#and when one of those trials included her killing her own mother she's like no problem bestie

[swordmaid]

shri'iia's backstory is def loosely inspired by rapunzel (not disney tangled) where her mother stole a plant then she gets punished, and shri'iia ends up in a tower except that her mother willingly stole that plant and risked everything so she can escape that dog eat dog environment and shri'iia willingly pledges her oath to a powerful old woman to be in that dog eat dog environment.

i imagine shri'iia's mother was a daughter of some noble house but more on the merchant side of the city, and the house itself was not too powerful but they def had land and probably specialized in selling alchemical ingredients/medicinal herbs, etc. i also don't believe in that idea that everyone in the spider city was plotting against each other and there are those who disagreed with lolth's will and silently rebelled, and her mother was def one of them. her mother orchestrating this whole plot where she gets caught stealing from her own house then gets punished by hacking off her hand and disowning her. now that she doesn't belong to any house, she ends up living in braeryn with her partner who was one of their house slaves and she raises shri'iia in the slums. even though she sacrificed her entire life, she ends up being free in some ways bc she's not playing the noble's games anymore. she's out of the chessboard bc she's essentially nothing to them, and now she can live a life with her husband where they can be more or less free...!!

but shri'iia doesn't understand that perspective ofc. to her she will never understand why her own mother decided to ruin her life and essentially turned away from the spider queen's will like that itself is a betrayal. so a part of her will always resent that about her mother, and the fact that she has no house name - no place to belong, no place in their world. so! when she starts to feel the presence of her goddess in her trance telling her that she will be giving her a set of trials and she'll need to succeed them to earn her love she's like omg yes queen

[blacknedsoul-blog]

Montresor is the Bad Ending of White Raven

So Montresor has a religious trauma. And from what little we know of the flashback to his death, the man was apparently a corrupt preacher.

What that tells me about his life made me crack my knuckles, because holy shit, this guy is an even better villain than I expected. And not for the reasons I thought at first.

Montresor's possible backstory

A fun fact: "unholy men" used to be called "sons of Belial". Same as Monty's Spectre type, so there's the initial connection, but with what we saw in chapter 87, this phrase from his mother resonates quite a bit:

Montresor was most likely a bastard (literally), and if he was raised in a religious community, that immediately made him and his mother outcasts. Possibly his mother hated him for "ruining her life". Whether this is true or not, the implication is that he grew up a victim of a system that decided he was sucked by the devil from birth.

In this light, Montresor's attitude towards the world is actually a logical consequence: he has decided that abuse is the only way to relate, and you can either be the victim or the victimizer. Of course, he is now the victimizer.

But he decided that because life taught him two lessons that were important enough to make him the person he is now.

"I know this game better than anybody"

We know from the clothes and hat in his flashback, and the cross around his neck, that Montresor was a preacher. And I would venture to say an excellent one: he has heard all his life that he is a demon, he knows better than anyone what terror hell produces in people, so he knows exactly what to say (or not say) to manipulate others through that fear.

Montresor, like Annabel, is someone who exploits his own traumas.

Annabel has been almost conditioned to behave like the perfect high-society lady, and that includes going to impressive extremes if it means getting something in return. She has engineered her way through life by identifying the currency of the people around her and knowing exactly what to give them so that they will, in her words "kissing her rings".

Loyalty gained through fear vs. loyalty gained through pretended sympathy.

Same goal.

If the world has made them that way, both Annabel and Montresor will use every last footnote of knowledge gained through trauma to get what they want.

But then there's something else they have in common: this deep knowledge of the rules of the game has also made them both know that the odds are too stacked against them to ever win. In the past, we've seen Annabel throw in the towel on her arranged marriage, but Montresor took a different path, much more along the lines of…

"So I'm not afraid to cheat."

Montresor decided that if people wanted a demon. He would give them one. The worst demon of all, because this one knows the rules: he knows how to play the game, he knows how to cheat and get away with it. We don't know the extent of his atrocities, but given what happened in the flashback and the fact that his idea of a sleepover is stuffing someone behind a wall to slowly suffocate, this guy must have a long rap sheet.

So long, in fact, that he was tied to the tracks of a train to be torn to shreds without even a trial.

Because if the rules are just there to screw you, then screw them: the only option left is to cheat.

Which is exactly what Lenore did when she burned down her house and pretended to be a man to go after Annabel. Lenore jeopardized everything Annabel said was important to her.

And she got away with it. At least until they were both killed (or, if those of us with our chips on Annabel's childhood friend, they may have both died without anyone knowing).

Now, in Nevermore, Lenore is still doing that, as we can see in her reluctance to kill or destroy Montresor: she refuses to play the game, refuses to follow the rules.

She will look for ways to cheat here, as she did before (something Annabel actually expects her to do). The woman is too stubborn to bend, and so far she seems to have the wind at her back (the question is, for how long?).

The bad ending

These elements make Montresor a complete exhibition of the ultimate consequences of taking Annabel and Lenore's attitudes to the extreme: a person who instrumentalizes her own traumas to unravel and try to inflict them on others, and who is not afraid to cheat for her own benefit if it means getting what she wants.

The only thing that separates Annabel and Lenore from Montresor is that they both still use these attitudes in the name of other people: Annabel for Lenore herself, and Lenore for the people she cares about. That both of them (still) seem to have their hearts in the right place.

But if Annabel continues to use her vast knowledge of this twisted game to work her way through people without caring, and Lenore still believes she's above all rules, here's Montresor to show them (and us) what's waiting for them at the end of the road.

[highfantasy-soul]

Katara: NATLA Edition - Waterbending

In the Netflix show, Katara's main teacher was the world - she observed, she learned the spiritual side of bending from Aang (and a little from Jet), and she learned from opponents she fought (including Pakku)

This is SHOWING Uncle Iroh's lesson to Zuko in Bitter Work (book 2) about learning as much as you can from everywhere even if they aren't directly doing your own style of bending. By learning about everyone's cultures/styles/philosophies of the world, then you have a more rounded view of the world and can incorporate new things into your own bending.

I think an important distinction people are missing when they compare LA and animated Katara is that in the animated series, we see Katara WATERBEND more, but in the live action, we see her PRACTICING waterbending more.

In the animated series, she's already doing very useful things with her waterbending (lifting a fish, throwing water and freezing it, breaking apart an iceberg with her anger, pulling down a bank of snow,  lifting a whole wave of water, pushing and pulling a wave, pulling water from Aang's lungs, pushing the water while she's in it to get to shore faster, lifting water from a river to freeze as a block on a guy's head, lifting and maneuvering water in the air) before she ever even gets a hint of training. She just 'naturally' knows how to do all that through her own trial and error - no advice from Aang about the spirituality of bending, no training from the scroll, and no using moves she's seen other benders do just making it water.

The only times we see animated Katara training is in The Waterbending Scroll episode - which is the entire point of the episode - and in the trio of episodes up in the NWT - again, the whole point of her arc in those episodes. Everything else, she's done on her own and there's no moments of her training during the other episodes, she just waterbends.

In the live action, we see Katara constantly practicing, even when she's just in the background of a scene or traveling from place to place - she's ALWAYS practicing her stances or playing with water to get better.

In the live action, Katara is struggling with ALL of waterbending, not just the technical aspect of it - because bending is a highly spiritual practice where you have to be in the right mindset to do successfully. We see every single step of Katara's waterbending practice journey - from not even being able to lift a globe of water to holding her own against a master.

We get to see the process of bending from start to finish which really fleshes out the magic of the world in an organic way while providing one of our leads with more depth that ties them to the themes of the world and of their own culture and how the oppression of the Fire Nation affects her mental state.

In the animated show, we hear Katara talk about how losing her mother hurt her, yet we really only see the fallout of that trauma, not her inner turmoil over it. We see her taking on a 'motherly' role in the community and with Sokka, we see her anger at the firebenders, we see how she's had to grow up too fast and just wants to be a kid, but the actual death of her mother and its affect on her isn't shown.

I like how the live action specifically shows how Katara's mother's death affects HER - she doesn’t just share the story to connect with others, it's not just the 'reason' she acts the way she does, it's not just something that impacts her relationships with others: if no one else in the world existed for Katara to interact with, Katara would still have a journey to go on surrounding Kya's death.

In the LA, the fact that her mother was killed by a firebender looking for HER - and she tries to save her mother using her waterbending and it doesn't work because she isn't strong enough yet, directly affects Katara herself independent of anyone else. That trauma keeps her from being able to waterbend easily like she does in the animated show and it's one of her main arcs: the arc to learn waterbending isn't just a technical journey for her like it is in the animated show, it's emotional too.

Generational trauma due to horrific violence is shown both in external issues to grapple with as well as internal ones our characters have to face alone.

I really like how the live action broke down Katara's waterbending and we got to see the 'less flashy' aspects of it. She's not constantly doing huge and impactful moves, she's steadily growing in power and confidence one small step at a time. She doesn't do it alone - she has so many teachers who help her along the way with both the physical and mental aspect of bending and to me, her progression in power is much more clear in the live action than it is in the animated show.

[qqueenofhades]

As much as I love hearing trump getting more charges and would love nothing more than him to get sent to prison, I fear that when he eventually goes to trial, they’re will be some crazy maga nut who could watch him kill their mother and would still claim he’s innocent.

Honestly, I am... not totally sure what y'all want me to say here? I get the fear, believe me, but also, after every Trump indictment, just like clockwork, a lot of Gloomy the Doom Men pop up to pre-emptively insist that it doesn't mean anything, it won't go anywhere, he won't actually be punished, etc. I'm not saying this is that, but it does happen every time, and I just... don't know what I'm supposed to do about it? Is this part of the whole "The System Doesn't Work and Therefore We Are Justified in Not Participating" thing that the online leftists habitually do, or what? Honest question. First it was he'll get re-elected, then it was he will never leave power, then it was the Republicans will win in 2022, then it was he will never get indicted, etc. The goalposts keep shifting so any progress we do make on holding him to account (which is far more than has ever happened to any other American president, including actual war criminal George W. Bush) somehow is "meaningless" and I just?? Don't get it??

First of all, jury selection is a thing, and aims to weed out those who, in this case, are either too vehemently against Trump or too vehemently for him. They want the exact sort of mushy middle voter of which there are far too many in this country, who can be persuaded one way or the other but doesn't have ironclad previous biases. Also, they must have done a good job selecting jurors so far, given that all the grand juries have returned indictments, and at least one of them (the one in NY) had someone who was a fan of conservative talk radio/right wing politics. So if by this you mean one rogue juror will preclude a guilty conviction, that is something that can actually be planned for and prepared, and as I said, all the grand juries seated to hear evidence against Trump so far have returned indictments.

Also, this case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is an Obama appointee and has been willing to sentence J6 defendants harshly in the past. She is widely regarded as competent, fair, and firm, and will not grant any of the bullshit delays that Aileen Cannon the Trump-stooge judge will bend over backward to find for him in the Mar-a-Lago docs case in Florida. So there's a strong possibility this one goes to trial before May 2024, and the judge in this case is neither a Trump judge or a slobbering Trump partisan: indeed, quite the opposite. So I don't think we can assume that she will be so incompetent as to not manage her own trial and/or jury.

Anyway, yes. We don't know what will happen, but similar to the Espionage Act charges he got hit with last time (themselves meriting of a stiff prison sentence) Trump is facing yet more high-level felony charges that come with serious jail time. So how about for now, we don't automatically assume that what will be the most watched and covered trial in a generation will fall apart because of a simple and easily avoidable mistake that even I, a non-lawyer, know how to fix, much less a team of extremely experienced prosecutors who know this has to be absolutely fucking watertight and then some? It will be better on your mental health for the long run and arguably also much more accurate.

[hollow-keys]

I'm reading New Teen Titans and I finally got to the part that Joey's in (three cheers everybody!) and I have thoughts/feelings on how they treat him as a disabled character.

What really sticks out for me is how little he gets to define himself or choose his own path.

Marv Wolfman had a strict policy of not letting him have any thought bubbles and only showed his thoughts through narration. All the other characters have thought bubbles, but he doesn't and I can only assume it's because he's mute.

His thoughts are always shown via narration which keeps a level of separation between us and the character. Like this:

[Tales of the Teen Titans #45]

And Wolfman knows how important thought boxes are with other characters:

[New Teen Titans (1984) #13]

He's not allowed to actually explore and resolve his personal conflicts and he rarely gets to disagree or have his own ideas. He's usually going along with what everyone else wants.

He's introduced going along with what his mother wants. She describes him, she introduces him. She's not acting as an interpreter either, she's talking over him. The narrative isn't self aware about how he's treated, it just is. She talks, she acts, she has her motivations explained. His muteness is her motivation for revenge. Joey is just an extension of her, not allowed to define himself or his motives.

He was then run out of the Titans because they thought he was a traitor. Does he get to confront them about it? No.

He ends up on a mission with his mother where she tries to get him to kill someone who tortured her and he refuses. Then he chooses to save an art collection rather than capture him. And yes it's nice to get these character moments, but where's the confrontation + resolution between him and his mother? It's up in the air.

During the trial of Deathstroke he's the only Titan who's not present because he's being questioned by Interpol. This should be an important moment for him but he's not there.

And when the Trigon fight's over, Jericho is in hospital while all the others (including Lilith and Terry, who's literally not even a hero) get to have the post Trigon "talk about our feelings" chat but he doesn't. They don't hold the chat in the hospital or wait for him to recover. He's just left behind.

We're shown his insecurity over his masculinity, how his parents tried to force him to be like them and made him feel ashamed for not being manly enough, but he doesn't get to reach a resolution. He doesn't get to have his "what my parents said and did was wrong" moment. It's in the air. Things kind of just happen to him.

He's also framed as fundamentally pure, rarely getting to be angry and never hateful like literally every other character gets to be.

[Tales of the Teen Titans #44]

Ironically, this is a very condescending way of speaking about him, but we are meant to take her word as true. No one on earth has never had a condescending thought, to separate him from those very human feelings and to treat him like he's pure is to dehumanise him.

He's a pacifist who doesn't care for violence but was forced to train for it against his will. Literally, why are you a hero if you didn't even want to learn how to fight? What changed for you? How do you reconcile your distaste for violence with your violence? There's no answer. His opinion doesn't matter. His mother wants him to fight, so he does.

The conflict between Cyborg and his dad who wanted him to be a scientist while he wanted to be an athlete is shown. They do fight over it and there is a resolution.

The conflict between Raven, her cults strict pacifism, her preference for non violence and the violence she commits is shown. She is conflicted, always musing over it and we get to hear her thoughts about it from her.

Jericho, however, is put in these conflicts without genuine exploration. There's no catharsis, there's no resolution. It just is. He just is.

He doesn't get to be angry at his mum, dad or genuinely argue with his fellow titans. He doesn't get to mess up and be emotional. Every other character gets this. Not him.

Like yes, he does have his moments sometimes but there's a huge disparity between him and other characters.

This all plays into tropes about disabled people. The idea disabled people either have to be beacons of perfection who inspire everyone else to be better or are discarded as needlessly bitter and angry, with this either being an explanation for their evil if they're a villain (Komand'r), or a flaw they need to get over if they're a hero (Cyborg). The idea that disabled people cannot make their own choices or have autonomy over their own destinies. The idea that disabled people have less of an internal life and aren't as complex as abled people.

Let Joey be a three dimensional person with complex motivations who is angry and hateful sometimes. Who gets to actually confront people, add to the conversation and have his own thoughts.

[zikadraws]

Alright there we go ! This new oc is based in DC Universe. Long post ahead. (Tdlr included at the end. Enjoy.)

This is Taylor Serils (last name up to debate), a tailor owning a small suit shop in the low quarters of Gotham. Uses he/they/it pronouns, is definitely neither cis nor straight but he really doesn't care. (Basically the incarnation of that one meme about the pronouns.)

He is autistic and the son of a tailor (from who he inherited the shop) and a chemist. He didn't get to know his father too much since his parents were separated, and he was killed in a villain incident when he was still a child ; but his mother never accepted the fact her son was autistic and that medication wouldn't change it so she tried to alter his brain chemistry herself by submitting him to experimental treatment.

Said treatment did predictably nothing against his autism, but got him really sick, and fucked up his neural network, so now he can not feel physical pain (sense of touch still operational though), and his feelings and reaction time are a bit deafened. She went to jail after he absent-mindedly ratted her out at school though (still in there btw, for child abuse and illegal practice of medicine), and he was taken in by his dad's side of the family, from who he picked up the tailoring ways which put him to calm, even though they were a bit put off by him, his disabilities and his... destructive stimming habits.

Taylor uses its body as stress/boredom relief, and so tears out his eyebrows, bites off his nails, and bites off his skin. But the thing is, since he can't feel pain, he takes that to the next level, to the point he has no eyebrows, no nails anymore, and his fingers are bitten almost to the bone. They had to bring him to the doctor about this. They tried everything to get him to stop tearing his hand's skin off, eventually resorting to long gloves. Barely sufficient though.

Despite all this, he contently followed a tailor apprenticeship at his family tailor shop with great application, and actually helped the family business thanks to the chemistry hobby he picked up from his mother (subconsciously wanted to please her somehow then found it relatively smooth, so kept investing themselves into chemistry, and then snuck her chemistry material at his new home), by treating the fabrics himself and making them last longer, which his family was thankful for, albeit taken off.

It's through some customer interactions that he found his calling in life. Some guys would complain to the little family shop about comfort and fit, using, verbatim, the expression "my suit should feel like a second skin". Which sparked something within Taylor.

He began experimenting with fabrics and bits of his own skin, until the fabric he ended up developing could blend in smoothly with his epiderm, as a greffe, and even serve the basic functions of skin, which is to touch, and even, eventually, through trial and error, grow.

He didn't even have vitiligo originally ! His skin turned like that due to his experiments on himself, and since it didn't bother him, he just let his skin like that. The spots have a tendency to shift in shapes from day to day.

He invented a fabric that he could just wrap around his damaged skin and it would just fill in the spot in less than a minute, and since his favourite colour is blue, he used this colour for the fabric. Thus why the blue fabric forearms. He never stopped experimenting in this new specific interest, and crafted really interesting suits with those, praised for how astonishingly comfortable they were. (Also made skin cultures, and obtained skin samples from... various sources.)

By this time, he was an adult and inherited the shop when yet another villain incident took the rest of his family, leaving him alone to handle the shop. It was pretty lonely, but he did end up making friends with a Gotham support group, and especially a young boy (that I'm calling Miles out of pure lack of imagination) and his big brother, runaways living together because of family issues.

His career took a turn when Miles' big brother was murdered by a cop for being black. The cop got away with it, but Miles who was understandably devastated mourned his lost brother at Taylor's, who decided to find out who was the bastard, and realised it was one of his current customers, who came for a suit for a special event.

...So Taylor got to work. And made him a suit. The cop found it very fitting. 25 cents tipped.

The day of the council party the cop was supposed to be a bodyguard for a big head, the suit he was wearing started getting... *very* tight. Skin tight, despite still being incredibly bendy. The cop was annoyed, and embarrassed because it was obvious, but didn't try to take it off... Until the end of the day, where he realized with horror that he just couldn't take it off, because the clothes had fused with his skin. He tried to bolt to Taylor's, who conveniently closed their shop for a week leave.

And then the fabric started getting progressively itchy. Really itchy. Extremely itchy. PAINFUL itchy. Like last stage hives, but even worse.

They couldn't do anything except give him painkillers at the hospital, because hormonal treatments worked for like five minutes before the tissue grew tolerance and came back stronger, and to remove the suit they would have had to remove his skin entirely, which he was starting to do on his own anyway because of how unbearable the pain and itchiness were. So they could do nothing but bind his hands and watch him slowly die of advanced gangrene, as Taylor's suit eventually hit its "necrosis" finale. A genuinely awful way to die.

Taylor did a real masterpiece of this suit, but he wasn't really good at covering his path. The police got him pretty easily, and found his back shop lab with all the skin works. They freaked their minds out, and Taylor was immediately sent to Arkham. He promised Miles, who was pretty much on his own otherwise, that he would be out as soon as possible, though.

Taylor wasn't going into Arkham unprepared. The suit wasn't the last project he got done before the cops got to him, after all.

(Taylor's last project allows him to bend its own skin, which he uses to pick the locks, break out a few other residents as a distraction, steal a few guards' skins, and break out of Arkham. His stay in there lasted 8 days tops.)

(This absolutely kickstarted his reputation amongst Arkham residents. Which may be good, because after getting arrested, he needs a new clientele. Guys gotta eat, yaknow.)

Batman is not on his case just yet, but he will be sooner rather than later.

[TDLR :]

This is my DC Comics OC, Taylor Serils ;

He is about 25 y/o ; he never went to high school ; he is a great formed tailor, and an entirely self-taught chemist ; he owns a tailor shop that happens to have a DIY chemical lab in the back area ; he (they/it) pronouns ; he is disabled (his pain receptors don't work) and autistic ; he has self-damaging coping mechanisms ; his parents were a tailor and a chemist, the first dead and the second in jail (for abusing him) ; his favourite colour is blue ; his specific interests revolve around the frontiers between skin tissues and fabrics, for better or for worse, all because he took an expression too literally that one time ; (he also likes animals, TV cartoons and to knit and crochet) ; he can craft clothes and fabrics that act as epiderm, that he uses to heal, or to steal his enemies' skin, that he grows to be able to bend ; he gave himself vitiligo after his own experiments ; his best friend is a teenager ; he cruelly murdered a cop once ; he got locked up at Arkham and broke out after a few days only ; his criminal case is legally stamped (literally btw) as "supervillain" ; he is morally neutral and has absolutely zero big-scale ambition whatsoever, but more and more villains (and, thus, heroes) are getting to whisper about him.

He Gets Subjected To Trouble.

And yes, this was a summary. I got a bit carried away. I hope it's all somewhat coherent (:

Honestly sounds like the kind of OC that doesn't necessarily needs to be in a specific universe, but any either way, I like the guy. And will likely post some about him. Hope you enjoy him as well ^^

If you got any questions about, or for, him, I'll be happy to respond. Thanks for reading ! 🤗

[offender42085]

Post 860

"You became evil, you went to the dark side."  -- Judge

Zachary Davis, Tennessee inmate 550305, born 1997, incarceration intake in 2015 at age 17, sentenced to life

Murder, Aggravated Arson

A Hendersonville teen convicted in April 2015 of first-degree murder in the 2012 bludgeoning death of his mother will spend at least 71 years in prison.

Zachary Davis, 17, received an automatic life sentence for first-degree murder following a four-day trial. Sumner County Judge Dee David Gay sentenced the teen to 20 years each for the additional charges of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated arson for also setting his house on fire while his older brother slept.

The range for each charge was 15 to 25 years. Gay ordered that those sentences be served concurrently, or at the same time. However, the judge ruled that those sentences should be served consecutive, or after, the life sentence. In Tennessee, a life sentence is 60 years with eligibility for parole after 51 years.

Davis' case garnered national attention when television show personality Dr. Phil McGraw aired a jailhouse interview with the teen on May 22. In that interview, conducted two months before his trial, Davis detailed killing his mother, Melanie Davis, with a sledgehammer. When asked why he struck her nearly 20 times, he said in his usual flat, monotone voice that he "wanted to make sure she was dead."

Davis' exaggerated head nods and laughing at inappropriate times were "common behaviors for disorders ranging from severe anxiety to schizophrenia," said McGraw.

"When I look in your eyes, I don't see evil, I see lost," he said.

But the judge, who watched the Dr. Phil interview in court on Friday, had a different take on Davis' mental state.

Although several mental health experts who testified during the teen's trial and competency hearing disagreed on a diagnosis, they did agree that he wasn't legally insane, in that he knew right from wrong, Gay said.

Gay directed most of his comments to Davis himself, who sat still and showed little emotion.

"The thing that bothers me is that you have shown no regrets, no remorse, in murdering your own mother at age 15," the judge said.

Gay said the evidence during trial showed the teen, who played violent video games and had recently read the Stephen King novel "Misery," was focused on death.

Judge: Teen 'went to the dark side'

Other evidence, according to the judge, included two phone apps the teen had – one having to do with serial killers and the other listing torture devices; a notebook with such quotes as "you can't spell laughter without slaughter;" and his statement to police that "I didn't feel anything when I killed her."

"You became evil, Mr. Davis; you went to the dark side. It's that plain and simple."

Earlier in the sentencing hearing, Davis' paternal grandmother, Gail Cron, asked for leniency and mercy.

She said that if her grandson, whose father died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) when Zach was 9, been given proper mental health treatment, "this would not have happened."

"Every teacher, every guidance counselor should have to stand trial with Zach," she said. "Zach is not a monster. He's a child who made a horrible mistake."

In previous court testimony, Cron said that Melanie Davis cut off ties with her after the death of Zach's father and after the family moved to Hendersonville from Kentucky. She also said that Melanie Davis failed to get her son help when he was diagnosed with depression following his father's death.

"I would like for Zach not to be forgotten here today like he has for much of his life," Cron said.

3f

[iheartgod175]

Second Styles - Darkness Rewrite Explained

NOTE: This post details a plot point of what will be coming in Chapter 4 of Darkness Rewrite, a few entries in the Gaiden series, and the sequel, Chaos’s Revenge. Read at your own risk!

Writing up the fourth chapter of this story led to me creating a new concept that I’ll be introducing throughout the Gaiden series up until Chaos’ Revenge hits. And that concept is called “Second Styles”. I basically wanted to explain it so that readers won’t be wholly confused when they get to the parts featuring them.

What is a Second Style?

As the name implies, this is a superhero’s second fighting style, which often features stronger techniques and forms not present in their main fighting method. The term was coined by Mother Goose herself, who in this universe was not only the chief founder of the Super Readers, but also an efficient fighter herself—to give context to this, she was one of the first guardians of the World Tree, and she was Jeremiah’s mentor. Let that sink in for a moment.

Having fought many battles, Mother Goose knew that there were many powerful villains who had no qualms about harming or even killing the Super Readers. The concept of a Second Style was built around this grim reality, and she wanted these kids to have a fighting chance. Though the first branches she started followed this practice, later branches of the Super Readers would disregard her words, which led to them getting eliminated by villains, including the Evil Reader/Chaos.

With the new age of Super Readers, Jeremiah remembered his mentor’s words and wasted no time in teaching them this. Months after Chaos’ defeat, he took it upon himself to help them develop into stronger heroes. In addition to giving the team a new brace that allows them to transform outside of the Book Club, he and other members of the Council (those that he personally trusts, anyway) begin to train the kids to utilize their upgrades effectively and develop new fighting styles. Though training helps them stabilize their powers, it’s through trials that causes them to awaken their Second Style to its full potential, as seen below in the breakdown.

In an interesting case, the Super Readers technically have three sets of powers—their regular reading powers; their base upgraded forms, which allows them to do a little more damage; and the Second Styles. It would be accurate to call it “Third Style”, but I didn’t like the way that sounded, haha XD

In any case, the Second Styles are somewhat modeled off of Honkai Impact 3rd’s battlesuits—and obviously, there are NO fanservice elements! In these forms, the Super Readers’ elements are either emphasized or changed completely, as well as their color schemes and weapons/fighting methods being completely changed.

These are the list of characters who currently have a Second Style as of the writing in chapter 4, and its breakdown!

Super Why

Second Style: Azure Tempest (@blazing-shadows, you’ll get the reference XD)

Weapon of Choice: Sword

Inspired by: Palatinus Equinox from Honkai Impact 3rd, The Evil Reader/Jackson Flatts from the original SRBA

Super Why’s Second Style had a few names—Blue Blaze, Azure Blaze, and Azure Flamechaser—before he eventually settled on Azure Tempest. This Second Style is an answer to the oft-asked question of whether he will follow in the steps of Jackson Flatts, who was on the same path as him at one point before his fall from grace. Indeed, it mirrors Jackson’s fighting style in that it appears flashy, but it is not to be underestimated in battle, as for what it lacks in quickness (some attacks take time to charge) it more than makes up for in destructive power.

The wielder of the azure flames will light the way in the inky darkness.

Super Why’s costume is black with azure highlights in this form, and like Woofster, has no additional armor on his costume. He combines light and fire—with the latter being the dominant element. His main weakness in this form is its time limit, as he can only use it at full strength for a full seven minutes before facing blowback. Any longer will result in him losing consciousness, which can be exploited by his enemies; as such, he’d need effective backup when using this form in combat because of this.

Princess Presto

Second Style: Retribution/Divine Retribution

Weapon of Choice: Divine Lightning (two-edged sword)

Inspired by: Herrscher of Thunder/Origin from Honkai Impact 3rd, She-Ra (‘80s version), Iris’ Shanila Form from LoliRock

Princess Presto’s Second Style takes an element from a painful experience—namely, the time when the Evil Reader possessed her and forced her to fight her friends and father. Having come to terms with that experience, she decides to make one of the weapons saved from that battle—Divine Lightning—a part of her arsenal. She trades her light and magic in favor of the element of lightning, and while not nearly as experienced in sword fighting as Muse or Super Why, she can still hold her own in combat.

White and gold lightning tears the heavens asunder, saving the innocent and smiting the wicked.

Princess Presto’s costume is white and gold, and one stark transformation brought about her is her hair, which trails behind her in a long ponytail and streaked with white and gold. Similar to Alpha Pig, her form comes with additional armor and gear that covers her legs and arms, which allows her to deflect attacks. While she can hold onto her form longer than Super Why, her main weakness is if an opposing element challenges her (such as water).

Alpha Pig

Second Style: Juggernaut

Weapon of Choice: Rocket Fists/Cannons

Inspired by: Herrscher of Reason/Herrscher of Truth and Sweet ‘n Spicy from Honkai Impact 3rd, Hibiki Tachibana from Symphogear, J.A.R.V.I.S.

Alpha Pig’s Second Style is unique amongst the other Super Readers in that he built a lot of it himself, rather than being a relic from the Fairytale World (in the case of Whyatt, Muse and Woofster) or weapons that were meant to harm them (in the case of Red and Princess Pea). Pig intended to use it with his upgraded fighting style, but the team’s journey with Santiago and crew led to him learning a surprising fact about his family, and he ultimately pursued a new fighting style that honors his family’s legacy. Originally the weakest in terms of physical combat, his Second Style would transform him into a miniature powerhouse capable of taking on bigger foes, thereby making the name of his Second Style all the more meaningful.

Determination, like a flame, blooms in the young hero’s heart, erasing his fear and fueling his desire to carry on the legacy he’s inherited.

Alpha Pig’s costume is dark blue, silver and black, making him look eerily similar to his counterpart, Material-B. His Second Style makes use of both his creativity and imagination, as well as a few of his powers as a Super Reader—inspired by his vast array of tools, he can transform one or both of his rocket fists into any weapon of his choosing. Similar to Super Why, his main element, light, is often a second player next to the pure physical power he can dish out. This Second Style comes with a built in operating system that appears to have its own personality, and does “the hard stuff” (such as calculations) for him. Its secondary mode, known as the Imperium Form, allows him greater power at the cost of both speed and higher energy consumption. While his Second Style lasts the longest out of the Super Readers, its long cooldown period and high consumption rate means that this is often saved as a truly last resort.

A few notes…

The idea for Second Styles came about when I was racking my brain for a way to continue the PP, AP and Davit vs. Materials B and S fight (and yes, I DO know what that looks like, LOL XD). A secret weapon was cool, but then I went back and reread some of SRBA for inspiration. Thank God I did! Because after working on Princess Presto, all the other Super Readers got a chance to shine!

As of this writing, Woofster and Wonder Red currently do not have Second Styles, though there are in-universe reasons for this. Woofster was in the process of developing a Second Style, but his disastrous fight with Material-D hindered that. Wonder Red, however, did not develop a Second Style because she believed that her own power would be enough to defeat the Evil Readers and any other threat that came their way; in addition to her own upgrade, she also has the extremely powerful yet ultimately lethal Berserker Mode that allows her to tear through enemies at the cost of shortening her life. After the events of this chapter, she and Woofster would start developing their own Second Styles…which will be revealed in Chaos’ Revenge. I know, I’m evil 😈 LOL 😆

That Super Why/Santiago of the Seas crossover IS still happening, and is canon in this ‘verse. The end of that crossover kicks off Alpha Pig’s arc into finding his Second Style.

Muse has a Second Style, and so does Jackson, which is revealed in one of the side stories before Darkness Rewrite. I’ll eventually work on how they got their forms in another post!

Most of the Super Readers haven’t seen each other’s Second Styles due to the fact that since these have less limits than their first upgrades (in terms of controlling how powerful their attacks would be), and knowing that they would probably knock each other into the hospital. They often train one-on-one with the other Superhero Councilmen or Jeremiah when he’s available, hence why many of them are shocked to see each others’ Super modes in battle in the chapter proper. The only person who has seen the other’s Second Style is Whyatt seeing Pig’s, which is explained in-story and in one of the side stories that takes place before DR.

If the first upgrades were inspired by Nanoha, then these were inspired by Honkai, with a little bit of Symphogear. Whyatt’s was inspired by Dudu’s recent suit, Palatinus Equinox, in terms of color scheme, while Pig’s was heavily inspired by Bronya’s most powerful suits, namely HoR and HoTr, and Carole’s suit, Sweet n’ Spicy, in terms of weaponry and color scheme. The initial idea for Pig’s suit also came from viewing a Symphogear XDU card of Hibiki wielding large, robotic gauntlets in game; I thought it’d be funny to add in Bronya’s weapons to make it truly stand out. Princess Presto’s…I can’t say for sure what inspired hers, but I realized she’d basically be this story’s HoT in terms of sheer DPS. And you know the Disney Princess’ Gold outfits, right? Well, I’ve loved them ever since I was a little girl, and I figured it’d be awesome for Princess Presto to have a dress similar to that in coloration!

Whyatt in-universe is basically a nerd, who in addition to liking superheroes is rather fond of giant robots and mecha. As explained in DR ch. 4, he fanboyed over Pig’s Second Style when he first saw it. I pictured his reaction as similar to Nanoha learning about Einhart’s fighting style in ViVid. XD

As of now, I’m still working on pics with the kids’ Second Styles, though it’s giving me a bit of trouble at the moment! I hope to have them out following the release of this chapter!

I hope you all liked this post, and look forward to the releasing of chapter 4!

[kraptos]

Haha help I'm stuck rereading agape all over again😭😭 can I ask who do you feel AOS would feel most sympathy towards and who he would absolutely gut? I was thinking maybe he would hate Heimdall the most since his bullying of atreus and in his moments before death trying to hurt kratos but I'm not sure! I need to hear ur thoughts

HEHEHE... glad to hear it!! i'm so excited to get back to work on the last chapter when i am off work :)

i do agree that i don't think AOS would be a fan of heimdall at all. i think it's kinda funny if he knows about him picking on atreus jr. (prior to learning he's fated to kill him) to imagine him being like "oh, that's good for him, competition builds resiliency & character! in sparta, we competed all the time as boys and we turned out alright :)" and then as soon as they hear from the norns heimdall is going to murder him, he's sharpening tf out of his spear and demanding kratos let him go to asgard without a fight since kratos is quite concerned about his mortal mortality vs gods

funny enough, i also think he'd really dislike (fake) tyr. i think he'd get some weird vibes from him immediately, notice how he's trying to put a wedge between kratos and the kiddo, etc. that would already be enough on its own, but him refusing to fight for their cause would really do him in. AOS is a pacifist at heart, of course, but he's still a spartan and unfortunately knows violence is sometimes necessary. anything is worth trying to save his husband (& the world they're trying to raise a son in) from dying.

as far as sympathy, i think i would have to go with atreus junior on this one. he just feels bad that he lost his mother and he feels worse that he's taking her place. and there's a selfish part of him that recognizes he can be with kratos again solely because she's gone and i'm sure he feels a bit guilty for being glad for it, too. it's just a lot of complicated feelings that he doesn't know how to deal with bc he's usually so self-righteous. i don't think he really dwells on it much tho because there's frankly nothing he can do, and he wouldn't know how to being to unpack those feelings. he just knows he feels bad for little atreus haha. i know that's kind of a boring answer when there are so many new faces that he's going to meet, but i think that AOS doesn't feel bad for people often. he's a big believer in fate and the pre-ordained, so he thinks everyone around him is just dealing with trials directly from the gods (himself included!)

[traayaawrites]

Aether

Aether's story is set during the Witch Trials of 1612 where he meets a particular ghoulette before she becomes a ghoulette.

Word count: 1027

As a human, Aether was one of those to pass judgment during the witch trials. Not something Aether was overly proud of these days, his actions as a human were the reason many had died, including his daughter, himself and one of his own pack, Sunshine. When they were humans, Aether and Sunshine lived in the same village, known by names they no longer speak, those were different people, in a different time. 

An accusation had come forth about a temptress in the village. A young and unmarried woman, luring men to her bed, having her wicked ways with them and sending them on their way. An accusation like that demanded investigation and answers. If Aether let these accusations run wild, he risked the wrath of both the villagers and the others in positions above him. If he was deemed to be aiding witches, his entire family would suffer because of it. He spent his days following rumours until he found a young lad who had been with this temptress. He listened to the tails and gathered the information he’d need before presenting it to the others. 

It was agreed, the information before them was worthy of arrest and interrogation. Aether and a few others ventured to the temptress’ dwellings just after dark. Arresting her on suspicion of witchcraft, a fact she denied. They always did. Over the next two days, Aether and the others questioned and tested the girl. One final meeting and they had their decision. It would be announced in the morning with sentencing to follow directly after. 

The next morning the accused, Aether and most of the village were gathered for the sentencing. He made his address, recounting the accusations and his findings. Finally announcing his decision. 

“The accused is found guilty and sentenced to the stake.” It brought Aether no joy to make this choice, one that was met with mixed reactions from the gathered crowd. The girls' mother screamed about how Aether was wrong and a monster for killing an innocent. 

The girl and her mother cried, begging Aether to show mercy. On the outside, he maintained a stoic exterior, but as a parent, he could only pray he would never know the pain the mother was going through. He was doing this to keep his daughter and wife safe. He would always keep them safe, no matter how he felt about this job.

----------

It had been weeks since the case of the temptress, and the mother rarely returned to town since. There had been a few cases of interest for Aether to investigate, but no major leads. He was working late when his wife ran into the office, crying about his daughter and how some men had come in and taken her, something about being accused of witchcraft. He’d had no word that other investigators were coming to town, and if they weren’t at his office they would be with the mayor. He told his wife to gather what she could carry and to meet him in the woods outside of town. He promised he would find her and bring their daughter, but he didn’t find her by morning to leave and never return.

He made his way to the mayor's residence and demanded to see his daughter. A demand that was denied. He tried to reason with the mayor, use his position and reputation to show these accusations were false, why would he, poorly, hide a witch. Nothing was working, the mayor wouldn’t change his mind. He knew where his daughter was, but if he did this, if he took her and ran, they would be hunted. It wasn’t going to change his mind, his wife was waiting for them, at least then they would be together. 

“I understand, I will return home while you investigate sir.”

That, of course, was a lie. He turned and went directly to the cells, telling the guard there that he would handle the situation, and that he asked the mayor if he could interview his daughter himself. As soon as the guard left, no doubt to go straight to the mayor, Aether was opening the cell and told his daughter to run. They made it to the edge of the village, before they were caught, Aether tried to fight them, and keep his daughter safe but there were too many. He was on his knees in front of the mayor, with his hands restrained behind his back, a guard holding each shoulder. 

“I’m disappointed in you. But now I have my answer, if you truly believed the girl innocent, you wouldn’t have run. You force my hand and now you will both pay the price.” Aether looked at the mayor, mouth wide, was this all a test or was there an accusation made… Not that it mattered now.

An announcement was made, and the villagers were all gathered, the mayor didn’t wish to risk another escape attempt and was giving his verdict immediately. He gave some speech Aether only half listened to, he was whispering to his daughter, telling her he was sorry and that he failed them. The mayor, apparently kind enough, let Aether wait for the decision by his daughter, still out of arms reach, but close enough he could give her what little comfort he could. 

“The child has been accused of witchcraft, through the actions shown tonight I have no choice but to find her guilty, her sentence is the stake. For his crimes in aiding and harbouring a witch, our investigator will bare witness to the execution and then face his own. To be carried out immediately.”

Aether’s head dropped, he couldn’t bare to see the look on his daughter's face. He thinks he heard himself tell her how sorry he was, how much he loved her, how much his wife loved her. If it weren’t for the guards holding him, Aether would have found himself on the ground, too weak to hold himself up. He was forced to watch, on his knees in front of his daughter as she died, knowing he failed her, he failed his wife. The sweet release of his death couldn’t come sooner. 

[coochiequeens]

329 Years Later, Last Salem 'Witch' Who Wasn't Is Pardoned

A woman who was wrongly convicted of witchcraft in Massachusetts in 1693 and sentenced to hang has been formally exonerated.

By WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — It took more than three centuries, but the last Salem “witch” who wasn’t has been officially pardoned.

Massachusetts lawmakers on Thursday formally exonerated Elizabeth Johnson Jr., clearing her name 329 years after she was convicted of witchcraft in 1693 and sentenced to death at the height of the Salem Witch Trials.

Johnson was never executed, but neither was she officially pardoned like others wrongly accused of witchcraft.

Lawmakers agreed to reconsider her case last year after a curious eighth-grade civics class at North Andover Middle School took up her cause and researched the legislative steps needed to clear her name.

Subsequent legislation introduced by state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Democrat from Methuen, was tacked onto a budget bill and approved.

“We will never be able to change what happened to victims like Elizabeth but at the very least can set the record straight,” DiZoglio said.

In a statement, North Andover teacher Carrie LaPierre — whose students championed the legislation — praised the youngsters for taking on “the long-overlooked issue of justice for this wrongly convicted woman.”

“Passing this legislation will be incredibly impactful on their understanding of how important it is to stand up for people who cannot advocate for themselves and how strong of a voice they actually have," she said.

Johnson is the last accused witch to be cleared, according to Witches of Massachusetts Bay, a group devoted to the history and lore of the 17th-century witch hunts.

“For 300 years, Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was without a voice, her story lost to the passages of time,” said state Sen. Joan Lovely, of Salem,

Twenty people from Salem and neighboring towns were killed and hundreds of others accused during a frenzy of Puritan injustice that began in 1692, stoked by superstition, fear of disease and strangers, scapegoating and petty jealousies. Nineteen were hanged, and one man was crushed to death by rocks.

Johnson was 22 when she was caught up in the hysteria of the witch trials and sentenced to hang. That never happened: Then-Gov. William Phips threw out her punishment as the magnitude of the gross miscarriages of justice in Salem sank in.

In the more than three centuries that have ensued, dozens of suspects officially were cleared, including Johnson’s own mother, the daughter of a minister whose conviction eventually was reversed.

But for some reason, Johnson’s name wasn’t included in various legislative attempts to set the record straight. Because she wasn’t among those whose convictions were formally set aside, hers still technically stood. Unlike others wrongfully accused, Johnson never had children and thus had no descendants to act on her behalf.

“Elizabeth’s story and struggle continue to greatly resonate today," DiZoglio said. “While we’ve come a long way since the horrors of the witch trials, women today still all too often find their rights challenged and concerns dismissed."

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[cpanther]

K&K Book 4 exert 4

They were on an extended break. After nearly a dozen objections, the defense ignoring the judges rulings pressing on and then pretending they didn’t know what sustained meant Fiscool ordered the lawyers to his office. Until their meeting was done everyone was on break. The teens had headed out, % to smoke and ^ to keep him company. “Is it helping?”

“Sort of.” He looked at the joint. “I’m not going to kill her in the middle of the court room, but I’m still pissed.”

“Sounds like what your dad describes.” The elf tried to smile. “Think Penshin is just stupid?”

% shook his head. “No, he wants to win, needs to if he wants to be paid. That means he’ll do anything he can including ignoring judges orders.” Not smart but then % didn’t think his mother would hire the brightest lawyer. She wanted one she could control, who’d do what she wanted and that meant a semi-smart lawyer. “She’d have done better finding someone who knows how things work here.”

It was clear to both teens Penshin was use to the judges back in (former city). He’d gotten use to being able to bully the judge into doing what he wanted any way he wanted. Here that wasn’t going to work and it showed. “With the police force out of things you think they’ll go after the courts next?”

“Doubt it. Only reason they would is if they saw too many problems while they conducted the hearings, and if those aren’t happening in (former city) they’ll never know.”

“Unless…” the door opened and the clerk came out, hot footing it past the teens. They looked at each other and then hurried after her. She was clearly on her phone as she walked past them. “Well let me know as soon as you know.” She hung up turning to see the boys. “Oh…hello?”

% tried to take in her mood. She seemed worried, “Hey, you alright You’ve seemed… off the last couple of weeks.”

Looking at each in turn. “And you are?”

“% Icedam? The one you’re recording the divorce trial for.”

“Oh.” Now she really took them in. “Sorry I don’t pay much attention to who’s in the room. I’m sure I’d have noticed sooner or later.”

^ doubted it, They were seated right up front. “Well we noticed you, and you seem worried about something.”

“And you’re concerned why?”

% briefly wondered if she was worth the effort of talking to. She clearly didn’t care about either of them. “Think of us as concerned citizens checking up on their fellow.” He tried a smile on her.

“Thanks but I’m fine.” She turned her back on them. % shrugged and headed back to the door. “I’m going to guess if she’s getting a break we’ve got time.” He leaned on the wall and went back to smoking.

“Rude.” ^ breathed. “You really think she never noticed us?”

A good question. “She might have seen us but didn’t really notice, like you hear a fellow students name but you don’t place face with name sort of thing.” Of course in his case as he was clearly a mix of snow and dark elf it was harder to simple dismiss. She could just be so distracted by her own problems she doesn’t care about anything else.”

“Sounds like your mom.”

That it did. When the joint was finished and still no one came for them % tried to relax, to let the world play out like his grandfather has said to do. He could feel ^ beside him, his presents a sort of pulse that helped sooth the frays in his emotions. “Wonder if Fiscool will toss it?”

Another voice this one soft and female answered. “not a chance. He might after the plaintive closes. But not before.”

“Wish he would.” % opened an eye. “In a better humor?”

“Not really.” She studied them again. “You’re on the plaintive side.” She stated as though they didn’t know that.

% nodded. “Yup. And that cunt on the defense can go to hell, I’d love to see her burn. Wish they’d kept her locked up for three days then we could be done with this.”

[tenuuchlegch]

Oda & Yui HC’s

Okay since the designs for the two have officially been made public, it’s high time I release the brain worms concerning Odtsetseg’s mom and twin. 

First Yui:

Yui was born as the youngest into a high-class Doman family who strongly opposed against the increasing Garlean influence over their homeland. 

Her parents had very little affection towards her, while they ensured she had food, shelter and was in good health, she like so many others was treated more as a glorified tool to gain further influence over Doma’s court. There was no physical abuse, but she often felt like less than a person around them sometimes. Luckily, she had an old maidservant who treated her with love and kindness like a mother would.

Yui’s parents made an attempt to get their daughter to become an imperial concubine, like her sisters before her but the raen girl was extremely clever and tricked those who reviewed the candidates that she had some horrible skin condition. Because of her wit and stubbornness however, her parents resorted towards making attempts to marrying her off to some high class foreigner instead. Eventually, they established an arranged marriage with an Ishgardian nobleman. 

Infuriated by this development, Yui decided to travel with her maidservant to the Azim Steppe, who was working with a band of merchants to establish trade there. That was where she met Temujin Hotgo, Odtsetseg’s and Oda’s father. 

When arriving in Ishgard with her three-year-old, the nobleman she was engaged to was disgusted by the sight of her horns and son, so he completely rejected her on the spot. The two would have probably been thrown in the dungeons right there, had not Edmont de Fortemps stepped in to defend the two, hapless souls. The man was even kind enough to offer up work for her as a maidservant/weaver, which Yui unable to teleport back at the Azim Steppes graciously accepted. 

Living in Ishgard presented no small amount of challenges, as people were often hostile towards both raen. Oda in particular got into many fights and was often beaten up. To help her son with his troubles, she became a conjurer and eventually the first white mage in an age.

Yes, she has a unicorn. His name is Ivory. 

Now Oda:

Like his sister, Oda was blessed with the Echo after they parted. This got him out of many situations that probably would have killed him in Ishgard and also assisted him to become a Temple Knight for a bit.

Oda despised that job. Even though many believed that he should have been honored to become one despite him being an au ra, His co-workers often expressed their disliking of him. Probably the only ones who were kind to him were Haurchefant and Aymeric. 

Believe it or not, Oda is actually very courteous as he often steps in when some lowborn child or woman is harassed by thugs. This included many of the Temple Knights and noblemen in his eyes, as the ones he encountered were often downright pigs he could not stand.

He maintained his position as a Temple Knight until he was eighteen and had a fateful meeting with a young lady who was assaulted by a very prestigious nobleman. Through the Echo, he had experienced the girl’s trauma and became infused with a righteous fury to take that scum out. 

He attacked said nobleman on the streets, just as he was assaulting a baker’s daughter. This eventually lead him being taken to court and although he [with the help of Yui] won the trial by combat, he was ultimately kicked out of the temple knights. 

Because of these events which transpired, he was lead down to the path of a Dark Knight. Now he enacts justice on his own accord, swearing allegiance to the abyss.

He has his own Frey and Myste, but they are a little different from the canon ones.

Oda traveled with Odtsetseg, as she journeyed across the Far East. This was mainly because he too desired to free his mother’s homeland, but also he partially hoped to glimpse the place of his birth himself. 

When they were sent to the Dotharl, because of Magnai Oda stopped Odtsetseg from going by stabbing her foot as she was in a blind rage and running straight towards said tribe’s encampment out of a reckless attempt to destroy it all. Despite her cursing him out, he left a potion with her so she could recover as he entered the enemy’s territory in his sister’s stead.

He was disgusted with the Dotharl and their violent ways, and would have enacted revenge too, had not the freedom of Doma been more important at the time. 

Afterwards, as they were on their way back to the Mol tribe Odtsetseg and Oda fought each other. She was infuriated that he would deny her this chance of revenge, but eventually her brother got through to her. Stating that she could reap her vengeance AND help their mother’s homeland, by using deadly tribe as a weapon. 

Also, Endwalker spoilers, but Oda was also there when the Grand Company of Eorzea invaded Garlemald. After the Zenos incident, he sensed something was wrong with his twin and found her in a bathroom sobbing uncontrollably as broken mirror shards pierced her knuckles. He brought her out of that delirium with a hug and tended to her wounds. Needless to say, their relationship is a little better now. 

[the-stargone-sideblog]

Miscellaneous info about Jeremy, this one is also gonna be pretty long…but first some lore because I’m evil lmao.

Jeremy was born as a Demoran, a parasite that was created by a lonely girl called Demora (how original) before she was hung during the Salem witch trials. She conquered death thanks to what she did to herself and slowly grew a hive mind, spreading her curse to those who had nothing left to lose. This is the group that Aleron ended up joining after Luxelle’s death. When she was making this curse, she made a backup plan just in case she herself would perish. Five people would be born with it, she didn’t care who, she just wanted to make sure her way of life continued even without her being there. Jeremy would become the fifth.

He’s part Italian on his mother’s side and he can speak it fluently

He’s pretty good at making things, so good in fact that he even made his own weapon, Mendacium, a futuristic looking gun thing that can use the four elements of life (earth, air, fire and water)

Jeremy has a lot of exes, with one of being Karma, you can only imagine how awkward that reunion was

Him and Percy were actually really good friends at one point, they even made a band, The Vantas. However, due to Jeremy being kind of a dick the two went their separate ways. They both wanted to die when they reunited and they still argue to this day

Out of everyone in the group, Tamara and Emerald are the ones he’s closest with, he even plays songs for them when they have trouble sleeping

Jeremy has dealt with substance abuse, it’s something he still struggles with right now, this is the main reason why his and Percy’s friendship fell apart

His favourite bands are Radiohead, American Football, My Chemical Romance, The Microphones, Green Day, The Mountain Goats and Grandaddy

Jeremy was sheltered a lot by his dad as a child, he didn’t know how to handle the fact that his son was born as a being that’s supposedly evil by nature, so he made sure that Jeremy had a less of a chance of becoming one with the Demorans by making sure that he didn’t get into anything that could make him turn, which to Jeremy basically meant “anything remotely dangerous is a no no”. This lead to Jeremy discovering a lot of…unsavoury things at a young age

Jeremy is very close with his sister, mother and uncle. His sister’s the reason he loves music so much, his mom has never seen him as cursed and treats him like he’s a normal human being and his uncle helps him out with his inventing endeavours

Him and Synther actually knew each other in high school, they never spoke though

He hates Hawaiian pizza, he’s never killed anyone, but if he sees anyone unironically eating it…hold him back

When Jeremy entered his late years of high school, he forced himself to like certain things so he wouldn’t become an outcast for being sheltered

That includes…well, you know. Let’s just say he really gets around, he knows it’s wrong, but he doesn’t know how to stop himself

He really respects Melodie and he enjoys talking to her because she reminds him of his mom

He’s a somewhat popular solo musician, he makes a lot of folk punk

He still cares about Percy, but he’s too stubborn to apologise to him

He wears plaid shirts to reflect his mood (if he’s sad it’s blue if he’s miffed it’s red etc)

[nonokoko13]

Child!reader being adopted by spy x family characters Pt. 2

As I said in the previous part, these adoption headcanons are really specific, including your hypothetical pronouns and name; these two are extra so you can imagine yourself with your name and desired gender. You can ask for less specific headcanons if you want too. Part 1 here

Enjoy!

Sylvia Sherwood

How you met

She carries the responsibility of WISE, she needs to be committed to it. More than ever now that the peace was threatened every day by those who wanted war to arise again

She missed her family, but she overcame it. Just like the HQ she had to be impenetrable

At least, that's what she thought

Because right in front of her there was the question which answers she wanted to hear. A kid.

It would be normal to see one if she wasn't at the HQ

It didn't help no one knew there was a kid there until you spoke up

The camera system didn't record you and there wasn't any entrance to the agency that had been forced. You weren't any employee's kid either

After scolding them and order to search your parents she met you again

"Hello little one. May I ask you how did you get in here?"

You smiled, seeming to have been waiting her to ask

"Because I like to play and explore! And I'm really good at hide and seek"

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. No matter how well someone was good at hiding there was no way you could break into the HQ; it sounded surrealistic

"But how did you find this place?"

"Because it was easy to find"

"Don't you think you could end bad breaking into unknown places?"

"If I don't know what isthis place how I'd know that?"

Fair enough

That conversation wasn't going anywhere, yet she was angrier with the security staff than you. You didn't look worried though

You gave her an idea

"Do you want to play with me?"

Both entered in the nearest police station, she talked with the officers before telling you to count until 1000 while she was going to hide. You started the count facing a wall

She felt bad, but there were some traffickers she had to catch before they made the exchange

She was following their car; everything fine until she believed to see a small hand greeting her from the car's trunk

She returned to the police station to find out that moments later of her departure you disappeared without anyone realizing. She went to the point where the delivery would be made

Outside the abandoned warehouse there was no signal that you were there until she saw you getting out from under the car on the other side

Something caused a shooting that would make the police come and caught her at any moment. The bands kept shooting at each other while you were behind a transport container

"What were you thinking?! I told you to stay with the police!"

"I'm sorry, I counted until I know, then I saw you following the car, so I followed too. But before they caught me I hid in there...I'm sorry..." You pulled out a walkie-talkie

"I got two from the police station. I left one in there so the others thought the guys of that car were betraying them, it should have worked to scape with no bad guys seeing us"

She was impressed. However, there was no time to ask where you learn that from

Analyzing the situation the principal scape was blocked, fortunately they hadn't noticed you yet so–

You pulled her shirt, pointing somewhere else

"Let's get out"

General headcanons

Sylvia was still surprised that your plan of exiting through a rear window she hadn't seen and walk away without hurry could work

She stopped walking to watch you smash the walkie-talkie and take out some matches to burn it

"Now they can't find footprints!"

The police may not get answers about it but she had many questions for you

She lied to you about the HQ, after the shooting her lie was on the floor. Thenceforth Sylvia's not able to tell if you were playing along and keeping her secret or you have no idea what's all about

You thought her name was Handler. When you knew she was called Sylvia Sherwood you pointed your hoody logo and say "S of Super, you're superman–Superwoman!"

That's how she begun to be mistaken with an endearing mother and her son. She was superwoman and you "kid", because you said that's how you were called, along with child, shrimp, demon...

"That's unacceptable". She handed you lists of names to choose, unfortunately no one convinced you

It wasn't until you two went to a jewelry store that you found the name

The casual way you break in HQ when you want still frustrates her, how do you do it?? You don't see big deal though

Fullmetal lady didn't remember how tough was motherhood

Anyone would freak out if they found out about spies. Yet there you are, admiring flying guys in underpants

Sylvia asked you about your family, but you always tell the same: you lived with dad until he left you with a woman that he said was your mom

The Handler found out your father is a repeat offender, currently on a maximum security prison in another country. Both him and the woman without offspring legally

"Please, don't tell me one of his criminal records is jailbreaking"

The informant doubted "Actually, that's the main one"

"..."

The Forgers

Scenario where it's up to both of them to adopt you. To keep Loid's mental sanity safe it will be independent of the timeline where Yor has a kid on her own, feel free to imagine both kids being Anya's siblings at the same time. You can ask me to include that idea if I write more about this

How you met

As I said before Twilight wouldn't adopt anyone due his job, only one kid for Operation Strix and that was Anya. For now Yor didn't want more kids, she loves Anya and that's enough for them

Not for Anya. She wanted a little sibling

All started talking with Becky when Damian mentioned his brother. Back at home she brought the topic and neither Pa or Ma were giving her an answer of where babies come from

That's when she begun to feel like being a sister. Any plan helped her to convince her parents though

Anya remembered something Mr Henderson told them. "If you want something, take it into your own hands"

And she took it too seriously

Next day Anya and Bond disappeared, she was in the dogs park with Yor

While Mrs Forger panicked Anya had returned to the place she met Twilight

As the time passed the Forgers worried more. When they found Anya and Bond at their building's door they felt relieved

Your presence didn't make things better

They asked Anya where she had been and where did you come from. She said she adopted you

Of course Anya wasn't going to say she broke into an orphanage and took you

Loid's scolding made you cry

"Anya, we aren't adopting–"

"If she's not my sister I won't go to school ever again!!"

"Just for a trial period" that's what Loid hoped

General headcanons

Loid thought babies were easy because it's unnecessary (more impossible) communication with a living being that can't talk; after all babies only have basic needs. He was wrong

It would be easier if you could talk. Why are you crying? You have eaten! Are you sad? Cold? You dislike him?

Yor is not better either. Because her parents died when Yuri was a kid Yor didn't have experience with changing diapers, or anything related with babies

She was more scared than Loid to the point she didn't want to hold you. She broke Yuri's ribs with a hug when he was a toddler, what if she kills you with few contact?

In less than 24 hours you already had a crib and all kinds of things a baby would need. However, having three bedrooms and parents sleeping in separate rooms meant all your things ended in Anya's room

You cried at night until they discovered you calmed down when Anya let you a plushie to hug

She can't wait for the day pa and ma share bed to take back her bedroom

The second night Anya had an idea

Ma is scared of being your mom, solution? Leave you in her bed while Yor is asleep imagining that would work

Thanks God Yor doesn't move much when sleeping. On the other hand Yor is a light sleeper due not being used to sleep with someone so she woke up minutes later

She almost jump out of the bed, realizing that would make you cry made her contain. You groaned, did she wake you up? Yor wasn't sure of holding you, instead she laid down again and approached you to her chest

Seeing you so peaceful by her side melted her, thinking about it you looked a bit like her and Loid.. She blushed at the embarrassing thought

Bold of them to not imagine that's why Anya chose you

In the morning Loid discovered what happened and had a little words with Anya during breakfast before she went to school

Yor went to work and he decided to take a day off from his work to spend the morning with you. The Handler said the first days you should see them to recognize faces

Walks with Bond, buying toys, trying to teach you sign language...Normal stuff

Loid is glad you don't do anything but sleep and eat, except your obsession with munching. When you first kissed Yor he found it normal until you munched her cheek and now you do that to everyone; probably you're teething

Yor found it really cute, but you shouldn't go kissing and chewing cheeks. Anya thinks is funny just don't try to chew her hair again please

Another problem came with names. Loid was going through a list of 850 names in alphabetical order, meanings included; Yor didn't take it to the extreme

"Hum, what about Rose? I think it's a cute name, I mean it's both decision and I'm not good with names Loid–"

Welcome to the family Rose

A spy, an assassin, a telepath and... Well, a baby. Seems like a good mix

Yor Briar

As we know Twilight only would adopt for Operation Strix's sake. Yor became mother by marrying Loid, but what if she had already a kid before being Mrs Forger?

Inspired by this post of @say-seira

How you met

Long ago before Twilight adopted the identity of Loid Forger, the Briars moved to a flat in Berlint

While the eldest sibling had recently become an adult Yuri was only a kid, Yor decided to move to the city so he had nearer his school. It was possible due her proper salary as Thorn Princess

This change would make her job easier too. She had a new client which death could pay Yuri's entrance to a good university

There was a politician who negotiated with terrorists, helping them to get into Ostania and providing them with weapons in exchange to gain good propaganda abroad and getting rid of competition

Knowing this was enough to make Yor's blood boil. He deserved to die, she was sure of it

Struggling with the security around him, Yor finally killed the target without leaving trace

The only inconvenience was a bad injury made by a bullet that she received. After removing the bullet the wound got worse

She went to the hospital to avoid an infection. In the waiting room she met a kind lady, Yor swore that she had seen her before

The woman was scared, but Yor reassured her she will wait her

While Yor was attended the girl was taken to another room. As she promised, Yor waited in the hall after her wound was treated; with a buttoned medical gown on because she didn't want to attract more attention due the bandaged wound in sight

Time passed and many people enter and exit from the room, but she didn't. A nurse carrying something mistook her for one of the staff and scolded her for standing there

"Here, take the baby to the nursery"

"Me? But— wait! What about the woman? Is she okay?"

From afar she heard the answer, but before Yor could explain the error the woman had left. She was shocked, how? She seemed fine

Against her will the dark-haired looked at the lump she was holding: rosy cheeks babbling in dreams, you were in peace

Her shock grew when she saw you shared the username that the man she killed had. That's why the woman was familiar: she was the politician's daughter

Yor searched someone who hand the baby when she recognized the doctor that guided the woman to the room, he was talking with a masked nurse

The fact they went to a private place and maintained their voices low made her suspect

"Did you take care of the mother?" the nurse asked

"Yes, they got ahead of us with her father but I think they will pay us anyway. When they found it was a medical negligence we'll be far from here"

Yor understood they were assassins as well, probably paid by a rival. Luckily they hadn't seen her yet

"Heh, do you they will pay more if we got rid of the baby?"

Yor left the hospital with you, unsure of what to do. Did you have more relatives? The widowed politician didn't have more kids, and your mother came alone. What if they wanted to kill the rest of the family?

A small hand grabbed hers, and every fear disappeared. Looking at each other, she knew you were safer with her. Perhaps it was only guilt or sympathy, but she would try

General headcanons

The moment Yuri saw Yor holding you was in disbelief. Yor said she found you in the streets and he believed it

At first he tried to convince her sister to leave you in a orphanage but once scolding was enough to cease

Still disliking you for the first months. It took some time until he saw you like one of his family

Yuri helped, although they had a rough time because you refused to eat Yor's purees. Your endurance might grew up to make you the only person who can eat her food without bleeding but it doesn't mean you like its flavor

She viewed you as a sibling until you were two, being called mom made Yor too happy to correct you. Yuri was just Yuri, you never feel like using formalities with him or addressing "Uncle" everytime you talked

Yor decided to let your belongings, it was better that way. When you were older, and only if you wanted, she would tell you the truth

She's bad with names, Rose was the only name she could think of but you're a boy. Yor's parents loved that Yuri and her had matching names, therefore you would be the sweet addition to it

The only name I could think of is Yuu because it's gender neutral and means "you" sorry

During the first year of your life she didn't try to hide the blood of her clothes from you. Yuri never suspected either and you wouldn't remember it when you grow up

Your lack of childhood amnesia was something she didn't have in count. Not that she knows you know anyway

Yor has been training you since you were able to walk, if she wasn't there when you needed at least you would be ready to defend yourself. Proud to say you're her strong boy

That said, if the assassins that tried to killed you found were you lived it's something you ignore. Being the protective mother Yor is they could be dead by now

Six years later, it was still Yor and you against the world, with Yuri being the only paternal figure you had. Before one day she met a man and everything changed

She said he will help her by accompanying her to a party so Yuri stopped worrying about her. She said it would be one night, and the next morning you woke up with Yor waiting to talk with you

In part she accepted because of you; you passed the Eden exam before knowing you needed a dad for it. That requisite seemed stupid for you, as you reassured her you could go to any other school; now you would be accepted into the best school!

You agreed and started packing. What else you could do? The decision was made before you were asked anyway, and you didn't want to argue with your mom because she was doing it for your future too

Of course it affected you. No matter how nice they were it was a huge change; in one day you had to move to a new place which didn't feel like home and live with strangers who you'll have to share mom with isn't easy

Anya was nervous too, but for different reasons. She was so excited to meet her soon-to-be sibling! For her, who was an orphan last week, having a pa, a ma and a friend to play with was great

Her expectations went down when she read your mind. You didn't think bad of them, but excited wasn't the word to describe your emotional state either

Loid may not be good at understanding children, but it was clear for him you wasn't comfortable. For him would be weirder if you didn't seem affected at all

On the contrary, Yor seemed cool with all of this to you. Even without any idea of how to be a wife or mother for Anya she enjoyed her time as Forger, which confused you a bit

Yor is happier, not only because she didn't have to worry about the SSS or Yuri anymore. They make her happier, it's just matter of time she could fall for Loid and have a baby that was her own, real kid

Being sure Yor loves you and your new family want you to feel welcomed doesn't make disappear the feelings you carry with. Still, if mom is happy you prefer to keep it to yourself and try to maker her smile too

If it wasn't because Yuri hates the idea of her sister hiding her marriage for a year and sympathized your situation he would have laughed at the irony when you told him during your uncle-nephew walk the next day of his meeting with "Loiloi"

He doesn't know they got married before you attended school so he assumed you had been holding it for a long time. He passed his fingers through your hair

"I understand it's difficult, but I'll be for you whenever you need me"

+ Honorable mention to compensate you for the mild ansgt without warning

Daybreak

We don't know much about him but I included this dork for fun

Thinking about "Daybreak" and "parenthood" makes anyone's mind stopped working

Mainly because it's difficult to say which one would be the child

Not "How you met headcanons" because he wouldn't be able to adopt to begin with

From what we saw in chapter 27 he seems to live alone, depending on his amazing spy career to afford pork steak for dinner. So he must not live too good given that after his first mission he was fired

If he had a child, it would be likely because of a previous relationship he had and didn't end well

He didn't adopt you. You're his biological kid, the only not adopted of this gang

Sorry we can't choose our family good luck ig

Not necessarily ended bad, even remaining as friends, your mother took a different path and is happily married with another man

If she knew he wanted to be a spy either thought "it's a joke" or *sigh*

She was who brought money in the relationship, now you live with her and your step-dad but at the beginning you didn't want to

Daybreak talked with you and promised you could visit each other and even live with him when he could afford it

They don't get it

Who would take care of him? The idea of living on his own was frightening to you

Imagine being father and is your kid who worries about whether pops know how to pay taxes without mom

You took after him in terms of appearance. Any signal of intelligence was from your mother

Average smart but surely smarter than him

Probably he thanked God that you were a boy. He will love whatever you are but he was relieved of saving himself of buying female products when you were on that time of the month and guide you through puberty

As much as he says to be a charming man he's not good with women either so

Your name is Sunny. Guess who chose it

Probably you see him more on weekends than during the week

Until you showed him Spy Wars he didn't have no idea that existed such good series

Of course not cooler than the legend he is but Daybreak jokes about how reading that and seeing your cool pops in action would make you half as good spy as he is someday

Quite sad is that your common sense along with the things you see on TV are enough to be better spy material

You try to watch it with him to see if he learns something

Unsure of what you'll be in the future but in the mean time you had fun watching cartoons and liking kids stuff like dinosaurs and skateboard

Current status: Busy with your first year at school and getting him out of trouble

[nellygwyn]

I thought I would share some portraits/info about notable black men and women who worked and lived in Georgian Britain. This is not an extensive list by any means, and for some figures, portraits are unavailable:

1. Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) was a writer, abolitionist and former slave. Born into what would become southern Nigeria, he was initially sold into slavery and taken to the Caribbean as a child, but would be sold at least twice more before he bought his freedom in 1766. He decided to settle in London and became involved in the British abolitionist movement in the 1780s. His first-hand account of the horrors of slavery 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano' was published in 1789 and it really drove home the horrors of slavery to the general British public. He also worked tirelessly to support freed slaves like himself who experienced racism and inequality living in Britain's cities. He was a leading member of the Sons of Africa, an abolitionist group, whose members were primarily freed black men (the Sons of Africa has been called the first black political organisation in British history). He married an English woman, Susannah, and when he died in 1797, he left his fortune of roughly £73,000 to his daughter, Joanna. Equiano's World is a great online resource for those interested in his life, his work, and his writings.

2. Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780) was a bit of a jack-of-all-trades (he's described as an actor, composer, writer, abolitionist, man-of-letters, and socialite - truly the perfect 18th century gentleman). He was born in the Middle Passage on a slave ship. His mother died not long after they arrived in Venezuela and his father apparently took his own life rather than become a slave. Sancho's owner gave the boy to three sisters living in London c. 1730s (presumably as a sort of pet/servant) but whilst living with them, his wit and intellect impressed the 2nd Duke of Montagu who decided to finance his education. This was the start of Sancho's literary and intellectual career and his association with the elite of London society saw him ascend. He struck up a correspondence with the writer, Laurence Sterne, in the 1760s: Sancho wrote to press Sterne to throw his intellecrual weight behind the cause of abolition. He became active in the early British abolitionist movement and be counted many well-known Georgians amongst his acquaintance. He was also the first black man known to have voted in a British election. He married a West Indian woman and in 1774, opened a grocer's shop in London, that attempted to sell goods that were not produced by slave labour. Despite his popularity in Georgian society, he still recounts many instances of racist abuse he faced on the streets of London in his diaries. He reflected that, although Britain was undoubtedly his home and he had done a lot for the country, he was 'only a lodger and hardly that' in London. His letters, which include discussions of domestic subjects as well as political issues, can be read here.

3. Francis 'Frank' Barber (1742-1801) was born a slave on a sugar plantation in Jamaica. His owner, Richard Bathurst, brought Frank to England when Frank turned 15 and decided to send him to school. The Bathursts knew the writer, Samuel Johnson, and this is how Barber and the famous writer first met (Barber briefly worked as Johnson's valet and found him an outspoken opponent of the slave trade). Richard Bathurst gave Frank his freedom when he died and Frank immediately signed up for the navy (where he apparently developed a taste for smoking pipes). In 1760, he returned permanently to England and decided to work as Samuel Johnson's servant. Johnson paid for Frank to have an expensive education and this meant Frank was able to help Johnson revise his most famous work, 'Dictionary of the English Language.' When Johnson died in 1784, he made Frank his residual heir, bequeathing him around £9000 a year (for which Johnson was criticised in the press - it was thought to be far too much), an expensive gold watch, and most of Johnson's books and papers. Johnson also encouraged Frank to move to Lichfield (where Johnson had been born) after he died: Frank duly did this and opened a draper's shop and a school with his new wife. There, he spent his time 'in fishing, cultivating a few potatoes, and a little reading' until his death in 1801. His descendants still live at a farm in Litchfield today. A biography of Frank can be purchased here. Moreover, here is a plaque erected on the railings outside of Samuel Johnson's house in Gough Square, London, to commemorate Johnson and Barber's friendship.

4. Dido Elizabeth Belle (1764-1801) was born to Maria Belle, a slave living in the West Indies. Her father was Sir John Lindsay, a British naval officer. After Dido's mother's death, Sir John took Dido to England and left her in the care of his uncle, Lord Mansfield. Dido was raised by Lord Mansfield and his wife alongside her cousin, Elizabeth Murray (the two became as close as sisters) and was, more or less, a member of the family. Mansfield was unfortunately criticised for the care and love he evidently felt for his niece - she was educated in most of the accomplishments expected of a young lady at the time, and in later life, she would use this education to act as Lord Mansfield's literary assistant. Mansfield was Lord Chief Justice of England during this period and, in 1772, it was he who ruled that slavery had no precedent in common law in England and had never been authorised. This was a significant win for the abolitionists, and was brought about no doubt in part because of Mansfield's closeness with his great-niece. Before Mansfield died in 1793, he reiterated Dido's freedom (and her right to be free) in his will and made her an heiress by leaving her an annuity. Here is a link to purchase Paula Byrne's biography of Dido, as well as a link to the film about her life (starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dido).

5. Ottobah Cugoano (1757-sometime after 1791) was born in present-day Ghana and sold into slavery at the age of thirteen. He worked on a plantation in Grenada until 1772, when he was purchased by a British merchant who took him to England, freed him, and paid for his education. Ottobah was employed as a servant by the artists Maria and Richard Cosway in 1784, and his intellect and charisma appealed to their high-society friends. Along with Olaudah Equiano, Ottobah was one of the leading members of the Sons of Africa and a staunch abolitionist. In 1786, he was able to rescue Henry Devane, a free black man living in London who had been kidnapped with the intention of being returned to slavery in the West Indies. In 1787, Ottobah wrote 'Thoughts And Sentiments On The Evil & Wicked Traffic Of The Slavery & Commerce Of The Human Species,' attacking slavery from a moral and Christian stand-point. It became a key text in the British abolition movement, and Ottobah sent a copy to many of England's most influential people. You can read the text here.

6. Ann Duck (1717-1744) was a sex worker, thief and highwaywoman. Her father, John Duck, was black and a teacher of swordmanship in Cheam, Surrey. He married a white woman, Ann Brough, in London c. 1717. One of Ann's brothers, John, was a crew-member of the ill-fated HMS Wager and was apparently sold into slavery after the ship wrecked off the coast of Chile on account of his race. Ann, meanwhile, would be arrested and brought to trial at least nineteen times over the course of her lifetime for various crimes, including petty theft and highway robbery. She was an established member of the Black Boy Alley Gang in Clerkenwell by 1742, and also quite frequently engaged in sex work. In 1744, she was given a guilty verdict at the Old Bailey after being arrested for a robbery: her trial probably wasn't fair as a man named John Forfar was paid off for assisting in her arrest and punishment. She was hanged at Tyburn in 1744. Some have argued that her race appears to have been irrelevant and she experienced no prejudice, but I am inclined to disagree. You can read the transcript of one of Ann Duck's trials (one that resulted in a Not Guilty verdict) here. Also worth noting that Ann Duck is the inspiration behind the character Violet Cross in the TV show 'Harlots.'

7. Bill Richmond (1763-1829) was a prize winning bare-knuckle boxer of the late 18th and early 19th century. He was born a slave in New York (then part of British America) but moved permanently to England in 1777 where he was most likely freed and received an education. His career as a boxer really took of in the early 19th century, and he took on all the prize fighters of the time, including Tom Cribb and the African American fighter, Tom Molineaux. Richmond was a sporting hero, as well as fashionable in his style and incredibly intelligent, making him something of a celebrity and a pseudo-gentleman in his time. He also opened a boxing academy and gave boxing lessons to gentlemen and aristocrats. He would ultimately settle in York to apprentice as a cabinet-maker. Unfortunately, in Yorkshire, he was subject to a lot of racism and insults based on the fact he had married a white woman. You can watch a Channel 4 documentary on Richmond here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

8. William Davidson (1781-1820) was the illegitimate son of the Attorney General of Jamaica and a slave woman. He was sent to Glasgow in Scotland to study law at the age of 14 and from this period until 1819, he moved around Britain and had a number of careers. Following the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, Davidson began to take a serious interest in radical politics, joining several societies in order to read radical and republican texts. He also became a Spencean (radical political group) through his friendship with Arthur Thistlewood and would quickly rise to become a leading member of the group. In 1820, a government provocateur tricked Davidson and other Spenceans, into being drawn into a plot to kill the Earl of Harrowby and other government cabinet officers as they dined at Harrowby's house on the 23rd February. This plot would become known as the Cato Street Conspiracy (named thus because Davidson and the other Spenceans hid in a hayloft in Cato Street whilst they waited to launch their plan). Unfortunately, this was a government set up and eleven men, including Davidson, were arrested and charged with treason. Davidson was one of five of the conspirators to not have his sentence commuted to transportation and was instead sentenced to death. He was hanged and beheaded outside of Newgate Prison in 1820. There is a book about the Cato Street Conspiracy here.

9. Ukawsaw Gronniosaw (1705-1775) was born in the Kingdom of Bornu, now in modern day Nigeria. As the favourite grandson of the king of Zaara, he was a prince. Unfortunately, at the age of 15, he was sold into slavery, passing first to a Dutch captain, then to an American, and then finally to a Calvinist minister named Theodorus Frelinghuysen living in New Jersey. Frelinghuysen educated Gronniosaw and would eventually free him on his deathbed but Gronniosaw later recounted that when he had pleaded with Frelinghuysen to let him return to his family in Bornu, Frelinghuysen refused. Gronniosaw also remembered that he had attempted suicide in his depression. After being freed, Gronniosaw set his sights on travelling to Britain, mainly to meet others who shared his new-found Christian faith. He enlisted in the British army in the West Indies to raise money for his trip, and once he had obtained his discharge, he travelled to England, specifically Portsmouth. For most of his time in England, his financial situation was up and down and he would move from city to city depending on circumstances. He married an English weaver named Betty, and the pair were often helped out financially by Quakers. He began to write his life-story in early 1772 and it would be published later that year (under his adopted anglicised name, James Albert), the first ever work written by an African man to be published in Britain. It was an instant bestseller, no doubt contributing to a rising anti-slavery mood. He is buried in St Oswald's Church, Chester: his grave can still be visited today. His autobiography, A Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince, as Related by Himself, can be read here.

10. Mary Prince (1788-sometime after 1833) was born into slavery in Bermuda. She was passed between several owners, all of whom very severely mistreated her. Her final owner, John Adams Wood, took Mary to England in 1828, after she requested to be able to travel as the family's servant. Mary knew that it was illegal to transport slaves out of England and thus refused to accompany Adams Wood and his family back to the West Indies. Her main issue, however, was that her husband was still in Antigua: if she returned, she would be back in enslavement, but if she did not, she might never see her husband again. She contacted the Anti-Slavery Society who attempted to help her in any way they could. They found her work (so she could support herself), tried tirelessly to convince Adams Wood to free her, and petitioned parliament to bring her husband to England. Mary successfully remained in England but it is not known whether she was ever reunited with her husband. In 1831, Mary published The History of Mary Prince, an autobiographical account of her experiences as a slave and the first work written by a black woman to be published in England. Unlike other slave narratives, that had been popular and successful in stoking some anti-slavery sentiment, it is believed that Mary's narrative ultimately clinched the goal of convincing the general British population of the necessity of abolishing slavery. Liverpool's Museum of Slavery credits Mary as playing a crucial role in abolition. You can read her narrative here. It is an incredibly powerful read. Mary writes that hearing slavers talk about her and other men and women at a slave market in Bermuda 'felt like cayenne pepper into the fresh wounds of our hearts.'