#Probate Process Without a Will | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

warping-realities · 3 months

Text

Making Amends (Repost)

Eric Campbell wasn't sure where his life had taken this turn. But if he had to pick a moment, it would be the one when he revealed to his high school best friend, Ryan, that he was gay and in love with him.

Ryan, although receptive to his friend's sexuality, refused any interest in him and from that moment on the friendship cooled down. The situation worsened when Ryan started dating Vanessa, a classmate for whom Eric had no sympathy and who, upon discovering his secret, decided to make his life a real hell. Telling the whole school the truth about his sexuality, which made Eric move to another city.

Between a shaken friendship with someone who was moving and a relationship with a girl who soon revealed she was pregnant with his child, Ryan opted for the second option. And for more than 20 years the two friends did not see each other.

With the sudden death of his father, the only living relative he still had, Eric was forced to return to his hometown to organize the house and the few assets he inherited. Which put him back in proximity to his old friend, today a successful lawyer, who ironically lived on the same block, along Vanessa and their son, who was spending his college vacation at his parents' house.

While Ryan kept the lean body and the long shiny hair that he was so proud of since his youth, Eric accumulated excessive weight, due to the long hours working as a graphic designer, a lot of fast food, and a complete lack of exercises, which associated with his scruffy beard and messy red hair gave him an unkempt look.

It's not that his life was horrible, his career guaranteed him financial stability to live comfortably. But it wasn't a happy life either, as his youth experiences prevented him from having any meaningful relationships and raising a family. And that's what he thought as he slowly fell asleep while watching porn videos, lying on the couch at his parents' old house.

....

“Hello son” Eric got scared when he heard his late father's voice. Looking around he found himself sitting on the same room he had fallen asleep on but with the body and appearance of when he was 18 years old.

“Dad..? But you passed away..”

“Yes, I'm dead, son. But that doesn't mean I can't do something to make amends with you.”

"Make amends? What do you mean?

"The truth is, I didn't support you when I should have, even though I knew I could have done so much more for you than I did. All because deep down I couldn't accept and love you for who you are... but no more. Tomorrow when you wake up you will receive the first of my gifts, after that I want you to go to your old friend Ryan's house to receive the remaining!”

….

It was a strange morning for Ryan, first he woke up alone in his bed, with the odd feeling that someone should be lying next to him. What didn't make the slightest sense, that side of the bed had been empty for over 15 years, when Vanessa, his ex-wife, had abandoned him, leaving him to raise the couple's son, Jacob, alone. Thinking about it made his head hurt, giving him a feeling of unreality.

Speaking of unreality… Ryan was at that very moment sitting across from his old school friend, Eric, who had decided to pay a visit, while he awaited the outcome of his father's probate process. But this Eric was very different from the image he had in his head, acquired by seeing the photos posted on the other man's Instagram, which he had discreetly followed in an embarrassed way over the last few years, thinking with regret of his actions in the last year from school.

The Eric sitting across from him was a fine specimen of a man, with well-developed gargantuan sized muscles, a perfect face and very well-groomed hair. Contrasting with the obese and careless figure that insisted on appearing in the back of his head.

“So, where's Jake? You know I love that boy.” Eric said with a smile on his face.

"He must be in his room getting ready for the day" Ryan replied without thinking. But soon a question came to his lips

“What do you mean with “love”? When did you see him?”

“Yesterday, and the day before, and in all the holidays he spent with me since his childhood.” Eric answered with a smile.

"I do not know what you're talking about. Jacob never spent a day with you.”

“Did you hit your head somewhere, Ry? Jake has spent more time at my house than his own since Vanessa left. You decided it was better for him to stay with his godfather than a nanny.”

“I… I… don't…” Ryan stammered. As consternation came over his face.

“Ry, is everything okay? Now you really worried me.” Eric replied with concern.

It was then that hazy memories surfaced in Ryan's mind. He leaving Jacob as a child at his friend's house, the three walking on a beach, a video sent from an old cell phone, showing Jacob holding a tooth and laughing with a toothless smile while Eric's laughter could be heard in the background.

“I, yes, yes. I don't know how I could forget about that, Red"

The old nickname returning to Ryan's lips as if had never left.

“But I don’t understand, you left a long time ago…”

“Yes, Ry, but I came back when my best friend asked me to help him raise his son”

“Sure, sure. - That made sense, didn't it? "For which Jacob and I will be forever grateful," he concluded.

“There's no need to thank me, ever, I did everything with the greatest pleasure, I love the little devil, and speaking of him, it seems he's not so little anymore. Have you been working out, Jake?” Eric said looking at the skinny dark haired young man who entered the room at that moment. Which in turn replied somewhat disconcerted:

“Humm, no…not really. But… who are you?"

“Jacob, this is no way to talk to Uncle Eric””

“Uncle… Eric … ? what the fuck, dad?

“Jacob, what language is that? You may be a grown man now, but inside my house you won't treat an old friend like that, apologize, now!"

"But, but…”

“Leave the kid alone, Ry. He was always hot-blooded. And he was always a smartass to. I'm sure it's some joke, isn't it, Devil?"

"I don't know what… "- Jacob started to say, but stopped at the same moment when he noticed his father's stern look. “Yes, a joke of course, Uncle…?”

“Hahaha, and he continues! Always the same devilish boy, even though he's a man now, and what a man, look how big you are kid, look at that musculature!”

Both Jacob and Ryan were unable to understand Eric's comments, Jacob had been a quiet and serious child, a behavior he maintained until adulthood, in addition to that he was always averse to physical activities, preferring to pursue academic achievements, as well as his father, which translated into a thin body for life. But those memories began to blur and mix with those of a mischievous boy, given to pranks, who from an early age practiced all kinds of sports.

"Ah, sit here beside me boy, I want to know everything you're up to in college, you must be the terror of the sororitys, and the fraternities too..." - Eric said with a wink, as he pulled Jacob making him sit down up next to him on the couch.

“Hum, I don't know… I don't know… - said Jacob with a feeling of anguish in his chest and a mess of discordant thoughts and memories in his head. From spending his days diligently studying in the college library, except when he was playing chess with friends, to memories of spending his days diligently training in the gym and his nights going to parties, always ending up accompanied by a beautiful woman... or man.

"Calm down little demon" Whispered Eric in the boy's ear, who finally relaxed his shoulders and smiled. “Dad is here and everything is going to be okay.” He concluded, enveloping the boy in a hug and giving him an affectionate and long kiss on the head.

Seeing the scene Ryan thought that was too much and got up with the intention of separating the two.

“Hey…” he started to say. But his head began to hurt intensely, with the objects spinning around him, and the last thing he saw before falling to the ground was Eric's smiling face, as he caressed Jacob's head leaning against the man's huge chest.

…..

It had been a strange morning for Ryan. He woke up lying on the couch in the living room, his head a little dizzy, and with a feeling of strangeness with the environment around him, as if the atmosphere was denser. When he looked at himself he realized that he was wearing pajamas, but he remembered changing clothes when he woke up, but if he was waking up now…. would that have been the day before? Still confused and with his head throbbing he walked slowly to the kitchen thinking about having a glass of water while he waited for this feeling of strangeness disappear.

Upon entering the room, Ryan got a big scare! Standing behind the table was a red haired giant, half naked, smiling in his direction.

“R-Red? What are you doing here."

“Hey Ry. I'm sorry, my thoughts were far away. I see you're awake, I thought I'd take you to bed, but even with those arms I don't know if I'd have the strength for that, big guy!"

“Big guy?” Those words echoed in Ryan's throbbing head. He had always been skinny, but with time and a workout routine he had acquired a more toned musculature, yet being called "Big Guy" made something resonate inside him... but someone like Red calling him big didn't make sense, as the fact that someone was sitting in Ryan's kitchen, helping himself to his coffee, and worst of all, practically naked.

"Red, what are you doing here, and almost naked?"

“Since when are you a prude, Ry? And as for what I'm doing here, I'm making breakfast for you and that devilish boy. Did you see the time he arrived? I imagine not, since you were sleeping on the couch…. You'd think college would knock some sense into our boy's head..."

“Our…boy?” Suddenly Ryan had a flash, a image of Eric approaching Jacob, whispering something in his ear, his smile looking at Ryan while hugging him...

“Jacob! Where is Jacob.” "What you do with him?” He asked with an accusing tone.

“Calm down Ryan, boys will be boys, regardless of age. But we can talk to him, parent to child if that's important to you” Eric answered with a soothing tone, apparently misunderstanding the reason for Ryan's indignation. Who in turn was staring at the giant in front of him with stupefaction.

“From parent to child?” What do you mean by…” Ryan began to say, being interrupted by the entry of an attractive muscular young man with vibrant red hair, totally naked, exposing his muscular body, with a large pole hanging between his legs, swinging from side to side as he trotted to the kitchen table.

“Morning, dad…” - said the young man passing by him while stretching, making his huge cock swing more willingly.

"Dad…? What… how… Jacob??? What happened??? What are you wearing?"

"Hum, nothing?." Answered the young man. Bursting with laughter along with Eric. While Ryan watched him, who was nothing like the thin boy he knew as well as the back of his hand.

“Hey, Devil, where's my hug? Eric asked, approaching the boy and hugging him, not caring that the young man's cock was exposed.

“Daaad…” replied the young man, with mocked irritation as he hugged the other man.

That scene made Ryan's brain shatter into a thousand pieces, to the point where he stood there watching without being able to form a single word, dumbfounded. With his head pounding harder, as the sense of unreality heightened.

“What the fuck is going on here”? Ryan yelled as he finally gathered his strength. Nothing there made sense.

“What kind of language is this, father?” said Jacob in an unconvincing imitation of a strict father.

“Your dad is looking like a prude old man today, Jake. Frankly, he doesn't even look like the man I chose to spend my life with and father my child with." Eric replied containing a laugh.

That was the last straw. Ryan cupped his face in both hands, sighing in frustration. With the throbbing in his head finally reaching its peak as he blacked out.

….

Ryan woke up lying on the couch in the living room, with his head a little dizzy, and with a feeling of strangeness with the environment around him, as if the atmosphere was denser. When he looked at himself he realized that he was wearing his robe and couldn't avoid a strong feeling that he had been through this same situation before. Confused and with his head throbbing, he closed his eyes in an attempt to think more clearly. And that's when he heard a familiar voice.

“Good morning, Big Man. Soon the coffee will be ready, it's time for you to open your eyes to reality!”

A feeling of anguish and fear dominated Ryan's chest, with a voice saying in the back of his mind that it would be best not to listen to anything that person had to say, to get up and leave without looking back. But a second voice silenced the first one, it didn't make any sense to leave the house where he lived, the house where his son lived, the house where his husband lived…. The first voice tried to fight these thoughts. Tried to say that they were misleading, that something very bad had already happened to his son and that the same could happen to him. “Nonsense, said the second voice, Jake was fine and healthier than ever, after all he was lifting as much weight at the gym as Ryan since he came home for the holidays, although neither of them comes close to Red in that regard. ”

"No, no, Jacob didn't lift any weights"

“Of course he would, with a father like Red, genetics and true dedication together are the best combination.”

"No, no, Eric was not Jacob's father, I’m Jacob's father"

"Of course he was Jake's father, they both were, and it didn't matter that the boy didn't have his blood, he was his son, period."

"But, but…

“No buts, his fatherhood was as real as his marriage was real and he would like to see who would have the courage to say otherwise in front of him. He might not be as big as Eric, but he was far from a wimp, years of exercise and a strict diet had given him a body to envy.”

As those thoughts played through the battleground that was Ryan's head, the truth within them was manifesting itself on the outside. With the robe he was wearing fading out of existence and revealing the muscular body they hid, while his luxurious hair shortened and lost its shine and a stubble beard appeared on his face. Eyes open but without seeing, at least not this changing reality, lost while the world changed.

“Yes, he would very much like to see who would challenge the infamous Big Man Ryan in a dispute, after all his fame preceded him, both in court, where he was a defender of gay rights, and outside of it, where he had already been involved in some fights while defending the same rights.”

“Big Man… gay rights… no… fights… no”

“Yes, this attitude started back in school, when Red confessed to him his sexuality and that he was in love with him. That was probably the happiest and most important moment of their lives, when Ryan, as passionate as his friend, responded with a kiss, and the couple's fate was sealed. And anyone who dared say anything about it would have to deal with him, although at the time he wasn't yet "Big Man Ryan", running away from a fight was never an option.”

“No…. Eric… no… Vanessa”

“Vanessa, that bitch! A single night of thoughtless drinking on Eric's part after a silly fight between the couple and the viper took the opportunity. Bitch! But that night was why Jake was born, and Ry wouldn't know what to do without his little red demon.”

“Jaco… no… dev…”

“It was that wretched Vanessa who put Ryan on the path of civil rights. The bitch, revolted when she was rejected by Red, who committed to assume and take care of the child she was expecting, but not to marry her or have to live with her more than necessary. So she decide to take revenge, telling everyone at school and town about Ryan and Eric's relationship. Which in turn resulted in the biggest beating Eric has ever taken in his life. Upon seeing the condition of his boyfriend, Ry made a promise, which he still faithfully kept to this day: he was going to defend the man of his life with everything he had.

“N…. Nh…”

“It was then, at the end of high school, that the idea of law came to mind. Along with the desire and dedication of physical exercise. Ryan spared no effort to achieve his goals, including using anabolic steroids, after all, not everyone has the genes of a red-haired giant like Eric. The results speak for themselves, Ryan has grown to massive size over the years, though in return he has lost all the hair he was so proud of in his youth.

“N…. no.. no… YEAS!!

Again the exterior manifested the interior modifications. In an instant in Ryan's place stood a huge man, with balding hair, a graying beard, and thick, developed musculature, a match in size for Eric himself.

"And it wasn't just in size that they were a match for each other" The only voice present in Ryan's much less agitated head whispered. And that voice was not wrong, both men had a libido proportional to their height and wingspan, being known to break several beds throughout their married life due to their insatiable and uninhibited sexual appetite.

Closing his eyes again, as his posture relaxed as he accepted reality Ryan felt the last words spoken by his husband echo in his head:

“It's about time you open your eyes to reality, open your eyes to reality, open your eyes… open your eyes!!!

And “Big Man” Ryan, fierce defender of civil rights, amateur bodybuilder, devoted father, loving and warm husband, voracious lover… finally opened his eyes, stretched, while getting up and finally flashed a smile to the love of his life.

“Liking what you see, Red, you old pervert?” He asked with a provocative voice.

“Just admiring the material, and congratulating myself on the investment.” Was the playful response Ryan received as he walked over to meet his husband, while throwing his boxer briefs on the floor leaving his big cock free to swing happily between his legs.

“I think the best investment was mine. I paid for a red hot giant and got a wonderful lover, plus an amazing son as a gift.” Ryan said as he approached Eric.

“By the way, speaking of amazing, have I told you how much I loved that you grew a beard? But I think I prefer your hair longer, there's only room for one big bald man in this house."

“I thought you missed that head full of hair” Eric replied very close to his husband's provocative face.

“What I miss is this mouth sucking my dick and this cock in my ass.” Ryan replied.

“What language is this?” Was Eric's last comment before giving himself to his husband with a passionate kiss. And fuck madly on the living room floor.

And it was with both naked, one next to the other, lying down and soaked in sweat and cum that the couple's son found them.

“You know, some people would be extremely embarrassed to find their parents acting so shamelessly.” A comment made by a smiling Jake, wearing only his underwear, when he saw his parents lying on the floor.

“And since when are we a bunch of Puritans, little devil?” Was the answer he received from a smiling Ryan, while getting up after giving his husband a last passionate kiss and passing by his son and giving him a kiss on the cheek, not caring that he was walking totally naked through the house.

"I'm just going to take a quick shower and get ready for work, you two wait for me before eating."

….

Eric “Red” Campbell was sitting at his desk, after a family breakfast, thinking about life's reminiscences, when he was surprised by a soft kiss on his neck. With a smile on his lips he turned and found the manly but smiling face of his man staring back at him.

“Ready to destroy some bastards, Big Ry?”

"Always! I wouldn't be the infamous Big Man Ryan if Don’t break some idiots, would I?" Ryan replied. “But you know what I'm ready for? Round two! Get ready Red, tonight it's my turn to fuck this big ass.

“And why wait until evening?”

“Don't tempt me, Mr. Campbell.” Was the answer of a smiling Ryan while walking to the door.

Eric turned to the window and watched, mug in hand, as the fine specimen of a man that was his husband trot with steady strides across the front yard toward his huge SUV. With a smile on his lips he thought about how happy he was with his marriage, his son, and the direction his life had taken.

#mind change #reality change #male transformation #straight to gay #repost #jockification

148 notes · View notes

batboyblog · 3 months

Text

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #23

June 14-21 2024.

On the 12th anniversary of President Obama's DACA program President Biden announced a new pathway to legal status and eventual citizenship for Dreamers. DACA was an executive action by President Obama which deferred any deportation of persons brought to the US as children without legal status. While DACA allowed Dreamers to work legally in the US for the first time, it didn't give them permanent legal status. Now the Biden administration is streamlining the process for employers to apply for work Visas for Dreamers. With Visas Dreamers will for the first time have legal status, the ability to leave and reenter the US legally, and a pathway to a Green Card and eventual citizenship.

President Biden also announced protections for the undocumented spouses and children of US citizens. The new rule allows the spouse, or step-child of a US citizen to apply for lawful permanent residency without having to leaving the country. It's estimated this will help 500,000 undocumented people married to Americans, and 50,000 children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to an American citizen. Current law forces spouses to leave the United States if they're here illegally and wait and unclear period of probation before being allowed to return, but being allowed back is not assured.

The IRS announced that it'll close a tax loophole used by the ultra rich and corporations and believes it'll raise $50 billion in revenue. Known as a "pass-through" has allowed the rich to move money around to avoid taxes in a move the Treasury is calling a shell-game. Pass-throughs have grown by 70% between 2010 and 2019 and the IRS believes it helped the rich avoid paying $160 billion dollars in taxes during that time. The IRS estimates its crack down on these will raise $50 billion in tax revenue over the next 10 years.

The EPA and Department of Energy announced $850 million to monitor, measure, quantify and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. Methane is the second most common greenhouse gas, responsible for 1/3rd of the global warming. The funding will focus on helping small operators significantly reduce emissions, as well as help more quickly detect and cap methane leaks from low-producing wells. All this comes after the EPA finalized rules to reduce methane emissions by 80% from oil and gas.

The Biden Administration took steps to protect the nations Old Growth Forests. The move will greatly restrict any logging against the 41 million acres of protected land owned by the federal government. The Administration also touted the 20% of America's forests that are in urban settings as parks and the $1.4 billion invested in their protection through the President’s Investing in America agenda.

The Biden Administration released new rules tying government support for clean energy to good paying jobs. If companies want to qualify for massive tax credits they'll have to offer higher wages and better conditions. This move will push union level wages across the green energy sector.

The Department of Education announced large reductions in student loan payments, and even a pause for some, starting in July. For millions of Americans enrolled in the Biden Administration's SAVE plan, starting in July, monthly payments on loans borrowed for undergraduate will be reduced from 10% to 5% of discretionary income. As the department hasn't been able to fully calculate the change for all borrowers at this point it will pause payment for those it hasn't finalized the formula for and they won't have to make a payment till DoE figures it out. The SAVE plan allows many borrowers to make payments as low as $0 a month toward having their loans forgiven. So far the Biden Administration has forgiven $5.5 billion wiping out the debt of 414,000 people enrolled in SAVE.

The Biden Administration celebrated the 1 Millionth pension protected under the American Rescue Plan. Senator Bob Casey joined Biden Administration officials and Union official to announce that thanks to the Butch Lewis Act passed in 2021 the government would be stepping in to secure the pensions of 103,000 Bakery and Confectionery Union workers which were facing a devastating 45% cut. This brings to 1 million the number of workers and retirees whose pensions have been secured by the Biden Administration, which has supported 83 different pension funds protecting them from an average of 37% cut.

The Department of Energy announced $900 million for the next generation of nuclear power. This investment in Gen III+ Small Modular Reactor will help bring about smaller and more flexible nuclear reactors with smaller footprints. Congress also passed a bill meant to streamline nuclear power and help push on to the 4th generation of reactors

Vice President Harris announced a $1.5 billion dollar aid package to Ukraine. $500 million will go toward repairing Ukraine's devastated energy sector which has been disrupted by Russian bombing. $324 million will go toward emergency energy infrastructure repair. $379 million in humanitarian assistance from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to help refugees and other people impacted by the war.

America pledged $315 million in new aid for Sudan. Sudan's on-going civil war has lead to nearly apocalyptic conditions in the country. Director of USAID, Samantha Power, warned that Sudan could quickly become the largest famine the world has seen since Ethiopia in the early 1980s when a million people died over 2 years. The US aid includes food and water aid as well as malnutrition screening and treatment for young children.

Bonus: Maryland Governor Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 people for marijuana convictions. This mirrors President Biden's pardoning of people convicted of federal marijuana charges in 2022 and December 2023. President Biden is not able to pardon people for state level crimes so called on Governors to copy his action and pardon people in their own state. Wes Moore, a Democrat, was elected in 2022 replacing Republican Larry Hogan.

#Thanks Biden #Joe Biden #us politics #american politics #immigration #DACA #Dreamers #IRS #tax the rich #student loans #climate change #climate action #nuclear power #marijuana #criminal justice reform #ukraine #Sudan #Pensions

241 notes · View notes

potatomountain · 6 months

Text

CIY- CH 10

Chapter Ten

📍pairing: detective ateez ot8 x detective afab reader 📍word count: 3.1k 📍network: @pirateeznet 📍Warnings: tbd 📍Beta readers (and sole motivation): @flurrys-creativity , @candypop1611 , @yourfatherlucifer, @yessa-vie and edited by the amazing: @daesukiii

masterlist | Previous | Next

There was a good chance you overdid it at the shooting range yesterday, if your sore muscles and oversleeping were anything to go by. The fact you dismissed all of your alarms at different times, without even attempting to get out of bed, was also a good indicator.

When you had realized you were late for work, the momentary panic was quickly chased away by the realization they probably weren’t even aware of when you got there so why worry about being on time? That mindset had you falling right back to sleep, not even the idea of San worrying about you could keep the sleep at bay.

Your phone going off startled you awake, knocking it onto the floor in the process and leaving you scrambling for it out of habit. You didn’t even check caller ID, hitting answer and expecting an emergency because why else would you be getting a call? After grumbling out your name, you froze up at the familiar voice on the other side. “Ah so you’re not dead?” Your nose scrunched up as you flung your feet over the side of the bed. “No Yunho, I’m not dead. Is there a reason you have my number and are calling me?” You scoffed out, taking one glance at your clock on your desk and wincing. Oh, it was that late? “I’ve been tasked with finding out why our beautiful Goddess hasn’t arrived at work yet despite it being an hour after her usual time and no notification was given. Considering how prideful you are of your job, I assumed death was the only reason to miss out.” He easily drawled over other muffled voices in the background, which did wonders for your imagination. It even overlooked his heavy sarcasm that might normally be a reason to bite back.

You spent several hours shooting targets to get these damned curious thoughts out of your head and apparently it was all for naught. Not like you could hear what was being said, but with all their secrecy, you could only blame it on one secret you now knew. “Just overslept, and didn’t think anyone would miss me enough that an hour would matter.” While that was true, an hour did have your panic spiking a little bit.

It was very unlike you to be this late, and the reason just had shame bubbling in your gut. Like hell you would tell Yunho that of course, trying to play it off as nonchalantly as you could.

“Aw, already tired of us? Every second counts, especially if you want to do field work so how about you get that cute ass out of bed and down here to the Precinct? You have work to do.” “Yunho you could say it nicely!” This time you heard the other voice, trying to pinpoint who. Yunho scoffed, pulling away from the phone a bit. “If you wanted it said nicely you could’ve called, Vice. It’s done so stop yapping.” “May I remind you that you insi-” Seonghwa’s voice was cut off as the call was dropped, leaving you a bit confused and plenty awake now.

The one thing that really stuck from that phone call was that, to an extent, your presence was noticed, and your absence was cause of enough concern that Yunho called you.

Whatever emotions were going to blossom from that, were derailed when you noticed many many notifications on your phone: all from the S.K Unit.

Right, your probation was up regarding them now. That was… you weren’t sure how to feel about it, but being late on time already you ignored the messages and started getting ready. Thirty minutes later and you were stepping into the precinct, unsure of what to expect. The lack of bodies around when you walked in was a tad disappointing, which you wouldn’t ruminate on, but finding a coffee and lunch on your desk from the deli was a nice surprise.

Since you were late- was left on a note in handwriting you didn’t recognize, but of course you haven't seen any of theirs enough to tell. San would be the most likely option, since he was the only one who knew your order, but you couldn’t put it past any of them with their ability to surprise you. Either way, you smiled down at the drink, just as you liked it, and didn’t care who it was from.

You sat down to enjoy your gift just as the phone on the desk beeped, line 3 flashing red. Right, probably should have let them know you arrived. “Yeah I’m here Seonghwa, sorry about that.” You called out after hitting the button to connect.

“We thought we heard the door. Glad you made it safely.” “Mhmm. What would you have me do? Captain mentioned field work but said it would take a few days?” Better to keep the conversation on work. Keep it on work.

Seonghwa chuckled on the other side, humming a bit in thought. “Wooyoung is taking care of San’s injuries so that will take a few days anyways. I suppose we can test your undercover skills, would you be up for that? I can talk to the Captain about the suggestion, we can get back to you by the end of the day. Why don’t you get more familiar with the other gangs in the meantime, we have a new board set up for you back here.”

One surprise after another, it was really throwing you for a loop. “Oh uh, sure. I’ll head back there after I eat then?”

“Take your time.” The line went dead afterwards, leaving you a bit lost.

“Huh… are they sucking up to me? This is… weird.” Mumbling to yourself, you shrugged it off after a moment and enjoyed your free meal and drink, checking the notifications finally from S.K. You only really looked at the names, not ready to read what they had to say.

Most were from Jisung and Felix, quite a bit from Changbin and a few from the two youngest as well. Hyunjin’s chat was the only one you read, which consisted of a miniature spiel about a cute guy he saw at the gym this ‘fine morning’ that could spice up your lack of a sex life. You scoffed, sending him a few choice emojis to tell him to kindly fuck off before finishing up your meal.

You couldn’t help but notice not a single message or call or anything from Chan or Minho, and it somewhat hurt. Did you really expect them to apologize though?

If they did, would they mean it?

Sighing, you grabbed your coffee and headed towards the back. No use worrying over those two, not when you just wanted to move on and do your job.

“Ah there she is, definitely not dead.” Yunho startled you when you stepped into the back, a smirk on his features as he leaned back against his desk. “Come to join the party?” Rolling your eyes, you ignored him and instead turned your attention to the board. It was definitely set up differently, several different faces and gangs by the looks of it. “What’s this?” “This is how downtown is run.” Mingi stood before the board, tacking up a picture before stepping back. “Downtown is where a majority of gang activity goes on. It’s mostly prostitution, illegal gambling rings and brothels, drug rings. It’s considered neutral territory despite being part of the Golden Circle and heavily run by the Pink Boas- but they’ll let anyone operate there for a fee. Most independent players will operate there as well.” “Like Hwon Taejin?” You sought out his picture instantly, jaw clenched as your eyes landed on the familiar face that had your blood boiling.

Mingi and Yunho shared a look before Mingi stood in your way. “Yes, but that’s not the point.” He narrowed his eyes on you while Yunho wouldn’t even look your way now. What the hell had suddenly gotten under their skin? Sure you expected hostility but this felt different. “Oookay, then continue.” Not your problem, that's what you told yourself, glancing back at the board.

“The point is, that downtown is where all the action happens. As ‘neutral’ ground, any deals or talks between gangs will happen here. Drops of product, money, but the most important is that fights don’t happen downtown, meaning less likely to get killed accidentally.” Yunho offered, a chip in his tone that was hard to miss at the end.

They couldn’t actually be worried you would get yourself killed? Is that where they were going with this? “So what I’m hearing is, this is the area I am most likely going to be in the field. Plenty of opportunities and information to pick up without my head getting blown to bits or choking on poison?” They both nodded solemnly. “New players are always watched carefully by the Pink Boas, and they don’t have to take you out on their turf. So it will also be a test to see how well you can maintain undercover. Course, no idea what you’ll be doing in the field, could just be doing stakeouts like Captain does.” You narrowed your eyes on Yunho as he shrugged, but he still wouldn’t meet your eyes.

Mingi also hadn’t insulted you once since you got here. Something felt off.

“What the fuck is it? What did I do this time or not do? What did you fuckers do?”

Both of them paused as you cocked your hip, hand nestling there with coffee in the other. “Uh, nothing?” “Exactly! No insults and you’re acting like a sad kicked puppy for fucks sake-” You jerked your chin at Mingi before pointing at Yunho. “And you were so snarky on the phone and when I walked in and now you’re like a ball of anxiety or some shit. The desk is going to break if you grip it any harder.”

Once more the two shared a look, Yunho’s grip relaxing on the edge of the desk so his veins weren’t popping out- which you totally hadn’t noticed multiple times- and Mingi’s cocky grin was back. But neither could give you an answer before Yeosang stepped in, calling your name. Great, another ass to deal with. “We were given orders to give you a bit of a break from our… abrasiveness. And I have some things to upload to your laptop, may I?” He held up a flash drive, his sculpted face impassive of any emotion. You couldn’t tell if he was good at hiding it or just didn’t have much emotion. Annoyance he had shown plenty of, is this what was left under it?

It felt… odd. You didn’t like it. “Yeah, I’ll give these two some time to, I don’t know, pull the sticks out of each other’s ass? Suddenly being nice to me? No thanks.” You shivered at the thought, making your way towards the hall to your desk. The laughter from the two that were left behind eased a knot in your chest you didn’t know was there.

“What do you need to upload?” Glancing back at Yeosang, you tried once more to get a read on him. A vibe or something, but he resembled a walking doll almost.

He opened his mouth to reply, eyes moving past yours and brows pushing together. You turned to see what had gotten his attention, just to visibly stiffen.

“Hey there Trouble.”

“Don’t even start.” You pointed your finger at him, hoping he didn’t notice the sudden tremble. “You don’t get to call me that any more, Chan.”

Really, what right did he have to walk into your new workplace as if he was here for a friendly visit or lunch? As if he wasn’t the reason you were here in the first place. As if he hadn’t turned his back on you.

He didn’t need to come into your new space, looking fine in his jeans and tight tee, watching you with that smile of his that said “I’m here” as if to take on all your problems for you. There was no need for him to remind you of your feelings… the same feelings you had hoped you had smashed in the last month.

“Who’s this?” Yeosang stepped around you, clearly a bit annoyed that their space was being trespassed on by someone unfamiliar. “My old unit Chief. Who was just leaving.” You snarled out, crossing your arms over your chest. “You can just upload whatever you need to Yeosang, don’t pay him any mind.” Chan’s smile faltered, shoving his hands into his pocket. “I was worried about you tr- sorry, won’t say it again.” He chuckled nervously when you hardened your glare. “I know you weren’t happy about this-” “Who would be happy that they got kicked off their team? Seriously?” You took a step closer. “You didn’t want me there Chan, and I don’t want you here. So fucking leave.” Chan didn’t back down, lifting his chin a bit as he pursed his lips in thought. “Can I… Can I at least apologize?” You scoffed, rolling your eyes as you shook your head. “I don’t want to hear it. You made your choice Chan, just fucking live with it.”

When he called your name out in a plea, taking a step closer, you would have preferred “Trouble” instead. “Please let me explain, I didn’t want to hurt you.” He closed the distance enough to reach for you, just for you to slap his hand away. “I think she told you to leave.” Yeosang’s voice rang out behind you before you could tell Chan off yet again. “And frankly speaking, we don’t allow anyone else here in the Precinct unless you clear it with our Captain or Vice. I don’t think you did, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Chan looked between you two, shoulder’s slumping in defeat. “Alright. I’ll talk to you another time.” Before you could make a quip back, he was walking out the door.

Your head pounded from the sudden increase in stress, hand going to your temple as you turned to Yeosang. “Was that true? The Vice or Captain needs to give permission for visitors?” Yeosang steeled his expression the moment you turned back, gently pushing your open laptop towards you. “Yes. Considering our work, we can’t just let anyone walk in. Especially other cops. Your pin?” It was comforting to hear, typing in your password quickly before pushing it back towards him. “That’s… reassuring. I didn’t think any of them would bother me here.” “Would… would you prefer they not?”

Shrugging, you leaned against the desk while he plugged in the flashdrive, dozens of screens popping up as Yeosang got to work. When you didn’t answer right away, he glanced at you. “Oh well, definitely not him. There’s one or two I don’t think I’d mind- wait no, that’s just a bad combination waiting to happen.” You grimaced, thinking about what would happen should Hyunjin come here or the two worrywarts. The conversation would get far too sexual or the poor beans would get too worried about you and most likely plan, very poorly, your kidnapping away from this unit.

Changbin could be the only one you saw getting along well enough but chances of him keeping quiet to the others? Unlikely.

Yeosang nodded as if you had just given him vital information, odd but somewhat endearing of him. “I see. I’ll let Seonghwa know.” His fingers flew across the keyboard, focused on whatever he was doing. “Can you… not? Or at least avoid the details. I don’t like how much you all know of me and my unit already. My beef with Chan I would like to keep on the downlow.” “What makes you think I would keep it as such?” Yeosang asked, lacking any sort of condescension or malice, just pure curiosity in his voice.

You shrugged, standing back up. “You didn’t like it when I dug into you all when I first got here, so privacy is important to you. And whether it’s personal morals or because you were told to play nice, I don’t think you are going to go around sharing my business.”

He paused what he was doing, turning to you confused. “You have reason to believe I would though?” “No, I don’t.” You sighed, leaning back down. “Just because you don’t like me or haven’t been the nicest doesn’t mean you would purposely exploit sensitive information about me. You can still have morals even as an asshole. Anyways, what are you doing? I can’t follow along with any of this.” Yeosang let his head fall forward a bit so his hair blocked his eyes from your sight, his fingers moving once more. “It’s a program I built that only we here at A.Z use. Takes a bit to install, connect to our servers here. I'm still working on the mobile version, but this has to be installed with a copy of the program. If anyone without access to the program tries to get in through one of you, the program will wipe itself clean and the connection.” “That’s… a bit scary of a protection measure.” You mumbled out, but also quite impressed. “These gangs have access to multimillion dollar security companies and tech, better not to risk them trying to get our information. We also have different levels of information. Right now, you are getting access to level one, which is a bit more detailed than what you already had on the Green Vipers. We’ll move you up if you gain a successful cover,” he explained, moving a few things around and code flashing across the screen. It took you a moment to realize what he meant, what this all meant. “Is this… I thought I still had a trial run?” Your voice was soft, afraid to speak any louder as if it would scare off the possibility.

Yeosang paused once more, hunching further over the computer. “Well uh, I- that’s not for me to…”

“Welcome to the team, Firecracker. Believe it or not, we are happy to have you.” Hongjoong called out, drawing your attention to the hall, a smirk on his face. “He means on the team. Happy to have you on the team.” Seonghwa sighed behind him. “Well that too.” “Joong- is it really a good time to try and flirt?” “It’s always a good time. Especially now that she knows what we do around here- oh? Is it that funny?” Hongjoong broke off, brow lifted as laughter had bubbled out of you.

“It’s just- mmm, I think I’m a bit happy to be here. When ya’ll stop trying to act so damn friendly fake.” Hongjoong and Seonghwa shared a look before the Captain matched your very real smile. “I knew you liked the bickering. Ready for your first mission briefing?”

You practically bounced up straight. “Yes, Captain, ready.”

Taglist will be continued in a reblog!!

237 notes · View notes

sirfrogsworth · 10 months

Text

Froggie's (Almost) Very Productive Day

I try to fit as many out-and-about chores as possible into a single day so I only have one set of post-exertional malaise consequences instead of consequences after each day of doing a thing. So any time I decide to drive, I try to find several tasks to accomplish all at once.

My first stop was the Family Services Division in the hopes of getting some help with grocery bills. I am making ends meet, but it seems to be getting harder each month. And maybe I could have skipped my trip to Florida and saved that money, but if I don't do something drastic for my mental health, I fear this first holiday season without a parent could send me into the darkness.

I needed to do an interview to finish applying for SNAP. I wanted to do a phone interview, but the next appointment was in January. So I went to social services where they allow walk-in appointments. I waited in a tiny plastic chair for several hours until they called my name. She yelled out "Benjamin" because when most people see "Grelle" they aren't really sure how to say it. (Rhymes with belly.)

She started my interview and it was going swimmingly at first. But then she started asking questions about the house and my inheritance and my trust. I had no idea what to tell her. It feels like a mistake now, but I have had pretty much no involvement in that process. I have no idea how it works. And I started to panic because she was acting like I was committing fraud or something by not mentioning the trust. But the entire point of the trust was to protect my benefits. Nothing is mine. I own nothing. I have no access. But I had no idea how to explain that.

Maybe my lawyer can help me apply, but I did not want them investigating everything and screwing things up before we even have the estate through probate. We specifically hired a lawyer and went through this convoluted process to make sure everything was on the up and up. But she really made me feel like I was doing something wrong. And that made me panic, which probably made me look even more guilty of something. So I just canceled everything and left.

After a few hours in a crowded government office, I decided to head to a different crowded government office.

I know I didn't need it until 2025, but I decided to go ahead and get my Real ID thingie before my first flight. I was kind of hoping they'd retake my picture because my current driver's license is... well...

And I'm so glad they took my big terrible picture and made it into a smaller, more terrible picture.

People complain about the DMV, but the one near me runs like a machine. It was filled with people and I still only had a 10 minute wait time.

I'm starting to wonder if all of those 80s comedians who were all, "What's the deal with the DMV?" were exaggerating.

Good stuff, Jerry.

I head up to the counter and ask for a Real ID. She asks for two pieces of mail and my birth certificate.

And this disappointed me a little bit.

I did my research. I went to the Real ID website and used their interactive guide to figure out exactly which documents I would need. They gave me this entire checklist and I printed it out and went through all my records and mail trying to find everything.

I had to wait a week for my internet bill to come because it's the only thing I forgot to change to paperless. This took a lot of effort and I was ready to be validated for being so prepared.

And she asks for two pieces of mail.

Any mail.

So I was off to get new tires.

Driving around on 8 year old bald tires was giving me anxiety. I didn't have the money for new tires, but I remember the guy saying they had financing. Recently several of my past debts went past the statute of limitations, and so my credit score lifted itself out of the pits of "poor" and into the realm of "fair." So I decided to take a chance and apply for a Discount Tire credit card. It's a 6 month payment plan with no interest, so that didn't feel as predatory as all the credit card offers I get in the mail with 8000% interest.

We started going through the approval process and I was answering all of the questions and then I saw the name of the bank offering the credit. It was the same bank that tried to sue me and also the bank that can longer collect due to the statute. I was worried they put me on some sort of list and would deny me. But, to my surprise, they approved me instantly. And wouldn't you know it, they gave me almost exactly the amount needed for a new set of tires.

I'm hoping we'll be doing another auction of the house stuff soon, so I plan to pay off the card and then cancel it, but this was the only solution I could come up with to drive safely until then.

I was having a weird day where photos of crusty rich wide dudes followed me everywhere I went. Here is my good ol' boy governor at the entrance to social services.

And at the tire place, I noticed this fella...

Why does every rich CEO think they are a font of wisdom capable of creating compelling quotes?

Does he think no one has ever said "work hard" and "have fun"? And after he said this was he like...

"That's gold, put that in *every* store."

"Oh, and use that picture of me where it looks like a handsome gal just grabbed my undercarriage."

He probably thinks, "Well, no one has put these specific generic platitudes together into a single mega-platitude. I am a genius."

"Be honest, work hard, have fun, be grateful, pay it forward" sounds like he had a bunch of motivational posters on his wall and started reading them all at once.

Like, every line could have a picture of an eagle above it.

In any case, the guy at the tire store, Dakota, was really nice. He made the experience very low anxiety. And he really liked my Thor's Hammer keychain with built in fidget spinner.

He went around showing it to all his coworkers. "Look, it even spins!" And they were like, "Dude, where did you get that??" And I was like, "Amazon." Now I'm just imagining 10 dudes at a tire store all fidgeting their hammers.

As nice as he was, Dakota was still a salesman and had a job to do. He gave me two tire options and tried to upsell me. The cheapest tires had a "1" rating for winter. He said they get "super hard" in the cold... I tried not to giggle. But I explained I drive about twice a month and mostly to the grocery store. If it is a bad winter day, I'll just wait or get delivery. He understood and set me up with the cheaper tires.

He then checked out my car and noticed my tire pressure sensors were dying. I keep getting a warning light on my dash. Apparently they all have tiny batteries in them that die after 7 years. And you can't just replace the batteries so you have to install brand new sensors.

And this is where my social anxiety got me into trouble.

I don't actually need these sensors. They are usually inaccurate. I prefer to test my tires with an actual gauge. But I got so caught up in his sales pitch that I agreed to replace them... at $60 each. For that I could have gotten the fancier tires. I really don't care if an orange light shows up on my dash. And I looked up the price online and a pack of 4 is $30. Though that is without installation.

But still... I wasn't thinking and he was so nice that I was just like, "I want to please Dakota. Saying no might make Dakota sad." Dakota's job is selling me but that doesn't mean I have to buy anything. He would live if I had said "no thanks."

To make my blunder more blunderous, when they finished the tires he asked for my key fob. And it decided that was the time for the battery to die. And in order to reset the system for the new tire pressure sensors, you have to press two buttons on the fob for 7 seconds. Thankfully I had a spare fob at home, but if I want my fancy new $240 sensors to work, I have to return to Dakota and have him initialize them.

I really hope these are the Cadillac of sensors.

Or, like, the ones they use on Cadillacs?

They better be accurate, is what I'm saying.

I do feel safer with new tires. So I am glad I did that. And I gave them a good obligatory kick and felt the tread. They seem nice enough even if they get boners in the winter. It's crazy how bald my other tires were in comparison. Like, I can fit half my finger down into the tread on the new ones—which did not get them super hard.

The way I drive, I probably won't wear them down. They'll probably start to rot before I do.

Before I do, meaning before I wear them down.

Not before I rot.

I am not in a rotting competition with my tires.

I was then off to Sam's. I decided all of my hard work accomplishing 2 out of 3 goals deserved some sushi. So I grabbed some California Rolls and headed home. On my way out, a Hummer and a Porsche nearly collided in the parking lot. And they sort of got stuck facing each other. One of them needed to back up and they both signaled at each other like "You back up, I'm not backing up." And it was just this weird standoff between the two douchiest looking cars you could imagine.

I mean, you have to be a douche to drive a Hummer.

I still remember the mystery Hummer dialysis patient from when my dad was going 3 time per week. We could never figure out who owned the Hummer, but we knew it was not the underpaid nurses and techs. So it had to be one of the patients. And none of them seemed the type. We never solved that mystery.

That hummer started off a delightful safety yellow. (Elon would cry.)

They decided this wasn't extra enough... so they did this...

Katrina and I could never decide... are these cow spots or the world's least effective camoflauge?

There was another patient who drove this old beater...

And I loved seeing this car because we had the same one when I was a little kid. I'm afraid the aesthetics of the 1980s Caprice Classic did not stand the test of time, but it had great sentimental appeal for me.

But this maroon beast that squeaked and sputtered its way from here to there belonged to a very sweet older gentleman. Sometimes he and my dad would be dialysis buddies—sitting next to each other in the recliners. And the worst thing about dialysis was the boredom. All you have to do is watch broadcast TV with 4 channels.

All of the TVs require headphones. They give you your own set of super cheap headphones in the dialysis welcome bag. They were very uncomfortable so I ordered my dad better ones with cushioned ear cups.

His dialysis buddy noticed them and thought they looked nice. And then he revealed that his free headphones broke and he didn't know how to get new ones. He had been watching TV with no sound for weeks. So, I bought another pair with the soft ear cups and my dad gave them to his friend. And it just made me happy imagining the two of them watching The Price is Right in matching headphones.

I do have to make fun of this sweet old man a little bit. When I walked passed his car I noticed he implemented the world's most effective anti-theft device ever created.

That's right... The Club™.

If someone decides they have to have a 40 year old car with an engine that sounds like a dying hyena and a hubcap missing... they are out of luck.

But hey, you gotta protect what is important to you. And if I needed a getaway car and my choices were between his beater and the Cow Hummer, I'd take his ride for sure.

Well, I'd try... and then get arrested because The Club™ is undefeatable.

Do NOT look that up on YouTube. It's 100% true. (And the Lock Picking Lawyer doesn't count due to him being able to break into Fort Knox with a paperclip and then doing it again to make sure it isn't a fluke.)

The dialysis center is in the same complex as my local Tolerable Schnucks and I still see that maroon boat of a car every once in a while. I always smile whenever it is there because it lets me know he is hanging in there and hopefully still has sound for his TV.

Wow, I went off on a mega-tangent.

I didn't even finish talking about my day. Where was I? Oh, the douche standoff finally ended. The Porsche Douche capitulated and backed up. Probably due to the fact the Hummer Douche has 0 visibility behind him.

When I got home I started devouring my sushi. I finally heard back from my lawyer. He submitted the last of the evidence for my appeal. And I was finally able to confirm he got the records of my ECT treatments from 20 years ago. I worked so hard to get those. At first, they forgot to send all records before 2011. I had to call back and figure that out. They shipped them and they didn't arrive until a week before we had to file. Everything was so last minute and my anxiety has been... palpable. It felt like when I did my science fair project on Sunday night.

He's hoping to get a decision at the beginning of next year. He warned me that these appeals are usually rejected. And that the most effective method of approval was a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. But that could be delayed by up to a year. So I might need to figure out how to survive until 2025. As long as my brother does what he is legally required to do, I should be okay. But counting on that also gives me palpable anxiety.

And that was my day.

Every time I go out is always an adventure.

But remember...

BE NICE. EAT YOUR VEGGIES. PET CUTE DOGS. DREAM BIG. KEEP YOUR TIRES WARM... FOR REASONS. 5 LIFE LESSONS -Froggie, Mildly Famous Internet Person

#long post

210 notes · View notes

yutafrita · 10 months

Text

Dollhouse

⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚ ⋆.˚ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ᡣ𐭩 .𖥔˚ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

half-vampire!Sungchan x Vampire Hunter!Reader (she/her; femme presenting)

Genre: Angst, dark fantasy

WC: 6.5k

Synopsis: You, an elite vampire hunter, have been assigned to take down the son of the infamous vampire, the puppeteer.

TW PLEASE READ: MINORS DO NOT INTERACT! +18 ONLY. Excessive swearing, obsessive behaviors, stalking, a lot of gore, mentions of bullying, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, murder, suggestive/ sexual themes, dubcon heavily implied, violence/ threatened violence, death of family. Please proceed with caution.

I do not believe that any person written into this fic or any of my fics acts at all like these characters here. Their real life counterparts are just my inspiration and are utilized as actors for the story. No ill will is intended.

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ * ੈ✩‧₊˚ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎ * ੈ✩‧₊˚｡⋆｡ * ੈ✩‧₊˚ﾟ☾

You were going to get fired.

You felt it in your bones. Your leg wouldn’t stop fidgeting as you sat in Irene’s office, the crest of the organization looming over you making you feel small.

Irene walked in, her face cold as stone as she threw a file in front of you before she sat on her chair, “this is your new job.”

You blinked, “what?”

“Initially, I was going to give it to Seulgi and put you on probation-.”

“I killed the vampire cleanly and quickly-.”

“And in front of another human,” Irene cut you off before pinching the bridge of her nose, “look. An insider told us that you would work best for this job, and,” she sighed before opening the manilla folder, “I think they’re right. The puppeteer has been missing for months after we had finally devised a plan to take the motherfucker out.”

You squinted as you looked over the carefully collected information before you asked, “how much time do I have?”

“Not a lot, so hurry up.” -----------

The library was warm and inviting. It was a small public library that matched the small town it was nestled in. Even when agents were sent weeks ago, they all agreed- it was entirely unremarkable, which made him an even stranger anomaly. The town itself was often forgotten on maps and glossed over, but as you entered the library, you were in awe of the coziness.

It was almost too easy to find out everything about him. Graduated from community college in library sciences. No one had a single mean thing to say about him… ever. Apparently he hadn’t been in a long term relationship in years either. Your angle had written itself to ensnare him without much help from anyone else in the organization.

You sauntered in slowly, your heels muffled by the dusty carpet as you slowly approached the center table where he sat. You had on a loose fitting dress that stopped at your calves, a low cut top that was still mildly conservative, your dark sunglasses, and your freshly done hair wrapped in a silk bandana.

You found it difficult to hold back your laughter as he locked eyes with you. He was processing a few returned books when he dropped his stamp to fully stare at you. You gave yourself permission to smirk once you made it to the desk, leaning against it to allow him to take full stock of you. His big brown eyes were scanning over every part of you, and by the tremble of his jaw you could tell he was fully trying to hold himself back.

"Hi sir, could you help me out?" your voice was low, and you watched as his dropped jaw slowly lifted. He blinked quickly, looking between your chest and lips before he cleared his throat and looked away, his ears now an embarrassing shade of red. The council had perfectly planned every minute detail down to the final strand of hair, and he was reacting even more deliciously than anticipated.

It was almost too easy how much he was falling like putty in your hands.

"O-Of... of course! How can I help, miss?"

You removed your sunglasses and placed your hand on his chest where his name tag sat.

"Well... Sungchan," you smiled, tracing your fingers over his name before placing them back to your side, "I'm currently working on a project for a research course."

You began spouting off on a topic you knew Sungchan was absolutely fascinated by. The Vampire Hunter Council had done extensive research on the half-human bastard off-spring of the missing high profile leader of the Vampires. The puppeteer’s son’s eyes were still rounded, hanging onto every word coming out from between your glossy lips as you spoke.

After you finished, there was a pause, and then, "you're perfect."

"I'm sorry?" you pretended to not hear his mutter as you batted your eyelashes at him. He was half-vampire, but as far as you could tell either his vampiric side was fully dormant or barely did much- there were no reports of missing humans in the area, didn’t seem to have his father’s gifts, he was not nocturnal, and didn't bare any fangs.

You almost felt bad about having to kill him.

Even if Sungchan didn't know his monster of a father, it was still an absolute shame to vampires to have your offspring be murdered, and you planned to bring Sungchan's head to the feet of the Puppeteer. At least, that’s the plan. You’ll have to lob Sungchan’s head off after using him as bait to bring the puppeteer out from hiding.

Sungchan had led you to the back of the library, his large hands holding several books and tapes for you.

“You seem to know a lot… are you busy later? I would love to pick your brain,” You were nearly purring, your hands squeezing his forearm. Cold. Not as cold as other vampires you’ve suckered into thinking you’re weak before killing them, but still colder than an average human. Was this the only way his vampiric side showed?

“No! I mean… I’m not I…” Sungchan was sputtering out now, his free hand pushing up his glasses. “I- I would love to help you.”

“Hm… are those prescriptions?” You asked, your fingers moving to tap the bridge of his glasses and watch his breathing hitch. Vampires typically had enhanced vision, and while he was only half-human, none of his medical records showed that he had any possible visual impairments.

“N-no they’re for the uh… blue light…” his muttered, clearly flustered. After he led you back to the front desk he began typing away at the computer before nervously looking back up. "Do you have your library card?"

Before you left the vampire hunters council headquarters, you were given every bit of fake identification you would need and this indeed included a library card.

"I... I've never seen you around here before," he was clearly racking his head to remember you as he continued the check out process. He had read off your fake name, and you watched him mutter it to himself to commit it to memory.

"I got it somewhere else in the county," you fibbed, "so. I'll see you at the diner at 9?"

"Y-yes, absolutely."

_______________

You arrived at 9:12pm.

Sungchan sat in the corner in a small red booth with a bouquet of flowers, twiddling his thumbs upon your entrance. There were only three other patrons at the small diner, all at the counter with their backs to you as they stared up at the old television set playing a hockey game.

According to your research, Sungchan had gone on a few dates with a few people he went to the local high school with- so between his bashfulness, innocence, and likely exhaustion with his small dating pool, his eagerness to see you made sense. It was also something you and the rest of the vampire hunters council were banking on. You needed him to be obsessed with you- to post you online, for everyone in town to see you with the librarian, and allow this information to trickle up to his father. You were a top level hunter and were well hated enough by Vampires that this would not be overlooked- especially not by the Puppeteer.

"You look so handsome," you complimented, sitting across from the nervous young man. You were late on purpose- aiming to put him more on edge. You were in a tight mini dress and a pair of combat boots. A combination in your daily life you wouldn’t normally pick, but from his internet history seemed to be outfit pieces he really loved on women.

“Th-Thank you,” he then shoved the bouquet towards you, “these are for you.”

“Roses,” you hummed, staring down at the perfectly red petals, “you’re so sweet, thank you.”

“Um s-so roses are a great way to convey joy, friendship… passion,” he scratched the back of his neck bashfully. “They’re beautiful and uh… reminded me of you.”

“Roses are my favorite… are you a mind reader Sungchan?” you playfully reached across the table and tapped his shoulder. Lying was easier when you got to mix in the truth. Roses were your favorite, but they were also a part of the crest of the Vampiric Hunters for their scent is supposed to keep vampires at bay.

It seemed to also be another way that Sungchan’s vampiric side didn’t bare its teeth.

Sungchan was sickly sweet. As the weeks passed, each time you would go on a date he would bring either flowers, a book regarding your paper, or a poem he had written for you.

You were inside the motel you were crashing at, recounting this to the president of the hunters.

“Has anyone heard from the puppeteer?” you asked. A part of you was starting to genuinely feel guilty- Sungchan was so human. He ate human food, lounged in the sun, and even seemed to have a heartbeat.

You had considered that his vampiric powers had simply never awoken, and that they never would. This was highly uncommon in vampire hybrids, but genetics were fickle, so Sungchan wouldn’t be an exception if he really just seemed fully human despite having a vampire dad.

“No, but it seems like he’s still giving orders through his lackeys. There was even a small scourge of his puppets tearing up a small town,” Irene recounted, “Remember to keep him sweet on you.”

“Did I not read to you this latest poem? The last stanza was talking about how he wants to fuck me and keep me with him forever.”

“Wow, that’s a little creepy… and maybe sweet?”

“His face was all red when I teased him about it.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t fucked him yet.”

“I have to kill him, Irene.”

“That has never stopped you before,” she noted. Irene was right of course. Vampires tended to be overly sexual creatures, so seducing them often led to placing them in more vulnerable positions that could allow you to take advantage of them.

“Fair,” you muttered, glancing out the window to see the same person who walks their dog at this time every night passing the street across the motel. This town was sleepy and boring, but it was almost odd how scheduled everyone was. No car accidents ever, the same groupings of people throughout town all in the same places. Static.

After you hung up with Irene, you moved across the room to the stack of books you checked out from the library all those weeks ago. They were due soon, and you were planning to swing by the library to drop them off with Sungchan while also sweet talking him with stupid facts you had picked up.

You flitted through the last book you hadn’t opened yet and paused. Crammed in between a few pages was a tightly folded note. Curious, you unraveled it. In extremely messy handwriting and covering the entire sheet was one sentence.

Write forever until I die. Write forever until I die. Write forever until I die.

You squinted and scoffed. Likely it was a kid in detention that was assigned to write out whatever was on the board and instead did this as a weird joke. Without much thought you tossed it into the trash.

Still. You had a shiver run down your spine. Wrapping yourself up in a coat, and grabbing the ice bucket you stepped out of your room. Maybe a walk around the motel would make you feel better about having to kill the kid who didn’t ask to be born.

The ice machine sat in the lobby and was usually only manned by the same two people who would hardly look up from their books. You filled it up and looked back over to see the young man again reading Slaughter-house five.

“Yknow, Vonnegut has written other books,” you joked. The young man flinched, his grip tightening on the book to a point that his knuckles were white. Yet, he didn’t speak or react in any other way. You frowned, and returned to your room.

“Do you like the stars?” Sungchan had asked the following night as you helped him close up at the library.

“Hm, they are pretty, yes,” you hummed, sitting on the edge of the desk. Just like the other nights you had helped Sungchan, the same patrons who seemed to be there every night, left at the same time in the same fashion, all with the same smile and wave to the librarian as they exited.

“I… Do you wanna go into my truck and look at them?” he asked, and you noted he was avoiding your gaze as the red tint on his ears shone.

“I’m a lady, Sungchan,” you pouted, watching as he seemed to jump, “I hope you’re not… expecting anything.”

He was so easy to fluster. It wasn’t even just to keep him obsessed with you at this point- it was because you found it downright exciting. He was so cute as he jumped up from his seat.

“I would never expect anything from you that you don’t want.”

Sungchan was soft and sweet. Your job as a hunter didn’t allow for much dating outside of your profession, and most other hunters were too preoccupied to give romance much attention. Every minute you spent with Sungchan gave you the delusion that you could leave the life of being a hunter and runaway together. You could protect him, and be happy. But then, you were reminded of the oath you gave, your few friendships, and the fact that you have been lying to Sungchan, and you’re brought back down to earth.

You laid on the trunk bed with Sungchan. He drove out a few miles to empty farmland and covered the trunk bed in pillows and blankets. The stars shone bright in the sky, and you looked up to see Sungchan staring up with a smile on his face. He was beautiful with stars reflecting themselves in his eyes.

“My Mom used to take me out here all the time,” he started, his voice a whisper. “I would get bullied a lot in school, so on the weekends when all of the other kids would hang out, my mom would bring me out here and tell me stories.”

“I’m sorry kids were so cruel to you,” you were sincere, squeezing his arm as you laid on his chest, “do… you have any favorite stories? I’d love to hear them.”

“It’s okay- I got to be the bigger person in the end,” you swear you could hear a smirk, but you were too comfortable to check, “but stories… well. She would always tell me this one story whenever I was really down.”

He cleared his throat, kissed the top of your head, and started working from his memory, “there was once a sickly, meek child. He had a hard time gathering his breath, and struggled to keep up with other kids his age. Running was especially a challenge, and his legs would often give out as his peers would run off, laughing at him. He was clumsy, and his limbs were so stiff and wooden. He began to be known as the puppet because of this. Between the torture of the other children, and the torture of his own body, the boy fell deathly ill. The local doctor told the boy’s mother that her son only had a few hours left at best- but, if she gave her own life, her son could live forever.”

Sungchan paused, and you could hear him swallow thickly before continuing, “the mother begged for there to be another way. It was just her and her boy- while her son could live forever, how was he going to grow fully into a capable young man without a guiding hand? The doctor assured the mother though, that the son wouldn’t be alone. He will create a new family of his own one day.”

“And so, the boy was not only given the gift of eternal life, but also another, even more special gift,” he hummed a bit then, “can you take a guess?”

There was a chill that raced down your spine. You sat your chin on his chest, meeting his eyes. You absolutely could take a guess- a real guess, but you decided to continue playing dumb, “hmmm, flying? So he could fly far away from the bullies?”

Sungchan chuckled before he kissed the tip of your nose, “no, but that’s a great guess. The boy was able to control the minds of those bullies, so they could never be cruel to anyone ever again.”

“The puppet became the puppeteer,” you froze, unable to stop yourself. His mother presented this story, and Sungchan had it fully memorized without realizing that the puppeteer was his own father.

“Yeah,” Sungchan was quiet before he met your gaze. “I know you won’t be here forever, but I wish you could stay. I want to know everything about you. Did your parents tell you stories at night?”

“My parents died when I was very young,” you confessed, “they were killed in a home invasion.”

This was partially the truth. Your parents were killed in a home invasion of a pair of twin vampires who slaughtered them mercilessly. You were in the room next door when it happened, hiding under the bed until it was over. The hunters arrived hours later, and you were then adopted into their ranks.

“I’m… I’m so sorry. That’s not fair,” he squeezed you closely and you shrugged.

“Can’t change the past,” you shrugged, forcing a smile.

Despite your own hesitations, you gave in to Sungchan’s begging, and stayed the night at his place. You couldn’t sleep though, and after you were sure he was knocked out, you stepped outside to the back of the apartment complex to call your closest friend.

“Seulgi… he’s a human,” you whisper cried. The back of Sungchan’s apartment complex held a small forest, and seemed to absorb any bit of light the complex offered.

“And you’re sure he’s not manipulating you?”

“You know I can always spot that shit. Remember the orphanage?”

“Vampires turning young children into vampires so they could more easily kidnap humans… you spotted it faster than Irene did,” Seulgi conceited. There was a rustle in the trees and you froze. Your small wooden stake was always hidden somewhere on your person, this time in the lining of your jacket.

“It’s your job, though. Think of the lives you’ll save by bringing the puppeteer out of the shadows.”

“I’ve gotta go,” you hung up, shoving your phone back into your pocket and sliding out the stake. The forest was quiet, and for a moment you thought you imagined it.

Then, a hand holding a clean white napkin appeared before the rest of their body followed.

“I’m not here to attack, just have a chat,” Yuta had a mischievous grin as he skipped out from the forest and towards you. Yuta was a five hundred year old vampire who had climbed the Royal ranks due to his ability to game information. He was never a liar, but just someone who knew how to use knowledge to his advantage.

“You miss me?” You taunted, arms crossed.

“Of course,” he simpered, now fully in your view as the lighting coated him. He was inhumanely handsome, which was to be expected. “However, that’s not why I’m here.”

“And why are you here? Yknow, most people drive past this tiny little town and yet…” you let your voice trail off, an eyebrow raised as you studied his features.

“I’m one of the few people that know about Sungchan, the puppeteer has kept his half-human son under wraps for a while. How did the hunters find him?”

“Ah, so you want information from me?” You chuckled at his nerve.

“Hm, I think we can exchange actually,” he raised his eyebrow, and your eyes widened instinctually. Now this was very appealing. “You see, I pop in every few months to see how the young man is doing. Check him out from a far. Then, I write out a report, and give it to his dear old daddy.”

“Why would you tell me where he is?”

“Hm, perhaps I have my own ulterior motives for leading a top hunter directly to him,” Yuta then took out an envelope from his shirt pocket. “Tell me our leak, and I’ll tell you what you want.”

“It wasn’t a leak,” you rolled your eyes, “Sungchan did one of those family ancestry online dna things. We utilized it see if there was any human-vampire matches… he just popped up one day.”

“God, is there no such thing as data privacy anymore?” Yuta sucked his fangs before extending the envelope towards you. “I hope you are prepared to face the true wrath of the puppeteer.”

You slid back upstairs after a short while, the envelope tucked into your jacket.

——-

Yuta was a fucking liar. The address made no sense- it was clearly just Sungchan’s apartment. You wanted to rip your hair out- how could you be so stupid?

While Sungchan was at work you looked through every crevice of his place, and the only off putting thing you could find was his high school yearbook. God, the kids were so cruel to him. Sungchan couldn’t hurt a damn fly now as a fully grown man, let alone defend himself against the relentless bullies he faced.

You were hitting a dead end. No other vampires had made their way to the town since Yuta a month ago, Sungchan had completely become infatuated with you, and you were becoming too close to the half-breed.

One night, after he returned from work, you bought a bottle of wine. You had hoped potentially getting him a little drunk could coax any memory of his father out. He had spoken at length about how great his mother was, but shrugged off any prodding you made about his dad. It didn’t help that Irene was breathing down your neck, and Seulgi was struggling to keep her at bay.

“It’s not too strong, is it? I’m not good with alcohol,” He giggled as he helped you uncork the bottle.

“It’s not strong,” you lied as he took out two untouched wine glasses from the cabinet.

“Oh, can you grab me my phone? I left it in the bathroom,” he smiled. Without a second thought, you maneuvered to the bathroom to take it off the counter. While you still on occasion stayed at the motel, Sungchan was incredibly needy. And since your job was to keep him interested in you, you felt inclined to bend to his will, especially when he didn’t care about anything else you did. You still hadn’t even slept with him yet, much to Seulgi’s and your own surprise.

No messages on Sungchan’s phone, or calls, as per usual. You knew he didn’t have a ton of friends or anything, but it was still… weird. No one else in town spoke to you unless it was more than a word and you initiated it. Everything here had felt fake, but without any real reason to be suspicious, you couldn’t really share your concerns. A town full of people, and yet it still felt empty to you.

Seulgi was busy keeping Irene from slashing your throat, so your own phone has been dull as of late. Maybe Sungchan just sincerely didn’t use his phone, ever, unless it was to speak to you.

“Here, Sungie,” you placed it on the counter, and took the drink he handed off to you. You took a large sip and frowned slightly to yourself.

“Everything okay?” He tilted his head, his beautiful brown eyes filled with concern.

“No I guess I just left the wine under the sun for too long,” you reason, taking another sip. It was a little funky, as if the wine had soured.

“Ah, maybe. All wine tastes the same to me,” he took a sip of his own, and you noticed the small dimple that formed and disappeared.

“What are you ssssmiling about?” You asked. Your words came out more slurred than you’d like. You were a strong drinker, but you also haven’t been drinking as much lately. Maybe that’s why the wine was hitting you faster than usual?

Sungchan leaned a little closer, his hand holding your chin up, “how long were you planning to lie to me?”

Your eyelids were heavy, and you leaned your head fully on his hand as you slowly processed what he said, “I… haven’t -.”

“You thought that I wouldn’t notice a pair of hunters in my town following me around?” He squeezed your chin and you yelped in surprise. You were fighting your body now, trying to stay awake despite whatever he put in your drink. “I’ve been waiting for you… for so long. I’ve planned it all and yet… you still won’t be honest with me. That’s okay though. I’ll forgive you.”

————-

You don’t remember meeting Sungchan, but he remembered you.

Years ago, Sungchan had done a solo trip to the big city, and wanted to test his world. Everyone did what he said at all times- how far could he push this gift?

“That’ll be $4.26 for your coffee, sir.”

“This coffee is free for me,” Sungchan hummed. He didn’t ever have to do extra work to make this gift pop in- whatever his wish was, as long as it was physically possible, was his command.

“Yes, your coffee is free,” the man nodded as Sungchan walked off.

This is how Sungchan lived life. He had gotten the entire shit town he lived in to follow his every whim. The world was his giant dollhouse.

Until you shattered it.

Sungchan was able to control the folks working the front desk at the nicest hotel he could find. He was set up in the best possible suite, and sat one night at their rooftop lounge that overlooked the concrete city.

“It’s a great view,” a voice above the chatter of other guests caught his attention. You wore a simple dark t shirt and dark pants, and spared him a smile as you leaned against the railing with him.

“Yeah,” was all Sungchan offered. It was difficult to force himself to engage in conversations anymore, but you were pretty enough that he didn’t feel like shooing you away.

“What brings you here?” You asked, your gaze still set on the city below.

“Hm, I’m on a journey of self-discovery. You?”

“I’m here for work,” you replied. Sungchan looked at you again. Your voice was nice, you were attractive, and he didn’t have other plans.

“Come to my room with me,” he spoke, moving off the railing. Instead of your eyes losing their sparkle and glazing over, though, you stayed just as you were.

Instead, you burst out laughing.

“You’re funny,” you chuckled, unmoving. He froze. Maybe he didn’t say it loud enough.

“Come-.”

“You wish. Maybe buy me a drink next time,” you gently shoved his arm, and then disappeared out of the lounge.

Sungchan was frozen, his eyes not moving from where you once stood next to him. After what felt like hours, he rushed downstairs to the concierge and got your information.

You were made for Sungchan, you had to be. Why else would the universe deliver him the exciting puzzle that was you? A vampire hunter since childhood was now the only being Sungchan, a half-vampire, couldn’t control. It was fate. To him, you were star crossed lovers, destined for one another despite the complications.

Sungchan had discovered his parentage early in life. He was able to easily get his mother to tell him the truth about his father since she, like everyone else, was susceptible to their gifts.

So, his next steps to get you trapped, were set.

Sungchan had been using the town he lived in as a dollhouse for years beforehand. He loved testing the limits of his abilities, and had hoped that it would one day awaken his proper vampiric powers. In the meantime, though, he would use the citizens to cultivate a proper image for the hunters to happen upon.

Having every town member edit their social medias. Perfectly crafting and tailoring his existence to seem like a shy, bullied child. Make sure every person in town, if ever approached, all know exactly what to say. All that was left was to get a few vampires that knew their way around the hunters so Sungchan could fully execute his plan.

———-

You were awake, but kept your eyes shut.

It was a technique learned early in your hunter training, but one you didn’t ever use. You didn’t lose the upper hand often enough to be foolishly knocked out.

And, yet, you failed.

“Your breathing is uneven and your heart rate spiked,” his voice sent a chill down your spine.

You cracked open your eyes. You were laid on a plush mattress, and Sungchan sat at the corner of the bed, his eyes unmoving from you.

You wanted to die. Sungchan’s big, beautiful brown eyes that you had become prey for, were gone and replaced with your worst fear. Ruby red eyes, and they were fixed on you.

“You awakened me,” he cooed, crawling towards where you laid. Your eyes searched the space frantically for anything to defend yourself with. Your wrists were bound by rope, and you had been stripped down and changed into a completely different outfit without any of your hidden weapons. The bed you sat on was on top of a metal bed frame, and the wooden nightstands didn’t offer a quick change into a stake. You sat there, like a piece of fresh meat as he now hovered over you. “I want to show you something.”

Sungchan tossed you over his shoulder like you were nothing, taunting you with his newly found vampiric strength. You were reeling.

“You were out cold for three days. I didn’t think what I added to the wine would do that much,” he chuckled as he carried you past beautiful marble flooring and down a few sets of staircases. You were trying to create a mental map, but he was going too fast for you to get much down. “I’m so happy you’re finally here so I can show you your gift.”

Like you were a child, Sungchan placed you on your feet and turned you around. You gagged, staring at the horrific site in front of you. It had to have been months judging by the level of decay, and this matched up with your previous information.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” Sungchan snaked his arms around your waist and pulled you tightly to him, “the old, fake puppeteer is dead. Now, the hunters don’t need you to pull him out of the shadows.”

“Y-You’re the puppeteer now,” you choked out, squeezing your eyes shut. Yuta wasn’t being a dick- he was helping you.

“I had to throw the hunters off our scent-.”

“There is no- Sungchan what the fuck?” you broke from his grasp, terrified and searching the basement area for anything you could use to kill the monster in front of you. “You… you were a human-.”

“And bringing you to your new home awakened me fully!” he was so joyful as he said this, the dread consuming you.

“I was only with you so I could bring,” you glanced at the horrible sight of his slain father, “him down. I was going to kill you.”

“You don’t get it,” he whispered. He looked away, and for a moment you swore his dead eyes were going to shed tears before he met your gaze with a dead glare. “I have planned everything so I could have you. I stole my father’s empire, I had the head of the hunters controlled into giving you this fake assignment…”

As he paused, you decided to make a run towards the basement stairs. You were desperate, and that desperation had made you stupid. Sungchan caught you within an instant, one hand wrapped around your waist and the other squeezing your wrist with an iron grip.

“I didn’t want it to come down to this,” he pouted, “that friend of yours… I have it set that if you escape from me, she’ll burn down the hunters headquarters with herself inside.”

“Seulgi?” you whispered, eyes wide with terror.

“Don’t you get it, though? We are meant to be!” he was smiling as if he did not threaten your livelihood. “Ever since that day in the hotel when you told me no! You’re the only person in the world who did- and you’re a hunter! You are the Juliet to my Romeo!”

“They both die at the end you fucking idiot,” you replied through gritted teeth.

He let go of your wrist, and instead gripped under your chin with his cold hand, “we’re going to have to work on how you speak to me my love.”

Then, you remembered him. The encounter was so brief and so small to you, and yet, it seemed to be absolutely defining for Sungchan to a point that you became his whole focus. Now, your knees trembled as your fate settled.

You set your gaze down, submitting as he let go of your chin.

“See? This is good. I have your favorite foods, and everything you could ever need here,” he squeezed you to his chest, and you couldn’t even bring yourself to cry. “I know you hate cooking, so I have a team of chefs here just for you.”

“Not of their own will,” you bit, and you felt his grip on you tighten before he forced out a hearty laugh.

“These people are all dolls. Now that I’ve taken over my father’s empire…” his voice trailed off. “Nothing in this world matters except for us.”

_______

You snuck onto the rooftop one night. Sungchan had fallen asleep next to you, and you had managed to slip out. Despite the chill in the air, it was not nearly as cold as when you would be forced to be by his side. Before his vampiric powers awakened, he was still slightly colder, but now it was like being next to dry ice.

You needed to breathe.

You missed Seulgi. You hated seeing the glazed over eyes of the people Sungchan took from god knows where. You hated having to be around the monster of a man.

You hated yourself, especially, for feeling so weak and succumbing to him.

You stared down at the plethora of bites lining your arms, and lifted a hand to touch the ones on your neck that were still fresh. You couldn’t even bring yourself to poke at the ones that lined your upper thighs. You choked back a sob, the wind of the night air rustling through your hair as you stared at the fresh blood Sungchan had managed to leave behind after feeding from you.

You had let a monster inside of you, and the worst part was that you liked it. Sungchan was very clear about the fact that he had been studying you- everything about you. How you took your tea, how you liked to sleep curled up in a ball, and how to properly pleasure you. He had been studying you for years- knowing exactly how you seduced other vampires and how you would get yourself off. It was already an unfair advantage. This, coupled with the fact that being bitten by a vampire has the same effect on your brain as an orgasm, you were pretty much subdued physically as often as possible by him. And it felt fucking incredible- addictive, even. You hated yourself for being so weak. Weak to a point that you’d be begging for him to fuck you, just like he dreamed you would. Just like he hoped, you’d become his little doll. The shame was becoming unbearable.

You stared out at the surrounding area. In the darkness, all you could tell was that there was no city at all nearby, the light pollution nonexistent as you were able to see all the stars clearly. You were previously able to piece together that this residence used to be Sungchan’s father’s, but he had decided this was best for you. Maybe he was right, in a way. You felt like you were meant to die the night your parents did, so being here with Sungchan was a way to repair that broken strand of fate.

You heard footsteps and turned towards the door. It was one of the housekeepers Sungchan had around the property.

“Hello,” you stared blankly. This woman, like every other servant in the manor was instructed to not speak to you under any circumstances. She smiled awkwardly and within the blink of an eye, was in front of you.

Instinctually, you went to the pocket of your jacket for your stake. Of course, though, there was nothing. You were unarmed, and physically at your weakest.

She knocked you down to your back, and began dragging you by your hair towards the edge of the roof. The height was only a few stories so it wouldn’t be enough to kill you, but certainly hurt you enough to make killing you quicker for her.

You were clawing at her hands, tears streaming down your cheeks as you fought for your life. You hadn’t made it this far with Sungchan only to be killed by someone else.

She shoved your head over the edge as a wicked grin formed on her face. You sent a swift kick to the back of her knees, causing her to let go of your hair. You stood up and ran towards the door only to then see Sungchan standing there, eyes bright red in anger.

The woman let out a yelp of fear before you heard a sickening crunch. Sungchan had, without a drop of hesitation, lobbed the head off the vampire and was holding her by her scalp.

“I’ll have another servant pick this up.” he tossed her head off the side of the manor as if it was a crumpled piece of paper. He wrapped you in an embrace, the blood of the woman that landed on his chest now coating you.

“I don’t have anything to protect myself with,” you replied. You were desperate. Maybe, you thought, you could use his obsession with you to get him to give you a stake under the guise of self-preservation. Shit, even some vervain would be useful.

“You’re right…” he whispered, letting go of your embrace and holding you at an arm's length. He brushed the hair stuck to your face away, as you were still sniffling. His hand lowered to the bite marks on your throat. “I’ll make it so that you’re as strong as me.”

As strong as me.

“Sungchan no-!” you were struggling as Sungchan held you with one hand gripping the back of your neck. In the dim moonlight, you watched as his fangs pierced his wrist and exposed his blood.

“No, please!” You had hit a new low, begging for your life.

“I need you safe… and I need you by my side forever,” his voice was melodic as he shoved his wrist into your mouth. You were struggling as he jammed it in as deeply as possible, but you refused to swallow. In your struggle, you two had collapsed onto the ground. He had you fully pinned down, and seemed to relish the fear and disgust in your eyes as is his other hand moved to pinch your nose.

“You know you want to,” he purred, his lips now next to your ear. You were running out of air and the tears and snot were running down your face as you vigorously tried to shake your head no. “I know you love the power you feel when I bite you. When you get to boss the servants around. You’re mine. And now…”

You gulped, your eyes wide in horror as realization set in. His blood flowed down your throat, an ambrosial taste of iron now flooding your tongue and throat.

“Now… you’ll be your whole self with me. Forever.”

——————————————-

More riize? Click here.

Tag! @nini0620

#sungchan x reader #sungchan x y/n #riize imagines #sungchan fic #dark sungchan #vampire!sungchan #riize x reader #nct yandere #riize yandere #vampire nct #yandere themes #nct x reader #dollhouse #kflixnet #sungchan fluff #vampire riize

207 notes · View notes

mittch22 · 3 months

Text

Prison in the world of Cars

So Im currently in the process of writing chapter 8 of Behind Blue Eyes and said chapters' content has got me thinking about the various minutiae of prison systems within this universe. Here is my take on it.

Speed restrictors - In order to prevent any kind of escape attempt, speed restrictors would be fitted to inmates with a high flight risk to prevent any speed being reached above about thirty miles per hour. In some cases, it could be deemed necessary to decrease speed potential even further for the most dangerous offenders. But the use of these devices comes with a significant quantity of government regulation to prevent their misuse. The fitting of restrictors can cause engine issues in the long run and shouldn't be used without prior approval from a court.

Parking boots - Wheel cuffs. I needn't say much more than that. No moving for you! They can be used on both front wheels, both back wheels or all four wheels depending on requirement. But one or three parking boots should never be utilised as this can cause serious damage to the detainee if they were to try and drive.

Extension restraints - For particulary strong and violent offenders, axle extension restraints can be applied. Parking boots are the go-to for prisoner transport, which are heavy and cumbersome. But for strong vehicles who want to get a few punches in, the use of parking boots can be particularly hazardous to police officers. So these restraints can be utilised to prevent any damage to other vehicles or property that could be caused by the detainee.

Deep tread tyres - It would be damaging to a vehicle to force them to roll around on tyres with deliberately low pressure. So to increase drag for inmates, a thicker tyre tread is used. This has the added bonus of reducing the amount of replacements required during sentence duration, thus cutting down on costs. Although the tyres used increase the vehicles ability to grip into the floor and push or pull, the officers that respond to any issues with the prisoners within their care are usually able to subue them rapidly and effectively. Prison tyres are ugly and not comfortable to drive on.

Chemically engineered paint - With technological advancements and genius chemical engineering, the paint used on inmates is very specific and can be picked up from quite a distance away with the use of police scanners. It holds its own unique chemical formula that lights up like a christmas tree when scanned with the appropriate digital equipment. The colour is also utilised as a tell-tale sign as it is a highly distinctive and vibrant orange; the only orange paint of its kind. This paint can only be purchased for prisons, by prisons. To be in possession of this paint without the appropriate licensing carries both a hefty fine and a prison sentence. So if an unlicensed vehicle is caught with it, they will very quickly be wearing it. The chemical does, however, hold the unfortunate capacity to seep into and embed itself into the surface of metal through layers of paint, meaning that, even if a vehicle is released and repainted (repainted on the offenders dime might I add), they will still be picked up on police scanners. This leads them to be regularly stopped and questioned by police officers. This can be incredibly irritating to both parties, however it does allow officers to keep an eye on offenders that are on probation. Vehicles that are permitted to be external to the prison whilst on remand are sprayed with just the traceable chemical component of the paint, which is invisible to the naked eye. A small stencil is utilised in the form of the sigil of the police force that made the arrest. This makes them traceable to police, but prevents civilians from seeing that said vehicle could be facing criminal charges. For those that can afford the expensive procedure, this chemical is removeable by removing all layers of paint and primer and grinding down the surface layer of the bare metal. This can be painful, so a general anaesthetic is provided.

Fuel quantity control - As previously displayed in the first cars movie, fuel quantity is important when you want to try and escape from the cruel clutches of community service. The same principal can apply in prisons. Fuel intake is heavily regulated and no inmate is usually permitted any more than 1/8 to 1/6 of a tank at any time. There are exceptions to this in regards to specific jobs that inmates perform as some will require larger quantities to perform their duties. Which is usually met with seething envy.

GPS locators - This method is even more heavily restricted than the use of speed restrictors as it violates multiple data protection laws and vehicle rights legislation. However, in the correct circumstances, it can be very useful. This is only ever used for vehicles that are both incredibly dangerous and have a high flight risk.

Remote engine inhibition - A vehicles engine can be shut down at the push of a button after modifications to the programming of the ECU have been made. This method of inmate control is incredibly new and still in its theoretical stages and thus it is still being debated whether or not it is viable and vehmane. Considering its highly intrusive nature and possibly damaging consequences to both the escapee and the general public, if it were ever to pass into legislation, its useage would be very rare indeed.

Medical care - Each vehicle within the prison system must have a three monthly check up with a desigated mechanic and all new inmates must be checked once a week for the duration of three months. Considering high depression rates within prison systems, a lot of vehicles, especially first time offenders, will stop consuming oil due to stress. This can lead to sickness and fever/overheating, which causes severe issues in the long run.

Not all of the above restraint/tracking methods will be used in all cases as it will depend highly on sentencing requirements for specific individuals and the type of prison that they end up in.

I might update this at a later date if I think of anything else to add. But so far, this is all I've got.

In a nutshell, its INSANELY difficult for any vehicle to escape a prison. So Miles Axelrod is pretty fucked.

#pixar cars #cars fandom #cars #cars pixar #cars headcanons #cars 2 #cars 3 #miles axlerod #prison for vehicles #vehmane is humane but for vehicles #i dunno man #i tried #new fandom word maybe?#does it even make sense?

58 notes · View notes

hedgehog-moss · 2 years

Photo

Bird update: Unfortunately I’ve had to say goodbye to my rooster. I quite liked him but if you’ll remember, he was here on probation and after a few weeks of good behaviour he started pestering my hen a lot. She started looking a bit unhappy (huddling under the outdoor table instead of trotting about), then she stopped laying and I thought perhaps she was moulting and it could explain her moodiness and missing feathers, but the pattern of missing feathers seemed to point to the rooster as a culprit. Then he hurt her wing, allegedly (I have no proof so I’m protecting myself from a libel claim.)

On nice days Dru likes to sit and soak up the sun, stretching her wings one at a time, and on a couple of occasions I saw her stretch only her left wing, never opening her right one. I poked her wing gently and she didn’t bite my hand off which was a good sign, but then I picked her up and placed her on a chair, expecting her to jump off straight away like “I never asked you to put me here, mind your own business”—and indeed she jumped but she only flapped her left wing to slow her fall.

I called the vet to ask if it meant the other wing was broken and what I could do, and she was pretty reassuring, saying if the wing was held closed in the right position it would heal on its own—if it were dangling on the other hand I would need to find a little toddler’s t-shirt for my hen to wear, to keep her wing against her body. The vet also said what vets always say—“as long as the animal is eating normally it’s probably going to be fine!” (and that’s the case)

But I couldn’t keep the rooster any longer—even if he weren’t the one who hurt Dru (innocent until proven guilty) it wouldn’t help the healing process if he kept trying to mount her, so I put him in a box and took him back to his natal farm. They weren’t terribly happy to see him again, but well. I wanted to give him a chance but the circumstances (with only one hen) weren’t auspicious and I sort of expected this experiment to fail. Best of luck, rooster...

A couple of days after his departure, Dru lay an egg again for the first time since mid-February, so I think the message was pretty clear!

Also, that’s a tall bale of hay (from a chicken’s perspective) so I’m not sure how she managed to climb on top of it without boosting herself with her wings. Did she fake a wing injury to get the rooster ousted? Pampe would fake a wing injury without hesitation but chickens strike me as honest. I mean they're unrepentant food thieves but they’re upfront about it.

Final bird update: on Friday I managed to get a new hen! I hope having a new coopmate won’t put Dru in a bad mood again and cause another egg strike. The new hen is very young and still looks like a gangly teenager, and she seems quite vivacious and curious, here she is determinedly strolling into her new home:

One notable fact about her is that she doesn’t speak chicken. She doesn’t kot kot like an adult hen, and she doesn’t make the incoherent gurgling sound that baby hens make, either. It’s more like a dissonant quack. I’m not sure what to attribute it to—maybe she was raised near ducks and picked up a foreign language? I might have to call her Daisy if she keeps this up. I tried to record her but she’s pretty scared of me for the time being so she’s all shy and quiet when I’m nearby...

Dru isn’t amused by any of this. New hen tries to follow her and chat with her and gets snubbed a lot. Well, I did hear Dru cluck amicably the first evening when I brought the new hen in the coop, but she didn’t get an answer, there’s a real language barrier here. I hope the new hen learns French soon because right now Dru just keeps running away from her!

Poor Dru, she lost her good friend and then had to deal with a dude who woke her up every day at dawn crowing as loudly as possible, and now a new roommate who speaks duck. It’s only been two days though; I’m sure they’ll get along eventually!

#crawling along #initially this was going to be a 1-paragraph post about the rooster and the new girl but it's hard to be succinct when it comes to chickens #there's so much coop drama to talk about every time #as you can see from the pic dru still runs around and is generally energetic and behaving normally so if #the wing really is hurt it doesn’t seem to bother her too much #i'm still not excluding the possibility of a clever ploy to get the rooster evicted

768 notes · View notes

izzysillyhandsy · 11 months

Text

My predictions for the S2 finale (also, 100% wish fulfillment)

I'm so intrigued by this quote from David Jenkins regarding the dream sequence in S2E1:

"Stede, Blackbeard, and Izzy are on an arc together. Whether they're in stories together or not, their ultimate arc is together. I think, by the end of this season, the last episode, that first scene will be gratifying. I won't say why, but their fates are tied together."

(Just to get this out of the way, because I have seen posts worrying about it (and for my own peace of mind): if the last episode mirrors the first one and that "scene will be gratifying", in no way can I see Izzy dying - gratifying would be a really weird way to describe Izzy's death, although some antis might see it that way ;).)

But let's look at the dream again.

Stede looking all piratey-tough, beard, earring and all. Izzy standing between Stede's and Ed's happiness, and Stede knifing and stabbing him without the slightest bit of remorse. Stede and Ed running towards each other on a sunset beach. Izzy dead, forgotten and out of sight.

Combined with this quote (referencing "A Star is born") from the same article:

"... to watch Stede — spoiler, but he becomes a real boy, and he becomes a notorious pirate. To see Ed try to process that, Ed's more like Jackson Maine, and then Stede's doing a Gaga, and he's blowing up."

and the scenes from the trailer and teaser where Stede and Ed are running/fighting towards each other on (I think) the same beach...

My prediction for the show's finale is:

While Ed's still on probation, Stede, with Izzy's help, gains respect in the pirate community. "The Gentleman Pirate" becomes a thing, and Ed finds this difficult to deal with. Yes, he wanted to give up pirating and run away with Stede to China, but being overshadowed by him in his own field of expertise? His life's work? By an amateur?? (and Stede not only has his crew, but he has his Izzy too now?)

Maybe there is another separation, maybe Ed goes away to chill somewhere, maybe there is a fight between Stede and Ed.

Then Price Ricky comes back, and he wants Stede (and piracy in general) dead. Izzy has some undercover part where he's talking to Ricky over a candlelight dinner and is seen wearing a Navy jacket later. At one point, he gets severely injured (as seen in BTS photos).

The showdown is happening on the beach. But instead of Stede killing Izzy and then running towards Ed, Ed is coming back to help Stede and his crew out when the battle seems lost and Izzy is hurt/dying.

It could be framed like the scene in episode one - Ed coming from one side, Stede seeing him and running towards him from the other, both fighting Navy guys left and right. With their combined effort, the battle is won.

But instead of Ed and Stede having only eyes for each other, this time around there's also Izzy, and they won't let him die (maybe with help from a certain bird? Or is this to out there).

I can even see a bit of jealousy going on with Ed regarding Izzy and Stede.

In reversal of the dream though, Izzy will be the one bringing Ed and Stede together (through giving Stede a sense of self-worth, through talking to Ed about his feelings of envy/fear about his unloveableness because Izzy knows him and I think Ed really cares about his opinion, etc.)

In the end, the conclusion could be that they're all in it together. Ed and Stede co-captain, and Iz is their shared first mate.

(and then the three of them ride off into the sunset)

#ofmd #ofmd season 2 spoilers #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd speculation #edward teach #stede bonnet #izzy hands #maybe a bit of wishful thinking on my part #but like the gist of it is I think supported by what we know already #maybe not the overly fanfiction-y parts #shared first mate yeah right ;)

55 notes · View notes

lawprobate0 · 13 days

Text

Probate Process Without a Will - Houston-probate-law.com

The probate process without a will involves distributing assets according to state laws, which can be complex and time-consuming. Learn more about navigating probate without a will at https://houston-probate-law.com/__trashed-5/.

#probate process without a will

0 notes

wellgoslowly · 1 year

Text

as the day ends, I just wanted to thank everyone for their birthday wishes today- they truly made my day.

ALSO since it's my birthday I'm allowed to get sappy!!!! it says it in the constitution guys I promise!!!!

some of yall know the extent of the bad experiences I had in a certain fandom and fandom space last year (will not be saying which fandom or fandom space unless reached out to via dm. if you want to be sure to steer clear of this fandom/fandom space, please reach out, but ik if i mention it publically it could get back at them and it will be just another thing for them to try to start a fight w me about)- long story short I found a girl in said fandom space, fell in love w her, dated her long distance, got broken up with, and had a falling out with her and the entire fandom space because they all took her side. I'll admit that I messed up a lot, but I was vilanized in that fandom and shunned from a public book club that I helped to create with no warning.

it was a really rough time for me mentally- these people who I had thought were my best friends were so quick to side against me without even getting my side of the story and called me horrible names in the process. my grades slipped, landing me on academic probation and completely fucking up my plans for my freshman and sophomore years of college.

I am not saying all this for pity or anything- I say all this because I want to put it into perspective how scared I was to join tumblr. I had never been on tumblr and the last fandom that I was in was toxic and ruined my mental state for months.

but joining tumblr for me was a complete 180° flip compared to the last fandom I was in. I am no longer constantly in fear of upsetting people, I am surrounded by amazing people who support me and want to hear my opinions and read my fanworks. you guys have truly changed my life and I cannot thank you enough.

here's to sharing my next birthday with you amazing people

also!! I wanted to tag some of the people who have made my experience on here absolutely amazing:

@oblivious-idiot @ikeasupremacy @givemea-dam-break @tangledinlove @maraschinomerry @losticaruss @neewtmas @charmquarkstrangequark @waitingforthesunrise @someonetooksendnoodles @comeinwiththerainbow @lockwood-lover @uku-lelevillain @donutcats + ronan (ik he deactivated his acc but I hope he sees this and knows how much I value him) and many more!!! honestly so much of yall have made tumblr a safe haven for me and I couldn't possibly tag you all (I also really hope I didn't forget anyone)

ANYWHO!!!! LOVE YALL!!!!!!

#linnifer thinks #linnie chronicles #linnie gets sappy

74 notes · View notes

hopeforkitten · 11 months

Text

Raphael entered the boudoir and did not expect to see Tav in his bed. she curled up on top of the sheets, so small on this red hulk. he could have driven her away, he would have done so earlier, but over the months she really showed her usefulness. everything that depended on her was done. she presented him with a bunch of new contracts, was polite and executive, did not ask unnecessary questions and did not complain about the amount of work.

he knew that she had spent the last night studying his client records, first with the help of Korilla, and then she went to bed according to her schedule and Tav was left alone with the scrolls until morning, she spent the day running through scheduled meetings. he remember that mortals can die from lack of sleep and exhaustion, and rested they work better.

displeasure flashed across Raphael's face. it can't be that smooth, can it? there's still nothing to punish her for, it's boring. he could make her life hell for no reason, what's stopping him?

he rolled his eyes, walked over and covered her with a sheet, then turned around and left the boudoir

(I swear, Korilla will tell you later that it was a test from Raphael and he deliberately dumped all the work on Tav, and sent Korilla on vacation. however, Tav guessed that this was so)

_______________________________

- today I want you to spend the day in my house, no other errands

- can you be more specific, rules, instructions, to-do list?"

- if you want to, then you can try to make my house even more perfect.

there are a dozen debtors walking around the house that are constantly cleaning, how can you make it better?

for several hours, Tav slowly wandered around the house, examining every meter. such a small person staring at infernal walls and ceilings really looks like a mouse. as a result, Tav found only a few dusty places that the debtors did not notice, coped with them with one movement of a wet rag and finally she reached the archive.

the noisiest wing of the house, and it's not even the noise of the hell coming from the balcony, the source of the noise was also the archivist. he was obviously doing a recount, but most of the time he wandered back and forth through the archive, shifting documents and exclaiming about his failures

Tav slipped to the table, so that the unlucky employee did not hurt her, and began to look at the intricate tables in the book.

only a few minutes later, the archivist noticed her, chuckled, but could not hide his admiration following the actions of Raphael's favorite toy.

how much grace there was in this mouse when she deftly shifted the scrolls with data and transferred their table in a special order, she never sat down on a chair, her back went down and up like a tin soldier, while elegant fingers entered data with a thin pen.

Tav woke up on the sofa by the wall of the archive, the first thing she saw was Raphael, he was standing at the table where she worked, an open book filled with her hand was lying on it, and on the edge was a stack of neatly wound scrolls. The devil meticulously examines the tables, he really wants to find a mistake in them, but everything is perfect. I can't immediately remember when there was such an order in the archive.

Tav sat up and finally he turned in her direction and couldn't help but smile.

- dear friend, this time you didn't even need instructions to fulfill my wish. so you have passed all the necessary probation periods and checks, now it remains to determine your rightful place in this house. now you will have a schedule with working and non-working days, more freedom, I need to introduce you to another resident of this house, as well as your new place - my bed

Raphael did not expect Tav to answer his monologue at all, so he turned around and went to the other wing of the house. Tav continued to sit on the sofa without completely throwing off the shackles of sleep and in the process of realizing what the master said. which of these is more surprising?

Raphael coughed demonstratively from the corridor, as if beckoning her, and Tav took off from her seat, and almost fell in the doorway of the archive, ran to him

#raphael bg3 #raphael x tav

50 notes · View notes

void-inked-pen · 1 year

Text

not a repost for once! lol. I had an idea for a nuzlocke comic i might do in the future but we'll see. the premise is based around the bw2 game and the protagonist is a former team plasma grunt... except with the actual implications of the fallout of being in a cult and the repercussions of what that means.

Ombra is our "trainer". we start off with their story in their depressing city apartment with hardly any money and no pokemon or job (because they were on probation after being caught). their hair reflects their former allegiance in the sense they had dyed their hair orange to fit in but their original hair color was grey (this becomes plot important later).

Their story starts when they find a smaller than normal venipede in the trash, stuck in a bin and needing help. So, they do what their instincts tell them to do: they help the pokemon.

and everything after this point is a gradual escalation of the fallout of Team Plasma and Ombra's slowly improving mental health and journey as a trainer~

I'll prob draw them more but i'm currently doing a nuzlocke test run and making notes of the events in the original bw game so I can tie in that info for later and it certainly has been interesting lol

maybe in teh future i'll be able to draw more again and make the stories I want to without getting distracted or loosing motivation but its a slow process sometimes.

#nuzlocke #pokemon #pokemon trainer #sketch #doodle #digitalart #penapalooza

33 notes · View notes

coline7373 · 1 year

Text

On the aftermath of Melida/Daan

Jedi Apprentice? I loved this serie!!!!

That said, I have long struggled with the way the aftermath of Melida/Daan seemed to be just swept under the rug and how, at the Temple, everyone seems to condamn Obi-Wan without a word about Qui-Gon's own behavior.

I long wanted to read a fic that tackled all that and now, I have.

So. First thing first.

The problem is two fold: one, whether or not Obi-Wan was wrong to abandon the Order to figh with the Young, and second, the matter of the probation.

And of course, Qui-Gon's role in all that.

Let me start of by saying that, yes, I do think Obi-Wan was wrong to do what he did. Not moraly, but in facts and consequences for others. Don't come at me with the pitchfoks and let me explain.

There 10 000 jedi for 4 quadrillions people in the galaxy far, far away. Just by the number, they physically cannot help everyone. Nor should they have to! Jedi are negociators, facilitators and investigators. It is not up to them to make the system work. They are elbow grease in a -supposedly- already functionning system. So, due to their limited numbers, they have to limit and choose where they intervene.

Jedi and the Senate have long decide to pick these missions by a democratic process of selection. The elected representatives of the people are the one who vote on where the priorities for jedi interventions lay.

And since the Republic is a democracy, there is a legal separation of power. Jedi can't just go where it was voted they should go and do there whatever the hell they want there. They can't dispense off governments and their laws, customs, culture and choices just because jedi decided they knew better. Jedi help the people there. They don't make decisions for them.

Accountability, preventing abuse of authority, keeping each other in check, preserving freedom of self-determination, respect of governments' autonomy, equal treatement of all.... There are a multitude of very valid reasons for the separation between legislative, executive and judiciary powers.

The gffa is a special place and the jedi are a special people. There is probably some leeways for them to dispense, in certain specific situations, for the due process. But not entirely! Just, some.

War crimes and genocide are probably amongst those exceptions, but it would still need to be proven in galactic court. Think of the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo and the chill way the Senate decided to make a commitee so they could "assess" the situation. The Senate wouldn't just take jedi words for a situation like Melidaa/Daan. Hard evidences, investigation and a senatorial agreement of intervention decided by a majority vote would be what could make the Senate waves a government's rights to govern themselves.

And there is a difference between acting within the legal parameters provided for jedi, as representatives of the Republic, and acting as a religious follower of the Force, as it dictates a jedi should.

When it's at cross purpose, it threatens the legality of jedi actions, and probably the leeway power-hungry politicians give those seemingly over-powered individuals most of them fear.

So, a jedi dispensing "justice" in the way he thinks is justice, outside of due process, without the approval or demand of any governing official and/or body, it augments the risk of society deciding jedi are overreaching and therefore shouldn't have the legal authority to act without consultation anymore. Or at all. And in the end, isn't it what just happened? The clones killed the jedi under the Sith's chips influence and people cheered in relief to be "free" of the threat of the jedi.

(I'm basing myself on comics, here. Considering we're talking about the books, I think it's fair.)

The jedi can do as much as they do because they are a recognised and state sanctionned legal power, in a sort of no-men's land cross-road between diplomats, specialised tactical forces and intelligencia agents. And their reputation as monks-space-wizards, of course.

Obi-Wan, by going against the mandate of the Senate, threaten that.

Because if one jedi goes rogue, what's to say more won't follow? And if representatives of the Republic can't trust jedi anymore to act within the boundaries of the law, why should they have legal, executive and judiciary powers other citizens don't?

It's normal Obi-Wan was put on probation. He did exactly what jedi shouldn't do: let his emotions get the better of himself, lost the ability to see the situation with a clear head, act outside of his legal parameters of actions, without thinking of or caring for the consequences.

He acted on impulse, to save the children of Melidaa/Daan, yes, which is moraly commendable, yes, but also to sooth his own emotions. To stop the situation that was causing him distress, outside of the boundaries of the law for jedi, regardless of the consequences for the jedi Order and the billions of people they may not be able to help anymore if the jedi lost their freedom of action and its state sanctionned legality.

There's a lot of things he could have done to help the children of Melida/Daan beside what he did.

Don't get me wrong. I don't blame him for not having a better idea, he was just thirteen. Children were being killed by adults who had already been fighting each other for centuries. Hard not to feel a sense of urgency or to have a better solution at that age. Even harder to watch impassively.

But as a jedi, he should have stood by and watched. Because he should have been able to think on the situation impartialy until a legal, effective solution was found. It is what his duty as a jedi demanded of him. That he bears witness, without intervening. Because the legal governments of that planet didn't want jedi help, neither the Melidaa, nor the Daan.

He had to have that emotional strengh, if he was to be a jedi. To be able to abide by the legal decisions of the governing bodies of that planet, no matter how terrible, because it was their planet. And jedi have to respect of the autonomy of the peoples of the Republic to govern themselves. Otherwise it's not a democracy anymore.

And if you think Democracy is wrong, I put you to the challenge to find a better way for people to govern themselves, because people have been trying for centuries irl and no one have found one yet. Unless, of course, like Anakin, you think a dictature is a grand idea. In which case, you can go open a history book.

You probably think I'm terrible for saying that or that a Democracy that abide by children mass murder shouldn't exist. But we don't know that total annihilation of children on Melidaa Daan is what would have happen without Obi-Wan's intervention. All we know is that, in the end, he was not the key element that help stop the war. He helped some, but the one who saved the children are the adults jedi, who got the approbation of the Senate to intervened, the leaders of the Young who convinced their adults to make peace, Qui-Gon who helped settled the treaty between the Melida and the Daan and the people of Melidaan who made it stick.

Think, for one moment, if special foreign agents you cannot fight against because they are too powerfull, came and make you stop do something you think is necessary for your society? Would you be happy? That they change not a trivial aspect of your society but its very fabric?

That you don't think children murders and mutual genocide is necessary, good, fine. Me too. All the people who thinks jedi had it coming in RotS can get the f*ck out here.

But in this particular case, we judge the Melidaa/Daan with our own values. And jedi can't do that.

Because jedi have to respect the values of all. Because they represent the Republic, who represent all the peoples.

And unless the people in question ask for help, jedi cannot act legaly. And if you say jedi should just act illegaly, (aside from the fact it wasn't necessary in the end,) we go back to the problem of jedi loosing their legal, executive and judiciary special powers that help them save billions because of overreach.

Would you leave billions to suffer to help just one planet? Would you abandon Alderaan, Naboo, Chandrilla, Ord Mantell, Bith, Corellia and countless other just to help one Melidaa/Daan?

Sorry to quote Spock there but the needs of the many do outweigh the needs of the few. And the jedi are the guardians of that: the safeguard of most.

If, like me, you think it's horrible no more can saved or helped, you can get angry at the people of Melida/Daan who made the situation horrible in the first place, those who perpetrated it, and the outsiders, civilians and politicians alike, who witnessed the situation and did nothing.

Again, there is four quadrillion of people in the galaxy far, far, away. Certainly more than enough to help one planet. To reach for galactic peace if they all work for it.

Like Obi-Wan said in The Clone Wars, if civilians had all stood up and decided to stop the war, it would have stopped. Nothing politicians can do it they are all fired. Galactic War went on because the majority of people just let it go on. Not enough protested or fufilled their civilian duty to hold their governement accountable for their actions.

It shouldn't all depends on the jedi. And it certainly shouldn't depends on just one boy who had neither the knowledge nor the know-how to stop a centuries old civil war, with a side of children genocide.

But he choose to try. And, of course, he didn't came up with much better than "fight back", because he had no experience in warefare, diplomacy or politics, nor access to the ressources the jedi do have in case such as these. This is also the strengh of the jedi Order: strengh in numbers, support in term of hardware (weapons, tools, vehicules, ect) and legitimate influence on how the Senate punishes a planet that break galactic laws (economical embargo, emprisonnement of the leaders of terrorist/genocidal movement, ect).

He had the emotivity and impulsivity of someone young and had no one with his best interests in mind to help him cool off and look for others options rather then "stay and give up on the jedi path" or "leave and forget about Melida/Daan completely".

He did wrong but it was a mistake to be expected of someone his age, with no training and support.

And this is where Qui-Gon failed him.

By not offering support, no matter his own distress at Tahl's injuries or how Obi-Wan disobeying him awaken Xanatos' related PTSD. Because he was the Master and Obi-Wan the padawan. He was supposed to be able to master his own emotions and put Obi-Wan's training first.

Instead, Qui-Gon let his emotions get the better of him and blind him until he couldn't see the situation for what it was. He was so caught up in his own trauma about Xanathos, about his fear of making Obi-Wan like Xanathos because there is something inherently wrong with his teachings, his fear that there is something wrong with his judgement and those he choose, l5ike Xanathos,) his fear for the critical condition of the woman he loved that he didn't see his padawan was in emotional turnmoil and needed help.

He let fear blind him.

And Obi-Wan did need help. He needed someone to help him work through his outrage and horror at what was done on Melidaa/Daan, to be able to view the situation impartialy, and help to think of a workable solution to help the people on Melidaa/Daan while still being within the legal boundaries of the role of the jedi. Which is what Qui-Gon did, in the end. He came back and helped make the treaty that ended the war.

But, at the time, when Obi-Wan needed his help, he let his negative emotions, his attachements to Xanathos and Tahl, his pride in his own councel, his fear of repeated failure, his fear for Tahl's life overhelmed him. And thus Obi-Wan was left to make this life-altering decision without support.

I've seen a lot of people saying he should have just knock Obi-Wan out and grabbed him. Which -yes. One hundred percent. But again, this is something we wished for based on our own values.

Jedi's values say serving the Order is something that has to be done voluntarily, that one should respect one's autonomy to the fullest extent whenever possible. (Remember Mace giving droids killing people the choice to be re-programmed rather than destroyed?) And Obi-Wan has made it very clear what his will was, there.

"Obi-Wan was just a child." It's very canon, not even legends, but canon, that children are treated as seriously as we do adults very early in their lives, in the gffa. Padme became queen at twelve. Anakin swore a lifetime of servitude to the jedi Order (agreement to become a padawan) at nine. And no adults in the gffa had any problems with that.

"Qui-Gon didn't take the time to discuss the situation with him and argues his decision. " Yes. But, considering Tahl was dying, I think he was right to rush. What he he should have done was come back once Tahl was safe, to discuss it some more, rather than make it all hinge on a two minutes conversation. But he did come back, in the end. Months later, maybe, but he did. And that's why people feel so ambivalent toward him. Because Qui-Gon is exactly who G. Lucas wanted him to be: the reminder to the audience that jedi aren't infallible all knowing, all powerfull superheroes. That they can make mistake. Because they are just people.

In conclusion, for the first part of the Melidaa/Daan Problem, I think Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were both wrong. Obi-Wan, in his choice, blindness to its consequences, and Qui-Gon in letting his attachements and fear get the better of him and consequentely in failing in his duties as a Master.

Now, onto the probation part.

I think a lot of people who criticize the probation have never been on one imposed by kind people who act from a position of honest goodwill with their most sincere best interest at heart.

It's not meant to be just a sanction, to say 'this was wrong'. It's an opportunity to have all the time in the world to reflect at lengh without any other demand on your time. It's a chance to improve, to open your mind to points of view you might not have seen before, to understand better how your own emotional mechanism work that it put you in said situation in the first place, to review the situation with more insight, to gain wisdom about past event and about yourself.

Failure is an opportunity for growth and probation is a an opportunity to dedicate your focus solely on reflection and emotional/social recovery.

That said, it's not how it's presented in the books.

It's all "You did wrong. Do your time and maybe Qui-Gon will take you back". There is no blame assigned to Qui-Gon, no self-admission of failure from him, no discussion of their bond, their duties to one another, their actions and what it means, no admittance of a need for changed behavior, no chance for growth...

I feel that they wanted to keep it simple because it's a book aimed at a young audience. But by wanting to avoid difficult discussions kids might not understand or be bored by, they by-passed the concepts of probation, guilt, accountability, and the responsabilities and boundaries of the role of jedi entirely and thus give a completly skewed view of the event and how jedi work when one of their member make a mistake.

I think it's a false short-cut, a misrepresentation of the jedi and a disservice to the audience, no matter how young. Because rather than struggling with understanding "adults can make mistake but it doesn't mean you're blameless by elimination or that every adult's entire authority should be put in question", the story ends up telling "You should never question authority. Adults are always right so you just shut up." And that's a terrible message to give, because it's definitively wrong.

It's not because an adult is wrong once you never have to obey them as a minor ever again or that they are wrong about everything on this particular matter. This fear of having to justify authority, it come from a place of not being sure of its reasons other than "I'm the boss" or how to explain it to a child well enough they will accept to obey to that authority. It's the fear not being able to justify the legitimacy of one's authority. And acting on fear, that's not the way of the jedi.

Qui-Gon clearly had wisdom and intelligence, beyond this incident. He was capable of thoughfull interpersonnal interactions or he wouldn't be the jedi everyone say he was. And Obi-Wan himself wouldn't regard him as highly as he did either.

He can be uncertain faced with Qui-Gon's everything but, come on, he's no shrinking violet either.

How many thirteen years old has the gall to stand up to such an intimidating adult the way Obi-Wan did? But he did. And yet, he still thinks Qui-Gon is strong and wise and a good jedi and wants to learn from him.

So, Qui-Gon screwed up. The problem was Qui-Gon have been screwing up a lot and, each time, they talked about none of it, neither with the High Council, the Council of Reassignment, nor between themselves. He didn't apologised either, so it build up and up until it actually became so big it was impossible to do adress without changing fundamentally who they were as characters in the story.

This is where the Order was supposed to intervene.

A neutral third party with authority over them both, a duty of overview, and recognised wisdom. They should have torn down that built-up mess of unspoken issues and make Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan work through it. Do a thorough review of eveything problematic that happen between them from the start, so that everyone can say their piece, offer insights into the other's actions or POV, and prompt apologises where necessary.

Not in an accusatory way. In a way that say "this is where Qui-Gon failed as a jedi, as a master because .... Here is how you might improve."

Transformative justice rather than punitive justice.

Opportunity of betterement of self, in his role as Obi-Wan's master, as a jedi in the Order whose actions can influence other jedi, as a jedi and therefore a representative of the Order to the wider galaxy, as a representative of the Republic... This is what was taken from Qui-Gon too.

And from other jedi.

By not condamning them both, the Council announce to the rest of the Order that they found no fault in Qui-Gon and that the fault fall solely on Obi-Wan.

The intelligent masters who have experience in padawanship before, or the perceptive knights, will know it's not true. It take two to make a relationship. To think a 13 years old apprentice was just as responsible for this mess as his 43 years old Master is just foolish. The social judgement of Qui-Gon's actions was maybe just done behind closed doors.

But not all jedi may see this. And that open a whole new can of worms where the blame is put solely on the shoulders of a 13 years old learner, instead of partially on the learner and mostly on his 43 years old teacher.

That say to the othe jedi "The wisest amongst us have decide it's just the padawan who screwed up."

And since it was no small screw-up with priors, the youngest and most dogmatic/short-sighted/mean members just turn on him.

That's to be expected. It's the normal reaction in any society to shun a member condamned by its governing body, when he threaten the society as a whole. Which Obi-Wan did (see above).

And that's where the Council messed up again. Either they don't see it happening or they do but don't do anything about it, when their role is to regulate the Order, in addition to decision making and interpretation of the will of the Force. So, it's allowed to go on and fester. It let those toxic emotions and behaviors grow. When those are emotions that open the door to the Dark Side! It taint the Jedi. Against a thirteen years old.

Again, I know it was written this way to probably make the probation, an act of self-reflection on one's mistakes and change -something no one, especially not a young audience, enjoy practicing- still a Dramatic Arc (tm). Look at mean padawans! Look at the masters who ignore him! Obi-Wan alone against the world! But he will prevails! Because he's the hero!

Yeah... no.

Self-reflection is difficult and boring. No one likes to spend days on thinking what they did wrong, what they missed, trying to internalised different point of views, how they should improve. Especially when the stakes are that high and the initial motivation that just, that moral.

But it was a mistake for how the jedi function in-universe, and he should reflect on what else he could have tried, on why he acted as he did, why he made the choices he did, what motivated him and what are sensitive points for him. So that he can learn from this and do better next time, in another mission. So he can understand the mechanisms of his own psyche better and recognise when he find himself in a situation where his emotional reaction might be a danger for his impartiality and how to safeguard against it.

That's just part of growing up.

Learning, making mistakes, learning again, putting in the work, even when it's unpleasant or boring... This is also what it takes to become a jedi. Not just telekinesis, mindfuckery or lightsaber fighting.

The attempt to make it seems unnecessary or even something grand to fight against where Obi-Wan is this righteous innocent lamb, just to make the episode exciting, it did a disservice to everyone: Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, the jedi, the Council...

I was always furious at how the functioning and the philosophy of the jedi was completely warped just for gratious storytelling purpose.

Or worse, because that's the author's honest opinion of the jedi Order. There is more than enough opinion the jedi are unfeeling cold bastards in the world already. To add to it just to make things dramatic... Ugh!

But this is what we've got so this what I think should have happened instead, if we stay with the canonical characterisation and motivation of jedi, as individuals and as a group.

All that to say, I have long wish for someone to have a go at it and cut this bullshit in half. Or more. And extract from it what a fall-out with in-canon motives, philosophy and good characterisation might look like.

And here we are! Finally! And not just a past wrong righten but also a look at how the jedi operate in "peace times" before everything became about the Sith and the war against the Separatists.

Just... the Order and the regular problems of being a jedi in a galaxy far, far away.

Thank you!!!!! I feel like I can breath because something that always bothered me immensely is finally right!

I thought the characters were on point and I love how the author represented Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's relationship. I love how they just said fucked it to the meal plan and went to treat themselves something appetising. I love how they opened up to each other and how each want the best for the other.

I loved the stories and everything in it. I loved the view at all the different jedi. I love how all the bullying might finally be adressed. I love when Obi-Wan talk about the war, even though it broke my heart. I love the chance to see regular citizens as characters. I love the description of the Temple and regular life there. I loved everything!

So a big, heartfelt thank you to this author!!! It was great serie and a great read and something that absolutely missing for me! I encourage everyone who struggle with the treatment of the aftermath of Melidaa/Daan in the books to read it!

54 notes · View notes

thatsonemorbidcorvid · 5 months

Text

“In theory, group counseling to address the root causes of abusive behavior sounds promising. If batterer intervention programs make abusers less violent and, as a result, victims safer, why wouldn’t it be a preferable alternative to sentencing someone to, say, a year in jail, as Majors faced? But decades after the first programs were established, we have limited and highly contradictory research on how well they work. Some studies have found batterer intervention programs reduce future violence; others conclude they have little to no impact. The National Institute of Justice says results are “mixed.” Complicating matters, batterer intervention programs aren’t a monolith, and curriculum and quality varies wildly from one to another…

But while batterer intervention programs may prove effective when abusers attend, a huge portion of participants simply don’t. Anywhere from 15 to 58 percent of participants fail to complete treatment, often with few consequences. A 2022 state audit of California batterer intervention programs, including those in L.A. County, where Majors is expected to attend, found that probation officers and program providers frequently failed to inform the court about absences and other probation violations, including serious ones, such as contacting a victim under a protective order. In California, like in Massachusetts, those who completed the programs had a lower rate of reoffending than those who dropped out — 20 percent compared to 65 percent — but notably, nearly half of the domestic-violence offenders reviewed by the state did not complete the program. The “system has not adequately held offenders accountable,” the audit concluded, adding that these issues “have plagued the batterer intervention system for at least three decades, creating a critical need for statewide guidance and oversight.” Without proper supervision, these programs can end up functioning as literal get-out-of-jail-free cards.”

One evening last summer, I logged onto Zoom to observe a virtual counseling program for men who perpetrated domestic violence, run by a Boston-based group called Emerge. There were nine men of various ages and ethnicities and backgrounds on the call. Some were at home, video-conferencing from their bedrooms, one was in the car, and another was taking a leisurely walk outdoors, his sunglasses blocking his eyes from view. Emerge has a set format for these classes, which run weekly for 40 weeks and are generally populated by men court-mandated to attend by a judge. Participants begin by identifying themselves and the name of the person they abused, serving, it seemed to me, a dual purpose—centering the victim at the onset of the session and promoting responsibility. At Alcoholics Anonymous, it’s Hi, I’m John and I’m an alcoholic. At Emerge, it’s Hi, I’m John and I’m an abuser.

The walker, whom I’ll call Jeremy, was doing his weekly check-in with the group when David Adams, the co-founder of Emerge and one of two facilitators on the call, asked him a direct question: What was the abuse he committed that landed him in the program? Emerge encourages men to talk candidly and in detail about their abuse — what preceded it, what they did, how it impacted their partner — and accept feedback from the rest of the group about their behavior. The hope is that participants will begin to recognize and interrogate their own patterns of abuse and, over time, undergo the slow and uncomfortable process of change. To be successful, this intervention model requires active, incisive coaching by group leaders, Adams explained in a paper describing the program, as left on their own, “abusive men tend to give superficial or highly skewed reports of their interactions with their partners.”

Jeremy, still walking, began describing his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. They both struggled with insecurity, he said, leading to arguments over stupid things. “We were both wounded birds, just trying to soar through the sky, and we just, kind of like, we didn’t have very good communicative skills,” he said. Adams stopped his digressive answer there. The question, he reminded Jeremy, was how exactly did he abuse his partner? Now, Jeremy’s voice sped up. “Just like … pushing … I like, pulled her down the stairs, but like two … two stairs, you know?” he replied. “It wasn’t like I dragged her down a flight of stairs and she was all beat up or nothing crazy like that.” He went on: “I don’t want to reflect on my past because I am accountable for my actions, and stuff like that. But it was again, like I said, based upon our insecurities and not having good communicative skills.”

In Jeremy’s telling, his physical violence toward his girlfriend was caused by their mutual insecurity. It was only a few stairs. Nothing crazy. It is exactly this type of thinking that batterer intervention programs, as they are called, are designed to combat. Emerge, circa 1977, was the first such program in the U.S., born at a time when feminist activists were demanding national attention to the neglected issue of domestic violence. As hotlines and shelters sprung up for victims, Adams said, the natural next question within the movement was what to do with the men causing harm?

In the years since, programs have proliferated (over 2,500 exist, according to one count) and are now fully integrated into the criminal-justice system. These days, if you are convicted of a domestic-violence offense, it is likely you’ll be mandated to go to one. Millions of men have attended, including celebrities such as Mel Gibson, Christian Slater, and Chris Brown, who bragged about completing the class on Twitter: “Boyz run from there [sic] mistakes.. Men learn from them!!!” he wrote. (Four years later, a judge granted another woman, Karrueche Tran, a five-year restraining order against Brown, who she said he threatened to kill her.) And earlier this month, Jonathan Majors was sentenced to a 52-week batterer intervention program in California after being convicted of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.

In theory, group counseling to address the root causes of abusive behavior sounds promising. If batterer intervention programs make abusers less violent and, as a result, victims safer, why wouldn’t it be a preferable alternative to sentencing someone to, say, a year in jail, as Majors faced? But decades after the first programs were established, we have limited and highly contradictory research on how well they work. Some studies have found batterer intervention programs reduce future violence; others conclude they have little to no impact. The National Institute of Justice says results are “mixed.” Complicating matters, batterer intervention programs aren’t a monolith, and curriculum and quality varies wildly from one to another.

Most states have legal standards that regulate programs, but oversight falls to different departments with distinct goals. In California, for example, the Probation Department is in charge. In Massachusetts, it’s the Department of Public Health. Generally, participants are mandated to attend once a week for anywhere from 8 to 52 weeks (the longer the better for real change, Adams says). While models range, most programs are a mix of therapy and education, covering topics such as conflict-resolution skills, effects of abuse on partners and children, and how to take accountability. With victims’ consent, Emerge checks in with them throughout the 40 weeks to see if there has been any additional violence or threats and assess victims’ sense of safety. If a perpetrator refuses to own up to his actions or suggests he might commit more violence or stops attending, programs are typically supposed to communicate with probation, courts, and even the partner in question. “If we get somebody 12 weeks into our program who’s still blaming his partner, then we put that in a letter,” Adams said, which can be helpful to partners who are trying to make a decision about whether to stay in the relationship.

Adams, a psychologist who grew up with an abusive father, is a true believer in the power of these programs to save lives. When I asked him about the dismal research on effectiveness, he said studies often lump together participants who quit with those who complete it. Truly changing someone’s deep-seated and long-held thought patterns and beliefs takes time, he explained. “Many of the studies look at somebody who dropped out after one session and reoffend and count that as a program failure,” he said. “If substance-abuse programs were evaluated that way, they would all be considered to be failures.” He directed me to a 2015 pilot study conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School that assessed three batterer intervention programs in Massachusetts, including Emerge. It found that participants who completed such a program were 28 percent less likely to recidivate — measured as an arrest for a future domestic-violence-related crime — than those who failed to complete the program. Stated another way, those who dropped out were three times more likely to be arrested for domestic violence again than those who completed the work. (Of course, evaluating a program’s success using future arrests reveals only the tip of the iceberg, as domestic violence is chronically underreported to police.)

In 2016, I was invited to attend a conference on batterer intervention in Dearborn, Michigan. For three days, I listened as leaders in the field, many of whom had been working on this issue since the ’80s, described what they’d learned. Session titles, such as “Real Change, Real Challenges: Moving Forward Through the Backlash” and “Let’s Set the Record Straight!” reflected a sense of frustration with how outsiders perceive the work. I left with the impression that many batterer intervention practitioners genuinely believe that reforming abusers is a critical step — maybe even the critical step — to reducing domestic violence yet is chronically underfunded, the ugly duckling of the movement to stop violence against women. Few advocacy groups are interested in raising money for programs that help abusers, especially if it seems like it might divert resources from victims.

Bringing us back to Jeremy, the Emerge participant. After he finally acknowledged to the group that he pushed his girlfriend down “two” stairs, Adams called him out. He noted that Jeremy kept referring to the core problem as “our” insecurities, as if his girlfriend’s insecurity played a role in the violence. “You’re taking responsibility for your abusive behavior means it’s 100 percent a choice that you’re making. Regardless of how insecure or whatever the other person’s feelings are, right? It has no relevance.”

“I comprehend everything you’re saying,” Jeremy responded guardedly.

Adams continued. “I’m just recommending that you think differently about it, because if that’s the way you continue to think about it, then you’re not responsible. You’re saying, ‘Well, if I get into another situation where both people are insecure, then of course I’m going to be abusive,’ as if one follows naturally from the other.” At this, Jeremy squirmed and frowned. The audio cut out for a few seconds.

Once he was reconnected, he conceded the point. “I should have said ‘my insecurity,’” he said. “I absolutely agree to what you’re trying to say. And my mind-set changes in each group that I come into.”

When asked what Jeremy hoped to get from the program, he said he wanted to learn from his mistakes. “I want this lesson to have an effect, a very big impact in my behavior, my lifestyle and everything.” Of course, it’s easy to say that, whether you really mean it, and some men do fake their way through the classes without genuinely engaging with the content. Regardless, Adams said, “fake it ’til you make it” can still produce an impact.

I asked Adams how Jeremy was doing, nine months after I observed him in class. He’s still attending, Adams said, which is something. He’s taking somewhat more responsibility, but he still deflects from time to time. There’s still more work to be done.

8 notes · View notes