#believe it or not ive got an oxford offer

[lturnips]

my dumbest moment was thinking there was just a really prolific author on Ao3 who was a multifandom writer called Orphan Account.

[hermannsthumb]

Hello!! If you're not too busy and are so inclined, could you do 24, 27, 37 for the fall prompts? For Newt and Hermann o b v i o u s l y. Thank u so so much!! Keep up the great work xoxo

24. Warm Sweaters + 37. Cold

from autumn fic prompts here

im cheating a LITTLE and not filling the “27. corn maze” part because I wrote it last year and im def not inspired enough to do another HAHA. and also...because I want to work towards finishing my @theloccent bingo card belatedly with Spooning and Huddling for Warmth. SORRY I TOOK SO LONG, ive had a weird summer and i just moved/started grad school last week, it hasn't been very conducive for writing. set ambiguously before they're transferred to the HK shatterdome

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“I must say, Newton,” Hermann says, “I believe I sorely underestimated your abilities.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Newt says, gloomily.

“You went above and beyond what I expected.”

“I get it,” Newt says.

“It takes a true sort of talent to screw things up as much as you have.”

“I get it,” Newt says.

Hermann is not smirking--he’s too angry right now for that--but he does have a somewhat unpleasant curl to his mouth that’s making Newt boil hot with embarrassment all the same. Sort of a sneer, maybe. “I get it,” Newt says for the third time. “I’m a fuck-up, I’m a walking disaster, I--” He kicks the front of the rental car hard with the end of his boot, relishing in the dull thud that echoes from it, and less in the dull pain. “--can’t even figure out how to patch a fucking tire.”

“Or drive,” Hermann offers, helpfully. “You can’t drive, either.”

“Neither can you, Mr. Speed Demon,” Newt shoots back, but he knows it falls flat. After all--when their connecting flight got cancelled, Hermann wasn't the one who insisted they leave the relative safety of the airport to peel out into a snowstorm in search of a hotel. Hermann wasn’t the one who insisted on driving the rental. Hermann isn’t the one who got them lost down some shitty little road in the middle of nowhere, with snow piling up all around them, and he definitely isn’t the one who got distracted behind the wheel trying to adjust the radio and didn't see a patch of ice in time and sent the car--well. The point is, they’re down two tires, probably an engine, most definitely their only mode of transportation, and sure as hell aren’t near any hotel.

Around them is snow as far as the eye can see. When they get home (and that’s if they ever make it back to the airport), Newt is requesting a transfer to the LA Shatterdome ASAP. “Well, Newton?” Hermann says. He’s bundled up in his stupid parka and more scarves than Newt even owns. Newt can barely see his face. “What’s your next brilliant plan? Build an igloo?”

Not a bad idea, at this rate; the snow is no joke. “I’m thinking,” Newt grumbles. His breath puffs out white in front of him. “Tow truck,” he says. “We need a tow truck.”

“Astute,” Hermann says.

Newt ignores him and pulls his cell phone from his pocket. No bars. Right, of course, middle of fucking nowhere. “Do you have any reception?” Newt sighs.

“I didn’t bring my mobile,” Hermann says.

Newt’s eyes snap up to fix on him incredulously. “You didn’t bring--?! What the hell, man?”

“I had no need for it on the trip,” Hermann says. “We’re meant to be at a conference. I didn't think we’d get lost.” He doesn’t even have the audacity to look ashamed. Newt debates hurling his cell phone into the snow bank in frustration, but decides against it, because it did kind of cost a lot.

“Unbelievable,” he says instead. “Fucking unbelievable. Fine. Let’s go find--”

“You’re not saying we ought to walk somewhere?” Hermann interrupts.

“What other options do we have?” Newt says. “Freeze to death? There’s gotta be at least a gas station or something nearby--I could find someone to tow the car, while you--” He looks Hermann up and down, from his oversized Oxfords to his twenty scarves to his pathetic red cheeks. Hermann’s leg gets stiff as hell in the cold; there’s no way he’d be able to make any kind of distance right now, and who knows how long they’d be walking. There’s also no way Newt’s leaving him behind. “Come on,” he finally sighs, and touches Hermann’s elbow tentatively. “Let’s just get back in the car. It’s warmer in there.”

Maybe he’ll go off by himself once the snow stops. Or maybe, if they’re lucky, someone will stop by and offer them a ride before that. “Only barely,” Hermann says with a scowl, but he obliges.

Newt doesn’t get back in the car right away, though. Instead, he pops the trunk, pulls out their duffel bags, and begins feeling around the backseat. They’ve only had the rental for a few hours, and Newt isn’t exactly the most skilled around cars, but he thinks... “What are you doing back there?” Hermann says.

“One sec,” Newt says, and when he tugs a little lever off to the side, the seats fold down. Another tug, and they fold back into the trunk, leaving the back half of the car entirely flat. “Oh, awesome!”

"Newton?”

Newt ignores Hermann and begins digging around in their duffel bags. He has nothing but a few spare sweatshirts and boxers in his own; Hermann’s proves far more promising. “Score,” Newt whistles, and pulls out two--three--four ugly sweaters. “Holy shit, dude, we were only supposed to be there for a night. Why’d you pack so much?”

“I like to be prepared,” Hermann says. “Which you clearly know nothing about. Hang on--” He cranes his neck around his seat headrest to frown at Newt. “Why are you--?”

“You’re a regular Boy Scout,” Newt interrupts. He climbs into the back of the car, kicks his boots a few times against the back fender to knock off all the snow, and shuts the trunk behind him. “Come on,” he says, unlacing his boots, “get back here already. I’m cold.”

Hermann stares at him.

Newt shucks off his leather jacket and pulls one of Hermann’s sweater over his head instead. It’s insane how much of a difference it makes--maybe Hermann has been on something all these years when he tells Newt he needs proper winter wear or whatever the fuck. He pulls on a second one for good measure, pleasantly surprised to find he can still move his arms, and then pulls on a second pair of his socks over his first. “C’mon, Hermann,” he says. “Time to share some body heat, dude.”

Hermann grumbles, and he shakes his head, and he tucks the hood of his parka down over his face (like being unable to see Newt means Newt will just magically forget he’s there), and then--finally--he turns back to face Newt again. “This is ridiculous,” he declares. “We must have other options.”

Newt lays down and stretches out on his side, blinking up at Hermann coyly. “You’re making it weird for no reason,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be weird, you know.” It can be perfectly natural--two dudes, who sometimes fight, and sometimes do things a little more amorous than fight, sharing body heat. That's all. “It’s just biology. Cats do it, penguins do it--”

“No,” Hermann says.

He comes to the backseat anyway. Newt likes to think it’s because he’s too irresistible.

“I call being big spoon,” Newt says happily, and he tucks himself around Hermann’s bony--and, at the moment, puffy--back before Hermann can protest. One leg, he nudges between Hermann’s, making sure not to put any weight where he shouldn’t; he settles the arm wrapped around Hermann at his waist, splaying his hand somewhere around Hermann’s upper abdomen. “There. Isn’t that nice?”

“Hmph,” Hermann says.

Outside, the storm rages on around them, snow piling up on the windows and frosting them over where it hasn’t landed yet. The last dregs of the heat in the car die out. Newt tucks himself a little closer to Hermann, inhaling his shampoo, the slight damp scent his fuzzy parka hood always has. Hasn’t the guy ever heard of dry-cleaning? “Feeling cozy?” Newt mumbles.

“You’re shivering,” Hermann tells him.

“Am I?” Newt says.

He is. Huh. Hermann turns over with a grunt, then unzips his parka and tucks Newt into it in one fluid motion. Newt winds his arms around Hermann instinctively. “There we are,” Hermann murmurs. “Let’s get you warm.”

The zipper goes back up with some difficulty, pressing Newt so tight against Hermann’s chest he can barely move. Hermann’s chin bumps his forehead. Newt looks up to find his wide mouth parted slightly. “I think I want to kiss you,” Newt says, surprising himself.

“Hm?” Hermann says.

“I want to kiss you,” Newt repeats a little louder, and that gets a reaction--Hermann’s eyebrows leap to his sweaty bangs, and his whole body stiffens. “Listen--listen. Uh. The best way to share body heat--you know--it’s stuff like that. Kissing, and--”

“I am not having sex with you in the back of a bloody rental car,” Hermann half-shouts. 

Newt wriggles around a little until he can steal an uncoordinated kiss from Hermann, landing it somewhere to the left of his mouth. He has better aim with his next one. “I won’t tell anyone if you don't,” he promises.

“We are not,” Hermann says, but the next kiss, he instigates himself.

They’re rescued half an hour later when a local knocks on the window and asks if they need a lift; the bed and breakfast Newt was so sure he was leading them to, as it turns out, is only a five minute walk away, hidden from view by some trees and the snow. “At least we had some fun bonding time,” Newt tells Hermann sheepishly in the lobby.

Hermann scowls, but to Newt’s delight, requests a single queen for them both.

[thecomicsnexus]

HOUSE OF X / POWERS OF X (TEN) #1-3 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2019 BY JONATHAN HICKMAN, PEPE LARRAZ, R. B. SILVA, ADRIANO DI BENEDETTO AND MARTE GRACIA

SYNOPSIS (FROM WIKIPEDIA)

Part 1: "The House that Xavier Built" Somewhere, X (Professor X's mind is in Fantomex's body and wearing a different type of Cerebro helmet) watches over several beings emerging from cocoons. "To me, my X-Men" he says as they crawl towards him.

Starting five months ago, members of the X-Men began taking flowers from the island of Krakoa to various locations, notably Westchester County, New York, the Blue Area of the Moon, the Green Area on Mars, the Savage Land, Washington D.C., and the Jerusalem Habitat. Since then, they have grown into large bio-masses of plant life.

Now at the Jerusalem Habitat, several ambassadors arrive to the area, responding to a telepathic message sent by Charles Xavier to recognize a new sovereign nation of Mutants Krakoa. The ambassadors are met by the newly appointed Krakoan ambassador Magneto.

As Jean Grey leads the mutant residents of the X-Mansion to Krakoa, information is given through diagrams on the layout of Krakoa as well the main items of trade it produces: flowers designed for various purposes such as extending the human lifespan or creating portals directly to Krakoa.

Near the sun, spacecrafts approach the station known as "The Forge," home base of a human group called Orchis. Orchis is the self-proclaimed "last hope" for humanity, made up of various members of human organizations such as A.I.M., S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, Alpha Flight, and others, allied to prevent the extinction of homo sapiens to mutants. The Forge is based on the remnants of Sol's Hammer (a planet killer designed by The Illuminati during the lead-up to Secret Wars) and a Mother Mold (a Sentient machine designed to create "Master Molds" which in turn create Sentinels). Orchis was activated when Xavier's message went out to the world, seemingly a "trigger" for the eventual extinction of humanity.

Meanwhile, a team made up of Mystique, Sabretooth, and Toad infiltrate the base of Damage Control searching for information in the databases. While they get what they searched for, Sabertooth maims several guards in the chaos and is eventually captured by the Fantastic Four.

At the same time, Magneto leads the ambassadors through several worldwide Krakoan habitats, connected through portals. The ambassadors question the war-like capabilities of the instantaneous travel, which Magneto declares is instead of an "instrument of war" an "unassailable refuge." He also reveals that the ambassadors will not be going to the island of Krakoa, for "Man is not welcome there."

While the Fantastic Four are about to take away Sabretooth, Cyclops arrives to bring him back to Krakoa due to diplomatic immunity. While tensions arise between him and Mister Fantastic, Cyclops decides to leave Sabretooth to them to avoid a situation. While leaving, Invisible Woman asks if Cyclops and X are sure about what they are doing. Cyclops states that he believes in X and offers Invisible Woman's mutant son Franklin Richards a place to stay with his "family" on Krakoa before leaving.

Back with the Ambassadors, Magneto reveals to the Stepford Cuckoos that he is aware of the true nature of the ambassadors as potential plants within Krakoa (while hinting that one member has a true alliance to Orchid). While he claims he is not threatening them, Magneto declares that he wants humanity to understand that they "have new gods now."

Part 2: "The Last Dream of Professor X" Year One (The Dream): At a fair in Oxford, Charles Xavier meets Moira Kinross (eventually MacTaggert) who asks why he is smiling. Charles explains that recently, he has had the "most wonderful dream," of his place in a better world referring to the eventual creation of Xavier's School and the X-Men. Moira stops for a second, before stating "Well, here's the thing Charles... It's not a dream if it's real." Charles questions whether they have met before, which Moira responds to by asking him to read her mind. Charles reads Moira's mind, and his eyes go wide.

Year Ten (The World): In present day, Mystique and Toad arrive on Krakoa after the infiltration of Damage Control. Mystique takes the flash drive with their findings on it to X and Magneto, who enter it into a computer to view the contents.

Year One Hundred (The War): In a dark future Earth ruled by a man-machine called Nimrod the Lesser and his Sentinels, the remaining mutants on Earth are either those from before the current war or "Chimeras," mutants genetically-engineered by Mister Sinister to have multiple abilities at once. A small team of mutants led by a Chimera named Rasputin IV (who has the powers of Shadowcat and Colossus) escape from a group of Sentinels, but lose two of their own in the process, Percival is killed and Cylobel is captured. Cylobel is taken to Nimrod, who charismaticly apologizes to her for everything he has done, before trapping her within a experimental hive-mind creator, killing her. Rasputin and the remaining mutant Cardinal escape to arrive at their base through a Krakoan flower, where they are met by the only remaining mutant resistance, five others (four of which we see), including Wolverine and Xorn. Rasputin and Cardinal confirm their mission was not in vain, for they got what they were looking for, and Wolverine begins to lead them to "the old man."

Year One Thousand (Ascension): In the archive of Nimrod the Greater, a blue-skinned being known as the Librarian converses with Nimrod on the final fate of his hive-mind experiment, which proved pointless due to the 'surprising' final fate of the war. He then looks at a nature preserve where two nude human figures reside, reflecting that it is important to keep a record of "the great sins of history" so that "they never have Dominion again"

Part 3: "The Uncanny Life of Moira X" Moira I: Moira Kinross (later Cowan) lives an unassuming life as a teacher, with a husband and three children. Moira later passes away at 74 of natural causes peacefully.

Moira II: After her death, Moira suddenly finds herself back in her mother's womb with all memories of her previous life. Moira is actually a mutant and this resurrection ability is her power. While she conceals her nature as best she can, she is nevertheless considered a prodigy and decides to become an academic in biology and psychology at Oxford to understand what she is. After two decades of research, she spots her former classmate Charles Xavier revealing himself as a mutant on television. Realizing this is the key to her nature, she takes a flight to America that ends up crashing in the ocean, killing her.

Moira III: In this life, Moira instead decides to focus on anthropology and genetics and seeks out Xavier while at Oxford. However, Xavier's arrogance and Moira's distaste for her own nature leads her to decide to devote her life to creating a cure for mutation. She succeeds only for her lab to be destroyed and her colleagues killed by Mystique, Pyro and Destiny. Destiny's precognitive powers allow her to realize Moira is actually a mutant invisible by standard mutant detection methods. She warns Moira that if she ever decides to act against mutants again, Destiny will kill her before her X-gene activates at thirteen, which would kill her permanently. She also tells Moira that her powers are not infinite and that she will only have ten lives, or eleven "if [she makes] the right choice in the end". Destiny then orders Pyro to burn Moira alive slowly so that she will never forget this encounter.

Moira IV: Moira decides to throw herself headfirst into the cause of mutant-human co-existence and once again pursues Xavier at Oxford, with the two becoming lovers. They go through what is implied to be the pre-House of X history of the X-Men before finally being killed by Sentinels in a Days of Future Past-like future.

Moira V: Having become radicalized by the experience, Moira decides to meet Xavier even earlier and convince him to create an isolated haven for mutants. Nevertheless, the Sentinels eventually attack and exterminate Moira.

Moira VI: Not revealed at the time.

Moira VII: Moira forgoes science entirely and instead becomes an assassin dedicating her life to exterminating the entire Trask family so that the Sentinels are never invented. The Sentinels turn out to be an inevitable consequence of technological development and humanity's fear of mutants and thus once again exterminate mutantkind.

Moira VIII: Further radicalized, Moira decides to ally with Magneto instead of Xavier. They are both defeated by the combined forces of the Avengers and the X-Men and Moira dies during a failed prison escape.

Moira IX: Even further radicalized, Moira decides to ally with Apocalypse and go to war with humankind.

Moira X: Facing her last life and looking back at all her experiences, Moira decides that in this timeline, she and Xavier will "break all the rules." She meets Xavier in Oxford and tells him to read her mind showing him all she has done.

Part 4: "We Are Together Now, You and I" Year One: Professor X and Moira McTaggert visit Magneto on his island base in Bermuda. Professor X has come to mend the fences with Magneto and despite initially mistrusting him, Magneto agrees to open his mind to them. Moira reveals her true nature to him, giving Magneto a glimpse into her previous lives. Seeing the many ways in which he has failed, Magneto agrees to Professor X and Moira's proposal; a long-term plan to guarantee the future of mutantkind.

Year Ten: Magneto and Xavier show Cyclops the plans of a Mother Mold. They believe that it will usher in a new generation of Sentinels and that this is when Nimrod emerges. They order a strike on the Mother Mold, which is on a station orbiting the sun and Cyclops leaves to assemble a team.

Year One Hundred: Cardinal and Rasputin IV return successful from their mission, having retrieved an indexing machine which will allow them to know the location of key machine intel. Krakoa manages to successfully de-crypt the index, revealing the location. Wolverine's War form points out that the information is useless since they would have to hold off the Sentinels in order to access the information which would in turn be a suicide mission, but Apocalypse assures them that they will succeed as he will personally lead them.

Year One Thousand: The Librarian and Nimrod have been successful in their plan. In order to prove their value to the higher civilizations in the universe, they create a replica Worldmind which is found by the Phalanx who successfully consume it and come to Earth to find its creators.

Part 5: "This Is What You Do" Year One Hundred: As the Church of Ascendancy, an organization that is dedicated to the worship of the machines, is giving a sermon at the Temple of Concordance, the X-Men arrive and attack. Omega Sentinel watches from the Human-Machine Monolith and tries to convince Nimrod the Lesser of the need to investigate, but he refuses and dismissing the attack. Omega heads off alone to confront the X-Men where she and her squadron of Sentinels gain the upper head, prompting Rasputin IV to remove the mask of Xorn's Death form unleashing the black hole contained within his head, killing both the remaining X-Men and the Sentinels.

Meanwhile, Apocalypse leads Wolverine's War form and Cypher's Famine form into an old machine databank in order to retrieve an information crystal. They are successful in finding it, but are intercepted by Nimrod. Famine opens a portal for them to retreat through and Apocalypse stays behind to buy them time. War and Famine escape with Apocalypse seemingly succumbing to Nimrod. Back in the safety of Asteroid K, War releases Mother Akkaba, also known as Moira, from her stasis. He presents her with the information crystal, force-feeding the information into her mind. As per Apocalypse's request and with Moira's consent, War then kills Moira in order for her to start over again, now armed with the knowledge of exactly when in time Nimrod emerges.

Part 6: "Once More unto the Breach" Cyclops informs X and Magneto that he has assembled a team in order to attack the Mother Mold facility orbiting the Sun. Cyclops briefs the team, composed of Wolverine, Husk, Archangel, M, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, and Mystique on their mission and they take off.

In the superhuman prison known as Project Achilles, a trial is being held for Sabretooth. The trial is interrupted by Emma Frost who presents the judge with a pardon from the U.S. Supreme Court along with all requisite paperwork as the U.S. government has agreed to a general amnesty for all mutants on American soil in anticipation of Krakoa becoming a sovereign nation. Despite the protests of the human officials at the court, Emma and Sabretooth are allowed to walk free and return to Krakoa.

On the Orchis Forge where the Mother Mold is being constructed, the human scientists detect that the X-Men are inbound. Nightcrawler is sent in for recon and encounters the chief scientist and Omega Sentinel. Omega Sentinel deduces that the X-Men plan to attack the control collars in order to send the Mother Mold hurtling into the Sun. The X-Men dock onto the station and begin drilling their way in. Realizing that their only hope of defeating the X-Men is an asymmetrical response, Chief of Security Erasmus sets off a bomb, killing himself and destroying the X-Men's vessel.

REVIEW

I am halfway through this story and I have to admit that is very intriguing and very inviting considering how unappealing the X-Men have been in the past decade (for me).

Hickman did an amazing job in world-building and I am assuming at the moment, retconing the X-Men in a very efficient way. With a script so tight, I shouldn’t make any judgements on the story yet (the review is split in two just because of Tumblr’s limitations), but Moira being a mutant that reincarnates in the same womb at the same date makes her a very important character (in case she wasn’t already). My theory right now, is that what we are seeing at the moment could be either her tenth or eleventh life. It is confusing to me, because the year one seems to be the present, but I was under the impression it was the past (it is the past as the present is year ten). Because the alliance between Magneto, Xavier and Moira seems to happen in year one, then that looks like her eleventh life (technically rebooting the X-Men inside the Marvel Universe). I will be probably proved wrong in my next post. But it is my running theory.

I am also glad I waited to read all this in one sitting. While the issues take a longer reading (due to world-building texts and infographics), it keeps you engaged all along, and surprises you a lot. Also, it doesn’t make much sense on the first and second chapters.

To be concluded...

[we-are-only-halfway-home93]

Come and Lay the Roses 5- Sell My Soul- [Ivar x OC]

Summary: Aaline meets Ragnar. Aelle makes a deal with Ecbert.

Characters: Ivar x OC, Bjorn x Torvi, Ubbe x Margrethe, Hvitserk x Thora, Sigurd x OC, Lagertha, Ragnar

Warnings: Arranged marriage, language, violent, sex, torture

Word Count: 2634

Ch. 4

“Trust is a dangerous game.”

Ecbert sat with his hands pressed together and held against his lips. He watched Aelle with inscrutable eyes and contemplated his plea.

Aelle had been rash, attacking Kattegat. The peace brokered between Ragnar Lothbrok and his Northmen was tenuous at best but it had held steady since the death of his wife seven years before. Ecbert had worked hard to keep Ragnar Lothbrok at bay. He was a formidable enemy and the Saxon organization had suffered enough at his hands.

Aelle’s attack on Kattegat was foolish and had cost him. Yes, Ragnar Lothbrok suffered considerable financial damage, however, he made enough annually that it would be easy for him to recover the nearly five million dollars that he’d lost in Aelle’s attack. If anything, Aelle lost more than Ragnar.

The attack itself had been rash but Aelle decided to send his brother Aethelwulf in as the lead on the attack. Many Saxon men died and Aethelwulf was missing. Ecbert was confident that Ragnar Lothbrok had him locked up somewhere to use as a bargaining chip. If Aelle was lucky, they would just leave him locked up but, if Ragnar did was Ecbert thought he would do, then, Aethelwulf was most likely in the hands of Ragnar’s most brutal and unpredictable son.

Ecbert was well aware of Ivar Lothbrok’s reputation. It was well earned, after all. The rumors that surrounded Ivar “the Boneless” were intriguing. Ecbert had been witness to some of Ivar’s fights when he was a teenager. It was true that he appeared to dance inside the ring. If you looked close enough, it looked like he was moving and bending in ways that were impossible for the human body. His childhood nickname of “The Boneless” took on a whole new meaning.

Ecbert had heard whispers among his men of what Ivar Lothbrok was capable of. He was merciless when provoked. Fighting in the boxing ring was one thing but, when attacked, Ivar was ferocious. He stopped at nothing to get what he wanted or right whatever wrong he felt had been dealt against him. He was insane and yet, Ecbert had to admire the fierce loyalty that he maintained. He’d never turned his back on his family and Ecbert could only dream of such blind loyalty. His own son, coincidentally also named Aethelwulf, was loyal to a point.

Ecbert’s men liked to talk. They spoke mostly of Ragnar’s sons and their devotion to their father and his cause. They spoke of Björn’s impenetrable fighting style. How he was untouchable and no man could mark him. They spoke of Ubbe and Hvitserk and Sigurd and how each brother fought with abandon, unafraid of death.

They mostly spoke of Ivar. A demon, they called him, with black eyes full of malicious intent. A smile that dripped of sin and waved you off as he sent you to meet your maker. They spoke of how his teeth dripped red with the blood of his enemies. The most popular claim was that he would take men home, still alive, and flay the skin from their bones before eating it raw.

Ecbert was not one to believe in rumors. He did not doubt that the youngest son of Ragnar Lothbrok was as savage as his men claimed but he very much doubted that he was a cannibal or a demon, for that matter. He was just a man and men had weaknesses.

“What is it you think I can do for you, Aelle?” Ecbert folded his hands and sat back in his chair. Aelle heaved a great sigh and shifted his girth in his chair. The legs creaked ominously beneath him and Ecbert arched an eyebrow, waiting. “I propose that we come together. My men and your men, as a single unit, would be too much for Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons.”

Ecbert nodded in thought before he sat up. “I was not the one who attacked Ragnar Lothbrok. My brother is not the one currently behind enemy lines, probably being tortured for information. Ragnar Lothbrok is not after me. Why should I help you and break the peace that I have with Ragnar Lothbrok?”

Aelle looked irritated but must’ve been expecting the argument. He opened his mouth to continue. “It is no secret that the peace between you and Lothbrok has been unstable since the sudden death of his wife which,” Aelle held his hand up to keep Ecbert from interrupting. “We both know had nothing to do with either of us. It was an unfortunate tragedy, yes, but neither of us was wise to the plot.

“All the same, Ragnar has not trusted us since that unfortunate incident and has steadily been trying to push us out. He’s slowly bought out our clients, our storefronts. Just last week he made a deal with one of the top construction companies in the nation and is now a member of its board. He’s trying to get rid of us as quietly as possible.”

Ecbert narrowed his eyes and looked away from Aelle. He had had similar thoughts within the last few weeks. Lothbrok’s reach was getting too long. He was beginning to control more territory that Ecbert and Aelle combined. Soon enough, he would have control of everything Ecbert held dear.

He turned back to Aelle. “What kind of deal did he make?” Aelle’s smile widened and he leaned forward. “Ives Jensen was indebted to Lothbrok, owed him millions of dollars that he couldn’t pay back. Now, Ives’ only child is a daughter that he sent away after the death of her mother. Ragnar has five sons, all of whom are extremely devoted to their father, do whatever he asks.

“Now, Ives is a coward. He hasn’t been running his company since his daughter graduated from Oxford. Ragnar has four sons that are already married and one son that is rumored to be uncontrollable.”

Ecbert began to understand what kind of deal Ragnar Lothbrok had made. “These rumors have been hurting Ragnar’s reputation. His own men have begun to discuss his inability to control Ivar and how it may be time for him to step down. Of course, this is unacceptable so, when Lothbrok goes to kill Ives Jensen and take back his money, Ives does what all cowards do and offers someone else in his place.” Aelle’s voice was quiet like he was sharing a secret. Ecbert couldn’t help but smile as he listened.

“Ives offers his daughter as a wife for Ivar. He’ll hand over his company, his assets, everything to his daughter and, as an extension, Ragnar, in exchange for his life.” Aelle sat back, happy with the tale he just told.

“This is something that Ragnar cannot possibly pass up. One of the nations largest construction companies, virtual control over it, millions of dollars in revenue, and exhibiting his control over his youngest son. It works out wonderfully in his favor and gives him control of properties that have been in our territory for years.”

Ecbert took a deep breath and licked his lips. He looked over at Aelle. “Well, if Ragnar Lothbrok can make deals of marriage, why can’t we?” Aelle looked contemplative as Ecbert leaned forward, his hands pressed tightly against the desktop. “I have a son, you have a daughter. Let’s discuss our options.”

.

Aaline crept lightly down the stairs. The house was quiet and dark. Everyone else was asleep and Aaline didn’t want to wake them.

It was after three in the morning and Aaline was heading to the kitchen. She had trouble getting to sleep so she decided to venture down to one of the kitchens and make herself something to eat.

She remembered as a child waking up in the middle of the night and going in search of her mother. She would always find her in the kitchen with a tall glass of milk filled with crushed Oreos that she would dig out with a spoon. It was heavy with sugar and numbed Aaline’s mouth with the cold. She remembered giggling wildly with her mother during those late night snacks. It was one of the only memories she had of her mother before she died.

Aaline pulled the milk from the fridge and the Oreos from the cupboard. She poured herself and tall glass and then crumbled up each cookie individually before she dropped them into her glass. She closed her eyes as she took the first bite. It had been a long time since she’d last enjoyed this special treat. She hadn’t done it since college and the flood of memories brought tears to her eyes.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if she and Ivar might ever share memories like this. She felt despair settle in her stomach at the thoughts and shook them away. She would be lucky if Ivar was tolerable.

She placed her dirty glass in the sink and made her way back around to the staircase and up to her room. On her way, she heard a soft rustling from the sitting room in the back of the house. She turned to investigate and saw a soft light coming from down the hall. She slowly made her way towards it and stopped in the doorway.

She’d seen enough pictures of Ragnar Lothbrok to know that he was sitting before her now. He had a newspaper from today, well, technically yesterday, unfolded in his hands. He had a pair of reading glasses pushed far down the end of his nose. He was bald but with a thick beard that obscured the lower half of his face. His face was lined with the experiences afforded to a man his age. The lines around his eyes trailed down his cheeks. There was a long scar on his right cheek that curved around his eye and up his forehead. She could tell, even from the doorway, that Ivar got his eyes from his father. They both held the same secrets and the same pain. Ivar’s eyes were cold where Ragnar’s were warm.

What surprised Aaline most about Ragnar’s appearance were the tattoos on either side of his head. They touched at his temples and spanned the space of his head, trailing down around his ears and disappearing into the collar of his shirt at his neck.

She was surprised that a businessman like Ragnar would adorn himself with such obvious ink but she recalled where he started in life and it made sense.

He began his career as a businessman at the bottom of the totem pole. A lowly foot soldier taking orders from the man on top. He did the bidding of Earl Haraldson, the man that Ragnar would one day replace.

As a foot soldier, Ragnar tattooed his victories on his skin. They told the story of his strength and his independence. They told anyone who looked at them how he overcame Earl Haraldson for control of Kattegat and, eventually, the Northmen.

“You are welcome to join me, Miss Jensen. There is another seat.” Aaline startled and blushed fiercely at being caught staring. She shuffled forward and sat on the edge of the chair next to Ragnar. He smiled at her and closed his paper, handing her an empty glass. She took it, confused, and watched as Ragnar unscrewed a flask and poured her two finger worth of whiskey. She smiled and took a careful sniff. Ragnar laughed when she burst into a coughing fit.

“My apologies. Floki makes his own whiskey and it is very potent.” She nodded and set the glass down, deciding to leave it untouched. Ragnar shuffled his paper and went back to reading.

Aaline felt awkward, sitting in the dark with a man she barely knew. She opened her mouth to speak but Ragnar beat her to it. “We have not been formally introduced.” He folded his paper and set it down on his lap. “I am Ragnar Lothbrok.” He held his hand out for her to shake. “Aaline Jensen.” She whispered.

He smiled and his eyes crinkled at the corners and she found she liked the way it changed his face. “It is nice to finally meet you, Aaline Jensen. I have heard a lot about you.” She tensed and nodded once, looking away from him. She heard him hum. “I imagine it is hard for you, being here, alone, knowing no one.”

There was an accent present in his voice. It was thick but he enunciated well, spoke clearly. She imagined a man like Ragnar Lothbrok was not stupid by any means. He had to be clever in order to get to where he is now.

She turned to look at him. “I’m adjusting.” She said. He nodded, looking over her face. “The girls are lovely, very welcoming.” She nodded and looked down at her hands. “At one time, they were all in your shoes. New to this world, the challenges of marrying a Lothbrok.” She snorted and he quirked an eyebrow.

She sighed. “No offense, Mr. Lothbrok,” He cut her off. “Call me Ragnar, please.” She hesitated but nodded and continued. “No offense, Ragnar, but I don’t think any of the other women who married into this family did so under duress.” Ragnar smiled and nodded, humming his agreement. “No, I don’t believe they did.”

She looked at him and watched as he breathed deeply. “You remind me of my daughter, Gyda. She had a fire about her. She would not be told what to do. She followed her own path, made her own decisions.” Aaline drew her eyebrows together. “I didn’t know you had a daughter.”

Ragnar looked sad then and nodded slowly. “She died, many years ago.” Aaline closed her eyes and shook her head. Losing her mother had been hard on her but she couldn’t imagine losing a child. “I’m sorry. That must’ve been very difficult for you.” Ragnar grunted.

“There was nothing I wouldn’t have done for her. She was the light of my life.” Aaline felt tears burn her eyes and wished that her father held her in the same regard that Ragnar did his daughter. Her father had said a lot of pretty things to her but never had he displayed his affection in a way that meant anything.                  

“I love my sons, dearly. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.” She looked up at him then and his gaze was focused on her entirely. She felt trapped beneath his eyes. “But their wives, my new daughters, in all of them I see Gyda. I am reminded of how easily life can be taken and I vowed to protect them as I would my own daughter.”

He picked up his own glass of whiskey and took a long drink. He placed it back down and smiled at her. “I know that this is not what you want. It is not what Ivar wants, either. I imagine none of us ever thought this would be a path life would lead us down but, alas, we are here.” He shifted in his seat to face her fully, his eyes still locking her in place. “I want you to know, as much as you may not believe it now, you will always be protected under this house. You are my daughter now and you will always be safe here.”

Aaline swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall. She wanted to speak, say anything to Ragnar Lothbrok but the lump in her throat was too thick and any words that she tried to force would lead her to tears. Ragnar must’ve sensed it because he tipped his head to her and gestured to the door.

“It is late, child. Go back to bed. There are many things to do in the morning.”

[magicalsalamander]

The Firefly that Guards the Fox IV

Pairing: BTS Taehyung  ⇆ Reader

Genre: Hybrid | Lawyer | Murder Mystery| Fluff | Angst | Smut [Epilogue] |

Words: 6.9K

Warnings: Overall story rated mature; Explicit themes, action/ violence, bloodshed, death of minor characters.

Summary: His mother and father weren’t supposed to fall in love. They weren’t supposed to find a mate in one another.

They weren’t supposed to.

After losing his father years ago, Taehyung vows to find and avenge the injustice his family has gone through. You were childhood friends with Taehyung. The four of you Taehyung, Hoseok, your older brother and you were inseparable. You were torn apart from Taehyung, your fox who’ve you’ve always vowed to protect and be with, without a warning. He called you Firefly, you called him Tae-Tae the fox. Was your fate supposed to end there in the past with your childhood?

A/N: Orig post date: 01|24|18; Updated intro 12|12|19. Part of the KLF Universe.

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The tension in the air was thick cutting through the musky stress sweat odor left by previous tenants. The silence was deafening from the abrupt pause. Within seconds the fox pounced the bars, rattling the once calm metal. His eyes were blown out, tail wagging, nails elongated and ears pulled backwards against his skull. The spotlight hanging in your cell swung lightly back and forth from the impact against the bars. Chaos was a foot. You scrambled back lining up against the back wall snatching Key’s blazer shakily at the sudden appearance. His ragged breathing was cut off with, “What did you say?” His expression was vague, somewhere in between angry or upset, either way it demanded an answer. It was all on you now, you’ve grown too vulnerable and unguarded around him. You’ve already kissed her goodbye and let the hand go of the woman you used to be to him. You just started finding your footing among the team; no way were you letting that go.

You needed a way out and fast.

Taking the next steps carefully, you began chattering your teeth pulling the blazer closer to you. “Good-Good night Tae-Tae Taehyung.” You felt vulnerable with him staring at you intently, judging your character with squinted eyes. Clanking rang through the hollow hallway from the heavy main cell door addressing the presence of someone else. Taehyung turned his attention to the tall figure now at the entrance of the hall. This gave you time to puff your cheeks full of air and cluck your tongue against the roof of your mouth matching the noisy sounds. You were able to accumulate enough pressure in your mouth within those few seconds that when he turned around back to you your acting was complete. You opened your mouth while shivering releasing a billowing cloud of condensation. Physics wasn’t your favorite subject in college, but for once you could use it. He looked at you with astonishment not quiet believing his eyes, but he did. How could someone fake condensation? Your acting was solidified when he pulled his blazer tighter to himself and his body relaxed. He didn’t think it was that cold as you were making it out to be, but then again, he was a hybrid. Hybrids naturally had a higher body temperature. “Mr. Kim! That’s the only way you can address me Y/L/N.”

The tall figure standing at the main door walked towards Mr. Kim. The slow, calm pace clicks of his dress shoes was an eerie suspense since you couldn’t see the owner. Mr. Kim shifted his ears up with the new individual presence and held his now relaxed hand out to greet the figure approaching. His march halted in front of your cell with his last footstep bringing his heels alongside with a loud clap. He was standing directly under a spotlight sending chills down your spine watching the silhouetted man. The man wore a dark navy suit; you stared at his shoes making your way up the shadowed, capped figure to his head. The ample amount of medals on his left breast glimmered under the dim lighting. The silhouette face under the cap was brute. In a polite gesture, the man took off his cap bringing it down to rest against his chest. The over gelled, slicked back haired man raised his lowered head revealing the deformed left side of his face. The intense, deep scars trailed from his temple and dragged down to disappear into his collared dress shirt in three lines. The man offered a jagged smile shaking Mr. Kim’s hand in a strong grip, “Mr. Kim, you do know it’s after visiting hours, right? Even though you are a friend to this station, you can’t break the rules.” With a raised brow he gave Mr. Kim a suggestive look. The man looked down at you in unamusement, but flipped the switch suddenly into a crass smile. You weren’t a hybrid, but your intuition was telling you to get away from him. He was bad news. You could feel the goosebumps forming as he studied you, and it wasn’t from the bad acting. Mr. Kim offered a smile back, “I’m sorry Chief, it won’t happen again. I was just leaving.” Mr. Kim gave you one last look and they walked side by side out of the hallway.

Taehyung wasn’t close to the man, but he’s seen the Chief enough with his frequent visits to the station. He bowed to the Chief at the station’s main entrance and walked to his car in the parking lot. When Taehyung was out of sight, two men dressed in black with a mask and hat covering their face came behind the Chief. The chief stood unchanging his watch on the disappearing figure with his hands clasped behind his back. With a deep breath he tilted his head back rotating it clockwise cracking his neck. He slanted his head back after coming to a rest casting a deep shadow over his eyes. A menacing smile bloomed but only pulling up fully on one side, “Follow him boys.” The two men nodded and silently walked down the step steps with their hands tucked in their pockets blending in with the nightly shadows.

Taehyung drove back to the office on the nearly empty streets before heading home. He parked in the empty underground parking garage leaving his black M5 BMW in his reserved spot. He grabbed his leather briefcase from the passenger seat and draped his coat over his forearm closing the driver’s door. The click of his oxford loafers echoed in the otherwise silent garage. The ding of the elevator registered and brought him up to the fifth floor. The darkness greeted him, but he reached out for the light switch without looking having turned it off too many times from working late. He walked through the work room and glanced over at his team’s desk. It hasn’t been long since you’ve started working for him, but he’s gotten used to seeing you sitting at your desk. He could picture you sticking your pen in your bun instead of behind your ear in concentration. The swollen pout of your lips when you were stuck or frustrated. The room felt empty with out you. You’ve become a constant in his life. He stepped towards your desk smiling and grazed the surface of it with his fingers. Before he could stop himself, his cheerfully wagging tail was wrapping around the leg of the desk scent marking. When he realized what he was doing he unwrapped his tail like it touch a hot iron and back tracked towards his office. He opened the door and walked in sitting his briefcase down on one of the two leather seats across his desk. He slumped down into his swivel office chair and rested his clasped hands on his stomach reclining back. He closed his eyes going over today. The simple task he gave you turned out to be a catalytic event.

Furrowing his brows in thought, he tried deciphering if his ears have ever failed him before. When he was walking away from you, he swore he heard “Good night Tae Tae.” Only people who were close to him called him that, in fact, only his mother and Hoseok called him that. Well, that girl from the countryside used to as well, but she’s not around anymore. His phone dinged with an incoming message. Not wanting to move from his comfortable position he opened one eye to see who it was disturbing him. “Kim Kibum has sent you a video file,” projected on his lock screen. Any remaining energy was dedicated to hunching over his desk and opening the file. It was the video recording from earlier today that Kibum showed him. He shared it to his Dropbox to pull up on the larger screen of his desktop. He turned his seat to face the desktop and hit the space bar watching everything unfold. His attention was on the kids bullying David, but your shouts broke his concentration. You walked over confidently asking for them to stop, but then was thrown to the ground by a figure taller than you. A low, aggressive yell escaped his throat watching you get tossed. The armrest of his chair got a taste of his claws. Once you stood up and took control of the situation it was like watching a UFC match! He sat up right with a sudden burst of energy watching the action film play out. He even found himself cheering for you mimicking your punches. He shadows boxed along feeling like he was getting the bad guys too. You even took on a guy with a knife! When all was said and done, you turned around to the camera and smoothed your hair behind your ear and scoffed. You were just like a heroine in a movie.

His eyes started seeing double, the same posture taken on by a child with a choppy bowl cut. “Pick on somebody your own size!” She was pointing at the group of boys a few years older than her. She was the same height as him, so the comeback didn’t make any sense. She stood to the side of the half circle of boys surrounding him. They laughed at her pushing her as well to the ground. He was whining and shrieking rushing over to her to pick her up, but she stood up on her own. She went charging at the boys with no mercy. She wouldn’t let anyone pick on her fox! The light in her eyes lit up when she turned around to Tae, cheering as the boys ran away. She held out her hand to pick him off the floor in his submissive stance, “Let’s get some ice cream Tae!” He was amazed that a girl, who’s so small, was able to take on four fourth graders! He smiled his boxy smile and nodded taking her hand.

His eyes focused back on the blackened screen seeing the reflection of himself. Why was he having so many flashbacks about this girl when it concerned Y/N? He rubbed his eyes, he must be exhausted and already entering a dream like state. He needed to figure a way to get you out and settle the Miller case. He reviewed the video a few more times watching carefully for things he could use to build onto the case. He fell asleep on his desk with the video looping in the background. Mrs. Lee shook him awake. He groggily shooed her away asking for five more minutes. She shook him once again and he finally sat up with hair sticking out everywhere. His ears were twitching along with his slow blinking eyes, “Mr. Kim, did you sleep here?” He looked around his office noticing that it was now day time. “Go home and get changed before you start work for the day. Today’s going to be busy. I pushed back all your clients for today, so go ahead.” He mumbled thanks and picked up his brief case and made his way home.

You slept curled up against the corner of the cell with the blazer acting as your blanket. Knocking on the cell door woke you up, so you turned your head off the wall towards the sound. Jungkook was standing there with two ramen cups with steam leaking from the lids. He looked exhausted with his hair sticking out in random places and uneven tucked in shirt. You offered a small smile and propped yourself into an upright sitting position. Your pencil skirt restricted you from crossing your legs comfortably. Jungkook opened the cell and set a cup down in front of you. “How’d you sleep?” He asked cheekily, you picked up the chopsticks and cheerily responded, “Well I’ve never stayed in a five-star hotel before, but I felt the luxury and comfort of one last night.” He laughed at your review and cheered your cup of ramen with his. “Taehyung is coming in later to talk again with the boys, excuse me plaintiffs, who were brought in this morning. Some of them have already gone through interviews, but their parents pulled them out. Their parents were able to wiggle them out of staying in jail.” You sighed, knowing that the wealthy always get away with things; no matter the bail it was chump change to them. Money can buy some people anything for the right amount. You looked at Jungkook taking in his disheveled appearance, “You should go home. You look like you’ve stayed up all night.” He nodded while slurping up a mouthful of noodles. “I did I stayed up and went out on patrol. The recent uprising of hybrid trafficking has gotten worse.” You poked at him with your knee on his thigh, “go home Jeon.” Another knock on the cell door echoed and another officer stood with legs crossed at the entrance, “flirting with an inmate Jeon?” Jungkook choked on his broth and turned towards his partner, “Yugyeom!” You laughed along with his partner, Yugyeom. His partner introduced himself to you, but Jungkook cut it short. He got up and grumbled to you, “Taehyung will be here shortly. I’ll take your advice, see you later Y/N.” You waved him off watching Yugyeom wink at you while he threw his arm around Jungkook’s shoulder. Ramen was indeed food for the soul.

The interrogation room was dark except for the florescent spotlight shinning on the single table in the center of the room. The metal folded chairs sat empty for the mean time. Behind the two-way window stood Jungkook, Yugyeom and a few other officers in the observation room. Taehyung waited among the lot with the other parties’ lawyer for their clients to make their way into the room. The last of the five plaintiffs walked in escorted by another officer had a cast around his hand up to his elbow. He sat down in one of the chairs observing the room, chewing gum obnoxiously. He stares at the two-way window challenging whomever stands behind it. His lawyer steps into the room taking a seat alongside him. Taehyung watches as his defense attorney goes over the legalities, but the kid just scoffs waving him off with his good hand. It’s obvious to tell that his lawyer is getting paid well enough to deal with these kids.

Officer Jeon steps into the room with a folder and bag in his hand. He sits down at the table laying the folder on the table and leaving the bag in his lap. Taehyung stands directly at the window’s edge resting his hands on the pane. The kid leans to his left and spits his gum on the floor. Jungkook sits back and only stares, while the kid imitates him actions. “Let’s begin with the basics, who are you?” The kid’s nose scrunches in detest, “You don’t know who I am? I’m sure you’ve heard of my dad.” Officer Jeon is holding his patience with this brat and opens the manila folder looking over the kid’s details. His father is the owner of LVT Industries, one of the biggest electronic companies worldwide. Jungkook doesn’t want to waste any time on someone who’s going to just preach about his father’s achievements. “Were you the one who wielded the knife?” He brings out the evidence bag with the knife in it and sets it on the table. The kid’s expression didn’t change, but the lawyer did; apparently, he didn’t know. His eyes widened and whipped his head around towards the kid. The kid shrugged his shoulders. The attorney’s eyes were running back and forth rapidly looking for any excuse. “You know your friends already told us it was you.” That was a lie, but he needed the kid to say it was him. The kids leg started shaking in agitation, “they wouldn’t do that!” Ah, he struck a cord with him. The lawyer seemed to be catching on to what Officer Jeon was doing and interjected saying that he’ll abstain from commenting.

The questioning went back and forth for a while until the kid grew tired of the questions. “Look, Bunny Officer whatever you are, how much money do I have to give you, huh?” Officer Jeon raised his brows, “Give money me for what?” The kid leaned forward on the table with one hand beckoning Officer Jeon forward. “To get you,” pointing his index at Officer Jeon, “to let me,” jabbing his thumb at himself, “out of here? What? You want me to tell you that we—,” his confession was cut short when the door swung open. An officer with a captain badge interrupted, “Officer Jeon, please step out of the room.” Jeon stood up pushing the metal chair back with a clang, “What! Captain, I’m not leaving until I’m done!” The officer wasn’t having any of Jungkook’s protest, “Leave or you’re off the case. Your questions were out of line. You need to leave now.” Jeon looked back to the kid who wore a smirk and shrugged his shoulders with feigned sympathy, “Oh no Mr. Officer!” “Jeon, out!” The captain kept insisting so Jeon picked up the evidence and walked out the room, past the observation room and into the hallway.

Taehyung watched as the captain apologized to the kid and lawyer, then went to follow Jungkook out to the hall. He was about to call out to Jungkook, who was walking away slamming his jacket to the floor and running his hand through his hair, when he heard the clicking of heels. They both turned around to see the police chief walking with a woman, who was in a fur coat. The coat reeked of death; humans couldn’t smell it but Jungkook and he clearly could. The police chief stood in front of the pair and with a stern look, “Officer Jeon, control yourself.” With a huff Jungkook picked up his jacket and saluted his superior. It was odd that just after the interview was stopped the mother of the child was outside the hall smiling? Shouldn’t she be concerned for her child? Much less standing with the police chief? Something didn’t feel right, he didn’t need his hybrid instincts half to tell him that. Mr. Kim offered a friendly handshake to the unusual pair, but the rich woman just turned her head away from his gaze with a huff. The police chief folded his hands behind him and walked past the two into the interrogation room with the woman. Taehyung brought his unshaken hand back to him and turned to Jungkook, “Is he always involved in cases?” Jungkook shook his head, “only when it concerns the rich. I still can’t believe he got promoted first before my unit’s captain, who’s been here for decades. The chief used to be the captain of Gang relations only for a few years, but was promoted to police chief with no election. They suddenly had a press conference saying that the old police chief left in his will that he assigned him to be the new official.” None of that sounded right to Taehyung, it all sounded so forced. Officer Kim Yugyeom came around the corner, “guys you need to come see this!” Officer Jeon and Mr. Kim exchanged looks and followed Yugyeom down the hall towards the holding cells.

The police chief stopped the mother from following the officers escorting her son into the interrogation room. “Ma’am, please follow me into my office for some coffee.” She looked back to see the owner of the voice who offered her coffee and caught on to his nuance when he raised his eyebrow suggestively. The woman gave a crooked smile, but only as far as the Botox would let her. The chief lead the mother off into another isolated hallway leading to higher ups offices. The woman rummaged in her purse to pull out her wallet to check if she brought her checkbook. When the chief noticed her rummaging he turned to her, “Oh no, Ma’am, you won’t be needing that” with a wink. He allowed her to step into his office first leading her in with a feigned smile. The office was closed off away from the rest of the station. Before stepping over to his desk he pulled the cord of the roller blinds on the window down blocking the view from any prying eyes. Chief leaned in on his desk with folded hands ,”I think I have a way to help your son Ma’am.” In discussion he gestured out with exaggerated movements to add to the proposition. The woman threw her hands in the air displeased, but he held his in front of him to calm her down. She pulled out her wallet again and pulled out her checkbook ripping out a check. Her pen was working furiously, and she slammed the check in front of him, “I hope this will be more than generous for you.” With a soft smile he nodded taking the check and locking it in a drawer on his desk. He pulled out his notepad and with a fountain pen wrote down a name for her, “talk to this man next, he will be of greater help to you, tell him I sent you.” The woman smiled and folded the piece of paper into her wallet hiding it from plain sight. One of the captain’s always following the police chief knocked at the door. The chief allowed him in and the captain offered him a bow, “Sir, its time for you to step in.” Heels clicked on the tile floor in his office, “I trust in you chief that you will take care of my son. I leave him in your hands.” The chief responded cryptically, “trust in me Ma’am.”

As Taehyung, Jungkook and Yugyeom approached the hallway they heard uncharacteristic keyboard typing coming from the holding hallway. He stood in the doorway with the officers behind him at the main cell door watching his teammates Kibum and Krystal deep in concentration. Key was sitting in the hallway in front of your cell working on his laptop typing away furiously. Stacks of paper were sprawled out nearby creating a half circle ring around the lawyer. Krystal was on the phone pacing back and forth chewing on her thumb. Taehyung approached with his tail swishing curiously, but Key didn’t bother looking up to acknowledge him, nor did Krystal stop the call. He stepped directly behind Kibum looking over his shoulder to see what was so pressing. Key’s laptop was opened to files on the Miller’s case and similar cases studying their outcomes. Officer Jeon and Kim approached crouching down next to Kibum studying his papers. Taehyung changed his direction of observation and looked into the cell to find you in a similar fashion. You now had a change of clothes with jeans and a t-shirt instead of your professional attire. Your hair was in a sloppy bun held together by pencils sticking out of it in random configuration with the typical pout scrunching your expression. He asked, “what are you guys doing?” You looked up over your papers,” Oh, Good evening Mr. Kim. I asked Kibum to bring over some files. Ms. Jung was already in the area and tagged along. I had an epiphany last night and it brought some things to my attention. We decided since I won’t be able to go anywhere for the meantime that it doesn’t mean the world stops. I can still work from here, so I’m going to do my job.” He was impressed by your dedication, even in this situation you were still thinking of the client. The wild thing sitting casually in front of him was more exotic than his own genetic mix. Just what exactly are you? “Why, Ms. Y/L/N?” You pulled out a pencil from your bun and a small curl of hair now hung in front of your eye. You blew it out of your face, “their life is in my hands and the mistake was mine. I must protect them with all I can.” Your words washed over him like cold water. He was seeing double again recalling the same woman in front of him and the firefly of his childhood. The heroine never stopped fighting even when the fight was over. The story goes on until it’s truly over. He sat down with you guys and pulled out his laptop. Key looked at him questioningly, “what are you doing, Mr. Kim?” He didn’t even bother looking up, “Protecting Mr. Kim,” he said with a cheeky smile. Officer Jeon and Kim exchanged looks, “we’ll bring you guys some coffee.”

It was late when Jungkook walked back to the holding cells. He was assigned to close the main cell door for the night. Taehyung was on his phone talking to Mrs. Lee going over files at the office. Key was writing an email out to the hybrid protection council, and you were sipping coffee intensely going over papers. Ms. Jung left hours ago for a field investigation. It was endearing to watch and he smiled tenderly at the scene, but he had to call this a night. He jangled his keys form the entrance walking over garnering the attention of the trio. “Officer Jeon, can you get me some more coffee please?” you spoke to the man without looking extending your empty cup through the bars. The rest of the group chimed in asking for a cup as well, “Your finest instant coffee Jeon.” He was taken aback by the request, “Sorry, but visiting hours,” he paused looking at his watch, “have been over for a while now. I can’t let you stay any longer tonight.” Key looked up at him pleadingly but Jungkook stayed firm on his decision, “really, I could get in big trouble if I let you stay. I already let it slip that you’re working in here.” Not wanting to push their luck they packed everything up, but you asked if they could leave some files behind with you. Key was first to leave, but Taehyung hesitated a few seconds before leaving. He muttered under his breath, “Good night, Ms. Y/L/N.” He was walking away before you could say anything, but you couldn’t speak anyways. Your mouth was hanging open with eyes as wide as boulders. Did he just say good night? The rosy dust over your cheek didn’t go unnoticed by Jungkook who was sharing an equally large smile. It was back to work for you.

The next day the rich families lawyer came to the station speaking on behalf of the plaintiffs regarding a contract. You sat next to Taehyung in one of the meeting rooms anticipating the news. The attorney slid over a file with a contract and a NDA form. Taehyung took it before you could reach for it and reviewed over it, while the other lawyer spoke. “The families have decided to not press any charges against Y/L/N, but under the condition that you will not use against them in court. They want you to sign this to assure an understanding between the parties and not mention signing of the contract. You will be let out effective immediately when you sign this.” You looked over to Taehyung who sat the file down and you swiped it to review it yourself. “They still want to proceed with current allegations in the class lawsuit against the Millers, so there will be no amendments to the standing case. Do you accept Ms. Y/L/N.” You couldn’t believe the pettiness of these families. Why were they so hell bent on attacking this hybrid?

“Can you please give us time to discuss this privately?” You questioned the attorney to which he hesitantly stood up and looked at his watch, “I need to leave soon, make it fast.” As a lawyer yourself you knew he was just trying to press you into a decision, but you’ve already made yours. Once the man was out of the room, you turned to Mr. Kim, “I will sign this.” Mr. Kim whipped his head around to look at you, “are you crazy? What are you talking about? The video is the best evidence we have!” With a heavy heart you turned to him, “I want to help David and I’m limited in here. We can edit the video up until I came into frame. They don’t seem to know about the video, so it will be valid evidence. The important thing here is David not me.” Mr. Kim was taken aback, “but they held a knife to you? Shouldn’t they be punished for that?” You nodded, “Yes, but I think I don’t want the media to focus on that. I want them to focus on the discrimination and make an example of these kids. I want other hybrids to be able to come to the law and not be afraid of losing or being shamed.” Mr. Kim was holding back his objections, but you were right. The media would focus on the wrong thing and this was a step towards addressing hybrid discrimination as an issue. He was torn. “It’s up to you Y/n.” It threw you off that he used your first name. You couldn’t ask why he called you by your first name when he was already out of his seat calling back the attorney. You signed the contract and slipped it back to him taking your copy of the contract. The lawyer thanked you and walked out of the room. Holding your file to your chest, “I don’t mind getting hurt. It’s precious time and resources were wasting on me. Right now, we need to focus on David Miller. He’s the victim, not me.” You got up and walked out of the room with your bag full of your clothes. You’ve made your choice and he understood it completely. It wasn’t right though, it didn’t sit right with him. You were important.

The next week until the trail the team spent it working tirelessly. You weren’t the only one working late at night. Key and you went through all the kid’s social medias and social outlets. Krystal went to search for CCTV for any possible captures of other harassments to other students. You spent more time with the family getting to know them and collecting as much as you can. Mr. Kim was working endlessly as well, you would often step into his office refilling his coffee even though he didn’t ask. He would smile when he saw you leaving the room and the steam cup of coffee on his desk. Every time Mr. Kim would make his way back to the station he was bombarded by the media asking questions and for any details he would disclose. He would brush them off not letting them have any insight. The fear of failure was at your doorstep. The devil was knocking remind you that the clock was ticking, and he was here to collect you. The defamation wasn’t only some rich kids trying to save themselves, but it was bigger than that.

The plaintiffs wanted a bench trail claiming a jury would be unnecessary and no media exposure within the court. This was privatized from the public as much as possible, except they were at the doors of the courthouse waiting for the result. The amount of media vans and reporters parked outside made it hard for you to squeeze past. You sat along with your team members in the pews on the defendant’s side of the room. Mrs. Miller sat next to you, her ears were already floppy, but you could tell that they lacked any spirit in them. You warmly gripped her tight hand in yours patting it to ease her mind. The other side of the pews was the families of the sons, or at least the members that could make it. Mrs. Miller was a single mother, she has no relatives. Her husband, who was human and her owner, abandoned her once he found out she was pregnant. Humans can be so cruel. The five plaintiffs sat in a row next to their lawyer. Taehyung sat next to David shuffling through some papers, when he noticed the kid fidgeting he placed his hand on the kids knee to stop the shaking. He leaned in and whispered, “David, you mustn’t let them know you’re afraid. They will use it against you. I will do my best. Trust me, okay?” David’s foot stopped thumping, his breathing regulated, and his ears relaxed. Normally in the wild, rabbits are foxes pray, but today he will stand guard.

The doors to the court room opened loudly interrupting the soft murmuring causing most of the audience to turn. The loud commotion from the reporters filled the low hum of the courtroom. You looked over your shoulder to see the police chief and two other officers following him in. He guided his beady eyes over the crowd and they landed on yours. He offered a polite, crooked smile and proceeded to take a seat in the back. Every time he was nearby you could feel it, the ominous air about him crawled into yours suffocating you. You turned back watching the back of Taehyungs head, but you couldn’t shake the feeling of him watching you. You squeezed Mrs. Millers hand in assurance, but your attention was dragged away when the bailiff stepped in front of the judge’s desk, “All rise.”  

The elderly judge walked up to his seat in his black robe and signaled with his hands for everyone to be seated. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Calling the case of Students from Saint Ambrose Academy versus David Miller. Are both sides ready?” Mr. Kim and the defense attorney stood, “Ready for the People, your Honor.” Mr. Kim answered, “Ready for the defense, your Honor.” The clerk proceeded to swear the witness and participants. The deputy attorney stood once again, “Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen: the defendant has been charged with defamation and false allegations of harassment and assault. The evidence will show that the interactions between these students never occur and there is no medical backing. The defendant is using my clients for their wealth status and popularity, falsely accusing them of discrimination. The evidence I present will prove to you that the defendant is guilty as charged.” Taehyung was twirling his pen in irritation. Switching over Mr. Kim stood up still twirling his pen, “Your Honor under the law my client is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The evidence I will present to you will show that my client was harassed and assaulted, and the acts were driven by discrimination against my client. You will come to know the truth that David Miller holds truth to all rumors. Therefore, my client is not guilty.” Murmurs from the plaintiff’s half rung through with grunts of disgust and scoffs of disbelief. You turned to scowl at the fowl women who were taking advantage of this family. One woman was grinning like a witch and turned to look back. You looked back where she was looking and noticed she was eyeing the police chief. Alarm bells were going off in your head, your instincts were never wrong! Something was not right. You looked over to Taehyung who looked indifferent, the perfect poker face.

Your side didn’t have much evidence since the school’s CCTV recently was taken down for an update on their system. David’s medical records were wiped away from the hospitals data base. His attending doctor even denied servicing him. Taehyung was really pulling everything out that he had from the details of the little evidence we had. The other hybrid students at the school refused to come and no persuasion could convince them. They worried that they would become just like David. You crossed your fingers on the hand that wasn’t being strangled. Since you signed the contract, Key was forced to edit the video until the point of your entrance. It was the last thing they had, the winning bit. The debate was back and forth with objections, overruling and sustainment. The progress was slow. The judge considering only a few of the exhibits our side presented, dismissing the others as non-admittable. You were growing frustrated; the favor was obvious.

The final argument was Mr. Kim’s last chance at convincing the judge that David was innocent. Mr. Kim called the boy, who was the alleged leader of that group, to the stand. “Please state your name.” The boy scoffed, “Tyler Armas, son of Armas Telecom Services.” Mr. Kim looked over to the team and then to the plaintiff’s side gauging the crowd. You gave him a smile to which he didn’t return. Mrs. Miller hasn’t let go of your hand once. Taehyung looked to the back finally noticing the police chief. It was unusual for a police chief to sit in on a case, but after what he saw the other day he knew something was off. The chief raised a brow, but Mr. Kim turned back to the plaintiff. “Your Honor I will play a video of the victim David Miller being assaulted by the plaintiff’s.” Mr. Kim clicked the clicker of the remote causing the scene to roll. David was on the floor being kicked by the boys and the taunts rung throughout the court room. When the video ended the parents of the children were silent for the first time, but then one woman stood up, “those boys are not our sons!” The judge struck his gavel, “Order in the court!” Mr. Kim turned to Armas and asked, “Ty, is that you in this video?” His defense attorney stood up, “objection, your Honor! That’s a leading question.” The judge hit the gavel again, “proceed Mr. Kim.” Ty answered with a roll of his head, “No, that is not me.” You were about to get up but stopped yourself. Those bastards!

The plaintiff on stand kept denying any questions Mr. Kim asked and receiving objections from the attorney; his fake alibi was even back up by timestamped paperwork. Their teachers claimed they were in class at the time of the assault. Their attorney even pulled the sympathy card that they never had a criminal record and were straight A students. Mr. Kim knew it, he knew it at this point that he was cornered. For the first time in his law career, he was cornered. The law was working for them, the rich. The decision has been set from the beginning. “Thank you. I have no further questions.” He returned to his seat and the defense attorney stood up, “Your Honor these men in the video cannot be stated clearly as my clients. The video is not clear enough and the camera work is shaky. It may even be plausible to say that the video was staged.” Mrs. Miller let go of your hand now and stood up, “That was my son! Those monsters are clearly visible!” You had to pull her back down to sit next to you. The judge again banged his gavel gaining silence. Kibum’s leg was shaking in anticipation, you’ve all realized it. Key folded his head into his hands on his knees and whispered, “they’ve covered all alibis.” You felt eyes on you again, so you turned back to see the police chief smiling to himself almost in a giggle glancing at your team. How could someone find humor in this? Your stomach was curling with nausea. The deputy attorney finished his statements concluding, “Thank you. I have no further questions.”

Everything was presented, all their cards were on the table. They now leave it up to the judge to decipher between the truths and lies. The judge went back to his office to deliberate and was to come back after the break with an answer. The result of the case was in the hands of a single man. All the evidence was laid on the table, Taehyung’s reputation was on the line. He’s never lost a case. It was all or nothing.

The judge comes back of out his office an hour later, and the bailiff announces, “court is back in session.” You were sweating, the deliberation was too fast. The judge pulls his glasses to the bridge of his nose and reads over the paperwork once more. He raises his head and the decision was to be announced the room was silent. “In the Miller vs Ambrose Students, the plaintiffs are charging the defendant, David Miller, with defamation for accusations of discrimination against hybrids and assault. To my deliberation I’ve found the defendant…,” Mrs. Millers hand was squeezing yours tightly, “David Miller guilty of defamation and no discrimination took place. The evidence proved no assault, or any harm took place. The footage was unclear and was not considered. Miller will be fined $20,000 for the damages and asked to write a formal apology for the humiliation and stress placed on these families.”

The cheers from the plaintiff’s side was deafening. The rich mother’s taunts were sung in melodies like sirens. You had to catch Mrs. Miller who was falling over about to pass out, “Mrs. Miller!” Mrs. Lee took over her and lead her out of the courtroom. When the doors opened the clicks of the cameras and shouting of questions roared, “What was the decision!” It was over, but you’re restless. It wasn’t right! Nothing about this case was! You looked over to Taehyung who was stuck frozen. The police chief got out of his seat and quietly left the room with the other officers. Taehyung got up from his seat and bowed deeply to the kid. He stayed in that position for a while and then picked up his brief case and left the court room silently. He brushed by your shoulder knocking against you and did the same to the media. You had to step in and take care of the boy for the next steps. You were unapologetic in handling human comfort. Humans are so good at pretending everything is okay. They’re so good at proclaiming to adversity that they will embrace it all. The hands of those humans are not empty though. They hold a sharpened knife to the back of adversity’s neck ready for a slip up. The shadowed face of adversity will intimidate those who don’t know what is silhouetted. Not until you tilt its chin and look it in the face will you see all its beauty. But they, they choose to look away.

That night it was only us in the office, we all stood around our desk speechless. We’ve failed Mrs. Miller and David, who depended on us. You were ashamed. It was silent, no one had the audacity to say anything. When Mr. Kim returned to the office he locked himself away in his office not bothering to acknowledge us. You wanted to go in there and comfort him, but you couldn’t do that. He wasn’t going to let you in. Mr. Kim slammed his office door open then shut and rushed pass all our desk to the conference table. He went to the white board behind it and pulled the cap off one of the dry erase markers and began writing. Everyone exchanging looks and gathered around the table. You took a seat, and everyone jumped back when he slammed a tapped photograph onto the center of the whiteboard. He finally turned around with a crooked smile, he was up to something. “This! This is our key that we missed! A friend pulled through and we’re going to do an appeal.” Everyone was studying the photograph. It was one of the mothers of the rich kids sitting at a café with the judge! It was the same woman with the witch smile at court today! Your somber expressions turned into the same menacing smile as Taehyung’s. Key was the first to speak, “Bingo.”

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Copyright 2018  © by magicalsalamander. All rights reserved.

[deepfriedtwinkie]

Kingsman: A Trainee’s Mission (Pt. IV)

PREQUEL FIC, this section ~2kw

pt. I  | pt. II  | pt. III  

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“Here.”

Harry slides a plastic tray in front of Hamish, who looks up, startled, from the disassembled wristwatch in his hands.

“What’s all this?”

It’s a curry, a hunk of bread, and a clementine, but they both have eyes, so that’s probably not the answer he’s looking for. Harry slides into the seat opposite, setting down his own tray. Its contents are the same, except his clementine is a lemon Danish. He’s not the one who needs to improve his eating habits.

“I thought perhaps you could use a proper meal,” he explains, unfolding a cloth napkin to tuck across his lap. “We’ve been here a half a month already, and I don’t believe I’ve seen you take anything besides crisps and Tab.”

There’s a shade of something in Hamish’s expression that looks to be on the verge of protest. Harry waits, watching until it passes, only satisfied by his friend’s nod of concession, several moments later.

“S’pose you’re right. Thank you. That’s very kind.”

A smile flares on. “Don’t mention it.” The curry smells wonderful, and he tucks in while it’s hot.

They’re alone in their corner of the mess hall, which bears quite a bit more resemblance to the ones at university than those provided for any branch of military intelligence. He should know. About the first part, at least. His years at Oxford were, up to now, the most rewarding of his life, not the least because he never lacked for a hot meal involving sturdy greens and a port wine gravy. The latter he misses now especially, although Kingsman has far better dinner rolls, so he supposes it works out to a draw.

In a fortnight’s time, the remaining candidates—down to eleven now—have settled into cliques, as it were. Prat Winston has taken to holding court at the front table, with Graham, Chauncey, William, Edgar, and Derrington gravitating to him like gnats to a ten-watt light bulb. The other three lads, whom he’s learnt are called Courtney, Philip, and Kenneth, tend to huddle to themselves in the dimly-lit corner near the chafing dishes, whispering back and forth as if they’re going to be caught and beaten, which is a tad dramatic. Of all his options, he’s glad to have settled here, content with the company of no more than his bunkmate.

About whom he still knows very little, come to think of it.

He waits with extraordinary patience until Hamish has taken at least five bites of food. Then the rest be damned, because curiosity really does kill people, you know.

“I thought we might have a chat, you and I,” he says brightly. “Clearly the both of us are in this for the long haul. I feel as if I hardly know a thing about you.”

“You know my name,” Hamish reminds him. “That’s the highlight, I can promise you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t believe that for a moment. You’re here, aren’t you?”

His chin juts toward Sir Winston the Odious. “So’re those pricks. Doesn’t mean there’s anything interesting about them.”

“Them, no.” He’s not going to give up that easily. Harry leans just slightly forward, forearms pressed illicitly on the table. None of the agents are in here anyway. They eat in the conference rooms, like respectable adults with people to kill. “But I have a very different feeling about you.”

Hamish’s expression changes. He pauses in his eating, lowering his spoon, hovering his face above the bowl. He sniffs. Then he takes up the bowl in both hands, holding it toward Harry.

“What?”

“Does that smell funny to you?”

Cautious, concerned, Harry inhales. Maybe this is meant to be another trial. Except there’s nothing. Nothing acrid. No bitter almonds. Cumin, but that’s nothing outside the ordinary. “I don’t smell a thing.”

“You don’t?” Hamish sets the bowl back down, and that’s when the mystique dissolves, replaced by deadpan. “Smells like bribe to me.”

You shit.

“I’m only trying to get to know you.”

For what it’s worth, he’s got Hamish engaged in the conversation now, whether or not it yields anything. Bemusement has the lad now, and he folds his arms on the ledge of table between himself and his supper tray.

“D’you know what I find interesting?” He points at Harry. “That you’re the one always after answers about me, yet I can’t help but notice that other than university, you’ve never volunteered so much as piss about yourself. When I’m sure I could just as easily be the one asking the questions.”

“Could you?” It’s not a challenge. He genuinely doesn’t know why.

Clearly Hamish does. “Oh yes. There’s plenty. Like how the fuck you knew about Kingsman before you were recruited.”

Oh.

Oh, damn.

“Mmhm.” He’s barely paused at all, and taken great pains not to react facially, and yet for Hamish, somehow, it’s enough. The smug thing’s got on a ‘checkmate’ look now. “That’s what I thought.”

Well, fuck it, then. “How do you know I knew anything before coming here?”

“Oh, you mean for starters?”

“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”

Hamish ticks off each point on his fingers. “You’ve never asked a single question of Arthur in regards to what’s expected, almost as if you’re familiar with how all this shit goes. You seem to know precisely what to do in any given situation, despite the fact you’ve spent the last four years in a posh boys’ dormitory watching other idiots wank and do cocaine off their midterms.”

“Well I hardly did that.”

“And d’you know what I’ve heard you mutter to yourself when you thought nobody was listening? ‘Make Mother proud.’ Now how the fuck could she be proud of what you’re doing unless both of you knew what it was?”

It’s rather uncomfortable, being read like this. Outside his childhood home, this may be the very first time it’s ever happened. He fidgets unconsciously in his seat for a moment. Were he a pettier person, this might knock a point of two off his new friend’s appeal, to be honest.

“I could have meant it figuratively,” he finally comes up with.

“You could, aye. But you didn’t.”

God damn it.

Harry sighs. “All right.”

Furtively, he glances each way, hunching closer across the tabletop. Just because he’s not remotely ashamed of his advantages doesn’t mean he wants the resident cavemen accusing him of unearned nepotism. It’d be terrible form to have to beat his competition unconscious. He looks Hamish in the eye.

“You won’t repeat a thing you hear?”

“My name’s on the body bag, isn’t it?”

It’s not the most reassuring answer on earth, but Harry doesn’t plan to give him the soup-to-nuts version, anyway. No one gets that. Not for a thing. He gets the abridgement, at least for the time being. If that’s not enough, he can kiss his ass.

“Fine. If you want the truth, I’ve wanted to become a Kingsman since I was ten years old. My mother was in intelligence.” Still is, but the past tense is an insulating feature of this version, the same as lack of detail. “A Kingsman agent once assisted her organization on a case; I happened to be shadowing her at her offices the day they met.”

“Were you, now?” It’s slightly insulting that Hamish is incredulous. And just the right blend of amused and unfazed to be irritating as hell. “You’re telling me even high-stakes intelligence has a Take Your Kid to Work Day?”

“No. It was only me. Mother was high-ranking enough that it was allowed, on the grounds that everyone knew she wouldn’t raise a moron. I was expected, by most, to join that organization someday. Secrecy was a normal everyday part of my upbringing. No one ever questioned telling me anything. It was a means of priming me.”

“And that’s how you met a Kingsman agent. Who just conveniently proposed you for the job nearly eleven years later, after openly admitting to a ten-year-old who he was.”

“Only by codename, obviously, and I was a special case; Mother was an internationally-respected VIP agent of one of the most vital—look, you’re the one who wanted to know, aren’t you? And now you don’t believe me?”

Chuckling, Hamish tucks back into his curry. “Nah. I believe you. You just make it so goddamned easy to fuck with you.”

I have no fucking idea why I ever liked you, you tacky, obnoxious, sentient little thistle. To hell with patience. Turnabout is fair play, and he’s going to have it now.

“And what about you?” Harry demands. “At least I had a reason to be secretive. How is it that you manage to evade your own story to make a guess at mine instead?”

Setting down his spoon, Hamish levels with him. He blinks. That’s not what he expected either.

“Because it takes one to know one,” Hamish says. “I knew about Kingsman before I was recruited too.” Then he lifts the wristwatch he’d been fooling with, turning it over to reveal its Kingsman emblem. “There’s a bug in this model. I know because I helped develop it. That’s what I was working on. I’ve been attempting to pin down the problem.”

It’s Harry’s turn to be incredulous. And he is. Very. The scoff practically bursts out of his mouth. “Please. You can’t even be eighteen.”

“I’m seventeen. I’ll be eighteen before the training’s over. That’s old enough.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“That’s the minimum. I checked when I asked for consideration. And you’re not exactly collecting Social Security at twenty. Frankly I’d expect someone who got into Oxford at sixteen would understand a bit better.”

“Frankly I don’t know how you expect Arthur to allow an eighteen-year-old to play handler to the most elite agents in the world.”

“I don’t, not independently, at first. We’ve spoken already. If I win, he’ll shadow me for a year or so, observe, sign off on all my work until he’s confident. But it’s like you said. I’m here for a reason. I graduated secondary at fourteen with high honors in computers and mathematics. I turned down six international scholarships when I was offered the chance to be an intern in Kingsman’s tech department in Edinburgh. I signed my first body bag a long time ago.”

Absolutely none of that was anywhere on the list of what Harry expected. Several moments pass where he can’t think of anything to say. What finally comes out is, “I didn’t know there was a tech department in Edinburgh.”

“Aye.” Hamish picks up his bread. “They’re moving it to Berlin, though. So I hear. That’s me shit out of luck if I don’t get the job, I s’pose.”

They go back to eating. At least Hamish does. Harry stares. For a solid minute, if not two.

“You’ll get the job,” he says at last, quietly. “I…I never imagined…” He starts over. “Well. You must be fairly brilliant. I suppose I owe you an apology.”

Hamish nods. “S’alright.”

“Thank you.”

Spearing a piece of meat on his fork, Hamish blots off the sauce on his napkin, holding it under the table for Ainsley. It reminds Harry to do the same. Hamish shakes his head. “I can’t believe you fucking called him Mr. Pickle.”

He smiles as the rough little tongue laps his fingers. “Oh, I think he likes it all right.”

“The look on Tristan’s face was worth it, though.”

“Oh, yes.”

They do it again. “So, your mother, huh? The family business? No wonder you’re not concerned with competition.”

Harry nods. “It’s only a matter of who gets the job along with me; I must admit I’ve been hoping it’s you. You’re a good conversationalist.”

“I barely speak to anyone,” Hamish points out.

“Yes, well. I’m grading on potential.”

.

pt. V | pt. VI  | pt. VII  | pt. VIII  | pt. IX

[greekowl87]

Fic: Runaway Christmas Pt. 5

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV AO3

Disclaimer: Own nothing, merely borrowing.

So, trying to finish this thing. I wrote this chapter over the course of a few hours. I hope it turned out okay. Still haven't finished this little thing yet though but please let me know what you think so far! Thanks for reading!

P.S. Sorry for any typos. I tried to make sure I caught everything.

. . . 

Scully sat with Mulder outside of the judge's office, holding tightly to his hand. Inside, William and Ms. Styron sat on the opposite side of the door, talking to the judge. She looked to Mulder quietly. “I shouldn't have yelled like that in court. My outburst was completely uncalled for.”

Mulder did not care anymore about public appearance. He stopped caring awhile ago. He drew his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. He kissed her hair and whispered, “I'm just an old fart but you did what was right.”

She felt the tears stinging her eyes and Mulder watched her quickly rub her eyes and mumble, “Something in my eye.”

“Whatever you say, Scully,” he whispered, rubbing her thigh with hand while he held her against him.

“We didn't just disregard him as trash, did we?” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

Mulder hugged her tighter and rocked her slightly. He was unused to seeing Scully this way. “No, we didn't.”

Long ago, when they on the run, somewhere between Flordia and North Carolina, an argument broke out between them. It was one of the few times, aside from the argument that broke out between them when she first left, they argued about William. William was probably about three. That year, they had been on the run for two years. Motel room to motel room, like seeds in the wind. All they had was each other and they were burning out. He did not remember how the argument started...

“Why don't you just leave then?” she shouted, throwing a pillow on the crappy motel bed. “Just like you left before!”

“Before what?”

“You left me alone!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face. “You left me alone to raise him! You left us alone, like trash!”

“I did to keep you both safe!” he yelled back, feeling the sting of tears hot in his own eyes. “You both are the most precious things to me! I had to protect you the only way I could! Just like you did when you had to give him up, Scully!”

She silenced, crying harder. Mulder came forward and enfolded her in his arms, hushing her quietly. He rocked her as she clung to him for dear life.

She looked up to him and their eyes met. Wordless communication spoke volumes and she smiled at him as he gently brushed away the tears threatening to spill. “We did the right thing at time,” he whispered. “If things had been different, if our lives weren't threatened, things would have been perfect. But we have a second chance...”

“A second chance,” she repeated, nodding.

A second chance. They had a second chance...they were back on the x-files, they were back together with no intention of leaving, and they had found William.

Scully smiled sadly as Mulder kissed her. “My one in seven billion,” he whispered.

“What happened to five billion?” she asked.

“Overpopulation,” he teased.

She sighed, feeling the comfortably warmth that would come over her when Mulder would stroke her hands and wrists with his thumbs, the soft reassuring kisses he would occasionally give, letting her know it was going to be all right. Scully sighed and shifted nervously. “Do you think they'll let us?”

“I don't know,” he admitted honestly. “I don't think there's been a precedent for this before.”

“Parents have given up their kids and wanted back in their lives before,” she said absently, her mind drifting to Emily. “It's no unheard of. Usually the parents may want something but we both are federal employees, have a stable home...”

Mulder said nothing as he wondered how there time on the run was reflected on whatever record the judge had access to.

“Agent Scully?” a small, squat woman came out from the judge's chambers. “Agent Mulder?”

The partners stood up in unison and walked into the judge's chambers. As they entered, they saw Will and Ms. Styron sitting on one of the couches in a corner of the room. Scully stiffened but felt Mulder's hand rest on the small of her back. She relaxed slightly and could not take her eyes off her son, and noticed Will was equally enthralled by them as well. Mulder cleared his throat, trying to cut the tension. “Judge Hartwell,” he said offering his hand. “I appreciate you taking the time to...to do this.”

The judge rose and shook Mulder's hand and then shook Scully's hand. “You must understand, I am not used to having outbursts of that sort in my court room. The only reason why I am allowing this is to put these matters to rest. What you are requesting is highly unusal. And unlikely but for the sake of Christmas spirit?”

“It's after Christmas,” Will said stubbornly.

“Mr. Van de Kamp,” the judge said pointedly, looking at Will. “You're enough trouble as it is. Hold your tongue.”

Will grumbled and turned his attention from Scully to Mulder. He titled his head slightly and arched his eyebrow, mimicking Scully perfectly. Mulder forced himself to look back to the judge. The sat across the couch from Will and his case worker. The judge rose from behind his desk and sat in a stand alone chair. “Now, I have looked over the adoption records. Ms. Scully, why did you give him up to begin with?”

Cut right to the chase, Scully thought stubbornly. She shifted uneasily and glanced to Mulder who nodded slightly. “I couldn't keep him safe,” she answered simply. She decided that fewer words were better.

“From what?”

“How much is in that file,” she asked back.

“Enough,” the judge said cryptically.

“Then you'll know that at one point my son was kidnapped from me. That was one of many instances,” she replied. She thought it best that Mulder and her keep the bit out about the aliens. “At that time, I retracted myself from doing field work and returned to teaching at Quantico.”

“Teaching what?” the judge asked, looking back down at the file.

Scully was getting annoyed with the judge vetting her past and Mulder claimed her hand gently. Will watched his biological parents, fascinated.

“I am a medical doctor,” she began. “I originally was recruited by the FBI to do forensic pathology. I just recently returned to that at the beginning of this year. The past few years I have worked at Our Lady Sorrows hospital where I still volunteer on occasion.”

“Hm.”

“Why all these questions?” Mulder asked.

She turned to look at him, noticing he was in full profiler mode. The judge looked up at Mulder. “And where were you during the all this?”

“With what?”

“The time before Mr. Van de Kamp was given up before adoption. Where were you in all this?”

“I got...I got called away,” he answered carefully. “With work.”

“Hm.” The judge pinched his nose and stared at Will. “Will, your fifteen. What do you want?”

“Like right now?” he asked. “Like I have to make a decision right now?”

“Not right now,” the judge said. “The process is a very long one. But you do have a say in the matter.”

“Can I think about it,” he asked.

The judge shrugged and looked at the FBI agents. “We'll be in contact.”

Will got up with Ms. Styron and exited to judge's chambers followed by Mulder and Scully. “Mulder, what just happened?”

“I think we just past the first test,” he whispered to Scully, watching Will follow his case worker to the opposite. “I am no lawyer but I think he was testing the waters with us to make sure we aren't crazy.”

“Crazy?” she asked, smirking.

“Well, one of us anyway,” he said, meeting her eyes. “The other one has to keep both of us in line. We'll just wait and see...” Mulder said, his hand reclaiming the small of her back. “Let's go home. Skinner is going to kill us if we don't finish the report tomorrow.”

She nodded and looked over her shoulder, watching her son disappear from her one more time and feeling her heart breaking again.

. . . .

Will did not know entirely what to make of the situation. He was still speechless about what had happened in the court room. Now instead of going to the group home, that was on hold. He was going back to his foster parents in D.C. for the time being. What exactly entailed this entire thing. As he walked with his case worker he asked, “Mrs. Styron, what exactly is going to happen?”

“I'm not entirely sure, Will,” she answered, taking him to her car. “Look, you still have your cell phone right?”

“Yeah.” His foster parents were good people and took care of him in the in the simplist things, like giving their teenage charge a cell phone that always worked. “Why?”

“I'll call you in a few days and let you know what's going on,” she sighed. “But in the mean time, let's get you home.”

. . . .

Will skated absently down the sidewalks. He should be in school. Instead he was cutting class. He took the bus towards the National Mall and began to skate the rest of the way to the J. Edgar Hoover building. His stomach was in knots. He could not believe he was doing this. His biological parents were FBI agents, freaking FBI agents. A part of him felt blown away as in it was so freaking cool but he was nervous. His biological mom...a medical doctor and forensic pathologist. His biological father...he learned from Mrs. Styron was an Oxford educated criminal profiler.  Seemed like a crazy combination and a far cry from the simple farmers he called mom and dad that raised him in Wyoming.

As he skated, he wondered how his biological parents met and how he came to be. Why did they give him up? Now that he had time to digest what had happened in the court room, he could see that his parents clearly loved him. Then he remembered the judge's chambers and how she had said she gave him up to protect him. Protect him from what?

Will's mind swirled with possibilities as he approached the imposing gray, square building. Maybe it was the mob or some terrorist. He skidded to a stop and picked up his skateboard. It had been gnawing at his mind for days since the courthouse, enough to drive him to skip class and go see for himself.

He picked up his skateboard and jogged up the steps to the guest entrance. He suddenly felt small as the room swarmed with men and women in business suits, completely oblivious to him. Willl looked around, unsure where to even go or even how to do it. Then he spied a woman sitting at a desk, who looked like an ancient dragon. He hesitantly walked up to the desk and held his skateboard to his side tightly.

The old dragon looked up and lowered her glasses. “Yes?”

“Um,” Will began uncertainly. “I'm here to see Agent Scully and Agent Mulder.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Aren't you supposed to be in school?”

Will bit his lower lip, revealing his uncertainty. “Please?”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Um, no.”

“Then I can't help you.”

“Please,” Will suddenly said. “Please, it's really important.”

“Important enough for you to skip school?”

Will didn't say anything but gave the old dragon lady the best, innocent smile he could. She sighed and pointed to a corner to what looked like a waiting section. “Go sit over there.”

. . . .

“What did you bring me,” Scully asked, looking up from her file as Mulder returned to their basement office. He held two cups in his hand.

“Really bad coffee,” he replied, “made to your exact specifications.”

“Hm. Thank you.”

“Find anything interesting?” he asked, passing her the cup of coffee. He sat across from her as he settled into his desk chair. “Any new cases?”

“Nope but there's a report that still needs finishing or else Skinner will be breathing down our necks,” she said, tossing the file across the desk. “But thanks for the coffee.”

He chuckled and then the office phone was ringing. “Mulder,” he greeted, smiling at Scully who was sipping her coffee triumphantly.

His eyebrows raised and replied. “Thank you. We'll be right up.”

“What was that about, Mulder?”

“Someone is upstairs in the lobby asking for us,” he replied.

“Did they say who,” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No but the old dragon lady upstairs said it was important. Shall we go, Agent Scully?” he asked, holding his arm out.

“Why, Agent Mulder,” she joked. “How chivalrous of you!”

. . . .

Will was beginning to think that this was a bad idea. What was he thinking? He looked down at his phone. His foster parents were going to kill him, his teachers, and then Mrs. Styron. Damn.

Across the large lobby, Mulder and Scully walked together, not quite sure what to expect. Mulder instantly went to the old dragon lady and Scully followed, scanning the lobby. “Mulder,” she said, grasping his arm.

He looked up, hearing the shock, surprise, and 'I need you' in her voice. He followed her gaze and felt his breath taken away and he grasped her hands tightly, steadying himself. They saw their son hunched over, clearly nervous and suddenly regretting his decsion. He sighed and got up, clutching his skateboard.

“Not again,” Scully murmured.

She let go of Mulder and jogged across the tile floor. The sound of running heels echoing through the lobby startled Will and he was equally surprised to see Scully, as he thought she would not come. She stopped in her tracks, tears in her eyes. Mulder jogged behind her and nearly collided with Scully. Will stood up awkwardly and bit his lip. “Um, hi,” he began awkwardly.

Scully brought her hands to her mouth, trying to hide her emotions. The tears were coming fast and she did not care. “Can I?” she whispered.

Will nodded uncertainly and Scully touched his cheek. Will smiled uneasily as the tears came faster and nodded again, signaling it was okay. She rushed forward, hugging him, her tears coming faster. Mulder smiled tightly and Will caught his gaze. He held out his hand from Scully's bone crushing hug and Mulder pulled both Scully and his son into a tight hug.

“What are you doing here?” Scully exclaimed, as her and Mulder broke away and cupped her son's face in her hands. “Where is Mrs. Styron?”

“I, um,” he smiled, awkwardly, not sure how to began. “I came here on my own.” He scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. “I am kind of skipping school right now. No one knows I am here.”

“That sounds familiar,” Scully mumbled, eyeing Mulder.

He shrugged helplessly. “We should get you back to school, Will.”

“I came to see both of you,” he said. “You're my birth parents right? I want to get to know you. I live in D.C. too. So I am not that far from home. It isn't like I came from Wyoming.”

“Wyoming,” Scully asked.

“That where I am from. My parents...” he paused, unsure how to phrase it.

“Your parents,” Mulder prompted.

“They died in a car accident Christmas eve when I was thirteen.”

“I'm sorry,” Scully said uncomfortably.

Will shrugged. “I just...I just wanted  to get to know you. That's all.”

“Why don't we bow out early for some lunch, Scully,” Mulder suggested, gazing at his son. “We can go to the National Air and Space museum and grab some lunch there.”

Scully nodded and smiled. She did not think it was possible. Will, standing in front of her, Mulder smiling at her. Everything seemed so normal. And right.

[beneathamaterialshell-blog]

John Berger, Lord Clark of Civilisation and Michael McNay

I was very sad to learn of the death of John Berger. He had a big influence on the way I thought about art. In some ways, a lot of the work had been done before I saw Ways of Seeing, as I was already a Marxist and I had read some Adorno and Benjamin, but the way in which Berger put, in Ways of Seeing, his insights into the nature of art was bold, direct, invigorating. I think only John Molyneux and Terry Eagleton can offer that kind of excitement and interest now.

There’s a nice obit in Socialist Worker by Molyneux at the moment, which points you in the direction of some of his other well-known works. In the wake of his death, I shall try to read more of them. Nice though it is, it falls short of the kind of lengthy summary of the man and his life that you get in the national dailies, so it’s a shame that the more comprehensive one in the Guardian is so poor.

I’ll admit, I was pretty angry when I read Michael McNay’s obit, but the internet’s already full enough of people just being angry so I wouldn’t have written a blog post about this if, when I thought through exactly what I found so objectionable about the piece, I hadn’t thought there were some serious points to be made that might be worthy of a few lines in a public space. Besides, if McNay’s work is in the public domain I can’t think of a good reason why mine shouldn’t be.

A minor issue

Clearly, McNay hasn’t come to praise Berger but to bury him. He has some nice things to say about some of his novels, but has little time for his work as an art critic and commentator. Here are a few of his remarks:

Ways of Seeing, made on the cheap for the BBC as four half-hour programmes, was the first series of its kind since Civilisation (1969), 13 one-hour episodes for which Kenneth Clark, its writer and presenter, and a BBC production team had travelled 80,000 miles through 13 countries exploring 2,000 years of the visual culture of the western world. Berger travelled as far as the hut in Ealing, west London where his programmes were filmed, and no farther.

in one, he made a hopeless mess of Picasso’s later career, though he was not alone in this; in the other, he elevated a brave dissident artist beyond his talents.

This who he? element became a regular feature of his writings, but never seems to have damaged his reputation.

“Lie” may be a bit strong, but in his early days Marxist dialectic did force him into uncomfortable contortions.

During the course of the obit his work will be criticised and/or derided, his beliefs and opinions casually dismissed and there will be lots of implications (though little outright statement) that Berger was some kind of middle-class Stalinist poseur rather than a serious thinker.

Is this a major problem? No, of course not. Obits don’t have to be positive or hagiographic, and if I personally didn’t like the man I doubt I would have registered it as an issue. This comes firmly under the gripe category of well that’s not what I would have written, which is no objection at all. It might seem an odd choice of writer for the Guardian, which is often seen as a the most left-leaning of the national dailies. However, the Guardian has never been a particularly left-wing paper, and has been wedded to the right wing of the PLP for, arguably most of the twentieth century. There is no real reason to expect a sympathetic obit from the Graun. I bring it up because I think that his approach to the subject of the obituary has contributed towards several of the more severe defects in the piece.

The Problems

I: Who is the subject?

Whilst McNay clearly has little time for Berger’s criticism it’s pretty clear that he does have time for Lord Clark of Civilisation and his now legendary series These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things (1969). As you have seen from the earlier quote, the BBC put a lot of resources into What I Did On My Holidays (1969), which was indeed 13 hours of an avuncular bigot standing in front of some (sometimes wonderful) works of art by (and usually of) Western European men while squinting at the prompt cards under the camera. Now, I like Show and Tell (1969) very much. I like the high-quality footage of some wonderful artwork and I find a lot of Clark’s meandering bletherings about what civilisation might be (something which the BBC apparently weren’t bothered about him clearing up before they gave him the BA tickets) and why he finds it unfathomable that some young people nowadays seem to be terribly upset about something-or-other genuinely hilarious. But this isn’t an obituary of Clark, and it’s an indicator of where McNay has gone wrong that when he compares the two programmes he at no point asks: why were so many resources put into Clark’s piece and so few into Berger’s? Was it political? Or was it more practically to do with the scope and subjects of each programme? I don’t know, but McNay seems so disinterested in Berger himself that he doesn’t bother to think about this from his subject’s point of view at all.

II: Where is Berger?

The example of Clark is not the only time where McNay doesn’t pursue his subject. At one point he mentions that his first collection of essays Permanent Red was retitled unilaterally by the publisher for American publication. What did Berger think of this? What outcome did it have on the book or on Berger’s reception in the US? I don’t know, McNay doesn’t think it’s worth pursuing. He merely wants to bring it up to have a pop at Berger for being a Marxist.

We’re also told that he had a middle-class upbringing and that his politics were shaped for life by his experiences of military service in Ireland. We’re told that this is an immense life-changing event for Berger, so McNay explains it and its impact in this level of scrupulous detail:

He left St Edward’s school, Oxford, at 16 to study at the Central School of Art; his course was interrupted in 1944 when he was called up and posted to a Belfast training depot, where he served as a lance-corporal in the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. It was his first day-by-day encounter with the working classes and it shaped his politics for life.

That’s it.

The point is that Berger was a Marxist critic and artist, his life was unabashedly political, yet McNay doesn’t pursue these politics with any depth whatsoever. Instead he regards the politics solely as a minor affliction. Okay, as I’ve said before he doesn’t have to like his subject to write an obit, but perhaps in a piece of this length he could have shown some level of understanding of one of the things that drove him. Marxism doesn’t come in one flavour, and no one spends their life without intellectual development, so what were his ideas? Well, we’re told they were ‘prescriptive’ and in a quote from Berger himself we learn that he understood that under capitalism and in the age of mechanical reproduction art is commodified. Well, actually we don’t. I had to add in the context ‘under capitalism and in the age of mechanical reproduction’ (which is given in his TV series and book) because McNay takes a quotation about the nude and gives us a commentary relating it to the idea of commodification. In this commentary McNay singularly fails to do that which is most distinctive about Marxist analysis – placing an object in its context and showing how it is related to others.

III – Sniping

McNay’s obituary is over 2,600 words long – a good space for the assessment of a major cultural figure. Clearly McNay doesn’t like Berger’s politics or his criticism, and has a lot of issues with most of his work. Once again, okay. No one has to like their subject in order to write about them. But in that case, come out and say it. You don’t think Marxism can be a good perspective for a critic? Explain why – you’ve got the space. Take out the bit about Lord Clark if you have to. All this cryptic stuff about being ‘prescriptive’ or implying through general tone that there’s something foolish about Berger’s perspective isn’t the same as having an actual argument or objection. The closest we come is towards the end with

though he never ceased to believe in the perfectibility of society, he edged towards an understanding of Marxism as an analytical tool rather than an infallible cure for the ills of the world.

Okay, but what does that mean? What kind of Marxism are you talking about? What political organisations was he a member of and what were their activities that you think so objectionable? ‘all the ills of the world’ is indeed a grand claim – is that a claim Berger made? I don’t know, because despite the constant sniping and dark hints, McNay doesn’t actually say anything about any of this in any kind of detail whatsoever. What analysis does he think Marxism is good for? Who knows? But it’s only a casual write-off of the core beliefs of the subject of his piece so it probably wasn’t worth spending any of the word count on it. Yet he finds it important enough to imply that there’s something fundamentally wrong with Berger’s views. So what gives? I have no time for this school of writing criticism: if you think something, come out and say it and explain why. You’re not writing a novel or a poem and no one is going to make you house captain if you’re especially supercilious this term.

IV – Opinion = ‘Fact’ - Support

One of the most continuously unsatisfying things about the obituary is McNay’s frequent unsupported opinion about something being stated as fact. Take the quote above about Picasso and Soviet artist Ernst Neizvestny:

in one, he made a hopeless mess of Picasso’s later career, though he was not alone in this; in the other, he elevated a brave dissident artist beyond his talents.

If you read this it sounds like someone stating the truth of the matter, yet the content is entirely subjective. Certainly at no point does McNay think that he should support any of these things, although if the comments are complimentary we do tend to get a bit of detail. The critical stuff though is just left hanging.

However prone Slive may be to an art historian’s preference for painterly values over social discourse, his analysis is nevertheless closer to the heart of the matter than Berger’s fanciful account of a kind of class stand-off

Is it? Why?

not least because on another and more likely reading, given Hals’s approach to portraiture even of men and women in their prime, these two groups are painted with compassion but above all with a sharp eye for laying down what was before him.

Never mind why this reading is more likely that Berger’s interpretation, the bigger question is: so this invalidates a class analysis because …? (Note to McNay – people can have compassion for their opponents.)

Ah, well. Neither of these issues were probably very important anyway. Odd that he spent three paragraphs on the matter though.

And on and on, in much the same vein, throughout the obit. Here’s McNay throwing out an aside in a bit about prizes for the novel G in 1972:

The Guardian’s editor, Alastair Hetherington, said in his speech that he would double the prize money (admittedly small to start with) if Berger would give half of it to a constructive cause rather than the obviously destructive Black Panthers.

The Black Panther Party was a very complex phenomenon born at a time where liberation struggles in the third world, civil rights struggles in the US and the failure of peaceful civil rights movements in the US to tackle violence from the state and racists outside the state apparatus were all colliding. The Black Panther Party did many varied things including breakfast clubs for poor kids as well as its more famous policy of armed self-defence against the police, in a country where lynchings were still a very recent memory for many black people (three civil rights activists had been lynched in Mississippi in 1964). The party changed as it grew and collapsed over several years under enormous pressure from the state. The point here is that if you’re going to throw ‘obviously destructive’ about such a complex organisation and issue out and you don’t have either the space or the expertise to justify it, maybe don’t do that.

The thing is, McNay can justify himself when he wants to. Here’s his verdict on Berger’s novel G:

Yet G is a not just a powerful book, it is powerfully flawed as well. It is an experimental novel at a time when experiment was the norm, influenced by the French nouveau roman. The structure, with its lumpen authorial interpolations, is painting by numbers: here is one of many possible examples from early in the novel when the rich father of the hero is speaking of his journey through the Alps to be reunited with his mistress (whom he addresses as a sparrow):

“‘Ah! Laura. To think that I came under those mountains, the tunnel is fifteen kilometres long, fifteen. It is a marvel ... And on this side of the mountain, passeretta mia, you are waiting for me.’

“(The St Gothard tunnel was opened in 1882. Eight hundred men lost their lives in its construction.)”

Cervantes had made this sort of writer’s intervention with a better and lighter touch 400 years earlier.

Reading that, I’m fairly clear what his problems with G are. I’ve not read G. Having read through more than 2,000 words of McNay’s obit I’m fairly sure that I understand something of where he’s coming from (much more in fact than I do of Berger’s views and politics) so if he hates it this much I’ll probably find myself enjoying it, but the point is that when he wants to he can write clearly and explain what he means. It still boils down to a subjective judgement, but at least his points of reference are clear, and he uses evidence so that I can see that this is exactly the kind of book that I might well love. He clearly can say what he means and why, it’s just that for most of this obituary he chooses not to.

In the end

In the end I have spent about the same number of words criticising McNay as he did failing to write an obituary about John Berger. Was it worth it? I hope that it addresses some key problems with the article itself and illustrates how not to write an obituary, even if it’s of someone you didn’t like. I think though that it touches a wider problem. Now this is much more speculative than the criticism which has gone before, and unlike McNay I would like to stress that this is opinion, not fact. However I will try to explain why I think this.

I don’t know Michael McNay; from a look at other things he’s written for the Guardian he seems to generally write obits. But what this piece does is fail to take seriously left-wing politics. The Guardian has a generally pro-PLP-right political alignment, sometimes tipping over into Lib Dem support. In the internal battles for control of the Labour Party it has generally taken a cautiously pro-PLP line, sometimes doing outright hatchet jobs but often allowing dissident commentary online. Certainly it in no way reflected the groundswell of support that Corbyn represents. Why does this matter, and what does it have to do with a dead Marxist art critic? I think that this is a problem for them, not for me. I think that they have failed to realise that in order for Labour to win office they must offer something more progressive than New Labour. There is a narrative emerging from the PLP and its allies that the UK has swung to the right, shown by Brexit, and that more racism and conservative policies will be needed to win an election. This flies in the face of all the evidence – but I’m not going to prolong this essay still further by going into this in lots of detail. You can find a good summary of why this is mistaken here.

The point is that despite its lack of solid politics of any kind, the Guardian sees itself as in some way ‘progressive’. By getting McNay in to do a hack job on this obituary it is part of a general trend whereby the paper continues to ignore genuinely progressive politics and try to live in the past where triangulation was a thing and you didn’t have to address the hard questions like poverty wages, food banks and income inequality. Well, that approach only leaves one way for people to go – and it’s not a progressive route. As such they will continue to leave people’s real problems further and further behind and find themselves talking instead about ‘people’s concerns about immigration’.

[lokbobpop]

College

a body of clergy living together and supported by a foundation. 2 : a building used for an educational or religious purpose. 3a : a self-governing constituent body of a university offering living quarters and sometimes instruction but not granting degrees Balliol and Magdalen Colleges at Oxford.

Etymology. The word "college" is from the Latin verb lego, legere, legi, lectum, "to collect, gather together, pick", plus the preposition cum, "with", thus meaning "selected together". Thus "colleagues" are literally "persons who have been selected to work together"

College coll ege colle ge

Writing the word college

When i started college I found this word weird as in the the way its spelt the ege as i want to write age its like the ege is weird somehow and not right and ive never remembered how to spell it because of this.

I think of the American colleges where it very bit to go to college every one is encouraged to go but they only seem to get themselves into dept and not real life living is happening from what is said to be if go to college. Also the whole college life in american in the movies its seen as an amazing place even my daughter wanted to go to college there from what she had seen in movies which isnt real life at all but i see these movies were placed to make people want to go to college from within and out of the US.

Reading the word college

I went to college well i did and I didn’t i dint do any amazing course or anything like that it was that you got the dole check either learn cooking or office work it was ok because you got paid to go and you went out and did work experience and there was absolutely nothing else to do.

You think of being trained to be able to do something but its what you put into it that matters i now believe i went already at the stage of believing I wasn’t good enough so had given up even before id even started in a way i was in the belief what ever anyone would tell me i would forget anyway as i do forget most things.

I think of the types of those worn t college well mostly in the us with the jackets and stuff.

Saying college out loud

You have to be intelligent to go to college like to become a doctor dentist nurse and thinking i can’t do this with my reading problem and feel blame full to parents to myself to schools why me why cant i read its not far why not i just want to do it i want to remember what i just learned.

Trin went to college and failed to and leilani but leilani just didn’t like what she was doing but failing is a big knock when you don’t know what else to do with your life you feel stuck.

Sf

Does this definition support me no it shows me how ive seen myself as not good enough for college and how i can’t remember what ive learned and how hard it is to learn blame comes up of the system and of myself for not being like others and how unfair it feels to be me.

College co lego

College

A place to learn

To be with others to work things out together and put things together together as one

How will you live this word? I will live this word with seeing it as a place you word together and not against each other work in CO developed together help each other for whats best fro all.

[chriskarrtravelblog]

Your Letters

We love receiving your letters, and hearing your views on Britain, your travels and the magazine. Check back here for regular updates from our mailbag

Denise Bridge’s photograph of St Michael’s Mount

Making Memories

The photo on the cover of the September 2019 issue [Vol 87, Issue 4] took me back to St Michael’s Mount, which I visited for the first time last year. After seeing Mont-Saint-Michel about 20 years ago with an aunt and uncle I was delighted to journey to Cornwall last spring with the same aunt and uncle and another aunt to explore the English island and it did not disappoint. As you can see in the photo [attached] it was a glorious day! Less touristy than its French counterpart, St Michael’s Mount offers fantastic views from the castle – well worth the climb up – and the gardens were a riot of colour despite the heavy snow earlier in the year. We ended our day in St Ives for dinner – delicious pasties which we managed to eat without the gulls getting any! Although we saw many destinations in the county from our rented cottage in Looe, such as Port Isaac, The Eden Project, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Fowey and Polperro to name a few, the article on Hidden Cornwall has given me many more ideas for a future trip. Nearly every article in this issue brought to the fore many memories of other trips: Cadbury’s World which was a delicious experience; Chatsworth House in the Peak District; the Isle of Sky, Portree Harbour and the story of Flora MacDonald; Bettys tearooms of which I have visited a few in Harrogate and York; Totnes and its motte-and-bailey castle; Brighton Pier; and Portmeirion village where I started my collection of tableware in 1993. Thanks for the memories; this issue was a delight from beginning to end!

Sincerely, Denise Bridge, Ontario, Canada

BRITAIN REPLIES

This issue was obviously made with you in mind! How fortuitous that we covered so many of the places you have visited – although by the sounds of it, you are very well travelled in Britain… We hope we can continue to conjure up such happy memories for you.

A Series of Fortunate Events

I wanted to write to let you know that your article on Hidden Cornwall [Vol 87, Issue 4] reminded me again why Cornwall is such a special place for me.

Many years ago, I watched the original Poldark series. I fell very hard for Ross Poldark and the people that surrounded him. I was not quite a teenager, and it all made a very strong impression on me.

Then, in 1997, I found that there was a Poldark Appreciation Society which was holding annual lunches in London. I went and had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees (Ross and Demelza). A kind lady befriended me at that lunch, and we went to the 1998 luncheon together. She was pregnant at that time and asked if my husband and I would be the godparents. My husband did not want to fly, but just couldn’t let her down. So he flew overseas for the first time – because of Poldark.

The founder of the Society drove us all around Cornwall and to the Poldark sights in 2004. That was an incredible treat. Angharad Rees had opened a jewelry store in London, and my husband and I were pleased to visit her there. I couldn’t believe that he was meeting her. She was a lovely lady.

Thank you so much for the beautiful article. I hope to be in Cornwall again one day. Lori Padova, by email

BRITAIN REPLIES

Thank you so much for sharing your truly incredible story with us. The places a passion can take you!

“Our Mount”

I was thrilled when my copy of BRITAIN [Vol 87, Issue 4] arrived. There on the cover was a remarkable picture of St Michael’s Mount! “Our Mount” to the residents of Penwith, including some of “my people”. Prior to the Second World War five farms had unobstructed views of the Mount. These farms were cultivated by my grandfather’s brother, whose descendants still reside there.

Not long ago my wife, Carin, and I rented a Penwith cottage for a month. During our stay we experienced almost all of the locations featured in the article Hidden Cornwall, and more.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoy BRITAIN. I look forward with anticipation to future copies. William D. (David) Thomas, St Albert, Alberta, Canada

BRITAIN REPLIES

We are very jealous that you had the opportunity to spend such a lovely long time in Penrith, but deservedly so as you have such local ancestors! We hope you enjoyed many uninterrupted views while you were there.

Proof We’re Not Perfect

We’ve received numerous letters and emails about our reference of speaking to the ‘ancestor’ of Richard III in Volume 83 Issue 2, which of course would not be possible. We did of course mean ‘descendant’ and we can only apologise for this heinous error and promise to keep a closer watch over things in future.

Here are some of your choice responses:

Descendant, Not Ancestor

The cover of my May/June edition states “King Richard III – We talk to one of his ancestors” . Clearly impossible ! And this mistake is repeated in the referenced article where the author Susan R Frost is described as an “author and ancestor of King Richard III” . Two unfortunate errors in an otherwise interesting genealogical study. Nick Tyler, by email

Glaring Error

On the cover of the May 2015 issue of BRITAIN, it states: ‘King Richard III, we talk to one of his ancestors’.  I think you meant to use the word ‘descendants’, since ancestors live BEFORE the person referenced, while descendants live AFTER said person.  The correct word was used in the opening to the article on page 43.

I myself am a lateral descendant of William of Wykeham [NF] (one of several early spellings of the name including Wycombe [AS] (1324-1404), Bishop of Winchester, Founder of Winchester College and New College Oxford, and Chancellor of England (1367-1372) during the reign of Edward III. I have my direct line of descent back to Edward and Joan Wickham, who were married in Chichester, Sussex, in 1539.

I am looking forward to visiting Leicester when I am in England in August. Joann Wickham Sugg, by email

How Did This Happen?

I would be very interested to know how you managed to talk to an ancestor of Richard III. I doubt Susan E Frost claims to be his ancestor as you write on page 44 under her picture, of course she is a descendant. You seriously need a proofreader.

It was a good article – I too have Plantagenet ancestors, as do many of us in the United States who are descended from families with royal lines who fled to Virginia in the 1600s. I am proudly descended from 16 of the Magna Carta barons and have researched 42 families I am directly descended from who came to Virginia in the 1600s.

Your magazine is beautiful and I have saved copies since 1997. I have arranged to pass them along to a fellow Anglophile. They have been very useful to me in my 20 trips to England over the past years. I find it difficult to see how such an error could make it onto the cover. Linda L Cummings, Addison, TX

A Land of Glory

I just wanted tell you how much I enjoyed the article ‘A Land of Glory’ in the November 2014 (Sep/Oct 2014 issue for UK readers – ed). In 2009 I visited the British Asparagus Festival and stayed in the Vale of Evesham at the Evesham Hotel.

I totally enjoyed the hotel and the area. One of the days I was there, the hotel owner asked me if I was doing anything and I said that I didn’t have anything special planned. He informed me that if I wanted, he would see if an employee had the time to drive me around the countryside.

Later that morning, he brought an employee to me who was available and we agreed on a time. She picked me up about 2.30pm and drove me around the area for two-and-a-half hours, stopping when I asked to take pictures and telling me about things as we went. I had the greatest tour of the area I could ever expect, including Stratford-upon-Avon and other areas on a beautiful May afternoon. She got paid her hourly wage and some petrol money.

On my last day, I took the train past Evesham to visit the Morgan Motor Company, which I also enjoyed. In fact, just yesterday on the TV programme Factory Made, there was a piece about the Morgan Motor Company and their cars with wooden bodies. From there I went back to London for two nights before returning home. I thought I would go back to England in a heartbeat, and I did last year. I visited a friend in Chelmsford, which was great. The bottom line is: England is a wonderful place to visit, but stay away from London.

Lee Edgerton, by email

Insufferable Know It All of the Year Award

Hello.

We have just come to the end of a busy year, with almost continuous touring right from the beginning of spring. Due in part to inclusions in Britain magazine. Thank you for your efforts.

However, in my endeavour to be awarded the prize for Insufferable Know It All of the Year I must warn you that you might be deluged with letters from every history pedant who reads your magazine. On page 71 of the November/December 2014 issue (January 2015 in the US) there is a caption that describes an engraving as Charles I after he was ‘sentenced to the guillotine by Parliament’. Please join me in my quest to be Insufferable Know It All of the Year by telling your editorial department that Charles I was not sentenced to the guillotine.

Firstly because this efficient means of despatch was never used for judicial executions in England and secondly, if he had been subjected to such a sentence, it would be a long wait for it to be carried out, as the guillotine was not introduced as a method of judicial execution by Dr Guillotin, and even then not in England, until the mid 18th century, about 100 years after his unfortunate demise.

How did I do? Did I win the prize?

Best wishes,

Paul, by email

BRITAIN REPLIES

Well done Paul – you spotted our deliberate mistake. No, honestly, this should have been picked up by the team and we will give our sub a firm (metaphorical) slap on the wrist.

Mince Pie recipe corrections

Mince pies from the recipe in our Nov/Dec UK 2014 (Jan 2015 USA) issue

To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. I just tried to make the recipe for mince pies as printed in the January 2015 (Nov/Dec 2014 in the UK) issue of your magazine.

Hello, ‘juice of one orange’? The orange from my backyard tree (navel) yielded ¾ cup of juice, which made a very sticky dough. Adding more flour made it heavy. What about providing a specific measurement of liquid needed? Remember, all oranges are not equal, in size or amount of juice.

My second problem – nowhere does the recipe tell what the oven should be preheated to. Doesn’t it matter how hot the oven is?

Anyway, I took a chance on 375°F. Poor guess. The end result was that the birds in my yard enjoyed the disaster, and I’m just happy that I didn’t wait until the day before Christmas to make your mince pies.

Merry Christmas,

June Prance, Florida, USA

  I await eagerly each edition of BRITAIN magazine and have been reading it for over 30 years since I lived in England. I enjoy the articles that remind me of my travels then and have helped me plan for the future. I was going through the January 2015 (November/December 2014 in the UK) magazine and found the recipe for mince meat tarts.

The first time I ever had them was when I was teaching there and was invited to a Christmas party. I thought I would try to make them but noticed that although castor sugar is mentioned in the ingredients, it is not in the procedure. While I assume it would be mixed with the flour and butter, I would not wish to mess the recipe up.

Could you clarify if, in fact, that line was left out?

Thanks and already looking forward to the next edition.

Sincerely,

Martha Sadler

By Email

  In reading through the recipe for mince pies in the latest issue of BRITAIN magazine (January 2015 in the US and November/December 2014 in the UK), this recipe on page 30 didn’t list an oven temperature. I couldn’t find it if it was listed.

It said ‘place into a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.’ This might be common knowledge on your side of the pond, but to me in frigid Menomonie, Wisconsin, USA that knowledge is woefully lacking.

What should that temperature be?

You have a great magazine. Someday I would like to return to your land and explore some more of the places I have read about in your publication as well as explore London again. I would really like to visit the Twinings store at 216 Strand; the tea shops fascinate me.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year. May it be a healthy and fruitful coming year for you guys.

Larry Doupnik, by email

BRITAIN REPLIES

Whoops, our apologies. We’re not sure what happened there, we must have over-complicated things but here is an equally delicious but clearer recipe so that you can make a fresh batch in time for Christmas:

225g cold butter, diced 350g plain flour 100g golden caster sugar 280g mincemeat 1 small egg Icing sugar, to dust

To make the pastry, rub 225g cold, diced butter into 350g plain flour, then mix in 100g golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Combine the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later.

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole. Spoon 280g mincemeat into the pies

Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies. Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal – you don’t need to seal them with milk or egg as they will stick on their own. (The pies may now be frozen for up to 1 month).

Beat 1 small egg and brush the tops of the pies. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. To serve, lightly dust with icing sugar. They will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.

*Sourced from BBC Good Food

The 7th Earl of Carnarvon enjoys a moment with his family, including the 8th Earl (far right)

Spitting image of Princess Diana

The picture of the 7th Earl of Carnarvon, page 42 of the January 2015 issue (November/December 2014 in the UK) took my breath away. The girl in the flowered dress could be the late Princess Diana. The hair, the pose and smile….uncanny and haunting.

Mary Wilkinson, Illinois, USA

BRITAIN REPLIES

This was almost identical to the comment our writer said – they could be twins.

Requisitioned has arrived

What a superb book. Thankyou Sally for your lovely email and your efforts to ensure my prize arrived.

I have a 91-year-old uncle who will also appreciate this book.We are both lovers of all things British. My son teases me about always watching BBC TV.

All the very best for a Joyful Christmas…

Sincerely,

Evelyn Lawson, by email 

More Addresses

Firstly,  I love your magazine but must express my ongoing amazement when realising over and over the constant omission of addresses on particular ads and/or events. I think I may have written about this before…

Many of your ads declare interesting places to see and attend but lack any specific addresses.

It seems there are fewer letters from readers, which are always enjoyed, that seem to be being replaced with more ads. I’m sorry to complain so much. I am 86 and cannot remember never receiving the magazine – it is always welcome no matter but please tell us where all these fantastic things can be found.

Thank you.

Most sincerely,

Lucy M Edwards, Florida, USA

BRITAIN REPLIES

Lucy, we will have a word with our ads team and try to get them to advise our advertisers but unfortunately as they only have a certain about of space they tend to favour impact over detail. For our part we’ll endeavour to add relevant info into editorial where possible.

How to write to us

By post to: Letters, BRITAIN, Chelsea Magazines, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SE3 3TG; or to: Letters, BRITAIN, Circulation Specialists Inc, 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton, CT 06484, USA. Or email the editor: sally.coffey@chelseamagazines.com

  Related articles

  WIN: A luxury Winter Wonderland retreat for two TOP TEN: Family days out 11 of the cosiest inns in England Win tickets to the Enchanted Woodland event

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The post Your Letters appeared first on Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture.

Britain Magazine | The official magazine of Visit Britain | Best of British History, Royal Family,Travel and Culture https://www.britain-magazine.com/news/letters/

source https://coragemonik.wordpress.com/2019/09/23/your-letters/

[jackson38toh]

You betcha!

Q: I assume “betcha” is a slangy spelling of the way “bet you” is spoken. But I can’t figure out how “bet you” came to express certainty. Betcha know the answer.

A: The use of the verb “bet” to express certainty showed up in the US and the UK around the same time in the mid-19th century, according to written examples in the Oxford English Dictionary.

The first British citation is from the novel Tom Brown’s School Days (1857), by Thomas Hughes:  “What a bore that he’s got a study in this passage! Don’t you hear them now at supper in his den? Brandy punch going, I’ll bet.” (We’ve expanded the example.)

And here’s the earliest American citation: “I saw all the ‘boys,’ and distributed to them the papers and ‘you bet,’ they were in great demand” (from the Nov. 22, 1857, issue of the Phoenix, a short-lived newspaper in Sacramento).

An expanded version of the expression, “you bet you,” appeared in Mark Twain’s  Roughing It (1872), an account of his travels in the Wild West: “Hank Monk said, ‘Keep your seat, Horace, I’ll get you there on time’—and you bet you he did, too.” We’ve expanded the OED citation.

Around the same time, various hyperbolic versions of the usage showed up (originally in the US), such as “bet your life” (1852), “bet your old boots” (1856), “bet his bottom dollar” (1866), and so on.

The OED describes these dressed-up variants as “slang asseverative phrases meaning: to stake everything or all one’s resources (upon the truth of an assertion).”

The dictionary’s first example is from the Jan. 18, 1852, issue of the Sunday Dispatch in San Francisco: “He’s around when there’s money in the pipe—bet your life on t-h-a-t.”

The “corrupt forms (I, you, etc.) betcha, betcher” showed up in the early 20th century, “representing colloq. pronunciation of bet you or your (life),”  the OED says.

The dictionary’s first example is from Just William, a 1922 collection of children’s stories by the English writer Richmal Crompton: “You betcher life!”

The next OED citation is from Laughing Gas, a 1936 novel by P. G. Wodehouse about Hollywood: “ ‘You’re home-sick, what?’ ‘You betcher.’ ”

And we found this earlier Wodehouse example in “Mostly Sally,” a short story that appeared in the Jan. 1, 1922, issue of Maclean’s Magazine.

“I hope you are going to win, Mr. Butler,” she said.

The smile which she forced as she spoke the words removed the coming champion’s doubts, though they had never been serious.

“You betcher,” he assented briefly.

In uses like those, the “-cha” and “-cher” endings represent casual pronunciations of “you” and “your.” As the OED explains elsewhere, such uses can also be seen in “nonstandard” spellings like “ain’tcha” and “aren’tcha,” which date from the early 20th century.

This citation from the OED mentions all three usages: “Comic strips and some other contemporary literature (literachoor) recognize the prevalence of these forms in speech by spelling them that way: aintcha, arentcha, betcha, etc.” (Scientific American, August 1955).

As for the early etymology of “bet,” the OED says the word is “of uncertain origin” and it’s unclear “whether the noun or the verb was the starting-point.”

The dictionary defines the noun as “the backing of an affirmation or forecast by offering to forfeit, in case of an adverse issue, a sum of money or article of value, to one who by accepting, maintains the opposite, and backs his or her opinion by a corresponding stipulation.”

The earliest Oxford example is from a 1591 collection of stories by the Elizabethan writer Robert Greene about the tricks of coney catchers, or swindlers: “Certaine olde sokers [drunkards], which are lookers on, and listen for bets, either euen or odde.” (The archaic slang term “coney catcher” comes from “coneys,” or tame rabbits, raised for eating.)

When the verb “bet” first appeared, the OED says, it meant what it usually means now: “To stake or wager (a sum of money, etc.) in support of an affirmation or on the issue of a forecast.”

The dictionary’s earliest example, dated with a question mark at some time before 1600, is from an anonymous Robin Hood legend: “Said the bishop then, Ile not bet one peny.”

The next Oxford citation is from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 2, believed written in the late 1590s: “Iohn a Gaunt loued him well, and betted much money on his head.”

John Ayto writes in his Dictionary of Word Origins that the appearance of the noun “bet” in Greene’s book about the tricks of swindlers “suggests an origin in the argot of small-time Elizabethan criminals.”

If the noun “bet” did indeed come first, Ayto notes, “the usual explanation is that it is short for the noun abet, in the sense ‘instigation,’ ‘encouragement,’ ‘support’—that is, one is giving one’s ‘support’ to that which one thinks, or hopes, may happen in the future.” (The obsolete noun “abet” meant the act of abetting a crime.)

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[dailybiblelessons]

Our Bible Lessons for November 15 to 21

What's ahead in the Bible readings

November 15 to November 21, 2018 The Twenty-fifth Week After Pentecost The Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time*

Bible Reviews

Bible reviews will return in the near future. Next up is The Complete Jewish Bible. It is published by the Messianic Jewish organization, whose members believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah. So it includes both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures. Time got away from me this week,which prevented me from doing a review.

This Week's Image

This week's image is Death on a Pale Horse and pictures an apocalyptic event foretold in Revelation. You will probably recognize the four horsemen. I chose this image to remind us that there is more about the end times in the Bible than we usually think about.

Gospel Lessons

Most of our reading this week relate, one way or another, to apocalypse, especially the complementary Hebrew Scriptures. The Oxford Dictionary of the Bible says this:

Though applied especially to the last book of the Bible, the Revelation to John, and called ‘The Apocalypse’, the word means more generally an ‘an unveiling’ of divine secrets and in the OT books such as Daniel and parts of Isaiah and Zachariah there are apocalypses.…The apocalypses traverse the whole range of human experience and beyond, from references to the social setting of the author (Dan.), to revelations of the events to occurs at the end of time and disclosures under the guidance of an angel….

Our Sunday and Wednesday Gospel readings are from Mark 13, which is often called The Little Apocalypse. These texts serve to remind us that we do not know when the end times will come, despite the ravings of some modern preachers. Our task is not to worry about the future, but to bring the commonwealth of God into being now, here, on earth.

Epistle Lessons

Our Epistle lessons come from Timothy, Colossians, and Hebrews. Here are a few passages to give you a flavor of the readings:

God made you alive together with him [Christ], when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.  Colossians 2:13b-14

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet      “in a very little while,      the one who is coming will come and will not delay;      but my righteous one will live by faith.” Hebrews 10:35-38a

Complementary Hebrew Scriptures

All but one of our Hebrew Scripture readings are from Daniel. Our readings in the time of preparation are from the fourth chapter, which tells the story of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel's interpretation, and its coming to pass. In the time of reflection we read from Daniel 8. Without a scorecard, it's pretty tough to keep it all the images in chapter 8 straight. The little horn is Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who set up a statute of Zeus in the temple, thus desecrating it. The rams two horns represent the kings of Media and Persia, and the great horn of the male goat Alexander the Great.

Why should we care about any of this? Here are some thoughts from the reflections on Daniel in The New Interpreter's Bible, Volume VII which I found helpful.

“When we are introduced to Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 4, we recognize the proud and domineering emperor of the Babylonian empire—a regime built on the extortion and pillage of both people and resources throughout the ancient Near East. But this man undergoes a transformation by being forced to endure what he has inflicted on others. Furthermore, restitution is demanded from him for his sins, especially his treatment of the dispossessed. In Daniel, it is a humbled and transformed emperor who finally confesses that God's ‘works are truth’ and God's ‘ways are justice’ (Dan 4:37 NRSV).” So, first, have we avoided dispossessing others? And if not, are we capable of true repentance without going through what we have put on those whom we have mistreated?

“The book of Daniel suggests that the mere fact that Christians may find themselves under the rule of an oppressive state (whether overt or more subtle), does not mean that they need bow to its authority. Note the interesting paradox in the words of 1 Pet 2:16 ‘As servants of God, live as free people’! The modern state is a reality in which Christians must work for more just and peaceful structures in our lives—not to preserve the sanctity of the state, but to uphold justice and peace as the way of the Christian in the world. Because God reigns, the state is merely a tool—sometimes to be used, sometimes to be prophetically condemned, but never to be baptized. In their involvement in the government of the state, whether it be political office or civil service or some other role, Christians should maintain a sense of the tentativeness of the state's role as a tool of God.”

“[I]t is surely a mistake to try to pretend—as moderns constantly try to do—that we live in a world in which mistakes do not have consequences, whether errors in personal choice, misguided national policies, or worldwide environmental negligence. Forgiveness, after all, does not always involve avoiding the consequences.”

“How Long? Finally, there is the agonized question in chapter 8: ‘How long?’The second major theme of this chapter is that the time of wrath is limited and thus the people's suffering is limited as well. This is surely one of the most powerful appeals of apocalyptic literature and apocalyptic movements. Theologically, it is one of the most important messages of the book of Daniel for a modern world, It is the promise of the gospel that darkness will not last forever, that innocence will not be crushed forever, that justice will be had.” It has been crucial to me in my experience of recurrent major depression to know that this, too, will pass. In some ways, it makes the experience more bearable, even if it is still debilitating.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scriptures

Most of our semi-continuous Hebrew Scriptures are about Samuel, his mother Hannah, and the priest Eli. Samuel is a crucial character in the Hebrew Scriptures. He is the last of the judges who ruled Israel after Moses, and he anoints Saul as the first king, and later David as the second king.

One of my favorite Bible scenes is the calling of Samuel. God speaks to him, but Samuel thinks it is Eli calling him. Eli finally realizes what is happening and tells Samuel to say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” This story makes me ask myself how many times I have heard God's voice and thought it was a human.

Thank you for being part of the lectionary community. May these readings bring a blessing into your life. Mike Gilbertson

Ask a friend to join our community

Ask someone this week to become a regular Bible reader by signing up to get our daily readings. Here is a link that leads to the sign up form: Sign up link

Summaries and Links for the week ahead

Remember that the links don't become active until the lessons are posted on our web site, at approximately 3:05 a.m. Eastern Time.

Thursday to Sunday Psalms Complementary Psalm 16 A song of trust and security in God. Semi-continuous Canticle 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Hannah's prayer

Thursday: Preparation for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Daniel 4:4-18 Nebuchadnezzar's dream Semi-continuous 1 Samuel 1:12-28 Hannah gives Samuel to God. Both 1 Timothy 6:11-21 The good fight of faith

Friday: Preparation for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Daniel 4:19-27 Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Semi-continuous 1 Samuel 2:18-21 The child Samuel at Shiloh Both Colossians 2:6-15 Christ is the head of every ruler and authority. Just as you received Jesus Christ, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him.

Saturday: Preparation for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Daniel 4:28-37 Nebuchadnezzar praises God. Semi-continuous 1 Samuel 3:1-18 God calls Samuel. Both Mark 12:1-12 The parable of the wicked tenants.

The Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Daniel 12:1-3 God will deliver the people. Semi-continuous 1 Samuel 1:4-20 God answers Hannah's prayer. Both Hebrews 10:11-25 The way to God through Christ Both Mark 13:1-8 The destruction of the temple and signs of the end times

Monday to Wednesday Psalms Complementary Psalm 13 A prayer for deliverance from enemies Semi-continuous Psalm 3 Trust in God under adversity

Monday: Reflection on the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Daniel 8:1-14 A vision of destructive power Semi-continuous 1 Samuel 3:19-4:2 God was with Samuel and the people knew it. Both Hebrews 10:32-39 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Tuesday: Reflection on the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Daniel 8:15-27 The Angel Gabriel interprets the vision. Semi-continuous Deuteronomy 26:5-10 A declaration to be made to the priest when the first fruits are offered. Both Hebrews 10:32-39 A call to persevere in faith

Wednesday: Reflection on the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Complementary Zechariah 12:1-13:1 The future of Jerusalem Semi-continuous 1 Kings 8:22-30 Solomon's prayer Both Mark 13:9-23 The coming suffering.

*Denominations have different ways of designating the weeks during the year, so your church may refer to this week by a different name or number or both. Regardless of the name or number, the readings are the same. Here is an explanation: Calendar Explanation

Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from Holy Bible New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. Image credit: Death on a Pale Horse by Benjamin West, via Wikimedia Commons. This is a public domain image.

[sizzlingcrusadebouquetfan-blog]

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How much of an auto insurance discount does a family get for having more than one car?

""Car fender bender -insurance low balling payment, how to get more money from the insurance company?""

Had a fender bender accident and the other driver was charged, the insurance adjuster said the damage is $1500.00 and gave check (not yet cashed). Took car to repair shop (from the insurance approved list) the estimates were $2000.00 and $2800.00. How and what can be done to get the insurance to pay up more, so I can decide later when and where to get the car repaired? Thanks""

How to do teens afford cars without going under their parents insurance?

Hello, so my friends have their g2 and their parents pay for their insurance. My fathers cheap in ways and he doesn't want me under his insurance. I do have my own car it's a ...show more""

""Which Insurance is Cheaper, Motorcycle or Car Insurance?""

I don't have a License for Either Yet, and I already Know You Need one for the Other (License), but I was just Wondering which Insurance would be cheaper If I would get both Licenses roughly in the same time. The Bike is Likely a Ninja 250 and the car is Likely a Mitsubishi Eclipse 98 RS. Manual for Both Vehicles.""

Car insurance - will it change from CA to NJ rate?

my car has a california license plate and i have a illinois driving license..i just wanted to change my illinois license to NJ driving license... will this affect my car insurance.or will it affect only if i get my license plate changed from CA TO NJ

Low cost liability car insurance in Conroe tx?

What are some places, How many people do you have on your liability insurance and how much do you pay and who do you have? I have two people and atm using AIG. they are going to up my bill over 65 a month. Wondering if anyone else is getting better?""

Is it a legal requirement to advise your car insurance company of a speeding fine?

My 24 year old son has his car insurance renewal coming up soon, and unfortunately he picked up a fixed penalty speeding fine and 3 points on his licence for this first misdemeanour he has had in 4 years of driving. With his insurance still over 1000 for a 10 year old Rover 25! he doesn't really want anything to make this cost any more (it's not as if it is a serious offence). However, I have told him it is best to advise his insurance company of this offence as if they find out in future renewal years he has withheld this information, he may be penalised worse. What's the legal standpoint on this matter? Keep schtum or confess?""

How much does auto insurance cost for a 25 year old?

I had mi license for a year now, im driving a 1991 lexus""

How much would insurance for a 2000 harley sportster be in Colorado?

How much would insurance for a 2000 harley sportster be in Colorado?

Can I still appeal what happened on my car insurance?

During the December Blizzard Massachusetts had my car slid down a hill and hit a curve and they had to total my car.... Now since I was the only driver I am 50% at fault for this accident Anyway a lot of people have been telling to appeal it as an act of god. Problem is I have been too busy trying to get a new car that it went past 30 days from the surcharge notice date and I need to know if I can still appeal this. I am a safe drive and I was going maybe 10 mph down this icy hill when my car slid on the ice...Please any help would be appreciated

How much does a moped cost?

I am looking into a cheap way to get around town and someone told me mopeds are pretty cheap. but i need to know how cheap. How much does a moped cost new? how much would gas cost me on average? what about license and registration? would i have to buy insurance and if so how much does that cost? links to a site that would tell me these things would be very helpful. thank you for your time. (i am an 18 year old female and this will be my first vehicle and first time driving anything, i don't know if that makes a difference)""

Car insurance - Can anyone help?

We have company cars and Ive just told my manager that I would rather go in my car than the company car in this weather. She has just told me that its okay if I use my car because if I did have an accident, the company would claim on their insurance. How true is this? As she has lied to me before so i dont trust her. She told me that i could claim expenses and then once i put the form in, she said i couldnt so anything she says i dont believe.""

What kinds of insurance we should get in California?

What kind of insurance we should shop if owner live in the property them self? What kind of insurance we should shop if it's rented out? What kind of insurance we should buy if we need fix the problems like dishwasher? Is it necessary to buy such kind of insurance?

Would I need insurance?

Ok so I'm thinking about getting an iPhone 4s. I want one so badly. It's 29 a month but insurance is 10 a month and I can't afford to pay another 10 a month, would I need insurance? The handset price (how much you pay on the day for the actual phone) is 29, so if I break or loose or someone steals the phone, would I pay 29 and get another headset, or will they make me pay 29 for a phone I don't even have? I live in England btw :)""

Why AMERICA gifts so much money to the INSURANCES COMPANIES?

And people that want to do everything right let GOVERMENT policies mess up them business with charges that are not affordable? It is frustrating!

What would be the best car insurance for me?

I just turned 16, and my dad is giving me his mustang. it is a 2004 mustang gt, 2 door coupe. we own it so its all paid for, but he's just going to add me onto his insurance i think, but i'd be paying the difference. so how much would it be to pay insurance monthly? and which car insurance company would be best?""

Which is the best travelers insurance? Orbitz.com Access America travelers insurance?

I am looking through buying tickets through Orbitz.com (from LA to Berlin) and they are offering travelers insurance through Access America for $45. Any other suggestions?

Average car insurance for me?

Im a guy. Senior in high school. I don't have a 3.0+ gpa to reduce insurance. I'm prolly gonna drive a 96 blazer or 97 jeep grand Cherokee. Roughly, how much would my insurance be?""

Teen insurance and info two questions in one?

Hi, i am having a tough time with auto insurance qoutes and prices, so i could use some help. Question 1. ok, i am 15, will be 16 in May, if that helps, i have a 1994 Dodge full size van of my own (title was signed to me) and i am getting ready to tag it. i also live in Kansas. ok, i have $500 dollars saved up and have a job that i work 2 days a week and i make about $200 a week. now, i would like to buy my own insurance if possible. is it possible? Question 2. if i can not buy my insurance, can i put the insurance in my mom's name only, and then title it in mine? but one way or the other I HAVE to title it, the title is written out to me on the back in ink, so...................... thanks to any answers or if you know any good cheap insurance companies thanks""

""Driving without insurance in CA, only 19 yrs old and does not own car, what is the worst case scenario?""

So I got into a bit of a fender bender at my college parking garage. I was trying to park and due to the tight space i apparently hit the back bumper of a car. I drove away because I didn't want to further block traffic, I thought I hit the side wall, and I was already late for an important exam. The campus police called me, and he's not charging me with a hit and run. We also have everything straightened out with the other driver. However, the officer needs my insurance to complete the police report. I do not have insurance, I don't own a car and the car I was driving was my sister's. Am I completely liable? I researched around and saw fines were up to $1000 and licenses were revoked 60-90 days. Please help me answer, I'm so stressed out and terrified of everything that's happening!..""

Approx price for car insurance for 16 yr old?

Hey, I'm about to get my license and promotion for my current part time job, and i'm wondering if anyone know what how much would i have to pay for my car insurance, current car im planning to drive is a Nissan Maxima year 2000, I got my permit March 2007, but was too lazy to get my license, getting my license around next month...""

Manufactured home insurance?

Has anyone dealt with any companies dealing with insurance for relocatable homes. We are looking for an insurer of these type of dwellings

Insurance price for a 16 year old?

I'm 16 live in Minnesota and i want to get a car maybe around $5000 just wanted to know how much a month it would cost for insurance with and without my parents

Denver Colorado Cheap car insurance quotes zip 80201

Denver Colorado Cheap car insurance quotes zip 80201

How much does having a reliable car and insurance effect child visitation through the courts?

Here in California

Cheapest insurance company for young drivers?

Just wondering what the cheapest place for a young driver to get insurered is from people's experience, thank you""

Is there any affordable health insurance for full time college students?

I'm a full time student and I work full time. But our benefits at work aren't that great. It's close to $400 a month with a 5000 deductible. I can't afford that right now. Recently my mom told me that she heard some colleges have health insurance programs or something like that that I can get through the college. It's pretty affordable supposedly.. I tried to search on my college site but didn't really find anything. Where can I find info about this? Or are there any government programs that offer insurance to full time students?

Is there any affordable health insurance when you are a smoker with high blood pressure?

Is there any affordable health insurance when you are a smoker with high blood pressure?

Cheap car insurance for 18 year old?

Ok my younger brother is looking for cheap car insurance, hes just turned 18 and is looking at cars in the 400 region, there has been loads of nice looking cars for that price all fully working but obviously reasonably old. this is fine but when it comes to insurance some companies have quoted up to 8000!! I was just wondering if anyone had any tips that could help us out? aiming for under 1000 if possible! Thanks. Mark.""

Do i have to have insurance on my cycle or car.?

So i know it is best to have insurance but i was wondering is it an absolute must, like can i have a car and drive it legally with out insurance?""

What's a good medical insurance plan for someone in my situation in CA?

It's so overwhelming with all the different policies out there, if someone has a recommendation for a good insurance company that is affordable for my situation: a. self employed single female b. no health risks/problems c. mid 30s d. prefer a plan that covers maternity just in case""

Pregnant teen with no insurance?

Okay, so I'm 16 and I have no insurance,and I'm pregnant. My mom makes way to much for me to even try to get free insurance, but she is saying she is to embarrassed and she doesnt want to take me to the docter and she doesnt want to pay. How do i get free insurance in memphis.?""

Does anyone know where I can find affordable health insurance for self employed people?

I own a small business, and need to find health insurance for my family that wont break me. Please help if you can. Thanks.""

How much should I expect from the insurance company for these damages to my car?

I have a 99 oldsmobile intrigue, my car was hit on the drivers side between the front and back doors. The front door is really damaged and the rear door has some""

Car insurance for a day/week for a learner

Hey, basically i am going to take my practical test in a couple of weeks (14th) and im taking it in my car, i was just wondering if there is any companys that specialise in car insurance for just a day or a week for learner drivers. if so what companys and how much am i looking to have to pay, thanks""

HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST IF A PERSON GOT A TICKET FOR DRIVING UNDER SUSPENSION AND NO INSURANCE?

I HAVE BOTH OF THESR AND WANNA KNOW WHATS THE MAXIMUM FEE

""Best first car, with low insurance?""

i want a car, with low insurance, cheap to run etc

Should I cancel my car insurance to save my money?

Currently, I'm living in WA, I have a car in TX. But my family member in TX driving it, and there names are under insure by my car insurance. If I want to save money on my car's insurance. I need to ask my insurance remove my name out of car insurance; is that right? or there is no difference between keep my name on car insurance and remove my name out of car's insurance? Thanks""

Life Insurance for Children?

My husband wants us to get life insurance for our three kids. It's through Globe Life and is called the young American plan. It's a whole life insurance policy. I'm not ...show more

Who in the world has the cheapest car insurance?? 10 point 4 best ansswer....?

ive searched and searched and searched, after all im being dropped by state farm insurance cause i became a financial risk for them.... its not my fault i had 3 car crashes in 6 months.... anyway the best rates i got so far are.... $200 a month for basic and $553 for full coverage on a 93 chevy van POS.... no im not joking my rates were $130 for full coverage with state farm b4 all these accidents..... god help me im in michigan if that helps anyone else.... i really need a fast answer cause i got 3 days to get new insurance""

I have a Suzuki GS500 now & want upgrade. What is the cheapest sportbike on insurance 1998-2006?

Thinking of maybe a Yamaha R6 or R1, Ducati Monster, Buell Firebolt, Kawasaki Ninja, Honda 599 or 919""

I dont want to pay for car insurance... is there any way around it? LOL?

I know it sounds crazy and I need insurance but is there anyway to avoid paying it... at least for just a month? I have the cheapest plan possible but its still killing me financially every month! Do you think allstate has a low income program? Do ANY of the insurance companies....?

What insurance company should I choose for my car?

I just got dropped from state farm because of high risk and I'm looking for something affordable for a college student/ musician. I have to get full coverage as well. What is a cheap company I can go with that's not going to screw me over or anything?

Does a Dodge Dart have sports car insurance?

If i buy a dodge dart Rallye and it has the 1.4L turbo engine, will i have to pay for sports car insurance?I have statefarm..""

Young Person Car Insurance?

Hi there, I am currently looking for my son who is 19 and has just got himself a new job, i promised him if he gets a job he can have a car to get there. However i am very worried about the insurance quotes ive looked up on the internet which is looking at 3700 a year which is the cheapest i can find. Very worrying seeing his mates are 2500 which im happy to pay. He is looking for a old ford fiesta, is there any ideas where i could improve and seek a cheaper quote? Possibly phoning up companies or is the internet quotes better, any other suggested cheap car insurance websites? Thanks Fiona""

Want the cheapest and most affordable insurance in Florida (Tampa) !!!?

He guys, I'm 19 years old and just received my driving license this week. I want to insure my car that I just bought recently , would someone tell me a name of a company that offer an affordable insurance for student ? Just to let you know , some people say that there is no differences between insurance companies prices. but actually that is WRONG !!!>>>>> Some companies try to get customers by cheap prices > please let me know if you have experiences this situation.""

Can I drive under my parent's insurance?

I'm 18, have a license and my dad bought a car for me to drive. If my dad registers it all under his name(title and insurance) will I be able to drive it? I don't want to be added into the insurance, I just want to drive it all under my dad's name. I'm in California, can this be done? If I get pulled over, will the police not hassle me over it?""

Around how much would car insurance cost a year for an 18 year old female to drive ocassionally?

I just want to drive my moms car for a bit until I buy my own!

""I am getting ready to take the 220 insurance course,?

When I am done how do I get signed up with different insurance if I am a independent agent?

Denver Colorado Cheap car insurance quotes zip 80201

Denver Colorado Cheap car insurance quotes zip 80201

HOW does indemnity insurance affect Home insurance?

How does having indemnity insurance on a home for buiding work carried out with out building regs affect the cost of Home building insurance?

Looking for a cool car but cheap on the insurance?

im 17, looking for a cool car have a budget of about 8000, but i need the insurance cheap because some of the ones i was checking out were ridiculous any ideas? thanks""

How much will insurance cost after first dui offense?

I got my first dui for parking my mom's car for her(my intentions weren't to drive home drunk at all... just back 10 feet.) and I use to have insurance but canceled it when ...show more

Cheap car insurance with different situations?

HI I have one car at the moment. I am looking to buy another one for my wife. I want to know how will it work out cheap to get both insured. is it 1) If we both can drive eachothers cars? 2)we have seperate insurances on our cars and we can not drive eachothers cars? 3)I can drive my wife's car but she cant drive mine.? Also how can we protect individual no claim bonuses aswel. Thanks

How much would the insurance be on a VW Beetle?

I am 17 and intrested in getting my first car a Classic VW Beelte, does any one know the price range for the insurance on one? Many thanks""

How do i get individual health insurance quotes for southern California?

i am soon shifting to southern California. how can i know if my if insurance will skyrocket or stay more or less the same so i know if getting it is justified or not. also where can i get quotes for it?

What is a good health insurance for an individual?

My dad lost his job 6 months ago, his new job doesn't have benefits. What is a good health insurance that will be cheap enough for a young college student that is affordable? (I ...show more""

Where can I get scooter insurance?

I am looking for insurance for a 150cc Scooter. I can not find any companies that want less than $1500 a year. Geico quoted me that, but I think they thought I had a motorcycle. Any ideas on companies?""

What are the contents of an insurance premium?

What are the contents of an insurance premium?

Can I drop my over 18 year old from my insurance under the obama law?

Can I drop her from my insurance if she's over 18 and not in school or do I have to prove she has insurance first?

What is an insurance deductible?

What exactly is a medical insurance deductible?

Challenges faced by brokers in handling health insurance?

Hi,i am doing a project on various challenges faces by insurance brokers in handling the health insurance""

Best health insurance company?

Can someone recommend a health insurance company in CA that has affordable rates? Recently lost my job and need insurance for me and my family.

Can you get car insurance without a license?

I want to buy a car without a drivers license. Can I get insurance for the car if I use another name of a person with a license?

How to get cheapest car insurance by where you live?

How to get cheapest car insurance by where you live?

Why is insurance for mazda cars so high?

I heard mazda cars often increase your insurance? Why do they? Is it for a good or bad reason? Answer with detail please :)

Help! I need medical insurance! ?

I have asthma with a history of mild depression. I am look for an affordable health insurance. I am 19 years old. Please help!

Why should we be forced to buy health insurance?

I'm referring to the new health insurance law, in case you didn't catch that.""

How much should I insure a 2 bedroom condo for?

I want to buy insurance for a 2 bedroom, 1150 square foot condo in Orange County, California. I am interested in knowing how much coverage to buy to cover inside damage due to a catastrophe like a fire for example. I don't care about coverage for personal belongings or outside of the building. I just need to know what it costs to restore the inside walls, floors, etc. in case they are ever destroyed.""

Can you have more then 1 life insurance policy?

Can you have more then 1 life insurance policy?

How much does teen car insurance cost?

I'm 16, and I'm about to get my drivers license. My dad is insured through the aarp people because its cheaper for him. he called them to ask how much it would cost to put me on his insurance, and they said 120 dollars a month. I thought this seemed a little unreasonable, because i'm just going to drive a three thousand dollar car like twice a week. How much do you/ your parents pay for car insurance for young drivers? I have good grades. can that get me a discount?""

Can I finance a car while on my dads car insurance?

I am looking to get a used car really soon, I have saved up enough money to put a good down payment down and have had a steady job for a little over 2 years now. The question is, will dealerships let me finance a car even tho I am on the car insurance with me dad? I am 20 yrs old and I still have insurance with him because I am a college student and also because I still live with him""

How do you transfer a title to a car without getting insurance on it right away?

I just bought this old muscle car. The thing is, it's winter now. I won't be driving this car until spring through fall. I just want to know if there is any way to get the title transfered, without getting insurance on it right away. I know insurance is going to be a factor in transferring this title. I have insurance, just I don't need it on the car right now, I just want to get it home. Any help is appreciated. Thanks""

Whats the best cheapest car insurance to get?

We have Farmers Insurance, and we have to 2 cars and 3 person together with full coverage cost $370 a month, i think that's too much, we can hardly afford that. Is there any other company you think offer cheaper? Thanks.""

Drive without car insurance?

My car insurance just expired I can't reinstate it until I get paid on friday I only have 88 dollars until then. I don't have to drive anywhere until then But I don't have any food or toiletries. The store is 1 mi each way from my house I don't have anyone to take me to the store. Would I likely be ok if I took myself?

Denver Colorado Cheap car insurance quotes zip 80201

Denver Colorado Cheap car insurance quotes zip 80201

""New driver, teen car insurance?""

does anyone know about how much the average teen's car insurance is? im 17 and looking for a car, i have $1750 in my bank account... about how much would car insurance cost me? and how much do i have to pay upfront? i know its sometimes cheaper if you have good grades, and i have straight a's. can anyone help me? thanks!""

How much is insurance for a 2008 Nissan GTR?

I want to buy a 2008 GTR but I want to now how much car insurance would cost before I buy it. Ive hear that it costs A LOT per year.

How does car insurance work?

So I am planning on asking my friend to borrow his car to drive when he's going to travel, but I do not have any insurance. Is it okay for me to drive? His car has insurance, but I do not have insurance under my name. Does that mean if I bump into something, I will get into trouble, even though the car has insurance?""

How much is pilots insurance ?

First of all is there such a thing as pilots insurance, if so how much is average""

Car Insurance estimate?

I know it's a bit impossible (like asking what's the length of a string) but I am wondering if anyone knows a rough amount , or has experience of how much car insurance would be for a 19 year old - near 20 year old male in the UK. I would be a named driver on one of my parents cars (A vauxhall Corsa 2013), my parents have no points on their license. I would only be using the car when I am back from University so for a maximum of about 3 months a year so not for the full year! I have heard of some people younger than me getting insurance quotes as a named driver for around 700 but I am unsure if this is true. a) Are there any insurance websites where you can calculate an estimate for a Named driver? ( I know ones for the main driver) b) would it be worth to pay it monthly ?... c) any estimates roughly? (an estimate within 200 or so! ) Thank you ! P.S if anybody magically knows of how much it would be for me to be with an insurance company as a named driver yet still gain no claims bonuses (as many named drivers don't get no claims) I'll be extremely grateful!""

Is driving a motorcyle dangerous? and will it raise my insurance prices?

is a motorcycle more dangerous than a car what are the pros and cons. i am considering it for the good gas millage i am 18 yrs old (clean record) -- will it increase my insurance costs

Any recommendations for health insurance for international travel?

I will be traveling around the world for 4 months and need health insurance as I'm currently unemployed

How can i get cheaper insurance?

im looking to buy a car soon. my parents both have vehicles and im a 18 yr old male with a g2 so my insurance on any car with be well over $3000 a year. i was just wondering if theres any loopholes/tricks to make insurance cheaper. i know my buddys dad opened up a business just to put a car under the business name so he wouldnt be charged as a primary driver.

Home insurance comparison?

Considering switching home insurance carriers. The North Carolina Rate Bureau (NCRB) rate and premium for a policy period from May 18, 2013 to May 18, 2014 is $770. The insurance company's proposed rate and premium is $984. This represents a 28% increase over the NCRB rate and premium. Our assessed home value is $525,000. We hold other policies with USAA (auto, life), but have not gone with them for home because the feedback we've received insofar as home has not been favorable. I welcome your home insurance insights, thank you.""

Collector Car insuance for 17 year old? Possible?

My 17 year old son wants collector car insurance for his 67 Chevelle that he heavily modified and uses it only for hobby and pleasure. He puts 4,000-4,300 miles a year. We live in California and were wondering if there was a collector car insurance like hagerty, american car collector, etc. that would cover a 18 year old or younger? Any Possible plans? Thanks. PS. He locks it up in our secure garage.""

Any one know any good insurance for new driver that is only 18?

My mom tried adding me to her AAA insurance and it would be 1150 every sic month that too much anyother cheap insurances thanks

""If women are such horrible drivers, why are our insurance rates lower than men's rates?""

If women are such horrible drivers, why are our insurance rates lower than men's rates?""

""What if i don't have a social security number, can i still buy car insurance?""

I am an illegal alien here in chicago, illinois but i have a car that i drive to and from indiana (about a 40 minute drive). I want to purchase car insurance but i do not know if i can. what do i need to buy insurance in illinois. do you know if i can purchase it online or which insurance company would sell me an insurance policy? please help as soon as possible.""

Looking to get health insurance for first time.?

Am looking at some individual health insurance am a student I wanted to know is insurance pay as you go or do I have to sign a contract saying Youll be with them for a certain amount of time?

Can u get insurance on a different address to your licence?

Say i live in leeds but my friend lives in bradford and my insurance works out cheaper on their address. Can i ge insurance to her address even though i do not live there?

I need some advice on car insurance...?

I am purchasing a used car, worth about $3,000.00 I am trying to decide what level of car insurance I should get. Money is kinda tight. Do you think full coverage is neccessary? What type of coverage do most people opt for on low value cars like this? I've always driven new ones.""

Cost of insurance for a Landrover Freelander 1.8i for new driver?

I am 36 & thinking of buying a freelander 1.8i 3 dr for when I pass my test & I just want to know how to find out the cost of insurance without contacting any insurance company.

""Im 19 ,how much should i pay for car insurance?

im not british.but im getting a uk full licence.. any people know how much should i pay for a classic mini? and how about a 1995 subaru wrx?

Why do I have to pay first year homeowners insurance?

I'm in the process of purchasing a home. I'm taking out a FHA loan and my broker stated that I would have to purchase first year homeowners insurance for a year. My question is my monthly taxes, PMI, and also home insurance is already infused in my monthly mortgage payment,so why is that I have to pay for a years worth of insurance when I'm making a monthly payment on it anyways? Will I being paying twice? Can someone please explain""

Looking for Health Insurance that allows 5 year old as primary member?

We live in Texas, I'm looking for health insurance for our 5 year old daughter. My husband has coverage through his employer and I have the option of being covered under his plan as well. However, our premium would increase by $400 a month if we add her to that plan. I am looking for an inidividual plan that will allow only her to be covered. So far I've found that the primary member must be over 18. Anyone know of a company that offers this? We can't afford the extra $400 but we wouldn't qualify for any government assistance program. She has no illness and she had tubes put in her ears a few years back, that about covers her medical history. Thanks in advance for any info!""

Car insurance...oh my god?

hi, i just pass my driving test, my car (insurance group 7)....i search on confuse.com for third party car insurance is 4000 one year..although i'm 30 years old. is this ture? ...show more""

In California what is traffic school for? Will my insurance still increase?

I am 19 and got a speeding ticket 85 in a 65 this is my FIRST ticket. I take full responsibility and am ready to accept my consequences. I am not one to drive like that but I was late that day. I know there is no excuse. Soon I am getting my own insurance under my own name. If I take traffic school besides not getting a point on my license will this also prevent insurance increases. If I go to get my insurance will this ticket affect me even though I took traffic school? I live in California and this is my first ticket I am 19 and male.

""What is the average cost of home owner insurance in Houston, Texas?

I know this varies and are based on different factors. I am just seeking an average - thanks!

What Insurance Should I Get?

Im Getting my license in two months and im saving for a 1977 f-250 ranger, i also need insurance. whats the cheapest and most affordable insurance for a teenager?""

Help with Yamaha raptor 660 insurance for a 20 year old ?

Hi i'm finding it hard to get insurance on my raptor 660. i'm 20 years old and the only company i can find is falcon insurance and they want 1500 :| does anybody know any other good places for young riders ? i've tried, Carole nash Lexham MCE Bike sure Performance direct axa Adrian flux Call connections and a few more. Any company suggestions to help find it cheaper would be appriciated thanks...""

Denver Colorado Cheap car insurance quotes zip 80201

Denver Colorado Cheap car insurance quotes zip 80201

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tip-cheap-car-insurance-monthly-payments-terry-walters/"

[diaryofanaddict31-blog]

Pilot  So I've never ever blogged before but I thought that at this point in my life, it'd be a great thing to start doing. My life's been like a movie, which will be revealed throughout my posts. But a good plot doesn't always make for great reading material, so I actually have useful things to say these days since I am actually doing positive, productive stuff. I am about 2 and a half months clean from a nasty heroin/cocaine/marijuana/pills/ anything addiction and am now living in an Oxford house (a sober living environment) with 6 other recovering addicts. At the moment I'm apart from my two boys and working on getting custody back. How I got to be here is way too lengthy for a post and is more like a novel. It will all be revealed over time, my goal is just to help other people who are in early recovery who are more than likely having the same thoughts as me.   This is something I wrote the second time in detox:      “ That fog, that prick, that glory. The glamour, the tears, the carnage, that mighty hammer. Can I say goodbye to you forever? How will it be when I can't know you? I'll miss you like air, like love, like cake. The bang, the set up, the injection. The cover, the clouds, my mother. So good to me, so serene and tempting. Counting and hoping with doubt dear in the back of my mind. I need the shit but I don't need the shit. Seven days is seven days, seven ways to say goodbye. Seven ways to want to die. Seven ways to wanna to wanna stay high”.

Here are some more journal entries before I got clean

"Ironically, the things i use to fill th emptiness inside are actually pulling me deeper and deeper into isolation,loneiness, and more of the emptiness."7 AM 10/24/2017

9:43 pm "I know I've been needing to change here soon or it was gonna be forced on me. I guess that time is now and I cant seem to face it. Why would a drug addict EVER want to face their problem with drugs?That's why I use in the first place-to ease the feelings of dealing with stuff. Rehab being pushed on me, and I feel like that wont even be able to fix me. I really dont think that is going to fix the person ive become. I went from 0 to 60 in a matter of months. Every day when i wake up its the first thing i think about.The hold has gotten so strong in my mind over just this past year ive just evolved into this....girl i dont' know.I have to stop and get high just writing this stuff down. Its intense. Its the end of the world when i run out of drugs or money....Right now and pretty much all day it just feels like no amount of drugs are enough. Nothing is satisfying my itch. I cant stop."

I don't even know where to begin with my story so ill just tell it as my entries progress. I felt compelled to share my life as Im deaing with my recovery. I'm 2 months clean at this point and can say i definitey wake up happier, i have a little money in my pocket, an actual job and not shaking my booty on a pole for dollars anymore. Yet, I still deal with feelings of emptiness and strong cravings for drugs at some point in the day. I don't want this pain to be in vain. If im feeling this way, then theres bound to be others experiencing the same thoughts and feelings (or lack thereof of feelings). Will these feelings always be there? What is this separation i feel from the world and others sometimes all day everyday? They say if you get cravings and dont use, you're not reinforcing those cravings so eventually they will chill out. Its been over 2 months since ive put a needle in my arm and there's something inside me that refuses to be happy until i'm numb. I mean i can be happy and there are times im actually joyful, yet when things die down and i'm alone or doing something that puts me in my head, i panic inside and wish to God i had a substance to run to. Its like when you have sex on ecstasy, it's ruined when you do it sober. My brain knows that theres something out there that can make me feel unbelievable and leave these thoughts and feelings behind if only for 5 minutes. I tell myself its not that great, look where it  lead me to, im stroger than that and dont  need it. But do i listen? Hell no. Thats the thinking that got me in this place at the beginning. Self-destruction, my other disease. I just want to enjoy what life has to offer without being a slave to STUFF. I have way more fun these days for sure, i put myself around people who don't use and are positive. But sometimes when i just even pass by a gas station or a Wal Mart, it triggers me because ill This was me last year, completely paralyzed with a relentless heroin and cocaine addiction. I think, "I bet there are people copping here right now...damn i wish i were them" I cant be sane. I died from the stuff 4 times which isn't even that much compared to other addicts ive talked to, and even died in front of my 9 year old over Skype one night and scarred him for life im sure. Yet i still miss this stuff like someone may miss an abusive ex. I have to make my mind stop glamourizing the awful lifestyle i was living and accept the fact that i'm no longer that person and to move on.

 My story is seriously fucked up i look back and cant believe i lived through it in every sense of the word. I dont even know the best place to start.

 But its whatever, I mean, I figured out last night whats wrong with me. I'm an in betweener- like i don't want to be doing this sober and clean thing but i have to for my children. All i do all day is crave drugs so badly. I was at a meeting last night and someone said that you have to want to stay clean, you have to do everything in your power to and put as much into it as you put into getting high. And it hit me that I feel im not ready to do this but i'm being forced to grow up and deal with my demons- no drugs included. I met someone last night and we had this amazing conversation and she made me feel so good about myself. Before i couldn't pin point why i still fantasize and dream about getting high but its because i wasn't at a time yet in my life where i was ready to quit. i still have some juice left in me. i guess becoming a dancer and being homeless didnt put me at my bottom just yet but that should be the bottom for anybody. i was selling my soul basically for drugs. it was awful it would make anyone feel some type of way. but it was the only way to support my habit and sometimes even that wasn't enough. my story's crazy my friend last night said it sounded like a movie. Its a movie i didn't want to play the lead role in. ive gone through some crazy awful shit the past 2 years alone. 

 Things are getting more and more interesting by the day, there is never a dull moment up in here.I’ll definitely keep you updated on the craziness. Just know you’re not alone, we’re all in this together. 

[omnipop-mag-blog]

http://time.com/5265506/disappearance-british-pub/

Like many British septuagenarians, David Charles Graves lived alone. The 75-year-old, known by everyone as Charlie, had no close friends or family; it’s perhaps why he became such a fixture at his local pub, the Ivy House in Nunhead, south east London. Ivy House regulars became as familiar with the sight of Charlie sipping a pint of Becks lager at the bar as they did with the pub’s quirky stage and furniture restored from the 1930s.

Charlie’s attachment to his local pub will resonate with many Britons. As far back as Roman times, when roadside inns offered comfort to travelers, pubs have occupied a unique place at the heart of British society. In Shakespeare’s time, there was roughly one pub for every 200 people and they feature in several of his plays— in Henry IV, for instance, Prince Hal, Falstaff and others constantly wander in and out of the Boar’s Head Tavern in Eastcheap, east London. George Orwell’s famous 1946 ‘Moon Under Water’ essay, describing the 10 key points of his ideal pub, notes that alongside draught stout, open fires, cheap meals, a garden and no radio, “the barmaids know most of their customers by name, and take a personal interest in everyone.”

Today, pubs still play a part in alleviating social isolation, particularly among elderly Britons like Charlie. Research by the University of Oxford shows that these watering holes can improve people’s engagement with their community and social network size, ultimately affecting how satisfied they feel in life.

Pubs have also become a high-ranking tourist attraction. According to research by the British tourist board, visiting a pub is the third most popular activity for international visitors to the U.K. Over time, the pub has become a symbol of the national spirit, and themed British pubs can be found in cities around the world.

Imagining Britain without pubs is like thinking of France without its café culture, New York City without yellow taxis or Tokyo without karaoke bars. But this defining national cornerstone is under threat. According to the Morning Advertiser, the U.K.’s leading trade newspaper for the pub sector, two public houses now close their doors for good every day. Is the good old British pub on its way to extinction?

Mike Kemp—In Pictures via Getty ImagesThe Newman Arms closed down pub in London, England, United Kingdom.

Closing Time

Pubs have been declining in number for decades, but many believe England’s 2007 smoking ban, which put an end to smoking in all enclosed public and work places, exacerbated the trend.

Over the next eight years, the U.K. lost nearly 7,000 pubs, the majority of which were wet-led, meaning they only served drinks. “The smoking ban affected pubs enormously,” says Brigid Simmonds, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), a major trade association. “A lot of pubs closed and many had to redefine themselves.” Some public houses branched out to offer food and accommodation; pubs now serve a billion meals a year and have 50,000 bedrooms attached to them.

But converting to a gastropub or inn is not an easy fix. Many pubs are located in Victorian, Edwardian or other historic buildings, which bind them to rigorous planning restrictions. These restrictions disincentivize investors who may have otherwise been interested in converting failing drinking dens into more profitable establishments. Climbing real estate prices, particularly in London, make pubs attractive prospects for developers—that is, if they have the permission to knock them down and build apartments instead.

Competition is also getting fiercer. Around 20 years ago, there were roughly 70,000 premises licensed to serve alcohol in the U.K.. Today, around 50,000 pubs and 70,000 other premises, from restaurants to coffee shops, have an alcohol license. “The sheer growth in the eating-out market over recent years means there’s massive competition,” says John Longden, founder of ‘Pub is the Hub,’ a not-for-profit group that offers support to licensees across the country. “You’ve got supermarkets selling beers, wine and spirits at a cheaper price than pubs, so people will drink at home. And now, the younger market is saying ‘actually we’re not drinking.’”

Geography Photos—UIG via Getty ImagesThe Anchor pub on Quay Side, Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, UK.

Indeed, government research published in May 2017 demonstrates a generational shift away from alcohol; 26% of the U.K.’s 16-to- 24-year-olds are teetotalers, compared with just 17% of 25-to-44-year-olds and 14% of those aged 45 to 64.

Tastes are changing in other ways too; beer consumption is falling, with more than half of 25-to-34-year-olds now favoring wine instead. A Nielsen poll found that sales of sparkling wine surged by 14.7% in 2016, and an overview by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association that same year found that nearly half of all drinks sold in new pubs, bars and restaurants were wine and spirits and not the more traditional pints of froth-topped ale.

High tax on beer—making up around a third of the cost of a pint—has further contributed to pubs’ woes. The last center-left Labour Party government introduced a now-defunct “duty escalator” policy in 2008, justifying the price hike in the budget with: “as incomes have risen, alcohol has become increasingly more affordable.” The move, which increased the price of a pint by 2% above inflation, had a devastating effect on the sector, with industry experts claiming the policy reduced sales of beer by as much as 16%. The closure of around 5,000 pubs can be linked to the Labour policy, according to Tim Page, chief executive of consumer organization The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The escalator was axed in 2013 following heavy lobbying, but its effects are still felt by the U.K.’s pubs and brewing industry.

A great disparity between the cost of alcohol in pubs and supermarkets is another major issue; when six 275ml bottles of Beck’s lager cost £5.10 ($7.19) in Tesco, one of Britain’s biggest supermarket chains, spending the same amount if not more on one pint in a pub is not a particularly attractive prospect. “If you want pubs to survive decades down the road, then it’s common sense that you can’t tax them more heavily than what is the market rate,” says Tim Martin, founder and chairman of pub group JD Wetherspoon, which has 900 establishments around the British Isles.

All this is in the shadow of Brexit, the U.K.’s looming March 2019 exit from the European Union, bringing with it uncertainty and division. Some pub owners believe Brexit could turn things around for them; a poll conducted shortly before the 2016 referendum found that more small-food-service operators said they would vote to leave rather than remain. Martin was a major Brexit backer; he even printed 200,000 coasters calling for the U.K. to “take back control.” He believes that without the E.U.’s high tariffs on food and drink imports, their prices will decrease and pubs will flourish.

However, as with much of the service industry, Brexit is likely to have a considerable impact on pubs’ workforces. In 2016, hospitality-intelligence firm Fourth Analytics estimated that 43% of workers in the hospitality industry come from overseas; in more metropolitan areas, this proportion can be even higher. It is still unclear whether these “soft-skilled” workers will be allowed to remain in Britain after March 2019; the government is in the process of assessing the economic and social contributions of E.U. migrants and isn’t due to report back on its findings until September of this year.

“We need to make sure people who are currently here can stay here,” says Simmonds, whose BBPA did not have an official position during the referendum. “We have to ensure Brexit isn’t only about highly skilled, highly paid workers.”

Colin McPherson—Corbis via Getty ImagesRegulars playing cribbage at the Mowbray in Failsworth, Oldham, Greater Manchester. The pub is owned by Amber Taverns, who reopened in four years ago after the building was previously a public house but had been vacant for a number of years.

Community spirit

These varied challenges are forcing pubs to think creatively. Longden’s ‘Pub is the Hub’ advises licensees on providing a wide range of local services and activities, from building shops, libraries and post offices, to providing meals for local schools or the elderly. (One pub in southwestern England even introduced a community playground designed entirely by children, featuring a bar serving mud and a ‘bug hotel’.)

Pub is the Hub claims to have helped nearly 500 pubs across the U.K. offer 27 different services, helping them stay afloat. Longden tells TIME about a recent check-up visit to a pub in Cornwall, southern England, six months after his team of volunteers had helped install a playground there. “The licensee told us his pub had been packed out every Saturday afternoon and joked that it had become known as the ‘pint and play,’” he says.

Communities are increasingly stepping in to save their local drinking establishments. In 2013, Charlie’s local, the Ivy House, narrowly avoided being turned into an apartment block thanks to a group of residents who spent more than a year fighting to bring it under community ownership. In 2013, it became the first cooperatively-owned pub in London, thanks to a policy introduced two years earlier. Under the new policy, communities are able to nominate buildings and land for listing as “an asset of community value.” Once listed, the community may have the opportunity to bid to take control of the asset if it is put up for sale, as residents did with the Ivy House when its future was threatened by a developer.

Initially, 371 individuals purchased shares in the pub for £100 ($132) each, with a minimum investment of two shares per person. Not all of the shareholders were local. “They come from as far and wide as Canada and New Zealand,” says Emily Dresner, co-chair of the Ivy House committee. “Some people revealed to us that they didn’t drink and didn’t have any intention of visiting the pub, but still wanted to get involved in a great community initiative.” The Ivy House is part of a greater trend; there are more than 60 cooperative pubs open and trading in the U.K. and the number is predicted to continue to grow.

Innovations like these have been key to keeping pubs alive in an increasingly competitive marketplace. “Pubs provide a cross between a coffeeshop, a restaurant and a church. It’s hard to define the attraction but you know it when you see it,” says Wetherspoons’ Martin.

The Ivy HouseThe Ivy House pub in Nunhead, south east London.

Going to the pub no doubt made the Ivy House’s Charlie feel part of his community. When he stopped turning up for his regular pint last summer, locals began asking after him. Eventually, it transpired that he had fallen ill and swiftly passed away. Despite not knowing much about the elderly man other than his drinking habits, the Ivy House managers decided to hold a memorial service for him and were shocked—and moved—when around 150 pub regulars turned up to pay their respects to a gentleman they barely knew.

It’s a testament to the role that the pub has played in British communities for generations, says Matt Soper, secretary of the Ivy House management committee. “I knew how many people knew him but didn’t realize how many would show up,” he told TIME. “It was proof of how successful this place has been— not just in business terms, but in the sense of being true to the spirit of a real community pub.”

Right now, pubs seem in danger of disappearing but if there’s one astonishingly simple way that ordinary Brits can save the good old pub: by going to one. “There’s no point sitting at home and saying pubs are wonderful if you never visit one,” says Simmonds of the BBPA. Instead of mourning the loss of the great British pub, Brits should celebrate their existence in the only way they can…over a pint.

The post New world news from Time: The Classic British Pub is Trying to Survive Challenging Times appeared first on OMNI POP MAG.

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FA Cup fourth round: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Will Daniel Sturridge get a chance to regain his verve? Will Ranieri fine-tune for a relegation battle? Will Ravel Morrison return to Old Trafford?

1) Revitalised Lincoln face biggest challenge yet

A clutch of (fool)hardy Lincoln City fans queued through Wednesday night in sub-zero temperatures in order to get their gloved hands on the last tickets for their clubs biggest and indeed only fourth-round FA Cup tie since 1976. Those fans were evidently not discouraged by the fact that the National League leaders had suffered their heaviest defeat of the season the previous night, when they were beaten 3-0 by Barrow, whose rugged approach on a treacherous pitch fairly knocked Danny Cowleys men out of their impish stride. The Championship leaders, Brighton, will probably not resort to such robust tactics but are still likely to provide the toughest test yet for a Lincoln side who have already beaten two opponents from leagues above them. The Cup run has generated around 500,000 for the club and given special memories for a generation of supporters who are dreaming of even better days ahead, starting, just maybe, on Saturday. PD

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2) Will Sturridge get the chance to regain his verve?

Jrgen Klopp was frustrated by Liverpools poor finishing against Southampton on Wednesday. This weekend his team could have an ideal chance to finetune it, as suspension has deprived the lower league visitors, Wolverhampton Wanderers, of their first-choice goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme. But with Chelsea to come three days later Klopp seems likely to field a side featuring many reserves, as against Plymouth in the last round. It will be interesting to see whether Daniel Sturridge starts and, if he does, whether his performance perks up. It will also be interesting to see how the Anfield crowd reacts if Wolves begin well and threaten to add to Liverpools woeful start to 2017. The last time Wolves won at Anfield, in 2010-11, the home fans gave a memorable example of terrace wit when they began advocating a hilarious stunt. Hodgson for England! they bawled, possibly not expecting the FA to take the suggestion seriously and employ their then manager. Roy Hodgson complained afterwards that ever since Ive been here the famous Anfield support hasnt been there. Klopp, by contrast, has been hailed as a potential saviour ever since his arrival. Belief in him remains strong among Liverpool fans but some of his recent decisions are testing their faith. PD

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Daniel Sturridge squirts water over his face ahead of the EFL Cup semi final second leg match between Liverpool and Southampton. Photograph: Greenwood/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

3) Ranieri has a chance to fine-tune for relegation battle

Wilfred Ndidi made a brilliant first impression on his Leicester City debut, against Everton in the previous round, but Claudio Ranieri is still searching for his ideal midfield make-up and shape. He may, then, welcome this match as an opportunity to develop a solution before resuming the fight against relegation from the Premier League. On the other hand, another match could be construed as too much of a burden for Robert Huth and Wes Morgan, the main victims of the clubs uneven recruitment last summer. Maybe, then, Claudio Ranieri will use this match to release Yohan Benalouane from suspended animation? The centre-back has been curiously absent from the managers plans for most of the season but was a surprising inclusion on the bench for the last match, a 3-0 defeat at Southampton. A return to action would be intriguing and perhaps even solve a major Leicester problem, especially if they do not sign another centre-back before the and of this month. On a similar note, and returning to the midfield shuffle, Bartosz Kapustka got six whole minutes against Everton it would be good to get another glimpse of the gifted young Pole some time soon. PD

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4) Rochdale have another Yorkshire scalp in sight

With Huddersfield having sold all 3,500 tickets allocated to them, Spotland is likely to have its biggest crowd of the season for this Lancashire-Yorkshire clash, with home supporters hopeful of witnessing something similar to their impressive toppling of Leeds United in 2014. That could create exactly the right mood to uplift Keith Hills side, whose promotion challenge in League One has been dented recently by injuries and loss of form. David Wagner, meanwhile, is likely to make several changes to his usual Huddersfield lineup and that could mean a return to action for Harry Bunn, who has not played since excelling in the win over Port Vale in the last round. PD

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FA Cup fourth-round draw

5) Joyce may bring Morrison along to Old Trafford reunion

For about 20 minutes, it looked like the run might finally be over. With Bolton leading at Crystal Palace, their fourth round tie with Manchester City was set to bump neighbours Manchester United off the TV schedule, ending Uniteds run of 55 consecutive televised Cup ties. Instead, Christian Benteke steered Palace through, and United will make it 56 against Wigan Athletic. A home tie against a team 21st in the Championship would appear to serve little purpose beyond bolstering the ratings, but Sundays opposition do offer an intriguing subplot. Wigan manager Warren Joyce took over in November after eight years at Old Trafford in charge of the reserve side, where he was responsible for the development of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard, among many others who didnt make the grade. Perhaps the most notorious name on that list is Ravel Morrison, currently training with Wigan after being frozen out at Lazio. Its still a long shot, with no loan move confirmed at time of writing and Morrison obviously lacking match fitness, but the prospect of Morrison returning to Old Trafford may be worth tuning in for. NMc

Could Ravel Morrison return to Old Trafford? Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

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Morrison in training with Wigan after leaving Lazio

6) City to experiment with Palace focusing on the league?

Selhurst Park will inevitably be noisy, but the visit of Manchester City may suffer from a lack of on-field intensity. Crystal Palaces run to the final last season placated fans as league form stagnated, but the situation is very different this time around, with Palace in the bottom three. Sam Allardyce has traditionally made his excuses early in the FA Cup the win over Bolton was just his third in the competition since 2009. Not for the first time, Pep Guardiola may view things differently to Allardyce; the City manager sent out a strong team against West Ham, and was so impressed he stuck with all ten outfield players against Everton, with widely publicised results. Another trip to the London Stadium awaits in the league on Wednesday, so Guardiola may employ a couple of returning players here. Vincent Kompany has completed just one match all season (the EFL Cup win over Swansea) while Fabian Delph has also suffered with persistent injury problems. Kompany, last seen at Selhurst Park in November, would be a very welcome addition to central defence, while Delph has previously hinted at a change to his previous midfield position, potentially trying out a full-back. This may be the right fixture to experiment, but Guardiola should not assume the same tricks will work on Wednesday. NMc

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7) Millwall can celebrate against off-colour Watford

No-one likes them, they dont care; but enough about offshore property developers. Millwalls home tie with Watford will be a celebratory day in the sun for the hosts, broadcast live on the BBC and coming just four days after the threat of eviction was finally removed. As the club have stated, Lewisham council are yet to formally abandon a compulsory purchase order on land around the Den, but the news that mayor Sir Steve Bullock believes the CPO should not proceed has been greeted with widespread relief from supporters, and residents close to the clubs South London home. The murky regeneration plan for New Bermondsey has been on the table since 2014, when Millwall were in the same division as Sundays opponents. Watfords third-round win over Burton was their only success since mid-November, and it would almost be a surprise if the League One side, who dominated a depleted Bournemouth in the last round, did not celebrate their off-field victory with a place in the fifth round draw. NMc

Fans protesting the compulsory purchase order during the The FA Cup 3rd round match between Millwall and Bournemouth. Photograph: ProSports/REX/Shutterstock

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8) Free-scoring Oxford and Newcastle face off

Expect goals at the Kassam Stadium as Oxford United, with 11 in their three FA Cup victories so far, take on Newcastle United, comfortably the Championships top scorers. Both sides won their last league fixture 4-0, while the visitors have the top four tiers leading scorer in Dwight Gayle. Whether Gayle will be called upon is another matter. Newcastles only concern this season is securing a Premier League return, and Rafa Benitez rotated his team accordingly to get past Birmingham with the help of a replay. Michael Appleton is also facing a selection dilemma, with a rearranged EFL Trophy quarter-final against Bradford on Tuesday offering a much more realistic route to Wembley. Having outclassed Rotherham in the third round and upset Swansea in last seasons competition, the Oxford manager might still find reason to believe that victory, and a first fifth-round appearance since 1994, is a more realistic prospect than it looks on paper. NMc

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9) Will Leeds be flummoxed by Suttons pitch?

Artificial pitches are something of a rarity in top-level football, not seen in England since QPR and Lutons ill-starred experiments with astroturf, the last seen when Preston reverted to good old-fashioned grass in 1994. Leeds United will have to deal with one this weekend though, when they visit Sutton United. And Sutton manager Paul Doswell seems fairly confident that it will flummox the Championship promotion contenders. Without being over-emotional about it, we have got a good chance against Leeds on our pitch, said Doswell. No one likes playing on it apart from us it seems. We are very good on it. Indeed they are, having won nine of their 15 National League games on the 3G surface, and also holding League One Wimbledon to a draw there before knocking them out in the previous round. Still, even though Garry Monk will probably rest some first-teamers, as he did in the third round against Cambridge, Leeds may well reason that if Solihull Moors, Braintree Town and Dover Athletic can win at Gander Green Lane, they should stand a chance too. NM

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10) Wycombe and Kashket deserve big moment

Given Tottenhams generally sparkling recent form they might be expected to brush aside League Two Wycombe with little fuss and plenty of team changes. Yet their opponents are on a roll too. Gareth Ainsworths team are unbeaten in all competitions over 16 matches and havent failed to score in a game since 22 October. Expect considerable focus on Wycombes little and large striking talents. Adebayo the beast Akinfenwa is well enough known for his formidable strength, durability and opportunistic WhatsApp-based contract appeals, but the diminutive Scott Kashket could be the player to keep more of an eye on at White Hart Lane. Demoralised and discarded at Leyton Orient last season, the 20-year-old forward has been an inspired addition to Ainsworths side and has rewarded the clubs faith in him with 14 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick in the second-round win at League One Chesterfield. They gave me the chance to prove myself when nobody else would, and I want to pay them back by carrying on scoring goals for Wycombe, said Kashket, who signed a new deal with the club last month. When I came here I only signed a short term deal and needed to prove myself to get it extended. I did my bit and hoped they did theirs, which they did, so Im glad they had faith in me. Though Spurs are likely prevail on Saturday, Kashket and Wycombe deserve their day on the big stage. TD

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from FA Cup fourth round: 10 things to look out for this weekend