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writernada · 4 years ago

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10 Times Yuzuru Hanyu Was Inspiring

Yuzuru Hanyu (26 years old) is a Japanese figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic champion, two- time World champion, Four Continent champion, four times Grand Prix Final champion and five times national champion. He is the only male skater that has achieved a grand slam (won all major competitions in both junior and senior circus). In 2018, he won the People's Honor Award given by the Japanese Prime Minister and became the youngest recipient of this award. He also won the award of the most valuable skater at the International Skating Union Awards for the season 2019-2020. Since his debut in the senior circus in 2011-2012 and until now, Yuzuru's performances have always made a great impact on the audience; allowing him to have the biggest fan base ever in the history of figure skating. His fans are not only from Japan but from all around the world; including other skaters and coaches. The reason behind all of this love is that Yuzuru touches the hearts by performing like an artist, hitting every note, being super passionate about what he does and combining a competitive spirit with a sport soul. On top of all of that, he has an ability to inspire people. His road has never been easy. It is full of injuries, surgeries, illnesses, strong competitors, mistakes and losses. However, he always perserves, pushes through his limits, overcomes adversity and rises in an inspiring way.

Here are the ten times Yuzuru Hanyu was an icon of inspiration:

1- Winning his first medal in the World Championship in 2012 despite having an injury and low stamina.

In his debut in the World championship (senior circus) in 2012, Yuzuru (17) sprained his right ankle during the official practice the day before the short program. His foot swelled up but he decided not to withdraw, taking into account all the effort he has made for this competition and all the people who came here for him (coach, mom and officials). He went ahead and competed. He was ranked seventh in the short program, third in the free program and third overall, winning the bronze medal.

Yuzuru commented on that competition in his autobiography book "Aoi Hono ll":

"Because I was injured the day before the short, I felt that even in that kind of situation 'I landed my quad, I did well’. I felt that I had worked really hard by myself. However, my mother told me, "That is wrong.” Getting injured was my own fault, but there were many people who helped and supported me. That is the reason why I could come to this point. Until about 9 o'clock that night, we were talking about this while having dinner, and in the end, I realized that my thinking was wrong."

Yuzuru was about to get full of himself and let arrogance take over him. However, his mother helped him stay grounded. Thus, he was able to face the free program with a humble attitude. He put out a passionate performance that many people still remember until this day and consider as one of their favorites. During that performance, he tried not to put a lot of pressure on the injured foot so he shifted all the pressure on the other one until it got exhausted and gave up on him. As a result, he fell all of a sudden in the middle of the performance, but he managed to get up right away and perform a great jump right after.

In his autobiography book that was mentioned earlier, Yuzuru talked about this fall and said: "Later, when I watched the videos, I saw that the fall did not take up much time. I was standing up again quickly. But to me, it felt like a long time. When I fell, the feeling was like flying mid-air. Like this (he re-enacts the fall in slow motion), 'ahh, I am stumbling~~’ (laughs). After the fall, I was thinking 'what should I do from here’, many thoughts circled around. Thinking that I won’t make it in time for the next axel jump, I shortened the path by going straight instead of curved. I can jump even a 3A+3A (in practice), so I thought I will be alright. (laughs)”.

One of the most exciting moments during the performance is when Yuzuru shouted out aloud before the choreographic sequence. The shout seemed like a great expression of the emotions of his character (Romeo). It made him look like he was totally into character. However, he clarified that it was unintentional. He said: "I felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I thought, for now just let the breath out. (laughs)"

Yuzuru is known to be suffering from asthma and because of it he had a low stamina at the time. However, even after finding out that the shout wasn't done to express the character's emotions, viewers still find it impactful because it is a genuine expression of Yuzuru's fight against his limits.

That night, Yuzuru made a name for himself internationally. He shed tears of happiness after getting his scores and so did his coach. He also got praised by the winner that night who said: "the one shining the most is Yuzuru".

2- Breaking a World Record and winning gold in his first participation in the winter Olympic Games.

At the age of 19, Yuzuru participated for the first time in the Olympic Games. Young male skaters like him who participate for the first time usually don't dare to dream about winning. The big scale of the competition gets athletes nervous and shaken, even the great and experienced ones of them. Therefore, the young newcomers usually consider their first participation as an experience to have under their belt while preparing for the next Olympic. However, Yuzuru was determind to win. His choreographer at the time, David Wilson, talked about his intense determination in an interview: "he wrote me an email letter that was so touching. He was like please help me do this because I'm ready. I'll do anything. I will die. I'll do anything to be the Olympic Champion. I don't want to wait until 2018. I want it now and I'll do anything. I'm willing to die for it. Anything you tell me, I'll do it but help me."

David Wilson talking about Yuzuru's determination to win the 2014 Olympics

Yuzuru performed a marvelous short program and came out of the rink saying: "I did it!" to which his coach replied: "you certainly did". He broke the world record in his first participation at the Olympics despite his young age. He did get nervous and made mistakes at the free program. However, what he did in the short program was enough to bring him the gold medal and make him achieve his childhood dream.

Yuzuru (11) saying that his dream is to win the Olympics

Yuzuru performing his short program at the 2014 Olympics:

Other Skaters reacting to Yuzuru's World Record at the Olympics:

The moment when Yuzuru finds out he won the 2014 Olympics:

3- Continuing to compete after a pretty bad collusion with another skater during Cup of China 2014:

In 2014, Yuzuru took part in Cup of China, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series. Yuzuru was in second place after the short program and during the 6 minuets warm up before the long program he had an accident. He collided with the Chinese skater Han Yan. They were looking at opposite sides and couldn't see each other until it was too late.

Yuzuru talked about the incident in his autobiography book and said: "My stomach hit the ice (when I fell) and so it felt like I received a body blow. My stomach was hurting so much; I could not breathe nor get up. Then, when I tried standing up, my chin was hurting and bleeding. My head was panicking and I didn’t know exactly where all the pain was coming from."

After a few minutes, Yuzuru stood up on his own despite the arrival of medical helpers. He preferred to exit the rink on his own instead of being carried. Backstage, he was examined and given first aid by American doctors.

The Collusion incident at CoC 2014:

In his biography book, Yuzuru gave some details about what happened backstage after the incident:

"I really gave a lot of trouble to the people around me. They told me ‘Don’t compete’. The doctors also said, 'It is not a concussion, so it is possible to skate but we do not recommend it.’Coach Orser also said, 'Now you don’t need to be a hero. You still have more after this, you still can do a lot as a skater.’But 'it has nothing to do with that. I will skate because I want to go to GP Final.’ I think I might have said that to him in Japanese. I wanted to go to the Final somehow. Here, 5th or 4th place is good enough, I can get 1st place in the next competition, so for now I just want to remain connected. If I compete at GPF, I definitely want to have a second consecutive victory. I also want to win the triple crown again (Worlds, GPF, Nationals). I had those kind of thoughts. Now when I look back I think, 'ah I skated well’."

Yuzuru decided to skate his free program and the people around him respected his decision and allowed him to go. He made sure to meet Han Yan before competing again and they exchanged apologies. After that, Yuzuru showed up in the rink with a bandage on his head and a small band on his chin. He skated his free program bravely after making some changes on the layout to adjust to his condition. He fell on five jumps but did full rotations and got grades for that. He also was able to land some jumps in the latter half of the program, which got him extra points. After the performance, his coach Orser was worried about his feelings if he gets a bad score for falling five times so he was preparing him mentally by saying stuff like: "scores don't matter. What matter is what you did out there" but it turned out Orser had nothing to worry about as Yuzuru received a high score. Yuzuru was so surprised and relieved when he saw his score and he burst into tears after holding on for a long time. He won the silver medal in that event.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at CoC 2014:

After the competition, American doctors prepared the massage room to do stitches for Yuzuru. He received 7 stitches on his chin with anesthetics and 3 staples on his head without any anesthetics, which was really painful to him! The next day, he traveled to Japan for a medical examination in a trip that he described as hell. The result of the examination was "head contusion (or bruise), chin contusion, abdominal contusion, left thigh contusion and right ankle sprain’.

For ten days, Yuzuru was unable to walk and the recovery took more time than expected. Every time he finds himself able to walk, he would go to the rink, but once he steps his foot into the rink the pain comes back. He thought that he would never be able to skate again, felt so depressed and wanted to quit skating all together. However, his mother told him "how about just giving it a try anyway? If you skate just a little on the ice every day with the intention of rehabilitation, the situation may change for the better" her response surprised him because she never tried to stop him from quitting in the past whenever he said he wanted to quit. With that new attitude of his mother, Yuzuru became optimistic about being able to skate again, and found the willpower to try and even aim to win at the next competition of the Grand Prix Series, which was NHK.

At NHK, Unfortunately, Yuzuru wasn't able to present great performances and once he finished his free program he thought to himself: "ah, the final is gone!" he thought that all his efforts in Cup of China were for nothing, but luckily, the total of his points combined from the two competitions made him the last qualified skater for the final. Thus, he was able to take part in the final, presented great performnces and won the gold medal after all the struggles he went through.

4- Winning at Nationals 2014 despite bleeding and needing a surgery:

After the short program at the Grand Prix Final, Yuzuru felt some kind of pain in his stomach whenever he stretched or pressed on it. He thought that it must be a damage in the muscle tissue but after the free program, he found something that looks like a Ping Pong ball sticking out beneath his navel. It was so painful to the extent that he couldn't sleep on his flight back to Japan. When he landed, he went to the hospital right away and was told that he might have Urachal Remnant Disorder. He was given some antibiotic and sent home because his condition wasn't bad. However, once he returned home, and got into the shower, his navel burst and started bleeding. He went back to the hospital and it was confirmed that he has Urachal Remnant. He needed to undergo a surgery but he couldn't afford to have it any time soon because the Japanese national competition (All Japan) was a few weeks away. He was determined to attend it so he decided to bear with the pain and delay the surgery. Without telling anybody about his problem, he attended his trainings after wrapping himself with gauze to prevent blood from staining his clothes. That didn't work out well and blood still got to his clothes so when it was time for the competition, he was worried that his costume might get stained. To prevent that from happening, he put a strong tape on top of the gauze, which was painful, but did the job. In this condition, Yuzuru took part in the Japanese national competition, and despite a few mistakes in both of his programs, his endurance of pain didn't go in vain, and he actually won.

Yuzuru commented about this situation in his book by saying: "It was painful to bend forward and backward, but I tried to do whatever I could in that situation. I even did the Ina bauer, but I could not arch back at all. In fact, I also intended to do the biellmann spin! However, when I started the spin, I changed it into an A-line"

Yuzuru performing his free program and putting his hand on his stomach while leaving the ice during All Japan 2014:

5- Rising from fifth place to first in the World Championships 2017:

At the World Championship in 2017, Yuzuru made some mistakes in the short program that left him sitting in fifth place behind his rivals. The gap between him and the first place was around 11 points. He was so disappointed in himself but didn't give up. He wanted to go practice harder. However, his coaches stopped him from overworking himself and made sure that he takes a good rest and goes through a normal practice. After that, he collected himself, focused, stayed calm and presented one of the greatest performances ever. It was flawless and magnificent. His coach Brian Orser said that he felt privileged to have witnessed this performance. Yuzuru got a very high score that made him scream and left him on the verge of shedding happy tears. His coach Brian Orser was speechless while his other coach Tracy Wilson had her mouth wide open in astonishment. With that, Yuzuru was able to rise from fifth place to first and win the championship.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at the WC 2017:

6- Winning the second Olympic title right after being away from the ice for 3 months due to a severe injury:

Before the beginning of the Olympic season, Yuzuru was done with his preparation very early and was all ready to compete. His coach Brian Orser couldn't believe how smoothly things were going and felt a little uneasy about the fact that Yuzuru was ready very early. His worry wasn't pointless because soon enough Yuzuru sustained a severe injury. It happened during the official practice before NHK. Yuzuru was practicing (4Lutz) which was a new jump he has been practicing that season. He landed the jump in a wrong way causing ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury forced him out of competition for the rest of the season.

Yuzuru's fall and injury at NHK 2017:

Yuzuru disappeared and was away from the ice for three months. During that time, he didn't make any T.V appearances or interviews. Thus, nobody knew anything about him and his condition. His participation in the Olympics and the mere ability to perform again became uncertain. A lot of people doubted he would be able to comeback. However, he showed up at Incheon Airport in South Korea surrounded by guards and declared that he was ready to compete and that he believes he has the potential to win more than any other skater. After that, he avoided talking to the press until the end of the competition.

Yuzuru's arrival at Incheon Airport to participate at the 2018 Olympics:

According to his coach, Brian Orser, Yuzuru returned to the ice only six weeks before the Olympics and had to relearn everything and take baby steps to be able to perform again. He was practicing strokes, single and double jumps while watching his training mate and rival, Javier Fernandez, do a full run through of his programs with triples and quads. Yuzuru was able to land triples only three weeks before the Olympics and started landing quads just two weeks before the Olympics.

During the official open practice before the competition, Yuzuru made sure not to reveal his abilities and current condition nor his planned layout. He simply did some strokes and single jumps then left the rink. He chose his layout after studying his rivals and calculating how many points he would potentially need to win. He did his calculations on an app that he developed as part of his studies at the university.

In the short program segment, Yuzuru put out a great performance that was so close to the world record (which he holds). He won first place at this segment. Seeing the results, he felt relieved and assured so he allowed himself to reduce the difficulty of his free program. He was one-step away from winning the Olympics again. He needed to put out another great performance during the free program, and fortunately, that's exactly what he did. He performed a memorable free program filled with emotions, and once he finished, he screamed: "I won. I won!" which was true! He became the first skater to win the Olympics consecutively in 66 years.

Yuzuru's free program at the 2018 Olympics:

The moment that Yuzuru is announced as the winner of the 2018 Olympics:

7- Receiving the gold medal on crutches during Rostelecom Cup 2018:

After winning the Olympics, Yuzuru decided to pay tribute to his role models in figure skating; the Russian legend Evgeny Plushenko and the American Johnny Weir. He chose one of Plushenko's programs as his free program and one of Weir's as his short. He adapted the programs to his own style but still kept some touches from the original ones. Since it was a tribute, he decided to perform his free program in the hometown of his Russian idol and in front of his people. That is why he chose to participate in Rostelecom Cup, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series, and is held in Russia. He performed a great short program and everything was going well until he injured his right foot again during the practice before the free program. He was advised to withdraw. However, he absolutely wanted to perform his tribute to the Russian legend, Plushenko, in Russia. He has prepared a lot for this performance and came all the way to Russia to do it so he didn't want all of that to be pointless. He decided to take strong painkillers and perform his free program. He lowered the difficulty of the program and then presented a great performance in front of the Russian crowd that brought him the gold medal. After the performance, he started moving on crutches and admitted that without the painkillers, he wouldn't have been able to skate. He received the gold medal that night on crutches with fans cheering for him and holding up signs that says: "Yuzu we love you from all over the world".

Yuzuru receiving the gold medal on crutches at Rostelecom 2018:

8- Conquering his fears during the season of 2019-2020:

Yuzuru has suffered from a lot of injuries throughout his career. More than once, he thought that he is facing the end of his career because of an injury. Therefore, his main goal during the season of 2019-2020 was to finish the season without injuries. He finished his first two competitions safely and arrived at Japan to participate in NHK, which was his second Grand Prix assignment. Many of his injuries happened in his second GP event and he was conscious about this fact. He was afraid of getting hurt again and was visibly shaking before the beginning of his free program. As a result of his nervousness he missed a combination. However, he pulled himself together and improvised a new combination to recover the points he missed. He thought of the new combination, calculated its points and made sure that it's not repeated all while performing amazingly. Once he came out of the rink, his coach Ghislain gave him a hug and said: "You know what? You conquered your fear!".

Yuzuru shaking before performing his free program at NHK 2019 + full performance:

Yuzuru continued to overcome his fears in the final of the Grand Prix. He was setting in second place after the short program and the gap of points between him and his rival was big. He felt that winning may not be possible this time; nonetheless, he still wanted to do his best and give a respectable performance. He decided to raise the number of quad jumps in his program to five for the first time ever in his career. In addition, he declared that he will bring back the quad Lutz, which is the jump that caused his injury before the 2018 Olympics. It's a jump that he never dared to perform again in competitions since that incident. However, he overcame his fear and performed a flawless quad Lutz during the free program with four other quad jumps in the GPF, challenging not only his fear, but also his stamina that has always been an obstacle for him. He did not win the gold medal, but won his own fight against his fears and limits as well as the hearts and respect of the audience.

Yuzuru performing quad Lutz+ full performance of the free program at GPF2019:

9- Winning the bronze medal in the World Championship 2021 despite an asthma attack and many other hurdles.

During the 2020-2021 season, the whole world was going through struggles because of Corona Virus and Yuzuru was no exception. He had to train on his own in Japan all year long away from his coaches and physical therapist in Canada. He prepared new programs for the season with his choreographers by receiving videos and training accordingly without any supervision. During the season, his hometown was struck by an earthquake twice. The last struck happened right before he traveled to Stockholm to participate in the WC. According to him, the inside of his home was a mess and he couldn't use the train to go to Tokyo and board the plane as planned. As a result, he arrived to Stockholm one day later than planned, thus, he had to change his training plans as well. However, his coach Brian Oreser said that Yuzuru is not the type of athlete who gets phased by such problems and he was right. Yuzuru did perfect run through of his programs during his official practices. He also performed his lively short program very well and won the small gold medal of the segment.

Yuzuru performing his short program at WC 2021:

Yuzuru was all set to win the World Championship for the third time, but something unexpected happened before the free program. He was supposed to start warming up one hour prior the turn of his group (the last group), but he was nowhere to be seen at the venue until it was almost time for the last group to compete. His coach Brian Orser said that he was worried and didn't know where Yuzuru was. He asked the head of the Japanese team but they simply told him: "He is somewhere else". Brian kept on going back and forth between the rink where two of his students were competing and the warm up area where Yuzuru was supposed to be, but Yuzuru did not show up. After Brian's students finished their turn, it was almost time for Yuzuru's group so Brian went to the locker room to see if Yuzuru was there. Usually, Yuzuru would put his skating boots in the locker room before the six-minuets warm up of his group and Brian would come to carry his tissue box, and then they would head to the rink together. However, Brian didn't find Yuzuru in the locker room. Yuzuru was caught on camera sitting on a chair at the warm up area, resting his head on the wall and looking exhausted while taking off his mask impatiently. At that time, the announcement of Keegan Messing's score from the group before the last one, could be heard in the background.

Yuzuru at the warm up area before skating his free program at the WC 2021:

When Brian finally found Yuzuru at the warm up area, he said that he knew something must have happened to him but he didn't ask him about it. Instead, he tried to encourage him by saying energetically: "Let's go!"

Yuzuru showed up at the rink without styling his hair unlike the norm. He made a lot of mistakes in the first part of his free program as if he was not the same person who did a perfect run through one day ago. He said that he suddenly couldn't find his balance but he did try his best. He explained that with every mistake, he tried to at least not fall. Later on, the Russian media reported that the Russian doctor who was accompanying their team at the competition said that Yuzuru has had an asthma attack right before coming to the venue and has asked for his help. Yuzuru never talked to the media about what happened before the free program and why he was late. When he was asked about his asthma he only admitted to feeling a little asthmatic after the free program. Despite all of that, Yuzuru managed to win the bronze medal and contribute in securing three spots to team Japan at the Olympics.

The mystery of what happened to Yuzuru before the free program would have stayed unsolved if it wasn't for the Russian doctor. The reason is that Yuzuru doesn't like to make excuses for himself. He once said in an old interview that he used to make a lot of excuses for himself when he was young but then he realized that real strong skaters don't do that and that he wouldn't learn anything if he keeps on making excuses. He took the renowned Japanese skater Mao Asada as an example when she competed with a bone fracture without uttering a word about it. That must be the reason why he never takes his asthma as an excuse or talks about it.

10- Achieving his childhood dreams one by one:

Since ever Yuzuru was young he declared that he wants to be the Olympic champion and he wants to land a quad Axel. He went on to achieve his Olympic dream in 2014; making history by being the first Japanese male skater to win an Olympic gold medal ever. However, he said that it’s not over yet because the plan in his head is to win the Olympics twice. He kept on improving himself and walking towards his dream while making a lot of sacrifices and overcoming injuries. At the end, he achieved his dream and made history once again by being the first skater in 66 years to win the gold medal at the Olympics consecutively. He then made a statement saying that he feels happy and that this happiness is what he gets in return to the sacrifices he made. After that, he said that he feels freed from the pressure of having to produce results. Thus, he announced that he is going to skate for himself from then on. It was time for him to start focusing on the other dream of his childhood which was the quad Axel. He made it clear that landing it in a competition is his next goal and didn’t allow himself to get swayed by what others are doing or what competitions he is losing. He stayed focused on his goal and is reported to be getting closer to achieving it.

Yuzuru's path has never been covered with flowers. It was hard and painful most of the time but yuzuru always turns the pain into success and fulfillment with his perseverance, becoming an icon of inspiration to many people. We wish him a lot of happiness and success in the future.

Translation of Yuzuru's book is from:

https://bit.ly/3vSGgBz

#yuzuru hanyu #brian orser #javier fernandez

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retvenkos · 4 years ago

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Grishaverse Deep Dive: The Darkling is a Character that lives in a Society.

((spoilers for ALL of the grishaverse))

Ah, yes, Shadow and Bone season 2 is gearing up, the birds are singing, I have a cup of earl grey tea before me - it is finally time to sit down to talk about the Darkling, and explain his tenuous relationship with the Grishaverse.

The Darkling is a character greatly contested. When simply looking at his motivations, we see a rift in the fandom. Add in his backstory and it fractures even more. When you pepper in the third ingredient of his relationship with Alina, you get an entire war. The Darkling is a divisive character. He gets under our skin and lingers for days afterwards.

I am going to take you on a deep dive of the Darklings character, and try to tease apart the problems that lie within the creation of his character. Why were so many fans betrayed by his ending? How did he muddle the messages of Shadow and Bone, and why is his ending so complicated that it satisfies very few? Today, we’re going to look at The Problem of the Darking: An Essay in Six Parts.

A little history lesson;

So first, allow me to take you back in time, to 2012, when Shadow and Bone was first released.

Two years prior, The Hunger Games Trilogy had finished coming out and, in a rather stunning turn of events, shifted the popular Y.A. category from the genre of the paranormal romance (thank you, Stephanie Meyer) to the dystopian society.

Now, this is not to say that there weren’t dystopian stories prior to The Hunger Games, or that there weren’t paranormal romances in the Y.A. genre afterward. Both have survived, but the boom of dystopian stories and the whimper of paranormal romance was definitely felt.

So 2012 hits. In comes Shadow and Bone, in a time where we have some interesting precedents that our Y.A. forefathers created:

Firstly, let’s talk about themes.

Carried over from both genres, is this idea of duality. There is light and there is dark, and whether or not there is a middle ground is up to the author. As the Y.A. target audience is quite large, there’s a lot to be said for how nuanced this idea can be. In many stories, it’s a nail on the head. In others, the lines are a little more blurred. In most stories, you get some semblance of Good = Light, Bad = Shadow. In the end, the ultimate goal is to embrace one or the other. At the end of the series, we’re either in the midday sun or the midnight darkness. The peak of the story leaves very little middle ground.

Then, brought over from the dystopian genre, we have the idea that The Current Regime is Bad for insidious reasons, and it needs to be torn down and built anew. This is often the main focus of dystopian stories, and our main characters are revolutionaries that see the world in a new, free light.

Finally, a trap of the Y.A. category is it’s simplistic idea of good and bad. Again, we hark back to the vast target age range, and you can see why this would be so prevalent. There is very little by way of morally grey, in the Y.A. category, and if there is moral greyness, it almost always falls into two categories: (1) it is held by the main character alone, and that is why we root for them, or (2) it is martyred and killed. Moral greyness is either the Ushering of a New Era, or The Ideal that Could Not Be. If greyness is to survive, it must exist in the main character who, readers hope, will usher in a new dawn of peace (and light moral greyness) either through their small acts of love (the angel loving the demon) or in large displays of change (the morally grey character rising to be ruler).

These are all themes we expect to be present in Shadow and Bone. And for the most part, they are!

But now let’s talk about character tropes.

Carried over from the paranormal romance, we have the introduction of the “Othered” love interest. This character has a condition that sets him apart from others, and (whether it be vampire, demon, werewolf, etc.) is so prevalent that he cannot fit in. And because of his differences, he has been shunned by Society. This character, notably, is not the “light” or “pure” paranormal figure - he is not the angel - but rather, the demon. The angel would be able to slip into society (presumably because his goodness grants him some kind of godly camouflage). The demon cannot. He doesn’t fit in, and he never can. This creates tension in him, and so he shuns others just as hard as they shun him - he has done so for a very long time until he meets our main character, who gets close to him and breaks down his walls. This character is often the eventual love interest, for reasons that will become apparent later.

Sometimes carried over from the paranormal romance is the idea that the main character is secretly an “other in hiding” (an angel without her wings, etc.). This creates a bond between the “Othered” love interest and the main character - a bond that can’t be deteriorated once it’s been made, because the main character can’t be un-Othered. They can’t take back the forbidden knowledge they’ve obtained. If this character pops up, the “Othered” love interest is almost always chosen, if he exists.

The dystopian genre has a branching version of this trope, as there is almost always a healthy amount of othering. The main character usually comes from a group of people that is Othered from Society, but our main character is even more unique/different from their “Othered group.” This “specially Othered” character is superpowered in that they can navigate both “Othered” Society and “normal” Society. They can be the go-between.

Sometimes found in the paranormal romance is the “normal” or stereotypical character. This is the average human - the character that doesn’t understand the “Othered” love interest, and wants the main character to go back to the way things were before. This character can sometimes make up the other leg of the love triangle and become a love interest. Other times, it’s a family member or a friend or even an abstract ideal. The point of this character, however, is to show the main character that they can’t go back to the way things were. Too much has happened. Too much has been discovered.

All of this is to say that when Shadow and Bone came out, audiences had expectations with long standing. It is safe and fair to say that the Darkling was set up as a character to be viewed in a certain light, and then the rug was pulled out beneath fans, who had already invested so much in his character.

Shadow and Bone: The characters that Don’t Fit;

So now let’s look at Shadow and Bone in the scope of history and audience expectation. Let’s look at the characters as well as the Grishaverse, in broad terms.

The Darkling is, in the first half of Shadow and Bone, the stereotypical “Othered” love interest. He can summon shadows, which is remarkably different from the other powers of Grisha, and his “forefathers” have done terrible things with this power, making him not only an other in talent but an other in animosity and fear.

In comes Alina, and she is a perfect fit for the main character being an “other in hiding” as well as a “specially Othered” character. She was otkazat’sya before she realized she was Grisha, and she is seen as the go-between for these two different worlds - she can bring them together. Furthermore, she is stronger than your average Grisha - distinct from all others, excepting the Darkling.

Alina is understood by the Darkling. She is discovering parts of herself that she didn’t know she had. This is all decidedly Good, and the romance that is forming is living up to reader expectation.

We also have an interesting occurence of duality. Alina, with her light, is the equal and opposite to the Darkling and his shadow. Together, they have limitless power, a common goal, and perhaps a purifying dynamic as Alina can “save” the Darkling. Her light can banish his shadows.

History is leading us to believe they are the endgame ship.

This is only inculcated when you have Mal, who is the “normal” character. Through the framing of the story (not seeing Mal, holding on to him only causing Alina to not reach her full potential), we see that the love story with Mal is the Romance That Cannot Be. They are fated to be apart due to the tropes that readers know and understand.

But then the second half of the book kicks in, The Darkling is proven to have been manipulating Alina, things go South, and readers are left unaware of what’s coming next. In this moment, the theme of The Current Regime is Bad slaps readers across the face.

So let’s take a second to look at The Current Regime is Bad, because how the Darkling and his motives exist in that tempest is thought provoking, to say the least.

The Darkling is, decidedly, a part of The Current Regime. He is a general and close to the King, after all. He is a part of this life... and yet he is not. Remember that The Darkling is our “Othered” character. He cannot be a part of The Current Regime because he is shunned by it. And yet, he is tied to it like a prisoner.

The reader thinks: is the Darkling bad? He is shown to be a part of Society. He wants the war to continue - he doesn’t want to tear down the Fold.

As the reader is grappling with this revelation, we are told (in the same book!) that the Darkling is actually not a part of The Current Regime (which is Bad), but rather, had been working against it.

Okay.

So now the reader thinks that since Society is Bad, and the Darkling is against it, he and Alina do have a common goal, and his status as a love interest can be saved. He can be redeemed as a character because Alina can purify his methods, then together they can get rid of the current regime, and they can be Others together.

It’s a solid thought process. After all, the “Othered” characters have been consistently good at heart, and Alina can redeem him. We still have a bad guy to take down - and it’s not the Darkling.

But...

Leigh Bardugo decides that is not the story she wants to tell, and she has to pull out some literary gymnastics to give us an explanation. The idea is, no, the Darkling is Bad and his “Othered” status is not relevant because it doesn’t justify his actions. He is a part of a radical portion of The Current Regime and is just as Bad.

Enter Nikolai Lantsov, who can take over The Current Regime, because as the reader is constantly reminded, Alina no longer wants novelty - she wants normalcy (which is represented by none other than Malyen Oretsev).

So, what does all of this mean? The Darkling decidedly Doesn’t Fit into any of the currently accepted (and expected) tropes of the Y.A. genre. This, on its own, is not inherently Bad or Wrong, but you can see how readers were thrown and consistently, ideas were stretched to fit the simplistic ideas of good and bad that run rampant through the Y.A. category.

The Darkling: What We Left Behind;

We have all heard the critique that the most frustrating thing about the Shadow and Bone Trilogy is how the treatment of Grisha is never fixed. It’s mentioned, but it’s never addressed.

To play the Devil’s Advocate, I am going to tell you all that this problem was never fixed because it was never part of Alina’s Narrative. As I will now attempt to point out, The Darkling is an ill suited antagonist for Alina’s story.

As I like to joke with my friends, the Darkling is an Adult Fantasy character inside of a Y.A. Fantasy story. He cannot be properly served because the story does not fit him, and it doesn’t really try.

Y.A. stories are incredibly focused. There is usually a lot going on in the wider story, but the reader is confined to one point of view and one narrative. This is why the main character is always leading rebellions and fighting in the thick of things. In order to address the problems of the wider narrative, the main character needs to be pretty front and center with the problems.

Alina is at the center of an inner conflict of power vs. normalcy. She is not at the center of the Grisha’s problems.

Time and again, we see that Alina largely doesn’t care about how terribly Grisha are treated, as a whole. She has moments of clarity where she is angry (notably the scene in Ruin and Rising where the nations’ treatment of Grisha is described in detail), but her remorse doesn’t really extend past sympathy. In the end, she still does nothing to save Grisha.

Alina is a terrible hero when matched to the problems the Darkling is trying to solve. She doesn’t understand their full breadth, having not grown up with them, and she doesn’t want to fix them.

The Problem of The Darkling is that he is a character with problems and motivations that get shrinked and discarded because they do not fit into the Alina Narrative.

Alina’s story is about three things: (1) learning that a lust for power is bad and only corrupts; (2) tearing down the Fold, which is the representation of lusty power; and (3) returning to normalcy. (If you’re wondering why Mal is a rough™ character, it’s because he’s supposed to be the ideal of normalcy, that Alina both wants but can’t have as long as she seeks the amplifiers.) The Grisha don’t factor into that equation.

Alina doesn’t have a solution for giving the Grisha a safe existence where they won’t be sold into slavery, won’t be persecuted by the world, and won’t be forever Othered. She stumbles upon the vague promise of fixing the last of those problems when she runs into Nikolai (purely by chance, or, if you want to stretch it, The Darklings machinations). Furthermore, she doesn’t want to do any of that - she wants normalcy, remember? Her story isn’t going to be saving the Grisha - that’s not what it’s about.

The Darklings entire character motivations focus on all of the plot points that Alina doesn’t hit. He wan’t to make a safe existence for Grisha, he wants Grisha to no longer be persecuted and Othered. How is he going to do it? By ugly means, yes, but he’s going to achieve it nonetheless.

The Darkling has motivations that are not addressed in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. They aren’t what the story is about, or what the story chooses to focus on. His story is a braided narrative that is too complicated for the simplistic, black and white story that the Shadow and Bone Trilogy is.

So here’s the problem: the story insists the Darkling is the bad guy, but he can’t possibly be the bad guy if his intentions are Good, and there is no other way. Until Alina finds another way, he is a martyr - he is the Starless Saint. The Saint who was misguided, sure, but the only Saint who tried to solve things.

The Darkling is not fit for Shadow and Bone. His story and what he advocated for isn’t resolved by the end of the trilogy. So when he dies, it feels unearned. It’s tragic - and perhaps there is some beauty in that tragedy, or some lesson to be learned about how you cannot justify evil means for a good end - but it feels undeserved. His problems aren’t addressed. He is defeated, but his cause and his essence aren’t put to sleep.

King of Scars: A Cause Without Its Martyr;

Which leads us to the Nikolai duology.

Like I said - The Darklings’ problems are forgotten in Alina’s narrative. So what happens when we break out of that point of view? After a brief (and iconic) interim with the Crows, we are back in Ravka and the Grisha are still struggling with the problems that Shadow and Bone failed to address. Ravka is still dying, but now that we have gotten rid of a reluctant cast of characters and have made distance from the trope-heavy Shadow and Bone, we are better equipped to save her.

But here’s a question - can we ignore the man who pioneered these problems in favor of a more palatable cast? Can we not address the Darkling while picking up the sword he used?

Leigh Bardugo needs to reclaim the Grisha Problem by stealing it from the Darkling’s grasp. That proves to be difficult, given that we’ve killed him and have given him a tragically beautiful death. Absence has made the heart grow fonder, and in his final moments, the Darkling was not the evil Shadow Summoner but rather Alexander Morozova - the boy within. Readers (even those who didn’t like the Darkling) might be more endeared to him now that everything is said and done.

We need to separate the Darkling from his cause.

Enter the Cult of the Starless Saint and the Condemnation of the Starless.

To remind readers that the Darkling is bad, Leigh Bardugo does a few things. Firstly, she has her characters repeatedly condemn the Darkling. On one hand, it makes sense and feels genuine. On the other hand, it can be a little excessive. Sometimes, the vehemence reads like what it is - Leigh Bardugo is giving us reasons to hate the Darkling again. Add on the fact that Nikolai’s monster is Bad and one of few remnants of the Darkling still surviving, and you get a lot of hate.

Except, ah! The more we talk about the Darkling, the more we are reminded of what he stood for!

So we have to strip him of that - we have to take his legacy and drag it through the mud. Thus, we create The Cult of the Starless Saint. They represent the Darklings legacy and status in history - were his intentions Good Enough to grant him mercy? To give him Sainthood?

Spoiler alert: They are not. Not as portrayed by the Cult of the Starless Saint.

The Cult is a laughing stock. They don’t have a stance of the Grisha, they’re worship of the Darkling is meant to be seen as mocking Alina’s sacrifice, and the main priest readers interact with is the receiving end of a slew of jokes. They don’t care about anything the Darkling cared for, and they don’t really want to help Grisha. This is done to muddy the waters - if the people who emulate the Darkling are selfish and without cause, well... the Darkling clearly wasn’t Good. They just think his shadow powers were cool and want him to be a Saint. They exist to slander the Darkling.

So now we have separated the Darkling from his cause, and the story continues. The Darkling is Bad. He doesn’t have a legacy. His cause is passed on to others.

But (because we’re Delta airlines and life is a f*cking nightmare) it doesn’t end there. We bring the Darkling back from the dead.

*long sigh*

Resurrection? The Curse of a Second Life;

I have wracked my brain for many an evening, trying to give reason as to why we brought the Darkling back. The obvious answer is for his role at the end of Rule of Wolves - we need him to hold the rift of the Making at the Heart of the World together. However, when Leigh Bardugo introduces real Saints, he’s not needed. Suddenly, we have a slew of characters who could do the same. Furthermore, part of why this rift exists is because the Darkling was brought back. If he is both the cause and the solution, the conflict didn’t need to be there in the first place - especially considering how inconsequential it was to the narrative.

If I had to pin a reason as to why we brought the Darkling back, it was simply to further push the Darkling from his original motivation. He comes back and... doesn’t do much. He doesn’t seem to have the same care for Grisha, he has watered down character traits, and he largely does nothing. The Darkling in the Nikolai Duology is Not The Darkling because he’s a shell of the character he used to be.

Bringing him back from the dead was unsatisfying, and it weakens his original ending. As I have mentioned in other posts, the Darkling coming back cheapens whatever meaning readers gleaned from his ending. The Darkling is resurrected and he doesn’t truly seem to care about anything - which is the direct opposite of what the Darkling has been shown to be.

The Darkling has been bastardized in any appearance he’s made after The Demon in the Wood, and ultimately, it leads to a rather anticlimactic end for such a distinctive, hallmark character.

But let’s really quick establish why the sacrifice the Darkling makes at the end of this book is unfulfilling.

Because, in the final moments of Rule of Wolves, the Darkling gets his moment of penance and sacrifice - he chooses to hold the rift. It’s said he will have to hold it for eternity. You would thing that this would leave an impact!

However, as is, this ending leaves much to be desired for a few reasons:

The Darkling has been so far removed from his character, that when he states, “Everything I did, I did for Ravka,” it feels... incorrect? It sounds like the hollow, misguided claims of a tyrant king, because for an entire Duology, the Darkling has been bastardized and has been the cause of a blight that is killing Ravka. His presence is actively killing the country he claims to serve, and as for actions, he has done very little for Ravka, and nothing for the Grisha. The last time he did anything of substance was before Six of Crows!

None of the characters present for his sacrifice have any sympathy for the Darkling. The Darkling chooses to sacrifice himself, and we get no emotional closure. Alina isn’t there to whisper his name and mourn him, and while Zoya gets the glimmer of weak pity, we have much reason to believe that Zoya mostly feels disenchanted because he will be praised as a martyr and not hated as the evil man she knew him to be (more on that here). There isn’t sympathy so much as there is bitterness and the semblance of the remnants of tattered respect shining in the dim light.

The final chapter of Rule of Wolves tells us that it’s all going to be made inconsequential in the coming books, when they are going to replace the Darkling with something else. The Darkling won’t even get his full sacrifice, because he is undeserving of a redemptive act of selflessness.

So now, where do we leave the Darkling? For two books, we have separated him from his initial cause, watered down his character and motivations, and given him ends that are largely unsatisfying.

We’ve actually started to fix the Grisha problem, and there’s something interesting to be said in that it’s fixed by Zoya Nazyalensky, who goes up through the chain of command in a very similar fashion as to how the Darkling planned. She was a General, and then she became Queen of Ravka - the acting monarch, no less - with a beloved public figure on her arm (which, in the Darkling’s case, would have been Alina).

So I am left to wonder - was the lesson, then, indeed, that you cannot justify evil means for a good end? Was the moral of the Darkling all along about how you must be good throughout - with good acts and good intentions - in order to make change and be revered for it? If so, why did Leigh Bardugo slander the Darkling retroactively, the way she did?

If the problem was his actions and not his intentions, why insist that his intentions were devoid of meaning, as well?

Aleksander Morozova: What We Buried;

Now, you all knew I was going to get here eventually, and if you’ve made it, congrats. We are now talking about the emotion behind the deed, the man behind the monster, the boy swallowed by the shadows.

I believe it is pivotal to understand that Leigh Bardugo has always wanted us to struggle with our feelings over the Darkling. She wanted a character that you could sympathize with, she wanted a character with humanity, and she wanted a reason for his villainy. I think that Shadow and Bone, for all of its failings, gave us that. There’s a reason why there is such a big divide over the Darkling in the original trilogy. He was a compelling character! Somewhere along the way, Leigh Bardugo lost that nuance of her own character. At some point, she resorted to stripping him of his meaning and slandering his image.

Perhaps I am playing the Devil’s Advocate again, but I believe this was intentionally done.

Because one has to ask - why slander the Darkling? A large portion of the fanbase already hates him, so cheapening his character is doing nothing for them other than giving them sweet vindication, which is unnecessary and only disenchants the other half of your audience. There has to be some deeper reasoning. Leigh Bardugo wanted this character to be sympathetic, so why, now, does she want him to be two-dimensional?

Once more, I am asking you to think back to the original trilogy. What was the main moral? That power, no matter how good-intentioned the pursuit of it is, corrupts. What is the Darklings purpose of coming back again if not to simply have power? He certainly shows no other motive than lusty greed, after being resurrected.

And even if we ignore his lust for power, as he so willingly gives it up to Zoya Nazyalensky in the end of Rule of Wolves, we have two other corrupting forces that could account for the degradation of his character - time, and death.

We know the Darkling to have lived for eons, and he would have continued to live on for an eternity more. There is nothing like time to truly corrupt a character’s vision, and there is nothing like death and resurrection to husk a character.

In fact, if Mal’s character did anything of importance when it comes to effecting the Darkling, it lies in the epilogue of Ruin and Rising, where it is stated that “the boy and the girl had both known loss.” Mal’s loss is equated to Alina being stripped of her power - that is the power of having died, and being forcefully brought back to life. That is a vague basis for which we readers can compare what it must have been like for the Darkling to come back - even if he is so desensitized to feeling, that he doesn’t remark on it himself.

But let’s keep chugging on.

When we first met the Darkling in 2012 Shadow and Bone, he was unfeeling. He was cold and harsh. There was something beneath the surface, yes, but there were thick sheets of ice in the way. You had to mine for it. Time had already warped the actions of his intentions. It’s expected that time would continue to do its damage, and when he is revived in King of Scars, his intentions are warped as well. He is nothing of the person he used to be other than memories and power. That is why, at the end of Rule of Wolves, when he states that he did everything for Ravka, it feels hollow - that was once true, but the Darkling has even lost that. He has the vague impression of it, but nothing you can sink your teeth into.

I think, had this idea been looked at in deeper depth, it would have been a far more compelling story. Had Rule of Wolves really dedicated itself to showing the Darkling’s conflict of his current apathy, and the knowledge that there was once a time he possessed meaning, we could have found the marrow of his arc. If the book had made an allusion to this concept, his character would have been more satisfying. But as it stands, the Darkling is just degraded in the later books, and unless you really search for meaning, there isn’t any.

And perhaps, if the Darkling had been a different character - a character who, at his core, was more unfeeling - the way we left him would feel okay.

But while The Darkling was harsh and cruel, Aleksander Morozova wasn’t, and that’s what has us all hung up on his character.

If you haven’t read The Demon in the Wood for whatever reason, do yourself a favor and read that instead of revisiting the show’s version of his villain origin story. The show made the Darkling far less compelling by showing him as the grief stricken Black Heretic, rather than the boy within. When we meet Aleksander, he is a boy who is afraid of the world, who has never belonged in it or with others, and who is, ultimately, afraid of himself. With his mother, Baghra, he has taken on a thousand names and traveled a thousand places, and all the while, he is afraid of getting too close to others because he is an amplifier and he knows that if any Grisha were to find out, they would kill him for his power.

Thus, there is so much nuance to his relationship with the Grisha. He is one of them, but he is not. To hark back to our history lesson, he is the exact opposite of the “specially Othered” character that is so often given to protagonists. Instead of acting as a go-between, he is the one person that everyone - Grisha and otkazat’sya - can come together to kill.

And as a little boy, he knows that. He knows he has to stay in the shadows, and yet, he is deathly afraid of the dark - afraid of that which sets him apart, and that which he cannot escape.

This is poignant because at the root of every great character is a singular, vulnerable emotion, and for the Darkling, it is fear. And most importantly, fear of the shadows.

When he meets Alina, we truly see the strength of their duality. We truly see why he was so drawn to Alina - why he could so easily fall in love with her, despite the years and despite the tide, and despite his fear of letting others in. She is his equal and opposite - with her, there are no shadows. There is no fear. The fact that he lets Alina use him as an amplifier is so telling of his deep feelings for Alina.

Where each reader draws the line between their dynamic - either him truly loving Alina, or him simply loving and obsessing over the idea of her - is for the individual to decide. The wonderful thing about the Darkling in his current state in the original Shadow and Bone Trilogy is that he still has good intentions within him, no matter how corrupted by his evil actions. Whether or not they truly could have been is up to each person because the question over whether or not Alina could “purify” the Darkling was never deeply explored. We will never know if she could save him, or if it would have destroyed her in the end. Whether or not you want her to try is personal preference.

Again, Alina didn’t want to fully commit to that act, and so we readers will never truly know. Luckily, fanfiction exists.

But, I didn’t name this section “what we buried” for nothing, and I think it’s important to note that even in the beginning of The Demon in the Wood, the Darkling was already on his way toward a darker, harsher existence.

Baghra, from presumably the moment he was born, groomed the Darkling to be a certain way - the same way as her, a survivor with little hope, living for the sake of living and fighting for the sake of a meal. She had no plans to save the world - it was only after the Darkling had a run in with the possibility of death that he unearthed a deep desire within him - the desire to save the Grisha. Before that, it was buried.

Before that, the Darklings' desires were buried beneath his mother’s words and buried beneath the dirt that settled over his heart like a shallow grave, because his connection to others was buried as well. Baghra did that, and whether or not she was misguided or if she was the smarter of the two is an essay better tackled by looking at her, specifically, which we won’t do here.

As we’re reaching the end, I feel like I have earned the right to be cliche and quote the Darkling’s thoughts from when he was still a boy, but already a shadow. In The Demon in the Wood, he thinks:

“My father is dust. You all are.”

At such a young age, the Darkling has already lost his grip. Already, he knew he would outlive and outlast anyone, and this heavy knowledge was already piling up, and he was slowly being buried alive in his own infinence.

It was only ever inevitable that his story would end like this - with a detached man who was once a hopeful boy, but could no longer recall what such confidence tasted like - so perhaps the tragic beauty in the end of Ruin and Rising was not that he died, it was that he wasn’t given an end.

— Special kudos to @onceupon-a-decembr who let me scream about this with her, and another kudos to @musicallisto who introduced me to a book series that I will never stop screaming about. Ever.

— tagging: @maybanksslut, @musicallisto, @catsbooksandmusic, @thefifthweasley, @thegirlwhocriedwerewolf, @amirahiddleston, @lachichapequena, @mrs-brekker15, @amortensie // add yourself to the taglist here!

#grishaverse #grishaverse meta #shadow and bone #shadow and bone meta #meta #meta analysis #writing #the darkling #aleksander morozova #the darkling meta #i am once again ranting about the grishaverse #if miss leigh bardugo wants me to stop analyzing her characters and (kind of drag her) she better put me in the writers room.#or put me in the show her choice #and there's more i could have added to this smh #but i feel like people stop reading after 5.6k words.

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arcticdementor · 4 years ago

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In a democracy, every vote is supposed to be equal. If about half the country supports one side and half the country supports another, you may expect major institutions to either be equally divided, or to try to stay politically neutral.

This is not what we find. If it takes a position on the hot button social issues around which our politics revolve, almost every major institution in America that is not explicitly conservative leans left. In a country where Republicans get around half the votes or something close to that in every election, why should this be the case?

This post started as an investigation into Woke Capital, one of the most important developments in the last decade or so of American politics. Although big business pressuring politicians is not new (the NFL moved the Super Bowl from Arizona over MLK day), the scope of the issues on which corporations feel the need to weigh in is certainly expanding, now including LGBT issues, abortion laws, voting rights, kneeling during the national anthem, and gun control.

…

As I started to research the topic, however, I realized there wasn’t much to explain. Asking why corporations are woke is like asking why Hispanics tend to have two arms, or why the Houston Rockets have increased their number of 3-point shots taken over the last few decades. All humans tend to have two arms, and all NBA teams shoot more 3-pointers than in the past, so focusing on one subset of the population that has the same characteristics as all others in the group misses the point.

I think one reason Woke Capital is getting so much attention is because we expect business to be more right-leaning, and corporations throwing in with the party of more taxes and regulation strikes us as odd. We are used to schools, non-profits, mainline religions, etc. taking liberal positions and feel like business should be different. But business is just being assimilated into a larger trend.

Corporations are woke, meaning left wing on social issues relative to the general population, because institutions are woke. So the question becomes why are institutions woke?

…

Through the lens of ordinal utility, in which people simply rank what they want to happen, we are about equal. I prefer Republicans to Democrats, while you have the opposite preference. But when we think in terms of cardinal utility – in layman’s terms, how bad people want something to happen – it’s no contest. You are going to be much more influential than me. Most people are relatively indifferent to politics and see it as a small part of their lives, yet a small percentage of the population takes it very seriously and makes it part of its identity. Those people will tend to punch above their weight in influence, and institutions will be more responsive to them.

Elections are a measure of ordinal preferences. As long as you care enough to vote, it doesn’t matter how much you care about the election outcome, as everyone’s voice is the same. But for everything else – who speaks up in a board meeting about whether a corporation should take a political position, who protests against a company taking a position one side or the other finds offensive, etc. – cardinal utility maters a lot. Only a small minority of the public ever bothers to try to influence a corporation, school, or non-profit to reflect certain values, whether from the inside or out.

In an evenly divided country, if one side simply cares more, it’s going to exert a disproportionate influence on all institutions, and be more likely to see its preferences enacted in the time between elections when most people aren’t paying much attention.

…

Here are two graphs that have been getting a lot of attention

What jumps out to me in these figures is not only how left leaning large institutions are, but how the same is true for most professions. Whether you are looking by institution or by individuals, there are more donations to Biden than Trump. Yet Republicans get close to half the votes! Where are the Trump supporters? What these graphs reveal is a larger story, in which more people give to liberal causes and candidates than to conservative ones, even if Americans are about equally divided in which party they support (and no, this isn’t the result of liberals being wealthier, the connections between income and ideology or party are pretty weak). Here are some graphs from late October showing Biden having more individual donors than Trump in every battleground state.

…

In the 2012 election, Obama raised $234 million from small individual contributors, compared to $80 million for Romney, while also winning among large contributors.

…

In September 2009, at the height of the Tea Party movement, conservatives held the “Taxpayer March on Washington,” which drew something like 60,000-70,000 people, leading one newspaper to call it “the largest conservative protest ever to storm the Capitol.” Since that time, the annual anti-abortion March for Life rally in Washington has drawn massive crowds, with estimates for some years ranging widely from low six figures to mid-to-high six figures. March for Life is not to be confused with “March for Our Lives,” a pro-gun control rally that activists claim saw 800,000 people turn out in 2018. All these events were dwarfed by the Women’s March in opposition to Trump, which drew by one estimate “between 3,267,134 and 5,246,670 people in the United States (our best guess is 4,157,894). That translates into 1 percent to 1.6 percent of the U.S. population of 318,900,000 people (our best guess is 1.3 percent).” Even if the two left-wing academics who did this research are letting their bias infuse their work, there is no question that protesting is generally a left-wing activity, as conservatives themselves realize.

People who engage in protesting care more about politics than people who donate money, and people who donate money care more than people who simply vote. Imagine a pyramid with voters at the bottom and full-time activists on top, and as you move up the pyramid it gets much narrower and more left-wing. Multiple strands of evidence indicate this would basically be an accurate representation of society.

Another line of evidence showing that the left simply cares more about politics comes from Noah Carl, who has put together data showing liberals are in their personal lives more intolerant of conservatives than vice versa across numerous dimensions in the US and the UK. Those on the left are more likely to block someone on social media over their views, be upset if their child marries someone from the other side, and find it hard to be friends with or date someone they disagree with politically. Here are two graphs demonstrating the general point.

…

There’s a great irony here. Conservatives tend to be more skeptical of pure democracy, and believe in individuals coming together and forming civil society organizations away from government. Yet conservatives are extremely bad at gaining or maintaining control of institutions relative to liberals. It’s not because they are poorer or the party of the working class – again, I can’t stress enough how little economics predicts people’s political preferences – but because they are the party of those who simply care less about the future of their country.

Debates over voting rights make the opposite assumption, as conservatives tend to want more restrictions on voting, and liberals fewer, with National Review explicitly arguing against a purer form of democracy. Conservatives may be right that liberals are less likely to care enough to do basic things like bring a photo ID and correctly fill out a ballot. If this is true, Republicans are the party of people who care enough to vote when doing so is made slightly more difficult but not enough to do anything else, while Democrats are the party of both the most active and least active citizens. Yet while being the “care only enough to vote” party might be adequate for winning elections, the future belongs to those at the tail end of the distribution who really want to change the world.

The discussion here makes it hard to suggest reforms for conservatives. Do you want to give government more power over corporations? None of the regulators will be on your side. Leave corporations alone? Then you leave power to Woke Capital, though it must to a certain extent be disciplined and limited by the preferences of consumers. Start your own institutions? Good luck staffing them with competent people for normal NGO or media salaries, and if you’re not careful they’ll be captured by your enemies anyway, hence Conquest’s Second Law. And the media will be there every step of the way to declare any of your attempts at taking power to be pure fascism, and brush aside any resistance to your schemes as righteous anger, up to and including rioting and acts of violence.

…

From this perspective we might want to consider this passage from Scott Alexander, who writes the following in his review of a biography of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The normal course of politics is various coalitions of elites and populace, each drawing from their own power bases. A normal political party, like a normal anything else, has elite leaders, analysts, propagandists, and managers, plus populace foot soldiers. Then there's an election, and sometimes our elites get in, and sometimes your elites get in, but getting a political party that's against the elites is really hard and usually the sort of thing that gets claimed rather than accomplished, because elites naturally rise to the top of everything.

But sometimes political parties can run on an explicitly anti-elite platform. In theory this sounds good - nobody wants to be elitist. In practice, this gets really nasty quickly. Democracy is a pure numbers game, so it's hard for the elites to control - the populace can genuinely seize the reins of a democracy if it really wants. But if that happens, the government will be arrayed against every other institution in the nation. Elites naturally rise to the top of everything - media, academia, culture - so all of those institutions will hate the new government and be hated by it in turn. Since all natural organic processes favor elites, if the government wants to win, it will have to destroy everything natural and organic - for example, shut down the regular media and replace it with a government-controlled media run by its supporters.

When elites use the government to promote elite culture, this usually looks like giving grants to the most promising up-and-coming artists recommended by the art schools themselves, and having the local art critics praise their taste and acumen. When the populace uses the government to promote popular culture against elite culture, this usually looks like some hamfisted attempt to designate some kind of "official" style based on what popular stereotypes think is "real art from back in the day when art was good", which every art school and art critic attacks as clueless Philistinism. Every artist in the country will make groundbreaking exciting new art criticizing the government's poor judgment, while the government desperately looks for a few technicians willing to take their money and make, I don't know, pretty landscape paintings or big neoclassical buildings.

The important point is that elite government can govern with a light touch, because everything naturally tends towards what they want and they just need to shepherd it along. But popular/anti-elite government has a strong tendency toward dictatorship, because it won't get what it wants without crushing every normal organic process. Thus the stereotype of the "right-wing strongman", who gets busy with the crushing.

So the idea of "right-wing populism" might invoke this general concept of somebody who, because they have made themselves the champion of the populace against the elites, will probably end up incentivized to crush all the organic processes of civil society, and yoke culture and academia to the will of government in a heavy-handed manner.

To put it in a different way, to steelman the populist position, democracy does not reflect the will of the citizenry, it reflects the will of an activist class, which is not representative of the general population. Populists, in order to bring institutions more in line with what the majority of the people want, need to rely on a more centralized and heavy-handed government. The strongman is liberation from elites, who aren’t the best citizens, but those with the most desire to control people’s lives, often to enforce their idiosyncratic belief system on the rest of the public, and also a liberation from having to become like elites in order to fight them, so conservatives don’t have to give up on things like hobbies and starting families and devote their lives to activism.

#richard hanania #substack

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lilyofthestyx · 4 years ago

Text

Aeipathy: Chapter One

Disclaimer: i don’t (unfortunately) own Marvel or any of their characters, plot points, etc. so all right are to them and their our overlord Disney

AN: i had so much fun with this and i CANNOT wait for this next chapter hehehe

Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 6.7k

Location: Classified Year: 2012

“Do you mind explaining why we’re here?”

“I’ve got something for ya.”

“...what is it?”

“Oh relax, Cap, think of it as a… housewarming present… What? Was… was that too soon?”

“I’m pretty sure fifteen minutes is too soon, Tony.”

“There’s no need for hyperboles, Cap- you’ve been defrosted for a year now.”

“Tony…”

“Fine. My humblest apologies, Your Righteousness.”

“...what even is it? And why are we in this basement?”

“It’s not a baseme- did you even see the amount of security we had to go through to get here?”

“Yeah- which is why I’m asking. Why are we in a basement after all the security we had to go through?”

“I thought you might want to see…”

“See what?”

“...her.”

“...__________?”

Location: Brooklyn, New York Year: 1943

Those two yucks are gonna make me be late again. My eyes dart from the pan of cracking bacon to the busted-up clock on the stained wall. Seven minutes ‘till eight- and the clinic’s ten minutes away. Hopefully, if I can just slip in the back door, I’ll be okay… but even then, I’ll be risking it. No doubt that fathead Warren Lynne will chew me out but-

“Mornin’, doll!”

Much too cheerful. Much too late. My head snaps to look over my shoulder, eyes narrowing as I watch Bucky and Steve stroll into my kitchen.

Bucky smiles and plops down into a chair with a piece of toast in his mouth. “You look stunning. As usual.”

Steve shoves Bucky’s arm and sits down next to him. “Cut that out…” he mutters, fumbling with the black piece of fabric slung around his thin neck. Steve manages to tie his tie into a tangled knot. He huffs and undoes it- only to redo it in the same knot.

“You two are gonna make me late,” I mutter, taking the pan off the stove and scraping its contents onto their plates. “I can’t believe you- I’ve already gotten so many warnings, why- just why- can’t you two take care’a yourselves for a few goddamn-”

“Language.”

My eyes flick to Steve, shoulders and back taut as I stare daggers at him. He immediately pales and goes quiet, fiddling with his tie. Sighing, I toss the pan back onto the stove with a loud clang. The two boys jump in their seats as I run a hand through my hair.

“Just once, boys, please,” I mumble, tugging my hair up into a tight bun. “All I want is for you two to help out ‘round here. I don’t want to sacrifice my career, you know that-”

Bucky, chewing a large bite of toast and eggs, waves his hand and shakes his head. His voice is slightly muffled by his food. “Doll, what in God’s name are ya talkin’ about?”

I scoff. “Are you kidding? Ever since I moved here-”

Bucky waves a bitten piece of toast at me, “Doll, I know. I’m just sayin’-”

“No, Buck!” I snap, snatching my bag. “I’m tired of it! I keep draggin’ Steve out’a clinics tryin’ to enlist, I keep turnin’ your girlfriends out ‘nd away, I keep the house clean, I work at the clinic, I put myself through nursing school-”

“__________,” Steve says softly, “I think what Buck’s tryna say is that it’s Saturday.”

…

“...is it?”

Bucky nods- his eyes wide as he stares at me in fear. Slowly, he lifts his fork to his mouth and eats his eggs. His eyes never leave me, like he’s scared of me charging at him with a kitchen knife.

“You went to work yesterday,” Steve continues, “Don’t you remember?”

...I do. I had gone in early- before even the sun woke up. Doctor Nachtnebel was already there, working on something in his office. That serum for the military, I’m sure, with the way his folders were all stuffed full of papers of our handwriting.

“...I’m sorry,” I mutter, throwing myself into the last chair at my small dining table. My head collapses into my palms as I stare down at the table. “I dunno what came over me...”

“Hey,” Steve mumbles, poking my arm.

I move my head to look at the two of them. “If you wanted help, all ya had t’do was ask, Doll,” Bucky teases, a smile creeping onto his face. “You take a break. Stevie ‘nd I’ll clean up ‘nd make ya somethin’ for breakfast- how’s that sound, Doll?”

I sigh, letting my eyes run over my two boys. Steve’s tie is tangled horribly- a mess of fabric under his scrawny neck. Bucky’s hair is a mess, all rubbed back and forth and tossed around on his head like an animal had lived in it. The two of them haven’t shaved and Bucky’s shirt is on backwards.

I don’t trust them with my breakfast at all.

“Buck, she’s thinkin’ too hard,” Steve quips, “Get her back upstairs before she says no.”

I groan, “Steve, c’mon, please- I’ll be fine, don’t-”

“Sorry, Doll,” Bucky chirps, “Stevie’s right. We’ve got this handled- you go…” He trails off for a second before snapping his fingers. “Go get ready. I’m takin’ you two out. My treat.”

“Buck, I don’t have anything to wear-”

“Just go get ready, Doll,” Bucky hums, locking eyes with me as a smirk crosses his lips. “Trust me?”

I roll my eyes, “...why should I?”

“Because you owe me,” he teases as he gets up from his chair.

“It’s been thirteen years- you’re still using that excuse?”

“I’ll be usin’ it ‘till I die.”

“That could be arranged,” I mutter quietly. Bucky shoots me a glance and rolls his eyes as he throws a towel over his shoulder. He sighs as he picks up the sponge sitting at the sink. Humming to himself, he scrubs the dishes- swaying from side to side in his spot. Steve finishes his food and puts his dish in the sink before pulling out ingredients from the fridge.

My eyes naturally trail back to Bucky. He’s whistling now- some tune off the radio. He’s fixed his shirt- now loosely tucked into his slacks with the top few buttons undone. His sleeves are rolled up past his elbows. Steve shoves him to wash off the various berries he picked out from my fridge. Bucky shoves him back and the two start bickering back and forth. They continue before Bucky sighs and ruffles Steve’s hair. “Do your thing, Stevie- I’ll finish when you’re done.”

Steve touches his now-damp hair and glares at Bucky for a moment. Turning back to the dishes, I can hear him muttering promises to get him back. Bucky smirks at me as he tugs the towel off his shoulder and wipes his hands. “Ya like what ya see, Doll?” he teases, “Could be a permanent view if ya let me take ya on that date.”

I scoff and get to my feet. “Fine, I’m going, Buck,” I mutter as I stalk towards my bedroom. “If ya wanted me gone, all ya had t’do was ask.”

“Just the opposite, Doll!” He calls as I shut the door. I sigh and slump my head against the door. Bucky’s voice carries through my door. “I want ya around ‘till I’m cold in my grave!”

“Will you quit it?” Steve laughs, shaking his head. “I’m standin’ right here.”

“I’ll quit when I’m dead, Stevie!”

What a moron.

“Buck, please,” I mutter, tugging my shawl over my shoulders. “It’s freezing, where are we-”

“Just a second, Doll,” Bucky says with a smile before waving a hand over his head. “I’m over here, Rosie!”

He catches the attention of a blonde girl wearing a bright red dress.

Another girlfriend. Fantastic.

Steve’s eyes widen as he watches the girl get closer. As Bucky walks up to greet her, I start to inch backwards. They wrap their arms around each other while chattering excitedly. Another step back, a tug on the shawl over my shoulders.

Maybe I shouldn’t be here. The last one of Buck’s girls didn’t appreciate me being as close to him as I am.

Steve’s arm shoots out and grabs mine. “Stay,” he says quietly. “You can be my date.”

His eyes glisten with sympathy as his chest puffs out. Holding out his elbow, he smiles. I return the smile warmly and nod to myself. I can have just as much fun with Steve as with Bucky. “Why, I’d be delighted, Stevie.”

Bucky turns around with a bright smile. “Kids- I’d like ya t’meet Rosie. Stevie’s date for tonight.”

Rosie smiles at me. “You must be __________!” She hums, taking my hand and giving it a quick shake.

...Steve’s date?

I thought Bucky and her were...

If they’re supposed to be together tonight, then-

Steve nudges me as I stand with my mouth dangling open. A cough leaves my lips and I jump back into my skin. “It’s nice to meet you,” I say with a pleasant lilt to my voice. “This is Steve!” I add quickly, grabbing Steve and tugging him in front of me. “Real sweetheart, ya know? Hard t’find a guy as sweet as him.”

Rosie’s smile falters for only a moment before it’s back to bright and brilliant. She happily greets Steve- who is equally as happy. Blush rises in his cheeks as he glances over Rosie’s shoulder at me. My eyes widen with my smile before his attention is taken back to Rosie.

“Well, looks like the kids are gettin’ along.” Bucky whispers in my ear. I can feel him standing behind me as I watch Steve stumble over his words and Rosie’s giggling.

“I’m glad,” I whisper back, “Stevie deserves someone special.”

“So do you, Doll.”

I scoff and roll my eyes. “And I suppose you’re gonna offer to be that someone?”

“If you’d let me,” Bucky says, tilting his head back and rocking on his heels. He is… so unbelievably smackable it’s silly. That stupid smirk. Those dumb lips. That look in his eyes. “Just for tonight?” Bucky adds, offering his elbow.

I look at it and then back up at him. What game is he playing?

Is he even playing a game?

Why would he play with me? To humiliate me? That’s not Buck. Not my- our- Bucky.

Slowly, I slip my hand into the crook of his elbow. “Just for tonight.”

The movie had long since started but I’d lost the plot long ago. Steve and Rosie are in front of us- Bucky claiming he ‘wanted to make sure the kids didn’t do anything stupid’. A bucket of popcorn is at our feet with the top of the container grazing the hem of my navy blue skirt.

None of that bothers me as much as Bucky though. He sits beside me with his arm draped across the back of my seat. He leans in every once in a while to ask if he could grab the popcorn container or offer his jacket- which hangs over my body. Every exchange is so… sensual.

The way his hand lightly slides against my leg as he grabs the container.

The way his lips graze my ear as he asks if I’m enjoying myself.

The way his touch lingered for a moment as he placed his jacket over my shoulders.

I’m reading too much into this. Always overthinking.

As I place a piece of popcorn on my tongue, I try to watch the movie. The black and white images flicker back and forth- some tale of lovers, I think. A trio of friends- ironic, I think to myself- with two of them falling so desperately in love with each other but refusing to say anything.

My gaze tugs to the side as I feel someone watching me.

Buck smiles, pink dusting his cheeks, as our eyes meet. I bite down into my popcorn and laugh quietly. “It’s… it’s really good,” I tell him for the thirty-third time tonight, gesturing to the popcorn.

Bucky nods, “Only the best for you, Doll.”

My eyes turn down to the container before flicking back up to him. I try to look back to the movie but my eyes stay fixated on Bucky- who keeps looking at me. Blush rushes into my cheeks as we just keep staring at each other. Swallowing, I keep my eyes from trailing down to his lips.

“Thank you.” he says quietly.

“For what Buck?” I giggle nervously, “You’re the one that-”

“For giving me a chance.”

My eyes dart back down to my skirt as another anxious laugh leaves my lips. “You’re… you’re bein’ silly, Buck.”

“Sorry Doll,” he says gently, his fingers coming up under my chin and lifting until I’m looking back at him. “I’m just… crazy about you.”

We start to lean in and I can feel his lips graze mine-

“__________!”

There’s loud knocking at my door.

“__________, ya alright?”

It’s Steve.

“Y-yeah!” I call, throwing the blanket off of me and getting to my feet. When did I even fall asleep? I was just getting ready- wasn’t I? “Sorry! I… I must’a fallen asleep. What time is it?”

“...you’ve got an hour ‘till we leave,” Steve answers, “Ya slept for a while. You okay?”

Define ‘okay’.

“I’m fine,” I mutter, running a hand down my face. “Just tired, that’s all.”

“Well you’ve been working a lot recently,” Steve says from the other side of the door. “You must’a needed the sleep.”

“...yeah.”

Didn’t need that dream, though.

“I’ll… I’ll be right out!”

I listen as Steve shuffles down the hall- only to yell at Bucky for something. Bucky defends himself but I don’t pay it any mind. A shirt thrown over the back of one of my couches, feet up on the table; it’s always something. Steve’s always on Bucky’s head about something when they’re staying with me. Something about ‘manners’ usually.

I laugh to myself as I watch myself combing my hair in the mirror. They’ve always been like that. From the first day I met the two punks in that damned alleywall. Always bickering between the two of them. Steve pulling Bucky away from flirting with the cute vendor at the Dodger game, Bucky dragging Steve away from gawking at the Great War exhibit. And then the two of them banding together to pull me away from… everything I manage to get myself into.

Sighing, I place my brush down at the base of my mirror. I look back up at my reflection and smile. I’m beautiful. Gorgeous, even. Cocky, too, but… It doesn’t matter how I style my hair or what clothes I wear. I am beautiful. An insecurity here and there, sure- but that doesn’t take away from my beauty. It makes me unique. Not a paper doll that’s so ‘cookie-cutter’.

“Doll!” Bucky calls from outside, “Telephone!”

I take one last glance at my reflection. Yep. Still beautiful. Darting out the door, I take the phone and receiver from Bucky. “Hello?”

“__________!” Lily yells from the other side of the phone, “I’ve been callin’ you, where’ve ya been?!”

Odessa Lily Mae Ababio and I had met when we both stumbled into a women’s rights meeting when we were teenagers. As time went on, less and less women started showing up but Lily and I- along with a few others- stayed and took charge. We became an unyielding force for women, a family. Lily and I have worked in tandem as leaders of the group for three years. We call nearly every night to discuss plans and changes and updates- but any call before eight is almost guaranteed to be an emergency.

Sighing, I run a hand through my hair. “I’m… I’m sorry, Lils, it’s been a helluva day. What’s happening?”

Lily sighs. “They kicked us out of the factory again- some rejected soldiers, it sounds like.”

“You’re kidding,” I mutter, eyebrows furrowing as I sit back up in my seat. “They can’t do that, can they?”

“...the factory’s siding with them,” Lily sighs again. It’s broken, more ragged. I can hear the tears clotting her throat. We had worked so hard to even get the girls into the factory- many of them trying to fend for themselves while their families were sent to the war and the remaining members depending on them. And now they’re just going to throw them back out?

And for what?! There’s plenty of work to be done at the factory- why throw them out?

“...is Mister Richardson there?” I ask, gripping the phone line. “Is he in his office?”

“Hold on,” Lily mumbles. I can hear her press the phone against her chest and her yelling for someone to peek into his window. A few moments later, she comes back. “Yeah, he’s here.”

“I’ll be right down. Make sure he doesn’t leave.”

“Will do, __________.”

Click.

I look up at the boys as I throw the phone back onto the receiver. “There’s some problems with the girls at the factory,” I mutter, snatching the nearest pair of shoes and tugging them on. “I have t’go.”

“We’re comin’, too,” they say in unison.

“You don’t have to. I’ll be back in time for tonigh-”

“That’s not why we’re comin’ with,” Steve chuckles, slipping into his shoes.

“We’re comin’ with because it’s the right thing t’do,” Bucky finishes, slinging his legs off the side of the chair. “Now, c’mon, Doll. I’m drivin’.”

Inside, the whir of machinery clanks and buzzes throughout the street. Smoke billows out from the chimneys and mixes with the pure white clouds above. There’s a large crowd amassed in front of the factory. Split into two groups, a group stands at the entrance facing out and a group stands a bit away facing in. The men stand at the entrance of the factory, chests puffed out and arms crossed. A few wear expressions of indifference. Others wear a cruel smile. I can tell by the colorful, oil-stained bandanas around their heads that it’s mostly women in the crowd.

It’s all women in the crowd looking in.

As Bucky parks across the street, I jump out before he stops. Lily turns to face me and parts from the crowd. I reach out and grab her calloused, russet-colored hand as we meet. “How’s it goin’?” I ask quietly, scanning the faces of the men standing guard at the factory entrance.

Her eyes scan the crowd of women whispering amongst themselves. “It’s not bad,” she whispers.

As she says this, one of the men scoffs and spits just at the front row of women’s feet. “Go back to your kitchens, now- the men’re back.”

“...but it’s getting worse.” Lily finishes. Her hand squeezes mine as we weave through the crowd to get to the barricade of men. “Just… be careful... Okay? These ones… they’ve got a bite to them.”

“I’ll be fine,” I whisper back. “I’ll take care of this.”

We push through to the clearing between the two groups. The men’s eyes collectively gather on the two of us. Their faces and eyes harden as a dismissive air fills the gap between us. I purse my lips and sigh, walking straight for the door.

An arm shoots out and grabs mine, pulling me back in front of the factory. “No can do, miss,” the man huffs, “You’re all dismissed. Jobs ‘ve been filled. Richardson’s orders.”

“If Richardson has given those orders, I’d like to hear them for myself,” I say firmly, shrugging his hand off of me. “So, if you’ll excuse me, sir.”

The hand shoots out and grabs my arm again. “What part of ‘you’re dismissed’ did you not understand?”

I stare up at the man and study his features for a moment. Scar above his left eye- which are green- and black hair that grazes his ears. A cigarette dangles from his chapped lips and freckles dot his face. I smile and clear my throat. “I understood perfectly. I just chose not to acknowledge it so that I can go talk to Mister Richardson.”

The man scoffs. “Ya get one job ‘nd think you can talk to a man like that- this is why you women should stay at home. Get a job ‘nd ya start gettin’ all uppity ‘nd smartmouthed ‘cause your head’s been filled with so many ideas.”

“On the contrary, sir,” I hum with a sickly-sweet smile. “I’d say staying at home has made me much more smartmouthed. Gave me a lot of time to think... Working clears me up. Lets me focus on what’s important. Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I’m talking to Mister Richardson.”

“Listen, lady,” the man says, taking a drag from his cigarette. “If you don’t get outta here with all your other broads, I’m gonna have t’use force.”

My smile broadens. “Force?” I coo, “Oh dear. Well… force won’t be necessary.”

He chuckles, “That’s what I thought-”

As he reaches up to grab his cigarette, I snatch his wrist and twist his arm around his back. Planting my elbow into the center of his back, he’s brought to his knees without much ‘force’.

“Now, sir,” I huff, “I’m going to talk with Mister Richardson and I’m going t’hand you off to a dear friend of mine. ‘nd you’re gonna be polite, you got that?”

“Let me-!”

I cut off his struggling with another twist of his wrist. “C’mon, now. Don’t get so many ideas of escaping. It’s pretty hard to in this position.”

Bucky and Steve join me in the clearing. Bucky slowly glares at each one of the men while Steve tries to look as intimidating as possible. I smile as they get closer. “Looks like ya didn’t need us much, did you?” Bucky comments, looking down at the man as he squirms in my hold.

“Can you hold him while Lily ‘nd I go in to talk to Richardson?”

“Sure thing,” Bucky mumbles, grabbing the man just below my hand. “Call out if ya need us.”

“Thank you,” I smile. Lily tugs my arm and the two of us pass between the other men. They avoid our gazes as we pass, backs taut and shoulders too tense.

Scared of a couple of women. A nurse and a factory worker.

As they should be.

We round the corner and head up the stairs overlooking the machinery. The door to Richardson’s office is shut but the familiar clacking of his typewriter and the glow of a lamp streams out into the stairway. “Ya ready for this, Lils?” I ask.

“Let’s do this.”

The two of us push the door open. Mister Richardson, a heavy-set man with eternally-pink cheeks, sits at his wood desk surrounded by files and papers and his typewriter. His light eyes slide over to us over his glasses before widening.

“Miss Bishop!” He chuckles nervously, pushing away from his desk. Sweat lines the collar and underarms of his expensive-looking suit.

He’s been expecting my arrival.

“I didn’t realise you’d be here today- and with Miss Aye-bee-bee-yo!”

“Ababio,” we correct at the same time.

“Oh- of course!” He says with a grand outstretching of his arms. “My mistake! Well… ladies… what can I do for you?”

“I think you know exactly what you can do for us,” I hum sweetly.

“Now, Miss Bishop, let’s not be rash-”

“Rash?” I ask, placing a hand on my chest in feigned offense. “Now, that doesn’t sound like me, does it, Lily?”

Lily shakes her head. “Not at all, __________.”

“No, sir. We just came… to talk.” I coo, sitting down on his desk. Sighing, I look around the room and tap my nail against the wood of his desk. “It’s a beautiful office you have here, Mister Richardson.”

“T- thank you, Miss… Miss Bishop.”

“Unfortunately, there are others that don’t have the same luxuries,” I sigh again. “Those women out there included.”

“It’s truly unfortunate-”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it? ...however, Madame Fortune did smile on them when they were… so graciously given work at this factory. Families were fed, houses were kept, food was bought, children cared for… Isn’t that right, Lily?”

“Twenty-five families. Forty kids.”

I whistle, raising my eyebrows as I get to my feet. Slowly, I stalk the decorated walls of his office. My fingernail trails down various gaudy declarations of wealth and prestige. “That’s quite a few people,” I hum, “None of them are quite happy with this… change in employment, I’m sure.”

“Miss Bishop-”

“I could only imagine how many pissed-off family members are on their way right now- not to mention how many children are wondering just where their next meal is coming from.”

“Miss Bishop, please-”

“What is it, Mister Richardson?” I ask, peeking out of his window to look down at the crowd out front.

“These soldiers-”

“Rejected soldiers, yes. Go on.”

“They’re… they demand their jobs back and-”

“Mmhm,” I hum, “But if I remember correctly, you’re understaffed.”

“Well, yes, but the men. They… they’d rather not… they’d rather not work with…”

“With what, Mister Richardson? Spit it out.”

“With… women.”

My head falls back with laughter. As my laughter dies down, I wipe a tear off my face. “A- apologies,” I mumble, “I just… I… I think that’s absolutely hilarious. They come in here and demand- sorry... beg- for their jobs back and tell you they won’t work with women? Are you… not the boss, Mister Richardson?”

“Well, no-”

“So you call the shots, yes? And you set the conditions under which your employees work?”

“Yes, but-”

“So you’re understaffed with all those women working out there so why not... add the men back to their original positions? Lily can retrain the women working those positions since I understand that men can’t be nearly as… versatile as we can.”

“Well, the men-”

“Ah yes,” I mumble, tapping my finger on my chin. “I forgot. A bunch of rejected soldiers refuse to work amongst women. They must not need the work then. Mister Richardson, wasn’t it you who said… oh, what was it… Lily?”

“‘A man starved cannot turn his nose up at bread’.”

“Thank you, darling,” I smile, winking at her. Turning back to Richardson, my face turns to stone. “Was that not you?”

“...it was.”

“Are you not a man of your word? Oh dear…”

Richardson goes quiet.

Lily opens her mouth to speak but I wave her off- watching as Richardson’s face twitches in thought. The handkerchief held tightly in his hand is damp and his knuckles white. Sweat drips down his face, even in the coolness of the day.

Scared of a nurse and a factory worker.

As he should be.

“...tell the girls their break is over,” Richardson says quietly. “And bring the men up here. I… I have some changes to our agreement I’d like to discuss.”

Lamplight flickers overhead as our steps echo down the lonely street. Puddles have formed in scattered sections of the road and sidewalk. The smell of rain is ever-present. Steve is up in front of us, walking alongside the date Bucky had arranged for him. She’s sweet- a little ditzy and blunt but… she didn’t look at Steve any different than she did Bucky or I so…

I just want him to be happy.

“You’re thinkin’ too hard again,” Bucky mumbles, nudging me with his elbow as we walk down the street. “What’s plaguin’ ya this time?”

“Nothin’, Buck,” I laugh, rolling my eyes.

“Ya might cut me with that lie, Doll,” he teases, “C’mon… you can tell me what’s on that pretty mind’a yours.”

“...nothing, Buck.”

“Is it the committee? The Women’s Committee?”

“No.”

“What about the girls at the factory?-”

“They’ll be okay,” I say quietly, watching as Steve turns bright red after his date compliments his suit. “They can handle themselves pretty well- especially with Lily there.”

“Okay, then,” Bucky mumbles, “What is it?”

“Why do ya wanna know so bad?” I ask with a small laugh, eyes sliding over to him.

Bucky smirks, laughs, and shakes his head. His eyes turn down to the sidewalk before another huffing laugh passes his lips. “‘Cause I worry ‘bout you, Doll.”

“You always worry about me,” I tease, nudging him with my elbow. “Ever since you two found me in that alleyway… fending for my life against those assholes... always worryin’ about me.”

“Can’t help it,” he says quietly, “I love you, Doll.”

“I love you, too, Buck,” I whisper back. I can still feel his eyes on my back before I turn to face him. “But you can stop worrying… I’m twenty-five years old and you’ve been worryin’ since I was eight- you can take a break now.”

Bucky stops. I stop and turn to face him again, eyebrows furrowing as I look at him. He’s just… staring. Unwavering. Just staring right through me. A small shiver runs down my spine- not fear, just… anxiety. Like the kind when someone’s going through your stuff and you don’t want them to find something. But… what do I not want him to find…?

Finally, Bucky smiles crookedly- all cocky and broken at the same time- before clicking his heels together and shaking his head with laughter. “You’re so smart… why… why can’t you figure this out? It’s… all laid out for ya. Just… figure it out already...”

“What’s that supposed t’mean?” I snap, eyebrow shooting into an arch. “I’ve figured it out already, Buck-”

“That’s not what I mean,” he mumbles, stepping forward and pressing his lips to my forehead. Bucky lingers there for a moment- does he? I could be imagining things- before he pulls away with a sigh. “You don’t get what I mean.”

...what is he talking about?

“Bucky!” I yell, running after him as he catches up with Steve. “Bucky, c’mon, tell me what you mean!”

“There’s no fun in that!” He yells back, “You’ve gotta learn for yourself!”

“Miss Bishop!”

My ears perk up and I dart around the corner of the nurses’ station to the Doctor’s office. Doctor Nachtnebel looks up at me over his glasses as I hurry in. “Yes, Doctor?” I hum, smoothing my hands down my skirt.

“Close the door,” he rasps with a slight German accent. “Drafty.”

I do as he says as he gets up, adjusting his glasses as he looks down at the papers in his weathered hands. The folders have streaks of jet-black ink crossing out the more ‘delicate’ information restricted from the wandering eyes of nurses. But if you’re lucky, you can snatch a glance every now and then as the Doctor crosses the lines out.

“Miss Bishop,” the doctor says quietly, pacing slowly towards me. “...may I be frank?”

“...of course, sir,” I mumble, eyebrows furrowing as he stops in front of me. His light eyes- one blue and one grey- scan my face as a hand comes to massage his drooping jaw. Slowly, he inhales raggedly. “...is… is something wrong, sir?” I ask as I take a step forward.

“That remains… to be seen,” he mutters, turning away and placing his hand on his desk. “Miss Bishop, do you recall the project I asked your assistance on?”

I do. He had called me into his office late one night, told me to shut the door and sat me down to discuss a project he had been recruited to assist in. Some serum- the details were few and hazy. The government wanted it created, produced, tested, and perfected. Human testing is scheduled to start next week, should the higher-ups approve the tests done on various animals.

I nod with a small smile. “Did they approve human testing?”

Doctor Nachtnebel scoffs and shakes his head. He rubs a hand down his face then back up and into his hair. “No… No, Miss Bishop, they did not.”

My shoulders slump a bit. I was there for a solid part of the project. Not the testing, unfortunately, but the formula design and tweaking of chemicals and such- I was there. This had become something I grew proud of. “...oh,” I whisper, eyes settling on the floor. “I’m… I’m sorry, Doctor.”

“...so am I,” he mumbles. “Miss Bishop, you… you gave me permission to be frank,” he says, turning back to face me. He looks down his glasses at me- eyes blinking slowly. “Do you still permit me?”

I nod.

“Oh good,” Doctor Nachtnebel hums with a small smile. “Miss Bishop…” he sighs, shaking his head as he looks back down at his hands. My eyes follow his and land on a single syringe filled with a thick blue liquid.

“Miss Bishop,” he says again quietly, “I am sorry.”

“Sorry for-”

He cuts me off, lunging and grabbing me by the face. Wrapping his arm around my mouth, he tugs me to him. I scream- something muffled by the hand held tight against my face. Something pricks my neck as my eyes wildly flick towards the pain. The syringe slowly begins injecting liquid into me. Like blue fire, it singes under my skin and writhes through my veins.

I let out another scream as I thrash in his hold. He’s strong- much stronger than he looks. Fingers dig into my waist and back, holding me almost completely still as I try to get away. Pain slips into every inch of my body and lights every section on fire.

“I am sorry, Miss Bishop,” the doctor mutters through gritted teeth. “I did like you… I just… have other allegiances.”

The doctor leans into my ear as another scream tears out of my lungs. “...hail HYDRA, Miss Bishop.”

Cold.

Cold and hot and empty and full.

My eyes glide around the room. Empty. Left to die.

Freezing. Shivering, biting cold.

I’m alone. The clinic closed until tomorrow.

Doctor. Doctor- that traitor.

My limbs are not my own. Weighed down with fatigue, I can barely move my neck.

Sweat beads down every inch of me and drips onto the tile floor. My clothes stick to my skin and my body burns with heat. I can see faint traces of it on the tile.

Help. I need help.

My mouth is dry- too dry to even crack open.

Slowly, I push my hands under my chest.

Up. Get up.

Up.

Get. Up.

I’m on my knees now. Sweat is slicking down my arms.

Pants leave my lips as I stare lazily at the doorknob.

Steve. Bucky.

My hand reaches out and slips off the knob. My body falls forward and I collide with the tile once again.

I’m going to die here.

Something creaks outside. The doctor. He’s back. Here to check on the serum’s progress.

It’s still a test for him.

“Doll?”

Bucky.

Energy surges through me as I hear his steps hesitantly get closer.

“Doll, you here?”

“B-” I stop, straining as I try to get to my knees again. “Bucky.” His name leaves my lips like a crackling groan. Barely noticeable.

“...Dollface, c’mon, this ain’t funny. Come home... It’s late.”

“Buck,” I groan again, clutching my sides as they start to clench and pulse. “Bucky!” I yell, my voice snapping like wood in a fire.

His footsteps come running towards the door. As the door swings open, my body devours the cool air blown in. It sends chills down every inch of me but I know how bad my fever is.

“Clothes,” I whimper, fisting the drenched fabric in my hands. “Clothes.”

“Doll, what… what happened?!” Bucky yells, dropping down to my side. His hand cups under my neck. “...you’re burnin’ up.”

“Clothes,” I whisper, my hands now shaking. “Please.”

Bucky scans my eyes and then nods frantically, gripping my shirt and tugging it over my head gently. My body seizes with tremors as the air hits me. Bucky immediately reaches back for the shirt- only for my hand to reach out and grab his wrist. “No.” I shake harshly, eyes rolling back into my head. “Hos... hospital.”

“Okay… okay, yeah, Doll, I can do that. I can do that.” Bucky says quietly, nodding to himself. “Okay, yeah. Yeah, let’s go. C’mon, Doll. Let’s go.”

“...don’t know…”

“...nothing we can…”

“...it won’t be long… gave her sedatives to help...”

“Bullshit!”

“Sir-”

“No! You go in there ‘nd you fix her!”

“Buck, calm-”

“No, Steve! They’re… they’re frauds! ...fix her, dammit!”

“Bucky,” I call softly, swallowing hard as my eyes swim around. Nothing’s in focus- all of it just colors and vague shapes. “Steve?”

Two pairs of footsteps run towards me. Colored silhouettes drift over me and I feel someone cup my face, a thumb rubbing my cheek. My body melts into the touch as someone else grips my hand. “Boys,” I mumble with a lucid smile. “My boys…”

“Heya Doll,” Bucky rasps, “...they’re… they’re gonna fix ya up all nice ‘nd good, alright? You’re… you’re gonna be just fine, Doll.”

I laugh quietly, “...Stevie… what’d they actually say?” I watch as the darker silhouette on my right slightly looks toward the lighter silhouette. “...stop threatening… him, Buck. Let the… let the kid answer.”

Steve grips my hand tighter. “...they, uh... they don’t… they don’t know how to stop the fever.”

“...how much have they given me?” I ask, blinking slowly. My eyelids feel like weights.

“Enough for four people,” Steve answers. I can hear the shake in his voice. Feel the tears landing on my skin.

“But you’re gonna be fine, Doll,” Bucky says quietly. “You’re gonna be okay ‘nd you’re gonna let me take ya on that date.”

“Okay, Buck,” I whisper, my eyelids falling shut. “We’ll… we can go on that date. I’ll… I’ll wear… that new red dress that… you like.”

“Hey, you keep those eyes open, kid,” Bucky snaps, tapping my cheek with his hand.

My eyes slide open and I can feel my chapped lips tug up into a smile. “...I’m so tired, boys.”

“I know but you gotta stay awake, alright?” Bucky whispers, his voice snapping and cracking. I can feel the tears landing on my face as his hand strokes my face and hair.

I know what this is. Endgame. The point of no return. They’ve pumped me so full of drugs they’ll just be killing me faster if they put any more in me. I can feel it, too. Something softly crawling up my legs and body under my skin- like a hum. A gentle relaxation unlike anything. The deepest sleep.

It’s over.

“Steve,” I mumble, “You take care’a him- keep those ditzy broads outta his hair... alright?”

“...okay… okay, __________,” he whispers, his grip growing tighter as I hear him stifle sobs. “I’ll do that.”

“‘nd... Bucky-”

“No,” he snaps, “No, no. No. You stop... talkin’ like that, kid. Stop it, Doll. You’re gonna be okay- you stop it.”

“Bucky, please,” I whisper, feeling my eyes close again. “It’s… Just… take my hand. Please?”

“No. No, I’m… I’m not gonna do that, Doll, you just stay awake. Stay awake!”

“Bucky, please,” I whimper as my eyes slide open. I can’t see anything- just them and black. “I… I don’t wanna go alone. I… I need you two with me.”

“__________, you shut your mouth right now. Stop it.”

“Bucky, take her hand.”

“Shut up, Steve,” Bucky snaps. “I’m… I’m gonna… I’m gonna get help. I’m getting you help, Doll. Okay? I’m gonna be back with help. You’re gonna be okay.”

“Bucky,” I whisper, tears streaming down my face.

The hum has reached my chest as I watch the darker silhouette pull away. Steve turns, yelling for Bucky to get back here and pleading for him with broken sobs.

“Bucky,” I call, sobs wracking my body as only the light colors of Steve stay in vision. “Bucky, please…”

A single tear passes my eyelid as my breath stills.

There’s only one thought on my mind as sound, light, color, and shape fade.

I love you, boys.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes #steve rogers #ocs #angst #yeah another cliffhanger #series #chapter one #marvel #marvel fanfiction

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newstfionline · 4 years ago

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Monday, September 13, 2021

UN chief: World is at `pivotal moment’ (AP) U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a dire warning that the world is moving in the wrong direction and faces “a pivotal moment” where continuing business as usual could lead to a breakdown of global order and a future of perpetual crisis. Changing course could signal a breakthrough to a greener and safer future, he said. The U.N. chief said the world’s nations and people must reverse today’s dangerous trends and choose “the breakthrough scenario.” The world is under “enormous stress” on almost every front, he said, and the COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call demonstrating the failure of nations to come together and take joint decisions to help all people in the face of a global life-threatening emergency. Guterres said this “paralysis” extends far beyond COVID-19 to the failures to tackle the climate crisis and “our suicidal war on nature and the collapse of biodiversity,” the “unchecked inequality” undermining the cohesion of societies, and technology’s advances “without guard rails to protect us from its unforeseen consequences.” In other signs of a more chaotic and insecure world, he pointed to rising poverty, hunger and gender inequality after decades of decline, the extreme risk to human life and the planet from nuclear war and a climate breakdown, and the inequality, discrimination and injustice bringing people into the streets to protest.

World marks 20th anniversary of 9/11 (AP) The world solemnly marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 on Saturday, remembering the dead, invoking the heroes and taking stock of the aftermath just weeks after the bloody end of the Afghanistan war that was launched in response to the terror attacks. Victims’ relatives and four U.S. presidents paid respects at the sites where hijacked planes killed nearly 3,000 people in the deadliest act of terrorism on American soil. Others gathered for observances from Portland, Maine, to Guam, or for volunteer projects on what has become a day of service in the U.S. Foreign leaders expressed sympathy over an attack that happened in the U.S. but claimed victims from more than 90 countries.

Phony diagnoses are hiding high rates of drugging at nursing homes (NYT) The risks to patients treated with antipsychotics—which understaffed nursing homes have often used as “chemical straitjackets”—are so high that nursing homes must report to the government how many of their residents are on these potent medications. But there is an important caveat: The government doesn’t publicly divulge the use of antipsychotics given to residents with schizophrenia or two other conditions. A Times investigation found a pattern of questionable schizophrenia diagnoses nationwide. The result: The government and the industry are obscuring the true rate of antipsychotic drug use on vulnerable residents. The share of residents with a schizophrenia diagnosis has increased to 11 percent from less than 7 percent since 2012. At least 21 percent of nursing home residents are on antipsychotic drugs.

Tropical Storm Nicholas forms in Gulf of Mexico (AP) Tropical Storm Nicholas strengthened as it headed for the Gulf Coast on Sunday, threatening heavy rain and floods in coastal areas of Texas, Mexico and Louisiana. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said tropical storm warnings were issued for coastal Texas and the northeast coast of Mexico. Nicholas is expected to produce total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters), with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches, across portions of coastal Texas into southwest Louisiana on Sunday through midweek. The storm was expected to bring the heaviest rainfall west of where Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana two weeks ago.

Britain decides against vaccine passports (AP) Britain’s health secretary said Sunday that authorities have decided not to require vaccine passports for entry into nightclubs and other crowded events in England, reversing course amid opposition from some of the Conservative government’s supporters in Parliament. Sajid Javid said the government has shelved the idea of vaccine passports for now but could reconsider the decision if COVID-19 cases rise exponentially once again. The U-turn came just days after the government’s vaccines minister and the culture secretary suggested that vaccine passports would still be necessary, despite growing opposition from lawmakers. Such passports are required in other European countries, like France. Members of the governing Conservative Party have objected to such passports as an unacceptable burden on businesses and an infringement on residents’ human rights.

Thousands of Catalans rally for independence in Barcelona (Reuters) Thousands of Catalans chanted, sang and waved flags as they marched through Barcelona on Saturday, calling for the region’s independence from Spain. The march, organised by the grassroots Assemblea Nacional Catalana ANC, was the first since Spain’s government pardoned nine Catalan separatist leaders who had been jailed for their role in a 2017 botched bid for independence, which was Spain’s biggest political crisis in decades. Most marchers wore face coverings. Police said about 108,000 people took part. ANC put the figure close to 400,000. The protests took place at a moment of lower tension between Barcelona and Madrid than in past years as the central and regional governments favour dialogue despite their opposing views on independence.

In Hungary, pope meets PM Orban, his political opposite (Reuters) Pope Francis arrived in Hungary early on Sunday, starting an unusually short stay that underlines differences with his political opposite, nationalist and anti-immigrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Francis, 84, who is spending only seven hours in the capital Budapest, went directly from the airport to a private meeting with Orban and President Janos Ader in the Museum of Fine Arts. Unlike nearly every other papal trip, there was no live television coverage of the preliminary greetings or the photo opportunities that usually precede and follow such meetings. The pope is making the brief Budapest stop to say a Mass closing an international Roman Catholic meeting, known as an International Eucharist Congress. On Sunday afternoon he moves on to Slovakia, where he will stay much longer, visiting four cities before returning to Rome on Wednesday.

Nine-cent taxi rides in rural South Korea are a “godsend.” (NYT) In 2013, Seocheon County faced a crisis. As its population declined, so did the number of bus passengers, which led to unprofitable routes being canceled, stranding those in remote hamlets who did not own cars. The county’s solution? The 100-won taxi. (Longer routes cost 1,500 won, or about $1.30.) Anyone whose hamlet is more than 2,300 feet from a bus stop can call one, and the county picks up the rest of the fare. The taxis carried nearly 40,000 passengers last year, which cost the county $147,000. Since the 100-won taxi was introduced, people in remote villages have traveled outside twice as often, according to a government survey. More than 2.7 million passengers used similar taxi services in rural South Korea last year.

Strong typhoon cuts power, causes flooding in northern Philippines (Reuters) Several communities remain flooded and without power after a strong typhoon battered the Philippines’ northernmost islands, the authorities said on Sunday, displacing thousands of people. Typhoon Chanthu, which at one point was categorised by the Philippine weather bureau as a category 5 storm, has weakened after powering into the northernmost region, including the Batanes island group, on Saturday, the weather bureau said. “It’s one of the strongest typhoons I’ve felt,” said Dennis Ballesteros Valdez, a resident of Sabtang town in the province of Batanes, which is often pummelled by powerful typhoons. Some 20 typhoons hit the Philippines on average each year, according to the weather authorities.

Taliban flag rises over seat of power on fateful anniversary (AP) The Taliban raised their flag over the Afghan presidential palace Saturday, a spokesman said, as the U.S. and the world marked the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The white banner, emblazoned with a Quranic verse, was hoisted by Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the prime minister of the Taliban interim government, in a low-key ceremony. In a tweet, Afghanistan’s first president to follow the 2001 collapse of the Taliban, Hamid Karzai, called for “peace and stability” and expressed the hope that the new caretaker Cabinet that included no women and no non-Taliban would become an “inclusive government that can be the real face of the whole Afghanistan.”

Death and suffering in Iraq a painful legacy of 9/11 attacks (AP) Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. But the terrorist attacks in the United States changed forever the lives of Iraqis. In their aftermath, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, swiftly deposing the Taliban regime that had been sheltering Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al-Qaida terror network blamed for the attacks. But it was not long before President George W. Bush shifted his attention to Iraq, identifying it, along with Iran and North Korea, as part of an “axis of evil” and asserting that its brutal dictator, Saddam Hussein, was armed with weapons of mass destruction and had ties to al-Qaida. No evidence of either was found. What followed was a U.S.-led invasion of a country in the heart of the Middle East that spurred a decade of war, with consequences that reverberate across the region to this day. After decades of conflict, Iraq today has a relatively stable government, and the car bombings, suicide attacks and death squads have subsided. But the economy is in tatters, its infrastructure is crumbling and corruption is rampant. The government, with its fractious politics, is unable to control the dozens of powerful Iran-backed militias that wield enormous control.

#headlines #news

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anonymousllo · 6 years ago

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★ Chapter 001

It was an airy evening, an evening that was filled with nothing but bright feels. Though the sun was set just beyond the walls, inside was the opposite of the sky that everyone were too fond of. The soft sound of violins feeling the secluded area and the added on bass that strummed through to meet with the melody that met the ears of those that were around. As the chattering that echoed throughout the large room went on for as long as hours, so did the rising responsibility of the Lim organization that hosted this gathering that had those on the upper end of Seoul speaking about, for weeks.

“AND.. I plan on taking the throne to the family’s organization and later convert this organization to the needs of what would bring forth the future thoughts and regulations of the terms of what it would mean to run one.” Quite confident and assured of her dedication and thoughtful commands, the brunette sends off a small spoken smile that catches the attention of the taller male that stood on the opposite end of her. With an eyebrow raised, he was immersed by the wonders of this one string that she held onto that was set in the sights of a nearing future that was yet confirmed. “Is that so? I never knew that your goal would be to move forward with the same expectations of her mother. If I had known that, we definitely would’ve had this talk a long time ago.”

Mr. Kim was one of the most foresee owners that were known to the upper class that ever had a possibility of facing off with such an intellectual, as himself. The brunette knew her battle, knew her stances and knew the fight that would be given with ever trying to take on someone as powerful as him but she was no let down.

“Heavens, of course!” A fanned hand found itself hovering over her chest as if in mere surprise that someone would doubt her future, her structure and the things that were set for a family that she proudly represented. “Taehyung will be taking over Kim Industry when the time comes, as for my hope to bring both establishments on this end to a complete step up to a game that has yet started.”

Chuckling at his statement as if it were a joke, as if it were something that he purposely say for the stance of satire and comedy. She was amused. “You’re kidding me, right?” “Areum—”

“Taehyung has merely the ability to tie his own shoes. What fortune could he possibly bring to the future of Kim Industry?”

As if expected, Mr. Kim lets a soft chuckle slip, quite interested in the words she had played out for his decision towards business affairs. It was tricky of him to bring up such a topic that would rile up the brunette that was more than disgusted by the idea of ever having to work alongside someone who she could barely manage to breathe the same air as.

Too indulged in the thought of a scenario that prayed would not take place, she was unaware to the taller figure that hovered over her body. As uneasy as Mr. Kim was beginning to feel, he knew that this would cause a scene and it would definitely not be one that he would want to be around for. “Talking about me behind my back is something that I’d expect from you, but to speak about me while I’m behind your back, is pretty bold.”

God, she thought to herself. With a small curve of her head and a motioned roll of her eyes, she slowly turns to face the deep and carrying tone that belonged to the one person who she was not expecting to see in such a place. Disturbed was an understatement but to surprised and curious as to his presence at an event that was not his style, was definitely an overstatement for her to process.

“Oh, how rude of me. I would have said it to your face, if I had known that your tongue was rightfully in your mouth where it should be and not down the throat of some girl.”

With nothing more to say, she politely excuses herself from the two that made her feel oddly intimidated with a degree of tension and made her way off past Taehyung, as his eyes slowly trailed behind her figure before returning to the sight of his father that held a blank stare with no satisfaction to it.

A sigh is released from his parted lips, as if already interpreting the conversation that would be taken place in the back of a hollowed out vehicle that would end with an angry remark from both of them, he had to remove himself from the situation. It was a talk that he was in no mood to have and if disappearing from sights of him for the rest of the night was a way to escape it, it was a risk he was willing to take.

Areum was heavily bothered by the turn of events, the false information that led for her embarrassment and departure from a conversation that could’ve actually be better for her in means of the company, she was ready to address the odd appearance from someone that was not welcomed. With her heels clicking and clacking against the hardwood floor, she found herself flying through the crowd. When her eyes landed on the cheese fountain that stood six feet tall in the center of the room, she knew that the person she was searching for would be in that very spot, as guests were constantly leading their way towards the amazement of an inclusion that left so many baffled.

Her laced covered hand grips the forearm of the shorter female that had her back to her, as if forcing her to turn in a forged manner. The shorter female was taken back by the sudden contact, the chip that was once in the grip of her hand, laying on the silk red table spread that was in front of her. “You!”

“Me..” Her finger is dangled back at herself, confused by the annotation that made no sense to her. “Yes, you! You told me that a certain someone wouldn’t be making an appearance but he did. Explain yourself.”

Her ears were flared with flames, her cheeks were prodded with redness. Anger was a clear read to her features that sent a bunch of red flags that left the raven quite unsure of the selection of words that she would use to calm Areum of her distress. “He told me that he wasn’t going to come but maybe there was a change of plans?” Areum’s interest in the velocity of this specific male was clueless to the opposing girl but it was none of her concern if she held any kind of distaste towards those that crossed her path. “Why does it matter?”

“It matters because a wild animal has found itself in a setting that they weren’t welcomed to.”

“Well, he actually was- his father, that is.”

When there is no response from the heated and blazed girl, a sigh is released from the girl as she slowly places her palms on the freed skin of Areum’s collarbone, eyes locked onto hers. “It is not about him. We have every other day to talk about the wonders of his existence but tonight is not the night. Tonight is in honor of your mother and her success to the company that she has rightfully claimed as her own. You are here to stand by your mother and support her for her hard work and dedication.”

She’s right, as a simple thought would have been justified but as much as she should’ve said it, it was not something that she would like to proudly admit. Admitting to someone else’s rights would be definitely an advantage to her and she would not let that guard down, regardless of who it was. “Taeran..”

A hum is corresponded to the mention of her name, arms falling back to her side, in hopes of conveying her dear friend of the speculations that would arise if it were seen that her despise for another person had overcome her means of even appearing during this very important night. “How dare you leave the house wearing 2012 Jimmy Choos with that Chiara Boni La Petite Robe?”

As if her hopes her already been sky high, Taeran sinks her teeth into the bottom of her lip, doing her very best at keeping any unnecessary comments to herself. “I’m glad that I was able to make you feel better.”

Learning from her previous years and endless counts of experience in the field of being friends with Areum, she was aware of the challenges, the destruction and comments that were always flooding the mind of said brunette. At a given point, one that she was unaware of, had she grown resistant to the behavior of her friend that would typically bother another person. There were no doubt that often it would become quite old.

If there were a saying towards things that grew old with no manifestation in having it stop, it would be used in more ways than one. With certain people, some things never die out and it was both a blessing and a curse to those specific people.

“You’re kidding right now, right?”

Across from the room, just in the corner near the restrooms, stood a very subtle and yet confused brunette, whose arms were crossed over her chest in a roundabout way. To say the least, she was very embarrassed by the act that was being pulled by the person that she called her mother. Her eyes danced around the vacant area, making sure that no one was obvious to the tragedy of an entrance that could now be marked as a show.

“I left my gift in the car, I need to run back and get it.”

The older woman was currently rummaging through her bag, items falling from it’s contents and even pouring out onto the floor as quick swifts of movements were made to pick them back up. The usual was what Fae liked to call it, along with the rare to many slips up that had others staring at them in such shock.

As her mother was quick to turn on her hides and head back to the direction in which they entered from, she was greeted with a warm hug and gesture towards chattering and a glass of wine, is what they would call it. “Mom, I’ll get it. Don’t worry about it.” Her mother was grateful towards the honoring duty before she strolls away with what seemed like a dreadful push.

Her Saturday's were not meant to be spent this way. She planned an evening on the sofa while laughing at wacky cartoons that would be better satisfying than some ball touch gown throw down, where she doesn’t know more than half of the people in the setting. If anything, her worry was allowing her mother to travel alone and fall into a massive pit of anxiety due to the various contracts and tense representation of competition that flooded that one particular room.

It would be an understatement to say that she cherished her mother but often she wondered where she would be without her assistance. With her hand falling down to grab the access trail of clothing that was dragging against the concrete below her feet, her pace was fast when being outside at such an hour with no single soul in sight. Nights like these were her absolute favorite, with only the sound of the wind howling through the night sky with no distractions to disturb her from absorbing the beauty around her. Being in it? Not her cup of tea.

Beep beep, sounds the car alarm to unlock the door as she finds herself climbing through the back seats, searching for one turquoise bag that would have been laying about. Aha, with her determination to find the decorated bag, she managed to get a hold of it and now found herself fixing the crinkled parts of her dress, not surprised that she managed to mess up the dress that her mother worked on getting fitted for her.

After closing the door and respectfully locking it, she starts her way back in the direction of which she came for, crossing pack across the path and heading towards the large building that was filled with upper end business associates.

Beep!

Her attention is averted towards the flashing lights that has come into view, fear now is present on her face as the wheels of the moving vehicle comes to a stop just an inch away from her. She jumps back, shock can be described as a lower accessory to her features. She must have been so stuck in her thoughts to now be aware of the male that pops from the driver’s side of the car, anger is heard in his tone.

“Are you crazy!?”

Now laying her umber eyes on the blonde that could barely be made out, due to the lights that clouded her vision, she squints. “Who speeds down a narrow road like that? Are you crazy?” Was her instinct reply as the blonde now walks over to her, the image now more noticeable.

“Are you hurt?” He asks, her judgement now unsure. Not even having the opportunity to respond fully, he groans. “Thank god.. I have better reasons to spend my money on, something that doesn’t conclude a clueless girl.”

He..

Fae was stuck by the clarification of his words and his unintended care that turned into a one sided complaint that could have possibly left her in a casket and him, in a court room and hopefully behind bars. He doesn’t hesitate to hop back into his car and screech out of the scene as if nothing had just happened.

“What the hell did he just say?”

#bts #jeon #jungkook #kim #taehyung #v #park #jimin #namjoon #joon #rapmonster #fanfiction

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namorthesubmariner · 7 years ago

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Namor the Sub-Mariner Comic Rec List

Namor the Sub-Mariner has been around since the beginning of comics. A Golden Age Character, the first Anti- Hero in comics, and the first hero to ever fly was created by Bill Everett in 1939. The Sub-Mariner was the character that changed comics, this was a character who could not be easily defined as good or bad, a character who was more complex than any other at the time, and who had very real human emotions. A book I very much recommend reading is:

Fire and Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner, & the Birth of Marvel comics.

Without the Bill and the Sub-Mariner then I feel comics, in my opinion, would have been very different today and may even have not lasted as a way of storytelling. Yet where does one start? With almost 80 years of comic history this can be difficult, well here is a Namor the Sub- Mariner Recommendation List to help you dip your toes in the water. I have tried to stick to comics I felt were best to get to know the character so the list does jump around a bit and is not in complete chronological order.

Also here is two links to posts that I made that may help:

In Remembrance of Bill Everett: LINK

Namor the Sub-Mariner Summary: LINK

Namor the Sub-Mariner Comic Rec List:

1. Sub-Mariner Comics 70th Anniversary Special (2009)

This is a comic that I usually recommend as a good way to get into the Subby Fandom. It comes with three stories, including a remastered copy of the Original Very First Sub-Mariner Comic (1939) by Bill Everett. A must read!

2. Captain America and Namor (#635.1) (2012)

Captain America and Bucky (#622) (2011)

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (#2-4) (1998)

All Winners Comics Anniversary Special (2009)

One of the major things about Namor is his time with the Invaders: Captain America, the Original Human Torch, Toro, Bucky Barnes, and others. These comics explore some of those times and are a very high recommended read.

3. Namor the First Mutant (2010)

This comic series is really a good way to get to see the Namor in his own environment as a ruler of his people. Also is one of the more modern recent series that explores the character.

4. Marvels (1994); Tales of the Marvels: Inner Demons (1996); The Marvels Project (2009)

I’m going to be honest here and just say that every chance I get I try to chuck Marvels (1994) at people because it’s one of my favorite books. I love the art and while there is only a small focus on Namor as it details the history of Marvel as told by a reporter it is such a good book. Also Tales of the Marvels (1996) is told in the same way but through the eyes of a homeless drunk who had befriended Namor during the years that Namor had amnesia and lived on the streets of New York. The Marvels Project (2009) again this comic is told by another person during the golden age of heroes. The Angel narrates the rise of superheroes in this great comic.

5. Defenders (2001); Defenders (2005); Fear Itself: The Deep (2011); Defenders (2012)

These comics mainly revolve around the Defenders, and is the more recent times that the Defenders got together other than the first main series: The Defenders (1972)

6. Sub-Mariner (2007)

Namor tries to reveal who has been killing surface dwellers in the name of Atlantis while facing opposition on all sides.

7. Saga of the Sub-Mariner (1988)

You want a condensed history of Namor and everything that happened to him? This is what you should read, this comic series summarizes everything up until that point in the comics.

8. Marvel Mystery Comics (1939) and Sub-Mariner Comics (1941)

(numbers 8 – 15 will be in the order they were released)

This is the Golden Age Namor series and full of golden age comic stuff.

9. Fantastic Four (#4 and #6) (1961)

This is Namor’s reintroduction to comics after being shelved for years, and his first appearance in the Silver Age. Also the first time that Namor and Doctor Doom work together.

10. Uncanny X-Men (#6) (1963)

Magneto attempts to recruit Namor to join the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!

11. Daredevil (#7) (1964)

Namor journeys to the surface world to hire Nelson and Murdock to sue the Human Race! The very first time that The Sub- Mariner meet and this is also the first cross over with two of Bill Everett’s creations, Bill Everett was the co-creator of Daredevil along with Stan Lee.

12. Tales to Astonish (Starting at #70)(1959)

Sharing a comic with the Hulk you get Namor returning from the surface world (Daredevil) to deal with the perils of being a Prince of Atlantis!

13. The Sub-Mariner (1968)

The Silver Age Sub-Mariner Comic, this is standard for every fan to read, and also for the first time in years after not having written Namor since the Golden Age, Bill Everett returns in the 50th issue.

14. Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner (1984)

Namor travels to the surface world to attempt to make peace with the UN.

15. Namor the Sub-Mariner (1990)

This is the 90’s Namor comic full of bugling muscles, tiny speedos, ponytails, and other things that made the 90’s well the 90’s. This comic is a hit and miss, not my preferred comic but should be included on the list. It starts out with a great story line, Namor tries to live in the surface world and run his company Oracle Inc. however I feel the story often changes and quality of the comic does decline over the series. This comic ends up leading into the marvel cross over event: Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising (1995) (end of comics in order)

16. Invaders reading list:

Golden Age Invaders: All Winners Comics (1941)

Giant Size Invaders (1975)

These are the comics I think of when I talk about the invaders and it consists mainly of Captain America, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Bucky, Toro, Human Torch.

After Giant Sized Invaders we get the main series:

Invaders (1975)

Invaders (1993)

New Invaders (2004) the art is not that great but the Jim and Namor moments are worth it.

Avengers/Invaders (2008) has the younger Invaders sent to the future and its cool to see them interact with future heroes. I rec this if you want to get more with the newer comics.

Invaders Now (2010) comes right after that one and is pretty good as they have to face something from their past.

Then finally All New Invaders (2014) which is best if you want the most recent Invaders though you do have different members and bonus you get Old Man Steve too.

You also get some Invaders stuff whenever people have to go back to the past in their own comics like in Thunderbolts (1997) #163-165.

17. Sub-Mariner the Depths

I can’t not rec this comic, I love how creepy and scary they made Namor here and this story is told by a man who doesn’t believe in Atlantis. However be warned that there is very little Namor in this comic since he is more of a looming presence.

18. What if? Sub-Mariner

What if Prince Namor of Atlantis grew up on land? This is a AU comic and one that I would suggest reading if you can.

Namor has been a part of many teams including the All Winners, Invaders, the Defenders, Avengers, X-Men, the Cabal, and has been a part of the Phoenix Five. This is just a more Namor/Invaders based reading list and not one that dives into those teams very much. He also has many cameos in other comics and I still have not read everything with the Sub-Mariner in it and you do not have to read anything in order unless you wish to. I hope that this list helps anyone who wishes to read more about Namor the Sub-Mariner. This List will be updated in the future and added to as well.

#namor #namor the sub-mariner #namor mckenzie #marvel comics #comic rec list #bill everett #long post

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yesterdaysdreams · 4 years ago

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Ponds, reservoirs could host floating solar in space-constrained Massachusetts

By Sarah Shemkus, Energy News Network

A new joint venture between Boston-based BlueWave Solar and European photovoltaics firm Ciel et Terre is poised to bring floating solar panels to the ponds and reservoirs of Massachusetts for the first time. Supporters say the plan has the potential to mitigate ongoing concerns about finding enough space for clean energy development.

“This is an opportunity to site solar a lot more responsibly going forward,” said Mike Marsch, principal and head of solar development at BlueWave. “We think it’s an incredibly elegant and responsible way to use land.”

BlueWave has a history of building community solar projects and so-called “dual-use” installations, in which solar panels sit over active agricultural fields. Ciel et Terre, based in France, is a pioneer in the floating solar sector. The company introduced Hydrelio, a modular floating photovoltaic system, in 2012. In 2017, it launched a U.S.-based development arm, Laketricity.

Together they intend to develop floating solar projects atop human-made bodies of water such as storage ponds, water treatment plants, quarries, and reservoirs in Massachusetts and, eventually, the entire Northeast. Laketricity will contribute technology and on-the-ground experience, while BlueWave will share its extensive knowledge of the Massachusetts clean energy market and the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program (SMART), which provides incentives to encourage solar development.

“It’s great to have a local expert who’s familiar with the SMART program,” said George Wissing, senior project developer for Laketricity. “It helps us to scale.”

The Hydrelio system consists of photovoltaic panels mounted on floating bases that can essentially be snapped together. The array is then anchored to the shore of the pond or reservoir it is located on.

“The panels are put together like a big LEGO set,” Wissing said. “You basically build a floating solar island a row at a time.”

The plastics used have been certified drinking-water safe in the United Kingdom, so they will not contaminate the water on which they float. At the same time, the water helps cool the panels, increasing their efficiency by as much as 10%, Wissing said.

The partners have identified locations with strong potential for floating solar. The best sites, Wissing said, are at least four acres, are not currently used for any swimming or boating, and have access to three-phase electric power.

The companies have begun the process of reaching out to the owners of these sites, both private and public, about possible development. They are not yet ready to release any details about these locations, but could be ready to begin construction within two years, Marsch estimated.

Existing projects suggest there is promise in floating solar. In California, the town of Windsor worked with Laketricity to install a 1.8-megawatt system on top of a recycled water storage pool. The panels generate power for the town’s wastewater reclamation plant and have been a success so far, said Garrett Broughton, an associate civil engineer for the town.

“We do not regret it,” he said. “It probably already paid for itself within the first year.”

The Windsor project is one of few floating solar arrays that have been deployed in the United States. However, these systems, sometimes referred to as “floatovoltaics,” have been much more widely adopted in Asia, where population density and mountainous terrain leave scarce land for solar installations.

Massachusetts has also had issues with limitations on buildable land, which has given rise to ongoing debate over how best to site projects. Environmental groups have expressed concern about using previously undeveloped land, known as “greenfields,” for solar installations, which means cutting down trees and disrupting existing open spaces. At the same time, residents living near proposed solar sites often object to the aesthetic and environmental impacts of replacing trees with solar panels. Recently, the state modified its incentives to reduce the financial benefits for projects built on greenfields.

Some in the industry, however, have argued the state will never reach its clean energy goals without developing these areas. Though rooftops and previously used land can be developed into solar projects, these sites can come with added costs and are rarely big enough to host arrays that can serve large numbers of customers, they contend. At the same time, the change in the incentives could be enough to make larger greenfield developments financially unfeasible, they say.

Both the new venture and outside experts contend that floating solar offers a chance to ease this tension by adding clean energy capacity without using any land at all. A 2018 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that installing floating solar on the country’s more than 24,000 human-made reservoirs could save 2.1 million hectares of land and meet some 10% of the country’s annual electricity needs.

“In space-constrained places, it’s a way to just get more photovoltaics on the grid,” Marsch said.

Though there is always the possibility of anti-solar opposition, Wissing said, floating solar may also face fewer objections from concerned neighbors. The bodies of water targeted for floating solar are generally very large public waters or privately owned, often commercial, properties.

“Lakes with residential homes — and usually boat docks — are not the target,” Wissing said.

Massachusetts is also an appealing place to pursue floating solar developments because the SMART program already includes incentives for this form of solar (though no projects have yet taken advantage of that provision). The incentives pay the owners of solar systems a base rate of anywhere from 9 cents to 39 cents, depending on location and when the project is built, per kilowatt-hour of energy generated. Developments can increase the compensation rate by including features the state wishes to encourage, like building on a landfill or a rooftop. Floating solar panels on a human-made body of water adds 3 cents to the rate, upping the payback for system owners.

Cranberry farms are a property that could benefit from the technology, Wissing said. Massachusetts is the country’s second-largest producer of cranberries, with some 375 farms statewide. Some cranberry growers store water for flooding their bogs in separate reservoirs that could, Wissing said, be excellent candidates for floating solar.

The panels would create an additional income stream for growers, who often face financial uncertainty due to market fluctuations. Furthermore, because the panels and floats would cover some of the surface, less water would evaporate from the reservoir in dry times.

Many interested growers, however, may not qualify for the additional incentive money, said Iain Ward, a veteran Massachusetts cranberry farmer and solar consultant. Because many cranberry reservoirs were originally natural wetlands that have been reinforced and shaped into their current form, they do not qualify as human-made under the incentive regulations. Still, Ward said, growers interested in solar should still consider floating panels.

“There’s less money there, but it’s land that is not making anyone any money right now,” he said. “It’s an exceptionally good thing as an add-on to a project that’s going forward.”

If floating solar is as successful in Massachusetts as BlueWave and Laketricity believe it could be, it could end up influencing policy in other states as well, Marsch said.

“Massachusetts has been kind of this laboratory to develop these policies that end up getting propagated out to the rest of the country,” he said.

Subscribe to Renewable Energy World’s free, weekly newsletter for more stories like this

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threesquaresuns-blog · 7 years ago

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China & How The Internet Can Bolster Civil Society

China is an interesting case. Google is so commonly used and relied upon, that “Google’s my best friend” has been uttered in jest more than once by my friends and I, when we encounter something we don’t know. However, Google, and other international Web 2.0 services, are blocked by China’s Great Firewall (TED 2012) , forming what Xiao Qiang (TEDx Talks 2014) dubs, the “Chinternet”, a phenomenon whereby even with globalisation and economic advancements, freedom of the Chinese is still restricted, in terms of their political rights to have freedom of speech, association, beliefs, and assembly.

Although they’re different people from different occupations and circumstance, Qiang (TEDx Talks 2014), Michael Anti (TED 2012) , and Victoria Mui (Dan Lok 2017), all agree that this phenomenon exists because by preventing its people from accessing the global internet, the Chinese government is able to supply them with alternatives, through which they can better monitor and control the people, while protecting itself.

The image below illustrates China’s social media and internet eco-system (Oniix 2018) :

The eco-system is far from barren, being just as vibrant as that of the rest of the world, although filled with similar, yet different, sites. With China being such a huge market, even foreign celebrities (Kary 2015) have opened Weibo accounts and sought to establish a digital presence in among Chinese netizens. However, these are not mere social media platforms. they were developed because, while the government wants to censor the people, it understands the people’s need for social networking (TED 2012). Thus, in monopolising the internet, the government gains a comparatively greater power and hold over the people, without antagonising them outright. The situation is such that every year, around early June, censorship is tightened to prevent discussion of the Tiananmen Massacre, seeking to effectively erase the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests from Chinese history books...and it has succeeded much too well, with only 15 out of 100 university students recognizing the Tank Man photograph for what it is (Ser 2016). This fact really surprised me, when I first heard of it.

However, despite these government efforts, a public sphere has been forming and growing over the years in China (TED 2012) - people are becoming Aware, and are using the internet to voice out dissent, they’re forming communities online that have led to meetings in physical space, although those are still met with police action (TEDx Talk 2014).

Fart People (屁民) Voice Dissent

Qiang cites this incident as indicative of how the internet can help galvanize civil society in China. In 2008, Lin Jiaxing, a then official, had harassed a girl. When she escaped and her parents confronted him, he pulled rank and said that they were “worth less than a fart” to him, ending his tirade with a threat. The incident was caught on security camera (TEDx Talk 2014), and after being leaked on the internet, went viral, and sparked widespread criticism. Lin was eventually sacked. From here, netizens picked up on the term “Fart People”, noting the disparity between the government’s slogans that constantly put the people on a pedestal, and the actual treatment of the people by government officials. Netizens then reclaimed the term to voice their opinions about issues concerning government officials, such as when addressing the lack of democracy and corruption.They started calling themselves 屁民 with pride. Other incidents followed this. The 2011 train crash at Wenzhou sparked an unprecedented public outcry on the internet over 5 days, that led to the rail minister being sacked.

Other Creative Code Words to Subvert Censorship

Some examples are (Luo 2015):

Eye-Field (目田), since Freedom (自由) is censored,

Take a Walk (散步), since applications for official protests are usually denied, and could be dangerous, activists have opted to protest against state actions by “taking walks”, instead.

National Treasure (国宝, also symbolised by a Panda, a national treasure of China), homonym of the Domestic Security Department (DSD) ( 国保 ) that deals with “subversies” like human rights activists, religious groups and dissidents. Has more power than regular police and use violence to suppress “dangerous elements”

Your Country (你国), used by netizens to separate mention of Their Country, and the one run by the Chinese Communist Party, where in the past, the communist party and state were often viewed as one and the same.

Malaysia In Comparison

After the last election, Malaysia’s ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, lost to the Opposition for the first time in Malaysia’s 61 year history. It was a victory for the Opposition, but also for the people, against a corrupt government and prime minister, Najib. The rule of BN was rife with corruption, and although government censorship was not to the same extent as that of China, there were still instances like the blocking of Syed Akbar Ali’s blog (FMT Reporters 2016) which was critical of the Prime Minister. Another blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, fled the country after hearing he would be detained without trial for the 3rd time (Bland 2010), after publishing writings about Najib, his wife, and the mruder of Mongolian translator, Shaariibuugiin Altantuyaa. There was no apparent transparency in the handling of scandals involving the government, or more specifically, the then-Prime Minister, and Najib’s responses to public outcry often did not make sense. One incident gave birth to the Kangkung meme, and the opposition adopted the vegetable as a symbol (Palatino 2014). Everything culminated in a Fake News law (Hutt 2018) being passed right before the elections, and the wording was so general and loose, that it would be up to the courts to define what constituted “fake news”....and that seemed to play heavily in the favour of Najib and the ruling party, with spokespersons citing mentions of Najib’s IMDB scandal as attempts to tarnish his good name. Fittingly, Malaysian lawyer and human rights activist R. Silvarasa once noted that while the Malaysian constitution guarantees free speech, it does not guarantee “freedom after speech” (Hutt 2018). After the election, hopefully, this will have changed for the better.

I think that while China’s netizens are still far from having that the level of freedom that we Do have here, the Chinternet, by still affording users with the ability to form networks and communities, will indeed continue to bolster the growth of Chinese netizens as a civil society, and allow them to eventually enact effective change in their country. Because as noted by Qiang, while the censorship in China has allowed it to perpetuate lies, no people can live in a lie indefinitely (TEDx Talk 2014), and the people will ultimately choose freedom and dignity, rise up and prevail.

#mda20009 #SocialMediaAndChinaAcaseStudy

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dailynewswebsite · 5 years ago

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How teachers’ union activism helped shift the U.S. election debate on education

Instructor activism within the U.S. has helped pushed the Democratic social gathering in the direction of renewed funding in public training. Kids hear as former president Barack Obama campaigns for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Oct. 21, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photograph/ Matt Slocum)

Within the combat for the U.S. presidency, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has positioned defending college students, educators and getting faculties open safely with smaller lessons amid the COVID-19 pandemic as “a nationwide emergency.” On Sept. 2, he praised educators for his or her “grit,” and acknowledged their issues for college kids.

Biden’s reward displays his kindergarten to Grade 12 training plan, which calls on the federal authorities to “present educators the help and respect they want and deserve” to and “begin investing in our youngsters at start.”

U.S. Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden’s training plan.

In each tone and content material, Biden’s plan represents an evolution within the focus of American training coverage and a departure from latest commitments of Democratic and Republican events emphasizing college accountability by testing and increasing publicly funded, privately operated constitution faculties.

Learn extra: Constitution faculties: What you could learn about their anticipated development in Alberta

In Canada, the challenges of reopening faculties throughout COVID-19 have prompted ideas that it’s time to consider “college selection” by constitution faculties or by college voucher packages. Voucher packages present dad and mom with authorities grants, usually taken out of most of the people college price range, that they’ll use for tuition at a non-public college.

As I’ve argued, Canadians shouldn’t ignore American experiences of increasing such sorts of education.

Heavier federal position

U.S. Secretary of Training Betsy DeVos speaks on the Phoenix Worldwide Academy, a constitution college, in Phoenix, Oct. 15, 2020. (AP Photograph/Matt York)

Within the U.S., states are primarily liable for training coverage. However the federal secretary of training establishes insurance policies on federal monetary support for training and distributes and displays associated funds, in addition to gathering knowledge, disseminating analysis and making certain faculties from pre-kindergarten to post-graduate establishments “adjust to federal … legal guidelines governing funding and discrimination.” The federal authorities started to play a job in kindergarten to Grade 12 training with the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Training Act (ESEA) of 1965.

The act offered federal funding to states to help college districts with concentrations of poor college students. The ESEA needs to be reauthorized each 5 years, and subsequent presidents have expanded its scope by adjustments: as an illustration, to offer assets for educating college students with disabilities or to deal with perceived challenges like gaps in scholar achievement.

Within the late 1980s, issues over scholar achievement led to the emergence of an training reform motion. This motion emphasised standardized testing to carry faculties accountable when college students didn’t make satisfactory educational progress and the growth of faculty selection by publicly funded, privately operated constitution faculties.

Fractures in U.S. ‘training reform’

Assist for training reform was bipartisan within the U.S. Starting in 1988, presidents used reauthorizations of the ESEA to emphasise larger accountability. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama went farthest to mandate testing and help constitution faculties.

Because the late ‘80s, presidents have been cautious to not explicitly assault the instructing career. However some state and native politicians (significantly Republicans) have been fast to put the blame for so-called failing faculties on lecturers’ unions. Some media then adopted go well with, focusing protection on “dangerous lecturers.” This dismissal {of professional} educators’ experience, mixed with cuts to training budgets, created openings for philanthropists to affect coverage.

Academics, dad and mom and college students line as much as protest for increased college funding and trainer pay in April 2018 in Phoenix earlier than a trainer strike. (AP Photograph/Ross D. Franklin)

Within the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, Biden and different candidates distanced themselves from training reform priorities and known as for renewed funding in public training after many years of austerity.

My analysis into their platforms exhibits specific help for elevating lecturers’ salaries, collective bargaining and equitable academic alternatives for all college students.

Biden and plenty of Democratic candidates have shut private connections to public training: Jill Biden, for instance, has a doctorate in training and teaches at a neighborhood faculty. However the shift amongst Democrats can also be a response to the rise of training activism within the U.S. over the previous decade, led by a extra militant lecturers’ union motion. It’s had some success refocusing public consideration on what college students and lecturers have to succeed.

A decade of training activism

The Chicago Academics’ Union’s (CTU) three-week strike in 2012 was a watershed second. The CTU developed a bargaining platform, “The Faculties Chicago’s College students Deserve,” targeted on scholar wants for a well-rounded curriculum, help providers and totally funded faculties.

To generate help for the platform and a potential strike, CTU management organized members and constructed relationships with dad and mom, neighbourhood organizations and religion teams. Different lecturers’ unions adopted CTU’s methodology of focusing calls for on how faculties should take care of the entire scholar.

After the CTU strike, the motion in opposition to high-stakes standardized testing gained momentum. Critics drew consideration to educational time misplaced to testing, how testing narrowed the educational curriculum and issues utilizing check scores to judge lecturers and faculties.

Moratorium on increasing constitution faculties

The Nationwide Affiliation for the Development of Coloured Individuals (NAACP) known as for a moratorium on increasing constitution faculties in 2016. Derrick Johnson, NAACP president, at a Boston information convention, Dec. 12, 2019. (AP Photograph/Steven Senne)

In 2016, the Nationwide Affiliation for the Development of Coloured Individuals (NAACP) known as for a moratorium on the growth of constitution faculties till they have been topic to the identical rules as conventional public faculties. Regardless of criticism for this stance voiced by some training advocates in Black communities, the NAACP renewed this name in 2017.

Academics’ activism reached a excessive level in 2018, when over 375,000 educators took half in work stoppages. Academics went on strike in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina.

With broad public help, they demanded restoring funding to reverse declining wages and scholar assets and cuts to curriculum. When United Academics Los Angeles (UTLA) went on strike in 2019 for “The Faculties L.A. Kids Deserve,” a significant concern was the impression of constitution faculties on funding for conventional public college faculties.

Amongst UTLA’s supporters have been Senators Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren — all eventual contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Why Canadians ought to care

Increasing constitution faculties and college vouchers, together with pressuring faculties to speed up standardized testing haven’t been a silver bullet for fixing issues in American public faculties.

Quite, they contributed to the rise of a sturdy motion of educators, lecturers’ unions and neighborhood and political allies who help a well-resourced public college system that each meets the wants of various college students and values educators as professionals.

Learn extra: College funding is required for scholar well-being, not solely coronavirus security guidelines

Canada has an extended historical past of lecturers’ union activism. Academics in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario have engaged in job actions since 2014.

As COVID-19 pressures provinces to re-think education, and as lecturers’ unions proceed to underscore the perils of underfunding for each trainer and scholar well being and wellness, we should always watch to see if the activism of Canadian educators and allies turns into much more dynamic.

Rachel Ok. Brickner has obtained funding from the Harrison-McCain Basis. She has been a member of Educators for Social Justice-Nova Scotia and is presently the Chair of Democrats Overseas-Atlantic Provinces.

from Growth News https://growthnews.in/how-teachers-union-activism-helped-shift-the-u-s-election-debate-on-education/ via https://growthnews.in

#Growth News

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go-redgirl · 5 years ago

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Credit: J. Westlake/NASA

WHAT IS THE MARS “OPPOSITION”

Earth passes between the sun and Mars today at around 23:00 UTC (7 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. CDT, 5 p.m. MDT and 4 p.m. PDT).

During opposition, Mars and the Sun are on directly opposite sides of Earth. Because of this, Mars appears positioned closest to Earth. Earth and Mars have converged for a close encounter!

Bottom-line: this means Mars will appear bigger than usual—so the Red Planet is easy to see!

Opposition is a fantastic time to observe Mars because we usually can’t see the Red Planet very well with the naked eye; it appears dim and small. Oppositions of Mars happen every 26 months. Because planetary orbits are elliptical, not all oppositions are the same. An opposition can occur anywhere along Mars’ orbit. This year, Mars opposition on October 13, 2020 is especially good.

The only thing that can make Mars look brighter than ol’ Jove, despite the latter’s many advantages, is if it comes extraordinarily close to us. (Its closest point, which always happens around the date of opposition, was October 6.) During this week, Mars is only 37 million miles away, which is close in the scheme of the universe!

HOW BIG WILL MARS APPEAR?

Though the Red Planet is just half the size of Earth, it manages to appear 23 arcseconds in width.

Whoa, slow down. Arcseconds?

Yes, astronomers measure the size of celestial objects by their diameter in arcseconds and arcminutes. One degree is sixty arcminutes.

The Moon appears half a degree wide, so it’s thirty arcminutes. That’s huge compared to the apparent size of far-away planets. No planet appears as big as even a single arcminute, though Venus occasionally comes close. So we must slice up each arcminute into 60 arcseconds in order to accurately measure the size of our fellow planets.

During October’s opposition, Mars will have an apparent disk size of 23 arcseconds. We won’t see Mars exceed this size until 2035.

Mars’ size in “arcseconds” during past and future oppositions. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Having trouble visualizing it all? A single arcsecond is the size of a dime that is 2 ½ miles away. A very small looking circle.

Jupiter typically appears about 40 arcseconds in width.

Mars, when it comes close to us every 26 months, has an opposition width of 14 to 25 arcseconds. The word on the street among astronomers is that it needs to be at least 20 arcseconds to show nice detail in backyard telescopes. The good news is that this week, Mars is 23 arcseconds across.

Why the variation? Well, Earth travels faster than Mars so that we pass it like passing a truck on the highway every two years and two months. But since we have a fairly round orbit while the Martian path around the Sun is oval or lopsided, the gap between our orbits can be narrow, like it was when we passed it in 2003, or wide, like during the Martian opposition of 2012.

If we happen to pass Mars on August 28, we meet it as its closest possible distance. That’s when it shows us a 25 arcminute disk. That actually happened in 2003—the nearest visit of Mars in 60,000 years. This time around, meeting it in early October, we are not too far from that date, so the opposition is a good one, with the Red Planet 23 arcseconds in diameter.

This means two things …

VIEWING TIPS TO SEE MARS

If you don’t have a telescope, just look around for the brightest orange star in the whole sky. Mars will be out all night long, which is what we expect during any opposition.

Mars rises low in the east at sunset/nightfall. That fiery dancing dot is brighter than all the stars.

The Red Planet is highest around midnight in the south.

Then Mars appears lowish in the west as it sets around dawn.

If you do own a telescope, choose a night when the stars aren’t twinkling. Then gaze at Mars using a magnification of at least 100x. You’ll see its southern polar cap—made of dry ice. And you’ll see lots of dark surface features, looking like dusky smudges. Very cool.

During the next Martian oppositions, the Red Planet (which isn’t really red, but orange) will be 17 arcseconds in 2022, 14.5 arcseconds in 2025, 14 arcseconds in 2027, 14.5 arcseconds in 2029, 17 arcseconds in 2031, and 22 arcseconds in 2032. So you’ll be significantly older and wiser before Mars again looks this big, and shows this much detail in telescopes.

We pass it quickly, and Mars will lose half its light by mid-November. So catch it now, the next clear night. Grab that friend who has a telescope and watch Mars. And don’t expect anything big. It’s very cool, but, still, 23 arcseconds is not the Goodyear blimp.

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thevalkirias · 7 years ago

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Why Pride and Prejudice is the best love story of all time and the deconstruction of love at first sight

Perhaps everybody has heard, read or watched a story about love at first sight. It’s a cliché that always works in movies. The quirky girl, in a hurry to get to a meeting, stumbles on a grumpy man in the middle of the street and he lets all his stuff fall down. Both bend over to gather his things that are on the street and, for a second, only a second, the girl is not in a hurry anymore and the man’s soul is light as a summer day. That’s it, the passion is born. It’s simple, easy, and works almost every time.

Despite its efficiency in fiction, it’s always rather weird to apply this concept in real life -- to believe someone can fall in love without even knowing the other person. I, personally, can’t imagine falling for someone that supports Trump, or that hates Harry Potter. And you can’t identify these things just by looking at someone.

So why do we so easily believe in the concept that love can overcome anything? That’s another weird-ass concept; should love truly overcoming every single obstacle? If I ever fall in love with a misogynist serial killer, please, rescue me from that trap!! There will never be enough attraction to overcome so many differences. And so we go back to love at first sight: even if I fell in love with someone just by looking at them, I think it’s unlikely I’d still be in love after actually getting to know them.

My favorite love stories are the ones in which none of the central characters is interested in one another when they first meet. The “love at first sight” trope (or: a cliché or allegory used in fiction in order to develop characters or plots) is still recurrent in literature, but many books have been trying to subvert this cliché; such as Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell, or The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. Both are pretty recent examples – Fangirl was released in 2014 and The Raven Cycle started in 2012. Maybe the subversion of love at first sight is a recent phenomenon, but long before any of these books were published, long before these authors were even born, we already had a good example of a love story in which love itself is a construction that takes a lot of time, and its title is Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen.

2017 marked the 200th anniversary of the author’s death and the 204 years that passed since the first publication of the novel which is perhaps the most iconic Jane Austen wrote. Despite being two hundred years old, Pride and Prejudice is one of those timeless stories. It’s a classic.

In Why read the classics Italo Calvino explains that a classic is a book you always re-read; because if it’s a classic everyone already knows the plot, so even if it’s the reader’s first time with that specific book, she’s revisiting it nonetheless. We can say Pride and Prejudice is a classic because it’s a story that everyone knows: girl meets boy, girl hates boy, time goes by and the guy shows himself worthy of the girl’s affection and both declare they love for each other. Happy ending. It’s not by chance that Jane Austen’s story has inspired many modern adaptations, such as the Bridget Jones’ Diary series, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, or even the amazing web series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Pride and Prejudice remains relevant nowadays.

Even though I agree with Italo Calvino, I want to add here another factor that makes Pride and Prejudice a classic: identification. If the characters of the novel were not well developed, so complex that they seem real, a great portion of the strength of the book would not exist. Even more so because in real life people can change their minds, they can turn out wrong and have strong opinions that sometimes lead to mistakes or misjudgments. Being wrong is not necessarily equivalent to being a bad person; actually, those are pretty different things. We are all wrong at some point in our lives – or in many of them. And that’s fine, because we can all realize the mistake, apologize and become better. People can always – and should always – become better, listen to others, empathize and stay away from prejudices. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, the heroes of the story, make mistakes, misjudge each other and others, are prideful and prejudiced, but also regret their mistakes, apologize and become better.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of good fortune, must be in want of a wife. It’s with this sentence that Jane Austen begins her original novel, a quote that has become quite famous in the literary world and is recognized as one of the most memorable first sentences that exist. Reading it here like this, it must sound silly; what if the single wealthy man does not want to get married? Or what if he was gay and is in want of a husband? Nowadays this sentence makes even less sense than it did back then, but this is not what makes it so important: it’s what comes after it.

For those who have read the book or seen the movie, it’s known that the single wealthy man can be either Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley. These two are the main male characters that will get married throughout the story. But if we only take Mr. Darcy into account, the truth universally acknowledged does not apply. Maybe the truth is not so truthful, after all. Mr. Darcy is indeed single and has a nice fortune, but we don’t know if he is actually in want of a wife. The sentence “universal truth” is neither “universal” nor “true” because, even though it fits the expectations of the English society at the beginning of the 19th century, Jane Austen knew very well that that’s not the way love stories work. Elizabeth Bennet is not in want of a single wealthy man to marry, and neither is Mr. Darcy looking for such a wife.

Returning to love at first sight: if love depended solely on our first impressions of others, love affairs would be in severe decadency, and if this rule applied to Pride and Prejudice, none of the characters would be married by the end of the story (maybe Jane and Bingley). Elizabeth would remain prideful and Darcy prejudiced, but thankfully second chances exist!

Love at first sight usually comes with the idealization of the loved one. Even though it’s easy to imagine how the other person must be and nurture feelings for this idea, it’s also dangerous. Women’s representation in fiction, even more so in love stories, often comes with the idealization of a perfect woman, a male dream that becomes true. This gives rise to another very common trope: the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, that quirky and beautiful-without-even-trying girl whose only purpose is to help in the development of other characters (usually her significant other). Despite the many studies surrounding this theme, along with the calling out of these flaws, women’s representation in fiction is still in bad shape. Of course, we have to this date many well-developed characters, but there’s still a long way to go. However, two centuries ago, Jane Austen created complex characters, with wants of their own and a critical view of the world.

Elizabeth did not like Darcy when they first met -- or the second time they met, or the third. In fact, she only starts to think positively of him when they really get to know each other – when they talk, apologize for their mistakes and open themselves to each other’s point of view. Elizabeth does not exist solely to make Darcy a better man, nor is the opposite true. Both are equally well-developed and tridimensional characters. It’s almost impossible to read Pride and Prejudice without empathizing or identifying with them.

I think empathy is the main word when it comes to Pride and Prejudice, because it’s only when Darcy and Elizabeth put themselves in each other’s shoes that they are able to get out of their own personal worlds filled with pride and prejudice and start seeing the other with new eyes. And this is also true for Elizabeth and her sister Jane, or her friend Charlotte and her mother; it’s also true for Darcy and the Bennet family, and Darcy and his friend Bingley.

Pride and Prejudice is perhaps the best love story ever because it is about characters that are compatible with the real world, because it believes in second chances, because it depends on empathy, because it shows that it’s possible to make mistakes, regret them and become better and because it shows us that no one is perfect, not even love.

About the author

JÚLIA MEDINA

Júlia studies letters and has studied Russian in college. She has spent way too much time feeling conflicted about being more pop or more cult before she realized that what's truly cool is having fun. Aspiring critic and meme maker, she is just another millenial trying to get over Sirius Black dying. She was born on the same day as Junior from Sandy & Junior and in the same year as Harry Styles (1994) and she considers this to be a victory.

This piece was originally published in Portuguese on March 14th, 2017 as "Por que Orgulho e Preconceito é a melhor história de amor de todos os tempos e a desconstrução do amor à primeira vista". Translated by Anna Viduani.

#pride and prejudice #jane austen #love at first sight #feminism #author:júlia medina #translator:anna viduani #category:literature

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cliftonsteen · 5 years ago

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How Specialty Coffee Blends Have Evolved For Today’s Market

Coffee blends used to be a common offering in the past. However, they’ve fallen out of favour with third wave coffee shop owners and roasters due to increasing concerns over transparency and quality – with many adopting single origin coffees as an alternative.

Recently, there have been signs that blends have evolved and are ready to appear in today’s specialty coffee market – in higher quality, more traceable form. Here’s what could be causing this and what benefits it might offer for those roasting and brewing coffee.

You may also like A Roaster’s Guide to Creating Coffee Blends

Credit: Nathaniel Soque

Why Did Blends Develop a Bad Reputation?

Coffee blends usually consist of two or more coffees combined in different proportions to develop a unique coffee and taste profile. They’re often created by combining the coffees from several farms in one country to create a country blend – or by combining coffees from different origins together and giving it another label.

Blending coffees together won’t necessarily create a poor quality product. The reason that blends have developed a poor reputation is that in the past, some roasters used them to use up leftover or stale coffees, or to mask the negative qualities of other profiles – keeping old stock from accumulating and lowering costs by using low-quality coffees.

Richard Keane, Head of Green Bean Sales at Balzac Brothers, says, “In the past, fair or not fairly, blends have been portrayed to consist of a few unfavourable coffee categories. First, blends may have been made up of a large percentage of lower grade coffee so that companies could bring margins up while offering a coffee that may be easy to source on the green side of things. Secondly, companies could use blends as a way to move older inventory in a volume friendly manner.”

Increasing demand for traceable and origin coffees contributed to the decreasing popularity of blends. This was partly due to consumers seeking out more responsibly and sustainably produced coffee and wanting to know where it came from, who produced it, and how much was paid for it. As Richard explains, “blends may have been frowned upon as the rise of single origin coffees have exploded [in] specialty coffee. The value of traceability and the popularity of origin/farm-specific flavour characteristics have changed how many think of blends.” This shift benefitted producers by helping them secure better margins and competitive benefits throughout the supply chain while helping them get recognition for their coffee, develop a reputation, and avoid exploitation.

Klaus Thomsen is the Co-founder of Coffee Collective in Copenhagen, Denmark, and explains that another reason that blends could have fallen out of favour is that they erased the individual contributions of producers. He feels that the specialty coffee industry “moved towards more transparency and getting farmers out of anonymity, so they probably viewed most blends as the opposition to that… In blending, each farmer’s work is often masked and most blends are anonymous compositions, where you don’t know where the coffee came from. In some cases, blends will only state ‘The best beans from Latin America’ – or nothing at all.”

Credit: Nathaniel Soque

Reasons For Its Rebirth

There are signs that blends could be making their comeback in specialty coffee by evolving to offer roasters and consumers new benefits. Here are a few of them.

Credit: Nathaniel Soque

Blends Can Create a Better Product

Using blends, roasters can create a unique product that better appeals to their market – and one that could be better in quality and taste than each individual component. Richard says, “If done properly, blending can bring coffees together to bring something to the cup that may have been lacking before.”

Klaus feels the same way, and for him, “there’s a creative process to blending that can be a lot of fun, and sometimes 1+1 equals more than 2. Personally, I often find that I’m able to get a better balance and more depth of flavours in espresso when blending. Somehow, it’s different to me than for filter brewing, where I’m also striving for a more clean and precise cup profile.”

Blends Can be Creatively Customised

While specific blends can be created for standard extraction methods like espresso or filter, roasters can also create ones tailored to newer beverages, such as cold brew and nitro cold brew. This is something 2012 World Barista Champion Raul Rodas does at Paradigma Café, his coffee shop and roastery in Guatemala.

When Raul offers nitro cold brew to customers, he might create a blend of 80:20 washed to naturally processed coffee to enhance the fruitiness of the brew. He’s also created two different espresso blends – an acidic, citrusy one, and caramel tasting one. By creating different blends, he could introduce customers to new combinations or variations on what they usually go for.

Blends Offer Consistent Flavour Profiles

While blends can create something unique that can’t be found in individual coffees, it can create a consistent cup of coffee that can be sold throughout the year, to customers who want the same experience with every cup they drink or brew.

This allows roasters to work around the limitations placed by coffee’s seasonal nature, as most do not have several harvests throughout the year or have different harvest periods from region to region. Creating blends can allow roasters to offer a consistent product all year round – or help them offer single origin coffees for a longer time.

“Roasters will be able to substitute the coffees they use in their blends with whatever coffee is most in season, while still offering consistency in their flavour profiles to their customers. This can be an extremely valuable asset to roasters who are growing in volume while still maintaining high levels of quality in their roasted product. Furthermore, consumers may be happy to find consistency year-round in their roasted coffee”, remarks Richard.

Credit: Ana Valencia

Blends Offer Roasters Purchasing Flexibility

Creating blends means that roasters can benefit from increased purchasing flexibility, as they’ll be able to offer a coffee throughout the year without sacrificing its quality or taste.

Richard explains that “blends allow roasters to remain flexible in purchasing coffee without sacrificing freshness from crop to crop.” It means that if any unexpected changes occur in the supply chain, roasters will be less impacted – as coffee production can be affected by everything from pests and diseases to changing weather patterns.

Should this happen, roasters won’t be left empty-handed, as they won’t be exclusively relying on a single origin offering. This makes blends a more scalable option, as unlike single origin coffees, there’s an almost unlimited production capacity and supply.

Credit: Ana Valencia

Blends Can be Traceable

While past blends usually lumped the coffees of several producers together into an anonymous blend, modern blends have retained their emphasis on traceability and its importance for producers and consumers. This allows roasters to create blends responsibly, without hiding the efforts of the individual producers responsible for the coffee.

Klaus thinks that “showcasing single farmers is the best way of building their brand and getting customers to appreciate coffee farmers as the exceptional producers they are.” However, he believes that this can be done without erasing their unique contributions, as “blends can showcase each individual component, down to the exact farmer or micro lot”.

For Richard, it’s an opportunity for roasters to improve their overall quality, while still providing producers with credit for their coffees. This often appears on the coffee’s packaging, with each farmer’s contribution to the blend (and the percentages they’ve contributed) being listed. “Traceability is still possible in blends with many roasters listing their blend components while yielding the most complexity in flavour to their customer”.

Credit: Rea Café

The rebirth of blends is something that can benefit roasters and coffee shop owners in different ways. As long as the emphasis remains on using coffee that’s traceable and responsibly sourced, blends will be able to meet the need of the market – without compromising on quality or minimising the efforts of the producers who grew it.

Enjoyed this? The take a look at In Defense of Blends: Coffee’s Most Underrated Offering

Feature photo credit: Nathaniel Soque

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