#Never did have a DA account during it's prime but if this is what it was like then wow I was missing out.

[vioyume]

Y'all I managed to snatch myself a Sheezy account, and I'm actually enjoying it there so far.

I know that registration is really tight atm and is in beta, but it allows more than just drawings to be posted and really feels like a community is forming. So I suggest getting one if you're interested, especially if you're someone who is missing the old days of Deviant Art.

Make sure to read the rules before posting stuff though!

Oh yeah here's the link to my profile.

[liiilyevans]

What's your top 10 Harry Potter favorite characters?

Literally the most difficult questions in the world! AHHHH!

1. Ginny/George Weasley

We've got the Weasleys battling it out for the top spot because I honestly could not choose between them. I love Ginny's fire and her charisma. @harryissuchalittleshit and I discuss all the time the complexities to her character and her storyline. (This is a reminder to myself to write more Ginny in the future. Hold me accountable, Becky!) And then there's George, whose voice will be forever burned into my brain. I love a good healing arc and no one has a better healing arc than George Weasley, imo. Plus, he's the epitome of angst, and ya'll know I can never say no to angst.

2. James Potter

The man who brought me to the fandom. I love James. He's undeniably brave and unwaveringly loyal and terribly charismatic. I think leadership comes easily to him, and I love writing that. I think he's one of those people that others look up to, and that serves him well throughout his days at Hogwarts and the war. He's also not afraid to show his vulnerable side. You cannot tell me this man did not cry when Sirius Black turned up at his doorstep covered in bruises and with no where to go or when he married the love of his life because he absolutely did. Also, he's the president of the hot dads club so he's got to be pretty high up on my list.

3. Lily Evans

Can you tell I'm a fan of redheads lol? Anyways, Lily comes in third because of her compassion and her belief that others can be good. I think she's a very forgiving, but that doesn't mean you can walk all over her. You can see that in her friendship with Snape. There's a line in the sand and once you cross that line, she's done with you. Lily is great and wonderful. The only reason she's not number two is because I find her harder to write than James. James wears his heart on his sleeve, and Lily is more reserved, not closed off, just more reserved, and sometimes I have trouble with that. (And it's funny because most of my Jily fics are written from her POV.)

4. Angelina Johnson

This woman has me in a death grip. I think she's bold and blunt and caring all rolled into one and she's just fucking amazing. She takes absolutely no shit from anyone. I think she's the kind of person that I aspire to be but am too nice to be. So, if you ever read any of my fics and she's telling someone off, know that I am behind the scenes screaming 'YAS QUEEN' at my computer screen. I also think she cares deeply about those close to her. She doesn't show those emotions outwardly - only to certain people - but if you need someone to come bail you out of jail at 2 in the morning, no questions asked, Angelina is the person you call.

5. Ron Weasley

Are you surprised to see another redhead in the top five? Because you shouldn't be. I fucking love Ron Weasley, and I love to write from his POV. I think he's hilarious and his humor is very underrated. If you want to see prime Ron humor, go read Decision Making. He's doing the most in that fic and giving so much sass. Also, can we talk about how this guy is smart? Like super smart. Not book smart though, like street smart/strategic. Ron is the reason that Harry doesn't end up with his arm blown off when they first become Aurors, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

6. Astoria Greengrass

I have sadly not put out enough fics with this woman in them. I think she's such a spitfire, and she pushes Draco's buttons so well. Personal headcanon time! She was one of the few Slytherin purebloods who advocated for Muggleborns during her years at Hogwarts. She also helped any Muggleborns who were sorted into Slytherin (don't tell me there weren't any because there were), and did her best to make them feel at home. She wanted to join the DA, but knew that they would never trust her because of her house. She goes on to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and actually develops a good working relationship with Harry. I could write a book on this woman. (And don't tell me she died because we do not stan CC in this house.)

7. Katie Bell

Another lovely lady who I have put out very little about, but have written quite a bit. I think she's one of the kindest people in the series besides Lily Evans. She goes on to be a Healer and run St. Mungo's after she saw how much they did for her when she was cursed. I think she's an incredibly for forgiving person and also incredibly loyal. She and George have an older brother/younger sister relationship, which is another reason why I love her.

8. Hermione Granger

Hermione is a little harder for me to write because sometimes I find her annoying and roll my eyes at her (much like Ron does). But I still love her and her character and her smarts. I think she's very book smart, but lacks streets smarts. (which is why Romione works so well, imo) But I love her, and Harry and Ron would not have made it without her. She kept their heads above water for sure. I feel like she uses a lot of big fancy words when she thinks so I've always got a thesaurus and dictionary pulled up when I write from her POV.

9. Draco Malfoy

It's the redemption arc for me. I think Draco grows so much after the war and writing that is always fun for me. He's definitely still a snob, but it's more general and less directed than before. Also, I love his banter with Astoria. Like I don't particularly care for writing him pre-HBP so that's why he's this far down on this list.

10. Harry Potter

Are you surprised by this lol? There is a reason Harry is number ten though. And that is because I struggle to write him A LOT. For being the main character, I have a very difficult time writing his POV. (Any recommendations on writing him would be greatly appreciated because I'm currently working on a hinny multi chapter fic.) But I love his sense of humor and his sarcasm. (I mean, 'there's no need to call me 'sir,' Professor,' how can you beat that?)

Hope you enjoyed this!

[unsolvedmysteries101]

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann Documentary Review

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann takes a comprehensive look into the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine while on vacation with her family in Portugal. I decided to watch this documentary because not only does it relate to my topic to a great extent, but it also appeared back in the news recently as yet another person claimed to be her.

Although this was not included in the documentary, very recently, her case has resurfaced as a woman by the name of Julia Wendell created a TikTok account claiming to be Madeleine. Even though her videos have gained great exposure to authorities and Madeleine's family, it has been proven due to DNA testing that Julia is not Madeleine.

It has been sixteen years since Madeleine was last seen. How does she just disappear into thin air without a trace? Is this a case of human trafficking? Are the parents involved? Someone must know something....

At around 8:30pm at Praia da Luz, Kate and Gerry McCann walk over to tapas bar about 50 yards away. Prior to this the McCann's tucked their children asleep around 7pm. Mr. and Mrs. McCann went up to check on Madeleine and her twin siblings every 30 or so minutes. The last time Mrs. McCann went up to check was around 10pm where she found Madeleine's bed to be empty and Madeleine was nowhere to be found.

One of my biggest takeaways from this documentary is the fact that Madeleine's case received very extensive media coverage. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with this, but during the documentary the contrast of the press between Madeleine's disappearance and the case of 11 year old Portuguese boy, Rui Pedro, was very shocking. Rui Pedro's disappearance received very little coverage.

"I can assure you the money police spent on the Portuguese children is not even 1% of what they spent on Maddie," former detective Paulo Pereira Cristovao said in the Netflix documentary. 

 Madeleine's face is recognizable worldwide. Up to this day, she is known as the most reported on missing person in modern history.

I think this documentary did a great job at not only telling the story of what happened and the events that unfolded but it also appealed to the issue of many missing children's cases not receiving the same coverage.

The documentary in itself was released in 2019. This was 12 years after Madeleine vanished. I thought that the documentary would have included some new information on Madeleine, but this was not the case. The documentary is a good source for individuals who are not familiar with the case, but for people who have known about the case since it occurred, would likely be disappointed.

The people used as experts in this documentary were very relevant. Former detectives, newspaper journalists, and Portuguese authorities were all interviewed and appeared in this documentary. Since people such as these appeared in this documentary, I feel as if this source is very trustworthy for someone who may also be doing research on this case. These individuals were known to play hero roles in the documentary because of their countless measures to try and bring Madeleine back home safe. They were also very involved in the case and were trying to do anything in their power for Madeleine's return.

Initially, in the beginning of the documentary, the McCann parents were being investigated as prime suspects. Their involvement was eventually dropped four months later. I am convinced the parents were definitely involved because police sniffer dogs detected blood in the family's apartment and then cadaver dogs reacted again in Kate and Gerry's rental car. Crime expert Moita Flores, interviewed in the documentary, stated that “Maddie died in that apartment, I have no doubt.”

This documentary really made me think about the very people around me. Anyone can be capable of the unthinkable. It is important to never overlook the people you think would have nothing to do with a crime. Although this case is still an unsolved mystery I don't think it is a mystery at all. What do you think??

[alotsgonnachange]

Mystic Messenger Saeran’s AE Thoughts (.......And Prayers..) #Spoilerz

Hello, I just finished Saeran’s after ending and I have a lot of things to say and I am going to write it down while I'm still all keyed up about it.

First of all… Please DO NOT ask me how much money I spent to finish this as fast as I did…. I’m grown but my bank account is certainly going to have a good ole fashioned CHUCKLE at this….. It’s been a long quarantine I deserve a lil happiness as a treat methinks!

I have been playing this absolutely insane game since I think 2016? When I first started playing the deep routes had JUST come out I think? And I was just finishing up high school and am now a college grad...lmao

I’ve played all routes at least once except Jaehee but i’ve seen walkthroughs of her route (I’ve heard it makes you hate Jumin and he’s my favorite so um. hehe). V’s and Saeran’s routes I found to be so emotionally intense and just….a lot and I've been waiting a long ass god damn time for this after ending okay…. I would theorize and make up an ending in my head but i’m no writer so it was hard to figure out lol. I’m a Jumin stan mostly but I love everybody and yeah I should probably play that jumin dlc too but I need like a DAY to recover from Saeran’s AE. Enough about me HERE are my thoughts on it overall

Major Saeran AE Spoilers under da cut!

Can we please discuss V showing up to the C+R conference room with basically chloroform and made everybody Pass Out like??? I was alone in my room at like midnight just SCREAMING at my phone???? And the creepy ass CG ???? It’s like that gif of sarah paulson from ahs being like “I put arsenic in the wine….and the pasta”

Anyway I screamed at V a lot during this process!!

Loved RFA being sweet and kind to saeran (before V fucking drugged them…)

This is such common V behavior “I have to do it all myself...there’s no other way..” GIRL SHUT UPPP You do this every route....

SO many CG’s and I enjoy them a lot

Saeran’s sprite looks a little TOO crisp compared to everyone else but maybe its a glitch??? V next to him is in 480p while saeran is like 1080p

Hearing both Saeran and Saeyoung missing the other brother the whole time??? PAIN. All my homies know is PAIN

BOSS and his V for Vendetta ass guy fawkes mask??? I literally yelled “this game is TERRIBLE!!” several times at my phone

Their dad is so>??????? When he was sitting on the couch with saeyoung in that one CG while simultaneously telling him to kill himself?????????? Maybe chairman han is actually the best dad in this game somehow

When V and Rika were like we’re back together teehee teehee okay pack it up bonnie and clyde ..

When chairman han calls u and says hes jealous of u and saeran…..HUH????? I’m calling HR

When they go to the apartment and see boss and vanderwood and poor saeyoung is sitting there seeing his brother for the first time in years i wanted to D word sooooo bad like PAIN...PAIN….

Can we HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT JUMIN HAN BEING THE BEST CHARACTER IN THE GAME AND HE LOST EVERYTHING IN THIS AE……. he just took the blame and moved on jumin what the hell….. I love him so much r we serious? He watched his 2 closest friends betray him in the worst way and found out abt how Rika abused Saeyoung and Saeran???? I felt just AWFUL. Terrible ...Terrible….

Rika’s change in demeanor from Saeran's actual route is certainly a Choice. I find her much more bearable this time around and unfortunately i think I was too nice to her and ended up with a bad end LMFAO

I was happy to see Saeran stand up for himself and become stronger and confident. You go king!

The CG of Yoosung laying in Zen’s lap is everything to me…

HOWEVER YUP I sure did get a bad ending and I was so mad fdsafdskfdhsf ! (I would be happy to clarify how I got the good one the second time.) MAKE SURE To SAVE EARLY in days 2 and 3 bc the branches on day 4 is where the bad end will show up. For me it was the first day 4 chat and then a story mode titled “SAVIOR”.... If you see that RUN FOR THE HILLS!!

I was so mad! But I had saved in day 2 and replayed and MANAGED to get good end

I’m obsessed with everyone calling V and Rika “that psychotic couple” like…..its true its true…

No those two are so toxic… V’s route was torture watching them go on and on about the sun like yo can yall just call each other babe like normal people.

I respect straight people but not V and RIka that shit was just wrong… Straight marriage was a mistake

Oh lord i also FULLY Forgot Rika killed the twins’ mother…. Yeah that scene was um Certainly a lot but it needed to happen eventually

Like it’s good they know but damn that storyline is just so bleak

I think it was satisfying TO A DEGREE….To see Rika understand where she was wrong, why she was wrong, fess up and even APOLOGIZE! I was very surprised.

Saeran and Saeyoung are Certainly twins with the amount that those two self sacrifice in every route MY GOD…..

The scene with Jumin talking to his father and the other scene of him praying oh my god I cannot tell you how happy I was to see him begin to understand and address his own feelings in a route that was not his own. My main problem with Jumin’s route has always been the trapping MC in his penthouse aspect.. This way Jumin understands love and emotions without being overly possessive !!! YAY also loved seeing him be on good terms with his dad who was surprisingly profound

That last Story mode was Really a Lot…. and Strange things occurred which I will get into in just a minute

Jumin becoming a politician is so funny but ngl … i see it.

Yoosung going to france to study pastries ok king I see u! (it made more sense to me than the vet thing anyway)

Lastly Zen FURRY ERA

MY BEEF With the AE

I was happy with how they handled it for the most part. I think Cheritz heard our feedback about V’s after ending and was like okay….let’s try something different

HOWEVER

Saeran…. Sweet kind saeran… IS SO AFFECTIONATE HAHA….

He must have said I love you like 300 times…..very mushy gushy flowery language...and maybe that’s just his personality but for me it was like eating cake with buttercream cake. It means well, but god damn is it sugary and going to cause a stomach ache later.

He was just… SO MUCH! SO forward and ON all the time in his affections. I honestly felt kind of smothered and by day 3 and 4 I was sooooo over all the compliments… King you’ve come a very long way, but ur still putting MC on a pedestal and probably need to see a therapist.

Nextly….Rika and V….. Naw that knock out gas really ...that hurt lol. Coming from “I would do anything to protect RFA” V? Idk like…. EYE felt betrayed reading that. It was just hurtful. I can’t even imagine how the members would have felt as they were passing out. It was just so cruel. I suppose I understand why but like?? Just TERRIBLE

Them being in cahoots with the agency and the prime minister..HUH??? Also too much

V just felt so irresponsible like I do understand that he ended up in a weird web of secrets that’s hard to untangle but he’s so fucking stubborn he’s SO stubborn it makes me insane. Like sir… It seems like in other routes he wanted to try to protect Rika and the RFA.. But in this AE it seems more to me that he was like yeah i’m protecting Rika and That’s It… so fucking hurtful to me. Both of y’all apologize ESPECIALLY to the twins and Jumin..

The forgiveness thing…… Okay so I think some people will not like that Saeran decided to “forgive” the people who hurt him (Rika, V, Saejoong, his mother). I would point out that I actually think this was approached somewhat well. He says at one point that he doesn’t think they’re good or bad, just people. I think he sounded mature and like this was the way for him personally to accomplish his healing process. Would I have loved for Saeran to flip V and Rika off and kick Saejoong off a cliff? Yea I really would. But like…. If that’s what HE needs to do to heal then who am I to judge?

HOWEVER…. Everything Eye just said goes out the window when the scenes at the end with Saejoong come up… I was PERPLEXED. Like why did he HUG his deranged father who just kicked the shit out of him??? Also all the chat options that MC has with him r like blah blah you’re like this because no one loves you were so corny to me LMFAOOOO?

AND WHEN HE WAS IN THE ROOM LATER WITH SAERAN… i’m sorry but if that were me I would have called a nurse to deck his ass. Cool he turned himself in YOU SUCK SOOOO BAD AND I NEVER WANT YOU TO COME NEAR SAEYOUNG AND SAERAN AGAIN THANKS.

*scratches ass* I wish I got to see saeyoung and saeran finally sit down and have that first conversation after a long time and hug CG but the ending was fine I GUESS….. I dont care about ROMANCE I want those boys to be happy brothers together

Anyway that was really emotionally exhausting but I fr think I got it out of my system after literal years… And I can rest in peace knowing the choi twins are happy. THATS ALL I WANTED TO KNOW!!!!

[kayr0ss]

Perfect, or Not

[LWA, Diakko, cooking, trying new things, Diana needs a break from all the expectations, cute fluff!, domestic cute girlfriends, STAY AT HOME]

Diana and Akko navigate perceptions, vulnerability and... a cooking activity?

---

Diana once told her that what made her different from everyone else at Luna Nova was that Akko never thought she was perfect.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Akko had asked, caught off guard by the admission.

“A good thing.”

She didn’t fully understand it back then—she was much, much younger—but as the years flew by and led to their eventual romantic involvement, Akko began to get it. When it came to Diana, it seemed as though the whole world had one form of expectation from her or another: model student, soon-to-be heir of magic aristocracy, and later on a well-respected front-runner in the educational career she had chosen.

This was mostly due to the fact that Diana Cavendish rarely made mistakes. Seriously. Ever. Her reputation was held in such regard that even as a student, the instructors at Luna Nova made exceptions based on her opinions (which may have infuriated a younger Akko who had no idea they would end up dating). But even back then, she could see it bearing down on Diana’s shoulders like rocks piling up; and how hard it was becoming for the young Cavendish to keep it balanced lest it all come falling down.

Within their first year of dating, the brunette came to a realization: Diana never failed because she never did anything she might not be good at. She figured it out during a fishing trip of all times! Diana had tucked herself behind a book and under the shade of her wide-brimmed (and very stylish) hat while Akko wrestled with what felt the Master of the Swamp of that darned lake.

“We went all the way out here to fish! Won’t you even try?”

“You seem to have it covered. Fishing isn’t exactly within my area of expertise.”

“And so?”

Diana looked up at her and blinked in confusion, as though the concept of doing anything just for the heck of it was completely foreign to her. “I… well.”

They had to cast the rod seven times before Diana even got so much as a nibble, but fishes be damned—Akko didn’t give up on her that afternoon.

Biking was another activity which Diana had obstinately refused to even consider doing, she fondly recalled. Now this sucked for Akko—it really did—because biking around a park dusted with autumn leaves was kind of on her ‘couple bucket list’, except the other half of said couple didn’t even want to get on the bike.

“We have brooms. This is completely unnecessary.”

“It doesn’t have to be necessary,” Akko took her hand and practically dragged her towards the bicycle. “Don’t you remember what it was like for me to learn flying? Come on, try it for me!”

She’d never forget the how visibly difficult it was for Diana to say this, and that it hurt her to see how the blonde seemed to be expecting some form of judgment. “I… don’t know how.”

Akko laced their fingers together and made sure Diana was looking into her eyes when she said,

“That’s okay.”

Diana seemed surprised.

“I’ll teach you?”

--

This year, Akko’s birthday fell on a lovely, overcast Saturday. There were no dinners or parties to be held on account of a recent outbreak, which left her in the company of Diana with whom she now shared an apartment. It was more than enough.

What she wasn’t expecting, however, was for her girlfriend tap on her shoulder, looking a little excited and reluctant at the same time, asking: “Could you help me bake a cake?”

Akko’s eyebrows shot up, and she blinked away from her video game. “Oh. Without… magic?”

Diana nodded, and Akko lowered her line of sight towards the paper bag the blonde witch was carrying in her arm. Ingredients?

Akko dropped her game—her island and its denizens could wait.

“Please tell me you wore a mask when you went out to buy those!”

“Of course.”

--

Their first obstacle for the afternoon’s baking session was cracking the eggs.

“By Jennifer, I’ll always be amazed at how eggshells are both so fragile yet strong.” Diana accidentally crushed another egg, and braced herself for a witty remark form Akko, but none came.

“That’s okay,” Akko beamed, handing her another egg. “One more time!”

Encouraged, Diana picked up another egg and decided to just smack the damned thing along the rim of the mixing bowl. Oh. To her pleasant surprise, it cracked open obediently. “Right along the prime meridian.”

“P—Prime meridian!” Akko chortled, “mou, Diana, you’ve made the egg into a little Earth!”

Diana wanted to roll her eyes in annoyance but found herself smiling instead—Akko could get away with murder weilding a laugh as warm as that.

“Come on,” Akko stole a chance with a kiss to her cheek, “we’ll make a chef outta you yet. Time to get to mixing!”

The brunette had a good spot of fun during the first five minutes watching the taller witch mix. But Diana started grumbling about how her arm was sore, and so it was Akko’s turn to, to quote her girlfriend, “toil.”

“Someone’s comfortable,” Akko teased, leaning back when Diana decided rest her chin on the opposite shoulder of her mixing arm.

“I’m simply resting,” the blonde replied with a rare dash of jesting. She brought up her arms to circle Akko’s waist, squeezing a little bit while she planting a small kiss on the brunette’s shoulder. “Thank you for agreeing to teach me.”

“And what a teacher you’ve picked!” Akko giggled. “The last time I baked a cake, well… you were the one who brought Lotte to the clinic for a stomachache.”

Diana chuckled, and Akko couldn’t help but love the way she could feel the sound of it through her back pressed against Diana’s chest. “You know, I…”

“Mhm?”

“I always liked you teaching me new things.”

“After making beg all those times? You liked it after all?” Akko stuck her tongue out “Betrayal!”

“Oh, come on.” Diana nudged the side of Akko’s head. “It’s just… I always remember how I lost my magic when I was younger.”

Akko kept quiet, bring her pace of mixing to a slow, smooth motion.

“The kind of expectations my family had, and how hard it was to learn everything. Everyday. On my own. I remember how I couldn’t even cast simple spells, and how I told myself I’d never feel that… inept anymore. Not at school. Not at work.”

“But now, Diana, I’d say you’re pretty amazing.”

"That’s... Thank you.”

“But you don’t have to be,” Akko reassured.

“I… just never thought that. Not until recently. It felt right to be perfect—fit everyone’s preconceptions.”

“I don’t think you need to be perfect.”

Akko felt Diana’s arms wrap themselves around her a little tighter, felt her firsts clench with the way the cloth of her shirt balled up in them a little. The blonde witch relaxed, and then nuzzled against Akko’s shoulder.

“And I love you for that. Among many other things.”

Akko turned her head to kiss Diana’s temple. “Oh! Other things like what?”

“Must you always ruin these cheesy moments,” Diana rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.

Akko laughed, dropping the mixing spoon to turn around in Diana’s embrace and drape her arms around her neck. “Indeed, I must! But for the record, I’m sure Hannah and Barbara don’t think so too, you know?”

Diana wiped a spatter of chocolate mix off Akko’s cheek with her thumb and licking it off on instinct.

“I love you.” Akko smiled, “even if you can’t bake to save your life.” She slowly brought a hand to cup Diana’s cheek and she tilted her head, inching forward for a soft, warm kiss that tasted like chocolate.

She really couldn’t bake. But somehow, Diana thought that was just fine.

---

An hour later, they found themselves trapped in an apartment that smelled like rich—yet slightly burnt—chocolate cake.

Diana looked a little lost and adorably sheepish, holding up a tray with a cake shaped like a… a rhombus? The frosting was uneven, although the birthday message was written in perfect handwriting (which was no small feat for a beginner!). Her sleeves were rolled haphazardly, and the apron looked hopelessly awkward on her, but by Jennifer—

(“Happy birthday,” she lifted the tray up as if to say ‘ta-da!’

Akko smiled so wide her cheeks hurt.)

—she looked absolutely perfect.

--

fin

---

A/N: Howdy folks! Firstly I genuinely hope everyone is safe and doing well. Stay at home--and stay properly informed! Secondly, aaaa I’ve missed writing and I’ve missed the fandom so have a cute fic! I have another idea which I’m excited to write!

This was the product of me getting so TIRED OF WRITING A RESEARCH PAPER all night and READING FOR THREE HOURS just to WRITE ONE SENTECE so I’m sorry if the grammar is kind of whack or for typOs you see sir it is 7;30am sir..,.,., i haven’t slept helpe meEe I am but an ant in a colony  L I F T

[imagines-dreams]

A Good Name - Tim Drake Imagine

Rating: PG

Warnings: fluff and future, and a flustered Robin

Summary: As a part of Young Justice, you have seen a lot of weird things. But being called (Y/n) Drake was by far the weirdest thing. (Aka I read a fic that I can’t remember the name of where Impulse called reader Mrs. Grayson and I took inspo from that idea to make one for Tim! Someone, aka @despitealldoubts-blog found the fic so here it is! Future Mrs. G by @cait-writes-stuff inspired this!)

Word Count: 2785

“Stand ready,” Nightwing commanded.

The four of you readied yourselves as the unknown source or ball of electricity formed and dropped a transportation device of some kind. It dropped right onto the floor, smoking and whirring, and when smoke billowed out of it, someone jumped out.

“Ta da!” A boy, bright red hair, white and red outfit with a yellow visor. You didn’t recognize him from any database you’ve seen. Not a notable hero or villain. Maybe a hacker or inventor, from the looks of the machine. Could be a thief, an aspiring supervillain, or just a big fan of superheroes.

The alarm went off. “Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert.”

“Computer, lock down cave,” Nightwing said.

Gar tilted his head. “Well, I think we found our unknown energy impulse.”

“Impulse,” the stranger mulled it over. “That’s so crash! Catchy, dramatic, one word.” He appeared by Nightwing’s side. “Like Nightwing.”

A speedster!

“And Robin.”

To you, “And Knockout.”

To Gar, “And Beast Boy.” He blinked.”‘Well, that’s two words.” He talked even faster, and soon, he was trying to explore the cave to find things. With a laugh and a mock salute, he was gone.

“You three, take him down.”

“On it, Nightwing!” you responded. You cracked your knuckles and ran alongside Robin and Beast Boy. You caught him in a hallway and with a smirk, you punched the ground. It splintered under your strength. He wouldn’t be able to run.

And you were wrong. Impulse, whatever his name was, ran up the wall and over your head, back to safer and sturdier ground. You groaned. Nightwing was not going to be happy.

Robin sped out from the kitchen, just to trip on some dispelled tile.

You giggled. It was worth it.

Robin stared at you. “Nightwing’s gonna kill you.”

You shrugged. “Nah, I’m good. It’s nice to see you fall on your ass, Robin. Shouldn’t you have wings or something?”

“Guys, come back,” Nightwing said. “I’ve got him.”

Your jaw dropped. “How…” You shook your head.

Robin laughed and patted your shoulder. “Come on.”

As Impulse explained himself, you grew more and more confused. Time travel was theoretica, and no one could agree on what would happen if it was achieved. Does time travel work so that what you do in the past is actually what happened in the past, like time travel was meant to happen and was accounted for in a neat timeline. Or, was there different timelines, and if so, does the previous timeline disappear or does it become an alternate universe all on its own.

You pressed your fingers against your temples. This was just a tad too much.

“So,” Robin concluded, “you’re a tourist from the future.”

“Why look so surprised. Half the meat at Comic Con are from my era.”

Robin rubbed his chin, and you knew that face. He was doubting the information he got. Trying to find the tells of a lie.

You crossed your arms. “If you’re from the future, you should be able to prove it.”

“Ah, well, my identity is kinda a tell, if you know what I mean. Superspeed, the red and gold.” He smiled up at all of you. “I’m Bart Allen, grandson of Barry Allen. You know, the Flash, Barry Allen.”

“Noted.” Garfield smirked. “Not believed, but noted.”

“What’s not to believe? I’ve got it all! The speed, the amazing good looks.” Impulse’s eyes lit up. “Frankly, I can’t wait to meet him. You know, back when he was still in his prime and all.”

Nightwing sighed. “Well, Bart, coming all the way from the future, you must have worked up a thirst.” He brought a cup of water to the intruder. Tracker, no doubt.

“Thanks!”He sipped the water. “Oh! Ah, you’re trying to get my DNA!” he spat into the water. “That’s such a Dick Grayson move.”

Robin’s eyes widened. “How did…” He looked at his mentor, and Nightwing, or well Dick, just stared at him, trying to figure it out himself.

“Aha! See, I know things that only someone from the future with an amazing Flash legacy to carry would know.” He looked at each of you, and without pause, said, “Dick Grayson, (Y/n) and Tim Drake, Garfield Logan.”

You bit your tongue. That was not your name. Your name was (Y/n) (Y/l/n), not (Y/n) Drake. And Tim? As in Robin’s name was Tim. Tim Drake? Your eyes caught his, Tim’s, and thank god for Garfield, because he spoke before the two of you could stutter about what just happened.

“Your name’s Tim? And your is, uh, Dick?” Garfield cringed.

You smiled as much as you can, and with heat still blooming in your cheeks, you laughed. “Gar, your name is Garfield, like that cat who hates Mondays.”

“Hey!” Garfield poked your chest. “I don’t like Mondays. So, I take that as a compliment.”

“You really shouldn’t,” Tim agreed.

“See, thank you.”

Garfield groaned and covered his face. “No wonder you two got married.”

Just like that, Tim and you looked anywhere else but each other.

“Oops. Spoilers.” He shrugged. “The secret identity is so retro. You can call me anything. Impulse, Bart, Bart Impulse Allen. All’s crash.”

“He can’t actually be telling the truth,” Robin, Tim, insisted. “He can’t be from the future.”

Garfield leaned in close. “Tell us something we don’t know! Yet.” The boy smiled, so proud of himself. “So, when do I become leader? Or part of the Justice League! Or, hear me out, my reality show? Good answers only.”

“Sorry, BB. Never was the best at history. Plus, I shouldn’t say any more spoilers as to alter the timeline. I mean, now, Tim and (Y/n) might not get married and have Jack  and Anna. Oh, god, we will all be feeling the mode.”

Jack and Anna. “Kids?” You gulped and looked to Tim. Sure enough, he was staring at you, too. There was something in his eyes, behind the mask, that screamed surprise and awe, and you weren’t sure how to take that. Tim was your best friend on the team. Maybe not your best friend ever, since he didn’t know your name and you didn’t know his until after Impulse, but still.

He was so amazing, really. Intelligent, strategic, hard-working. You still got surprised every time he actually wanted to spend time with you.

And then, this kid from the future is telling you that that guy, your best super friend and the smartest person on the team, falls in love with you? Has kids with you?

Then, Impulse escaped. Beast Boy went after him, and Tim was back to clearing his throat and forgetting all the information he had just received.

You sighed. “I’m gonna go train. And, uh, Nightwing?”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing!” You pursed your lips. “Just, you know, some slightly chipped, broken, maybe possibly shattered tile in hallway B6.”

“Knockout-”

“Ok, bye!” You ran off to the gym. Nightwing had too much on his mind. He wouldn’t go after you just yet.

So, you took deep breaths. When you entered your small, personal gym, it came to life. The light turned on, and your playlist filled the air. You sighed. “Computer, I need you to search for Tim Drake.”

“On it, Knockout.”

As you worked out, you kept asking your room questions and pieced together bits of information.

“I need a list of billionaires who operate business at least once a month in Gotham,” you said, as you stared at the wall of holograms during your cooldown. “Cross reference the list with the list of people associated with Tim Drake.”

“The list consists of seven people.”

“Read them out, please.” You gulped down water and listened.

“Anthony Edwards, Roberta Stark, Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor-”

“Wait.” You stared at the profiles of these people. Seven people that were both associated with Gotham and Tim. Only one of them fit the bill of eccentric billionaire who takes in kids and fights crime with only a tight suit and fancy gadgets.

“Bruce Wayne,” you whispered. “Computer, pull up a picture of Batman next to Mr. Wayne.” Oh my god, how did no one figure it out sooner. They even had a similar physique. “Who are children that are associated with Mr. Wayne?”

“Dick Grayson-”

“Aka Nightwing.”

“-Barbara Gordon-”

You’d recognize that bright red hair anywhere. “Batgirl.”

“-Jason Todd-”

The old Robin.”

“-and Tim Drake.”

You gulped. Four kids, just like how there were four kids under Batman. Two of which were named by the kid from the future.

“Pull all of their pictures up, along with Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin three years ago and Robin now.” All of their physical profiles were similar. Even Jason’s and Robin’s. And Robin’s disappearance was near Jason Todd’s reported death. Robin’s reappearance matched the year Bruce and Tim’s dad, Jack Drake, were acquainted.

You stood back and laughed. “Wow.” You were sitting one of the biggest secrets in history. You knew who Batman was! The Batman! You knew who Robin was, who Nightwing was, who Batgirl was. You knew all of their secret identities.

“I knew you’d figure it out.”

“Robin!” Your computer hid all the files. “Find what out? Nothing to see here.”

“Mhm. Computer?”

“Yes, Robin?”

“Bring up the previous files.”

“Of course.”

You gasped. “Wait! No-” And all your files of the Batman and his associates appeared on the wall behind you. You shook your head. “Thanks, Computer.”

“You’re welcome, Knockout.”

You stared at your feet and joked, “I really should program Computer to detect sarcasm.” you turned to your data. “I still can’t believe no one knows. I mean, it’s obvious.” You pointed at Mr. Wayne. “This guy is one of the only billionaires who operates in Gotham weekly, and Batman is known to have multiple, custom made gadgets. Even if he made them himself, he’d need a lot of money to maintain that, so billionaire is in the description.

“Then, there’s the fact that Batman has many sidekicks or associates or what have you. So that means the the billionaire must be associated with kids, maybe even adopt them. And Mr. Wayne adopted two kids as his wards. The first one of the two being an orphaned trapeze artist who was adopted around the time that Robin showed up for the first time. And it helps that Robin was known to do amazing tricks and stunts when locking up criminals.”

With all the pictures and articles around you, you couldn’t help but wonder. “I mean, it’s obvious.”

Robin laughed. “To us, it is.”

You tilted your head. “Us?”

He nodded. “Computer, can search for a video with the keywords, ‘Grayson,’ and ‘quadruple somersault’?”

Two videos popped up, one of which was a small boy performing the very difficult trick.

“The second one. Now, Computer, bring up footage of Penguin and Robin about six years ago next to it, please.”

The two videos played at the same time, and you saw why Tim brought it up. The kid in the first video was a young trapeze artist, Dick Grayson. The second video had Robin perform the same difficult trick when he defeated Penguin.

You laughed. “That’s how you found out?”

“I saw Dick perform when I was a kid. I recognized it in this video, and when I thought I needed to, I approached Bruce.”

You blinked. “When you needed to?”

His shoulders dropped, and suddenly, you knew what Tim meant. Batman needed a Robin, and the only time he was without one was when Jason, the second Robin, died at the hands of the Joker. Tim sought out Mr. Wayne after that. “You don’t have to,” you said.

Tim smiled, but it was forced. “Thanks.”

You rubbed his shoulder. “You’e really smart for figuring that out at the age of what?” You looked at the Penguin’s video date. “Age of nine? Damn, Robin.”

“Yeah, I am smart,” he admitted. “I’m also smart enough to know you’re avoiding the topic we should really be talking about.”

Blood pooled into your cheeks. You took your hand off his shoulder and laughed. “What do you mean avoiding? I’m not avoiding anything.” You pointed out, “Plus, it could just mean I’m adopted or that we happen to have the same last name later on in the future or something.”

Tim raised his eyebrow. “Impulse said, ‘Have Jack and Anna’.”

“So?”

“So, use that smart brain of yours.”

You grimaced. “Are we really going to talk about it?”

“Yes, we are. We’re a team, (Y/n), and whatever happens, this” - he pointed at the two of you- “needs to stay in tact.” The superhero gulped. “I want it to stay in tact.”

You sighed. “Jack is your dad’s name, obviously, so the future he was talking about, well,” you laughed and pulled at your hair, “it means that we name a kid after your dad.”

“What do you think of Anna? Where’d that come from?”

You shrugged. “Could be anything.” You laughed. “All I thought was, ‘Wow, Anna Drake sounds like a good name.’” You shook your head. “Kinda ridiculous, huh?”

Tim was silent. Then, his cheeks turned red, and he turned away from you. You knew that look. He thought of something. He thought of something, and it was embarrassing enough that even the thought of of it made him blush.

“Nuh-uh.” It took two strides for you to be right in front of him. “No, you’re spitting it out. What is it?”

“Nothing!”

“Not according to those rosy red cheeks, Tim.” You pinched his cheek. “Come on, you can tell me.”

Tim shook his head and hit his own forehead. “It’s stupid.”

“Who cares?”

He sighed. “I thought, I was just gonna say, like, I don’t know.” He cleared his throat and glanced at you before looking at his boots. “I just, I think that (Y/n) Drake, it sounds like a good name, too.”

The smile you had so gleefully earned disappeared just like that. Not because you were embarrassed, although that was true. It wasn’t because you might marry Robin, aka Tim Drake, aka your best friend, or because you had been thinking of that name, your first name and his last name, for the past hour or two.

No, it was because he was right. (Y/n) Drake doesn’t sound bad.

“See!”

“Shut up.” You laughed and covered your face. “I don’t need this from you.”

“You asked for it!”

“I didn’t think you’d say that.” You exhaled a long and deep exhale and shook your head. You couldn’t let him do this to you. It didn’t matter that the two of you might be married later on. No, you had to get him back. You bit your lip and sauntered to him.

Tim’s eyes widened, and he froze. He stared at you, almost in awe of your newly found confidence, and even though your fingers shook, you couldn’t help but love the way he looked at you.

Your fingers brushed against his mask, and your eyes met his blue ones. When he didn’t do anything to stop you, you lifted the mask away from his face, and finally, his face was revealed to you.

You bit your lip and brushed his hair back. “You know, I don’t think Tim (Y/l/n) sounds too bad either.” You smiled up at him and played with one lock of hair that was out of place. “Goes well with this handsome face of yours.”

Tim gulped, and you could feel his heartbeat under his skin. It was frantic, but still, he didn’t move. Even when he sheeks got redder than yours, he didn’t move. He just smiled. “I, uh, I mean.” He cleared his throat. “Uh, you know, you being this close and playing with my, you know, hair and everything.” He gulped and looked down at his feet.

You giggled. “Run out of smoothness there, Robin?”

“Maybe,” he admitted.

Your cheeks hurt from smiling too much. You leaned your head on his chest. “It’s ok, that was all the smoothness I had.”

“All of it?”

“Yep.” You wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your chin on his chest. “No more smoothness from me. That was it. That was all of it.”

Tim smiled so softly and genuinely as he brushed your hair out of your face before resting them on your waist. “So no more smoothness from you?”

“Nope.”

“Not even on our first date?”

“Well, you got ask me that first?”

He laughed. “Ok then, Drake, what about a date?”

You hummed, as if in thought.

“Come on,” he pouted.

You laughed. “Yes, (Y/l/n), I’ll go on a date with you.”

[dememarquette]

Office Raid

I heard a knock on the door, flaring my temper. I'm not usually this impatient, it's just that time of the year. Tax Season. My primary line of work is in Greed. Meaning, I pitch businesses, get them started, and hand over the keys. I do accounting in the background, ensuring my clients maintain their wealth so they can enjoy it. That, unfortunately, includes managing their accounts. I know every tax break in the book. It's all a matter of playing Tetris with finances to keep them happy- for, say...hundreds of people. If not thousands. Because of this, everything between January to April is a nightmare. I have hateful quotas, and my free time is sank into inane questions like 'How can I claim my employees as dependents?' The batshit accounting of my multi-million dollar clients doesn't happen overnight. My schedule is clean of new patronage until April 12th, but lot of good it does when they still arrive at my door. I wanted to put up a sign, 'Come back in May.' "Come on in." I say instead. Julia would kill me if I turned down anyone, regardless if I was up to my eyeballs in W-2's and Form SS-4's. "But make it snappy." I said snappy- I know I did- but I think he heard 'blast my goddamn door open.' The seven foot panel blew off its hinges, sailing across the room at an flawless horizontal angle. I stared as it smacked against the wall, cracking the already-unstable structure. I gave the curious incident the benefit of doubt. This is Hell, after all. I couldn't jump to conclusions to accuse my guest- But the moment one armored boot stepped into the room, it became a safe assumption. The forth circle isn't known for its sturdy craftsmanship but he was still pleased with himself. He sauntered in like he'd receive an ovation. I did stand, but it was scantly out of reverence. "Hello." I said, at a loss. "Why don't you make yourself at home?" "Demetrius Marquette," He announced, standing grandiose just inside the entry way. Decked out in red and gold, the familiar uniform took such majestic inspiration from the Romans that it'd be impressive if it wasn’t set off by a swampy water cooler in the background. "I am Arodeus, and I have orders bestowed upon me by the 6th Choir to terminate you immediately." I don't know how one is normally supposed to oppose a declaration like that, so I did my best. "...Not guilty," I reasoned. "Of which part, exactly?" "...All of it." His head canted. One arm eminently held a thick document to his chest like he was here to strongarm a petition on climate change. "The dozens of counts of violating your celibacy vows? Sacrilege? Fraud? The hundreds of documented instances of simony during your time as a member of the clergy? And all of the Hellish transactions that succeeded it?" He posed. "All of that?" I considered carefully. Yeah. Checks out. "Hey, uh- listen. It sounds awful when you word it like that, but my application was fifty pages for a reason. By the way, who let you in-?" "Consider it rejected." With practiced dispassion, his wrist flicked. The ream of pages scattered across my office floor in a manner about half as cool as he pictured it. I recognized my giant letterhead anywhere. Alone, it presented a very large problem but in the category of 'will kill me now' versus 'will get me killed later,' the angel was in the former. "You know what?" I took a generous step backward. "Totally understood. Thanks for stopping by." "Not that easy." His wings snapped, and he shot across the floor. I had a split second's notice to move. That manifested as a genius two foot teleport to the side. His reflexes were faster. My tail was yanked a sharp pull to the left. All 200lbs of my weight was shifted off center, rocking my balance. I fell forward straight into his fist as he lobbed an uppercut at my ribs, working with gravity to double-team me. 'Fuck-' I folded as the air was forcibly vented from my lungs. Retaliating in that instant, I wrenched my elbow to his gut, but he was prepared. Agile, he suspended himself to take the force out of the blow. My hit simply guided him in the air of where he'd float next. I stumbled with his weight gone suddenly, while he touched ground for a graceful landing. "Did you even read it?!" "Oh I read it. We all did." "It wasn't your mail!" "No-" He pondered. "No it wasn't. Not until your name was flagged as a repeat offender. At which point, yeah. It was ours. Good read though." "Thanks?" I combusted to appear at his side. I learned that the hard way what his answer to that was. My hand connected, and if I had taken Tak's punching class I was sure it would have cracked. The moment he lost sight of me for the barest of seconds he threw up a shield. My knuckles skinned where it graze off the surface. I had no time to re-evaluate before the wall disappeared, priming him to deliver another kick. This one rocketed me into my bookshelves. They tipped, threatening to crush me with the likes of the Intradimensional Exchange Rates and the Necroeconomicon, but held steady. Arodeus was already closing in for a second round, but I could already feel the air tense for a second shield. Knowing better than to go on the offense close range, I lifted my hand to fake out a hook. It worked, long enough for him to to summon a defense just for me to spark a fire inside it. It flared bright, a globe of flames that ignited him like a goddamn lava lamp. He howled out a sharp note of agony before it popped. The blaze released, and the forcefield burst in a wave of Holy heat. His wings flared wide, putting out the unassuming fires in one pump of his wings. His feathers were left dusted with ash, frayed so thin it looked like he hadn't used conditioner in two years. Still, even if he looked like a BP oil spill duckling, he was more humored by my counter than threatened. As someone who was actually proud of that maneuver, that was actually very concerning. I threw my hands up, making it clear I never intended to cause the damage I didn't actually reap. "Listen guy, I don't want to fight!" "Ah, great! You don't have to!" He grabbed my client chair. I reared back into the wall behind my desk. A moment too late I realized that it happened to be against the most priceless fixture of my office. I couldn't tell if it was out of spite or sudden inspiration, but he held the chair over his head. My eyes widened- "NO! No! N-NOT-" And hurled it into the glass. "-the fish tank!" I cried. "You ASShole!" A torrent jetted from the top, breaching my office with an aggravated geyser of mineral treated water and glass. Katy perry's Last Friday Night sputtered into distorted gargling as the damage claimed everything. The atmosphere of Hell turned my desk into a grill; my gobies and angelfish fried instantly. The rest erupted into a veil of steam, obscuring me long enough to crawl under my desk. I yanked open the drawer, hand blindingly reaching for anything of use. Scissors, letter opener- I'll take a Montblanc if it meant not being defenseless. The angel rounded the corner, tearing shit up as he passed. He couldn't see clearly so anything vaguely smart and stylish was destroyed in his warpath. My lamp shattered against the wall, and my accent table overturned, with my artisanly selected selfies lost to the destruction. I very much doubt his memo for my extermination today included office renovation. He was being a dick, and my neighbors on either side were complacent jackasses too. They throw a fit if Lady Gaga was belting it too hard but you bet my asskicking was music to their ears. And because my intuition stops short of fisticuffs, he found me too soon. Cornered, I blasted him in the face. The inferno lasted all of two seconds as the shower behind him put it out and doused me in turn. He reeled back, leaving my hand to fizzle out in a thin line of smoke. "Shit-!" Arodeus drew a reedy breath through his teeth. He cradled his face, one palm to a shiny, fleshy cheek. It healed in a glow of white, alighting the skin until there was no trace of trauma at all. His grimace of pain turned into a cheerful 'ta-da,' showmanship for my benefit. I hadn't ruined even one of his perfect eyebrows. On my very short list of lines of defense, that was it. "Oh come on!" I angled to take a shot at his kneecaps but he got me first. One kick to the spine of my seat, and he tipped it on its wheels. It bashed into me one, two, three times in rapid succession. Defending myself meant getting a hand caught in the metal bars and slammed ­­­­into my face. The collateral damage from my elbows alone drew blood. I was crushed up against the wall of my desk like a 1980's nuculear drill. An attempt for freedom put me in the perfect spot for a forth blow knocked my knee into my jaw. I slid to the ground, favoring my side. My world blurred- a smear of reds and oranges- as he snagged my collar, and fished me out to the open to be salt-waterboarded. "You do realize I'm just an accountant right?" I croaked. A stream was still cascading over the jagged glass, spilling directly onto my face and the nape of his neck. His charred wings were being weighed down, but he made up for it in the delighted posture of a man about to finish the job. Borrowing his words, it would not be that easy. "389 hostage souls say differently." "What? Hostage-?!" I squinted through the burn. "They're not hostages. They're legally attained!" "Gee, I hope you kept the receipts." (For the record: I did, but he wasn't here for semantics.) The heat of a holy fist charging up was unmistakable. My vision was still flickering through static but his power presented itself as a flare of white in my retinas that'd be debilitating had I not had protection. Just before the hit would land, I was reminded of a prior engagement. My office phone beeped- the antiquated hunk of plastic, too ancient and powerful to be bothered by the sizzling fish carcasses and water damage. "Mr.Marquette, your 2PM?" "Yeah!" My head lolled. "Send them in!" My attacker snapped toward the door, and I disappeared under his weight. - - - Cross-planar, and thousands of miles away, I hit the sidewalk in a limp. I had moved without thinking, landing in a pleasant suburb bathed in spring's afternoon sunlight. It served as a delightful contrast to how I was feeling- which was shit. I was screwed. I was so fucked. If the angel was worth his salt, I'd be tracked right after he dealt with whoever walked into my office, no matter what corner of the globe I popped to. I was running on borrowed time, and with all my options exhausted, I turned to my phone. My contact list spun like a rotary. Demon, demon, demon- Why am I friends with so many demons? The thought was counter-intuitive to me before 2013, now they made up half my friendslist and are completely useless in the face of celestial opposition. I slumped against a tree as I searched for alternatives. I recognized the neighborhood as upstate Washington, a personal spot for me. It shouldn't be the first go-to in an emergency, but I was concussed and apparently craving foie gras. Down the block, surrounded by a beautiful lot of imported cars, Chez Tzaz stood tall. No other spots were coming to my bruised brain when I needed them most. But it was as safe of a spot as any when it came down to it. At least there I had a bouncer. Not only that, but it sparked a sudden moment of clarity. I jerked the scrollbar back up to the top. Adria. I shot off a text. It was unfortunately less than polite. [2:03 PM] do u mind calling rock me amadeus off my back!! Her response was instantaneous. [2:03 PM] WHAT?? WHO?? [2:03 PM] the angel sent to my office!! said he was there to kill me?? i thought you said you'd warn me!! [2:04 PM] ARE YOU SERIOUS?? WHERE ARE YOU?? I twitched my thumbs volley a text back but arguing in the distance caught my attention. Someone without a reservation had made it to the door and was causing a scene. Sure, I was still seeing stars, but it was hard to miss the glaring refraction of light off their heels. That damn uniform again. My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. [2:05 PM] they are at my restaurant too??? That has to mean my apartment has already been raided. And my vacation home. And who knows what else. I'm not modest with my brand. Anything that has my involvement is emblazoned with my logo- I've plastered it everywhere I could make my mark because nuance isn't my strong suit. The unsaid consequences of this made my head pound. [2:06 PM] IF YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE THEM, YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH FOR THEM TO SENSE YOU. GET. OUT OF THERE. I wanted to. I truly did. But all of the locations I could visualize in my mind belonged to that of other demons. Archer's apartment just thirty minutes away, Niko's office who already suffered a remodeling this year, my favorite cafe- I didn't want to drag my trouble to them. Especially not when it was looking inevitable. Meanwhile, in the distance my dutiful hostess was patiently and condescendingly explaining the dress code policy just like I taught her (armor is NOT formal-wear post the 1700's, please see the handbook). The distraught angel launched into full riposte about her obstruction of justice, so much so that I ignored my phone for ten whole seconds. By then, Adria already had an essay, surmised with a frantic, 'What are you going to do? I'm serious, where are you?' rephrased a spectacular three different ways with various usage of caps lock. [2:08 PM] im at chez tzaz. washington [2:08 PM] WHAT? WHY? WHY ARE YOU STILL THERE? [2:08 PM] why are THEY here??? The text bubble popped. The three ellipses disappeared with her abandoned thought, and I was left on read. I couldn't tell if it was a bust. Not until I heard the timely flapping of wings behind me, noticeably less toasty than Mr.Arodeus. The sound should have made me panic, but I had no doubt who it was. "What did I say? Are you an idiot?!" She hissed. As a cordial 'hello,' she shoved me into a tree. "Go!" "Ow?!" "You can 'ow' when you're safe!!" "Well?? Where do you want me to go, huh? They can find me!" I thought about jumping to whatever I could think of. Maybe to the first thing Google maps would suggest, but for it to work I had to seriously think about my location before going. At that moment, I wasn't sure if it was possible. It felt like my mind was jumbled to the point where if I tried again, I'd end up in the exact same spot. Did I also mention I felt safer by her? Because that too. She combed her bangs back, stressing as she craned around me and the tree to view the angel at the door. Looking between the two of them, they matched. How narrow was the chance that she'd be on my execution team? "Friend of yours?" "I told you to stop pushing it! They definitely have a kill order on you now." "What fantastic information that would have been earlier." "I. TOLD. YOU!" She shot back, barely restrained. Scratch that- her voice was kept low so she had dibs on killing me first. "I told you this would happen! You have friends right? Go to them!" "And endanger them too?" "Go to someone, I don't know, capable!" "You?" "Not me!! I have to deal with this." My hostess was now calling security. And in the face of one haughty college student, the angel apparently felt the need to as well. Now there was two of them, and the arrival of the second seemed to register on Adria's radar. She turned around at the same time- -And looked like she was about to blow a gasket. "Oh my God- you need to go NOW." "And what are you going to do?" "This isn't about me Mr.Sends-My-Lifestory-to-the-people-who-want-to-murder-me! LEAVE! Now!!" "I can't-" "NO! No more talking! LEAVE!" I couldn't argue any more. Our bickering caused two heads across the way to snap up. She gave me one final, violent shove, and I disappeared to the last place muscle memory remembered her pissed at me. The cowboy strip club was a start. - - - Six hours later, I was across the United States and checked into a motel. After my headache faded, I broke up my trail into pieces, ranging from teleports, taxis, and one distressing trip aboard public transport. Under the assumption that no angel would dare subject themselves to the general populace on such intimate terms (see: wedged between the lunch rush and earlybird boozers), I felt safe. Adria did not. "This is my fault." She said, for a third time, pacing the floor. I looked up from the pages of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, spoon in mouth. The first time we had this conversation, I was covertly panicked. By the second, I wore myself out. And by the third? I have more productive things to talk about. "I knew it was a bad idea. I knew they were doing raids-" "Do you always do this?" It couldn't just be me noticing it, that there was something egregiously wrong with this picture. She was an angel- a Power, a soldier of Heaven's prestigious battalion- worrying this hard over a demon she met two months ago. Don't get me wrong. I get it, I'm charming, I'm suave, and maybe in the right light my atoning adds a tragic depth to my character that may drive the angels wild- But I was still just that. A player on the opposite team, who made a huge mistake that got me booked in the first motel who'd take cash instead of card, until I was sure I wasn't being followed and I looked presentable enough to see my friends again. And she was here with me, inexplicably, trying to make my screw-ups her own. Why? I had no idea. "Do what?" "Overthink." "This is not overthinking!" She said, denial in gusto. I began worrying a lot less when her catastrophic thinking began siphoning all the energy in the room. That left her fretting on her own, while I examined Martha Stewart's upcoming Spring line. I much preferred being told how to pick the perfect counter-top than conduct my own life. "I should have been the adult. I shouldn't have sent the letter knowing what was going on upstairs." I snorted, flipping a page idly. "Don't take credit for my plan." "I'm not taking credit, I'm taking responsibility!" "And why would you do a thing like that?" She rolled her eyes. "What are you going to do now? Tell me." "Easy. I get Dr.Nikolai to write me a doctor's note." "Really?" She stopped, sudden. Her tensely folded arms fell loose. Taken off-step of our normal rhythm, I almost didn't have the heart to issue a reality check. She caught up to me in the next beat though, defeated with a heavy sigh. "Aren't you afraid..?" "Yes and no." I shrugged. "I need this to wrap up. I already miss my shower and my kitchen, I mean look at that-" I waved a hand at the sad, sad kitchenette through the door. One half-wall was fencing it off from the living room. It sounds trendy in theory, but the execution here had bar stools doubling as coffee tables, and the bite-size microwave trying to hop the border. The whole layout was claustrophobic, and pretending that this was the biggest of my problems worked for me. Not her. She plunged onto the edge of the bed, her head in her hands. Her bangs fell over her eyes in a tousled mess that matched her fringing braid. My busted up face didn't hold a candle- looking at the two of us, you would have thought her life was the one turned upside down. "You aren't taking this seriously." "I'm taking it seriously, Adria. Are you just trying to admit you are afraid?" "Yeah! Yeah, I am actually! It's like every time I try to help I only make things worse!" "Well that's funny because I refuse to do anything but believe you helped me." I shut the magazine, scooting to her side, with Ben & Jerry's in tow. "I wanted my name up there. Guess what? Now it's there. What's a little clout?" "Clout," She spurned, tired. "Would you call what he did to your face clout too?" Her hand delicately lifted to assess the damage but I ducked away. Not today, ma'am. I shifted my shades like it'd cover the bruise bleeding down into my cheek bone. It wasn't the worst of it. I imagined my chest to be a blotchy bovine pattern by now, but I sensed her concern for what it was: another way for her to feel worse about herself. Another way to be a failure. "No touching." "Yeah, well. Here's the rest of your things." She tossed me a bag. They were necessities I requested. The woman had yet to get herself an iPhone but had no problem grabbing my shopping list of moisturizers and specific detergents. The Green Giant wasn't on my list (it was her own addition to my list of demands, which she loving refereed to as 'shit you ACTUALLY need') but she grabbed that. Punching the bag into submission seemed to give her reprieve when just saying she helped didn't. I watched her pulverize the frozen vegetables, under the guise of breaking them up for me, until it was just sad and vaguely terrifying. The Quick And Easy Dinnertime Medley didn't deserve this, nor did she. Something bad was going on in that head of hers- guilt. I didn't understand it, but I know I didn't need to because it was ridiculous to begin with. "Hey. Heeeey," I leaned into her shoulder. "I don't know why you're so broken up about this but it's fine. I'm the one who should be worrying right?" "But you're NOT. I am! And I can't help it, okay." "You helped me, alright? You did," I rescued the bag, putting it against my sore ribs like she originally intended. "You did something for me no one else could. And for some reason that wasn't enough, and now you're here!" "Yes." She admitted, biting her lip. "Doing nothing." "Nope- nope. You're leaving out the cool part. You're here breaking three heavenly laws in the process." "Definitely." "Like a rebel. Like a spy. And my hero~" "And getting you putted on a most wanted list by mail, and delivering frozen peas? They should make me a saint, too." "Yup. Saint Kyriakoloupoulos, Patron of unconventional assistance." I said, mocking prayer. "And fists. If only I invoked you then." You could tell she wanted to answer something else melodramatic and guilt ridden, but her gaze fell to my hands.

The beginnings of a smile tried to set in, trickling in through the recesses of her totalitarian 'No Fun Allowed' conscious. "...Did you even get a hit in?" I grinned, quickly concealing my bare knuckles behind my back. The worst of it was healed to superficial scrapes, which regrettably looked a lot less cool when trying to impress a girl with non-existent fighting prowess. "Depends. Are you rooting for my side?" I pretended like I wasn't expecting a specific response. That the wrong one wouldn't disappoint me, and that this bag of groceries may be the last piece of divine intervention I get out of this woman who already followed me down to the strip clubs of 2nd, and was now tagging along my fugitive romp across America. But she didn't. She pulled her legs up onto the bed, trying to mull over my question as if the answer wasn't clear on her face. She always was a bad liar. "Maybe." "Thought so. Ice cream?"

[douxreviews]

True Detective - ‘Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye’ Review

“You ever been someplace you couldn’t leave and you couldn’t stay, both at the same time?”

We’ve got our case. Now let’s look at our suspects.

There are three main suspects in the murder of Will Purcell and the abduction of his sister Julie. The prime one seems to be Brett Woodard, a local scrap collector and Vietnam vet. The guy’s wife left him and took his own son and daughter away, and he’s clearly still feeling the effects of the war. I get the feeling Hays sees him as something of a kindred spirit. In the previous episode, 70-year old Hays cuts the interview short and asks the documentary crew to leave when Woodard is brought up.

Next we have Dan O’Brian, Lucy Purcell’s cousin who stayed in Will’s room several months before the children’s abduction. Neither Tom nor Lucy are suspicious of him, and his story seems legit when Hays and West question him at the funeral. However, there is a strong suggestion of incestuous feelings toward Lucy on his part; he thinks Tom isn’t a strong enough man for her and it’s unlikely Will was the one who made that peep hole in his closet with a clear view of Lucy’s vanity mirror. I wouldn’t be surprised, considering the last two seasons dealt with incest as well.

Lastly, there is Freddy Burns and his two friends, the teenage boys who were among the last people to see Will and Julie before they were taken. At first, they don’t seem too suspicious aside from the hard glares they direct at the two kids in passing. But Amelia later sees Freddy appearing to threaten one of the other boys in the schoolyard, so who knows?

I get the feeling none of these guys were the bedsheets ghosts that Julie’s friend saw during Halloween, who gave Julie one of the angel dolls Hays discovered near Will’s body.

It probably won’t matter, though, since Hays and West’s superiors decide to make their and Amelia’s discoveries known to the public, which only succeeds in stoking the people of West Finger’s fear and paranoia. And seeing as how the townsfolk were already suspicious of Woodard, I’m sensing a witch hunt on the horizon. This might be foreshadowed by the title of the book Amelia eventually writes, Life and Death and the Harvest Moon: Murder, Child Abduction and the Community It Destroyed.

This is rightfully a character building episode, and I most enjoyed that aspect with Hays and Amelia in 1980. The scene where they get to know each other at the bar was my favorite part. Despite being very different people, they have immediate chemistry and know it.

I also like that this story touches on something the previous seasons did as well, which is that a good detective doesn’t necessarily have to be a member of law enforcement. This is displayed with Amelia, who becomes involved in the case when she helps Hays and West question the local children and gains their first big clue. Hays later regards her novel as being a testament to her skills as an investigator.

Although, it is unknown if Amelia becomes aware of the seedier dimensions of the case that Hays and West delve into. They weather their sleepless nights with Benzedrine and eagerly employ some enhanced interrogation techniques on a local sex offender who turns out to have nothing to do with the kidnappings.

Instead, we get another haunting development in the case when Tom and Lucy receive a cryptic letter stating that Julie is safe and advising them to let go rather than look for her. Not good.

We know the Purcells will likely never just let it go. No more than Hays can. It’s shown in all three stages of his life that he is incapable of letting the case die. Even as an old man in the throes of dementia, it isn’t over for him. In the end, he unwittingly finds himself standing outside the ruins of what was once the Purcell house on Shoepick Street in the middle of the night. Talk about haunting.

Bits and Pieces:

* Hays is a fan of Batman and Silver Surfer. He also loved Star Wars and does a funny lightsaber impression to put Mike at ease. Which reminded me that Mahershala Ali also did an “I am your father” impression in The Place Beyond the Pines.

* The child actors aren’t the best this season, but I thought the kid who played Julie’s distraught friend Mike did a good job.

* Scoot McNairy has a habit of being a standout actor in just about everything he appears in, and this is no exception. His performance as Tom Purcell is heartbreaking.

* The makeup used to give Mahershala Ali the appearance of an old man is really good.

* Tom’s mother believes Lucy cheated on Tom while he was working in Texas and that Julie isn’t his biological daughter. Maybe another hint at the possible incest between Lucy and Dan.

* The decision by the District Attorney to publicize the Halloween clue was an obvious mistake, but I felt he had a point about Hays and West’s plan to simply go door to door asking to search the neighborhood was also questionable. It was a very gray dilemma.

* Old Hays states that he didn’t feel his opinions were ignored on account of his race during the investigations, but his 35-year old self angrily voices this belief to West after the DA ignores their opinions. Which makes me wonder if he simply doesn’t remember it in 2015 or if he’s decided he was wrong in the years since.

* While he lives with his son Henry in 2015, Hays seems to have become estranged from his daughter Rebecca and longs to reconnect with her.

Quotes:

Jim Dobkins: Mr. Hays, the purpose of this deposition is to give a statement, not to extract one from us. 45-year old Hays: I’m pretty easy-going, but go away already.

Woodard: I miss when “Don’t get killed” was the only thing on my to-do-list. Hays: It’s hard to unplug from that.

West: Do you like kids, generally? Woodard: Do I— What the fuck kind of question is that? I’m with Woodard on this. What exactly is the right answer to that question in a scenario like this?

Elisa Montgomery: Can I ask, with what happened in 1990 and you leaving the force, did you ever feel your leads and theories were discounted because of your race? 70-year old Hays: Not particularly, no. Why? Elisa: Well, I’m interested in the intersectionality of marginalized groups in authoritarian and systemic racist structures. The look old Hays gives Henry after this was too funny.

West: It’s all maybes, man. You do the maybe that gives you a shot.

70-year old Hays: I never stopped coming up with theories about that case.

West: That was a vivid description of prison rape. Jesus. Hays: Could tell he had the racial thing. Remember what he said in the barn? West: Still. It’s gonna haunt me. Me too.

I’m even more eager to see where this story goes, and where it takes these characters. Five out of five bennies.

Logan Cox

[bebaexoexo]

Shit Oh Sehun did in 2017

-Mistook Jeonghan (svt) for Johnny (nct)

-Movie date with suho

-Slayed at the gaon chart award show with a solo dance

-Paris vacation/date with suho

-Got called best dressed man at a Louis Vuiton catwalk and then proceeded to spend the next day walking around Paris with a hood, baseball cap and a cowboy hat on his head all at one time

-Revealed his bed time snuggle routine with Suho, no shame attached

-Was supposed to debut as an Actor Oh in February, but didn’t…

-Was supposed to debut as an Actor Oh in March, but didn’t…

-Got an award for being himself (popularity award)

-Was supposed to debut as an Actor Oh in April, but didn’t…(NoT EvEn a FRackin TraIleR)

-Waved to a tablet instead of the camera, tried to play it cool by continuing to do so

-Posted about his big chilli… 0.0

-Got 15 points on a drawing game while everyone else got over 100 (he drew love hearts and wrote ‘I’m sorry’ for everything and still couldn’t accept being last)

-Howled because of sour pickles

-Members accuse him of being the prime suspect when food goes missing in the fridge, he agrees

-Used binoculars the wrong way round and couldn’t understand why he couldn’t see (Suho to the rescue and an embarrassed osh as a result)

-Gets driven around by big brother chanyeol

-CAN SING (might as well be in exo’s vocal line)

-Biyak Biyak 4 lyfe

-Rubbed his head on a random guy’s stomach (who looks like he’s his sugar daddy)

-Made suho sad because he didn’t go to a premier with him, but went to a festival with Chanyeol and guy whose stomach he rubbed his head on

-Danced (????) at said music festival. By dance I mean chicken fingers at the crowd wtf @ exo’s main dancer

-Can ya tell iv given up on the debut of Actor Oh

-Graced his instagram with such artistic pictures of rice, spoons and cereal

-Only one ft BoA returns

-KING OF SPOILERS sehun the cereal rice (kokobop) poster

-KING OF SPOILERS PT2 dancing the dance with kai can you all please stop this isn’t good for me

-Comments ‘is this exo’s official account?’ On exo’s official account

-“What did you do in preperation for this album?” “Loyalty”

-Passionately talked about eel reproduction

-“Favorite fruit?” “Water with ice”

-Gave flowers to the members because he’s their cute baby omfh (it was a punishment but same thing)

-*gives Kai a rose* “it fits you, you’re sexy and dark red suits you”

-Baekhyun confirms Sehuns big DIACK

-“Sehun has absolutely no interest I’m women. How do I know? Sehunnie said he has no interest in women”- Baekhyun

-Bragged about a really good noodle place, took 30+ people to eat and payed for them- but the food was disappointing

-“Say something to the EXO-L for their birthday” *sehun claps*

SUPER ELLE

-*brags about his dog at every chance he gets, literal protective father to vivi* “I am a cat person”

-EXOTOURAGRAM AKA SEHO AND FRIENDS

-“We’ve been roommates for 6 years I want to cross the line”

-Producer Oh

-“I’ve arrived!” \(-°o°-)/

-Date in NYC with suho (ft the third wheel JD)

-Pulls out chair for suho

-“Its enough just to film me, suho’ s voice in the background is fine”

-Couldn’t believe that a waitress in NYC can’t speak Korean

-Theatre date with suho (ft the late third wheel JD)

-Kicks suho out of their room

-SBS power fm- more like 2 hours of sehun whinning and crying from embarrassment while suho laughs

-“I really like chocolate milk. I think it’s love”

-“Sehunnie is upset~ upset~ really really upset… huhuu” AEGAO KING WHAY

-“I’ve been having a hard time too. At times like this, we should all embrace each other. There’s something I always tell the members and that is to to ‘hug/embrace (me)’. Let’s cheer each other on, got it everyone? Cheer up always and yea, that’s it” and this is why we love our baby

-Sehun irl- “I love all my hyungs to the moon and back #se-rang-hai-yo” Sehun in manwha- “who cares”

-LA date with suho

-DING DONG

-“Let’s goo” \(^o^!)__

-Just sehun trying to control his face while riding the drift car

-King of being HOT, calm and panicking at the same time when their car stalled

-Also Oh Sehun driving someone hold me

-Heart-shaped sweatpatch on his back

-“Excuse me… sir… ketchup ketchup yahh… thank you”

-“The hardest time isn’t when we have a lot of schedule but when the members have different opinions (argue). It saddens me a lot”

-Me me da

-Fan- “do sehun and i have something in common?” Sehun- “we’re human”

-Las Vegas date with suho

-Volunteers suho to go sky diving first like the little shit he is

-Wears a dress shirt and leather shoes to sky diving

-Acts like he isnt shitting himself on the zipwire

-Shamelessly wore nothing underneath an easily unzip-able hoodie

-MC Oh

-“Who is the scariest hyung?” “All of them”

-Tries to prank suho by putting a sticker on him, fails misrebly and then loses the sticker

-White suit blue shirt

-Chanyeol saying Sehuns voice is so good he wants to produce him PLEs

-Teary eyed sehun as eXO WIN RHE PRIME MINISFERS AWARD WWKBDUDBDJ

-Hello councellor MC’s @ seho “stop touching eachother are you guys coming out right now?”

-Sehun @ LVTN

-Gets customised bags from LVTN

-Sehun @ Moncler (also makes the CEO come out just to take pictures with him we love a powerful man)

-Peace signs in his pockets when hes told not to do it

-Doesnt follow seungri back on insta because aesthetics

-Omfg okay elyxion antics begins here

-SHIRTLESS SEHUN IMDG THAT BOY JUST THREW OFF THAT JACKETS WTF I JUST GOT OUT OF WORK AND THATS THE FIRST THING I SEE ON INSTA WTF OMG MY HEART I DONT EVEN KNOW WHATS GOING ON YET BUT I SAW FOKKIN RIPPED SEHUN AND SHIT THATS JISTVTJE LIFE OMG THIS IS GONNA BE LIT

-Wrote and co produced his solo In At thE CONCERT COZ WE LOVE A TALENTED KING

-Lovingly strokes suhos face during touch it

-Comforts kai, upset because he made a mistske in his solo, during cmb

-Danced to ka-ching with CBX

-Suho “after our concert ended at midnight yesterday, sehun and i went back to our door and boiled 20 eggs. 2 adult men peeled them seriously and ate 10 eggs”

-Kisses baekhyuns neck

-Eats pizza at the concert after holding back for months, members happy give us one last chance at seeing THE ABS

-Went crazy and got chanyeol too drunk on his birthday

-Fansites “please dont crop our watermark we work really hard for these pictures” Sehun ;)

-Cute instalive of him just trying on the filters and telling us not to be stressed and play

-SEHUN IN DEAR HAPPINES OMG GREY SEHUN IS DA BESTZ IN A THIN WHITE SHIRT OMG

-“OK!! goo” *pouts*

-“Hey dog, look at me~”

-“Cheese many manyyy”

-*is just standing there posing* Photographer “youre cute”

-Didnt know it was just him, kai and baekhyun in the lightsaber mv

-“Sehunnie makes the most delicious soju” byun baekhyun

-LEON KOREA

-Makes a personal training room in their dorm that can barely fit his own ass

-Supports suho at his musical despite both going through a tough time

-Struggles with the rudolph hat

-SINGING IN UNIVERSE YES DAS MA BETCH

-Subtly strokes suhos face on a national award show

-Make chanyeol kneel whenever he wants something from him. We love our king

-Curly haired solo on mbc gayo

-A beautiful family picture from Oh Sehun to end 2017

——–

Cr. Lerandomexotic

I had a lot of fun making this, just thought i needed to record sehuns never ending loveble antics etc

Feel free to add whatever else i missed

Hopefully he’ll just keep getting crazier next year too, and exo themselves will grow to be greatet and stronger

Like, reblog & excel

[davidjjohnston3]

Facebook Insomnia 7.25.2021 1. I am still sad to conceptualize life in terms of fiction and the condition of fiction rather than Christianity undivided.   Today I had a lot of images of Japan in my mind.  I heard the phrase 'Japanese Breakfast' which is the rock-star name of the author of 'Crying at H-Mart' a famous book. I remembered someone who once dated someone who became my enemy. This person I respected I now realize and I am happy that I didn't say anything excessively stupid that would have implied I look down on her, saw her as easy, saw her as 'material to work on,' someone to have a plan for etc.   I asked her once for help getting someone to interview at Deloitte for consulting only this person was in Accounting. I never really saw this person as in my league or anything to me except as a 'Curriculum Developer' I guess I outranked her and so wasn't shy of talking to / with her in official functions.   Later we drank together and I said a few random things like that I stress- / binge-eat apples, like 5 apples a night. My friend once did a funny imitation of her that in retrospect sounded a little like my Taiwanese ex-girlfriend's imitation of Kaori Mochida from Every Little Thing; the funny thing I now realize is that he too had lingering affection for her despite everything.  I feel he became anti-Korean racist and I don't know where he is now but in retrospect he definitely never crossed a line with her that I know of except for asking questions I would never ask.  He called her by her Asian name which was something I never did in those days feeling it pretentious.   'The mysterious maiden of the Moon...' - It's a line from Yi Kwangsu's 'The Soil' in which a married man is comparing his wife with someone else like his former student.  In good Korean custom since his former student once had a puppy-crush on him and gave him some corn, when her husband finds out, he kicks her to death in her pregnant stomach and this is why I oppose many things in principle such as tribalism, marriage, and for all intent and purposes the nuclear family. Yi Kwangsu is a problematic figure and as a Christian or aspiring Christian / 'Christianist' I don't recommend it.  It has incredibly exquisite descriptions of women that could make you brain-dead.  Yi Kwangsu also supposed Japan's occupation of Korea so that to this day talking about Yi Kwangsu can get you crucified.   I also seem to recall something like '_ _-ya, you got run over by a train you one-legged prostitute; now you have to love your husband even more.'  But I don't remember the context. Ironically or not 'The Soil' is the title of a Knut Hamsun novel the author of which supported Hitler; I do not.   I wonder where she is now. This person got shot at a lot and I regret adding to her burdens with my sin-eater-type confessions or just shooting my mouth off when stuff happened.  I had a crush on someone else and started saying I was sad I lost my virginity in college; IDK why I said anything. This person also had high alcohol-tolerance - extremely high for a female Asian - and although I could also drink a lot I always did bad self-destructive things. In the Middle Ages one form of 'trial by ordeal' was to reach your hand in to boiling water to pull out a pearl and if the boiled skin healed well you were exonerated or sth.   She must be 'somebody's everything; my impossible girl.'  IDK why she talked to me and I made fun of her and all my fictionalized versions of her and theories of her were derogations.   Like me she played the piano. She once said '_ _ is popular' which was a burn I appreciate since I'm anti-popularity and anti-personality-cults. She went to a school part of which is Victoria College where a literary critic I admire(d) taught for many years. I am stuck in America, hounded by Satan through the personages of my Maoist biological family and 'family tree' of America torn between past and future, un-death and life; due in large part to my excessive tendency to defend myself, to lash out, to wash my hands on the outside without cleaning my 'interior mentality' to paraphrase the 'Da Xue,' or to blaspheme the Spirit in some respects, I feel. I regret talking about her and at the same time why would I talk about lesser maidens? IDK what her favorite piano-piece was as I never endeavored to enage her in discourse about art or aesthetics given she is not a 'kisaeng' or 'geisha' and I am not a museum-curator or whatever.  Other people would be like 'Oh!  You lke the Grande Valse Brilliante; I know you spent the summer of 2003 teaching yourself repeat-notes.'   Everyone wants to drag everyone in to their mud or graves these days.  Am reminded of Endo Shusaku's 'Silence' about why Jesuits would apostasize in medieval Japan.  His conclusion was that the 'swamp of Japan' was too full of sensualism, the Portuguese Jesuit wanted a Japanese mistress or wife.  I once yelled 'swamp f-ggot' at someone due to their tendency to emotionalize and 'contextualize' everything which was an underhanded way of trying to make me change my sex as well.  In an effort to mitigate some of the tempting evil pornographic things I said about KR over the years I said a few more but this is a person, whose name means 'Pearl' as in 'the pearl of great price for which oe sold everything else.'  It is said that AAPI Twitter, America, house-slave Am-Kor own-goal Korean self-exploitation honor-killing squadsters, etc. want to these people in the trash. I found my Gideon Kor-Eng NT Psalms with the 'victory song' that sounds like Mandarin in its Revelation, that I had worried I'd lost.  That might be the 'most grateful' thing that 'happened.' I also remembered what my Mandarin name used to be though I had many in different classes I took. I was going to say many things, but in the end: the mystery of Charity.

*

I never considered the full implications of socialism or mental socialism till today.  I assumed that it was valid mitigation.  Some are born rich, some are born poor, it's wrong to let the latter starve on principle alone.   I don't even know how to say this.  I remember during the Iraq War being struck by how much the government - like my mom - was asking outsiders for advice about how to fight.  Dick Cheney got in trouble.  Years later I was skeptical of the F-35 because a lot of idiots with no skin in the game wanted to build it here or there. Wisconsin wanted to build the 'Littoral Combat Ship' which who cares. It made people worse and worse. The only thing is, the CCP - who ultimately serve I dare not even say whom, but clearly not the ghosts of Karl Marx or Vladimir Lenin or perhaps even Mao Zedong - figured out awesome killer ways to troll Republicans like Scott Walker w/ their 'FoxConn Fallujah hokey-pokey' whereby they got an avowed capitalist to promise socialists something that actually came from-post-hyper-anti-socialist hyper-capitalists with a plan to kill all white people or something. My father used to talk about the University of Chicago School of Economics all the time and it made me sulkily ask myself why 'Poor Dad' is talking so much about stuff that supposedly makes people billionaires while Jacob's English major dad is Bloomberg's 'chief of staff.'   I say again it's just like Biden saying all the right stuff, 'knee on the neck of the American soul, bone of our bone, winter of peril, hey dumbfuck, articulate, they're killing people.' Writing grant-proposals to the government to fund private research in to brain-injury that is itself applied by the government to veterans sent to get brain-damaged by a government that said good things and did retarded things based on their readings of the good things they said a bit like Karenin in 'Anna Karenina.'   I remember when George W. Bush said 'I'm the decider.'  I once told my dad to get out of my face so he got really sloshed up and vapored, 'I'm in your face!'  I'm not even saying that to defame someone but welcome to reality. Every so often every male seems to try to man up then they defend themselves like, 'No that is not the way in which I meant that I was manning up.'  You could call this 'self-draft-dodging.' It's ancient history but if I had been wiser I would have tried to predict the future for myself rather than visualize it as an abstract spectatorial notion.  At day's end mental socialists can literally not understand why it is wrong to steal.  Stealing is compulsory under socialism - I again come back to 'Pearl' since her ex-suitor and I used to reflect on how Korean collectivism drove people into themselves.  Similarly mental socialists cannot but hoard 'capabilities' so that in the end they'll falsify anything, steal anything; the only limit I guess is living with themselves.

I keep giving myself to fantasy and coping of all kinds like a 'mental Changrae Lee novel, mental David Guterson novel,' or ultimately Vergil (Virgil).  There has to be a new music, a new dream, something, a new city, though it is odd to think about pre-Christian times and a legend of what came before Rome in a Christian moment amid realignment in 'late Roman history.' My favorite YAL book still perhaps is 'The Giver' since it deals with the uses of history, with abortion, and with escape or exile.   I was going to say a while back something about 'Light in August' which relates to escape - as well to complacence - and to interracial relationships, pregnancy, the right to live.  I was in Minneapolis but mind was on Japan, on all these swords, not the Olympics but histories of swords and strange armor, halberds.  There was a huge sword called a 'field sword' in translation. I don't even want to see these people again; I sincerely pray the Japanese Prime Minister, the men and women of their armed forces, Tokyo's apparently amazing counter-terrorism and response capabilities for NBC / WMD / etc. attacks since the Aum Shinrikyo Sarin subway attacks and maybe their counter-nuclear or ability to respond after a nuclear blast will be enough.  People in America are trying to live by a little of the old, a little of the new, but it seems utterly impossible. When people abuse me I get really dreamy.  I read Virgil in high school; I was thinking of 'post-Covid YAL' or so in which people are just on the run, harrowing themselves, not even nostalgic for Babylon or anything in it.  It is almost like 'the meaning of the soul.'  I realized that in addition to new churches and new government laws Covid will engender new birth-defects and there will have to be new medicine.  Japan is a country that I said bad things about especially when in Korea but she never did anything bad to me - I remember playing 'Final Fantasy' and thinking someone out there loves me; they made an investment in children worldwide.  The only thing is I'm too old for such adventures and I fall apart quickly. All these birds in Japan, colors of red - people get obsessed with the Otherness of Japan and want to abnegate Belial-like (a demon or fallen angel of sensualism, to my understanding).  

I took so many notes and voice-notes yesterday that I devoutly hope my visions will pass to someone.  The future is going to be so beautiful for somebody but I have lost so much faith in my ability to mitigate or restrain evil.  Those who I had thought were simply stupid but were diabolically opposed to my existence - whom I did not wish to understand and whom I had 'fancied' I could placate or appease through offerings - turned out to be radically evil, unconditionally evil.  I feel that my father (biological) would steal my soul if he could; would eat it in a way.  My mom is always sitting on the porch and gives a look of hope like I could change her mind but it'll never happen.  I want to kill myself; I think things worldwide will get worse before they get better; I don't trust Biden or anyone who says the right things without showing exactly what they are doing.  Christians seem so petty sometimes like melanin, hairy legs, in Japan this therefore that, Native American Indian manhood rituals.   I just want to know which pastor has the 'batting average' I can believe in but it has to be John MacArthur doesn't it?  

[lookstupidtakingphotoswithanipad]

The tank is the 20th century realization of an ancient concept: that of providing troops with mobile protection and firepower. The internal combustion engine, armour plate, and continuous track were key innovations leading to the invention of the modern tank.

Model of Leonardo da Vinci's fighting vehicle Many sources imply that Leonardo da Vinci and H.G. Wells in some way foresaw or "invented" the tank. Leonardo's late 15th century drawings of what some describe as a "tank" show a man-powered, wheeled vehicle with cannons all around it. However the human crew would not have enough power to move it over larger distance, and usage of animals was problematic in a space so confined. In the 15th century, Jan Žižka built armoured wagons containing cannons and used them effectively in several battles. The continuous "caterpillar" track arose from attempts to improve the mobility of wheeled vehicles by spreading their weight, reducing ground pressure, and increasing their traction. Experiments can be traced back as far as the 17th century, and by the late nineteenth they existed in various recognizable and practical forms in several countries.

It is frequently claimed that Richard Lovell Edgeworth created a caterpillar track. It is true that in 1770 he patented a "machine, that should carry and lay down its own road", but this was Edgeworth's choice of words. His own account in his autobiography is of a horse-drawn wooden carriage on eight retractable legs, capable of lifting itself over high walls. The description bears no similarity to a caterpillar track. Armoured trains appeared in the mid-19th century, and various armoured steam and petrol-engined vehicles were also proposed.

The machines described in Wells' 1903 short story The Land Ironclads are a step closer, insofar as they are armour-plated, have an internal power plant, and are able to cross trenches. Some aspects of the story foresee the tactical use and impact of the tanks that later came into being. However, Wells' vehicles were driven by steam and moved on pedrail wheel, technologies that were already outdated at the time of writing. After seeing British tanks in 1916, Wells denied having "invented" them, writing, "Yet let me state at once that I was not their prime originator. I took up an idea, manipulated it slightly, and handed it on." It is, though, possible that one of the British tank pioneers, Ernest Swinton, was subconsciously or otherwise influenced by Wells' tale.

The first combinations of the three principal components of the tank appeared in the decade before World War One. In 1903, Captain Léon René Levavasseur of the French Artillery proposed mounting a field gun in an armoured box on tracks. Major William E. Donohue, of the British Army's Mechanical Transport Committee, suggested fixing a gun and armoured shield on a British type of track-driven vehicle. The first armoured car was produced in Austria in 1904. However, all were restricted to rails or reasonably passable terrain. It was the development of a practical caterpillar track that provided the necessary independent, all-terrain mobility.

비아그라 In a memorandum of 1908, Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott presented his view that man-hauling to the South Pole was impossible and that motor traction was needed. Snow vehicles did not yet exist however, and so his engineer Reginald Skelton developed the idea of a caterpillar track for snow surfaces. These tracked motors were built by the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company in Birmingham, tested in Switzerland and Norway, and can be seen in action in Herbert Ponting's 1911 documentary film of Scott's Antarctic Terra Nova Expedition (at minute 50, here). Scott died during the expedition in 1912, but expedition member and biographer Apsley Cherry-Garrard credited Scott's "motors" with the inspiration for the British World War I tanks, writing: "Scott never knew their true possibilities; for they were the direct ancestors of the 'tanks' in France".

In 1911, a Lieutenant Engineer in the Austrian Army, Günther Burstyn, presented to the Austrian and Prussian War Ministries plans for a light, three-man tank with a gun in a revolving turret, the so-called Burstyn-Motorgeschütz. In the same year an Australian civil engineer named Lancelot de Mole submitted a basic design for a tracked, armoured vehicle to the British War Office. In Russia, Vasiliy Mendeleev designed a tracked vehicle containing a large naval gun. All of these ideas were rejected and, by 1914, forgotten (although it was officially acknowledged after the war that de Mole's design was at least the equal to the initial British tanks). Various individuals continued to contemplate the use of tracked vehicles for military applications, but by the outbreak of the War no one in a position of responsibility in any army gave much thought to tanks.

[tout-est-normal-be]

The system cannot survive it we can  #outsidedoors

There are no precedents for what is happening to us now, there just aren’t. Of course, we’re looking back at the great calamities that happened during our recent history. We compare this pandemic to the Spanish Flu, causing more deaths in 1918 – 1919 than the four years of war that came just before, or we compare the worldwide mobilisation that is happening now to the mass mobilisations of World War II. Although some things might seem similar, none of these comparisons fully hold true. During the four years of Nazi-occupation in Paris the cafés, theatres, and cabarets stayed open to the public. The show did go on. Now the grand avenues are deserted, and chairs are piling up behind the windows, unused.

But when history cannot provide us with answers, there is always still fiction. We recognise what we are seeing now, before our very own eyes, from the dystopian disaster movies we were flooded with during the past decenniums. The hefty speeches of the world’s political leaders, the rows of military vehicles rolling into our urban landscape, theempty streets where every sounds gets amplified by echos, the panic-buying of groceries, and the leading role of toilet paper that no scifi author could’ve imagined.

We should realise how most of us don’t even have the possibility right now to reflect and think about our past, present, and future. Having the time and space for philosophy is a luxury when survival is at stake. We are more than busy enough. Worrying about our sudden loss of income. Trying to keep some structure in the disrupted upbringing of our children, dealing with the relentless barrage of emails sent by a supervisor now measuring his or her efficiency in transmitted megabytes. Being stuck between the walls of a way too small apartment. Or worse.

Having no roof above your head at all. Being forgotten by a government that doesn’t consider you worthy of humane attention. Being brutally evicted from your living space. Being moved from your cell in a closed center to the empty wilderness of a city you have never seen before.

“Es ist wahr: ich verdiene noch meinen Unterhalt Aber glaubt mir: das ist nur ein Zufall. Nichts Von dem, was ich tue, berechtigt mich dazu, mich satt zu essen. Zufällig bin ich verschont. (Wenn mein Glück aussetzt Bin ich verloren.) – Bertolt Brecht

During the first weeks of this crisis we keep our hearts and spirits up thanks to the solidarity that is here. From our balconies we applaud the heros risking their lives every day in the hallways of hospitals. We can’t imagine the scenes taking place there. We learn, once more, how taking care of each other forms a fundamental part of our nature. In each and every hell, bits of paradise are being built by people we don’t know. Every disaster provides proof for the defeat of social Darwinism, that nefarious theory that dares to claim that we, human beings, are always monsters to each other. Surely there are some monsters in this society, but those are still exactly the same as before this viral outbreak.

Force of habit

During times of shock we tend to try and maintain our habits, our routine, our habitual modes of thinking as best as possible. By giving us something to hold on to, habits help us deal with the fear of these uncertain times. But force of habit is a bad advisor when everything is changing.

This changes everything. Six years ago, these three words were on the cover of Naomi Klein’s book on the climate crisis. During these past weeks we’ve been repeating them as a mantra. Nothing will ever again be the way it was before. From now on even the same shit will be a thousand times worse. What was unimaginable to us just some weeks ago is happening now, before our own eyes.

Remember how we commented on the measurements China took, just a couple of weeks ago? In Februari, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reported on how drones were sent out in Wuhan, to warn people to stay inside their homes: a ‘disturbing’ precedent in a country where civil liberty and privacy is already under constant threat. One month later this very same newspaper is applauding similar usage of drones like this in the city of Brussels.

Of course, we are all hoping this will blow over soon. China and some other countries have proven the epidemic can be brought under (temporary) control. But scientists have warned us this crisis might last for 18 months too. Since that is the time it takes to develop a vaccine and bring it to market. This doesn’t necessarily mean those18 months will look like the of lockdown measures we’re experiencing at the moment, but it does mean, without any doubt, that our lives and societies will continue to be disrupted for the foreseeable future.

We can’t predict exactly how this will impact our lives. We only know for sure that there will be long-lasting shocks to the global capitalist system. According to us, three possible outcomes are likely. We base these scenarios on crises that have happened in the past, not because historical circumstances are comparable (as explained in the introduction), but because it can teach us something about how this world’s elite, the 1%, reacts to these kind of shocks.

The way governments and central banks around the globe are reacting to the economic effects caused by the corona-outbreak inevitably recalls their reaction to the financial crisis of 2008. Both the EU and the USA then spent billions of money to placate the stock markets and bail out the banks. Since whole branches of our economies are struggling now, because of disrupted supply lines and in some cases temporary closure, an economic recession is inescapable in most countries (recession occurs when the growth of the GDP is negative during two or more consecutive quarters). The risk of a depression, a long period of economic decline, is increasing by the day.

The crisis that never left us

The corona-pandemic isn’t hitting a stable, booming, and fair economy. The economical system that gave us the financial crash of 2008 has been patched up, but not reformed. Within this system a next crisis is always lurking behind the corner. We’re still recovering from one exploded bubble while a new one is already seducing speculators. The same recipe is being used now as in 2008. Bail out the companies. (A bail out is when a government uses tax-money to save private interests).

Money is being pumped into the economy in massive amounts. Shareholders are being handed billions directly by our governments. CEO’s line up for an appointed at the White House to get their cheque. Airlines are asking for 50 billion. Aircraft manufacturer Boeing alone wants 60 billion. Casino’s are hoping for a cheque of 18 billion. The hotel-sector – where Trump has a stake himself – would be entitled to 150 billion.

One of those companies, American Airlines, made billions of profit during recent years. That profit wasn’t invested to create a buffer for difficult times (‘I don’t think we’ll ever record financial losses again’, their lunatic CEO said in 2017). What the company did instead was use those billions to buy back a lot of their own shares, so stock prices would skyrocket, dividends would rise, and the remaining big shareholders could rake in the profit. In Belgium, Brussels Airlines, though they are owned by the German company Lufthansa, already asked the government for 200 million.

Austerity, austerity, austerity

Anyone depending on government benefits at some point during the past 10 years, anyone working for a government service, or working in the social or cultural sector knows what the price was we paid for those bailouts. 10 years of austerity, 10 years of deep cuts that made those sectors we need most right now ill-fully unprepared. One example says it all. For a long time, Belgium had a strategic supply of surgical face masks. In 2009, one year after the financial crisis, the government stopped replenishing this supply out of budgetary reasons. In 2019 whatever remained of the supply was destroyed because the expiry date had passed. This wasn’t reported in the media, it was just a tiny detail in the auterity-budgets, a way of hiding many small and larger dramas. Think of that next time you’re out on your balcony cheering and applauding.

The Dutch government announced that it will allow the budget deficit to go up to 65 billion in order to save companies in need. As a first measure… because this number is also based on the hope that everything will blow over soon. 65 billion euro, that is an amount as big as all the budget cuts of the past 10 years combined. The dramatic budget cut of 200 million the Dutch cultural sector had to suffer in 2011, nothing more than breadcrumbs that are swept clean off the table now. And when this health crisis is over, austerity will start all over again. Another ten years of severe cuts for those sectors that are already struggling to survive now?

Here in Belgium we are heading straight towards budget cuts so extreme we will soon become nostalgic for the retro-austerity of the 2010s. Whilst only some months ago Wouter Beke, our minister of welfare, public health, family, and poverty reduction, declared it was impossible to find the extra 5000 euro needed to keep operating our suicide prevention hotline, now billions are made available for private companies like it is nothing. Flemish prime minister Jambon and his colleagues are already rubbing their hands togethers, eager for the ax they’ll soon get to grab to further chop apart our welfare state. If we let them act unchecked, all that awaits us will be a social massacre.

This is the scenario they are hoping for. They expect the old recipes to continue to work and they expect that we, the people, to be still numbed and paralysed enough by the pandemic to submit to this peacefully. A return to business as usual, as quickly as possible. But a couple of things aren’t taken into account by this reasoning. First of, it is almost certain that the coming economical crisis will be much more severe than the one of 2008. More importantly, today’s world population isn’t the same as it was twelve years ago. A wave of protests has taken the world by storm, and across all continents mass movements are gathering.

In October the government of Chile was forced to declare a state of emergency, out of fear that a growing protest movement might topple those in power. One of the protestors held up a sign: ‘Neoliberalism was born in Chile, in Chile neoliberalism will die’. We saw the yellow vest movement in France. Algeria and Sudan saw the forced resignation of their so-thought presidents-for-life. On one specific day, up to 20% of the total population of Lebanon was out protesting in the streets, with revolutionairy DJ’s encouraging them with music pouring down from the balconies. In the USA we see the mass movement that is reinforcing itself around Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, growing from roots planted in movements such as Occupy, Black Lives Matter, and the Women’s movement.

There is no alternative

Secondly, this is a fundamentally different crisis than the one of 2008. Governments are being forced to take much more radical measures than they did then. The newly elected Spanish government had to renationalise private hospitals. In Paris hotels are being seized by the local government to provide shelter and self-isolation to the homeless. Even Boris Johnson had to renationalise the railways, because the private companies that were operating them were about to collapse. Belgian minister of internal affairs Pieter De Crem sent the police to a company in Charleroi to confiscate the 180000 coronatests they had in storage. The company’s plan was to withhold the test-kits until they had found the highest bidder worldwide. Pieter De Crem, ex-minister of military, seizing private goods according to definitions written by Karl Marx on the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’. This changes everything.

In the USA the discussion about paid-sick leave (unavailable to millions of USA workers) has exploded. Numerous countries have announce emergency measures to compensate loss of income. In Flanders, those who are temporarily unemployed get a 200 Euro bank transfer from the government to cover their water- and energy-bills. Christian-Democrat party CD&V already proposed the idea to give 1500 Euro as compensation to each family. In the USA Bernie Sanders is proposing a similar compensation of 2000 dollar.

A new society

There is another scenario to consider. When the horror of World War II ended in 1945, Europe and the USA didn’t simply return to the chaotic state of the 1930s. When business-owners and labour-unions formed a social pact in 1944, it became the basis of Belgium’s system of social security. Recipes used by the union’s local sick-leave and unemployments funds were now implemented nationwide. Afro-american soldiers returning home from the European front refused to ‘re-accept’ segregation and Jim Crow-laws (a story told by the movie Mudbound). Women who had spent four years working in factories while the men were fighting at the front, refused to re-accept their roles as stay-at-home mothers. It is in these immediate post-war years that the seeds for the civil rights and the women’s rights movement were sown.

In 1945 radical structural change was occurring throughout the societies of Europe and the USA. And this time as well, new recipes are ready, available, and waiting to be picked up. There is the Green New Deal proposed by Ocasio-Cortez. Europe too is teeming with already elaborated ideas of how to achieve ‘climate justice’ through a transition towards a more ecological, caring, and fair society. Why should the UK hand back the railways it is now nationalising to a new highest bidder or the same incompetent hands? If, in a few months, governments around the globe are the owners of airline companies they saved, why then not use this as the most efficient moment to radically restructure these services and facilities, and adapt them to a world where ecological impact is taken into account?

The share prices of the USA’s four biggest oil companies are right now at such a low that the government could buy them all for 300 million dollar. Instead of leaving the future of these companies and the 1,6 million people they employ in the hands of dividend-hungry shareholders that will continue to compete until every last drop of oil is squeezed out of each and every fracking bed, the government could ensure crisis-free transition both towards a more sustainable energy sector, and a professional future for those now employed in the oil-industry. If governments can find the means to guarantee a source of income for (certain parts of) the population during a time of crisis, then why shouldn’t it be possible to do this for the whole population during times of ‘peace’? If suddenly we can differentiate between essential jobs that we need to keep things going and the bullshit jobs that go on lockdown, then how could we possibly forget this once the crisis is over? In Vermont and Minnesota grocery store-workers are now recognised as ‘emergency workers’, and receiving added social benefits. Why on earth would they return to their old status in 18 months, a status that was underpaid and vastly under-appreciated within our society. Why on earth would we ever again allow a politician to propose budget cuts in our healthcare systems?

My sister, From one island to another I give to you these rocks as a reminder that our lives matter more than their power that life in all forms demands the same respect we all give to money that these issues affect each and everyone of us None of us is immune And that each and everyone of us has to decide if we will rise –Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner and Aka Niviâna

Most of the measures governments are taking now, come straight out of the manuals of the political left. This should not surprise us as these measures are meant to prepare us for the much larger crisis heading our way. What we are experiencing now will be nothing compared to what awaits us if we don’t succeed in structurally reducing our CO2-emissions. This is the time to push forwards and demand the maximum of what is possible. Or as climate-journalist David Roberts puts it: “This crisis is a tragedy, but the bigger tragedy would be not to learn anything from it.” Naomi Klein has been warning us for years about the shock doctrine employed by the political right during times of crisis. The time is now for a shock doctrine of the left.

Fragile states

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. – William Butler Yeats

The danger of a third scenario looms. The existing system collapsed in several countries between 1917 and 1933. There is a risk that that might happen again. In a number of countries, authoritarian leaders are abusing the crisis to finally put an end to the last remnants of the rule of law. In Hungary, a law is on the table that would give Orban unlimited powers. Parliament would be set aside indefinitely. The new law also provides for prison terms of up to five years for anyone who publishes information that hinders or is considered ‘false’ by the government.

In many African or Latin-American countries there is almost no welfare system or social security at all. A prolonged lockdown in these countries would for most automatically lead to hunger, as all forms of income would disappear. A new debt-crisis would very likely push some countries into default and disaster. And as the European Union is bickering amongst each other, it’s Cuba and China that are sending out their medical teams to the world. The Czech Republic recently confiscated 100.000 face masks that were on their way from China to Italy. Within the EU, it’s each for their own, and all against the immigrants that are living under appalling conditions in the many camps on the continent’s border. The USA intensifies it’s economic sanctions against Iran, at a time when the country’s 81 million inhabitants are suffering under the same global pandemic. These shameless acts of inhuman cruelty are in stark contrast with the remarks made by Yanet Platero, coordinator of the organisation of Cuban Italians, when a medical team from her country of birth arrived at the airport of Milan. ‘Doesn’t Cuba need these doctors at home’, a journalist asked. ‘Our land does not offer what it has left over, our nation shares what it has’, Platero replied.

There are many beautiful things we can learn from this crisis, let Platero’s remark be one of them. Let it also sink in – here in the west – that living in fear of diseases and disruption is the ‘normal’ situation for half of the world’s population. The fact that we didn’t live with this awareness meant that the corona virus did not bother us as long as it stayed in China. So let’s make crystal clear the difference between what is good and what is bad for us now. Let’s give the monsters no chance this time. 2008 – bail out the system. 2020 – bail out the people.

Rachida Aziz and Christophe Callewaert

(translation Maarten VDB)

[lizzybby]

Often request to make use of your time and efforts while in the greatest feasible way for your entire life.

To raised manage time you've got in a day, have a plan for it! Generally sit down the evening before and create a list of anything you ought to get performed. Prioritize almost everything to the list and cross duties off one by a single as you attain them. Go into this practice, therefore you should really get to a lot more targets and also have much more time in the working day.

When you wish to strengthen by yourself, take into account preserving a to-do record. This tends to support continue to keep you arranged and take care of your time and efforts properly. It might cover the main tasks that you've got, otherwise you can micromanage each and every event as part of your life. It really does not subject. Using a to-do listing is a wonderful solution to handle your time. 

Assign a the perfect time to any action or discussion which is important for your aims.  A lot of things with a to-do checklist make them tricky to accomplish. You can also use appointment books. Timetable private appointments and make time blocks for all those conversations, actions and ideas. Program their beginnings and endings. Be sure to full them on agenda.

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Routine any important situations or appointments. Make an effort to produce a closing date for all those gatherings. When you have a agenda written out for your day, do your best to stick to it. If one point goes time beyond regulation, look for a place that you just could minimize the allowed time. This can assist you to get by way of your working day with out likely about your time and efforts constraints.

When you are often pressed for time, begin endeavoring to be early for almost everything. Should you intention for being promptly, even slightly site visitors can mess up your overall program by creating you late. Having said that, after you do your very best to generally be early, you might be generally still left having a small additional time, which you'll then set to great use!

Prepare your every day things to do out. Generate a timetable for your every day functions and follow it. This tends to assist eliminate demanding and last second conditions. You can make a day by day to perform record and place the main factors that you simply have to have to get done at the prime on the record. 

It's of fundamental significance you manage your time and effort by dedicating you within the non secular part. It is best to in no way fail to remember who developed you, and exactly where you came from.

Seek to do very good and hardly ever cease to stay your lifetime, normally with all the Kingdom of God within your coronary heart as well as in your actions.

Handle your time and energy, but hardly ever abandon God. Imagine and have faith. 

God enjoys you and will under no circumstances depart you. Handle your time and efforts, make it possible for Our Lord Jesus Christ to take care of you, and manage your whole journey. Rely on in the Kingdom of God. Ever.

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For most people, time management is really a make a difference of multitasking. In case you need to maximize your productivity, this may not be a good technique to go after. Multitasking splits up your attention so that no one matter gets the full profit of one's expertise. In place of splitting your aim, set off new responsibilities and continue on to concentrate on the work at hand.

Do not be afraid to tell people to leave you alone when you're doing work. Hang a sign about the door, lock the doorway and block your mobile phone phone calls once you need to get some thing done. This will enable you to continue to keep your educate of imagined and concentrate on the activity at hand. You might be far much more effective without having any interruptions. 

Take a look at taking a time management course. Perhaps you just are not confident the best way to manage your time. Taking a category can help you find out precisely what is essential and what isn't really. Yow will discover these lessons at regional schools and perhaps on the web. Generally they're low price or maybe free of charge. 

If you want assist increasing your life, you need to stop squandering time in the least fees. All of us require some down time and energy to chill out and recuperate. But during the time you should be performing, you may need to be operating and accomplishing responsibilities. Time losing on cellphone apps, Fb and other distractions is just unwanted.

Take about five minutes in advance of your responsibilities and calls for deciding what final results you wish to attain. This tends to assist you see success before you begin. It may possibly also gradual down a while. Try taking about five minutes following each action and contact to determine when you reached the desired final result. If you failed to, what did you miss out on? How can include the lacking ingredient to your following activity?  

Discover how to allow the small factors go when you are overcome by a hectic working day. Individuals who are inclined to fuss more than less significant matters typically eliminate their concentrate on the massive photo, consequently losing time. Have your priorities straight and do not let smaller difficulties to receive from the way of handling time effectively.

Discover how to say no. Many individuals get extremely pressured simply since they are doing not know the way to convey no when questioned to perform anything. Once you find yourself overbooked, examine your timetable. Are there factors that you just can delegate to others? If that is so, question for support from friends and loved ones. 

Before calling anyone about the mobile phone at operate, consider a couple of minutes to strategy out the thoughts you want answered. Generally a whole lot of time is squandered just by way of the rambling that happens over the telephone any time you never know what you really need. Getting a feeling of your respective ambitions prior should help hold you on track. 

Never hurry through your day. If you hurry via issues and make errors, it'll get you significantly for a longer time to repair those people issues than it might have for yourself to get it done right the very first time. Gradual and watchful function will be additional productive than rushed, sloppy operate.

[irisprim]

Normally find to utilize your time from the very best possible way for all of your daily life.

To higher regulate some time you have within a working day, have a very system for it! Generally sit down the night time ahead of and create a list of everything you ought to get finished. Prioritize anything on the list and cross tasks off 1 by a single when you carry out them. Get into this behavior, and you also should really access more targets and also have additional time from the working day.

In the event you desire to make improvements to your self, take into account preserving a to-do checklist. This tends to assistance hold you arranged and regulate your time and effort correctly. It can deal with the most important responsibilities that you've got, otherwise you can micromanage every single event in the life. It actually would not subject. Having a to-do listing is a fantastic way to manage your time and efforts. 

Assign a time for you to any activity or dialogue that may be crucial on your ambitions.  Too many issues over a to-do record make them really hard to accomplish. You can also use appointment textbooks. Schedule particular appointments and make time blocks for those conversations, steps and ideas. Agenda their beginnings and endings. Ensure you total them on program.

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Schedule any essential occasions or appointments. Attempt to produce a deadline for those functions. As you possess a plan prepared out for your working day, do your best to stay to it. If one thing goes time beyond regulation, discover a put you could cut down the allowed time. This will make it easier to get via your working day without heading about your time constraints.

For anyone who is generally pressed for time, start seeking to be early for everything. For those who intention for being punctually, even a little bit site visitors can mess up your total schedule by making you late. Nevertheless, whenever you do your best to become early, you will be often still left that has a minimal added time, which you'll then put to excellent use!

Prepare your everyday activities out. Make a plan to your day by day activities and keep on with it. This will likely support reduce demanding and last second scenarios. It is possible to make a every day to perform listing and put the most crucial items that you have to have to get performed in the prime on the checklist. 

It can be of fundamental great importance you manage your time by dedicating you inside the religious portion. You ought to never ever forget about who developed you, and in which you came from.

Try and do great and by no means stop to are living your daily life, always using the Kingdom of God within your heart as well as in your steps.

Manage your time and energy, but in no way abandon God. Consider and also have faith. 

God enjoys you and may under no circumstances leave you. Control your time and energy, make it possible for Our Lord Jesus Christ to deal with you, and regulate your entire journey. Trust during the Kingdom of God. At any time.

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For a lot of people today, time administration is really a make any difference of multitasking. In the event you would like to optimize your efficiency, this may not be an excellent strategy to pursue. Multitasking splits up your consideration making sure that no person matter gets the full profit within your capabilities. Rather than splitting your aim, place off new duties and proceed to concentrate on the task at hand.

Never be afraid to inform persons to leave you by yourself if you find yourself doing work. Dangle an indication within the door, lock the doorway and block your cellular phone phone calls if you have to have to have anything completed. This will likely allow you to hold your educate of believed and deal with the task at hand. You may be far more effective without any interruptions. 

Consider taking a time administration class. Possibly you simply aren't positive ways to organize your time and effort. Using a category may help you determine what on earth is essential and what isn't really. You can find these lessons at neighborhood faculties and also online. Ordinarily they're low cost or simply free of charge. 

If you need assist improving upon your lifetime, you require to stop throwing away time at all prices. Many of us need to have some down time to take it easy and recuperate. But throughout the time you have to be doing the job, you may need to become doing the job and carrying out duties. Time throwing away on telephone applications, Facebook together with other interruptions is just needless.

Just take about five minutes in advance of your responsibilities and phone calls for choosing what success you wish to accomplish. This could make it easier to see achievements before you decide to commence. It could possibly also sluggish down a while. Test having about five minutes soon after every single action and connect with to figure out in case you accomplished the specified final result. For those who did not, what did you overlook? How can add the lacking element for the upcoming task?  

Discover how to permit the little issues go while you are confused by a fast paced working day. Folks who have a tendency to fuss above less significant matters normally eliminate their target the big picture, hence wasting time. Have your priorities straight and do not permit smaller complications to receive inside the way of taking care of time competently.

Discover how to say no. Lots of individuals get overly pressured simply just for the reason that they are doing not know the way to mention no when asked to carry out some thing. Any time you end up overbooked, look at your agenda. Are there matters you can delegate to other people? If that is so, check with for assist from buddies and relatives. 

Prior to contacting a person on the telephone at function, choose a couple of minutes to prepare out the queries that you just need answered. Generally quite a bit of time is wasted simply by way of the rambling that occurs around the telephone once you you should not really know what you really need. Getting a feeling of your plans prior will help preserve you on course. 

Will not hurry via your working day. Should you rush by factors and make problems, it will take you significantly more time to fix all those issues than it might have for yourself to do it suitable the main time. Gradual and thorough do the job will probably be more effective than rushed, sloppy get the job done.

[savetopnow]

2018-03-10 07 FUNNY now

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[georgecmatthews]

Coronavirus impact and response: A global view

Every morning, my day begins by discussing the latest developments in the coronavirus fight with my team of strategists on-the-ground in Hong Kong, Italy, London, Tokyo, New York and elsewhere. Today, my weekly blog features several members of Invesco’s Global Market Strategy Office, who answer the most pressing questions they’ve been hearing from investors who are concerned about COVID-19 and its impact on the global economy.

Q. What did China do right, and is economic activity really returning?

David Chao (Hong Kong): Chinese authorities acted late to contain the mysterious illness, and they then had to resort to extreme social-distancing controls and lockdown measures. Despite being disruptive, these measures have achieved effective results: For example, two months after the government locked down Wuhan on Jan. 23, the Ministry of Health has reported no new infection cases.1 The new infections curve in China was also flattened through large-scale virus testing, which led to more accurate diagnosis and ultimately slowed the contagion.

That being said, China is still not out of the coronavirus woods yet. The country has shifted its attention from preventing the domestic spread of the disease to preventing foreigners from bringing the contagion back into China.

These extreme health control measures have come at a steep cost. Beijing sacrificed near-term economic growth,2 recently reporting its worst monthly economic data on record,3 which will likely translate into flat or negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth in Q1.

Demand-driven economic activity remains soft, including land transactions and rail and air travel. But production activities are rebounding, including freight transport and coal consumption, and many people are returning to work — as of last week, the work return rate reached above 95% for large industrial companies and around 60% for small and mid-sized enterprises.4

The Chinese economy is seeing healthy increases in credit demand and money supply growth. These developments are encouraging and — when coupled with recent monetary stimulus from the People’s Bank of China and a widely expected significant fiscal stimulus — point to the potential for China’s economy to experience a V-shaped recovery.     

Q. What can we learn from South Korea? What is the situation in Japan?

Tomo Kinoshita (Tokyo): South Korea’s efforts to combat coronavirus yielded impressive results. After a dramatic increase in cases through the first week of March, driven by a surge among participants in a large religious gathering in Daegu, the number of daily new patients has dropped to only approximately 100 over the past week.5 The slower pace of spread is due to the Korean government’s aggressive measures, including testing as many potential patients as possible (including via drive-through testing), providing testing and treatment free of charge, and closing schools. While there still is a risk of an explosive increase, the situation is stabilizing.

In Japan, the government was widely criticized for how it handled a large cruise ship case early in the outbreak. But it also took bold actions from an early stage. On Feb. 26, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe publicly asked organizers of national-level major events (such as sports and cultural events) to cancel, postpone, or downsize those events. He also asked all primary, secondary, and high schools to terminate classes from March 2 until the end of this school year (which normally runs to the end of March). An explosive increase in patients cannot be ruled out in the near term as Japan continues to have daily new cases with untraceable sources. But for now, Japan is not in a crisis situation on an epidemiological front.

On an economic front, Japan’s consumption has been deteriorating since the majority of the population has generally refrained from going out for dining and non-essential activities. Responding to the prospect that negative GDP growth is very likely for the second and third quarters, the Abe administration announced that it would reveal a significant fiscal package in April, which would add fiscal firepower to the existing fiscal easing measures incorporated in the fiscal year (FY) 2019 supplemental budget and FY2020 general budget.    

Q. What is the situation on the ground in Italy?

Luca Tobagi (Milan): The COVID-19 emergency in Italy is still proving very complicated to manage. The number of infected people keeps increasing, and we have not yet seen a meaningful slowdown in growth rates in the North, notwithstanding three weeks of lockdown with increasingly tight containment measures. Those measures are not yet as draconian as those we saw in Hubei province in China, but Italy has already closed all schools and all places where people can gather, from bars and restaurants to movie theaters and churches. The Army is starting to patrol the streets in some cities in order to support the tighter containment measures.

The number of deaths has risen rapidly, mostly among elderly people, and has surpassed China. However, the biggest problem is that the Italian health care system is under serious strain. If we do not see a slowdown in the contagion soon, it might not have the capacity to treat all patients. This is a cautionary tale for the US and other countries. The more containment measures that can be adopted now, the better.

Q. What is the state of the monetary and fiscal policy response globally?

Arnab Das (London): Monetary policy coordinated closely with fiscal policy are key lines of defense against the economic blow of the coronavirus. Major central bank responses have included rates near or below zero, a sharp rise in quantitative easing (QE), a revival of crisis programs such as Federal Reserve funding of commercial paper and primary dealers, and more.

The Fed’s sharp increase in intervention in the financial markets on March 23, with Treasury fiscal backstops for credit risk, should help stop the seizing up of major swaths of the US financial system including corporate and municipal credit markets, which would have otherwise impaired the provision of fiscal support for the US and global economies. This should also help alleviate the upward pressure on the US dollar, which has been severely tightening both US and global financial conditions.

Looking forward, two questions stand out:

Given such low rates and large balance sheets, what more can central banks do? A lot: QE programs can be expanded, limits on the European Central Bank’s QE program can be loosened or lifted, Fed asset purchases can be expanded from Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities to include corporate debt, Fed dollar swaps can be extended to more central banks, and bank liquidity coverage ratios and high-quality liquid asset holdings can be eased to reduce strains in US dollar funding. The last three would require legislation and a Treasury backstop against credit risk.

How do we know enough is being done? The US dollar is the single most-important indicator. Whenever the dollar surges, the Fed should get back on the case, providing all the dollar funding required to ensure markets operate and clear. Second, “safe-haven” bond yields — especially US Treasury yields — should fall when risk assets are under pressure; if they don’t, the Fed should offer more liquidity.

In terms of fiscal policy, governments everywhere are stepping up to the plate with spending, lending, and guarantee programs. The UK has gone furthest, and France and Germany are floating fiscal plans. Italy’s plan is far too small for the country hardest hit by the pandemic, but relaxation of European Union fiscal rules paves the way for more. We expect the US to act too as lockdowns spread across the country. US fiscal support is taking shape, but is already taking longer because Congress must work with federal, state, and municipal governments — but pressures in labor, credit, and muni bond markets already show the need. The key goal of fiscal programs is for public spending to tide the economy over by cushioning sharp falls in private spending as governments impose social-distancing lockdowns, people prioritize basic needs over discretionary spending, and firms respond with their own spending cutbacks in staff, purchasing and investment.

How long will such emergency support last? In such a severe, sudden shock, we believe governments must come in, and in a big way. Support will be needed until the coronavirus is credibly contained, perhaps months, quarters, or even a year from now (as more governments are starting to acknowledge). Eventually, the economy should recover and tax revenue rise, so both public spending and public debt can be slowly reduced. But if societies do not act in this way, the economy could emerge from the pandemic significantly smaller with lower potential growth rates given major, long-running job losses, widespread bankruptcies, and greater wealth destruction.

Q. What is the potential hit to US GDP?

Brian Levitt (New York): It is evident that containing the spread of the coronavirus requires social distancing and isolation. The ultimate loss of US economic activity will be difficult to estimate with any precision. Consider that roughly 50% of the US economy is driven by non-health care related consumption.6 Industries such as general merchandise and other retail, transportation, and arts and entertainment account for over $2 trillion in US economic output, suggesting that approximately 10% of the economy will now exhibit limited activity for weeks, if not longer.6 For example, US restaurant bookings have declined 56% from 12 months ago (the number is the same globally).7 Jobless claims are already rising rapidly8 and will likely hit all-time highs. The next couple of quarters will likely produce declines in economic activity globally, the likes of which we have never seen, including during the 2008 global financial crisis. It is no longer a question of whether there will be a recession, but rather the magnitude and duration of the recession. Policymakers will continue to work to support the global financial system and to provide bridge support to households, businesses, and communities.

We maintain confidence that pent-up demand will build during this prolonged period of social distancing and will support growth later in the year, assuming the virus is ultimately contained. However, we temper our expectations for the recovery as we expect a ripple effect on future consumption due to the rise in the number of furloughed or unemployed workers. Ultimately, we would expect deep contraction in US economic growth for the next couple of quarters, followed by an economic recovery driven by pent-up demand (the greater the fiscal stimulus, the sharper the economic recovery is expected to be; the smaller the fiscal stimulus, the more modest the outlook for economic recovery). Fortunately for investors, history suggests that financial markets bottom four months before the trough in economic activity.9

Q. What are your thoughts about equity and bond markets?

Talley Leger (New York): Near-term chaos can create long-term opportunities for patient investors. We’re starting to see the kind of despair that kills old bull markets and gives birth to new ones. To be clear, bottoming is a process, and virus-related uncertainty could continue to weigh on markets until the number of new cases outside of China peaks and/or the fiscal response becomes coordinated and forceful. However, indications of excessive caution in the marketplace suggest savvy investors should start considering opportunities to be contrarian when others are fearful.

Tim Horsburgh (New York): Treasuries, commercial paper, municipals, investment grade credit, and high yield credit have all shown significant signs of systemic stress, with echoes of 2008, during the recent sell off. Amidst this turmoil, bid/ask spreads have hit levels not seen since 2008-2009. We don’t believe that the US fixed income market is fundamentally broken, however. This volatility is likely more of a function of lower dealer inventory and heavy selling pressure rather than a breakdown in the market. Trades and new deals are still getting completed.

With spreads wide by historical standards, investment grade US corporate credit looks attractive to us relative to US high yield given the greater flexibility and financial stability inherent in many high-quality borrowers. In an environment of heightened stress and dislocation, a rise in defaults is almost assured at this point. High-quality names should be able to better absorb the financial hits looming. Within the large universe of BBB bonds, we will likely see some downgrades into high yield territory as this crisis progresses. However, we don’t expect this to overwhelm the high yield universe. Many (but not all) BBB borrowers have financial room to maneuver in order to maintain that rating, even in this current crisis, preventing a wider wave of downgrades.

Q. What is an asset allocator to do?

Paul Jackson (London): Diversification is more important than ever but is harder to achieve than usual, given that assets have been moving together.

My favored “defensive” assets are cash and gold. I currently favor a barbell approach of combining cash and gold with commodities and real estate (REITs), which are the cyclical assets that I think have the most upside under our more optimistic scenarios.

Equities are also an important part of any long-term investor’s portfolio. Equity markets that I believe have the most upside in the shorter term include the UK and Japan.

Investment grade credit seems to offer a good combination of risk, reward, and diversification. I am, however, more wary of high yield credit.

Conclusion

Kristina Hooper: I value the input of the seasoned strategists in the Global Market Strategy Office, and I believe their experience and knowledge can help us put today’s tumultuous events into perspective.  We have all lived through a range of economic and market crises, which enables us to look beyond the short-term turmoil and to take a measured approach with a long-term view.  It is our greatest priority to serve our clients in this difficult time, and we are committed to providing you with regular commentary and insights as we work through this crisis together.

You can find further commentary from this team and from our portfolio managers here: What investors need to know about the coronavirus.

1 Source: National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China

2 Source: National Bureau of Statistics of China, “Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods Went down by 20.5 percent in the First Two Months of 2020”

3 Source: Financial Times, “Chinese economy suffers record blow from coronavirus”

4 Source: China’s Ministry of Industry & Information Technology

5 Source: Yonhap News Agency as of March 23, 2020

6 Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Dec. 31, 2019

7 Source: Booking.com, March 19, 2020

8 Source: US Department of Labor, March 19, 2020

9 Sources: Bloomberg, L.P.; Strategas Research Partners, Dec. 31, 2019                                                                                                               

Important information

Blog header image: Eberhard Grossgasteiger / Unsplash

Diversification does not guarantee a profit or eliminate the risk of loss.

Quantitative easing (QE) is a monetary policy used by central banks to stimulate the economy when standard monetary policy has become ineffective.

Safe havens are investments that are expected to hold or increase their value in volatile markets.

A shared dollar swap line is a temporary reciprocal agreement between central banks to trade currencies at the current exchange rate.

The bid-ask spread is the difference between an asset’s ask price and its bid price.

Fluctuations in the price of gold and precious metals may affect the profitability of companies in the gold and precious metals sector. Changes in the political or economic conditions of countries where companies in the gold and precious metals sector are located may have a direct effect on the price of gold and precious metals.

Commodities may subject an investor to greater volatility than traditional securities such as stocks and bonds and can fluctuate significantly based on weather, political, tax, and other regulatory and market developments. 

Investments in real estate related instruments may be affected by economic, legal, or environmental factors that affect property values, rents or occupancies of real estate. Real estate companies, including REITs or similar structures, tend to be small and mid-cap companies and their shares may be more volatile and less liquid.

The opinions referenced above are those of the authors as of March 23, 2020. These comments should not be construed as recommendations, but as an illustration of broader themes. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions; there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations.

from Expert Investment Views: Invesco Blog https://www.blog.invesco.us.com/coronavirus-impact-and-response-a-global-view/