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kucherovv · 3 years

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Character Motivations on the DreamSMP

I know I’m an ARG Wilbur account, but analyzing the DreamSMP has always been super interesting to me, so I’m gonna take a crack at it. Here are, from my perspective, the motivations and interests of each plot-relevant character. (PS: analyzing the DreamSMP is just like analyzing the ARG, except a lot less frustrating because we actually know things.)

Tommy: His motivations have always, always, been his friends, most notably Wilbur. Throughout everything, he never left Wilbur’s side despite everything Wil did. He followed L’Manberg because it was Wilbur’s dream, not his. He allows himself to be thrown around a little bit (”When I said you’re never gonna be president..,” The pit) to keep his friendships/his friends safe. Now, his motivation isn’t keeping L’Manberg safe, it’s staying with Tubbo Another interesting view of Tommy’s motivations is his hero complex- He just wants to be seen as the hero, and does everything in his power to do that. Either way, I feel like his motivations are going to be severely tested in the coming days.

Tubbo: I think Tubbo’s motivations are really interesting because there’s two. It used to be Tommy- which makes sense because they’re best friends- but it’s slowly warped to be L’Manberg. I think this mostly changed when Wilbur and Tommy were exiled and Tubbo was left in the Schlatt administration, and he realized that he needs to fight for L’Manberg in order to keep Tommy safe. This then shifted further to just protection of L’Manberg, to the point that now he’s willing to exile Tommy from the country to keep it safe from Dream.

Wilbur: One thing: Power. Everything he’s done has been to get, or keep, power. The Revolution was to have power over Dream in the form of their own country. He tried to rig the election in his favor by preventing everyone else from running to keep power, and when he was exiled he fought for L’Manberg so he could be President again. Even in the end, he blew up L’Manberg because he realized it would never be his again. This is where the “When I said you’re never gonna be President, I meant it.” quote comes back- Wilbur would do everything in his power to keep power over L’Manberg and its citizens- no matter who, or what, he hurts.

Techno: These are some of the most simply motivations on the SMP. Techno wants anarchy. He hates governments and wants to end them all. He joined Wilbur and Tommy because he wanted to take down the government, and ultimately betrayed Tommy in an attempt to end L’Manberg’s government. His motivations might be shifting towards Philza, but I’m not sure.

Philza: I think it’s a bit too early to tell these but I have two ideas. First, safety. Phil wants safety for him, his kids, and his friends. He goes out of his way to rescue people (See: him travelling hundreds of blocks to rescue Ranboo from lava) and performs rash actions to protect people/keep his kids happy (killing Wilbur..?). Another potential motivation is just his kids. He killed Wilbur to keep Wil happy, and wants to bring Wilbur back to life. His whole thing with Ghostbur and with Techno fits into this. His friendship with Fundy kind of does, too. Again, it’s way too early and there’s too little RP with Phil involved to truly tell his motivations.

Dream: Every single war has been caused by Dream. He wants chaos and control. He was the one behind the revolution, the disc wars, and every betrayal of L’Manberg, He even caused the election drama by allowing Schlatt back on the server, and provoked fighting by giving Tommy and Techno gear. Dream wants to be the one who causes chaos, in order to give himself full control over everyone. This recent arc is gonna build on- and potentially destroy- this motivation, as Dream is probably going to lose all of the support of his friends, and Tommy has realized that Dream doesn’t care and just wants to fuck with him.

Sapnap: I would definitely say that at the moment Sapnap is an anarchist with no true side. He has dual citizenship in L’Manberg and the SMP, and, though he might be willing to do things for both of them, he just wants to cause problems and kill peoples pets. Sapnap is literally the cause for the first war when he burned down Ponk’s lemon tree- he literally just wants to cause problems.

George: There are few motivations for George. He just wants peace, honestly, but won’t do anything to stop wars, so he just leaves. At first, he was a loyal, right-hand man to Dream, but became disillusioned with that when he became Quackity’s running-mate, and just stopped caring about anything. He just wants to live peacefully in his cottagecore mushroom house, but he keeps being dragged into things. I think that George just doesn’t really enjoy RPing but they keep writing him in, lol, but I am going to say that his motivations are that he wants to live a quiet life.

Schlatt: He just wanted what he believed is best for Manberg. IMO, he was never really the villain, and was rightfully elected, but no one realized that until Wilbur did. He realized that Wilbur and Tommy were pretty much war criminals who tried to rig the election, so he exiled them because that was what was best for the people, and then gave Tubbo a job so that he didn’t have to worry about leaving. Even the taxes were to improve Manberg. His policies and laws were not always the best, but he was doing everything he could (in his mind) to improve Manberg.

Quackity: Wilbur said that Quackity just wants a kinder, more peaceful world, and that’s definitely true. I tried not to base too much of this on Wilbur’s perceptions but this one is 100% accurate. Quackity ran for President to create a kinder world, and ended up leaving Schlatt to join Tommy and Niki after Vilbur happened. I think Mexican L’Manberg might end up changing this one, but I’m not sure.

Fundy: He just wants a dad. Everything he’s done has been for this, pretty much. Obviously, he followed Wilbur into the Revolution when he was a kid, and then wanted to be like him so he ran for President. After Wilbur’s exile, Fundy saw Schlatt as a kind-of father figure, but still spied for Manberg. The explosion was a wake-up call that made Fundy realize how shitty his dad was, and how much Wil doesn’t care about him. Fundy is unwilling to form a relationship with Ghostbur, instead attempting to be adopted by Eret and getting closer to his Grandfather. He’s realized that Ghostbur does not really remember Fundy for who he was, just that he was Wilbur’s son and Ghostbur should care about him because of that, so Fundy seeks out other people to be his father figures.

Eret: They had a huge swap in their motivation like.. halfway through the story. For the first half, Eret wanted power- so she betrayed L’Manberg. Dream promised him kingship in exchange for the betrayal, and that was all Eret really wanted- until Dream took it away from him. At this point, Eret realized that she really misses her friends, which is when she joined them in Pogtopia. TBH- I don’t really like these motivations and I think Eret’s character would be stronger if they stuck to one side, and at some points I think it was just to be involved in the RP again, but it kind of makes sense I guess.

Niki: First, she cared about Wilbur, joining him in L’Manberg and wanting to stay in Pogtopia with them. However, when Vilbur started, she realized that what she really cares about is L’Manberg, not Wilbur. The big shift could’ve also been when she saw the flag being burned. Either way, she realized that L’Manberg means more to her than Wilbur.

BadBoyHalo: Bad’s motivations are my favorite. He wants chaos, just like Dream, but he’s planning to do it from the inside. He wants the Badlands to ally with everyone, only to spark infighting and create wars. This is why Sam is always the one to help people- he wants to gain everyones trust so the Badlands can incite chaos. This is an incredible arc and I really hope they go through with it because- unlike Dream- its not expected that they’ll be villains. Also, the speech where Bad explained this was so scary, he’s a great actor and I want to see him and the rest of the Badlands in RPs more.

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weirdpine · 3 years

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line by line analysis of Half-Elves in Dungeons and Dragons 5e by a mixed person

Preemptive: Do not respond to this about how you, individually, don’t use this at your table or how you homebrew this. I’m interested in discussing the text; not how you transform it.

Flint squinted into the setting sun. He thought he saw the figure of a man striding up the path. [...]

This intro describes a half-elf from an outsider’s perspective, and mostly focuses on what he looks like.

...an elvish grace [...] yet the man’s body had the thickness and tight muscles of a human.

It’s reiterated over and over how this stranger has qualities that are exclusively inherent to either elves or humans. No muscular elves, no graceful humans.

Walking in two worlds but truly belonging to neither,

I hate how mixed people don’t get to belong in this narrative. Yeah, it feels alienating to have things that set you apart from both your parents’ cultures, but society has methods of isolating every individual. I believe that I belong in both places my parents are from in some manner, no matter whether or not it feels like those places want me.

half-elves combine what some say are the best qualities of their elf and human parents: human curiosity, inventiveness, and ambition tempered by the refined senses, love of nature, and artistic tastes of the elves.

Literally none of this is inherent. While it is accurate in terms of “real people talk about mixed kids like this,” but I would love not to be reminded of the guy who hated immigrants that I met at a youth hostel once, who pretty much said this stuff to me about my heritage.

Some half-elves live among humans, set apart by their emotional and physical differences, watching friends and loved ones age while time barely touches them. Others live with the elves, growing restless as they reach adulthood in the timeless elven realms, while their peers continue to live as children.

Finally at the magical differences here that is actually more interesting to me, since, yeah, this stuff would be alienating to have to deal with. And yeah, if you grow up in an area that’s overwhelmingly one thing, it’s easy to feel like you’re the Only One of your kind and feel alone.

Many half-elves, unable to fit into either society, choose lives of solitary wandering or join with other misfits and outcasts in the adventuring life.

Ah, but we’re back at the “half-elves” don’t get to belong. See, society is constructed in a way where almost everyone can talk about how they’ve felt alienated. I was the only [ethnicity] among the 1800 other kids at school, repressed gay, and a massive nerd and I still made friends and generally felt like I belonged. Yeah, I wasn’t popular. No, I wasn’t bullied.

Of Two Worlds To humans, half-elves look like elves, and to elves, they look human.

This is kind of my experience in the way where “you’re defined by the ways you differ from the society around you.” But also frustrating in the ways they are emphasizing,”You will always be seen as an outsider.” And not accounting for the vast range in experiences, such as the circumstances where I’m seen as not.

In height, they’re on par with both parents, though they’re neither as slender as elves nor as broad as humans. They range from under 5 feet to about 6 feet tall, and from 100 to 180 pounds, with men only slightly taller and heavier than women. Half-elf men do have facial hair, and sometimes grow beards to mask their elven ancestry. Half-elven coloration and features lie somewhere between their human and elf parents, and thus show a variety even more pronounced than that found among either race. They tend to have the eyes of their elven parents.

This stuff is pretty boring, other than establishing that phenotypes mix. But it is something that they’re writing in the possibility of having fun elven eyes. (Looks like this is for the Darkvision trait, which is, fine.)

Diplomats or Wanderers Half-elves have no lands of their own

Now this is some bullshit. The concept that, if you’re not 100% one race, you don’t get to belong, that you lose claim to the land if you’re mixed. This is such a garbage concept that seems to imply that if your ancestors are from different places you don’t have a motherland. Which, somehow again, is a sentiment expressed to me by a different guy at a different youth hostel. But this time, this text isn’t framed as a “some say” but as a truth of the world.

Like, in reality, being mixed means there’s so many places I could call home, so many places where my family lives. My cousin straight up has dual citizenship.

though they are welcome in human cities and somewhat less welcome in elven forests.

Ah, xenophobic elves. I don’t like the way that elves are positioned as foreigners and then acting like humans are so much more accepting and progressive. Like, even the terminology of “half-elf” places humans as the default other half. But also this reads a little like, “Oh, don’t leave this human city, you don’t know how good you have it here, nowhere else will accept you like we do.”

In large cities in regions where elves and humans interact often, half-elves are sometimes numerous enough to form small communities of their own. They enjoy the company of other half-elves, the only people who truly understand what it is to live between these two worlds.

This one’s weird. Like yeah, people with similar experiences tend to group, but, the idea of only grouping with other people who are mixed in the exact same way? Why? They would absolutely have a lot in common with half-orcs, and with human communities in elven cities/elf communities in human cities, and like, with every other person who’s been asked, “Where are you from? Oh. Where are your parents from?”

So, absolutely no mention of communities of immigrants in cities.

In most parts of the world, though, half-elves are uncommon enough that one might live for years without meeting another.

To Be Fair, I’ve not actually met someone who is mixed in precisely the way I am, before. It is harder for me, though, because neither parent is native to the country they’re from.

Some half-elves prefer to avoid company altogether, wandering the wilds as trappers, foresters, hunters, or adventurers and visiting civilization only rarely.

Setting up that half-elf ranger build. But this also is really sad.

Others, in contrast, throw themselves into the thick of society, putting their charisma and social skills to great use in diplomatic roles or as swindlers.

“Social roles” Okay, yeah. “swindlers.” That’s a turn. Setting up for the Rogue build but like, sucks that we’re right back to “half-elves can’t be trusted.”

Half-Elf Names Half-elves use either human or elven naming conventions. As if to emphasize that they don’t really fit in to either society, half-elves raised among humans are often given elven names, and those raised among elves often take human names.

This one baffles me. I know so many people, myself included, who have multiple names that they use in different contexts. Why wouldn’t their parents give them a name that would protect them, or, having a practice where half-elves have both a human and an elven name? Like, sure, this is a scenario that exists but it’s hard to believe that it’s the most common one.

Excellent Ambassadors Many half-elves learn at an early age to get along with everyone, defusing hostility and finding common ground.

Oof. This sounds awful. Trying to appease everyone around you sounds like a protective mechanism.

As a race, they have elven grace without elven aloofness and human energy without human boorishness.

Back to the stereotypes. Why are half-elves treated as a separate race here?

They often make excellent ambassadors and go-betweens (except between elves and humans, since each side suspects the half-elf of favoring the other).

Love to immediately undercut the “excellent ambassadors” bit with “but treated as untrustworthy by their people.”

Half-Elf Traits

Frankly, there’s not much in this section that I can say that I haven’t already said in this post, so I’m not gonna go through this part.

In Summary:

keeps emphasizing how half-elves don’t belong anywhere

half-elves are often seen as untrustworthy (+ “swindlers”)

got reminded of two different racist people i’ve met

#Dungeons and Dragons #i don't have a d&d blog so sorry y'all #racism /

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sunnysolstice · 4 years

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Rewind to 1972

By: SunnySolstice

-I don’t own the pictures that are presented, credits to the owner of this pics-

“History never repeats itself; Man, always does.” – Voltaire

The events that had happened in the year 2020 can be a flash back to a certain past where the government of the Philippines once tried to forcefully silence the media or the journalist to freely express themselves. Back then when Ferdinand Marcos was the president, he had one of the biggest media outlets or a powerhouse that shares information to the masses like Abs-Cbn to force shut down. Because of how the government thought that media outlets like them will be problematic to the point that they can twist the truth, hide, manipulate, or give it raw to let the masses see the errors of the government. The year 2020 can be the new “1972” and here’s why.

According to the Martial Law Museum “Forms of media like the newspaper, radio, and television play a vital role in ensuring that key information reaches the people. As they carry out their duty, journalists that report on the activities of government, businesses, and civil society may often expose errors and even wrongdoing by certain individuals and groups. This is also important to democracy: freedom of information also entails freedom to criticize. This allows citizens to make better choices when it comes to selecting their leaders, and it even challenges leaders to perform their duties better with competence and integrity, knowing they will be held accountable to their people for what they say and do.”

This is how essential for a democratic country is the freedom of speech or the freedom to give information to the masses, every citizen has a voice in the Philippines as it should be. But Marcos was smart and made a drastic change to their country.

“In his ascent to power, Marcos was well-aware of the role that the media played in society, and he exerted considerable effort to exercise control over it. By shutting down competing voices and setting up a media outlet that was under his control, Marcos silenced public criticism and controlled the information that the people had access to. By doing so, Marcos had the final say in whatever passed for the truth.” another statement from the Martial Law Museum

Imagine a country that you can’t speak up, the government being completely in control and they will have the final words for every news they release, despite that the media out lets can also filter out news but for the sake of the masses they would not. Because they believed that every citizen deserves to know the truth. In the year 2020, there’s a new problem for Abs-Cbn.

President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to shut down Abs-Cbn for several reasons.

· Lopez’s dual citizenship

Abs-Cbn is owned by the Lopez family, according to the TWG report, there is a cloud of doubt on Lopez's Filipino citizenship and allegiance to the Philippines. Lopez is a dual citizen, both a natural-born Filipino and an American citizen. Stated in the law that mass media companies should be owned by a 100% Filipino citizen.

· ABS-CBN TV Plus Box, KBO pay-per-view

Those black boxes that you’ve either purchased or your relatives have purchased could have been free instead.

It said there is no authorization from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on record allowing ABS-CBN to produce the TV Plus Box containing multiple channels, much less to sell it for profit. According to the NTC, ABS-CBN had no authority to encrypt or lock from the non-paying public its TV Plus Boxes, which are clearly only “free-to-air” under its legislative franchise.

· Failure to regularize its employees and Taxes

These two are the most famous reasons why the president and other people wanted Abs-Cbn down. Some of their employees despite working for how many years in the industry are still not a regular at their job, also the franchise hasn’t been paying their taxes for how many years racking up a lot of money but let’s also add fuel to the fire by going back to 2016 presidential election, Duterte at that time went to Abs-Cbn to pay for airing his ad campaign but the mass media declined, Duterte thought of them as biased and still held that grudge even today.

But bigger picture isn’t about the issues that Abs-Cbn made, it was the downfall of one of the distributors of information to the masses, some laughed at their downfall and some are saddened. Today, in this pandemic a lot of employees have lost their jobs causing the economy to slowly fall. We need as much information as we can get and everyone should have access to that, even very secluded areas with little signal. Abs-Cbn along side with GMA help spread information on equal terms across the country. If the government erased one of them, in the future would it be more? Slowly our freedom of speech will soon be contained or limit, that’s what I think, what about you?

Sources:

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1108624

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53360925

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/12/04/duterte-threatens-shut-down-tv-network

https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/breaking-the-news-silencing-the-media-under-martial-law/

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aetherbunny · 4 years

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Here we go. Olympic AU stuff

This is stuff that was developed to potentially make it into the fic, that was cut out of the fic or I needed to develop it in order to write something that DID make it in lol. The fic itself is here, just in case you’re seeing this post first...

Minor characters cut from the story were Gabe’s Olympic roommate Alexander “Sandy” who was a bit of a weirdo and followed Gabe around making it hard for him to spend time with Prince.

Uriel is barely mentioned as the fencer Gabe knows and not by name. She models to better fund her fencing, and Gabe has been in front of the camera a few times himself. they met that way. She was going to be Fish’s original target until Gabe introduced her to Mikey.

The Mikey and Fish bits were unfortunately cut. I could not decide what I wanted Mikey to be like and she was really inconsistent in her characterization. So to keep her well done I had to keep her short.

Lyle (Ligur) is the the member of the Judo team FIsh references. Harry (Hastur) runs the marathon. They’ve been together one way or another for as long as anybody can remember.

ON to the childhoods, they were developed slightly, because maybe there would have been calls home or mentions of family... going to put this under the cut because it’s so much...

Dorothy “Fish” Fischer, was an only child for a while and then wound up with a younger step-brother. Other than that she had a remarkably average childhood. She realized she was a lesbian pretty early on and so did her parents quite frankly. No real issue when she finally came out. She’s known Prince since they were in high school. They were low key bad girls, skipping classes, smoking under the bleachers, the occasional fight. Ya know. Her mom had a problem with that, and made her pick an extracurricular to take up some of her time She picked swimming and the rest was history.

Elizabeth Prince is second last in a family of 7 kids. I was actually “challenged” to make up her whole family. My pre- reader called my bluff on something, and I had to. More on all of the Princes later.

Ezra Fell had a nice peaceful childhood! He’s an only child and his parents love him very much! His mom is a seamstress and his dad does woodworking. They participate in a lot of historical re-enacting events and make props and costumes for the local theater! Mr. Fell used to weight lift when he was younger and Ezra thought he’d give it a try. For the time being he still lives with them and will still do historical re-enactments! Adam and Them live near the Fell’s and occasionally show up to the historical things and ask increasingly silly questions about whatever is going on. The organizers have little patience for it but the Fell’s like the kids and keep them out of everyone else’s hair.

Anathema has a gigantic extended family. Some of them are, uh, in a mostly harmless, self contained cult? Agnes did still write that book after all but none of it is actually coming true. Her immediate family knows a lot about the “cult” but doesn’t participate. Her family is also still incredibly rich, due to some excellent investing choices. Her parents are lovely, attractive people who dote on their daughter. Anathema is also the only one of the gang competing for a country they don’t live in (full time)! Adria has dual citizenship in Puerto Rico/US so I can imagine Anathema does too. With that she chooses to compete for Puerto Rico (after qualifying of course).

Newt is very much the same. He lives with his mom, his dad was just never in the picture, but the two of them are perfectly happy. Ms. P is a grade school teacher, and the kids and parents love her. After Newt met Crowley she might as well have had a second son, and she’s perfectly happy with that.

Crowley had a pretty bad childhood. His mom died when he was very young and his dad was a piece of shit and left him to fend for himself most of the time. He became very resourceful even if it involved petty theft. He saved Newt from getting beat up (by getting beat up himself) and then they became nearly inseparable. Crowley just calls Ms. P mom, since she basically was.

If Crowley couldn’t be with the Pulsifer’s for whatever reason he was with “Auntie Tracy” or Shadwell. They broke up the fight that introduced Newt and Crowley.

Auntie Tracy is pretty much exactly her book counterpart. When she was “Busy” Crowley would go across the hall with Shadwell who only pretended to dislike him. Shadwell would never tell him but he actually knew Crowley Sr. and thought he was an asshole and it was no surprise he didn’t care about his kid. So Shadwell “begrudgingly” taught Crowley things he’d need to get by.

Both Crowley’s surrogate families knew about each other, and Mom and Auntie had a sit down about everything and worked it all out.

Crowley moved out of his house as soon as he could and moved into the apartment building with Shadwell and Tracy. The Dowlings also live in the apartment block. They’re ex-pats who moved for Mr. Dowling’s job. They’re not bad parents per-se but they could be a lot better. Their son Warlock has taken a shine to Crowley and hangs out with him sometimes. Crowley knows what it’s like to be a kid uncomfortable in his own home so he lets Warlock in whenever.

Crowley works as a mechanic when not diving, he has a pet ball python named Eden he spoils, and he’s obsessed with astronomy. He loves kids and happily volunteers for things at the school when they don’t have enough parents. He’s ambivalent about his gender and sexuality.

Gabriel Herald also had an unfortunate childhood. His dad was in the military and had every hope his son would follow in his footsteps. Gabe, and his mom were not so keen. Gabe was a gentle affectionate kid and she knew that did not make her husband happy. Mr. Herald was a short tempered, verbally abusive man and took most of it out on his wife. Mrs. Herald was a kind woman who loved her son and did everything she could to make sure he never got the brunt of his father’s temper. They moved to the UK when Gabe was young and lived off base.

However it happened they met the Fell’s and spent a lot of time there. Ezra was too young to know what was going on and Gabe never said, but the adults were well aware. The Fells gently talked Mrs. Herald into considering divorce or at the very very least therapy for everybody. Luckily she took their advice to heart. They moved back to the states before the Fell’s knew what happened.

She did get her and Gabe some therapy and was eventually able to divorce her husband. Gabe met Michelle, who was in the US with her military family, at a catholic high school. She had a fairly normal childhood with no huge tragedies. She and Gabe actually dated for just a little while before she realized she wasn’t into men. They proceeded to fake date the rest of high school so the faculty wouldn’t catch wise. Her family took a little adjusting when she came out but accepted it in the end. Gabe and Mikey have been close friends ever since.

Gabe got into boxing right about the time of his parents divorce. His therapist suggested some kind of physical activity and teenage Gabriel wanted to be able to protect his mom in the event his dad got physical…

Mrs. Herald eventually remarried a very kind man who loves her (and Gabe) very much. And Gabe couldn’t be happier. None of them are in contact with Mr. Herald any more.

There was going to be a little scene where Gabe calls home to talk to his mom. Because he’s a mamma’s boy if that wasn’t obvious lol.

Now, for the entire Prince family…I was “required” to give them all names…

Martha and David Prince are now retired and have been for a while. David was a postal carrier, Martha worked at a nursing home. They never pushed their kids to do anything, just supported what they enjoyed. They have no idea how ALL their kids wound up so successful and even with all their love and support they’re overwhelmingly serious and introverted. They’re slightly relieved their youngest is happy to be “something boring.”

Arthur has numerous paintings hanging in fine art museums. He lives on a little farm and cares for his animals in between paintings.

Katherine (Kath) is a sought after architect with her own firm. She’s the second most athletic, keeping in good shape and occasionally running marathons.

William (Will) is a heart surgeon, Martha and David live in his detached cottage.

Charles (Chuck only to his family) Is a property lawyer, and relatively laid back compared to his older siblings. He’s more introverted than serious.

Benjamin (Ben/Benny) is quite friendly and outgoing compared to his siblings. He’s a violin virtuoso and has played around the world.

Elizabeth (Lizzy ONLY to Eleanor) is a world champion archer several times over, and has multiple Olympic gold medals. She teaches lessons but her teaching style drives all but the most dedicated away. She’s not cruel or aggressive, she’s just incredibly blunt.

Eleanor (Nora) is the most bubbly and outgoing of the family. She’s in school getting her higher mathematics degree and will likely become an accountant. She and “Lizzy” are especially close. There was going to be an ongoing text conversation between the two. Nora is also pretty good friends with Fish.

Katherine, William, and Charles are married with kids. Elizabeth and Gabriel get married a few years into their relationship. Ben is in a long term relationship, but neither of them are in a hurry to get married. Arthur and Nora are single. Arthur has no desire to marry and Nora is just too busy with school to devote time to dating.

Also I know this is in the back of some of your minds, the medal breakdown!

Fish and Newt take bronze

Crowley, Gabe and Anathema get silvers

Ezra and Prince take Gold, Ezra nearly breaking a world record for his lift!

and sadly the UK women’s volleyball team does not medal at all.

#good omens tv #good omens au #good omens fanfiction

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hzcleski · 5 years

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hello friends! you probs know who i am already but if not hello! i’m sam aaand this is my newish muse! i played hal here for a minute one time but i’ve decided to give him a huuuuge revamp so character info is under the cut! lmk if you wanna plot! messaging me @ellvie is probably easiest!

╰☆╮ DYLAN O'BRIEN ─ HAL ZALESKI identifies as CIS MALE and uses HE/HIM pronouns. they’re a FORMER OLYMPIAN/NHL PLAYER, and they’re only TWENTY THREE ! they’re said to be CAPABLE, but also TURBULENT. i guess that’s why they’re known as THE LEGACY in the tabloids.

quick disclaimer that this is a sideblog so i might post to the wrong account sometimes

other disclaimer a lot of my hockey information is from google ok

nathan harold zaleski jr was practically born with a pair of skates on, which makes sense considering his family is hockey royalty. his father is nathan harold zaleski sr, aka a legend and one of the biggest names in sports to this very day. olympic gold medalist several times over, beloved longtime defenseman for the toronto maple leafs, at the very peak of his career and married to a beautiful wealthy socialite when his only child was born.

listen...this is an au where the maple leafs are good or like, had one genuinely good star player in nathan sr. okay thanks for coming to my ted talk!

he’s got dual citizenship because he was born in canada even though he hasn’t lived there since he was ten, but his parents were us citizens, which doesn’t seem important but WAIT FOR IT

nathan jr, who would begin going by the nickname of hal early on in life, probably learned how to skate before he even learned how to walk because of course he did. his father’s intention was always to have another him. i mean for fuck’s sake they have the exact same name. hal’s purpose in life has never been in question, not by him or anyone who’s ever seen him play.

his natural talent for hockey became apparent from a very young age, which didn’t surprise anyone ofc. his father saw it as a sign and began pushing him even harder, hiring the very best trainers and coaches to help perfect his game while nathan sr focused on his own career.

except that he was running out of steam and fast. nothing happened like there was no huge scandal or career ending injury. nathan sr was just...getting old. fans were simply losing interest in him as newer and younger players joined the league and there was nothing he could really do about it except make sure his legacy lived on.

hal was ten years old when everything seemed to finally fall apart. his dad was hanging on to the very last threads of his career, let go from the maple leafs and almost certainly picked up by the new york rangers purely out of pity. meanwhile, hal’s parents finally divorced which he took almost alarmingly well for a ten year old, but it’s not like his parents were ever a shining example of a deep, loving marriage. they spent years settling the divorce, fighting back and forth while suing the shit out of each other across whole fuckin countries. lowkey they almost wound up being more famous for the legal drama than they were for hockey.

hal’s dad finally retired when he was twelve, won sole custody of him when he was fourteen, and pulled enough strings to get him a spot on the canadian hockey team dual citizenship! going to the 2010 vancouver winter olympics when he was just a teenager, making him one of the youngest players to ever compete in the games.

and canada won gold that year so hal was making history again in no time, being one of the youngest players to ever become a gold medalist in the winter olympics. now he didn’t actually see a lot of playing time that year. his skill was undeniable, but no one seemed to think that he was ready for the big time rush. tbh they probably weren’t wrong, but nevertheless his name and his win made an impression on everyone.

up until that point hal was homeschooled bc ofc education came second to hockey, but he always wanted to attend an actual school and he did! after his first olympics his dad finally sent him to the same private school in the city as all the other rich kids and it was...weird! he started in the middle of the year and was instantly an outsider among his classmates. everyone else had known each other all their lives so hal immediately at a disadvantage. it didn’t help that he’d never really...had a single friend before. tbh his peers were probably intimidated by him. he was just a high schooler and already an olympic gold medalist like...ofc no one wanted to be the person to go approach him and say hi.

played for canada again dual citizenship! at the 2014 winter olympics in sochi when he was eighteen and this time HE WAS THE STAR. absolutely at the top of his game. anyone who still thought that he was a joke before the games started shut up real quick when he won his second gold medal.

he got home and was eventually drafted into the nhl, so he sorta ditched school oops. technically he finished but like...barely since he went back to being tutored for the last few months.

several teams wanted him and tried to throw a shit ton of money at him, but hal settled on the new york rangers with a huge multi million dollar deal

he quickly stole hearts on and off the ice. whether fans admired his skill or followed him during the olympics or remembered his father, for one reason or another he was winning people over left and right. unsurprisingly he’d go on to win the 2014-2015 rookie of the year award, presented to him by the president of the nhl and everything.

he did not attend the 2018 winter olympics in pyeongchang as the nhl famously refused to release their players. hal himself was a major part of the uproar. the whole country of canada dual citizenship! practically threw a fucking fit bc the nhl was disqualifying their star player from winning them their third gold medal in a row and hey big surprise...canada didn’t win gold in 2018 :)

hal’s in the middle of his fifth i think? year of pro hockey rn and so far his career has been solid. his dad is really pushing him to sign with a “better team” and he has gotten offers, but he isn’t really interested. he likes playing for new york & he likes living in new york. maybe someday....maybeeee....but for right now he’s happy with where he is.

okay now for some fast facts!

literally always looks like he just got into a fight, probably bc he just did during his last game. is usually sporting some injury like a black eye or split lip or cut cheek. fortunately hasn’t completely given in to the hockey player stereotype by getting all of his fuckin teeth knocked out...yet

notice that i hardly mentioned his mom? that about sums up their relationship tbh. hal was practically raised by nannies and trainers. his mom always had some brunch or gala or public appearance she was far more invested in. literally she didn’t even really...want custody of him when she divorced his dad, but she claimed to just to be petty and give nathan sr an even more difficult time. yeah they kinda hate each other now and since hal has always been closer to his dad, his mom isn’t even really that interested in seeing him lmao. she’ll call like once a month and invites him to brunch if she happens to be in the city, but ngl hal probably hasn’t seen her in like...a couple years at the least. he’s not really broken up about it either.

right so...walking talking endless pit of daddy issues? you bet! just because hal prefers his dad doesn’t mean that they get along or that his dad is a good person. he still has his perfect public image and he isn’t complete garbage but...yeah their relationship is extremely toxic. he’s always been very harsh with hal, pushing him and pushing him to be the best bc nothing he accomplishes is ever good enough.

so what if he's won two olympic gold medals? so what if he was rookie of the year? so what if he’s considered one of the best and most beloved players in the nhl? he can do more, he can be even better. his dad is a constant voice in his head even though he’s always around anyway. he never misses a game or an opportunity to point out hal’s every flaw.

ofc as a result hal’s always been very hard on himself. every single day of his entire life has been spent basing his self worth off what his father thinks of him. it was awful for his self esteem bc no fucking duh.

HOWEVER. it isn’t public knowledge at this time, but as of right now? hal’s relationship with his father is falling apart faster and faster by the moment. they’re a ticking time bomb & it’s literally only a matter of time before they explode yikes!

fortunately hal could sorta sense the direction things were heading and did something about it. he finally moved out when the hockey season started back in october and he’s been feeling better ever since. like he has more control over his life even though his dad is still WAY too involved.

personality: a douchebag who means no harm, mostly because he's never really trying to be a jerk. tends to come across as a typical meathead jock for good reason bc that’s exactly who he is. in conversation he's usually very blunt and a little awkward bc he’s still learning how to socialize with others. hockey is basically his whole life so it’s all he knows how to talk about, which can either be endearing or annoying. a genius hockey player, but a ditz in every other area. very short - tempered and impulsive. always means well and wants the best for those he cares about, but might go about expressing those feelings in a weird way bc he was never taught how to properly deal with his emotions.

CONNECTIONS

family

step sibling he grew up with - sabrina miller

paternal cousins - warren daily and wren daily

cousin by marriage - rosalind cox

maternal cousin - open. his mom is polish for reference!

romantic

girlfriend - genesis iver

ex fiancée - ginny baker

ex on good terms - margo massey

ex who cheated on him - isla thompson

former fwb - amethyst armenta, open to more.

former toxic on / off relationship - reese monroe

exes, open to more.

hal has a ton of other exes and i don’t feel like listing them tbh all so i’m just gonna assume that y’all know who you are ok

platonic

best friend 5ever - marialena goldstein

confidant - open.

family friends - sullivan ramsey, open to more.

childhood friends - open to more.

close friends - open to more.

friends - mia kauri, chance kauri, theo cannon, angel almeida, open to more.

bickering friends - open to more.

workout buddy - open.

negative

on bad terms - kennedy drakos, jay weston, open to more.

these are just a few plot ideas! i’m most definitely open to other stuff so if you have any ideas please free to share! i think that’s enough from me soooo yeah! mssg me if you wanna plot & as always i’m super excited to write with everyone!

#excessintro #toxic people tw #i'm not sure if that's tag buuuut yeah!#hope you enjoy feel free to message for plots!

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biofunmy · 5 years

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Community debates leaving Sonora, Mexico after attack

What we know about the deadly ambush in Mexico Wochit

LA MORA, Mexico – Row after row of pomegranate tree branches hang low with ripe red fruit, bursting open with the sweet tangy seeds inside. They line essentially every home in La Mora, a small community of about 30 houses nestled among cloud-covered desert mountains in eastern Sonora.

The idyllic conditions are what drew these fundamentalists from the United States to this town in Mexico nearly 50 years ago. A river that flows year-round through the desert valley feeds the rich soil, and the community works together to grow pomegranates and pecan trees.

November is harvest season, and this year’s harvest was about to begin when the idyll was shattered. Gunmen attacked three vehicles on a mountain road, leaving three mothers and six children dead.

In this place 70 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, the shootings played out against a backdrop of drug smuggling and rising cartel violence regionwide.

And the families at La Mora – who hold both U.S. and Mexican citizenship – found themselves grappling with a question.

To stay or leave?

David Langford is consoled his children and family members during the funeral of his wife, Dawna Ray Langford, and their children Trevor, 11, and Rogan, 2, who were ambushed by gunmen near Rancho La Mora, Mexico. Governor of Sonora, Mexico, Claudia Artemiza Pavlovich Arellano, also attended the funeral. — Photo by Nick Oza, Gannett (Photo: Nick Oza, for USA TODAY)

La Mora: Motive one of the many questions after family is massacred in Mexico

Their contradicting feelings were evident during the first two funeral services held in La Mora this week.

The tragedy brought together friends and families from all over the United States and northern Mexico, to the place many of them were born or spent significant amounts of time in at some point during their lives.

The first funeral service on Thursday honored Dawna Langford, 43, and two of her children, Trevor, 11, and Rogan, 2. During the service, her husband, David, described how the ambush had already changed his community and only heightened his sense of insecurity.

“This community here will forever, ever be changed,” he said. “One of the biggest things to our lives is the safety of our family, and I don’t feel safe. I haven’t for a few years here.

“The atrocity of this crime, to me, I can’t even comprehend it. It’s gonna take years for me to even get over this,” Langford said. “I do not feel safe here, and I won’t because the truth is we are not safe here at the community.”

Just a few hours later, the same community members who bid farewell to Dawna and her two children also honored Rhonita Miller, 30, and four of her children: Howard, 12, Krystal, 10, and 8-month-old twins Titus and Tiana.

Mexico ambush killings: Family, friends mourn final victim

An ongoing discussion

During their service, her father, Adrian LeBaron – who lives in Colonia LeBaron, a community with similar origins, but much larger than La Mora – seemed almost defiant in explaining their community’s role in northern Mexico, despite the attack that took away his daughter and four grandchildren.

“Reporters ask me, ‘Why are you so intent on staying here in La Mora, or here in LeBaron?’” he said. “I tell them that La Mora isn’t the best place for those who are from La Mora, and LeBaron isn’t the best place for the LeBaron. I say it’s the only place. We wouldn’t know how to live differently.”

It’s unclear how many of the 30 or so families living in La Mora will leave. Already several of the houses at the ranch stand empty as more families choose the safety of the United States.

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Families living in La Mora and even more that traveled there for the funeral services said the decision to stay or leave is an ongoing discussion among themselves. Almost everyone acknowledged there will be some people leaving for good because of the shootings.

Some family members who don’t live here but visit from time to time said this trip may be their last time in La Mora.

“I don’t think I will ever come back unless something drastically changes, and it’s really sad because we have lots of family down here that we love, and they’re amazing people, wonderful people,” said Emily Langford, who’s related to all three women killed in the ambush.

‘Absolutely heartbreaking’: Missing college student found dead in Georgia park

‘I can’t leave these people’

Others like Kendra Miller, Rhonita’s sister in law, said they will remain in La Mora for the time being. She has been living here for the past year.

Miller was supposed to be getting married this weekend and had planned on moving to Utah with her husband after the wedding – but it has been postponed.

“It breaks my heart to think that everyone feels like they wouldn’t come back,” she said. “Not everyone feels that way; a lot of people feel that way.”

Though she will eventually leave the community with her husband, she said she’s now looking to spend as much time as she can in La Mora.

She fears what might happen to dozens of other people in the town who have worked at La Mora for many years – locals who come from outside the fundamentalist groups. In many cases, these workers are considered family, Miller said.

“For me, I look at it and I think, ‘I can’t leave these people,'” she said. “We can leave easily because we’re dual citizens. But what about all these people? They can’t just pick up and leave. And so I personally feel that I want to do everything I can to lend my voice, to lend my support, my action, into making this once again a safe place.”

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Violence may continue or escalate

But security around La Mora could remain a concern for some time. The administration of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has come under pressure to shift to a more aggressive strategy to fight cartel violence in the country. The shootings outside La Mora remain under investigation but are suspected to be related to cartels.

Javier Osorio, a political science professor and expert on cartel violence at the University of Arizona, said recent flare-ups along this part of Sonora stand out because the state had suffered lower levels of violence than neighboring border states.

He attributed that to the “monopolistic presence of the Sinaloa Cartel,” he said.

But he attributed the changing dynamics over the past year to three things.

One is “internal conflict” among rival cells of the Sinaloa Cartel having to do with the capture and extradition of kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, which likely undermined leadership at the organization, Osorio said.

A series of gunfights in Agua Prieta in June left 15 people dead, including one U.S. citizen. Reports signaled a breakaway cell was fighting for control of the area but was defeated.

Voters say Congress needs to curb drug prices: But are lawmakers listening?

Second, Osorio said, there have been incursions from La Linea, the armed wing of the Juarez Cartel in Chihuahua, into eastern Sonora. That’s also likely because of El Chapo’s capture, which signaled a weakness that the Juarez Cartel has tried to exploit, he said.

That possible explanation aligns with the Mexican government’s version of what happened this week near La Mora. López Obrador’s administration has suggested gunmen from La Linea entered territory controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel and shot at the three women and six children, mistaking them to be rival cartel members.

A third possible explanation is the increasing value of the Sonora-Arizona corridor for drug smuggling, especially with stronger, more potent drugs like fentanyl. Seizures of the drug at ports of entry have risen all along the U.S.-Mexico border, but the largest seizures have been at Sonora’s shared border with Arizona.

Unless there are drastic changes, Osorio said, he expects the violence to continue or escalate.

Yet despite the threats of continuing violence in the areas surrounding La Mora and eastern Sonora, there are residents who also said they have no intention to leave their homes any time soon.

Steven Langford, the former mayor for the communities around La Mora from 2015 to 2018, is among them. He said he’ll be staying put, but he expects several families will leave and may not come back at all.

“We thought these things could have never happened to us,” he said. “Then it happened in a massive scale.”

Follow Rafael on Twitter at @RafaelCarranza.

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/11/la-mora-sonora-mexico-ambush-family-leave-or-stay/2560711001/

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lonita · 5 years

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Politics is worldview

Your politics are your worldview.

I remember reading something about that a while ago, which I can't recall the source of. We like to talk about politics as this detachable entity that we can leave out of the equation, like we leave out our tastes in food, and whether or not we use bleach in the wash. Can we talk about the fingers and ignore the hand? Maybe, in nebulous conversations in a political science lecture hall we can turn politics into some kind of Socratic tea dance. But outside of that conversation? What you speak is what you are.

I'm not talking so much about where you vote, since people often enough vote differently than they believe. But that says something about a person as well. What you vote for is the baseline of what you're willing to tolerate. You can't separate your self from your politics any more than you can say that what you are at election time is not the same person you are the rest of the time. It all matters. The idea that you can separate your politics from the rest of your existence is a Western privilege. Or, at the very least, the privilege of the secure - something you should be grateful for, and realise the preciousness of, and not use as a bludgeon to thump those who call you out. It's an intellectual advantage that should never be weaponised, but sometimes is - and that's a frightening act. It falls in the realm of blaming the 'other' when you yourself are the fault - or, at the very least, an asshole of the 'devil's advocate' variety.

Your politics can show whether you care about others or don't, whether you are a liberal thinker or a tight conservative, whether you're insular or global-thinking, your kindness, your ability or willingness to see a bigger picture rather than merely the environs of your own front yard, whether you are visceral or cogitative, whether you're generous of spirit or miserly, whether you care, whether you don't care, if an angel or an ass, a demon or a saviour. They can be a measure of a person's fear, rage, stupidity, intelligence, or even hope. They measure how you feel about the 'other', or whether you other people at all. They can show you off or show you up, possibly in ways some other things might never do. There are enormous grey areas in human morality sometimes, but elections are a black or white, yes or no indicator of what you choose as your priority. Sometimes that priority is fair, wisely thought out, and considered as a basis for future betterment. But given the blind knee-jerk way that many vote by, voting can be a litmus test for your baseline, in an "in vino veritas" kind of way. I hate politics; rather, how politics evolves around an election specifically. I despise the mental midgets it turns some folks into, and the animals and bullies it makes of others. I hate the jockeying. I hate how it can bring out the worst in people. I sometimes hate it because it forces you to find out things about people you'd rather never have known. I'm a realist, for the most part, but even I'd occasionally rather live in the little bubble that doesn't force me to see just how depraved the human race can be. Politics can tear down heroes, and expose the raw inner flesh. I dislike its divisiveness; which is pretty useless in the situation in which we're living, where we're all on the same boat, and we'll all drown just as hard and fast by everyone fighting for the oar. I have my beliefs, and I'll stand by them, but the whole subject is about as appealing as having a root canal without anaesthesia, especially when part of the inner conversation you're having with yourself is whether or not you can still respect someone whose politics are so divergent from your own that you wonder if they are not objectionable as a person. - - - To round back to the point before I depart, what you vote for is what you are willing to tolerate, so I'll be blunt. If you vote for someone with racist allegiances, then you are willing to tolerate those racist allegiances and what they could bring. Scheer openly hired a member of Rebel Media as his campaign manager. A politician of his level does not hire someone like that without being completely aware of the optics of doing so. Either he accepts what this person believes, or he's willing to use that person's connections/abilities for his own ends. Both of those things are, to put it simply, distasteful. In fact, when questioned about Marshall's appointment, Scheer is quoted as saying: "I didn't ask Hamish about every client he had," Scheer said in response to a question from the Globe and Mail. "He has a variety of clients. He's a small-business owner himself, and I asked him to do a job and he helped me out on my campaign." That sure is some "Hey, look over there" weak tea, Andrew. When presented with opportunities to show that there was truth in his speechifying about how there's no room for racists in the Conservative party, Scheer took no action. Members of the party retained party status, and their positions. If there's a no tolerance policy, Andrew, why are you tolerating it? And given that Scheer spent a good portion of his current reign trying to maintain his two-tiered citizenship system that Stephen Harper advanced, don't think he won't take whatever opportunity he can to strip at least a million Canadians of their citizenship protections. If this does not make sense to you, it means that anyone with dual citizenship would no longer have any consular protections abroad, and their Canadian citizenship is revocable with, potentially, no recourse. If you are now wondering why they don't just renounce the other half, remember that they shouldn't have to to begin with, and that some countries make it extremely expensive and difficult to do so. That there's a good slippery slope catalyst. Whose citizenship gets the chop next? We have been lucky enough in this country to be able to watch the theatre of the far-right evolve and unfold on the stage of our neighbours to the south. Don't think that can't happen here. Socially, it already is. Just remember that we don't have to help it politically when election time comes in October. Don't give it air, ground, or teeth. Tell it to go packing. Don't think that the old-style, puppy-dog faced, Joe Clark fiscal conservative is lurking there beneath the surface. That party no longer exists. It hasn't existed since the federal Conservatives merged with the Reform, which is the single worst thing to ever happen in this country politically. I'm sorry it did. Now, those who are fiscally conservative but not socially so, (*) have no party (or so they think). But they still vote that way because they think there's no options for them. There is. Just read the major party platforms again. You'll see it yourself. Really, there is no left any longer. If you're still afraid of what Tommy Douglas did in this country, then you've got other problems that need addressing. There are certain realities about the future of this country that would not be well-served by a Conservative leadership - and certainly not by Maxime Bernier's crackpot alt-right - many of which are layered and complex and need to be addressed, but the two most impactful to consider right this very minute, and in October, are not giving any more ground than we have to to the right (and racism), and making sure that someone gets elected who can responsibly deal with climate change issues and the environment, even if that means those of us who self-indulge on that score have to suck It up and think of breathable air 30 years from now, and not just our bank accounts tomorrow.

* Saying you're fiscally conservative but socially liberal, by the way, is the worst sort of centrism. It doesn't matter how liberal you are socially if you still vote conservatively.

#politics #worldview #journal

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sketchysaniwa · 5 years

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Halfway Saniwa (Ch.4)

{Chapter 4: Speak Your Mind}

“English”

‘thoughts’

For the following 2 weeks Kaiita was brought into contact with the outside world; the new and digitally tangible one as well as beginning her introduction courses. Firstly, her studies of the Japanese language took the forefront along with her basic introduction to the Saniwa and the Grid of Transient Time Channels. This was the system in which most of her power over her mission would be intimately integrated. It was late evening and Kaiita was sitting on the floor in a new room in a different wing of the E.S.C. HQ with a clear stylus brush hovering over a large plate on a low table. She was practicing her hiragana and katanana, when Konnosuke came padding into the room. It was one of the rare times he ever left her side- but it was important due to the fact he was clarifying something that had arrived for her. “ Here it is!” he announced with no shortage of pride in his voice, which made Kaiita look up from her work. “Hm?” “Your ID and citizenship papers.” ‘Citizenship papers?’ this irked her eye brow with a bit of concern. “But- I’m Canadian, right?” she agreed to joining their army- no one said anything about giving up her citizenship. Konnosuke shook his head and pushed the envelope he’d brought in closer to her. “Of course you are, but since around a few years before the war began, everyone became a dual citizen of the planet or United Countries Sovereign. It was a sign of the world’s unification under a common cause of restoration and collaboration. It is considered a sign of progress of this era, one of our finest achievements!“ Kaiita could only imagine what impact this had on immigration, but she had enough politics to worry about. For now she took a look at her card which slid out smoothly into her open palm along with a small folder of documentation papers. Everything seemed to be in order; it signified her as Canadian in origin and alliance, and – sure enough- a dual citizen of the UCS. It showed her sex, height, weight, skin and natural hair color-… biological age? This was actually marked down as Early 20’s but then in brackets – unspecified. ‘Perhaps they couldn’t gauge exactly how long I was frozen for?’ There was that odd shudder again. Every time she encountered something that nailed it into her that she had lost everything, it left an unsettling weight in her stomach. It scared her. In some strange way perhaps Kaiita was still in denial. She was still refusing to admit what happened- even when staring at her own picture on the glassy surface of her ID card. “Ah! You’re rather good at this.” Konnosuke commented, having crossed behind the girl and now stood with his front paws sitting on top the table. He- it- they, where looking over her hand writing. “You think so? It can use some improvement, I think my hand shakes too much and makes some of the loops too small.” She replied placing the documents down beside the sheet of scribbled words.

“ – Now you are officially in the roster of Saniwa , if you searched up your name, your basic stats will appear on a simple web browser search.” “W- what wait?! That’s public knowledge?!” she was joining the army- Not wanting to become an internet presence! “Hardly, “ Konnosuke said, holding out his paw in a gesture for her to calm down, “ It’s not what you think. Saniwa are privy to a lot more information than the common public. Your name will pop up in a basic search, but not your photograph, just a few simple details, that’s what’s available to the public, but as for specifics- if YOU- yourself looked up your name you would get a much more in-depth profile result. While other saniwa may have something in the middle- depending on what you wish to share. “ ‘I suppose that make sense’ she thought, “ If I wanted to search up allies or team mates I’d get a rough overview of a saniwa in question right?” “Exactly!” the fox confirmed.

“Now how about we do a few practice phrases- introduce yourself Kaiita-sama?” the fox situated himself across from her and Kaiita swerved around to face him with her text book on her lap. For the next 2 hours they went over basic phrases of introduction, some key situation things and words she could really use in emergencies before breaking for dinner. Japanese was a dense language, and she was having trouble remembering similar looking symbols. Kaiita only hoped with usage in real life the meanings would stick eventually. For now she could relax and eat her dinner- which was found down stairs in a cafeteria.

What Kaiita eventually came to understand was the science and research wing- where she was originally kept, this was the main center. People came and went from all branches of the government in regards to the war on the world history. She saw people dressed in various military garb and regalia- and most of all- saniwa. It was easier to pick them out in fact- what she had initially felt with Keiko was a saniwas aura. A natural barrier or space in which their presence fills a space around them. Konnosuke explained that a saniwa was a shorter word for sayaniwa which was originally what a purified site was called. Specifically it referred to a place where a deity was worshiped and its divine will was received- eventually this translated over to people who fulfilled a similar function, receiving the name of the location itself as a literal title. So like a shaman or a priest- but something a bit more intrinsically connected to ‘space’ itself. This space seemed to follow saniwa wherever they went. It was a core attribute of their powers. Kaiita wandered into the mess hall where a plethora of people milled about their business, grabbing a snack, taking a break or just passing through on their own business. What was so interesting, was the clash of old and new right before her eyes. People clearly dressed for battle, would don combinations of modern and ancient clothing! It was rather an interesting sight to see. It proved to her quickly that a saniwa could be literally- anyone! Men or women, adults and even children! CHILDREN! What sort of branch of an army hired children?!

Kaiita gawked in the middle of eating her food at a girl standing no taller than maybe 4 feet ! She short brown hair brushed over one eye in the company of a man who… had pink hair? They also wore a very ornate and flashy golden kimono. In fact all those she could tell where saniwa were rare ever alone. They have an attendant of some sort at any given time usually. Kaiita couldn’t figure out who they were exactly, for now she had a lot to memorize simply in terms of how people got around now a day. From learning basic transit, language and customs, it was a lot to take in and get straight. At the very least people were not to unforgiving to someone who just didn’t get it right away- even more so- she wasn’t the only foreigner there. Not by a long shot.

As she bit into a piece of tuna she could see a blonde across the mess hall with the ugliest jacket she’d ever seen! He followed by a much more refined individual wearing a rather artistic attire and what she could tell was purple hair. Purple hair- so many colors. At least she guessed that about the future correctly- she imagined once upon a time a future where people could look however they wished- including normally impossible shades of hair. Another thing she did notice about every single saniwa’s attendant was each carried some kind of weapon on their person. Usually this weapon was some sort of Japanese blade. In fact- she could tell the difference between the types- because Konnosuke made her memorize them. The fox told her this was also very important to her line of work- which would become clear once the first initial hurdles of her training where done.

‘One of the most important parts-‘they had said.

She must have mouthed that perhaps whilst eating for suddenly- “Hm? Did you say something Kaiita-sama?” the fox who had been eating some stuffed inari sushi- something she was surprised an synthetic organism was able to- was not looking at her. “Oh!” she put her chop sticks down a moment, sipping her tea to clear her throat. “I was actually wondering- about what you said regarding the study of swords.” She gestured to yet another saniwa who stood up across from another table, a small girl in a very flowery military attire following them with a ‘tantou’ on their hip made to follow. “Oh? You’re curious about them huh? Well worry not- your introduction to the toudan danshi is tomorrow.” They declared with an excited swish of their tail. The fox pointed with a paw, “ –every saniwa as you can observe has a person following them yes? Those armored people are called toudan danshi. They are very important, to us, and to you. You’ll see, I am quite looking forward to this myself- I am curious who will be called to your side first!” “ -called? you mean, someone is going to volunteer? One of them?” she straightened up, watching them more closely- and for a moment she could have sworn she’d seen the SAME person pass by a second time. The one with the purple hair- but the saniwa they followed was different! Did they switch charges here too? “ Tommorow, Kaiita-sama, now that you have clearance to leave since your ID has arrived-… we shall be leaving this place. But not before you learn who and what toudan danshi are.” That made her stand up in shock- “ I’m leaving?!” So soon?! Or was it? Maybe she was just becoming used to this place… when did the time creep up?

“Calm down- calm down- sit sit- everything will be fine.” Konnosuke said once again doing their best to settle her down. And how could it not work- with those adorable paws waving at her? The girl resumed her seat and waited for her partner to explain. “ I understand you perhaps are nervous, but you need to go somewhere more… home-like. As much as I’m sure you have adjusted to this place, it is both part of your training, your job, but also as another positive contribution to your health. You need to go somewhere more domestic now. Your home, your citadel awaits. It waits for you to open the door to it and take shape. It’s going to be quite the sight- I know you’ll be happy there.”

Konnosuke sounded so sure- “I’m not so sure.” Kaiita blurted out. Realizing how rude it must have sounded- she apologized. “ I mean- “ words died in her throat. How could she feel at home in such an alien place? As much as it was nice, wonderful even-..this wasn’t home. How could it ever be? It shamed her to think this way, but she was homesick. An irrational part of her felt guilty of some kind of betrayal, to simply replace her –home- with another. It was perfectly juvenile! As she mentally admonished herself the fox padded closer until they were nearly nose to nose- and Kaiita straightened up in surprise.

“….?” What did they want? Eventually the creatures face softened into an unmistakable smile.

“It is going to be okay Kaiita-sama. You will be fine. You can do this. You’re ready.” Convincing herself was one this- but hearing someone say that, with such conviction, was another. And it slammed hard in her chest- resulting in her shoulders feeling just a bit lighter.

#Halfway Saniwa #female saniwa #saniwa oc #refference to other saniwa here #can you spot the other saniwa?#touken ranbu fanfiction #saniwa kaiita

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2018weekinreview · 5 years

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April 14: Border Battle*

The number of detentions at the southern border are at a 12-year high. President Trump has grown frustrated by the situation he repeatedly promised to fix and is now threatening to bus migrants into sanctuary cities. Nancy Pelosi responded by saying the suggestion was unworthy of the presidency. Trump has also fired Kirstjen Nielsen at Homeland Security. Because apparently the cage lady wasn’t tough enough on migrants. Our processing facilities are full. The courts have a backlog. And nobody can tell if Trump actually wants to do anything about this, if he has any real solutions, or if he just wants to sound tough, do more posturing and run on even more racist scare tactics heading into 2020. Like, is he really going to try to close the southern border? Do they intend to follow the law? What is the point of taking away aid to the Central American countries where the migrants originated? And is he even trustworthy enough to stay consistent on any one policy, if he ever gets one, before randomly switching to some other scheme? But also, do Democrats have a better solution than whatever dumb shit Trump will come up with or are they waiting to see where their Twitter base stands on this? We’ll see.

So Far. Trump has no real plan. He either just says random shit to see what sticks or he just throws out red meat to his base. He threatened to shut down the border with Mexico. He sent troops down there. He talked about ending birthright citizenship. He separated children from their families as a deterrent and pretended he didn’t when there was backlash. Then he signed an executive order ending the policy. The kids in cages was actually the first time Trump could not control a news cycle. I hope that stays with him.

-----------

Trump (probably swayed by Mitch McConnell) also backed off of his healthcare push, which he said the Republicans would tackle after the 2020 election. Democrats would love to make the election about healthcare since the Republicans have no plan.

So Far. Healthcare was the biggest issue for voters in the midterms. So that’s what Democratic candidates focused on. Thought I’m not really clear how they’re supposed to get that done. But directly after the Mueller report came out, Trump went after Obamacare again and claimed the Republicans would be the party of healthcare. Republicans never had a replacement plan and they just lost the house over the issue. This might be the winning issue for Democrats. He’s not a Russian spy, he’s just a run of the mill Republican pretending to be a populist.

The list of 2020 Democratic candidates keeps growing. Corey Booker officially launched his campaign this weekend. Pundits are kinda surprised he’s not doing better. Maybe because he chose to go to the Senate? Anyway, the current top six in both Iowa and New Hampshire are Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke. Then again, it’s early. The hottest candidate seems to be Mayor Pete, who has emphasized his story before getting into policy specifics. And while no Democratic candidate seems to be attacking Trump just yet, Mayor Pete did have some exchanges with Mike Pence over their Christianity. Which brought up comparisons to Jimmy Carter and discussions on whether Christianity is a more natural fit on the Left. On paper, if that was what anyone was really doing, sure. Mitch McConnell and Fox News are way more interested in scaring voters of socialism, Ilhan Omar and AOC.

So Far. Oprah is not running. Gillibrand took heat for Al Franken’s departure. Michael Avenatti got some mentions. Then, after a huge upset with by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, there’s all this talk about the future and direction of the Democratic party. Warren did her DNA thing. We knew there were going to be a lot of candidates. There was a Howard Schultz scare. He also got heckled by someone who told him not to reelect Trump, “You egotistical billionaire asshole.” Trump is going to call the nominee a socialist no matter what. The media figured out that Beto had no substance.

Ilhan Omar made comments people deemed anti-Semitic. In the past, she’d said that Israel hypnotized the world. Then she tweeted that pro-Israel lobbying groups were buying support by saying, “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby.” And then she said American Jews had dual allegiance to a foreign country. Omar was just elected as one of the first two Muslim women in Congress. She’s been the recent target of anti-Muslim bigotry connecting her with 9/11. So this has become emblematic of the infighting going on in the Democratic Party right now. It’s centrists vs. progressives. It’s generational, with with the energy of the party moving to the Left. People keep mentioning that AOC has millions of followers on social media. And every Republican seems focused on scaring independents and moderates about socialism, the Green New Deal and whatever else sticks in the moment. Trump is now calling Democrats anti-Israel and anti-Jewish and hoping nobody remembers anything that’s happened since he’s been in office.

When 28-year-old Democratic Socialist Latina, Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez beat Joe Crowley in a huge upset in New York’s 14th district, everyone freaked out. The narrative that the party was moving too far to the Left went into hyperdrive. It was only exacerbated with the Green New Deal. And you could argue that the economic and human costs of the projected damage done by climate change requires dramatically new thinking. But the old centrists were not having it.

Founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Is that scary news for journalists?

Felicity Huffman and Laurie Laughlin of Full House got arrested, along with 48 other people, in a $25 million college admissions exam cheating scandal. Rich parents are trying to send their kids to Yale and Stanford by bribing coaches and admissions, faking test scores and athletic records and even photoshopping their kids faces onto them playing water polo.

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swedishroyallove · 7 years

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Chapter 35:

July 16, 2015: Solliden Palace:

“You ready?” Isak asks Lucy before they walk into the room with the waiting press.

She takes a deep breath, squeezes his arm, and says, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Lucy had been stressing over this day for a while. She watched every engagement interview she could find of royals to see how the non-royal reacted. She paid close attention to Sofia, Crown Princess Mary, Princess Marie, and the Duchess of Cambridge. Daniel gave her some encouragement that morning while in the kitchen for breakfast. She was refusing to eat, but Daniel stepped in to calm her.

“Lucy, you are going to be fine. Just be yourself. I’ve been there, and look, I’m still alive,” he said as he nudged her arm.

Madeleine, never a fan of the press, was, for once, of no help, “I say you just elope and get it over with. You’ll both thank me later. I tried to convince Chris but nooo he didn’t want to make Mamma and Pappa mad.”

“Seriously, Leni?” Victoria said.

“What? I’m just being honest. But in all seriousness, Lucy, it will be fine.”

The doors swing open. Isak and Lucy walk into the room with a flurry of flashing lights. They stand there to allow the photographers to get pictures, and Lucy shows off her ring. A few minutes later, they take a seat on the couch to answer press questions.

The first question came from Expressen, “Your Royal Highness and Lucy, first of all congratulations. Secondly, I want to ask when and how did the proposal happen?”

Isak answered first to let Lucy take it all in, “Well, I flew in for her birthday party in Tennessee. Her family was holding the party at Neyland Stadium, which is the American football stadium of the Tennessee Volunteers. It is were Lucy has always dreamed of being proposed to at on the 50 yard line. She didn’t know I was there. So it was a surprise. Then I took her down on the field and proposed with our families standing around.”

The reporter then turned to Lucy, “Obviously, you said yes. Did you think he was going to propose when you saw him?”

“Oh I definitely did not at that moment. We had discussed our future before, but I definitely did not expect it that day. It was a wonderful surprise!”

“And what have you learned about Sweden?”

“Isak and the whole family has told me about this wonderful country. How open, warm and friendly everyone is. It’s a country where people are free to be themselves. When I first got the chance to visit, I was able to see it all firsthand. I fell in love with Sweden when I stepped off the plane.”

“How has the Swedish Royal Family welcomed you?”

“They have been wonderful. I’ve grown close to all of them, and I already feel part of the family. They’ve really helped guide me and learn about the country, language and protocol.”

A reporter from Aftonbladet spoke next, “Your Royal Highness you said that you proposed at her birthday celebrations which are in October, correct? Why wait so long to make the announcement?”

Isak responded, “There were varying reasons to hold off on the announcement. First of all, my brother and Sofia were to be married in just a few months. We did not want to steal any attention away from them or from Madeleine giving birth to her second child.”

Isak knew Madeleine was glaring and rolling her eyes in another room listening to that statement.

“What were the reactions of both your families?”

“Both were thrilled. Her parents and brother were tremendously happy for her and us. I was nervous asking her father’s permission, but he was great about it. My family was equally as happy.”

Lucy interrupted, “Although Estelle may have been the most excited!”

Isak said, “This is true. She’s happy that Lucy is going to be made her official Aunt Lucy!”

“And Lucy, do you know any Swedish? Or speak any other languages besides English?”

“I’m fluent in both English and French. My mother is from Quebec, and I grew up speaking French with her family. I’m intermediate in Spanish from school. However, I have been learning Swedish, but I’m not quite fluent yet.”

A journalist from the Press Association then asked Isak about future titles for Lucy to which Isak responded, “Lucy will take the title of Princess of Sweden along with my duchy.”

Lucy was then asked about her citizenship and religion, “Will you give up your American citizenship and convert to the Church of Sweden?”

“I will not give up my citizenship. I’m a very proud American. It’s the country that raised me. My family will still be there. I will take on dual American and Swedish citizenship. And as for conversion religiously, I’ve not come to a decision on that. I was raised a United Methodist, which is quite close to Lutheranism in the Church of Sweden. So let’s leave that as to be determined.”

Svenskdam then said, “I assume you want a family?”

“Definitely,” Isak blurts out, resulting in laughter from everyone in the room.

The reporter continued, “How many children? Have you decided?”

“At least two but possibly three,” Lucy answered.

The local reporter from Tennessee then spoke, “First of all, on behalf of all Tennesseans, I know I can say how proud we are of you, Lucy. We are so thrilled to have one of our very own become a princess. And Your Royal Highness, we are happy to have you as an honorary Tennessean. My question is for the both of you. Will you spend much time back in Tennessee after marriage?”

Isak squeezed Lucy’s hand, “Thank you. You are too kind. Tennessee is a wonderful place that will forever hold a special spot in my heart. Of course. We will be in Tennessee a good amount. It is only fair that Lucy gets to spend time with her family, as well as any children getting to bond with their maternal family. We will have a home someone close, of course.”

Megyn Kelly from Fox News was up next, “Lucy, after speaking with family and friends of yours, they have all mentioned your passionate work for those with Alzheimer’s disease. Is that something you will continue further after your wedding?”

“Definitely. It is a disease I am passionate about raising awareness and funding toward. Both of my grandmothers, maternal and paternal, died due to complications from it. So it is dear to my heart. You will see my advocating on the behalf of those suffering from the disease and their caretakers. I’ll do it as a way to honor the memory of my beloved family.”

“Have you selected any other charities to support or is it too early to tell? In the engagement announcement, the ALS Association was mentioned. Is it safe to say that is an option?”

“Yes. It will be another topic I will work toward. It is important to me, as well.”

Megyn Kelly then turned to Isak, “What do you want the American people to know about the prince marrying one of their own?”

“I want them to know that I love her with all of my heart. I love the United States. It will always be home, too. America and Sweden are close allies, and I believe this can make it even stronger. America will have a wonderful representative here in Sweden with Lucy. She will make them proud.”

Good Morning America then asked, “Will the wedding be a lavish ceremony like your siblings and here in Sweden? Or will it be held in Tennessee?”

Isak and Lucy looked to each other. They knew this would be asked and that their answer would irritate someone no matter what they said.

Isak spoke for the both of them, “As a Prince of Sweden, it is important to hold the ceremony here. But, I should mention we have no ruled out a small service after the fact in Tennessee for her family that cannot travel.”

“When will that be, Your Royal Highness?”

“We have not narrowed a date down specifically just yet. It will be announced in due course, but like the announcement said, it will take place in the spring or summer of next year.”

Lucy was then asked about her wedding gown and incorporating American traditions in the ceremony. She told them, “The wedding designer will remain a secret. I can’t tell you that, so you have to wait and see. As for American traditions, I think, for sure, I will have bridesmaids and flower girls who will be in colorful dresses. In our weddings, the bride is the only one who wears white. The attendants are in a different color, which is a tradition I would like to keep.”

“Have you taken inspiration from any royal wedding gowns of the past?”

“Well, Grace Kelly, of course. It was beautiful and iconic. I adored each of the dresses of my future in-laws, too.”

Next a question came from another Swedish reporter, “Isak, how do you respond to criticism that you did not propose to a Swedish girl?”

Isak glared at the reporter, “That’s really not a question worth answering. But, if you must know, I fell in love with an American. She’s a wonderful person, and the Swedish people, I know, who are so understanding, will welcome her and love her like I do.”

The same reporter then said to Lucy, “You are a registered member of the Republican Party. How do you explain that to the Swedish people?”

“Just because I am registered as one party means nothing. I vote for the best candidate no matter their political party. I have voted for both Republicans and Democrats in my life. I vote based on policy, not party. I also believe in a private ballot, so I will not be endorsing or publicly campaigning for any candidate in the future.”

“But will you vote in US elections?”

“Of course. It is my civic duty.”

Isak was irritated with this reporter, and he made the decision that the press conference was coming to an end. “One more question.”

The local Tennessee reporter spoke quickly, “Where will you both reside in the planning of the wedding?”

“Mainly, for me, in Sweden. Lucy will be in the States. However, she will be here quite often for planning and engagements. I want to introduce her to the Swedish people, so she will get to see our country in an official capacity as we lead on up to the wedding next year. Thank you everyone. Tack så mycket.”

Together they walk, hand in hand, back out of the room. When the door closes, Isak is livid.

“WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS? WHAT TYPE OF QUESTIONS WERE THOSE? WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT MATTER ABOUT HER POLITICAL PARTY OR HER NATIONALITY?”

Carl Philip tries to calm his brother, “It is none of his business. There’s always one sleezebag. Just breathe. You handled it well. But we will make sure he is not at any other press conferences in the future. That’s for damn sure.”

“Bet you wish you had eloped now like I told you to don’t ya?” Madeleine said.

#swedishroyallove #royal fanfic #royalfanficcollection #royalfanficcentral

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realizerealeyes-real-lies · 7 years

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I’ve been meaning to write this article for a while, but there’s so much to say that I didn’t know where to start. Last week, Marine Le Pen (extreme-right presidential candidate in France) said that she would ban dual-citizenship in France for non-European countries. After reading that, I was angry, sad, confused, etc. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, and the entire world. Yesterday, my sister and I had a conversation about the fact that we are bilingual, that we have a dual-citizenship, that we have two cultures. After that, I decided to go back to writing this article. So let’s go back to the start.

I was born in France from a French mother and an American father. That means that I was born with two citizenships: French and American. My mom speaks to me in French, and I naturally answer in French. My dad has always spoken to me in English, but weirdly, I mostly answer in French, but that’s starting to change as I’m spending more and more time speaking English. And another weird thing is that when I write an email to my dad, or text him, it’s always in English, even though when I speak to him it’s mostly in French. Confusing, I know. My parents speak to each other in French, and my dad is completely fluent in French with a very little accent. My mom speaks perfectly English too, but she has less chances of speaking it as we’ve always lived in France. I only speak in French with my sister, except when we talk via Facebook where we alternate both languages. The same goes with my brother, but we also sometimes speak in English to each other.

Paris 2015 / New York 2015

I didn’t only grew up with two languages, but with two cultures. Indeed, I listened to all the French children’s songs, my mom read to me every classic French children books. And my dad read to me the American children’s books, and would sing American children songs. We grew up watching French and American movies. We would spend the school year in France, and then a month of summer at my grandparents’ place in Connecticut, USA. I remember how excited we were every year around March/April when my dad would buy the plane tickets – it meant that we were for sure going to the United States to see my grandparents. It wasn’t the fact that we were going to the United States that excited us the most, it was that were going to see our other family, our “American family” as we say to our “French friends”. We were going to our second home. And every time we left the United States we were crying. We were happy, of course, to go back to France/home and see our “French grandmother” (Agnès as we called her), but we were sad to leave our American grandparents, and they were growing old and we didn’t know when would be the next time we would see them as plane tickets are expensive and it was never sure we would go back the next summer. And it was also that we were leaving one of our homes to go to our other, and that was always hard.

Grandma (left) and Agnès (right), my two grandmothers

American grandparents’s house / French grandmother’s house

Until 6th grade, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to already know how to speak English. Before that, I thought that every Dad in France spoke English to their kids (even though my friends’ dads spoke French). 6th grade is when you truly start to learn English in France, and I realized that I was ahead of everyone else. But I never bragged about it, actually I would try to hide it for the longest time I could. That never lasted long because as soon as I talked in class, the teacher and all the other students knew I spoke English fluently. But I hated it because then the teachers always called on me when no else knew a word, and most of the times I knew how to translate but sometimes I couldn’t. It was either because I didn’t know the French or English word (because really, do you know every word??), or sometimes I could picture it in my head but couldn’t find the word in one language. When that happened, some kids would just laugh and say: “oh you don’t know that word ahaha”. I was a shy kid, so that hurt, and I was angry at all those kids who couldn’t understand what I was going through. Eventually, as I grew up I started answering those laughs by asking them if they knew every French word, if they always had 100% on French tests, etc.

Vacation in Darien, CT // Vacation in Paris

With Dad in New York

With Mom in Paris

I graduated French high school with high honors in Humanities. After that I decided to do an English major and Theater minor. Many of my friends went to Law school, or med school, or preparatory school for bigger schools (if I start to explain the French college system we’ll be here forever). When I go home for breaks, some people ask me what I study. When I answer English and Theater the most common response I have (in France only) is “Oh that’s easy for you” and then they go on to talk about how hard it is for them to study law, medicine or whatever they’re doing (or their kids are doing). And I just smile. But really, I want to yell. No, it’s not easy. Do you know what the English major is? We have British AND American history, English and American literatures, English grammar (where we have to analyze why the English grammar works like that), phonetics (you have to learn a whole new alphabet). So yes, I have some advantage: reading English books is easier because I’ve been use to reading for a very long time, my English grammar is almost perfect, and I already have an American accent. Actually, that last point doesn’t help me in France. Indeed, in French schools they teach you the British accent so phonology is very confusing for me as the British and American accents are very different. The point is that yes, I do have an advantage, but I have to analyze works of literature the same way someone who studies French in France (“Lettres”) has to and yet, you don’t tell that person that their studies are easy for them because they speak French, do you? I have to learn British and American history just as much as the other kids. And please tell me why studying Theater is easy? Okay, enough with that paragraph, I’m getting mad at my keyboard.

Good old American sports

Going to college in Paris // Going to college at Middlebury College, VT

When the news articles about Le Pen wanting to ban dual-citizenship were shared on Facebook I read the comments. Most of the people were reacting the same I was; there are so many people with dual-citizenships in France, and in the entire world. But some infuriated me. They were saying that they should choose only one citizenship because otherwise it meant that they weren’t really French, or that if they chose to become French they should forget the other one. Those people are clearly not thinking of kids form mixed-marriage who were born like that. And even people who chose to become French (my dad for example) shouldn’t be asked to choose. Actually, my dad may love France more than some French people do. You know why? It is because he chose that country as his adoptive country. But I’m not going to talk for him. I can only talk about what I know. And I feel just as French as I do American. I remember over a year ago someone asking me why I cared about French politics because I lived both in France and in the US. For that person, I shouldn’t have cared about French politics because I also had another home. Well, I care about both French and American politics and always will because they both have an impact on my future, and the future of my kids. I love France as much as I love the United States and that’s why I voted in the American elections because I have the right and the duty to make my voice heard as an American citizen. I’ve always cared about French politics, and I’ve always understood the French political system because I went to school in France, and because my family has always be interested in politics. In late April we have the French presidential elections and I will vote because I have a right and duty to fulfill but also because it’s my future we’re talking about, so it’s concerns me. And it’s tiring, it’s so tiring to follow both French and American politics, especially now because it’s such a mess in both countries and every day when I look at my newsfeed I get depressed at the state of the world right now. But I never stop informing myself on those two countries because they both concern my future, and me and, because I have a love/hate relationship with both countries.

Summers in Connecticut // Reuniting with Mom in France after a trip to the US without her.

To continue on Marine Le Pen’s point on banning dual-citizenship, I’ll never be able to choose one country over the other. It’s just impossible. I was born French and American. I was born with two cultures. I was born with two languages. I was born with two parents. Asking me to choose one citizenship over the other means taking away one of my parent’s heritage, language, and culture. It also means taking away part of my identity. I’m not French. I’m not American. I’m French AND American. One doesn’t go without the other. When I’m in France, I feel home because there’s my family, my friends, and that’s where I grew up. When I’m in the States I feel just as much at home because I’ve spent my summers there, because I’ve lived there for a while, because there’s my family, and my friends. I have as important memories in both countries. I’ve made long-lasting friendships in both countries. I vote in both countries. But the fact that I’m home in both countries also means sometimes I don’t feel home. When I’m in France, I’m the “American girl”. When I talk to my “French friends” about my friends on the other side of the ocean I have to say my “American friends”. And there are some things that I don’t like about France and that I prefer in the United States: the school system, the teacher-student relationship, the importance of the art in school, the friendliness, etc. When I’m in France I get super excited when I meet Americans because I can speak English, and I feel suddenly home because they have a bit of the same culture as me and they understand some things that French people can’t. When I’m in France I miss the United States. When I’m in the United States on the other hand, I’m always the “French girl, the Frenchie”. I can’t wear whatever clothes I want and because I’m French, it’ll always look good apparently (I’m not going to complain about that). And there too there are some things that I don’t like: health care is a mess, traveling within the United States is super complicated, college is freaking expensive, etc. When I’m there I get excited when I meet French people because they understand me too. And when I’m in the United States I miss France. It’s not everyday of course, and thank Dumbledore for that. But I have my American friends and my French friends, so of course I miss one group or the other depending of where I am. And I have an American family and a French family, and I love them both equally and I wish I could have them be at the same place at the same time. I’ve actually had recurring dreams where my two worlds collide.

MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

French Family

American Family

Since I’ve been a little girl, my sibilings and I have always talked about where we were going to live later. And for a long time my answer was the United States because I’ve lived most of my life in France so I wanted to switch it up. But as I grow up and I’ve lived in both countries, I get more and more confused about where I want to live later. And I’ll never have an answer, because wherever I live I’ll always have some part missing. And it’s hard sometimes to realize that. I’ll never have my friends all reunited, I’ll never have my two family completely together. And I wish teleportation was a thing so that I could just travel freely between the two countries, but I can’t. I’m accepting that, I think I’ve always known it, but I’m now truly realizing it.

Some of my “French friends”

Some of my “American friends”

But I also know that as hard as it can be sometimes to have those two worlds, I can’t imagine my life any other way. I realize how lucky I am to have grown up with those two languages and cultures. And I want to thank my parents for having spoken to me in the two languages, and my mom who has made sure that I did get to know my American grandparents and my other heritage. I know that I want my own kids to have those two languages and cultures as well because it has opened up a much bigger world as soon as I was born. And I’m proud of who I am, and of that dual-citizenship that I will never give up. I will never be just French, or just American. I’ll always be French and American. And it’s okay if you don’t understand, I’ve tried to explain it here, to you and to me a little bit too because don’t get me wrong, it’s confusing. So if you keep on calling me the French girl or the American girl, that’s fine, I’m used to it, and I know who I am, and what my heritage is and that’s what’s the most important thing at the end of the day.

New York 2015 // Paris 2016

Only love, Valentine Marie Pearl

What it means to be bilingual I’ve been meaning to write this article for a while, but there’s so much to say that I didn’t know where to start.

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ethicallysourcedhumanmeat · 7 years

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Practically Impractical

This is a Mystic Messanger Fic with a custom MC/Seven/Jumin. It’s mostly fluff and angst. You can find it up to date on my AO3 account here

[Next][Masterpost]

Part One:

She should have said something sooner. In the chat, they’d certainly asked her plenty about herself, but Seven’s background check had only revealed her sock accounts. Besides she didn’t plan on seeing any of them again.

Returning the phone had been a whim. Overseas, alone, no one to judge her she’d finally taken her friends advice and installed a chat app. One of those locals in your area, swipe left to accept things she’d been avoiding for years. She’d thought the lost phone was just someone’s clever hook up line. So she packed her pepper spray, sent a text to a local friend and took a cab to the address. But all she found was an empty apartment and the RFA.

The RFA was an excellent distraction. She was in Korea for work, contemplating taking a job that would move her here. She’d said no at first. She was content being mostly behind the scenes at the small gaming media company, helping the tech department get the stream out, compiling soundtracks and acquiring media licences. It had been a fluke getting her little niche half hour show. She’d streamed games in her free time, mostly for friends and then someone had uploaded a 15 minute video of her playing Last of Us and singing along to the spice world soundtrack. It had gone viral before she’d even known it was on youtube. Suddenly 15 followers was 1500 and someone recognized her from crew appreciation and she got called into a meeting. She got 30 minutes every Thursday evening with a guest dubbed Inappropriate Soundtrack Karaoke.

She wasn’t convention appearance big, but she was frequently requested to host their coverage, so when they decided to send someone from their American studio to co-host Pro-Gamer tournaments with her Korean counterpart she was the first name to come up.

She’d declined at first. Max was finally settled, finally had people, she didn’t want to ruin that. But she agreed she’d do one. It wasn’t just her popularity as a host that had extended the invitation but her background. She’d grown up there, an army brat, and then stayed after her parents had been posted back to America. She’d met Max’s father, a fresh faced Private, while she pursued a media communications degree.

Then they’d been posted back to the States, but not near either of their families and that’s when things had turned sour. No work for her aside from sparse freelancing, no common ground, no mutual friends, and worst than the social isolation was that she could’t even go anywhere. She’d let her license expire because she’d taken the train mostly but where they were stationed didn’t even have a bus system. It was three years since they’d split and she was doing better than ever, and if not for Max, she would have seriously considered the move.

The party was a good distraction, and the chats. She could work from the apartment. All her production tasks were easy enough to complete, and the apartment ended up conveniently close to the convention centre she could shoot intros with her Korean counterpart and make it back to the apartment in time to catch Zen’s morning selfie.

By the time she felt bad about lying to them Seven was at the apartment and things had gone horribly wrong. She’d had to call the studio and invent an illness, Seven had helped with fake documents. She’d been having fun chatting with him, had started to think about telling him who she really was, or at least encouraging him to look deeper. It had been fun being young and unattached but with the RFA she could see herself taking the job, moving Max here and having a support system.

Seven had been so withdrawn in the apartment, with good reason, and she worried what would happen if she told him the truth, and then it all came to a head and there was no time. She accepted the job via phone call in a hospital waiting room while Seven was in surgery. Standing next to Jumin she made arrangements for Max and all the things she’d had in storage to meet her. She supposed from the surprised faces now he must not have told anyone.

“You sing?” He asked in English, looking up from his phone, her wiki page open in the browser.

“Kind of,” she blushed.

Seven had insisted she stay at his place when he woke up. And she did try, but it didn’t feel right to be there without him, so she’d taken up Zen on his offer to bunk there but she’d only lasted a few hours, Zen was nice enough, but something in his personality reminded her of her ex-husband in a way that had her constantly on edge. So she planned to spend the next few days at the apartment, the one with the bomb, until Yoosung showed up with Rika. He’d insisted she stay with him. She’d tried to refuse but Vs funeral was coming up and she could see he had his hands full with Rika.

“You don’t have to do that.” Yoosung’s voice was quiet, barely audible over the hymn she was singing while she braided Rika’s hair.

“I don’t mind,” she smiled.

“After everything, you don’t have to be so nice to her.”

“I really don’t mind Yoosung.”

The way he draws in his breath, his chest puffed out, she knows he wants to say more. She felt sorry for Rika. Callie had seen what religion and mental illness could do first hand. Helping Yoosung while Seven monitored Saeran’s recovery was cathartic and Jumin had surprised her by asking her to sing at Vs service.

“Why are you so kind?” He says, under his breath and she twitches.

“I’m not. Really. I’ve just,” Callie sighs. “When I was young I was very religious, Catholic like you, and I joined a youth group, it catered to my interests and my spirituality, except it was more sinster.”

“Like mint eye?”

“A cult, yeah. I had a very close friend who was sick like Rika. I’m not saying—”

“Callie.”

“Yoosung, what she did was wrong, but she needed help, V shouldn’t have taken her mental health on as his personal burden, and he certainly suffered the most for that choice, don’t get me wrong. But this is over, and if she recovers she’s going to have that on her conscience for the rest of her life.”

“But after everything—”

“She’s still a person, who was very sick.”

He’d hugged her then, and she’d held him while he cried. The moment passed, and her guilt levels rose. At any point she could have told someone. But then again, so could Jumin. He’d invited her to coffee, Yoosung and Zen had seemed relieved to see her leave that day, and Jumin had started interrogating her.

“I tried to let you bring this up yourself, but who is Max.”

“Jumin, I’m not sure I’m comfortable talking about this.”

“Because you haven’t told Saeyoung?”

“Fuck, really?” She hung her head. “So is this a friendly threat?”

“It depends who Max is. I assume whoever they are is the same person you frequently excuse yourself to talk to?”

“Jumin,” even Seven hadn’t noticed, he’d been so distracted by Saeran that he hadn’t even questioned her. “I just, there’s so much happening. I don’t want to add another cross to his pile.”

Jumin sat across from her eyes narrowed over his drink. “Perhaps this is a conversation better suited to a glass of wine.”

“A shot of tequila would be preferable.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I could arrange something.”

“No we’re here now,” she sighed. Resigned. “Max is my daughter. She’s 8 and no I don’t even speak to her father, not when I can help it.”

The always composed Jumin Han stared mouth agape for what she estimated was a full 17 seconds. He inhaled sharply though his nose and set his coffee aside. “And she will be moving here with you.”

“Yeah in a few more weeks, I hope. The studio is arranging to have one of my production staff escort her but—” she sighed. One more sentence and this would be officially considered confiding. Everyone else’s problems had seemed so large in comparison but she was starting to feel the cracks. “Jumin, are you, are you ok? You don’t need to listen to my problems. How are you with everything that’s happened?”

For a minute she thought he might open up, but he smiled. Content apparently that the offer had been made. “I’ll be fine, but what were you going to say?”

She takes a long drink of her coffee and by the time the bitter sediment at the bottom of the mug has settled at the back of her tongue she’s decided to tell him. “Her father is notoriously hard to contact and I have to have his permission to move Max out of the country. Max was born here like me, she and I have dual citizenship but he’s a Servicemen and I have no idea if he’s not answering my lawyer because she’s my lawyer or because he’s deployed somewhere.” She sighs relieved. There’s nothing to be done but it was nice to have been able to tell someone that, to express her frustration.

But Jumin’s eyes narrow and he’s already firing off who knows how many emails from his phone. “I’ll contact my lawyer, certainly I can help with this, at the very least.”

“No, I appreciate it but you don’t really need to get involved. I mean, I really appreciate the offer but I don’t want—”

“You don’t want my help?” Jumin offers.

She laughs. “No, I’d love your help but I don’t want the headache.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s one thing for the contract Lawyer at the studio to do me a favor and occasionally handle my ex-husband. But if a foreign lawyer, with connections to your name, aggressively contacts him in relation to moving Max out of the country? I mean I’m sure you can understand how it looks.”

“You mean there would be gossip.”

“Even if there isn’t gossip, he’ll be unbearable. I really appreciate the thought behind it, and if he was a different, reasonable, person I would take you up on it. As frustrating as it is to wait and do it on his terms it’s just easier.”

“Will he be upset that you’re removing his access to your daughter?”

“Probably,” she shrugged. “But I doubt he’ll even bother to see Max before she leaves. She might get a call or an email when she’s finally here.”

Jumin was quiet for a while. “It must be hard to make travel arrangements then?”

“I think the plan is for my assistant to travel standby with Max as soon as he signs. I’d love to go and bring her back myself but even with the studio covering most of the costs, this hasn’t been cheap, and I just can’t justify it, and the studio is shelling out a lot to move me here.”

“Would you let me help with this then?”

“What?”

“I could, perhaps authorize my plane to take you to meet your daughter. As long as I have no other business when her papers are ready, if that is something you’re ok with.”

It was Callie’s turn to stare slackjaw. She nearly dove across the table to hug a very stiff Jumin. “Yes, yes, thank you, I would love that, we would...Jesus Jumin, this is. Man. Yeah. OK.”

In the cab she took to Seven’s afterward she got texts from Zen and Jaehee that linked back to a gossip blog, already featuring a photo of her hugging Jumin in the coffee shop. She laughed at the attempts to figure out who the strange American woman hugging the C&R director was. It was a good day, and with such good news she had decided to tell Seven about Max.

She practiced how she would tell him right up until the moment she opened the door and saw the Choi twins covered in blood.

“Shit,” Seven laughs as her face pales. She can see bruises on his neck and soaked bandages on Saeren’s wrists.

She doesn’t speak, her first aid kit was still in the car from their road trip and she knew she had put the tourniquet back. Saeyoung is right behind her when she kneels in front of Saeran. The smaller Choi does not speak or fight when she ties the tourniquet, trying to remember what her ex-husband had said about his field triage course.

“Do you need anything?”

She’s not sure if he’s speaking to her or his brother but she shakes her head, and removes the bandage, the cut is shallow, the wound in the wrong direction. “I supposed going to a hospital is out of the question?”

“Yeah,” Seven says.

She flushes the wound with alcohol and pats it dry. “Hand me the steri-strips, no the whole package.” She considers not using the tourniquet for the second arm, but she doesn’t want to let on, give anyone the idea that this was not worrisome or dangerous, or lend to any future attempts. So she repeats the process, tourniquet, cleaning, steri-strips. She covers the wounds with fresh bandages, and looks Saeren in the eyes, he looks away but she waits and gradually his eyes make their way back to hers.

“This isn’t ok,” she says softly. “This is never the answer, no matter what you think the question is, ok?” No response, just intense eyes staring back at her, and Saeyoung tugging at her elbows. “Even if you never feel like you can talk to him, talk to me.”

“So you can tell him, and laugh at me.”

“Oh honey,” she smiles and kisses him on the forehead. “You have no idea the things I haven’t told your brother.”

If he had to guess he’d have said it was his fault she hadn’t said anything. Hell if anyone had asked he’d have told them that she’d probably told him, and thinking back to that time in Rika’s apartment he’d had plenty of opportunity to ask. He’d just been so distracted. Overwhelmed was a better word.

If he’d been paying attention he’d have noticed the way her voice changed for two calls a day. Just a slight change, an octave higher, a singsong lilt, but he had spent too much energy telling himself that he wasn’t noticing these things to really investigate their purpose.

If he really thought about it he knew her internet presence was too small, too clean, full of carefully curated tweets and pictures of her in what he now knew was a wig. Most of all she was guarded when she spoke about herself. He of all people had noticed that quite easily.

And somewhere in the back of his mind he’d told himself he would look deeper, push farther. Every time her wall slipped he made a mental note.

“No no,” he heard her laughing on the phone with Yoosung through the CCTV. “Way back in LOLOL history...Oh god now I’m dating myself.” She laughs again and there it is, that twinge of jealousy. “No Vanil- yes Vanilla...this is embarrassing Yoosung...Okay fine, I was kind of a big deal, for like a year and then,” there it is that change in her face, the way she stops herself from saying something. He makes another note to look deeper when he has more time. “Life got in the way...No, real lif— Yoosung when you’re older you’ll...” She laughs again and he can feel his heartbeat rise and fall with the pitch of it, he turns off the sound and goes back to his work.

He catches movement out of the corner of his eye on the CCTV, Vanderwood is distracted so he glances at the screen and, something isn’t right, ok there’s a stranger in the apartment, a stranger in a towel in the apartment. A woman with short, white hair; he starts to think that maybe he’d figured her out. Maybe she was gay and that was what she was hiding, that was why she drew the line at does Jumin Han is gay. Then the woman turns and a familiar face looks up at the CCTV, a quick flash of embarrassment and then she holds her finger to her lips and winks at the CCTV.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Vanderwood asks behind him. “You have work to do, we don’t pay you make your own Voyuer porn you pervert.”

Seven turns off the CCTV feed.

Something about the fickle way she interacts with Zen, the hot and cold. Always warm to start, and then the change. He makes a note of it. He’ll look into it when he has more time, but the agency and now the chatroom is hacked again. He watches her phone light up on the table in front of her and he can tell by the way she cringes that it’s Zen.

And she is so kind, so calm, every curveball thrown their way and she takes it all in stride. She even suggests he do more background checks on her. Maybe she’s in cahoots with the hacker he starts to wonder, or maybe the agency is testing him.

Maybe it’s all test from the agency. That’s what he’s leaning towards, this pretty girl with a secret past who falls flawlessly into the RFA winning even Jumin’s heart. V had gotten him into the agency, V could be in on it too. He had to focus on his work, but with her casually revealing secrets on the CCTV maybe she’s the real job.

And then the special security system got hacked. Even if she was a rival, or a test, why would she put herself at so much risk? Still with little explanation she’s happy to do what he says. He can see her eyes on the screen, frightened and yet her voice on the phone is so calm. What are you? He wants to yell. The words repeat inside his head until they become the soundtrack to everything he should be doing.

Even when Saeren is in the apartment she’s fearless. He watches her walk barefoot across the shattered glass as Saeren threatens her. He watches her stance lower and shift as she prepares to defend herself and then she sees him and yells his name and he can’t focus.

He can’t remember a thing said but he remembers the fear in her eyes as she bit down on his brother’s arm, the way her barefeet ground into the glass covered floor as she slammed her body backwards to loosen his grip on her, the way she felt behind him her breath steady and determined.

No matter how awful he is, she always speaks to him calmly and with kindness but her eyes betray her hurt, it’s not until he’s destroyed the robot cat, not until he looks up breathing heavy full of adrenaline that he sees her take that step back, sees the fear, that’s when his heart breaks.

But still he pushed her away, and she treated him with kindness. Even in her demands she’s kind. He swears she knows his mind better than he does. She talks to him while he works, asking him questions and looking at him like she knows what he’s going to say. When he finally decides to open the drawer she’s practically waiting with a crowbar.

“What are you doing,” he laughs. “We’re probably driving to our deaths and your colouring your hair?”

“Colouring our hair,” she smiles at him in the mirror.

“Our?”

“It’s a wash out,” she smiles “But it can’t hurt to look a little different since we’re on the lam.”

“The lam?” he laughs.

“Shut up and come here so I can do your hair.”

He concedes, just to see her smile. Of course she’s probably a little right, the agency could have local police looking for them, he would have to change the plate on his car before they leave and changing their appearance even a little wouldn’t hurt.

She doesn’t sleep, not for the whole drive, and after all that time she spent on their hair, she starts producing wigs out of her bag. A wig for every county line they cross. She laughs with him despite how terrified they both are and still she makes those quiet secret phone calls.

“You know,” she says, yawning, “I’m the oldest member of the RFA.”

He perks up, she’s starting to talk about herself. “Nah,” he smiles at her. “Jumin and V are almost 30.”

“I know Luciel,” she laughs. “I turned 30 in July.”

“No you didn’t,” he chuckles. “You’re facebook says—” What had her facebook said? No her age hadn’t been on her profile. Her age hadn’t been anywhere he looked. Just another thing he’d made a note to look deeper into but not found the time.”

“That’s weird right?” She’s nervous. Her knees drawn up to her chest, barefeet flat on the seat, she doesn’t even look at him. “Fuck, it’s weird right? I’m like 9 years older than you. You were 11 when I got married.”

Everything stops for a minute, he can hear the clunk of her head against the window and the sharp intake of breath.

“Married,” he says quietly.

“I’m not anymore. He left me three years ago.”

Seven snorts. “Is he stupid?”

She laughs. “Was that a compliment?”

He shrugs and they drive in silence for a while. “Is he Korean? Is that why you’re fluent?”

“No, he’s American. I was born in Camp Casey, my parents were American military, I’ve only been in the US for 10 years grew up off base.”

“Oh.”

He could have asked her more questions then but he already had so much to process with Mint Eye and Saeren, he had to file this away for later.

And then everything happens so fast, and god help him she keeps it together the whole time. Even when he shoves Saeren and Vanderwood in the car, and he’s shot, she keeps it together.

“Hey, bitch in the fancy coat,” he can see her watching Vanderwood in the mirror.

Vanderwood says nothing, sneers back.

“You don’t have to talk to me but there’s a first aid kit in my duffel, I’ve got a tourniquet, do you know what that is?”

Vanderwood snorts.

Even trapped by Mint Eye, even with Rika, and then V being shot, she doesn’t falter. She holds it together, and when he feels like the pain and the blood loss might bring him down he just has to look at her determined face and another surge of adrenaline keeps him going.

He expects her to break down when Jumin gets there with his army of security guards but she stays by him, breathing steady determined breaths, and the last thing he remembers is the pitch of her voice when they take him out of the Ambulance.

“What do you mean I can’t go with him.”

But she’s there in his room when he wakes up, curled up behind is knees with her feet dangling off the tiny hospital bed.

“Hey,” he says softly carefully laying his hand on her head as she starts awake. “I thought you couldn’t come in with me?”

“That was in the ICU, but you’re out now.”

“And Jumin Han’s money doesn’t hurt?”

“And that,” she laughs. Her make-up is smudged, her face pale. She’s been crying but she’s also changed. “Jaehee brought me something to wear.” She answers without his asking.

“Is that Zen’s face?”

“I don’t know, I think maybe?” she laughs.

His recovery is fast, and despite his insistence she stays with Yoosung rather than in his house. He calls her every chance he gets, no more CCTV feeds but Saeren keeps him busy and it’s only a few days before he’s out.

She’s so calm when she finds them, covered in Saeren’s blood. So calm when she asks about the hospital, knowing the answer would be no. She ignores him behind her, with his shaking hands, and anxious breaths. The way she takes control, he should have known.

“Uh, Luciel.”

“Nope, I’m not going to look at the gate feed until she’s answered all my questions.”

“Seven you should really—”

“You can’t make me.”

In truth the smug look on Jumin’s face should have told him something. 707 the hacker would have connected her weekend away for work with Jumin’s sudden business trip.

“Dude,” Zen was laughing. Maybe he should look. But then he heard the gate click open and the door swing open and—

“Maxine Annette, we don’t slam doors.”

Everyone is quiet except for the little voice arguing that she definitely did not slam the door, until finally Jumin speaks. “Hello Maxine.”

“Hello Mr. Han.”

“It’s nice to see you again.”

“Didn’t you want to say something to Jumin, Max?”

“Thank you for the plane, Mr. Han, and the stuffed kitty.”

The entire room stares as Jumin Han kneels in front of the little girl with Callie. “Did you give her a name yet?”

“Mom said it should be something regal,” Seven can see Jumin’s face, he can read the expectations in that statement, but from the look on Callie’s face he’s not sure the little girl can meet them. “Her Royal Majesty Sparkleface Fluffbuttons the first.”

Jumin does a good job of hiding his disappointment. And the tension in the room fades as everyone quietly chuckles at his expense. Yoosung and Jaehee swoop down on the little one called Max and suddenly Callie is at his side.

“I’m really sorry,” she whispers.

“You have a kid,” he whispers back, but still there’s a smile on his face.

“I wanted to tell you.”

“When could you have?”

She shoves him a little. “You’re supposed to be mad at me.”

“I almost got you killed, you have a kid. I think we’re even.”

#practically impractical #callie miller #mystic messanger #custom MC

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rennyji · 3 years

Text

June 2nd - thoughts and normal tweets

June 2nd tweets...here we go...

I’m nothing like Ashton Kutcher, not even in my own right, especially nowadays.-

-But in my old Twitter days (back in 2012), I’d tweet this following train of thought often. It went along the lines of: Ashton Kutcher is actually famous, “a somebody,” who needs to safeguard his reputation from libel, “and probably has and pays ‘agents’ of his own choosing” to-

-to monitor his likes and reputation. I’m so not Ashton Kutcher in that regard or any regard. Yet I have people “steering my life as a whole.” I did not select them, and I do not even know them. They’ve been doing what they want with a regular nobody’s life for 11+ years. -

-What do you make of that? Why am I not protected by my American citizenship amidst mindless zombies who just see - say it slowly: 11 years of secrets on a massive scale- everything as “cute” or casual. I mean to see this as cute... what kind of a rosy picture are you getting?-

-Do U know what great lengths the orchestrators took 2make me look crazy? The actual things done recently, &over these past 11 years? Where is that famous American altruism? Did they tell people these things? Not going to say it myself at this point, let the orchestrators do it.-

-Do they tell people, that I wrote complaints 2the FBI &that they hijacked my phone calls 2the police or rerouted them? Do they tell people about my run in w/the police at my old house &what they did with me, 4talking about “the situation” with my parents and telling the truth?-

-Do people care to ask? Are the orchestrator waiting for my permission to disclose? I mean, I give the orchestrators permission to disclose their aforementioned misdeeds. In cr*p American psychology, they’re usually concerned about psychological impacts and trauma. -

-These racist f*ks didn’t give a d*mn with me cuz I wasn’t a blonde girl. Sick people on me, I dare you. Im not attached to conveniences of my life through years of meditative practices. Watch, despite that, for who I am during our 1st &actual confrontation/meeting. &my parents?-

-While you’ve been living and continuing with your lives, while giving me a hard time, remember all these things you had me face. To speak in terms of your background, you had an altar server face the police, so don’t dare to judge me for what I say or write. -

-and throughout all these experiences, I was compliant throughout everything-that too for 11 years. It just goes to show you, words usually being the answer, can only do so much. You deal with man-demons, don’t waste time on word

next thing...-

-So on 6/1, I find out a doctor who my family knows, died on the evening of 5/31. She’s Harvard educated-all that work and to only pass away in her 40s. She’s a doctor and her husbands a doctor. They have two small kids, 10 and under. -

-She has the figure of someone, out of this world: like nice face, nice voice, only says nice things, goes out of her way for others, and smiles through everything. God bless her soul. -

-You see it as a privilege to be close with someone with those qualities and wish you could’ve had the opportunity, outside of this situation.-

-Thats 1 woman who dies without seeing me on the other side of theSituation. Life, every second of thought/words/action is a gift thats normally invigorating. But its never long enough. Its in such a world, where 11+ years are taken out of ur life by genuine demons. They smile,-

-may seem altruistic, but the reality is, a normal human being cannot inflict pain on another, for an extended amount of time, without reason, simply for everyone to watch. They are Legion from the Bible, enveloping the masses.

oh and something else -

-I used to think of Americans as world saving altruists, and the setting here, on a good day without crime, to be like heaven with all its people. But in the last 11+ years, there’s something very wrong with the general mindset. -

-It doesn’t seem like the common man is “awake”-May sound like something from The Matrix. Everyone here is so plugged in and lacking in insight. I mean of all people, it was Americans that allowed this situation to fall on another American. -

-Rather than following your heart, your human spirit, you mindlessly/mechanically do what some...people?! ... tell you to do. Christ talks about the flesh and spirit being at war. But here, in America, the country lacks a soul. The nation’s people lack maturity.-

-How then can I continue to see here, as heaven-like. Live in each second, be conscious of what you do, follow your heart. Some of you hear this or something else, and look to it because it’s “nice sounding” or “tantalizing” based on the subject. -

-But I speak/write to instill it’s meaning, to make a point, for others to learn from. Wake up, live a life of meaning.-

-Don’t do things “for show” as “this situation” relays everything “for show.” Do things cuz it’s right or cuz it matters. Me? From all this? I just want a natural setting as described several times. -

-Relaying accomplishments, possible purchases, or whatever, has nothing to do with the goal set by me. It just builds random hype around a regular guy. -

-The orchestrators go against my whole way of doing things. Im a liberal when it comes to religion, but I go by whats said Biblically with respect to this. Do things good, do things in secret, to please your Heavenly Father who sees what’s secret, and He will reward you. -

-The orchestrators just can’t respect my faith and wishes.

and something that happened the other day...-

-Went down to my basement - the other day-to do one thing, ended up doing 10 different things roaming through the mind, for other things present in life-

-I mean I have a focus now: Working, and working out. Based on those 2 goals, normally I’d ignore other thoughts/ideas to possibly 10 other goals you didn’t consider—hence how a person focuses. -

-(And then there are the thoughts/ideas/whatever cluttering ur mind b/c of orchestrators & the daily problems created & sourced in them, that is also taxing on ur focus-too much upstairs-& thats when every1’s having U explain every word, every action- peace of mind is priceless.-

-at Iona Prep High School, my GPA, weighted, was a 4.2 out of 4.0...at the party school where my parents paid for a private appointment and food delivery, having to only study, I should’ve had at least a 4.0 GPA. -

-Knowing what theyve invested in me, I don’t know why my parents are allowing this 2 happen 2 their son for 11 years. For 11 years, my mother has shown me a worse attitude then usual, minus loving listening or conversation or empathy...this is my world, but back to the point..)-

-But then when you’re in a problem multiplied by a worsening factor against you by 11 years, you think to show other aspects of you. Attending to “the thing”, “ the situation”,”the unknown” is time consuming and expensive. -

-Be it writing away your life or buying your coffee to meet people you’re pretty sure will not talk to you. Truth be told, times 11 years, "the situation" and ur life in it, is all unrewarding. -

-Fills the mind with too many things to do...I mean when you do stuff, you orient your focus accordingly. But with the unknown and its variables, too many things demanding of your focus.

on a related note, but also transitioning to normal tweets for the day-

-Clear and settle your mind, you slowly but surely, make progress in getting things done, and ultimately get things done...writing such things down can provide a release in normal situations, where everything’s not relayed-like in the Harry Potter series,-

-Dumbledore uses what’s called a “Pensieve” (a bowl of water where thoughts can be transferred to, until needed, or desired, for whatever be the purpose, ultimately clearing the mind...-

-I remember writing that in my first Twitter or the first time I had Twitter, with 16000 followers+...life repeats when no solutions...say the same old things cuz no one listens or likes to follow or hold onto tantalizing cr*p instead...-

on another note, talked to someone the other day and he suggested not to overdo something else...he’s cool, but it makes you wonder in these situations while something else is going on...is it a natural assumption or the result of a picture put in his head by someone else?!-

-(to the orchestrators, I’m as good as a I say I am i.e. I take on and handle multiple kinds of sh*t)...really affects how one sees things I.e. this nonsense...-

-I mean, was talking to this hot girl for months a few years back and couldn’t help but wonder if the correspondence was “for real” or because it was for entertainment...for whatever reason, she never disclosed the truth about "the situation" either...she would talk about issues, and sadly, i couldnt tell if the orchestrators made it up, or if her issues were real...

so a thought on education...Education is not just math and science. It’s about being a thoughtful, well rounded individual. &the beauty of it is, you don’t need a degree for that. Life experience, insight, or something else could do it too. Seeing it as anything less is ur ego.-

-2try 2achieve status of "educated", &then constantly be put in midst of those who are uneducated or who act as such can be frustrating..gotta expand the world..could lead 2meaningful conversations..rather than mechanical/uninterpreted literal understandings/talks of the Bible.-

-the orchestrators, in their childish way of doing things come off as uneducated. may have big degrees to use this kind of tech...but once again, it goes to show "educated" is not just about degrees, its how you use knowledge/experience.

more normal tweets in addition to the previous...-

When you need a dual or triple monitor setup on the go, or say, studying/working at a coffee shop: Try the Mobile Pixels Trio monitor:

https://www.mobilepixels.us/products/trio

Want to keep your coffee drinks oh warm for an extended amount of time? Try the “Ember mug” on Amazon...

https://ember.com/

If u drinkTea, some teas require u 2 boil water&let teaBags sit 4at least 3min. But 4freshly brewed coffee or tea, it takes a while 4the beverage 2be only drinkably warm. Like 20 minutes 2 half anHour. I didn’t want 2wait, so I thought Id give “HyperChiller” a try. $25 on Amazon.

So, I incorporated orangeJuice in2 my mornings, &thought Id invest in something w/comparably less sugar. Found Trop50 from Tropicana. Normal orange juice has 20+ grams of sugar. Trop50? 10 grams. Sucky part is that the Trop50 containers aren’t as big as their biggest containers.-

-Trop50 tastes just as good as the original recipe...you wonder why they got to sell a version with extra sugar that has no added benefit...

If you’re typing something in the Notes app, or I guess wherever on your iPhone, did you know, to undo typing, you just have to shake your iPhone up and down a few times?

If you have the AirPods Max headphones, did you know you cannot turn them off with a button? To conserve battery life and put them in standby, you gotta out them in the small case that it comes with.

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back-and-totheleft · 5 years

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Kings, queens & wild things

Yes, the nights are fun. But the days are an entirely different matter. Working on an airtight budget and choke-leash shooting schedule-only 93 days, almost 30 less than the equally epic Troy-Stone is driving hard. Ask him how he's holding up and he laughs, "Some sex would help. Unfortunately, we're in a Muslim country." He works from inside a peaked white tent, a sacred space with three monitors nicknamed "the temple" that just three or four people dare invade. He pops out only to bark orders, softly dispense encouragement, or just yell helpful little things like "This is too slow! Come ON!"

"He'll do incredibly mean things like say, 'What happened to you today? You were just lousy today! Yesterday you were great!'" says Anthony Hopkins, who plays Alexander's friend Ptolemy in old age. "It keeps actors on edge." And it works. Stone is a whisperer, a cajoler, a screamer, an intellectual companion, and a master motivator. His legendary bad behavior on notoriously unhappy movies like Any Given Sunday and Natural Born Killers-casting and uncasting actors, clashing with coworkers, watching stars get hurt-may have rendered him toxic to some talent, but no director gets more out of his people: more commitment, more loyalty, more blood. "Oliver is so tough, I almost killed him a few times," says Jolie. "But it's worth it. He's a great mentor and father figure to me."

While Stone tries to keep the chariots running on time, Farrell keeps everyone loose. The star meanders around, flashing his world-loves-me grin, talking smack with the boys and flirting with the girls ("You're how old? Caw!"). One minute he's singing Irish ditties to his visiting infant son, James, and the next he's bounding up the steps of the amphitheater only to whip around to a grip and demand to know, "You looking up my skirt, mate?" (The grip shoots back, "Nothing to see!" to Farrell's great delight.) There are fart jokes. Depantsings. Giddy retellings of late-night exploits. Jolie, decked out in a stunning red dress and perfectly curled hair, surveys the scene and shakes her head and sighs, "I'm Wendy with the Lost Boys." [...]

Stone is completely comfortable in France. He's fluent in the language. His mother, Jacqueline, was from a farm just outside Paris, and after she divorced his father, Stone would often return to visit her. Just before the start of production, Stone applied for and received his French citizenship--all the better to get tax breaks for Borman's complex financing structure. "I have dual citizenship. I wrote Scarface here. I grew up here," he says, leading me up to his third-floor office.

Through sheer force of will, Stone has brought Alexander in on time and on budget-but the closing days of production did not go well. For starters, after the cast and crew left Morocco for London, the tabloids started swirling, homing in on an alleged love affair between Farrell and Jolie. Shots of them on camelback were taken over Christmas in Egypt--and that was only the start. By the time the production got to Bangkok, Jolie had been also linked with Kilmer and Leto, Dawson was said to be Farrell's new bedmate, and Farrell himself was supposed to have slept with the majority of the Asian subcontinent. As much as the cast and crew denied it or tried to ignore it, the rumors were distracting as hell. "They had all of us sleeping with each other and half of Thailand," says Kilmer, who thinks that Jolie got the worst of it. For her part, the actress just laughs. "I'm so used to being attached to every single person I work with, it's almost insulting if I haven't slept with somebody," she says. "But the tabloids didn't come close. They couldn't make up the stuff that went on."

Then there was the whole Colin-breaking-his-leg-and-arm thing. Just weeks after he was trampled by that horse in Thailand, Farrell went out celebrating in a small town on the Laotian border where the final scenes were being shot. He drank more than his share of scotch, stayed out until 5 a.m., fell down a flight of stairs, and broke his heel and wrist. "I couldn't believe it, I'm such an idiot," says Farrell now, contrite. He was airlifted to Bangkok and returned two days later to finish the film with a cast and a pronounced limp. "What can I say?" says Stone. "I never got down on him for his bad-boy behavior. How could I? Who was I to throw stones at a glass house?" [...]

The renegade filmmaker is strolling the alleys of the cozy Paris suburb that houses the postproduction facility. Stone relaxes a bit on the streets. It's good to get out and breathe, wander about and see actual people. He's had to fight for every inch on Alexander. The budgets. The bad luck. The moments when he was exhausted. The times his stars acted out and screwed up, when his friends and coworkers told him he'd gone too far pushing people or shooting stuff that wouldn't sit with American audiences.

"It's five years I've been away," he muses, thinking back to his last major feature, Any Given Sunday. "I mean, if Alexander flops-which it probably will because it's so expensive-someone is going to have to help the ones out there who are trying to do something. The independent money. The mavericks. The guys who are taking the biggest chances in the world."

He stops to think about this.

"Alexander was the big one for me, I don't know. I don't think I understand the whole thing yet. There was something going on in this that was really important to me. It's the end of something. Not life, hopefully."

He flashes a sad smile and sighs, stands dead still for a moment, then turns and begins heading down the street, ducking into a side alley, heading back to work, getting lost and finding his way again.

-Daniel Fierman, "Kings, Queens & WIld Things," Entertainment Weekly, Nov 19 2004

#oliver stone #alexander #angelina jolie #colin farrell #anthony hopkins #entertainment weekly #france

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