#and are mistreated just the same as non bandits

[anghraine]

I was tagged by @ladytharen in a cool fic meme! The idea is to post the first lines of your ten most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, that's fine, just go with what you have (if you want to do it; no pressure if you don't!).

Tagging: @ncfan-1, @hoidn, @kareenvorbarra, @elwing, @heckofabecca, @irresistible-revolution, @kazaera, @lantur, @melyzard, @steinbecks

Love, Pride & Delicacy | Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth/f!Darcy, WIP

When Mr Wickham first arrived in Hertfordshire, Elizabeth was as ready as anyone to admire him, and perhaps readier to be admired in return.

The original draft of this fic was on hold for nearly ten years until it struck me that I could begin much earlier in the story, at the first point where Catherine Darcy was likely to come up—Wickham's tale of how Miss Darcy had horribly mistreated him. This has meant more Wickham content than I ever anticipated, but it also propelled the fic forwards.

2. Untitled | Guild Wars 2, AU of pro patria, Gwen Velazquez (Ascalonian human female PC w/ street origin and a missing sister) and Deborah Velazquez gen, WIP

Gwen always knew the Seraph would hunt her down one day.

I told myself I wasn't going to write fic for this, and then, well. I am what I am.

3. Untitled redux | Guild Wars 2, same universe as #2, Gwen Velazquez/Althea Fairchild, WIP

Gwen Velazquez regretted many things about her time among the Bloodcrow bandits. Robbing nobles was not one of them.

I then told myself the main part of the 'verse would be a one-shot, lol, so I didn't end up with a pro patria-sized monster. It's not a one-shot. It's been an interesting balance between trying to lean into GW2 feelings while also staying relatively accessible. We'll see! Someday.

4. the captain and the hero | Guild Wars 2, side-story to pro patria, Althea Fairchild (human female PC w/ noble origin) and Logan Thackeray gen, on hiatus

Even by Logan’s usual standards, the battle at Shaemoor was ugly.

This fic floated around my head for a long time and finally would not be contained, and this seemed the right place to jump in. It probably will never go very far, but I'm still fond of it.

5. and the sun shone | Lord of the Rings (bookverse), Faramir/Éowyn, WIP

The Steward Faramir was, Éowyn swiftly concluded, a strange man.

Fun fact: in my drafts, this was just called "F/É telepathy fic".

6. Untitled | Lord of the Rings (bookverse), f!Faramir/Éowyn, WIP

Even in Gondor, Éowyn was cold. She had always supposed it would be warm, if she ever came here. And after Aragorn’s arrival in Edoras, she had very often imagined herself in Minas Tirith, for all the obstacles in his way. Someday, she had let herself hope, perhaps—and she had come after all, but not at all in the way she anticipated. And she was still cold.

The document for this one is "Fíriel mingling". Guess what it's about! :D

7. pro patria | Guild Wars 2, slight AU of canon following Althea Fairchild (a noble, Ascalonian, human female version of the PC), WIP

I always thought of myself as Ascalonian first, and Krytan second.

It's a weirdly-structured fic that mostly was a depository for my GW2 feelings, with a bitter main character who continually vacillates between hauteur, adaptable personas, and hovering on the edge of violence. Lots of fun and it couldn't have begun any other way.

8. the voices of the sea | Lord of the Rings (bookverse), f!Faramir and Boromir, ft. Tar-Míriel

The dream always began the same way.

I was thinking about how a female, non-military Faramir would get news of Boromir via the water, and then had the idea of linking it to the dream of Númenor for extra pain. The true goal of fanfic!

9. The Jedi and the Sith Lord | Star Wars (films only), f!Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

If Darth Vader did not avoid the sight of his daughter in carbonite, he certainly did not seek it out. Solo’s features had been frozen in lines of shock and pain. Lucy, however, did not look surprised, but resigned, her upturned face hardened into a look of hopeless dread. After his first inspection in Cloud City, he felt no need or desire to examine her unchanging features any more closely.

The previous fic in this series ended with Lucy in carbonite for Reasons. This fic is all about how their relationship develops from there and was definitely the most purely enjoyable to write of the whole series. This opening was one of the oldest part of it, written years before I got the rest out.

The overall story, however, begins more simply:

Padmé screamed.

10. we also are daughters of the great | Lord of the Rings (bookverse), f!Faramir/Éowyn

“Is there no deed to do? Who commands in this City?”

The Warden looked uncertain.

The same universe as #6! I don't usually begin with dialogue, but it can be especially helpful (for me) with AUs, to signal the ways in which it's splitting off or which scene is being played with.

[aravenwhumper]

Whumptober 2020 Masterpost

Hello! Whumptober has been a very busy but productive month and I decided to make a masterpost in order to organise everything a little bit. There were some days in which I forgot to post links and so this just makes everything a little easier. Please enjoy!

THE OLD GUARD

BURIED ALIVE (NICKY)

Joe has never been more afraid than he is right at this moment, as he sprints through a cemetery in the dead of night searching for the grave of the man he loves.

CARRYING (NICKY)

After a mission gone wrong, Nicky is left trapped after an explosion and dying over and over, unable to do anything but wait for his rescue.

TW: temporary suicide, minor emetophobia

NIGHTMARES (ALT) (ANDY, BOOKER)

Booker suffers with nightmares in the aftermath of his exile. Joe may be mad at him, but he won’t let his closest friend suffer.

TW: medical trauma, minor gore

SHOT (ALT) & STRUGGLING (NICKY)

There’s a gun in his mouth and Nicky can’t breathe.

TW: mentions of non-con

OXYGEN MASK (NICKY)

Nicky has a nightmare he’s back in the lab with Dr Kozak. Joe reminds him that he’s safe.

WRONGFULLY ACCUSED (NICKY)

“How long have you been panic attacks?” Nile asks Nicky one day, and the answer is a lot more distressing than he expects.

TW: historical mistreatment of people with mental illnesses

PANIC ATTACKS (ANDY)

Andy has a panic attack following a nightmare and Nile can’t help but expect Nicky to be the one who knows how to help. But it’s never that easy, and having panic attacks isn’t quite the same as helping someone else through one.

TW: panic attack

SURVIVOR’S GUILT (JOE)

“Why us?” Yusuf asks. It’s a question he and Nicolo have asked before, and they’re not sure that they will ever find an answer.

FIELD MEDICINE (ANDY)

Andy’s not ok the first time she’s hurt after losing her immortality. None of them are.

DRUGGED (NICKY)

Mortal AU. Joe finds himself protecting a beautiful blue-eyed stranger when something is slipped into his drink.

TW: non-con drugging, mentions of rape/non-con

FORCED MUTISM & DISORIENTATION (NICKY)

After having his throat cut, Nicky finds himself unable to speak. He’s not a loud man, but the forced silence is more than a little bit frightening.

EXTREME WEATHER (JOE, NICKY)

After rescuing a group of women and children from bandits, Yusuf and Nicolo push themselves to the limit in the scorching heat to ensure that they are safe. They don’t expect this kindness to be repaid.

TW: mentions of rape/non-con, child abuse

COMFORT (ALT) (NICKY)

Nicky hasn’t slept in three days. He can’t - the little voice in his head won’t shut up long enough for him to even nap on the sofa. Every time there’s a single moment of quiet it’s all he can hear; these negative little thoughts about every single time he’s ever been less than perfect. And in 900 years, that’s a lot of screw ups.

TW: intrusive thoughts

IGNORING AN INJURY (NICKY)

Mortal AU. Nicky doesn’t have time to think before he’s pushing Joe out of the path of a speeding bullet.

THE WITCHER (TV)

HANGING (JASKIER)

Geralt arrives in the village of Ulga just in time to witness an execution.

TW: homophobia

COLLARS, MANHANDLED & RESCUE (JASKIER)

In which Jaskier’s father takes back his son and Geralt is having none of it.

POSSESSION (JASKIER)

Jaskier is possessed by a demon and the only way to get it out is by torturing it until it leaves.

TW: electrocution

HALLUCINATIONS & SLEEP DEPRIVATION

During a long hunt, Jaskier finds himself struggling with the side effects of too many nights without sleep.

HYPOTHERMIA (JASKIER)

It’s minus five degrees celsius and Jaskier has regrets. He regrets deciding to walk to Geralt’s instead of spending money on a bus or taxi. He regrets not wearing a thicker jacket and forgetting his gloves on the train the other day. And he regrets not actually owning a jacket thicker than a hoodie.

HUNTING SEASON (JASKIER)

Jaskier is on the run from a dangerous hunter and his cruel games. All he can do is hide and hope that Geralt will find him in time.

WHIPPED (GERALT)

Somehow, even shackled and beaten, Geralt still manages to be the most intimidating figure in the room.

TW: torture

HAWAII FIVE-O

“STOP, PLEASE.” (DANNY)

Danny has never been a fan of heavy metal music. It’s nothing personal, but he likes to listen to music that’s quiet and calm, music that will help him to wind down after a hectic and stressful day. But now...now he hates it, and he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to hear an electric guitar or bass drum without dropping to the floor, clutching his ears and sobbing.

TW: psychological torture, minor self harm

BROKEN BONES (DANNY)

Danny is hit by a car and breaks his arm. Steve doesn’t immediately realise how bad it is.

CRITICAL ROLE

ISOLATION (CALEB)

Modern AU. In the early days of the virus, Caleb finds himself all alone at home and struggling to cope. Set during the early days of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

TW: pandemic-related anxiety

PRODIGAL SON

HEAT EXHAUSTION (MALCOLM)

Malcolm wakes up in the middle of nowhere with his hands tied behind his back and the sun beating down on him. It’s not long before the heat starts to take effect.

DETROIT BECOME HUMAN

CONCUSSION (GAVIN)

Gavin has a concussion. Connor and Nines have to deal with him while they wait for an ambulance.

TW: emetophobia

[hellzyeahwebwielingessays]

Super Heroes are a HUMAN power fantasy Part 1

Master Post

Super Heroes are a HUMAN power fantasy Part 2

Osvaldo Oyola , J. Lamb and Noah Berlatsky (who hates super heroes on principle btw), along with other dumbasses, have often said they are male/white supremacist power fantasies.

Nah fam. They are nothing more and nothing less than a HUMAN power fantasy.

Follow me along here for a while.

Human beings are animals.

We are. That’s a simple matter of scientific fact.

When push comes to shove we are really, really, really smart monkeys who share something like 50+% genes in common with chimpanzees.

As animals and all forms of life the overwhelming majority of us are biologically hardwired towards one ultimate goal: survival.

The desire to survive drives us innately in ways that go unnoticed most of the time. As we evolved into smarter creatures with higher brain functions capable of comprehending the world around us and constructing complex relationships and societies, that survival instinct was reinterpreted through various means.

The survival instinct in human beings and other mammals takes several forms but most commonly can boil down to two things:

a)      Survival through preservation of the individual

b)      Survival through procreation

Type a) involves getting food, shelter, rest, avoiding and recovering from injury and of course defending one’s self from threats, which can take the form of other living creatures, including members of our own species.

Type b) involves spawning offspring and at the same time looking after their wellbeing.

But the survival instinct goes deeper than that because we are biologically hardwired to work towards the protection of our very species. That is the very reason why type a) and b) even exist. By preserving ourselves and our offspring our species survives.

We are also communal animals. Much like chimpanzees and gorillas we live in groups for mutual benefit and protection. Thus, as part of survival of ourselves, our offspring and our species, we have a biological investment in protecting members of our group and of our species.

But seemingly paradoxically we are also hardwired to compete with and fight one another. This likely a by-product of how in the wild we’d have to compete for resources like food and shelter. Sometimes this involves two different groups from the same species competing with one another for survival.

Why am I telling you this? Well, because deep down all those things I have just talked about are innate to 99% of all human beings. It is little wonder that as we as a species evolved we expressed these biological driving forces in certain ways no other creatures could.

This is where the concept of our deities, Gods and figures from folklore and myth come from.

Jupiter, Vishnu, Thor, Hercules, Sun Wukong, Sampson, the Biblical version of Jesus Christ.

Whether they adopt the form of human beings or other entities, virtually every single culture on Earth, even those in isolation of one another, have conceived of beings greater than themselves. Beings with abilities beyond the average human being. And they’ve also conceived of those beings from time to time using their abilities to defy the laws of nature (such as averting natural disasters), combat dangerous or malevolent forces/creatures/individuals, and/or safeguarding the lives of others.

It is a form of explaining the world around us, and an act of wish fulfilment of the human experience.

We want to survive and since we are by our nature group animals we desire to be protected. Thus we conceive beings greater than ourselves who could potentially do that.

We want to survive by preserving our individual selves, so we imagined beings that are so powerful that they are not as reliant upon rest and sustenance like normal people. And who are powerful enough that they either cannot be easily harmed and are are capable of defending themselves from potential threats.

We have within us a vested biological interest in preserving our species, and so are hardwired to protect members of our family/group; our kin. Thus as part of our human wish fulfilment fantasies we imagine beings we’d like to be who could have the power to protect members of our species.

We then come to the modern superhero.

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, etc. Fundamentally they are the exact same thing.

Individuals with powers beyond those of the average human being, who use those powers to help and protect people, typically from numerous threats (which most commonly take the form of individuals with malevolent intentions). This can include perceived social ills which plague society and by extension pose a threat to the survival or quality of life of ordinary citizens.

One can exchange Hercules fighting the mythological Hydra for Superman fighting Darkseid or Captain America fighting H.Y.D.R.A. terrorists and it is ultimately the same thing. Batman battling crime in Gotham city fundamentally is no different from Theseus defeating criminals and bandits on his travels. When Spider-Man swings into action to save Mary Jane from the Green Goblin, it is an expression of much the same thing the Indian deity Rama went through to save his bride Sita.

Many super heroes though are also vigilantes, someone who imposes their own sense of morality whilst working outside of the law. Vigilantes in the real world and in myths, folklore, fiction and so on can also be found throughout history. Perhaps the most notable example being Robin Hood, who denounced his noble status to steal from the rich and give what he took to the poor who were being over taxed and oppressed by a corrupt system. Other examples would be the Scarlet Pimpernel or Zorro.

What I am trying to say is that at their core, modern day super heroes are fundamentally modern riffs of the folkloric and mythic traditions and/or similar expressions of the universal human experience (which are informed by innate biological imperatives).

Ostensibly, in creating Superman (the first true superhero), Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were either:

a)      Consciously/subconsciously influenced by these older mythic stories when they created Superman (and thus birthed the entire genre), or

b)      basically tapped into the same kind of thinking which birthed Robin Hood, Hercules, Sun Wukong, etc. in the first place. Across the centuries great minds seemingly thought alike

Superman in particular was possibly heavily influenced by the figure of super strong Sampson or the Clay Golem of Prague, both of whom are part of Jewish religion and folklore (Siegel and Shuster being Jewish immigrants). He might even be seen as a kind of Moses figure. Someone sent away from his natural people to grow up elsewhere, but nevertheless destined for greatness. Or maybe he was just a messiah figure. Whether Siegel and Shuster had Jesus Christ in their minds at all or not, the Jewish religion does (I believe) talk about a saviour figure and Superman could very well be an expression of that.

Figuring into Superman’s creation was 1930s depression and the shadow of impending global war as Hitler was gathering power and invaded Poland the year after Superman was created. In his debut Superman is not only superhumanly powerful but uses these powers as a vigilante to do things like:

·         stop wife beaters

·         rescue someone framed for murder, whilst apprehending the real murderer

·         capture gangsters and rescue a kidnapped person (Lois Lane)

·         bring a corrupt politician to justice

This was an expression of 1930s fears and frustrations. Of Siegel and Shuster’s desires to right the wrongs of a system which was perceived to be broken…or at least envision someone who could do that seemingly impossible task.

The next year in 1939, Batman would come along and express many of these sentiments even more acutely, in particular when it came to crime.

As time went by and the superhero genre was consolidated and evolved, many heroes had their histories altered in order to make them more coherent. In Batman’s specific case his home of Gotham city was painted as so utterly corrupt from the lowest criminal to the most powerful political figures that Batman was literally the one and only effective deterrent to crime. Hope of legal or political reform was next to impossible, thus Batman’s brand of vigilantism was the only thing which could stand in the way of criminals from just doing whatever they wanted.

Bearing all this in mind the idea that the superhero genre is an inherent white construction (and therefore inherently racist, deliberately or otherwise) is, you know…fucking bullshit.

There is a difference between something defined by someone of one race or another and it being something which in indicative to them ONLY. There is also a difference between something having ‘white supremacist undertones’ and something simply being created at a certain point in time when cultural norms were (sadly) different to what they became later on.

As originally created Superman (and by extension the genre) was functionally the same kind of wish fulfilment expressesed by countless storytellers from countless cultures across human history, all informed by universal biological impulses to survive.

Yes, the superhero genre was created and constructed by white people and is therefore literally a ‘white construction’. Yes there weren’t many (if any) non-white characters outside of horrible racial stereotypes. Yes many of them took the law into their own hands.

But that doesn’t mean they are in support of white supremacist notions ala the Ku Klux Klan.

In fact given that Siegel and Shuster were of Jewish immigrant descent, one could argue that Superman was a reflection of how minorities need to be BETTER than the majority to be accepted and/or he was arguably an expression of their frustrations at being mistreated themselves an minorities.

On the other hand let’s say that ‘white supremacy’ strictly meant that superheroes operated with the belief in white people being the default, and as the majority, they were better than the non-whites. Superman was created at a time of segregation after all.

The problem is there is no evidence I know in support of Superman, by his mere existence, is consciously implying that white people are better than non-white people. I wouldn’t put it past Siegel and Shuster to believe that given the times they were from, but ALL media was like that. To an extent they honestly didn’t know any better. But just because they believed that and the social context of the time informed people of this, that doesn’t mean that those ideas are inherent to the superhero genre.

Because again, the superhero genre ultimately embodies beliefs and practices which date back throughout human history and can be found in many non-white cultures.

Yes. Their brand of heroism and the beliefs about heroism they embody were gifted to them by their white creators. And those creators were informed by white social norms (as in the white society they grew up in informed Siegel and Shuster that wife beating was bad). But that doesn’t mean that the superhero moral compass is inherently something that is itself white by design. Rather, it goes beyond that to form a mostly universal form of morality. And lest we forget American society and its laws were mostly informed by Jewish and Christian religious beliefs and practices, which themselves were not only innovated centuries before American society, but by people who were NOT white.

Yes, these superheroes are vigilantes, many of which wear masks and employ secret identities. But not only is that a matter of practicality within their work, as well as part of generating drama within the narrative, but this does not (as the above mentioned dumbasses believe) mean they are inheriting a legacy from the Ku Klux Klan.

Theseus and Robin Hood acted as vigilantes of a sort who again predate the KKK. The Scarlet Pimpernel is widely regarded as the originator of the secret identity trope, and he was created by a Hungarian born British woman!

Just because a superhero might act as a vigilante and impose their sense of morality outside of the law (maybe even using force to do it) doesn’t equate them with the KKK, because it completely and utterly ignores the specifics of the circumstances. It is like saying anyone who kills is a serial killer, when they might have killed for justifiable reasons. Superman and Batman might be operating as vigilantes with secret identities but we the readers can plainly see that they are genuinely justified in what they are doing.

But that’s because the writer has established that!

I hear you cry.

Yes that is true...so what though?

If the writer has set up circumstances which justify the superheroes actions then you can’t just IGNORE those. You can’t just choose the evidence you take under consideration to fit the conclusion you want. In this case that’d be the interpretation of superheroes are endorsements of white supremacist notions ala the KKK or police officers who abuse their powers.

That’s like desiring to interpret Star Wars as the story of white supremacy because the ‘black’ clad figures of the Empire are ultimately overthrown by the white Rebel Alliance and the ‘light side' of the force. It ignores the respective actions of the Empire and Alliance in-story.

It’s is presuming the Empire to represent black people and the Alliance white people in the first place and then working backwards from there. Equally it is presuming superheroes to be stand-ins for ACTUAL police officers or KKK style vigilantes in the first place.

And that cop analogy inherently doesn’t work because superheroes are only SIMILAR to cops. The analogy ultimately breaks down because they aren’t subject to ANY legal sanctions, many of them do not kill and their crime fighting efforts stereotypically takes the form of them intervening ONLY if they hear about a crime/crisis ahead of time or if they observe it in progress.

I mean one of the above morons conflated Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense to be a stand in for racial profiling which is an utterly inappropriate analogy. The Spider-Sense was originally constructed as a clumsy plot device that first and foremost operated as a personalised danger sense to Spider-Man of threats. Outside of contrived writing it categorically doesn’t alert him to ANY potential crime or criminal. And it doesn’t discriminate the way racial profiling does. It more often than not allows him to pinpoint precisely who might be a potential threat because they ARE a potential threat.

Spider-Man or Superman or Batman in the course of their work have these skills and it enables them to be ABOVE things like racial profiling. Again, taking their stalking of a potential criminal to be a tacit approval of police methods is an interpretation being overlaid ONTO   the superhero and then presumed to be factually what it is.

But it’s not.

It’s just an (mis)interpretation of what is going on informed by one person’s personal experiences and baggage through life. It is the same kind of logic which will take say a female character who has a male love interest as 100% definitely an enforcement of the idea that women ‘need a man’ to validate them when that isn’t necessarily the case of the story at all.

Building upon this is the oft-repeated interpretation that superheroes are fascists and are supportive of fascist values. That is an incredibly simplistic and literal reading of the superhero genre that ignores aspects plain as day on the page of the stories. It again is CHOOSES to see something in the concept which frankly misses the point but is nevertheless accepted as plain fact regardless.

An article in the Atlantic addresses this very eloquently:

This [fascist] reading of superheroes is common but wrong, a symptom of trying to impose political ideology on a universal, fictional myth. Superheroes do say something about the real world, but it’s something pretty uncontroversial: We want to see good triumph over evil, and “good” in this case means more than just defeating the bad guy—it means handling power responsibly.

The “fascism” metaphor breaks down pretty quickly when you think about it. Most superheroes defeat an evil power but do not retain any power for themselves. They ensure others’ freedom. They rarely deal with the government, and when they do it is with wariness, as in the Iron Man films, where Tony Stark refuses to hand over control of his inventions.

Indeed, superhero tales are full of subplots about how heroes limit their own power: hibernating once the big bad guy has been defeated, wearing disguises to live ordinary lives, choosing not to give into the temptation to ally with the villain or use their powers for profit or even civilizational progress. That’s because the creators of some of the most foundational superhero tales weren’t writing solely out of a power fantasy. They were writing out of a fantasy that a truly good people who find themselves with power might use that power only for good—and only in the face of extreme evil.

YES superheroes are a power fantasy.

But there is NOTHING wrong with power fantasies so long as one understands the distinction between the fiction and reality.

More than this...the hard truth is violence is part of being human. We are biologically hard wired to be violent and dominate others. That is innate to us like many, many, many animals. The flipside to that though is what also makes us human is the ability (and perhaps more importantly the DESIRE) to NOT be like that.

Most superhero fiction simultaneously offers us the opportunity to enforce those values whilst at the same time providing us with a safe outlet for our violent urges. We transfer those urges into the heroes and villains fighting one another. Kinda like how in Ancient Rome gladiator fights and other spectacles were used as a way of avoiding the populace of Rome from erupting into violence.

And don’t sit there and tell me that they ENCOURAGE violence.

If someone is going to be violent like that frankly there are almost ALWAYS further underlying factors often to do with their home life And

Human beings have been killing each other and acting in immoral ways LONG before the invention of popular media. Preventing ourselves from being like that is an act of learned control as we grow up. It is otherwise innate to our instincts.

Furthermore the concept of superheroes as being police officers who enforce the status quo and therefore help keep white people in power is incredibly flawed.

First of all Doc Ock nuking New York city hurts everyone regardless of race. Second of all Batman stopping a mugger in the middle of assaulting someone isn’t upholding white power, it’s just safeguarding life. Reading it as more than that is a projection these asshats are injecting INTO the stories themselves when they aren’t warranted.

Finally, the law might be stacked in favour of white power and minority suppression. But that not only has a lot to do with ABUSE of the law, but at the same time large chunks of the law are there legitimately for the well being of EVERYONE. It is illegal to murder someone, to mug them, to exploit them. None of that ensures white power, it ensures the well being of everyone. The problem is that those laws are often warped when being applied to minorities by the police force.

But superheroes don’t represent the police force. They represent something grander than the police force whilst at the same time representing what the police force SHOULD be like. The message isn’t ‘this is what the police are like’ or even ‘the police are heroes so anything they do is therefore a good thing’. It is providing a strong moral ideal and saying ‘You and everyone else should try to be like this’.

It is because of this that the superhero concept REVEALS the warts and shortcomings of the law and law enforcement as it really exists. Which was a part of 1930s frustrations Superman et al were giving vent to. Again, Action Comics #1 showed us corrupt politicians, commentating upon a flawed system.

Basically Superman being who he is doesn’t tell people that a police officer is justified when he racially profiles a black person as a criminal. Quite the opposite, he reveals us that they were WRONG in doing that because Superman would NEVER do that.

Ultimately, yeah these characters were created within a white context, but my point is fundamentally the same thing was created in non-white contexts as well throughout history.

Super Heroes are a HUMAN power fantasy Part 2

Master Post

[flightofaqrow]

non-combat STRQ role

expanding on this post about his role in a team/group regarding for combat.

this is. gonna be mushy. not fully formed. but i wanna talk about it while i have the chance here.

what we know:

Summer is (probably): leader, which probably comes with its own anxieties; something of a brat.

Tai is (probably): sunshine golden boy; bright and bold.

Raven is (probably): intense; troubled; flighty.

qrow is: honestly, who knows besides doing inappropriate things?? (probably) edgy and depressed, wanting to prove himself. but... i’d say, comparatively, he’s the “chill” one of the bunch?

qrow grew up with bandits, likely being mistreated due to his semblance - children who get mistreated become more aware of people’s nonverbals     in trying to learn how not to upset them

what we’ve seen:

qrow gets stressed out when other people are stressed out (eg. Jaune)

qrow tried to keep people from throwing the first blow at Haven

qrow tried to convince anyone from throwing the first blow after martial law was announced.

(so uh. neither of those worked, but he tried.)

qrow tries to be reassuring to his nieces.

qrow is a very logical thinker.

qrow (after, um, punching him initially) looking after Oscar, cognizant of how overwhelming things are, getting him drinks, speaking to him gently.

this leads me to believe that maybe he was kind of a peacekeeper of the team?? like I think Summer was probably the proverbial voice of reason as far as conscience and responsibility, but qrow seems to be able to keep a cool head under pressure. i don’t know how good at it he was, but he seems to naturally try and manage people’s emotions, even if it’s only for his own comfort.

he’s been doing it a lot in my threads and it feels ic?? and being able to de-escalate and disarm a little bit sounds like really good qualities for an espionage agent! and damn if it was his job to be the one to keep people sane, wouldn’t that just add a lovely extra heaping of self-blame that everyone fell apart?

...but at the same time littleblackqrow and I were already discussing how the bandit tribe probably taught him the exact opposite of proper conflict resolution, lol. And we’ve seen qrow be downright antagonistic too. or maybe Summer really did handle that part too. maybe he wasn’t like that as a teenager and was just a complete brat himself? i might be off base or missing some contradictory things still. give us more strq info rt, i beg.

but tl;dr i think he plays a support role outside of combat, too, but I haven’t fully resolved in what way.

regardless, my current hc to resolve this is that he’s just a belligerent drunk, and the softer, quieter sides of sober qrow we see in vol 7 are closer to his normal personality. 

but! i’m waiting until we see more sober qrow in 8 to totally commit to that. 

weeps..... vol 7 qrow is so hard to interpret because who knows what is the effect of sobriety, what is the effect of new people on him, and what is the effect of the situation. all i know is it definitely confirms his discomfort with leadership, because he is SO happy to step back for a little bit and let Ironwood and the Ace Ops take over with the kids. that’s part of what makes his gratitude toward Clover really churn my butter. it’s not just: thanks for helping the kids, it’s: thanks for giving me some breathing room.

[madvillainelias]

                 Angel of the Poor or Narco Saint.

The purpose of our blog is to inform and show the difference in how Malverde became a saint and the provider for believers within the Mexican/Latino community, how the masses have exploited and commercialized his image into a business and how this folk hero transcended from Mexico to other parts of the world. Also, to bring attention and recognize that even though Malverde has become a narco emblem, it has brought more tourism and more people have converted to this so-called saint. Our group consists of two people, Andoni Elias and Daniel Lopez.

Jesus Malverde, also known as the Angel of the Poor or Narco Saint has been a staple in Sinaloa, Mexico since the 1900s. There are many myths about Malverde’s existence, and it is impossible to clarify which are the result of imagination. Although his life was told through stories and gossip, some believe he was born in 1870 and died in 1909. Even though he is known as The Narco Saint, he was never involved in drug trafficking, for he was believed to rob the rich and give to the poor.

                      “The Sinaloan Robin Hood”  

Born Jesus Juarez Mazo in 1870, in a town called Mocorito in Sinaloa. he grew up very poor and was forced to work at an early age. He worked in haciendas and railroads as he endured his abusive patrons. He witnessed the injustice and mistreatment of the poor, and because of that, he rebelled against his patron. As a result, he was reprimanded by being assaulted by the authorities, he received a beating and was thrown into a river where he was left to die. He was rescued by locals who cared for him until he was healed and was able to get back on his feet. He then declared his hatred towards the rich and had profound gratitude towards the poor. He began to rob higher class neighborhoods and later distributed the bounty to the poor. The nickname “Malverde” was given by his wealthy victims. It is a distortion of “yerba mala” because he would assault people by a green grove on a mountain.

Many supposed miracles are attributed to him, including personal healings and blessings. Stories by people who claim Malverde appeared before them and helped with lost cattle, diseases, and economic stability.

So how did this man go from Robin Hood to Narco Saint? He supposedly took on as the patron of narco-traffickers in the 1970s, when drug trafficker Raymundo Escalante was shot and thrown in the sea by his father. Escalante survived after praying to Malverde, and since that fateful event, traffickers across the continent have prayed to him for good fortune and their questionable exploits.

He consistently attacked people within the same area that authorities decided to give a reward for his capture. During a confrontation with the authorities, Malverde was shot in the leg but was lucky enough to get away. His leg was so severely wounded that Malverde couldn’t run from the authorities any longer. Since he knew there was a high reward for his capture, he told one of his friends to turn him in and distribute the money to the poor. Another version is that he was betrayed by one of his followers, who gave the police his whereabouts and took the reward money. Either way, Malverde was handed to the authorities and later hanged. After his execution, the authorities prohibited a proper burial and left him hanging as an example for the public and delinquents if they were to be caught stealing. As time passed, his body fell to the ground and began to decompose. The villagers then started throwing rocks towards his body in order to build a tombstone so that people had a place to pay their respects. Even though the Catholic church does not acknowledge Malverde as a saint, he is considered the “Angel of the Poor” because he helped the poor and those in need. 

                        The Myths About Malverde

There are many different versions about Malverde’s existence, some say he is a mash-up of saints, bandits, and artists put together. Non-believers say that Malverde is a made up story of Jesus Christ and artists put together to create the perfect saint. Like Jesus Christ, Malverde was born on November 24th and even had the same first name. Leaving Malverde’s crimes aside, they were both betrayed by one of their followers and then died by sacrificing themselves for the good of the people. All of these similarities resulted in people labeling him as a saint, especially in the northern regions of the country. Because there are no pictures and no one knew how Malverde actually looked like, his appearance was thought to be taken from Sinaloa’s own singer and actor Pedro Infante. Pedro Infante is considered one of the greatest actors of the Golden Mexican Cinema and an idol in Latin America. Besides both becoming idols within Latin America, their appearance is very similar.

Another version of Malverde’s story consists of two bandits who joined the Mexican Revolution in order to overthrow the government and its dictator, Porfirio Diaz. These two bandits were Heraclio Bernal known as “El Rayo de Sinaloa,” and Felipe Bachomo known as “El Ultimo Rebelde Mayo.”

                                      Heraclio Bernal 

Heraclio (1855-1888) was one of the most prominent anti-Diaz rebels who understood the injustice that the rich were thieves who exploited workers. He formed a group of bandits that would assault areas in which people of high economic power traveled to. Once they took money from the rich, they distributed it amongst the poor. The assaults made by Heraclio became a nuisance for all, and because of this, they were put on the wanted list. Shortly after he joined the fight for the Mexican Revolution, he proved to be a great strategist and a knowledgable person. Heraclio caused several setbacks to Porfirio Diaz, but his will to fight came to an end on January 5th, 1888. There were various versions and theories regarding his death. One version says that Heraclio Bernal contracted pneumonia while he traveled to the cave where he kept all his riches and eventually died. Another account was that he was very ill and aware of the fact that he was close to death. Because of this, Heraclio told his compadre Crispin Garcia to kill him and take advantage of the reward. Another says that his compadre Crispin Garcia did receive the reward but received it because he betrayed Heraclio. The last is that he fell during combat at the hands of the Porfiristas, which ended his life as a Revolucionario. It was said that his head was exposed and served as a reminder for future rebels. Even though he died that day, Heraclio became a legend. Some say that his story reached the ears of Pancho Villa himself, who was later inspired by “El Rayo de Sinaloa” to start his own fight. The Mexican Revolution exploded 22 years later, but neither then nor now has history done justice to Heraclio Bernal, who is still considered just a bandit.

                                        Felipe Bachomo 

Felipe Bachomo (1883-1916) was a general who fought for the Indigenous people during the Mexican Revolution. At the time, Indigenous people were stripped from their land and only worked for wealthy landowners in haciendas. At a young age, Bachomo witnessed the mistreatment of Indigenous people which led him to rebel against the hacienda owners. He joined the Mexican Revolution in order to gain freedom. They were slaves workers controlled by the landowners of the hacienda and had the opportunity to gain back the land that was once taken from them. Bachomo was named the chief of the entire Indigenous community by his godfather and became an independent force. Bachomo did not understand politics but was driven by his own fight against the local hacienda caciques. On April 18th, 1914, Bachomo and his group liberated prisoners and ordered looting of the haciendas. In recognition of his courage, Bachomo was appointed General. Although he maintained his independence, he continued to persecute and punish the caciques. After he liberated the captured, his revolutionary actions were called the Bachomo movement. He had such an impact on the nation that the Villistas tried to include him in their movement, but Bachomo resisted. It wasn’t until the Villistas’ general, Orestes Pereira, managed to convince him to join. Bachomo fought alongside the Villistas and helped them in the Mexican Revolution. After a long battle, Bachomo and the Villistas were surrounded by the Mexican military and eventually surrendered. Bachomo was taken to Culiacan, where he was sentenced to death. At the request of the caciques, the morning of October 24th, 1916, he was executed in Los Mochis. To this day, he is remembered as the general who gave his last breath to protect the Indigenous people. He became a legend among the natives of northern Sinaloa.

#jesusmalverde #narcossaint #angelofthepoor #CHST44SPRING2019

                        From Mexican Robin Hood to Saint

For decades now people have been praying to Jesús Malverde for favors and blessings even after his death. But how has Malverde’s image grown instead of dying out? After Malverde’s death, people believed they should pray for Jesús Malverde because they wanted him to be at peace and with God. Those people that prayed and were helped by Malverde were mainly the poor ones that he helped when he was alive, when they kept praying for him and asking him to bless them they noticed that their prayers were answered. The people kept praying to him and asking him for favors not knowing they’d all get the help they asked for, soon enough when they noticed that their prayers were being answered they began to believe that Malverde had become a saint after his death. Still, till this day people pray to him and ask him for favors and some even believe they are answered. In the city of Culiacán Sinaloa, a shrine was built in his honor where people leave belongings to honor him. Malverde is now internationally known and prayed to, his image has spread internationally and gained followers because of the stories that are heard of him. Although Malverde is not a religion approved saint people are so devoted to him that they ask for “Mandas” in his name. A “Mandas” is an asking of a life blessing depending on the situation you are in, whether it is because you’re ill or in a bad situation. Mandas are paid back by visiting a church to thank your saint, going to a shrine, or doing something painful to thank the saint. Mandas are done in honor of Malverde at his famous shrine in Culiacán where people leave behind portraits, plaques, jewelry, and even money. 

Here is a picture of the prayer that Malverdes believers pray to him for good luck or even for blessings. The most places you can find these prayers in are on dashboards, altars, and hanging from rearview mirrors.                             Festivities in Honor of Malverde

On May 3rd of every year, there is a huge celebration held in honor of Jesus Malverde’s death. At his shrine in the city of Culiacán, the streets are filled with the sounds of Banda music, loyal believers of him, and people having a good time in general. People from all over the world visit his shrine to document the celebrations held for him because his story is simply interesting no matter where you’re from, imagine going from a Mexican bandit to having people from all over the world praise you and ask you for favors and blessings. During the celebration, the band and music aren’t playing throughout the streets because it isn’t a way people pay their manda to him. Another tradition that is done for him is the parade around the city streets with his statue to take him around the streets he walked through when he was alive. During the parade, there is a truck with his statue driving him around with his followers behind him showering his statue with water, flowers, and alcohol as you can see in the picture above. Just like Malverde did when he wasn’t alive, the festival host tries to follow his beliefs and help out the poor by giving out food, giving out toys to the kids and raffling everyday needs for the less fortunate. 

Here we can see some of his followers trying to touch the statue for good luck. It is believed that if you touch him, his blessings will pass on to you. 

In this picture we can see people leaving behind their jewelry with his statue which can be for various reasons, one it can be to pay a manda to him or two it can be because they believe that I find they put it on him it can mean they will be blessed whenever wearing the chain or necklace.

                           From Mexico to Mass Culture 

From Mexico to Mass culture we say this because now we see Jesús Malverde’s all over the place whether it’s on television, clothing, hats, jewelry, and even tattoos. Although he isn’t a Mexican character he hasn’t became known internationally because of his relations with drug trafficking capos. Everything that we see on television or hear about on the radio has something to do with drug trafficking and Malverde is the face of that. Malverde has become so famous we have now seen him in television shows like CSI, Narcos (Netflix), Breaking Bad, and La Reina del Sur. Creators of these shows know exactly what they are doing when putting him in it, they try to gain an audience with his face and they are exactly right when they think that will gain them, viewers. Corridos have Been known to tell the story of famous drug traffickers or anything that has to do with them. In a corrido by ““Manuel Antonio Fernandez” called ““La Imagen de Malverde” it tells the story of a young trafficker that brings across drugs to the United States with the miracles of Jesús Malverde, he simply kisses Malverde and asks him to bless the shipment And gets through border patrol like nothing. When he makes it across the border he says “Malverde es Milagroso Otra vez se a comprobado”. Malverde’s followers have been so loyal and devoted to him that they even wear him around and permanently draw his portrait on themselves, the extremes people have gone for, for him don’t fail to amaze me. 

Here we see the extremes people go to for Jesús Malverde. People wear him as a representation of what they pray to and believe in. For these reasons, we believe that Malverde has evolved from being a Mexican bandit to a Mass culture character. 

Whether he’s believed to be connected with Narcos, Jesus Malverde will remain the Angel of the Poor and continue to make miracles for his believers around the world.

[aurmgoldau]

Team GOLD - part 5

-Main Index-

-Previous Part-

If you were to choose, are you coming with me or with Mom?

Ochre’s Scroll had rung for the fourth times today. The dingo Faunus took a glance at the name on the screen, frowned, and put the device back into his pouch.

“Not going to answer it?” Gray, Ochre’s team leader, asked.

“Not now.”

Something had been bugging Ochre for a while now. It wasn’t about his first mission, although the mission did raise his concern.

Ochre could deal with Gray. The bull Faunus was probably the only one that Ochre was okay with among all population of Haven Academy. Gray was strong, not exactly the smartest, but he was calculated and--more importantly--he listened to what Ochre said. Ochre knew Gray had several disagreements with his view, but the big guy only pointed out his own view and left at that. No unnecessary prolonged argument. It didn’t make Ochre satisfied with winning over an argument, but it was acceptable.

Ochre had no hope for Dee, that dumb red-haired monkey. Dee’s muscle moved faster than her mind. She was also nosy and noisy, which irritated Ochre so much. For example …

“Must be his stalker girlfriend,” she grinned. “Over possessive girlfriend?”

“It is not,” Ochre growled.

“Well, duh! Of course not! With that grumpy attitude who wants to be your girlfriend?”

“Dee … stop.”

“As you wish, Chief~”

See? That monkey’s teasing had been increasing exponentially since a couple days ago. If Ochre recalled correctly, it was after their fight about … her.

The last member of team GOLD sat next to Dee, sleeping from the moment the airship lifted off the ground until now. That cat Faunus slept awfully a lot.

Ochre was disgusted by the fact that he called her “Faunus”. She wasn’t worth to be called a “Faunus”. She was half-human, produced by whatever morally challenged method out there that allow same sex couple to have their own child. A mutt that wasn’t supposed to be existed. Having animal trait physically wasn’t enough to prove her worth as a “Faunus”. It was the genetic that matter.

“Ready for landing in approximately five minutes!” The airship pilot announced.

Ochre crossed his arm. The airship had entered a mountainous area, located in northern part of Mistral. The first mission for all first years who were part of Haven special scholarship programme took place in an old, abandoned, underground transportation network.

Which raise another question for Ochre: “Did they deliberately choose the scholarship student because all of them are Faunus?” Because it would be not acceptable if it was true. Faunus were supposed to be equal with humans. They couldn’t shove the Faunus to some dangerous mission and exclude human from this mission!

“I’m not sure that’s how things are,” Gray replied for Ochre’s opinion with low voice while they got off from the airship. “The scholarship’s purpose is to avoid Faunus from joining the Neo White Fang. Mistreatment will only encourage Faunus to join the group, which contradicts the scholarship’s purpose.”

Well … he had a point, Ochre had to admit. It was another good point of talking to Gray: he wasn’t easily triggered and retorted in anger. Ochre couldn’t help not to go all defensive when the one he talked with decided to start an argument.

The entrance to the transportation tunnel where the mission would be was huge. A train carrying the newest model of Atlessian Paladin units (which is taller than its previous model) in its car could go through here with ease. Ochre was quite sure that a skillful pilot could fly through this tunnel with a Bullhead ship.

Students--apparently there were some first years and second years from non-scholarship entry--and some hunters were gathering in open area that used to be a platform. Old benches were hints that that the train wasn’t only for transporting goods but also for passengers too.

“So, we’re all gonna go Doremi The Explorer to abandoned underground tunnel?” Dee--most likely driven by her monkey’s instinct--hopped and squatted on the nearest bench. “And find the treasure?”

“Treasure?” The cat Faun--the mutt--repeated.

“Gold, jewelry, pearls, shiny things!”

Seeing from how Cat Mutt’s ears perked, she believed what the monkey said.

“Of course not,” Ochre scowled. “Who’s dumb enough to stash treasure in here? Besides, Doremi The Explorer goes adventuring to Rainbow Mountain and Starry Sea, not to places like this.”

Dee grinned, mimicking whispering gesture and speaking loud enough Ochre could hear it even without his dingo ears: “So, he does watch Doremi The Explorer. Never thought such mature man likes some kids show.”

“Well!” Ochre snapped. “Kids show means everyone can watch it!”

“You admit that you watch it then?”

“What’s wrong with you, monkey brain?! I’m not admitting anything!”

“Dee,” Gray glared at the monkey Faunus, “enough.”

Dee pouted but she shut her mouth and did a handstand on the bench, looking around.

“That serves you well--”

“You too, Ochre.” Gray frowned. “You don’t need to make yourself an attraction for everyone.”

Ochre snorted when he realized a few students stole a glance at him before discussing something with low voices. One nearby could be heard quite clearly: he was talking about “loud four-eyed dingo”.

“Oh, I’m called.” Dee did a backflip. She pointed to another monkey Faunus standing a little further away from them (but his hair is golden and he wasn’t a student). “Be right back.”

“Relatives?”

“Sort of. We, monkey Faunus, are all families to certain extent.”

Dee greeted the older Faunus with an odd sequence of handshake, fist bump, and high-five. She was back with her team just in time they were called to assemble circling a makeshift podium from metal crates.

“Good morning, students.” The man in charge of this mission started with a greeting. He was a human: red-haired, braided beard, broad shoulder, and black fur coat that made his resemblance to a short black bear even stronger. “And good morning too to all Huntsmen and Huntresses.”

“I don’t remember seeing him at school,” Dee whispered to Gray.

“Me too.”

“You see the emblem on his chest?” Ochre nodded at the man. “He’s from Mistral government.”

“Oh? Yeah! I see it! Why the bloody hell he’s here?”

Ochre didn’t answer further. The reason must be because of the mission and the man’s speech was almost reaching that part.

“... Several villages nearby had suffered from Grimm attack at night for the last few months. It is unusual because before that, there wasn’t any report of Grimm activity nearby.

“Our initial investigation found out that the Grimms appeared from the tunnel that had stations--though no longer functioning--near those villages. Yes?”

A student held his hand up. “But, Sir, Grimm only attacked when they detect negative emotions, correct?”

“That’s correct. That’s why this case raise further concern. The Grimm was driven out from the tunnel by something. Some villagers met them and it doesn’t need a long time for the news to spread in the village, luring even more Grimm.”

“They definitely need to learn to control their emotion,” Ochre mumbled.

“Like you can control your emotion better than them,” Dee retorted.

“Why don’t they close the tunnel? Li whispered. “I heard there’s similar tunnel like this connecting the city of Vale and Mountain Glenn. They sealed the tunnel to avoid Grimm from getting to the city.”

“I heard they plan to reopen the tunnel,” Gray answered. He frowned. “Only half of it. They plan to recreate the other part as a cavern painting gallery for tourism purpose.”

“You probably don’t know, in Mistral we love everything about art,” Dee added, gesturing a painter with brush and palette on hand, painting mid-air. “That’s our trademark after all.”

“Which is stupid because they sacrificed safety for useless thing like art,” Ochre growled.

“I won’t say it if I were you.” Gray glanced at Ochre before talked back at Li. “I heard the Council divided into two about this. Not everyone here agree, I guess.”

“I see …” Li’s cat ears twitched. “But it sounds awesome. Cavern painting.”

“I know right!” The monkey Faunus beamed. “It will be bloody awesome!”

“Dee, you’re too loud.”

“Sorry, Chief~”

The students were assigned to different routes. The main tunnels branched into smaller tunnels. There were several maintenance tunnels and … unknown tunnels that seemed to be dug illegally or by the Grimms, leading to unknown parts of the dark network. The students weren’t allowed to get into those, the Huntsmen and Huntresses would handle them, in case there were horde of Grimms lurking in the darkness or … bandits.

“Their number are lesser than in the last ten years, y’know?” A second year student, from the team paired with team GOLD, explaining to Li. “No need to be so surprised. Bandits are common back in our parents’ day. Where are you from, by the way? Not knowing about bandits means you’re from somewhere else outside Mistral. Atlas?”

“Vale.”

“Oh.” The Journeyers--it was how 2nd year called in Haven Academy--shrugged. “You come from a peaceful place, lucky you. Or … not.”

Gray came back with a bunch of light sticks. He quietly divided them for everyone in the group.

“Wooooo, light stick.” Dee cracked one and shook it. A green light radiated from the stick, making the monkey Faunus looked a little bit creepy because she held it close to her face.

“Stop! Don’t crack all of them!” Ochre exploded when Li followed Dee’s example and cracked another one. “DON’T WASTE IT, YOU DUMB CAT!!!”

“I--I’m sorry!”

“Can’t you think before doing anything?!”

“Hey.”

Gray didn’t even raise his voice when he interrupting, but there was something about him that made Ochre felt small and helpless against him. It was probably Gray’s tall stature. Or it was the Faunus’ instinct about leadership in a pack. Even Dee, who had opened her mouth to say something, backed down now.

“I’ll need you and Dee to walk on the back,” Gray said. “Listen carefully for anything comes from behind, okay? And no fighting. Li and I will be in the front with the one bringing maps.”

“She’s in the front?” Ochre repeated.

“She’s the only one who can see well in the dark.”

“I think you should be in the back.” Ochre crossed his arms. “You’re going to block the sight and the ones behind you won’t be able to respond quickly if anything happened.”

“Aaand if we need to get out of there as quickly as possible, Chief will block the way?” Dee scratched her head. “That’s not good either.”

“Well! We’re not playing train queue here! Do you think there’ll be no space between one another when we enter a tunnel? You leave a space in between so you can move and breath! Beside, running in the tunnel is never suggested. If one of you fall down, you’re going to be trampled. If you leave without bringing any kind of light, you’re lost. No map? Lost.”

“What a pessimistic way of thinking …”

“He has a good point.” Gray nodded. “I’ll discuss it with the others. No fight. Just be quiet for 5 minutes, okay?”

Dee moved her hands across her mouth as if she zipped it, nodded, and gave a thumb up to Gray. And she “zipped” Ochre’s mouth too.

“Hey!”

Li was nervous when everyone agreed to let her walk in the front group and became some sort of “watcher” who should be the first one to notice any kind of potential danger ahead.

However, until they reached their first destination--a huge cave with high ceiling on top of their head--Li didn’t mess up. The groups split up and searched around for any clue.

“You did good, little cat.” One of the 2nd year patted Li’s head while walking pass her. “Thanks.”

That one little compliment made Li’s feeling lightened up a bit--

--but then Ochre elbowed her right on the ribs, telling her to move aside as if Li was on his way.

“Leave him alone,” Dee said, sighing. “I really wonder why Chief hasn’t done anything about the jerk--”

“He has something in his mind.”

Dee’s scream echoed throughout the place.

“C-Chief!” Dee stood behind Li, grabbing her shoulder and half-squatting. “You bloody surprised me! How did you move without a noise like that?”

“You just didn’t pay attention …” Gray shrugged. “Anyway. I know he’s being an annoyance for a while--”

“‘Annoyance’ is an understatement, Chief.”

“Well …”

“A jerk, he is. Or you can say he’s being an ass--”

“Language, Dee.”

“Welp. He is.”

“Did you remember he had several phone calls?” Gray asked. “It was from his dad. He didn’t answer any of them. I kinda guess something is happening.”

“Even if he has a problem with his family, he shouldn’t vent it to anyone!”

Gray sighed. “I know. And I don’t want to force him to speak up his problem now.”

“It’d be great if only he does just that,” Dee groaned.

“It’d be great if everyone is as extrovert as you, Dee. Wait, not that I want more clones of you in my team,” Gray quickly added.

“Ouch.” Dee dramatically grabbed her chest. “You hurt my delicate heart, Chief. It’s bleeding. See?”

“No.” But Gray smiled. “Come on, get back to work and look for anything suspicious.”

There was a railway in there with some sort of bridge built over it. Curious with the bridge, Li climbed it and looked around from up there. She could saw the railway ended on her right and stretched into tunnel on her left. The tunnel, however, was closed with a metal gate.

What was this tunnel for?

Li looked at the ceiling. There were chains, hooks, and thick cables with plug at the end of them.

“Holy--!!!”

Before Li could make any guess, there was a ruckus on the other side of the tunnel, followed by high-pitched scream definitely not human and flapping noise.

A swarm of bat type Grimm filled the tunnel in no time.

“Don’t shoot!” Someone yelled. “We haven’t figured out if there’s explosives here!!!”

“Kill as many as you can and don’t let them escape!”

Someone recklessly blasted an audio-based weapon. It did stun quite a number of the bat Grimms, but Li’s ears were ringing and she was disoriented for a second.

The second soundwave was less loud. It felt unpleasant on ears, but at least Li wasn’t out of balance like the previous one. She even managed to take down some bat Grimms.

“We can’t kill all of ‘em!!! They’re too many!”

But at that time, half of the students had sensed something more dangerous was approaching. They turned to the metal gate, which not fully shutted down. Two students braced themselves and took a peek from the gap between the gate and the ground.

“Grimm!”

“Cannot see what is it but it’s moving fast here!”

“Move from the railway!”

Li would do exactly that. Even though she was on the bridge, above the railway, without knowing what was the approaching Grimm, it was still dangerous.

But she stopped when she almost got to the ladder. Someone was kneeling on the railway, shrouded in shadow and nobody else seemed to notice that he was there.

Ochre.

As a dingo Faunus, he had a very keen hearing sense. It wasn’t only once he complained about the noise in occasion where none of his teammates were annoyed with. Li once heard him saying about having a headache or heavily disoriented whenever he was exposed to high frequency sound wave.

The previous sound blast must have affected Ochre.

For a moment, Li torn apart between jumped down and saved Ochre or let Ochre saved himself. He probably snapped at her again, because he didn’t need to be saved. But if it wasn’t the case--

The noise was getting near.

Li vaulted over the railing, jumping to the railway.

A pair of glowing red dots was glaring from the gap.

“Ochre! We have to get--”

The Grimm passed through in smooth, quick movement.

Li grabbed Ochre’s hoodie, lifted him, and threw him to the platform. It wasn’t a nice landing and he would definitely furious, but there was no other way Li could think about.

Thinking to go head to head with the Grimm, Li activated her Aura, channeling it to the shadow ribbon on her wrist--

--instead of immediately forming the usual gauntlet form, the ribbon acted up and turned into an uncontrollable shadow mass.

“Huh?”

Li recognized the Grimm, the moment it got closer. It was King Taijitu. The Grimm which Li hated most because it resembled a snake.

What happened next was a series of chaos which Li couldn’t register clearly in her head. There was pain. Hard to breath. Light stick was gone. And--

The Grimm creature hissed and opened its mouth.

-Team AURM and Team GOLD Main Index-