#PARTICULARLY white people with julian. i trust like 2 white people with julian.

[lesbianziyal]

bashir x garak is good in my head and literally nowhere else.

[so--many-fandoms]

Jaskier is technically a noble, right? So he probably had to go through all the fancy noble tutoring and such, not just for math and literacy and normal school stuff but for etiquette and politics and all the noble-specific training that anyone who might end up ruling at least some portion of land would need.

After Cintra falls, Ciri is the last remaining heir to the throne (unless you start looking into distant cousins and other branches that may or may not exist or have any claim to the throne); either way, assuming they manage to drive nilfgard out someday, she’ll be the next ruler. Do you see where I’m going with this?

At some point, probably a few months after they found eachother, Ciri is going to make some comment about how having her former life destroyed sucks but at least she’s escaped her boring old lineage tutor or something, and Geralt is going to realize that not only is he in charge of raising and protecting a tiny human child, he’s in charge of a royal tiny human child who will one day be the Queen of an entire country. Then he’s going to panic because she definitely needs to be learning things for that but they don’t teach Witchers how to be nobles, he has no idea what she needs to learn, this isn’t like sword fighting, he can’t teach her himself! And so his first thought will probably be Yennefer, because she was a court mage and he had probably already asked her to help teach Ciri magic/control. When he asks, though, she says she can’t help him because while sure, they received some court training at Aretuza, it was all manipulation and making people like you enough to avoid getting killed or fired for accidentally offending some random important noble (its a different story if you did so on purpose, of course). Anyway, she had never learned any of the things nobles had to know, and especially not the kinds of things they taught noble children. She was 0% qualified to be a royal tutor for anything beyond magic, and probably reading/languages (particularly Elder) and maybe math, because some spells definitely involve math to get the correct affect.

So Geralt is still panicking, and now he’s thinking he’s going to somehow have to find some noble that he can trust to know where Ciri is, and worse, what kind of noble would be willing to travel around the continent with a Witcher? So he is thinking that he’s probably going to have to leave Ciri with this random noble for months at a time, because she needs an education and to be prepared to rule but how the fuck is he going to find some noble who’s both willing to look after a Witcher’s kid (who might be the crown princess of a powerful kingdom but is also being hunted by a powerful invading army with a dark mage, any political advantage from fostering her would be negated by the huge target doing so would paint on your back) and trustworthy enough that Geralt could let her out of his sight with them? Now, there are two ways this could go.

1) yennefer Knows Things and decided to take pity on Geralt after he’s so clearly (well, clear to people that know him well(or can read minds)) freaking out over the issue, and casually mentions “isn’t that bard of yours a Viscount or something? Maybe he can help.” Skip Geralt’s what kind of viscount is named Jaskier?? confusion (yen: you didn’t know that’s not his real name?), he immediately goes to track Jaskier down, because even if they haven’t seen eachother since the dragon mountain, and Jaskier might never want to see him again no matter how much he apologizes, he knows Jaskier would never turn on Ciri. He finds him rather quickly because a lot of people are gossiping about the “Toss a Coin” bard who has recently debuted a fantastic new tragic love ballad (Geralt is definitely having Feelings the first time he hears it. Maybe it’s just coincidence that the story of Her Sweet Kiss sounds so familiar? It has to be, right? Right??? Because if not... well. There’s a third person in that song, and Geralt doesn’t think he could possibly have been that blind- but then again, he’d never known his friend was a noble or his name wasn’t actually Jaskier, had he?). Cue lots of reunitement feels and apologies and hugs (and Ciri shipping them from the background). Geralt is so relieved that Jaskier is safe and forgave him that he forgets why he had been looking for him so urgently until Jaskier asks something about where he was going/why he was in town or something like that. Geralt says something about how he’s currently raising a Princess, and he can teach her fighting and survival but he didn’t even know she was supposed to be studying things like a century’s worth of noble family trees and how to tell someone to fuck off with silverware until she mentioned how much more exciting monster-identification-lessons were, and apparently Jaskier is actually a noble? Named Julian??? And Jaskier, being fluent in Geralt, correctly interprets this as “what. Geralt. You want me to be Cirilla’s tutor? The future queen of Cintra? I’m not as young as I look, it’s been decades since I had to think about any of that bullshit, oh, fu-sorry, sorry, small ears, gods. I may be a professor at Oxford for a winter every now and then, but I am NOT a royal tutor! Besides the fact that royals learn things lower nobles don’t, I’m from Rhedania, not Cintra, we use an entirely different fashion language, and they have a weird thing about-” “Jaskier. Where the fuck am I going to find a trustworthy Cintran noble, let alone one qualified to teach her?” “Language! and they- oh. Good point. I suppose I know more about it than you do, at the least. Ugh. If I’m going to have to try to remember all this sh-stuff, I definitely am going to need some books. Cintra’s library would be best, country specific info and all, but there’s no way we’re going to get any of that, if it hasn’t burned already. Maybe Oxenfurt? If we-” “make a list. Yen has... resources.” “Well that’s terrifyingly ominous. And I hope you’re planning on letting me teach her music too, if we’re going to have to put up with all this stuffy etiquette!”

2) Yennefer doesn’t say anything, either because she figures Geralt must already know and have chosen not to go to Jaskier for some reason or because she never bothered to pay enough attention to Jaskier to find out herself. Geralt leaves to continue on his way to Kaer Morhen or just Away, because they’re still too close to Nilfgard’s front line for his comfort, and assumes that he’s just going to have to wait for the war to end to find a trustworthy noble who can teach her. On the way, they hear that Jaskier is just a couple of towns out of their way and decide to go find him because Geralt has been wanting to apologize for being a dick for months but he’d been too focused on Ciri’s safety to track him down (or maybe they just walk into a tavern and he’s there, preforming, and it’s awkward and angsty and leaves Ciri wishing she could lend them a brain cell or two because clearly they have none). Geralt apologizes, angst is had, feelings are aired. In the end, Jaskier decides to follow them because he’s missed Geralt and also he’s kind of famous for being the White Wolf’s Bard, and if Nilfgard is looking for Geralt a squishy (mostly?)human bard is a much easier target than a Witcher, and so he should also probably be heading away from the war and who is he to deny the extra protection of traveling together? Anyway, after they’ve been reunited for a few days or weeks, Jaskier gets fed up because he knows Geralt has been angsting over something, and at first he thought it was related to the whole reunion drama but it’s been long enough and it clearly has not gotten better. So he waits until Ciri is asleep and ambushes Geralt with concerned questions because sometimes the element of surprise was the only way to get him to spill things regarding feelings. Geralt knows he won’t give up, so he tells him about how he’s worried because he can do his best to protect Ciri physically, but he never thought himself qualified to raise a child, let alone a princess who will inherit a kingdom, and he knows there are a lot of things she should be learning to be ready for her future responsibilities but he had never had anything even resembling a noble education, and Yennefer may have been a court mage but she didn’t either, and unless Jaskier had some secret noble lover who would be willing to travel with them and live in a castle full of Witchers for however long the war lasted, he wasn’t going to be able to give her the education she needed until at least after the war, and she’d probably be expected to take the throne at that point so clearly that would be an issue, because while on the job training is great the fate of the kingdom would be in the balance, and- (okay, a lot of that was probably Jaskier reading between the lines. Geralt would never have spoken that much, but he was definitely thinking all of it, and Jaskier had gotten quite good at reading his Witcher over the years, thank you very much). “Geralt. You do know I’m technically a Viscount, right?” *confused silence* “Sure, I might not know every detail about Cintra’s trade history or some of the more royal-specific stuff, and it’s been a while since I had my own lessons, but if I had to sit through 16 years of unbearable Nobility Education, I may as well do something useful with it. I might not be at all qualified under normal circumstances, but I’m definitely better than nothing, right? And I can easily make learning it much more interesting than some stuffy old tutor or governess. Do you know how much easier it is to memorize dates and names when set to music?” “What the fuck.” “Oh, and literature! Rhetoric! Grammar! Not necessarily vital to ruling, you have scribes for a reason, but really words are one of the few things I actually am officially qualified to teach. No reason I shouldn’t go the whole way if I’m already doing this, and a good education is an important tool for anyone.”

[elibeeline]

Good Natured, a Geralt of Rivia x Original Character fic - Part 1

(Oh boy please don't hate this!) (Although constructive criticism is great and I'll work on any issues someone has!)

I'm Esmeralda, a bower and a blacksmith. My father was a weapon maker, my mother… I'm not sure. Father never explained, but if I ever get particularly emotional, well… it wasn't pretty. It's a form of supernatural, or at least a mutation, so my father made sure it was kept a secret.

Since my father died and I took over his store, I take to the pub most nights. The beer is warm and the music is more of a comedy act than a jig, but I met my apprentice there, so it wasn't entirely awful.

Fenrin is a young soul. He's barely eighteen, but the barman lets him drink under my surveillance. These people trust me, my weaponry makes them feel safe.

Sometimes, my good work even earns me and Fen a beer at the end of the night. Or him a water and me a wine, in this instance, since the person ordering is being presumptuous. Fen rolls his eyes but I make him drink it anyway. "You can't work with a hangover." I tell him.

"You drink mercilessly and yet you're always awake before me." He points out. "How come you don't get a hangover?"

Because my body heals itself before I wake up. "A simple method, really. A skill."

He stares with wide eyes. His enthusiasm towards achieving new skills is charming, and it's why I picked him as my apprentice. "A skill?"

"Easy to gain and yet not many people have it." I sigh.

"What's the skill? I can get it!"

"It's the skill of not complaining."

He pouts and huffs, then nods. "I'll work on it."

I grin and clink my wine against his water and the bard starts singing again.

"You'd be wise to beware,

The pike with a spike,

That lurks in your drawers,

Or the flying drake,

That will fill you with horror!

Need old Nan the Hag,

To stir up a potion,

So that your lady may get an abortion!"

"Abort yourself!" The bearded man sat by the fire barks out, and I snort as people start throwing their food at him.

The bard's eyes lock onto something apparently more interesting than free food, and I follow his gaze to a lone man in the corner. While the bard seems more focused on how brooding he is and the apparent factual inaccuracies in his song, I can't take my eyes off the bag next to him.

"Look at that sword, Fen." I nudge him to pull his attention to it too.

"As close as we are, Ez, I don't want to know that all you see in men is the stick between their-" he cuts himself off with a wheeze after I punch his gut.

"Get your mind out of the stream, Fenrin. The swords next to him. I thought my swords were good, but those are…" I wipe my drool. "Angel's work."

"I know who you are." The bard announces like it's a secret, and I stiffen until I realise he's not talking to me. The brooding loner gets up to leave. "You're the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia!"

I feel a tingle down my back. Witchers take great care with their swords, getting from the best smiths on the continent. But word about Geralt in particular hasn't been positive. The Butcher of Blaviken.

"Ez, I know that look. Please don't." Fen sighs, but I completely ignore him and get up anyway.

I stand in front of the witcher and open my mouth to speak, but he just pushes me aside and leaves.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem to like conversation. He came to drink alone." The bard says, mimicking the Witcher's deep, gravelly voice. "Y'know, I see you and that boy here all the time and yet I've never heard your names."

"I'm Esmeralda Fletcher, and 'that boy' is my apprentice, Fenrin Glenn."

"Oh! You're Kentin's daughter, right? He used to tip me every night."

I smile. Dad was charitable. "You sing every night and you've never introduced yourself."

He smiles too. "I'm Julian Alfred Pankratz-" he frowns. "It's a long name. Just call me Jaskier."

I nod. "Did you see his swords?"

"Yes, no wonder no one sat near him! Scary things."

"Do you think he'd let me get a closer look?"

"Only when he's pressing it against your throat." Fen hisses and drags me back to our seats. "Have you drank more than I've seen?"

"Are you suggesting I'm drunk, Fen?"

"You've definitely had enough for tonight. Let's go home."

I sigh. It appeared that Geralt was able to push me away easier than it should have been, and we have been here a few hours now. "Okay."

"Good." He leads me out with a hand on my back and we walk back to the shop.

Until I spot the Witcher again. Fen tightens his grip on my shoulder, but I still shove him away and make a beeline to the pair of swords. "Excuse me, good sir, I can't help but notice those two magnificent swords you own." I tell him as he ties his horse to a post.

"Don't touch them." He replies.

"Please? I can sharpen them first thing in the morning. I would do it tonight, but I was in the bar for a while and I don't want to ruin them."

He hums, but that's the only response I get.

"I'll even lower my prices for you. Quarter off. Pretty please? You'd be doing me a huge favour just letting me hold-"

I'm cut off by Fen clasping his hand on my mouth once he's caught up. "I'm sorry about her." He pulls me back. "She doesn't tend to get this drunk, it's the wine, you see."

Geralt hums again. "My swords do need sharpening."

I almost burst with excitement. "Thank you! I'll do the best job, I promise!"

"Don't forget the quarter off." He mumbles, then goes inside the inn and that's that.

I turn and hug Fen with a squeal. "I get to touch the swords, Fenny! This is the best day of my life!" I can't control the grin until Fen stares at me in horror.

"You're um…" he gestures to his face.

I feel sharp teeth poking my lip and notice that my hair has turned a dusty green. I don't need a mirror to know that my eyes are plain white and surrounded by thick turquoise veins.

The panic is enough to make it all disappear and I look human once more. I guess I got a little too excited. I breathe a silent sigh of relief and he frowns. "Maybe I've drank too much too. Nevermind. Let's carry on."

"Yeah, let's get you to bed. Don't worry about work in the morning. If it's bad enough to make you hallucinate, you should sleep off as much as you can."

He should sleep so I'll be able to remove his memory. Dad explained how mom used to do it, but it's an exhausting process so I use it as sparingly as possible.

If Fen remembers, and if he tells anyone, I could be killed. At the very least, I'll be forced out of town. Out of my shop, my home, away from everything I have of my family. I can't let that happen.

I keep my hand on his shoulder and we go back home. He goes straight to bed and drops to sleep quickly, and I press my fingertips to his forehead. I mumble the Elder under my breath and imagine untying a knot. A space for memory now free to tie again, to be adapted.

I take my fingers away and feel a new, heavy wave of tiredness overcome me. I would fall asleep just there if it wasn't for a knock at the door, so I trudge down and see Jaskier with a bag over his shoulder.

"Sorry to disturb you at such a late hour I um… the barman kicked me out. Apparently my singing wasn't good enough for him to let me stay any more." He mumbles. "Is the blacksmith's daughter as charitable as the man himself?"

"I don't have a spare bed, but there's a sofa in the back room and a blanket." I shrug.

"I would be happy to sleep on the rug." He replies. "I cannot thank you enough." He steps in and sees the wide array of swords, daggers, knives, and arrows on display. "I won't be a problem, I promise."

I smile and lead him to the back. "Make yourself comfortable. I'm gonna go straight to bed."

-------

Ho boy there it is, thank you so much for reading! I'm working on part 2 atm and it'll come up when I'm happy with it!

Also if anyone knows how to add a 'keep reading' button on mobile I would greatly appreciate it, I'm not smart 😭😭

[lumilasi]

So...since Helias isn’t an apprentice character, and this random ship became more of a thing somehow, I figured I should write out the story of how they met and such a bit. Canon-storyline speaking, it’s gonna follow Asra’s route basically, as my friend’s Apprentice Lina appears in these and she’s mainly paired with Asra. 

This was the hardest thing for me to write since ever, and you’ll learn why at the end as I’ll explain a bit more there.

Part 2: https://lumilasi.tumblr.com/post/175782057246/second-short-story-snippet-for-this-au-thingy-or

Part 3: https://lumilasi.tumblr.com/post/176583500291/part-3-of-the-ocsvesuvia-crossover-series

For now, hope you enjoy it:

The bar was buzzing as usual, perhaps even more so due to what was happening in the palace; some sort of visitor from another Kingdom or so. Julian wasn’t too sure about it, for he’d been rather preoccupied with his own thoughts when his sister had informed him of it, telling him to stay away from the palace grounds for now, given the security has been tightened due to this visit.

Downing his third (or fourth?) drink, Julian glances around, but saw no familiar faces ready to drag him out of the pub. It made sense, for Pasha was likely busy preparing for the guests, and Lina had agreed to help her.

It was such an unusual event; Vesuvia rarely had visitors of this caliber, at least the brunet had heard the term “Emperor” and “Empress” being thrown around. Someone had even spoken of some sort of magic, like there was something unusual of these rulers or so.

Julian couldn’t help himself; he’d been curious and gone against his sister’s advice, almost getting caught by the guards as a result, never catching even a glimpse about their mystery visitors.

He’d only narrowly escaped them by hiding in a barrel, then eventually dragging himself into the Rowdy Raven, smelling like whatever stinky substance had been in said barrel. The bartender was used to seeing him show up in such a state, so he’d said nothing, just helped him to tidy up and get him a drink.

“You oughta listen to others more; you’ll get killed at this rate.” The barista tells him with a scolding tone, and Julian shrugs, taking a long gulp from his drink.

“What can I say? With all the rumors going around I was curious.”

“Ever heard of the saying “curiosity killed the cat” boy?”

“Ah yes, but did the proverb not continue with “satisfaction brought it back?” Julian fires back with a cheeky smile and the bartender sighs, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath.

“You’re one troublesome young man, let me tell you.”

“Yes I get that a lot; always on the run, aren’t I?”

Julian lets out a laugh, taking another large gulp from his liquor. Suddenly, a presence appears nearby him and slips down to sit beside the brunet, and a soft, borderline musical voice – at least in Julian’s drunken mind – joins in on the conversation with an amused chuckle following it.

“My, it seems we have something in common.”

Julian lowers his drink to take a look at the person who’d sat down beside him, and his heart freezes for a second, before it starts beating faster. The stranger sitting beside him was easily amongst the most beautiful beings he’d ever seen, and it seemed several bar goers agreed, as few other heads had turned their way too. The bartender did not seem affected, though he was one of those people who’d seen a lot of things come and go in his bar, so an ethereal, pale skinned beauty was likely nothing new.

Although, now than Julian took a closer look, he noted the paleness did not look quite natural; almost if the stranger had gotten ill at some point, and was still recovering from it, thus his – at least based on the voice they were likely a male – skin tone was still a bit sickly pale.

“I hope you do not mind if I sit here?” The stranger chuckles and brushes through his hair, looking directly at Julian, who struggles for a moment to find his voice.

“Oh, not at all; I wouldn’t mind some company, especially from someone as stunning as you, my dear.” He brings his trademark smirk on his face, gesturing to the chair the newcomer was already sitting on. Then, he turns on the bartender and requests him to bring another drink – both for him and the mysterious person beside him.

“Ah, you’re offering me a drink too? How generous of you.” The stranger chuckles, and Julian shrugs at that. “Felt it would only be polite, given you seem to be new around here my dear.”

He then offers his hand in his usual dramatic fashion, and the pale visitor slips his delicate one onto his grip, allowing Julian to kiss it in a greeting.

“It is a pleasure to meet a new face around these places, even if I do wonder why such a being of grace would bother with these parts of the city.”

It was rather obvious that whoever they were, this white haired stranger was used to such gestures. In fact, his overall appearance spoke of a higher class than most patrons in Rowdy Raven. The smooth, silky white hair that looked well-kept, the high quality looking cloak he wore. Even the stranger’s mannerism reminded him of the Countess somewhat.

It indeed was bizarre as to why someone like him would be around here. Lots if folk in this tavern tended to be hiding, or on the run, but somehow, Julian questioned if this was the case with his companion.

The stranger chuckles as he brings his hand back, sipping the drink the bartender had brought him. It was noticeably in a cleaner glass than majority of the drinks given around there, and had a sweeter scent, indicating it wasn’t as strong as the Salty Bitter Julian had.

“Oh, I like to wander around when I visit new pastures. My curiosity is endless after all.”

The auburn haired male hums; so his thoughts were on to something. In all likeness they were not running from anyone or anything, though one could not be too sure. For all he knew, his companion could simply be lying, hiding his true motives behind the veil of lies like most folk around here did.

“Still, these areas are rather rowdy as the name of this tavern suggests; I’d be more careful about where my feet take me.” The brunet holds up a scolding finger, waving it like one would to a misbehaving child.

The stranger laughs a bit at that, giving him a coy smile that had the Julian’s heart skipping a beat. It reminded him of Asra a tiny bit, though it had a more light-hearted tone to it, like his companion was not doing it to purposefully bother him, but just acted slightly flirty naturally.

”You’d be surprised how many times I hear that warning; trust me despite my appearance, I am perfectly capable of handling myself” the stranger tells him with a wink, making Julian second-guess his initial impression of the seemingly delicate being beside him.

”Ah, should I perhaps be worried for my safety, then?” Julian asks jestingly, though keeps a close eye on the person beside him, who was sipping his drink now. He did not seem particularly bothered by the taste, but the same time drank much slower than normal patrons would, though it may have been a question of one’s personal manners than their like or dislike for the drink in question.

“That is rather amusing, coming from you, given what I heard from your dear sister, Doctor.”

His eye widens in surprise, and Julian tenses visibly, examining his companion more closely. He tries to keep up the facade of calm friendliness however, even if his heart was beating a mile a minute.

“Ah, Whatever sister you may be speaking of? You may have mistaken me for someone else I’m afraid my dear.”

The green eyes flashed with amusement, and Julian shifts nervously, feeling that the stranger was calling his bluff. Who was this person exactly, and what did he want from him?

“Red hair held high up, strong-willed, rather short, referred to as Portia. Are you certain you do not know of her, Doctor?”

Julian feels a cold sweat travel down his spine; his companion did not seem dangerous by any means, but the fact he seemed to know who he was, it was alarming. How would he know about Pasha in the first place? How did they know they were related?

As if sensing his plight, the pale figure hums and offers him a softer smile.

“No need to be alarmed, Doctor. I am merely here to see the famed man myself, for your sister spoke quite a bit about you.”

His words sounded genuine enough, but one could never be too sure. Pasha would not talk about him to any stranger she met, so how had this stranger gotten this information?

Nervous, Julian takes a gulp from his drink, wondering if he should sprint or not. There were no guards nearby, and his raven had not come to warn him, but one could never be too certain in this day and age.

“Your sister mentioned you in a discussion with the mage apprentice  I happened to overhear, and so I became curious. She mentioned this place in her, shall I say passionately displeased speech, and once I saw you here, I couldn’t help myself but to take a closer look.”

The stranger adds all of a sudden, leaning against his palm.

 Ah, that explained his strange knowledge of this, but it didn’t do much to ease his racing heart. The fact this person was purely there to see him....well it could mean multitude of things.

”Well, in that case, now that you’ve found me, may I inquire what is it that you plan to do? I might make myself scarce depending on the answer.” He informs his pale companion with an outward grin, inwardly mapping out his escape route already just in case.

It’d be a shame really, he’d never seen anyone like this before, but, well, beggars cannot be choosers.

”Well, right now my plan is to enjoy my drink, and it would be unfortunate if you decided to leave so suddenly, given you even offered this for me.” He nods the glass towards Julian, who recalls that yes, he had in fact offered to pay for that one. Perhaps he’d indeed drank too much.

”Yes, that would be rather rude of me, but I quite dislike the decor of the palace dungeons, I’d rather not go there.” Julian shrugs, brushing trough his hair with a smirk.

”Would be a waste of my good looks and skill to be stuck in there. I’ve also heard hanging is quite unpleasant.”

”I didn’t take you for a necromancer, Doctor.” His companion chuckles, genuine amusement in his tone. Heavens it was a nice sound, but he really could not sit around if this stranger was intending to trick him into an arrest, or was stalling him for the guards.

Suddenly, a pale hand reaches for his, delicate fingers gently grasping his free gloved hand resting on the table. He couldn’t really feel the touch and almost felt miffed about it, though he was also alarmed by the sudden physical contact.

”Really, calm yourself. I am not here to arrest you, or help someone do so. I am purely here out of my own curiosity as I stated.” His tone was gentle, and the green eyes were locked with his, almost a melancholic smile dancing on the pale lips now.

”I don’t blame you for being wary, any man or woman would in your situation. I suppose me bringing up your sister may have been a bit too straightforward, so I must apologize for that. I can be a bit...let’s say I may have hard time with certain social cues at times.”

For a moment Julian just sort of gazes at the hand lightly resting on top of his, noting the strange, undeniably magical glow emitting from the blue markings on it. As he looks up, the green eyes were examining him again, as if gouging out his reaction, seeing whenever he believed his words or not.

”I find it rather...difficult to believe one would be comfortable sitting in the same table with a wanted murderer.” Julian points out with an expressive lift eyebrow, testing the waters. His companion wasn’t phased one bit, rather just examined him like he was the most intriguing thing they’d seen in a while.

”I find it difficult to believe you are one. I don’t sense a shred of malice from you, only slight unease which I must assume is my doing, and I apologize for that again.”

The brunet was taken aback by those words, the sincerity shining trough from the apologetic voice. Sure, he had his own doubts about his guilt, but the only other people who’d ever questioned it -as far as he knew - were Lina and Pasha. Having a complete stranger agree with them, it was something to think about.

Julian glances around and notes that his raven was still nesting on the usual spot, watcing them but clearly relaxed. Surely it would have made a noise already if he was in any danger, so the doctor relaxes slowly, dread replaced by slight curiosity.

“Ah, but I believe you haven’t given me your name yet, my dear? I’d be curious to learn what it is, for I don’t often meet people like you.”

The green eyes examine him quietly for a long time, an amused glint hidden beneath the serene look. Whoever Julian was speaking with, they could not be human, he was certain of it. No human held such radiance, although the Countess came very close.

No average human had glowing marks in their body either. If they did, it usually meant something. Bad, in his case.

“Helias. My name is Helias.”

Helias? That name sounded familiar, but the brunet could not quite recall where he’d heard it before.

“Well then Helias; was it only your curiosity about me that attracted you to this humble tavern, or was there another reason for this little adventure?” Julian questions him, gesturing around the dimly lit pub and its inhabitants.

He still needed to make sure.

Helias brushes his hair, every single movement he made somehow fluid, like he was made of liquid instead of solid flesh and bone. It was enticing to look at, even if a bit unnerving as it spoke of magic of some sort.

”The palace is...lovely but quite boring eventually. I needed to get out to see what else Vesuvia has to offer, and by chance came upon this tavern I overheard dear Portia mention, and decided to see if you were here out of curiosity.”

Helias explains with a slight shrug, brushing trough his hair with a sigh, gazing aside for a moment.

”My sister wouldn’t allow me to go on my own in these parts, so I slipped out in secret, I do not need my guardians breathing on my neck constantly.”

The clear displeasure in his voice indicated this was a common issue, and Julian couldn’t stop but lift an eyebrow at the mention of guardians. So Helias had to be of someone higher status.

”I suppose I must thank you for choosing coming here by yourself; I am not fond of any sort of guards.” Julian remarks with a grin, and Helias actually laughs at that, though his voice still remained quiet, as if to not attract any more attention to them than what his unusual appearance likely already did.

”Still, I am rather curious on why exactly you seem to attract so much trouble, at least based on Portia’s description of you. Any other person would likely keep hiding when they were accused of a crime, yet you keep lingering about, almost getting caught if anything what I heard is true.” 

Helias questions him all of a sudden with a clear curiosity coloring his voice, taking another sip from his drink, keeping the green eyes trained onto the slightly flustered brunet. He swallows his nervousness down quickly however

”Oh, Drama is my passion so to say; it follows me wherever I go. You could almost say I am married to trouble itself.” Julian declares, gaining another amused chuckle from his companion. It was not malicious by any means, but rather it was clear Helias found his dramatics entertaining, which had been his aim really. He loved to entertain people after all. Flashing him his trademark grin, Julian lifts his mug higher as if to toast for something.

”Life would be boring without any sort of hardships, hence I’ve accepted my fate that the world has given me.”

”Your sister may have referred to this ’fate’ of yours as ’tendency to be overdramatic and look for trouble on purpose’ as she put it. ” Helias comments amused, tilting his head as he examined the Doctor’s face, who’d faltered a bit upon the mention of his sister again. He really didn’t mean to worry her so much, it just sort of happened.

He was also a bit concerned that somebody had been able to eavesdrop into her conversation so easily. Pasha if anyone should know the Palace had ears everywhere.

 ”No need to look so mortified doctor; I am fairly certain the only unnoticed presence nearby those two was me, and I can be difficult to spot if I choose so.” The pale figure chuckles upon noticing the concerned change in his expression, and winks at Julian, who coughs and attempts to hide his flustered expression again behind his mug.

Was he really that easy to read? Or did Helias use some sort of magic to read his thoughts?

”Are you feeling well? You seem a little uneasy. Perhaps the Doctor needs a doctor.”

Julian coughs and straightens himself, bringing that usual grin back on his face, though it was hard to not blush when he looked back at Helias, whose green eyes examined him with a playful look in them.

”Oh I am perfectly capable of handling myself, do not worry about me my dear.”

He dismisses the concern with a wave of his hand, noting that his mug was now empty. His head was buzzing rather lot already, but Julian figured he could still have at least one more.

”Tell me, how did you come to meet my beloved sister, Helias? Did you see her in the palace or just run into her on the streets? How were you able to deduce that I...well, that I’m the one she spoke of.” Julian asks while the bartender fills his mug again, glancing at his companion nervously. 

That was the one question Helias hadn’t exactly answered yet. 

How he’d been able to tell who he was? The brunet sincerely doubted Pasha would have babbled out his appearance during a rant of hers.

”In the palace. She was bringing us tea alongside the mage apprentice. As for your second question...” Helias flashes him a slight amused smile and leans his head against his palm.

”You and your sister have highly similar auras. All siblings tend to have. I have the ability to sense them, like most beings familiar with magic.”

Ahh, so, magic. He was half expecting that answer. Julian lets out a slow sigh, knowing asking more detail on that would just confuse him; he did not understand magic very well after all.

”To be fair, I heard her rant on the streets I was wandering; apparently her and the apprentice are looking for you.”

Julian almost spats his drink, then glances around, half expecting to see a very angry and concerned Pasha storming his way. So she must've heard of his venture into the palace and how he’d escaped narrowly.

”I cannot say I blame her for worrying; crashing trough that window must’ve hurt quite a bit.” Helias comments with amusement coloring his voice, and Julian looks up at him surprised.

”You...saw me escaping?”

Helias lets out another, quiet laugh, and the smile aimed at him was so filled with strangely fond amusement that the brunet couldn’t help the blush spreading on his face. He had not seen anyone looking at him like that in ages, aside from his sister.

”I did. Granted I only caught a glimpse, a patch of your auburn hair, but I must say you left quite an impression.”

”Well I am glad to entertain you my dear.” Julian declares with a dramatic bow, giving him his trademark grin again. His companion’s smile never falters, and now when he thought about it, it had always been there since he first lied his eyes upon the pale figure, just changing its intensity and meaning. 

None of which had been malicious.

”Why yes, you sound like a highly entertaining person, Doctor, and I would not mind you entertaining me some more in the future.” He comments with a wink, blooming quite the flush on Julian’s face, who coughs and hides his face behind his hand briefly as if politely hiding his coughing fit, averting his gaze.

”Ah, but I suppose it would be selfish of me to wish to endanger you like that. Even as an Emperor, I doubt I’d have much say in the matters relating to your case without any sufficient proof of innocence.”

Julian was about to comment on how he had people working on that, when a particular word registers in his mind.

”...Emperor?” He blinks, wondering if he heard correctly.

”Oh, I thought you’d figured it out by now.”

For a moment, Julian just gazes at him confused, and another amused smile spreads across Helias’ face as he leans closer, so close the brunet could feel his soft breath brush over his skin.

”I am one of the royal twins.The Emperor Helias of Mirthas. It has truly been a pleasure to meet you.”

Julian feels his brain freeze, and for a moment, all he could do was gape at his companion, who shifts back with a childlike snicker, winking at him.

”It’s a secret though, so don’t tell anyone; I am not supposed to be around here.” Rather pointless statement given how much he stood out naturally, but likely Helias knew this already.

Julian splutters out for a bit, trying to find his voice; this was certainly not the kind of turn he’d been expecting from his evening. Finally, he manages to get his flustered state under control, and coughs, giving him a charming smile.

”Why of course! I should’ve known someone as stunning as you couldn’t be anybody else, Sire. I heard rumors of the stunning beauty of one of the twins, as well as about the fiercity of the other.”

”Oh Gwendolyn is fierce indeed; Even the strongest of warriors tend to tremble under her scowl. Well, everyone except a certain mage I know.” Helias chuckles, sipping his drink again. 

Julian takes a quiet moment to process that yes, he was indeed sharing a drink with a royalty, a gorgeous royalty who seemed to enjoy his company.

His stomach was doing flips, and the fast beat against his ribcage didn't help. This time it wasn't out of fear for his safety though, at least not like before. 

Having someone try and trick him into getting caught was one thing, dragging a royalty into his mess by accident was another.

Just as he was about to say something, Julian spots a familiar red haired figure heading his way, and a second later, strong hand grasps his ear and tugs on it hard enough to pull him off his chair.

”Ilya! I told you not to come to the palace today! What if you’d been caught?!” 

Pasha scolds him loudly, still tugging from his ear so painfully the brunet wondered if it would come off. Beside her, a slightly concerned Lina watched the two siblings with an awkward expression. Then, her eyes hit on the figure beside them, and her eyes widen.

”Ah! Sire Helias, why are you here? Your sister was so concerned!”

Helias just chuckles and sips down rest of his drink, before slipping down from his seat fluidly like rest of his motions. That is when Julian notices that he was barefoot.

Why on earth would somebody walk barefoot on these streets?

He could get injured by a rustly nail piercing his soles or be bitten by the rats. He must’ve mumbled out his concerns out loud, as Helias chuckles amused and steps closer, gently shooing Portia off him briefly.

The redhead woman looks at him a little stunned, likely wondering the same thing as Lina, but does so nevertheless out of politeness, still giving her brother the stink eye. She hoped that Ilya had not gone and upset the Emperor somehow, though it didn’t seem to be the case given how calm Helias appeared. Then again, from what she’d gathered during the day, he was always pleasant like this. Even if it didn’t necessarily reflect his actual mood.

”I appreciate the concern, but my kindred are highly resistant to most diseases and injuries of human kindred.” He lifts his hand to gently brush the reddened ear Portia had been holding, causing a maddening redness spread across Julian’s cheeks.

The touch was so incredibly soft he wasn’t sure if he actually felt it at all. His sister was watching them keenly, deep worried frown on her face; it did not seem like Ilya was in trouble right now, but, you never knew with him. It’d be a miracle for him not to be.

”It was a pleasure meeting you, Julian. I do hope though...”

He steps back and turns to head out of the bar, glancing at him over his shoulder with that same soft amusement that had never left his features during this whole meeting.

”.....That next time when you sneak in the palace, you don’t rush out trough a window.”

Julian coughs and rubs his head, giving him a sheepish smile.

”I would use the door My lord, but, the guards won’t let me as you can likely imagine.”

Helias just hums amused, before turning to look at Lina, questioning whenever they’d lead him back to the palace.

”Of course sire! Please follow me.”

Lina glances at Portia, who just nods, telling her to go on ahead. She keeps looking at Helias, as if trying to deduce whenever her brother would be in trouble or not. As if sensing her thoughts as well, Helias gives her a reasuring smile.

”Let’s keep this adventure a secret shall we? I wouldn’t want to worry my sister, and I believe your dear brother has reasons to keep quiet as well.”

After a moment of silence, Portia nods, seemingly relieved,

”I’ll take care of my stupid brother. Bring His Majesty back to the palace, will you Lina?” She states while giving Julian another look that spoke of a long rant and more ear-pulling. Nothing he wasn’t used to.

The only thing unusual from times before was the long haired, glowing figure that kept lingering in his thoughts.

He wasn’t entirely sure on what to think about this encounter.

So. My issue writing this - why this took me three days when normally writing something this short takes only a few hours - is because Julian isn’t a typical character I write about. Normally I write about quieter troubled ones, aggressive asshats, etc. 

Dramatic Cinnamon Rolls aren’t my specialty, so I had to ask help from my friend so she could proof-read this and make sure the story is as IC as possible for Julian.

This is only really a first one, I’m planning on fleshing this out more as I don’t really care about making random shipping with no story behind it. 

I LIKE writing stories after all.

Lina (C) @mad-hatter-rici

Helias (C) Me

Julian and Pasha (C) Nix Hydra

[syrvses-blog]

❝ ┅ THIS GOT LONG. | QUESTIONNAIRE. |

everything you could ever want to know about syrus is under the cut.

death tw, smoking tw, alochol mention

❝ ┅ BASICS.

Full name: seung-jun han

Any nicknames?: syrus (please call him that), hades

Age: 27 (holla @ yo ridiculously young mob boss)

Birthday/Zodiac sign: january 7 // capricorn

Height: 6′2

Any tattoos, piercings?: no piercings, but he does have a few tattoos. the first and most prominent one reads “you will always be fond of me. i represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to admit” located on his right rib cage. this was done both because he is a nerd for classical literature and because the quote reminds him of his father, whom he never wants to become. he also has ( these ) two, in honor of cronus (eye) and his deceased best friend (rose), who died in a similar time span.

❝ ┅ FAVORITES.

Sound: yasmin’s voice…jk jk the small sounds that echo against the walls of a silent space. a clock ticking, methodical and orderly. the scribbling of a wooden pencil, curious and erratic. the turning of a novel’s page and the certain sense of completion, of progress that comes with it. the muffled bass of club nyra hammering below his feet. the various beats of life in the dead of stillness that keeps him on task, keeps him enthralled in his work.

Color: surprise, surprise, black. but, likewise – white. in fact, his flat above club nyra is nearly completely white with tiny pops of color, such as that in the green apples that sit on the marble counters of the kitchen area. even more surprising, he’s also rather fond of warm neutrals, such as those found on his blog. in complete contrast to his flat, his actual apartment that can be found in ever changing locations across nyc is very warm, very home-y, and washed in those soft oranges and browns.

Person: may he rest in peace, cronus. though his friend found deceased years ago does come in as a close second, no one has altered his life more than harvey johnson. the first father figure in his life to ever truly love him as son, to ever truly look at him and not see a tool or a potential weapon, but as a human being. he has fought for years to preserve the work cronus has done to promote the olympians, and he will continue to work tirelessly for the man who proved to him not all is bad in the world syrus was raised in.

Memory: for his twelfth birthday, his father took him and his now deceased friend to the metropolitan museum of art. whenever the story was shared (by his friend more so than syrus, who rarely speaks of his past), his friend would always claim that the museum “broke” syrus, who had always been a more reserved, professional person. this is because in those few hours, syrus was, for one of the few times in his life, a kid. having always been a nerd and especially a nerd for things that are old, being surrounded by so much history and being able to see the influences of the history he read on the artwork made him genuinely giddy. though his friend and father certainly weren’t as enthused as he was, they entertained him by allowing him to drag them around as he rattled on about certain eras and certain paintings and possible influences. he has a particular memory of a tour guide with long, dark hair and a friendly voice joking to her clients that they should simply follow him around instead of her as their group passed him by. this whole ordeal was a complete surprise to him, seeing as he thought his father was simply taking him and his friend out to breakfast, and though he usually isn’t a fan of surprises, this one was undoubtedly appreciated.

Place: he has three. the first is the metropolitan museum of art for the reasons described earlier. the second is the new york public library. it is no secret or shock that syrus is obsessed with books and with reading, so a place stocked with millions of books is a dream come true for the man. every single time he walks in he has a moment similar to the one in beauty and the beast when the beast guides belle into the library. of his few complaints about being a mob boss, not being able to read more is definitely one of them. continuing forward, his third and final favorite place is club nyra, minutes before it opens. he has a circular couch in corner raised up a few inches that he usually does business with other club owners in, and occasionally he’ll slide into the white leather seats with some paperwork for the club before the doors allow the mass of people to flow in. in his seat in the intersection, he can view the bartender wiping down the bar in the middle back of the club one final time and the dj readying the track list in the other far end. with the dancers stretching and julian speaking to one of the various workers and the faint smell of vanilla (proven to make people happier) in the air, it truly is a priceless scene. once the doors open at 11 pm sharp, the setting isn’t ruined by the influx of people. instead, it is enhanced, for seeing the success of the club he rebuilt essentially on his own brings him a joy little else can bring.

Vice: oh, syrus and his nicotine. he knows what it’s doing to his body and he knows that he’ll probably pass due to lung cancer if he lives long enough to develop it, but the addiction doesn’t seem to care. he doesn’t drink, primarily because he genuinely doesn’t like alcohol aside from a few of the club nyra speciality drinks and he will sip on wine to seem professional. likewise, he doesn’t dabble in any other drugs, nor is he a slave to sex. his only physical vice, truly, is the packet of cigarettes in his suit jacket’s pocket. to steal madi’s (current medusa/octavia) idea of my favorite vice for syrus, since nicotine is certainly his favorite vice, i have to admit–i love how unfeeling and unempathetic syrus is in times of betrayal or when people fail to meet his expectations of perfection. in my head he truly is horrifying when in “scary syrus” mode. if a character is having a meeting with syrus and they know they’ve disappointed him, they should be prepared for the absolute coldest aura surrounding a merciless man who won’t accept excuses, regardless of how valid they are. this is my favorite vice primarily because it’s so much fun to write and fits how i originally conceived syrus to be all the time (like honestly i was going to originally use these gifs a lot tbh). but, then he sort of turned into a very formal, very intelligent CEO with a Nerd Dad part tucked under all that professionalism and distance. i still love him with all my life, but there is something so satisfying about writing syrus when he is in his pique of ruthlessness.

❝ ┅ HAVE THEY EVER...

Been in love?: he has never been in love, nope! nor does he ever see himself being in love or getting married. to revive an old meme, my thoughts and feelings towards this are ( x ).

Done drugs?: his entire list of drug use starts and ends with his cigarettes.

Killed someone?: yes, of course. he is a mob boss, after all. he has killed 17 people and could tell you the names of all of them. names are actually quite important to syrus, seeing as he’s unusually terrible with them unless he has a reason to remember them. when he was younger, part of his training with his father was memorizing the names of everyone in the olympians. unfortunately, because syrus’ mother disappeared when he was two and he didn’t know the cause of her disappearance was something that would be so important to his beliefs until 18 years later, he never learned her name and doesn’t know it now. he also has no real way to learn her name, being that he has no contact with his family in korea and little access to the conventional methods of finding her name.

Betrayed someone’s trust?: aside from the whole “splitting from old olympus,” never.

Had their heart broken?: with the death of cronus and his friend, yes. but, in the implied sense of via the loss (whether it be through break up or through some other method) of a significant other, nope.

Lost someone?: far too many people.

❝ ┅ DO THEY...

Have any pets?: ah yes, the infamous dog megara (but her friends call her “meg”) – a border collie that he loves more than life itself. he adopted the dog when meg was quite young, probably around 1-2 years old, after his father passed away seven years ago. he absolutely adores and would happily be with her over most human beings.

Have a family they still talk to?: they’re all dead or chillin’ out in korea, so nah! the only family he would want to talk to even would be his mother, but being that she died when he was two, it would be sort of a difficult situation without a medium. perhaps he would also enjoy speaking to his extended family, seeing as he doesn’t know the name of his mother and would rather enjoy having that knowledge.

Have a best friend?: that’s…iffy territory? like, he trusts julian/dionysus quite a bit because he does manage club nyra but that’s definitely a very father/son relationship despite syrus being the younger of the two. likewise, he’s rather close with octavia/medusa and felicia/cerberus, though the former is certainly more of a working relationship and he’s sleeping with the latter despite also having a working relationship. continuing, he’s also decent friends with kit/icarus, though it’s more of an unconventional friendship. friends are quite difficult for him with his position and personality, but best friends are particularly hard to come by since that implies a certain level of trust that syrus hasn’t had with anyone since that friend.

Want to get married and/or have kids?: as mentioned earlier, syrus, at this very moment, never sees himself getting married. but, if he did find the right person (insert finger guns), he’d happily marry. he simply would never predict this for himself since he has issues with trusting people completely due to being ridiculously independent/worried about endangering those he’s close to. as for kids? oh god, though syrus is really just Dad somewhere under all that formal business talk, he is absolutely horrible with children. perhaps it is because he doesn’t quite know how to communicate with people who do not understand his language. but, i’m sure if (when) he does marry, he’ll be so enraptured with the person he’s with, he’d be more than glad to have children with them.

Want to leave?: if this question was posed not even ten years ago, syrus would have most certainly confirmed that he did want to leave and was planning on opening his own business in a place as far away as korea. but, being that he now has club nyra and a duty to protect cronus’ legacy from crumbling under the wrong hands, he could never picture himself leaving. his sense of duty to cronus and to the people who depend on him is far too strong for him to allow himself to fade away. he simply must protect his people, must protect the few things in life that keep him from falling into a state of complete roboticism.

❝ ┅ THIS OR THAT?

Phone call or text? face to face conversation? yes? no? anyways, though he sees the appeal and necessity of both with texts doing well for quick updates, organizing plans, and stealth operations, he prefers to call. when in “scary syrus” mode, as i like to call it, he can be rather terse. but, with the people he actually would like to call for reasons other than business, he can become very loquacious and quite the storyteller. furthermore, he enjoys hearing people’s voices when they speak, it adds on a sense of reality to the conversation.

Wealth or loyalty? regardless of the fact that syrus is a wealthy man himself and does enjoy the comfort of wealth, at the end of the day, he’d take loyalty over wealth without second thought. he may be seen as the ultimate traitor to old olympus, but his loyalty to cronus and to the people who follow him under new olympus spans far beyond the average human and he values loyalty from others just the same. though all human life is irreplaceable to syrus, those that prove themselves loyal to a strong cause and prepared to meet the expectations required to further that cause are especially valued.

Love or lust? n…either? syrus doesn’t have feelings–only a strong moral compass. joking, joking mostly. on a serious note, though he remains largely unaware of the benefits of love and how much he would love being in love at the moment, once he does get a hold of himself – love, all the way. lust is nice and he certainly won’t complain about it, but ultimately he would much prefer to be in love than in lust. wow i’m making him sound so soft those of y’all who don’t know syrus are going to be So Surprised when you interact with him and He’s So Not Soft.

5 Friends or 100 Acquaintances? 100 acquaintances, or “contacts,” as syrus would refer to them as. 100 people for him to reach out to to help advertise a new night at club nyra or to potentially persuade into doing something for the furthering of new olympus. in syrus’ mind, friends either leave with too much information or die and shake him out of his phlegmatic state. but, if he has 100 loyal acquaintances who know him to be trustworthy, then he’s set.

Summer or winter? winter!! wow, hades, you’re so surprising. albeit that summer is arguably a more profitable time for club nyra, syrus without a doubt prefers winter. this may be because i don’t think he owns a short sleeved shirt and his typical attire is a full on suit, or it may be because he runs both of his spaces at a below average temperature and enjoys it completely. winter is the time of year when the temperature outside matches the temperature of his homes, if not is far colder (which may be better).

❝ ┅ OTHERS.

Wanted plots/connections:

everyone: comes to new olympus k bye

new olympus: i’d love to plot with how and why the other character came to new olympus. what did syrus offer, whether it be an actual offer such as safety or just what made him seem better over zeus? did they have a past together or something? also, syrus makes a very good trainer if you need someone to help your character learn to punch someone.

old olympus: syrus grew up in the mob, so if your character has been in the olympians for a while, then chances are they knew each other. did they work together? did they get along/not get along? was syrus just some mystical figure in the background?

titans: this is a tad harder being that the titans were in germany for so long. but, if they’re a more recent titan addition, i’d love to have some like tension-y thing with syrus if they were active members of the olympians. he’d feel a little miffed that they chose to join the titans but skipped out on new olympus.

neutral: someone could be his neighbor at wherever his apartment is now! furthermore, if they are ex-olympians, we can develop a past from there. anything with club nyra could work out too!! whether it be someone was hitting on your character drunk and syrus kicked them out or they’re just regulars at club nyra.

anyone: my son adopts your child because syrus needs a million fake kids. also possible is to play off of syrus’ dad side where syrus finds your character drunk/hurt/etc and takes care of them. alternatively, we could have our characters start a book club.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to a weekly collaboration between FiveThirtyEight and ABC News. With 5,000 people seemingly thinking about challenging President Trump in 2020 — Democrats and even some Republicans — we’re keeping tabs on the field as it develops. Each week, we’ll run through what the potential candidates are up to — who’s getting closer to officially jumping in the ring and who’s getting further away.

The concept of electability was on some candidates’ minds this week as they considered the potential of the eventual Democratic presidential nominee to win the general election, especially in Midwestern states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which helped President Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

But in an ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted at the end of April, the preference for a candidate who matched the respondent’s views was nearly equal to preference for a nominee who could beat Trump.

Several hopefuls also spoke out this week to argue that it should not be assumed that moderate blue-collar Midwestern voters prefer a white, male candidate or even that they’re all moderate and blue collar themselves.

Here’s the weekly roundup.

May 3-9, 2019

Michael Bennet (D) Bennet hit the ground running in the first week after his May 2 announcement of his 2020 presidential bid. Bennet, the 21st Democratic candidate to join the race, was in Iowa talking about the cost of education.

“Getting to free college for everybody is not a very progressive way to approach this because a lot of wealthy kids will benefit from that, but let’s see if we can get you out debt free,” Bennet told a voter, without offering any specifics.

Bennet also appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday to respond to criticism of his voting record. The senator from Colorado had previously been given an “F” rating from progressive super PAC Demand Justice for helping to advance Trump’s judicial nominees and, specifically, for voting against filibustering the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch.

Joe Biden (D) The former Vice President received pushback from Sen. Bernie Sanders in response to a claim Biden made in March that he has “the most progressive record of anyone running.”

“I think if you look at Joe’s record and you look at my record, I don’t think there’s much question about who’s more progressive,” Sanders told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl in an exclusive interview from Des Moines, Iowa, that aired on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. Sanders’ refutation was part of a trend of 2020 candidates defining themselves in relation to Biden.

Biden also stopped in Columbia, South Carolina Saturday to speak with African American voters and attended a private fundraiser on Saturday evening, at the home of his longtime adviser Dick Harpootlian, an attorney and former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman. On Wednesday, a health care union in California held a protest at a fundraiser for Biden at the home of a board member for Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles.

A small group of members from the National Union of Healthcare Workers — which represents 3,500 mental health clinicians who work for Kaiser Permanente in California—stood outside the home of Cynthia Telles, a member of the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan boards of directors, to protest long wait times for patients to receive follow-up care and fight inequities between mental health care and medical health care with Kaiser Permanente.

Union President Sal Rosselli told ABC News Tuesday that his members hope Biden, who has been an advocate for mental health care, would support the union’s position. Biden did not address the protests during his remarks at the fundraiser and the Biden campaign declined to comment to ABC News for a story.

Cory Booker (D) Booker introduced what his campaign team called “the most sweeping gun violence prevention proposal ever advanced by a presidential candidate.” Booker supporters were notified Monday in an email titled, “I’m sick and tired of thoughts and prayers.”

His plan focuses on pressuring gun manufacturers to comply with new regulations and imposing rigorous oversight over their products. The senator has previously vowed to “bring a fight to the NRA like they have never ever seen before.”

In an interview with ABC’s “Nightline,” Booker reflected on the violence in Newark, a city he led for over seven years as mayor.

Booker told co-anchor Byron Pitts. “I’m tired of walking around cities like mine that have shrines of teddy bears and dead kids. Teddy bears and candles and places where the murders happen.”

Pete Buttigieg (D) On Sunday, Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, joined former President Jimmy Carter’s Sunday school class in rural south Georgia, according to the Associated Press. Carter said he knew Buttigieg from working on a Habitat for Humanity project in Indiana where the mayor volunteered.

On Friday night Buttigieg was heckled by protesters at an event in Texas. Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was interrupted on several occasions by anti-gay remarks. Protesters yelled, “Marriage is between a man and a woman,” and “Repent,” according to a CNN reporter in the audience.

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who is also running for president, came to Buttigieg’s defense on Twitter. O’Rourke wrote, “Texans don’t stand for this kind of homophobia and hatred. Mayor Pete, we are grateful you came to Texas and hope to see you and Chasten back again soon.”

Julian Castro (D) Last Friday, Castro’s campaign announced it met the 65,000 donor threshold to earn the former Housing and Urban Development secretary a spot in the first presidential debate.

In an interview with PBS Newshour, Castro expressed confidence that his campaign “will steadily but surely get stronger and stronger,” despite polling that currently shows him in the back of the field.

He further proclaimed that he would remain in the race, at least until the Iowa caucuses next February, pushing back against the idea of stepping out of the race should his support remain stagnant.

John Delaney (D) Delaney was sharply critical of some of the major proposals being debated on the campaign trail, including the Green New Deal and Medicare for all, in a radio interview earlier this week, labeling them “half-baked socialist policies.”

“I’m just going to point out — their policies are bad policies,” the former Maryland congressman said in the interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “Medicare for all, in terms of the bill that’s been introduced in the Senate, is fundamentally bad health care policy. Putting aside we have no way of paying for it, even if we were able to pay for it, it still would be bad policy.”

Delaney laid out his alternative, a public health care option, in a PBS Newshour interview, arguing that Americans want to be given choices rather than be limited to one plan.

Tulsi Gabbard (D) In a fundraising email to supporters, Gabbard attacked the media, claiming that reporters were ignoring her campaign because she is “taking on … the corporate media and the military industrial complex who drive us into war for their own power and profit.”

The congresswoman from Hawaii outlined her platform in a nearly 30-minute-long interview with The Intercept on Thursday. She also talked about her decision to run for president after endorsing Sanders in 2016, her isolationist foreign policy views and her opinion that it’s time for the Democratic Party to move on from the Mueller report and focus on issues.

Kirsten Gillibrand (D) The senator from New York pledged Tuesday that, as president, she would only nominate judges who would uphold Roe v. Wade. Gillibrand acknowledged that it was unusual for presidential candidates to set such a litmus test, but argued that such a stance was necessary after “Mitch McConnell obstructed the nomination process and stole a Supreme Court seat.”

“I believe that reproductive rights are human rights, and they are nonnegotiable,” Gillibrand wrote in a Medium post. “Women in America must be trusted to make their own medical decisions and have access to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion.”

This weekend, Gillibrand travels to New Hampshire for six stops from Friday through Saturday, including at New England College, where she will deliver a commencement address.

Kamala Harris (D) The New York Times reported Wednesday that Harris is reworking her campaign strategy to focus more on Trump, particularly after her aggressive questioning of Attorney General William Barr during last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earned her praise.

And during a trip to Michigan last weekend, the senator from California took on the idea of “electability” — a concept other female candidates have had to navigate as they seek higher office. She took a direct jab at the idea of her chances to move into the White House at the NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner in Detroit on Sunday, the largest NAACP chapter in the country.

“There has been a lot of conversation by pundits, about the electability. And who can speak to the Midwest? But when they say that, they usually put the Midwest in a simplistic box and a narrow narrative. And too often their definition of the Midwest leaves people out. It leaves out people in this room who helped build cities like Detroit,” Harris said.

John Hickenlooper (D) Hickenlooper authored a Wall Street Journal op-ed Sunday titled, “I’m running to save capitalism,” in which he explains his belief that while income inequality has led many Democrats to support socialist ideas, “capitalism is the only economic system that can support a strong middle class, a growing economy, and innovative entrepreneurs leading global technological advancements.”

The former Colorado governor concedes however that “the government has to adjust [capitalism],” making it easier for Americans to access higher education, raise wages and strengthen anti-trust laws.

Jay Inslee (D) The Washington governor unveiled what he called the”100% Clean Energy for America Plan,” which calls for clean energy standards with regard to electricity, new vehicles and building construction.

In conjunction with the plan — which would begin on the first day of his presidency and attempt to achieve renewable, zero-emission energy by 2035 — Inslee told ABC News that he is interested in retraining workers, such as coal miners, who currently labor in positions that would be affected by the plan, to work in new, clean-energy jobs.

Amy Klobuchar (D) Klobuchar rolled out a $100 billion proposal last Friday to fight drug and alcohol addiction and improve mental health care. In a statement announcing the initiative, the Minnesota senator tied it to her father’s alcoholism and subsequent treatment, saying that she feels “everyone should have the same opportunity my dad had … [to get the] help they need.”

The plan’s foundation includes prevention, early intervention and treatment initiatives, as well as justice reforms that would deprioritize jail sentences for non-violent drug crimes and economic and housing opportunities to support recovery.

Beto O’Rourke (D) On Monday, the former Texas congressman spoke at the United Steel Workers Local 310, as part of a five-day trip across Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. A union pipefitter asked O’Rourke if he would commit to a federal law that would give unions the power to collect money from non-union members for collective bargaining.

“Everyone needs to pay into the benefits that they gain as a result of those who are willing to organize and fight,” O’Rourke responded.

On Wednesday, Sasha Watson, a writer who dated O’Rourke when she was in college, penned a story for the Washington Post Magazine about watching his rise to fame.

Watching him run for Senate, she wrote, “I was no longer one of a small group of friends who watched him at a distance, but a member of the public, and I followed his campaign along with tens of thousands of people.”

Tim Ryan (D) In an interview with CNN last weekend, Ryan criticized Biden for saying China was “not competition,” calling the statement “stunningly out-of-touch.” The Ohio congressman elaborated by noting that China was “putting billions of dollars” behind construction in the South China Sea and investment in the solar industry.

Bernie Sanders (D) The senator from Vermont debuted an agriculture and rural investment plan in Iowa on Sunday which includes sweeping reforms to break up agribusiness conglomerates, establish a “right to repair” law for farm equipment and redirect subsidies to prevent their disproportionate distribution to large producers as opposed to small farmers, among other proposals.

Sanders campaign staffers ratified a union contract with leadership this week, the first of its kind in presidential campaign history. Included in the contract are provisions that require the campaign to pay health insurance premiums for low-salaried employees and a pay ceiling for senior officials.

On Thursday, together with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sanders proposed legislation to cap credit card interest rates at 15% and establish basic banking services at post offices.

Eric Swalwell (D) Swalwell would not commit to supporting Trump’s impeachment during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, but said the president should face “consequences,” comparing the situation to one with his children.

“We have to start taking this president seriously and speaking the only language they know, which is force and consequence,” Swalwell said on the show Sunday. “I’m a father of a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old. We’re going through the terrible twos. When my son misbehaves, we take a toy away.”

Elizabeth Warren (D) Warren appears on the cover of Time Magazine this week and the accompanying profile directs a spotlight on her policy-heavy campaign.

On Wednesday, Warren released a $100 billion plan to combat opioid addiction over 10 years. Friday, Warren is scheduled to visit West Virginia, the state with the highest level of opioid-related deaths in the nation, and a state that voted for Trump in 2016. The senator will visit the town of Kermit, where in 2016 the Charleston Gazette-Mail revealed the trail of nearly 9 million opioid pills shipped to a single pharmacy in the town.

On the Senate floor Wednesday, the senator from Massachusetts read portions of the Mueller report and continued to call for Trump’s impeachment, explaining to Politico that, in the wake of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s “case closed” pronouncement, she “felt a responsibility to go to the floor to say: ‘Case not closed, buddy.'”

Andrew Yang (D) The Des Moines Register reported Tuesday that Yang did not disclose on his campaign finance reports his monthly gifts of $1,000 to a New Hampshire family to demonstrate his proposed universal basic income plan. A spokesperson for Yang’s campaign said that their first quarter report would be updated.

Next week, Yang will hold a rally in New York City’s Washington Square Park, for which his campaign claims over 5,000 people have already RSVP’d.

[ladyhorncall]

A Local’s Guide To SDCC

Welcome to San Diego! We’ve always been a tourist destination, but July is particularly busy due to one of our biggest events of the year: the San Diego Comic-Con.

We love our city, and we’re very proud of it. We hope you’ll love it too! Here are a few tips to help you enjoy the most of your trip, and help us locals who live here year-round.

San Diego In General

1. San Diego is much more than just the city. We’re one of the largest counties in the State, and contain habitats from the beach to the mountains to the high desert. Most residents (including myself) live outside the city and are made up of many cultures that make us unique. In the big picture, we’re divided up into: North County, South County, East County (where I’m from), and the city of San Diego. 2. We’re a diverse county made up of multiple races, faiths, sexualities, and ideologies. We take pride in that, celebrating our diversity year-round. 3. It’s beneficial to know some Mexican Spanish before coming. Those of us who grew up here and have lived here for long periods of time have picked up an intermediate knowledge of the language in order to communicate and pronounce our city and street names correctly. It is a large part of our culture, and many of us are bilingual or know enough to interact with the many Mexicans who work, live, and visit our county. 4. We are a Sanctuary City, and we take pride in that. 5. We have a large LGBTA+ community, who gather and celebrate in HIllcrest. 6. We’re a Navy town. We take pride in our military and many San Diegians have some connection or a relative involved with the military. We desire peace and peaceful solutions, but we also take pride and support our military. 7. We’re friendly, but don’t like bad guests. Remember, we live and work and play here year-round. You’re visiting, and we’re good at pointing out that you’re being rude to us. But we will go out of our way to make you feel welcome if you’re kind to us. 8. Our state has gone bagless! This means we charge 15 cents per plastic bag at almost all stores. Bring reusable bags.

Lodgings and Transportation

1. If you’re staying downtown, take advantage of the public transportation. While it’s not as reliable or practical outside of the city (since we’re so big), it’s easy to get around downtown that way. It’s sometimes slow, especially during a big event such as SDCC. 2. If you’re staying someplace other than downtown (such as fashion or mission valley), rent a car. Carpool with people and park at one of the lots downtown. 3. Downtown is a walkable city. It can get a little hilly on the North end of the city, but it’s doable. 4. Whatever you do, avoid Grape St. It’s a horrible intersection and we avoid it as much as possible. 5. Conserve water! We may technically be out of a drought, but we’re still protective of this resource. That and it’s incredibly expensive. 6. Be kind to those working transportation and hotels. Thank often and you’ll be rewarded. 7. Always ask us for recommendations. We’ll point you away from the touristy places and to our favorite hidden secrets. Provided you’ve been kind to us. 8. We refer to our freeways as THE (#). So The 94, The 8, The 5, so on. So if we’re giving directions, you’ll hear it one of two ways: “Take the 94 West.” or “Go South on the 5.”

The Con Itself

1. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s crowded. If we aren’t attending or working nearby we tend to stay away. But we love hosting and we’re just as surprised as you that it has grown this big. 2. Plan out your day. Give yourself downtime as there is much to see and do and it can get overwhelming. 3. If you have purchased something large and you need help transporting it home, there is a FedEx shop in the center itself. 4. There is plenty to do and see outside of the center as well. The library has started doing things plus the Gaslamp Quarter is packed full of things to check out. Also Liberty Station and places further downtown tend to hold events as well. You just have to look. 5. HYDRATE! We’re a semi-arid climate and even though you’re by the water it still gets hot. If you’re from someplace not used to the dry heat, practice hydrating now. You can always tell who the locals are by how much we hydrate. 6. If you’re like me and get anxious or overstimulated (or both), there are various places to hide away to calm down. I recommend the back of the convention center and the upper levels. There are plenty of little corners to take a quick mental break. 7. No matter where you go, there are pickpockets. Keep your badge close, and your belongings closer. I suggest small bags that are slung across the body or are attached to you. Backpacks can be a bit much on the con floor and pickpockets have gotten better about opening those little pockets. 8. If you’re planning on braving Hall H, I suggest following or talking to Englishman in SD or HiddlesEducates on Twitter. They’re pros at it and know all the fun tips. If you’re claustrophobic, have anxiety, or get overstimulated, I recommend not going in there. Trust me, having a panic attack in there is beyond not fun. 9. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Food 1. Food will be expensive downtown and around the con. The food inside the con isn’t great but will do in a pinch. 2. There is a Ralphs downtown. Buy snacks and small food items to take with you or make in your hotel if you’re able. 3. You’re here at the height of tourist season. Plan a little extra for food so you’re not surprised. 4. If you want to try real Mexican food, ask a local. We know where the best places are. Old Town and El Indio are good places to start. 5. Don’t forget to eat real food. You’ll need your energy.

Weather 1. Our weather is unpredictable. So far it’s been either normal 70 degree weather we all love, or way too hot. Dress for hot weather during the day and a light jacket/sweater for the night if you’re by the water. If you’re further inland it won’t cool down as much. 2. If you’re white like I am, WEAR SUNSCREEN. Everyone should but if you’re white wear more of it. The sun is unforgiving, even on overcast or marine layer days. If you’re spending a lot of time outdoors, wear a hat. 3. We’re used to the heat but we complain a lot about it. That’s just us. We’re firm believers in climate change because we can feel the effect. 4. If you’re Cosplaying, be aware of the heat. I love seeing everyone dress up but really hate seeing anyone getting heatstroke because of it. When I cosplay I have summer versions that I wear for SDCC for this reason. 5. From now to the day your arrive, watch our weather. Like I said, it’s unpredictable. For example, when the cast for Thor: The Dark World came we had a thunderstorm with rain and everything. Last year we had one of the worst heatwaves we’ve ever seen. It happens.

Things to do 1. Have a day off? Check out some of these other awesome places! 2. Balboa Park. We’re the largest urban park on the west coast. There are a ton of museums with plenty to explore. I recommend the miniature railway museum, Casa del Prado, and the Ruben H. Fleet science center. 3. The Zoo. We’re world famous! And we just celebrated our 100th year. This year we just opened a new African exhibit that is pretty awesome. 4. Liberty Station. Places to shop and eat, the location of Stone Brewery, and is the home to Image Comics. I recommend Slider’s 50/50. 5. Old Town. Where people first settled when they came to our area. There is plenty to explore, shop, and eat. I recommend exploring the Whaley House. 6. Sea World. There are rides, water fun, and plenty of animals to see. I recommend the shark encounter and the Shamu cookies. 7. Fashion/Mission Valley. If you’re interested in shopping and places to eat. Fashion Valley is pricier and Mission Valley has one of the best movie theaters. 8. Point Loma. Go all the way to the tip to see the lighthouse, catch the view of downtown, and visit the tidepools. 9. The Beach. This is where you think we’re at all the time. Not all the time but you’re close. Mission and Ocean Beach are right next to each other and are closer. You have the boardwalk and Belmont Park with shops. I prefer La Jolla Beach since it’s better to swim in and the surfing’s better. 10. Seaport Village. Literally a 5 minute walk from the convention center, it hosts shops and restaurants with a great view of the bay. Or catch the ferry to go to Coronado Island. I recommend the carousal (it’s faster than the one in Balboa Park) and the Hat Shoppe. 11. Julian. A bit of a drive but it’s an old community up in the mountains. Be careful driving. Come for pie (berries are in season), visit the old mines, and see what living in San Diego was like back in the day. 12. La Mesa. My neck of the woods! If you want to see where the locals really live and play (at least for East County), this is a good place to start. Downtown La Mesa has shops and a bunch of new restaurants that I’m still exploring. We just did a huge upgrade a few summers ago so it looks really nice. Easy to get to by trolley.

Packing List As a local I find this weird, but this is how I’d pack: Sunscreen, light clothing, light jacket/sweater, comfortable shoes, snacks, water, hat, sunglasses, medication you may need, a list of medical issues, emergency contact information, a small bag, swim suit, towel (if you’re going to the beach), reusable bags, something to keep you entertained while you wait in lines, device chargers, portable battery pack, maybe an extra bag to take home your loot in.

Have fun, enjoy your stay, and welcome to San Diego! Feel free to ask me questions.