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#Hawaii National Guard
defensenow · 2 months
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youtube
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lizardtheacorn · 10 months
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thanks to the four people who left ideas!
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weepingfireflies · 11 months
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People & countries mentioned in the thread:
DR Congo - M23, Cobalt
Darfur, Sudan - International Criminal Court, CNN, BBC (Overview); Twitter Explanation on Sudan
Tigray - Human Rights Watch (Ethnic Cleansing Report)
the Sámi people - IWGIA, Euronews
Hawai'i - IWGIA
Syria - Amnesty International
Kashmir- Amnesty Summary (PDF), Wikipedia (Jammu and Kashmir), Human Rights Watch (2022)
Iran - Human Rights Watch, Morality Police (Mahsa/Jina Amini - Al Jazeera, Wikipedia)
Uyghurs - Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) Q&A, Wikipedia, Al Jazeera, UN Report
Tibetans - SaveTibet.org, United Nations
Yazidi people - Wikipedia, United Nations
West Papua - Free West Papua, Genocide Watch
Yemen - Human Rights Watch (Saudi border guards kill migrants), Carrd
Sri Lanka (Tamils) - Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch
Afghans in Pakistan - Al Jazeera, NPR
Ongoing Edits: more from the notes / me
Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh/Azerbaijan (Artsakh) - Global Conflict Tracker ("Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict"), Council on Foreign Relations, Human Rights Watch (Azerbaijan overview), Armenian Food Bank
Baháʼís in Iran - Bahá'í International Community, Amnesty, Wikipedia, Minority Rights Group International
Kafala System in the Middle East - Council on Foreign Relations, Migrant Rights
Rohingya - Human Rights Watch, UNHCR, Al Jazeera, UNICEF
Montagnards (Vietnam Highlands) - World Without Genocide, Montagnard Human Rights Organization (MHRO), VOA News
Ukraine - Human Rights Watch (April 2022), Support Ukraine Now (SUN), Ukraine Website, Schools & Education (HRW), Dnieper River advancement (Nov. 15, 2023 - Ap News)
Reblogs with Links / From Others
Indigenous Ppl of Canada, Cambodia, Mexico, Colombia
Libya
Armenia Reblog 1, Armenia Reblog 2
Armenia, Ukraine, Central African Republic, Indigenous Americans, Black ppl (US)
Rohingya (Myanmar)
More Hawai'i Links from @sageisnazty - Ka Lahui Hawaii, Nation of Hawai'i on Soverignty, Rejected Apology Resolution
From @rodeodeparis: Assyrian Policy Institute, Free Yezidi
From @is-this-a-cool-url: North American Manipur Tribal Association (NAMTA)
From @dougielombax & compiled by @azhdakha: Assyrians & Yazidis
West Sahara conflict
Last Updated: Feb. 19th, 2024 (If I missed smth before this, feel free to @ me to add it)
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nocternalrandomness · 2 months
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F-22 Pilot Capt. Nichole "FIRE" Bahlman from the Air National Guard 199th FS at Hickam AFB, Hawaii
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cherrycola27 · 2 years
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Red, White, and Rooster
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Series Warnings: Language, alcohol consumption. Enemies to lovers, relationship of convenience. Political situations. Allegations of affairs, military and political inaccuracies. Eventual smut. 18+ Minors DNI. Banner Credit: @thedroneranger
Series Master List Previous Part Next Part
...........................................
Chapter 1: The Election
The news of Bradley's heroism spread like wildfire across the media outlets, causing him and Jake to sky rocket in the polls.
Two weeks later, it was Election Day. You were up bright and early, putting the finishing touches on his victory speech. You didn't prepare one if he lost, that wasn't going to happen.
You'd been keeping track, and with all the early votes counted, Bradley had a slight lead. You watched results come in all morning.
At 9:30, you, Bradley, Jake, and the rest of the campaign staff went to the polls to vote. You were buzzing as you clicked the box next to his name.
You'd been busy all morning fielding phone calls, sending emails, and answering questions. The only thing keeping you going was iced coffee and sheer adrenaline.
It was approaching 1pm, and Bradley noticed he hadn't seen you eat anything all day. He came over to your desk with a sandwich and a bottle of water.
"Can't have my main girl passing out on me." He said as he placed them on your desk.
You rolled your eyes but thanked him before shoveling down your food.
When the polls closed at six on the East Coast, Bradley and Jake's lead had increased. The three of you sat with baited breath as one by one, the news outlets from across the nation announce the official closing of the polls. Once the West Coast polls had closed, you still had another three hours to wait until Hawaii and Alaska closed, but you knew the six total electoral votes they held wouldn't matter. Especially when California declared their winner.
Bradley and Jake were sitting comfortably at 238, either projected or confirmed electoral votes. Even if, by some chance, they didn't win California, their opponents wouldn't have enough to overtake them to win.
It's exactly 2:13 in the morning D.C. time when the official announcement is made.
The office was quiet. You'd sent everyone home for the night. You, Bradley, and Jake had stayed huddled in your office. Jake had just stepped to the bathroom when the news came through.
Bradley Nicholas Bradshaw was the president-elect and will be the 47th president of the United States. He had done it. You had done it.
You and Bradley jumped up and down, screaming your heads off like a bunch of kids. You went to hug him, but in a moment, that caught you off guard. He grabbed your face and kissed you.
You both froze as he pulled away. "I—uh— sorry—" He stuttered.
"It's fine. We just got caught up in the excitement. No harm, no foul." You brushed it off. "We can pretend it didn't happen. No worries." You smiled at him.
You turned away to watch the announcement again and to answer your phone. Your mom was calling you to congratulate you. You missed the flash of hurt that crossed his face.
"I heard the yelling from down the hall! Did we do it? Did we win?" Jake bursts into the room out of breath from running.
"Yeah, man, we did." Bradley tells him in a sullen voice.
"Did something happen while I was gone?" Jake asks, looking between you on your phone and Bradley.
"No, I'm just—" Bradley shakes his head. He doesn't know what to say.
"Rooster, you're going to be the fucking president! Smile! Scream! Cheer! Call Maverick and the gang while I get the bubbly!" Jake shakes him before heading to the kitchen. "We won the fucking White House!" Jake cheers as he heads down the hall.
.......................
After the election, you stepped into your roll of Cheif of Staff seamlessly. You made sure everything was ready for inauguration day, which was finally here.
An unexpected perk of your new position was the clothes that came with it. With you being in the public eye, fashion brands were reaching out to send you clothes all the time. It came in handy for days like today.
For Bradley's inauguration, you were wearing an Alexander McQueen coat dress in a lavender shade. It had an asymmetrical skirt and pearl button details. You'd paired it with a nude pair of Jimmy Choo pumps, pearl earrings, and a set of simple layered silver necklaces. You'd taken care to make sure Jake and Bradley coordinated with you. Purple had been a theme during their campaign, and you planned to continue that during their term.
You were waiting with Bradley, Jake, and a few other officials when a member of the inaugural planning team came up to the three of you.
"Excuse me, Ms. Wiseman, Mr. Bradshaw, Mr. Seresin. We seem to have a problem." He spoke.
"What? Is there a security threat?" You asked, ready to take action if needed.
"No, ma'am, a logistical issue. We have no one to hold the Bible." He clarified.
"What?" Bradley furrowed his brows. You sighed. How could you have forgotten that.
He looks at you for clarification as you explain, "Traditionally, the First Lady holds the Bible or sacred text that the new president gets sworn in upon. But you don't have a First Lady. So I guess we could get—"
"You're going to hold it for me." Bradley states, cutting you off before you can say anything else.
"Excuse me?" You look at him baffled.
"I said you're going to hold it for me." He crosses his arms over his chest in a matter of fact way.
"Why? Because I'm the highest ranking member of your team or because I'm a woman who needs to fill a specific gender role?" You shoot back at him.
"Because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. You made this possible." He tells you. Your gaze softens, and you relax your shoulders.
"Fine." You sigh. You don't have the time to argue with him.
..............
You can't hear the crowd over the rush of blood in your ears. You're standing on the steps of the Capital Building, Bible in hand, just as Bradley is about to be sworn in. He places his hand on the cover, and you give him a smile as he repeats the oath of office.
Cameras click and flash, and it takes everything in your power not to jump up and down as soon as the Cheif Justice shakes his hand and says "Congratulations Mr. President."
It was real. It had happened. You had done it. You let out a sigh that you had been holding in for over a year as you put on a picture-perfect smile for the camera before getting ready for the inaugural parade.
..................
After the parade, your things have been moved into your room in the White House. You'd been given the Queen's Room. You rolled your eyes when you heard that was where you would be living, but you were thankful to have your own tucked away area to yourself.
You were finishing getting ready for the inaugural ball. You'd traded out your lavender suit for a deep burgundy, off the shoulder ballgown. It had a tasteful slit, and most importantly, pockets for you to keep your phone and other necessities in with out having to worry about a purse.
Your hair was swept up in a low bun. You'd paired the outfit with delicate diamond earrings and a diamond tennis bracelet. You worn classy makeup, but a red lip, the same shade of your dress, adorned your face.
You had just fixed your earpiece to make sure it was out of sight when you heard a knock on your door.
"Come in!" You called out as you fiddled with an earring in the mirror.
"Hey, I—wow." Bradley stepped in. He paused to take in your appearance. Sure he'd seen you dressed up before, but nothing like this.
"You look beautiful." He told you with a twinkle in his eye.
"Thank you." You smiled at him. He had come in here for a reason, but now he couldn't remember what it was. Every thought in his brain went away the the moment your red lips quirked up into a smile.
"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. President?" You goaded him.
"Oh—urm—my tie." He gestured to it. "You always tie my tie." He looked at you sheepishly.
You let out a breathy laugh before striding across the room to help him.
Your perfectly manicured fingernails made quick work of his tie. "It's black this time." He remarked.
"Thought a black bow tie would go nicely with your tuxedo." You tell him. "And you're wearing red. What happened to the purple?" He joked with you.
"I'm wearing burgundy, which is a purple based red." You shoot back, cutting your eyes to look up at him. "Plus, you're official now. We can change it up some. Alright, all done. You look good, Mr. President." You pat his chest and step back.
He catches your wrist before you can walk away. "Wait! I have something for you. A thank you gift." He says.
He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a long velvet box. He opens in. Inside is a beautiful, oval diamond pendant on a thin silver chain.
"Bradley!" You breathe out. "It's beautiful, but it's too much. I can't accept it." You tell him.
"You can, and you will." He says sternly. "You got me the Oval Office. Thought I'd get you something oval, too." He grins.
"Help me put it on?" You ask him. He nods his head as you move to stand in front of the mirror.
He carefully takes it out of the box and comes to stand behind you. He pauses for a moment and swallows thickly before brushing a few stray hairs from your neck. He doesn't miss the small hitch in your breath.
He brings the chain around you. You hold it in place as he hooks the clasp. His fingers linger for just a moment. You smile at him in the mirror. Your perfume fills his noses. His senses are overwhelmed. He thinks about how easy it would be right now to lean down and place a kiss to the spot where your neck meets your shoulders.
Another knock at the door and a voice in your earpiece causes both of you to jump.
You clear your throat as both of you move to exit.
The party is in full swing when you step onto the stage. The room gues quiet as you walk up to the podium.
"Ladies and gentlemen," you being. "It is my pleasure to introduce to you, President Bradley Bradshaw and Vice President Jacob Seresin!" The crowd applaudes as then men stride out.
They both give speeches and mingle for a bit.
You're happily sipping on champagne when the coordinator for the evening comes up to you. "Ms. Wiseman, it's time for the president's first dance." She informs you.
"No, you must be mistaken. We decided not to do a first dance, seeing as there is no First Lady." You tell her.
"Ma'am, the president himself specifically requested this at the beginning of the evening." She insists.
You groan and set your champagne down. "Where is he?" You ask her. She quickly tells you his location, and you brush past her to find him.
"Y/N! There you are!" Bradley smiles at you. "When were you planning on telling me you changed the schedule? Who are you even going to dance with?" You scold him.
"You." He says. "What? No! I already held the Bible for you. I have filled my stereotypical gender role for the day! I have emails to send and calls to return!" You yell at him.
Before you can do anything else, he snatches your phone out of your hand and tucks it into his suit pocket.
A low warning sound, similar to a growl, leaves your throat as you stare daggers at him.
"Relax. One dance and you can have it back." He tells you. You flare your nostrils and take a deep breath.
"Fine." You grumble out. He takes your arm and loops it around his as he escorts you out to the crowd.
He sweeps you around the room as "I've Had the Time of My Life" is played by the string quartet.
As soon as the music is over, something more lively is played, and everyone joins you on the dance floor. True to his word, he gives you back your phone. As the night winds down, the secret service assures you that they have everything under control and they will come find you if something happens.
You thank them and sneak off from the party. Once you're back in the safety of your room, you press your back against the door and sigh.
One day down, one thousand four-hundred sixty to go.
So I just wanted to say thank you for the love the prologue got! I hope yall enjoyed chapter 1!
Taglist: @daggerspare-standingby @thedroneranger @shanimallina87 @teacupsandtopgun @hecate-steps-on-me @roosterscock @roosterbruiser @roosterforme @seresinsbabe @startrekfangirl2233 @soulmates8 @xoxabs88xox @avengersfan25 @blackwidownat2814 @loveforaugust @mak-32 @cottagecori @amysteryspot @heyimmadisonn @princess76179 @bradshawseresinbabe @sunlightmurdock @lt-bradshaw @cassiemitchell @die-cunt @mj-l4 @shipinabluebottle @malindacath @violyn20 @imawkwardlysoc @books-for-summer @blackroseboulevard @recordblues @desert-fern @luckyladycreator2 @katieshook02 @samhapner6 @sebsxphia @roosters-girl @diorrfairy @je-suis-prest-rachel @chicomonks @mizzzpink @a-linabean @amklibrary @gretagerwigsmuse @jstarr86 @actuallyazriel @krismdavis
As always, likes are great, but comments and reblogs are golden!
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sepdet · 1 year
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(I don't usually break copyright for journalists, who deserve to make a living through their writing the same as other authors, but this paywalled article mentions a few native Hawaiian relief efforts that need funding)
Native Hawaiians organize aid for Maui fire victims as government lags
Reis Thebault, Washington Post [12Aug 2023]
LAHAINA, Hawaii — The boats kept coming. One by one, cruisers and catamarans eased toward the beach in Kahana, a small and tightknit neighborhood just north of Maui’s hardest-hit areas.
Each one was laden with supplies: generators, propane tanks, trash bags full of clothing and ready-to-eat meals. And each one was greeted by two dozen people, the first among them wading waist-deep into the ocean to retrieve provisions from the boat and pass them down the chain, which wound its way to shore.
[Hawaii utility faces scrutiny for not cutting power to reduce fire risks]
The entire operation buzzed with urgent efficiency. But this was not the National Guard, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nor state or local government. This was scores of residents, led mostly by native Hawaiians, who had battled immense grief and unreliable communications to coordinate a large-scale disaster relief effort serving everyone in need after Tuesday’s ruinous Maui fire.
And this, a parade of boats that brought desperate locals thousands of pounds of supplies, was one of many.
“There’s no government agency helping us — this is it,” said Jareth Lumlung, a native Hawaiian who helped arrange the de facto donation hub. “This is our home, our community.”
[Live updates on Hawaiian wildfires]
In the days since a ferocious wildfire decimated whole swaths of Maui, including the historic west island town of Lahaina, those who live here have said they’ve received little help from the county and state, small entities which are struggling to respond to an unprecedented calamity.
For people whose cultural traditions have been threatened by American colonization and the state’s embrace of tourism and development, government help was never expected. Instead, the community has relied on itself.
Many, native Hawaiians in particular, see the absence of visible official support as a continuation of long-standing frustrations and pain, which began with the destructive arrival of Europeans and lives on in struggles over water rights.
The displacement of native Hawaiians is a particularly acute concern now, as much of the island has been targeted for gentrification, driving up the costs of living and forcing many native Hawaiians to move to mainland cities like Las Vegas.
[After five hours in ocean, Maui fire survivor is ‘blessed to be alive’]
Government officials have said they were focused on putting out the flames, housing and feeding survivors in evacuation centers outside the burn zone, protecting damaged areas, clearing roads in and around the town and helping to restore essential utilities. Some of the aid is out of reach of survivors, however, because they lack transportation or working phones to alert them about services. In Lahaina, the private efforts have been more visible, survivors said.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) estimated that nearly all of Lahaina had been destroyed. But in Kahana, the town’s spirit remained completely alive.
“If you take away all Hawaiians, there’ll be no more Hawaii,” Lumlung said. “It’ll be just a place. This is what it’s all about right here. We’re all raised the same way; this is something that’s just naturally instilled. You don’t have to be asked to do these things.”
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Residents gather at Napili Plaza in Lahaina, Hawaii, to connect to Starlink satellites to contact their loved ones on Friday. (Mengshin Lin for The Washington Post)
The supply boats began arriving on Wednesday, as first responders were still battling the blaze and recovering bodies amid burned-out homes and businesses. Two days later, they hadn’t slowed. On Friday, they began arriving early, and volunteers had tents set up to sort the goods: a pile of men’s pants here, a pyramid of diapers there and vast mounds of bottled water.
“We lost everything. We lost our town,” said Jerica Naki, whose home in Lahaina was destroyed. “That’s why we’re here.”
On this day, the volunteer boats largely came from neighboring islands, Oahu and Molokai, northwest of Maui in the Hawaiian archipelago, traveling far on choppy seas. Naki was helping sort donations and she described an emotional whirlwind, from escaping with nothing to seeing a staggering amount of volunteer support for those who have been displaced like her.
[These maps show where wildfires are burning in Hawaii]
“A lot of us are born and raised here,” Naki said, looking around as the chain of volunteers hauled in boxes of tinned sausage. “There’s a l xd ot of pride in Lahaina, so it hurts, a lot. But this is all we have here now, each other, and we’re making do.”
As the response has worn on, the greatest needs have shifted. There is now plenty of nonperishable food and bottled water. Generators, fuel and Starlink satellite internet systems would be most useful, volunteers say.
Sheryl Nakanelua knew instinctively where she needed to go when she fled her Lahaina home as flames spread. She made her way to Kahana and set up a tent across from Lumlung’s house, where she’ll stay until her family is let back into her subdivision, one of the few that was spared.
“This is our family place, it’s home,” she said of the Kahana neighborhood. “This is the best part to be at. It’s what’s keeping us positive.”
Other such spots have popped up. Napili Plaza, once a destination for groceries, ribs and tattoos, is now a donation drop-off center. And some 100 cars lined up for free gas near the town’s former railroad station. Coordinating the boats and other donation sites is a massive task that involves maddening games of phone tag in a place largely without cell service and requires a relentless dedication and extensive Rolodex.
Residents like Zane Schweitzer have both. Schweitzer, whose family has lived around Lahaina for generations, has spent nearly every hour of the last 48 working his walkie-talkie and phone, frantically arranging aid from around Maui, Hawaii and the mainland. Working with the Oahu-based youth nonprofit Na Kama Kai, he helped coordinate one of Friday’s largest deliveries.
Officials said most of Lahaina, the historic town in West Maui, was destroyed when hurricane winds pushed fires to the coast.
On the south side of Lahaina, in Olowalu, Eddy and Sam Garcia are transforming their groundbreaking sustainable farm into a shelter for those who have lost their homes. The married couple, who themselves have lost farmland and fruit crops worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, are setting up temporary housing, a massive solar power system and a satellite internet connection that they’ll open to anyone who needs it.
“In the immediate moment, people need shelter, they need food, they need water, they need a place to get on the internet so they can look for their loved ones,” said Eddy Garcia, who grew up in Lahaina. “We’re shifting all of our attention to trying to feed and house our neighbors.”
The Olowalu farm is uniquely well-prepared to handle this sort of disaster. Run by the Garcias’ nonprofit, Regenerative Education Centers, it was already operating off the grid, with its own power, plumbing and food. The nonprofit has launched a fundraiser to help pay for the fire effort, which will continue as long as there’s a need.
The property, even after being raked by the fire’s severe winds, is verdant and shaded by tall mango trees. On Friday, volunteers and staff readied the farm to fill any needs. They butchered and smoked a wild pig, set up new solar panels and scoured the internet for portable toilets. Eddy Garcia whirred with adrenaline, his satellite-connected cellphone ringing every few minutes with someone offering help.
For locals like him, helping his neighbors is not only about their survival, but about preserving the island’s identity and keeping it livable for those whose families have been here for generations.
“It’s not about these giant hotels on the beach and all the big companies, but trying to take care of local people,” he said. “This is not a visitor’s destination spot, this is the kingdom of Hawaii. That hit the heart of it in Lahaina. It hurts to even talk about it.”
His phone rang again and he stood up to leave.
“I’m like a ball of rubber bands right now,” he said, “and the only thing keeping me going is I got to organize these things.”
——
[More photos and links to the latest news in and after article]
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workingclasshistory · 2 years
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On this day, 20 January 1900, health officials in Honolulu, Hawaii, trying to fight an outbreak of bubonic plague attempted to conduct controlled burnings of homes and businesses in Chinatown which quickly got out of control. The fire accidentally set light to the wooden roof of the old Kaumakapili church, then continued to spread for 17 days, devastating an area of 38 acres, including 4,000 homes of mostly Chinese and Japanese residents. Authorities disregarded evidence that rats spread the disease, and instead scapegoated Asian residents for the disease which had killed a Chinese bookkeeper. They based their tactics not on science but on racist stereotypes about Chinese homes being dirty. So they set up a cordon sanitaire, effectively quarantining people of Asian descent in the city for weeks. Their possessions were thrown out into the street, their homes sprayed with carbolic acid, and they were forced to shower in public in mass, makeshift cleaning stations. Officials then began burning the homes of Chinese and Japanese people. When the January fire first started spreading out of control, residents fleeing for their lives were turned back by the National Guard, backed up by white vigilantes. Eventually a single exit in the cordon was opened to allow people to escape the fires. The Honolulu Advertiser declared that “intelligent Anglo-Saxon methods” had been employed to combat a “disease wafted to these shores from Asiatic countries”. Another local paper celebrated the fire for supposedly eradicating the plague while also clearing valuable real estate. After the fire, many of the residents made homeless were never able to return to live in the area, and its demographics were permanently altered. Read this story are hundreds of others in our book, Working Class History: Everyday Acts of Resistance & Rebellion: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/working-class-history-everyday-acts-resistance-rebellion-book Pictured: cordoned off Asian residents https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2190944831090655/?type=3
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beardedmrbean · 2 months
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After a trial that spanned 98 days of testimony, massive amounts of evidence and 241 government witnesses, the unanimous jury’s verdict was read in Chief U.S. District Judge Derrick K. Watson’s court in Honolulu. The jury had deliberated for about four days.
Federal prosecutors maintained—and 49-year-old Miske denied—that he orchestrated the 2016 killing of Johnathan Fraser, best friend to Miske’s only son, Caleb. Miske blamed Fraser for the traffic accident that killed his son, prosecutors said.
The jury Thursday convicted Miske of killing Fraser, whose body has never been found.
Outside the court after the verdict was read, Ashley Wong, Fraser’s girlfriend in 2016, said, “It won’t bring him back.”
Fraser’s mother Shelly Miguel and other family and friends, many wearing “Justice for Johnny ” T-shirts, also attended and cried and embraced outside the federal court building after the verdict.
Miguel and Wong both said the verdict provided that justice for Fraser.
In all, the jury convicted Miske of 13 of 16 charges related to running a criminal enterprise.
”We, the jury, having found the defendant guilty of Count One, further unanimously find that, as part of the offense charged in Count One, the defendant committed, on or about July 30, 2016, murder in the second degree of Johnathan Fraser, ” the unanimous jury declared, according to court records.
He also was convicted of conspiracy to use chemical weapons, kidnapping for hire, murder for hire, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit assault in aid of racketeering, and other charges. He was found not guilty of bank fraud and drug charges.
The federal government alleged that starting in the late 1990s until 2020, Miske and his associates ran the “Miske Enterprise ” through a pattern of racketeering activity.
The racketeering activity included murder, kidnapping, arson, chemical warfare and robbery, according to federal prosecutors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark A. Inciong, Michael David Nammar, William KeAupuni Akina and Aislinn Affinito prosecuted the case. Prosecutors declined comment following the verdict.
On July 11, in closing arguments, Inciong reminded jurors that there are 14 standards that can be used to convict him of a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO ) conspiracy charge, but they need only two.
”One robbery, one kidnapping … only two … so I just want to be clear there were multiple incidents, ” said Inciong, speaking in court while walking the jurors through an overhead projection of the RICO conspiracy requirements.
The investigation that led to Thursday’s verdict was run by the Honolulu Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, EPA-CID and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.
Task force officers with the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, Hawaii National Guard, 93rd Civil Support Team and the Office of Investigations—Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration, assisted in the years-long investigation.
Miske was defended by Lynn E. Panagakos and Michael Jerome Kennedy. They declined comment following the verdict.
Miske’s defense team told the story of a man who came up hard but mixed the tactics of the hustlers who provided his street smarts with savvy businessmen and laborers who taught him the value of honest hard work.
Miske was not a monster, his attorneys argued, but an entrepreneur with a passionate approach to his work. He did the hard jobs for local people.
His attorneys described Miske as a legitimate businessman who made sure to give back to the community he credits with raising him.
Miske built family business Kama ‘aina Termite and Pest Control into an industry leader and started solar and plumbing businesses. He fumigated numerous “cultural treasures ” in Hawaii, and highlighted his pro bono work to tent the Neal S. Blaisdell Center when the city could not afford it, his attorneys said.
But the government alleged that Miske controlled illegal markets popular in Hawaii and owned nightclubs where brawls over bar tabs were common and associates were accused of using chemical weapons against rival club owners.
The Miske enterprise made millions of dollars selling illegal commercial-­grade aerial fireworks on the black market, they told the jury.
Allegations including using fishing boats to move drugs and money were among the charges Miske faced.
Federal prosecutors also said Miske wanted other people killed, but they think many acts were never carried out.
Miske was facing 16 separate criminal charges and stood trial alone after his alleged co-conspirators John Stancil, Dae Han Moon, Preston M. Kimoto, Miske’s daughter-­in-law Delia-Anne Fabro ­-Miske, Jarrin Young and Jason K. Yoko ­yama accepted a plea deal from federal prosecutors.
When the U.S. Attorney’s Office indicted Miske on June 18, 2020, on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery, murder-for-hire conspiracy, marketing illegal drugs, firearms, chemical weapons, drugs and bank fraud, they also indicted 10 of his associates.
The Miske criminal enterprise modeled itself after big-city organized crime groups, federal prosecutors told the jury.
Authorities accused the organization of using businesses to further its criminal objectives, including Kama ‘aina Termite & Pest Control, Kama ‘aina Holdings, Hawaii Partners, Kama ‘aina Plumbing and Home Renovations, Kama ‘aina Home Renovations, Makana Pacific Development and the Encore Nightclub, which was formerly known as M Nightclub.
According to federal prosecutors, Miske and the criminal enterprise waged violence against “rivals, competitors and innocent members of the community over a period spanning years, if not decades. In so doing, Miske participated in, directed and facilitated numerous assaults, kidnapping, extortion, the use of firearms, attempted murder and murder for hire.”———Star-Advertiser photographer Jamm Aquino contributed to this report.
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Eleanor, when you posted your list of ideas, I was so excited to see that I'm not the only one who has an incredibly long list of ideas that may or may not ever see the light of day and I really wanted to share mine. I originally had no intention of posting mine, but as this is the 8th anniversary of me starting this little fantasy world and my 12th writing anniversary is coming up, I figured I might as well use this as a sort of anniversary post as well. Because I am absolutely obsessed with✨details✨ some things on this list have gone a bit overboard from their intended little snippets, but I'm not entirely sure you'd mind that lmao. Now, without further ado, here is my list!
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Story Concepts:
Now, some of these have a future as I plan to write the first two if I can find the time and, possibly, some others as I love the concepts. Most of these are AUs, but there are a few sequels I really want to work on that have made the list. There is one that is just a concept and won't go any further than what I have for reasons I'll explain further and it should be very easy to tell which one.
Idea 1: Life Is Strange AU
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This game has been on my radar for literal years now and I’m only just coming up with ideas for it, but since I know the series fairly well, things are piecing together fairly well. The games are, essentially, played episode by episode where each choice you make in the game, impacts the rest of the story. It’s like the butterfly effect - a butterfly flaps its wings in Hawaii and a hurricane starts halfway across the world. Every choice matters. I am only using the first and last of the main games and the prologue of the first game. In the first game, you control time as a high school student. In the prologue for that, you play as a pair of unlikely friends who discover that one of them doesn’t have as perfect of a life as the other assumed. Then, in the third, you play as a young woman who can see and manipulate emotions. Now that that’s established, I’ll give a bit of a summary of my ideas, all of which are set in modern times. 
In the first story, the Murphy family moves from Myrtle Beach to Sanbornton, New Hampshire so that Royce can attend the prestigious Oakwood Academy - a private high school specializing in Arts and Science. At this school, he befriends Riven, an upperclassman in his photography class who constantly encourages him to turn in a photograph for a national competition to earn himself a scholarship to the university of his choosing. One day, after school, he meets with his brothers at the diner downtown and all but collides with a familiar face he hadn’t seen in years - his former best friend, Vivien. After a rather awkward conversation, the pair takes a picture with Royce’s camera and part ways, only to be brought back together when Royce saves Vivien from one of the rich pricks from his school who decides to bring a gun into the alleyway behind the diner. The two decide to finally talk things over at Vivien’s typical haunt and he finds out that, since Vivien’s family moved to New Hampshire so she could attend Oakwood, things have only gone downhill for her. Her father was killed in a car accident, her mother remarried to some asshole who works as a security guard at Oakwood, and to make matters worse, the person she was closest to went missing and nobody has seen or heard from her in months. Now, on top of juggling schoolwork and normal life, Royce has to worry about potential kidnappings, strange weather occurrences, and, of yeah, the fact that he can now go back in time through the Polaroid pictures he takes so often.
While there is quite a bit more to go over for that one, I think I’ll move on to the second story, where we find that Royce isn’t the only person in town with abilities. In this one, we have Miles and Carrie, an unlikely pair who know they have at least one thing in common; they both want to get the hell out of Sanbornton. Miles only knows Carrie from the posters slapped on every telephone pole, advertising the next big musical in town while Carrie knows Miles as the guy she paid to fix up her convertible’s malfunctioning roof. In the few hours they spend talking while he works on her car, the two grow inexplicably close and bond over a fondness for a certain band he plays over the shop radio. On a whim one day, Carrie shows up at Miles’ shop and they decide to skip town the next day, hitching a ride on a freight train that takes them out of town to a lookout point a while north of Sanbornton. After a while of goofing off and enjoying each other's company, they decide to make up storylines about people they see with one of the viewfinders at the top of the hill. Some fun stories are concocted before Carrie, who becomes upset with what she sees through the lens, insists that she and Miles get out of there as she wants to get drunk. They steal a bottle of wine from a couple’s picnic basket while they’re away and follow the train tracks back to Sanbornton. Along the way, Miles confronts Carrie about her change in mood. After arguing about why Miles is so interested, the quarrel comes to a head when Carrie discloses that she witnessed her boyfriend cheating on her with the girl who is supposed to be her understudy in the upcoming play. She shows him a picture of the three of them and, as her emotions get the better of her, the photograph ignites in her hand, fluttering to the ground in burning embers as they both stare in shock at what happened. They find a secluded place to talk things over and, after realizing her newfound abilities must be related to her emotions, Carrie begins worrying about how she’s supposed to act on stage if she’ll only end up setting everything around her on fire. Eventually, Miles calms her down and they decide to meet up the next day to see if they can find a way for her to control it throughout her time on stage. I haven’t totally figured out an ending to this other than Miles getting roped into being in the show to replace the guy Carrie was dating as, once she breaks up with him, he gets physical and breaks a part of the set, getting himself fired. Anyway, that’s as far as I got with the second one.
The third is, perhaps, my least thought-through, but here we go. Kona is new to town, having moved in with her dad in his apartment above his arcade after years of moving around with her mom. Unlike the other stories, Kona was born with her abilities - getting used to seeing colorful emotions around people and hearing the thoughts that come along with them at a young age, but not being able to control how she processes the emotions that hit her like a brick wall. Bentley is a regular at the arcade, using whatever allowance he gets to buy as many tokens as he can. The two bond at the prize counter, but when a particularly unruly, older kid from their school comes in and tries to rough up Bentley over his purchase of the last, limited-edition comic book at the prize counter, Kona’s emotions “snap”, sending a wave of the boy’s own anger his way and sending the older boy slamming into one of the machines. Understandably, Kona and Bentley are confused by this revelation as Bentley didn’t know Kona had abilities and Kona didn’t know she was capable of something like that. After a fairly long discussion where she shows Bentley how her abilities work, she discovers that she can piece together why someone feels the way they do - if it’s a strong enough emotion - and can help them sort through their feelings for a better outcome. They begin to work together, helping people around town with their mental and emotional struggles, but will it become too much for Kona to bear as she takes on everyone else’s problems and ignores her own? I suppose you’ll just have to find out… if I ever get around to writing this out lol
Idea 2: Titanic AU
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Now, this one is definitely not surprising as I adore the RMS Titanic as much as (if not more than) Vivien and, as far as the story goes, it could go one of two ways. One is set back in April of 1912 and goes through everything almost like the movie combined with all of the historical accuracies I can add into the equation, and the other is set in modern times and will make sense when I write it out. The first version is the one-shot-turned-story I was going to write for Carrie's birthday before I realized just how long it would be and that it would, most likely, end up being more than one part (just like the ship... yeah, I'll see myself out lol).
Version 1 is easily explained as the roles of Jack and Rose are played by none other than Miles and Carrie, with a bit of a twist. After the death of her parents, Mrs. Murphy takes her three sons and, with a portion of what inheritance was left after her husband began wasting it away, books four tickets aboard the Titanic in the hopes of starting anew in America. The tickets are in third class, but they can’t bring themselves to care as they’re simply ready to start a new life. Carrie follows Rose’s story pretty closely in the beginning - a loveless engagement planned only for financial gain, overbearing parents keeping a tight reign on her, and the faint urge to throw herself overboard once the ship is far enough from land that nobody will be able to save her. Then, as she and her young maid, Vivien, are overlooking the ocean from a higher deck on the ship’s departing day, Carrie follows Vivien’s gaze to a group of three young men a deck lower than them; one of whom can’t seem to take his eyes off of her. One night, Carrie dismisses Vivien after dinner and takes off for the back of the ship to escape the overwhelming pressure that’s been piling atop her for ages now. Miles, ever the night owl, watches her from a bench, only approaching her once she steps onto the lowest rung of the ship’s railings, and, though Carrie claims she has no real desire to pitch herself from the back of the ship, he still treats her as though she might. Eventually, he offers her a drink and an unbiased opinion, and the pair talk late into the night. Miles walks her as far as he is allowed to go and the pair go their separate ways once Carrie invites Miles and his family to dinner the next night as thanks for lending an ear and talking with her, which he politely declines. Not one to be swayed, Carrie sends Vivien to the general room in third class, instructing her to find Miles and his family and bring them to her. Finding all eyes are on her upon her arrival, Vivien meekly squeaks out who she has come to see and is relieved to watch Miles step forward from a table where he and Bentley had been drawing. Despite Miles telling her to simply pass on a message of thanks, Vivien is persistent and, ultimately, Mrs. Murphy steps in, listens to what Viv has to say, and accepts the invitation. The family is given some proper attire for the night thanks to another traveling family whom Carrie’s family has close ties with - the Bandoni family - and they have dinner as upper-class citizens. Once the evening has died down, Miles invites Carrie - and, in turn, Vivien - to a party the third-class passengers are throwing in the general room. The story carries out mostly the same as the movie, but there are some, distinct differences in the end like who would survive and who would end up going down with the ship.
Version 2 is one that I had a dream about and ended up sort of intertwined with the Titanic-based Magic Tree House book that I read as a child. Basically, Vivien drags Royce to a traveling Titanic exhibit. Upon their arrival, they receive boarding passes that bear the names of the passenger they would be and are permitted to explore as they please. After a while of looking around, they stop at an exhibit of photographs taken aboard the ship. To their amazement, they find a photograph of a young newlywed couple who bear a striking resemblance to themselves, standing by the railing on the 10th of April - the day the Titanic left Southampton for the beginning of her maiden voyage. They flag down one of the managers and explain the situation before asking if they could maybe see the picture up close. The person takes them to a back room before bringing in the photograph and some gloves for them to hold it with. They set it down on the table as Royce and Vivien put their gloves on and go to turn on the air conditioning as the summer heat isn’t good for the old picture and the wind sends the picture flying. Royce and Vivien catch the picture and carefully examine it to make sure it looks alright before looking up, only to find that they’re staring at an old-timey camera perched on a stand near the railing of none other than the ship of dreams itself. That’s right, they’re now aboard the RMS Titanic as she sails her fated maiden voyage! Now they not only have to figure out how to get back home before the ship sinks, but they also have to play the role of a young, First-Class couple on their honeymoon trip to America. Can they keep up appearances and find a way home before the iceberg scrapes the ship or will they be caught in the fray of one of the world’s biggest maritime disasters? Honestly, even I don’t know the answer yet, so I suppose we’ll find out someday haha!
Idea 3: WandaVision AU
When my sister allowed me to borrow her Disney+ account a while ago, my first mission was WandaVision. Needless to say, I fell in love with the concept of a new decade every episode and felt as though it suited some of our characters in a way that needs a lot of explaining in order for any of it to make sense. I don’t know if you’ve seen this show yet, but the basic concept is that, in Avengers: Infinity War, Wanda (also known as Scarlet Witch) loses her long-term, android boyfriend, Vision, in battle. A while after the battle, she travels to a small town called Westview where the two of them planned to move, build a home together, and grow old. Consumed by grief and rage over the life she'd lost in her time as a hero, Wanda's mental state sort of breaks, and her chaos magic powers activate around her, creating a pocket reality that engulfs all of Westview. Though she didn't realize it at first, Wanda transformed Westview into a completely altered bubble that was formed by her love of sitcoms, which she'd always turned to in times of difficulty. With her chaos magic, she also created an entire alternate version of Vision completely from her memories of him, inadvertently casting him in the role of her sitcom husband. Comforted by the world she'd created, Wanda began living a sitcom life in Westview, still unaware of what she'd done, moving from decade to decade as though nothing were different.
You’ve probably pieced together who would be who here, but I have a few different versions to offer. 1 - Mick and Butchy, 2 - Royce and Vivien, 3 - Carrie and Miles, or 4 - Mrs. Murphy, Miles, Royce, and Bentley. For Mick and Butchy, think about how intense she was when he was in his accident ages ago. That rage could fuel magic any day. Carrie and Miles' story could be very similar to Butchy and Mick's as I feel like they have this connection that isn't easily explained and that their love goes a lot deeper than either of them might realize. If one of them were to die, what lengths would the other go to in order to bring them back? Royce and Vivien have a strong relationship as well despite being young and, while Royce is typically calm and collected, he worries quite a bit for Vivien’s safety as she ventures through abandoned buildings, explores places she probably shouldn’t, and gets into more trouble than he ever wants her to. If he were to lose her in some sort of freak accident, would that be enough to cause something in him to snap like that? Potentially, I think. Now, putting aside the romance and looking toward the family dynamic, we have the Murphy family. What hurts more than a mother losing her children? Imagine the normally easy-going, caring, Mrs. Murphy - the mom to everyone around her - absolutely losing her shit because all three of her sons died in the same battle. That would certainly be something emotional enough to fuel some serious chaos magic. Honestly, I just want to write more about her and I feel like a nice, sitcom-esque story would be a perfect opportunity to get a feel for her personality over the years.
Idea 4: Grease AU
While I’m sure this isn’t a total surprise as I’ve mentioned it before, I want to explain how I see it, especially after finishing Rise of the Pink Ladies and gleaning several ideas from there. 
This AU is a bit different as we find Mick and Vivien as the new girls in town - sisters with opposing interests. Mick, who spends every minute at school trying to break out of the shy mold she left at her old high school, and Vivien who just wants to blend into the background and survive junior high without making waves. Things don’t go quite as planned as both girls find themselves at the epicenter of rumors not even a week into the school year. According to the gossip, Mick was seen under the bleachers with the leader of the T-Birds, and Vivien was spotted kicking a boy in the family jewels. While neither girl can deny these claims as they are technically true, the statements were twisted. Although Vivien begins to like her reputation as a fearsome fighter and leans into the rumors, adding that she only did it to protect a kid in her class and that she would be more than willing to do it again to anyone who dared pick on the people around her, Mick tries to clear her name with the help of the T-Bird she’d been spotted with, hoping others would believe that she had, in fact, been under the bleachers with a T-Bird, but that she was trying to give him something he had left at her dad’s workshop and they had a conversation, end of discussion. Despite her pleas to rid herself of her nickname as the local floozy, Mick can’t shake the rumors, but once she inadvertently helps one of the girls who had been spreading the rumors, the word on the street begins to ebb. The two girls form an odd friendship despite the helpful T-Bird and most of his friends warning her to steer clear of the blonde and her penchant for ruining reputations with her good girl act. Despite the accusations against her new friend, Mick stays by her and, at a sleepover, the cheerleader confides in Mick that she is in a secret relationship with one of the T-Birds that started over the summer. Though her friend doesn’t divulge which one, Mick soon discovers exactly who it is as Vivien and her two friends get out of school early one Friday and head to the high school parking lot to wait for their rides, only to see the head cheerleader with the T-Birds’ second-in-command locking lips by the greaser’s Fleetmaster. So, yeah, a lot of drama would come with this one.
Idea 5: Percy Jackson AU
I’ve tried writing Percy Jackson stories before and, let’s just say, it didn’t go well. You will, however, see some nods to this in upcoming chapters of Camp Wanamaker. This AU is something I’ve thought of for literal years (think 2016-17), but have no true storyline other than who would be the child of which Greek god. I can’t simply follow one of the books without dissolving into the next and, where there are so many books, I don’t think this would ever actually happen. This is something that my niece, Lorali, and nephew, Erek, actually requested at different times as their classes were reading the books in school, and I tried to figure everything out, but nothing ever came of it. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever work on this as it would be too much to take on. For now, though, I’ll simply give you my list of who I think belongs where and, if the time ever comes for me to write this out, we’ll go from there.
Miles, Royce, and Bentley - Sons of Apollo (most specialize in various forms of art, poetry, archery, or music, almost all of them have the ability to heal others and can tell how bad the injury is just by looking at it, a rare few can control light and fire, even rarer is the ability to glow, and some can use music to win battles like a siren calling sailors to their deaths)
Mick - Daughter of Hephaestus (skillful engineers and craftsmen, they can instinctively detect, identify, and operate any piece of machinery, and some even have control of fire, lava, and volcanoes) 
Carrie, Tanner, and Juliet - Children of Aphrodite (possess intense love magic, have greater clarity and sharper focus than most, have the ability to change appearance at will, and can alter people’s thoughts/influence them by simply speaking - otherwise known as charm-speaking)
Vivien - Daughter of Athena (masters at invention, architecture, and strategy - especially in battle - their knowledge is unmatched, and some have great skills with weaponry even without prior mastery of the weapon of their choice)
Kona - Daughter of Poseidon (can create and control hurricanes, earthquakes, and water, can communicate telepathically with sea life, some are mildly able to control ice, wind, electricity, and cold, they heal quickly if they’re in any type of water, and a very rare few can manipulate blood as it contains water)
Butchy and Lela - Children of Zeus (natural leaders in every sense, are immensely brave and strong, most, if not all, can control electricity/lightning, and some can control air to be able to fly if they practice)
Xander - Son of Ares (combat specialists, masters of weapons, are typically stereotyped as being complete assholes, and can possess invincibility if they spent a lot of time in battle)
Idea 6: True Colors (Through The Valley sequel)
Now, I absolutely adored writing the first story, but ever since I was able to play the second game and watch the HBO show, I've fallen more in love with the story and its concepts. A sequel for this would be far bigger scale - throwing more characters into the fray and holding very little back as, if I learned anything from the show, it's sometimes okay to kill off favorite characters to show the gravity of their situation. Just a reminder, Riven never existed in this universe and, while I have a perfect place for him, I don't want to go into too much detail.
This sequel would have a bit of a time jump and we would see some of our favorite characters in a different light as rival groups come out of the woodwork with only one thing on their mind - revenge. While we would also see budding friendships and romance, we also see some of our favorite relationships torn apart. I do feel like this would be a good way to really throw caution to the wind and see some of our favorite people fight in ways we've never seen them. In this universe, it's not always the infected you have to worry about; other people are just as scary.
I would probably focus on the second game's plot here - a story of revenge fueled by love. We would witness our first death fairly early on as one character kills another as atonement for their previous sins. One of our favorite characters would barge in during the fight, only to be taken captive by the assailant's friends. Witnessing the death of a loved one is traumatic and, with every intention of killing the people who dared to hurt their loved one, the witness gathers themself and takes off on a hunt to get revenge on the person who wronged them. Finding themselves in an entirely new area with unknown threats around every corner, will they be able to make it out alive? Better yet, will they be able to make it out with their sanity?
Honestly, I'm not even sure. For the time being, I have a set of characters lined up and know who would be playing whom, but would have a lot further to go before I felt comfortable writing anything out. I am excited about it though and hope to someday feel ready enough to get something done for it. Until then, here is the actual trailer for the game as it holds quite a few hints at what's to come and who our set of characters could be. It is a bit gory which makes sense, given the universe we're in, but I wanted to warn you all the same. Anyway, the characters' appearances, the song choice, the subtle intensity, and the words they say to each other are very intentional and will make a bigger impact once I finally have this story ready to go. Every little detail matters. One word, in particular, may strike a certain chord in you and leave you guessing, but that's all I'll say for now.
Idea 7: In Comma Coriyama (Magicae Maxima sequel)
This was originally the name for Magicae Maxima, but, obviously, I chose differently. Now, I'm not sure if you could tell with the ending surrounding Serena, but I had every intention of making a sequel where she would continue being the possessed one like Mick had.
At first, Royce, Vivien, and Bentley would have no idea as she's always pretty bitchy at school and they're sort of busy helping at Mick's store and training their magic to see much of a difference. Having family around to help them grow as young mages is helping them become stronger and more capable of protecting themselves. In turn, Serena is growing more and more used to being possessed by the dark magic and, although she barely has control of her own body, she is still conscious and can see the effect the possession is having as it chips away at her relationships and targets the people she was closest to. When the possessed Serena, in a moment of freedom, begs Vivien for help after class, the brunette realizes something must be up and goes looking for answers.
Obviously, this isn't all I have, but I might be working on this for the spooky season, so I'm keeping things vague!
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Headcanons:
I have a long list that is still looming both on my phone and in my notebooks, but it will take me time to get them all here, so for now, this is all I have lol.
This may or may not come as a little bit of a shock, but Mick and Vivien are distantly related. Mick’s family in New Hampshire is huge and, while they don’t know they’re related, they’re actually cousins. Mick’s great-aunt was married to Vivien’s great-uncle and they moved down to Texas long before the girls were even born, let alone before they met.
Growing up, Bentley was always upset with being compared to his brothers academically and, when Royce noticed this, his paintings stopped and his sketches practically disappeared. He wanted Bentley to feel special about something and, now that art is Bentley’s “thing” Royce refuses to so much as touch a crayon unless Bentley asks him to. He’d rather stick with photography.
Riven taught Vivien drums so she could join his band and she taught him Morse code so they could talk to each other in skating meetings without having to say a word.
Mick tried to lighten her hair when she was thirteen so that she could look more like her dad, but the bottle of Sun-In that she used only served to turn her orange until they could get it fixed at the salon.
Vivien got a perm once and was mad that she looked like a poodle, but then Carrie pointed out that she looked like one of the girls in an 80s movie and she was alright with it after that. When it faded, she had no intention of getting it back, but still curls her hair from time to time because she misses the bounciness of the curls.
Carrie, Mick, and Vivien have a game they play to see who can fluster their boys the fastest. Over time, Butchy became accustomed to it and flipped the situation back on Mick more often than not. Miles has his moments of clarity with Carrie and can occasionally fight fire with fire, but they’re few and far between. Royce, on the other hand, is almost always taken aback by Vivien’s advances as she switches things up on him all the time.
Kona taught herself how to swear in three different languages so that she could say things around her family without getting caught. Her languages of choice were German, Japanese, and French, which made things more than a bit awkward when she found out the Murphys could understand what she was saying.
Bentley has the weirdest tastes. He loves bananas, but hates banana bread. Can’t stand oranges or grapes, but likes them as flavors in soda or snow cones. One of the ones everyone gets a kick out of is that he doesn’t like strawberries, but enjoys strawberry ice cream.
Vivien found out she was claustrophobic while in a mirror maze at the town carnival. She was with Riven and his dad at the time and Riven practically carried her out of the maze. They both swore they would never speak of it again, but Riven still teases her about it now and then.
Kona is a completely unique form of chaos and molds perfectly with the Troublemaker Trio. While Royce is organized chaos, Vivien is adventurous chaos, and Bentley is creative chaos, Kona is a sort of unhinged chaos. This girl holds nothing back and will not hesitate to be absolutely insane. In my mind, they’re almost like the Penguins of Madagascar. Royce is Kowalski, Vivien is Skipper, Bentley is Private, and Kona is 100% Rico.
Mick and Bentley wander off a lot in crowded areas (the mall, carnivals, concerts) and have been told by some of the others that, if they keep things up, they’ll be forced to wear one of those toddler leashes. Bentley doesn't give a shit and dares them to try, so they do. It wasn't his proudest moment, but he didn't exactly care, either.
Miles doesn’t really care for cake. It’s just not his thing. He’ll eat it, sure, but he prefers ice cream or, even better, ice cream cake. The only time he willingly eats cake is when someone in the family, especially one of the kids, makes some as he doesn’t want them to feel bad about him not trying some. 
Vivien has a habit of getting people addicted to things she enjoys. One time, she unintentionally got Butchy and Miles hooked on a very specific brand of energy drink that she has to order online and get shipped to her house, so every time a shipment comes in, she goes to the cabin, bursts in like the Kool-Aid man, and yells, “I’ve got the drugs!” at the top of her lungs. The same thing happened when they went to the mall and she made Carrie try a Japanese soda (Ramune) that they now have to order in bulk because everyone keeps stealing them from the fridge. The one thing Viv is adamant she’s keeping to herself is her rootbeer-flavored popsicles because they’re incredibly hard to find and the only shop that has them, orders an entire box just for her at the start of every month.
Before the swear jar mysteriously disappeared, Bentley, Royce, and Vivien would find ways to cuss around the others without getting in trouble. At the mall, they would chant out the name of a certain sporting goods store (Dick’s) or when they went for walks and passed the local dam, they constantly made dam jokes. They found ways around things and even the ones who tried to get them to stop had to give them props for creativity.
I’ve kind of had this headcanon where, when Carrie or Mick get pregnant, Miles and Butchy get bizarre cravings for them. While all the girls want is chicken alfredo or cheddar broccoli soup, their men are craving peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, bananas slathered in maple syrup, and ice cream decorated with chocolate-covered pickles. Even though Carrie and Mick think all of Miles and Butchy’s random concoctions are absolutely disgusting, the guys can’t seem to get enough. For some reason, almost all of the cravings disappear once the babies are born, but some still stick around though the girls wonder if their interest in the foods is still genuine or if they’re just doing it for fun.
I had a headcanon for a while that I never really worked with as I found it sort of pointless as time went on, but I figured I should share it now that it’s developed into something different entirely. I had this idea that, after a while of thinking things over, Miles would talk with his Uncle Tommy about potentially adopting the boys. At first, it would have been Miles adopting them and then it became Tommy taking them in, but that didn’t really work in my head, so I scrapped it for a while. Now, my working headcanon is that Miles stays in close contact with Tommy and sends him things about himself and the boys like their big achievements, their grades, and their friends. If Tommy were to visit at some point, he wouldn’t be all that surprised to meet Carrie, Mick, Vivien, Kona, or the rest of the group and would be at ease going through town as though he’d been there before. I feel like Uncle Tommy would be their way of reconnecting with their mom’s side of the family and he’d be more than willing to travel the 7½ hours-long drive to see them.
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Musicals:
I had to shorten this list as I was running a bit short on time, but I'll add more later if it lets me.
Hello Dolly - I've already told you about this one, but the point still stands. I absolutely adore this musical. The thought of Miles as Cornelius and Carrie as Irene Molloy - a rich, self-made woman and a shopkeeper from a poorer background who fall in love despite everything around them - just makes me so happy.
Hadestown - I don't know if you've seen this one, but, to summarize, this is the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice - a story I absolutely adore. The story, the music, the ending, everything in this musical just screams of love and pain and there are so many ways this could go! Mostly, I could see Miles and Carrie playing a really good Orpheus and Eurydice while Butchy and Mick (or Xander and Juliet) take on Hades and Persephone, but the ideas are endless!
Chicago - This one is just for fun as I love the show, but just think of Carrie or Juliet as Roxie and Mick as Velma. The two of them vie for the top spot in the papers and fight for the publicity that their respective crimes give them, but both are unwilling to work together to gain popularity in the press. It’s just a fun little idea that I like playing with.
The Lightning Thief - This is only because I could see Bentley finding out this musical exists, listening to it all the time, and singing it as often as possible. With how much he liked the books, it feels only natural that he’d enjoy this just as much.
High School Musical on Stage! - This is simply because I feel like this would be absolutely epic. I mean, come on! How could it be any better than this? Carrie as Sharpay, Tanner as Ryan, Mick as Gabriella, Butchy as Troy, and Miles as Zeke - I could go on for ages about how insanely cool that would be! Honestly, I just love High School Musical and would love to see our characters in a show like that.
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Songs:
Not all of these are on my summer writing or inspiration playlists, but the vibes are there and I want to write something for all of them at some point or another! I will be adding more later, but for today, this is all I have.
Killer Queen - Honestly, I listened to this around Halloween time last year and was soooo tempted to write a vampire-ish story with Vivien, Carrie, Kona, and Mick in this little coven of killers, but nothing ever came of it. I had a plan for it to be this sort of small-town, murder-mystery-type story with the girls working with the Murphy brothers and Butchy (the town police department’s newest officer) to solve some murders in the area, only for it to be discovered in the end that the murderers were the girls all along and they were just leaving a trail of bodies for the boys to discover, eventually leading them to their deaths. I still have a sort of plan to work on this sometime, but it's just not at the forefront just yet as I think it needs a bit more work.
Crash My Car - I stand by this song being a song Miles relates to as he falls in love with Carrie, but before they’re together. I’ve paid a lot of attention to the lyrics themselves and I feel like they sort of cover Miles’ thoughts as it shows the way he goes from feeling like he has no chance with Carrie and wanting nothing more than to disappear for even thinking he would, to wanting to make a move, but not being confident enough to, to resigning to his fate and wanting nothing more than for her to be happy, even if it breaks his heart in the process. I just feel like, despite the song being fun and energetic, the lyrics tell the story quite well. 
Lizzy McAlpine: I have a few songs that come to mind for different scenarios, but not all of them make the most sense, so I’ll put the ones that sort of do.
Pancakes for Dinner - This could be for a few different couples, honestly. My first instinct is either Royce and Vivien or Mick and Butchy. It’s essentially just an admission of things stuck in the person’s head, spilling out ideas that they’ve thought of before, but been too shy to say out loud, but I just really like the idea of one of them writing it out in the early stages of their relationships or even before they get together and are just friends, wanting more and the other finding it at some point later on in the relationship and either confronting them or singing it to them.
reckless driving - This is a song for Juliet and Xander which is ironic as I hardly ever write them anymore, but I feel like this could be the tragic end to their story if she let him take her on a drive after breaking up with him. I mean, the contrast between her side of the story and his, the steadily growing intensity, and the back and forth between the two before the eventual sudden end of the song - it feels like Xander and Juliet. His obsession could get them killed if they aren’t careful and, in this song, that’s exactly what it does.
ceilings - Now, this one is something I’ve been mostly picturing for my novel version of the story, but I’ll tell you how I see it anyway. Mick and Butchy (his name is different in the novel for copyright reasons 😣) have taken an interest in each other, but Mick holds back her feelings as she knows that the world Butchy is from is nothing more than a pocket of time still stuck in what was once a 1960s sitcom. As much as she loves him, she can’t admit her feelings for him as she knows they live completely different lives. More than once during her stay in the nearby town of St. Pete Beach, he drives her home and, with each drive, she grows more and more fond of him before, eventually, he kisses her. That night, she realizes that, although she couldn’t be happier, he isn’t real. He’s nothing more than pixels on a screen and, sooner or later, she’ll have to leave with her family to return to California.
Selena Gomez: I love Selena Gomez and some of her songs just bring me through different scenarios that just appear out of thin air lol
People You Know - This is another Juliet song, but instead of entirely revolving around her relationship with Xander, it also represents her friendships with the others in The Sparx group. When she broke things off with him, they all kept their distance from her so as to not anger Xander more. She lost all of the people she was closest to in a matter of moments - hence the song.
Bad Liar - Tell me this isn’t another Miles and Carrie song. I mean, come on! It could definitely be something from before they get together, but regardless of that, they definitely share this song. Miles has the first verse - “I was walking down the street the other day, trying to distract myself, but then I see your face” and “Call me an amenity even if it’s in my dreams” are all him! Carrie takes the second verse as it reads almost as though she’s watching him at first and allowing thoughts of being something more to come through - “I see how your attention build; it’s like looking in a mirror” and “Paint my kiss across your chest. If you’re the art, I’ll be the brush.” Honestly, this song just reads as the tense, in-between stage where they’re friends, but they both want something more than that, but won’t say it, let alone admit it.
Florence +The Machine:
The Dog Days Are Over - This one is one I can see for a few different places. I always use the chorus as motivation to run (for obvious reasons lmao) and I can see it working well during a relay race at the end of Camp Wanamaker where each cabin has to work together to make it from one end of camp to the flagpole at the main office. Some more chaotic versions of this song are in dangerous situations (like in Through the Valley where they're running from infected), but I think having it be a light, fun scene is more entertaining as of right now.
Swimming - This is probably one of the songs I most associate with a mermaid/siren story, but it can also work fairly well for other things. I guess it just screams mermaid to me as I spent most of my time watching H2O as a kid.
ABBA: Boy are there a lot of these, but I'll narrow it down a bit.
Voulez-Vous - As if I needed more motivation for a story I already wrote a sequel for, here's another song that makes me feel like writing a prequel to Glory and Gore/Scattered Screams. This is a song that drives me to want to write about how Mack and Brady won their Hunger Games as well as how they fell in love and, honestly, if I wasn't already knee-deep in other stories, I just might!
Waterloo - Originally the title for How History Repeats Itself, this song has been on my list for ages mostly for the line "The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself." I just really like the song and the lyrics could play a big part in a story at some point, if things go the way I hope they do!
Dancing Queen - This one just always makes me dance and I feel like this song is what Vivien would have blasted for her seventeenth birthday. Tell me Carrie wouldn't drag her up on stage or something and make her sing along with her and make sure that she has the time of her life!
Angeleyes - This one I can't go into too much detail as I might have plans for this song in Camp Wanamaker. I'm not sure about it yet, but I might. Just know that I love this song and have every intention of making this one hurt!
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TikToks:
I don't have a lot of TikToks to put here just yet as I usually scroll Pinterest when I get the chance, but I do have a few that I thought would be fun.
This is how Royce prom-poses to Viv, don't bother telling me otherwise as I just won't accept it. Obviously, there would be a few changes, but the premise remains the same as I think it's just too epic to pass up.
This fits two different scenarios, in my head. One is the Murphy brothers and the other is when Miles moves in with Butchy and Lela. They discover this and have fun for hours.
Tell me Vivien and Riven don't do tricks like this on the ice all the time when Royce is around just to give him a heart attack each time.
Vivien does covers of songs like this in her room all the time when she's not practicing with the band and, while they don't exactly go viral or anything, she just enjoys posting her having fun on the drums.
This is Vivien with Miles. Tell me otherwise.
If Bentley ever cat-sat for Royce while he was on a trip for school or something, this would be the video he would send him to show him that the cat owns the house now. Royce would, in turn, send this to Vivien, asking her if he should be concerned.
After hours upon hours of listening to ABBA in the car with both her mom and Aunt Vivien, they begin to hear a tiny voice in the backseat and, one day, they catch this on the way to the mall for a girl's day. A few years later, when Butchy's driving Maisie, Leilana, and Milo (his and Mick's kids) to the playground for the afternoon, he catches them singing along to the radio in the backseat sort of like this and realizes he might have fucked up.
Also, as a final little thing here, I get a lot of my baking ideas from B. Dylan Hollis. This one is actually a snack I get every summer at the carnival and in my hometown at a seasonal restaurant as they make the best deep-fried candy in the world! My personal favorite is deep-fried peanut butter cups, but it's the same concept.
Adding this in here as I forgot to before, but you can’t tell me this isn’t their family game night. I have seen this family a lot on my fyp and I can totally imagine the gang getting up to this kind of chaos. The whole gang would be there and, somehow, Riven convinces them to play Cards Against Humanity. Regardless of who has which card and who has to read all of the answer cards, Butchy would be the dad in every scenario, 100%! I feel like the goal of the game would be to consistently give the most uncomfortable answers to Butchy to see how long it would take for him to make them put the game away.
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Anyway, that's it for today! I am off to visit my great-aunt and grab something for dinner before getting back to work on Camp Wanamaker since I wanted to make sure I finished this post today lmao. I hope you have amazing rest of your day! All the love! 💕
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timetravell · 1 month
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Twas the first day of school, here is a little recap:
We mainly went over all the new procedures. Theres one about phones and if they have to take it up 4 times in a row you have to pay a fine of 15 dollars. And the dress code regressed?? No teacher is enforcing it though. We still have the same tardy policy (10 tardies = ISS).
If this phone policy doesn't 'work' then we just- wont be allowed to bring our phones at all Which is a HUGE safety concern.
below is a recap of all my class periods <3
1st period: Colorguard
Nothing much happened here, again a lot of today was just a repeat of all procedures. There were a few band specific things, such as attendance, rehearsals, UDB, and stuff pertaining to the band hall itself. There is now a form so if need be, your istrument can be turned into the shop to get fixed!
We also cleaned out the guard locker room/area. All of the costumes from last year got put in one of the lower lockers. We somehow found stuff from seniors who left YEARS ago. And 3 year old water....in a jug still.. yikes.
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2nd: Forensics!!!
Im actually so happy I got to be in this class. Im looking forward to a lot of things in it. Especially the labs and that one lecture about blood splatters. Our teacher is actually absent this first week, but thats because he's also the volleyball coach. (Our volleyball team is in Hawaii for nationals I believe)
We had three assignments. One of them was designing a locker (mine is super cute, it has a Marina poster), the second was a Syllabus scavenger hunt which isn't due until tomorrow but I wanted to get a jump on it so I finished it at home. The third was homework, which was just a student survey.
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3rd: ELA
It was just, again, more policy updates and a little get to know you card. This class, thank god, wont be all on computer. We'll have some paper assignments. We haven't gotten our reading yet (which upsets me a teeny bit, but I'm sure we'll learn about it later in the week)
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4th: AP World History
I'm actually so exited for this class its not even funny. I was genuinley upset when we didnt get our unit 0 packets and when I found out we werent getting our textbooks until Friday.
We did learn that the AP teachers are no longer allowed to split that 70% weighted major assignments to 40/30. Which absolutely sucks, and on top of that our first unit is stuff our state says we NEED to know to get said World History credit. Which means we wont even be tested on it come spring. Our district hates us.
I actually have a good teacher for this AP class, last year I had a very (idk how else to put it) 'White privlidged' teacher. AND AND I narrowly missed being stuck in a class with someone I despise. Made me so happy!
I also learned that 'The History of the Entire World I guess' is pretty accurate! So I can use that as a study resource for like- a short summary.
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5th: Astronomy
SO SO SO excited for this class. And there is no math! None! (If they added math it would have to become an AP class). My teacher is so funny unironicly. He's very monotone and you would think he'd be a bore, but he's actually really funny in my opinion.
We actually will talk about why Astrology isnt real which I think will be really fun. I dont nessicarily believe astrology is real, I like the idea of it. But going indepts on why it isnt is going to be really interesting!
We also will get to learn how galaxies and solar systems form, which will be really helpfull for making my story, Abyss. Theres also gonna be night labs!! (if we go we get a free 100 on a test grade) And maybe some Day Labs if the school can get their hands on a solar telescope.
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6th: Geometry
It's geometry. There wasnt really anything of note here. Just the fact that i somehow have a class full of kids who dont care abt the Highschool grades. (I have confirmed this, it isnt speculation) It's gonna be a loud period..
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7th: Band (they split it up weird)
Again nothing of note. EXCEPT NOW I HAVE TO LEARN THE SHOW?? ON MY FLUTE?? WHAT??
Im in guard, i dont do 'band' until concert season. I cant work on my solo during this period OR my homework. Pissed me of factually because the original plan was as followed:
Used as a study hall
Practice choreography
Practice flute
But nope! They hate me! /j
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8th: Musical Theatre!
So many new people! Its gonna be so much fun! I have a lot of friends in that class so im really excited!
I already know the song im gonna do for our first solo, just gotta get permission cuz its technicly not from a musical (Wont say im in love from hercules)
Anyways thats it!! Tmmr will most likely have some more stuff so follow if you want to see!
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edwardslostalchemy · 8 months
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OC Game
I was tagged by @tododeku-or-bust thanks, my dude!!!!
I'm talking about my main girl who lives in my brain rent free, Carmen. :)
Name: Sofia del Carmen Portillo Guerrero, Hero Alias: Ripped Gate
Nickname: Carmelita, Meme (by her younger brother)
Gender: Female
Star sign: Aries
Personality type: happy, observant, intensely dedicated to fighting/sparring so she can be a little feral, quick witted, sassy with people who annoy her, trustworthy, discreet, cautious, positive, blends in with her surroundings when under cover
Height: 5ft / 1.52 m (she is 5 feet of whoop ass)
Orientation: Bisexual :D
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican/Hispanic
Favorite fruit: Mangoes!
Favorite season: Spring because that's when flowers bloom
Favorite scent: coconut-y smells because they're tropical, and because of Malibu rum
Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: Coffee, though she isn't opposed to the other two. She does love strong, caffeinated coffee that can keep her awake because she uses all the time of the day she can for her missions/research.
Average hours of sleep: 5-7, depending on the workload of the day, but if she needs to have information ready for her missions, she will sleep less than 5 hours.
Dogs or cats: DOGS!!! She and her family have owned dogs since she was a kid, and she had a husky that sadly passed away a few years prior to the beginning of my story. Now, she has a special husky as a guard/watch dog. Notice I said the dog is special.
Dream trip: She has travelled to various countries around the world for work, but she's never had the chance to go to Hawaii or other small islands like the Maldives.
Number of blankets: 4 blankets: 1 that goes under her when she sleeps, and 2 that cover her when she sleeps; and 1 she uses to wrap herself with whenever she's lounging around her apartment. She loves being warm.
Random fact: Her quirk is Portal Creation and she's the one person in her immediate family that was blessed with being able to make stable portals that are useful for transportation. She can create as many as 30 stable portals at once, and when she touches her younger brother's hand when he activates his quirk to stabilize portals, she is able to create 50 stable portals. She can even make portals over her eyes as a way for her to see into other locations, though this temporarily blinds her (but it's still so cool). She has to be very careful because if she doesn't concentrate on her portals, she could rip through time and space, which is not something she (or anyone else) wants. She can travel from place to place with it and it is very useful in combat because she can evade her opponents and then make a portal to attack them from the back; she can push villains into her portals to disorient them and this gives her the upper hand to apprehend them quickly after she kicks them out of the portals; and when her teammates create something with their quirks, she can store them in her portals to use for a later attack. She can't let her opponents stay in her portals for more than 3 seconds because they will lose their minds and she can hear their despair in her portals. She can also have other people walk through her portals to get them from one place to another, though it's better if she goes with them as their guide. One of her moves is called the "Grand Slam!" because it's an homage to her father, a retired pro hero who likes baseball; and it's her favorite sneak attack on her opponents by appearing from behind them through a portal and punching them.
I have so much to say about her!!!! And I have other ocs if others are interested, too!!!
I am tagging @eclipsedrawsthings and @an-aura-about-you !!! Please start a separate post if you do the game. <3
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defensenow · 4 months
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lizardtheacorn · 10 months
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okay so far we got
Coast Guard x Florida
CG x Rhode Island
CG x CDC
CG x Hawaii
CG x National Guard
CG x Gov
CG x AotJ
thank you guys the ideas (you know who you 4 are)
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heroes-anthesis · 6 months
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THE CRISIS: US HISTORY
The Empowered Creation Event, also known as the Crisis, was an event that occurred in early 2018. Humans across the world suddenly found themselves with superpowers. This led to a global rebellion against traditional governments, using the newfound powers as a way to counter militaries and police forces.
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The Estimated Territories of Each American Territory during the Crisis.This graphic is a rough estimation.
To date, only the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Ethiopia, Germany, China, and Australia are in control of their original territories. Saudi Arabia, and Scandinavia dissolved entirely, being replaced by either a new government or warmongering states. Russia controls a fraction of it’s land, with the remainder being controlled by a Siberian warlord.
In the United States, an estimated 15% of the population are Empowered, though only 10% are registered in the Empowered Personnel System . This number was decided among think tanks, accounting for similar population densities in other countries. Of that amount, about 2% were responsible for the warlord states, operating as leadership or militia forces.
The rapid formation of the Parahuman Soldiers, founded by Artur Stonewall in New York, gave the United States the manpower it needed to retake its former territory by the beginning of the next year.
Territories
-United States
The United States government, caught off guard by the Crisis, was able to maintain control of all territory from Maryland up to Maine. Within two months of the Warlord period, the US Army began testing the Parahuman Soldiers, using government aligned Empowered (Via military, police force, or general patriotism) as a counter force to the Warlords.
-The Neo Confederacy (Colloquially the Mississippi Khans)
The first “Warlord” group to rebel, prompted by a Black senator being killed in an Empowered attack. Following this, multiple other politicians were attacked and executed by a radical group, who then took control. Their territory covered North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
-New Vegas
Mob bosses within the Western hemisphere quickly took control, utilizing Empowered force and gambling debts to create a fighting force. The area was lauded as a safe haven for Empowered, who were welcomed indiscriminately provided they provided their services. Territory included Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Montana, and everything West of those states.
-Farmer’s Alliance (Colloquially Oz)
Due to the already sparse population density, the number of known Empowered in the region was low. Following the Crisis, many Empowered fled to The Midwest Alliance was created by a union of Unempowered farmers and hunters, citing claims against both New Vegas and the United States government. The territory included Dakota (Formerly North Dakota and South Dakota), Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota.
-The Northern Group (Colloquially, the Windies)
Local gangs were joined into one army, under the command of Antony “Windy” Lawrence. Though his power is unknown, it is believed that he had some form of mind control power. The gangs spread out, becoming the local police force in the area. Unempowered were forbidden from leaving their cities, and made to work manual labor. The territory included Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.
-Republic of Texas
Immediately following the creation of the Midwest Alliance, the Republic of Texas claimed independence from the United States.This new nation was the last one to be reclaimed; following the fall of the Northern Group, Texas made an alliance with Mexico, becoming a vassal of the nation in exchange for protection and resources.
-Lost Territories
Due to their distance away from the Continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii were taken by foreign nations. Alaska was taken by Siberia (Formerly Russia), Hawaii by China. Their distance, along with continued unrest within the continental states, has made recapture a low priority. Representatives of the government claim plans for recapture, but have noted worries of war with neighboring countries.
Timeline
January 1, 2018-People across the globe begin developing powers. These powers vary in strength, range, and effects. Government and Media Organizations label those people as “Empowered”.
January 15, 2018- The CDC and WHO label the sudden appearance of powers as a possible pandemic. Citizens are urged to isolate themselves from people who display powers, leading to a wave of unemployment of Empowered people due to the lack of a protective class status.
January 22, 2018-Prompted by a sudden spike of crime, the US Congress passes the Limitation of Powers Act, which makes the unauthorized usage of powers a felony. Additionally, this act creates the Empowered Personnel System, a list that all Empowered are legally required to register to on the first sign of superpowers.
February 7, 2018- The President of Russia is assassinated by an Empowered. That same day, an empowered man in Tupelo, MS, inspired by this event, attacks and kills a local State Senator.
February 12, 2018- A registered hate group, known as the Mississippi Khans, take over the Mississippi State Capitol, claiming secession from the United States. Armed service members are called back to the United States. On arrival, many eventually defect or go missing.
February 13, 2018-Riots begin within the Southern United States. The National Guard is deployed to Atlanta, Birmingham, and Tupelo, but are routed by Empowered Militia operating under the Mississippi Khans. Their leader, Jeffery Palmer, officially claims Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia as territory of the Neo Confederacy. Politicians and unempowered citizens flee the region.
February 22, 2018-In an unseen assault, multiple members of the United States Armed Forces defect, attempting to take control of the available weapons and vehicles. The attack fails, and the remaining members of the coup flee throughout the country. Many leave for the Neo Confederacy.
March 15, 2018- A coalition of gangs working under Antony Lawrence launches a sudden invasion based out of Chicago, Illinois. Damage done by the Assault of the Mississippi Khans prevents the National Guard from properly mobilizing. The coalition, under the name of the Northern Group, launched a sudden invasion of neighboring states.
April 8, 2018-The Northern Group officially stops their invasion after taking Virginia. In response, important members of the federal government flee to New York, establishing it as an emergency Capitol. Martial Law is declared within the remaining territories under US control. Congress labels all of the rebelling territories as enemy nations, and declares war. That same day, Command Sergeant Major Artur Stonewall receives the green light to begin a program for training Empowered humans.
April 9, 2018- The United States Congress unanimously votes to give President Maxwell Harrington emergency powers to deal with the situation, dubbed by historians as the Crisis. He declares martial law across all US territories along with dubbing any defectors as enemy territories. The Armed Forces are restructured into the United States First National Guard.
April 15, 2018- Mafia bosses who fled to Las Vegas, Nevada, initiate a hostile takeover of the city. Utilizing their manpower, connections, and powers, New Vegas is established, claiming dominion of a large portion of the Western United States. A broadcast is sent out to the rest of the nation, offering shelter for all Empowered in exchange for their labor.
May 3, 2018- Stonewall begins training the first class of Empowered soldiers, later dubbed Parahumans, in the Empowered Training Facility in Trenton, New Jersey. The Prepared Parahuman Program utilized an Empowered person’s instinctual ability to use their powers to provide an accelerated training. Leader Lawrence calls for a fortification of the Northern Border.
May 5, 2018-Due to a lack of effective oversight in the area, the National Guard successfully secures Virginia and West Virginia from the Northern Group. The first recorded assassination attempt on President Harrington’s life was thwarted by an unknown empowered. From then, an estimated two assassins each have allegedly been caught, tried, and executed by the CIA each month.
June 3, 2018- The first graduates of the Prepared Parahumans Program are deployed to Warden, Virginia in an attempt to rout an invading Neo Confederate platoon. The battle goes in favor of the Parahumans, who manage to force the platoon out of the Virginia border. The invading force, which was composed of the Neo-Confederacy’s strongest parahumans, retreated to Tallahassee due to their massive casualties and a misfire of a teleport ability.
July 4, 2018- The second class of Parahumans are sent to New Vegas, using the territory’s Empowered friendly policy to infiltrate the enemy. At the same time, a demonstration in Atlanta led to a large fire that decimated a majority of the Neo Confederacy’s supply of rations.
July 25, 2018- Major leaders of New Vegas are assassinated during a strategy meeting. The offending parahumans are apprehended, and held hostage. The second in commands immediately declare an invasion of the Farmers’ Alliance, citing a food crisis as the motive.
August 1, 2018-Citizens of the Neo Confederacy, both Empowered and Unempowered, riot following a revelation that the Khans were hoarding food and medicine. Many of the rebelling faction’s officers, including the President, Secretary, and Head Judge, are decapitated in a public execution.
August 15, 2018-The New Vegas Militia successfully capture a major farm in the territory of the Farmers’ Alliance. Despite a lack of an official surrender, the group claims control of the territory.
August 16, 2018- Neo-Confederate Vice President Humphrey Hitchcock surrenders at the border of Virginia. He provides key information about the Neo-Confederacy’s military in exchange for immunity. His safehouse in Maine is later destroyed in a claimed freak Empowered accident.
September 22, 2018-A group of unempowered within Chicago successfully manage to capture the main headquarters of the Northern Group, where leader Antony Lawrence is captured and executed. Using weapons found in the headquarters, the group manages to force a retreat of many Empowered soldiers of the faction, who flees to the Neo Confederacy and New Vegas. The First National Guard successfully annexes the territory, where a new base of operations and Parahuman training facility is established in Lexington, Kentucky.
October 30, 2018-A team of 50 parahuman soldiers Invade Tennessee from Lexington. With a strategy of killing every citizen, the state is captured by the team in two days.
January 2, 2019- The first recorded Empowered with Nation Level powers, Coraline Daniels, uses her power FIREBALL on the still independent Texas.75% of the population, including about 10 miles of neighboring Mexico, are completely destroyed. New Vegas and the remnants of the Farmers’ Alliance officially surrender later that day.
The Second Reconstruction
Following the surrender of New Vegas, the National Guard was deployed to every major city center in the country. All active Parahumans were called back to New York for additional training. In April of 2019, all remaining police forces, along with the Prepared Parahumans Program, were merged into the National Guard.
Due to outstanding service, Director Stonewall created the Warden Elite Team, consisting of high performing Parahumans within New York and Washington DC. These teams were designed to be extremely competitive, with the worst performing member demoted to Parahuman at the beginning of each month. Additionally, the Sovereign Guardians were also created, composed of ten Parahumans with nation level powers.
President Harrington, during his 2019 State of the Union speech, requested for his emergency powers granted to him by Congress to be kept, citing foreign enemies and possible sedition from disgruntled politicians. That week, a majority vote by Congress approved his request for another year. Since then, Congress has approved the retaining of President Harrington’s emergency every year since, along with a suspension of presidential elections and term limits.
The establishment of the Seer Department, spearheaded by the Original Seer, created a system of surveillance throughout the United States. Utilizing Empowered with temporal and spatial observation powers, the Prepared Parahuman Program created buildings known as Superhuman Oversight Bureaus in major city centers, as both a way to keep an eye on criminals, and serve as bases for Parahumans and Wardens
Within the first few months of 2020, President Harrington created new classifications, vigilantes and villains. Vigilantes, by definition, were known as Empowered who attempted to take the law into their own hands. Vigilantes apprehended by the police or Parahumans, were sentenced to life imprisonment without a trial. Villains, by definition, were regular criminals who used their powers to commit crimes that were not classified as vigilantism.
Complaints and Criticisms
One of the key issues during the Crisis was the role of the Empowered Personnel System established by the Limitation of Powers Act. While the system aimed to regulate and monitor Empowered individuals for security purposes, it also led to discrimination and stigmatization against those who were Empowered. Many Empowered individuals were given a status below that of a protective class, leading to widespread unemployment and isolation.
The use of Parahuman Soldiers, trained Empowered individuals working for the government, was also a topic of contention. The establishment of the Prepared Parahumans Program provided additional manpower for the government in their fight against the Warlord factions. However, the program also raised concerns about the line between using superpowers for national defense and exploitation of Empowered individuals.
The handling of the Neo Confederacy, a Warlord faction that claimed secession from the United States and controlled multiple Southern states, was also heavily criticized. The National Guard's inability to properly mobilize against the group allowed them to capture key states such as Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. In addition, the group's founders were allegedly associated with a hate group, and reports of food and medicine hoarding further made them unpopular among their own citizens.
The creation of the Vigilante and Villain classes are attributed to the rise of violent crimes. Experts claimed that while the change did help to hasten the justice process, innocent people had been imprisoned and killed unfairly, leading to those caught taking more radical actions against the government. This issue also went along with the creation of the Seers, where the lack of supposed privacy had a direct correlation with crime.
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"NASA 836"
The oldest and fastest F-15 in the world......
NASA 836 is a highly modified F-15B. It’s used for crew training, pilot proficiency and safety chase support for other research aircraft. It’s based at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.
The jet first entered service in 1974 with the USAF. NASA acquired it in 1993 from the Hawaii Air National Guard. NASA then modified it to support their test programs. They made it 1,000 pounds lighter than any other F-15 flying in the world, and installed new modern engines. The age of the jet, combined with its lighter weight and more powerful Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-220 turbofan engines, makes 836 the oldest and fastest flying F-15 in the world. The engines can produce almost 24,000 pounds of thrust each in full afterburner. The crew regularly take the jet past Mach 2, at altitudes of 40,000 to 60,000 feet.
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brookstonalmanac · 2 months
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Events 7.29 (after 1920)
1920 – Construction of the Link River Dam begins as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project. 1921 – Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. 1932 – Great Depression: In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans. 1937 – Tongzhou mutiny: In Tongzhou, China, the East Hebei Army attacks Japanese troops and civilians. 1945 – The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched for mainstream light entertainment and music. 1948 – Olympic Games: The Games of the XIV Olympiad: After a hiatus of 12 years caused by World War II, the first Summer Olympics to be held since the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, open in London. 1950 – Korean War: After four days, the No Gun Ri Massacre ends when the US Army 7th Cavalry Regiment is withdrawn. 1957 – The International Atomic Energy Agency is established. 1957 – Tonight Starring Jack Paar premieres on NBC with Jack Paar beginning the modern day talk show. 1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which creates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 1959 – First United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a state of the Union. 1965 – Vietnam War: The first 4,000 101st Airborne Division paratroopers arrive in Vietnam, landing at Cam Ranh Bay. 1967 – Vietnam War: Off the coast of North Vietnam the USS Forrestal catches on fire in the worst U.S. naval disaster since World War II, killing 134. 1967 – During the fourth day of celebrating its 400th anniversary, the city of Caracas, Venezuela is shaken by an earthquake, leaving approximately 500 dead. 1973 – Greeks vote to abolish the monarchy, beginning the first period of the Metapolitefsi. 1973 – Driver Roger Williamson is killed during the Dutch Grand Prix, after a suspected tire failure causes his car to pitch into the barriers at high speed. 1976 – In New York City, David Berkowitz (a.k.a. the "Son of Sam") kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks. 1980 – Iran adopts a new "holy" flag after the Islamic Revolution. 1981 – A worldwide television audience of around 750 million people watch the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral in London. 1981 – After impeachment on June 21, Abolhassan Banisadr flees with Massoud Rajavi to Paris, in an Iranian Air Force Boeing 707, piloted by Colonel Behzad Moezzi, to form the National Council of Resistance of Iran. 1987 – British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel (Eurotunnel). 1987 – Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and President of Sri Lanka J. R. Jayewardene sign the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord on ethnic issues. 1993 – The Supreme Court of Israel acquits alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk of all charges and he is set free. 1996 – The child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act is struck down by a U.S. federal court as too broad. 2005 – Astronomers announce their discovery of the dwarf planet Eris. 2010 – An overloaded passenger ferry capsizes on the Kasai River in Bandundu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, resulting in at least 80 deaths. 2013 – Two passenger trains collide in the Swiss municipality of Granges-près-Marnand near Lausanne injuring 25 people. 2015 – The first piece of suspected debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is discovered on Réunion Island. 2019 – The 2019 Altamira prison riot between rival Brazilian drug gangs leaves 62 dead. 2021 – The International Space Station temporarily spins out of control, moving the ISS 45 degrees out of attitude, following an engine malfunction of Russian module Nauka.
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