#third shift (fritz s.)

[fazbearnightwatch]

@5nites said: ❝ i hope i didn’t keep you waiting very long, did i? ❞ | blood and darkness

the voice startles her out of concentration, finger slipping from the touch screen control for the marionette's music box. fumbling for the flashlight, fritz nearly knocks it off the desk before getting a good grip on it, shining it into the right floor vent.

"b--bonnie! go on, nothing to see here! shoo, shoo!" a few flickers of the light into the animatronic's face ought to do the trick, right? as she turns it on and off, fritz clumsily grabs the old freddy mask and slips it quickly on her face, eyes glancing at the clock.

3:48 am. how the hell did jeremy do this every night?!?!

jeremy. she thinks of him and her heart aches -- alone in the hospital at his brother's side after the incident at the party.

[that-salty-ghost]

As Above, So Below | Chapter 4: R&R | Viktor [Arcane] | Male Reader | Rating: M Throughout

Despite the haze in the air, you make out the warm glow of candlelight in the shop windows below your home as you get closer.

Worn down brick is etched with vines and other overgrowth from over the years. The streetlight on the corner provides just enough light for some of the kids in your neighborhood to kick a ball around.

“[Y/n]!” One of them, Vi, calls out to you and passes the ball over before the others try to steal it. You throw Viktor’s jacket over your shoulder and dribble the ball around with your feet, moving it away from the three others and laughing when one inevitably jumps on your back to throw your balance off.

“Ekko, no!” The littlest one, Powder can barely pronounce his name, but still tries to jump up to pull him off of you. You pass the ball back to Vi, which in turn, causes both of them to lose all interest in you and chase after her. She gives you a quick wave before running off with the others, laughter fading with each step.

Your apartment is a small studio that sits above a dive bar that doubles as a café called “Remy & Rye’s” but it’s become better known as “R&R’s” over the years. It was the first job you ever had and the shop itself has always felt like an extension of your own home.

Remy, the owner, taught you everything you know about alcohol, coffee, tinkering, and even let you stay with him until you were old enough to rent the space upstairs after you lost your parents. You see him in the window and exchange a wave before you step inside.

R&R’s isn’t as ‘upscale’ (if you could even call it that) as Syd’s coffeehouse, but it’s got a charm that only an undercity dive can pull off. The windows are lined with candles and oil lamps and the old wooden floors creak and greet each visitor once they step inside. The bar that lines the left side dedicates its modest space into quarters. The first for tobacco, the second for alcohol, the third for coffee, and the last has a compact cooking space with a hearth for serving up small bites when the ingredients are available.

In the back of the bar there are a few steps that lead to a sizable open area that used to be a smoking lounge where dealings would usually take place. Since it’s the only area apart from the bar with functional overhead lighting, it got converted into a repair space when more and more machines went on the fritz.

The other side of the building is lined with booths and tables with stairs that lead to both your apartment and an upper lounge that overlooks the bar. Sometimes you use the space to read since your apartment door is just down the hall. Plus, it’s got a decently stocked library full of books that Rye added notes in. Seeing her thoughts on paper gave you comfort and made you feel like she was still there.

“[Y/n], staying out of trouble?” Remy looks up from what looks like once was an alcohol distiller judging by the parts strewn all over the bar. He’s in his mid 40’s, auburn hair messy and falling into his tired green eyes as he wipes some sweat off of his brow. Looks like he’s been working at this for a while.

“No.” You scoff honestly, causing him to shake his head with feigned disapproval. He eyes the jacket on your shoulder and motions at it with the wrench he has in his hand. “That have anything to do with it?” He grins before setting the tool down. “Doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen you in before.”

“It’s a…friend’s.” You feel like friend is a steep word since you only just met Viktor this morning, but you don’t want to go through the play-by-play of how the hell you have his jacket right now. “He forgot it at the coffeehouse, I’m just returning it tonight.”

Remy chuckles to himself. “You made a friend?”

“Okay, hurtful.” You joke and nod at the parts scattered across the bar so you can change the subject. “What’s this?”

He lifts one hand into an exaggerated shrug before resting it on the counter, shifting his weight onto it and looking like he’s ready to throw the entire still out a window. “Damn thing’s busted, it’s got a leak but I can’t figure out what’s doing it. Costin’ me a fortune each day it’s down.”

You sit at the bar and pick up a couple of the pieces he’s taken off of the machine. “Where’s the leak coming from?”

“Top of the column.”

You set one of the larger pieces down and pick up one of the copper saddles instead. They look like hell—completely discolored as you hold one out to him with a grimace. “When’s the last time you replaced these?”

He squints at you “You really think that’ll do it?” He seems skeptical, but holds his hand out to you so he can examine it. “Can’t hurt, try repacking the column…and not with these ancient things.” You nod your head at the pile of saddles.

Remy laughs under his breath, entertained by your not-so-subtle judgement. “S’pose you might be right, worth a shot for sure.”

You jump down from the barstool, getting ready to make your way to the stairs that lead to your apartment. “Let me know if you want help with that, I have a feeling I’ll have more free time after how today went.”

Remy winces at that statement “What’d Syd do to ya this time?” You wave him off. “Not important. I’m working with Vander tonight, I bet he’ll trade you for some new saddles. Let me know if you want me to talk to him”

He doesn’t push the topic about you potentially losing your job, just sighs with a nod. “Thanks kid, ask him what he’s looking for and I’ll make it happen. If you can bring any back tonight though…I really need to get this thing running again.” He starts collecting the parts off of the bar as you head up. 

You unlock your door and hear him shout from below. “And you know you can always come down and work here whenever you like.” You laugh to yourself as the door clicks open. He starts whistling while he cleans up, his way of telling you he’s not expecting an answer.

Your floors match the wood downstairs and creak under your feet as you enter. You drop your pack and hang Viktor’s jacket on one of the hooks on your wall along with your apron. Looking at them hanging up side by side makes you pause and grin to yourself before making your way around the corner and into your tiny kitchen.

You search the cabinets for a quick fix and find enough food to count as a meal. There’s about three hours to kill before you need to start making your way to the bar and you contemplate how to spend your time.

First on your list is a bath. You worked with Remy on getting a boiler working in your building both for his business and for your hygiene. Hot water wasn’t always easy to come by, so living above the bar definitely had some perks.

Once you finished eating you shuffle to the bathroom with some clean underwear and a fresh towel. You strip down, oil-stained clothes littering your floor and let out a sigh once the water hits your back. The muscles in your neck and shoulders loosen as you allow the tension that you’d been carrying all day to release.

You scrub up as best you can, trying to get the oil out from under your fingernails and hoping you could look more presentable tonight than you did this morning. Your eyes close and your mind drifts off to Viktor. Wondering if he noticed how dirty your hands looked when you touched his or even if he was put off by the oil that made its way onto your face. You groan with delayed embarrassment and dip your head under the water one last time for good measure.

There’s still got a couple hours to go. You dry off and throw on some boxer briefs before you feel exhaustion creep in. A quick look at the mirror reveals that you still look like death warmed over. You decide to lie down, hoping that a power nap will be enough to bring your body and appearance back to life before your shift.

----------

A/N: I've been fighting the tags for weeks now, but maybe I got it right this time...maybe.

Anyway, if you liked this chapter, there's more available in my pinned post :) Happy New Year!

[dark-imagine-robots]

What IS your FNAF story? I'm new here and I'm curious

Answering both of these questions in one sitting! 

The TOTC fnaf story, or the “Family Alone” story, is focused on the murderers themselves. These two, Dan McFly Whidden and Peter Calvin Whidden are the Whidden brothers who give the Fazbear Company a jump start in early 1977. Dan was hired at age 16 and Peter was 17. Although Peter was also severing in Vietnam shortly after, he would still work on the animatronics and branded toys for the company while serving. Dan was a assistant manager, but quickly came up to manager once he turned 18 in 1979. They both had one older sister at home, Annabel Lee Whidden, she was an actor and a mother to the brothers’ nephews that they never knew about until after she was killed by a home intruder in 1982. They kept care of the nephews, Timothy Michael Whidden and Maxwell Brooks Whidden, however Maxwell was one that rejected their care constantly since he was no longer the boss around his younger sibling. That is in 1983, Maxwell and his crew that were only a year or so older than him, decided to play a “prank” on Timothy, which obviously went wrong. Both of the Brothers snapped after theit loss, eventually Maxwell’s crew began to disappear one by one at the hands of the Whidden Brothers, Maxwell also went missing during the series of disappearances. Even though the murder of these children were out of revenge, Peter himself became more indulged with blood last and continued to make more children disappear throughout the years. Jeremy Fitzgerald, an employee of the second Fazbear location of 1986, discovered Peter in his acts within night shift footage. Peter then reprogrammed one of the animatronics to promptly kill Jeremy, this being the 1987 incident. Another employee, a newly hired assistant technician, Fritz Smith, was framed for tampering with the animatronic after that incident. The year after in 1988, Peter was pronounced missing after said to have went to a third location that was on hold and under is maintenance. Dan soon disappeared as well after a few week of the third location grand opening. 

The Fazbear Company went dark and shut down due to financial problems and lack of customers. Until 2018, the Whidden brothers miraculously returned and resurrected the company, and having the original owner’s son gain ownership of the company. The Fazbear Company opened up two new locations, the rebuilt and modern Fredbear’s Family Diner and the Sister Location. But due to problems with the sister location animatronics, that location was shut down and moved to Fredbear’s. Today, Fredbear’s isthe only official Fazbear location and it is deemed the “main” location for the company itself, with partnering company location surrounding it nationally and internationally under the Whidden Robotic Inc.’s name since all partnering company robots were made by Peter Whidden himself.

Peter is currently the only technician that makes and fixes the Fazbear robots, and the main owner of Whidden Robotics Inc. Dan is the co-owner of the Fazbear Company itself and helps with paper work agreements and other. Both work at the present Fredbear’s Family Diner.

In terms with with their relationship together, their bond was much more healthy before the 1983 incident, presently the brothers are not in unison since one certainly hates the other, and the other wants to see their brother suffer.

[itsybitsybatsyspider]

Halfas and Heroes PI

Summary: during a recon mission at a new Cadmus facility in Amity Park, Dick gets into an accident. Only to find out later he has ghost-like powers. And the only person who can help a half-ghost, is another half-ghost.  

Notes: requested by @letsdannyphandom. This is a crossover  between Young Justice and Danny Phantom. Other notes at the end of this chapter. 

Words: 3k

Warning(s): violence and a little bit of gore.

It was a recon mission. That was all it was. A normal recon mission that would have ended with the team running away from an explosion or something with a few cuts and bruises to show.

until it suddenly wasn’t.

If Robin, Dick, knew what was going to happen later that day, on that mission, he wondered to himself if he would’ve still taken it. It had begun simple enough, with Batman coming to Mount Justice and giving the team a mission...

“It will be strictly recon. No interaction. Get in, get out, and report back as soon as possible. You will be heading into a new Cadmus facility that just opened up. And with the previous history with Cadmus, you will be going in and finding out everything you can about it. Is that understood?”  Batman’s gravelly voice echoed throughout the mountain.

“Yeah, yeah, so just the normal stuff then?” Kid Flash snarked.

Batman glared at the young speedster, who gulped. He still could never get used to the Bat-glare.

“Yes. We understand.” Kaldur said, sending a look to Kid. “Do we know what they are researching?”

“More clones?” Robin asked.

“Strangely, no.” Batman said as he pulled up a slide on the holoscreen, which showed an image of green energy stored in a high tech containment unit, with data info appearing next to it. “It appears to be that Cadmus has decided to train it’s focus on something other than cloning. Thanks to a new investor, they’ve decided to widen their research. First with cloning, now with ecto-energy.”

“Ecto-energy?” Artemis asked.

“Ectoplasm.”

“So like ghosts. Seriously? Cadmus believes in ghosts?” Kid joked, but when he saw the look on Bats’ face, he instantly shut up.  

“When an organization as powerful as Cadmus decides to investigate and research something that may seem like fiction, it’s never a wise decision to write it off as that. Now suit up, you’re heading out now.”

The screens shut off and Batman left, leaving the team to get ready.

The ride on the bioship was quiet for the most part as they flew to the small city of Amity Park, the place where the new facility was located. It was on the outskirts of the city, so hopefully the team wouldn’t too much attention when a camouflaged alien ship flew over their skyscrapers. Batman had said to Dick before that he had his suspicions about Amity Park and it’s ongoings.

There was an incident a few years ago when the entire city vanished off the face of the earth and hadn’t reappeared till a few days later. It was everywhere on the news. Nobody knew what happened and when the locals tried to explain to them that it was because of a ghost invasion, the reporters dismissed them and shrugged it off as some sort of hallucinogen. But a hallucinogen that could convince an entire city that ghosts exist and had taken over their town? Even that was a little far fetched in theory for the League. But then again, you never know. There were even rumors about a ghost superhero in the city, who fought off evil ghosts. But many of the rumors contradicted each other, some saying that he was a hero who fought for those who couldn’t fight for themselves, and others said that he was a menace who needed to be contained. So before Robin left for the mission, Batman pulled him aside and told him to look out for anything suspicious, and to have the camera inside his mask recording the whole time. He was obviously gonna go over the footage later when he got back from the mission.

But for now, Wally was trying to make some jokes about the whole Cadmus-believing-in-ghosts thing, but he wasn’t able to get a laugh out of anyone. Maybe a smirk out of Dick, but that was about it. They had arrived at the coordinates just when Kid was trying to think up of a pun with ‘ectoplasm’, so far he had nothing, and the team hoped that he would never find one.

They exited the bioship and activated their stealth suits while M’gann created the mental link with everyone.

Link established her voice echoed inside of everyone’s heads.

Good. Kaldur “said”. Robin, M’gann see if you can sneak into the ventilation shafts and hack into the security measures and find us a way inside. Once you lower the defenses, give us a two minute window and then raise them again. Hopefully, it’ll seem like a blip on their security feeds and it’ll be ignored.

On it. Robin said before disappearing into the forest they had landed in. M’gann pulled up her hood and instantly camouflaged with the shrubbery before following the Boy Wonder. She actually had no idea where Robin was, she couldn’t see him. The only way she knew where he was, was because of the mental link, guiding her to the place he was hiding. She followed the mental trail till she exited the forest and saw the bright outline of a small white building. Robin still nowhere in sight.

There’s a vent on the west side of the building. That’s our entrance point. Think you can bust it open? Robin said.

M’gann turned around and saw her teammate standing beside her, looking as if he was there the entire time.

Oh, yeah the Martian replied. They turned and walked to the other side of the building, Robin keeping a lookout for the security cameras the whole time, telling when to move or when to stop, staying vigilant the entire time for henchmen with guns or any other kind of weapon. They finally found the vent on the west side of the building and M’gann raised her hand, carefully removing the screws that kept it in place. Once it was off and the vent was open, Robin pulled out his grapple gun and shot at the opening, pulling himself up to the vent while M’gann flew.

Once inside, M’gann became visible again and Robin crawled forward a bit before stopping and pulling up the holoscreen on his gauntlets.He began hacking into the cameras and any other kind of security measures, with the little Robins on the screen turning red to green.

Alright, you guys are on the two minute timer.

Copy that. Kaldur replied. Robin shut off his holoscreen and continued to crawl through the vent, M’gann following right behind him, as they tried to find an empty room to drop into.

“Here.” the Martian whispered to the Boy Wonder as they came up to another vent opening. Robin took out what looked like to be the Bat equivalent of a swiss army knife and began to unscrew the screws around the vent. Carefully removing them and opening the vent, he dropped down onto the floor without a sound while M’gann hovered over the floor before landing silently on the linoleum as well.

Let’s go He said.

The door opened easily and the two heroes slipped into the hallway without anyone knowing that they were there. Robin pulled up the security footage on his gauntlets again, checking to see where the rest of the team was coming in. While he had put the footage on a loop for the guards, he actually had the live feed from the cameras, which showed Kid Flash and Superboy sneaking in from the roof and Kaldur and Artemis sneaking in through the backdoor.

A smirk appeared on the boys face.

Cameras coming back online in five, four, three, two, one.

The camera feed fritzed for a split second, signalling that Robin had lost his control over the cameras. He still had live footage, but he couldn’t do anything about it now. This Cadmus facility had better security than the first one. Which was surprising.

Alright, now that the cameras are back online, we can’t afford to be seen by any of them. Kaldur said.

Got it. Kid said.

Which means we can’t exactly meet up. We’re gonna have to investigate the floors on our own. Said Robin.

I agree. The Atlantean said.

Kid Flash and I have the third floor.

Me and Kaldur will take the first floor then.

And me and Robin have the second.

Robin, think you can hack into the camera feeds again? Kaldur asked.

Not really, Robin thought I have a live feed, but I can’t do much. This Cadmus facility has a lot more security measures than the last one. Probably because we were able to infiltrate it. The most I could do is delay the feed or maybe freeze it all together. But if I freeze it, I don’t know how long it’ll take for them to notice. We would have a few minutes at most.

A few minutes is better than none. Artemis said.

True. Alright then, freezing the feed in three, two, one.... Done.

Let’s go Kid Flash thought before zooming from one room to the other.

M’gann and Robin headed for the first door they saw and opened it to see that it was a lab of sorts. Just their luck. They shuffled through the papers and documents and Robin took samples of the strange green fluid they found in vials, going as fast as they could. They had no problems until suddenly red lights started flashing and wailing filled the air. Everyone heard Connor grunt in pain at the sound of the din.

Uh, guys? Looks like they noticed. Kid said

Yeah, kinda figured. Artemis sarcastically said at him in return.     

Robin heard the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway and quickly pocketed the vials he had and pulled out two birdarangs in their place as M’gann shifted into camouflage mode again.

Hiding by the sides of the doors, Robin and M’gann held their breath hoping that the guards would leave without knowing they were ever there. If only they had.

“They’re in here!” one man shouted, his voice muffled. The door was suddenly kicked down by a black boot, which was attached to a man dressed in all black, including a strange white visor that covered his face. Robin jumped into action, kicking the man in the gut and punching the visor, shattering it.

There were six guards total in the hallway, all dressed exactly the same as the first one, who all had these strange looking guns in their hands. They were white with silver accents and a bright green tip, which glowed.

Robin threw the birdarangs, each hitting it’s intended mark, as M’gann came out from behind the wall, throwing three of the guards against the wall telekinetically.

“There it is!” One of the guards shouted as he raised his ‘gun’ at M’gann and began shooting like a madman. The is only thing just as bad as a trained marksman, and it was a trigger-happy amatuer. Which this guard clearly was. M’gann flew out of the way, dropping her camo and doing her best to avoid the shots that were fired at her, putting all of her focus into her telekinesis and not getting shot. Meanwhile Robin stayed focused on the thugs he was fighting, and occasionally threw a birdarang at their guns, knocking them out of the guards hands’. One of them was proving to be a nuisance, seeing as no matter how hard Robin hit him, he kept coming back up. The guard had been able to pin Robin’s arms to his side as he held him in a strong grip, and as Robin struggled to get out of it, the guard strained to say something to him.

“Why the hell are you helping that thing? It’s just using you. It doesn’t care about you at all. As soon as you lose your usefulness, it’ll kill you.”

Robin headbutted the guard, breaking his visor, and revealing part of his face. He leaped away from the guard and took up a fighting stance.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he hissed at the man.

“It’s a ghost you idiot kid. It’s only manipulating you for it’s own gain.”

Robin shook his head and smirked. “You’re crazy.” He threw another birdarang at the man, who ducked out of the way. He ran up to Robin, grabbed his arm, and threw him over his shoulder into the lab. When Robin landed, he heard the sound of glass shattering and felt something wet covering his whole body.

Robin! M’gann yelled out in the mental link.

Ugh, oh no. Robin thought to himself as he got up. He thought he was covered in his own blood, but in reality, he had been thrown into the dozens of glass vials that held the ectoplasm. The Boy Wonder looked down at his arms to find the green goo covering his arms and a few cuts here and there, his blood mixing with the ghostly substance. That can’t be good. He thought.

He turned up to look at his opponent, who had a look of rage blazing in his eyes, and he saw that he had a pair of escrima sticks, sparking with electricity. Robin tried to move, picking himself up off of the ground and slipped into a shaky fighting stance. The man scowled.

“You’re a fool, boy.” he growled.

“NO!” M’gann shouted throwing every guard against the wall and knocking them all unconscious. Then everything seemed to slow down, as if time was moving at a slugs pace.

The guard hitting the wall dropped his sticks, still sparking with voltages of high electricity.

They clattered to the floor and slowly rolled over to the growing pool of ectoplasm. Which Robin was still standing in.

He watched as the tip touched the pool, and then everything went to hell.

The last thing Dick remembered was the sound of screaming and the feeling of immense pain shooting through his body. It felt as if he was being pulled apart, pushed together, ripped to pieces, and being stitched back together again all at the same time. He vaguely heard the sound of someone yelling his name, but he couldn’t remember. The boy hero collapsed on the floor, his body still spasming. He felt someone’s arms wrap around him and a comforting presence fill his mind before he was enveloped in darkness.

M’gann didn’t know what she saw. Nor what to do. She could only watch in frozen horror as her friend was electrocuted. His screams piercing their way into her mind, and M’gann knew in that moment that she would forever be haunted by the sound of those screams.

He collapsed on the ground, Robin’s body still spasming from the shock, and the young Martian didn’t hesitate to rush to his aid. She cast aside the escrima sticks and knelt next to Robin, her knees and cape staining from the sticky ectoplasm on the ground, and wrapping her arms around the boy. She could feel the pain coming from him and so she entered his mind, careful to avoid anything that was related to his identity, and she took the pain away. Replacing it with a comforting blanket of numbness and putting him into a deep sleep.

Tears pricked at M’gann’s eyes. But she willed them to remain in her eyes, she couldn’t lose it now. Not when Robin needed her help.

We need to get Robin out of here. Now. she said to the others. They had all heard the screams and felt the pain that the Boy Wonder felt, and they had all been shocked into silence. Kid Flash most of all.

They were all shaken out of their trance at the sound of M’gann’s ‘voice’, and had begun to make their way out. Except for Kid, who ran down to the second floor and reached the lab M’gann and Robin were in. When he saw the pool of ectoplasm, dried blood, and blackened skin on Robin, he felt like he was going to throw up. Who could ever see their best friend like this?

“Kid!” M’gann shouted at him! Wally was shaken out of his haze and his eyes focused on the Martian girl.

“Get him back to the ship! Run as fast as you can!” The speedster nodded and in a flash, Robin and Kid Flash were gone. Leaving M’gann by herself.

“Come on, buddy. Please stay with me.” Wally whispered to his friend as he ran through the building. He came across a couple of guards, but instead of fighting them and knocking them out, he ran between them. He couldn’t waste any time, not when his friend’s life was on the line. Soon enough, he was out of the facility and in the forest. The bioship came into sight and Wally let out a small breath of relief.

As if sensing the urgency of the situation, the ship opened its doors and released it’s camouflage, allowing Wally to rush inside. He placed Dick on a table that the ship had created, just when the rest of the team rushed in.

In no time at all, the bioship was in the air, flying fast to Happy Harbor, Rhode Island and to Mount Justice.

While the rest of the team sat in their chairs, glancing over at Dick from time to time, Wally stood next to him the entire trip. He took off his cowl and sat down in a makeshift chair the ship had created. He just didn’t understand how this could’ve happened to his best friend. He looked at Dick again, and finally saw the changes that he didn’t see before. It was subtle, but other than the dried blood and ectoplasm sticking to his skin and the blackened areas around his mask, Dick’s normal pitch black hair had gained streaks of white in it. It was an odd thing to see, yet nothing else had changed about his appearance. But if Wally knew anything about lab accidents, it was that usually appearances can be deceiving. And if something did happen to Dick in that lab, Wally knew that no matter what, it was still his friend, and nothing would change between them.

It was a vow that Wally took as he stared at his friend lying unconscious on the table. The young speedster looked down at the ground, a feeling of uselessness overcoming him.

“Please, be okay.”  

Notes: i know, i know, this chapter isn’t as good as it could’ve been. But i did have fun writing it, and i hopefully will upload the next chapter soon. Depends on how much school work i have though.

Also, i figured out that each halfa we see on Danny Phantom, minus Dani, was somehow able to get there powers through the combination of electricity and ectoplasm. First with Vlad and the ghost portal prototype in college, and second with Danny in the actual Ghost Portal. So i figured that a combo of those two things, would allow Dick to get his ghost powers. And if you’re wondering why his hair isn’t completely white, like with Danny and Vlad, well, you’ll just have to wait on that explanation.

Then there’s the guards thinking that M’gann was a ghost. I actually really like that.

Please leave comments and reblog. Until next time!

[nixie-writes-aot]

Sing To Me, Songbird

Chapter Two: I Want What's His

Warnings: cheating, band au

Pairing(s): Bertholdt Hoover x Zakai Eriko, Armin Arlert x Zakai Eriko, Ymir Fritz x Christa Lenz

Word Count: 1.2k

Zakai sat down in her room, towel wrapped around her body, brown hair wet and dripping. She reached over to her purse, digging out the note and staring at it. Her eyebrows furrowed as she considered the words with a blush that overtook her face.

"You were really cute last night. I would like to see you again. I'll leave you my number here too. -Bertholdt" 

Zakai pulled her phone out of her purse, quickly input the number that had been left in the cursive letters on the note. She hesitated, cheeks bright red as she gave in and pressed the call button. Zakai pressed the phone against her ear, hearing the ringing. It rang twice before picking up.

"I- uh.. Who uh- who is this?" His voice sounded from her phone.

Zakai let out a breathless laugh, "Hi." She muttered. 

A crush sounded from the other side before his familiar voice, sounding breathless, "I- uh- hi. Hi. Really just, hi." 

Zakai softly chuckled, "You are.. Such a dork. Did you really just fall?" 

"Yeah… I didn't expect you to call." Bertholdt confirmed. 

"Took me a while to get home, that's all, the bus was.. Well, I haven't taken a bus in a long while." She hummed, laying back in bed with a grin on her face. 

"I would've given you a ride." Bertholdt playfully chided.

Zakai rolled her eyes, "Mhm. Yeah, I'm sure. Dick." 

Bertholdt let out a cute little laugh, "I would! You were gone by the time I got back with breakfast!" 

Zakai went quiet for a few moments, surprised. "... You would've… Cooked me breakfast?" She rubbed her neck almost nervously, "Shit. Maybe I shouldn't have ran off like that. Sorry.  

Zakai couldn't believe she was that stupid, really, that she just believed that she'd never see him again. "No, no!" Bertholdt blurted, "Its okay! You were embarrassed, right?" 

Zakai considered her words, debating silently. She could tell him that it was true, she had only been embarrassed. Yet that's not exactly true. The other choice would be telling him that she had lied. That she's the elusive fourth band member to the Paradise Scouts, dating one of them to boot. 

"Hey, I gotta go but meet up with me. Tomorrow, lunch?" Zakai offered.

Zakai couldn't tell Bertholdt what he wanted to hear because it wasn't that she just felt embarrassed but also because she wasn't single. Zakai had lied.

"Yeah, the cafe on South and Third?" Bertholdt questioned.

"I'll be there." Zakai hummed, "Bye… Berty." 

"I- uh- y-yeah! Fuck. Bye." He choked out. She chuckled at the flustered reaction before hanging up. 

Zakai stood, letting the towel drop and changed. Her outfit was for comfort. A simple black shirt and a pair of dark grey leggings. She walked out of her room, sitting down on the couch. A clang sound from the kitchen. She glanced over to the direction of the kitchen, "Hey! Get me a soda?" Zakai exclaimed. 

"Okay!" A voice called back.

Zakai froze, sitting up straight as her face paled. Armin. The blonde left the kitchen, a can of coke under his armpit, holding two plates of food. He placed them on the coffee table, sitting beside Zakai. Armin held out the soda for Zakai, his smile so sweet and genuine. 

"Ymir let me in. I think she's with Christa, in their room." Armin explained, his brows furrowing, "Are you okay?"

Zakai laid back with a scoff, "When am I not?" She grabbed one plate and the soda, "Breakfast?" 

"Ymir told me you came home drunk. So, I thought some fried potatoes, bacon, and eggs would help!"

Armin and Zakai sat there in an uncomfortable silence despite Armin's attempts. Zakai would just shut him down with one word answers. Armin shifted, having finished his food just a few minutes after Zakai. The brunette took a gulp of coke, placing it on the table. Zakai ran a hand through her hair, keeping her eyes on her phone. She had been, essentially, ignoring Armin. What was she even supposed to say? "I slept at someone's house after spending the night dancing and flirting with him, we even have a date tomorrow, oh AND Ymir lied"? That would never go down well. 

Armin let out a frustrated sigh, " Okay. I'll bite, what's going on?" He questioned.

This was her chance to come clean. She could just tell him everything, that it was a mistake, that she's sorry. Except… Zakai wasn't sorry and it wasn't a mistake. In fact, she'd do it again if given the choice. 

"Nothing, Armin." Zakai hummed, looking up at him with an unreadable expression.

Armin stared at her in complete disbelief, "Are you serious?" Armin muttered, standing with an annoyed sigh. "Fine. I'll see you at practice then." 

Zakai stared down at her phone, hearing Armin slam the front door on his way out. She sighed, laying down on the couch and holding her phone above her head as she clicked onto the unknown number. She edited the contact, putting in "Berty" with a heart before sending him a message. 

"Hi. Can't wait for tomorrow."

—

Bertholdt smiled down at his phone, typing a quick 'me too' in response, feeling his cheeks warm up. Normally, he was a lot less "lovey" but Bertholdt didn't question it. 

"That Sleeping Beauty again?" Reiner questioned as he plopped down beside Bertholdt, looking over his shoulder. 

Bertholdt pressed the phone's power button, shooting Reiner a playful, joking glare. "She has a name." Bertholdt reminded. Reiner laughed. 

"God, you're down bad. Never even saw you take a girl home before." He paused, "Yeah. I know she has a name." The blonde waved his own phone, "Zeke told me."

"You asked about her?" Bertholdt questioned.

"Yep! She's the guitarist and backup singer for Eren. Remember him from high school?" Reiner hummed, pocketing his phone.

Bertholdt scowled, brows furrowed before he quietly whispered, "Yeah. I remember them, alright." His mind drifted to Armin before he likely shook his head. There was a tenseness in the air that confused Bertholdt as he looked Reiner up and down. Bertholdt had known Reiner his entire life and right now, he knew that Reiner was being quiet about something. 

"What did Zeke say about her?" Bertholdt questioned.

"Not much that isn't known by google, buddy." He grunted, "You told me about how you met Sleeping Beauty and… She lied to you." 

Bertholdt froze up, the confusion and hurt crossing his face furst. The silent question was hanging in the air, blatantly obvious. 

What did she lie about?

The blonde shifted, leaning back, spreading his arms across the back. He looked up ag the ceiling, "Don't look so hurt, dude." Reinee hummed, "She wasn't single. That's it. Sleeping Beauty is Armin's girl." 

Bertholdt looked relieved, laying back alongside Reiner. He shot a glare at him, "You could've said that sooner, Reiner." Reiner only shrugged. "Safe to say, I don't care. Not after Annie." 

"You gonna mention it to her?" Reiner asked.

"That I know she's lying? Doesn't matter either way, I'll let her have peace of mind." Bertholdt answered. 

Reiner softly chuckled, looking at his friend. "Finally you have a backbone." Reiner joked, ribbing Bertholdt lightheartedly. Bertholdt nodded. Reiner frowned, "I have to ask… You aren't doing this just to get back at Armin, right?"

"No. I want what he has. That's it." Bertholdt flashed a smile, "It's just cosmic justice that it's him."

[first] - [next]

[sounmashnews]

[ad_1] PARIS: Spain reigns on the summit of males's tennis with Carlos Alcaraz holding world primary spot within the ATP rankings launched on Monday with compatriot Rafael Nadal shifting again as much as second. Nadal, 36, benefited from Casper Ruud's quarter-final exit in Seoul the place he was high seed, to maneuver forward of the Norwegian. Novak Djokovic, winner of his third match this season in Tel Aviv, stays seventh however scores 250 treasured factors within the race for the ATP Finals in Turin, his end-of-season purpose. The Serb was competing in his first singles match in Israel since claiming a seventh Wimbledon crown in July, and might nonetheless earn factors this week within the Astana ATP match. Croat Marin Cilic gained two locations shifting from sixteenth to 14th, because of his reaching the ultimate in Tel Aviv. Rankings:1. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 6740 pts 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 5810 (+1) 3. Casper Ruud (NOR) 5645 (-1) 4. Daniil Medvedev 5065 5. Alexander Zverev (GER) 5040 6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4810 7. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 3820 8. Cameron Norrie (GBR) 3445 9. Andrey Rublev 3345 10. Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 3175 (+1) 11. Taylor Fritz (USA) 3055 (+1) 12. Jannik Sinner (ITA) 3040 (-2) 13. Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 2950 14. Marin Cilic (CRO) 2495 (+2) 15. Pablo Carreño (ESP) 2360 (-1) 16. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2360 (-1) 17. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2110 18. Karen Khachanov 1990 19. Frances Tiafoe (USA) 1940 20. Nick Kyrgios (AUS) 1780 !(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) window.TimesApps = window.TimesApps )( window, document, 'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js', );if(typeof window !== 'undefined') ; const TimesApps = window; TimesApps.loadScriptsOnceAdsReady = () => var scripts = [ 'https://static.clmbtech.com/ad/commons/js/2658/toi/colombia_v2.js' , 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-877820074', 'https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/sdkloader/ima3.js', 'https://tvid.in/sdk/loader.js', 'https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/video_comscore_api/version-3.cms', 'https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/grxpushnotification_js/minify-1,version-1.cms', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#version=v10.0&xfbml=true', 'https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/locateservice_js/minify-1,version-14.cms' ]; scripts.forEach(function(url) ); [ad_2] Source link

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – NFL & FIFA

Every week we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT - NFL

The NFL (National Football League), the USA’s top tier of American Football, is one of the most diverse professional sports leagues in the world.

Yet DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) among its coaches is notoriously sparse.

In a league in which more than two-thirds of the players are black, only five head coaches in the NFL are of a minority background: Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins), Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders), Robert Saleh (New York Jets), Lovie Smith (Houston Texans) and Mike Tomlin (Steelers).

However, for the first time, the league has moved to specifically address this issue with a new ruling under the league’s Rooney Rule.

A new requirement for all 32 NFL teams to have a minority assistant on their offensive staff will be enacted for the 2022 season.

The league has revealed a new diversity advisory committee will review league and club policies to rectify ongoing concerns over a lack of diversity in hiring.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement: "We've worked for years and made progress in many areas to ensure that staff and leaders in our office and at our clubs reflect the racial and gender makeup of America, but we have more work to do, particularly at the head coach and front-office level.

"This esteemed group's work will help us build a more inclusive league. We look forward to their recommendations and to continuing our conversations with other outside experts, community and civil rights leaders, Fritz Pollard Alliance and current and former players and coaches -- to make our efforts and those of the clubs more effective so that real and tangible results will be achieved."

Pamela Carlton, NFL Diversity Advisory Committee founder and President, said: "I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with the NFL, a vitally important organization in the world of sports and in American culture, on such critical matters like DEI and its policies and practices related to hiring and retention. The other committee members and I look forward to completing a rigorous, independent analysis of how the NFL and its clubs approach diversity and inclusion to ensure that minority candidates have equitable opportunities at the highest levels."

Chairman of the league’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II commented: “We recognize we have seen progress on some fronts, but we still have a way to go on other fronts.”

The number of minorities in all coaching positions saw an increase from 35% in the 2020 season to 39% in 2021, with a record increase in defensive coordinators, and an increase in minority GMs and assistant GMs.

The NFL also released a proposition to increase diversity ownership of franchises, with the 32 clubs releasing a joint statement regarding their commitment: "The NFL member clubs support the important goal of increasing diversity among ownership.

“Accordingly, when evaluating a prospective ownership group of a member club pursuant to League policies, the membership will regard it as a positive and meaningful factor if the group includes diverse individuals who would have a significant equity stake in and involvement with the club, including serving as the controlling owner of the club."

Further minority inclusion related policies are expected to be put in place before the 2023 season, marking a positive shift in a sport that has been marred by diversity and equality issues for so long.

MISS – FIFA

FIFA is still attracting a lot of heat, 12 years after awarding the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar – a tiny, oil-rich, super-wealthy middle eastern country who had not once qualified for the tournament before in their entire history.

Accusations of bribery and corruption have been followed by damming reports about the human rights abuses of the thousands of migrant workers that were brought in from poorer neighbouring countries in order to build the stadiums and infrastructure.

Norwegian football President Lise Klaveness, in a speech delivered at the 72nd FIFA congress, remarked: “FIFA must act as a role model. Our game can inspire dreams and break down barriers, but as leaders, we must do it right to the highest standards.

“In 2010, the World Cup was awarded by FIFA in unacceptable ways with unacceptable consequences. There is no room for employers who do not secure the freedom and safety of World Cup workers. No room for hosts that cannot legally guarantee the safety and respect of LGBTQ+ people coming to this theatre of dreams.”

The organisation has now provoked further criticism at the recent congress in Doha after allowing Russian delegates to attend its annual congress, with the Russian flag being flown at the Congress Hall.

Russian officials were present for the event but there were none from the Ukraine FA, who instead were represented by their country’s ambassador to Qatar.

FIFA’s ruling council confirmed Russia’s suspension from international competition at a meeting last week but banning delegates from attending the congress was not discussed.

FIFA meanwhile, stated that it could not suspend the federation under its rules for actions taken by its political leaders.

It was said that the organisation was only able to ban Russia from international competition because of the impact the war in Ukraine had on World Cup qualifiers.

Chairman of the UK all-party parliamentary group on Russia, Chris Bryant MP, said: “I’m constantly mystified at sporting bodies who do not seem to watch the news, or take enough action, if they do.

“They don’t seem to be able to isolate Russia in light of [Vladimir] Putin’s appalling war crimes. We must isolate any Russian who wants to take part in world affairs until Russia withdraws.”

The Russian Football Union (RFU) has remained steadfast in its opposition to FIFA’s World Cup ban, which it is challenging at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and insisted it had every right to attend the congress in Doha.

Russian national teams and clubs have been suspended by FIFA and UEFA, but the ban does not apply to the RFU, allowing Russia to declare an interest in hosting Euro 2028 or 2032.

The RFU’s Alexey Sorokin was unapologetic, saying: “We are not hiding. We have every right to be here.

“We find it kind of strange that the Russian team was not allowed to play in this [World Cup] qualification.

“It’s strange. We feel that our football players and football lovers have nothing to do with [the invasion of Ukraine].”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino chimed in to defend the decision to allow the RFU’s presence in Doha, while asking Vladimir Putin, who presented him with an Order of Friendship medal in 2019, to end the war in Ukraine.

Infantino – who has reportedly moved to Doha and been living in the Qatari capital since October 2021 – recently acknowledged that Qatar was a work in progress, saying: “Of course, it’s not paradise. Of course it’s not perfect. Of course, there is still work to be done, but we need to stay there.

“We need to continue. We need to work together. We need to encourage change because not everyone wants change, even in Qatar or in the Gulf. But the leadership wants change.”

His words made a mockery of the afflicted parties, yet in his congress speech Infantino continued with this theme, claiming: “If we don’t have occasions to bring people together like a Congress, then we should stop and go home.

“Now that we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel (on the Covid-19 pandemic), what happens now? War. War with the fear of a global conflict,” the Swiss said.

“The Russia World Cup in 2018 was by all means a great World Cup, sportingly and culturally. But obviously it did not solve the problems of the world. It did not even solve the problems in the region.

“It did not create a lasting peace. But what I want to say now is that once this terrible conflict is over, and all other conflicts around the world, hopefully football can play a small part in rebuilding relationships, in establishing peace and understanding.

“My plea to all of those who have some power, in important political positions, please stop conflicts and wars. We must engage in dialogue even with your worst enemy.

“We have to learn again to live together. This Congress is a testimony of that.”

As the world’s eyes are on a brutal war unfolding in Ukraine, continuing to focus on the role of sports can seem trivial.

However, sport continues to be one of the main battlefields in the fight for public perception – a key component of strategic warfare.

It is for this reason that the role of FIFA and other governing bodies is so vital.

Infantino may like to spin this latest pacification of Russia as an act of diplomacy that is ‘bringing people together’.

However, the harsh reality is that under his tenure, FIFA continues to skirt around its duties to the global game.

Allowing Russian delegates to attend its annual conference – while their Ukrainian counterparts fight at home – is yet more proof that its appeasement of Russia and other aggressive regimes is far from over.

[patriotsnet]

Which Senate Republicans Voted Against The Wall

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/which-senate-republicans-voted-against-the-wall/

Which Senate Republicans Voted Against The Wall

Senate Again Votes To End Trump Emergency Declaration On Border Wall

Senate Republicans vote against Trumps border emergency | Nine News Australia

The Senate again voted on Wednesday to end President TrumpDonald TrumpFormer Sen. Heller to run for Nevada governorOvernight Defense & National Security Milley becomes lightning rodJoint Chiefs Chairman Milley becomes lightning rod on rightMOREs emergency declaration on the U.S.-Mexico border wall, paving the way for a veto showdown with the White House.

Senators voted 54–41;on a resolution to end the declaration, which Trump used to shift billions of dollars from the military toward wall construction.

Under the National Emergencies Act, a resolution ending the declaration needed only a simple majority to clear the Senate, making it likely to be approved.;But underscoring the broad swath of concern about Trumps actions among the Senate GOP caucus, 11 Republican senators voted to nix the declaration.

Roger Frederick WickerTop Republican: General told senators he opposed Afghanistan withdrawalNY Democrat tests positive for COVID-19 in latest House breakthrough caseFlorida Democrat becomes latest breakthrough COVID-19 case in HouseMORE voted to end the president’s declaration.;

Democrats have seized on the administrations decision to shift money away from military construction projects as a way to politically box in Republicans by forcing them to decide between breaking with Trump or voting to allow money to be shifted away from projects in their own states.

Same way I voted last time. How would I square voting differently? Cornyn asked.

Eleven Gop Senators Vote Against National Emergency Border Wall

Eleven GOP senators voted to cancel President Donald Trumps declaration of a national border emergency and his subsequent transfer of agency funding to build the border wall.

This 54 to 41 vote was not about the border wall, but whether the Congress of the United States of America should yield its constitutionally prescribed power of the purse to the President, said Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins.

The answer to that question, regardless of who is in the White House should be no, Collins continued. Congress alone is empowered by the constitution to adopt laws directing money from the U.S. Treasury.

The president stole the money, and I will not stand for that, said Vermont Democrat Sen. Patrick Leahy. The president took the funding from other projects, such as the replacement of older schools at military bases, said Leahy, who is the top Democrat on the appropriations panel.

Senators should vote against the resolution because there is no Earthly reason why Democrats would force us to have one or the other, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell .

The joint resolution is passed, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney announced from the Senates chair.

The 11 GOP senators who voted against the emergency and the wall included Collins, Romney, retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander , along with Sens. Roy Blunt , Mike Lee , Jerry Moran , Lisa Murkowski , Rand Paul , Rob Portman , Pat Toomey , and Roger Wicker .

Several GOP senators declined to vote.

Y Leaders Including Mcconnell And Trump Had Urged Colleagues To Reject Proposal

WASHINGTONSenate Republicans blocked the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, after GOP leaders urged colleagues to reject it.

The bill needed 60 votes to advance in the evenly divided Senate, thanks to the chambers longstanding filibuster rule. That means 10 Republicans would have had to vote with all 50 members of the Democratic caucus to allow the bill to proceed. Only six did, and the legislation fell short, with 54 votes in favor, 35 against and 11 senators not voting.

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Senate Again Rejects Trumps Border Emergency But Falls Short Of A Veto

By Emily Cochrane

WASHINGTON The Senate voted on Wednesday for a second time to terminate the national emergency that President Trump declared at the southwestern border, in a bipartisan rejection of Mr. Trumps bid to build a wall without congressional approval.

But the 54-to-41 vote, in which 11 Republicans joined Democrats to break with the president over his signature domestic priority, fell short of the margin that would be needed to overcome a presidential veto, ensuring that Mr. Trump would be able to continue to redirect military funding to build a barrier on the southwestern border.

The tally was nearly identical to the result of a vote in March, when Congress first sought to block the national emergency declaration and a dozen Republicans joined all Democrats present for the vote. Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, who voted in March to overturn the emergency declaration, did not vote on Wednesday. Mr. Rubio had a previously scheduled family matter to attend to, but would have voted again to reject the emergency declaration, his office said.

Heightening the political tension around the vote, the Pentagon this month unveiled a list of military construction projects that would be delayed as a result of the national emergency declaration. The vote in March, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, noted on Tuesday, was before the Republicans knew which projects in their own states were at issue.

Here Are The Republicans Who Objected To Certifying The Election Results

By Jenny Gross and Luke Broadwater

Even after a mob of Trump supporters swarmed and entered the Capitol on Wednesday, a handful of Republican senators and more than 100 Republican representatives stood by their decisions to vote against certifying the results of the presidential election.

Congress certified the election of Joseph R. Biden Jr. early Thursday, ending attempts to overturn the results in two states. Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Roger Marshall of Kansas and John Kennedy of Louisiana voted to overturn the results in Arizona, while 93 senators voted against. Mr. Hawley, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Tuberville, Ms. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Marshall and Senators Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rick Scott of Florida voted to overturn the results in Pennsylvania, while 92 voted against it.

The House rejected the Arizona challenge by a vote of 303 to 121 and rejected the Pennsylvania challenge by a vote of 282 to 138.

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington also condemned the actions of the mob of Trump loyalists and said she would no longer vote against the vote certifications.

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Sen Jerry Moran Of Kansas

Moran, a member of Senate Appropriations,; shortly before Thursdays vote that he would support the resolution. I share President Trumps goal of securing our borders, but expanding the powers of the presidency beyond its constitutional limits is something I cannot support, he tweeted.; also attached photos of his handwritten notes outlining his position. Hes up for;a third term;in 2022.

Senate Unanimously Votes Against Defunding The Police

The Senate early Wednesday unanimously approved an amendment to its proposed budget that opposed defunding the police.

The amendment, offered by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, came during the Senates overnight vote-a-rama, a marathon session during consideration of Democrats $3.5 trillion budget where members can offer unlimited amendments. While the votes are non-binding, they can sometimes be politically tricky for senators as their colleagues force on-the-record positions on contentious issues.

My amendment is pretty simple, Tuberville said on the Senate floor. If your city council wants to defund their police, dont expect the federal government to make up the difference.

It was adopted 99-0. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker praised Tubervilles amendment, joking that senators should also declare their support for God, country and apple pie.

Sen. Cory Booker, walks to the Senate Chamber during Tuesdays infrastructure vote

After midnight, 95 senators again signed on to an amendment from Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley that provided federal funds to hire 100,000 new police officers nationwide, urging his colleagues to go beyond just stating their opposition to defunding the police.

I recognize that my friends across the aisle said they dont want to defund the police, Hawley said. Thats outstanding. Lets go a step further. Lets fund them.;

Also Check: What Caused Republicans To Gain Power In Congress In 1938

Trumps First Presidential Veto

The bill will go to the White House, where Trump has said earlier that he will veto it, making this the first time that hes refused to sign a bill passed by both sides of Congress.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee said Thursday afternoon she wasnt sure when that would be, but within twenty minutes of the Senate vote, Trump had indicated he had not changed his mind:

Thom Tillis North Carolina

Senator Tillis to vote against emergency declaration

Sen. Tom Tillis is the other senator up for re-election in 2020 who has said he will vote to block Trumps emergency declaration. ;

“As a U.S. senator, I cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress,” Tillis wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post. “As a conservative, I cannot endorse a precedent that I know future left-wing presidents;will exploit to advance radical policies that will erode economic and individual freedoms.”

Contributing: Deborah Barfield Berry, Michael Collins and John Fritze, USA TODAY; The Associated Press;

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Veto Overrides Are Rare

Trumps veto will send the bill back to Congress. For Trumps emergency declaration to be permanently blocked, two-thirds of the members of both chambers of Congress need to vote to override the veto, or 290 members of the House and 67 members of the Senate.

In this case, the House will need to pick up 45 more Republican votes and the Senate another 8 to veto the bill, which is politically unlikely, because it would mean a huge number of elected politicians in states that Trump won in 2016 turning their back on the president.

Overriding a presidential veto has only happened 111 times in American history, as congressional reporter Chad Pergram points out:

Republicans Help Democrats Vote Against Trump’s Wall Funding Grab

The House voted Tuesday to revoke the national emergency President Trump declared in order to spend federal money to build a physical barrier on the southern border without congressional approval.

The joint resolution passed 245-182 with the help of 13 Republican votes. It now heads to the Senate, where many lawmakers predict it will pass with the help of at least four Republicans who oppose Trumps emergency declaration.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the Senate would vote on the measure by mid-March.

Trump has vowed to issue the first veto of his presidency if the resolution reaches his desk, and the House vote indicates there are not enough votes to override his veto. Democrats would need to find 290 votes to override Trump, 45 short of the total seen Tuesday.

The 13 Republicans voting with Democrats were Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Gallager of Wisconsin, Jaime Hererra Beutler of Washington, Will Hurd of Texas, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Francis Rooney of Florida, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, Elise Stefanik of New York, Fred Upton of Michigan and Greg Walden of Oregon.

Trump’s emergency declaration announcement came days after Congress appropriated $1.375 billion to erect physical barriers in the Rio Grande Valley. The money fell far short of the $5.7 billion Trump had been requesting.

Also Check: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

Congress Votes To Reverse Trumps Declaration On Border Wall

US Congress rejects Trumps emergency declaration to spend $8bn to build a wall along its border with Mexico.

Washington, DC The US Senate has voted 59-41 to reverse President Donald Trumps emergency declaration to spend $8bn to build a wall on its border with Mexico.

The vote on Thursday set up the first veto showdown of Trumps presidency and a major political issue for the 2020 election.

Despite last minute personal appeals from Trump and a White House lobbying campaign, 12 Republicans broke with the president to join the Democrats in voting against the wall.

The margin, however, fell short of what would be needed to override a Trump veto which the US president is likely to do, according to his tweet sent a few minutes after the Senate decision.

VETO!

Donald J. Trump

Building a wall to stop migration from Mexico was Trumps signature campaign issue during his presidential election campaign in 2016. It was also at the core of the constitutional standoff between Trump and Congress that led to a 35-day government shutdown earlier this year.

The presidents emergency declaration is an end run around Congress, plain and simple, said Senator Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, one of four US states that border Mexico.

I am here to tell you there is no national security emergency along the border in New Mexico.;

Democrats challenge Trumps state of emergency move over wall

Trumps US-Mexico border policies under fire in Congress

Another Republican Opposes Trump Funding Border Wall With Emergency Declaration

WASHINGTON Sen. Mike Lee on Wednesday became the fifth Republican to announce support for the House-passed resolution to terminate President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration to pay for a border well, ensuring the measure will almost certainly pass Thursday.

“For decades, Congress has been giving far too much legislative power to the executive branch,” Lee said in a statement.

Lee spoke with Trump Wednesday about the upcoming vote, a senior White House official told NBC News.

Lee had introduced a bill that would end all national emergencies act declarations after 30 days unless Congress affirmatively votes to extend the emergency as a way to get past the impasse, but he acknowledged his legislation wasn’t going anywhere at this time.

The measure to terminate Trump’s national emergency declaration is expected to be approved by the GOP-controlled Senate because enough Republicans have signaled that they would join Democrats to vote in favor of the measure.

Read Also: When Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Platforms

Trump Expected To Again Veto Measure To Cancel National Emergency

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senates bipartisan rejection of President Trumps wall funding was a show vote engineered by the Democrats.

WASHINGTONThe Senate moved to prevent President Trump from redirecting military funds toward a border wall, voting to once again cancel Mr. Trumps emergency declaration at the border by approving a resolution that likely faces another White House veto.

The resolution passed the GOP-controlled chamber Wednesday with 11 Republicans voting yes and was likely to sail through the Democratic-controlled House, but it fell short of a veto-proof majority.

After Congress passed a similar resolution in March to cancel the national emergency, Mr. Trump vetoed it.

The vote was an unusual display of Republican rebellion against the presidents quest for his signature policy initiative, which led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history that ended earlier this year.

The 54-41 vote was largely identical to the original vote in March, though Sen. Marco Rubio , who previously supported the resolution, didnt vote Wednesday. Several Senate Democrats running for president were also absent.

Republicans who voted for the resolution said they wanted to defend the congressional prerogative to decide how the government spends taxpayer dollarseven if they support building a wall.

Write to Andrew Duehren at

Appeared in the September 26, 2019, print edition as ‘.’

The 8 House Republicans Who Voted Against Trumps Border Wall

The House on Thursday;passed a stopgap government funding bill by a 217-185 vote that would stave off a partial government shutdown.

Its inclusion of $5.7 billion in border wall funding, however, likely makes it dead on arrival in the Senate, leaving both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue without a backup plan as President Trump

Amash, an outspoken fiscal conservative and member of the House Freedom Caucus, was one of the two among the group, including several firebrands, to vote against the measure and oppose border wall funding.

This massive, wasteful spending billstuffed with unrelated itemspassed 217-185. Its amazing how some wall funding causes my fellow Republicans to embrace big government. Watch out if Democrats attach wall funding to Medicare for All. The bill could be called Medicare for Wall, he said about the stopgap bill.

This massive, wasteful spending billstuffed with unrelated itemspassed 217-185. Its amazing how some wall funding causes my fellow Republicans to embrace big government. Watch out if Democrats attach wall funding to Medicare for All. The bill could be called Medicare for Wall.

Kenneth Robert BuckLawmakers flooded with calls for help on Afghanistan exitHouse members release companion bill targeting app storesMORE

I think sending federal workers home before Christmas without knowing when and if theyll have a job is wrong, he said.

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Senate Republicans Again Join Dems In Blocking Border Wall Funding

Posted by JT Crowe | Sep 25, 2019 | News

2 minute, 18 second read

For the second time, the Senate approved a resolution blocking President Donald Trumps national emergency plan to divert funds from other military projects to begin building his long-promised southern border wall, a move that will likely face another veto.

Eleven Republicans joined the 47 Democrats in voting to block the measure, which is likely to sail through the Democrat-controlled house but not with a veto-proof two-thirds super majority.

Congress also passed a similar resolution back in March but Trump used his presidential veto power for the first time to override the resolution.

Trump declared a national emergency in February after Congress approved $1.38 billion well below the nearly $6 billion Trump sought amid a record-long government shutdown in funding to fix older segments of fencing and not to build any new sections.

The resolution passed 54-41 with nearly an identical breakdown of who voted for what, other than Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who previously supported the measure but did not vote Wednesday because he was absent.

Republicans who voted against emergency declaration include: Mitt Romney and Mike Lee of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rob Portman of Ohio, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Pat Toomey of Rhode Island, Roy Blunt of Missouri and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

[adriftpsyche]

ABEO Invicta - Class Prophecy

Dropping it here so old posts don’t get read lol.

A revelation from the Higher Being, which was bestowed shows the ABEO Invicta on what must soon take place. This was made known by sending me a vision, I testify to everything I saw – the people who hear this may or may not take to heart of what is written, because the time is near.

I turned around to see the scenery that was before me. And when I turned, I saw five doors, and each door leads to different futures, the five doors are paths that each person from the ABEO Invicta chose to tread, whatever lies ahead, will have been or will not be the choices they made.

As I slowly turned the knob of the first door, I saw that there was a wide field, it was filled with countless of chances and coupons of hope, the sky was clear and blue and the ground smelled like rain kissing the grass and one can see a vivid display of a rainbow; and in there, I saw Maxine​, who will realize that she has always been more than enough, and she will be able to give the life she strived for her family. In a ​kombong​, and with her long-time lover, she adds more graffiti ​on the walls of Marawi, spreading love and not war! One day, she will also try her luck in Masterchef Australia, but unfortunately, be eliminated over a horrible plating. Speaking of food, ​Neil ​inherits Holy Halo, levels up his charisma and interpersonal skills, which prompts his confidence to skyrocket even more with nowhere to contain it. And then it shifted to a more, familiar face, ​Kirstie​, her exposure with Indians brought her to ​a whole new world​, paving the way to travels and explorations of Asian culture which she writes on her columns in a magazine but Kirstie isn’t the only one capable of swooning men of different colors, but also ​Rodrick​! A number of them love his ​diction and his love for art and aesthetics. And in that magazine, the Gazette, ​Sittie – now Dr. Sittie Aslimah Malaco, gets featured for being a writer on her cultural heritage and is now among the highly recommended candidates for a leadership position in the MSU system and in occasion, meet-ups with ​Bea​, a spazzer and a content writer in All-KPop, a renowned site for KPop News who rediscovers herself and tries to puzzle herself back piece by piece in a steady but secure pace. Speaking of spazzing ang rediscovering the self, ​MaTet stands next to her. Like Bea, she’s still getting butterflies from her KPop idols and when she’s not, she uses her incredible ​patience for her teaching job at a Special Ed school. And ​Doreen​, oh our lovely goddess​, Doreen, continues ​to not claim a man, but own them, and has been getting ​breaststroke lessons from them ever since. She also revolutionizes pageantry by finding a way on how to stop these events in objectifying women. She paves the way for ​Azrael’​s two beautiful babies, by being their surrogate mother. Azra is happily married with a super hot Spanish man and lives in a beautiful bungalow located along the coast of Santorini in Greece. A beautiful surprise just like ​Sam’​ s, wherein after graduation, a small time talent scout found her, recruited and trained her which then boomed after 10 years, with her as the face of their agency. She is also a part-time secretary at a company. Of self-discoveries and dreams, Ralph​, becomes the John Green of the batch, writes melancholic but woke entries with a cigarette on hand and a glass of vodka beside beautifully disorganized drafts, in a quiet city night inside his apartment playing his indie music vibe.

After this, I went back out of the door, and proceeded to the second door, a lot of them chose to mold the minds of the next generation, the field was occupied with children looking up at several adults. ​Ave was one of them, an English professor at Misamis University after taking up her Masters degree, co-working with ​Eurey​, who followed her mother’s footsteps, and finally had her ​first long-term boyfriend​. But for ​Grace,​ a long-term boyfriend should be promoted to being a husband, and temporary kilays should be made permanent! ​Tiis ganda, no more! For surprises, everyone thought that ​Renz would become a PBA basketball player or a regular in Barangay Ligas​, but he becomes an elementary teacher while simultaneously teaching them to become the next ring legend. However, some things never change, he still continues to carry his big, bloated, and heavy bag that he has been carrying since college. Another surprise is Jocel​’s, she becomes a kindergarten teacher, out of curiosity on how the ​sociocognitive and language acquisition process happens in the human mind. Children are the perfect example for this process, and witnessing this over and over, never fails to fascinate her just like how Ate Koy ​continues to mold young minds in and out of the four corners of her classroom and has married with Sir Andrew, with her own beautiful kids who inherited her ​husband’s crazy beautiful curly hair. ​Ate Christine ​joins this group as well, she’s still the same quiet yet strict lady who is now a young school Principal that shows the children grace and simplicity. Another Ate in the field is Elaine, after a strong recommendation from the department, becomes a lecturer and then to being an English professor, by finishing her masters degree in MSU-IIT and will pursue her doctorate, where she will meet her first and last love of her life. Also in the same field is Danielle​, who still swears like a traffic horn, will be bagging awards in each of h r performances, and will be a dance and acting teacher in her own studio. She still performs along with her fiance, the critically-acclaimed Sir Michael Lagura, but dedicates most of her time to nurturing potential theater actors and actresses. These eight people, carry with them the power to unfold the minds of the youth and breed their confidence.

After this, I went back out of the door, and proceeded to the third door, those who were not afraid to strongly raise their voice for the unheard, and did not take neutrality for an answer. Their field was packed with an endless queue of people, patiently waiting for their turn to pour out and throw their weight to the persons at the end of the line which I can barely see. And so I walked over to see who were there and I saw ​Maegan​, still a very kind snowflake who also runs her own ​petshop​, becomes an animal advocate. Beside her was ​Lovely​, now a ​Pastora in a megachurch, and is giving everyone on the same field, a life-changing and anointed testimony that makes cold hearts beat again and dead dreams come alive again. ​AG and ​Ate Nikki​, are along the same lines with her – both of them become even more active leaders; AG, now a journalist in the Hope Channel while simultaneously trying to finish her masters degree and Ate Nikki, now the president of CARP, travels around the country to spread their advocacies. And advocacies are only ideas not unless there is a good promoter for that, like ​Fritz​, she continues to live up to her Moana persona as she ventures into many remote parts of Mindanao for a non-profit organization that holds educational and charitable works for environmental advocacies. Eventually, she settles down in Camiguin, where a lot of beautiful sunsets and ocean waters can be regularly seen. Contrary to beaches, I see ​Ate Patch, married to June, away from the city life in their quaint house with lovely cats roaming about. By way of art and writing books, as her living and advocates for destigmatizing mental illness through her works. The last in the circle is ​Lureva​, she finds her strength and confidence once again, where she becomes the president for Gabriella, an organization for women empowerment, she uses this platform to promote feminism, and abolish patriarchal dominance.

After this, I went back out of the door, and proceeded to the fourth door, are those who chose to represent, persuade, enlighten or discourage the public interest. In the field, I immediately saw Kuya JP​, a journalist and a researcher under the famous TV program, ​Kapuso Mo Jessica

Soho​, which helped him to be more ​longsuffering and modest ​towards other people. I also saw Ate Enya​, who becomes a filmmaker with a popular blog and holds online classes for aspiring filmmakers. Her first Masterclass was actually aired online a week ago. And of course, wher Ate Enya is, there is always the other half, ​Kuya Jzac​, a spazzer, who has gone in and out of South Korea and several countries to shoot, and study pop culture for a column in Sparkling! In that same pop culture, includes ​Kuya Roy​, a rockstar who has recently finished their second national tour and now owns a recording studio. Traveling countries have never been better, especially if they are for free! Flight attendant, Ivan​, now a revolutionary artist leaves each country he flies into with mind-numbing artworks, he also still accepts commissions on making lovely Powerpoint Presentations but he can now also make Keynote and Prezi presentation. And on presentations, nobody imagined that ​Shaira would be the brainmother of this era’s famous cosmetic taglines, she works for Teen Vogue and gets invited to speak on seminar-workshops to train young students who are into Journalism. She occasionally asks a lot of questions in our old groupchat. Another kind of presentation is ​Catherine’s​, where after graduation, she landed a few minor local modeling gigs, mostly for commercial products. She was then scouted by Mercator Artist and Model Management, a talent and model agency that housed some of the biggest models in the country including Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, and has since then graced the Philippine television with her doll face. She also cover songs which can be found in her Youtube channel, some of which features Zarinah. Where they get all of these gadgets, instruments, equipments and all the technicalities? Of course, none other than from ​Peer​, who now goes around the country because he works as media advisor for a company who almost has everything, they loan and refer to him. ​Keanne​, also works on the same company who has now become a full-time IT specialist, still wearing that chinky-eyed smile. 

After this, I went back out of the door, and proceeded to the last and fifth door, in that field, are those who chose to protect and to promote the common welfare and those who have the passion to change in order for others to do great things. In the field, I only see a car, inside are a band of people you never thought we be in the same ride, behind the wheel is Zarinah​, the career woman. A lawyer with a voice worthy of being a pop music royalty, she’s the first ever lawyer in history who sings her opening speeches. Impressive, right? Sitting beside her is Claire, known for her unconventional ways, a rad lawyer who fights for LGBTQIA+ rights, perhaps she is one of the most influential lawyers in the media. At the back, ​Sheila​, former SK chairman, is now an active councillor of their city all the while actively playing volleyball leagues and sports events around Mindanao often crossing paths with multi-sport athlete veteran Lakandula who organizes more and more sports events throughout the country. Sometimes, h tries to wear ​pants on these events instead of his comfy shorts and casual slippers. ​Jolly, wins life one case at a time, putting criminals behind bars, in particular, those who continue to perpetuate misogynistic crimes. And proves to the world, or to the Universe rather​, that women empowerment can also be channelled in pageantry; there’s also ​Mia​, an ​angry lawyer. When she’s not walking around the court convincing people why justice should be served to the rightful, she’s in her fine house, writing fan fictions with LGBTQIA+ themes whilst tending to the needs of her eleven puppies and her wife, M. There to calm her is ​Jacky​, who works at the Municipal Office of Bacolod LDN, finally attaining a permanent position. She still continues to change her hair color​, but this time going for revolutionary colors such as neon orange, highlighter green, and mustard yellow, until such time that her hair has had enough of it and it starts to fall off her head. Not able to deal with the severity of her hair loss, she made the difficult decision to shave it all off and she decides to rock a bald head, serving mannequin realness. The most special of all the batch’s women of power was ​Jam,​ because of her love for film, she finally fulfills her dream to visit Hollywood. And as the ​first female chancellor of the MSU System​, she advocates for animal welfare, especially for cats. She also advocates for destabilizing stigmas on mental health. This advocacy is implemented to the institute that caused for the decrease of suicide attempts. I realize that visions are given to remind us that we can choose which dreams to pursue or to reignite a dying fire. It guides us to the right path and to the right destination. It also encourages our hearts and gives us strength in every good thing we do or say. Now, is the time to take that step and make no delay. 

 All those, only to be jolted back from reality – in front of me, is the scenery outside of my bus’ window blindingly disappearing from my eyesight the moment I try to focus on it. And then, the road becomes familiar, other than the several infrastructures and population added. It was just like the first time I travelled here for my freshman year. And after everything, I never also would have thought that I would come back to Iligan and attend my first ABEO Alumni Homecoming party.

[nicolasmatamoros6675]

Cable Market Latest News, Cost Profit Structure and Market Share Till 2027

Cable Market for Automotive - Overview

A cable contains two or more insulated wires packed in one jacket. Generally, cables are denoted or marked with letters and numbers to identify cables number and insulation types. A modern vehicle contains numerous electronic applications that provide better driving experience along with fuel efficiency and safety features. In an electric car, nearly 70 kg of wiring is present to due to an increase in the adoption of new technologies, such as parking sensors, lighting, Bluetooth, and navigation. Various types of automotive cables, such as round sheathed cables, flat sheathed cables, and hybrid sheathed cables, are used in automotive applications depending on the requirement and functions these types.

Cable Market for Automotive - Drivers and Restraints

Increase in demand for efficiency and lower energy consumption in modern vehicles along with compact design is likely to raise the temperature in the engine compartment. Automotive cables not only withstand high temperatures in the engine compartment but also offer resistance against fuels, battery acid, and cleaning agents. Consequently, the demand for automotive cables is likely to increase during the forecast period. New challenge of distribution of electrical energy in electric and hybrid vehicle is likely to offer significant business opportunities for the automotive cable in the near future. Rise in consumption of electric vehicles due to stringent emission norms and green transportation initiatives by regulatory bodies is likely to boost the demand for electric vehicles during the forecast period. This, in turn, is anticipated to propel the cable market for automotive during the forecast period.

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Cable Market for Automotive - Segmentation

The cable market for automotive can be segmented based on application, cable type, vehicle type, and region. Based on application, the cable market for automotive can be classified into engine compartment and gear box, ABS system, battery, and others. Numerous sensors are used in the engine compartment and gear box in order to enhance the efficiency of the vehicle and for the ease of shifting of gears. Operating temperature in the engine compartment is higher as compare to that in the other compartments. High quality cable is required in order to supply voltage, transmit data, and comply with stringent requirements. Rising adoption of electric components in the engine and gear box compartment is projected to boost the demand for automotive cable during the forecast period.

Based on cables type, the market can be bifurcated into single core and multi core. Multi-core cables are widely utilized in the automotive industry and all types of road vehicles, as these cables require high voltage carrying capacity in order to power the electric instruments and the engine. Moreover, high resistance to mineral oil, fuels, and engine liquids is anticipated to propel the demand for multi-core cables during the forecast period.

In terms of vehicle type, the cable market for automotive can be segregated into passenger vehicle, electric vehicle, and commercial vehicle. Large consumption of electrical components and adoption of new technologies in electric vehicles are estimated to boost the demand for automotive cables during the forecast period.

In terms of region, the cable market for automotive can be classified into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. The presence of several large automotive hubs in Asia Pacific and high production of passenger vehicles coupled with rise in adoption of electric vehicles due to stringent emission norms in the region are anticipated to drive the cable market for automotive in the region during the forecast period.

Cable Market for Automotive - Key Players

Key players operating in the cable market for automotive are Coroplast Fritz Müller GmbH & Co. KG, LEONI AG, General Cable Technologies Corporation, SALCAVI S.p.A., and HUBER+SUHNER.

The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.

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The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industry’s value chain.

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Below is a snapshot of these quadrants.

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The study offers an in-depth assessment of various customers’ journeys pertinent to the market and its segments. It offers various customer impressions about the products and service use. The analysis takes a closer look at their pain points and fears across various customer touchpoints. The consultation and business intelligence solutions will help interested stakeholders, including CXOs, define customer experience maps tailored to their needs. This will help them aim at boosting customer engagement with their brands.

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[fazbearnightwatch]

TAG DUMP

[plotmaster]

sixteen thousand minutes on repeat

or: that one time loop mystic messenger fic that I came up with but ended up never writing out because yoi happened. Just dumping the plot sketch I had on here because it’s been a year and otherwise it’ll rot silently in my google docs

Like most mornings, your phone is what woke you up, the lyrics of that one inspiring show opening you were into three years ago filtering through the speakers right into your ear. Most of the time, you were capable of ignoring that alarm, but unfortunately most of the time, you couldn’t or you’d be late for your job.

“Graveyard shifts fucking suck,” you grumped as you dragged yourself from bed and towards the chair that your clothes were heaped on, bending backwards to wake yourself a little bit as you pulled on the first shirt you grabbed out of sheer force of habit. At least, you supposed, having the graveyard shift was better than not having any job at all. Even if your job is at a 24/7 convenience store, and graveyard shift is when a lot of the more questionable customers come to do business. Honestly, it’s a small blessing that your manager is aware of this and doesn’t mind you palming a knife under the counter. Just in case.

You phone buzzed, notification light blue. You checked what it was for, and frowned at your lock screen. “Mystic Messenger? When the hell did I download this?” you wondered. Eh, probably when you were drunk yesterday. You’d done a lot worse than download random apps when drunk before. Which is why you try not to drink too often.

But, you remembered as you grabbed your keys and wallet and other going-out-at-1am-essentials, yesterday had given you plenty of cause to drink. It’s not everyday that you find out that you’re getting evicted, after all. 

you don’t realize it at first of course,

and you're alarmed and suspicious about the whole thing

but eventually you somehow fall in love

and you're happy and the party goes well and you're living in a place rent-free

and then the party happens, and you meet with the person you love and affirm your relationship

and after the party, you all talk together, happy and smiling until you yawn and everyone takes it as a sign to go to their homes, you go home with the person you love

and you dream of your future

and it's a wonderful future, you and your s/o are happy together, living life to the fullest-

and then you wake up

in a house you were going to get evicted from 11 days prior

and when you step outside, the sun in your eyes, a piece of the calender torn in your hand

you download the rfa app again, desperate

and deja vu hits you like a truck when once again, you are in a conversation with unknown

MC is looping the 11 days, but sometimes the loops are shorter than 11 days because of a bad end

sending them back to the beginning

they get so tired, they try to be together with the one they love again, but you remember a slight detail about yoosung that initiates a conversation that you haven't had before

and you find in alarm, on the fifth day, things not going the same. the one you love is distant, tied to her desk, saying that you and yoosung would go well together

you scream

you are sad and heartbroken and on a destructive streak so every time yoosung mixes you up with Rika you. don't. care

and then he finds you so that he can be together with rika again, forever,

you manage to find shock and confusion and horror at this, and then you fall asleep in his arms and

you wake up again, six days previous

third loop Seven finds out that they're in a time loop too

but Seven has no idea that you're aware

sometimes others are not fully aware, but rather they dream of the loop in which you loved them

one time, you lie to unknown that there is no passcode to Rika's apartment

and you meet him the first time

"WHY" you scream, grabbing at his shoulders, why is this the sixth time you've had this conversation, why is this happening to you, why hwy wh yw h y

Something fritzes around you, and you hear something that sounds like, "so you can find out the truth"

you black out when unknown demands you to follow him, and you wake up in your house again, two hours previous

no idea how it ends

I'll get back to you with the ending once I'm done

but at some point, you realize- you love all of them

and as you stargaze with zen and he smiles at you, blushing, you feel a tear slip from your eye because you love him, too, like you love jaehee and yoosung and you know that there is no way for this happiness you have with him, the happiness you share, to stay permanent

you love all of them, but all of them do not love you

and you keep repeating and looping until one day, the first day of chats, which you had once simply skimmed- something is different

something has shifted and you don't know what but it's /different/

and it's seven, aware of the loop, changing his own script. not that you know that

that loop, you find love for jumin instead- but on the tenth day, after finding yourself trapped in his house because of his possessiveness and protectiveness and after you insist that it's not right, and he lets you go, you go home, thinking about the party that will happen tomorrow- and unknown is there

this time

you punch his face before you black out

again, you wake up, and you know to stay with jumin no matter how messed up it is, or else unknown will abduct you

but you find yourself drowning in a world of silk and silken once you find out that you have chained yourself to jumin, in the worst way possible

you still cry when you wake up on your own tattered mattress though

____

You're quite confused, of course, when you finally reach the eleventh day with Saeyoung, and you don't reset. You go through the course of the afterstory wondering why you aren't resetting, and nearly kill yourself in a desperate move to reset. However... hm, we haven't completely come up with "reason" for the time loop, other than the moment which you learn you are looping in order to "find out the truth". In a sense, once the afterstory is over, you have "learned the truth", and after taking a group picture with the rest of the RFA, you think that it's all over, that you're free from the loop. After all, it's been almost eight months since the party, and Saeran is recovering and Rika is off in Alaska.

Something feels hollow though, when you laugh at one of Saeyoung's jokes or play cat's cradles with Saeran. The hollowness intensifies whenever you talked with someone else in the chatroom, and even more when you dream of dinner with Jumin, or a coffeeshop with Jaehee, a set together with Zen, a gaming session with Yoosung, even as you lie in Saeyoung's arms and listen to his heartbeat and watch the measured rise and fall of his chest.

The hollowness, you realize, is because you love them all.

You love them all but you are consigned to one- and one part of you feels joy that you're free from the cycle you had thought was unending, the other part cries because Jaehee will never realize her dream, Yoosung will not have enough dedication to properly pursue his degree and work at Jumin's company instead, Zen and Jumin never will get the camraderie they had once upon a time, so many loops ago, and Jumin will continue to look upon emotions with disdain.

"But Saeyoung and Saeran are happy," you justify.

The moonlight says nothing in reply.

And, curled into Saeyoung's side with the rest of the RFA around you, taking a group shot, you realize that you love them all too much to be happy alone with Saeyoung.

You feel horrible, but drown it out with relief that you've finally reached you happy ending that night, when you lay next to Saeyoung on your bed.

"I love you," he whispers, like he does every night, "I;m so glad that you chose me."

Your chest burns even as you kiss him.

And it burns even more when you fall asleep clasping his hands, and wake up eight months and eleven days earlier, to the apartment you were going to get evicted from before you moved into Rika's apartment.

"Is it because I was too greedy...?" you weep into your tattered pillow, "Am I here again because I was a greedy fool- I could have been happy- I could have loved him alone for the rest of my life."

You reach for your phone, sitting up and wiping your tears as you prepare to enter the RFA chatroom again, to meet Unknown again and go through the same old rigamarole. This time, you promise yourself, you'll love Saeyoung and Saeyoung only. You won't begrudge your happy ending, you won't reset, you won't reset-

You won't reset, because the cycle is broken, you realize as you stare at your phone and all the apps you have and even check the app store for an RFA app that isn't there.

Freedom is a hollow feeling, even worse than when you were well on your way to a happy ending with Saeyoung and couldn't forget the love you had for the others. Freedom is what you have now, with no Saeran hacking your phone to send you to Rika's apartment. You almost want to go there, to see if you can start things, but pause.

You're free.

You still cry anyways, screaming at no one for lives that you lived, loves that you had... loves that you lost.

"I'm free," you repeat, as you search for a new apartment since you have an eviction to worry about this time. "I'm free," you remember as you drift through the useless motions of checking SNS and Twitter and buying groceries to live one. "I'm free," you sob into a blue hoodie you had impulse-bought, because it reminds you of Yoosung so so much.

They're free now too, you figure. Free to live their lives without you- but that would mean Saeran is never freed from the prison that is his mind, that every good thing that happened to the ones you love that happened because of you will never come to be.

... But neither will the bad things.

That's the shred of hope you cling onto as you buy taiyaki at a stand in a neighborhood far far from you own, a shard of smile on your face as you see Zen come out of his house from the corner of your eye and go on his morning run.

It's the hope you hold onto as you visit Sky University and peek at Yoosung snoozing in his classes- you wish you could text him to wake up and pay attention to class...

You do. You still remember his number, after all, but he doesn't remember yours.

It only eases your aching heart for a second.

Saeyoung, you don't bother to visit. He's someone that's not supposed to exist, after all, and if you were to run by his house, you wouldn't be able to see him anyways.

You still get your hands on a bag of Honey Buddha Chips, though, and eat through it slowly, remembering the sensation of his finger on your lips one time as you had fed eat other the snack. This time, you manage not to cry at the memory.

Five days after you might have encountered these shining people, collided into their beautiful lives, you call in a sick leave at work and head off to a coffeeshop you visited with Jaehee, once. Once upon a never, in a dream you had had when she had loved you as much as you still love her.

It's across C&R Headquarters, and you pick a window seat as you stare at the doors of the grand building, and taste salt as your tears mix in with your coffee.

Your heart leaps into your mouth once, when you go back to the shop the fifth time in a row in as many days, and you take your seat to watch the building that holds two of your loved ones, and Jaehee and Jumin walk into the shop.

You try your hardest not to stare, and hide your face behind your hair and your coffee, but someone slides into the seat next to you, and you feel another presence in the seat across from you.

Jaehee smiles at you, and she's not wearing an office suit, or her glasses, and Jumin next to you has his sleeves rolled up and his suit jacket off, and for all that you know them (which is to say, very well, they almost look like friends.

"I think we've met before, haven't we?" Jaehee asks, and holds her hand out to you. You feel Jumin shift next to you, his hand near your wrist in the way you remember that he liked to hold you when you lived in his apartment for protection. Jaehee cuts him a /look/ and your hands are shaking.

"No," you whisper, even as you can't tear your eyes away from how happy she looks, how comfortable and human Jumin is. You set your coffee down, not wanting to spill it, your hands shaking so badly. "No, I'm- I'm afraid you have the wrong person, Jaeh- Kang-agassi."

There's a sharp intake of breath from both of them, and your heart is in your throat now, emotion clogging up your veins, something you vaguely recognize as... hope. "Why didn't you come to us again?" Jumin asks beside you, "We've been looking, Saeyoung has been watching for you... Zen swears he saw you, once, and Yoosung got a text from you. Why?"

"You... remember?" You cough out, "Remember everything?" Remember my love, remember the happiness we had together, remember the sheer joy we brought each other- "You all remember me?"

"We remember everything."

This time, the tears that fall into your coffee are ones of joy, and the hands that are holding you in comfort are real.

Endgame is like, 500% polyamorous relationship lol

[true-halloween-tales]

2017: #12-VACATION FROM HELL, PART 2: STRANDED IN THE DESERT

I woke up very tired… on top of something squishy… a partially broken waterbed.  Where was I?  I remembered I was on a road trip to California or bust…. And there already was a bust… more like busted, as in a busted car!  A car accident… my friend Fu Man Chew’s new black sportscar, named KITT from Night Rider… an enormous, enraged, black bull tried to ram the car and chased us… until the car went flipping upside down on a gravel road… KITT was badly damaged… but no serious injuries… stranded twenty miles from the nearest town… we were finally rescued… and the tow truck driver let us stay in his basement on a broken waterbed with a shotgun on the wall…

I staggered out of the swampy bed, and Fu Man Chew was gone!  Already taken by the crazed tow truck driver kidnapper?  Then I saw that he had sunk into the far end of the waterbed, and it had oozed over him covering him up.  I made sufficient noise to slowly resurrect him, and we soon wandered upstairs.  We were dazed like in a nightmare.  We started looking for the tow truck driver, Mr. Butterfield.  I was surprised to learn that he was gone – and we never saw him again!  He was probably busy making butter in the fields!  We found a kitchen containing a Mrs. Butterfield who deeply contrasted her short, dirty, moleman of a husband.  She resembled a late middle aged Galadriel, Queen of the Elves, with a hypnotic and soothing voice.  She was making pancakes, and they were for us!  Was this a witch fattening us up (see 2017: #2-WITCHES)?  But the Butterfields were indeed very nice.  However, she imparted some information in a carefree manner, and I suddenly did feel like I was being kidnapped.  I was quite disturbed by what she told me, but I reluctantly accepted it as truth.  

Mrs. Butterfield explained that we were effectively trapped!  The car accident took place on Thursday, June 29, 1989.  The closest town was Rapid City, South Dakota, about twenty miles away.  The whole town was shut down for the July 4th weekend.  There were no open insurance offices, no open mechanic shops to fix the car, and no car rentals were available.  No one was at work at the nearby bustling metropolis of Rapids City, South Dakota!  They had the tradition in the town to close down for the weekend on Friday before the July 4th weekend.  Extend the holiday weekend!  Take a vacation day on Friday!  But that meant businesses did not open until Wednesday, July 5th!  We were stranded in the Black Hills outside of Rapid City, South Dakota.  But it got worse – it always gets worse – that’s why vacations are so fun!  There were no available lodgings anywhere in town because of the holiday.  There was nowhere to go.  This was horrible.  Route 666 had taken me to Hell.

As we devoured our pancakes in shock at our plight, Mrs. Butterfield made calls for motel vacancies. After breakfast she surprisingly secured a motel room for Fu Man Chew and I from a friend of hers who owned the motel.  She even drove us there, and it was about fifteen miles outside of Rapid City up in the mountains.  It was very much a Bates Motel on a rarely used mountain highway.  We had to stay there until Wednesday, July 5th to wait for businesses to open so we could have the car repaired, make an insurance claim, and primarily escape from Bates Motel.  Five days at Bates Motel!  Let the torture begin!

The tv signal in the mountains was so poor that one evening the only channel that was viewable offered a dreary tv movie about a young girl dying of cancer.  I walked outside, but there was nowhere to go at all for many miles.  After listening to Prince’s Batdance and The Residents Heaven? and Hell! cds umpteen times, I dug out some new cassette tapes I was traveling with.  I looked for something relaxing but only found two albums by Skinny Puppy.  They turned out not to be relaxing – until day four or so.  The Bates Motel was run by two old witch-like women with white hair, nearly identical twins.  They were never far away from each other and were always behind a counter, so they could have shared a lower half serpentine body. They were not medusas and were actually quite nice, and they introduced us to their mini-business across the highway (see 2013: #2-MEDUSAS).  I carefully looked both ways before crossing the highway so as not to be run over by one of the two cars that went down the highway every hour.  The mini-business turned out to be a seven-hole mini-golf absurdity with a hot doggie and burger stand.  The Bates-Medusa Motel had no room service and there was no food delivery.  That meant this Bates-Medusa Sisters Grill of Ghoulash would be feeding me gastronomical joys for the next five days.  

To prevent ourselves from losing our minds we started an Uno card game.  A 5,000 maximum negative point balance was soon expanded to 25,000 points, and the game never ended.  I remember waking up one day and playing Uno all day with a negative balance and being pleased I reached -5,000.  Good ol’ times!  To break up the monotony, we returned to the Bates-Medusa Sisters Grill of Ghoulash to return the cardboard boxes the food came in since they really, really wanted them back.  Back to Uno, Batdance, rinse and repeat for five days.  On July 4th we walked south of the motel on the deserted highway and I lit a match for the holiday.  Tomorrow we were escaping!  (Reminder to Fu Man Chew: that Uno game never officially ended…)

On Wednesday, July 5, 1989, we escape from the Bates-Medusa Motel!  There were a flurry of appointments managed by Fu Man Chew.  KITT would be fixed in a week.  The plan was to rent a car, continue to California, and come back when the car was repaired.  Sounded like a plan.  However, the only car Fu Man Chew could rent was a red, old, stick-shifted car with a cracked windshield with more than 100,000 miles on it.  Van Heusen, the used car salesman, apologized for his horrible car selection since he said that was the only car he had available.  He proceeded to give Fu Man Chew a one hour lesson for first-time driving with a stick shift.  The car shook back and forth as if it would explode as I sunk down in the back seat.  I attempted a Voice of Reason spell on Fu Man Chew not to rent this car, but he made his saving roll.  Soon we were speeding away from Rapid City towards northeast Wyoming: target Devils Tower!

Devils Tower was a great target due to Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  However, that wonderful locale was quickly abandoned by Fu Man Chew as an out of the way target.  The car was shaking back and forth like it was going to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang all over the place!  So we headed south along the eastern border of Wyoming to Lusk, a little wonder that Kerouac mentioned in On the Road.  The country was very dark; there were no cars at all.  A light on the horizon that seemed to promise to be a town often turned out an hour later to be a gas station in the middle of nowhere.  The next day we made our way to the cowboy-saturated Caspar, Wyoming, and headed west through the desert towards Green River.  The car kept on severely shaking.  Worse and worse.  Smoke started coming out of the engine in the desert of Wyoming.  The sun was high and it was getting hot.  The car started billowing steam like Fritz Weaver’s car in Duel.  Power started failing in the car, and we really were in the hot desert.  So Fu Man Chew let the car coast down hills and then used some acceleration.  We coasted like that for miles until the car died.  We were stranded in the desert!

For a while we sat in the used car with the cracked windshield.  It was hot, upper 80’s, and the desert consisted of rock, sand, and no vegetation at all.  The sun was burning directly overhead, and the metal of the car became hot to the touch.  I was preoccupied with my sunburn peeling off, and became perplexed by a massive piece of dried skin that fell off my foot.  Otherwise there was not much else excitement.  So it was time to leave!  I produced my white handkerchief and tied it to the car antenna as the universal symbol of trouble.  Then we continued to sit in the hot red car with the cracked windshield in the forlorn desert.  We waited and we sweated.  We were located about fifteen miles east of Evanston, Wyoming.  

After not much more than an hour, a laughing driver stopped.  He looked like an evil clone of one of my theology professors.  He was quite bemused by my handkerchief on the antennae, and he pushed our dead red car with his pickup truck all the way to Evanston.  He let us coast for a half a mile and then pushed our car up the next hill, and so on, for fifteen miles.  We finally saw the off ramp and soared down it as he smiled waving away.  We were careening at thirty miles per hour – with no breaks – in a dead car – towards an intersection in Evanston, Wyoming!  We were rapidly approaching a red light!  There was a lot of traffic!  No way to stop!  I closed my eyes and napped for a while as we luckily shot through the red light and the intersection without hitting anything but the curb.  The curb collision continued for about thirty feet or so, but the car stopped.  Right by a mechanic shop.  And a group of people outside of a greasy spoon just stood there staring at us.  I was laughing by this point.  Adventure!  Excitement!  No more bulls!

Mechanic Bob had a simple diagnosis for the red rented car: it was dead.  The connecting rod attaching the wheels and steering wheel had fully broken.  The car was destroyed and could not be repaired.  Totaled!  We were soon looking for another insurance office.  Another claim.  Another delay.  Had to spend two days in Evanston as the insurance company approved the claim.  We saw Tim Burton’s Batman film again and went to a cowboy bar where I devoured whiskey and raw oysters.  The insurance claim was approved, and it was time to proceed to California.  At this point we planned to take a bus to San Francisco, then return to Rapid City for KITT.  The bus left town once a day at 7 am.  I was very surprised to learn at 6 am that Evanston, Wyoming had no taxis.  There was no way to get to the bus station in time with our luggage; it was miles away.  I soon solved that by going to nearest road and standing in it until I blocked and flagged down the first car.  The farmer and his son understood our precarious predicament and drove us to the bus station in the back of their pickup.

The beginning of the bus ride had a delightful schizophrenic woman who had a nasty argument with herself and then locked herself in the restroom.  So there were only minor problems.  We had a forty-five minute layover in Salt Lake City, Utah which is surrounded by mountains in the sandy desert.  I walked around the enormous Tabernacle and spoke to friendly Mormons.  The bus ride continued through northern Utah and into Nevada.  We stopped in Winnemucca and entered Reno as the sun set.  We had a forty-five minute stop over in Reno in which I was surprised to win $50 in quarters at a slot machine!  I then took the only logical course of action since our bus was soon leaving: I put on a beige blazer I had packed away and filled all the pockets with quarters.  I boarded the bus jingling, and I looked out of the window smiling at Reno at night.  We were close to the California border!  Had my luck turned around?  Was this vacation turning into the vacation to Heaven?  And what happened to that amazingly huge piece of skin that just fell off my foot?  Little did I know that this vacation was destined to the darkest corner of Hell, and things were soon to become much more dangerous and terrifying… (To be concluded on Halloween with 2017: #13-VACATION FROM HELL, PART 3: THE GREAT ESCAPE).

[dweemeister]

Movie Odyssey Retrospective

Dracula (1931 English-language version)

The 1920s had been an ideal breeding ground for horror films in the West. As cinematic technology improved and daring directors unleashed their magic on nitrate film, audiences found themselves terrorized by titles like Nosferatu (1922, Germany), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), and The Unknown (1927). With the introduction of synchronized sound, it was only a matter of time before someone took the genre to the talkies. Tod Browning (frequent collaborator with Lon Chaney, Sr., including The Unknown) would be that director, and the first horror masterpiece after the silent era would be Dracula, based on the 1924 stage play Dracula (itself based on the classic Bram Stoker novel of the same name). Universal Studios – a major studio but not yet considered in the same class of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. at that time – had been considered specialists in horror and further burnished that reputation here. Hungarian-American Béla Lugosi became an overnight sensation, and since 1931 he has always been associated with black flowing capes, a badass accent, and blood-sucking.

Before a brief synopsis, it should be noted that there is a Spanish-language version of this film, Drácula, directed by George Melford and starring Carlos Villarías as the title character. That film, also released by Universal, came at a time when – during the early years of synchronized sound movies – studios frequently released non-English language versions of their movies (almost always European languages like French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Swedish; a burgeoning, but bankruptcy-prone market for films catering to the United States’ numerous ethnicities existed, too). Thought lost to time, Drácula resurfaced in the 1970s and has been restored for public consumption. A third version – a silent film – was released to theaters that had not updated their technology yet. As should be obvious, this write-up on Dracula will be on the English-language version with synchronized sound.

On Walpurgis Night somewhere in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania (present-day Romania), Englishman Renfield (Dwight Frye) is traveling by carriage to reach his client, Count Dracula’s (Lugosi) estate. Count Dracula has expressed his interest in an abbey outside of London. Villagers, warning of the spirit of Nosferatu, are fearful that the Count is a vampire, but Renfield dismisses those concerns. Renfield arrives at the castle, stunned at the immensity of the place and the appearance of a cloaked, slick-haired figure gracefully, slowly making his way down an immense, cobwebbed staircase. After bidding Renfield welcome, something can be heard howling outside. 

“Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.”

Renfield becomes Dracula’s first victim and servant – groveling, maniacal, and violent – as the plot shifts to England and characters like Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), sanitarium Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston), his daughter Mina (Helen Chandler), Mina’s fiancée John Harker (David Manners), and Mina’s friend Lucy Weston (Frances Dade) begin investigating their newest acquaintance.

As the vampire Count Orlok in Nosferatu (itself an unauthorized version of Dracula), Max Schreck relied on his physical acting and makeup to frighten audiences. As Count Dracula in this film, Lugosi has a powerful weapon not afforded to Schreck: the sound of his voice. Born in 1882, Lugosi, having appeared in 1927 as Count Dracula in the stage play this movie is based on, arrived in the United States from Hungary in 1920. In that interim, Lugosi became fluent in English (this is disputed, but even if he had to learn his lines phonetically, the results were worth it) yet retained a thick Hungarian accent that prevented him from having a more prolific, diverse movie career. Nevertheless, in Dracula, his dialogue delivery – deliberate, deceptive, sometimes pausing for no apparent reason near the end of sentences – is incredible. Where Schreck’s Orlok angled for removing any semblance of humanity, Lugosi’s Dracula (which, on the basis of subsequent cultural references, has become the preferred prototype on which to create a vampiric character) is sophisticated, in touch with his humanity, all while retaining a threatening sexuality – “I never drink… wine,” he says. To put that in terms of a scenario, meeting Lugosi’s Dracula for dinner in any place outside of his castle might leave you charmed by the Count and just comfortable enough to eat and drink in his presence. That is, until Dracula feeds on you.

Universal did not see Lugosi as their first-choice Dracula; instead, that went to the senior Lon Chaney (1924′s He Who Gets Slapped, The Phantom of the Opera). Chaney died prior to production and, despite Universal’s preference for Paul Muni, relented when Lugosi lobbied relentlessly and said he was willing to accept an exiguous salary of $3,500 (~$56,000 in 2017′s USD). Lugosi declared bankruptcy the year after the film’s release. Having turned down the title role in Frankenstein (1931), Lugosi plodded through years of typecasting as suave horror villains and a British ban on horror films in the mid-1930s. He never became as established a movie star as fellow Universal Monsters star Boris Karloff, and played Count Dracula only twice – the second time in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

Alongside a bevy of forgettable performers, only one other actor stands out. That is Dwight Frye (who would also play Fritz in Frankenstein later that year) as the realtor-turned-slave Renfield. His performance, nowadays, might be dismissed as a relic of the worst of silent-era filmmaking that seems anachronistic even in 1931, but it works. Whether Frye swings into entertaining campiness or unmitigated insanity, he serves the film wonderfully. With eyes wide, veins pulsing from his neck, and not giving a shit about what people think of his behavior, Frye’s Renfield is unpredictable, unstable, and possesses an unsettling laugh – it is not the stereotypical villainous belly/diaphragm laugh – halfway between a sneer and a chuckle. It is not exactly something you want to hear in the darkness.

Director Tod Browning – an expert in horror films – assembles a team of craftspersons of envying pedigree.  Production designers Herman Rosse and John Hoffman and art director Charles D. Hall (1930′s All Quiet on the Western Front, Frankenstein) outdo themselves with Dracula’s castle. It is everything you want from a decrepit fortress – cobwebs (one eighteen-foot spiderweb was created by rubber cement shot out of a rotary machine gun), an enormous fireplace (one fire made so much noise that the primitive microphones then being used picked up that sound rather than the dialogue; production halted as the fire winded down) ruined windows and columns, and tangled vines intruding from the outside. The enormity of the set lands with chilling impact, assisted with the costume design by Ed Ware and Vera West and cinematography by Karl Freund (1927′s Metropolis, 1937′s The Good Earth, I Love Lucy) inspired by German expressionism – a silent film-era movement which emphasized exaggerated geometries, shadows, and high-contrast lights and darks. Freund’s camera is often static but, unlike many films the early 1930s, slowly floats across the set when needed. This creates an impending sense of terror, lending Dracula a thick atmosphere that has kept it watchable even though the movie itself may no longer be scary to most. However, this focus on the production design is mostly abandoned after twenty-five minutes as Dracula finds himself in London. Lugosi and Frye’s performances grab the film by the scruff, and further solidified themselves into Hollywood lore.

The sets themselves impressed Universal’s art department and directorial contractees so much that they remained standing for at least a decade longer for subsequent films for the studio; the finale of Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942) holding its finale within what used to be Dracula’s walls, for example. These same sets also appeared in the Spanish-language Drácula –when the English-language production completed its shooting during the daytime, the Spanish-language production commenced at night using much of the same resources. The cast and crew of the Spanish-language production might even have had an advantage, as they had access to the English-language Dracula’s dailies/rushes (raw, unedited footage of the day’s shooting on a movie), to tinker with their own performances and handiwork.

Other than Tchaikovsky’s most famous theme from his ballet Swan Lake playing over the opening credits and a brief snippet of Wagner and Schubert, there is zero music in Dracula. In scenes as Dracula is approaching someone with ill intentions, this increases the dread. In transition scenes where the audience is reading the text of some publication or when characters are traveling, this might not work with impatient viewers. This almost-complete lack of music is because – with synchronized sound introduced just four years earlier – filmmakers believed that movie audiences could not accept music in a film unless there was a source of music within the film (diegetic music; one of those instances is when an orchestral performance is featured in Dracula). Considering that silent films were never truly silent – movie theaters during the time had resident musicians (typically pianists, organists, or small ensembles) – and that movie music has become a genre all its own, that idea might seem quaint to modern audiences. Watch enough post-Jazz Singer 1920s and early 1930s movies and one will notice that lack of music is widespread.

In other aural developments, depending on the quality of the print that you watch, a crackling image noise may be heard throughout the film. That is due to the age of the film print and the quality of the sound recording available in 1931; the newest restorations of Dracula should minimize the sound.

Though a relic of early Hollywood horror, it is a film energized by a star-making performance from Lugosi, which has since altered audience conceptions of what a vampire looks like, talks like, moves like. Okay, we never see Dracula’s blood-sucking fangs, but credit Lugosi, Browning, and screenwriter Garrett Fort for devising a character that is essentially the origin of anything that even references vampirism.

Dracula shows its age as it approaches its ninetieth anniversary. Wooden acting from almost all of the supporting cast, its rough editing, and pacing issues may not be accommodating for those accustomed to older movies and are watching the film without knowing the limits of cinematic technology in 1931 (again, Dracula may have terrified viewers upon release, but it is no longer “scary” in the modern sense). It is an essential piece of the horror genre, as well as cinema. The dedication to which those behind the camera applied to this film is remarkable, diffusing a frightful feeling that could only have been produced in its own time.

My rating: 9/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

This is the tenth Movie Odyssey Retrospective. Movie Odyssey Retrospectives are write-ups on films I had seen in their entirety before this blog’s creation or films I failed to give a full-length write-up to following the blog’s creation. Previous Retrospectives include A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), and The Wizard of Oz (1939).

[themoneybuff-blog]

My 2018 year in review

Across the web, I see other financial bloggers sharing their year-end financial summaries. Some folks had good years. Financial Samurai's net worth increased by 6.5% in 2018. Others had mediocre years. Fritz at The Retirement Manifesto saw his net worth decline by 2.1% thanks to a volatile stock market. Me? Well, I'm embarrassed to share how my year went financially. It sucked. No, seriously. It was terrible. My net worth declined by 15.2% in 2018 nearly $250,000! Here's a graph of the monthly changes to my net worth during the past two years:

What happened? Did I buy a Lamborghini? Did I spend a ton during my recent three-week trip to Europe? Have Kim and I been binging on cocaine and chocolate? Nope. While there's no doubt that my habits contributed to my loss of wealth, there are larger forces at play here. Let's take a closer look. Note: As a reminder, your net worth is a snapshot of your financial health. It's what you own minus what you owe. While not a perfect measure, net worth is a useful tool for tracking your financial progress. Want more info? Here's how to calculate your net worth (and what to do with it). Three Big Bruises It's easy for me to rationalize my huge decline in net worth, to explain that it's mostly just smoke and mirrors. But I can't help thinking I'm fooling myself. Let me explain. My loss of wealth seems to be due to three main factors: Ongoing home improvements. Kim and I moved from our penthouse condo to this country cottage eighteen months ago. One of our goals was to reduce the carrying costs of owning a home. We achieved that. Living here costs us about $725 less each month than living in the condo. But we've also dealt with over $100,000 in necessary home repairs. Holy cats! (And right now, the kitchen sink is leaking. Ugh.)The re-acquisition of Get Rich Slowly. I can't reveal how much I paid to purchase this site from its previous owners, but it's a significant chunk of change. Plus, I've put additional money into GRS for growth and development.Investment losses. In 2018, the S&P 500 fell by 6.2%. That hurt my net worth. But I also lost money investing in other small businesses. (I'll write about this in the future. It's one of those it seemed like a good idea at the time things that's actually been a poor choice for me.) It's obvious how the investment losses effect my net worth, but let's explore the first two points. In theory, the improvements we've made to our home should increase its value. We've spent a grand total of (drumroll, please) $143,290.09 on remodeling projects since we moved in, which is nearly one-third of the $449,665.36 purchase price. However, that doesn't mean the home is now worth $587,959.64. (I wish!) I'd be happy if we recouped 50% of our costs, which means our place is probably worth about $516,314.60. That said, for accounting purposes, I treat remodeling expenses as if that money is simply gone, as if I'd spent it on something disposable. Meanwhile, Zillow says our home is worth $428.068.00. In other words, the combination of home improvements and declining property values has dinged my net worth by $160,000! A similar thing happened with Get Rich Slowly. Technically, purchasing the site shouldn't have affected my net worth (assuming it's worth what I paid). I'm merely converting one asset (cash) into another (the website). However, I've never included the value of my businesses in my net worth, and I don't intend to start. That means (from an accounting perspective), the money I've put into this site has vanished. So, you see, it's easy for me to rationalize and justify, to explain away my loss of wealth. Easy, yes, but stupid. I am part of the problem. Lifestyle Inflation and Frictionless Spending There are some good reasons that my net worth dropped in 2018. But there are some bad reasons too. Some of the drop comes from increased consumerism on my part. To wit: Although we're dining out less than we used to, we're still spending too much on restaurants. In 2018, I spent an average of $389.63 per month dining out. I'd love to get this number down to about $200 per month.Meanwhile, my grocery spending hasn't decreased at all since moving. In fact, it's increased by $20 per month. This is ridiculous. We have plenty of low-cost grocery options around us. I need to make use of them.I spent a lot on health and fitness in 2018. For much of the year, I was seeing a personal trainer twice per week. I caught pneumonia. I bought a kayak and an expensive bicycle. I had more testing for my sleep apnea. In many ways, I've been paying for external motivation to stay healthy. It's too expensive. I need to shift to internal motivation, which will allow me to get fit for less.I've been sucked into what my pal Douglas Tsoi calls frictionless spending. My Amazon Prime account makes it easy to order whatever I want, whenever I want. My iTunes account makes it easy to find a movie and buy it with no effort, no pain of paying. Companies are finding ways to lower the barrier between impulse and buying. I need to build barriers to spending. After my divorce in 2012, I was proud that I created a lifestyle that cost me about $3000 per month. This seemed like a completely reasonable amount for the level of luxury it gave me. When I bought the condo in 2013, my expenses increased to about $4000 per month. While this bothered me a little, I felt like it was a worthwhile price to pay for what I received in return. After Kim and I returned from our RV trip across the U.S., I found that our lifestyle was costing me closer to $5000 per month. Holy cats! I decided to take action, which is why we moved from the condo to our country cottage. The trouble is that my monthly expenses haven't dropped since moving. Yes, the monthly carrying costs on this house are about $725 less than the condo, but I haven't banked that savings. Instead, I've used it to fund lifestyle inflation. I'm still spending about $5000 per month. This needs to stop. In Pursuit of Personal Profit I've spent much of the past ten days poring over my finances. I created a spreadsheet of monthly spending, then systematically worked my way through, looking for expenses to cut. With two hours of work, I found $464.27 of recurring costs that I could trim from my budget immediately. That number will increase to $741.97 after a couple of contracts end.

On top of that, I want to change my current spending patterns. How much can I save by curbing my epicurean habits? A ton, I hope. Plus, I plan to build barriers between me and frictionless spending. Ultimately, I have two financial goals for 2019. First, I want Get Rich Slowly to become profitable by the end of the year. Ideally, it'd generate enough income to cover most of my living expenses. (To be fair, the site recently moved from the red to the black, but I don't have enough data yet to call it profitable long-term.)Second, I want to decrease my spending from about $5000 per month to about $4000 per month. (Truthfully, I'd love to cut my expenses to $3500 per month or lower.) The bottom line? I want to earn more than I spend in 2019. In my dream world, by the end of the year I'll have a positive saving rate for the first time since I sold this site in 2009. My goal is for my wealth to grow, not shrink. I know that I'm in a fortunate position. I have a substantial nest egg and can afford to live well. There are many others for whom living on $4000 per month would seem like luxury, not like cutting back. I get it. That said, it's scary to crunch the numbers and see that my net worth declined by $250,000 in one year especially when all of that money vanished from my regular investment account, the one that contains the pool of cash I need to live on for the next decade until I can access my retirement accounts. In a way, this situation has brought me full circle. When I started Get Rich Slowly back in 2006, my primary focus was frugality. As I earned and saved more, my attention turned to building wealth. After I sold the site, I was more concerned with maximizing happiness through managed spending. Now, though, I feel like I'm returning to my roots and it's exciting!

Author: J.D. Roth In 2006, J.D. founded Get Rich Slowly to document his quest to get out of debt. Over time, he learned how to save and how to invest. Today, he's managed to reach early retirement! He wants to help you master your money and your life. No scams. No gimmicks. Just smart money advice to help you reach your goals. https://www.getrichslowly.org/2018-year-review/

[andrewdburton]

My 2018 year in review

Across the web, I see other financial bloggers sharing their year-end financial summaries. Some folks had good years. Financial Samurai's net worth increased by 6.5% in 2018. Others had mediocre years. Fritz at The Retirement Manifesto saw his net worth decline by 2.1% thanks to a volatile stock market.

Me? Well, I'm embarrassed to share how my year went financially. It sucked. No, seriously. It was terrible.

My net worth declined by 15.2% in 2018 — nearly $250,000!

Here's a graph of the monthly changes to my net worth during the past two years:

What happened? Did I buy a Lamborghini? Did I spend a ton during my recent three-week trip to Europe? Have Kim and I been binging on cocaine and chocolate? Nope. While there's no doubt that my habits contributed to my loss of wealth, there are larger forces at play here.

Let's take a closer look.

Note: As a reminder, your net worth is a snapshot of your financial health. It's what you own minus what you owe. While not a perfect measure, net worth is a useful tool for tracking your financial progress. Want more info? Here's how to calculate your net worth (and what to do with it).

Three Big Bruises

It's easy for me to rationalize my huge decline in net worth, to explain that it's mostly just smoke and mirrors. But I can't help thinking I'm fooling myself. Let me explain.

My loss of wealth seems to be due to three main factors:

Ongoing home improvements. Kim and I moved from our penthouse condo to this country cottage eighteen months ago. One of our goals was to reduce the “carrying costs” of owning a home. We achieved that. Living here costs us about $725 less each month than living in the condo. But we've also dealt with over $100,000 in necessary home repairs. Holy cats! (And right now, the kitchen sink is leaking. Ugh.)

The re-acquisition of Get Rich Slowly. I can't reveal how much I paid to purchase this site from its previous owners, but it's a significant chunk of change. Plus, I've put additional money into GRS for growth and development.

Investment losses. In 2018, the S&P 500 fell by 6.2%. That hurt my net worth. But I also lost money investing in other small businesses. (I'll write about this in the future. It's one of those “it seemed like a good idea at the time” things that's actually been a poor choice for me.)

It's obvious how the investment losses effect my net worth, but let's explore the first two points.

In theory, the improvements we've made to our home should increase its value.

We've spent a grand total of (drumroll, please) $143,290.09 on remodeling projects since we moved in, which is nearly one-third of the $449,665.36 purchase price. However, that doesn't mean the home is now worth $587,959.64. (I wish!) I'd be happy if we recouped 50% of our costs, which means our place is probably worth about $516,314.60.

That said, for accounting purposes, I treat remodeling expenses as if that money is simply gone, as if I'd spent it on something disposable. Meanwhile, Zillow says our home is worth $428.068.00. In other words, the combination of home improvements and declining property values has dinged my net worth by $160,000!

A similar thing happened with Get Rich Slowly. Technically, purchasing the site shouldn't have affected my net worth (assuming it's worth what I paid). I'm merely converting one asset (cash) into another (the website). However, I've never included the value of my businesses in my net worth, and I don't intend to start. That means (from an accounting perspective), the money I've put into this site has vanished.

So, you see, it's easy for me to rationalize and justify, to explain away my loss of wealth. Easy, yes, but stupid. I am part of the problem.

Lifestyle Inflation and Frictionless Spending

There are some good reasons that my net worth dropped in 2018. But there are some bad reasons too. Some of the drop comes from increased consumerism on my part. To wit:

Although we're dining out less than we used to, we're still spending too much on restaurants. In 2018, I spent an average of $389.63 per month dining out. I'd love to get this number down to about $200 per month.

Meanwhile, my grocery spending hasn't decreased at all since moving. In fact, it's increased by $20 per month. This is ridiculous. We have plenty of low-cost grocery options around us. I need to make use of them.

I spent a lot on health and fitness in 2018. For much of the year, I was seeing a personal trainer twice per week. I caught pneumonia. I bought a kayak and an expensive bicycle. I had more testing for my sleep apnea. In many ways, I've been paying for external motivation to stay healthy. It's too expensive. I need to shift to internal motivation, which will allow me to get fit for less.

I've been sucked into what my pal Douglas Tsoi calls “frictionless spending”. My Amazon Prime account makes it easy to order whatever I want, whenever I want. My iTunes account makes it easy to find a movie and buy it — with no effort, no “pain of paying”. Companies are finding ways to lower the barrier between impulse and buying. I need to build barriers to spending.

After my divorce in 2012, I was proud that I created a lifestyle that cost me about $3000 per month. This seemed like a completely reasonable amount for the level of luxury it gave me.

When I bought the condo in 2013, my expenses increased to about $4000 per month. While this bothered me a little, I felt like it was a worthwhile price to pay for what I received in return.

After Kim and I returned from our RV trip across the U.S., I found that our lifestyle was costing me closer to $5000 per month. Holy cats! I decided to take action, which is why we moved from the condo to our country cottage.

The trouble is that my monthly expenses haven't dropped since moving. Yes, the monthly carrying costs on this house are about $725 less than the condo, but I haven't banked that savings. Instead, I've used it to fund lifestyle inflation. I'm still spending about $5000 per month.

This needs to stop.

In Pursuit of Personal Profit

I've spent much of the past ten days poring over my finances. I created a spreadsheet of monthly spending, then systematically worked my way through, looking for expenses to cut. With two hours of work, I found $464.27 of recurring costs that I could trim from my budget immediately. That number will increase to $741.97 after a couple of contracts end.

On top of that, I want to change my current spending patterns. How much can I save by curbing my epicurean habits? A ton, I hope. Plus, I plan to build barriers between me and frictionless spending.

Ultimately, I have two financial goals for 2019.

First, I want Get Rich Slowly to become profitable by the end of the year. Ideally, it'd generate enough income to cover most of my living expenses. (To be fair, the site recently moved from the red to the black, but I don't have enough data yet to call it profitable long-term.)

Second, I want to decrease my spending from about $5000 per month to about $4000 per month. (Truthfully, I'd love to cut my expenses to $3500 per month — or lower.)

The bottom line? I want to earn more than I spend in 2019. In my dream world, by the end of the year I'll have a positive saving rate for the first time since I sold this site in 2009. My goal is for my wealth to grow, not shrink.

I know that I'm in a fortunate position. I have a substantial nest egg and can afford to live well. There are many others for whom living on $4000 per month would seem like luxury, not like cutting back. I get it.

That said, it's scary to crunch the numbers and see that my net worth declined by $250,000 in one year — especially when all of that money vanished from my regular investment account, the one that contains the pool of cash I need to live on for the next decade until I can access my retirement accounts.

In a way, this situation has brought me full circle. When I started Get Rich Slowly back in 2006, my primary focus was frugality. As I earned and saved more, my attention turned to building wealth. After I sold the site, I was more concerned with maximizing happiness through managed spending. Now, though, I feel like I'm returning to my roots and it's exciting!

The post My 2018 year in review appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

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