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mr-president · 1 year

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*Crashes into whatever space you are living in and plasters the hole with duct tape.

Tell me about your Marxist analysis on pokemon XD

i live in a college dorm please pay for the wall or they’re gonna charge me $10000+ please please pls pl

anyway.

I’d like to first establish that the Pokémon in Pokémon XD are something akin the proletariat—the working/laboring class. Pokémon XD and Colosseum introduce the mechanic of “shadow Pokémon,” where Pokémon are literally manufactured in a factory that “closes their hearts,” turning them into nothing but mindless battle machines. Shadow Pokémon are aggressive, may attack opposing trainers, and hurt themselves in their rage.

This is all for a pokémon that is nothing but a mindless battle machine—it is literally separating pokémon from their labor. The Pokémon’s personhood (Pokemonhood?) is dismissed simply for the value they possess in exerting power. in addition to the fact that shadow Pokémon are both laborers and products that are sold and distributed, and this echoes how the labor of the proletariat are devalued, seen as “lessers” merely to be used. They are just as much products as they are the means of production.

There’s also the fact that shadow Pokémon aren’t created from conception however—they’re pokémon that were stolen from their trainers and turned into shadow Pokémon. So, in a sense, Pokemon XD comments how the modes of production require foul play in order to sustain constant productivity, and the proletariat are then manipulated and morphed by the bourgeoisie, stolen from their homes, and have the burden placed on their shoulders. Of course, I’m going very surface level with this analysis but you can read the stealing of Pokémon for shadow Pokémon production in other ways.

Anyway, what makes Pokémon XD, and the GameCube Pokémon games in general, different from most other Pokémon media is just how different the orre region is because orre is uniquely low-income.

This is more apparent in the first game, Pokémon Colosseum, where every location is rife with some level of crime and poverty. The buildings are often dated and worn down, there are no established roads between areas (you have to motorbike/scooter through barren desert), the land is so dry and barren that no wild Pokémon exist within the region, and—importantly—the people of orre are rude.

This is less apparent in XD because Michael is a literal child, but in Colosseum, a large portion of NPCs insult and belittle Wes or Rui. In a sense, Colosseum comments how people in poverty can’t afford to be “nice”—niceness itself is a luxury, and this is also highlighted in the high crime rate in Orre. Even Wes himself is a thief and probably murderer, even if the game never explicitly shows anyone dying.

But the brunt of Orre’s poverty however is how a massive global corporation such as Cipher can operate and fly under the radar in orre. Orre does not have the means nor power to stop Cipher from setting up their main base of operations there because unlike every other pokémon region, there is no established “league” or “government.”

So of course the people of Orre buy into Cipher’s plans and often propagate shadow Pokémon because there is nothing else they can do. It’s them versus this massive corporation that suddenly started taking over and buying up land and stealing their Pokémon if they don’t comply (they do this with Duking).

The inhabitants of Orre then too must operate within Cipher outside their own volition. It’s akin to how the bourgeois in the real world occupy low-income areas, buy out every other property, and eventually take over every aspect of a region. When more rural land owners don’t comply, the bourgeois will develop as close to their property as possible and drive them out of their conformity.

Even the location of Phenac City is a literal gentrified area, the only city in the deep desert that has water and literally housed the region head of a global organization. For what is the most “developed” modern city in the game (that isn’t built into a fucking tree), it makes sense that it would be run by Cipher in this way. It allows Cipher to operate on a level of plausible deniability—haven’t they brought this wonderful city to Orre? Haven’t they helped its people? Perhaps corporations can be good for “helping” people via charity.

All they gotta do is give a Pokémon or two (or steal a Pokémon or two) to Cipher and never say anything about their rulers.

This is the Orre region. It isn’t just one city taken over by a big bad—this is an entire Pokémon region and its main trade being completely at the mercy of a global corporation.

It’s important to note just how wealthy, then, Cipher is. Specifically, its CEO—Grandmaster Greevil. Also known as the wealthy philanthropist—Mr. Verich.

Michael meets Greevil as Mr. Verich, whose bodyguard saves him from a street thug. This is painted as an act of kindness or charity—like kissing a baby on camera—but this deed becomes much more insidious when it’s revealed that Mr. Verich manufactured the whole situation in the first place. That street thug attacked Michael because he wanted to show off a shadow Pokémon. Mr. Verich only saved Michael so that the presence of shadow Pokémon wouldn’t alert the public.

Billionaires perform acts of charity as a smokescreen for the actual harm they may cause, whilst endearing themselves to the public eye. For Greevil, saving Michael just so happened to coincide with his intended goal that doubled as a means to increase his public image.

Greevil is also very well liked by the people of Orre, especially in Gateon Port. The sailors at the diner all cheer his name because Mr. Verich will often pay for all of their tabs, letting them eat free for the day. The novelist, a friend of Michael’s, calls Mr. Verich interesting and intends to write a book idolizing the man’s good deeds and character. There’s an old woman who’s in love with Mr. Verich—people fucking love this guy for existing and being rich.

The bourgeois’ charity is not only celebrated but idolized—worshipped, but this “kindness” is merely an act to further their control. Mr. Verich isn’t merely doing this out of the kindness of his heart nor as a smokescreen for his more nefarious side—it’s so he can gain control over the only means of trade Orre has so that he may distribute shadow Pokémon globally more easily. The rich can not only “afford” niceness, but this niceness itself is a commodity that can be bought using wealth to gain more capital.

So in XD, Michael essentially acts as a “union man” by unionizing the pokémon in an act of ideological un-brainwashing via “purification”, which “opens the heart” of a shadow pokémon. The act of purification in XD is interesting because it emphasizes community between pokémon, synergizing their strengths and weaknesses into something impenetrable, and healing them from being mindless laborers for capitalism.

Michael is uniquely free from capitalistic forces for two reasons 1) he’s a child and therefore able to “imagine a world without capitalism,” and 2) he kinda grew up in a commune. Like, if you think about it, the purification lab is a self-sustaining commune that supports its inhabitants and encourages gradual but effective scientific progression in the Purify Chamber. Michael is the “big Communism builder,” and the Purification Pokémon lab is the commune.

I think the difference in scientific progression of the Purification Lab compared to Cipher’s Shadow Pokémon Lab also needs to be stated:

The creation of XD001–Shadow Lugia—and the mass production of shadow pokémon also illustrates how science and scientific “progress” is largely determined by what the top 1% will put their money into. How streamlined scientific progress is for the Pokémon equivalent of mass bioweapons.

But, in the uniquely communist society that Michael grew up in, Pokemon XD reveals that communism is not a stalling of scientific progress but simply a change in the intentions of it. In a capitalistic society, science is driven by capital and the bourgeois. In a communist society, science is driven by a mutual interest in a common societal “good.”

tldr;

#there’s other little things i can nitpick as allegory like when phenac’s inhabitants got replaced with cipher peons #or how agate village fits into all of this nonsense #but i am tired <3 #pokemon #pokemon colosseum #pokemon xd #pokemon xd gale of darkness #mr president’s state of the union address

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jojo0039 · 1 year

Text

*Summer Heat* Pilot Part 2

Once they got back the paramedics were pulling a body off a boat.

Joanna's eyes widened when she noticed her dad was one of the paramedics.

"You guys that's my dad!"

She rushed around them and down the ramp to where her dad was standing.

"Dad who is that?" she asked him.

He sighed and pulled her away from the gurney.

"That's Scooter Grubbs." he informed her.

Joanna's eyes widened in surprise.

"Were you out with your friends on the marsh today?" he asked his daughter.

Her eyes didn't leave the dead body as the paramedics wheeled him away.

Lana Grubbs ran up to the body and started crying.

Joanna shook her head to her father's question.

"No." she lied to him.

"Well if you and your friends go out there, keep an eye out for a Grady White. That's the boat that Scooter was driving when he died." he told her.

Joanna cleared her throat and glanced back at her friends.

"If I see anything dad I'll make sure to call it in." She told him giving him a hug.

"That's my girl. I just want you to be safe." he whispered to her.

"Oh also. I need you to come over for lunch in a couple days. We're having lunch with the Camerons and I would really love for you to be there."

Joanna sighed and nodded her head.

She had made an agreement with her dad when she decided to live with her mom.

As long as she attended lunches and dinners with the family then he wouldn't make her move in with him on figure eight.

"Alright. Just let me know when and I'll be there."

She gave him one last goodbye hug before she ran back over to her friends.

She quickly came to a stop beside John B and Kiara.

"You guys we have a huge problem." she whispered to them.

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Once they left they went back to the Château to talk about their discovery.

Kiara and Jo were sitting on the couch, John B was sitting on the railing while JJ lounged on the chair.

Pope was tying off the boat and rushing back up to them.

He quickly pulled the door open.

"Alright. We don't know anything . We didn't see anything. We need to have total and complete amnesia."

Pope was freaking out as he sat down beside Joanna and Kiara.

"Actually, Pope is right for once."

They all gave JJ weird looks as he stood up.

"See I agree with you sometimes. Deny. Deny. Deny." JJ told them.

Jo sighed and rolled her eyes.

"That's your answer for everything." She gave him a deadpanned look.

"You know it baby." he winked.

"Guys come on. We can't keep that money." Kiara spoke up.

"Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans Kiara." JJ argued back.

"We have to pass that money off to Lana Grubbs. Otherwise its bad Karma." Kiara continued.

"You got a point Kie." Jo agreed.

"Its also bad karma to be implicated in a felony too. We have to go dark." Pope argued.

Jo glanced at him.

"You also make a good point Pope."

Jo couldn't make up her mind on what was the right thing to do.

"If that means we get to keep the money then I agree." JJ stated.

John B shook his head.

" I don't agree."

"Why not?" Jo and JJ exclaimed at the same time.

John B gave them weird looks before continuing.

"This is Scooter Grubbs that we're talking about. He's the same dude that is buying individual cigarettes at the Porthole. Shit one time Jo and I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas. We're talking about a dirt bag marina rat who has never had more than 40 bucks in his pockets. Now all of a sudden he's got a Grady White? Just sayin you guys."

John B shrugged his shoulders.

They moved down to the dock to fish.

Jo sat over the railing beside JJ facing everyone else.

JJ and Pope were the ones fishing while everyone else just sat around.

"Alright, think about it. How does a marina rat get a Grady White?" John B asked.

"Prostitution." Pope answered.

Jo and Kie shared a look as they gave him a wtf look.

"Square groupers bro. Ok flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance. They don't do all that stuff during a hurricane. That means they were doing what JJ?"

John B raised his arm in JJ's direction.

"They were straight smugglin." JJ answered.

Joanna scoffed at the answer.

"Smuggling? You really think a guy like Scooter Grubbs would be smuggling? The guy drinks with my mom. He wouldn't be into that kinda stuff." Jo argued.

"Well I guarantee there is a serious amount of contraband on that wreck." John B argued back.

"Hell yeah!" JJ caught a fish and reeled it in.

Once JJ caught the fish they moved back to the shack where Jo was in the kitchen gutting it.

The rest of her friends stood around the kitchen as they continued talking.

JJ was the one standing closest to her watching her with the fish.

"For the record, if that is a smuggling ship with illegal contraband on the inside then it probably belongs to someone else. They could come looking for it. Taking this money or anything else down there would be catastrophically stupid."

Pope tried to reason with everyone while holding up the money that JJ stole.

JJ reached around Jo and grabbed the money off of Pope.

"Well stupid things have good outcomes all the time."

He flashed a smile at everyone while looking down at Jo.

She blushed from the look he was giving her.

He had been giving her looks all day and even though they flirted a lot this time it felt different.

It felt more real then just joking around.

"Well I am down for an adventure. This summer has been boring so far. We need some fun and excitement in our lives." Jo suggested.

"I agree with you. Which is why all we need to do is figure out a way to get into the cargo hold of that wreck. Until then we just lay low and act normal." JJ suggested to the group.

"And how exactly do we act normal?" Pope asked the group.

Kie and Jo shared a look and by the smiles on their faces they thought of the same thing.

"Kegger?" Both girls spoke at the same time.

When the boys agreed Jo left to go find them a keg.

Even though they all could easily find a keg, Jo just went to her mom who could get her one in minutes.

------------------------------------------------

Once Joanna got the kegger the five friends headed to the Boneyard.

JJ and John B carried the keg while Pope held the cups.

Jo had also scored some tequila as well.

They set up the keg and waited for the word to get out.

Jo poured some tequila in a cup and started drinking as she watched her friends start to drink the beer.

As the day went on more and more kids showed up to party.

Jo was through half the bottle and was good and drunk.

But not drunk enough to embarrass herself, but loosen her up enough to socialize with others.

She found JJ who was having a chugging contest with a touron.

"I call winner!" Jo shouted as JJ looped his arm through the blonde's to start chugging.

The blonde finished first and high fived Jo who laughed at JJ.

JJ in return grabbed her around the waist and spun her around.

"Put me down right now!" she squealed at him.

He finally put her down but still held onto her waist.

They locked eyes and Jo felt all the breath leave her lungs.

JJ started to lean in, but when Joanna heard her name being called she pulled away from him clearing her throat awkwardly.

Kie walked over angrily to them.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Kie angrily asked as she pulled Jo away from JJ.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Jo asked as they walked over to where John B was sitting.

"Sarah and your step brother." Kiara informed her as she pointed in their direction.

There straight ahead was the kook princess Sarah Cameron and Jo's step brother Topper Thornton.

Jo didnt have an issue with either one of them, but her friends hated them both with a passion so she sided with her friends.

Since her dad married Topper's mom, they became civil towards one another and bordering on friends.

But Jo was a loyal friend and since her best girl friend hated Sarah then she remained loyal to Kie and stayed away from Sarah as best as she could.

But it was hard when both of their dads were long time friends since high school and still got both of their families together.

"I don't know why they're here. Maybe for the free beer. Don't worry about them chick. You need another drink." Jo smiled big as she handed Kiara her cup that had tequila in it.

Kie gave her a look but drank it anyway.

As the night went on and the drinking continued, Jo was suddenly pulled away from the group she was talking to by JJ who was completely drunk.

"Come smoke this blunt with me."

He held the blunt up to her face with a big smile.

She giggled and grabbed it out of his hand.

They walked close together down the beach away from all the chatter and partying.

Jo finally stopped walking to look out at the ocean as she lit the blunt.

"I forgot how peaceful this place can be." she commented as she passed him the blunt.

"Yea I know. I love coming out here and just staring at the waves. It almost makes me forgot about everything else." JJ admitted to her.

Out of everyone Jo was the only one that he could talk to about his issues with his dad without her making a big deal about it.

She wouldn't try to help him or show him pity.

She would just listen to him and just be there when he needed someone.

That was why she was his best friend.

"I know what you mean. My mom and I got into it pretty bad today. She's the one that wanted me to come with her, but she acts like she doesn't want me." Jo also admitted.

JJ passed her back the blunt and they smoked in silence.

"Do you care if I crash with you tonight. My dad is home and I don't wanna be there." JJ asked softly.

"You know you're always welcome at my place J. You don't even have to ask anymore."

They finished the blunt and headed back to the party.

By the time they got back they had planted smiles on their faces and acted like they were having the time of their lives.

Joanna pulled JJ over to where John B was by the keg.

"What are you guys doing?" John B asked them.

JJ held up a cup in his hand that had Jo's tequila in it.

"We brought you something. You want this?" JJ asked him.

"For me?" John B laughed as he started to grab the cup.

Sarah and Topper started to walk towards them.

"Wait!" JJ grabbed the cup back from John B and started to call out to Sarah.

"Hey Sarah! Can I interest you in a tasty tequila beverage?" JJ asked holding out the cup to her.

By that time Topper and Sarah are standing in front of them.

"No thanks." Sarah said in a small voice making Jo roll her eyes.

"What is it not fancy enough for you or something?" Jo snapped at her.

"No- that's not it!" Sarah tried to defend.

Topper turned angrily in her direction.

"I don't understand why you have to be a bitch all the time for no reason." Topper insulted Jo.

"I'm not being a bitch. I bought the tequila and if you're gonna be here then the least you can do is have a drink ofit that a pogue bought."

Jo was drunk and was looking for a fight.

"You know what I'll take it. I appreciate it man thanks." Topper spoke to JJ as he held out his hand for the cup.

"You know that's nice Topper, but I didn't ask you. Maybe if you said pretty please." JJ taunted.

"Oh pretty please." Topper retorted sarcastically.

JJ handed the cup toward Sarah.

"There you go."

Before she could grab it Topper knocked it out of his hand and spilling all over JJ and Jo.

"She said she doesn't fucking want it!" Topper yelled.

"Are you fucking kidding me Top!" Jo shouted as she wiped the drink off of her face.

JJ quickly shoved him and grabbed onto his shirt.

Jo quickly tried to pull JJ away from Topper.

"JJ stop. You need to calm down." Jo grabbed his arm and pulled him to face her.

"I don't understand why you have to associate yourself with these dirty Pogues Joanna!" Topper yelled as he turned to walk away.

John B got angry and shoved Topper.

A small circle started to form.

" John B stop! Topper what the hell are you doing?" Jo shouted as Topper punched John B and kicked him toward the water.

"Guys! Stop!" Sarah shouted to them from beside Jo.

"Hey John B, don't make me drown you like your old man!"

Jo's eyes widened at what Topper had said. She had never heard him sound so spiteful.

"Topper! That was pushing the line too far!" Jo scolded her step brother.

"Stay outta this Joanna!" Topper shouted to her.

"You're such a fucking asshole! Stop!"

Jo watched as John B tackled Topper into the sand.

"Come on Topper!" John B shouted angrily.

They traded punches back and forth.

Jo watched on worry as her best friend and her step brother fought.

A crowd formed around them as Sarah and Jo tried to get them to stop.

"John B! Topper! Stop this!." Jo grabbed onto JJ's arm as he shared a worried look with her.

Topper ended up getting the upper hand and flipped John B into the water face first.

Jo gasped as Topper held John B's head underwater.

"JJ we have to do something."

She was worried that Topper was going too far.

She rushed over and quickly grabbed onto his arm that was holding John B down.

"Let go Topper! That's enough!"

She struggled to pull his arm up when JJ quickly rushed up behind Topper with his gun.

Jo gasped with wide eyes as JJ slammed the gun into the back of Topper's head.

"Yea that's right. You know what this is. Your move broski."

Jo slowly removed her hand from Topper's arm as he let go of John B.

"JJ come on man put the gun down." Jo spoke in a timid voice.

"JJ!"

"Chill!"

"Put the gun down JJ"

Everyone else scattered and ran away as Pope, Kie and Sarah tried to get JJ to drop the gun.

"Did you say something princess?" JJ sneered commenting to Sarah.

"We're good. Man we're good." Topper pleaded.

"JJ put the gun down!"

Jo slipped closer to JJ knowing that he wouldn't hurt her.

She wasn't afraid of him with the gun.

She was afraid of an accident happening.

"Kie! Jo! Can you check your psycho friend please?" Sarah snapped at the two girls.

Jo glared up at her.

"Can you shut your fucking mouth Sarah? You're not helping!"

JJ let go of Topper and pushed past everyone angrily.

Jo helped Topper up before he grabbed Sarah and ran off.

"Listen up everyone! Get the hell off our side of the island!" JJ angrily shouted at the crowd before he let off two shots into the air.

Jo jumped in surprise at the noise.

She knew that he was losing control of his emotions and she hated when he got like that.

Pope and Kiara instantly came at him and pushed him.

"Are you fucking crazy!" Kiara shouted at him.

"We're supposed to be laying low!" Pope also scolded.

"I was saving his life! Topper was killing him!" JJ defended himself.

Jo quickly pushed past her friends to get to JJ.

She grabbed onto his face and made him look at her.

"Look at me JJ. You're okay. John B is okay. You need to calm down now."

She spoke to him in a calmer voice.

She slowly rolled her hand down to his wrist and grabbed the gun out of his hand not breaking eye contact with him.

She placed her forehead on his.

"Let's get John B back home okay?" She felt him nod his head not trusting his voice.

She watched as Kiara and Pope helped John B out of the water.

"We have to get him back home guys." Jo wrapped her arm around JJ as they followed their friends back to the van.

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Jo watched as Kie and Pope took off in Kie's car to head back to their houses.

Once she made sure John B was passed out in his bed she followed JJ outside to head to her house.

She walked up to the porch and noticed that the porch light was on meaning her mom was not home.

She unlocked the door and JJ followed behind her into the trailer.

"Is your mom still not home?" he asked her sitting down on the kitchen chair.

"Nope. She's probably on the mainland by now."

Jo grabbed some chips from the counter and motioned for him to follow her.

She went into her room and turned on the lantern that was placed on her night stand.

"I take it you're mad at me too."

JJ grabbed the bag of chips off of Jo and threw himself down onto her bed.

She glared at him and quickly went to her dresser to pull out a big shirt to sleep in.

JJ watched her as she changed her clothes.

"I'm not mad at you. But what you did was reckless and you could have seriously hurt someone." she scolded him.

"Who like your precious Topper?" he spat out.

"Topper is gonna get an ear full from me too. That gun could have gone off accidently. That's why I'm mad."

JJ quickly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down until she was on top of him.

"I'm sorry. I hate it when you're mad at me." he whispered to her.

She gave him a small smile.

"I can never stay mad at you J." She admitted to him.

She noticed how close they were and quickly moved off of him.

"Let's get some sleep." She told him as she slid under her covers and rolled over facing away from him.

She felt her bed dip and an arm pull her back against his hard chest.

She ignored the butterflies in her stomach from him cuddling up to her and slowly fell into a dreamless sleep.

--------------------------------------

When Jo woke up the next morning she felt suffocated with JJ practically sleeping on top of her.

She tried to pull his arm off of her but he just tightened his grip.

She felt something poking against her leg and her eyes widened.

If she moved she would make it worse.

If she stayed put it would be worse for her.

She tried again to wiggle away from him, but he groaned and nuzzled his face into her neck.

"Stop moving before I do something we can't come back from." He warned keeping his grip on her.

She tensed and thought about whether or not she wanted him to or not.

She bit her lip in thought as she glanced at his face.

She never realized how blonde his hair was and how his jaw was so defined.

Her gaze moved down to his arms.

She always loved his arm, but now that he had them wrapped so tightly around her she loved how muscular they were.

She got a wave of confidence and decided she was gonna test him and see where it went.

"What exactly would you do that we couldn't come back from?" Her voice sounded raspy.

JJ's eyes opened slowly and stared right at her.

He slowly leaned up so he was leaning over her.

Her eyes widened as he slowly leaned down.

Her eyes started to flutter closed as she waited for his lips to touch hers.

A loud knock on her bedroom door interrupted them making them jump apart quickly.

JJ rolled over onto the floor as the door opened and her mom's head popped in.

"Your friends are here Joanna." Jo quickly jumped up like nothing happened.

"Thanks mom tell them I'll meet them over to John B's." she said.

"Alright." She closed the door and JJ popped up from the floor.

"I'm just gonna head over to the Chateau. I'll see you over there."

He didn't wait for her to respond he turned and climbed out the window.

Jo fell back down on her bed as she tried to get her heart to quit beating so quickly.

Was JJ about to kiss her?

Did she want him to kiss her?

Was the moment ruined?

She quickly pulled out a new bathing suit and clothes to change.

-------------------------------------

Jo walked over to the Chateau with Pope and Kie.

Her mind was still on what happened earlier with JJ.

They were always close and teased each other but somehow this time felt different.

Her thoughts got cut short when they found John B and JJ sitting out by the shed.

Jo sat down next to Kie as she watched her friend play around with some bongos that were left out there.

Pope had a book in his hand that he had to read for his scholarship essay.

Jo felt eyes on her and she lifted her head and locked eyes with JJ.

She quickly averted her gaze which just irritated him.

JJ scoffed to himself and threw a rock that he had in his hand angrily.

He didn't want Jo to avoid him.

She was the best thing he had going for him and he didn't want to lose her because he was trying to make a move on her after wanting to for a long time.

JJ broke from his thoughts when John B finally spoke.

"Look you guys I'm calling this whole thing off."

His friends all looked at him in shock.

"Peterkin said if I stay out of the marsh then she would help me with DCS." he informed his friends.

Jo gave him a dumbfounded look.

"You believed her?" JJ asked skeptically.

"Yes JJ I believed her." John B defended.

"An actual cop? You believed a cop John B?" JJ continued to question.

"I'm with JJ on this one John B. I mean Peterkin has looked the other way in the past which is great. But it doesn't change the fact that she doesn't do anything that doesn't benefit her." Jo put in her opinion.

"Look you guys all I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple days and she'll help me. It doesn't help that your ass was the one shooting the gun JJ!" John B argued.

Jo shook her head.

"That's not fair."

JJ scoffed.

"You know what I should have just let Topper drown your ass."

Jo rolled her eyes knowing that JJ just wanted to pick a fight with John B and she wasn't gonna defend him anymore.

"Topper was really gonna drown me?" John B called the bluff.

"Sure looked like it."

John B looked to Jo.

"Do you really think that your brother was gonna drown me?" he asked her.

"First of all he's my step brother. And second I'm not getting in the middle of this."

She pointed to JJ and John B.

"That's not what you were saying last night." JJ joked causing Jo to find a rock off the ground and throw it at him.

It hit him right in the chest and he acted like it hurt by rubbing his chest.

"They always win don't they? Kooks verses pogues. They always win!"

JJ punched the wall that he was standing by.

"Its ok!" Kiara tried to calm him down.

"No! It's not okay! They don't want us to go down there into the marsh. That means there is something valuable down there and you know it man." he looked pointingly at John B who gave him an unamused look.

JJ looked down at Pope.

"I understand why you don't wanna go. You're the golden boy. You have too much to risk." He pointed towards Kie and Jo.

"You two you're already rich as fuck anyway or have a rich daddy to bail you out."

Jo gave him an offended look at what he just said to her.

Every time he tries to get his way with her when they argue he always throws it in her face that her dad lives on figure eight.

He ignored her look and turned back to John B.

"But you and me man. We got nothing to lose!" John B pushed past JJ and walked over to the hammock.

JJ followed behind him to convince him to search the wreckage.

Jo and Kie shared a look with Pope as JJ walked back over to them.

"Alright guys looks like we're doing this after all." he told them with a giddy smile.

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After John B left to get the tanks from Ward Cameron's boat everyone waited for him to return.

Once he returned the five friends piled in the boat and headed out to the marsh where the boat was sunk.

Jo decided to play it safe and stick by Kie so that she wouldn't have to talk to JJ.

She knew that he was wanting to talk to her alone just by the looks he was giving her.

But she felt nervous and scared about what their almost kiss could have meant.

And instead of trying to figure it out her brain decided it was best to just run from those feelings.

Once they anchored the boat, Kie and Jo unloaded the tanks.

They noticed that most of them were empty or almost empty.

"Are you kidding me John B? These are empty tanks. Why did you grab empty tanks?" Jo asked getting frustrated at her friend.

Kie looked at another monitor on the last tank.

"This one is a quarter full. Its enough for one of us." Kie told the group.

"I just love it when a plan comes together." Pope commented sarcastically.

"Does anyone know how to dive?" Kie asked ignoring Pope.

Jo raised her hand.

"I do. My dad made me get certified for emergencies." Jo informed her friends.

"Shit it must be so easy I mean how hard can it be? You put the thing in your mouth and breathe." JJ being a smartass commented.

Jo gave him a look.

"If you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood and you get the bends." Pope informed their smartass friend.

"Bends? Like bend over-"

JJ stuck his butt towards Jo who shoved him out of her face.

"The bends kill you." Jo informed JJ who stood up quickly.

"Right. Well if that's the case then you're not doing it." he said pointing to Jo.

"What the hell are you talking about? I am literally certified to do this." She argued back.

"I don't care. I don't want you down there! What if something goes wrong?" JJ continued to argue.

"Its fine I can dive." John B stood in-between his two arguing friends.

"Alright you can dive. I'm cool with that." JJ agreed.

"Since when do you know how to dive?" Jo turned her attention to John B.

"I can do it Joanna its fine." John B stated.

"Are you serious?" Kiara asked rolling her eyes.

"Let me do some calculations real quick." Pope told them.

Jo caught JJ's gaze and she sent him a small glare.

She was mad at him for pretty much telling her she couldn't do something that she was trained to do.

She had a real problem with taking demanding orders from people and it made her mad that JJ pulled that on her.

"Ok guys so the boat is about 30 feet down. So it'll take 25 minutes at that depth." Pope glanced to John B.

"Which means you need to make your safety stop at about ten feet for about two minutes." Pope showed all his calculations to John B.

"Two minutes got it."

Everyone watched at Kiara took off her shirt and jumped in the water.

Jo rolled her eyes at how all three boys had their mouths wide open.

"Uh."

"What was that all about?" Pope asked with a small blush appearing on his face.

"I don't know. But I liked it a lot." Jo glared and scoffed at JJ's words.

"Seriously? No wonder you three don't have any girlfriends." She hid her jealousy with a joke.

JJ saw through it and threw his arm around her waist.

"Awe don't be jealous babe. You know you're our number one girl." Jo shoved his arm off of her.

"I feel so special JJ. Thank you for that." She joked as she sat back down beside John B.

"Alright so when you're down there, you look for the cargo hold. You stick this thing inside and twist and pull."

JJ showed John B how to use that key that opened up everything.

"Twist and pull. Got it." John B repeated.

"Yea . My dad used to move some stuff back in the day." JJ stated.

"Who didn't." Pope commented.

Kie finally popped her head up from the water.

"I tied my T-shirt to the anchor chain about ten feet down. Its where you need to do your safety stop." She informed John B.

"Cool. Thanks." he responded.

Jo stood up and came to a stand beside Pope who showed John B the monitor.

"You need to make sure you have enough air to decompress so make sure you keep a good eye on that." Jo told him.

John B nodded his head.

"How much air do I need?" he asked Pope.

Jo and Pope shared a look before they shrugged.

"Its unclear. Just breathe as little as possible." Pope told him.

John B looked unsure as JJ came up and wrapped his arm around Jo's shoulder.

"Zen. Just think Zen ya know." He made a mock noise of breathing through a mask.

"You're a dork you know that." Jo twisted her head so she could see JJ better who still had his arm wrapped around her.

"You wouldn't have me any other way baby." He flirted.

Jo rolled her eyes and turned back to John B.

"Just be safe and remain calm. The worst thing you can do is freak out." She told him.

Kiara pulled herself up and walked over to John B.

"Please be careful." she whispered to him before she placed a kiss on his cheek.

Jo and JJ shared a brief look of confusion.

Jo knew that she was gonna have a talk with her friend about that kiss later.

"Diver down." John B jumped in the water and slowly started to sink.

Jo sat down next to Kie and leaned back to catch some sun.

She heard a whooping noise and turned to see a boat heading to them.

"Shit you guys that's the cops."

Jo sat up straighter as they all rushed to act like they weren't doing anything bad.

The boat pulls up alongside the pogue.

Jo instantly notices that her dad is in the boat with Shroupe and another deputy.

"Evening officers." Pope greeted.

Jo stood up to greet her dad.

"Hey dad. What's going on?" she asked trying to not look suspicious.

"What are you kids doing out here? Jo you knew that the marsh was closed." Buzz scolded his daughter.

"Dad I'm really sorry. We just wanted to do some fishing. I wasn't thinking." Jo responded immediately.

"You kids didn't happen to see a boat out here did you?" Shroupe asked them.

"No sir we haven't." Pope answered.

Jo's dad narrowed his eyes with suspicion when he noticed one of them missing.

"Where's John B at? I know you five are all usually attached at the hips together."

Kie and Jo shared a look.

"He's working today Mr. M. This is kinda a double hang out so we figured to kill some time until he gets done." JJ answered.

Buzz nodded his head after a minute of staring down the blonde kid that his daughter is close with.

"Alright. Do you remember all the safety training I taught you?" he asked Jo.

She stood up and quickly nodded.

"Yes dad. We even have enough life jackets for everyone too. Everything is fine." Jo responded to her dad.

She leaned over to boat to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Alright. Not too much longer out here. I mean it. You also have brunch tomorrow after your shift don't forget that." he reminded her.

"I remember. I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded his head as Shroupe started to drive the boat away.

Everyone let out a breath of relief as the cops drove away.

"Oh shit John B!"

Pope and Kie quickly ran to the other side of the boat to see if they could see him.

Jo and JJ stayed where they were at.

"What brunch do you have to go to?" he asked her curiously.

She took a deep breath and looked at her long time friend.

"Once a month I eat a meal at the country club with my dad and the Thorntons. Its no big deal."

She shrugged her shoulders and went to stand by Kie as John B started to climb in the boat.

"Are you Ok?" Jo asked as she pulled him into a hug.

"Yea I just ran out of air. I found this bag though." he informed them as he tossed JJ the bag.

Just as JJ was about to open the bag Kie's worried voice caught everyone's attention.

"Hey guys? Bogey two o'clock."

Everyone looked up and noticed a boat heading their way.

"Do you recognize the boat?" John B asked the group.

"No. What are they even doing out here the marsh is closed." Kie stated.

"Guys I'm getting a very bad feeling about this. Let's get out of here." Jo demanded.

"I agree. JJ get the bowline." JJ nodded and rushed to pull up the anchor.

"Hurry up JJ!" Jo started to sound worried as the boat continued to come closer to them.

"I'm trying my best here babe. A little help would be nice."

Pope started the boat as Jo helped JJ pull the anchor up.

"Don't wait for us. Just go!" JJ shouted to Pope and John B.

John B turned the boat and headed into the marsh.

JJ wrapped his arm around Jo and moved her so she was in front of him and his back was to the boat.

"They're following us!" Kie exclaimed.

"You need to drive faster John B!" JJ shouted as he kept looking back at the boat following them.

He kept his arm wrapped around Jo as tight as he could.

He would lose his mind if anything happened to her.

A shot fired out and they all ducked down.

"Are you fucking kidding me! They're shooting at us?" Jo shouted before JJ covered her body with his.

JJ looked up to see John B still driving the boat and hunkered down a little bit.

"John B get down!" JJ shouted at him.

"Oh my god we're gonna die!" Pope exclaimed.

Jo reached over and grabbed his hand in comfort.

"Deep breath Pope. Everything is gonna be alright."

She noticed Kie jump up and try to grab something.

"Kie what the hell are you doing? Get down!" Jo shouted at her as another shot fired off.

"This net is stuck help me!" Kie commanded showing Jo her plan.

Jo jumped up and jumped over JJ who yelled at her to get down.

She helped Kie yank the net and throw it over board.

JJ grabbed Jo by the arm and yanked her down.

Kie followed behind her as they watched the net get stuck in the motor of the other boat.

John B sat back up and helped Jo stand up as they quickly got further away from the other boat.

"Oh my god that was insane!" JJ pulled Jo into a big hug.

"Don't ever do that to me again do you understand?" he whispered in her ear.

She pulled away and they locked eyes again.

Something stirred inside her and she knew JJ felt the same thing.

But her nerves got the better of her and she pulled away from his grasp.

--------------------------------------

Once they docked the boat they all quickly jumped up and circled around the dock as John B held the black bag in his hands.

"What do you guys think it is?" Kie asked everyone.

"Its gotta be money right?" John B pulled out a metal cylinder looking container.

"That or a couple of keys with street value to the low to mid mils." JJ commented leaning down over Jo's shoulder.

"What if its a treasure map or clue?" Jo asked with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Alright this isn't one of your shows on Netflix. This is real life here." JJ joked poking her in the side.

She glared at him and elbowed him in the side.

"Can we just open the bag already?"

Everyone glanced up at Pope with amusement.

"Wow Pope." John B teased.

"That's a rare burst of emotion from you."

Everyone laughed at him.

"Alright. You guys are literally killing me with anticipation."

Pope watched as everyone laughed.

John B finally opened the canister and pulled out a compass.

Jo felt JJ pull her up as she felt her excitement die down.

"Yup. That sounds about right for us. We found a compass."

Pope threw his hands up in surrender.

"Well that about covers our fun filled adventure." Jo commented.

JJ noticed that John B was looking at the compass in recognition.

"What is it JB?" he asked.

"This was my father's." he whispered to them.

Everyone looked on in surprise.

What they didn't know was that this was just the start of everything changing for each and every one of them.

#outer banks #fanfiction #jjmaybank #john b routledge #friendship #pogues for life #summer heat #oc character #rafe cameron #joanna mills

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odinspattern · 2 years

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Since none of y’all can stop me from doing this…

#scooter #polls

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boxmorelover232 · 2 days

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Batman: TB&TB Infection AU Characters

So, I had a lot of fun writing out this AU. And I'm the type who can't put something down even though I probably should. If I ever get around to sketching out art of these guys in this AU, I'm definitely gonna add them here!

So, here are some of the characters who'd play a role in this AU!

Music Meister (Dennis Prowell)

(Yeah, big shock, but let me cook)

So, Dennis managed to escape being captured and lived under the radar in the old Gotham Opera House.

When the Vampiric Outbreak hit, Dennis was in the Opera House trying to devise a new crime to commit (with songs). Curious about what could be causing so much noise, he checked outside, realizing it was midnight. It was replaced with fear when a Vampire caught sight of him and ran after him. Thankfully, Dennis shut the door on it, locking and barricading it for good measure. He quickly did the same for every entrance and exit in the Opera House.

About a week after barricading himself inside and listening to the radio Dennis had a grasp on the situation: Vampires had taken over Gotham and were trying to make their way to other cities. Garlic was ineffective, and the only confirmed way to kill them was via direct sunlight. The Dark Knight was nowhere to be found. People were encouraged to stay inside at night and only come out during daylight. (And be wary of shadows and shaded places).

Dennis ran low on food and had no choice but to go out, and hope he wouldn't encounter one of those Vampires. He put on all his best gear and largest sachel and went out with his Conductor's Baton and Beam Note Scooter.

When he entered an abandoned grocery store, Dennis encountered a Vampire. It was a terrifying experience; the Vampire wasn't slowed down at all with attacks (physical and energy-based), it was too fast to outrun, his gear barely held up against those thing's claws, and Dennis somehow found himself cornered. Fear was thrumming in his veins, his heartbeat in his ears as he watched the Vampire slowly creep toward him. He didn't know what to do, he was going to die at this rate. Dennis didn't want to die, he didn't want to die, he didn't want to die!!!!!!!

What happened next was a blur, the most Dennis remembers is opening his mouth to scream and this. Loud, unrestrained sonic BLAST erupted. Dennis's ears rang and he opened his eyes on instinct to see what made that sound (Part of him hoped it was Black Canary, coming to save him), but the sight of part of the grocery store caved in along with a dead Vampire (confirmed after some poking and holding his breath) made him think otherwise.

Dennis grabbed whatever he could and rode back to the Opera House, not wanting to encounter another Vamp and needing time to gather his thoughts. Dennis may have leaned toward electrical engineering, but he knew a little about science and biology (mostly centered around his voice and how his power worked). After digging out his old analysis equipment and getting it working again, Dennis discovered something shocking! His ability to hypnotize people through a special pitch he could hit had mutated; he could hit a pitch higher than that to create a sonic blast that could stun or kill his enemies. Dennis felt conflicted about this development. On one hand, he now had something to protect himself from Vampire attacks. However, despite this sudden mutation occurring at the worst possible time, Dennis could see all the applications possible for committing crimes if the world were to return to how it was before. First, though, Dennis would need to practice his newfound ability and master control over it.

So, Dennis began practicing his Sonic Blast (he's still workshopping the name) every chance he got. He was still cautious, walking around outside during the day and wore armor with him (after raiding a few places specializing in thick fabrics and armor), but every time he encountered a Vampire, he did his best to use his new ability and it works about 50% of the time now! The times where it doesn't, well. He found that beheading and a stab through the heart do work on these Vamps).

Clock King (William Tockman)

William Tockman was a simple man. He liked waking up at 6 am sharp, working at the Clock shop he's been at for the last decade, and becoming Clock King to blow off steam. That, however, was all turned on its head thanks to those damn Vampires.

William had heard on the news and from his co-workers that Vampires had taken over Gotham a few days ago but thought nothing of it until Batman's disappearance was brought up. It wasn't completely unheard of for the Dark Knight to leave his city if all the times he's teamed up with other heroes was anything to go by, but he'd always have someone looking after the place in his stead. No Batman or substitute in his place was not a good sign.

Despite his better judgment, William contacted the one person whom he knew could (hopefully) shed some light on this and ease his worries the only way he knew how. By breaking into the Star City Bank. When Green Arrow arrived, looking a little worse for wear, Clock King had told him he wasn't here to fight; he just wanted some answers. Initially skeptical, Clock King informed the archer he had heard that Gotham was under siege with no Batman or heroes substituting in his stead by Vampires. When asked why he wanted to talk to Green Arrow, Clock King admitted that despite their long history as enemies, he personally saw themselves are friends. Or at least, friendly.

There was a thick tension in the air before Green Arrow put down his bow and told Clock King everything he knew. Batman had been bitten by Dala and turned into a Vampire, and had turned most of the JSI into Vamps before Martian Manhunter and Etrigan put a stop to them. Hearing the news of Batman's death along with the other heroes' was...hard. But then, Clock King thought of something. If Batman was a Vampire and died, how did Gotham fall victim to them? Green Arrow doesn't know but suspected Batman turned at least one Gothamite into a Vamp before he went after the JSI. Green Arrow vented a little about Batman's death, and Will's heart broke for the man he's always seen as a frienemy. He wanted to do something, not just to stop the Vampires, but also to help this desperate man in his time of need. So, he made a decision.

William revealed himself to Green Arrow, proposing a team-up to keep Star City safe and to kill the Vampires plaguing Gotham. It was a risky move, but Will knew that whoever was in charge of those Vampires was probably hungry (for power, blood, or whatever else) and wouldn't stop until there wasn't a soul left human on this planet. Possibly space if a Green Lantern or space-based hero was turned. With the world's most capable and highly-regarded hero gone, someone would need to take up the mantle and find a way to stop this madness. Green Arrow obviously had connections and William had some of his own he could employ; pooling their resources together wouldn't be a bad idea either, especially since it's likely those Vamps would attack Star City or a neighboring place. He could tell Green Arrow was hesitant, the exhaustion on his face apparent as he asked why William was doing this.

"Why?" Will repeated, mulling over the answer himself. "Because I like what we have, and I don't want those Fotze Vampires to ruin it." Will could tell Green Arrow didn't believe him, he wouldn't be Green Arrow if he weren't hesitant about trusting his archnemesis, but Arrow agreed to the arrangement nonetheless.

And that's how their partnership started. Green Arrow called up everyone he knew to form a barricade around Gotham City, and Will pulled as many strings as he could to get the proper materials needed to build it. Safety measures were implemented for the workers and the design (courtesy of one Mr. David Hyde), with heroes from all over coming to construct this barricade and monitor the Vampire situation from a safe distance. They finished it just a few hours before the first wave of Vampires hit them. It was somewhat amusing to see the army of Vampires, so confident in themselves as they stacked upon one another, flee from the barrier once they stored sun rays began blasting at them.

Since then, Gotham has been put on lockdown, with 24-hour surveillance for any approaching figure, Vampire or not. If a Vamp got too close, they were incinerated with the stored sunlight rays instantly. If any non-Vamp survivors were approaching the wall, they were to be held in containment until they were deemed clean. The barricade was upgraded to have special sensors that could detect if someone was a Vamp or not after the initial wave of Vamps provided a large data pool. (Another fabulous and ingenious design thanks to Mr. Hyde). Guards were unreliable, if Will's experience was anything to go by, and insisted on vetting them himself to ensure the best of the best were selected and could endure the harsh monotony of watching screens and checking the systems were working. Very few made it to the position, but all who did make it proved reliable. Thanks to Will's and Arrow's connections, the barrier's been running smoothly and Star City's crime rates have lowered with the new duo roaming the town: The Green Arrow and The Clock King. (Will let Arrow have top billing because he was nice like that.

Ever since their collaboration, Will has found his life busier and better. While he doesn't appreciate all the late nights he pulls with crimefighting (how the helle does Green Arrow get any sleep???), he is enjoying the positive attention he's been receiving since he went public one of the people responsible for saving Star City and getting a handle under the Vamp problem. The Clock shop has also been doing well and despite his boss and co-workers' insistence on focusing on his work on the barricade, he still works there since he loves this place with all his heart. Turns out being regarded as a savior has its perks, if the bonuses are anything to go by.

Will doesn't know who Green Arrow is, and the one time the hero tried to tell him, Will vehemently wouldn't hear it. He likes that they're getting along so well, but it feels weird to have his long-time rival and friend's identity known to him. Green Arrow will always be Green Arrow to him, and he doesn't care who's under the mask. He just doesn't want to know. Although he has been seeing billionaire Oliver Queen entering his shop recently. According to his co-workers, Mr. Queen is interested in learning about William. Rolls his eyes whenever Mr. Queen comes in, thinking he's interested in the man behind the running of the barricade, and gently lets down Mr. Queen whenever he asks for a chance to get to know him outside of his work. Will thinks it might be time to find a boyfriend so he can get the guy off his back.

Next: [N/A]

Prev: [<]

#batman the brave and the bold #infection au #Baman infection AU #story idea #tbatb au #music meister #clock king #dennis prowell #william tockman

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ourxcountryadventure · 6 months

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Merveilleux Marseille!

August 9, 2023

The ship docked right in the heart of Marseille which allowed us ample access to walking along the waterfront. Julie’s Pandora radar took us to a beautiful local mall where we had fun choosing our souvenir charm. The walk was pleasant under a full blue sky for which southern France is famous. We passed cafés and musems, galleries and scooter rentals before arriving to our destination. Syl and Julien went for a walk to the cathedral while we were gone. We had a plan to meet for an afternoon bus tour of the city that was an included tour on the ship.

The blue of the water rivaled the sky. People hugged the rocky shore sunbathing and swimming in the Med. The city of Marseille is beautiful and clean. The architecture and public art installations are a feast for the eyes.

The local security guard on the dock looked just like a French Shayne Hartin. He was an enthusiastic advocate for the beauty of his city as he welcomed everyone leaving the ship to love Marseille and have a bonne journée.

Time in the spa once we returned to the ship included a pedicure for Annie and Jane with lots of fun chatter with our nail artists about life on the ship below deck.

#nice france #viking cruises

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college-girl199328 · 1 year

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The migratory path of black scoters is being followed over southeastern New Brunswick by researchers from Acadia and Mount Allison universities using marine radar and acoustic monitors set up in the Memramcook and Petitcodiac, and findings could help protect these large sea ducks that migrate each spring from the Bay of Fundy, and further down the Atlantic coast, to northern Quebec and Labrador, according to Devin de Zwaan, an avian ecologist and researcher at Acadia and Mount Allison universities.

"Black scavengers can run into transmission lines or wind farms. And so we're really trying to get an idea of where the highest risk would be during migration," de Zwaan said the International Union for the Conservation of Nature designated black scoters as near threatened in 2018, meaning the species could enter a category like endangered or vulnerable in the future.

The annual number of these ducks that migrate through the area is estimated to be between 48,000 and 160,000, according to a study published in Waterbirds: The International Journal of Waterbird, although it was conducted, found it difficult to estimate the number of scooters that have been killed by human infrastructure, de Zwaan said, as there are few sources of information that track fatalities.

Researchers are using marine radar to track the skies, de Zwaan said. The radar sends out electromagnetic radiation, which pings off birds as they fly by a radar unit used on a boat; the one being used for this project is spinning vertically, like a propeller.

"So we're basically scanning straight up, which allows us to get more accuracy on the flight peak of scoter migration in the first two weeks of April, but radar and monitors will be kept in place until the end of the month, at least."

The team then pairs that data with acoustic recorders called an AudioMoth, which are about the size of a smartphone and essentially are pointed directly up and they record calls as birds move over [them] during the night," said de Zwaan.

The team has placed 55 AudioMoths throughout the research areas in the southeastern part of scoter calls that are almost ghostlike, which can create an eerie scene as the birds migrate under the cover of darkness.

There are a few theories as to why the birds make those noises, de Zwaan said, one of which is to communicate that you're in this large flock and it's dark. Maybe there's a change in direction; there needs to be some sort of communication for that."

If the team can determine whether there's a period of a few days where scoters migrate in large groups in distinct locations, de Zwaan said, it could help with the planning of projects such as wind farms, for example, by not proposing wind farms in those areas or by shutting down the turbines for a couple of nights. If that's the case, it should be fairly predictable," he said.

He said the team has already prepared some preliminary reports for the Canadian Wildlife Service and Climate Change Canada, which are both federal teams, and is also in touch with industrial companies and regulators in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

"The best way to inform conservation action is to have a close back-and-forth working relationship with those people that actually can make on-the-ground changes," he said.

Alain Clavette, an ornithology teacher and writer, lives right below the "migration highway" used by black scavengers and can see the radar the researchers have installed from his home.

"If you imagine a boat, you know, we've seen that on boats, you see this big white bar that is turning around," he said was part of the reason this research is taking place. He knew his home was under a migration highway and shared that information on social media, which caught the eye of a student working in the same lab as de Zwaan a few years ago.

"He's hopeful the research can help protect ducks, which are, you know, also a good litmus test of the environment, of the state of the environment," he said.

While Clavette was watching the researchers set up their radar for their research this spring, a huge flock of ducks flew by and laughed because it was like, "Holy jeez, it's almost like they're coming to tell us 'You're at the right place."

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theschmerler · 2 years

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Dim In Ish Ed == My Editorial on Dance and Disabilities and Dec 3

Dim In Ish Ed

How I Will Spend My Disability Holiday

^Excerpt from “In Flight,” performed by Heidi Latsky Dance in Washington, DC last September

I’d like to think that I have a grip on my life, but sometimes that grip weakens. Strength—perhaps not physical, but emotional and mental—has usually been my best quality.

So what do I do in moments of weakness? Shoulder on…face the music…or, maybe, just maybe this year, I ought to pay attention to a holiday I never heard of before:

December 3 – International Day of Persons With Disabilities.

Now, even if you (Reader) have the faculties we ascribe as “normal” – aka, you can walk without assistance; you can order a latte and be understood; you are sighted enough to drive a car; you can hear those announcements on the subway (well, who can?) – I suggest you celebrate IDPWD this year, too.

Celebrate the fact that, for starters, You Are Not All That. No one is. Maybe you’ve let a lot of other people who struggle with disability fly under your radar; well, celebrate the fact that you just took a moment to re-think that. Because, until we can celebrate difference, we won’t truly value it.

Let me pivot for a moment into statistics. As of 2020, the WHO (World Health Organization) reported that a whopping 1 billion of the world’s population are suffering from some sort of disability. 253 million people are affected by some form of blindness and visual impairment; 466 million people have a disabling deafness and hearing loss; 75 million people need a wheelchair on a daily basis; and, depending on whose reports you consult, anywhere from 93 million to 240 million of those persons with disabilities are children—almost 2 million of them living right here in the US. (footnotes below)

The Americans with Disabilities Act formally passed in 1990, and most likely, its fruits have been in your face: ramps required at civic buildings; elevators that ‘ding’ at floors for the blind; room numbers underscored with braille in hotels and office buildings, and of course, those pipe handholds in restroom stalls that accommodate wheelchair users. (Face it, you use those larger stalls, too!)

The fact of the matter is that as much as we have visibly done, we have more to do. (I haven’t even mentioned aging, and a host of what are called “invisible disabilities.”) Too many people in the world are functioning well below their capacity. Simply put: You don’t know what it’s like to live with a functional disability. Day. To. Day.

Take my brother, Joel, who was a paraplegic for the last 30 years of his life. His room at the Liberty Lodge in Williamsport, PA where he lived for a number of years was wheelchair enabled, and the staff were supportive of his needs beyond belief. Thing is, the architectural design (an old style, three-floor motel) was not up to snuff. Yes, the bathroom was “wheelchair accessible”—large enough to accommodate his motorized scooter, with a handrail and a roll-in shower—but in order to actually get in to the bathroom, the entire door had to be taken off its hinges and removed. Hence: accessibility but zero privacy.

And of course, there’s the lab at Penn State University, where Joel was studying to get his Masters in of all things Disability Studies. He liked to take photos of it in winter, because its one, puny ice-and-snow covered ramp made it impossible for him to get to class. (Penn State’s motto is “We Are,” but I’d like to add the word “Clueless.”) And don’t get me started on the cute vegan bakery-coffee shop across the street from where Joel lived. There were three steps to get in. And Joel liked his coffee. The management had a point, namely, that the building was historically zoned and couldn’t be altered architecturally. Plus, there was a Panera Bread in the next block with a ramp, but Joel wouldn’t hear of it. He threw himself over the doorway’s threshold one day, crawled on his elbows to a chair, and hauled himself up on his “sticks” (those metal crutches with rubberized ends) and demanded to be served. (All the while being videotaped by his health care attendant, of course.) Well, this poor small-business owner eventually had to shell out her own money to buy a ramp. No one else would buy it. So that’s victory, one guesses. But now they are out of business, and another coffee shop is there. Time to start all over.

The day to day is hard, you admit. But the day to be aware is now.

What can we do – and perhaps, more importantly, why, should we – this December 3rd?

Joel died on May 3, as much from depression and mental illness as from the fact that his body just couldn’t keep up with the strain of his disabilities. I can only tell you bits and pieces of his final months. Frustrated, and probably off his depression meds, Joel sprayed graffiti on the wall of the building where he lived. (I can show you a picture if you like – it’s actually more of a Kabbalistically inspired artwork, really. Nothing dirty or harsh.) He got kicked out. He then went to the doctor, and got mad that the office didn’t have a power door. So he went and got a hammer and hit it. The door was glass and shattered. The police were called. He was handcuffed and sent to jail. He got Covid in jail, and didn’t get adequate treatment. He went to a facility. Then a hospital. Then hospice.

Protest wasn’t working for him, to say the least. It wasn’t the 60s anymore, dear Brother. No one was really listening.

This weekend, I am going to participate in something more “artsy” than Joel might have conceived, given his devotion to social and political reform, though I hope he would approve.

At 58 years old, I could say I’ve “always danced,” but it’s only in the last few years it’s become a defining medium in my life. I’ve cyphered in local “sessions” of free-style dance held at night at Brooklyn Ballet. I’ve done “ecstatic dances” Online throughout the Pandemic. I also participated in Dance Parade this year, and that’s when I met Heidi Latsky Dance’s administrator, Jamie Dresser. I told her that I’m not as young as I used to be; that my body is, to say the least, quite limited at this point.

She said Latsky doesn’t see things like that.

Every year, on December 3rd, Heidi Latsky Dance hosts “ON DISPLAY,” a performance-meets-art installation that involves dancers of all stripe. (Latsky’s company is known for including both dis-abled and able-bodied dancers in their troupe. One of them, Jerron Herman, a wonderful young dancer who lives with Cerebral Palsy, has been getting some worthy attention of late.) Now, I’m lucky enough to say that I’ve been invited to participate with them.

In ON DISPLAY, dancer-participants actually hold still for most of the piece’s duration. If and when they move, it is slowly, incrementally. During a training session earlier this week, Latsky told us that as dancers, we ought to concentrate on “discovering new positions, not arriving at new positions” as we inhabit the public space. That we would be going inside, eyes closed, a lot of the time, and trusting (e.g., not worrying about) how we looked.

Meanwhile, viewers on Dec 3rd will be free to roam around us as they wish and observe us --much like they might sculptures in a typical sculpture court: objectifying us, thinking about what they see. They could potentially get very close to us, so we ought to be prepared to feel vulnerable, exposed. It would be up to us as dancers, Latsky told us, to find meaning in the stillness. Some of the dancers will be blind; some in wheelchairs; some missing limbs; some able bodies.

And at least one missing a brother.

Dec 3 will be my first foray into public performance in a long time, one where, quite literally, I will be doing my best to hold still. Latsky sees this initiative as much as a moving meditation for each of the performers as a piece of aesthetic dance/performance. And I will be striving to come to terms with a world without Joel, and a world that is not whole until I can find a place in it without him. Yes, I do have all my abilities and senses, for which I am truly grateful, but I have been left bereft by his loss exactly seven months ago. Diminished by this lack, I am too often consumed by how little I can do, and did do, to ease his pain and I often feel quite helpless in the face of the injustices that consumed him.

So, before Dec 3, exactly seven months from his passing when I will turn into a “sculpture,” I wanted to take a moment and write down what, if any, inspiring thoughts I might have; what is my perspective as a sister/dance who is “able” but also somewhat disabled by age and grief and also respectful of Limitation.

What I came up with so far:

We need to expand ourselves beyond our own Limits on a fairly regular basis.

We have to go to a place of dis-comfort in order to change, and also to feel empathy for others who face struggles and, that way, we can probably help people because we are genuinely dancing our dance.

As the day approaches, I am frankly feeling far more scared than I first thought. I didn’t realize when I signed on for ON DISPLAY (a pretty immersive experience) that I won’t be able to answer “how it all went” until much, much later; that I am probably opening a door to a new awareness, and that, once I do, I won’t be able to close it again; that I will have to be in the Moment (in this case, an hour and a half) even if that Moment is difficult, no matter how I feel. No matter how I look to other people. What am I proving to myself? That I grieve? I am guessing that the grief won’t go away. Perhaps some of my frustration might. Perhaps.

“We do what we can.” That’s the adage that comes to my mind. But I will leave you with the motto Joel always used to say to me, which happens to be international disability community’s:

“Nothing about us, without us.”

Sarah Schmerler is a writer, artist, and educator who lives in Brooklyn. She performed in person at NYU’s Tisch Sculpture Court on Dec 2 at 12PM in a work called ON DISPLAY by Heidi Latsky Dance, and will be participating on the Online initiative, ON DISPLAY GLOBAL, on Zoom Dec 3 from 7-8:00PM.

^Still scene from a video of ON DISPLAY performed by Heidi Latsky Dance at the United Nations, Sept 2015

1According to the CDC, right here in New York State, 21% of adults struggle with some form of disability. 2Other statistics according to inclusivecitymaker.com, a website run by French company Okeenea, manufacturers of audio beacons and other accessibility devices employed in cities like Paris and New York. https://www.inclusivecitymaker.com/disabled-people-in-the-world-in-2021-facts-and-figures/

#International day of persons with disabilities #disabilities #contemporary dance #dance activism #ondisplayglobal

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katieslondonadventures · 2 years

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Character Development- Theo

Theo is a young boy, age eleven, who lives in Tufnell Park, London with his family. He has four siblings, two older and two younger, making him the middle child. Since he is the middle child, he has the ability to fly under the radar in his family, giving him the ability to go about his life freely. He loves to crack jokes to make other kids smile and play with his friends that live in his neighborhood. He is a big football player and loves the game more than anything. So whenever he is not at school, you can find him on the field with his friends, sharpening his skills. Theo has lived in London his whole life and plans to stay here even when he gets older. His big life dream is to play for his favorite football team and then eventually coach, when he retires as a player. Growing up in London has made Theo grow up quickly for his age because he was able to travel on public transport at such a young age, in order to make it to school and football practice. When he rides the bus, he will always stay on the first level in the section in between the seats, in the standing area, so there is space for his scooter. He makes the same journey everyday to get back and forth from his home, the school, and the field. Theo has learned to keep to himself along the journey, when he doesn't have friends to travel with, by putting in his headphones and playing on his phone to keep himself busy. Theo has learned to grow up in a big city where people are always on the move and he has been able to learn how to navigate nicely. For Theo, this is all that he has ever known and he has been able to find good friends that make living life in the city so much better. He lives a very fast-paced life and spends much of it on the go, before rushing home every night at seven o’clock sharp to have dinner with his family.

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thaikovski · 2 years

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youtube

State Of Mind

#SCOOTER UNDER THE RADAR

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dynamoe · 2 years

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I read your post on 1999 Billy and White. How on Earth did Pete get such a huge criminal record? He wouldn’t survive a day in jail. Ok, maybe he would, but this leaves us with more questions: How did he manage to still hold “Quizboys?" How long was the arrest? (Maybe it was just David Bowie style one day arrests?) Also, it makes me want to write a fan fiction where he went to jail for like a month and Billy was waiting for him.

As mentioned in the postscript of my Christmas one-off, Pete White accidentally became a connection in a network of cocaine traffickers in LA. His albinism was mistaken as "good branding" for a snow dealer.

Pete liked to be liked and he loved snorting Bolivian marching powder so he just rolled with it.

However, as you can imagine, he lacks all the qualities a good flake dealer should have. No filter. Poor judgement. Easy to pick out of a line-up. So, my man was frequently caught holding.

A combination of connections, minor league fame and the corrupt Los Angeles police also all being on Charlie (hey, it's the '80s!) meant he was always let go with a slap on the wrist, a fine and a minor ding on his record. (Just 'possession.' Kid stuff)

Thanks for reading! And thanks for asking about it, yet another Anonymous! (Or... maybe...the same Anonymous? CONSPIRACY!) ↓ more answer than you require below the fold ↓

Jail time? No freakin' way.

Quizboys was basically fueled by nose candy. Who'd want to be around annoying kids all day sober, right? White was the thinking man's Dristan hook-up for most of the production staff.

Quizboys was crooked from top to bottom. The longtime host Pete White replaced in '86 was a drunk and a kid-toucher, so White out of his mind on the devil's dandruff made shooting episodes go way faster. Booting White & Billy for "cheating" was the show throwing the FCC a bone— they were already being sued for not casting girls or black kids and knew they were in the crosshairs for a major drug investigation

The Feds took over that investigation and they were so not cool. He was a small fish—they didn't want him but they wanted his bosses. The closest thing to consequences White faced was a growing pressure to flip and name names.

By '89 his assets were frozen, his car impounded, and he was being watched so he needed a way to slip out of California under the radar; ditching the set of Quizboys with Billy on a stolen scooter was just the ticket.

And now I have run out of dated slang terms for cocaine and must end this answer

How can they afford so many outfits?

What About Pete's Childhood?

Does Billy like Beat Happening?

Or ask your own questions here

#q and a #asks #my asks #your question #questions #head canon #pete white #the venture brothers #vbros #venture bros #coke #blow #cocaine #snow #skiing #powder #nose candy #drugs #1980s

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harrysbbby · 4 years

Text

Don’t Forget Where You Belong - JJ Maybank x Reader - Part Three

A/N: new part!!! feedback is always appreciated and please let me know if you’d like to be tagged

Part 1

Part 2

“Okay. So, um... we didn't see anything,” Pope said clearly stressed. “We need to have total and complete amnesia.”

“Actually, Pope's right for once,” JJ piped up. You shot him a confused look. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘and what about it, “See, I agree with you sometimes. Deny, deny, deny,” JJ continued to yabber on.

“Guys, we can't keep that money,” Kie said.

“Okay. Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara,” JJ shot back at her.

“We really should give it to Lana Grubbs. Technically it was her husbands.” You spoke, raising your hands defensively as JJ shot a glare at you.

“See,” Kie said gesturing towards you, “Otherwise, it's bad karma.”

“Bad karma to be implicated in a felony, too,” Pope spoke directly and with conviction. He kept his head down.

“Pope…” you started but he cut you off.

“We gotta go dark.” He said, lifting his gaze to look around at all of you.

“If that means we get to keep the money, then I agree,” JJ settled. You went to open your mouth to say something, but John B’s voice cut you off.

“I don’t agree,” he said to JJ. He moved to the centre of the porch and began explaining as if he was giving a Ted Talk,

“Just think about it. This is Scooter Grubbs we're talking about. Same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the Porthole. Shit, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas. We're talking about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket, and all of a sudden, he's got a Grady-White? Just sayin'.”

“It is a little odd,” you said in agreeance, leaning back on your chair and nodding up at John B. He nodded back as if to say, ‘thank you’ and then turned to the rest of the group who still didn’t look quite as convinced.

“I don’t know…” Pope trailed off. Looking around at you all. He stood and grabbed a fishing rod from the side of the doorway and made his way out to the pontoon. JJ grabbed the other and followed. The five of you made your way out to the water, perching yourselves along the wooden structure. The boys launched their baits into the water as John B started up again.

“All right, so think about it, Pope: How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?” he asked. Pope didn’t even look up from his line as he deadpanned,

“Prostitution”

John B shook his head in disbelief, “Square groupers, bro. Okay, flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance. They don't do that stuff during a hurricane. What does that mean?” He looked around at the rest of you. You and Kie just shrugged as John B sighed, “JJ?”

“They were straight smugglin'.” He answered

“Smuggling, really?” you asked.

“Yup,” John B asserted, “And I guarantee there's a serious amount of contraband.”

“Hell, yeah,” JJ hooted. His line gave a sharp tug and he struggled to keep control as he reeled in it. “Fish on!”

The group decided that it would be a good idea to throw a kegger in order to “lay low”. Somehow this always seemed to happen, but regardless you helped Kie carry the red solo cups onto the beach and placed them next to the keg. You felt an arm rest again your shoulder and when you turned your head your eyes met JJ’s

“Hey hey,” you said to him, moving your arm to wrap it around his waist, “who will be your claim tonight? Pogue or touron?”

JJ was notorious for accumulating at least one hook-up from each of the Boneyard parties. You were able to hold your own every now and then managing to find a cute boy to occupy you for the night, but it wasn’t quite your thing as it was JJ’s.

“I don’t know, think I’m getting kinda over it,” he said shrugging avoiding your gaze. You head did a double take as you whacked his chest.

“JJ Maybank, over hook-ups at keggers? I think the world is ending!” You spoke melodramatically, placing the back of your hand against your forehead and pretending to faint onto him. He let out a small laugh as he grabbed your body that had fallen across his. You stood up again smiling back at him.

“Yeah, think I just want something… I don’t know, different?” in said in a questioning tone. You furrowed your brows at him. You could see the look on his face was stone-cold serious and it confused you. In all the years you had known JJ he had never spoken about relationships like this. You ruffled his hair as you joked with him to lighten the mood again,

“My little boy’s growing up!” you giggled as he picked you up off your feet and tossed you over his shoulder, a joking ‘piss off’ escaping his lips.

He placed you on your feet again before running off to give John B and Pope the drinks he’d originally come to the keg for. As watched him swagger away juggling the three drinks, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander to the thought of JJ wanting that relationship with you. Although you met John B first, he was more like a brother, you had always seen JJ differently. Like when he’d run a hand through his hair to put his cap on backwards your breath would catch in your throat. Or when you could feel your skin spark when he would grab your waist as he picked you up to toss you in the water. Or when you could feel your stomach drop and heart sink every time, he would get close to another girl.

You had always had a thing for JJ, but you knew the rule: no Pogue-on-Pogue macking. But it was killing you. You huffed as you took post next to Kie on the log, taking a huge gulp of your beer.

“You good?” she asked at the sight of your clearly distressed demeanour. “Let me guess, JJ?”

“Shh,” you shushed her placing your hand vigorously over her mouth. “Be quiet, I told you that in confidence.”

You and Kie, being the only two girls, would go to each other for anything that even entered the realm of emotional. The other boys just didn’t understand the need to articulate one’s feelings. You had told Kie about your crush on JJ a few months prior, and she had listened like a best friend should. But she agreed with you when you expressed your concerns about ruining your friendship. As much as you liked him, your friendship with him and the other Pogues was something you had to consider if you decided to risk it on a potential relationship.

“But yes, it is JJ. He said something super weird about not wanting to hook-up with anyone cause he wants something “different”.” You said, emphasising the different and looking at her with a bewildered expression. She hummed as she sipped her drink, clearly mulling over the information.

“That’s good though, right?” she asked, “he might like you too then?”

You shook your head at her,

“No, he said “different”, Kie. I’m normal, someone he sees every day. We’re routine.”

“I guess,” she shrugged. As you remembered what had been playing on the back of your mind, you perked up.

“Although,” you dragged out looking at her with pure excitement. She raised her eyebrows at your tone, “what we really need to talk about is you and John B,” you said nudging her with your elbow.

She looked down shyly, “what’s there to know?” she said playing dumb.

“Oh, come on Kie! You kissed him!”

“I did not,” she said sternly, “I only kissed him on the cheek,” she said flipping her over her shoulder.

You kept your eyes trained her as you narrowed them. She looked at you expectantly before she rolled her eyes.

“No! Y/N, god no! I don’t like him, okay? Not like that.” She said giving you a shove which made your coy smile slip slowly from your face. “I’m just worried about him.”

She looked over to where John B was chatting to a girl with long blonde hair. You nodded, accepting her answer as you felt a body sit beside you. You turned to see the usual mop of blonde hair that was usually in your face. Kie smiled as she slid her sunglasses off her face and onto your nose. You laughed as she did, saying she was going to go chat to John B.

You slyly turned around to JJ, the red, love heart sunnies on your eyes. As you did you slid them down your nose and popped your elbow on your hip, giving him a pout.

“What do you think?” you asked him cheekily.

“I mean you’ve looked worse,” he joked.

“Oh, shut up JJ!”

***

You heard the sound of fist hitting skin, followed the commotion of yelling. You looked up from your conversation with Pope to see Topper tackling JJ. You and Pope ran to the front of group that was forming. By the time you were there JJ was out of the equation and John B was shoving Topper.

“We’re supposed to be incognito remember?” Pope yelled. Sarah was trying to break up the fight, but Topper landed a punch on John B face. JJ went to go forward, but you put your hands against his chest.

“Nuh, uh.” You said holding him back. You looked down at your face with an aggressive expression but relaxed once he met your eyes. He lightly shoved your hands off his chest, huffing as the two of you turned to watch the scene unfold.

“Hey, John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?” you heard Topper growl. JJ held your shoulders as he saw your body go to move forwards, as rage heated your insides.

“Fight, fight, fight!” the crowd kept chanting as John stayed crouched in the water. John B grunted as he tackled Topper into the water.

“Stop you guys!” you heard Kie yell as the boys continued to wrestle. John B nabbed a punch straight into Topper’s face.

“That's what I'm talking' about” JJ jeered.

“Come on!” “You wanna go?” “Come onnnn!”

The boys were yelling viscously at one another as they sized each other up. Topper landed a sharp blow to John B’s nose making him stumble back into the water.

“Stop!” the scream ripped from your throat. It hurt you to see someone doing this to John B.

“Come on, Topper! Let’s go!” John B yelled at him, fire in his eyes as he pounded his chest.

Topper flipped John B into the water and pinned his face down. John B’s arms flailed as he struggled.

“He’s drowning him!” Pope said, distressed.

“I know,” Kie replied with an equally amount of anxiety laced in her voice.

“We need to do something!” you looked around helplessly.

You saw JJ move from beside you and lift his hand up to Topper’s hand brandishing something black and sleek and metal. You heard it click. Oh no.

“Yeah, you know what that is,” JJ spoke menacingly, pushing the barrel further to Topper’s head, “Your move, broski.”

“Chill dude!” Pope called.

“JJ,” you said warningly, stepping towards him both arms outstretched.

“Put the gun down,” Sarah said calmly. JJ didn’t even move to face her as he fired back,

“Did you say somethin', princess?”

“We're good. We're good.” Topper said, his arms raised in surrender. “All right? Come on, man!”

“Y/N can you check your psycho friend, please?” Sarah yelled gesturing to JJ. You moved towards him as he pushed Topper to the ground. You placed your arms on his shoulders “JJ, please” but he pushed you aside as he charged forward.

“Okay, everyone, listen up!” his voice billowed across the boneyard, “Get the hell off our side of the island!”

He fired the gun into the air twice.

“Are you crazy?” “You idiot!” “It’s not worth it!”

Pope and Kiara were screaming at JJ. “I was saving his life okay?”

Topper and Sarah had bolted once the gun had fired. You turned to see John B struggle to rise up from the water, only to slump and fall back in, water gushing over him again.

“Guy!” you called to them, but they were still yelling – “You're gonna jeopardize everything” – and you knew you couldn’t move John B alone. You grasped his head to keep his head above water so he could breath as you shouted again, “HEY!” there was gravel in your voice as you used all your might to get their attention. The three of them instantly pivoted towards you, taken aback from your uncharacteristic show of aggression towards your friends, “help me.”

You all managed to get John B back to the Chateau. Between the four of you, you managed to carry him inside and lay him on his bed. You had been silent the whole time, all of you, not daring to be the first to speak.

Pope, the often peace maker piped up first, “I think I’m gonna head home.”

Usually after a kegger you would all pass out, still mildly drunk on any surface at John B’s, but after tonight’s events, none of you wanted to stick around much.

“Me too. I’ll drop you,” Kie said. She gave you a small smile and wave as she and Pope exited the room. You were standing in the doorway of John B’s bedroom, observing at his passed-out body. He was breathing fine, just exhausted. So, you came to the conclusion that he would be fine, just needed a decent sleep. You could see the bruise forming on his face, so you made a mental note to check on it and make sure he iced it when you inevitably saw him the next morning.

JJ was sitting on the end of the pull-out couch. He watched the back of your body as you leant against the door frame. He did not dare to say a word to you before you spoke to him. By the glare you had given him as you gathered everyone’s things as he and Pope lugged John B’s body home, he knew you were furious.

He looked like a wounded puppy when turned around to face him.

“Want a ride?” you asked. All he could do to answer was nod.

You drove in silence all the way to JJ’s house. Usually you would just have him stay at your house. Your stepdad was usually oblivious to your actions and your mum didn’t really care what you did as long as you were safe, so JJ was always welcomed. But not by you tonight, not after what he did. No matter how much you wanted him to stay and not have to be in a house with his dad. You needed time to cool off.

You switched the engine of your car off as you pulled into the grassed drive of his house. You sighed as you ran a hand through your hair.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said keeping your eyes trained forward.

“Y/N…” JJ started but you cut him off.

“No,” you said holding your hand up in front of him. His brows were furrowed together, and his eyes were glassy, and it made you feel terrible. But he needed to hear what you had to say, “what you did tonight was so fucking stupid, JJ. I hate Topper as much as you do but you could have killed him.”

JJ went to open his mouth, but you raised your hand before he could speak.

“I know he was drowning John B, but you didn’t have to pull a gun on him. Word of this is gonna spread, and there’s gonna be consequences to that. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” you looked him directly in the eyes. You could see an emotion flash over them, was it guilt? It was something you definitely hadn’t seen before. You felt some tears well up in your eyes. “You’re just so reckless sometimes JJ. You’re gonna get yourself killed! So please, just think a little more next time okay?” you begged him as a single tear slipped from your eye. You hastily wiped it as he nodded.

“I’m sorry,” he said pulling you in for a hug. You wrapped your arms as far around his torso as you could from across the center console.

“S’okay, I just worry about you.”

“I know,” he said pulling back. He kept one hand outstretched on your arm, rubbing small circles with his fingers. “Please don’t cry.”

You laughed as you sniffled and wiped your nose with the back of your hand.

“You know I get emotional, especially when I’m drunk,” you laughed. He joined with you, but it wasn’t quite genuine as it usually was. He sheepishly looked forward, avoiding your gaze, “but thanks for the most awkward hug of my life.”

This grabbled a candid cackle from the back of throat as you smiled.

“Yeah remind me to not try and have a moment over the gear stick of a car again,” he said locking his eyes with yours.

“Ahaha, yeah…” you said, holding his stare.

“Yeah,” he responded still looking deeply into your eyes.

You don’t know how long you stayed like that. Time moved differently with JJ. Eventually, he cleared his throat and opened his door, triggering the inside light. You cringe at the brightness after having stared at JJ eyes in the dim for so long.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked standing in the door, crouching down to make eye contact.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you affirmed. JJ shut the door with a solid thunk and wandered inside his shack.

You took a deep breath as you pressed the start engine button. You rested your head against the steering wheel as you groaned: what was this boy doing to you?

Tag list:

@downbytheouterbanks @thesailbells @sexualparkour @bestfriendmagic @mileven-reddie @nikki082489 @treestarrrrrrrr @mynamessusan @kristinaxilliano @love-bean @lauraxwndrlnd

#jj x reader #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank fanfiction #jj outer banks #rudy pankow #John B #john b x reader #john b x sarah #outer banks #outerbanks

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melissa-duc · 3 years

Text

Taylor Swift reclaiming rights over her music

For more than fifteen years now, Taylor Swift has been one of the most influential artists in the American pop music industry. Yet, like every women in this industry, she faced many obstacles (Hi Kanye). The latest and most scandalous started in 2019 when Scooter Braun acquired the masters for her first six records as part of his purchase of Big Machine Records without her authorization. (He basically owned her entire career)

As a big middle finger (excuse my French) to him, she decided to re-record all her albums up to "Reputation" in order to be the only legitimate owner of her art. This decision was not only important for her but also for her fans, who will finally be able to stream her music without supporting Braun's label. It can also be seen as a way for her to modernize and revisit her discography.

I find this choice incredibly inspiring, Swift is proving she is more than "America's Sweetheart" or just a country girl. She also inspired other pop singers who send her massive support, like Olivia Rodrigo, to stand up for themselves and own their art.

This was not the first time rights of a singer's music had been a subject of quarrel between artists and record labels but she was one of the first to speak about it publicly, she received criticism for doing it but in the end it was the right thing to do because such injustices should not go under the radar.

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rookvonhunt · 3 years

Note

Ello! I was hoping, if you can, what do your RSA kids think my RSA Twins? I really like where you twisted them from. Have a 🍭

⊙(・◇・)? @mimitwst

for sure !! Ty for the ask @mimitwst ♡

I've got more than hashikore which is what I imagine u meant , but thank u for the compliment ! /gen

Just for you I'll include hashikore , raccohazard and mysticana !!

-----

Under the cut for length :)

HASHIKORE

Reina Ash

Reina has the natural ability to pick up on what those are hiding in terms of intentions. Aster and Aries would not succeed in feeding off anything negative from her. For her soul is incredibly genuinely loving and generous. And happy. It's almost as if she experiences no negative emotions in her life.

She is the type to call them out with zero thought in response if they were to approach and speak with her. He holds nothing against them on a personal level, but such underhanded things.. unforgivable.

His thoughts are relatively negative related to them. How sad it is. That they hide their true selves. If she hadn't figured it was malicious, he'd likely be more neutral on them.

-----

Shiio Posa

Shiio, like reina has that intuition of people's intentions. However he's far more... backhanded. His rage , buried within him likely attracts them.

And with that, he knows exactly how to extort them for his own and the other pillar's benefit. They can easily destroy whatever reputation the twins have created within a moment's notice. Running the truth from hashikore to raccohazard. Evil comes in many forms. And as shiio takes his position seriously. They exist to subdue anything evil. Through any means.

"Oh how sad... perhaps to make you say sorry I'll inject you with my favorite blend... not enough to kill you of course... but you must repent you know."

-----

Suzano Kai

Hah?!?! Who???

She's terrified of the twins and runs at the sight of them. To hide behind Alla Breve and Madoka. Other than that, there's not much to say.

But... They are gorgeous. Just like that terrible boy from Arachninox that almost killed her and her two best friends! So she refuses to trust them.

-----

Miyako Crost

Such poor children. She weeps for their lost souls, quite literally.

Sensing the sadness within them , that rejection , that hatred... how she wishes to purge them of their sorrow. Even with Reina and Shiio's disapproval.

Can they not see that pain?! It makes her wail her heart out for them, silently as it may be. Often times she will approach them despite her looming and imposing figure. Crying. Begging for them to come with her to find salvation and happiness.

-----

Raccohazard

Christo Reddeman

Who?

He's not got them on his radar, truthfully. He deals with bigger, more important threats every day. Why should he care about two royal brats?

As far as he's concerned they're just annoying.

-----

Lyon S. Kent

Lyon is overtly friendly to all those he meets, but he knows something is off about the two.

It doesn't change his attitude any , surprisingly! He makes an effort to befriend the two , despite their oddities.

He wants to see the best in everybody. Even if he knows it's not always the best decision. Everyone deserves a chance. And kindness.

-----

Elijah Alba

Oh Hell no.

He absolutely does not want to deal with them.

He's seen his fair share of fucked up family dynamics. And dealing with that for a third time is NOT on his bucket list. He's rude toward them, telling them to buzz off whenever they come too close to raccohazard. And being armed , they should listen to him.

Elijah isn't afraid of death, but if anything threatens him or his daughter he won't hesitate to risk it all.

They're beautiful, certainly. But that's led to his downfall both times before. Third time is not the charm.

-----

Mysticana

Scott "Scooter" Davis

Ruh roh raggy! Personified.

Like Suzano he doesn't trust and fears the two. So badly to the point that Athena and Frederica will remove them from Mysticana's premises if they're spotted.

Now, scooter isn't the sharpest tool in the shed , and he has no clue that the twins can be actual bad news bears. But... he knows he wants to part of it.

He's skittish and frightened of everyone really. So it's most likely not even personal! He's... just like that.

#rsa #hashikore #mysticana #raccohazard

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thatbloodymuggle · 4 years

Text

the one with the kegger gone wrong

Tongue Tied (jj maybank) 5/?

masterlist

word count: 2.9k

warnings: panic attack, major mentions of death, really heavy shit BE WARNED

read it on wattpad

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"So we didn't see anything, we don't know anything. We need to have total and complete amnesia," Pope panicked.

The Pogues were strewn about John B's porch after witnessing the discovery of Scooter Grubb's body, the owner of the boat.

Pope sat on the couch in between Kie and Rosie. Rosie, who had her arms wrapped around her knees, nodded in agreement. While their adventure was exhilarating, she absolutely was not about to get caught.

"Actually, Pope's right for once," JJ interjected.

"For once?" Rosie scoffed under her breath

"See I agree with you sometimes," he strode across the porch, "Deny, deny, deny."

"Guys, we can't keep that money," Kie scolded him.

JJ was quick to bite back, "Not all of us can afford unlimited data plans, Kiara."

"We have to pass that off to Lana Grubbs. Otherwise it's bad karma," she argued.

Rosie furrowed her brows in contemplation. On one hand, she didn't want to be found with the money. But on the other hand, how would anyone ever know? There was so much money in that safe; and the cops had taken some for themselves, anyways.

"Wait, guys, just think about it," John B pulled Rosie from her thoughts, "this is Scooter Grubbs we're talking about. Same dude that's buying individual cigarettes at the Porthole. Shit, one time I saw this dude begging for change in the Save-A-Lot parking lot because he needed gas," his friends leaned in closer as they listened, "we're talkin' about a dirtbag marina rat who's never had more than 40 bucks in his pocket and all of a sudden he's got a Grady-White?"

The teenagers sat in silence for a moment. John B was right, it really didn't make sense. Rosie, JJ, and Kie nodded along to his words, but Pope still wasn't convinced. John B sighed, before starting again.

"Think about it, Pope. How does a marina rat get a Grady-White?"

"Prostitution," Pope deadpanned.

"Square groupers, bro," John B ignored his sarcasm. "Flying under the radar, no aerial surveillance, they don't do that stuff during a hurricane!" John B threw his arms up. "What does that mean?"

JJ cut in, "They were straight smugglin'"

"Smugglin'."

Rosie and Kie sat up in their seats as the conversation got more and more interesting. They remained quiet, but listened intently.

Pope sighed, "If that is a smuggling ship with illegal contraband inside of it, it probably belongs to someone else and they could come looking for it. So taking it would be catastrophically stupid."

JJ reached forward and snatched the wad of cash Pope had been holding, "Right. Well, stupid things have good outcomes all the time," he flashed the money.

Rosie snorted, but didn't argue.

"All we need to do is figure out a way to get into the cargo hold of that wreck. Until then we just lay low, act normal," JJ finished.

For once, Rosie agreed.

"Right," Pope spoke with skepticism, "And how exactly do we do that?"

Rosie and Kie shared a look before speaking at the same time.

"Kegger?"

And just like that, Rosie found herself hauling a large metal keg, red Solo cups, and a tap onto the Boneyard as the sun set. The teenagers made quick work of setting it up, and soon enough they found themselves filling their plastic cups to the rim with alcohol. Rosie laughed as she sprayed beer into John B's mouth, soaking his shirt in the process.

It didn't take long for other people to show. First Pogues, then Tourons who likely heard the commotion and decided to check it out. Finally, in wandered the Kooks. Rosie hated the idea of a 'class war'. It sounded so French Revolution. But she had to admit, she absolutely despised the Kooks. Growing up in a nice, sheltered home for the first few years of her life, she didn't realize the full extent of how awful they were until she'd switched schools.

Rosie leered behind John B and JJ while they poured beer for a group of boys with styled hair and polos. She sipped her beer and stared the Kooks down. For hating us, she thought, they sure like our beer.

Buzzed and bored of standing around the keg, Kie and Rosie wandered off to find their prey for the night. Kie nudged her friend and nodded to their right where two unfamiliar, attractive boys sat. Rosie gave her a knowing grin. The two girls sauntered towards the tourists, exuding confidence.

"Hello, boys," Rosie sang as she and Kie sat down on either side of them. Rosie next to a bulky brunette, and Kie next to a lankier blond.

The boy beside Rosie turned to face her with a sly grin.

"Hello, ladies," he greeted back.

Rosie glanced down at the red cup in his hand, which was nearly empty. She let out an exaggerated gasp, "Oh no! You're almost empty. Here," she poured some of the beer from her cup into his.

"Cheers," he held up his plastic cup. She clinked hers against his with an alluring smile and looped her arm through his. The smirk on his face grew as they both took a sip of beer, arms intertwined.

"Pretty name for a pretty face?" the dark-haired boy turned to face her, forgetting about the friend he'd shown up with.

Rosie inwardly scoffed at the cheesy line, but played along, "Rosie," she subtly fluttered her eyelashes and leaned closer.

He went on to introduce himself, but his name went in one ear and out the other. They continued to make small talk, occasionally flirting in-between. The sky grew darker, and Rosie found herself becoming bored of his rather mundane personality. He might've been attractive, but it seemed all he could talk about was his blossoming football career. Rosie's eyes wandered across the beach. She spotted John B, who had clearly had too much to drink. Her gaze shifted to JJ who was already staring at her with an unreadable expression. She frowned at him and held his stare for a moment until he turned away.

"Rosie?"

Rosie whipped back around to face the tourist boy, "Hmm?"

She had clearly missed his question.

He started to speak again, but Rosie's attention was pulled back to JJ and John B as she heard shouting coming from their direction.

"Dirty Pogues!"

Rosie didn't think twice about the confused boy sitting beside her. She shot up and ran over to her friends who were fighting with Topper and his goons. Rosie arrived just as John B shoved Topper backwards, full force. She watched as Pope tried to pull him back from the fight, but to no avail. Before Rosie could make a move Topper punched John B, knocking him down into the sand. A crowd formed around the scene.

"John B, no!" Rosie dashed forward in an attempt to break up the fight, but someone held her back. She looked up to find JJ, but he was focused on the scene before him. The blond had pushed her slightly behind him to keep her from intervening.

"JJ let me go, we need to stop them!" she struggled in his grip, but he wouldn't let up.

"If you go out there you're gonna get clocked. You gotta let them fight it out," he argued, before cheering on his friend. "Come on, man! That's what I'm talkin' about!"

Rosie knew he was right. She watched in horror as John B went from having the upper hand to being slammed against the ground. Topper ran over to the knocked down boy and held his face down into the water. He was drowning him.

"JJ," she hit him his side frantically. "JJ! We have to do something, he's gonna kill-"

The blond was running towards the scene before she could finish her sentence. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched him pull out the gun from earlier and hold it against Topper's head. The crowd went silent.

"JJ, no," Rosie spoke in a level tone while striding forwards. "JJ, put the gun down," she urged him just a few feet away. Sarah Cameron was freaking out and screaming at the blond Pogue, and Rosie couldn't blame her.

JJ released the Kook and threw him in the water.

Rosie's shoulders slumped in relief, only to tense up again as JJ began screaming at everyone on the beach.

"All right everyone listen up! Get the hell off our side of the island!" he shot the gun twice.

Anger overtook Rosie. She ran forward and tried to wrestle the gun out of JJ's grip. She could distantly hear her friends yelling at them, but she tuned them out.

"JJ give me the fucking gun," she seethed, pure rage taking over. He held the gun to his chest, pulling her closer.

Rosie stared into his crazed eyes, "Why don't you stop trying to be my savior and fuck off!" He shoved her full force, sending her tumbling in the sand. She watched him storm away, but the initial shock wore off and her anger returned.

Seeing red, she pulled herself out of the sand and sprinted towards him despite Pope and Kie's protests. She yanked his arm back and he whipped around to face her. Both their eyes wore matching fury.

"Let go of me," JJ seethed, shaking her off. He continued to storm forwards, but Rosie stopped him again.

"You're off the fucking rails, you psycho, I'm not letting you walk out of here with a gun," she bit back.

He turned around again, but this time walked straight at her, causing Rosie to stumble backwards. The anger in her eyes dissipated at his words.

"Just because you lost your mom doesn't mean you have to act like mine. You can't save everyone. Stop fucking trying."

JJ stomped away while Rosie stood unmoving. Her vision began to blur, and her ears started ringing. It felt like she was underwater and couldn't come back up. The girl stood there motionless, until she wasn't. She began walking blindly off the beach.

"Rosie!"

It sounded like white noise.

She walked forward