#Love and Price are founding members of the Ghost is so pretty club

[shepard-ram]

My ask deleted itself 🥲 Now I gotta write it all down again. I just hope I remember enough of it to make sense.

So bouquet, that’s some super cute ideas you got there. 👀 Mind if I build a bit on that god!reader idea?

So what if the reader was a chaos god? For giggles of course. Whenever a prank is to be done, the chaos god is called upon for their services. They may love chaos, but this specific god is more prone to aid calls for help for a prank then just a call for general destruction. It has to be fun or classy destruction, after all, they’re a god. Anyways so imagine dsmp members or hermits hearing about a little custom where you pray to a god before you pull a prank for it to be successful. I feel from the dsmp, after some prompting, the clingy duo would definitely be calling for the god’s services. They just wanted one prank of theirs to go right because recently their pranks haven’t been doing so well. And from the hermits, Grian def would be calling in some help. He’s a little clumsy and not always the best at pulling off a prank (but he’s still pretty good at it). So they’d have to give offerings to the god for the god to come and even consider helping them. What if god reader came up, and when asked what the price was for their assistance, they just reply with “I want a parrot, some feathers, a rock, and some kelp” because “human commodities” aren’t really given to gods because they aren’t “grand enough”. This is probably how Grian’s little Mustache Removal machine works. Just powered by the god. Makes sense how Mumbo’s stache could go anywhere so quickly and without anyone noticing how or where it went.

If they were a nature god, they’d definitely be more grounded and humble. I imagine from the dsmp, Nicki, Puffy, Ghostbur, and Tubbo would contact them. Nicki and Puff because of their flower shop. When they were doing research on what to do for their shop, they came across a story about a nature god that brought good fortune onto their followers or those who gave offerings. They would bring plentiful harvests and healthy, well fed livestock in the winter. So they thought it’d be a cute thing to do to christen their shop right before its grand opening. Ghostbur would have found them by picking flowers, along with Tubbo because I feel like the nature god would go around, mingling with the mortals and doing mortal things. Going and checking the nature to make sure everything is doing good. For the hermits,,, I’m unsure about who might try to contact the nature god. I mean anyone with a farm or a shop that sells organic material might make an offering for the fabled nature god but I can’t rlly think of anyone rn.

I’m gonna stop myself right there because I could probably come up with more but I shouldn’t. I think you could tell which one I was having the most fun with. Also welcome to the anon club Honey! That dad-dubs idea you brought up was so cute 🥺 -🦤

I love these so goddamn much I'm gonna be thinking about them for a while,,,

As a God of chaos you had people praying and offering to you for aid in destruction. To tear down order, but you never answered those calls. The ones you did entertain were the motals simply asking to use chaos to spice up routine, those were ones you liked. There were a pair of young boys who asked for a little luck with a prank they were planning. There was a man in a red sweater asking to use your powers for a machine to mess with his friend. Those were fun, in return you have a collection of everyday objects and animals from their world. Things that would normally never been seen as fitting offerings.

As a nature God you found yourself wondering the motal world often. You had a deep respect for those who loved the earth as much as you. You happily answered the calls of two women selling beautiful flowers, sharing the colorful plants you adored. You gladly talked to a ghost and a boy sitting in a field of blue flowers, watching bees buzz about. You had frequent visits to the hermits, they often prayed for everything from farms to growth of the gardens that decorated thier homes. They knew so much about your domain and used it in such a gorgeous way, you always gave them your blessings.

[gaypopandlockmein-blog]

Corrupt Monsta X

Hyunwoo (Shownu)

-          Owner of a high-end casino that deals in shady affairs

-          Known for being the silent and strong leader of the MX crew

-          Deals in swindling people of their money, weapons trading and the occasional drug trade

-          Is in charge of keeping the rest of MX under control (especially Minhyuk, who can get out of hand and nearly cost them all their lives once)

-          Has a back story that scares most anyone who decides to get close to him, though the MX crew (as they were coined by I.M) have no fear of their “teddy bear” leader

-          Doesn’t care for those who attempt to take down his business and can typically be found quietly whispering to Wonho or Kihyun what he wants taken care of

-          Puts a lot of trust into the small cluster of MX that he’s practically groomed for this business

-          Has the police and any high-powered people in the pocket of his finest suits, and typically can have any number of them purring like cats for him within minutes of opening his mouth

-          While he doesn’t speak often, when he does he makes all those around him melt at his feet

-          Never divulges into his personal life, but people whisper that he’s got someone waiting for him back in his office every time he disappears

-          Some corroborate this with talk of how he walks out with mussed hair, unbuttoned clothes and an otherwise disheveled and satisfied aura

-          Has been known, on more than one occasion, to react without thinking and has nearly lost his business due to the fiery actions that he will enact when someone gets too close to his personal life

-          Cautious any other time, but he doesn’t need people prying into his life and picking it apart

-          Tries to veer nosy people from his trail by bringing random citizens to his events or his office (though he never actually does anything with them, because he does have someone waiting for him back home and he couldn’t imagine ever hurting them)

-          Will occasionally drop in to play a game of poker and his expressions are so solid and stoic that no one ever wins against him, even if he has a losing hand

-          Known around the area as the “card handler”, though no one really knows where the name came from or what exactly it means

-          Hyunwoo doesn’t really either, but he likes the ring of it, and it makes him feel far more powerful (at the end of the day, it’s Jooheon who coined the name, because Shownu has tens of hundreds of business cards stuffed into his desk drawer)

-          One of the most secretive members of the MX crew and no one is ever going to get a thing out of him

Hoseok (Wonho)

-          In charge of security in varying places around the local community (banks, the casino, elitists houses, the strip club, bars etc.)

-          Tends to be seen at the strip club, though people don’t bother to ask why, assuming he’s there for the entertainment

-          Doesn’t actually care for the events there, but likes the aesthetic and the way the lights play on the shadows of faces

-          Enjoys dealing his work in the dark and is the one the MX crew relies on when they need to keep something on the down low

-          Has his eyes and ears everywhere, coming at a high price to anyone not a part of the MX crew

-          Knows the ins and outs of security systems located around the area, uses that to his advantage when he needs to be kept out of footage

-          Has been caught once or twice with different people on his way into his apartment, but the actual proof is eradicated long before anyone can get it out to the public

-          Likes to show off the muscles he’s acquired through years of training, and it proves to be enough of a deterrent to anyone who might otherwise want to bother him

-          Can be found next to Hyunwoo and Kihyun most days, as the three of them are closely tied in their visions for the future of MX

-          Tends to be on the conservative side, choosing to be a ghost among the crowd (even if his physical appearance and good looks make him stand out like a sore thumb)

-          Knows he can afford personalized clothing but prefers to stick with simple street clothes or a well-tailored suit that he had fixed up

-          Doesn’t often let anyone close to him, and nearly strangled Minhyuk when he called him a bunny (it still is a bit of a sore spot for both men, who will bicker like crazy if pushed far enough)

-          Enjoys toying with footage that he’s got access to for blackmail (heck, half of his major business transactions have to do with blackmail for cheating spouses and corrupt – ironic – elitists)

-          People know even less about him than Hyunwoo (he knows how to keep himself clean, so no one even knows about the house he frequents just outside of the city limits)

Kihyun

-          Local lawyer that is usually in defense of the prosecuted (always works with high-end clients that will pay him more)

-          Has been known to forge evidence, but the judges are all in Hyunwoo’s pocket, so no one ever calls him out for it

-          Has a rather terrifying presence, despite his pretty features, and has been known to scare people enough to keep their mouths shut

-          Easily brings people to their knees and has had more than his fair share of wins against the prosecution

-          People coin him as a player, which he can be (hell, where else is Wonho going to get his blackmail?), but he has a very intimate partner that he keeps out of the limelight purely so no one else will touch them

-          Doesn’t like the idea of getting his hands dirty, but has done so in order to gain information from people before (none of them ever say a damn thing, especially after the one who ended up popping up in the river a day later)

-          Persuasive beyond belief and his silver tongue gets him everything he could want and more without him having to raise a finger

-          Found frequently with Hyunwoo and Wonho, always whispering in the dark and murmuring secrets back and forth

-          The one to temp out any frustrations at the casino by reminding the person with the issue that he’s still got his hands on the files for that case he was defending (he could always bring the evidence to the judge and change the conviction)

-          Lives for the thrill of shocking a whole crowd of people in the courtroom and enjoys the look of rage in his opponents’ eyes

-          Wears perfectly tailored outfits wherever he goes (all of them created by someone who lives in Europe and that no one knows the name of)

-          Has been known to show up at a specific bar in town that is known for dealing in drugs in the back

-          No one ever has the nerve to say something about it, but everyone knows he’s got his hands right in that shit

-          He’s the epitome of being the snake beneath the beautiful flower

Minhyuk

-          Handler of all shipments for the MX crew (weapons, drugs, etc.), but comes off as an art curator at the local gallery

-          Typically uses this in to swindle money from the upper class and to steal paintings that have immense worth

-          No one ever catches him, and not just because of the security that guards the place (he’s got a photographic memory that allows him to recreate the paintings in perfect condition, so no one is the wiser)

-          His big mouth can get him in to trouble, which is why someone has to always accompany him when he goes to handle the merchandise that’s been brought in or is going out

-          This is usually Hyungwon, as he’s the only one willing to pull a gun out and immediately shoot if necessary (no one fucks around with him, so it only makes sense he be paired with the otherwise cutesy Minhyuk)

-          Much like Kihyun, he’s got a pretty face that brings people to their knees and draws them in on more than one occasion

-          Loves to flaunt himself about and tease anyone he deems worthy of his attention (has managed to bed more than half the population of people – though this has nothing to do with blackmail and more with his own pleasure)

-          Doesn’t have someone hidden away, as most of his infatuations are in plain sight, but has found himself recently far more intertwined with one person than he anticipated

-          Rarely is seen anywhere but the art gallery and the occasional museum trip (he likes small get together’s and large galas, but no one ever catches sight of him during these times)

-          Wears tons of designer clothing that everyone knows as soon as they see it (even if it was only talked about the day before)

-          Tends to come off as an ethereal sort of being that draws people in and swallows them whole

-          Occasionally dips into a pick-pocket lifestyle, but only when he really likes what the person is wearing or happens to have

-          His smile gets him out of most any problem he gets himself in to, and while he’s never one for getting himself in a messy situation, if it happens, he knows how to get out of it

-          Prefers to use less…physical means to get rid of his problems (thank god for Hyungwon again, or else he might have poisoned himself)

Hyungwon

-          Medical practitioner and a dealer of less seemly medicines (i.e. – Minhyuk’s go to for poison and other lethal concoctions)

-          Most would assume he’s actually a model, but he prefers his quiet corner of solitude out of the way of the big swarm of people that flock to the casinos and such

-          The one in the MX crew who had to be persuaded the most (didn’t really care for the aesthetic or idea, but the money was a game changer)

-          Has a young son that he keeps by his side 24/7 (especially when Minhyuk is over, because the last thing he needs is his kid getting messed up because of the loud mouth)

-          Enjoys teaching his child how to create medicines that help others and heal (most people who really know him wouldn’t understand why he was in the MX crew if they didn’t also know he was using the money to care for his child and their future)

-          Minhyuk’s back up whenever he goes to handle merchandise (has had to shoot someone more than once and has reached a point where it means very little to him)

-          Has minimal blood on his hands despite the number of people he has killed in order to maintain MX’s safety and control

-          Owns a small shop in his home that sells his services for medicinal purposes (a bit like an apothecary, except he also is the one dealing out the actual drugs)

-          Kihyun likes to stop in and chat with Hyungwon as he works and packages up the drugs for selling (he’s the only one Hyungwon allows to hold his son and hang out with him because he knows Kihyun understands where he’s coming from in some ways)

-          His prior relationship was terminated after realizing that they were attempting to use him for knowledge into MX’s business (has since stuck away from getting involved with anyone, but he finds it hard when the new babysitter is constantly noising around and getting close to him)

-          Is scared to some degree that all of this is going to come crumbling down at some point and he’ll lose his son, but he pushes those thoughts away in order to maintain composure

-          The last thing he needs is something to slip out

Jooheon

-          Underground rapper and weapons dealer

-          He and I.M work together quite a lot, given that they both enjoy the music scene and have battled once or twice against each other in that sense

-          While he seems soft and gentle to most anyone who hasn’t seen him rapping or dealing with trades, he’s terrifying once someone infuriates him or sees him in his less “fun” job

-          Has been up there with Hyungwon in terms of people killed, purely because he has to take care of issues that arise whenever he’s dealing weapons and someone decides to start problems

-          If he isn’t underground or dealing, he can be found stuffed up in the local music shop (it sells all sorts of things and he enjoys being the one who can pour money into it anonymously)

-          He also may have a small crush on the manager there and he loves seeing how excited they get when a new check comes in so the store can purchase more merchandise

-          He and I.M will occasionally bicker over what to do since Jooheon is too freaked out to get close to the manager and I.M is constantly pushing him to just do it already (even if they only fucked, it would still be nice, right?)

-          Has written and composed numerous raps and songs that can be tied right to his differing lifestyles, which everyone loves and thinks are just genius but don’t know they are real life experiences

-          Doesn’t really delve into the drug dealing aspect, but has stopped in to see Hyungwon before to get mended after a skirmish that didn’t end favorably

-          Has yet to lose any weapons deals or man power, though no one quite understands how that is the case

-          It really boils down to the fact that he brings all of three people with him and – if they fuck it up – they’re dead on the spot

-          Jooheon may seem sweet, but he’s not a soft person and he knows that he’s more than prepared to take on whoever wants to fuck around with him

-          Definition of street clothes has a picture of him there, with the occasional over expensive pair of shoes (he sees no reason to get all fancied up when he’s just going to get it bloody)

Changkyun (I.M)

-          Part two of the definition of street clothes (doesn’t even spend his money on anything expensive – prefers to have a stock pile of snacks compared to that)

-          Has helped Jooheon with deals before, but tends to stray away from that stuff, since he has no care for it

-          Underground rapper as well, though his music has a mixed variety of topics and will transition between the four or five different languages he knows

-          No one immediately knew what his part in MX was, given the fact that he literally coined the whole MX crew thing and seemed like some normal ass college student

-          Surprisingly, he’s the one that balances the funds and keeps track of all outsourcing that has to do with the business (i.e. – he’s basically the brains behind the operation)

-          Has ties with multiple people outside of the general area, so if they ever need a backup plan or somewhere to go, he’s the one to get everyone the necessary items (passports, fake IDs, paperwork, a clean slate, whatever)

-          Is a whiz in anything having to do with the computer or bigger systems (he hacked into the government database and ended up finding out all their secrets in less than five minutes when he was only a freshman in high school and people still don’t know it was him)

-          Comes off as kind of nerdy and random, but he knows exactly what he’s doing

-          Has no known record of himself (cleared that as soon as physically possible so no one would ever be able to tie him to MX)

-          He knows there’s bound to be a falling out at some point and he doesn’t want to be part of it

-          One of his ties happens to be a sort of on and off relationship, which he frequently goes back to because honestly, he just likes the sex

-          Doesn’t allow himself to give in to his emotions purely so that he can’t be taken advantage of

-          Has a laptop and computer system that’s decked to the extreme and covered in all sorts of stickers and shit

-          Seems to most like a regular IT worker, but no one knows that he’s secretly draining their information or bank accounts (doesn’t even rely on most of the other MX members for this stuff)

-          Smart enough to have created a virus that immediately destroys all evidence of anything you could want in a matter of seconds and never be traced back to the source

-          Likes to drop in at the strip club Wonho frequents if only to watch and relax for a bit

-          Has touched base with the drug portion of the operation, but he doesn’t care much for the use of it (he knows it’ll only fuck up his mind and the last thing he needs is to burn brain cells)

[esprit-de-corps-magazine]

THE MAN UNDER THE UNIFORM: Part 2: Arthur Currie Becomes A Pillar of Society

(Volume 24-02)

By David Pugliese

As the twentieth century dawned Currie’s life was at its nadir. Teaching seemed to offer only a life of gentile poverty. He had no economic prospects to speak of, a limited network and a stalled militia career. Illness, an affliction in and of itself, had forced him to sit out the South African campaign and his militia career was largely undistinguished.

However, in the spring of 1900 Currie’s joining Matson and Coles, the prominent Victoria insurance firm, triggered a remarkable change in his fortunes. Turns out he was successful as an insurance salesman and his income increased considerably and quickly as a result. Insurance company co-owner JSH Matson, despite being only half a dozen years older than Currie, quickly developed into a friend and mentor. Four years later, when Matson became the publisher of Victoria’s Daily Colonist, Currie took over as manager of Matson and Coles. In 1906, he also became provincial manager of National Life Assurance of Canada. Currie’s advancement within the industry speaks to his ability to master a new set of skills and stands as evidence of growing prosperity.

In 1908 he struck out in a new direction when he established Currie and Power, a real estate firm. Apparently, success in insurance sales allowed him to accumulate the capital to take this step. At the time, real estate was not sold by agents for a commission; the owner, developer, promoter and salesperson were one and the same. Currie and Power speculated in land. They relied on subdivision, development and sales, enhanced by the inflationary pressure of a hot real estate market, for profits. The considerable capital required demonstrates that Currie was getting ahead financially.

A friend, Augustus Brindle, describes an office with map-covered walls supplementing Currie’s pitch highlighting the specific features of each lot and parcel of land. The Victoria economy was booming, and the city regarded itself as “the best-paved, best-lighted and best boulevarded city in North America.” A lot in Fairfield, a new suburb, bought for $400 in 1908 could be sold for $5,000 four years later. Colonel Hugh Urquhart, historian for the 16th Battalion (The Canadian Scottish), asserts that Currie netted over $17,000 on property sales in 1911. A history of the province published in 1914 described Currie as owning “much property in Victoria and surrounding area” while operating from “commodious office premises on Douglas Street,” in the Vernon Hotel.

Socially, Currie’s profile and influence grew with his new-found financial success. On August 14, 1901 he married Lillian Warner (née Lucy Sophia Musters). The nuptials were a highlight of the Victoria summer and garnered significant coverage in the social pages. The Colonist described the bride’s gown as a “handsome costume of cream satin, with veil.” Dispensing with specifics, the Daily Times simply noted she was “extremely pretty.” To a friend, Currie confided he had presented his bride with “a handsome ring set with diamonds and opals.” Over the next decade, the couple would have three children: Marjorie (1902), Garner (1911), and a child between them who died in infancy.

Affluent and with an established home, Currie’s community profile was growing. A gifted marksman, he joined the British Columbia Rifle Association, quickly assuming the presidency, a position he held until the outbreak of war in 1914. It was in this role that he first encountered Sam Hughes. A politician and publisher, Hughes was a fanatical proponent of the militia and saw the citizen-soldier as the ideal warrior. An organization promoting martial arts among the citizenry earned both his support in Parliament and his active participation as a member of the national executive. Through the militia, Currie became friends with Hughes’s son, Garnet, a fellow militia officer four years his junior.

Currie was also active in the Orange Lodge, rising to Deputy Grand Master of the Victoria District of Freemasonry in 1907. Politically, he was a lifelong Liberal and spent two years as president of the Young Men’s Liberal Association of Victoria. By 1911, his public profile was such that he garnered an entry in Who’s Who in Western Canada. Along with being senior partner in Currie and Power, it noted he was president of both the King Edward Mine and the British Columbia Rifle Association. Currie was also vice-president of the Artillery Association and a member of the Pacific Club.

Prior to 1900, Currie’s militia career was largely undistinguished. On June 5, 1897 he had been taken onto the strength of the 5th Regiment, Canadian Garrison Artillery, dubbed the ‘Dandy Fifth’, as a gunner. He received only one promotion. In the winter of 1897–98, he earned his first stripe and was appointed company secretary.

While the Canadian government loved the idea of the citizen-soldier militiaman, it adored even more his low price. Throughout the 1890s the Canadian militia reeled in the face of budget cuts. In 1895, all rural training had been cancelled indefinitely and the income of urban regiments was reduced by one third. Cost, to the public purse, competed with the ideal of competence. The Victoria-based 5th Regiment, Canadian Garrison Artillery, while models of sartorial splendour, were still training on ancient muzzle loaders that they would never fire in anger. Ultimately, in the pithy words of historian Frank Underhill, the militia were “not taken seriously by the country at large and hardly by itself.”

They were ill-equipped and undertrained at the very time that the pace of technological change was accelerating and revolutionizing the art of warfare. Historian James Wood describes the militia as “a social rather than a military occupation” and notes that their “martial enthusiasm far outstripped their expertise.” Consequently, the primacy of military competence was also neglected in terms of promotion. Patronage and personal wealth played a larger role in advancement in the militia than martial proficiency. As a lowly high school teacher, Currie could neither socially earn nor financially afford promotion.

However, his militia career took off as soon as he entered into business, in large part a reflection of his increased income and influence. Less than a year after his illness, he skipped the rank of sergeant and was gazetted a 2nd lieutenant. Eleven months later, he was promoted to captain, and appointed CO of No. 1 Company. Subsequently, in seven of the eight years he was CO, the company won the Regiment Efficiency Shield. In two years, he advanced from the ranks to captain. In May 1906, Currie was promoted to major and became second in command of the regiment. He became the Dandy Fifth’s CO on September 1, 1909 along with promotion to lieutenant-colonel. Again his unit excelled: In four of his five years as CO they won the Governor General’s Cup as well as three Landsdowne Cups and two Turnbull Shields.

His units’ achievements testify to Currie’s skills as a militia trainer: As a militia officer he also remained a star pupil. As a lowly subaltern he averaged 96 per cent in examinations. He earned a First Class, Grade A badge from the Royal School of Artillery. In early 1914, he achieved the highest grade in a course on the Franco-Prussian War conducted by Major Louis Lipsett. Historian Tim Cook describes him as “perpetually devoted to soldiering,” and Currie once confessed, “When some of my associates were playing lawn tennis or swinging golf clubs, I was at the armouries or on the rifle ranges with the boys.” In the 1900s the Canadian militia was no potent military force, yet Currie was one of the best of a lacklustre lot.

While Currie had no combat experience when he arrived in Flanders in 1915, he had led a military operation, and done so with intelligence, effectiveness and flare. From 1912 on, strikes and union drives persisted across Vancouver Island’s coal mines. In August 1913 a labour dispute between coal miners and mine owners in Nanaimo, north of Victoria, became increasingly violent. The Chinese miners were seeking a first contract as members of the United Mineworkers of America. Canadian Colliers (Dunsmuir) Ltd responded by locking them out and bringing in scabs. On August 12, after violent disturbances and erroneous reports of as many as six deaths, the Attorney General of British Columbia, William Bowser, ordered out the 88th Victoria Fusiliers and Currie’s Dandy Fifth.

Commander of the Victoria Fusiliers, Currie’s predecessor as CO of the 5th, Colonel John Hall, was in command of the operation, but he fully acknowledged Currie handled the deployment, exhibiting “wonderfully accurate powers of sizing up the situation.” A detachment of special police arriving by boat had previously been beaten off by a mob on the docks. Currie determined that the docks had been neutralized and that even an alternative approach would require an accompanying diversion.

Thus while Currie’s main force did travel by boat, it landed at Departure Bay, five kilometres north or seaward of Nanaimo. While the miners concentrated south of Nanaimo, preparing to confront a small, but very public diversionary force en route by train, the main force was able to secure Nanaimo. While the constitutionality of the Attorney General’s deployment of the militia has been questioned, its efficacy cannot be. Currie attained his objective by occupying and pacifying Nanaimo while using both manoeuvrability and misdirection to avoid violence. Conceived with flare and executed flawlessly, Currie’s performance did not go unnoticed.

In the wake of the Nanaimo strike operation, Currie was preparing to wrap up his militia career and retire as CO of the Dandy Fifth, but a ghost from Currie’s heritage, ethnic chauvinism, was about to intrude. The Victoria Fusiliers were the preserve of Victoria’s English elite. Since its appearance in late 1912, the city’s Scottish merchant class had been hollering for a Highland regiment of their own. On August 24, 1913 the federal government authorized the 50th Regiment (Gordon Highlanders) and the search for a commanding officer commenced.

Currie, whose militia experience the Daily Colonist described as “second to none in the province,” was soon being touted as a potential CO of the new regiment. He prevaricated. Unbeknownst to his boosters, Currie was preoccupied with a personal financial crisis. The building boom that Currie had ridden on an inflationary wave to affluence and influence had crested. The market dried up and when buyers disappeared, Currie’s heavily mortgaged properties quickly became liabilities. Currie, accustomed to overseeing vigorous sales and growing profits, was suddenly struggling to avoid insolvency. In his current financial straits, Currie could not afford to assume command of the 50th. Arguably, his time and energies were also better directed to redeeming his precarious personal finances. He only agreed to take over the regiment when a financial saviour agreed to underwrite the regiment in return for the honorary lieutenant-colonelcy.

His friend and now the regiment’s second-in-command, Garnet Hughes, was influential in persuading Currie to accept the position. Six months later, Garnet played a key role in the back and forth between Currie and his father that saw Currie placed in command of the Second Brigade at Valcartier in August 1914. Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur William Currie, ages 38, suspended over a financial abyss and months earlier on the verge of retirement from the militia, was on his way to war.

Currie was embarrassingly unassuming in appearance and bearing. Early in his militia career he actually hired a fitness instructor to improve his posture. A great bear of a man, he stood almost two metres tall. Unfortunately, his Sam Brown belt rode up over a substantial belly that, along with an ample bottom made the more unseemly in jodhpurs, had him forever appearing like a uniformed Michelin Man. A soft chin, fleshy mouth, and bare upper lip did little to create a martial mien.

Appearances are deceiving and the things this southern Ontario farm boy with the 3rd class teaching certificate carried with him, were about to blossom. In three years he would be commander of the Canadian Corps, indisputably the most potent fighting force to take the field in the First World War; he was regarded as one of the best, if not the best, general in the British forces; and he was reputed to be in line to become the next, and first colonial, British Army commander if the war went on into 1919.

[flatsuke]

KBTBB College AU

yet another AU I’m a sucker for lmao

@maidofstars @bolt8826 @tsundere-eevee​ @themysticaldaydreamer @alolan-lillie lmaooo

Eisuke: 

Currently majoring in Finance and Economics. He hopes to one day take over the Ichinomiya Group. 

Though he comes from an upper-class family, he got into the university without using connections — he got in through his own merit.

Every time he and Shuichi share a class, they both get into such heated debates that the professor has to kick them out. 

If he doesn’t get a grade he likes, he’s the type to march into office hours to harshly negotiate for an A lmao

He drives to school, but he never lets people in his car ever. 

The best at group presentations and oral reports.

He has a not-so-secret crush on the cute part-time barista that works at the campus coffee shop. He always tries to flirt with her, so the customers behind him end up getting pissed.

Soryu:

His major is Criminal Justice. He wants to fulfill his dream of becoming a detective, or maybe even a lawyer.

He can usually be found studying at the top floor of the library, where it’s very quiet. More than once, he’s caught Mamoru sleeping in the study rooms. It ticks him off.

Eisuke once dragged him to a party. Soryu was so hammered that Eisuke had blackmail material for months. After that, he vowed never to go to parties with him ever again.

Poor bean, he usually does all the work during group projects. But he’d gladly drop his groupmates’ names  — it’s only fair, after all.

Currently roommates with Inui and Samejima. The former always manages to piss him off because Inui keeps breaking their only goddamn printer.

He set the fire alarm in their apartment because he once tried to make an omelette. It failed.

He volunteers to walk people back to their dorms/cars late at night because he’s a gentleman.

Baba: 

He’s a Psychology major! No one could tell at first glance, though.

Though he can usually be found at parties, he’s a pretty smart student. He’s usually on the Dean’s List every semester. How???

You can bet this guy has flirted with the TAs more than once.

The all-around best bro. He’s everybody’s designated driver, fake date, cover-up story, and wingman.

He works for the campus radio station, and he usually plays a corny love song of some sort.

He rides a bicycle to school. It’s way more environment-friendly than using a car. Plus, he can people-watch.

He has a secret internet double-life. Online, he’s a famous internet personality that gives love advice to lonely singles and brokenhearted people.

Ota:

To nobody’s surprise, he’s a Fine Arts major.

He always sits at the back of the lecture halls/classrooms so professors won’t call him out to recite.

One time, he was so focused on his painting that he drank out of his dirty water cup. Needless to say, he spat all over his soon-to-be masterpiece.

He sings in the shower. It annoys his roommates not only because he’s loud, but because he’s terrible at singing.

Poor Ota always has to carry all his bulky-ass materials to class for his installations. MC, the kind soul, always offers to help him whenever she sees him.

He once tried to sneak his dog in the dorms. It didn’t end well.

One of his projects requires some form of nude sketches, and he’s currently debating with himself if he should ask MC to volunteer…

Mamoru:

He’s a Law Enforcement major.

He’s the guy that only shows up during midterms and finals, but somehow miraculously passes the class??? No one has ever seen him study.

He usually rents a single study room so he can sleep in peace, but he usually gets caught by Soryu.

Once went to school in his pajamas. It was quite comfortable, actually.

He never rents his textbooks on time, so he mooches off his classmate’s textbooks.

In group projects, his groupmates all think he’ll bail out on them, but he surprisingly manages to produce quality work (despite being really lowkey about it).

Usually remembers his deadlines at 3am, so he rushes to the printer at the dead of night and prays to all the gods that he remembered to buy ink.

Shuichi:

Currently studying International Relations.

Eisuke’s his rival when it comes to everything. Class debates, Associated Students positions, the last textbook, the line at the campus cafe, etc.

Lives alone in an apartment near campus. He enjoys his privacy, but he occasionally enjoys a visit or two from Hikaru.

He will not hesitate to correct a professor if he thinks they’re wrong. 

Always goes above and beyond with page/word limits. Minimum 4 pages? He’ll submit a 15-page paper, complete with proper citation and a fancy clear file.

He goes to parties dressed as his alter-ego, Shu. No one can tell they’re one and the same because unlike his usual self, Shu is a fucking party animal.

He chugs way too much black coffee during finals week.

Luke:

He’s a Biology major.

He sometimes forgets to eat, so MC saves a muffin for him from the campus cafe.

He’s usually late because he likes to feed the stray cats that stay near the campus.

He never attends floor meetings or parties unless he’s forced to by Eisuke or MC.

When he studies, he doesn’t sleep at all. He’s pulled a week-long all-nighter several times.

He works part-time at the campus clinic, but people are afraid of him because he seems so intimidating. He’s not. He’s just reeeally tired.

He usually spends his lunches at the campus cafe so he can hang out with MC and have her brewed tea.

Hikaru:

He’s a Computer Science major.

He somehow has access to notes from every semester. He’s willing to share them…for a price, of course. 

He was in the same orientation group as MC, and ever since then, he’s been purposely trying to annoy woo her every chance he gets.

He works part-time at the campus computer lab, and he once changed the all the wallpapers to this for a month.

Rides a motorcycle to campus. He thinks it makes him look cool, but he made sure no one saw him fall off the first time he used it.

He always brings take-out whenever he visits Shuichi. Sometimes, he even stays over.

MC was so pissed with him one time that she served him a cup of milk instead of the ginger ale he asked for.

Bonus - MC:

Currently taking up Hospitality Management. She managed to get in the university through an academic scholarship.

She works part-time as a barista at the campus cafe. For some reason, there’s this one customer that keeps trying to flirt with her…

If there’s a place giving out free food, chances are she’ll be there.

One time, she was at the library studying for her final at 2am, and she could’ve sworn she saw a ghost (nah, it was just Mamoru going to the bathroom).

She always fights Hikaru because he has the notes she needs, but he won’t give them to her smh

She usually prefers to walk or commute to campus.

She signed up for the Tres Spades Club because it seemed like a really chill club with a few members, but when she saw eight familiar assholes, she regretted it immediately lmao

[papermoth-bird-blog]

Ontario: Toronto the not-so-terrible-afterall.

When asked where I am from, I have varied answers. Not, because I am confused, but because mind my races with what is true for the version of myself I am speaking from. These days, I usually respond with Halifax, though that is not strictly true. I mean, it is true, when speaking to people from outside the province. My adulthood, my current nature, is a direct result of having spend the last 7 years on the eastern coastline. For someone who has come-from-away, I have sunken pretty thoroughly into that identity. Alas, I wasn’t born on the coast. 

I was born in the big city of Toronto, Ontario- an east-end girl. The Danforth, Riverdale park, the farm, the beaches. That was my childhood. I experienced a lot of trauma growing up (which I won’t go into here) which has always stained even the happiest memories associated with this city. Making it extremely difficult for me to come back here. I haven’t been home for Christmas in a couple years, I really haven’t been back for more than a week in 6 years. And yet, there it is, I still call it home- though in a very small voice that rarely escapes these days. That concept is so utterly wrapped in fear for me- the centre of capitalism, the place where I am triggered the most, the place where I had always felt most small in the world. 

It was in Mexico, that those thoughts started to unravel. Katie stopped me in the midst of a thought spiral about “going back to Toronto”. She said, something helpful for me, might be re:phrasing my travels to Ontario- “Stop saying ‘going back to’, just saying ‘going to’”. It’s true, the words you unleash on the world act as spells. They create our reality in the fundamental way they fill in the narrative that we (whether we realize it or not) are writing about our lives. And, I found my own narrative become undone, by a simple shift in prospective. 

Suddenly, I was going “to Toronto”. A place that was big, new & held the possibilities any other one of the cities I recently visited carried. Instead of dragging my feet around the places I knew, I was determined to remind myself of the places I’d forgotten, and the ones I had yet to see. For as much of the city, I have met, it has changed & is filled with so much more that is still strange to me. 

The same, could also be said for the way I am able to interact with my family. I could see them as the same as always, or I could keep my eyes open to the ways they are trying to evolve. Though, not naively. With confidence in my own ability to discern what I can handle in any given moment & being able to assert what is good for me. 

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My first day in the city, I found myself practically skipping down the street. My mother & I walked around the Danforth- a street that I’ve long felt I knew every inch of. It was strange (but not altogether shocking) to see how much it had changed. The Tim Hortons that had me the local hangout for those too young for bars was boarded up. From what I heard from my sister, it was still the same high school haunt as of last summer, and suddenly it is no more. It’s strange how much it stirred me. A few weeks ago there was a fire, that burned the local dinner to the ground too. And yet, there are things that are still the same. Unchanged, in the way that small-town institutions can be sometimes. Alchemy, sells the same Nag Champa-infused hippy clothing. Mikes music, still smells like the old stuffy record shop it has always been. The display in the front, faded with age, but unchanged otherwise. We stopped for lunch at the cafe my mom loves best- Mocha Mocha. The art on the wall had changed, the menu prices a few dollars more than I remembered. I ordered an Orangina to drink while my mom ate her veggie club- the same way we had since I was three. But we spoke about more adult things, how our lives had changed in the time I’ve lived away. All the good, and some of the worse. I hummed along to the memories of 70s roadtrip music my mom had been playing that morning as I hunted for treasures in our old tickle-trunk. 

I braved the deeper city & called Mia to join me. The stink of the subway evoked an alien fondness, that I’m sure will subside again soon. I was filled with a rush of what it meant to be in this city again. All the times I had come home late from parties in the east end. The times we roamed around aimlessly in the west end. The half-complete project Ali & I had set out on to collect a transfer from every station on the subway lines. 

I found myself re:routing a few times along “secret paths” between houses that no longer existed outside of my memories. But, I also found myself doing things out of long standing habits I had entirely forgot about until I was in the moment again. I brushed my boots on the edge of the escalator, I whistled softly along to the subway chimes and  held my breath over the bloor-danforth viaduct. It was if I started playing a game with the ghosts of my former selves. Repeating the same behaviours, because I saw myself doing them before (with more specific, superstitious purpose then). 14-year-old me stuffed into the seats with my friends from high school. 11-year-old me “surfing” in the aisle when I couldn’t get a seat. 5 year-old me jumping dramatically over the yellow line, into the car, because I thought the yellow was bad luck.  I laughed to myself, as if I was playing along with the games my former selves motioned through. 

I met Mia in Kensington market, one of my all-time favourite spots in the city. We sat in Jimmy’s coffee and talked about transitions again- shifting of perspectives & the things that brought up there. We picked through racks of our favourite vintage stores. Dreaming up occasions to wear the excessively-fringed outfits, or the lace ball gowns. We laughed about the fact that we had both already bought wedding dresses for occasions we never intended to follow up on. 

Courage My Love has long been my favourite shop in Kensington. The walls are drapped in strings of bead, silk scarves & victorian undergarments. I found a postcard that reminded me of the moment we were in. As I wrote on the back of it, I fell into reverence for the wonderful nature of this city. All the colour, and all the different kinds of people that made this city their home. All the joy I had had walking around San Francisco, was met here too. I hadn’t allowed myself to stay curious with Toronto, and so I had fallen out of love with it entirely. Mia & I walked along Dundas for a long, long while. My eyes, your rather mind, opened to witness everything as brand new again. It was like falling in love with an older lover all over again. My difficultly with Toronto was about many things, outside of the city itself. It was a comfort I could find myself lost & in love with it again. 

The next morning, I woke early to make pancakes for everyone. It was even more strange to find myself lost in my parents kitchen. All the reflexes that had long been programmed, needed re-orienting. It allowed me to be more present & objective with my visit, something I hadn’t realized I needed so badly until just then. 

Over breakfast, my mother & I fell into heavy conversation over our mutual love for the radio. I supposed, that to highlights our mutual eagerness for nostalgia. A funny thing in itself - and a marker, in part of our shared difficulties in being fully present. The conversation had a different flavour, by the end of it though, as we both became so filled with optimism for the future. As I watched my mother move through her house, I saw the reflection of my mother in me- one that long scared me, but one I was becoming more comfortable with. My mother’s fondness for pottery from the 70s. Her love for old, rusty farm tools. The pile of gorgeous wool sweaters she has along her shelves. But also, her habit of telling stories in a thread of tangents, and the way she reaches to put on a record, as soon as we are back home. 

That night, my younger brother Isaac had a show with his band ‘Roovs’. He asked me to help him pick out an outfit. As we played dress up, we talked about our lives up until now. Though all my siblings are close, my brother is by far the most difficult to keep up with. Not because he’s really quick moving, but more so because he is a super quiet character.  Isaac was 10 when Ali & I moved away. Even outside of the fact that he’s grown almost two feet in height since then, he’s changed a lot. He threw himself into music in a fairly quiet way, but it is much of his life now. His primary instrument is the bass guitar- but he can pretty much figure any instrument out by now. In his high school band he plays trombone, tube, sousaphone & some piano. The ironic thing is, that Isaac is the one member of my sibling group that never took music lessons. He is entirely self taught & has a profound musicality that can’t be bought.  He’s really quite about it though and is pretty critical of himself. It’s good while he is still striving, but I worry that he can’t appreciate the things he’s achieved so far. 

We settled on him wearing the light brown velvet shirt I bought in Nashville. Subtle, but special. He went to go meet up with his band, and I went to meet up with Mia. We had been dreaming of a craft day since I saw her in California. We scrambled around her house, digging out all the re:purposeable bits we could find. I fell feverishly back into an embroidery project (with the limited amount of thread I managed to salvage). I am happy to be able to keep my hands busy again, in a midly-escapist way. 

Both of our mothers met us for dinner & we indulged in a large spread of Indian food. It was actually refreshing to hear our mother’s talk about mental health stuff & see they are both slowly chipping away at some of their traumas. I suppose progress doesn’t always keep a steady pace, but it seems both of them are taking mental health a little more seriously these days. I suppose they would though, after Ellie’s passing. 

We worked our way over to the beaches, where Isaac was performing. By the time we got there, the pub was already past capacity- which did not stop us from pushing in. I was actually amazed at how many people were there (I think Isaac was too). Before the show, he kept saying “oh I don’t think anyone is gonna show up to this one”, but it was so nice to see that wasn’t the case. It seemed like a lot of his classmates were there- even the ones he isn’t friends with. The boys all met at music camp the previous summer- though Isaac and Matt have been playing together for 4 years now. They are loud, and all of them so terrifically talented- I’m not just saying that as his sister. All of them (but Isaac) switched around instruments like musical chairs. There originals are fun & heavy & so full of energy. I only wish there had been more room to dance- especially during the improvised blues songs. I was getting itchy to swing dance. They clearly have a wide reference range (jazz standards, daft punk, zeppelin, the velvet underground). It was really impressive on a musical level, but further still, was the fact that the band feeds so well off one another. It was so nice to see them all so full of life & expression. Especially Isaac, who can be so stoic. He was hiding his smiles, but I could tell how proud he was & how hard he worked for all of it. I was beaming.

I flashed-backed briefly to my own very mediocre high school experience. I think mine was what it needed to be- nothing more, nothing less. I was glad to see Isaac was having a good one though. He’s always been pretty firm in his boundaries and not down for any of the bullshit that teenagers part take in. It seems he’s around good people & feels a part of something though, and that’s all I could ask for. When the gig was over, I could tell there were stirrings of an after party. Though I obviously wanted to fan over the show, we all decided to give him his space to be with his friends & went home. 

Just before we got out the door, Isaac turned to me & made sure we made plans to hang out the next day. He had said that he’d cancel any plans to spend the day with me- which almost made me cry. I’ve never wanted to make anyone proud the way I want to impress my little brother. It’s actually ridiculous. I can feel how much he loves my sisters & I. Though we can get caught up in our Halifax lives, I want to make a point of really making sure he knows how much we love him & are rooting for him in everything he does. And I really do. I believe in him being able to make the music thing work more than any other musician I’ve come to know.