#- 12 hours of footage for it (at this point probably over 24 hours). we had an entire fandom wiki for the thing but it got deleted so we-

[n1ghtmaremachine]

y..you have a personal conflict with hh??

my conflict with hh is a deep and complex story involving the world's most awful therapy taking place in a purgatory dimension and i can assure you that you are not prepared for it

[frostedfaves]

Delicate

Masterlist

Pairing: Rosa Diaz x fem!reader

Summary: Rosa works a murder case to prove your innocence, inspired by this

Warnings: mentions of murder, infidelity, poorly written casework

A/N: I have only one wish: feedback on this bit of chaos here.

-

At this point in Rosa’s life, there were only three things that brought her memorable pain.

The first was being sent to juvie after snapping under the weight of her parents' expectations.

The second was being released from juvie and realizing the two people who’d played a part in her downfall no longer gave a shit about what happened to her.

The third was seeing you, sitting beside Boyle’s desk in handcuffs.

Of course, she didn’t let anyone see this as she attempted to make her way to her own desk undetected, but you wouldn’t--couldn’t--let her think you were a criminal.

“Rosa--”

“Detective Diaz,” she growled as she walked past with her head held high, surprising herself by restraining from hurting you when you grabbed a fistful of her jacket. “Let me go--”

“I was framed!” you cried out with tears filling your eyes as you raised them to meet hers. “Please. I know you don’t have to believe me, but I’m begging you. I’m the same person you’ve spoken to all these nights. I’ll tell you everything, just...please.”

Her stance was rigid as her mind focused on your fearful expression and the desperate way you clung to her, as if you knew the moment you let go, everything you’d had the last few months was over. Realizing everyone’s eyes were on the two of you as you stared each other down, she roughly pulled herself away to walk over to her desk and deposit her bag and helmet. Your hands dropped into your lap in defeat, only to rise again when Rosa pulled you to your feet by the piece of metal holding your wrists together and led you into an interrogation room.

“Talk,” she ordered once the door was closed and you were seated at the table.

“Early this morning, they found the body of one of the supervisors at my job. Apparently he was killed last night and one of my coworkers pointed the blame toward me, saying that I wanted his position and tried to force him to retire early.”

“You were with me last night. I mean, unless you killed the guy after our call.” She met your widened eyes and sighed. “Sorry.”

“I just don’t know what to do. I know it probably looks bad because I actually am up for a promotion, I had a meeting about it a few days ago. But I’d never kill anyone! I swear I wouldn’t, and I really hope that--”

“I believe you.” She slipped into the chair across from you and squeezed your hands briefly before pulling away again. “And not just because I want to believe that I’m not falling for some power-hungry murderer, but because I trust you not to lie to me.”

A soft smile formed on your lips but a knock sounded at the door before you could respond. You watched her stand and approach the door again to open it, growing nervous again when you saw one of the detectives that arrested you. 

“Holt’s out today, so Sarge is running the briefing and he needs you there too. It’s about this case.”

“Fine.” She faced you again with her hand still holding the door open. “I’ll be back. Just breathe.”

Rosa followed Charles out of the room and down to the briefing room, cutting off any questions he began to ask with a sharp “no”. They were the last to arrive, everyone else seated and looking at Terry standing in front of a board holding some of the case details.

“I’m putting myself on this case,” she announced before anyone else could speak as she approached the board to read over everything.

“Don’t you think you’re too close to this, Rosa?” Charles questioned carefully, yelping at the expression she offered him in response. “I meant to say ‘welcome to the team’!”

“Boyle’s right, Diaz,” Terry spoke up next as she turned away from the board. “What was that in the bullpen?”

“Innocent until proven guilty.” She walked over to sit on one of the tables in front. “Go on.”

“Alright.” He looked down at the notes he’d obtained before entering the room. “So according to the medical examiner, the time of death is set around 9:17pm last night--”

“Y/N didn’t do it,” Rosa quickly interjected. “A camera in the lobby of her building will verify her entering a few minutes before then, and she doesn’t leave after that.”

“Rosa, I know you don’t want your friend to get in trouble, but this--”

“I was with her.” She took a deep breath to prepare herself for not only spilling the secret of her unconfirmed relationship, but to essentially come out as bisexual for the first time ever. “We were in the park together with our dogs and I walked her home after. I know it was 9:15 when we got there because the huge clock in her lobby said 10:15, and it’s been an hour ahead since Daylight Savings Time. I was at her door for a few minutes and when I was leaving, the clock said 10:20.”

“So how do you know she didn’t leave after that?” Jake questioned, causing her to sigh again.

“Because I’m a few blocks away from her and she Facetimed me when I sent her a text telling her I was home. She fell asleep on the phone.”

“Oh damn. You’re in love, girl,” Gina commented, a grin forming when all Rosa did was roll her eyes in response. 

“Okay so she has an alibi, but we also have to rule out the possibility that she had an accomplice.” Terry sighed when Rosa gave him a threatening look. “Look, I want to believe she’s innocent too--”

“Then believe it.”

“--but we have to consider everything, Diaz. It looks pretty suspicious that the last person to see our victim alive also had a reason to want him gone.”

“How do you know she was the last to see him alive?” Rosa took the piece of paper Amy held out to her holding a witness statement, forcing herself not to overreact when she read that Y/N had been spotted talking to her supervisor next to his car. “This means nothing. Check into the person that gave this statement.”

“Rosa--”

“How do we even know she was the last person he saw? And that the person who ‘witnessed’ this didn’t just follow the vic home and kill him just to frame her? What, because of some camera footage and he said, she said?” Barely a moment of silence passed before Rosa spoke again. “Exactly. Santiago and Boyle, meet me downstairs. I’m driving.”

She dropped the witness statement on the table in front of Amy and stormed out, grabbing the keys to her squad car on her way back to the interrogation room you were waiting in. Your eyes snapped up from your hands when the door opened, relaxing slightly as Rosa entered the room.

“I’m going to be out for a bit trying to investigate more of the people involved, but you’ll be okay here.” She hesitated for a moment before approaching your side and leaning down to kiss you for the second time in 12 hours. “I love you.”

She was back out the door as quickly as she arrived.

-

Waiting to find out if you’d be charged with a murder you didn’t commit was hard. Being transitioned from the quiet calm of the interrogation room to the holding cell adjoining the chaotic bullpen was hard too, but at least your hands weren’t chained together anymore. You sat in the farthest corner and counted the minutes until they seemed to all blend together, and all you could focus on was the lingering feeling of warmth caused by Rosa’s lips on yours and her confession.

Having given up on your counting long ago, you weren’t sure how much time had passed when the door to the holding cell opened again. You were delighted to see Rosa again, but your hopeful expression shifted to confusion when you saw who she was leading in.

“Mrs. Fenderson?”

“Hi, Y/N.” 

The woman spoke softly without meeting your eyes, moving to sit on a nearby bench when Rosa unlocked her cuffs. You eyed her curiously as Rosa gently grabbed your wrist and led you out of the cell, making sure it locked before bringing you over to her desk.

“Um, why is my supervisor’s wife--”

“She did it,” she told you as the two of you sat down. “Well, she had some help.”

You followed the direction she nodded in with your eyes, which widened when you saw a couple officers leading in the one person that accused you of being involved with everything. You watched as they led him to the holding cell too, only turning away when Rosa placed her hand over one of yours.

“How did you…? What?!” you asked, unable to fight off a bit of a smile when Rosa snorted. 

“Mrs. Fenderson recently signed up her husband for a pretty hefty life insurance policy, and it didn’t take long to find out those two were boning. I got her to confess to everything while they tracked down her lover, who used the fact that you were up for the same promotion he wanted as a chance to frame you.”

“That’s so fucking crazy,” you responded in a breathless tone as you attempted to wrap your head around the situation for a second, giving up and bringing your free hand to rest on top of hers. “Thank you.”

“Innocent until proven guilty.” She shrugged nonchalantly as she stood, pulling you to your feet as well before you released her hand. “Anyway, it’s super late now and I know you haven’t eaten anything so let’s go.”

“Fine, but I’m paying,” you insisted as the two of you headed toward the elevator, laughing a bit as you remembered something. “As long as we can stop by my apartment first. They don’t exactly let you bring your phone and wallet when you’re arrested for murder.”

“You can pay next time,” she told you with a snort, quickly adding “if I let you.”

The elevator ride passed along silently, and it wasn’t long before you were headed down the street to a 24 hour diner that you’d mentioned to Rosa last night. You waited until you were seated and food was ordered before starting a conversation.

“About what you said earlier,” you began with your gaze locked on the straw wrapper you were toying with, completely missing Rosa’s panicked expression.

“Look, we can just forget I said anything.”

“No!” You lowered your voice after noticing a few wary glances, turning back to Rosa and pulling her hands into yours. “I don’t want to forget it, but I was hoping to say it first.”

“You love me too?”

“I do.” You squeezed her fingers with a grin. “I love you, Rosa, and I love Arlo for giving me an excuse to keep seeing his mom, because I sure as hell would’ve been too nervous to come up with one on my own.”

Expecting Rosa to be too uncomfortable with PDA, you pulled her hands closer to drop a kiss on her knuckles, pleasantly surprised when she pulled away to hold your jaw in place, leaning forward to press her lips to yours.

-

Tags: @gaulty74 @creepingwolfberry @rosadiazswifey @xetherealbeautyx @milkfromhell 

[fuesch]

Let's talk timeline!

Because I'm not too big on attention sometimes, for the first 7 (I think) episodes I thought time (of day, at least) inside the Hex was more or less parallel to the outside, and that there was one decade per sitcom episode, and one sitcom episode per rl day. But then I paid some proper attention:

Day 1

Wanda visits SWORD HQ, which is apparently in Florida (silly me, for some reason I just assumed it was in NY).

Let's say she drives up to New Jersey right away (at least she's wearing the same clothes), which takes at least 15 hours.

She creates the Hex and we start out in the 50s. As far as we know, the sitcom is broadcast live (though there might be repeats).

Day 2

I assume so, because I'd hope the FBI checks in on their witnesses daily and Wanda seems to have taken a bit to get the sitcom going, but not too long, I imagine.

In the morning the FBI can't reach their witness. To be generous, let's say the witness is a night owl and it usually contacted shortly after midnight, which I've heard called "morning" for some reason.

Jimmy flies in from Oakland, which should take at least 8 hours. So it would still be early in the day (like actual morning, with the sun up).

He requests help from SWORD.

Monica drives up from FL, which, as I've said, takes at least 15 hours.

Monica meets Jimmy outside Westview, the sun is low (and at 7 o'clock, if we use the main road as the line from 6-12 town-inwards) and it's evening, because when he briefs her, he speaks of "this morning".

Monica is sucked into the Hex.

Day 3

The caption tells us that 24 hours later Darcy arrives at the SWORD base, so it's evening. Unhelpfully the sun is at about 2 o'clock now, so we can't rely on that.

Night (yeah, it might be past midnight, thus day 4, but who the fuck knows - I just mean it's dark now): Agent Franklin gets sent into the sewer - in the presence of Hayward, so we know this didn't take place later and was just moved to earlier by the editor.

Darcy picks up the first episode. Wanda probably needed a bit to reorient herself and get the sitcom going.

Hayward orders for transport back to HQ. That flights would take him at least 2h, so he'd be gone for 4 at the very least.

Jimmy & Co. identify Westviewers (shush, I prefer that demonym, you can't make me use the official one).

Jimmy speaks of having met Monica the day before (which confirms it's still day 3), after Darcy spotted "Geraldine" in the 60s. Or maybe it is still the 50s, as Darcy says. That bit wasn't in the sitcom episodes we got to see. The decade hopping (which interestingly reminds me of some X-Men movies...) seemed to happen daily/between every episode. But Darcy says that Wanda doing the dishes by her count happens once an episode, so she's seen at least 2 episodes. Thus there have been at least 2 episodes set in the same decade.

SWORD's cute litle helicopter makes an appearance on the sitcom over 24h after it had entered the Hex. Although it got in before Monica, it was seen after she first appeared on the sitcom, so it'll have flown around on its own for a while before crashing.

Darcy watches the episode live as Jimmy contacts Wanda.

Not much time can have passed, since Franklin is only just climbling out of the sewers.

Day 3 or 4

There's a time skip of unidentifiable length. Wanda has got to sleep once in a while, so maybe that time skip was a longer one.

It's still or again dark when Jimmy and Darcy watch the 70s episode. She's wearing the same top as before, though.

It's day when Wanda expels Monica from the Hex, but outside of it it's night.

Day 4 or 5

80s episode.

It's daytime in the real world, Monica is being examined, so this will be right the morning after she got thrown out of the Hex.

Hayward is back and confirms the time by saying "Morning!". He says the footage of Wanda in the SWORD HQ is from 9 days ago, but that happened on day 1. Is Hayward lying again and what would be the point? Or have there really been more days between the the set-up of the Hex and Jimmy arriving? How often would one check on a protected witness? Did Wanda spend a whole week in the 50s? But if the sitcom was broadcast live, it might mean that what we know as the first episode wasn't the first. Nah, I believe Hayward is lying, I just don't know why. Maybe to villify Wanda some more, make it look like the hostage situation has been going on for longer.

[nobodyfamousposts]

Mominette AU: The Superhero Ban

TRIGGER WARNING!

TRIGGER WARNING!

TRIGGER WARNING!

___________________________________________

It was an indisputable fact that Paris had been the first city to institute the infamous “Supers Ban”. The Justice League knew it. Heroes knew it. Villains knew it. The whole world knew it.

What nobody knew was “why”.

Sure, there had been comments in political circles. Some minor news outlets had mentioned Paris as the latest place where the idea was being considered. But nobody had thought they were serious.

Not until it had been made into law and the Mayor of Paris held a press conference to announce it.

Those who didn’t take it seriously certainly did when Superman himself attempted to go to the Mayor to discuss the matter. And was promptly arrested the instant he set foot in the city.

Outrage was immediate. Cries of discrimination rang out across the world and even at the UN. Various politicians decried the act. Many celebrities admonished it. A good number of people threatened to boycott Paris (which turned out to be for the best as far as Andre and most of Paris was concerned, given that a decrease in tourism meant less people for Hawk Moth to target or the heroes to have to pull out of the fray due to gawking).

Yet a year passed and the ban remained. Even the League would not cross it. Eventually, it just became an accepted fact of the world. Everyone knew to stay out of Paris.

And yet it was still unknown as to why.

Well, people suspected, of course. There were other things happening around the time that seemed to be involved.

It possibly started with the 12 hour timeframe where all of Paris had been closed off. Its citizens had been forced to evacuate. All communication lines were down, and no one from outside of the city had been able to contact anyone from within it. It was news stations in nearby cities that picked up on the fighting and tried to report it, but only several hours after it had started and they seemed to play it off as some sort of freak lighting storm.

Afterwards, things had been strange, but also easily overlooked. The Ladyblogger had gone dark for a several day period. Similarly, the regular correspondent for Paris News, Nadja Chamack had taken a leave of absence. Resident hero Chat Noir had suddenly gotten involved in matters with City Hall, resulting in talk of the hero going into a career in politics. “Chat Noir for President” became a short-lived meme.

It all appeared to come down to a specific “incident”. An akuma fight worse than any other before it. But no one would speak of it. And no information about it was available.

Except for one thing.

There were reports of the existence of video footage of the fight. The Ladyblog had supposedly crashed during a livestream of the mess due to the number of people watching it. Plenty of news reports during that time referenced it. It was rumored to have been played before the city council, resulting in unanimous support of the ban. But what was on the video remained a mystery and any remnant of the video itself couldn’t be found.

Which shouldn’t be possible with the internet. Conspiracy theories abound on the matter—some saying there was no footage in the first place and others saying it was so horrible as to have been erased by time traveling aliens.

In truth, it was the work of a hacker. One of considerable skill to wipe out any trace of this video and not be discovered. There were people willing to pay millions just for a segment of the footage. Plenty of hackers across the world had tested their skills to find even a trace of the original video to no avail.

These other hackers were not Robin.

“I got the footage.” He announced as he held up the USB drive.

Superbly started in surprise, staring at the item in the Boy Wonder’s hand. “This is it?”

“Supposedly.” Robin replied with a shrug.

The Holy Grail of hidden data. A hacker’s ultimate prize. Every journalist and tabloid reporter’s wet dream.

“I haven’t watched it myself,” as he felt it wasn’t his right to intrude on this when it was an issue of his friend’s family, “so I don’t know what’s on there. But whatever’s in this, it’s safe to say it isn’t going to be pretty.”

That was putting it lightly. The video had been so deeply hidden that it was its own urban legend at this point. The incident it showed was bad enough to not only warrant it being hidden from the world, but to set off the “Paris Supers Ban” and arrest of Superman.

The death of a hero was always big news. Even if it’s only barely avoided.

The fact that anyone could HIDE it spoke volumes. Both in regards to the original censor’s ability as well as the importance of the data itself.

Conner nodded, resolute.

“I need to know.”

Robin handed over the device. He probably should have taken it to Batman…probably. But this was Conner’s case. His family. It was his right to decide what to do with the information.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were…accepting of Conner to say the least. They allowed him to enter Paris despite the ban. They let him help. They were kind and accommodating and quite frankly everything that Conner needed.

But…they weren’t exactly open. Not about certain things.

This was one of those things, and Conner had been wanting answers about the “Incident” that cut Paris off from the Superhero world. What made them finally say “enough”? He would ask, but nobody knew. The few who did know refused to speak of it.

Conner wanted to know why. What had they experienced that was so horrible?

Maybe it was a way of feeling closer to them?

Maybe it was a way to understand them better?

Maybe it was just wanting to see the harder things they had faced?

“We’ll be right here with you, Conner.” Wally reassured him when his hands started to shake.

“Remember, you’ll have full access of the gym and training grounds, but you won’t be allowed to leave the Mountain for 24 hours after this.” Kaldur gently stated. Partly to remind Conner of the agreement, lest he attempt to run off to Paris in anger or fear and risk an akuma. Partly to subtly prompt everyone else to ensure that Conner does not accomplish the former.

Still…the choice was already clear.

Conner put the drive into the computer and pressed play.

The video only lasted a few minutes.

A few minutes was more than enough.

_______________________

“Oh…oh my god.” Came the words of the person recording, her voice as shaky as her hands that held the camera.

The damage was…extensive. Rubble, broken glass, and downed buildings littered the background. There was a sad mix of gray and brown as far as the eye could see. Of the destroyed roads and pavement. Of steel beams littering the ground. Of rock and dirt and what may very well have been ash.

Amidst the ruined landscape, there was one spot of color. A bright red standing out amidst the muted neutral around her. Normally a source of bravery and inspiration, it took a few seconds for the camera to get her properly in focus, and a few more for it to register that there was significantly more red in the scene than there should have been.

Ladybug wasn’t standing so much as she was leaning backwards in a half-upright position. Forced to stay on her legs despite her clear lack of strength. The only thing holding her up were the very things responsible for her current state…three steel spikes that extended from the ground beneath her.

They were exiting her torso. One piercing the upper left part of her body, right close to her shoulder. One through her naval. And the third on the right side, for all purposes appearing to have hit a lung.

She was breathing, though it was clearly labored. She was constantly torn between some variation of taking a gasping breath in and crying it out. Her suit could protect her—it was supposed to protect her from anything, but even this was too much.

It was clear she couldn’t move. She had to remain there, impaled on steel. Both to limit her injuries as much as possible and just due to inability from the sheer pain she was in.

The camera was focused on her, though it was shaky at best. The person recording it could be heard muttering unintelligibly with some mention of a hospital and frequent repetition of “oh god” thrown in. Some noise could be heard in the background of someone sounding quite ill, which was understandable given the sight of their hero impaled and choking on her own blood.

Within a minute of the video starting, the crunching sound of boots running on glass and stones could be heard coming closer. The sound of panting grew louder as Chat Noir cleared a hill and entered into view, rushing and stumbling towards Ladybug while holding something in front of him.

The camera zoomed on him, bringing him into focus as he cleared the last hurdle.

“I’ve got it!” Chat exclaimed, racing back to her side with her yoyo in hand. “I’ve got it! It’s okay. It’s over. It’s over now. It’s finished. He’s done.”

“Sh…Ch…” Her head hung limply and her eyes were barely able to focus on him as he tried to get her to look at him without moving her too much.

“It—It’s okay! It’s going to be okay!” He whispered to her, so softly that the camera barely caught it. He was clearly panicked and trying desperately not to let it show. “We just need the Cure. If you cast the Cure, everything will be better, okay?”

She didn’t appear to be listening, though. And barely seemed aware of anything. “Ch-ck…Chaaa…”

The video zoomed in on them both. Ladybug dazed and bleeding out. Chat crying and trying not to break down completely.

“Please! I just need you to say the words! Say the words and you’ll be okay! Can you do that?”

“Huurrr…s…” She slurred, begging him without words for help.

“I know! I know! But you can fix it. C’mon, M’lady, please!”

“I…I cn…”

“Say the words. Just two words, okay?” He begged desperately, patting her cheek in an attempt to both soothe her and keep her attention on him. “Two words and then you can go to sleep, I promise.”

“Ch…a…”

“Just…just two words, that’s it! I’ll…I’ll even say them with you, okay?”

She winced. “Nn…”

She clearly wasn’t listening, but he was desperate and so started to try. “Miraculous—”

She sobbed.

“No, no. Listen to me, okay? Say it with me!” He ordered, forcing her to look at him. “Mi. Say it with me! Mi!”

“M…mi…”

“Racu!”

“ra…” Her gaze started to waver.

He shook her. “Cu!”

“…cu…lous…”

He gave a weak laugh. Even now she was ahead of him. “Ladybug.”

“La…laa-deee…”

He shook her again. “LADYBUG!”

“……b…u—gahck-ugh—" She was cut off by harsh coughing.

But it was enough.

Thank every god out there it was enough.

The Cure spilled out from the object she was holding, transforming into magical ladybugs that covered everything in their wake. Unfortunately, the casting of the Cure and incoming loveliness caused the person holding the camera to drop it, losing sight of the video and cutting the feed.

_______________________

The ringing of her phone got Marinette’s attention, drawing her away from the movie she was watching with Adrien and the Dolls.

“Hello?”

“Miss Ladybug.” Came the voice on the end. “This is Aqualad.”

She blinked in surprise. “Aqualad? Is everything okay?”

“Yes…just…” The sound of angry whispers could be heard on the other end. “Would you be able to come speak with Conner today?”

Marinette frowned at that. While she certainly enjoyed seeing Conner, that…didn’t sound like a good thing. If anything, it sounded like a plea. And the voices that sounded like an argument in the background only made it sound worse.

“Is everything okay?”

Adrien seemed to notice the concern in her voice as he had stopped paying attention to the movie to focus on her. In turn, Chaton was peeking over the couch at her, curious as to what was going on.

“No. We found a recording of something…personal to you. Conner saw it and now he’s rather upset. We think it might help if you were here.”

“WHAT?!” She exclaimed. This definitely got the attention of the other dolls, all of whom had abandoned the movie in favor of checking on their Mama.

Her eyes narrowed. Suddenly full Mom mode was on.

“Aqualad. Tell me right now what happened.”

And Kaldur caved immediately with only a small sigh.

“Robin found the video of the akumatized hero who attacked you and instigated the events leading to the Paris Ban.” He explained. “I apologize. We should have checked with you first, but at Conner’s request, we all watched it.”

Marinette sighed. “I thought that was buried.”

“We’re rather good at digging.” Robin’s voice could be heard on the other side of the line.

“Hang on. I’ll be right over.” She told them before hanging up.

“Marinette? What happened?” She turned to see Adrien standing before her, looking rather concerned. Picking up on her tension, he had stopped the movie. And sure enough, four little dolls stared up at her in worry.

She sighed. There was nothing else for it.

“Who wants to go on a trip?”

The Dolls perked up at that.

Adrien, however, noticed how tense she was.

“Mari?”

“They saw the tape.”

His eyes widened. “Oh.” He reached out to her, and without even thinking, she moved into his arms. He clutched her tightly, soothing her and himself. It was…not a pleasant thing to have to relive. That so-called “hero” had caused more damage than just that one day. And more than any of them had truly recovered from.

The dolls seemed to catch on to the atmosphere, because their excitement died down.

“It’ll be okay, Mari. Let’s just be there for him. And I’ll be here for you.”

She held him back just as tight.

“Together then?”

“Always.”

[serenadeonacanoe]

Waiting for something. (Namjoon x OFC)

Pairing: Namjoon x Original Female Character 

Genre/Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Angst, too tired to beta

Summary: 

Me: [12:24 AM] Soo... is this actually Namjoon then? Namjoon: [12:39 AM] It is. Me: [12:41 AM] I think I need proof. [...] Me: [12:51 AM] Okay, I am convinced. Namjoon: [12:52 AM] And how do I know this is Olivia? [...] Namjoon: [1:02 AM] Alright, yeah. I think that is the girl RM apparently not so low-key flirted with a few weeks back. Ollie hadn't planned to have her music show blow up when Namjoon jokingly flirts with her at a red carpet event, how could she? But now the footage is out there and yesyesyes all very funny... but wait... why are they still texting?

More chapters on AO3

<3

CHAPTER 1

The truth was that there was something a bit gross about red carpet coverage. Yes, it was exciting and nervewracking in a good way, sometimes actually interesting conversations were held and most of the time - with the help of a little editing of course - the result was worth it. But there was also just a lot of waiting. Standing around. Constant screams around you. A. lot. of. fake. laughter. And that made sense in a way, who could keep their energy up for so long... well not me. Between interviews, I would just drop my shoulders, trying to relax my shoulders a little, just to cheer up again moments later, when I suddenly had another chance. Minutes of fast speaking, cheeriness and ... well, sometimes, yes, fake laughter would follow and then back to dreaming you could please take a nap on the sidewalk behind you.

"Cheer up! You forgot that you love this!" Nick, my cameraman murmured, his head still hidden from my view behind the camera on his shoulder. Still, I looked in his direction, my mouth fell open for a second. Jesus, he was right. Why was I complaining... when had I gotten used to all this spectacle to a point that I forgot that I was so very lucky. I was doing what I loved, just as much as the people I interviewed. How many people studying journalism and obsessed with music would actually end up where I now was. My own music show for a year now. Okay, online, not regularly on TV, but still financed by a network. But this was the 21st century and streaming numbers were probably more important to some than their own grandmother's life, yeah... I should have been more grateful. And while I stared at Nick, I could see a grin in the corner of his mouth, even though most of it was hidden. And then I grinned as well and interviewed Harry Styles. You know, casual Friday, some might say...

Somehow Nicks comment had saved my night. I forgot about the fact that I was tired, or that I had promised my mother three days ago that I would call and had never gotten around to it. Or that my ex-boyfriend was currently at the Great Barrier Reef with the girl he had told me nothing was going on with while we had been dating. It was me and people passioned about the art they were making, which hyped me enough to actually feel like I was doing a pretty good job of asking the right questions at the right time.

And still, Nick just hissed a hasty "Step it up!" at me when he realized that we had a pretty good chance at interviewing BTS next, even before I realized that they had gotten so close. I had definitely realized they were here somewhere, the screams had gotten so loud when they had stepped out of their car. But - bam! - suddenly a stern-looking woman pointed towards me and seconds later they were standing in front of our camera. Matching suits, polite smiles, super professional and me just in awe. Some clever editor would later play it up, as if I had actually gone into stand by mode, inspired by the fact that I turned around to the camera the next second and pretended I had lost my shit, before snapping out of it moments later, turning around again. "Oh my God. It's BTS, how are you guys?" They were professionals, but so was I.

I got two questions in before the woman tried to rush them away from me, but I pretended to not hear her and got one more question out there before we said our good-byes. Jimin waved at me like a toddler and for some reason, it made me "dawww". He didn't hear, but Namjoon, the last to move over to the next interview, did, turned around again and chuckled, before winking at me. I blinked. And then they were gone.

"Did Namjoon just low-key flirt with me?" I asked Nick, who was still recording me. "You wish..." he said, which made me laugh, and I nodded slightly, eyes closed as if to say "Guess so". Nick stopped recording and I dropped my shoulders again. Man, who was I to complain about fake laughing when I could go from quirky-hyper-music journalist-me to energy-saving mode in about five seconds? Checking my phone I realized it was time. I had to head inside, otherwise, there was no way I would make it backstage before stuff got really really hectic there.

The award show was alright. We didn't actually do any interviews backstage, the truth was that these things we so incredibly organized that there was no time to waste on the sidelines, no time for a chat unless it was pre-planned. This was all to show how much fun I was having, probably to be edited into a montage or something. And I mean... I was having fun... but then again it just sometimes felt a bit goofy, jumping around, clapping for people when they came off stage as if we were friends. After a while Nick and I had found a good spot where we weren't in anyone's way, could see the side of the stage and still had a monitor close to us that was showing us what the audience on tv saw. I finally relaxed a little after Nick had decided that he had enough material. He had set the camera down, and we were having a beer while watching the rest of the show.

It was towards the end of the show when the evening's hostess was giving a little speech about how much fun the event had been, followed by a montage of scenes from different celebrities getting ready to the red carpet. Nick said something about the fact that the turn around time for the clips was pretty fast, considering that some of this had happened only two hours before and I just made a "mmhh" sound to answer him when I was really checking my phone. Moments later he had kicked my shoe with his and I looked up confused. For a second I thought he was upset because I had not given him proper attention, but he gestured towards the screen and for a good reason. Because I was on there. Seemed like the behind-the-scene camera people had been standing right behind Nick when I had interviewed BTS. They showed my little "OHMYGAWD, IT'S BTS" moment and I had to smile, then there was a hard cut and next thing I saw was the whole "Did Namjoon just flirt with me?"-moment, just from a different angle. And with the knowledge that the whole audience inside the hall saw the same thing as well. I could hear the laughter and then while there was some sad applause, the live camera was in front of BTS, zooming in on RM... who was still looking up at a screen and seemed a bit overwhelmed, before acting all nonchalant about it towards the camera. The other boys were laughing their asses off, Hobi looked as if he was about to fall off his seat. Namjoon played the coolness up, even more, nodded into the camera, holding a hand up to his face, mouthing a "call me", before looking a bit uncomfortable the next second, maybe because he couldn't believe himself that he had just done that. And then they cut back to the hostess and I only realized that I had moved my hand in front of my mouth when I turned to Nick. He had laughed through the whole thing as well.

Okay. So, nothing about this whole bit had been particularly clever or as funny as everyone was making it out to be. Award show humor. What was funny was that everyone had seen my childish comment. Including the person, it had been about. It was harmless after all and so now I started laughing as well and I didn't stop for a good while. Yeah, I was a bit embarrassed. But at least they had made me look more relatable than desperate and Namjoon had taken the joke well.

When I got to my hotel room - several glasses of sparkling wine later - I realized my best friend, back home in New York, had texted me.

Lauren: [12:13 AM] So who is the new boyfriend? Me: [12:42 AM] If everyone who ever winked at me once was my boyfriend... Lauren: [12:47 AM] You'd still be single! ha!

More chapters on AO3

[curiousconch]

Exit

Chapter 6 of Ricochet (An Open Heart AU)

Catch up here: Series Masterlist

Chapter Synopsis: Heather is taken hostage, but by whom? And she isn't alone. Rafael and Bryce set tries to find the missing link.

Pairing: Rafael Aveiro x MC (Dr. Heather Song) | Bryce Lahela x MC (Dr. Heather Song)

Words: 1.4k+ | Genre: Crime, Suspense/Thriller, Romance

Rating/Warnings: Mature (16+) / violence, language

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for taking time to read this series. Please let me know if you want me to include/remove you in the tags list. Also, disclaimer: Majority of the characters are owned by Pixelberry, except the main character Heather Song and an OC Jordan Anderson.

Heather was due for another week in Johns Hopkins. So even though she didn't feel up to it after last night's fiasco, she forced herself to pack her clothes from the washer and clean out her temporary room.

She snuck glances to Bryce's bedroom door, trying to muster up the courage to face him and apologize. She was drunk last night. Drunk people make the lousiest mistakes, especially when that person is an emotional wreck. Long kept secrets of the heart creep up to the surface, often loaded with regrets like ticking time bombs inevitably blowing up the next morning.

In the end, she decided not to tell him her impassioned speech about nothing good ever happens after 2am, a reference from their shared favorite sitcom. Instead, she washed and cleaned and packed, and when the time came, left without a single word. She thought it was best to leave him be, giving them both space to process what they've just revealed. They'll just deal with it after she's done with her commitments in Maryland.

So she booked a car. And with one silent goodbye, she stepped out into the empty hallways. Her steps felt heavy against the carpeted floors, feeling more and more rueful with each. She was about to turn to the elevator bay when the fire exit flew open behind her.

Before she could turn around to see, an arm grabbed her by the waist while a piece of cloth covered her mouth and nose, muffling her shouts for help. Her head began spinning almost immediately. It wasn't long before she completely blacked out.

***

When Heather came to, she only saw darkness. Her immediate reaction was to scream, only to whimper after realizing she was gagged. Panic rose within her chest, as she struggled to think straight. She tried to blink to no avail. She was living in a nightmare, and she badly wanted to wake up. So she had two choices - either be a victim or be a survivor.

She chose the latter.

With that, she began to assess her surroundings, using her limited capabilities. She could tell that her eyes were covered, and by the tingling pain in her wrists behind her, she knew she was tied up. Strangely, her ankles were free. While most of her senses were restrained, those that weren't became magnified.

Her back felt the hard floor, she banged her head against it, confirming her theory.

Concrete? Uneven. Unfinished?

She tried to stand up, her legs felt weak, almost like jelly. She tried another time, and succeeded on kneeling. She balanced herself and used her legs to stand up, one after another.

She heard the sound of plastic rustling in the wind, and the cold night air brushing against her face.

Seems like I'm somewhere cold. Is that wind coming from large windows?

All of a sudden, she heard voices. The sounds were inaudible, but she observed intense shifts in the faint conversation.

Two voices, another room? Are they arguing?

She tried to direct herself towards the voices, taking caution not to make a noise. The volume gradually increased, aiding her to understand the conversation clearly enough.

"You're one hour late and you didn't bring enough."

"Such a whiney brat. Did you get that from juvy?"

"It's a mystery why someone haven't punched you and your perfect teeth."

"Some guy already did. But you? I bet ten grand you wouldn't. You're just a piece of shit without my funding."

"Right, without your pockets lined with cash, what are you?"

"Uh, free man with lots of connections?"

The words didn't make sense to her, but the voices that threw them around sounded familiar. She strained to get closer, trying to think who they could possibly be. Before she could hear more, she stumbled, her body making a noisy thud as it quickly planted on the ground. She felt something hard scrape against her cheek, a warm liquid trickled after, then pain.

Blood.

She shifted her head sideways, her legs dangling over something she couldn't quite figure out from the thick fabric of her jeans. Then it moved.

She gasped and retrieved her legs, her mind racing.

Who is it? Bryce? Rafael?

Her anxiety rose as she struggled with the mere possibility that she wasn't the only one kidnapped. The danger of the situation suddenly becoming more grave.

Then the body elicited a groan, a sound similar with her failed attempt to scream earlier. She heard it grumble once more, and then again. It was in the third time that Heather finally figured out who the voice might belong to.

Senator Ed Farrugia's.

Like a bucket of ice, a bone-chilling realization came to her. If they went all this way to hostage the senator, what's gonna stop them from killing her?

Her panicked thoughts were invaded by the sound of steps approaching. In an instant, she felt that she was shoved upright in a sitting position. The same person grabbed her by the collar and dragged her body back to where she came from, making her bare feet blister and bleed against the rough surface. Her face touched edges of plastic as her body followed the steps of her attacker. She tried to swallow her screams in an attempt to preserve energy, but the hairs at the back of her neck gave her fear away. She was then banged against a wall, followed by silence.

A set of steps receded, probably of the person who just dragged her back to her original place. This was quickly replaced by another set of steps, producing a distinct tapping. Different shoes, different person. First one seems like running shoes, this one sounds like leather.

Without warning, her hair was pulled backwards, making her wail beneath the cloth in her mouth. She smelled the scent of cigarettes.

"You just won't go down without a fight, eh? Well good for you, doctor. This will be all the more enjoyable."

Finally giving in on her fears, she shivered. She knew that voice anywhere. It was a sound so despicable that she hated it ever since the first time she heard it. The one man who mocked her, brought her down since her intern year. Arrogant, ambitious and immoral. All the curse words in the world couldn't describe this person. It belonged to a man she never wanted to see, hear, nor be in the presence of ever.

It was the greatest scumbag of all time.

Declan Nash.

***

Rafael was in full blown recon mode for Senator Farrugia's disappearance when he learned that Heather was also missing. Elijah called in to check if she has contacted him for the last 12 hours, he wished she did, but he told him no. When he got off the phone, the conference room he was in suddenly felt crowded.

"Dr. Song is apparently missing too," he reported to the rest of the team working on the Farrugia case. "Let's find where and when she was last seen, and start from there. I have a hunch she's going to lead us to the senator." He called IT to extract Heather's phone logs and location pings before he stepped out for a moment to process this new information. He found himself slumping in the fire exit stairwell, feeling an urge to punch the wall.

When he was about to act on it, his phone rang. It was ADA Lahela.

"Have you heard?"

"Yes, I just got off the phone with Elijah."

"And Senator Ed?"

"Yes, we're trying to find leads for the past 3 hours since we were notified."

"Okay, have you checked her phone records?"

"IT is working on it now."

"Okay. She supposedly left the condo around 4am this morning. I heard her leave. That might be a good starting point."

Rafael made a mental note.

"I'm going to meet Perry. He's in the front and center of this thing. I'll let you know as soon as I come up with anything." Raf heard Bryce say, after which the line ended.

He felt like an idiot, a sinking feeling of regret drawing him in. But he couldn't wallow in it now. Not until they find her.

There's time for that later. Right now, Heather needs me.

Fired up with resolve, he went out of the desolate stairwell and worked. He immediately followed up on Heather’s phone logs and available electronic records. He also called up field agents to go down at Bryce's complex for a copy of CCTV footage for the past 24 hours.

Once the instructions were handed over, he focused on Travis Perry. He helped himself to a cup of black coffee, willing his mind to stay sharp. He pored over Perry's file, searching for anything they may have missed.

He sighed, pushing back his emotions to the back of his mind. It's quickly becoming one of the longest nights of his life.

Author’s Notes 2: When I wrote this, I thought of merging this with the next. I just felt that they're best read together. So instead of combining the two, I've decided to publish both chapters simultaneously. Both is packed, I know, even I got dizzy writing it. But I hope you'll enjoy the roller coaster ride as much as I did. Appreciate it if you could share your thoughts!

Taglist: @ramsey-lahela @eleanorbloom @choicesficwriterscreations

[letterstoleia]

Important Lessons Learned from Gabby and Brian

As an author and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, I’ve learned a lot about the predictable patterns of unhealthy relationships. After years of personal experiences, research, and outreach, I’ve learned to recognize the tell-tale signs of abuse. I am not a licensed therapist, social worker, police officer, or minister. So please understand I shared my thoughts as 3 a.m. musings. When a few people asked me to make the post public, I agreed, reluctantly. I had no idea this message would resonate with so many people. I've worked back through the original post to explain a bit better how I'm feeling. I realize not everyone will agree with me, and I respect all opinions and views. All I ask is that we engage in respectful discourse on all sides. Thank you all.

In recent days, the tragic events involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie have given us a lot to learn. This case is still under investigation, and I can only make assumptions based on the textbook patterns of abuse I’ve witnessed too many times to count. I also recognize that multiple families are grieving, and I have tremendous empathy for everyone involved. However, many survivors will resonate with at least some of the following insights, and I’m hoping we can use this tragedy to shift the way we as a culture approach the complicated issue of domestic abuse.

Let’s examine 30 important lessons this couple teaches us:

1. Followers on social media saw a smiling, happy couple, full of love and wanderlust, setting out for a cross-country adventure while documenting all the joys of young life. In many cases, targets become very good at smiling through the pain.

2. When the public was shown body camera footage captured by Moab City Police officer Daniel Robbins, (who pulled Laundrie and Petito over after the 911 call on August 12), some viewers assumed Petito was suffering from mental illness and Laundrie, while nervous, was the steadier of the two.

3. Other viewers assumed both partners were equally at fault—the old “it takes two” myth that doesn’t really apply to most abusive situations.

4. Some people even assumed Petito was the abuser and Laundrie was the victim.

5. These three assumptions probably crossed everyone’s mind as a possibility (they did mine). Healthy minded people tend to give others the benefit of the doubt, especially when someone is being accused of a negative act. Also, we can all understand that mental illness is a difficult situation and can tax even the kindest most gentle of souls (and the people who love them). Unfortunately, in many cases, this thought pattern leads us to assume the victim is mentally ill or that the victim is to blame for an altercation.

6. “Victim blaming” can happen even in the worst cases of abuse because we don’t see the longitudinal story unfolding. What we don’t see is that the target has managed to keep things together until she reached her threshold, at which time we may see her crying, yelling, or breaking down emotionally. By exhibiting those behaviors, many might assume the target is “crazy,” and it’s natural for us to feel as if the more stable person is more trustworthy.

7. If we listen carefully to Laundrie’s conversation with the officers, he even laughs and says, “She’s crazy.” (17.09) Then he dismisses it as a joke. Of course, he’s already put this claim in the officers’ minds (and by the nonchalant way he says it, many might assume it’s not the first time he’s said these words.)

8. So while viewers (and officers) start wondering if perhaps the target is “crazy,” the abuser plays the part of the poor, patient partner who has to deal with this irrational person. In the video, Laundrie mentions Petito’s anxiety and her OCD, painting her as an unstable partner. (Please note: I’m not at all justifying any physical violence against either party. No one should intentionally harm any other person. Period.)

9. A typical abuser would be skilled at convincing people that he’s innocent, while in fact he’s been acting very differently behind closed doors, pushing his target to this point intentionally and feeding on her emotional break. Many abusers LOVE to see evidence that they’ve hurt their target. They LOVE to see their target in pain. For this reason, “breaking” the target is usually the goal from the start. In cases of abuse, it may take an abuser hours, weeks, months, or even years to break the target, but he won’t stop until he gets that reaction, and then he’ll point the finger and say, “See? She’s crazy. I’m just trying to keep her calm.” And then he’ll do it again. And again. And again.

10. As a result, some people will buy into that false narrative. Even the target can be brainwashed to doubt her own truth. Which may be one reason we see Petito making many excuses for Laundrie’s behavior and taking the blame for everything.

11. In contrast, we see Laundrie blaming Petito, insisting he never hit her and saying he was just trying to keep her calm. He’s charming. He comes across as the loving and loyal partner. He’s joking around with the officers and even gives one a fist bump in the end. All the while, his fiancée is at risk of being charged with domestic assault and possibly spending the night in jail.

12. Later, we’ll hear the 911 recording that (it seems) the responding officers were not fully informed of at the time: “I’d like to report a domestic dispute.” The 49 second audio recording continues as the caller says, “The gentleman was slapping the girl.” When the dispatcher asks him to confirm that the man was slapping the girl, the caller responds, “Yes, and then we stopped, they ran up and down the sidewalk, he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off.”

13. But long before the 911 call was made public, many survivors could already see through the spin playing out on the video footage. They easily recognized the “red flags” because these cycles become the norm for victims of long-standing abuse. Many targets eventually become conditioned to believe everything the abuser does is her fault. Covering for the abuser, accepting all the blame, trying harder to make the abuser happy—this warped reality becomes the only truth a target knows.

14. Also, it seems clear that Petito doesn’t want her fiancé to be in any trouble. She’d rather pay the price and protect the man she loves. And because she probably believes he only acted this way because of her mood/behaviors/anxiety/OCD/job, she doesn’t want him to be blamed. This is also the norm in abusive relationships.

15. Many experienced and well-trained officers see right through this typical pattern. Others buy the cover-up story. And, sadly, because some officers are also abusers, some side with the abuser even when they know exactly what’s going on. Throughout the video, we get the sense that Officer Robbins senses there’s more to the story.

16. I credit the police in Petito’s situation, especially Officer Robbins. The four responding officers (two of whom were park rangers) remained calm, they separated the couple, they interviewed them individually, they split them up for the night, they consulted the domestic violence shelter … many would say they did everything right considering the information they had at the time.

17. I imagine the officers involved may be suffering from tremendous guilt and wondering if they could have prevented Petito’s death, but I want to give credit to the officers in this case. While it’s easy to look back and say maybe they should have handled things differently, knowing what we now know, I was impressed with how well they treated both Laundrie and Petito (and, sadly, I was thinking how rare it is to see that level of respect and professionalism in most cases of domestic violence, particularly in the South where I’ve been most involved with survivors’ stories.)

18. After Petito was reported missing, many people expressed shock in response to the Laundrie family’s refusal to cooperate early in the investigation. Petito reportedly lived with the Laundrie family for more than a year. Anyone can see that this family will do anything to protect their son, even at the cost of an innocent young woman who was a real part of their family and soon to be their daughter-in-law. While most of us can certainly understand parents wanting to protect their son, most would agree they crossed a moral line when his fiancée went missing.

19. But perhaps it goes deeper than that. Perhaps what we’re seeing is a system of enablers who not only allowed their son to abuse Petito (which may have been a factor in her reported anxiety) but also a system of gaslighters who may have always been shifting the truth to keep Petito confused and make her believe she was the problem.

20. It’s not a far stretch to assume Petito was caught in a system of abuse. And once a target is caught in that psychological web, it’s extremely difficult to see a way out. Reality becomes flipped.

21. It’s also worth noting that Petito and Laundrie had been involved in various levels of a relationship since their teens. This is also commonly observed in dysfunctional partnerships.

22. These immature relationships work beautifully when both partners grow together and mature emotionally. But when one wants to keep the other down, naïve, and under his control … and the other is growing, learning, and maturing … it doesn’t work.

23. We hear Petito tell the officer that Laundrie didn’t think she could succeed with her travel blog (3.25). It seems clear that he didn’t believe in her and that he was trying to make her doubt herself.

24. Throughout the conversation, he implies that he locked her out of the van because she wouldn’t calm down. But when we listen to the full video, it seems he was upset because they’d spent too much time at the coffee shop with her working on her website when he wanted to go hiking. This suggests that because she wasn’t in the van when he was ready to leave, he lost his temper.

25. In the moments that followed, the altercation became physical. Reportedly, Laundrie squeezed Petito’s face with his hand, cut her down verbally, and criticized her.

26. Some would argue that this escalating abuse typically persists until the target reacts emotionally and/or physically. If this case follows the norm, Laundrie may have been trying to break her spirit, intentionally.

27. Why? Again, if this case follows the typical situation, it would likely be because Petito’s focus wasn’t 100% on Laundrie. She had found this new job she enjoyed. She was succeeding at it, and it was allowing her to connect with other people. (Remember, she’d already left her job as a nutritionist to travel around the country with Laundrie.)

28. In a healthy relationship, the new job might be considered a positive opportunity for Petito. Especially considering Laundrie admits they have very little money (not even enough to afford a hotel room to prevent his fiancée from going to jail). But in an unhealthy relationship, the abuser wants the target all to himself. And when that doesn’t happen, he can become increasingly violent.

29. Petito now had this one little piece of her life that Laundrie couldn’t control, so if we’re looking at textbook patterns, perhaps her blog angered him. Perhaps he didn’t like all the attention she was getting on social media. Perhaps he punished her for it. And then a cycle developed. Even though she was doing nothing wrong by building a new career.

30. The next thing we know, we have a missing person, a recovered body, a young man on the run, and several families destroyed. Too much grief to measure. And the truth is, it will happen again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, until we learn to recognize and respond to abusive situations in healthier ways.

The overall takeaway?

When we see someone at her emotional end during a domestic dispute, we shouldn’t assume she’s crazy. We shouldn’t buy into the false narrative given by the abuser. We shouldn’t believe the cover-up story by the target who has been conditioned to carry all the blame and shame. And we shouldn’t assume they’re going to be okay.

Instead, we should all learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. We should learn to recognize the warning signs of abuse. We should engage in respectful, fact-based conversations about trauma bonds, abusive cycles, and emotional intelligence. We should be familiar with terms like gaslighting, hovering, love bombing, enabling, triangulating, and projecting. We should stop blaming targets and help them reclaim their truth. And we should stop repeating the age-old myths that keep targets trapped in these dangerous and all-too-often deadly cycles.

Finally, while I’ve used the most common scenario of male-on-female violence in this article, we should recognize that abuse crosses all barriers and can impact anyone regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, religious affiliation, age, or socio-economic level. And we should stop assuming these situations will get better in time. Personally, I haven’t heard of one abusive relationship that became healthier. Not one. Not with therapy. Not with church. Not with prayer or forgiveness or complete surrender. When an abuser is determined to destroy his target, he will not stop until that target is erased from this world or stripped from her life. And in many cases, he’ll walk away without any consequences, often taking the target’s finances, home, vehicle, reputation, or even her children with him.

Please don’t let the next statistic be you or someone you love. For support, contact the Domestic Violence Hotline. From a safe phone, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788.

[jess-rewatches-prodigalson]

Episode 8: Family Friend

Things are getting intense. 

SPOILERS

0:16 - Martin has a nameplate that reads “Dr Martin Whitly” in his home office. That is maybe the most egotistical, narcissistic thing I have ever seen. Seriously. WTF Martin. 

1:14 - So this phone in the basement has a different phone number than the rest of the landlines in the house? Seems odd. I guess Martin set it up as a business phone so it needed to have a different number?

1:21 - This conversation is really cool. Malcolm is scared - you tell by the way his voice cracks a little at 1:22 and by his eyes in the beginning of the conversation. However, you can also see that Malcolm has been trained by the FBI to be an investigator. Listen to his interview skills. He’s calm, professional, and he’s speaking in careful, calculated sentences. It’s impressive. I’d really like to see him in this position more often. Another really interesting part of this scene is Jessica’s reactions in the background she looks positively terrified. She’s hugging herself and looking around in horror. I’m not sure we’ve ever seen her this frightened. 

1:23 - So Watkins has been watching Malcolm right? For how long? Because he recognizes Malcolm’s voice. And presumably he recognized Malcolm’s face at the junkyard? Creepy.

3:35 - Ainsley is going through the interview footage with a disturbing amount of admiration and joy in her eyes - while her bf in unconscious because her dad orchestrated a stabbing during her interview.  Also though, is she editing the video footage? Seems like that’s not in her job description?  

4:40 - I love everything about the initial moments when we see Gil, JT, and Dani enter the Whitly house. First of all - Jessica is clearly still shaken and terrified. Secondly, Gil (even though he does look concerned for Jessica) looks so comfortable in that house. It really makes you wonder how many times he’s been there over the years because honestly, the house Gil was almost murdered in shouldn’t be a place he feels comfortable in. Finally - JT and Dani. hahaha they walk into the room with faces that are clearly trying to hide how awestruck they are by how rich the house is. JT actually has an expression that I’m interpreting as “Damn. Rich people have a lot of weird useless crap.” AND look how Jessica’s demeanour immediately changes from terrified to welcoming, considerate hostess the moment she sees JT and Dani. That is the result of years of rich people manners being drilled into her as a child. I’m sure of it.

5:12 - Look at the way Malcolm looks at his Mom as she pours a drink. He’s a mixture of exasperated, concerned, and embarrassed that her alcoholism is being so blatantly exposed. 

5:24 - Malcolm giving the abridged house tour to Dani and JT is awesome. He’s clearly trying to make them feel a little more comfortable in a world they aren’t used to while simultaneously trying to make clear that he doesn’t love the fancy house - it holds bad memories and he’d trade it in for a life without trauma. Also - Dani’s reaction is perfect. She’s trying to make Malcolm just as comfortable as he’s trying to make her. I love it. 

5:50 - How come this bald, black, police officer dude doesn’t have a name yet? He’s had speaking parts in most of the episodes. At this point he’s practically part of the team. 

6:15 - Gil checking up on Jessica is super sweet. ALSO the irony of keeping a gun in a hollowed out copy of War and Peace is hilarious.  

6:50 - Another Gil and Malcolm moment to fuel my heart. Also - Gil looks exhausted. Can someone please give this man a vacation? He does nothing but worry about our shaky-handed boy, Jessica, the Team, and Ainsley. Seriously - Gil needs some time off. 

7:21 - So it’s the next day. Am I to believe that Gil somehow convinced everyone to go home, shower, and come back in a few hours? Because it’s daylight now and everyone is in a fresh outfit. Something tells me Malcolm would not have done that willingly. 

7:22 - Something about the fact that Gil is the only one who ever drinks coffee during the case briefings is hilarious to me. 

8:22 - You know I’ve always laughed at this seen because JT says, “I can’t with this.” but I’ve been missing the best part of the scene!! Look at Gil’s face. hahaha it’s an expression of total disbelief. He’s so done with working with these children.

9:29 - Just how many jackets does Malcolm have?!? I know he’s rich but I really want to see his closet. He doesn’t strike me as a rich person who cares about appearances or the money itself. So - what does his closet look like and who is buying him all of these jackets?!?

10:15 - Anyone else wonder how the hell someone managed to bury a winnebago without anyone noticing? It just seems like it would’ve drawn a lot of attention?

10:47 - *sigh* Gil is so resigned to the fact that he can’t control Malcolm. Poor guy looks exhausted. Trying to save Malcolm from himself is not an easy job. This particular case is also probably really hard for Gil too. I mean, Gil caught the Surgeon. If this killer worked with the Surgeon, Gil is probably questioning his detective skills. Questioning whether or not he missed something all those years ago that would’ve had this killer behind bars years ago. Also Malcolm has gone manic again. Yikes.

13:25 - Ainsley. Ugh. Girl - your bf is in the hospital with a stab wound. Stop trying to find a story to further your career and worry about him. Honestly. Why is she even dating this guy? She clearly doesn’t care much about him.

14:24 - Katcha? Another one of the Whitly family employees. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF THEM?!? We’re up to 4 now (Louisa, Katherine, Alfonso, and Katcha). 

15:51 - Look at Eve in this scene. Initially she is annoyed, then concerned, then curious but by the end of the conversation you can tell that Eve is scared of what Jessica tells her.  

18:40 - haha look at Gil’s face here. He’s so pleased and amused that JT is teasing Malcolm. It’s precious. 

18:57 - Malcolm’s comment about how the Junkyard Killer has been killing for over 20 years, which is longer than the Surgeon, has me curious. How long did the Surgeon kill for? Did Martin start killing before he got married? Before Malcolm was born? After Malcolm was born? After Ainsley was born? I really want to know. ALSO Gil looks so concerned after Malcolm makes that little comment. Generally Gil shoots Malcolm a concerned look whenever Martin is brought up. I love it. 

19:02 - How long did the front desk have that box? No one noticed it was bleeding? AND that blood is seeping out really fast. There’s no way JT could’ve gotten it to Malcolm before it started bleeding. Ugh. The things I excuse/ignore because I understand episodes have a time constraint and things need to happen a certain way to forward the plot. 

19:43 - I don’t know a lot about how quickly the human body decomposes or anything BUT father Leo’s hands did not look that beat up a few minutes ago. Check out the severed hand’s finger nails? They’re in terrible shape. Biology nerds: does this kind of stuff happen to severed limbs? I’m curious but too scared to google (I don’t want pictures). 

21:00 - This is another instance where we can see how good Malcolm is at interviewing....well until Watkins brings up the girl in the box and Malcolm kind of loses his mind. I love this.

21:36 - Gil looks scared here. A rare look for him. Also - really makes me wish I could’ve seen the moment when the story behind the girl in the box was explained to Dani and JT. 

22:30 - Look at Malcolm’s eyes. He looks haunted. Broken. Scared. I’m genuinely surprised he didn’t descend into a full blown panic attack. He looked really close to one.

22:50 - This conversation between Malcolm and Gil is everything. You can tell that Gil feels guilty - like he might’ve worsened Malcolm’s trauma. You can tell that Gil is also concerned about Malcolm. But check out the way Gil is speaking to Malcolm. Gil is so honest with Malcolm yet simultaneously reassuring. I respect that. 

24:38 - The moment Malcolm decides that his need for answers is greater than his wellbeing. He could’ve called Gil right here. He could’ve walked away and waited for backup. But he didn’t because knowing the truth is more important to him than his physical health. That’s genuinely concerning. This is a passively suicidal act.

25:34 - “You even smell like him.” This line has always struck me as bizarre. What exactly is John referring to? Does Malcolm smell like fear? Or like desperation mixed with determination? Is that how he smells like Martin? Because I promise you Jessica Whitly would lose her mind if Malcolm was wearing the same cologne his father used to wear. If Malcolm smelled like Martin due to his personal hygiene products I’m sure Jessica would’ve put a stop to it. And I’m sure Malcolm would’ve listened to his mother in this instance because he’s so desperate to be nothing like Martin Whitly.

26:21 - This is sad. Malcolm is being honest here. He really believes that he is like his father even though he desperately doesn’t want to be like him. 

27:22 - Gil is pissed. This is peak Dad behaviour. I’m shocked that he didn’t punish Malcolm himself or call Jessica because he knew that her overbearing presence would be  punishment for Malcolm. 

28:23 - Malcolm is spiralling. Look how manic he is. How desperate he is for answers. Look at how much pain he’s in. This whump is thawing my cold, dead soul (also semi-shirtless Tom Payne is attractive).

29:05 - Jin has the appropriate reaction to this. Ainsley does not. If a murder is on the loose you should be at lest mildly concerned for yourself and sympathetic for the victims and their families. Not excited at the prospect of a story.

30:02 - 1. Tom Payne without a shirt is...wow. and 2. He’s using frozen peas as an ice pack...so he does have food in the house? 

30:25 - Yep. When he opens the fridge here you can see he has some other frozen vegetables in the door.

30:27 - This is interesting to me. Malcolm is clearly attracted to Eve and he doesn’t want her to think he’s crazy (even though their first conversation was about how he got high at work) so he hides his pill bottles. When Dani’s come over Malcolm has never hidden his pill bottles from her. Because Malcolm is comfortable with Dani. Just something to think about.

31:00 - Eve said she got Malcolm’s address under “false pretences”.  The only false pretence I can see Jessica giving out Malcolm’s address to Eve is because Eve told her she was going to ask Malcolm out. But the false pretence implies that Eve has no intention of ever dating Malcolm. Huh. Either way, I would’ve really liked to hear that conversation. The one where a drunk Jessica Whitly gives a woman her son’s address because she thinks he’s going to get laid. It’s both upsetting and hilarious that this happened. 

32:15 - Gil looks like exhausted. Holy crap. Why is everyone so worried about Malcolm when Gil is looking like this?!?

33:25 - The acting throughout this entire phone conversation is phenomenal. Tom Payne’s facial expressions really convey Malcolm’s desperation, fear, and determination to get answers. Lou’s tone of voice really conveys Gil’s worry over Malcolm and tired, desperation to solve this case. And Michael Raymond-James’ confident, controlling voice is just the perfect amount of creepy to be a believable killer.

34:40 - Are you telling me that Gil wasn’t hearing this conversation in real time? Why wasn’t the police recording this conversation for evidence? Also how is Malcolm’s cell phone connecting to Gil’s radio? 

35:53 - “Damn it. Ainsley’s there.” This line is beautifully delivered. That is believable big brother concern. This whole sibling conversation is great. I love how they interact. 

36:30 - Can no know in this family follow orders?!? Honestly. Ainsley stay in your room. These Whitly’s really need to learn to listen to the people who want to keep themselves safe. BUT SIDE NOTE: Malcolm’s desperate cries to Ainsley as she runs from the Junkyard Killer are haunting. 

38:21 - THANK YOU JIN. SOMEONE WHO SEES IT MY WAY. AINSLEY DID YOU DIRTY BROTHER.

39:15 - “How’s Ainsley doing?” Love this. I’m so desperate to know the extent of Gil’s relationship with Ainsley. We know that Gil was a big part of Malcolm’s childhood. I want to know how much contact he’s had with Ainsley through the years. 

40:35 - hahaha I love this scene between Jessica and Malcolm. It’s honest, sweet, and sad. You can really see the role that Malcolm put himself in. He’s the self-appointed family protector. He’s probably felt that way most of his life. You can see Jessica’s determination, guilt, and fear. It’s beautiful. 

Ahhhhhh I love this show. Thanks for hanging out Prodigies. 

[purplesurveys]

649

Are you attracted to the last person that kissed you? Yeah, of course. What did you do yesterday? I spent the morning hungover because I drank the night before, but I had to be in class by 10 AM so I had no choice but to drive to school. My classes were thankfully pretty chill, and the most random thing that happened was my prof making us take a speed typing test in the middle of our class lol. Otherwise, it was a normal school day. Something you really want right now? More moneyyyy. I blew most of it last Wednesday when me and my girlfriend had drinks up in Marco Polo. Hotels obviously jack up their prices on everything, and alcohol is no exception so what I’d pay for a cocktail in my school’s area got quadrupled in Marco Polo. But I had a loooot of fun that night, so I can’t say I regret it even though I lost most of my allowance. If you could seek revenge on someone would you? [continued from yesterday because I just had suuuch a hectic week] Like I’ve said, the idea of revenge is something I daydream about just to feel internally satisfied, but I never feel the need to act on it. How long have you liked the person you like? Six, maybe even seven years.

Are you happy with the way things are going? For the most part. I could go with less worry/anxiety, but I mean I can’t say I’m miserable. Would you ever get a tattoo? Only if I feel like the time is right, which is a FAR cry from “get tattoos of all the things you love”-era Robyn lmao. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now? Yes. April is my birth month, and I’d hate to be single by then lol. What plans do you have for tomorrow? I finally have my rest day tomorrow, which I’m fuuuucking stoked about. It’s been such a busy busy week and I’m just so relieved that all I have to do tomorrow is sit and lounge around. Has a friendship ended recently that you wish had not? Not really. I kinda cut off friendships with two guys because they annoyed me over some issue, but the thing is they’re part of our high school group so I can’t avoid them forever – I see them when we have reunions, but I don’t mingle with them. What are you listening to right now? I can hear the electric fan whirring in front of me but in my head Simmer by Hayley Williams is playing as loud as ever. Do you and your last ex hate each other? No. What are you afraid of? I hate uncertainty the most, but some other things I’m afraid of are failing in general, videos that make me stressed like footage of collapsing/fainting people or racist people making tirades on public transport, flying cockroaches, sharp objects, and fire. When was the last time you were sick? Some time last year, I got a fever for like two hours but I was totally fine after. But the last time I was SICK sick was sometime in 2017 – but even that was only an overnight thing. I don’t remember the last time I was sick for over a day. Do you tend to waste a lot of money? LMAOOO don’t even remind me. I literally have a single P50 bill left in my wallet – that’s less than a dollar to ya. Do you have trust issues? No, not at all. Do you think this year will be better than last? I’m genuinely unsure, and I’d rather not guess or mull over it. 2020 is going to be a year of so much change – graduating college, getting my first job, maybe moving out for the first time?, not knowing if my girlfriend is going to pursue a master’s abroad, what that means for us, etc. Big things are waiting, and I HATE the uncertainty of it all. I take surveys to forget, so please don’t remind me of things I go here to forget, haha. Have you ever regretted kissing someone? No. Are you a jealous person? I can be, but like I’m not obsessed with being jealous. When was the last time you got a haircut? 2018. I desperately need a dramatic haircut. Do you know anyone that smokes weed? Yeah I know people who’ve told me about it, but I’m sure there are more people I know that haven’t told me they do weed. Who is the last person you rode in a car with? I was with Luisa and Hannah and for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t the one driving! Do you look more like your mom or your dad? I ask people this and they always tell me I’m a perfect mix. Apparently the top half of my face looks like my dad, and the bottom half is all my mom. Are there any stressful situations in your life? Yep a little bit yep yep yep. If you were caught cheating would you fess up? If I was already caught, I’d be incredibly stupid to still deny it so yeah, I’d confess. The last time you honestly felt broken? Maybe Monday? Idk, I cried pretty hard that day, harder than I normally would. What do you really want right now? I want this stupid internet speed to be faster because I need to send emails ASAP, and I need some good fucking food. I am not the happiest camper right now lmao. Best thing about the last person you chatted on facebook? He’s literally the most reliable dude ever. I can always depend on him to help me out no matter how last-minute it is. Best thing about the last person you talked to in person? She’s generous. When was the last time you shaved your legs? Yesterday. Is there someone you wish you were closer to? At this point, not really. I’m happy with my circle and there haven’t been new people who entered my life recently. Have any addictions? Nope. Are you anything like your siblings? We’re all reserved, but then again out of all the three of us I’m still the biggest extrovert and I’m also probably the one who finds it easy to blend in with most groups. But yeah, we all definitely have a layer of extreme shyness in us. We’re also never upfront about our feelings, so when we cry we do it in the privacy of our own rooms, or if we’re upset we rant about it to our own friends. Have you ever had a stalker? I don’t think so. Have you ever received an injury from a hook up? LOL what? No I haven’t. That sounds wild though. What did you last eat? A brownie and a sip of coffee. What was the best concert you have been to? PARAMORE. UGH. THEY HAVE THE BEST CONCERTS. I’ve seen them twice and I plan to see them three, four, and the next bajillion times. Paramore forever <3 Who is the last person you hugged? I’m not 100% sure. Maybe Laurice. Do you have any good friends of the opposite sex? I have a couple, yeah. Are you keeping anything from your best friend(s) now? This survey is a big secret for one, lmao. Where do you get your clothes? It depends. I shop everywhere so I get my clothes from a variety of places. They’re mostly from independent shops/stalls that pop up once in a while at malls, though. Do you have a secret you've never told anyone? [continued YET AGAIN from last night because I am just one big exhausted bean] Again, this Tumblr is a pretty big secret. Is there one person in your life that can always make you smile? There are several people who meet this category. Would you rather sleep alone or with someone? I like sleeping with someone only if they’re my significant other. Otherwise, I like my own space when I sleep. Have you ever lived with a girlfriend/boyfriend? No, I haven’t. When was the last time something bothered you? I am bothered at this moment, hence the survey-taking haha. Who was the first male you talked to today? My dog. But if he doesn’t count, it was Andrew. Are you completely over your past relationships? I’ve only been with one person. Do you get attached to people easily? No, it only ever happens with select people. But when I get attached, it happens hard. Are you currently looking forward to anything? Uhhhh sure. I’m dreading most of this week but my high school’s annual school fair is happening this Friday and Saturday and that’s the only thing I’m excited for. Do you believe in love? Yes. Let's be honest, have you ever been played by someone? Can’t say I have. Have you ever played someone? Yes, this I’ve done. I still feel bad about it occasionally but I’m sure the person has long gotten past it. What is currently on your mind? How sad I am and that I have to focus on this survey so I can be distracted. Would it hurt seeing the last person you kissed, kissing someone else? Of course. How many piercings have you had in your life? Just two. Who else is in the room with you? I’m the only one in the dining room but my brother is also here downstairs. Have you ever been beside someone while they were throwing up? [It’s 12 hours later. This is the absolute slowest I’ve ever worked on a survey lmao] No, it was always the other way around HAHAHA Did you eat breakfast today? I haven’t yet but I’m not feeling hungry so I might just settle for a cup of coffee. When was the last time you cried? A few minutes ago watching a clip from an NBA game having a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant. I was never into basketball but we DID have a copy of NBA Live 2003, and whenever I played it I always used the Lakers team so that I got to play as either Shaq or Kobe, so I’m sad and shocked, to say the least. Do you like tea? Just sugary iced tea. None of that herbal stuff. When was the last time you took a nap? Yesterday afternoon. What song is stuck in your head? Simmer, by Hayley Williams. As has been the case in the last four days. Do you have a TV in your room? I used to, but my brother would always be the one using it to play his video games so I eventually just gave it to him. Have you ever broken a bone? Nope. And I’m always extra careful so that I never have to go through such an injury. Have you ever had stitches? ^ Same answer. Are you wearing a sweatshirt? No...it’s starting to get warmer for sweatshirts now :( Have you taken a shower in the last 24 hours? Yes. Are there things in your life that you'll never be able to get over? Of course. There’s been a fair share of deaths, betrayals, abusive family shit that I’ve had to go through and that aren’t easy to forget. Can you remember who you liked this time last year? Yes. What's one physical flaw you'd like to fix about yourself? Straightening my teeth. What do you do when you're feeling extremely nervous? Uh it depends on whatever helps me at that time. I’d pace around, fiddle with my eyebrows, breathe deeply, shake my hands rapidly, bite my nails, etc. Do you have a hard time letting go? Yes. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? I doubt it. What do you plan on doing now? Making my cup of coffee and taking another survey to make up for the embarassment that is taking three days of finishing this one lmao.

[phinnsyreads]

Mr. Parker.

Don't look so surprised, you have to have known this day was going to come eventually. One of your fellow boarders was kind enough to let me in. They won't be disturbing us, so please, sit down.

Let me make sure I have the right Jackson Parker.

55 years old. Born in Cleveland, Ohio. Multiple tours in Vietnam. Sentenced to death row for killing his wife’s lover. Date of execution May 19, 1979. Now a professional waiter at one of New York City's finest bistros. And…anyone ever tell you you look like Ernie Hudson? You know, the black Ghostbuster. Maybe I'm just thinking of him because the sequel's coming out in a couple of weeks. Whatever, forget it.

One thing they don't have in your file is your unshakable faith. You believe, in a way that so few others do, that everything happens for a reason.

I might feel the same way if I was one of the rare D-classes who have escaped termination. I have to say, you certainly earned this little life you've made for yourself here.

I saw the footage and the pictures from after the…event. I don't know if you ever had it fully explained to you what happened there. We learned that the creature you decommissioned was responsive to the beliefs of its viewers. One of our guys must have got it into his head that the thing was going to kill everybody. And because he thought that, it did.

Until it got to you, of course.

I know your exit survey was a little while ago, so to refresh your memory, the way you phrased it had to do with "falling back on your faith." You showed, in the face of this blood-drenched monstrosity, unwavering belief that you would make it out of there alive. And because you believed, it was true.

Listen…I'm sorry about what happened to you.

We used to be so callous. Hell, it was to the point of being stupid.

There may — or may not — be a thing that'll kill you if you blink in the same room as it. So far as we can tell, this thing also shits all over the place. Almost every time we sent some guys in to clean up its mess — snap! Their life's over, just like that. Only just built a robot that can do the cleaning a couple of years ago. It sickens me to think about all the men who never came out of that room, all because we didn't think of them as human. Just a letter and numbers.

But what we need you for, it can't be done by a machine. Look, I've been thinking about this a lot lately…there's something remarkable about the human heart. Don't you agree? No matter how much we want to give up or say "no" to life, the heart still beats. That's all it knows how to do. It keeps on beating: "yes-yes, yes-yes." It's admirable, something so resolute in its work.

And I know how you work, Mr. Parker. You know I'm here for a reason. And I think you know you're meant to do something that will save a lot of lives. If you do this for us — if you do this for me — we'll do everything in our power to make sure you get whatever you want for the rest of your days.

I think I can tell what that expression means.

Let me know when you're ready to go, D-14134.

---------

Item #: SCP-1983

Object Class: Keter (Presumed Neutralized)

Special Containment Procedures: Outpost 54 has been built on the land surrounding SCP-1983 and disguised as a chemical plant. The "plant" building serves as barracks for MTF Chi-13 ("Choir Boys"). All entry points into Outpost 54 are to be guarded at all times. Personnel will review Document 1983-12, which details the cover story to be given to any civilians expressing curiosity.

All MTF personnel must profess strong religious beliefs, per Chi-13 protocols. All ammunition stocked must have a silver or silver-tipped projectile. A 24-hour watch is to be maintained on the front door of SCP-1983-1. Guards are to engage any instances of SCP-1983-2 on sight. No personnel is to approach within five meters of SCP-1983-1 outside of scheduled testing protocol.

UPDATE: Following the Event 1983-23, a stand-down of Outpost 54 has been authorized. A skeleton crew will remain to monitor SCP-1983 for any further activity. Arms intended for use against instances of SCP-1983-2 are to be maintained at Outpost 54 armory.

Description: SCP-1983-1 is a one-story farmhouse in ███████ County, Wyoming. It was abandoned in 1968 after a series of ritual murders, allegedly performed by a "Satanic" cult. Please see capture logs for SCP-████ for further details.

The front door of SCP-1983-1, when opened, appears to contain a spatial anomaly. Neither matter nor light has been observed to exit the doorway, save for instances of SCP-1983-2 (though the anomaly is exothermic).

SCP-1983-1 is accessible through other entrances, including windows, the back door, and entrances cut into the back of SCP-1983-1. However, the front room does not appear to exist inside of SCP-1983-1. Doors that should lead to the front room instead lead to other doors inside the building. Measurements of the inside and outside of SCP-1983-1 are inconsistent. Holes cut through the interior walls of SCP-1983-1 that should lead to the front room lead instead to the outside walls around the front of SCP-1983-1, but stop three meters on either side of the doorway. Attempts to drill into the front room of SCP-1983-1 from the outside have led to the exposure of smaller portions of the anomaly, though instances of SCP-1983-2 have not been observed to exit them. Further attempts to breach the wall have been forbidden by O5-03, due to the possibility of allowing increased potential for instances of SCP-1983-2 to appear.

SCP-1983-2 are bipedal creatures approximately 1.8 meters tall. They are vaguely humanoid, and entirely black in color. They are highly aggressive and will engage any human on sight. When an instance of SCP-1983-2 comes into contact with a human, they extend an upper limb into the human's chest cavity, without any apparent damage to skin or tissues. Through unknown means, they then extract the heart, killing the human. Once it has acquired a human heart, the instance of SCP-1983-2 will return to SCP-1983-1.

Silver munitions fired while offering prayer is the only known method of killing SCP-1983-2. The precise form of the prayer or religion of the supplicant does not appear to matter, so long as the prayer is sincere. Once killed, the bodies of SCP-1983-2 appear to "disintegrate," leaving a small layer of sulfur.

SCP-1983 was discovered after a series of mysterious deaths in the vicinity of ███████ County. Foundation investigators encountered instances of SCP-1983-2 and were able to trace them back to SCP-1983-1.

Addendum 1: A team from MTF Chi-13 was sent through the front doorway to attempt to investigate the anomaly. They did not return. However, shortly after they entered, the front door appeared, closing in the frame. No further manifestations of SCP-1983-2 appeared.

Addendum 2: A second assault team entered SCP-1983-1 to determine the fate of the first assault team. They did not return. The door did not close. Shortly after new manifestations of SCP-1983-2 appeared, Agent Morris entered the doorway, which closed shortly after.

Addendum 3: On May 23, 1989, D-14134 was given a closed circuit camera tethered to a monitor by a 25-meter cord. He was instructed to examine as much of the area as he could, and then attempt to return. Once through the doorway, feed from the camera was interrupted. The cord was pulled taut, and then snapped.

Several hours afterward, the anomaly in SCP-1983-1 disappeared. Inside, the desiccated remains of several agents were discovered, as well as Document 1983-15, an informal SCP report written by an agent within the anomaly. It appears as follows:

Item #: Pending

Object Class: Keter. God help you.

Special Containment Procedures: You're going to die, you poor dumb fuck.

This isn't a threat. I'm Agent Barclay. I'm in the middle of this goddamned thing, and I'm telling you, if you're here? You're going to die. I'm probably already dead.

So that's out of the way. Let's get to the containment procedures. There's really only one. Close the goddamned door. You aren't going to get back through there. You've probably already tried. But we know they can get out, if they try hard enough. That's how we found this fucking place. Hopefully, you've already done that. I know we did, once we gave up on getting out through there. If you didn't, then you go straight back and get that door closed. That is your only priority right now. You're going to die anyway. Might as well do some good before you're gone.

Description: So, here's a story, tell me if you've heard it before. The Foundation gets reports of trouble in Bumfuck, USA. Cattle and wildlife are dying mysteriously. Some people turn up missing. When a body shows up, autopsy finds the heart missing. Not cut out, not torn out, just gone. Empty space in the middle of the chest.

They find some sort of pitch-black things floating around. Some brain at the Foundation has seen something like them before, figures out how to kill them. Silver bullets, and pray to God as you fire. Literally. For some reason, that makes it work. Doesn't matter which God, but you damn well better mean it.

I can't, anymore. Not after seeing the nest.

Anyway, Foundation figures out where it's all coming from. Some house in the middle of Bumfuck. No one's lived there in years, not since yadda yadda, murder, cult, rituals, bullshit. The main thing is, these things keep appearing out of the front door. A team goes in, and they never come back out. But then again, neither do the monsters. A sane person would say, Good enough, keep an eye on it, kill anything that moves. But this is the Foundation.

You're a tough agent from MTF-Whatever-the-fuck. Maybe Sequere Nos, maybe Choir Boys, like me. You go bust down the door and run inside, and that's it. You're fucked.

The living room was bad enough. That's where they got O'Brien. They reached in, and suddenly he keeled over, and one of them took off with his heart in its… claws, I guess?

They're less distinct here. You probably noticed that. They're like shadows. Stay away from the light. I know that sounds stupid, but think about it. In the light, shadows are stronger. They have edges. When it's dark, they're indistinct. They can hardly touch you, and they don't see very well. I think they see by your shadow. I don't know. I'm just pulling at straws here, I'll be honest.

You've probably tried going back out the door, but if you haven't, don't. It leads to some place even worse. There aren't any monsters, but… Jones went too far from the house, and I swear to God, he started to melt. Things started popping out of him, and… All you need to know is he didn't make it back. That's when we closed the door.

So, we started moving through the house. We kept to the light at first, before we wised up. Three of us gone that way. But we got a pretty good picture of our surroundings.

This place? It's big. It's not just the farmhouse. It's like… It's like they stole bits and pieces of a lot of places, and stuck them all together. There's some bits that look like an apartment, some that look like a shopping mall, and even what I swear is a closet from my old high school. Same patterns on the tiles and everything.

There's also bits that are made out of… stuff. It's black, like the shadow-things, and it's mostly in the well-lit places. If the lights go out, you can stick your hand through. I don't recommend it. That's how we lost Torres. Something grabbed him, pulled him through. The hole wasn't big enough for his head, but he still went through, eventually.

So, stay away from the light places, but watch your step when it's dark.

Of course, there's no way out. We figured that out too. Any door you find, it either just leads to another room in this nuthouse, or it leads out there, and it's pretty obvious we can't live there. So it's wait until you starve to death or one of those things gets you. Great bunch of choices, huh?

There's one thing you can do. I couldn't go through with it, but maybe you can. It won't help you live, I don't think, but it's… I think it's important. I'm pretty sure someone's going to have to, or these things are going to get out eventually.

This place is stolen from lots of places. So I'm thinking there have to be other doors. We've closed all the ones we've found, but what if they get opened again? And the Foundation doesn't find them in time? Hell, they don't even know about closing the doors. I'm just hoping they figure out that if someone goes in, the things might stop getting out. And that's assuming everyone's smart enough to close the door after they come in.

So, I think I figured out a way to stop these things. It's the nest.

I only saw it once, for a few minutes. We followed one of the bastards after they got Denning's heart. It took it into a room that I guess is in the middle of this whole place. It's all black stuff, and they've dragged in every kind of light they could find, I guess. Lamps, flashlights, candles, you name it. Some of them were carrying more in as we watched. Anyway, at the middle, there's a big pile of hearts. Just tossed in a heap, and torn open, every one. They threw Denning's heart on the pile, and it started to beat, and then pulse, and then thrash around. Then it tore open, and one of those things pulled itself out. It shook itself, started to grow and then went right to work. The gross thing is that, torn apart as they were, the hearts kept beating. I swear I felt a twinge in my own chest.

There were shadows in the place. I don't mean the monsters, I mean real shadows, of people. Only there was no one there to cast them. They were coming from the hearts. A new one appeared at the same time as the hatching monster, and started trying to pull away, but it couldn't.

That was when I ran. I couldn't take it, you understand? I wasn't trained for this kind of shit. I heard the others behind me. I don't know if they were trying to stop me, or if the bastards had spotted us, but we got separated. I found a nice, dark closet, and I've been hiding in here ever since. I've been writing by penlight. I turn it off whenever I hear one of them getting close. It's worked, so far.

I can't go any further. I've got a few shots left in my gun, but I can't pray anymore, not and mean it. Not after I saw the nest. But you, if you've found this, you've got to be an agent too. Maybe you're stronger than I was. If you can, go in and destroy the nest. Destroy every last heart. If you do, maybe it'll kill them. It's the only thing I can think of. You'll probably die doing it, but you're dead anyway. So what's it matter to you how it happens?

Me, I'm going to try and get this report back to the living room, which I hope is where you found it. Then I'm going to make sure they can't use my heart to make another one of those things.

Good luck. Morituri te salutant.

SCP-1983 is presumed to have been neutralized by D-14134, who was posthumously awarded the Foundation Star (one of only two awarded to Class-D Personnel). Due to information contained in Document 1983-15, it is believed that the anomaly was not localized, as previously believed, and renewed resources have gone into attempting to locate similar incidents.

===

[“Mr. Parker” is an SCP Tale by Erazm.]

[The voice of the agent was provided by @phinnsy.] [The voice of Agent Barclay was provided by @lapis-liberalis.]

===

[Enjoy the podcast? Consider supporting us on Patreon! Patrons get access to bonus Joke episodes, outtakes, and can even request episodes on specific SCP objects.]

[thinkyoureholy]

Your Name Remains The Same [9]

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Pairing : Park Chanyeol / [Fem] Reader

Genre: Angst, smallest bit of fluff, future smut…maybe, Mafia! AU

Words: 2k

Pt 1. Pt 2. Pt 3. Pt 4. Pt 5. Pt 6. Pt 7. Pt 8. Pt 9. Pt 10. Pt 11. Pt 12. Pt 13. Pt 14. Pt 15.

-Y/N’s P.O.V-

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking in deep breaths, trying to compose myself. After a few minutes I finally calmed down enough to rise to my feet. With another deep breath in I walked to my door and walked out into the hallway. I avoided going into Chanyeol’s office, having heard things being thrown around and yelling a little more than an hour ago. I walked straight passed his office, making my way downstairs.

As soon as I entered the living room I could feel the tension in the air, it was so thick I could easily cut through it with a knife. Everyone immediately looked over in my direction, but my eyes only focused on one of them, Minseok. Minseok was holding a bag of ice against his eye while a bloody tissue was stuffed up his nose. He had several smaller cuts around his face and a huge gash in his bottom lip that still seemed to be bleeding a bit. When he met my gaze all he could do was scoff, wincing immediately afterwards as his free hand came up to hold his side gently.

“You here to beat the shit out of me too?” He asked.

I shook my head, frowning as I took in his wounds. The only one that could’ve done this to him was Chanyeol and with the noise I heard earlier I can only assume my guess was correct.

“Good...cause I don’t think I can take another beating, might as well just kill me instead.” Minseok said, mumbling that last part.

“What do you want, Y/N?” Junmyeon asked, shifting my attention to him.

“I want to take a look at the footage from the security cameras…”

“I’d love to show them to you sweetheart, but it’s still a little bit difficult for me to stand at the moment” Minseok spoke up again, motioning to Sehun, “Show her what she wants.”

Sehun simply nodded, walking off into the direction of what I assumed to be Minseok’s room. Since Minseok was the only techie one in the group all the monitors were set up in his room. He had mentioned something about it being more convenient for him that way when I first came to the house. I had never really seen any of the equipment in his room before, not really having much of a reason to go inside.

“The footage from inside the room is on this screen and the footage from the street is on this one.” Sehun said.

I didn’t pay attention to any of the footage from inside the room, my focus solely on the screen that showed footage from outside. A car had pulled up outside the house, the men not even trying to hide their faces as they sauntered over to the building. I tore my eyes off of their faces, focusing on the car and pausing the tape as I noticed the license plate was visible but a bit blurry due to the camera being far away.

“Can you blow up and enhance this image? More specifically the license plate?”

Sehun had already done as I asked before I even finished talking. I looked around the room, searching for a pen and a piece of paper. Once I found what I was looking for I wrote down the plate number, taking notice of the make and model of the car as well.

“What’s the point of doing that? We already know who they are.”

“Yes but do you know where they are? Judging by the car it’s the newest model and with the newest model there’s a computer built into it. So what do all drivers use to help them get places?”

Sehun thought about it for awhile before it clicked, “GPS.”

“Bingo.” I said with a smile, “All I need to do is run this plate number.”

I whipped out my phone, dialing the number of the man I had been assigned to be partners with when I first started working as a police officer. I only had to wait for the phone to ring twice before he picked up, confused for that matter.

“Y/N?”

“Hyuk I need your help.”

“Is everything alright?” He asked, immediately concerned.

“I’ll explain everything later but can you run a license plate number for me? It’s urgent.”

“Yeah...yeah just uh, give me a second here.” He said, the sound of him typing the only thing I heard for a few seconds before speaking, “Alright give me the number.”

“It’s BCF 1076. The make and model is a 2018 e-class Mercedes Benz.”

“Give me a few minutes and I’ll call you right back.” Was all he said before hanging up.

I sighed heavily, combing my fingers through my hair, trying to hide the trembling of my hands as I suddenly felt a wave of emotions hit me. If this led to a dead end I don’t even know where else to start looking. Without a word I got up and headed towards the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of water and taking a sip.

“It looks like you found a lead?” Jongdae said, making me jump at the sudden sound of his voice.

I turned around to face him, placing the cup on the counter, “My old partner is running the plate number of the car that belonged to the men. I should have their location within a few minutes.”

“At least you’re doing something useful while Chanyeol thinks he’ll get anything done by beating the hell out of one of us.” Jongdae said, sounding very annoyed by Chanyeol’s choice of action.

“How is he?” I asked, referring to Minseok

“You saw him yourself, Y/N. It’ll take a few months for his ribs to heal.”

I opened my mouth to say something else but was cut off as my phone rang. Immediately forgetting about the conversation I was have with Jongdae I picked up the phone.

“I got a location for you but it’s a bit of an odd place for a car to go to repeatedly and stay for hours on end.” Hyuk said before continuing, “It’s an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, it’s set for demolition in a few weeks. I already sent the address to your phone.”

“Thanks Hyuk, really I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“Y/N….what’s going on? This warehouse is in a sketchy neighborhood and I’m questioning why you even needed me to track that car down.”

“I’ll--I’ll answer all your questions later, Hyuk. Just...trust me on this one okay?”

“Last time you said that you almost got yourself killed.” Hyuk pointed out, the worry evident in his voice.

“Look I’ll be fine. I promise I’ll tell you everything once this nightmare comes to an end.” I said and hung up, not giving him a chance to argue further.

“Where do you keep your weapons?”

-

“You sure you want to go in there all by yourself? Jiho must have his men on watch 24/7, it won’t be easy.” Jongdae said, trying to get me to rethink everything.

“I’m not going by myself.”

“What? You think I’m gonna let you assholes sit back while I do everything?” I questioned as I noticed the look on his face.

“Tell everyone else to arm themselves, I’m going to go get Chanyeol. We leave in twenty minutes.” I said, shoving a bulletproof vest into his hands and making my way up to Chanyeol’s office.

I didn’t bother knocking, letting myself in. I stopped short as I took in the state the room was in. Everything in the room was destroyed; his desk flipped over along with his chair, his books were scattered all around the room, and the glass coffee table was now in pieces on the floor. I frowned as I took everything in, noticing Chanyeol sitting against the wall by the window, a far away look in his face. He looked so...empty, so broken.

“Chan?”

I took tentative steps towards him, his eyes moved to look at me but they were so void of any and all emotion it was hard to keep his gaze. I kneeled down in front of him, placing my hands on his knees.

“I managed to get a location-”

“What?” He asked, hope shining in his eyes.

“I had a friend of mine track their location. The guys are getting ready to head out.”

He stood up quickly, almost knocking me over in the process. I watched as he walked out of the room quickly, a sigh leaving my lips.

“Yeah, no I’m fine, really….just dandy.” I grumbled to myself before getting up and following him downstairs.

As soon as I reached the living room the tension I had felt a while ago had returned tenfold. They all looked completely done and still very much angry with Chanyeol, a few of them even refused to look at him.

“What are you all waiting for? Let’s go.”

No one moved or even acknowledged that Chanyeol spoke, angering him. I could tell Chanyeol was on the verge of yelling so I nudged him out of the way.

“Guys...please...you can all settle this after we get Jihyun back.”

All of their faces softened at my words, Junmyeon giving them all a nod before they sprung into action. I saw Minseok trying to stand, probably wanting to help out as well but I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re no use to us in the condition your in, besides we need you to be our eyes. How long would it take for you to get setup here?”

“Hand me that remote.” Was all he said, pointing to a remote on the coffee table.

I handed it to him, watching as he pressed a button on the remote. With just the press of a button the big screen tv on the wall flipped over, four smaller screen tvs taking its place. The floor under the coffee table opened up, the coffee table being replaced by a different table with all sorts of gadgets and button covering it.

“Sehun go get the gray suitcase under my desk.” Minseok said, already typing things out with the built in laptop on the table, “I need the location.”

-

It didn’t take Minseok much time to set up, giving each of us an earpiece so we can communicate amongst ourselves and have him talk us through the layout of the warehouse from here. I was strapping on a bulletproof vest, the last one they had actually, when Chanyeol decided to grab my hand and lead me to the kitchen.

“Y/N...I want you to stay here.”

“What?” I questioned incredulously, finding it absurd that he’d have the nerve to say that to me, “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m just gonna sit back and wait here.”

“Y/N, I can’t risk you being in danger too. It’s bad enough Jihyun is in the middle of all of this but if-” He paused as he grabbed my hand, “If I somehow lose you...I-I don’t know what I’d do.”

I sighed heavily, squeezing his hands tightly before speaking, “I’ll be fine, or have you forgotten that I went into dangerous situations everyday because of my job. I can handle myself, Chan...and--and if something were to happen to me-”

“Y/N…”

“Just hear me out okay? If something were to happen to me I want you to promise me that you’ll get Jihyun out of there and you get yourself out of this life.” I paused, suddenly overcome with emotion, “I want you to promise me that you’ll leave all of this behind and make up for the years Jihyun had to live without you by raising him into a man we can both be proud of.”

Chanyeol shook his head, his eyes leaving mine as soon as they began to water. I held onto his hands tighter, forcing him to look at me.

“Promise me.”

After a long pause Chanyeol finally nodding, sniffling a bit. I smiled softly before planting a small kiss on his cheek.

“Now let’s go get our son back.”

Tags: @sweet-honeywood   @yoopiye  @yeollieollie @iconicchankai

[charlietheepic7]

TEAM DANGANRONPA MADE A SHITTY TV SHOW AND HERE’S WHY

Spoilers for new danganronpa v3. If you haven’t played, just skip past this. @clowndictator

Side note: This is not all my evidence, just everything I can remember in my current state of rage. I’ll probably add more later

SO, in New Danganronpa V3, it’s revealed that the entire events of the game took place in a tv show and that all the characters had originally volunteered for the killing game before getting their memories and personalities replaced. This is shitty from a literary perspective for a number of reasons, sort of like “it was all a dream!” cliche, but I want to focus on the TV show itself. 

Mainly how, in by today’s standards, it would have failed after it’s first season. 

This is not so say that we wouldn’t watch a show full of teenagers literally killing each other. We would. If it were legal, that kind of show would probably become very popular. I mean from a technical standpoint, ndrv3 killing harmony would never be able to survive as a tv show. 

During chapter 6, it is revealed that that trail was being broadcast live. There was no real confusion from what I read in the comments of the watchers, so it’s safe to assume that everyone there knew everything that had happened up to that point. That’s about two weeks of solid footage, so either A) there were episodes every day of each day’s events, or B) everything was live the entire time.

IF IT WAS NOT FILMED LIVE, then how did they sort through, retouch, and edit a day’s worth of film in so little time???? That’s at least 12 hours of film to go through, decide what’s important, and retouch/edit in what? An hour??? Less than that probably, since these “Events of the day” episodes would have to be aired THAT SAME DAY. NOT POSSIBLE. There is a reason why most tv shows only air 45 minute episodes once every two weeks.

IF IT WAS FILMED LIVE, are you telling me people just watched two weeks of footage everyday without it interfering with their jobs or school? Are these holidays or something? How is Danganronpa the most watched show if most of the events happen during school/work hours? Hell, what tv channel would even run a show that requires a 24 hr connection???

On a side note, it is impossible for only Trials to be broadcast. Most trials take hours at a time, usually all day. And even with Keebo being offline, fans still knew about the investigation that happened in chapter 6, even though it happened over the course of the entire night.  

How exactly was it legal for all these kids to sign their lives away to TDR? THEY’RE KIDS??? They’d at least need parental permission for this kind of shit, but all we see are audition videos? This show is like 5 lawsuits waiting to happen.

Not only that, but if you replay the prologue after seeing the ending, you learn that those “auditions” were faked and that the kids were all kidnapped, which means everyone in TDR is going to jail.

The Minikumas. Those stupid little camera Monokumas flying around everywhere. 

Okay, so, one of the world’s smallest cameras right now is 4.4mmx15mm, so it’s not impossible to have a camera too small for most to notice. But it’s also implied to move very fast, so any footage it obtains will be very limited and blurry.

It’s implied that these things follow everyone in swarms. Returning to the argument above, if DR isn’t live, than all of these minikumas just amp the amount of footage that Motherkuma receives. If DR is live, than how exactly is this formatted? In Trials, the viewpoint is probably from Keebo every time, but in Daily Life? Investigations? Does the screen just split into sections with each character at center? Do viewers choose who they want to follow on certain days? That makes no logical sense. 

From what I can tell, a majority of tv shows make their money from ads and veiws. One of the highest grossing tv shows in america (Tropical Paradise) made about  $59,000,000 from 2007 to 2014. Using this as an estimate, that’s about 8.43 million dollars per year. Assuming Danganronpa the TV show makes more than this, say 10 million even per year, this does not seem to be enough to keep Danganronpa afloat. 

Point 1: The dome. Even assuming the dome gets reused each season, it’s construction alone would be beyond that. We have no idea how big the dome is, since we never see the base, so there’s no way to calculate how big it is (without getting into timing steps, using those to calculate how big the school is, and then using screen shots of keebo’s rampage to estimate a diameter, but I don’t wanna do that). 

Monokuma has been confirmed to be a very expensive, very complicated robot. And there’s a machine that builds more of them. 

Keebo is also a very expensive, very complicated robot with a fully functioning AI. Even assuming that TDR developed him themselves, production cost would have been through the roof!

The Exisals. 

The entire school and everything in the ultimate labs (remember, some of them were pretty damn amazing... and expensive looking)

The trial grounds. 

Fucking wiping people’s minds!!!! And replacing their memories!! That kind of technology would take so much time and money to invent, I’m literally screaming!!!!

I’ve seen renovations on the home improvement channel that cost more than what this show could make in a year!! No! It is impossible!! 

This is all the evidence I can think of right now, I’ll probably add to this later. But in conclusion, there is NO WAY that Danganronpa, as the TV show concept given to us in NDRV3, would ever work the way it’s presented in the game. 

[rodbank13]

10 Greatest Parks And Gardens To Visit In Tokyo

Shintoism is expressed in the use of stones, Buddhism is seen in the usage of lanterns and Taoism is manifested in the islands. In 1959, “Duke” got here to work in Micke Grove Park and asked Mr. William Micke for permission to build a Japanese Garden for the Japanese neighborhood to indicate solidarity with the people of San Joaquin County. Mr. Micke thought it was a wonderful concept and put aside three acres for the backyard. Under the supervision of Juki Iida and Nobumasa Kitamura, building began in March 1960 and was accomplished on an accelerated schedule within four months. Juki Iida personally scouted and chosen 580 giant granite rocks from the close by Snoqualmi Pass to insert within the garden. Since the construction of the garden was originally envisioned to require three years, the execution required a variety of revisions and changes in design all through the backyard. The park is operated by the National Museum of Nature and Science, whose purpose is to protect the pure environment of Tokyo’s forests and marshlands, however it's owned by the Ministry of Education. The Yoyogi Park is a big Western-style park that may be a five-minute stroll from the Harajuku Station and the Meiji Shrine. Yoyogi Park is on the site from which the first successful powered aircraft flight in Japan took place on December 19, 1910 led by Captain Yoshitoshi Tokugawa. Now, it is probably considered one of the locals’ favourite parks, where you will notice many rock music followers, jugglers, comedians and interest groups. Kiyosumi Teien is a fairly Japanese panorama backyard with walking trails round a central pond. One of the most stunning, traditional Japanese panorama gardens of Tokyo. Dating from the Edo Period, it reproduces landscape scenes from famous poems in miniature. We are a promoter and steward of this evolving metropolis and its progressive values, which have the power to remodel the travelers who visit us. Round out your floral explorations of the Rose City with a visit to Southeast Portland’s lush Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. The park boasts more than 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, with blooms from late February -June. Many of Tokyo's gardens date from the Edo Period when feudal lords were required to spend one 12 months out of two in Edo as a type of management by the Tokugawa regime. The daimyo constructed residences and adjoining gardens for themselves and their households. After the collapse of Tokugawa rule in 1868 many of these gardens reverted to government ownership and after World War II all of them have been steadily taken over by Tokyo metropolitan authorities. The Japanese garden performs so much onperspective, particularly in the case of borrowed landscapes, shakkei. The shakkei gardens give the impression ofinfinite dimensionsthanks to confused boundaries and video games of dissimulation . The Place To Search Out Traditional Souvenirs In Tokyo, Kyoto And Osaka In order to work properly, they’re meant to be carried with you in your bag, phone case, inside pocket, and so on. However, I maintain my omamori on show with numerous other Japanese souvenirs . Someone shall be satisfied with an uncommon flavor of Japanese Fanta, scrumptious milky tea, or a singular Peach Tea in a reasonably bottle. Find some of the best Tokyo souvenirs for women at Oriental Bazaar. Good Japanese souvenirs are stunning in design and make you smile. A yukata summer time kimono, with an obi waistband, tabi toe socks, andgeta (the picket clog-like shoes). ROYCE' Baton Cookies – These make nice goodie bag presents because they're individually packed. They're oval shaped matcha flavoured biscuits and chocolate-covered on the underside. Note that stores do provide ice packs and special bags for a hundred JPY. The go-to place for this is Kitchen Street or Kappabashi Street between Ueno and Asakusa however I've never made it there personally. The two spots we've picked good ceramics from have been within the Tsukiji Outer Market and on the side streets of Asakusa. After visiting a distillery, I was pleased to bring some sake home with me! Check your country’s import restrictions on what you can deliver home. One of the famous issues to buy in Japan, is dorayaki, a Japanese pancake. They are sometimes made right into a sandwich with the popular red bean paste inside! These presents, usually within the type of money, have been for use for the requirements of the journey, and in return the traveller would bring again a souvenir for those who had given senbetsu. From cool trinkets acquired at the 100 Yen store to high-priced ceramics, there's one thing for everybody. Bamboo charcoal, igusa and kinran , all of which symbolize Japanese cultural belongings, have been combined to create one thing completely new and stylish. Utilizing the soothing results of bamboo charcoal and igusa straw, these beautiful kinran fringed objects are sure to bring the delicate Oriental look into your dinning room. Japan In “Videogames,” the contributors observe how Japanese gamers can proactively have interaction in numerous gaming imageries, where authorship of the game text is diffused. Applying the tools of cultural research and literary analysis to the Japanese sport hit “Final Fantasy VII” , Rachael Hutchinson observes how video games resonate with the postwar/post-Fukushima zeitgeist. Over 10,000 members have registered at Cosplay Lab, a well-organized, family-friendly site for the cosplay group. Non-members can take a look at a quantity of features, including footage of costumes and links to organized cosplay occasions the place anime and manga fans costume as their favourite characters. She comments on how Shibuya was remodeled right into a consumer space because the 1970s, solely to be later regarded as “polluted” by the Japanese youth. Patrick Galbraith paperwork the transformation of the hectic electrical city into a tourist-friendly “holy land” of otaku. Galbraith provides, nonetheless, that Akihabara grew to become a showcase of Cool Japan, leaving little room for the “weird otaku,” who are seen as potentially harmful to the picture of Cool Japan. Tong Lam takes the notion of spectacularity to yet another level by elaborating on the phenomenon of damage enthusiasm in Japan (haikyo būmu). This form of tourism consists of in search of out and documenting deserted facilities, mines, hotels, hospitals, and amusement parks. "It's not that straightforward and you may't get a lot of the issues we get. We have plenty of connections different people will not have, and by the same token, they get connections we don't have." Currently, FredFlare carries a line of Japanese kitchen objects similar to a spatula that looks like a frog and a skillet with a panda face on it. The website additionally sells equipment, Japanese craft books, and other kitschy Japanese objects like a squirrel-shaped lint roller. The group hasn't but been to Japan to supply merchandise however has had luck with trade shows, scouring the Web, and being approached immediately by suppliers. This article at Entrepreneur.com discusses how the most recent developments begin with Japanese youth and the way what’s massive in Japan could probably be the subsequent massive factor elsewhere. In September 2005, the UN tried reform of the Security Council, with intentions to expand its membership from 15 to 24 members. This was seen by Japan as a big opportunity to boast a stake in geopolitics as a everlasting member of the Security Council. In this instance, Japan acted in a vacuum of hard energy; Japan’s pacifist constitution nullifies any potential military action and Japan was within the throes of recession, reducing financial clout. Thus, it is debatable that Japan’s failure may be solely ascribed to the weak point of its gentle energy resources, which are not but enough to attain the outcomes it needs. In “Music” the authors connect some significance to the transactions between Western and Japanese musicians, which generated new music types. Tokyo Nightlife Pictures The local establishments are very accessible when you don’t converse Japanese. Even the smallest hole-in-the-walls have English menus and sometimes English-speaking workers. Heading out of the Kabukicho Exit, there are four main locations to get pleasure from your time. Being the middle of the expat group and a very important place for foreigners who want to get pleasure from Tokyo’s nightlife, you'll not see extra non-nationals in another district when going to a bar or membership. Because of the massive number of foreigners that frequent Roppongi, and the way violent and impolite some folks can get after ingesting, many locals have come to hyperlink Roppongi with ill-mannered foreigners. This is among the causes scammers and hawks tend to target people who clearly appear to return from other international locations. Furthermore, and because of this status you can wager criminals will exploit this to pin the blame on foreigners. Shinjuku – With many eating places, cafes, bars and clubs, Shinjuku can be a high nightlife option in Tokyo. It is understood for its LGBT-friendly atmosphere, with quite a few institutions that cater to the group. Karaoke – Japanese karaoke establishments are composed of several personal rooms geared up with microphones and karaoke gamers, which comprise a protracted listing of Japanese, English, and different songs. They also serve food and drinks and typically rent out their rooms by the hour. Head to a convenience store and seize a few USD$2-3 drinks and drink on the streets! Or, if you’d rather be snug sitting down, visit an izakaya. Drinks are simply as reasonably priced there, and you can even grab some meals earlier than the night correctly starts. We have an inventory of must-try izakaya dishes, so check that out if you’re planning to pre-drink in an izakaya! Tokyo's Finest Handmade Crafts, Antiques, And Farmers' Markets As is the case with Kappabashi and cooking, you're not prone to be doing any crafts on your next trip to Tokyo. However, a visit to Nippori Fabric Town, close to Nippori Station on the JR Yamanote Line, continues to be a worth stop on your Tokyo market itinerary. From cloth to make kimonos to a extra common array of DIY craft supplies, Nippori Fabric Town is a go-to for creative types in Tokyo and is certain to inspire you, even if you do not buy anything there.

Today, Japan is considered a trendsetting market, so if you can obtain success there, the door to the global market is extensive open for you. This article supplies an outline of the market alternatives available in Japan, in addition to insight into the vital thing to look at earlier than increasing your corporation into the APAC region. Apparently there are several flea markets being held round town at present, so attendance is low at this one - nearly one tenth of the standard. I informed him I'd return for an iris painted pottery flower vase that he had on show if our gross sales choose up. Hello Kitty 50 yen Am Best Ai Otsuka Easy Piano Solo Three of my daughter's friends arrive to assist out. There is, nonetheless, no need to travel all the way in which throughout Japan for your fish market fix. Just a five-minute walk from the Senju-ohashi Station is the Adachi Market, the second largest fish market in Tokyo, second solely to – nicely, you’ve in all probability guessed that by now. As a wholesale marketplace for seafood dealers, it’s solely open to the public once each two months, but it’s a noteworthy expertise in case your timing is right. Market of the Sun or Taiyou no Marche is taken into account the largest farmer's market in Tokyo, hosting over one hundred vendors gathered in Kachidoki on the second weekend of each month. This market features over 50 different sorts of fruit and veggies both grown locally and outdoors Japan, with every month spotlighting a specific seasonal fruit or vegetable, or in any other case some kind of specialty meals. Not solely contemporary produce, this market sells local products like teas and handmade artwork and crafts, whereas also offering totally different academic workshops about harvesting and farming. It’s positioned a 15-minute stroll away from Tsukiji Market, handy to get your fishy repair if one of the many food vans onsite serving both Japanese and international cuisines don’t suit your fancy. These Festivals And Occasions In Japan Have Been Cancelled As A Result Of Coronavirus Many folks start the model new 12 months by consuming soba noodles at midnight for good health. Big Japanese festivals are a enjoyable, unforgettable — and often very crowded — approach to see a bit of Japanese culture. At Asia Highlights, we create your sort of journey — your dates, your destinations, at your pace. The parade begins at Chichibu Shrine around 7 pm and ends on the metropolis corridor. In Tokyo, the best place to rejoice is in the Asagaya neighborhood where they create big paper mache sculptures. Dosojin Matsuri is probably one of the three largest fire festivals in Japan and is annually held on January 15. Please remember that the gross sales deadline is commonly 1 month forward of the competition. For even more information on Japanese festivals, we also advocate the superb Japan-Guide’s overview of festivals in Japan, and the helpful Japan Atlas’ guide to Japanese festivals. Tenjin Matsuri (“Festival of the Gods”) is an exuberant celebration that takes place on the finish of July in the vigorous metropolis of Osaka. The wheeled floats are masterpieces, however the actual deal with is watching the day by day performances of the puppets, moved by dozens of strings and pushrods, operated from contained in the float by a grasp puppeteer. The magnificent floats — depicting imposing gods, warriors, kabuki actors, animals, and even TV celebrities — are made with washi and lit from the within. Accompanying the floats are groups of dancers, taiko drummers, flutists, and different musicians. Over time, Japan’s traditional festivals and its modern day celebrations have turn out to be conflated within the minds of most overseas guests, although they are fairly distinct inside Japan itself. The result's a country with a huge variety of various festivals and celebrations – and a win-win for visitors to the country. If you propose your trip right, you’ll be capable of expertise each the past and present of Japan by way of traditional and modern-day matsuri. Incredibly, there are an estimated 300,000 Matsuri throughout Japan. One of the reasons there are such a lot of is that just about each shrine, city and village has its personal competition. One Hundred Japanese Shrines And Temples Concepts Some of the shrine’s highlights embrace one of the tallest wooden gates in Japan, three sacred timber, and its lantern-lined approach. Concealed in an historic forest on the base of Mt. Fuji, this shrine was traditionally used as the begin line for climbing the sacred volcano. It nonetheless attracts pilgrims coming to worship Mt. Fuji and hosts a ceremony to kick-off the Mt. Fuji climbing season. Itsukushima’s exceptional structure and eye-catching location are why it’s certainly one of my favourite shrines to go to in Japan. Meiji Jingu is very well-liked firstly of the New Year, welcoming extra visitors than some other Japanese shrine (over three million folks come right here for the year’s first prayers). Note that should you plan to visit Kyoto, which has the most effective shrines and temples in Japan, you don't have to go out of your method to go to shrines and temples in Tokyo. If you are going to Kyoto, I'd counsel only visiting Meiji-jingu Shrine and Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo. Tsurugi Shrine has 1,800 years of lengthy historical past and it is called the shrine visited by many worshippers on New Year’s Day yearly. Ancestors of Nobunaga Oda, a well-known military commander of the Sengogu Period, are mentioned to have been Shinto monks of this shrine and named themselves “Oda” taking the name of their birthplace. The primary shrine is designated by Fukui Prefecture as a cultural property and the shrine bell as a national treasure. Besides these, “Myoujin bayashi”, efficiency by Japanese drums devoted to the shrine every fall, is designated by Fukui Prefecture as one of many intangible people cultural belongings. Heisenji Temple is a mountain temple situated at the place to begin of the trail from Fukui Prefecture facet leading to a sacred mountain Mt. Hakusan . It was a powerful spiritual establishment supported by native Hakusan Worship from ancient instances to later Middle Ages. However, the entire temple was destroyed by hearth in 1574 by the attack during “Ikko ikki”, Jodo Shinshu Buddhist rebellion. Uncommon Japanese Artwork Assortment The Naramachi district has a selection of smaller museums concerned with Nara's traditional arts and crafts. The putting museum building is complemented by gardens designed by celebrated US panorama artist Peter Walker, a student of Hideo Sasaki. The best place to see the museum is from the second-floor pool; visit at nightfall to see the museum and its lights mirrored by the water. It educates visitors about earthquakes and catastrophe prevention by way of varied interactive games, documentary films, and a large display screen theater with practical pictures of the earthquake's destructiveness. Kyoto Railway MuseumLocated inside strolling distance of Kyoto Station, the Kyoto Railway Museum covers the historical past of Japanese railways from steam locomotives to the shinkansen. Chiran Tokko MuseumThe Chiran Tokko Museum preserves paperwork, letters and belongings of the members of the special attack corps (known in English as "kamikaze pilots") during World War 2. The museum doesn't glorify, but rather serves to remind of the unhappiness of warfare. This Kansai museum boasts a set that ranges from conventional Japanese art to trendy portraits. Dedicated to trendy Asian art, this museum is a superb useful resource for these thinking about seeing what modern art seems like across Asia. Suntory Museum of Art in the Tokyo Midtown constructing in Roppongi offers changing exhibitions showcasing the gathering of traditional Japanese art of the Suntory corporation. Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum positioned only a short walk from Shin-Yokohama Station in Yokohama, calls itself a "food-themed amusement park". That is a really fitting description even though the entire setting is located on three flooring of 1 building, two of them deep underground. Miho MuseumThe Miho Museum features constructions of interesting designs integrated into the pure environment. The museum captivates with a theme of contrasting steel, glass and warm stone, complemented by panoramic views of the encompassing valleys. The museum's displays consist of works from historical civilizations such because the Egyptians, Romans, and varied Asian cultures. Kofukuji National Treasure MuseumMany temples in Japan have treasure homes of varying levels of curiosity. Of these, the National Treasure Museum at Kofukuji Temple might be one of the best despite its understated location and exterior - it is easily overlooked on a visit to Kofukuji. The museum has a great collection of Buddhist art that includes the three-faced, six-armed Ashura Statue, one of the celebrated Buddhist statues in Japan. Prime Japan Shore Excursions, Cruise Excursions & Day Trips From Cruise Port There is an intoxicating element of the exotic in Japan, but the hospitality of the folks and the comforts of the culture will put you proper comfortable. Enjoy the distinctive beauty of Lake Biwa on this 7-day cycling tour starting in Moriyama. Visit distinctive and historical villages such as Omi-Hachiman, Sugaura, and Harie, the place you probably can pattern local delicacies, find out about regional culture, and cycle alongside picturesque forest and seashore paths. Stop at shrines, take a cable automobile to the highest of Mt. Shizugatake, and enjoy a boat ride to the spiritual Chikubujima Island, all whereas sleeping at traditional guesthouses with onsen, hot spring baths. This distinctive 14-day tour will take you to the main cities and locations of Japan in addition to tour you thru Tokyo's top hidden destinations that few vacationers or tour corporations explore. I provide and plan Japan non-public tour packages (guided or self-guided), morning, day and night tours (guided or self-guided), in addition to a full vary of journey There’s also a theme park referred to as Tokyo One Piece Tower that features ride simulators, a domed theater, a slingshot gallery and about a half-dozen different sights. This hot-spring theme park combines Edo-era structure with indoor and outdoor baths. Located in Odaiba amid malls and different diversions, it additionally offers steam baths, specialized baths and an out of doors footbath. There’s additionally a spa providing massage, foot reflexology and “fish” therapy, by which little fish nibble the useless cells off you skin . Note, nevertheless, that individuals with tattoos are not allowed, which is public policy at virtually in all places bathhouse in Japan. Gorgeous costumes, gorgeous stage sets and plays primarily based on common themes like love, revenge and obligation make kabuki Japan’s hottest traditional performing art. The first half of the tour is your commonplace providing of Tokyo, Fuji, and Kyoto, however it’s the second half that actually units it aside. Rather than heading to another main city, you’ll turn south to visit the Kii Peninsula and take a stroll by way of the World Heritage Pilgrimage Route, earlier than relaxing at Kawayu Onsen. From stress-free at a conventional tea ceremony in a zen garden to rocking your greatest rendition of ‘Shook Me All Night Long’ at a high-tech karaoke bar in Tokyo, see all Japan has to offer during this superb experience. 14 Top Nyc Eating Places That Really Feel Like Japan During the summer time downtown department shops have “Beer Gardens” where you can sit on the roof, get pleasure from beer and get something to eat. These are all you probably can drink so please watch out and do not drink an extreme quantity of. The finest approach to discover a good restaurant is to ask your ryokan innkeeper, however please make sure they know the value vary you're looking for and the sort of meals. The innkeeper lives within the neighborhood and knows what is good and what's not. If you are staying a large resort you can even ask the concierge however please be careful as they'll usually only tell you concerning the restaurants within the hotel. There are many Chinese eating places in Japan and are positioned everywhere. Many major cities have a “Chinatown” the place you may get some authentic Chinese meals. Come here for his or her lunch particular, where for only $12 you will get an entrée of the day, mini appetizer, miso soup, rice, and salad. Their dinner is dearer, but even so, their menu tops out at $24. Ramen is commonly a solo sport in Japan, with people shortly ducking into a shop during lunch for a fast bowl of soupy scorching noodles. Which is why Japanese ramen chain export Ichiran offers customers solo dining cubicles, for patrons to slurp its well-known Fukuoka tonkotsu broth in silence. In truth, Ichiran serves just one type of ramen, and this focus allows the place to concert efforts on perfecting that bowl. A railroad theme crossed with a maid cafe, this cute restaurant has even created its own fictional practice firm known as the New Akihabara Electric Railway. The cafe is small but has original train seats and decorations, with old school indicators, clocks and train-line signs and even tickets which are stamped if you end up served. Whether you realize Pom Pom Purin or not, this cafe is a very cute spot up on the second floor of Harajuku’s Takeshita Street filled with lovable desserts and drinks. Sanrio’s Pom Pom Purin is a golden retriever who wears a brown beret and the top of his name means pudding, which means he lends himself nicely to a scrumptious dessert. Perfect for many who love a meal with bite, the Vampire Cafe is a sinister spot for lunch within the glitzy shopping area of Ginza. Decked out in purple velvet and chandeliers, the traditional Dracula look is here in full swing, with a few totally different areas to select from, inclding curtained-off ‘couples tables’ and larger options for groups. Understanding Onsen Tradition A sanctuary for the endangered oriental stork can also be positioned nearby. Surrounded by the mountains of Kyushu , this onsen’s most prominent vista is that of the dual peaks of Mount Yufu. During your keep, you could enjoyment of Yufuin’s many boutique shops, art museums, and cafes. Ryokan are scattered throughout the town, many of which open their onsen to walk-in friends in the course of the day. However, the curiosity in scorching spring experiences has gained vital reputation because the Edo period (1603–1868). And the study of therapeutic bathing has formally been established in 1931. The baths all have different designs, ranging from conventional Japanese to East-Asian influence. This sort of bathing is called kashikiri, which implies non-public rental, so that you don’t have to share your tub with others. The out of doors onsens could be more rustic than the indoor onsens, and infrequently they do not have any altering rooms. Gora KadanThe well-known sizzling spring town of Hakone — roughly two hours southwest of Tokyo by prepare — plays host to a quantity of private and non-private onsen opportunities, but our high choose is Gora Kadan. Yamanaka is part of Kaga Onsen, an space of four scorching spring cities surrounded by unbelievable mountainous surroundings. Yamanaka stands out by virtue of its being the manufacturing website of a few of Japan’s finest conventional lacquerware. Visit the award-winning Gato Mikio to buy some modern housewares, and the Yamanaka Traditional Industry Plaza to learn more concerning the history of Yamanaka craftsmanship. For Households In Japan Solamachi, an leisure center with tons of fascinating outlets and restaurants that’s situated on the lower levels of Skytree. You might easily spend a whole day exploring Skytree and Solamachi, but proper across the river is Asakusa, Tokyo’s most historic district. It’s home to the traditional Sensoji shrine and Nakamise, a road lined with snack stands and memento outlets. We are planning to go to Disney, Sanrio and at some point journey outdoors Tokyo to Hakone or Kamakura or both. I read about a card that you could reload and use it once we are in Tokyo. I am going to Japan for Christmas and New Years with my husband and two youngsters (13 yr and 4 1/2 yrs old) . I already received residences for 8 nights in Tokyo and 6 days in Kyoto. Both are reasonably priced and though rooms are small they’re simple and clear and have nice beds and bathrooms. Lots of room and simple to slide an additional physique in somewhere on the ground. Get used to checking where north is on any map and then reorienting it in your thoughts to greatest suit the coordinates in your head. Ueno Park has an excellent playground with slides, play construction and swings. A nearby amusement park has a small assortment of rides for teenagers aged 2 to eight. 安養院 of one of the best museums in Tokyo will replicas of Tokyo road life and residential life. An necessary component of Japanese festivals is processions, during which the local shrine's kami is carried by way of the town in mikoshi . None of the listings are unlawful if they’re on Airbnb, even the Japanese government has confirmed this. These areas are completely protected, but barely dirtier than the the rest of the country. For these eager to go to karaoke, it’s MUCH cheaper during the day and choosing a rainy day as a substitute of going at night time may be the difference between paying 700 and a pair of,000 yen. There are also many things in Japan that sadly simply cost money however are nonetheless value it in worth. Sumo, baseball, ryokans, consuming most of the delicacies, attending to one of many festivals, and so forth. There are additionally a couple of choices for overnight buses as well which has the extra benefit of saving an evening of lodging. I was in Australia for 7 weeks and budgeted as a lot as I couldn’t, regardless of not ingesting a lot, and I dont smoke. 10 Japanese Cultural Actions And Games To Do With Kids And the 1,000-plus deer who call the city and its parks residence won't flee after they see you. This section of the path is roughly 8 kilometers and is relatively flat. It ought to take between 2 – three hours, relying on how often you cease (and what number of pictures you take!). With hundreds of thousands of people and limited area, it is sensible why capsule hotels are such a preferred type of accommodation in Japan. Often instances ryokan friends are provided with yukata robes and access to non-public on-site onsen. Photography isn’t allowed however there's a lot to take in with wealthy cultural significance and a war museum. Most folks would avoid dining in a jail cell, but Alcatraz ER provides you with an offbeat dining experience of a lifetime. We learnt about native traditions and cycled past rice fields, rivers, mountains, and idyllic villages. Kyoto and Tokyo are wonderful famous cherry blossom spots, however we also enjoyed Okayama where it wasn’t as crowded.

[thezombiegeekinthehawaiianshirt]

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump spent an hour on the phone with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in an attempt to convince the state's top election official to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Even for Trump, it was a remarkable moment — an attempt to lean on an elections official to find more votes that would somehow alter the outcome of the election. Thanks to The Washington Post, which broke the news, the full audio of the call is available. I went through the transcript of the call and pulled out the lines you need to see. They're below.

1. "We won very substantially in Georgia. You even see it by rally size, frankly. We'd be getting 25-30,000 people a rally and the competition would get less than 100 people." Well, I'm convinced! Trump has always been entirely convinced that having large rallies = winning. Of course, even if Trump had 30,000 people at a rally, that's roughly .6% of the 4.9 million votes cast in Georgia this fall. Math! And away we go!

2. "We have at least 2 or 3 -- anywhere from 250-300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls. Much of that had to do with Fulton County, which hasn't been checked." I am not sure what Trump is talking about here. (This will be a running theme.) My guess is that he is equating the entirely legitimate process of early votes being tabulated and included in the statewide totals as votes being "mysteriously" dropped.

3. "We think that if you check the signatures -- a real check of the signatures going back in Fulton County you'll find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures of people who have been forged." There is zero evidence for this claim.

4. "But it's much more than the number of 11,779 that's -- The current margin is only 11,779." Fact Check: True!

5. "But you also have a substantial numbers of people, thousands and thousands who went to the voting place on November 3, were told they couldn't vote, were told they couldn't vote because a ballot had been put on their name." There's zero evidence for this claim. The closest I could find was back in September when Raffensperger announced that roughly 1,000 people had tried to double-vote.

6. "Late in the morning, they went early in the morning they went to the table with the black robe, the black shield and they pulled out the votes. Those votes were put there a number of hours before the table was put there." "It's all nonsense." -- The Washington Post

7. "They weren't in an official voter box, but they were in what looked to be suitcases or trunks, suitcases but they weren't in voter boxes. The minimum number it could be because we watched it and they watched it certified in slow motion instant replay, if you can believe it, but slow motion and it was magnified many times over and the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden." This isn't true. (See No. 6.) Also, "slow motion instant replay"!!!!

8. "You had out-of-state voters. They voted in Georgia but they were from out of state, of 4,925. You had absentee ballots sent to vacant, they were absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses." "Every one we've been through are people that lived in Georgia, moved to a different state but then moved back to Georgia legitimately." -- Ryan Germany, lawyer for the Georgia secretary of state's office

9. "And I know you would like to get to the bottom of it, although I saw you on television today and you said that you found nothing wrong. I mean, you know, and I didn't lose the state, Brad." "I saw you on television today." -- The President of the United States

10. "People have been saying that it was the highest vote ever. There was no way. A lot of the political people said that there's no way they beat me." So, if it was "the highest vote ever," Trump couldn't have lost? Yeah, this checks out.

11. "As you know, every single state ... we won every state." Mr. President, I have the Electoral College map on line one for you.

12. "And we won the House, but we won every single state house and we won Congress, which was supposed to lose 15 seats, and they gained, I think 16 or 17 or something." Mr. President, I have Speaker Nancy Pelosi on line two for you.

13. "So dead people voted and I think the number is close to 5,000 people." There is zero evidence for this claim.

14. "The bottom line is, when you add it all up and then you start adding, you know, 300,000 fake ballots ..." It appears as though he literally just made this number up.

15. "And this may or may not ... because this just came up this morning that they are burning their ballots, that they are shredding, shredding ballots and removing equipment." NOPE!

16. "You're not the only one, I mean, we have other states that I believe will be flipping to us very shortly." Oh really? Give me a list of those states. I'll wait ...

17. "But in Detroit, we had, I think it was, 139% of the people voted. That's not too good. Turnout in Detroit was 51% of eligible voters. Which is less than 139%.

18. "In Pennsylvania, they had well over 200,000 more votes than they had people voting." [narrator voice] They didn't.

19. "But, uh, they had as an example, in Michigan, a tremendous number of dead people that voted." Nah, bro.

20. "And we won the state and we won it very substantially and easily and we're getting, we have, much of this is a very, you know they're certified, far more certified than we need." This stuff isn't just being certified. It's being "far more certified than we need." So you know it's good.

21. "But we only lost the state by that number, 11,000 votes, and 779." So, the 11 is in the thousands column, the 7 is in the hundreds column, the 7 is in the tens column and the 9 is in the ones column ...

22. "Because, what's the difference between winning the election by two votes and winning it by half a million votes. I think I probably did win it by half a million." OK, so Trump is saying that rather than losing Georgia by 11,770 votes, he won it by 500,000 votes? Man, these Georgians need to get their math straight!

23. "And they say it's not possible to have lost Georgia." Well, if "they" say it ...

24. "And the people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you've recalculated." In which the President of the United States suggest Georgia's top election official redo the results of a vote that has already been certified and validated by the state's electors. Very normal stuff!

25. "They did it in slow motion replay magnified, right?" The only thing missing here is from Trump to break out the telestrator to explain it all.

26. "Where were the poll watchers and why did they say a water main broke, which they did and which was reported in the newspapers? They said they left. They ran out because of a water main break, and there was no water main. There was nothing. There was no break." Gabriel Sterling, the voting system implementation manager, said this in December when the water main issue first appeared: "You'll see when they walk in, and they see the obvious water leak on the floor. You will see when they move all the stuff out of the way. You will see the Zamboni, little carpet-dryer thingy driving around. I mean, you can see all the things happen, you can see the table get put in place." He also said at the time that no ballots were damaged or altered, according to surveillance video footage.

27. "There's no way I lost Georgia. There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes." Yes, you've said that a few times now ...

28. "Oh this isn't social media. This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not, it's not social media. I don't care about social media." "I don't care about social media." -- Donald Trump, with a straight face, apparently.

29. "And they're going around playing you and laughing at you behind your back, Brad, whether you know it or not, they're laughing at you and you've taken a state that's a Republican state, and you've made it almost impossible for a Republican to win because of cheating, because they cheated like nobody's ever cheated before." This is a common Trump tactic to bend people to his viewpoint: People are laughing at you behind your back! Which is obviously something he worries a lot about for himself and thinks others do, too.

30. "And you are going to find that they are -- which is totally illegal, it is more illegal for you than it is for them because, you know what they did and you're not reporting it. That's a criminal, that's a criminal offense. And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer." In which Trump not-so-subtly threatens Raffensperger (and his lawyer Ryan Germany) that in defending this allegedly corrupt election they are putting themselves in some sort of legal jeopardy. Totally fine!

31. "And flipping the state is a great testament to our country because, cause you know, this is -- it's a testament that they can admit to a mistake, or whatever you want to call it." Oh, so overturning a certified election result is actually a good thing for our country because it, uh, shows we can admit we made a mistake?

32. "But I mean, all of this stuff is very dangerous stuff. When you talk about no criminality, I think it's very dangerous for you to say that." This feels very ominous from Trump. Very.

33. "But, but I'm just curious why wouldn't, why do you keep fighting this thing? It just doesn't make sense. We're way over the 17,779, right?" First of all, the margin is 11,779. Second, the reason the election officials "keep fighting this thing" is because you don't get to overturn an election just because you didn't like the result.

34. "Because you guys are so wrong. And you treated this. You treated the population of Georgia so badly. You, between you and your governor, who was down at 21, he was down 21 points. And like a schmuck, I endorsed him and he got elected, but I will tell you, he is a disaster." "[Brian Kemp is] an incredible fighter and tireless champion for the people and values of Georgia." -- Donald Trump, November 2018

35. "And you would be respected. Really respected, if this thing could be straightened out before the election." Another classic Trump persuasion ploy: If only you would overturn this election, people in Georgia would love you! They would respect you!

36. "They don't want to vote. They hate the state, they hate the governor and they hate the secretary of state. I will tell you that right now. The only people like you are people that will never vote for you." Trump suggest here that if Republicans lose the two Senate runoffs on Tuesday it's because of Raffensperger's refusal to give the state to Trump. Which, uh, well, OK.

37. "And the real truth is I won by 400,000 votes. At least. That's the real truth. But we don't need 400,000. We need less than 2,000 votes." I thought he need 11,779 votes +1? Now it's 2,000. How? Why? Yeah, this feels like a good place to end.

[dailynewswebsite]

An epidemiologist explains the new CDC guidance on 15 minutes of exposure and what it means for you

A woman sporting a masks walks down a avenue within the Corona neighborhood of Queens on April 14, 2020 in New York Metropolis. Johannes Eisele/AFP through Getty Photographs

The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has new steerage clarifying what precisely “shut contact” means in terms of transmission of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The earlier steerage recommended {that a} shut contact occurred when an individual was inside six toes of an infectious particular person for 15 consecutive minutes. Now, the CDC is acknowledging that even temporary contact can result in transmission. Particularly, the brand new steerage means that these spending a complete of 15 minutes of contact with an infectious individual over the course of a 24-hour interval ought to be thought of in shut contact.

Regardless of the change, most public well being professionals have been clear for months that there’s nothing magic about six toes. In the identical method, there’s nothing magic about 15 minutes. These ought to be used as tough estimates to point the sorts of contact which can be comparatively increased danger.

This new steerage, then, is a vital recognition of the convenience with which this virus can unfold. It’s not a dramatic reversal of CDC steerage, like these associated to masks and the back-and-forth on testing of asymptomatic people.

This alteration displays new proof that has emerged. This alteration is an instance of how science works. As an epidemiologist who research respiratory virus transmission, I really don’t suppose this alteration will significantly influence how we dwell our lives in the course of the pandemic, however it does signify continued proof of how simply this virus spreads.

Why the change?

The brand new recommendation comes on the heels of an outbreak investigation printed within the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The investigation discovered {that a} jail worker in Vermont was contaminated, most certainly throughout a collection of temporary contacts with contaminated however asymptomatic inmates.

The inmates had been ready on take a look at leads to a quarantine unit. The worker reported no shut contacts outdoors of labor they usually hadn’t traveled outdoors the state. On the time Vermont was experiencing low ranges of group unfold. The outbreak investigation used video proof from surveillance cameras within the jail to doc the brief interactions. Every interplay lasted a few minute, and in complete the worker was in shut contact with the contaminated inmates for about 17 minutes over the course of an eight-hour shift. For at the least a few of these interactions, the contaminated inmates weren’t sporting masks.

Documenting infectious contact is tough for respiratory viruses. In spite of everything, we will’t see the virus shifting by way of the air. The video footage on this case represents fairly strong proof. And so the CDC is recognizing the chance that shorter interactions carry some danger.

This alteration can be an acknowledgment that the earlier definition makes at the least one specific assumption that will not be true. The main assumption of the outdated rule is that there’s a threshold impact of publicity. That’s, when you’ve been uncovered to a specific amount of virus (15 minutes’ price), your danger of illness will increase. The flip facet of this assumption is that at ranges under that threshold your danger stays low. That’s the reason we’ve seen some faculties mistakenly shifting college students round at 14-minute intervals.

The brand new steerage suggests that there’s extra of a dose-response relationship between viral publicity and danger of illness. Which is to say, the extra virus you might be uncovered to, the upper your danger, even when the publicity doesn’t occur suddenly.

Medical personnel safe a pattern from an individual at a drive-through coronavirus COVID-19 testing station at a Kaiser Permanente facility on March 12, 2020 in San Francisco, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Photographs

What does it imply?

Whereas I don’t suppose this replace will lead to huge adjustments, one factor it does do is broaden the pool of individuals for contact tracing. Within the splendid situation, this alteration might imply that we catch extra circumstances early after publicity. These folks can then start to quarantine earlier than they develop into infectious and unfold it on to others.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]

Take, for instance, the upcoming holidays. Having household over for Thanksgiving sometimes means sharing a meal, and certain spending a number of hours in shut contact with others. That’s nonetheless a danger, particularly since these with out signs can unfold the illness.

The individuals who attend that gathering would all have been thought of shut contacts earlier than, they usually nonetheless are. However now, temporary interactions that add up over time – for instance, with a server at a restaurant – will probably be thought of shut contact.

This alteration by CDC means that we should be extra cautious about temporary interactions – for instance, within the workplace or in school. We shouldn’t suppose to ourselves “This can solely be a minute, I don’t want my masks.” The significance of sporting masks always to guard others has by no means been extra clear. We could not know that we’re contaminated, and even a quick, unmasked encounter might unfold the virus.

Ryan Malosh receives partial wage help from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), the Nationwide Institute for Allergy and Infectious Illness (NIAID), and the Simons Basis.

from Growth News https://growthnews.in/an-epidemiologist-explains-the-new-cdc-guidance-on-15-minutes-of-exposure-and-what-it-means-for-you/ via https://growthnews.in

[sinrau]

(CNN) Hundreds of people near the Florida-Alabama border were being rescued from floodwaters brought on by Sally on Wednesday and authorities fear many more could be in danger in coming days.

“We had 30 inches of rain in Pensacola — 30-plus inches of rain — which is four months of rain in four hours,” Ginny Cranor, chief of the Pensacola Fire Department, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday.

Sally has weakened since making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on Wednesday morning but its devastating toll was visible across Southern states by nightfall.

By Wednesday night, it was a tropical depression, according to the National Hurricane Center. Located about 10 miles northwest of Troy, Alabama, it had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving northeast at 9 mph. While all watches and warnings have been discontinued, Sally is still causing torrential rain over eastern Alabama and western Georgia.

Pensacola and other parts of Florida and Alabama were submerged by flooding, rivers were approaching dangerous levels and numerous counties were under curfews to keep residents safe.

“We are still in an evaluation and lifesaving recovery mission, and we need to be able to do that job,” said Robert Bender, commissioner in Escambia County, Florida.

Sally unleashed up to 30 inches of rain from the Florida Panhandle to Mobile Bay, Alabama, leading to “historic and catastrophic flooding” there and threatening even more communities as it moves north, the National Hurricane Center said.

In Escambia County, which includes Pensacola, at least 377 people have been rescued from flooded neighborhoods, Jason Rogers, the county’s public safety director, told reporters in a news briefing.

“It’s going to be a long time, folks … to come out of this thing,” Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said earlier Wednesday, warning there could be thousands of evacuations.

Doris Stiers ventured outside her Gulf Shores, Alabama, beach home to asses Sally’s damage Wednesday and found her community changed.

“Looks like a war zone,” Doris Stiers told CNN. “Lots of destruction, homes destroyed, roofs gone. I have not had any service, power or internet. Bad night.”

Sally made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Gulf Shores around 4:45 a.m. CT with sustained winds of 105 mph.

The slow pace of the storm — now around 7 mph — was unleashing a damaging deluge across Alabama and the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday evening. Some areas already have collected more than 24 inches of rain and could receive up to 35 inches by storm’s end.

Sally is forecast to continue tracking northeastward through Alabama Wednesday night. The center of the storm is expected to move into Georgia and South Carolina on Thursday.

A section of the newly built Pensacola Bay Bridge that connects to the city of Gulf Breeze is missing thanks to the storm, authorities said.

A barge had slammed a portion of the structure, known to locals as the Three Mile Bridge, on Tuesday and caused the damage, Brad Baker, Santa Rosa County’s public safety director, said Wednesday in a Facebook video.

“Anybody who uses the Three Mile Bridge, just know it’s going to be a while before you get to use that again,” Baker said.

Baker said crews are working to catch the barge that caused damage before it hits something else.

Floodwaters have turned streets into rivers in Pensacola. and at least eight rivers in southwest Alabama and the western area of the Florida Panhandle are expected to reach major flood stages late Wednesday, the National Weather Service office in Mobile tweeted.

The weather service had declared a flash flood emergency for “severe threat to human life & catastrophic damage from a flash flood.” The warning zone covers parts of coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, including Gulf Shores and Pensacola.

Power has been knocked out for more than 500,000 customers in Alabama and Florida alone, utility tracker PowerOutage.us reported.

Rainfall totals of 10 to 35 inches are possible from Mobile Bay to Tallahassee, Florida, forecasters say.

Sally came ashore 16 years to the day that a Category 3 Hurricane Ivan struck roughly the same areas.

Sally’s slow forward speed is expected to continue through Wednesday as it turns to the north and then northeast, taking with it strong winds and more flooding potential.

Central Alabama and central Georgia could eventually see 4 to 12 inches of rain, with significant flash flooding possible. Parts of the Carolinas could receive 4 to 9 inches of rain by later in the week.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered for much of the coast and low-lying areas from Mississippi to Florida, and shelters opened to accommodate evacuees.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said “pretty much any body of water in Northwest Florida” could see a rise in levels over the next few days because of Sally.

“There is going to be a lot of a lot of property damage,” DeSantis said in a news briefing Wednesday. “When you see downtown Pensacola, you see three feet of water there, that’s going to affect probably every business that’s in downtown Pensacola — there’s just no two ways about it.”

Damage and flooding in Alabama

In Alabama, the floor and walls on the 16th floor of a hotel on the northern rim of Mobile Bay groaned as Sally made its way ashore.

The building shook as if in the throes of an extended, low-grade earthquake, and sturdy windows seemed poised to pop out, a CNN team there said.

In Orange Beach, Alabama, water flowed at least a foot deep along the exterior walls of tourist shops, video taken from a moving boat by the United Cajun Navy before sunrise Wednesday shows.

At the shore, a boat sat on its side not far from an upended refrigerator, according to the footage, posted to Facebook.

Daylight revealed another loose boat had come to rest against an Orange Beach condominium building, a photo from resident Rich Florczyk showed. Flooded streets were littered with downed tree limbs and other debris.

On Dauphin Island, south of Mobile, “we’ve got trees down all over the place … (and) electricity has been shut off to the entire island,” Mayor Jeff Collier said Wednesday morning.

As wind and rain whipped even before midnight, enormous trees already had been felled west of Mobile.

Workers in raincoats endured Sally’s bands as they worked alongside a digger truck to move thick piles of branches at Campfire and Ponderosa drives, CNN affiliate WALA reported.

Similar scenes unfolded around the same time — still about six hours before Sally came ashore — in midtown Mobile and across Mobile Bay in Fairhope, Alabama.

Sally is the fourth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year — the most by this point in a year since 2004. It also is the eighth named storm to make landfall in the US, the most by September 16 on record.

CNN’s Michelle Krupa, Hollie SIlverman, Gary Tuchman, Ed Lavandera, Gabe Ramirez, David Williams, Brandon Miller and Alisha Ebrahimji contributed to this report.

Sally drenched parts of Florida with ‘4 months of rain in 4 hours,’ officials say