#WOO two asks down in 24 hrs

[aghostnamedcalamity]

Is Benjamin the tyoe of kid to constantly ask Mordecai if they can get a puppy?

I’d say he’s more the type of kid to sneak the puppy into his room without telling anyone and cough loudly at the dinner table to cover the sounds of the barking. And the puppy would probably be a pigeon, he loves those things. Mordecai’s hatred for them only makes them all the more forbidden fruit.

[themonkeycabal]

WandaVision Ep 4 SPOILERS

Yes, spoilers, 

Wherein I watch and say stuff that might or might not be worth reading.

After a little bit of a lackluster start, there was good story progress last week. An escalation of weird, which I appreciated. I'll probably have to relive it, because Disney doesn't want to let me skip the previously. Ever. Why are you the way you are, Disney?

Geraldine/Monica is made of whispery voices and swirling dust and such. Weird. She's sitting in a chair, sleeping, and apparently being reconstituted. She wakes to a hospital room but outside is chaos. Lots of yelling and people running about. There's like swirling dust or human confetti everywhere, and other people are being reconstituted left and right. Seems unusual. Not the sort of thing that normally happens in hospitals. Oh, are they being un-snapped? The great un-snappening. The un-snapapalooza. The fall of the snappocalypse. I'll stop. I guess we're in a flashback of sorts.

Dudes, Monica just like full on hip checked some dude into the boards. She didn't mean it, but, damn, that guy went flying. Nobody knows what's going on, it's madness. A doctor recognizes her and asks where she went and Monica's all "uh, what? I took a nap?" Napping and then snapping and then popping back into existence. Ain't that just the way? Oh, sad, her mom died while she was missing for five years. :(

Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division — please nobody expect me to remember that. They have a Cape Canaveral looking compound with multiple launch pads and a very large hanger smack in the middle. Gee how neat for them that they get to operate out in the open, Phil Coulson says (in my head) with a whole lot of sarcasm.

Oh, right, they called it the Blip. The Great Un-Blippening. That doesn't sound as good. What on earth with the massive monitors in the main lobby. Nobody likes watching the news that much. Monica is trying to brazenly walk through the front doors with a badge that doesn't work and wow, security guy is kind of a dick. Oh, she belongs there. Captain Monica Rambeau. Captain, good for her.

And now security dick is revealed to be even more dickish, since this is just after the Blip and she's trying to go back to work. Like, SWORD couldn't put out a memo "Be on the lookout for recently unblipped personnel. Don't be massive dicks to them when their security badges don't work, because of how they got blipped and all"? Also maybe a reorientation packet, or like a desk out front "Back from the Blip? Talk to Lt. Mandy Smith in HR about your reactivation options today!" I'm just spitballing here. I get it was chaotic, but that's no reason to let the unblipped get a rude welcome. It wasn't their fault Thanos was critically dumb.

Blip no longer sounds like a word.

Anyway, the acting director is fortunately there to meet her before she could drop her gloves and punch the security dick in the dick. Aww, Maria Rambeau is on the Wall of Valor, or whatever they call it at SWORD.

Things aren't going well at SWORD. The Blip put the hurt on the division. Their remaining astronaut trainees have chickened out. Oh, what if there was like crew up in orbit that got blipped and then when they unblipped five years later … yikes. Well, I'll allow the 'lost their nerve' may have a solid basis in horribleness that probably occurred around the Blip. I retract the 'chickened out' comment.

This is a very long walk-and-talk. Maria Rambeau built SWORD "from the ground up". Bless.

The Director has grounded Monica. Well, actually, her mom grounded her, making protocols in case vanished personnel one day returned. Lol. Though, I mean, I'd guess she'd know, what with Carol and all.  "I know it's a raw deal, but there is one positive takeaway. She believed you'd come back." Awww

So, she's off to deal with some sort of missing persons case in New Jersey overseeing the loan of one of their drones for the FBI. I guess Wanda will be the missing person. Yep, she's off to Westview. Which has seen better days.

Hey! It's Agent Woo! I like you Agent Woo! Did I know he was in this? I don't remember. Randall Park's great. A happy surprise.

Hmm, he has a missing witness. So, not Wanda, then. Hmm again. Agent Woo contacted known associates, family, friends — none of them have ever heard of the witness. A mystery!

Oh and there's another wrinkle.

"Pardon me Sheriff, would you mind repeating your claim about Westview to my colleague here?"

"No such place," he says, standing next to the 'Welcome to Westview" sign.

Hmmm, puzzling. Jimmy Woo can't reach anybody listed as living in town. So, wait, the town doesn't exist, except it does, but, nobody thinks it does, so where did he get the phone records for residents? The phone company was just like "here's your records for the imaginary city of Westview, all 3,000+ residents that never existed, and yet we have the numbers and we're just not going to question that". Weird.

"So you can't reach anyone inside and everyone on the outside has some sort of selective amnesia?" That does seem to be the case, Monica. Super odd. Agent Woo is very sanguine about the whole thing. He dealt with Scott Lang, I guess after that everything else is like, 'meh'.

"Why haven't' you gone inside to investigate?" A fine question, Captain.

"Because it doesn't want me to." That's just creepy, Agent Woo. "You can feel it, too, can't you? Nobody's supposed to go in." I guess this is where the drone will come in handy. Oh, it's the little helicopter that Wanda found in the bushes in the second episode. I'm going to pretend that super advanced SWORD drones would totally look like cheap RC toy helicopters. I guess that's a disguise?

Monica wants to know why she and Agent Woo are aware that Westview exists and nobody else is. Does that mean the Sheriff was standing next to the Welcome to Westview sign and just did not see it at all? He was just hanging out in the middle of nowhere with a weirdly laconic FBI agent who kept asking about the town that very clearly wasn't just right behind them? That's a little more than amnesia.  

Also, Agent Woo's hero was Elliot Ness. Of course it was.

Oh no, the drone vanished as it crossed the town line! There's an energy field around the town that looks like what happens when you push your fingers against an old monitor and get the weird pixelly rainbow. Agent Woo's all "please no touch" and Monica's all "yes, I think I'll stick my whole hand in there." And she got sucked in. Agent Woo's gotta be like "WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY EVER LISTEN TO ME?"

24 hours later. Darcy! Some sort of transport van. A trio of other suits in the back, plus Darcy. She tries to talk to one of the dudes and he's all "we're not supposed to talk to each other!" "Boy Scout leader, got it." Relax, uptight guy. Pfft, what sort of team is that? The rest give up their specialty. Aww, bless, she went into astrophysics. "We've got the full clown car." heh.

Boy Scout leader finally caving to peer pressure: "I'm a chemical engineer." Darcy: "No one cares." lol. Missed you, girlfriend!

And in 24 hours SWORD/FBI whoever have set up a little military camp. Oh a "response base". How banally euphemistic. There's like a whole bunch of agencies there, as well as Army and Air Force.

Dr. Lewis. Oh, I'm so proud. I bet Jane was over the moon. Saved from poli-sci!

Elsewhere another drone vanishes. Darcy darcys a lot at an uptight uniform who is breathing down her neck "make your assessment" and it's delightful. Darcy notices some high levels of cosmic background radiation and also something weird layered over the top of that. Hmm, she needs a tv. "An old one, like not flat." One with vacuum tubes, perhaps?

In another part of the camp, they send in a guy in a hazmat suit, down into the sewers, looking for Monica. I guess he'll be the beekeper Wanda tosses in ep 2. Jimmy Woo is not optimistic about that plan. He tells the SWORD Director all about it.

"Someone must really miss you back at Quantico." "No, sir, softball season is over." Lol.

All their high tech scanning is turning up nothing.

Uhoh, screaming. Oh, nevermind, it's the laughtrack. While everybody else was dicking around with the LIDAR, Darcy has tracked down the last tube tv in New Jersey and has tuned into the Wanda Dimension. Episode one is playing.  

Darcy is understandably particularly baffled by Vision. "Look, I know it's been a crazy few years on this planet, but he's dead right? Not blipped. Dead." Poor Vision. Alas.

Director wants to know if the broadcast is realtime or a recording. Or what? Darcy's like "how tf should I know?"

Jimmy asks the good question "So you're saying the universe created a sitcom staring two Avengers?" "It's a working theory."

Now SWORD fans out! And collects every ye olde TV on the eastern seaboard. Who doesn't love a good sitcom, amiright? (Me. Me do not love sitcoms). The Director storms off to wherever for whatever reason. I don't know, don't care. Jimmy and Darcy are on the case.

Darcy is IDing the other "characters" in the sitcom, who appear to be real people with NJ driver's liscenses, while Jimmy is wondering why the force field is hexagonal. You've got me there. And now we're montaging.

Jimmy ponders the big board of 'characters' and Darcy drops her cup o' noodles when she spots Monica in the second episode. He and Darcy discuss and he's like "is it an alternate reality, time travel, some cockamamie social experiment?" Darcy's all "it's a sitcom." A pure mystery.

Darcy comes up with the idea to reach out to Wanda via the radio in her kitchen. "Next time she's washing dishes — which by my count happens about once an episode, barf." heh. She tech babbles some and I'm very proud.

A minion agent runs up with the latest intel from the most recent episode, it's a picture of the SWORD drone that looks more retro (frankly it looks better than the 'real world' one.) Hmmm, such a puzzler. Why did it change, they wonder.  

Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo are a partnership I can totally get behind. Jimmy was the voice trying to reach Wanda. Darcy's watching the show while Jimmy's trying the radio thing. It's the second episode where Wanda's talking to Emma Caulfield and things go weird. Good. I'm glad they jumped us to the outside world by ep four. While I thought the first two eps were slow, I think maybe they'll work better once we can watch the whole thing at a go.

Dude is still crawling through the sewers. I completely forgot he was down there. And the field extends below ground and he just crawled through it and became a beekeeper, and his safety rope snapped and … became a jumprope?

And then Wanda wishes him to the cornfield. (I guess? We don't see what happens to him.)

SWORD is watching episode three.

"1950s, 1960s, and now 70s. Why does it keep switching time periods. It can't be purely for my enjoyment can it?" Guys, it's so good to see Darcy.   "I can't believe Wanda and Vision are having a baby." No really, Jimmy and Darcy, BFFS 4EVAH! They're eating chips and watching the episode. Delightful. Just delightful.

"Twins. What a twist." Jimmy gives Darcy a look. "I'm invested!"

Monica mentions Ultron and Jimmy and Darcy are like "Whoa!".

They notice the screen sort of glitches and then Monica is gone and it's the end credits. Like when Bee guy vanished. Darcy and Jimmy are confused. "Someone is censoring the broadcast." Yeah, Wanda. She's gone to the scary place, friends.

Alarms go off and they run off. But, we go into Wanda World the aspect ratio changes from 4:3 to 16:9 and it's a new angle on when Wanda went all scary at Monica, demanding to know who she is. And then, of course, she gets kicked out of Wanda World.

"Wanda, I'm just your neighbor." "Then how could you know about Ultron?"

Wanda brings up the glowy hands of scary. "You are a stranger and an outsider and right now you are trespassing here. And I want you to leave." And then she zooms Monica out through the walls and fences and fields and that looked like it probably hurt.

Oh gross. Wanda turns around and sees Dead Vision. The big hole in his head and his face all, you know, dead looking. She looks away and then he's normal when she looks back. Well, now this has turned all sad, you guys. "We can go wherever we want." "No, we can't." Sad. Poor Wanda. The aspect ratio goes back to 4:3. I’m sure Editorial was like “oh god, again?” 

"Don't worry darling, I have everything under control."

I don't think so, Wanda.

Good ep! My only real takeaway is that none of this is going to end particularly happily. 

So … Darcy and Jimmy, BFFS 4EVAH!

[drivingsideways]

WIP Wednesday

So @rain-hat​ said I should post a bit from the latest fic so she can read it (properly formatted and not in a chat window, I think??), so here’s a bit from an as yet untitled fic set post-canon verse TKEM, featuring our favourite cop-who-got-a-different-life and also orphan-who-got-a-different-life thanks to Lee Gon being a total ass. 

The White Lily Orphanage isn’t a state organization, instead it’s run by the nuns from the Sisters of the St.Paul of Chartres Convent, one of the earliest established Catholic orders in the Kingdom. It’s not a large home- they have the ability to take in around twenty children at a time, though at the moment they have only half the number. The youngest right now is a three year old ball of sunshine, Jia and the oldest is the lanky fourteen year old Jihun. Hyeon-Min has been attending Mass at the church attached to the convent with eomma since- well, since he was ten.

(God sent Prince Buyeong to us, eomma had said, having found God via the kindness of a stranger, we must be grateful.

Hyeon-min had accepted her explanation then, and now, twenty years later, he doesn’t feel the need to tarnish her faith with his cynicism. He maybe agnostic about God, but he knows that the sisters are kind, that they try to do their best by their young charges, and that’s enough.

He knows enough about the world that he believes that one of its rules should be to pass on the kindness of strangers.)

He parks his bike and grabs his gym bag with the change of clothes, noting a rather beaten up looking sedan in the parking lot. Perhaps there were some potential adopters visiting today, not a very frequent occurrence.

The rates of adoptions in Corea were low, compared to the number of children who needed families. Usually, children who lost their parents were taken in by grandparents, if they were still alive, or the parents’ siblings, if they were not. The ones who ended up in the system- they were truly society’s rejects, the ones who had no one left who cared about them; a patrilineal society obsessed with bloodlines didn’t see them as anything but an inconvenience, or a shameful secret. That their own king was an orphan was not a hypocrisy; Lee Gon was king first, orphan second.

The slack with respect to the less nobly orphaned was picked up by religious or charitable trusts, and only a little by the government. The rules governing adoption were prohibitive- Seo Ryeong had told him about the circles that eomeonim and she had to run to officially take Gyeong-ah into the family. At some point, it had come down to bribery. She’d been tight-lipped and her eyes had glinted in fury, when she’d told him,  though it had already been far enough in the past that Gyeong-ah no longer woke up crying from nightmares, and didn’t stuff her food down at each meal as though she didn’t know when she’d next get one, or try to take as little room as possible in their already tiny apartment.

Gyeong-ah usually accompanies him on these visits too, though she couldn’t make it today.

“LET ME SLEEP” she’d texted in all caps, “I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE FOR AT LEAST 24 HRS HYUNGNIM” .

He figured that meant she’d drop by when he wasn’t around.

 Jia-ya is the first one to spot him when he enters the common room, which is where the kids are normally, at this hour. She runs toward him, almost tripping on her toes, with her hands already raised high above her head. He drops the bag on the floor and swings her up, twirling her around, while she squeals delightedly. When he lowers her, she throws her arms around his neck, placing a candy-sticky kiss on his cheek.

“Hyungnim, where were you??” she demands. “You’ve gone so long that Chia forgot you”.

Chia is her favourite toy- a rather ratty looking cloth panda.

“Sorry Jia-ya” he says, “I had a lot of work”

She pouts. “Have you got chocolate?”

“Mmmhmm” he replies, nodding, “But let’s share with everyone later, ok?”

He puts her down on the floor, and turns to the others who’ve come up, all grinning, except Jihun, who’s trying to look unconcerned, remaining where he’s seated at one of the two computers, headphones in, fingers flying rapidly over the keyboard.

“Hey everyone” he says, reaching out to ruffle a head, tweak a chin. “Ready for a game?”

They’ve got a small basketball court at the back, not professional, by any means, but enough for the kids to work out some of their energy. For soccer, and other games, Gyeong-ah and he take them to a nearby sports club. Ryeong-ah had been the one who worked out a deal with the local residents association that owned the club when she’d made Assemblywoman; it was her constituency after all, and she had cultivated her relationships at local level, as much as she had in the higher echelons. Thanks to (former) Assemblywoman Koo, the kids now had access on alternate Sundays to the club. Luckily, the Sisters of St.Paul of Chartres weren’t too strict about preserving the holiness of the  Sabbath rest; as long as the kids attended Mass in the morning, the rest of the day could be spent as they wished. Today is a Sunday when they don’t have access to the sports club, so Hyeon-Min’s plans are adjusted accordingly- a game, then lunch with everyone, and then piling them all into the small van the orphanage has and taking them for ice cream, before he has to drop back at the station, just to check in on Woo Ji-hyun and Bo-Young who have the day shift today.

“Where’s Sister Lee?” he asks, and twelve-year old Su-bin pipes up “She has a visitor today” and her twin, Yun-seo adds, “He’s a handsome oppa”.

“Is he now?’ Hyeon-min grins down at her.

“Not as cool as you, hyungnim” she assures him earnestly.

“Drop the flattery” he tells her seriously, “You’re not getting an extra scoop later. Everyone go on and get changed.”

The twins and the others- Ming-yu, Jun-ho, Min-su, Seong-min, Min-ji and Eun-ji- dart off.

He picks up his bag again, heading off to the guest room to get changed, calling “Jihun-a, c’mon, let’s go” only to get a shoulder lifted in a shrug, Jihun not even bothering to look at him.

Well, he thought, that was new.

He didn’t press him, confident that Jihun would find his way out later. The problem, perhaps, was that Jihun was a few years older than the others, almost fifteen, ready for high school. The next oldest were the twins, at twelve, and the others fell between nine and eleven, except Jia, who was everybody’s darling at three.

Jihun was preparing to write the same scholarship exam that Hyeon-Min had taken all those years ago, to get into CNA. His grades at the local public school were pretty good, and he excelled especially at art- but it was a tough school to get into, given the sheer number of candidates applying, even more than when Hyeon-Min and Ryeong-ah had given the test.

Hyeon-min thought he could recognize in Jihun the same kind of hunger that he’d seen in Ryeong-ah, all those years ago. And just like all those years ago, one part of him was amazed, and proud; another was just scared for Jihun, for what the world might do to him, outside of the safety of this place. He tried to shrug the fear off- what use could it be to Jihun- and had begun helping him prepare for the test, instead.

Perhaps Jihun was upset because he hadn’t been able to come by for three weeks, although he’d spoken to him a few times on the phone and had checked in with Sister Lee as well.

When he changes into his shorts and t-shirt and comes back to check in, Jihun’s disappeared. Perhaps he’d changed his mind and decided to join the game, after all.

He’s about to duck out of the room, when Sister Lee comes in accompanied by a young man- the “handsome oppa” of Yun-seo’s description, clearly.

“Ah, Inspector Kang” she says, giving him her usual warm smile. “Good morning. You finally have a day off, I see.”

“Good morning, Sister Lee” he greets her, bowing.

She turns to the man with her.

“This is Senior Inspector Kang Hyeon-min from Busan PD” she says, and the man gives him a strangely assessing look, and bows. He’s fair, slightly shorter than Hyeon-Min, a dark eyes and a sharp nose in a square-jawed face. The glasses and the clothes- a light blue button down shirt that’s unbuttoned at the collar over khaki slacks,  give him the look of a librarian on vacation. He’s probably a few years younger than Hyeon-Min.

“I’m Kim Jun-Yeong” he says, bowing toward Hyeon-Min.

“Mr.Kim teaches art at the school” she says, meaning the local public school all the kids here attend. “He came by to talk about Jihun.”

“Is something the matter?” Hyeon-min asks, immediately. “Is Jihun in trouble?”

“Nothing like that” Mr.Kim says, with a smile. “In fact, I came by to chat with Sister Lee about Jihun’s future plans. He told me that he was preparing for admission at CNA.”

Hyeon-Min nods. “I’m trying to help out” he says. “When I can.”

“Inspector Kang has been a huge support to the children here for years” Sister Lee says, giving him another warm smile. “And since he’s a CNA alumnus himself, he’s probably the best suited to help Jihun ace the exam.”

“Yes, of course”, Mr.Kim says, adding, “Jihun-a has told me a lot about you already, Senior Inspector Kang.”

“Oh” says Hyeon-Min, politely, “He’s never mentioned you to me.”

Something wry passes over Mr. Kim’s face at that, and it makes Hyeon-min feel a little silly.

“Mr. Kim is of the opinion that Jihun should perhaps try for an art school later” Sister Lee says, “And finish high school at some school less demanding than CNA, Kang-ssi”.

“Did Jihun-a say that’s what he wants to do?” Hyeon-min asks, stunned. Jihun had never mentioned it to him.

There’s an awkward silence.

“He did seem open to the idea” Mr.Kim says, sounding a little apologetic. “He started asking me about art schools and scholarships a while ago. I didn’t know then that you were already preparing him for the CNA entrance.”

‘But” says Hyeon-min, feeling like the rug had been pulled from under his feet.

Sister Lee says, thoughtfully, “Perhaps he was uncomfortable bringing it up with me or you, Kang-ssi.”

“We never forced him”, Hyeon-min feels compelled to protest.

“Jihun-a admires you a lot, Kang-ssi” Mr.Kim murmurs, “It is but natural he would want to follow in your footsteps.”

Hyeon-min looks at him and meets that calmly assessing look again.

“Did he ask you to meet Sister Lee and talk about this?”

“No” says Mr.Kim, “He didn’t. In fact, I think he was a little upset when he saw me today.”

Well, that explained earlier, Hyeon-Min realizes.

“Will you—” starts Sister Lee, nodding toward back, from where they can already here the shouts of the children.

“Yes” Hyeon-Min answers. “I’ll have a chat with him.”

“Good” she says, smiling again at him. “I’ll talk to him later as well.”

She turns to the teacher.

“Mr.Kim, I really appreciate your dropping by. It’s not often we get teachers who are so concerned with the well-being of our students.”

Mr.Kim says, quietly, “I was brought up in a home too- not as good as this one” he adds. “I know what it’s like.”

Oh.

Well, now, Hyeon-Min feels like a total piece of shit.

“Thank you, Kim-ssi” he says, and tries to infuse it with something more than stiff formality.

Mr.Kim gives him a short nod.

“I’d better head over before the fighting starts” Hyeon-min says, giving Sister Lee a smile. “I’ll see you at lunch, Sister Lee.”

They part ways, and when Hyeon-min reaches the court just in time to stop Min-ji from punching Eun-ji in the face, he sees that Jihun is there as well, but sitting on the side-lines, playing with Jia, although he’s changed into game clothes as well.

He darts a glance at Hyeon-min and then quickly looks away, flushing.

Hyeon-min jogs up to him.

“Get in” he says, clapping him on the back, “So I don’t have to keep the peace all by myself”

Jihun looks up at him, uncertain, as though he’d expected Hyeon-min to be- angry- with him.

“Jihun-a” he says, holding out a hand toward him, “ C’mon.”

Jihun takes his hand and lets himself be hauled up, and Hyeon-min even manages to get a one-armed hug in before he scampers off, suddenly cheerful.

 It’s a good game, and after, as they’re all chattering at the lunch table, Gyeong-ah comes in and plonks herself down opposite the twins, and they stuff themselves to the gills before piling into the van.

Gyeong-ah’s driving, and as they pull out of the gate, Hyeon-min notices a black Hummer parked in the alley, five cars away,  the glasses shaded so dark, he can’t see inside.

He has an idle moment of wondering what a car like that was doing in the neighbourhood but is distracted by Jia-ya climbing into his lap to tell him all about Chia’s adventures in the place she calls “Funderland” (like Wonderland, but fun, she insists).

 On the way back, Gyeong-ah drives again, and this time the kids are mostly in a food coma, some of them burping softly, sprawling on the seats, so he gets a chance to talk to Jihun, settling beside him, right at the back.

“So” he says, “art school, huh?”

Jihun glances at him quickly and then away, head bent.

“Do you know which ones you’re interested in?”

Jihun looks up then.

“You’re not angry?” he asks, uncertainty writ large on his young face.

“Just surprised” Hyeon-min admits. “Why didn’t you ever tell me or Sister Lee? You know we wouldn’t have stopped you.”

He shrugs, looking away.

“Everyone’s expecting me to become the first CNA graduate from the home” he says, softly. “All these years”.

“Nobody wants you to be anything other than happy, Jihun-a” Hyeon-min contradicts him, gently. “I’m sorry if I ever gave you any other idea.”

Jihun turns to him.

“I did think I wanted that too” he says, candidly. “But then—I don’t know, hyungnim, frankly, it sounds like an awful place in other ways.”

“Who’ve you been talking to?” Hyeon-min asks, surprised, because he’d never said anything to Jihun about it other than good things about the academics, and the opportunities it would open up for him.

Jihun gives him a pitying look.

“Hyungnim” he says, “You know the internet is a thing right? Or was it not a thing when you were young?”

“Hey” he says, “I’m thirty-one, not a dinosaur.”

Jihun looks unconvinced.

“Student forums” he says, helpfully. “And even Mr.Kim—”

“Mr.Kim went to CNA?” Hyeon-min asks, surprised again.

“No” says Jihun, “But I think he knows people. He’s a teacher, right, he knows this stuff.”

“Hmm” says Hyeon-min, miffed.

Jihun eyes him again. “Are you angry I didn’t tell you, but I told Mr.Kim?”

Wow, Hyeon-min thinks, dissected by a fourteen-year old, wonderful.

“Don’t give me your backchat, Jihun-a” he says, and Jihun grins at him.

Hyeon-min diverts the talk into the art schools he’s interested in, and they spend the rest of the ride like that.

 Later, before Gyeong-ah and he head off, they have a talk with Sister Lee.

Sister Lee Jeong-hui- or “Dragon Lady” as Gyeong-ah liked to call her- was a petite woman with delicate wrists, and long fingered hands that poked out of the sleeves of her habit. Unlike most of her contemporaries, she’d joined the Order, not as a young girl, but in her mid-thirties, after making a name for herself as a labour rights lawyer, working up north, in the mining communities. She��d moved to Busan when her health took a downturn- her asthma was something terrible- and she’d been shunted around the diocese until ending up at the orphanage ten years ago. She’d taken one look at the lackadaisical administration of the Orphanage- then run by Sister Pa, who was already in her seventies, taken a deep breath, and got to work. She’d transformed the place, scrounging funding wherever she could- sometimes by just persistently annoying the powers that be- and was currently in a long drawn out battle with the Bishop of the Diocese over her demand that they expand their current home to start a support home for single mothers- the people most likely to abandon their children, for lack of resources and societal stigma.

They talk about her latest efforts in that direction, after Hyeon-min tells her about his conversation with Jihun.

“Thank you Inspector Kang” she says, softly, “I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

“Of course not” he says, staunchly, though perhaps he was, a little. “Jihun’s going to be great at whatever he does.”

“Yes” she agrees, a fond smile transforming her rather grave face into loveliness. “He’s a blessed child”.

“Anyway” she says, sighing, “Perhaps it’s just as well. Even with a scholarship, funding for other expenses would have always been a tension. This way, we have some time to prepare before he goes to art school.”

Gyeong-ah says, “What did the Welfare Association say?”

When the Diocese had hummed-and-hawed about the home for women, Sister Lee had turned elsewhere.

Sister Lee makes a rather un-saintly face. “That government policy doesn’t include- and you won’t believe this, or perhaps you will- doesn’t include subsidizing and rewarding irresponsible behaviour”.

“I thought Ryeong-ah said they had a specific budget for women’s welfare” Gyeong-ah says, hotly. “They can’t deny it only to some women, can they? Plus it’s a discretionary budget.”

Sister Lee sighs. “Child, I don’t know if I have the energy to fight that battle right now. If we had someone on the Committee there- but it’s all bureaucrats who think of it as a sinecure position really…”

She shrugs, and pats Gyeong-ah’s shoulder, comforting.

“I’m not giving up, Seo-Gyeong” she says, “Not yet.”

They bid her goodbye.

 As she puts on her helmet and climbs onto the bike, Gyeong-ah says, abruptly, “Sometimes I’m so angry with unnie for what she did- because she fucked up her chance to help people like Sister Lee, who really need her”.

“ Song & Kim will get her out” he says, “Right?”

“But what about after?” she argues, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Her political career is probably over.”

“It’s never over with Ryeong-ah” he reminds her, belting his own helmet, and adjusting the strap of his gym bag over his jacket.

As they drive out of the gate, he sees that the Hummer isn’t there anymore.

[bamxxvillexx66]

Make it right (This was requested by @jonationality)

Every night since the Garden incident with Enzo and Big Cass, Marty has been tossing and turning from a nightmare that didn't seem real at first but only got worst as the months went on. The nightmare would start off the same everytime: Marty is at the top of the ladder reaching out for the Ring Of Honor World Heavyweight championship that hung above him. Right as his finger tips graze the gold lining of the strap, Enzo and Cass are fighting everyone from both company rosters below him. Somewhere in the shuffle, Brody can be seen yelling at Marty to hurry up while there is still time left. Just like the real thing, Marty turns to look up at the belt to only to be greeted by Matt Taven punching him in his face.

In slow motion Marty falls down like Mufasa trying to reach out to the ladder and the belt but visual of both fade as he is swallowed whole by the briar patch. Voices of Tama yelling backstage about how the ROH tag belts ain't worth shit, Okada yelling at how disrespectful Americans are is being translated by a translator, Briscoes and Bully Ray asking how the hell wwe rejects was allowed into the building. As the fall almost came to an end, familiar faces showed up saying to each other in a visible whisper "How could he stay?" "He should have came with us." "His time was now and now it's never."

When Marty finally hit the ring mat from his long fall, he laid there sobbing at everything that was true. Since that event, tensions with both companies had been strained severely. Marty sent the talent bookings office text messages and even gave them phone calls about the next time he can come; he got the same soft response that wasn't rude but clearly wasn't pleasant. "Oh Marty-san we would love to have you come back but right now, but we only have room for you in the BOSJ tournament. If anything should happen to anyone or if a spot so happily opened up; we will call you asap." "You're talented and your time will come but right now your purpose is higher than this match young Martin." A voice that was angelic like rang from above as Marty woke up in a cold sweat. He ran his fingers through his semi wet hair and thought about who could that voice be.

As the new year was approaching fast, a lot of contracts signings was happening and Marty was next in line to see Mr. ROH who told Marty to show up dressing shap. As confused Marty was about this request, he wasted no time putting on his finest suit that can make anyone come out of their clothes on. A few spritz of his favorite date night cologne was definitely enough for him to seal the deal for when he was planning on negotiating the terms of his new contract. Marty looked himself over in the mirror and smiled as he can feel that today was going to be the best day for the rest of his life. "Knock 'em dead tiger." Brody said looking at his tag partner from across the room. Marty blushed at the comment and proceeded to head for Mr. ROH's office. Even though Marty had a feeling things was going to work in his favor, his nerves started up.

Two light knocked ran across the door as Mr. ROH placed a copy of Marty's new contract down on his desk. "Come in" "You wanted to see me, sir?" Marty said slowly walking into the room. Mr. ROH's face lit up as he saw Marty looking snazzy. "Sit me boy, we have lots to discuss." For 25 mins, Mr ROH read Marty all of his perks to his new contract and then slowly brought his ending statement around to the idea of Marty being the global ambassador of ROH. At first the idea scared Marty as he knew that NJPW wasn't taking any calls from anyone affiliated with ROH, but then again he was given a role of power which could make NJPW see ROH has fixed their issues. "Now all you got to do is sign the contract and you will be on the first flight out to Japan, ready to have a meeting with Mr. NJPW." "Why not, what the hell" Marty said grabbing the pen off the table and signed his government name.

The next 24 hrs for Marty was just like how Mr. ROH promised. Marty was on a flight straight to Japan. The kind words from his nightmare started to buzz around his head as he looked out the window. Hours later Marty landed in Japan and was greeted by Masa who was told about Marty's arrival by Mr. ROH. "Masa my old friend; it's good to see you" Marty said hugging Masa. "I miss you soo much Marti-chan!" Masa called a taxi and informed Marty that he will be accompanying him to the meeting as a sponsor and translator. The taxi dropped them off at the hotel and Masa lead Marty to his room that he already brought for him. "You rest up now and at 5:30 pm we will be having dinner with Mr. NJPW so you can discuss business." Masa said as he handed over the room key to Marty.

4:00 pm came and Marty was already dressed but was going over what he was going to say at dinner. His nerves was kicking in as he never personally delt with Mr. NJPW before; only Harold but he had left the company a few months ago. "So you're the new global ambassador for ROH?" Marty can hear Flip's voice echoing in his head. Flip wasn't mad at Marty as the position only seemed right for his older friend. Everyone backstage always told Marty that he was the sweetheart of the company after Bucks left. Dispite many bad management moves on ROH's part and Marty questioning his own fate, he still keep his emotions at check and treated everyone with respect. As reality came back to him, Marty tossed his cue cards and smiled at what he knew what will win the owner of NJ over.

Masa came and picked Marty up from the hotel and off they was to the local pepper pot place. The hostess lead both men to a table in the back. After 20 mins of waiting, the owner Mr. NJPW came joining the boys at the table with his translator. Masa placed the order for food and drinks. Marty couldn't take his eyes off of Mr. NJPW as this was his first time seeing him in person despite being in NJPW for so long. He looked just like the lion mark that greeted him everytime he had a match in Japan. "Masa thank you for bring Marti-chan here and I relieve you of your duties." Mr. NJ's translator said. Masa asked for a to-go order and lefted the table. Marty was confused as to why Masa was asked to leave. Mr. NJPW looked at Marty up and down and started to speak to his translator. "He said he is glad that you came back to Japan and he would like to hear your sweet singing voice. The boys talk about the elite show that Kenny-san and the young bucks had and our favorite episodes are with you singing." The translator said to Marty's suprise. "Um thank you" Marty said unsure of what's happening. The translator told Mr. NJPW what Marty's response was and a warm smile came across his face. "Eat and drink up now and we will go to karaoke after dinner."

At Karaoke Marty and Mr. NJPW was hitting it off well as both men was tipsy. The translator was recording the whole thing watching both men sing silly pop songs. Mr. NJPW knew a few english songs and was cutting loose. Marty hadn't had this much fun in Japan since BOSJ. The translator helped both men out of the karaoke bar and into a taxi. Mr. NJPW was in no shape to go home to his family and Marty's hotel room seemed viable. Both men laughed and giggled uncontrollably as a pop song played over the radio. At the hotel, all 3 men was chatting about wrestling as they walked to the room. Marty unlocked the door and all 3 headed inside. The translator laid his boss down onto the Japanese silk coved bed. "I feel like ROH feels bad about Madison Square garden and our locker room ain't same without the boys." Marty said as he took off his suit clothes. The translator recited Marty's sentence back to Mr. NJPW as he then too agreed with what Marty said. Marty took off his translucent ray ban sunglasses and sat them on the night stand. His greenish grey eyes sparkling in the dim light as he layed his big ass head on the Japanese silk coved pillows. Mr. NJPW never lost his cold lion mark gaze. "Supercard of honor would be a perfect time for the return of NJ's finest wrestlers to duke it out with ROH's." The translator relayed Marty's heartfelt plead and then Mr. NJPW looked Marty into the pits of his soul which made Marty scared as to what his answer might be. "May ROH borrow your most finest wrestlers you have?" He said batting his eye lashes. Mr NJPW responded with a simple "Yes". Both men fell asleep and the translator laid down on the floor.

By mourning time, Marty woke up to a thick contract signed by Mr. NJPW and a note that read: "Had a great time last night and I see wrestling is in your blood. Please accept this renewal of NJPW's working contract as a token of our appreciation for you coming and making up amends with us." Marty jumped up and down in celebration as his charms woo'-ed the pants off Mr. NJPW.

Days later Marty arrived to Mr. ROH's office with the contract in hand as he smiled. "So is it done?" Mr. ROH asked in anticipation. "Yes it is" Marty handing over the contract. "See this is why I picked you!!" Mr. ROH said as his eyes glittered at the big lion mark that stood proudly on the cover page. "Now I leave all future bookings of all up coming ROH shows in your hands; especially Supercard of honor." Marty's face glowed as he thanked Mr. ROH for the opportunity to help the company in a trying time of need.

As Marty left the office his phone was buzzing with text messages from Mr. NJPW's translator. "Please come back to Japan asap because the boys in the locker room can't get enough of your karaoke video and the boss will like to offer your own karaoke set when you comeback." Marty smiled at the fact someone appreciated him for his angelic singing voice.

[sws-misadventures]

sws for the band asks?

Another anon asked this so I’m just gonna reply to this one!!Favourite album: hands down With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear like wow what a great album!!Least favourite album: Gossip lmaooo Favourite song: If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn like this is the first sws song I fell in love with and I think it will always be my fave tbh (I’m also a huuuge fan of With Ears To See both the original and the acoustic like wow what an amazing song) Least favourite song: Legends hahah what a joke like wow I probs sound like a “fake fan” but I really strongly dislike it my god. That and The Strays I cant deal w that song either I’m sorry (also War like smh don’t get me started) (this is bad I love this band a lot but this post is hell negative yikess)Favourite member and why?: Kellin Quorn, I mean he’s an ass but I also love him he’s super cute and funny and just yea idk also I love his voice like wow gives me chills. I drag him a lot and he makes me mad but I’m a huge stan rip (if you asked me this a month ago I would’ve given a huge paragraph but I’ve stopped myself lmao) alsoo I really like Gabe he’s the best Have I seen them live: no :(( honestly they better come to Aus it’s been over two years like wyd sws I’m mad get over here and actually come to my state again pls ffs Do I own any merch?: Yepp I have two tees, three posters, five vinyls and I have another tee coming that I ordered wooIf I had 24 hrs to hang with one member who would it be and why?: The first thing that comes to mind is getting pizza with Kellin and then going to an amusement park idk why but yeah sounds g lmaoTy for asking 💕 also guys stop asking for ptv and sws pls, give me other bands !! lmao

[cryptoga-blog]

Confusion and Euphoria As Bitcoin Money Surges Previous $30 Billion

http://www.cryptoga.com/news/confusion-and-euphoria-as-bitcoin-money-surges-previous-30-billion/

Confusion and Euphoria As Bitcoin Money Surges Previous $30 Billion

“BITCOIN Money IS BITCOIN NOW.”

Issued by Li Ang, head of China-primarily based bitcoin mining outfit Canoe Pool, the proclamation could not be distinguishable from typical cryptocurrency banter. Even so, the variance this time about is the context.

No idle assertion, Ang’s comment arrives amid what can only be characterized as 1 of the greatest migrations of capital nevertheless found in the nascent asset course. Billions are on the shift in the crypto markets, and it can be plainly observable where by the resources are headed.

Soon after hitting a document substantial higher than $800 on Friday, the price of bitcoin cash, the different cryptocurrency forked from the bitcoin blockchain in August, has doubled inside of 24 hrs, hitting a substantial of $1,856 in accordance to figures from details firm CoinMarketCap. At that price, bitcoin cash is now valued at much more than $30 billion, passing ethereum for next-put standing in the sector.

The shift follows the sudden decision this 7 days by a team of businesses and mining pools to suspend an effort and hard work to adjust the rules of the bitcoin software package. Referred to as Segwit2x, or basically ‘2x’ by some, the effort and hard work would have amplified bitcoin’s block measurement – 1 way by which its transaction potential can be measured.

But even though bitcoin’s developers and technologists lauded the shift, miners and entrepreneurs lamented what they described to CoinDesk as a decision that would encourage many others to migrate to blockchains much more accommodating to their tips and beliefs. And if it was unclear at the time which options would gain, bitcoin cash is currently proving the major beneficiary.

Early and active in migrating help seems to be bitcoin’s miners.

In accordance to details from Fork.lol, at around 4:30 UTC on Sunday the overall quantity of mining energy backing the bitcoin cash blockchain surpassed that of the bitcoin blockchain.

When asked about the shift Jiang Zhuoer, founder of bitcoin mining pool BTC.Leading, said basically that “2x admirers” are relocating both of those resources and mining components to bitcoin cash.

“BTC is likely to die,” Zhuoer said. Hapio Yang, CEO of mining pool operator ViaBTC, responded similarly, indicating he believes that businesses and traders are now migrating resources to bitcoin cash.

“I assume much more and much more bitcoin holders are starting to have an understanding of what is the real bitcoin,” he said by means of WeChat.

Doom sellers

In truth, spurred by a sudden adjust in sector outlook, bitcoin cash supporters appeared emboldened in their remarks.

Jake Smith, normal manager of cryptocurrency world-wide-web portal Bitcoin.com, individual by investor and block measurement enhance advocate Roger Ver, doubled down on the concept that the new expense bucks stand for much more than a speculative migration in the sector soon to go.

Smith noted that with the price strengthen bitcoin cash’s benefit proposition can only now be strengthened by what he categorized as its ultimate general performance increases over the bitcoin blockchain.

“I assume a beneficial feedback loop has been developed. This is waking men and women up to the shaky foundations BTC is crafted on,” he said.

Smith went so much as to explain the typical doomsday situation predicted by those people supporting larger blocks – that bitcoin’s transaction backlog will keep on to develop, its transactions will turn out to be much more expensive, and that these two aspects will minimize user expertise forcing users to migrate.

Other supporters like bitcoin cash developer Juan Garavaglia chalked up the day’s price actions to “much better organizing” by those people utilizing the protocol.

“Bitcoin Main is not able to execute, has a weak roadmap [and is] disconnected with sector wants,” Garavaglia said. “We can execute, we have easy coordination with crucial sector actors and we deal with sector wants.”

Identical suspicions

If those people offers audio common, so, much too, was the rhetoric from those people who were much more apt to examine the bitcoin cash price actions with much more incredulity.

Jack Liao, the CEO of Hong Kong-primarily based mining firm LightningASIC, for instance, sought to body the concept that the bitcoin cash price enhance represented any real uptick in interest in the challenge as “overall bullshit.”

One particular of the leaders at the rear of the bitcoin gold cryptocurrency, set to start tomorrow, Liao has been a noted critic of bitcoin’s mining operators, in certain, Bitmain, 1 of the industry’s premier sellers of specialized mining chips and the operator of various mining pools.

For those people next the scaling debate, Bitmain’s carry out has been 1 of the larger contentious narrative factors, and Liao (like many others) believes the explosion found in the bitcoin cash sector benefit is very little much more than an orchestrated bid by the firm (and its supporters) to prop up the sector

“A lot of, a lot of traders just see the adjust in hash charge,” he said. “But they are unable to help this kind of a significant bitcoin cash price.”

Beijing-primarily based over-the-counter Zhao Dong reported a equivalent sentiment in some circles, crediting the price to manipulation by miners and traders who have supported Segwit2x and bitcoin cash in the earlier. Bitmain and Ver were both of those signatories of the settlement that sparked the 2x software package.

“They have money, they have hash energy, they have all the things need to pump the bitcoin cash price,” he said.

Swing states

Nevertheless, that is not to say the response was broken together partisan traces.

Willy Woo, lately named 1 of CoinDesk’s Leading 5 Token Analysts of 2017, sees the price shift as potentially 1 to enjoy. In distinction to other different cryptocurrencies that he said could lack benefit propositions, he went so much as to coloration bitcoin cash as a much more nuanced option.

“It really is backed by a large amount of money from China controlling its price and supporting its network. If you obtain bitcoin cash, you are betting that China wishes it to dominate. That’s a strategic and geopolitical guess,” he informed CoinDesk.

Bobby Lee, CEO of mining pool and exchange operator BTCC, experienced a equivalent response. Lengthy a small business that supported the Segwit2x proposal to improve the blockchain, he reads the price strengthen in bitcoin cash as an apparent side result of the decision to block that adjust.

Although he acknowledged it can be nevertheless to be found irrespective of whether this weekend’s actions quantity to anything at all much more than a speedy speculative fervor, he still hinted the situation stays 1 he’ll be looking at and observing.

Of certain issue for Lee – and many others – is the drop in bitcoin’s overall mining energy.

Lee went so much as to propose that any continuing drop in this metric could cut into an attribute that has customarily been 1 of the cryptocurrency’s defining traits.

Lee concluded:

“If BTC’s hash energy proceeds to fall, then I do assume BTC has long-term difficulty.”

Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Forex Team, which has an ownership stake in BTCC.

Bitcoin close-up by means of Shutterstock

The chief in blockchain news, CoinDesk is an impartial media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic requirements and abides by a stringent set of editorial policies. Have breaking news or a story tip to deliver to our journalists? Call us at news@coindesk.com.

Disclaimer: This post should really not be taken as, and is not meant to give, expense advice. You should carry out your individual complete study just before investing in any cryptocurrency.