a child into foster care. Studies show that children able to stay with parents or other family have much better outcomes then those separated. Many states have already removed poverty from their guidelines when it comes to removing children from the home, and the HHS guidelines push the remaining states to do the same.

Vice-President Harris announced the Biden Administration's agreement to a plan by North Carolina to forgive the state's medical debt. The plan by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper would forgive the medical debt of 2 million people in the state. North Carolina has the 3rd highest rate of medical debt in the nation. Vice-President Harris applauded the plan, pointing out that the Biden Administration has forgiven $650 million dollars worth of medical debt so far with plans to forgive up to $7 billion by 2026. The Vice-President unveiled plans to exclude medical debt from credit scores and issued a call for states and local governments to forgive debt, like North Carolina is, last month.

The Department of Transportation put forward a new rule to bank junk fees for family air travel. The new rule forces airlines to seat parents next to their children, with no extra cost. Currently parents are forced to pay extra to assure they are seated next to their children, no matter what age, if they don't they run the risk of being separated on a long flight. Airlines would be required to seat children age 13 and under with their parent or accompanying adult at no extra charge.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it is giving $3.5 billion to combat homelessness. This represents the single largest one year investment in fighting homelessness in HUD's history. The money will be distributed by grants to local organizations and programs. HUD has a special focus on survivors of domestic violence, youth homeless, and people experiencing the unique challenges of homelessness in rural areas.

The Treasury Department announced that Pennsylvania and New Mexico would be joining the IRS' direct file program for 2025. The program was tested as a pilot in a number of states in 2024, saving 140,000 tax payers $5.6 million in filing charges and getting tax returns of $90 million. The program, paid for by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, will be available to all 50 states, but Republicans strong object. Pennsylvania and New Mexico join Oregon and New Jersey in being new states to join.

Bonus: President Biden with the families of the released hostages calling their loved ones on the plane out of Russia

[un-ionizetheradlab]

Russia just freed SIXTEEN political prisoners in a prisoner swap with the West!

Among the released political prisoners are:

Oleg Orlov, a longtime dissident and the co-chair of Memorial, an organization created in 1989 to chronicle the USSR's human rights abuses and educate Russians about the history of political repression;

Sasha Skochilenko, an LGBTQ artist who was imprisoned in April 2022 for replacing price tags at grocery stores with data about Russian destruction in Ukraine, deemed treasonous under Russia's "fake news" law;

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a political dissident who was fundamental in bringing about the Magnitsky Act to sanction Russian human rights abusers, and who was poisoned twice by the KGB in attempted assassinations before being sentenced to 25 years in prison for "treason";

Evan Gershkovich, a young American journalist who was arrested in Russia while reporting for the Wall Streeet Journal in March 2023 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for "espionage";

Paul Whelan, American former Marine who was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years of hard labor for "espionage";

Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty who was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for spreading "fake news" about the war in Ukraine;

Andrei Pivovarov, an opposition activist who headed the pro-democracy organization Open Russia before being imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony infamous for its torture of prisoners;

Ilya Yashin, a young opposition politician who was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for publishing YouTube videos about the war in Ukraine; when Russian authorities "encouraged" him to leave the country, he chose instead to stay;

Lilia Chanysheva, opposition activist and regional coordinator of Navalny HQ; in her final speech before the Russian court, she tried in vain to appeal to the judge's sense of empathy: "If you put me in jail for 12 years, I will be too old to bear a child. Give me a chance to be a mother!";

Kevin Lik, a dual German-Russian citizen who was arrested as a minor for "photographing military sites" shortly before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine; he was the youngest person ever to be convicted of treason in Russia;

Rico Krieger, a German man sentenced to death in Belarus for supposedly planting explosives on a railroad track to help the Ukrainian army;

Dieter Voronin, a dual German-Russian citizen and political scientist who was arrested in 2021 in connection to a treason case involving Russian journalist Ivan Safronov;

Patrick Schobel, a German man arrested in February 2024 at the Pulkovo International Airport in St Petersburg when customs officers found cannabis gummies in his luggage, in a scenario very similar to that of Brittney Griner;

German Moyzhes, a dual German-Russian citizen and lawyer who was charged with treason for helping Russians obtain European residency permits;

Vadim Ostanin, opposition activist and Navalny associate arrested in 2021 for his work with Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation;

Ksenia Fadeyeva, dissident and Navalny associate sentenced to 9 years in prison.

[fazedlight]

Hiding (Cat Grant musings)

The girl is hiding something.

It had been a frequent refrain in Cat’s mind, ever since Kiera’s interview. What kind of millennial goes around talking about how average and not-special they are? The girl was too smart to act braindead.

Was the girl a war criminal? Faked her death from some mafia and lived life under the radar? I mean, really, all this subterfuge, and for what? The girl didn’t seem to be trying to give an air of mystery, but Cat could smell a story. She was going to get to the bottom of this.

Then the new caped heroine arrived, and Cat kicked herself for not having seen it earlier. It had taken her an entire three days to figure out the identity of the second kryptonian. She supposed it could be forgiven - after all, Kiera was somehow younger than Clark Kent, and he had been an infant when his parents shipped him off to Earth and his planet died. The timeline was confusing, before her interview with Supergirl cleared that up.

The girl is hiding something.

Kiera had practically marched into the office when she declared “I want to be a reporter” with her entire chest. Which, obviously, Cat could spot talent when it was in front of her. But the bumbling superhero assistant had said that with such confidence. Where had that come from?

The girl is hiding something.

And then there had been this Mike, of the interns, that Kiera was dragging along. It was beyond Cat why Kiera thought that relationship was a good fit, from a man who only seemed to cause her aggravation at every turn. God, that trope was so tired and boring, perhaps some sort of indicator of a mental break. Technically Kiera was old enough for a midlife crisis... perhaps Cat could get a referral from her therapist…

“Two people I love are trapped on that ship, and if we destroy it…”

That’s when Cat realized, when the epiphany slammed into her. Yes, yes, Kiera was hiding her caped shenanigans, was hiding Mike’s identity, yadda yadda. But the biggest secret was what Kiera was hiding from herself. Cat wanted to shake the girl. A super and a Luthor? That would be a combination like the world had never seen.

Snapper was dealing with a lovesick puppy. No wonder he was so irritated.

Of course, reporter-hero aside, there were other things going in Cat’s life. Her role in the world felt increasingly narrow, increasingly restrictive, and she needed to see something new. A woman’s life and self-discovery doesn’t end at 30, as much as the media pretends otherwise. Besides, wasn’t there a time in every hero’s life when Gandalf needed to die so Luke could fight the Star War? Or whatever.

She was sure she’d be back. In the meantime, the world could see what Kiera - Kara - would become.

[mariacallous]

US President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday evening that a 24-person prisoner swap had taken place with Russia, in what would be the largest such exchange since the end of the Cold War.

Among the most notable of the 16 returnees to the West – four Americans, five Germans and seven Russian political prisoners – are Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual Russian-British citizen, and RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual US-Russian citizen.

Going in the other direction were eight prisoners, excluding two minors, most notably Russian assassin Vadim Krasikov, who has been held in a German prison since 2019 for the murder of a Chechen exile in Berlin, and Pablo Rubtsov, also known as “Pablo Gonzalez”, who is believed to have been a GRU military intelligence agent posing as a Spanish journalist working in Poland, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries.

The prisoner exchange, which took place at Ankara airport, had been in the works for many months, according to multiple analysts. Indications that the swap was in the final stages came with reports that some of those released had been moved from where they were being incarcerated, as well as the speeding up of trials in Russia and Slovenia.

In Slovenia on Wednesday, two Russian deep-cover spies arrested in 2022, whose real names are thought to be Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, pleaded guilty to charges of spying and falsifying documents in a court case held in private. The Ljubljana court sentenced them to time served in prison and ordered their immediate expulsion. The two minors in the exchange are thought to be their children.

Key to the swap was Germany’s reluctant agreement to release the hitman Krasikov, who was serving life for the killing of Georgian citizen Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin, a crime the judge called an act of “state terrorism”. The western prisoners, on the other hand, were widely seen as being sentenced in show trials on trumped-up charges.

On February 27, 2022, Polish authorities detained Rubtsov on the Polish-Ukrainian border and later charged him with spying for Russia. He had been detained in Poland ever since, reportedly spending time in solitary confinement.

ABW, the Polish internal security agency, claimed the man was carrying out operations to benefit Russia while posing as a journalist and was on his way to Ukraine when detained.

The man was a dual Russian-Spanish citizen, and, under the name of Pablo Gonzalez, he was working as a reporter for several Spanish media, including online newspaper Publico and TV station La Sexta. The fact he was arrested by the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government lent some weight to arguments by his lawyer and wife back in Spain that he was arrested because of his “inconvenient” reporting. A campaign demanding his release was organised by international media groups such as Reporters without Borders, to no effect.

Christo Grozev, former lead Russia investigator for Bellingcat, had reported for The Insider in 2023 how Rubtsov allegedly gathered intelligence for Russia and tried to gain the trust of Russian opposition activists so he could report back on them. Grozev’s reporting was based on investigative work by a Russian independent outlet, The Agency. Among others, he had allegedly gotten close to and reported on Zhanna Nemtsova, Boris Nemtsov’s daughter, and people from her circle.

Donald Tusk, the ABW or any other Polish authorities had not made any public statement by the time of publication.

Until today, the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War was in 2010 and involved a total of 14 people, including Anna Chapman and Sergei Skripal, a Russian military intelligence officer convicted of spying for Britain, who was later poisoned by Russian agents in Salisbury.

[just-another-josh]

Kara

Today is a good day.

No, today is a great day.

Lena continued to remind herself of that over the course of the last two hours.

It was an incredibly important day for her and her wife. Not just that, it was an important day for their family’s legacy. Today was one of those milestone days, the type that signified potential fully realized, the recognition of years of hard work and achievement. A cause for celebration with champagne, victory speeches, and overindulgent parties.

Lena knew this, she believed this.

And yet, all she wanted to do right now was punch Cat Grant in her stupid, Botoxed face.

Four months ago, Cat pulled Kara aside after a CatCo staff meeting and informed her EIC that she intended to run for president in the next election. “If a Cheeto-skinned, glorified game show host can become President of the United States, I should be a shoo-in,” she had reasoned with her. In order to avoid any blind trust complications and because presidential campaigns are very expensive, Cat decided to put CatCo Worldwide Media up for sale.

Lena was greeted by an ugly-crying Kryptonian when she arrived home that night. Cat’s departure was a double blow to her wife: Not only was Kara losing her mentor, but now she had to contend with a new owner who may or may not share the same journalistic integrity as Cat. Nightmares of another Andrea Rojas or Morgan Edge-like monster lording over the bullpen kept the hero up into the early morning hours after Cat dropped her bombshell.

Lena made a solid effort to reassure her wife that everything would work out for the best but when the company was put on the market the next Monday morning, the announcement quickly led to Lena’s assurances becoming hollow promises.

By the end of the week, the bidding war for the media giant had been whittled down to three frontrunners:

Roland Daggett: owner of Daggett Industries with reported ties to organized crime in Gotham.

Simon Stagg: owner of Stagg Enterprises who was currently involved in no-less than a dozen federal investigations for improper disposal of waste generated from his chemical plants.

The final bidder was no stranger to National City or the Superfriends; Maxwell Lord: owner of Lord Technologies and an all-around asshole, who appeared to have crawled out from whatever rock he’d been hiding under.

Lena knew that none of these parasites gave a damn about the fourth estate, nor would they want Supergirl watching over their shoulders while they engaged in whatever reprehensible activities men of their caliber got up to. Lena had no doubt that they’d use CatCo to steer whatever narratives that would profit them the most; much like Morgan Edge intended to do six years prior.

Bottomline, Kara was going to be out of a job if any of those criminals got their hands on CatCo.

Kara did everything she could to talk Cat out of selling to any of them, but Cat had no other viable candidates to sell to. Kara spent the better part of ten days straight trying to get Cat to see reason but was met with failure at every turn. Lena watched Kara sink further into depression as the days passed and it broke her heart.

On day eleven, Lena had had enough of watching her wife suffer. She had Jess arrange an emergency meeting with her finance and mergers/acquisitions department heads. There was only one item of business on the agenda, did L-Corp have enough in its coffers to purchase CatCo. She knew acquiring the media giant was going to cost a lot more than it did when she stole it out from under Morgan Edge. Luckily, the answer was a resounding yes. Since regaining her position as CEO of L-Corp, Lena had led the company to an unprecedented level of profitability. A proposal was quickly drafted. The minutia of the proposal was almost identical to the last time L-Corp purchased the conglomerate, save for one big difference: Kara, not Lena, would be named CEO of CatCo Worldwide Media; not just the print media, but TV, streaming, and online content.

Proposal in hand, it took Lena the better part of the evening (and early morning) to convince her wife that she was fully capable of doing the job. Hell, she’d been doing it for the last eighteen months as Cat became less involved in the day-to-day operations. Kara’s objections to Lena spending Lena’s money to save Kara’s job were quickly shot down, “You forget darling, it’s not my money, it’s our money. We’re married, what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine, you dork.” Finally seeing the light, Lena sent her wife to deliver the proposal directly to Cat; it took her less than twelve hours to accept their offer and approve moving forward with the sale. To say that she was relieved that L-Corp, and by extension Lena and Kara, would be running the company that she built with her own blood, sweat, and tears would be an understatement.

Now, Lena sat in CatCo’s executive conference room. Kara seated to her right, Jess to her left, and half of L-Corp’s legal department bracketing them. On the other side of the table, Cat, and her legal team. Lena had been fortunate enough to avoid attending the negotiation meetings in person; instead choosing to have her attorneys there as her proxies. Occasionally, she’d join the proceedings remotely whenever her two cents was needed. Today, however, was the big day. All the principles needed to be on-hand to sign the final contracts. Lena was initially excited to finalize the deal; if for no other reason than to see the beaming smile her wife had been sporting all day turn brighter than the sun.

Her excitement was quickly tempered when they stepped into Kara’s office and were greeted by Cat with a “Good morning, Mrs. Luthor. Good morning, Kiera.” Lena would have done a spit-take had she been drinking anything at the time. For a moment, she tried to convince herself that she had misheard her. That theory was quickly thrown out the window when Cat called Kara “Kiera” three more times before they reached the conference room. By the time they sat at the conference table to go over the final details before signing, Lena was seething.

After taking several deep breaths and getting her blood pressure under control, Lena tried to mentally talk herself down from doing or saying anything rash. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard Cat address Kara by that name, but it was the first time that it got under her skin. Why? Hormones. She was five months pregnant with twin Kryptonian girls.

For the most part, the pregnancy had been uneventful; after the hell that was first trimester, of course. She’d adjusted to the rollercoaster of emotions, eating 15,000 calories a day to keep her and her baby girls nourished, and the near constant fatigue. Most days, she basked in the experience of being an expectant mother; the flutter of kicks throughout the day, impeccable hair and skin, an insatiable libido, and a doting wife that would fly anywhere in the world to satisfy her food cravings. Yep, without a doubt, the second trimester had been treating Lena well.

Except for today.

Today, her lower back was killing her.

Today, her ankles were obscenely swollen.

Today, the twins were using her bladder as a trampoline.

Today, she felt like a swollen, bloated, beached whale.

Today, Lena had a short fuse, and Cat had no idea how close she was coming to lighting it.

As was standard practice for Lena with all business-related deals, she insisted on reading the final contract cover-to-cover before signing. Although she trusted her legal team, she refused to agree to any contracts that she herself hadn’t personally vetted. Her lawyers had been with her long enough to take their boss’ anal retentiveness in stride, fully understanding that it did not reflect on the quality of their work. While Cat herself remained non-plussed by the delay, her attorneys did a poor job of hiding their impatience. Picking up on the tension in the room, Lena’s senior attorney suggested that both legal teams take an early lunch and after receiving nods of approval from both Lena and Cat, the two teams exited the conference room.

Shortly thereafter, Jess received a text that appeared to be of an urgent nature. After receiving an ‘OK’ from Kara to use the Kryptonian’s office, she swiftly exited.

Kara and Cat continued to make small talk while Lena scoured the sales agreement line-by-line; occasionally securing her black, thick-rimmed glasses when they inched down her nose. Reading the contract had managed to curb her murderous thoughts; allowing her to convince herself that she was overreacting to Cat’s flippant disrespect towards Kara. She reminded herself that this was something Kara found perfectly acceptable, and if the time came when her wife did have a problem, she was more than capable of speaking up for herself. Lena took a deep breath and consigned herself to let bygones be bygones and drop the matter altogether.

Until…

“So, Miss Grant, I assume that once you’re elected, you’ll be giving us an exclusive post-election interview?” Kara playfully asked.

“Now, now, Kiera. As the president-elect I am obligated to give equal time to all media outlets. I mustn’t show any favoritism,” Cat said in a patronizing tone as she waved her finger at Kara as if she were chastising a small child.

Fuse officially lit.

“Darling, I am simple starving. I could really go for a Philly cheesesteak sandwich from that place we found in mid-town,” Lena said through a strained smile; trying her best to hide the anger coursing through her veins.

“D’Elia’s?” As Lena had predicted, Kara was predictably excited by the suggestion.

Lena nodded. “Yes, that’s the one.” She locked yes with her wife for the briefest of moments before averting her gaze back to the contract in front of her.

Kara’s face shifted from excitement to suspicion quickly, now focusing intently on her wife. Lena knew the Kryptonian was probably using her enhanced senses to see or if something was up. Lena cursed herself for thinking she was going to be able to hide her agitation, knowing full well that her wife would hear her increased heart rate and her uneven breathing. Lena blushed under Kara’s scrutiny and offered up her best smile.

Kara clearly wasn’t buying it. “Nahn rraop voi?” she asked with concern in her voice.

“Ju nim voi,” Lena reassured her. She leveled Kara with a look that told her to drop it.

Appearing to take the hint, Kara subtly nodded. “Funyuns too?”

Lena stared at her wife incredulously with a raised eyebrow. “Is that a legitimate question?”

Kara held up her hands in mock surrender. “A thousand pardons.” She turned to Cat. “Can I get you anything, Miss Grant?”

Cat rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Please, Kiera. In all the years you were my assistant, did I ever order anything as vile as a cheesesteak sandwich?”

Lena had to suppress the growl bubbling in her throat. She removed her glasses and massaged her temples in the vain hope that she could stave off the headache that could feel coming.

“A salad with a cheeseburger on top of it is somehow different?” Kara leveled Cat with a snarky smile. A deadpan look settled on Cat’s face. Kara shook her head. “They have salads…yogurt dressing and all.”

Cat seemed to perk up at this news. “Well, in that case, I’d love a salad.”

Kara nodded and turned her attention to Lena. She bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her wife’s forehead before super-speeding out of the room; Lena anchoring the papers in front of her to keep them from scattering.

As the breeze from Kara’s speedy departure subsided, Lena let out a long breath. After quickly organizing her thoughts, she straightened her posture and locked eyes on the woman across the table, sizing her up like a lion would a gazelle. Cat shifted uncomfortably in her chair, clearly unnerved by the intense look in Lena’s eyes, yet defiantly maintaining eye contact.

“Penny for your thoughts, Mrs. Luthor?” Cat said pointedly.

Lena folded her hands on the table, leaned forward, and using her well-honed CEO voice said, “I was just thinking about the remarkable difference in CatCo’s current market value compared to what I paid for it in 2017. Remarkable considering you purchased it from Andrea no less than three years ago for $250 million less than I paid for it.”

“The last three years have been very successful,” Cat said, clearly gloating. “And in all honesty, CatCo’s dismal market value three years ago was a direct result of Miss Rojas’ incompetence. The woman had no business being a journalist, she’s better suited to run some kind of multi-level marketing scam.” Cat scrunched up her nose like she’d smelled something foul.

Lena couldn’t argue, she wholeheartedly agreed with Cat’s assessment of Andrea. The woman had no concept of ethical business practices, let alone journalistic integrity. Lena was well aware that Andrea would run CatCo into the ground when she offered to sell it to her. Lena was more concerned with pissing Kara off at the time. A brief surge of guilt overcame her for the briefest of moments. Although she and Kara had long ago forgiven each other for their respective transgressions during their year-long schism, Lena still promised herself she would do something nice for the hero when they got home this evening as an unspoken “I’m sorry”; most likely something that would make her wife’s toes curl.

 “Still, it’s amazing what you’ve been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time.” Lena praised.

“Thank you.” Cat seemed pleased with the compliment…and herself.

Lena leaned in closer to Cat. “So, tell me, owner to owner, what’s the secret? How in the hell did you turn a sinking ship worth $500 million into what Kara and I are shelling out $1.4 billion for?”

The question clearly threw Cat for a loop, her eyes flitted around the room as she considered her response. “Well, you can’t be afraid to ruffle a few feathers. People don’t like the truth sometimes, but that’s the responsibility of a free press, exposing people to the ugly truths that surround them.” Cat’s smile regained its cockiness. “Accuracy is more important than expediency; being right is always better than being first.”

“I have firsthand experience in that regard,” Lena sighed bitterly.

A look of recognition passed over Cat and she nodded benevolently. “That’s right. Your mother’s escape.” Cat shook her head and snorted in disgust. “I should have fired both Snapper and Jimmy for their incompetence.” Cat quirked her head questioningly. “I must say I was quite shocked when I heard you and Jimmy were an item at one point given his…negative opinion of you in those early days.”

“I still am shocked at my utter stupidity.” Lena grimaced. “Luckily it wasn’t a permanent affliction.”

Cat said nothing in response to Lena’s lamentation and the two sat in comfortable silence. Cat’s features softened and her lips slid into a warm smile. “That whole mess perfectly illustrates why competent leadership is so important. A good EIC would have put a stop to their recklessness.”  

Thankful for the opportunity to shift the focus away from her relationship with James, Lena quickly replied, “I heard Kara tried to stop them.”

Cat’s smile took on a thoughtful appearance, a glimmer of fondness shown in her eyes. “That’s what makes her so remarkable. Even then, with only a few months’ experience under her belt, she still stood up to those jackasses. Her internal compass told her that something wasn’t right, and she refused to let her inexperience stop her from speaking up.” Cat’s look of pride was matched by Lena’s. “That’s what a competent leader does, sticks to their guns even when those in power tell them they’re wrong.”

“So, you think Kara a logical pick for CEO?”

“Absolutely,” Cat responded passionately. “Credit where credit is due, she’s been singlehandedly running the company for over a year now. She’s been performing tasks well beyond her job title and doing a damn fine job in the process.”

“So, would you say Kara has earned your trust and respect?” Lena set her trap.

“Unequivocally,” Cat said with no small amount of adoration, but her features quickly took on an aura of incredulity. “If I didn’t know any better Mrs. Luthor, I’d say you’re having doubts about putting your wife in charge.”

A feeling of pure satisfaction and anticipation surged through Lena as she now had Cat cornered, though she showed no signs of it, her poker face was impenetrable. (There’s a reason poker had been banned from Game Night, Lena could out-bluff everyone)

She almost felt sorry for the older woman.

Almost.

“No, Miss Grant, I have no doubts regarding Kara’s ability to run CatCo. I’m just confused.”

“About what?” Cat asked with an annoyed tone.

“I’m glad you asked.” The smile that spread across Lena’s face could only be described as sinister. “You compliment Kara’s leadership skills. You say that she is the best choice to run CatCo. You say that you trust her. You even go so far as to say you respect her.” Cat nodded, a look of absolute confusion on her face. “And yet, you continue to disrespect her on a daily basis, both privately and publicly.”

Cat sat silently, eyes the size of saucers and her mouth agape.

“What’s my wife’s name, Miss Grant?” Lena asked in an even tone.

Cat stared at Lena as if she was speaking a foreign language. Lena continued. “’Kara’. Say it with me, ‘Kara’.” Lena enunciated phonetically, making no attempt to hide the disdain in her voice. “K-A-R-A. If you’d like, I’d be happy to write it down in crayon for you.”

Cat was clearly flabbergasted, evidenced by her complete lack of response.

Lena took a deep, centering breath; her anger ebbing away ever so slightly. “Miss Grant, I don’t know you that well. When I met Kara, she spoke almost to the point of reverence about you. It became very clear early in our friendship that you were very important to her, so when you came back into her life, I viewed it positively.” Cat seemed to relax at the shift in Lena’s mood, her features loosened as she followed Lena with rapt attention.

Lena continued, her voice tinged with melancholy, “My opinion soured the first time I met you.” Cat looked at her questioningly, Lena rolled her eyes in response. “Our bridal shower,” Lena deadpanned. Cat gave a slight nod. Lena shook her head and continued, “As I was saying, our bridal shower was the first time I heard you call Kara ‘Kiera’. I just assumed I’d misheard you and let it go. When you called her ‘Kiera’ at our bachelorette party, I figured you’d had too much to drink. When you called her ‘Kiera” at our wedding, the only reason I didn’t cast a spell that would make all your hair fall out is because…well…it was our wedding, and I wasn’t going to ruin the day.”

Cat seemed to sink a little further into her seat as Lena listed off each slight, her face stoic.

“My favorite was the night Kara was awarded her second Pulitzer. You did such a beautiful job during her award presentation. Hell, you even introduced her using her proper name,” Lena paused, a look of mock astonishment on her face. “But no more than two seconds after she stepped off the stage, you called her by that goddamn name again!” Lena, face dusted pink, slammed her fist on the conference table, startling Cat.

Her anger rising, Lena gave Cat no time to recover as she leveled her index finger at the clearly unsettled blonde. “Kara is an extraordinary woman. She has saved this planet both as a writer and Supergirl. For fuck’s sake, she saved the universe from being wiped out of existence! Do you have any idea the enormity of something like that? I assure you, you do not.” Lena slowly rose from her seat and leaned over the table, hovering over a floored Cat. “She is a daughter, a sister, an aunt, my wife, the mother of my unborn children, and goddamn superhero for Christ’s sake! You will show her the respect, grace, and compassion that she is owed. You will commit to me right here and now that you will never, EVER, call her ‘Kiera’ again.” Lena picked up the contract and shook it in Cat’s face. “And if you fail to agree to that, I will burn this and piss on the ashes!” Lena mic-dropped the stapled papers.

Cat, wide-eyed and mouth agape once more, stared blankly at the discarded contract. Lena, satisfied with her tirade (for now), gently lowered herself into her seat. She retrieved her glasses and put them on. After grabbing the contract from its resting place on the conference table, she thumbed through the pages until she found where she left off and resumed her reading.

Lena was content to sit in silence while Cat continued to process what had transpired. She felt a great deal of satisfaction being able to defend her wife, even if it meant the deal might fall through. Lena knew that Kara would be devastated if she had to leave CatCo, and as much as Lena wanted to spare her wife from a broken heart, there was no way in hell she was going to let anyone disrespect her. If worse came to worst, they could buy a smaller publication and build from there; Lena feeling confident that any media organization run by Supergirl would garner a sizeable following, not to mention Kara’s skills as a publisher.

“Have you ever met Perry White?” Cat’s passive voice broke through the silence.

Lena set the contract back on the table, removed her glasses, and studied Cat for a moment. As far as Lena could tell, there was no trace of hostility or arrogance in Cat’s appearance. Lena had no idea why Cat was bringing up the former Daily Planet editor. Her curiosity peaked, she decided to follow Cat down whatever rabbit hole she was leading her. “No, I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure. Though I’m not too broken up about it seeing as how he was more than happy to label me as the anti-Christ after Lex was sent to prison.”

“The man was a pig,” Cat said, a slight tremble in her lips. “When I first started at the Planet as his assistant, he insisted on calling me ‘Caity’.” Cat paused, apparently waiting for some type of response from Lena; a raised eyebrow was all she received. “This went on for weeks. ‘Caity! Coffee, black! Caity, where’re my cigars? ‘Caity, get off your ass and get me some lunch!’. Until one day, I psyched myself up enough to correct him. He told me that he knew what my name was, but he didn’t care. From that point on, he started calling me ‘Caity-Cat’.”

“Did you report him to HR?” The look on Lena’s face was ice-cold, but the hint of warmth in her voice belied a touch of sympathy.

Cat scoffed, “God no. Filing a complaint against the EIC for one of, if not the largest newspaper in the United States would have been career suicide.” Lena could only shake her head in disgust, Cat nervously fiddled with her fingers and huffed, “It was a barbaric time. The entire industry was run by a bunch of testosterone-laden animals.” Cat chuckled quietly. “It’s unfortunate Perry retired before the Me Too movement, I would have loved to have watched him get skinned alive.”

Lena couldn’t help the snort that escaped her. Cat grinned brightly at her reaction. Lena quickly regained her composure and dramatically cleared her throat. “So how did you deal with it?”

 “I used it,” Cat said confidently. “Every time I heard the name ‘Caity-Cat’, I used it as motivation to push for a better career. I made a vow that I would make such a name for myself that that son of a bitch would have no choice but to show me the respect I deserved.” Lena could see a flash of steely determination in Cat’s eyes. “Come hell or high water, I would prove that I was worthy of his notice.” Cat swallowed thickly, her eyes becoming glassy.

Lena picked up on the bitterness in Cat’s voice. She could see how much the memories of her time under Perry White pained her. She couldn’t help the swell of sympathy generated by Cat’s remembrances. Whether she liked it or not, Lena felt a kindred spirit in Cat. Both had navigated a world heavily dominated by misogynistic, deplorable men who did everything in their power to ensure their failure. She understood Cat’s motivation to prove that she belonged in that world, no matter its futility.

“Did you ever accomplish your goal?” Lena asked, already knowing the answer.

 “In a way.” Cat thinned her lips, a far off look on her face. “A year after I got CatCo off the ground, I ran into Perry at some awards dinner. By happenstance, serendipity, or whatever the hell you want to call it, we went to get a drink at the bar at the same time. I said hello, and he grunted out ‘Catherine’.” Lena shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, unsurprised by the man’s apparent apathy. Cat grinned playfully, clearly feeling like she swallowed the canary. “But by then it didn’t matter. I’d grown far beyond needing his respect or approval. By that time, I had already accomplished more than that sack of shit ever could. I didn’t want, didn’t need a damn thing from him.”

Lena let Cat relieve her triumphant moment, happy in the knowledge that Cat was able to realize her self-worth without needing validation from anyone else.

“So, is that why you scall my wife ‘Kiera’? In some misguided attempt to motivate her?” Lena’s gaze bore into Cat with an intensity greater than Kara’s heat vision. “Because from where I’m sitting, it seems history repeating itself.”

Cat blanched at Lena’s assertion; a barely perceptible shiver ran the length of her spine. Cat let out a long breath before meeting Lena’s probing stare before answering wistfully. “When she started as my assistant, maybe…but I think it got to the point where I wasn’t even aware I was doing it.” Cat looked away from Lena, clearly angry with herself. She fell back into her chair with an unceremonious thud, her shoulders sagging defeatedly. “But it really doesn’t matter, still makes me a hypocrite.”

Lena answered Cat’s unasked question with a raise of her eyebrow and a slight tilt of her head.

Cat folding her hands on the conference table and leaned closer to Lena. “Please understand, I am so proud of Kara. She has exceeded every expectation I could possibly have of her. She has grown into a remarkable woman; and it has nothing to do with the cape and tights. She engenders trust and respect to a level I have never seen before. I’m used to my staff going above and beyond because they’re scared of me, but her, they do it because they adore her.” Cat’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

Lena’s features softened at Cat’s admission, a warm sense of satisfaction blooming in her chest. She started feeling the slight sting of welling tears in her eyes after hearing such kind words about her wife. Stupid pregnancy hormones.

There might be hope for Cat yet. At the very least, she’d avoid tasting Lena’s fist.

“Have you considered telling her that?” Lena pointedly asked.

Cat grinned sadly through trembling lips. “I feel like that ship’s sailed,” Cat said with a shaky voice. “How…when…I mean…I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Lena didn’t even try to hide her enjoyment watching Cat ramble. “One, it’s never too late, two, use your words, and three, there’s no time like the present.” Lena motioned towards the closed door leading to the bullpen. Cat looked at the door confused. “Kara, I know you’re listening. You can come in now,” Lena said quietly.

Before Cat could react, the door opened and a sheepish looking Kara entered the conference room, two flimsy cardboard boxes filled with wrapped sandwiches and bags cradled in her arms. She set the boxes down and turned to face her wife. “I wasn’t listening.” Lena leveled Kara with an arched eyebrow in response, Kara quickly folded under her wife’s stare. “Well, I didn’t listen to everything.”

“Do tell, zrhemin.” Lena suppressed a grin.

Kara made to adjust glasses that weren’t there, quickly shifting to scratch her cheek.  “Fine. I’ve been listening since ‘piss on the ashes’”. But in my defense, I could hear your heartrate was elevated and I got worried.”

Satisfied, Lena shrugged. The color had seemed to drain from Cat’s face after Kara’s confession, her eyebrows hitting her hairline. An awkward silence followed. Cat and Lena appeared to be in a stare down while Kara tried to avoid looking either one in the eye. Lena emerged as the victor of the silent battle; Cat turned to face Kara.  Kier…Kara, I owe you an apology…”

“Miss Grant, you don’t have to apologize,” Kara cut her off with a wave of her hand.

“No, Kara, I do.” Cat took a focusing breath and swallowed thickly. “Your wife is right; I haven’t always been very nice to you. I’ve been disrespectful, callous, and sometimes, downright abusive; none of which you’ve deserved.” Kara was beaming as Cat spoke, now the third person in the room being brought to tears. “Sufficed to say, I will work harder to…be more positive with my feedback…and, at the very least, call you by your given name.”

Cat hesitantly approached Kara and after an awkward amount of positioning, embraced her in a tight hug. The floodgates opened and all three women had tears streaking their faces: Cat and Kara for obvious reasons, and Lena…well…goddamn hormones!

Kara and Cat pulled back from their embrace and messily wiped away their tears, a few sniffles coming from both women. “Thank you, Miss Grant. I accept your apology,” Kara said, a slight tremble in her voice.

Cat smiled at her warmly. “Kara, I think at this point you can call me Cat.”

Kara gasped in shock before devolving into clapping and squealing excitedly. “Ok…Cat,” she said with an overdramatic swagger.

Cat and Lena exchanged an eyeroll but didn’t comment on the Kryptonian being a spastic dork.

Cat leveled Kara with her best boss-stare, quickly pulling the hero out of her giddiness. “That is until I win the election. Then you’ll have to address me as Madame President.”

[theprettynosferatu]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

I - The Heroes

Luna MacKleere didn’t like the word “Rebel”. She was one, to be sure, but in her mind the term evoked anarchy, disorder, chaos. Maybe it was her past life as an Imperial officer, or maybe it was just the way she was wired, but Luna felt sometimes clear order was a necessity. The Rebellion had a chain of command, but it was a tad… diffuse. For all its virtues, the Rebellion often fell short in the “getting things done” category: strategy meetings could become endless debates in the name of equality and freedom of expression. To Luna, a little hierarchy didn’t necessarily become tyranny. 

She was well aware of her reputation within the base. Humorless, strict, cold. She didn’t much care. She got things done, as the events of the day had proved. A screen lit up letting her know the newly-minted Heroes of Korriban would arrive shortly. The base was buzzing. She wasn’t upset because she had been the one to discover the Imperial outpost in that barren planet, planned the surprise strike, organized the entire operation: it was natural for the pilots and boots on the ground to get the glory. What irritated her was that for a good three hours or so nothing of real use would be accomplished as the new Heroes celebrated their triumph. Oh, well. She supposed it would be a morale boost, at least.

She did the best she could to tune out the cheers, the laughter, the singing. Luna wondered how the old Jedi had been able, if the stories were true, to keep their emotions always under control. Given how her chest pounded with irritation, she figured she wouldn’t have made a good Jedi even if she had been born hundreds of years before. 

Eventually a knock on her door broke her out of such dark contemplations. She looked around to make sure everything was presentable: the room was both her command center and her bedroom. The base had been built with haste and stealth in mind, and living comfort had been sacrificed to keep it compact. Deciding the place looked respectable, she let the visitor in.

Kara Nalls was barely out of her teens; like so many in the rebellion, she was an orphan of the war the Empire waged against independence. Luna took pride in knowing the names and stories of everyone under her command. She wished Kara would get a bit more confidence, though. Even then, the petite blonde was almost shaking, dataslate in hand.

“What is it, Kara?”

“Ma’m, I have the manifest of liberated weapons, supplies and equipment right here. A full report should be made… uhm… later. Oh, and there’s… this”

Kara produced a small, black cube.

“We don’t know what it is, Ma’m. If it’s a container, there seems to be no way of opening it. But the boys say it was heavily guarded, so perhaps it might be of importance”

Luna took the dataslate and gestured for Kara to leave the box on her desk. She could look at it later.

“Thank you, Kara. Please make sure our esteemed warriors write proper reports when they’re done being tonguebathed by the entire base”

The rude words almost made the younger rebel recoil, but she caught herself.

“Yes, Ma’m”

“Is there anything else?”

“No, Ma’m”

“Then go out there and enjoy the party. I appreciate you taking the time to bring me the data”

“Thank you, Ma’m” 

 

Kara almost skipped away to rejoin the celebration. She wasn’t the worst, but still needed discipline. They all did. Luna tried to put her mind out of the racket outside her door. She decided to enable communications and send the manifest to her rebel contacts. It was always a risky thing, for signals could be intercepted, traced: that was the reason only two people on base knew the codes to engage the transmitters. Sure, Luna could have waited until the full report was ready and sent everything together, minimizing risk; but she needed to focus on something, anything to dull the annoyance inside her. As the transmission happened, she idly looked at the black cube on her desk.

No, it wasn’t just black. It seemed to absorb all light, to pull it within itself and capture it to never be released again. Luna felt discomforted by the small accursed thing. What in the galaxy could it be? Well, whatever it was, she didn’t want to see it on her desk. She picked it up to put it away…

She couldn’t be sure, but for a second something like a sigil appeared on it, bright red. It was a flash, and then it was gone. Before Luna could process what she had seen or if she had indeed seen it, the box opened without a sound, its top moving on unseen hinges. Inside was something beautiful.

It shimmered copper and ruby, calling to her from within its nest of fathomless darkness. It was obviously valuable, and should be reported to the rest of the rebellion. That was the obvious, ethical, logical thing to do. However, Luna found herself hesitating, bound by a shapeless feeling at first, one that soon wormed its way into her head and solidified into words. Did the rebellion really need whatever the necklace could be sold for? Would it truly be so harmful for Luna to keep it for herself? After all, wasn’t the rebellion all about freedom? And more importantly, didn’t Luna deserve it? She was the reason the base got anything done, after all. Hell, even the celebration taking place was thanks to an operation she had planned, based on information she had gathered! But were people thanking her? Did they dance for her? Did they kiss in secluded hallways for her? No. She deserved a reward. Results had to be rewarded, that was the very basics of management. And no one would know. She alone had seen what the box hid. She had spent two years away from any luxury, working ragged, cramped inside a base that gave her little to no privacy or room, eating rations and wearing sensible, resistant clothing. She had almost forgotten how she looked, how she could look when she paid attention to her appearance. She had sacrificed so much… of course she deserved a little treat, a little beauty in her life. It was so obvious.

When she put on the necklace, she felt as if life was returning to her body. It felt so good to finally do something not for the rebellion, not for the fighting men and women, but for herself. And it looked good. It looked so perfect on her… too bad her clothing didn’t really do the necklace justice.

Well, she did have a few outfits saved for special occasions…

II - Confidence

It felt good to be out of the sensible white and brown clothes. Sure, it was cold. Sure, her formal dinner dress was hardly practical in case of a sudden attack. No, Luna didn’t care. She loved the way she looked, with flowing red silk, high-heeled boots and a generous cleavage that showed the pendant in all its glory. It was as if she was rediscovering a part of herself she had long left behind. She had been desired, once. Before the Empire. Before she broke away from it. Before uniforms became her default attire. Yes, she had been desired in her home planet. The scion of a wealthy House, fabled for her beauty and wit. She had wanted to escape that. That’s why she had enlisted in the Officer Corps. To spite her father. To get away. Now, she couldn’t remember why she had ever felt being the center of attention was a bad thing.

And oh, all eyes were on her, alright. Most looked at her as if they were seeing her for the first time. In a way, they were. Even she had forgotten how… impactful she could be when she chose to use her looks as a weapon. She felt like a conquering queen… or a predator on the prowl. Everyone around her looked so small, so weak, so pliable. Was this the rebellion? Was this the force that would topple an Empire? She felt as if she could just… take whoever she desired. Take them to do what? She couldn’t say. Hurt them? Use them? Motivate them?

Yes, perhaps motivation was needed. Confidence. They seemed so… run down. Luna knew the best leaders led by example. Well, she could be that example. She could show them all the passion the sorely lacked, the drive to victory that seemed so alien to them. Suddenly, there wasn’t a single doubt in her mind. If the rebellion was to have any chance of success, she would have to teach them to take what they wanted, to fight and manipulate and feel the drive to grasp victory by any means necessary. Ambition. Yes, that’s what they lacked. Well, she’d teach them ambition.

Someone caught her eye. Tadriec was staring at her. Tadriec. Thin as a reed, obedient and respectful to a fault, generally looking like a little desert mouse caught in a trap. Was he a virgin, Luna wondered. She couldn’t imagine him doing anything but staring at any object of desire from far away. In a way, that was the rebellion right there. Too shy, too meek, too willing to settle for small victories. Well, if Luna was going to show them a new way… what better place to start than small, frail Tadriec?

“Tadriec, come with me”

“Why, me, ma’m? I… uh…”

The man was about to start shaking. He looked like the very picture of pathetic meekness. For a moment, Luna felt like striking him across the face, or digging her nails into his skin, just because she could, just because he would do nothing about it. Weakness invited abuse: was it any wonder the Empire regularly abused the people under its control? It was a two-way path: yes, the tyrant is terrible, but those too weak to stand up for themselves invited and enabled that tyranny. Perhaps a more hands on example was in order.

“Just be silent and follow me”

“Yes ma’m”

As the door to her quarters slid shut, Tadriec started mumbling in fear.

“I… uh… if you need anything, I… if I may, the door…”

“Tadriec, be quiet”

“Yes, ma’m”

Luna leaned on her desk, letting sensuality flow out of her. She could almost see it, a black and red tendril enveloping the poor, weak rebel.

“Look at me, Tadriec”

“I… I can see quite clearly. Uh, I don’t believe I’ve seen that… attire before, ma’m. It is quite beautiful; is there a ceremony or…”

“Look. At. Me. Tell me, Tadriec, what do you desire?”

“Desire?”

“Yes. What do you want? What would bring you joy, satisfaction? You are aware with the concept of desire, I presume”

“I… of course. I’m nor sure what… well, if I could… uh… I suppose victory over the Empire would make me happy. Peace would make me happy”

“Oh, how very noble of you. Allow me to be more specific. Do you desire me?”

“Uh, I… desire… uh… I’m not sure I understand the…”

“Do you desire to take me? To take this body and use it however it may please you? To make me go on my knees and take you in my mouth, to bend over like an animal in heat and let you mount me, pull my hair, make your every fantasy real? Do you desire to fuck me? To fuck me hard, take out all your frustrations and emotions and passions on me?”

The man’s next words would be inconsequential, Luna knew. His body already spoke volumes about how he felt, even if he wouldn’t dare say it out loud. She amused herself, watching him shifting uncomfortably, trying in vain to hide a bulge in his oh so sensible rebel uniform. This has to be how a Krayt Dragon feels before devouring their prey, she thought.

“I… I’m not sure it’s appropriate to… uh… I mean, you do look… quite attractive, but…”

“You desire me. Every movement you make screams it. You need to make me yours. My question is: why don’t you? Why are you so afraid to simply… take what you want? Why not turn me around, pin my hands on this desk? Why not push me up against the wall? Why not make me an object for your pleasure?”

“I… uh, that’d be… that’d be wrong! Wrong and… and inappropriate, and…”

Wrong. How would it be wrong to follow one’s heart? Luna couldn’t fathom the reasoning, and found herself with little patience for it. Fuck it. Time for a practical demonstration. She leapt out of the desk and took a few steps, until she could feel his nervous breathing on her face, their lips almost touching.

“I am your superior in command”

“Y-yes”

“Then you will do as instructed, is that clear?”

“I… yes ma’m”

“Then I’m instructing you to bend me over, lift my dress and plunge your cock inside me as hard as you can. Make it passionate. Make it hurt, if you want. But do it!”

He was too gentle. Far too gentle. He turned her around, carefully, almost shaking. He used minimum pressure to push her head down. Even now, even as he should be overcome with pure lust, he takes care of her, makes sure she is comfortable. Such a disgrace. Sheer weakness.

“Fuck you, Tadriec! Stop. Holding. Back! Are you such a coward? Such a useless pussy? Take it all out on me… you resentment… your fear, your anger, everything! Use me just as an object for your pleasure! Stop denying yourself what you deserve!”

Luna gasped as she felt him go inside her. Part of it was the rather unexpected size: she never would have imagined the skinny rebel packed such a… remarkable member. But what truly got to her was the feeling of it all. She couldn’t quite explain it, but there was a point, a very detectable moment when she felt the man’s emotions… burst forth.  

It was unexpected and it was intense and it was intoxicating. Rage and lust and hatred so vivid she could almost taste them. The feelings washed over her, sending shivers all through her body, robbing her of the ability to speak, to do anything but moan and drool and cum, over and over again, all control long gone. 

By the time she managed to regain some notion of herself, she was feeling his cum sliding down her thigh, panting on her desk. Shit. A woman could get addicted to such feelings.

III - Just a Dream

She’s standing in a dark place, an old place. A place of evil. She knows this, and it scares her. Statues seem to rise up to the stormy sky, and she’s aware of ruins, of ancient temples so deep and twisted a man could walk in and never walk out. There’s a way out of this place, this much she knows; but it’s cloudy, hidden in mists and creeping shadows. It’s terrifying how this place whispers to her. How it wants to feel like home.

But Luna has home, doesn’t she? She can’t remember. It’s hard to focus. Everything seems so distant now, like her life is hidden behind veil after veil after veil… She does have a notion, a barely formed sensation that she has made a mistake recently, a horrible and…

She feels it creeping up her leg, igniting her skin with a million sensations, a million passions. No, no, no… this is the mistake, she knows it. It’s coming for her. It will devour her, shift her, twist her if she allows it. She tries to run away, but it’s there and not there; a physical being and a manifestation of something monstrous growing inside her… she can no more escape it than she can escape herself.

She has to resist. She has to find the light inside her, lest the darkness consume her, turn her into someone she wouldn’t even recognize. But it’s so hard to find the willpower… so hard when the dark tendrils make her body feel so alive, so intense, so… eager. No. She has to…

It reaches between her legs, and she’s vaguely aware she could perhaps stop it, if she was strong enough. Is she that weak? Or is it that she doesn’t want to be strong anymore? A moan escapes her lips as her pussy twitches in pure, undiluted pleasure. It’s wrong. She has to hold back. She has to resist, to fight, to…

Why? Why not give in? 

Did she think that? Did the darkness think it for her? She can’t tell. She feels herself accepting it more and more, letting it explore her deeply… her pussy, her ass, her tits… her body is just a vehicle for pleasure, for power, for…

No, she’s so much more than that! She’s a kind person, a rebel, a fighter for freedom…

Does she want to be all that? Or does she want to be something else entirely? She can’t say anymore. It just feels too good… too good to think… too good to resist…

Fuck it.

And with that thought, the darkness enters her fully.

IV - Improvement

Luna McKleere woke up with a purr. She stretched in her bed, letting the air caress her skin. She felt sensitive and strong and… hungry. Not for food, of course. The rations on the base were anything but appetizing. But the base itself… well, she was the most important person in it, was she not? After all, if she wasn’t around, nothing would ever get done. In that sense, wasn’t it her base? Her dominion? Her responsibility and her property? She got up, determined to improve her base, even if she had to drag every single sorry mediocrity kicking and screaming towards something resembling strength.

She stopped in front of the mirror.

Perhaps she should have felt upset, or scared. Shocked, at the very least. Confused, certainly. Instead she didn’t feel anything but a simple, calm satisfaction. Before her stood an image she had never seen before, and yet felt oddly familiar. Her already dark hair had turned jet-black, with a strange blue-ish reflection, like the feathers of a fearsome bird of prey. Her eyes were still green, but when the light hit them just right they appeared to have an unnatural yellow hue to them. She wasn’t sure if her lips had become fuller or if they only seemed that way because of the confident, seductive expression she now wore. What wasn’t in doubt was the size of her chest: that had definitely changed. She shifted around, looked at herself from a few angles. She had to say, her new breasts were a definite improvement. Sex appeal was power, a power most people, weak-willed as they were, often found unable to resist. Besides, there was a certain beauty in knowing she could inflame passions and emotions by her mere appearance. The rebellion needed a bit more fire, a bit more blood in it… even if that blood was concentrated on rather specific body parts. Her legs were stronger too, more toned, ready to step on whoever got in her way.

All in all, her body felt like a tool, one perfectly designed for its purpose. And oh, did it have a purpose. The entire staff needed to change if the base was to have even a chance of achieving anything significant, anything beyond small raids on mostly abandoned imperial outposts. It needed to embrace greater ambition and be willing to take bigger risks. It needed to heed impulse, accept strength, forget mercy.

Every group had its leaders, official or otherwise. People who set the tone, the pace, the spirit of the endeavor. For the rebellion to change, the leaders would have to change. Luna decided to turn her base into a showcase, a template for the rest of the rebellion to follow. That meant summoning the leaders of her small base into her room. She would show them the way, and they in turn would push the new philosophy to the followers, the meek and spineless men and women that made up most of the fighting force.

They all stared at the floor, trying oh so hard not to glance at her new, improved tits, at the way she left her jumper’s zipper half-open to make them impossible to avoid. She felt nothing but a sickly contempt towards the men and the one woman before her. They were there, but were they actually there? They felt more like shadows, insubstantial, nonexistent. Luna felt something growing inside her. Hatred? No, not that. They were beneath that, they didn’t even deserve that much from her. Their weakness, their meekness, their lack of focus, of ambition… disgusting. They could be so much more, if only they’d let go of their stupid fetters of morality, of propriety, of the rules of engagement. They had passions inside them, buried so deep… if only…

The pendant felt warm on her skin, nestled between her breasts. She couldn’t explain it, but it was whispering. It was beckoning. It made her feel powerful. It made her feel like an uncaged beast… and she could tell the others were starting to feel it too. Their bodies told the story in a million small ways. A small shiver there. A discreet glance there. A conversation without words, the air around them almost vibrating. No, not a conversation. This was conversion. Luna could feel it between her legs, sense the blindfolds falling from their eyes, the repressed passions bubbling just under the surface, ready to guide them, to take control. An inescapable truth of the Galaxy was starting to take hold: the strong took what they desired, and deserved everything they took, because they were powerful enough to take it. That was it. A simple, elegant truth. Luna slowly pulled the zipper down. All eyes were on her now, shame long gone, replaced by a primal hunger. Yes, she could feel them… and it felt so good, their passion was like a million electrical pulses starting right in her pussy and coursing through her body. She moaned and let one of her hands wander inside her pants. They were at a tipping point. Her smile was the final push.

It was glorious, a symphony of grunts and they all lost control at once and tore off their clothes. The men were so big, towering over her, hungry expressions in their eyes. Finally. Strength. Something she could respect. Something she could… kneel for. Beside her, the other female rebel had gone on all fours, her head pressed on the cold, metal ground. Ready to be taken by those with the will to do so. And now the men had the will. Luna focused on worshiping their cocks, licking them and kissing them and using her new gigantic tits to jerk them off, letting the men use her as nothing more than a living sex doll. She moaned as a rebel thrust inside her fellow woman without mercy, without pity. She could feel it all, beyond physical sensations. She felt their lust and their frustrations and the anger they blew off using Luna’s mouth, her tits; using the other girl’s tight, eager holes. She was all of them. Fucking and getting fucked. Slave and master. She was attuned to the energies saturating the room, sending her deeper and deeper into a state of complete, savage pleasure. 

At some point someone pushed her on her back. She was too far gone to fully register who. All she knew was she was being conquered, and it felt so fucking good… Her ass burned as a man rammed inside her with not care as to how she might feel, with hatred for all the bitchy things she had done, with rage and a red retribution. A hand shifted her head. The other girl was positioning Luna’s mouth, so that it may be used by a worthy cock. The girl’s eyes looked… delighted. Evil. 

Luna shaked as cumshot after cumshot painted her skin, aiming for her face, her tits. It was suddenly so obvious. So simple. She knew it, and she sensed they all knew it now. She didn’t have to tell them. She managed to get on her feet, feeling their eyes on her. Strength was Right. Those who conquered deserved power. Power deserved more power. The Empire was powerful. The Rebellion was weak. Nature had to take its course. 

She put in the code enabling communications and typed the coordinates to her own base in. She set the message to be unencrypted, ready to be picked up. She set it to repeat, over and over.

She fell on the floor, an orgasm racking her body and whatever was left of the rebel she had been. The Empire would come. They would take. They would conquer. Because they were stronger. Because they deserved to rule over the silly rebels who deluded themselves by thinking they had a chance. Now the truth would come. 

They would all be fucked, as they should be. Maybe literally. Luna didn’t care. All she knew, and all everyone in the room knew was that the base would fall to its superiors. As nature intended. As for them… they would wait for their conquerors. They would wait on their knees. They would wait sucking and fucking and letting their passions run wild. 

The pendant hummed. It knew better than anyone the power of power, the allure of conquest. And now, after centuries underground, it had found a vehicle to spread the truth. It would make sure Luna was spared. It had great plans for the young woman, after all.

Did you enjoy this story? You can support my work at patreon.com/prettynosferatu

[aikoiya]

DPxDC - Ship Names

♡ = Romantic

◇ = Platonic

Jazz Fenton/Jason Todd ♡ = Anger Management

Sam Manson/Damien Wayne ♡ = Vegan Rights/Gothic Order

Dani Fenton/Damien Wayne ♡ = Serious Chaos

Dani Fenton/Damien Wayne ◇ = Gremlin Children? Chaos Children?

Danny Fenton/Dick Greyson ♡ = Green Elephants?

Dani Fenton/Jon-El ♡ = Hero's Legacy? Super Chaos?

Dani Fenton/Kon-El ♡ = Clone Wars

Damien Wayne/Dani Fenton/Jon-El ♡ = Super Serious Chaos?

Danny Fenton/Kon-El ♡ = Super Dead/Super Ghost

Danny Fenton/Kon-El/Tim Drake ♡ = Super Dead Tired

Danny Fenton/Damien Wayne ♡ = Dead Serious

Danny Fenton/Sam Manson/Tucker Foley/Tim Drake ♡ = Everlasting Insomniacs

Danny Fenton/Tim Drake ♡ = Dead Tired/Brain Dead

Danny Fenton/Cass Cain ♡ = Dead Silent

Sam Manson/Cass Cain ♡ = Green Thumb?

Fem!Danny Fenton/Jason Todd ♡ = Lazarus Romance?

Danny Fenton/Jason Todd ♡ = Dead on Main/Double Dead

Danny Fenton/Jason Todd ◇ = Mostly Ghostly

Jazz Fenton/Bruce Wayne ♡ = Parent Syndrome

Tucker Foley/Damien Wayne ♡/◇ = Desert Sons

Clockwork/Alfred Pennyworth ♡ = Old Timers

Danny Fenton/Alfred Pennyworth ◇ = Old Souls

(Old) Jazz Fenton/Alfred Pennyworth ♡ = ???

Kara Danvers/Jazz Fenton ♡ = Psyche Report

Barbara Gordon/Jazz Fenton ♡ = TeleHealth

Danny Fenton/Duke Thomas ♡ = Ghost Lights

Dan/Roy Harper ♡ = Kill Shot

Dani Fenton/Rachel Roth ♡ = Chaos Crows

Dan/Bruce Wayne ♡ = Fire Bat?

Danny Fenton/Stephanie Brown ♡ = Haunted Eggplant?

Vlad Masters/Bruce Wayne ♡ = Vampire Bat

Sam Manson/Tim Drake ♡ = Blue Hour?

Sam Manson/Rachel Roth ♡ = Nevermore

Tucker Foley/Kon-El ♡ = Super Computer

Sam Manson/Barbara Gordon ♡ = Hacktivists

(Adult) Dani Fenton/Bruce Wayne ♡ = Wanderlust

Jazz Fenton/Cass Cain ♡ = Speech Therapy

Dan Phantom/Jason Todd ♡/◇ = Red Dead Redemption (this one's a joke... mostly...)

Dani Fenton/Jason Todd ♡ = Street Punks?

Dani Fenton/Tim Drake ♡ = Travel Photos

Jazz Fenton/Dick Grayson ♡ = Night Birds

Danny Fenton/Bruce Wayne ♡ = Frost Bat

Danny Fenton/Bruce Wayne/Talia al Ghul ♡ = Royal Frost Bat?

Vlad Masters/Talia Al Ghul ♡ = Royal Blood or Royal Plasma?

Penelope Spectra/The Joker ♡ = Gallows Humor or Kevorkian Clown or Suicide Joke (These are ones I made up myself & I'm honestly so proud of them! But dude... how freaking toxic is this relationship? O.o Don't know if there's any "official" ones though.)

Danny Fenton/Rachel Roth (Raven) ♡ = Halfworld Royalties/Corvid Crowns

Danny/Kaldur'ahm (Aqualad) ♡ = Cold Current

Danny Fenton/Koriand'r (Starfire) ♡ = Phantom Star

Danny Fenton/Cassie Sandsmark (Wondergirl?) ♡ = Wonderspirit

Alfred the Cat/Maddie the Cat ♡ = Feline Fine?

---

I'll add more as I discover them.

If anyone happens to know more, I'd be thrilled if you informed me so that I could add it to the list.

I'd also like your opinions on what to name the ones with question marks. If you think you have a better name, I'd be pleased to hear it.

If I agree with your assessment, I might even add it to the list.

I really like Lazarus Romance for something.

DP Character HC Masterlist

[educatedinyellow]

self-rec meme

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers.

Thank you for thinking of me, @oldshrewsburyian! I think it's hard for any author to make a choice of favorites, but here are five of mine that are special to me in one way or another:

Forever Taking Leave (Battlestar Galactica, Kara/Lee, fusion with The Sixth Sense) The premise of this story is that Kara can see dead people, and when Lee miraculously returns from his reported death at the very beginning of the series, Kara decides it's desperately important not to allow herself to find out for sure if he really survived or not. She can't bear to know. This becomes the root of her emotionally avoidant behavior throughout the series. It's an AU rewrite of the whole show that tries to cast a lot of canon in a different light due to one supernatural element, and I hope it embraces the bittersweet longing and confusion that belongs at the heart of the Kara/Lee dynamic.

Two Shoes for a Hat (Ritchie Holmes, first meeting) I've written three stories now in the Ritchie!verse and I'm very fond of them all, but this first one holds a special place in my heart. I don't know, there's just something about its tone that seems right. Bonkers and heartfelt, as it should be.

The Better Part of Valour (ACD Holmes, Greek Interpreter fix-it) I love rewriting canon stories, I love outsider point-of-view, and I love giving secondary characters their moment in the light. Mr. Melas is one of my favorite minor characters in Doyle's stories, and it was lovely -- if also a little harrowing -- to get inside his head. It was written as a gift, and my recipient had asked for a story that showed Holmes's kindness and Watson's cleverness; I hope this does.

Rewriting History (ACD Holmes, WWI, epistolary) Epistolary fic, my beloved! There's something about the back-and-forth of letters that opens such a wide field for character study. I will never tire of Holmes and Watson in conversation.

Spider stories (221B Baker Towers) I worked so hard on this one, LOL, I feel like I should include it on this list for effort alone :) It was exhausting and challenging to write (and to vid, as well), but I cared a lot about it and I think that shows. The central premise of 221B Baker Towers -- that the Moriarty of this world is not a single man, but a great organization indeed: structural prejudice, inequality, and war -- is such a rich idea. It deserves more stories.

Tagging @sanguinarysanguinity, @sanspatronymic, @thetimemoves, @odamakilock, and @hawkland, if any of you would like to jump in!

[beardedmrbean]

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A family of Russian sleeper agents flown to Moscow in the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War were so deep under cover that their children found out they were Russians only after the flight took off, the Kremlin said on Friday.

"Before that, they didn't know that they were Russian and that they had anything to do with our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"And you probably saw that when the children came down the plane's steps that they don't speak Russian and that Putin greeted them in Spanish. He said 'buenas noches'."

Giving new details about the swap and those freed, Peskov confirmed that Vadim Krasikov, a hitman released by Germany, was an employee of Russia's FSB security service and had served in Alpha Group, the FSB's special forces unit.

Krasikov was convicted by a German court of killing a former Chechen militant in a Berlin park in 2019. President Vladimir Putin hugged him after he got off a plane in Moscow on Thursday evening.

Krasikov, wearing a baseball cap and a tracksuit top, was the first of the returnees to disembark the plane and meet Putin, signalling his importance to Moscow, which prides itself on bringing home intelligence operatives arrested abroad.

Among those released were the so-called "illegal" sleeper agents - the Dultsevs, a husband and wife convicted a court in Slovenia of pretending to be Argentinians in order to spy, who were flown back to Russia with their two children.

Peskov said that while the couple were being held in jail they were given only restricted access to their children, and feared they could lose their parental rights.

"The children asked their parents yesterday who it was that was meeting them (in Moscow). They didn't even know who Putin was. This is how the 'illegals' work. They make such sacrifices out of dedication to their work," Peskov said.

Peskov said that Russian government agencies were working on freeing other Russians abroad. The exchange had been negotiated by the FSB and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, he said.

Putin's decision to meet them on the tarmac was "a tribute to people who serve their country and who after very difficult trials, and thanks to the hard work of many people, have been able to return to the Motherland," he said.

The trade involved 24 prisoners, including 16 moving from Russia to the West and eight prisoners held in the West sent back to Russia. Those released by Moscow included U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich and Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, who also holds British citizenship.

Although Moscow released more prisoners than it received, it was portrayed by Russian authorities as a victory, and appeared to go over well on the streets of Moscow.

"I am not remotely political, but any way you look at it: any exchange is wonderful, that our Russian comrades returned to the motherland," said Zulfia, interviewed in the city centre.

Andrei Lugovoi, a former spy wanted by Britain for murdering dissident Alexander Litvinenko with atomic poison and now serving as head of an ultranationalist party's faction in the Russian Duma, said on Telegram: "Our people are at home with their families. And for each of them it is no pity to hand over a bunch of foreign agent scum."

Asked if the prisoner swap was a sign that Russia might be ready to strike a compromise deal on Ukraine, Peskov said they were different situations and that work on a possible diplomatic solution to what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine was being conducted on "different principles".

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Sebastian Murdock and Nina Golgowski at HuffPost:

Three imprisoned American citizens and one American green-card holder have been released by Russia as part of a massive prisoner exchange deal involving multiple countries, President Joe Biden confirmed Thursday. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza are among those on their way home, Biden said in a statement.

“All told, we’ve negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia — including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country. Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over,” he said. The prisoner exchange, described as the largest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War, took place at an airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday, and involved people from seven different countries, The New York Times reported. Biden credited U.S. allies — particularly Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway and Turkey ― for their assistance in the negotiations, saying they are “a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world whom you can trust and depend upon.” [...] In all, the U.S. and its allies returned eight Russian nationals as part of the deal, including individuals with suspected ties to Russian intelligence, the BBC reported. Russia’s prisoners were already en route to destinations outside the country, Bloomberg News reported Thursday morning, citing people familiar with the situation.

Russia frees four Americans, including Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, from prison.

This is part of a multi-country prisoner swap that also saw Russia release 5 Germans and free 7 political prisoners in their own nation.

This is a masterstroke from President Biden to secure the release of 4 Americans and help get this swap deal over the line.

See Also:

The Guardian: Russia frees Evan Gershkovich and others in biggest prisoner swap since cold war

[cardcaptorsakura96]

My Thoughts On My Adventures With Superman Episode 10

I love that after last weeks episode, they all get to become news reporters based on the coverage on Superman. When introduced to the character of Jimmy earlier on, I was concerned that he would be reduced to the babbling side kick that would be used solely for comedic relief. I am glad the show didn't go that route.

I liked how through the series that Jimmy was right with his conspiracy theories. He didn't give up on Flamebird and it made him rich! I also liked how he at times seems more mature than the others like when he pulled Lois and Clark to the side to have them tell each other what is bothering them. Don't get me wrong. Both conversations that needed to happen are heavy and complicated. Even after this episode, they will probably have more to unpack given that Lois father is the General that has been terrorizing Clark. I thought that Clark's parents were cute through the episode especially Martha. She is willing to go to war for her baby!

I liked that we ended the season with two new villains. One I am pretty sure is Brainiac. The other I am thinking is Zod. I am wondering more and more if Krypton was just a war planet. It is also fascinating that we see a different effect with Kryptonite on this show. This stuff looks like it is poisoning him from the inside out and is more lethal. It also affects the machines which I find interesting. Weird they would affect the robots unless they are made of some organic material. One thing that irked me though is that it seems that Jor El could speak English. Why not tell Clark what the hell is going on. It seems like it is more than just the destruction from Krypton. I personally am hoping that either Kara arrives and explains or someone else (Green Lantern, Martian the Manhunter, Hawkgirl, etc.). It is weird to see Clark so much in the dark.

One thing that I am hoping for season two is either more episodes or filler episodes. I hate filler episodes usually but this series could actually use some. It would be nice to see Clark, Jimmy, and Lois actually focus on their jobs as reporters instead of world saving all the time. I also would like to see more of Clark and Lois' relationship develop. Those things would be nice to explore in more detail.

Overall though, I did enjoy the ride. This is the first show in a while that I made sure to tune in on Adult Swim to watch in real time. I can't wait to see what they have in store for Season Two!

[fazedlight]

I want to see Kara as an archaeologist.

In the comics, she has a clear interest in science. But I could see her needing to give that up on Earth - she'd be too good, Krypton was just too far ahead, that she would probably be discovered if she suddenly kept advancing quantum mechanics or whatever. But making her a reporter seemed to be the CW attempt into making her a female Clark - they did do a decent job selling it to the audience, but it didn't feel driven by who she was. But if she were an archaeologist, an anthropologist, something along those lines...

She would be striving to recover lost civilizations.

She would give voices back to people who were long gone.

She'd love theorizing about what people are like, why cultures can vary so much in their morals and customs and traditions. Why religions rise and fall the way they do, why wars are waged, why civilizations don't pull themselves out of the pathway to destruction.

It would be a way to learn about Earth, to honor Krypton, and process the heap of trauma that she carried in between.

[mariacallous]

One of Russia’s most famous 20th-century novels has returned to the Silver Screen. Infamously difficult to capture as a motion picture (more mystical observers even speak of a curse), Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita” is back, reinterpreted by American-Russian filmmaker Michael Lockshin. The new movie stars Evgeny Tsyganov and Yulia Snigir in the titular roles and features German actor August Diehl (Gestapo major Dieter Hellstrom in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”) as the story’s demonic character Woland. Meduza reviews the controversy surrounding the film’s director and funding, the book’s cinematic history, and Lockshin’s adaptation.

The political controversy

Michael Lockshin’s “The Master and Margarita” averages an impressive 7.9/10 rating with more than 43,000 reviews at KinoPoisk and leads Russia’s box office in its opening week after earning 57.3 million rubles ($640,000) on its first day in theaters, but the director was making enemies before his film ever sold a single ticket. Self-described patriots denounce Lockshin as a Russophobe, a traitor, and a neoliberal besmircher of the intrepid Soviet secret police. They call him a hypocrite, too, in light of the fact that this new adaptation of Bulgakov’s classic was made (in 2021, before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine) with 800 million rubles ($8.9 million) from Russia’s Cinema Foundation, the state’s key funding agency for the domestic film industry. 

Lockshin, who now resides in the United States, declined to answer Meduza’s questions about the backlash in Russia, saying he’s not yet ready to comment on the situation. On Telegram, pro-war channels have circulated screenshots of Facebook posts that are now hidden from non-friends where Lockshin shared independent reporting about the war in Ukraine, wrote that he’s donated to Ukrainian organizations, warned that future generations of Russians will be paying reparations for the “tragedy they brought to Ukraine,” and compared the Putin regime to Nazism in Germany.

State propagandist Tigran Keosayan has advocated criminal charges against Lockshin, while Trofim Tatarenkov, a host on Russia’s state-run Sputnik radio (who admits that he hasn’t even seen Lockshin’s movie), called the filmmaker “scum” and fondly remembered how such “enemies of the people” were shot during the Stalinist era.

Previous adaptations

In May 2016, poet and literary critic Lev Oborin wrote an essay for Meduza answering several “questions you’re too embarrassed to ask” about Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita,” including the most shameful of all: Can I just skip the book and watch a movie version instead? The short answer is, yes, you can always skip the book. In fact, unless you’re a student or some other kind of hostage, you can skip the movies, too. But since you asked, there are at least two previous screen adaptations of “The Master and Margarita” worth knowing about.

The better-liked version, at least until now, has been Yuri Kara’s 207-minute film, made in the mid-1990s but not released until August 2011. Meanwhile, in 2005, Vladimir Bortko created a miniseries for Russian television that was criticized for uneven casting and even worse special effects. Unfortunately for Bortko, the 10 episodes drew deeply unfavorable comparisons to his beloved 1988 adaptation of Bulgakov’s “Heart of a Dog.” 

It’s also tempting to contrast Bortko’s miniseries with Kara’s adaptation — particularly how the two portrayed one of the novel’s most visually scandalous scenes: Satan’s Grand Ball. Filmed almost a decade later and made for TV, the sequence in Bortko’s series “looks almost puritanical” compared to Kara’s film, noted Lev Oborin. In raw terms of nudity and violence, this assessment is hard to contest:

So, is Lockshin’s adaptation any good?

Anton Dolin (a prominent Russian film critic who might be best known to casual Internet users as the interviewer who provoked Ridley Scott into saying, “Sir, fuck you. Fuck you. Thank you very much. Fuck you, go fuck yourself.”) liked Lockshin’s adaptation quite a bit. In a review published by Meduza, Dolin writes that the film “manages to retain the sharpness of the original source, which mocks Soviet power, and at the same time offers the viewer an innovative perspective on a classic text.”

Dolin praises Lockshin’s “Hollywood flourishes” and his capacity to juggle the book’s “genre and intonation incompatibility,” which has plagued past interpretations. The new adaptation brings a “circus element” to the story without sacrificing the script’s “rigidity,” says Dolin, while also “condensing the vastness of Bulgakov's novel into a coherent and clear narrative.” (You’ve been warned, formalists.)

Lockshin’s film takes some liberties with Bulgakov’s classic. For example, in the novel, the Master character doesn’t emerge until the middle of the book, leaving the reader to wonder about the title. In the new film, however, the main plotline belongs to the love story between Margarita Nikolaevna (the unhappily married wife of a Soviet functionary) and a writer she calls the Master. According to Lockshin’s script (which he co-wrote with Roman Kantor), the secondary narrative involving Pontius Pilate’s trial of Yeshua Ha-Notsri (Jesus of Nazareth) is a play within the story written by the Master and pulled from production by Soviet censors after its opening performance. (In a feat of authenticity unprecedented in modern Russian cinema, the Jerusalem scenes, which comprise roughly 10 minutes of the film, are performed in Aramaic and Latin.) Meanwhile, all the adventures across Moscow involving Woland and his entourage are presented as figments of the Master’s imagination as he slowly loses his mind under state persecution.

As Lockshin has argued in comments promoting the movie, Dolin says Bulgakov’s novel enjoys heightened relevance in contemporary Russia, and the new film makes menacing villains of NKVD executioners while presenting even more revolting characters in the Soviet elites whose conformity and hypocrisy enabled the Stalinist regime.

Dolin praises the decision to cast August Diehl as Woland, the mysterious foreigner whose visit to Moscow sets the plot rolling in the novel. Diehl’s Woland “is a real find,” Dolin writes. The German actor plays the character as “an infernally sarcastic gentleman in black” who resembles Satan “more than the thoughtful, sad wisemen from various Russian interpretations of the same character.”

A cartoonishly scary foreigner, complete with a spooky German accent, Woland turns out to be the creation of the writer’s wounded mind, his alter ego, writes Dolin. The censorship and persecution the character faces in the film are a “chilling reproduction” of mechanisms that resonate more in Putinist than Stalinist Russia, Dolin argues, highlighting some lines that wink boldly at modern-day realities, including nods to Crimea, oil production, and military parades.

Lockshin’s adaptation also features a fantastical version of Moscow that recalls the visionary designs of artists in the Higher Art and Technical Studios, which flourished in the 1920s before crumbling under Stalinism. In this universe, Moscow completed the Palace of the Soviets, altering the skyline in a delirious finale that depicts the city ablaze. This scene, in particular, has upset several state propagandists.

Dolin notes that Margarita is absent from the story for much of the film, but she reappears in the final act as a heroine on her own narrative arc. In the character’s scenes as a witch and then a queen, Lockshin’s intentions and the meaning of the novel’s title finally become clear, says Dolin: 

It’s not the imagination of the writer that transforms the grim reality but exclusively the emotion that is capable of elevating you to the heavens, of burning cities, and punishing or pardoning with the mere force of thought. In the end, Lockshin’s film is not about Satan, not about Moscow, not about Pilate, and not about totalitarianism, censorship, or creativity, but about love. It alone makes a person invisible and free.

[harleychick91]

New SuperCorp Story!!!!

The Winning Bid (rated T)

Lena finds herself donating ten thousand dollars as she and a board member’s wife get into a bidding war. The prize? A date with National City’s Girl of Steel.

AO3 and FFN

Rubbing my temples, I stared at Sam and Jess who sat across from me. Both looked perfectly content after their outlandish proposal for the fundraiser. Are you kidding me? Auctioning off a date with Kara, well Supergirl, as a prize for National City’s Winter Fundraiser. It would bring in funds but how do I ask that type of question to my best friend? How will I feel seeing Kara on a date with someone? Especially another woman. She’s not been on a date since Mon-El. Is she even ready for that?

“Miss Luthor?” Jess questioned. “Are you alright? You have that look in your eyes again.”

“The one where she’s trying desperately to not admit she’s head over heels for her best friend and the thought of someone on a date with said best friend makes her skin crawl?” Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Definitely,” she chuckled. “If you strain too hard, you may burst a vessel. How are you going to explain that to Kara?”

“Shut up, Sam,” I grumbled. The action caused the brunette to laugh harder. “I could fire you.”

“You could,” she smirked, “but you won’t. You love me and Ruby too much.” Becoming serious, Sam continued. “The fundraiser is in a few weeks so you’ll need to ask Kara soon.” Hearing a soft knock, the woman grinned. “I wonder who that could be? Someone who has permission to freely walk in and knock on your door.” Jess looked between the two of us, refusing to make a sound. The tightness of her jaw barely hid her amused grin.

Running a hand through my hair, I tried to compose myself before the reporter entered. “Come in, Kara.”

“Hey!” Blue eyes fell on Sam and Jess. “Oh, am I interrupting a meeting?” Placing her bag and jacket on the coat rack, Kara studied us. “Is everything okay?”

“Lena has a question for you.” Sam stood with a grin. “Jess and I were just leaving. See you soon.” With that, the two women left. “Oh, Lena!” Sam popped her head back in. “See you at the meeting this afternoon.”

“Leave,” I smirked. I should fire them both. Sadly, both are far too good at their jobs to lose. Sighing, I leaned back in my chair.

“What’s going on? I could feel the tension as soon as I walked in.” Taking a seat, Kara’s brows furrowed. “And your heart rate is elevated.” She paused to listen again. “More than just too much caffeine.” Does she always listen to my heartbeat? My stomach dropped remembering a few select late nights after having one too many drinks. I hope not. “Lena?”

“Nothing is wrong,” I tried to smile. “I have a meeting with the board later today and have a favor to ask you.”

“Sure. What can I do?”

“I need Supergirl’s help,” I began. “The board has put me in charge of the door prizes for this year’s charity event.” Kara nodded, unsure of where I was going. “As you know, most of the attendees are of higher tax brackets so the prizes need to be elevated to compensate. Sam and Jess had the idea of auctioning off a date with-,” My voice trailed off. I swallowed a groan. “With Supergirl.”

“Oh…” Kara’s face fell.

“Obviously, you can say “no” and I’ll figure something else out.” Half of me wants you to say no but I have no idea what else I’ll do. I can’t exactly auction myself up.

“It’s for the children’s hospital and Toys For Tots, right?” I nodded. “Then I’ll do it.”

Relief washed over me. “You really don’t have to if-,”

“Will it help you?” The blonde studied me.

“You have no idea how much,” I sighed.

“I’ll do it,” Kara smiled. Please, don’t say it. “That’s what friends are for.”

Forcing a smile, I thanked the blonde and changed the subject. “When is Eliza flying in? I’m sure you and Alex are excited to see her.”

“We are!” She beamed. “Mom insisted we still have the Christmas party.” Kara paused, becoming bashful. “I hope you can make it. Alex invited Sam and Ruby. Everyone else will be there too.”

As if I could say no to that hopeful sparkle in your eyes. God, I’m wrapped around this woman’s finger. “Of course I’ll come. I bet you’ve already decorated for Christmas.”

“Yup!” Kara beamed. “Day after Thanksgiving I put everything up.”

“Of course you did,” I grinned. I love seeing how happy Christmas makes her.

“Halloween is your holiday and Christmas is mine!” She paused. “Have you decorated yet?”

My stomach dropped. “I don’t normally decorate since…” My voice trailed.

“Oh…” Kara fumbled, brow creasing.

What is she planning? I know that look. “Do I need to bring anything to the party?”

“We do a gift exchange each year. All gifts are under fifty dollars.”

“I’ll make sure to pick something up then.” Besides the gift I got you yesterday. “Did you have to promise not to use your x-ray vision on the gifts?” I teased.

A light blush tinted the reporter’s cheeks. “Yes,” she shrugged. “Years ago.”

Chuckling, I smiled at the bashful woman. “Well, I appreciate your help. I’ll pitch the idea to the board this afternoon and let you know if the idea is accepted.”

“Sounds good.”

Realizing Kara only brought her bag and jacket, my brow furrowed. “Did we have a lunch that I forgot about? Or coffee…” Flipping through my planner, I skimmed this week’s page for anything highlighted in blue.

“No, no. I was on this side of town for a story and wanted to say hi.”

“Oh, okay.” My chest warmed. She wanted to drop by just to see me. Ugh! Kara, just friends don’t do things like this. Not that I’m not happy to see you. “It’s appreciated since I know how busy both of us are this time of year.”

“I’ll always make time for you,” Kara smiled with a soft blush.

“Well, seeing you is always a welcomed surprise.”

Finish reading on AO3 or FFN

Happy Holidays!!!!

[gellavonhamster]

I’m sorry for your friends in Russia. How are they now? Do you think it is possible to do something for the people who are dissidents and are at risks of being targeted by the governement?

Well, the general mood is dejected and angry. Some people are bringing flowers to the monuments to victims of Soviet-era political repressions or creating improvised memorials, which get promptly dismantled by the police. Some are just quietly grieving. Like I said, most people didn't even really like Navalny, but his death is proof that if even a popular public figure like him may be disposed of with no trouble (even if it was not assassination proper and his health actually failed him, it's still murder - he was kept in harsh conditions on purpose), then the great number of other political prisoners who aren't as well-known are at even more risk. (And right now, people in Russia are getting thrown in prison for basically anything - one man, I kid you not, was imprisoned because his daughter drew an anti-war drawing at school). Besides, the Russian opposition is already atomized as it is, with leftist politicians disconnected from ordinary people nearly as much as the current government, and most prominent activists having been arrested or forced to flee abroad. Navalny, for all his faults and those of his team, was one of the very few people still in Russia who could pass for some sort of leader. The only two other such people I can think of, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin, are also in prison.

Regarding what can be done, OVD-Info is a human rights defense group that provides legal aid to anti-war protesters and other people persecuted for their political views. It is possible to support them through GlobalGiving. Also, in terms of spreading awareness, Mediazona is a good independent media reporting, among other things, on politically motivated court cases. Here's the link to the English version of their page.

[dccomicsbracket]

Motivations:

Paige Stetler (Power Girl)

Power Girl is my favorite because she is an outsider even more than the rest of the Superfam. She is a spare of a person who is already here, so what is she supposed to be? The addition of her trauma around the Bioship and constantly questioning if she is still in the simulation in the back of her mind, her anger, her fear, her sadness at her circumstances, all add incredible depth to her character. I also love her most recent arc of finding who she is apart from Kara and the Superfam, symbolized in her new name of Paige, a name version of P.G. which Jon and Lilith call her. I also adore her "friendship" (DC, come on, you aren't fooling anyone, they're lesbians) with Lilith AKA Omen and how they always have each other's backs.

Clark Kent/Kal-El (Superman)

He's literally the ideal of a hero. He's a metaphor for war refugees. He's the personification of hope. He's the boy his mom raised. He's the most powerful being on earth. He's literally just a farmboy from Kansas. He's a multiversal constant. He's an accomplished reporter and author. He's a malewife. I have loved him since forever. Especially the Christopher Reeves him. Later I learned he was amazing because of the Kents, but he is very pretty on the pedestal I've set him up on. His powers and personality are fantastic. And the absolute best thing about him is that beautiful hair curl.