#also posting this on both blogs jic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

luuxxart · 4 years

Text

i made like four pieces of concept art for a stranger things/star wars AU so as promised here’s the actual notes behind them (+ like a small stoncy sketch at the end)

whats the plan?

Originally, it was gonna be a fanfic(might still be) but im considering a comic format? but moreso in the style of Homestuck/MSPA bc im shit at keeping up w a background

so if i did that itd probably be a side blog

but i have like

so many projects on backburners and idk enough abt star wars to even pull it off

i watched uhhhhhh 1,3,4,5,6,7, and 9, solo, and the mandalorian

so like what the hell is the plot anyway?

when it was going to be in a fanfiction format, i was going to make it revolve around Robin(naturally, she’s my favorite character) and Steve(who is my second favorite) so it revolves around them, but i might change that

anyway

Missions start flooding a local bounty hunter guild concerning reports of kids being taken from planets by a group of people nicknamed “Scoopers” to be pitted against one another in an underground fight club. The mission to uncover the operation falls on the head of the guild, Hopper(who’s a washed-up Mandalorian bc i said so). Robin, a rookie bounty hunter, catches wind of the operation and persuades Hopper to take her with him on the mission.

Meanwhile, Steve(a spice runner) is on his way to his next client, who just so happen to be the “Scoopers”.

they all meet at the base and things happen. cant spoil jic this is something i end up pursuing

so what are the robin notes

ngl fam i got shit for robin haha shes just the everyman trope for the story

probably an orphan in this story? but def not a Mandalorian of any sort

her suit is a combo of Samus’ light suit and Valkyrie’s costume from Ragnarok. (and in a way, metal sonic and mega man bc im trash)

she really wants a T4-M33 navigator droid

you got any steve notes?

BOY DO I EVER!

you’re just in luck bc *slaps the roof of this post* this baby can fit so many steve notes in it

on his homeplanet(its probably named Hawkins), he underwent knight training along w Nancy and Jonathan.

(you might notice some similarities between his outfit and the ones Mike and the other kids wear in the previous post)

Steve and Nancy were very much together, and they were the top knights in the program. Both were up for the position of the prince’s personal knight. The identity of the prince, until coronation, was unknown to the public, and so when Jonathan selected Nancy for his personal knight, Steve skipped town, and eventually, skipped planet altogether.

but he didnt plan ahead, almost got his ass handed to him by some ex-hutts, and scrambled back to Hawkins. Joyce, who i think would be accurate to describe as the Queen Matron of Hawkins, gave him a chance to work at least as a top officer.

during his return to Hawkins, Nancy gave him a pretty cold shoulder, only adding to Steve’s sense of displacement.

he was given the task of hunting down some spice runners who’d stolen a bounty from one of their quarries, and fueled by resentment, he joined them instead.

on one of his spice runs, he came across a rather wealthy Wookie family. he noticed, however, their son was rather sheltered, and took a keen interest in the business Steve had come into

it took him exactly three weeks for him to realize the kid had snuck onto his ship. the disappearing rations didnt occur to him until the packs were near empty.

he decided to take him with him on his spice run when the kid expressed extreme turmoil at home with his magnate family. but Steve sees himself more as the babysitter friend than the mom friend, having made a silent vow to return the kid(which was promised to himself after one adventure, which turned into five, and now they’re up to fifty. It’s been a couple years.)

so now he just does spice runs w dustin bc every story needs a lone star and a barf— i mean a han solo and chewie

god will anyone ever think of the children

no bc the teens are more interesting in s2-3 imo

except eleven, she’s always great

but since u asked

Mike, Will, Lucas, and Max are all going through knight training on Hawkins. Lumax is a thing, and Byler is starting to be.

i dont get caught up in those ships too much and just try to go w whats canon since they’re kids for the most part

the whole plot kicks off w Mike and Will getting kidnapped(well, mostly Will and Mike just so happens to be there so he’s taken too)

and Lucas and Max go after them.

At the underground fight club they’re taken to, Mike befriends the top fighter who’s named Eleven because she’s the 11th force user they’ve managed to find. and eleven is,, dare i say,, unusually strong in the force

Nancy can use the force, Jonathan and Mike can’t. Will is force sensitive.

i guess i should mention if its not already obvious but Lucas is a Rodian and Max is a Twi-lek

ok yeah thats cool but what about billy

nothing about billy. or kali. for now

or barb

but they do exist in this au.

theyre also wips tho haha

so what now

nothing. for now

if u wanna know more drop me an ask and i’ll elaborate

until then i’ll probably do something for this once my robali fic on ao3 is finished.

anyway thanks for readin my nonsense heres a stoncy sketch for ur troubles

#stranger things #star wars #milven #byler #stoncy #lumax #im not tagging all these names again im too lazy #stswau #<-- thats my tag for this in case i do something more in the future for it

21 notes · View notes

crowned-ladybug · 5 years

Text

I’ve been meaning to get around to this for ages and I’m finally doing it now. So: since I’m not gonna write a fic on it probably (def not on the entire thing), here’s what happens after the end of That Sad Rivals Fic I Posted The Other Day

Warning: it is Long. Like, 5k words long.

Actual warning: blood, injury, self-esteem issues

OC blog is @menagerie-of-morons

The first one to notice that Jackie’s unconscious is ofc Marvin, thanks to the whole magic thing. He doesn’t actually immediately Know he’s out, just that Something Changed and when he looks down and sees his eyes closed + that he doesn’t react to being moved he realises what’s up and he swears his heart stops for a moment

Having Jackie injured and bloody and out cold in his arms brings up some Bad Memories

He starts looking rapidly between Stephen and Jackie, and at this point he’s in full Panic Mode and would probably be screaming and crying if they were alone

Stephen catches on p much immediately too, this whole thing goes down in the matter of seconds. He tries his best to stay calm or at least Look calm and keep his voice steady as he orders Teddy, Chase and Anraí to stay back (they can linger just pls don’t get in the way) and Marvin to help him carry Jackie to the lil infirmary connected to Stephen’s office

It ends up as just Marvin carrying Jackie bc can you imagine trying to pry him away from Marvin now? You literally can’t

Teddy, Anraí and Chase wait outside the door all crammed together to see what’s going on and Anraí slowly drapes himself over the other two bc they’re all scared and need the comfort. Teddy absently pets his head and Anraí almost cries (he’s trying really hard not to)

Marvin gets to help with healing this time but Stephen tells him right at the start that the moment he doesn’t do as he’s told (unspokenly mostly referring to “stop pushing yourself too far”) Stephen will force him to leave and that’s more than enough to make Marvin behave bc goddamn does he Not Want To Leave, Ever

The whole healing and patching up goes by in a blur bc they’re all just tired and confused and scared and running mostly on adrenaline. Stephen is used to this as much as he can be, and Marvin is so emotionally fucked up and sees so much blood everywhere it kinda loses meaning to him after a while (yknow like when you say a word so much it doesn’t sound like a word anymore? That.) At the door, Chase eventually turns around despite feeling shit about it and just hugs Anraí for comfort bc he just can’t watch, and after a while Teddy too looks at random corners and equipment in the room more than at what’s going on at the bed. Anraí can watch but it’s in part thanks to how unfamiliar he is with human anatomy

Marvin only dares speak once they’re all done, Jackie is all bandaged up and stitched together and magically healed to some extent. It’s mostly hiccups bc of how much he’s been crying and he asks wtf could have even happened?? And Stephen just sighs and he sounds and looks So Tired and says he wishes they knew but maybe they’ll find out when Jackie wakes up

Stephen knows better than to try to force Marvin to leave this time

He looks So Miserable and Stephen’s heart breaks for him bc here’s this proud ass goddamn Idiot he normally loves getting into playful arguments with and calling out for his bullshit, and who’s normally so dignified and smooth and a lil smug, and even when he’s not he’s full of brightness and fuckin fondness, all that fondness he somehow collected along the way - and now he looks so broken and small. He’s shaking and crying and barely daring to look away from Jackie, let alone let go of him, and it’s so heartbreaking seeing someone usually so collected and happy and content so fucked up.

And it runs through his head that Marvin’s gonna be all dehydrated now from all this crying, and he can’t allow that. He also can’t allow him to just stay sitting balanced on the edge of the bed bc he’s too tired to stand but doesn’t wanna take up too much space or disturb Jackie.

They have an armchair in the infirmary I shit you not. It has wheels and they keep it in a corner covered with a sheet when they don’t need it but they knew one day they Would need it bc there’d come another day when someone gets badly hurt and someone else wants to sit vigil by their side, and they might as well do that not entirely horribly uncomfortable. And so they got an armchair in the infirmary.

So Stephen gets the armchair and denies all help offered by Marvin bc he’s not sure if there’s anything more than meets the eye with the constant touching (he’s Smart, okay?) or if it’s just bc of how anxious and exhausted Marvin is, but either way he doesn’t wanna make him let go of Jackie’s hand if he doesn’t need to, for everyone’s sake.

So he pushes the armchair over and tugs Marvin into sitting in it and Marvin immediately curls up against the armrest of it while still holding Jackie’s hand.

And fuck, Stephen is so tired, but he’s gotta take care of all these scared kids first, he can’t rest until he knows they’ll all be okay. He asks the Door Gang if someone could go get them, mostly Marvin, some stuff – a blanket and pillow or two, a bottle of something to drink, Marvin’s phone and/or 3DS and a good book, so that they can both distract themselves. And maybe a change of clothes bc they both got p bloody.

Bc Stephen doesn’t feel ready to let Jackie out of his sight yet either.

Chase immediately volunteers for the fetch quest bc he’s glad to be helpful and Do Something aside from staring at all his friends looking so broken and small. And now Anraí is torn, bc he doesn’t know if he should stay and watch over everyone in the infirmary or to go with Chase to help him (and watch over Him), until Teddy pats his arm and tells him he’s got it covered here, he should go with Chase. So he does.

They come back with the best blankets and pillows in the house, and as comfortable clothes as they could find, and Marvin’s black cat plushie, and orange juice, and even remember to bring chargers for both phones And the 3DS. And then Anraí runs off again, then comes right back and takes Chase too bc he’s still p clueless in the kitchen, and then they come back a lil later with a pot of freshly brewed tea and mugs and stuff to put in the tea.

For a moment they even feel happy over completing their Quests so well

And then they see everyone else again and that joy is gone. Bc Marvin is curled up in the armchair still, but now wrapped in a blanket and presumably in different clothes bc there’s a pile of bloodied ones on the floor in the corner, and hugging his cat plushie with his free hand. Stephen is across from him on the other side of the bed, in an only moderately comfortable chair, just staring into nothing, and Teddy is leaning on the back of Marvin’s armchair. He absently reaches out to fiddle with a strand of Marvin’s hair that falls near his hand, but the moment he touches it Marvin shakes his head violently and whimpers.

Bc Marvin doesn’t wanna be touched at all rn anyway (except for yknow, holding Jackie’s hand) and usually Jackie is the only one who gets to and does play with his hair and He Doesn’t Wanna Think About All That Now.

Stephen tries to shoo everyone but Marvin away bc it’s okay, we got this now, you can go to sleep bc goddamn it’s late, but none of them want to leave. Anraí actually just goes “Fuck That!” a lil too loudly. And that’s how they end up all camping out there for a while.

They bring more blankets and pillows and the rest of them just sit on the floor. They even bring snacks jic someone’s stomach will eventually feel up for eating, but none of them do. They end up talking after a while, of random shit and anecdotes and whatnot to help distract themselves, and everyone but Marvin takes part. They call it quits when Chase falls asleep hugging Teddy’s arm, and they have to wake him up again to get him into bed.

Getting him off to bed ends up as him, Anraí and Teddy all piled onto one bed (bc Chase is a fancy bastard with a double bed) and they swear it’s “just five minutes” but when Stephen checks in on them before going to sleep himself he finds them asleep in a pile. Chase may or may not fall off the bed by morning without waking up and the only part of him that remains on is the leg Anraí wrapped his tail around in his sleep.

Stephen is the last one to leave, bc nothing has changed in hours so he hopes that’ll keep up while he sleeps. He tells Marvin to call him as soon as something does happen, even if it seems minor or ends up being a false alarm, it’s okay. Marvin just nods, and lets Stephen hug him, and then v hoarsely says goodnight.

And so Marvin is left to sit vigil on his own again.

The first thing Jackie knows when he wakes up is the dull ache everywhere in his body, and then sharper pain in a Lot of different spots. The next thing he doesn’t even consciously acknowledge, but it’s Marvin’s magic surrounding him, which he’s just so used to at this point he doesn’t really bat an eye.

The third thing is that he remembers that he’s sad, or supposed to be sad at least. He doesn’t know why, he just is, and for now he’s not too bothered about finding out. But he figures that if he’s sad and Marvin is here, then the easy solution is to talk to him or cuddle with him or something, and then maybe he won’t be sad anymore.

When he opens his eyes he finds a mostly asleep Marvin with his head resting on the edge of the bed, the armchair he’s still mostly in pulled up as close as it will go, and holding his hand. And that + yknow, getting a glimpse of his own arm all bandaged up finally makes him remember Why he’s here and what happened.

And in bright daylight, he feels like shit about it! It was a shitty way to handle everything and bad for Everyone and right now he doesn’t even understand Why he felt the need to do that and he really, really wishes he didn’t. Bc now everything Hurts, and he knows he must’ve scared everyone too. And he must’ve Especially scared poor Marvin, who’s here falling asleep on the edge of the infirmary bed, his blanket mostly on the floor and his face smudged from crying. Bc Jackie doesn’t know Everything about how Marvin handled it the first time something like this happened or why it fucked him up so much, but he knows that it Did and that alone should’ve been enough reason for him to take care of himself, bc he’d never wanna put Marvin through whatever hell he went through the first time.

And yet he did anyway.

He knows this whole thing is gonna lead to so many unpleasant conversations now, and he hates it and wants to postpone it as much as possible. He doesn’t wanna have to look his friends in the eye (he won’t, he’ll stare at anything else possible to avoid looking at them anyway) and tell them that he went and almost got himself killed bc of some stupid self-esteem issues.

But he doesn’t wanna deal with any of that rn so instead he decides to wake Marvin as gently as he can bc they probably Both need comfort rn. He starts by just rubbing circles into the back of his hand, and that alone is enough, bc p much as soon as he starts to move Marvin jolts awake, eyes wide in alarm, clearly never having meant to doze off in the first place.

And then he sees Jackie, awake and looking at him with a small, gentle smile, and he starts to cry again.

It takes some convincing that no, it’s okay, he won’t get super hurt from it, but eventually Jackie manages to tug Marvin onto the bed with him. Bc goddamnit, maybe making space for both of them Will hurt for a bit, but Marvin is sad and scared and probably spent an entire night sitting in an armchair and nodding off on the edge of the bed, and Jackie wouldn’t mind some cuddling either despite the pain, so fuck it. They make it work.

Marvin eventually ends up on his side while Jackie still lies on his back, and he holds onto him, careful not to hurt him more, and he just...cries. He tries his best to be quiet and not gross about it, and eventually it turns into mostly just small, breathless hiccups bc he’s already been crying so much. Jackie isn’t sure what to say to make it better, and his voice is hoarse and quiet, but he says stuff like “it’s okay” and “I’m here” and “we’re safe, nothing bad’s gonna happen now”. Sometimes Marvin mumbles something back, and most of it sounds suspiciously like “I love you”, so Jackie says it back every time he thinks he hears it.

He feels bad about it afterwards, but after a while, despite Marvin’s crying and occasional nervous fidgeting, he drifts off again.

The next time he wakes up again he comes to fairly quickly, and finds himself in the middle of a stand off, because on one side he’s got Stephen standing next to the bed, trying really hard not to smile through his mock-angry expression, on the other he’s got Marvin still lying next to him and holding his arm and staring up at Stephen like he’s the world’s most horrible traitor.

Turns out Stephen told Marvin that he should probably not be cuddling his asleep and v injured boyfriend and Marvin called him an asshole for it.

And honestly the whole thing is kinda just…..sweet and goofy for a lil bit?? Marvin finally smiles when he sees Jackie awake and Jackie finds it ridiculous himself but his heart does a happy lil backflip at that, and he feels v giddy when Marvin gives him a “good morning” kiss on the cheek. Stephen v fondly tells him he’s glad he’s finally awake before nagging Marvin until he begrudgingly sits up and lets Stephen do a check-up on Jackie.

Jackie is well enough thanks to Stephen’s expert work + Marvin’s magic that he can at least leave the infirmary and instead is moved to one of the couches in the living room, where he’s told to still stay on his ass as much as possible, but at least he’s more comfortable and gets to hang out with everyone else. He gets a change of clothes and also breakfast (and so does Marvin bc he hasn’t eaten yet either) and eventually Marvin snuggles up with him (he had a shit night, okay) and they play pokemon together (a lot of handing the 3DS back and forth and “oh god why did you do that, come on let me do it” “no, fuck you”) when there’s no conversation going on with anyone else around.

And for a lil while Jackie feels content despite the pain and being stuck in bed (couch), bc he’s safe and cosy and everyone is being nice to him without babying him and he gets to criticise Marvin’s pokemon naming practices as much as he wants.

(They’re playing the same Moon save that Marvin had played the first time Bad Things happened to Jackie, and in which he has a shiny ribombee named after Jackie, called ShortySofboy, which is short for “Shorty McSoftboy” bc it didn’t fit.)

They know they’re not in any immediate danger (Anraí assured them that none of his kind are anywhere Near the house, and Marvin has wards up in case they Did decide to come pay them a visit), so they let Jackie have his nice morning instead of interrogating him. But all enjoyable mornings must come to an end and Anraí is the one who eventually slips up and all casually asks Jackie “what the fuck were you doing out there last night, anyway?”

And Jackie has to scramble for a lie to tell.

Marvin feels Jackie’s pulse jump (bc he’s still right next to him, he is Not Leaving) and gives Anraí a very disapproving look and Anraí refuses to look at him after that. Jackie kinda retreats into his shell for a lil while to come up with something, but the others assume it’s bc he doesn’t wanna talk about/remember all the events from last night.

It barely helps Jackie at all tho bc goddamnit Anraí looks genuinely sorry for bringing it up too early and Marvin is looking at him all soft and concerned, he doesn’t Deserve them being so kind to him when he was out there doing Bullshit Reckless Things he Knew would get him hurt.

He is This Close to just saying he’d rather not talk about it, but he might as well, right? Sooner or later it Will happen, maybe if he does it now he won’t have to tell Everyone, they’ll just discuss amongst themselves. Which isn’t likely bc they’re more respectful than that, but he can hope, right?

“I...I did some very stupid shit last night.”

He can feel Marvin shift next to him and he can see Anraí’s ear flick curiously and he can practically Feel them wanting to tell him he’d never done anything wrong in his life ever but not knowing if they Should bc they don’t know the full story yet.

So he tells them he went to one of the places they never go, ever, because they Know they’re swarming with more monsters than all of them together could handle on a good day, and tried to pick off a few. Knowing full well the few would turn into many. He tells them, in a small voice, that he doesn’t even know how he got away.

He doesn’t tell them that he remembers running off a ledge, not even sure he could fly anymore, then flying as fast as he possibly could, and crashing in an alley bc he was too exhausted to even land properly anymore.

He carefully, deliberately avoids mentioning Why.

And so, of course, they ask.

Anraí just looks shocked and still so sorry for bringing it up, bc Jackie obviously doesn’t wanna talk about it. And Marvin looks worried and even scared, but also confused, bc he knows he’s missing Something, there’s something here he missed but should’ve seen long ago. Maybe he could have prevented this.

But Jackie doesn’t see any of that, bc he can’t make himself look up and see how sorry they are, see their concern and worry, knowing he did this all because he doesn’t know how to deal with his own shitty feelings, not even for a moment considering how it’d affect his friends. He keeps his eyes fixed on his lap, and tries to brace himself for when it hits. For explaining Why.

Marvin is the one to ask it. “But...why?” The rest of the question is lost somewhere, but Jackie gets it. They all get it.

He sounds so small and uncertain, Jackie has to keep himself from wincing.

“Because I...I suck at handling my own fucking feelings. So I went off and did some stupid shit.”

He sounds so angry and disappointed, but at himself, and Marvin and Anraí want to comfort him but Can’t bc they don’t know How.

“I wanted to prove that I’m worth something!”

The end of it almost comes out as a yell, but it’s choked and broken and desperate, and Jackie sounds like he’s about to cry.

He is.

“I wanted to prove that I’m not just here for comic relief, I can hold my own and handle shit myself! I’m not just a little idiot to be babied and saved! I’m not holding you guys back!”

He’s crying, but he doesn’t even care to wipe the tears away bc he’s Angry and Tired and just wishes he could go back and not do this, but he knows he’d do it again anyway. He needed to prove himself Somehow, even if he chose the wrong way to do so.

He feels out of breath and his throat hurts and it’s an effort to even just swallow properly. Every cut and bruise and stitch hurts.

“...and I wasn’t even right. I had to be saved anyway.”

He wishes he could just get up and leave and not have to be part of this conversation anymore. He doesn’t wanna see their worried, sad faces and hear their pity. He doesn’t want any of this. But he can’t leave, bc everything hurts and he’d just be held back out of worry anyway. And then Stephen would kill him if he found out.

He doesn’t want their uncertain little half-sentences that get cut off on their own anyway. He tells them to save it. And they do.

He’s pretty sure he’s shaking.

Anraí asks if there’s anything they can do to help, and he just shrugs. He doesn’t know, doesn’t care. But then Marvin asks if he can hug him, and…

He doesn’t know. Does he want comfort? Does he deserve it?

He nods.

And so he’s drawn into a careful, gentle hug, Marvin’s hands avoiding all his worst injuries, like he knows where they are without looking, and he does. Bc his magic is still there, reading Jackie’s vitals like it’s second nature at this point. And he doesn’t talk, which Jackie is grateful for, he says nothing aside from a quiet, genuine “I’m sorry.” And Jackie finds himself pressing into him the best he can without it hurting.

He just wants to hide here from the world for a while.

There’s more talks. Awkward, nervous talks that Jackie has to mentally prepare himself for and finishes shaking, with tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat. Marvin usually holds his hand or rubs his back through them, not caring if anyone bats an eye at the “unwarranted” PDA during a heavy conversation. All he cares about is that it makes things a bit easier for Jackie.

They talk about a lot of things, over time. They talk about Jackie’s self-esteem, his fear of getting left behind or being a burden to the group. About his unhealthy ways of coping with that. About how this mission or any mission doesn’t determine his worth and place in the team. About how they all love and value and respect him, and about how they could do more to show that, to keep this from happening again, to keep him from getting lonely with his thoughts.

And so they try to make it all better.

The effort they put in shows and sometimes results in the same effect as a clumsily supportive parent cheering you on through something they barely know anything about, but did their enthusiastic research on the internet anyway. They do their best to make sure he knows how much they value him, how proud they are of him, how amazed they are by his abilities. That he’s just as much a part of the team as everyone else is. That they know he can hold his own.

It doesn’t go quick and it doesn’t work perfectly immediately, but they work on it. The bad thoughts don’t go away right away and fully, but Jackie learns to work through them and tell them they’re wrong.

And this time, he’s got help.

Marvin wakes up in the middle of the night. It’s a restless night, he’s already woken up and struggled himself back to sleep three times. He’s about to just roll over and try again, when he decides that maybe he should chance if Jackie is awake. Cuddling? An all nighter? Who the fuck cares he just wants to do Something other than This and Jackie sounds like the perfect company for that.

Except he finds Jackie’s room empty.

And that’s it, he doesn’t look for any logical explanations or clues or anything, his brain immediately kicks into overdrive and flashes him back to the last time Jackie disappeared at night, and then came back bleeding out and passed out in his arms.

It is Not a fun feeling.

He doesn’t wake anyone anyway bc What If It’s A False Alarm, he’d never live that down (everyone would forgive him, but him? He wouldn’t forget the shame), so he just goes looking, hoping Jackie is in their giant ass house Somewhere doing something completely mundane and safe.

The bathroom is empty, he could already see that bc there was no light coming out from under the door, but he checks anyway. The kichen and living room are also empty, and at this point his logic is getting fucky from all the tiredness and anxiety, so he barely knows where he should look next.

He checks the indoor garden.

It’s so ridiculously calm compared to everything he’s feeling rn. There’s a cloudless sky with perfect constellations above, a slight breeze weaving through the plants that’s coming from nowhere, and the flickering lil lights they call fireflies but don’t know for Sure bc they’ve spent night after night trying to catch them and never could. It’s so quiet and peaceful, he doesn’t wanna yell, even if he knows none of his sleeping friends would hear and wake up to it.

He hurries along the path to the lil resting area they have, with a couple benches and lots of pillows and fairy lights. He sees the fairy lights shining through the trees before he sees the rest.

And he finds Jackie sitting on one of the benches, a book in his hands. Safe and sound.

All the anxiety and adrenaline disappears in that single moment and Marvin almost collapses, which sounds hella dramatic but he’s fuckin Tired and was Not prepared to panickedly scour the house for his boyfriend at like 2am.

Jackie can see that Something Is/Was Wrong so he’s v gentle when he talks but also he makes grabby hands at Marvin until he 1. giggles at it and 2. comes over to sit.

“Shit night?” “Yeah...” “Same.”

Marvin wants to just v simply tell why he’s here but instead he just spills a whole lot of thoughts at once and Jackie listens patiently. “I couldn’t sleep and I went to find you, bc why the fuck not, right? Worth a try. But you weren’t in your room so I got stupid anxious bc What If You Left, again, to get hurt and prove yourself. And I was worried. Not bc I don’t think you can handle things! You can. I trust you and I believe in you and I know you can handle shit on your own, I promise! But you’re also my best friend and my boyfriend and I Love You and I’m worried about you getting hurt bc I really don’t want you to get hurt. Not bc you can’t handle it, just…bc it sucks.”

That, fyi, is a Lot of Feeling Talk to get out of Marvin at once, or at all. Jackie is kinda baffled but also, like, it’s in the middle of the night, and tired, just-came-down-from-an-adrenaline-rush Marvin is a Very feelsy Marvin.

And so Jackie tells him that it’s okay, he gets it, and also that he’s actually having a good night mental health-wise, he just couldn’t sleep bc of restlessness. It happens. But he knows the reason Marvin worries about him is bc he cares and he’s been getting better about in general seeing worry as caring instead of condescending. Marvin is so glad he’s doing better.

At some point Jackie winds up on Marvin’s lap and Marvin hugs him Very Tight and okay Jackie can’t go back to reading like this now but it’s okay bc it’s nice. They eventually end up dozing off sitting which isn’t Super Comfy but they’re fine and neither of them feel like getting up and going back to bed when they actually grow tired enough to fall asleep. But it’s okay.

They just feel a lil cold when they wake up in the morning.

#original art #original character #original writing #writing #fuck it it gets the tag #rivals au #oc: jackie #oc: marvin #oc: stephen #oc: anraí #oc: chase #oc: theodore #hi my hands are absolutely killing me now!!!!!! enjoy

4 notes · View notes

wolf-skins · 6 years

Text

if we’re mutuals and you noticed i unfollowed you today, it’s probably because i chose to follow you on my fandom-oriented blog @lizcroft. or i may follow you on both, depending.

this is for a few reasons:

loading tumblr has been getting increasingly hard. oftentimes the tab for this account will crash, while the other blog - which follows less people - will load more easily. it’s friggin’ annoying.

i wanted a blog that was focused on my fave fandoms/characters without any additional drama, whether it be from fandoms or real life. the only drama that should be there is me ranting, probably in defense of faves.

this will narrow my main down. there will be fandom stuff here still, but if it ever annoyed you that sometimes i’d post 25 posts consecutively about how much i love anakin, how annoyed i was about how he was treated, meta about it all and how much i blame the jedi for all of it... well, now it’ll be on another blog, and you won’t need to worry if it’s not your cup of tea.

this blog will have lgbtqia+ content, aesthetics, animals(!!!!!!!!!!), news stuff, shitposts, and no worries, if you’re here for games or movies, etc, there will still be that, but maybe not as much since i’ve spread out the blogs i’m following across two accounts.

it shouldn’t be much of a visual difference in regards to content, but i wanted the few mutuals i unfollowed here to know i’ve just changed directions. it was only a couple of blogs, but i worry that others may get the wrong idea. you’re still gold!!! but now i will probably see your posts.

also, i’m still not terribly active online, so you won’t be missing out on much. i just wanted to explain a bit since a) i didn’t want to worry/insult anyone, and b) maaaaaybe it will eventually change the structure of this blog? dk yet but jic

4 notes · View notes

thecoroutfitters · 6 years

Link

Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

There are probably 1,001 uses for wooden shipping pallets besides sticking them in a burn barrel. We can regularly source them for free or for very low cost by talking to distribution centers and contractor supply stores about their breakage piles, eyeballing the dumpster areas of shopping centers and warehouses, or checking sites like Craigslist and Freecycle.

Spin around online and you can find all sorts of projects and builds for people of all skill levels. They can make our lives easier and seriously cut our costs in many cases. A free item with that much potential makes them an automatic must-have in my book. I’m mostly going to talk about simple builds this time around, but pallets also get turned into pretty impressive structures, gardens, and furniture.

Pallets come in several standard sizes and a handful of configurations. While the type can matter for some of our projects due to the number, cut, and spacing of boards, for the most part applications are pretty universal. For details about shipping pallet types and sizes, check out this site http://www.airseacontainers.com/blog/most-common-shipping-pallet-measurements/.

Disassembled = Board Lumber

Remember, once disassembled, our pallets are just lumber. That opens up the whole world of projects. Rifle racks for the range or safes, food storage shelves, bird houses and playhouses; anything we’d repair or build can be done with pallets.

Those boards also have use in hiding some of the “ugly” around our homes. We can use them to sheath everything from our water storage totes and barrels, to whatever containers we’re planting in.

We can also double up our pallet boards for a little more durability and strength if we want. I mention this because some stuff is heavy and would do better with a 2×4 than 1×4. (I tend to live in the “abundance of caution” and JIC world for the most part, although I’ll dispel that and make heads spin in the next section.)

Safe or Unsafe

How “safe” the various treatments used on pallets is for us depends on our intended use, even if we’re worried about chemicals. Most articles and videos will tell you that only HT-Heat treated pallets are safe, although others include debarked (DB) and the “safe” EPAL European designator. I’m not going to hand my kids lead pacifiers or mix up powdered milk or pony drenches in bleach bottles, but I also don’t get too wrapped around the axle on some fronts. This is one of them.

If you consume Big Ag meats (supermarket to Outback or Whataburger), farmed or bottom-feeder fish, “normal” supermarket eggs and dairy, soda or anything in the center aisles made with corn or soy, or if you drive 3 hours/week, burn trash, touch cash and then your face/food, smoke (anything), handle lead (ammo), sit by campfires, live in a city, microwave food in plastic, use rain catchment without serious decontamination filters, have dark irrigation hoses or foam mattresses, or buy commercial animal feed … don’t sweat those markers too much.

One, you’re more likely to die from a vehicular accident, and be hospitalized from supermarket leafy greens or infection contracted in the hospital than from one more of the ubiquitous chemicals around us. Two, those chemicals mostly only become available as our pallets (or anything) decays. That means tiny increments released over time (vice chugging a can of stain). Chemicals mostly head downward with moisture, with only some outward contact spreading outward – only fractions of them are available for possible uptake. Only fractions of that then ends up in the seeds and fruits we eat.

All that said, the warnings about chem-treated pallets originate from garden methods using them, then became universal “rules”. (Pallet garden potentials are so numerous, I’m not even going to talk about them here – they rate an entire article.)

Point is, don’t blanketly accept conventional wisdoms without thinking them through. They may not even apply (or are total bunk). Some stuff, for some/many people, is worth stressing. Some stuff isn’t.

Water Storage

Speaking of safe and unsafe, the conventional wisdom is that we don’t want to store plastic containers, particularly of water, on concrete due to the chemical interaction that allows contaminants to enter our foods. There’s some hot-not and storage-duration wiggle room, and while I tend to err on the side of caution in this case (and when it comes to previous milk containers), there’s some myth-truth proposals here http://www.preparednesspro.com/myths-and-facts-of-water-storage to spur analytical thinking.

For the most part, I don’t really see how laying cardboard, 2×4’s, or 1×4’s under plastic barrels and buckets destabilizes them unless somebody gets really cute (or stingy). Personally, I’m a big believer in keeping stuff up off the floor, period. Even beyond chemical interaction concerns, being able to stack stuff also comes in handy, both to maximize storage space and in some cases to make it easier to use.

One point to note about water in particular is that it’s heavy. Not only does that apply to any rack we use, it also applies to container sizes. The older I get and more injuries I accumulate and heal, the more I’m willing to downsize. That includes containers for dry goods and water.

It’s just easier to build structures for, pull down, move, clean, and refill a 3-6 gallon bucket than a 35-55 gallon barrel. About the only remaining exceptions in my various storage are wheeled trash cans.

*Those are not food safe, either, if it’s a concern – told you I’d make heads spin. (Most of my trash cans hold mylar-bagged foods and animal evac feed and supplies; some are wash/laundry water catchment).

As-Is Uses

There’s lots pallets can do for us even if we’re not yet DIY-ers, and lots that requires minimal building skills. For one, just getting stuff off the ground, as mentioned above. That can be hay, mulch, bagged amendments, toolboxes in our sheds or outdoors, food storage buckets and barrels, or creating elevated resting platforms and feeding stations in pens or pastures that tend to get muddy.

They can help keep our boots cleaner – and to some degree limit the risk of slipping in wet and icy weather – by creating walkways, and prevent ATVs, Gators, carts, and bikes from bogging down or tearing ruts on trails and in gardens. They can also decrease or eliminate risks and wetness from ditches and seasonal streams, making getting around faster and easier.

Steps & Rails

If we’re on a tight budget, we might find we can use a boost as well as a stepping stone. We might also decide that a step or hill is a little too much for us as we age, get pregnant, or face injury. Pallets can help us there, too, and it tends to be a ridiculously easy build.

Go easy on how high we go with these things – I’ve seen some crazy. They are wood and even treated, they are eventually going to rot and crack, and need replaced. Also, make sure you anchor these things together and to the ground.

If you want or need steps or a sidewalk past mud, a hand rail is usually a fantastic idea, even if it’s just posts somebody can snag. We can turn other pallets into those rails to increase safety and ease.

Simple Builds

There are plenty of other simple builds out there that at most require splitting, hanging, or trimming an as-is pallet to size, adding some screws or in some cases a hinge, a few hooks, and some cord or chain. The ease makes pallets a valuable learning tool (and confidence boost) for preppers who are just dipping their toe into DIY. The in-expense also means if there’s a screw-up, no big. Scrap lumber is handy to have around.

Some of the simplest ways to use pallets is just to slap three or four of them together to make a work bench, desk, countertop, or table. Flip that on its side, link a few in series, and you’ve got a leaf mold or compost heap. With a sturdy wall or a couple of convenient trees and $3-10 in hardware, and you can make one or two pallets into a permanent or Murphy-bed style station that functions as a desk, a table, or a workbench, indoors or out.

With some additional screws and hooks or disassembled boards, we can use a wall or those handy trees to hang our tools in a shed or outside the garage. We can also hang them from the sides of our tables or benches.

For a really simple build, just fix a handful of shipping pallets together with deck screws (flip-flop which side is up as you stack to increase shelf depth). Add caster wheels and it’s a rolling storage shelf or workbench.

With some cinder blocks or some 4x4s, we can create shelving with very little building experience, using whole pallets, pallets that are cut in half to make shallower widths, or disassembled boards. (Remember: even a pint canning jar is heavy on its own and holds another pound worth of liquids or foods – use healthy boards and consider doubling them up.)

Another super-simple build using just deck screws is stacking a few pallets and adding one perpendicular to form an L shape. Set that on some cinder blocks and top with a mattress, seat cushions, or pads and you’ve got a bench seat or day bed. Some additional lumber or blocks creates storage spaces for totes, baskets, or drawers salvaged from a wrecked dresser or filing cabinet.

If you’re after some inexpensive yard, starter-home, or bug-out location furniture, the sky is the limit and the internet is just full of ideas. Personally, I’m not much for the rustic pallet look, but with a coat of paint or whitewash, our pallets can get prettier if and where it matters.

Fencing & Pens

Another fantastic use for pallets that requires little DIY experience is fencing for our dooryards, gardens, and animals, to protect trees, or just to increase our privacy a little. We can use them pretty much as-is and connect them to each other, standard fenceposts, or poles we make our or a neighbor’s overgrown saplings and trimmings. We can also pull a board or two from each to cut at an angle and drive into the ground for stability or to use as an overlapping connector between pallets.

If heights of 18-24” work instead of 3-4’, we can very quickly halve our pallets and double the area we enclose. We can also totally or partly disassemble them and churn out top-rail or a 2-3 rail plank fencing, or do some extra cutting for an HOA-acceptable picket fence.

If we have problems with raccoons reaching through our poultry and rabbit fencing, we can brace whole or half-height pallets against our existing runs to add depth. Likewise, they can create a buffer to allow some grazing but keep chickens and goats from eating something to the trunk or roots.

We can also take pallets apart and reassemble them in a solid wall if our birds/hares like to do dumb stuff like huddle in a corner where something can get its claws through – there’s little worse than a disassembled critter the predator couldn’t even get out to eat.

I said I wasn’t going to talk about pallet gardens, but when it comes to fencing, that’s actually one of the benefits they offer. Pallet fences allow us to grow vertically either on the protected inside or on the outside of critter pens where our critters can’t reach, or both.

Pallets for Preppers

Pallets can be an excellent step into the world of DIY for beginners, as well as help everybody save money. Gardens, livestock feeders, and sheds are big enough categories to really rate their own articles, but there’s so much more. If you’ve got a need, see if somebody has a how-to using pallets, but don’t forget that pallets are also just board lumber waiting to be sanded.

Follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook!

The post Prepper Must-Haves: Shipping Pallets appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

#SHTF #TEOTWAWKI #MARTIALLAW #BUGOUT #PREPPERBAG #USAF #USSOCOM #ARMY #NAVY #SurvivalFirestarter #Sur

4 notes · View notes

capnledian · 7 years

Note

(Hey I know this is dumb just just popping in to say I love your style and your art is absolutely amazing holy shit! Both my gf and I get really excited when you post because WOW that is some quality content aaaaa) (How did you develop your drawing style??)

oh my GOD thats really cute that you and your gf both get excited about it aaaa thank you so much!!!

idk if this is something other people are wondering but ill post it to my blog jic? i still have a lot to learn, and It’s hard to say how I “developed” my style since it’s really just a big mash up of whatever i was interested in growing up. i watched a lot of cartoons and anime and a LOT of comic books as a kid and did a lot of copying art styles and big ol anime eyes haha. When I was in jr high I started making comics for my friends that were more cartoony, about us all being superheroes going on adventures together. I would put ANYTHING i wanted into it, aka robots, monsters, aliens, space adventures, rocket ships, Space Raves, really really dumb goofy jokes, Cool One Liners, the power of friendship, so on.

Now I’m in college and I’m pretty much still doing the same thing I’ve always done, which is draw the things that make me happiest! STUDY, of course, but study what you love and what you really want to be good at.

But draw what you love over and over and over again! Learn how to draw the things you love! Right now I’m practicing spaceships and cool cars and robots a lot more because I love techy stuff, so I gotta draw those things over and over and over and its heckin hard, but i love it so much that when you pull off your first thing you did on your own with what youve learned, its just an amazing feeling.

aaa im ranting, i type a mile a minute, anyway, thank you again!

edit: im adding a little more because i LOVE ART, but something about developing a STYLE is its really just uncovering whatever YOURE made out of, and thats the really cool part of it!!! I feel like whenever I advance in my skills im simultaneously like, actively shaping the expression of what i want to draw but also i feel like i just spotted a little bit more about who i am, and thats a really amazing feeling! I feel like a lot of artists worry about developing a “style”, but your style will come no matter what path you take in learning how to draw things or make things, its something that comes on its own and its very magical!

this all sounds silly because i mostly post dumb shippy fanart to this blog right now haha, but legitimately i still think that even thats a really great thing thats really helped me improve my art and what im interested in and what makes me happy!

ANYWAY SORRY OKAY SHHH ME

#DONT ASK ME QUESTIONS UNLESS YOU WANT 5 PARAGRAPHS MINIMUM LMAO #SORRY #I JUST LOVE A LOT OF THINGS #flabbergastly #asks

13 notes · View notes

benrleeusa · 5 years

Text

Perceptions of Justice: Continuing the Conversation on Managing Perceptions at the ICC

Patryk Labuda joins JiC again with this response to Mark Kersten and Carrie McDougall on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court’s meetings with ‘unsavoury’ leaders and managing perceptions of the ICC. Patryk is a Hauser Global Fellow at New York University. His article kicking off this conversation can be found here.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda meets with President of the Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara in July 2013. (Photo: Getty Images)

I want to thank Mark Kersten and Carrie McDougall for their thoughtful responses to my post on the ICC’s meetings with ‘unsavory’ leaders. I’ll begin by underscoring that I agree with much of what Mark and Carrie say in their posts. Both make compelling points about the need to engage leaders with questionable human rights records, while drawing attention to several issues that received insufficient attention in my original post. Many people on Twitter have also weighed in (see here, here and here), adding nuance to this debate.

In this post, I would like to address three themes emerging from the various responses: how much transparency is necessary, whose perceptions matter, and where to draw the line between the good, the bad and the ugly. I hope my response will add clarity to any remaining points of disagreement, while fostering a more informed debate on what, admittedly, is likely to remain a divisive topic.

Meetings and Confidentiality

The first point that bears emphasizing is the symbiotic yet fraught relationship between the act of convening such meetings and the subsequent release of information (including images) about those meetings. I initially saw these two issues as distinct, but the longer I thought about it the more I realized that dissociating the image from the meeting is not quite so simple. In other words, the image may be the whole point of the meeting, and I think Carrie’s post does a good job of highlighting the resulting tension.

Indeed, these meetings may in some cases be less about the substance and more about the photo op. In that sense, while I sympathize with Mark’s plea for more transparency, I tend to think, per Carrie, that diplomacy often requires secrecy. I am not sure there is anything wrong with diplomatic confidentiality per se(and I include ICC diplomacy under that rubric), although I agree that we should be attuned to the risks that Mark identifies in his post, in particular: what does the ICC do if photos are leaked in bad faith? I am not sure one can craft a solution to all these dilemmas, but I do think we need to give more thought to the relationship between meetings and images. This brings me to the next question.

Whose Perceptions Matter?

It is clear that meetings between high-ranking ICC staff and governmental leaders can serve desirable ends. In addition to cooperation or universal membership, the ICC can try to improve its difficult relationship with the African Union (AU) and build support for its work among African states. Carrie praises the Prosecutor for leveraging her status as a Gambian to correct misconceptions about the ICC in Africa, while underscoring that Bensouda was only doing what the ASP had asked her to do. Intriguingly, Carrie also suggests that Bensouda was encouraging “African leaders to give more thought to African victims, rather than focusing on alleged African perpetrators.” On Twitter, Stephen Lamony echoes this argument, noting that I and others may simply be making assumptions about what victims want.

I find this critique unpersuasive. Admittedly, I have not carried out surveys of victims to ask whether they appreciate photos of ICC staff smiling with their alleged tormentors. Maybe it is true that, in some cases, victims perform a hard-nosed cost-benefit analysis and end up embracing a realpolitik vision of the ICC, where the Prosecutor and other Court principals have no choice but to engage with dictators to advance the overall cause of justice.

But it is certainly odd to hear these consequentialist justifications based on rationalist cost-benefit theories of ICC behavior from victims’ advocates and people who often argue that the ICC is above politics. Suddenly, the ICC must do politics because engaging dictators is for the “greater good”? In Carrie’s words:

The Prosecutor has been a vocal and ardent public proponent of accountability and almost always puts victims first in her public messaging. Why would anyone see the photo of her and Kagame and assume that the meeting was about anything other than encouraging Rwanda to support the international criminal justice project in some shape or form?

Not only is the burden of proof reversed in claims implying that everything the ICC touches necessarily advances victims rights, I would go further and argue that Carrie’s overall argument unwittingly answers the underlying question about whose perceptions really matter: the primary audience for ICC meetings with ‘bad leaders’ is the international community. In justifying meetings with the likes of Kagame as a form of rapprochement with the AU, the reality is that we are privileging perceptions of the ICC among African and world elites. While I agree that the ICC performs a cost-benefit analysis of such meetings, those who assume that improved perceptions of the ICC among elites result in a better overall climate for the Court’s work, and that this in turn benefits victims, bear the primary burden of proving that convoluted and consequentialist claim about causality—not the other way around.

Drawing Lines between the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The most compelling critique of a non-essential contacts policy for the ICC is that drawing lines between good, bad and ugly leaders is simply unfeasible. I agree that this is a real dilemma, but a few observations are in order. It is worth emphasizing that most everyone will intuitively agree that there is such a thing as an unnecessary photo. Reactions to my initial blog post have varied, but Mark correctly points out that Luis Moreno-Ocampo’s infamous London photo with Museveni was “an unambiguously bad idea.” Likewise, I think very few today would approve of the Prosecutor posing for a smiling photo with Bashar Al-Assad of Syria. Maybe some would try to justify holding such a meeting in absolute secrecy, but surely a smiling photo is too much for even the most unwaveringICC supporter?

This brings us back to the photos that triggered this conversation. Mark argues that “[t]he Prosecutor and her team surely make some form of cost-benefit analysis prior to accepting or convening these meetings…” and that they are “certainly aware of the allegations facing these leaders…”. I am not sure this is quite so simple. I think the very different reactions to my original post highlight that twenty years from now someone like Al-Assad could potentially pose for photos with an ICC Prosecutor, and many people would no longer remember why this is so utterly unacceptable.

The point is not to compare Al-Assad to Kabila, nor is this the place to dissect Kagame’s human rights record. But we must bear in mind that people like Kagame make it something of a personal mission to whitewash their troubled pasts. Would it ever be ok for Al-Assad to pose for such photos if twenty years from now Syria is a reasonably well-functioning state? I fear human memory is too short, and it is our duty as human rights activists and scholars to remind people why some things are shocking in the first place.

The point is that there is a difference between Bensouda meeting Kagame or Kabila on one hand, and her smiling for a photo with Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian President, on the other. Although formally they occupy similar positions, these people are not in the same risk category. Carrie is critical of the non-essential contacts policy, but I think we need to focus less on the analogy with indictees and more on how a policy (or whatever we call it) can mitigate some of the risk associated with meetings of this nature. Here, I would reiterate that there is a real difference between secret meetings and a photo for all to see. Maybe an official policy would make it easier for the ICC to decline photos in certain circumstances, and thereby ease the diplomatic awkwardness of doing so? Another interesting idea floated on Twitter was to designate other ICC principals, for instance the Registrar, to represent the Court in particularly fraught meetings. Maybe photos with the Registrar would cause less reputational damage to the ICC?

Conclusion

I do not know the answers to these and other dilemmas. The reality is that there may not always be a straightforward answer. I think it also worth acknowledging, per Mark, that the ICC has become much better at managing perceptions in the past few years. That said, we should not assume that the ICC has mastered this art (last week’s video of Prosecutor Bensoudabuying into the deeply troubling rhetoric of ‘false news’ seems to underscore this point). These are inherently difficult questions and there is value in dialogue. If nothing else, I hope theseposts will have started a conversation within ICC circles, even if that conversation remains confidential and we never get a full blown non-essential contacts policy.

0 notes

stickyyouthstudent · 7 years

Text

General election 2017: IFS says Tories offering five years of austerity and Labour's plans 'would not work' – politics live

As election campaign resumes, Labour leader to draw link between UK foreign policy and terror attacks, and criticise Tories over police cuts

The Snap: sign up for our daily election email and read today’s

9.05am BST

You can watch the IFS briefing live here.

Carl Emmerson, the IFS deputy director, is speaking now.

9.01am BST

The Institute for Fiscal Studies is about to publish its analysis of party election manifestos at a briefing in Westminster.

According to the summary sent out under embargo until 9am, their verdict on the Tory and Labour plans is highly critical.

Neither Conservatives nor Labour are properly spelling out consequences of their policy proposals.

The Conservatives have very few tax or spending commitments in their manifesto. Additional funding pledges for the NHS and schools are just confirming that spending would rise in a way broadly consistent with the March Budget. These plans imply at least another five years of austerity, with the continuation of planned welfare cuts and serious pressures on the public services including on the NHS. They could allow the deficit to shrink over time with no additional tax rises over the coming parliament. But getting to budget balance by the mid-2020s, their stated aim, would likely require more spending cuts or tax rises even beyond the end of the next parliament.

8.51am BST

In his speech Jeremy Corbyn says: “Many experts, including professionals in our intelligence and security services, have pointed to the connections between wars our government has supported or fought in other countries and terrorism here at home.”

This is a reference to the evidence emerged after the Iraq war, partly in the Chilcot inquiry but also elsewhere, showing that Tony Blair was warned by the intelligence services that invading the country would increase the terrorist threats.

The JIC assessed that al-Qaida and associated groups continued to represent by far the greatest terrorist threat to western interests, and that threat would be heightened by military action against Iraq.

The JIC assessed that any collapse of the Iraqi regime would increase the risk of chemical and biological warfare technology or agents finding their way into the hands of terrorists, not necessarily al-Qaida.

Our involvement in Iraq radicalised a few among a generation of young people who saw [it] as an attack upon Islam.

8.41am BST

For the record, here are the extracts from Jeremy Corbyn’s speech released in advance.

On fighting terror threats generally

This is my commitment to our country.

I want the solidarity, humanity and compassion that we have seen on the streets of Manchester this week to be the values that guide our government. There can be no love of country if there is neglect or disregard for its people.

To keep you and your family safe, our approach will involve change at home and change abroad.

At home, Labour will reverse the cuts to our emergency services and police. Once again in Manchester, they have proved to be the best of us.

We will also change what we do abroad. Many experts, including professionals in our intelligence and security services, have pointed to the connections between wars our government has supported or fought in other countries and terrorism here at home.

That assessment in no way reduces the guilt of those who attack our children. Those terrorists will forever be reviled and held to account for their actions.

8.30am BST

This is what Ben Wallace, the security minister, said about the speech that Jeremy Corbyn is giving later today, extracts from which have been briefed in advance.

First of all, I think [Corbyn’s] timing is incredibly disappointing and crass given there is a live police operation ... This is why his timing is also appalling, because I don’t think the substance of what he says is correct at all.

8.23am BST

Q: Do you accept that the Iraq war contributed to this?

No, says Wallace. The person responsible was the terrorist.

8.21am BST

Q: Jeremy Corbyn will criticise cuts to the police in a speech today. Some 19,000 police posts have gone. Have the cuts gone too far?

Wallace says Corbyn’s timing is “incredibly disappointing and crass”.

8.19am BST

Q: Are companies like Facebook letting terrorists off the hook?

Wallace says the government thinks they can do more.

8.18am BST

Q: NHS England have told trauma units to be on standby. Have they given specific information about threats?

Wallace says that is predominantly precautionary.

8.12am BST

Sarah Montague is interviewing Ben Wallace.

8.10am BST

Good morning. I’m taking over from Claire.

Ben Wallace, the security minister, is about to be interviewed on the Today programme.

8.04am BST

Andrew Sparrow is now picking up the live blog.

A reminder: you can sign up here to receive our daily election briefing email, the Snap.

8.03am BST

Today is what the Fair Funding for All Schools campaign is calling a national day of action against cuts in funding.

Caroline Lucas, the Green co-leader seeking re-election in Brighton Pavilion, will be speaking at one rally on her home turf this afternoon, and her party has also set out plans to boost school funding by £7bn each year by 2022.

The Tories’ plans for our schools will leave teachers stressed and stretched, and risk our children’s education. PTAs are already fundraising to pay for essential equipment like pens and glue sticks; the situation is getting desperate.

7.51am BST

The Welsh Liberal Democrats will publish their manifesto today, with a focus on Brexit and what they will say is the need for a second referendum ahead of any deal that could “wreck the future for our children, our economy and our schools and hospitals”.

Leader Mark Williams – who was, until the dissolution, the party’s only Westminster MP in Wales – will launch the manifesto promising that voters should have the chance to reject any deal and instead stay within the EU.

7.22am BST

Lord Carlile, the former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, has been speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme about how authorities can deal with those suspected of having links to extremism.

He says it was a “grave mistake” for the coalition government to remove control orders.

There was a political resistance to imposing these orders on people who were reasonably suspected of being terrorists.

The use of Tpims has increased since the 2015 election from about zero to seven today.

It’s very easy to say we need more police … I do not believe the number of police officers is the central issue.

7.20am BST

Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, has been on Radio 4’s Today programme ahead of Jeremy Corbyn’s speech later this morning about the links between British foreign policy and terror attacks.

Gardiner says the Labour leader’s argument is a nuanced one:

There is no simple causal relationship … We need profoundly to reassess the ways in which there are linkages.

Libya is a country in which we intervened … what we did there was made a military intervention and then withdrew and that country has been in chaos.

The pattern that we’ve seen time and again has been one in which military intervention has gone in hard but then lost its way … Look back to Iraq, look back to Afghanistan … the stabilisation of a country is so important.

Absolutely clearly the responsibility for these atrocities is with those who have perpetrated them … but they use these things as an excuse.

These are people who simply want to destroy our way of life … There is no negotiating with these people.

6.58am BST

Schools in England will face real-terms funding cuts for years to come if the Conservatives win the general election, according to analyses by two thinktanks. The figures show year-on-year falls over the coming parliamentary term despite a Conservative manifesto promise to redirect £1bn in additional funding to state schools by slashing free school meals for infants.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said school funding would fall by nearly 3% by 2021, even with the additional £1bn a year, after adjusting for inflation and a rise in students enrolled.

Related: Schools face years of funding cuts if Tories win election, say reports

6.36am BST

Welcome back to the politics live blog as national campaigning restarts after a pause in the wake of the Manchester terror attack.

I’m Claire Phipps with what you need to know today, and the early news. Our live Manchester coverage continues here.

Good counter-terrorism is when you have close relationships between the policing and intelligence services. That is what we have … It’s also about making sure we get in early on radicalisation. But it’s not about those pure numbers on the street.

our foreign policy reduces rather than increases the threat to this country … Many experts, including professionals in our intelligence and security services, have pointed to the connections between wars our government has supported or fought in other countries and terrorism here at home.

That assessment in no way reduces the guilt of those who attack our children. Those terrorists will forever be reviled and held to account for their actions. But an informed understanding of the causes of terrorism is an essential part of an effective response that will protect the security of our people that fights rather than fuels terrorism.

Exc: Times/YouGov poll would give the Tories an overall maj of TWO (down from working maj of 17) if swing repeated uniformly across Britain

It would have been unedifying, to say the least, to watch Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn squabble as the body count was still rising – but they must now join a conversation that has already started without them. Even if we consider it opportune to hold our tongue for some amount of time, there’s no way to pause our brain’s ability to form opinions. There’s fierce disagreement about both the cause of this sort of violence and the most effective policy responses … How can we expect these events not to dominate election discourse for the remainder of the campaign period?

A conventional interpretation will settle about this terrible week, in which Mrs May was saved from her botched manifesto by the need to be prime ministerial in response to an atrocity. The temporary suspension of campaigning, it will be said, came at the ideal moment for her and changed the subject from social care to security, on which she is strong and Mr Corbyn is weak.

It’s always a mistake to read the election up so close, though. Almost all elections are won by fundamental questions determined long in advance of the campaign itself. When Jo Cox was murdered during the European referendum campaign there were confident predictions about its impact. In the event, there was no impact. The campaign had been going on for 40 years.

. @jreynoldsMP got his first ever tattoo done to raise money for the victims of the Manchester bombing, then got caught by his mum: http://pic.twitter.com/kHHb7G37TG

0 notes

workreveal-blog · 7 years

Text

Jail of a Azerbaijan Blogger Mehman Huseynov.

New Post has been published on https://workreveal.biz/jail-of-a-azerbaijan-blogger-mehman-huseynov/

Jail of a Azerbaijan Blogger Mehman Huseynov.

Twenty-four human-rights Companies which include Newshounds Without Borders condemned “inside the strongest viable phrases” the jailing in Azerbaijan of pro-competition blogger site Mehman Huseynov.

An Azeri court docket on Friday sentenced Huseynov, a video blogger and journalist who said on corruption within the government of President Ilham Aliyev, to 2 years in jail for defaming the police. He became prosecuted after reporting torture even as in custody in December.

Huseynov’s jailing

Huseynov’s jailing is “every other instance of Azerbaijan culture’s pleasant and brightest being targeted for expressing opinions critical of the ruling Aliyev regime,” Rebecca Vincent, U.K. Bureau director for Newshounds Without boundaries, stated in an emailed announcement that became signed via other advocacy Corporations including the Committee to Defend Reporters. Aliyev had dominated the former Soviet Union’s third-largest oil exporter considering that 2003 while he changed into appointed utilising his father, Heydar Aliyev. The 55-year-antique leader has confronted criticism from rights Agencies for extending the presidential period to seven years from five in a referendum in September. Opposition critics have additionally alleged Aliyev is preparing to bypass energy finally to his son after the age restrict for presidential candidates become decreased to 35 years within the plebiscite.

Huseynov is one of at the least 13 Reporters, bloggers and media employees had been sent to jail in Azerbaijan, the rights Corporations stated Friday, calling for their immediate launch.

jail

A exceptionally Russian-Israeli travel blogger who’s also a Ukrainian passport holder has been extradited from Belarus to Azerbaijan for visiting a territory that fell under the de facto manager of Azerbaijan’s neighbour, Armenia, following a struggle among the two international locations that began at the same time as they had been each component of the Soviet Union. He faces eight years in prison.

If it isn’t always already clean, it has to be stated now that this is a story that gets very complicated, very quickly.

In drafting this document Global Voices owes a debt to some other, higher-regarded Russian blogger: Ilya Varlamov, who put together an excellent ‘What Do we Recognise?’ kind-piece while Aleksandr Lapshin, a tour blogger who claims to have visited 122 independent countries, was still in detention in Belarus in January.

Given the complexities of the case, it makes sense to proceed in the same vein as Varlamov did, by way of answering the on the spot questions raised by the case.

Has he completed those matters?

Regarding the initial charge, “making public calls” against the Azerbaijani nation, that is a price that fighters of authoritarian governments in countries internationally face, Varlamov notes that this is hard to affirm. A depended on friend has been updating Lapshin’s regular blog since his detention in Belarus commenced, but the entries neither deny nor confirm that those posts had been written.

It’s miles likely that Lapshin eventually deleted the Fb posts noted with the aid of the Azerbaijan prosecutor, but It is perhaps well worth pointing out that Lapshin does not list Nagorno-Karabakh a few of the “countries” he has visited on his weblog, as an earnest suggests of the territory’s independence would possibly.

It is, at any fee, very bizarre that Lapshin has been extradited to stand charges for creating a “name” towards a nation where he becomes not born and has not held citizenship, and maximum probable become not located when he made that “call”.

For that reason, it appears more likely that the legit prison justification for extradition turned into the second fee, “illegally crossing the country borders of Azerbaijan”, which he’s technically guilty of.

As Azerbaijan still claims jurisdiction over Nagorno-Karabakh (and certainly, the UN is on its side at this point), the Azerbaijani authorities demand that anybody wishing to go to the USA applies for permission first.

Lapshin appears no longer to have accomplished this before trips there in 2011 and 2012 and eventually were given added to a blacklist preventing him from entering Azerbaijan proper. However, he flaunted this ban with the aid of coming into on his Ukrainian passport wherein he is known as Oleksandr in place of Aleksandr, Thus averting detection by Azerbaijani border guards. He then boasted of this feat in a post because taken down, which led Russian blogger Ilya Varlamov to conclude that the ethical of Lapshin’s detention became “don’t be a moron”. Varlamov later reversed this judgement while readers of his blog argued that it become overly harsh.

blogger

Why did Belarus determine to extradite?

Lapshin turned into detained on December thirteen via Belarusian authorities using an Interpol warrant requested by using Azerbaijan. He was held for nearly two months before being extradited to Azerbaijan on February 7.

Interpol regularly honours the requests of authoritarian governments to location their political enemies on its list, often simplest doing away with them from the list while third party countries hold them earlier than liberating them. So, no surprises that Lapshin become put on the list and eventually detained via Belarus.

Belarus’ choice to hold for one of this duration of time — Lapshin’s friend has claimed mistreatment at some point of the detention but not torture — earlier than extraditing is some distance greater curious, and worldwide affairs may additionally have performed a function.

Officially, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka has stated the selection to deport turned into performed “using the law”. But it appears not going that this becomes a result of due manner. Belarus has held people placed at the Interpol listing via friendly countries earlier than — now and again for extended intervals of time — and later released them.

The key in this example is probably the objection of Russia to both the detention and extradition of its citizen Lapshin. Belarus and Russia’s up-and-down relationship turned into in a trough on the time of Lapshin’s arrest and had handiest gotten worse given that.

Russia’s overseas ministry stated on February eight that it was “deeply disenchanted” with the selection to extradite, which went towards “the spirit of friendly ties among allies — Russia and Belarus”. But all of us that watched snippets of Lukashenka’s latest press convention lasting over seven hours and full of anti-Kremlin vitriol would infrequently describe those ties as pleasant at present.

Israel also adverse the extradition,

while Ukraine, which needs all of the general guides it may get in the face of aggression from Moscow (especially from different ex-Soviet states like Belarus and Azerbaijan) has selected no longer to say something.

Judging by using the on-message nature of Salimov’s other interviews, It’s far probably his thinking and the Azerbaijan authorities’ wondering are likely in harmony. A considerable sentence might dramatically enhance the comprehensive profile of a case that has to this point best skimmed the floor of the international media’s attention, and draw sharp grievance from the West. Greater pressingly, Azerbaijan has real motives to maintain lengthy-time best friend Israel at the fact, in addition to Russia, which has armed both events in the Nagorno-Karabakh battle.

Even though, it will be a nervy look ahead to Lapshin, a tour blogger whose naive dabbling in politics has already seen him held in confinement via of the sector’s worst rights abusers.

The Prosecutor Genera’s Workplace of Azerbaijan has initiated a criminal case and released research into the data of illegal monetary activities of overseas organisations within the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the click service of Prosecutor Trendy’s Office advised APA on Saturday.

The Azerbaijani Prosecutor Preferred’s Workplace investigated the cloth submitted employing the Foreign Ministry on the illegal financial sports of prison entities within the Azerbaijani territories occupied by way of Armenian militia, said the press provider.

Azerbaijan

The investigations revealed that heads of numerous companies of Switzerland, Bulgaria, Uruguay, Argentina, Romania and other nations, together with the organizations Haik Watch and Jewelry Co, Rodino Haskovo JIC, Centro Ceibal, Deccan Gold Mines Ltd and Cosmote Romanian Cell Telecommunications SA, in 1999-2017, illegally crossed the nation border of Azerbaijan several times via Armenia and as an organized organization, collectively with different humans inside the occupied territories, created corporations without kingdom registration envisaged by means of Azerbaijan’s legal guidelines within the Khankandi, Shusha, Lachin, Kalbajar towns and in other settlements.

through engaging in these sports, such as the usage of herbal resources and minerals, they brought on a massive-scale damage obtaining illegal revenues, in addition to committed actions aimed toward the strengthening of the occupation and violation of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

Given the abovementioned statistics, the investigation Department for Grave Crimes of the Prosecutor Standard’s Office has initiated a criminal case beneath relevant articles and released research.

the clicking carrier delivered that during accordance with the norms and standards of international law, in addition to the countrywide rules, the Prosecutor Wellknown’s Office of Azerbaijan will maintain taking the vital steps against those worried in illegal monetary sports inside the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as well as towards folks that cast doubt on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

Nagorno-Karabakh, again.

Lapshin’s arrest is proof — if any became wished — that Azerbaijan is in no hurry to soften its stance on Nagorno-Karabakh, which turned into part of its territory in Soviet times, no matter ethnic Armenians there outnumbering ethnic Azeris via approximately 4 to 1 earlier than the bloc’s split.

Closing yr noticed some of the worst fightings over the territory because the conflict formally led to 1994 and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (or considered one of his staffers) has inside the beyond taken to Twitter to threaten an all-out invasion.

Armenia, in turn, has few incentives handy the stunning but landlocked would-be-nation again to Azerbaijan given a loss of tremendous pressure to do so, extensively from Russia, that is broadly seen as an arbiter within the conflict.

0 notes

benrleeusa · 5 years

Text

Transitional Justice at Sites of ‘Dark Tourism’: The Case of Genocide Memorials in Cambodia

Cheryl Lawther, Rachel Killean, and Lauren Dempster join JiC for this post on sites of ‘dark tourism’ in Cambodia. Cheryl, Rachel, and Lauren are Lecturers at the School of Law, Queen’s University Belfast. Their post draws on a period of fieldwork in Cambodia conducted by them in January 2018, with the team carrying out over 30 interviews with survivors, members of staff at Tuol Sleng and Choeung-Ek, representatives of NGOs and other stakeholders to examine how victims and survivors are represented at these sites. In addition to Tuol Sleng and Choeung-Ek, the team visited a number of former prison sites in the provinces. Using a transitional justice lens and drawing on the interviews conducted, this blog examines how these sites can be argued to be, and be critiqued as, spaces of: truth, justice, and reparations.

A visit walks past photographs of some of those killed in Prison 21, now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Musem (Photo: Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP / Getty Images)

The practice of ‘dark tourism’, whereby members of the public visit sites associated with atrocity and violence, has received growing attention in recent years. Thousands of visitors travel to Auschwitz, Cambodia’s ‘Killing Fields,’ ports used in the global slave trade, and to other sites of mass atrocity. While these sites appeal to (some) tourists, how do those impacted by the violence perpetrated in these places view them? And what do these sites say – or not say – about those harmed there? Focussing on two sites associated with such activity in Cambodia, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the ‘killing fields’ of Choeung-Ek, this blog post explores how transitional justice can provide a framework for analysing the value of these sites to survivors of the genocide, and for unpicking whose, and what, experiences are represented there.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh is a former site of torture and detention run by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979. Those detained at Tuol Sleng were transported to Choeung-Ek, a site to the south of the city, where they were executed and buried in mass graves. Both sites have become popular places for tourists to visit.

Sites of Truth

For many interviewees, Tuol Sleng and Choeung-Ek are considered to be places where the truth of past harms is acknowledged. Tuol Sleng is used as a space of truth-telling by survivors, often working with NGOs and victim support organisations. Survivors at the sites spoke of the importance of telling their stories, of theirrole as ‘living documents’ of what had happened, and in some cases of feeling a ‘duty’ to share their stories with researchers and visitors. At a more instrumental level, Tuol Sleng’s iconic photographic exhibition of former detainees has been a place where relatives of those killed in the detention centre can learn the fate of their loved ones. One survivor told us of visiting Tuol Sleng in order to ‘search for the truth.’

While playing an important truth telling function, neither site is viewed as telling the ‘full’ ‘truth’ about Cambodia’s past. For example, some interviewees drew attention to the fact that many of those tortured at Tuol Sleng and subsequently killed at Choeung-Ek were themselves former Khmer Rouge cadres subsequently detained by the regime. We found thatsuch complexities of victimhood are not fully engaged with at the sites. Increased representation of the ‘shades of grey’ of victims and perpetrators might facilitate the telling of a more comprehensive and nuanced truth. Others drew attention to the harms that are less visible within the sites, such as the widespread death caused by overwork, exhaustion and starvation during the regime. Some suggested that the development of other sites associated with the regime might help highlight these abuses. We found that the sites created a hierarchy of harm which prioritised violent death, rather than exposing a more comprehensive truth of the harms experienced during the regime. A number of interviewees expressed a desire for these stories to be amplified.

Sites of Justice

The sites are very much viewed as places of evidence, where the proof of past crimes is preserved and presented. The role of these sites as repositories of evidence was raised by interviewees in two ways. Firstly, many of our respondents emphasised the importance of these sites in authenticating the experience of those who suffered under the Khmer Rouge regime and ‘showing the world’ what happened. One interviewee described the sites as ‘the best place to show the public about the crime committed during the Khmer Rouge regime.’

Secondly, the elevation of Tuol Sleng and Choeung-Ek as ‘tourist attractions’ has had material benefits in terms of the physical preservation of the sites. Indeed, Tuol Sleng continues to be developed as an archive of evidence, as demonstrated for example by UNESCO’s digitalisation initiative. This will involve the digitisation of some 400,000 documents recovered from Tuol Sleng as part of UNESCO’s ‘Memory of the World’ programme. One interviewee described the importance of ‘preserving’ the sites as ‘evidential places.’ Yet, some also expressed concern that the physical remains of prisons in the Cambodian provinces were being lost over time, as a result of neglect and the effects of exposure to nature. While Tuol Sleng and Choeung-Ek were valued by interviewees as sites of justice, the lack of preservation of other sites associated with the regime may produce an uneven landscape of evidence of the Khmer Rouge regime’s abuses.

Sites of Reparation

In terms of reparations, several components were frequently highlighted by interviewees: education, guarantees of non-recurrence, healing, and memorialisation. Almost all interviewees suggested that the sites of Tuol Sleng and Choeung-Ek were important places for educating young people, the international community, and other Cambodians about the Khmer Rouge period. Attendees at the ECCC hearings are taken to visit Tuol Sleng and Choeung-Ek via its outreach programme to learn about what happened there. Linked to this education function, and particularly with regards educating the young, was a sense that through learning about the past and knowing what happened, such events could be prevented from recurring. The sites also have a role in broader efforts towards healing. They are used in the provision of counselling and support for survivors via testimonial therapy sessions which take place there. Finally, a number of interviewees spoke of the importance of these sites as places of memorialisation and the use of these sites for memorial events.

However, it is worth noting that the focus on these sites as spaces of reparation is not uncontested. One interviewee was troubled by what they perceived to be the exclusive use of Tuol Sleng as a space for commemorating the past, as for example demonstrated by the decisionto move a memorial sculpture awarded as reparations in the ECCC’s second case from in front of the French Embassy into Tuol Sleng. Past controversies have also surrounded the decisionto include the list of victims of Tuol Sleng on a monument insidethe compound, as some deemed the move potentially offensive to families as the names of cadres were also listed. Examining these sites from a reparations perspective directs our focus to some of these challenges.

To conclude, using a transitional justice framework can be helpful in articulating the value of sites of ‘dark tourism’ to those most impacted by past violence, and can facilitate a more critical reflection on these sites. While those we interviewed in Cambodia viewed these sites as extremely important and valued the fact that so many people visited them, it was also suggested that these are spaces where there is the potential tomore comprehensively represent the past, engaging with the complexities of victimhood and the full spectrum of harms perpetrated under the Khmer Rouge regime. If, as Haldeman proposes, TJ is about recognition, then considering sites of ‘dark tourism’ as spaces of transitional justice raises questions about who is recognised, what harms are recognised, and who, what, or where, is excluded from recognition.

0 notes