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spookitapes · 10 months

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jschlatt nsfw visuals part l

summary | porn i associate with jschlatt bc i’m a whore for him

pairing | jschlatt x fem!reader (kinda ft. chuckle sandwich & friends)

warnings/cw | porn, smut, choking, slapping, spanking, daddy kink, getting caught by your friends, rough sex, edging, public sex, fucking in someone else’s bed, degradation, praise, humiliation, orgasm ban, anal, overstimulation, drunk/high sex (with consent), car sex

!! 18+ MINORS DNI !!

!! you need to log in to twitter to see the vids from there !!

not proofread, sorry for any mistakes !!

─────── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────────

quickies

❧ “such a slut for me, aren’tcha sweetheart? yeah, you’re so goddamn easy for me.”

❧ fucks you like he HATES you during quickies…especially if you were being a brat or teasing him beforehand

❧ he’s going all out for the short amount of time given..give him 5 minutes or 5 hours he’s gonna have your legs shaking by the end of it.

❧ that man is gonna choke you, slap you, spit in your mouth, and still have time to fuck your throat with his dick that’s covered in your cum.

in an unlocked room of a nye party

❧ you did not see yourself ending up here…on some dude’s bed at a nye streamer party your boyfriend invited you to

❧ but schlatt doesn’t tolerate disrespect well. so when the host’s roommate started flirting with you as soon as he disappeared to get you two drinks…you knew he ur pussy was done

❧ he watched in amusement as you tried to let him down easy at first, but when he started calling you a bitch and grabbing at you it took schlatt all of three seconds to be between you two

❧ his fist clenched the man’s collar as you tried to calm him down

❧ “baby it’s okay- i’m okay!”

❧ “he’s not worth it, jonny!”

❧ “b-baby please just let it go!”

❧ he dropped eye contact with the man when he felt your nails digging into his shoulder

❧ he knew he had to push him away when he saw the worried look on your face— tears threatening your waterline

❧ but big guy’s gotta get his frustrations out somehow, and he knows the perfect way to get revenge and make you feel better

❧ so with a sigh, he releases the douchebag’s shirt with a shove and grabs your hand to lead you upstairs

❧ “yeah i bet you like gettin fucked on this prick’s bed knowing he could walk in at anytime, huh? like knowing the closest that bastard’s ever gonna get to this pussy is the fucking stain on his sheets.”

❧ you’re praying to the almighty man himself that jonny doesn’t notice the way your stomach twists up with the flames of an orgasm building..

❧ but god’s not listening and he’s laughing along with your boyfriend..who’s grinning down at you as he leans in to your ear

❧ “oh i felt that, sweetheart. felt this slutty pussy tighten up on me when i said that. knew you were nasty— but fuuuuuccck.”

❧ he’s g r o w l i n g his words out at this points

❧ teeth pulling on your earlobe followed by his hot breath fanning against it

❧ “m’gonna make you squirt all over this fucking comforter, doll. leave him a gift to push his face into as he jerks his sorry excuse of a dick off.”

❧ safe to say you two left a wet spot the size of russia and a lasting impression on twitter.

(bonus)

❧ “and to think you kept whining about some dumb kiss…shoulda known i always go above and beyond for my girl.”

giving you a punishment one two three

❧ “count or im startin over, understand?”

❧ don’t even think out nodding your head..

❧ cause he’ll put his fingers in your hair and yank your head back to meet his eyes as his other hand lands the first smack on your ass

❧ “use your goddamn words..you know better than that, angel.”

❧ “y-yes sir!! i understand! i’m sorry won’t happen again..i’ll listen— promise !!” comes tumbling out in a high pitched whine

❧ “ya better or you’re not cumming at all. gonna bruise this ass and leave ya all messy and unsatisfied like a whore. you want that, y/n ?”

❧ as hot as that sounds you definitely don’t want that..too horny and too pent up to be able to breathe without cumming

❧ so you fall into submission easily, counting out each spank he gives you

❧ thanking him profusely after he’s satisfied enough to slide his big fingers into your cunt

❧ “don’t thank me yet, i still haven’t decided to let you cum.”

❧ he can sense the frown spreading across your face at the whine you let out, so he picks up the pace of finger fucking you

❧ his unoccupied hand returning to giving you more harsh slaps across the ass

❧ “drop the attitude, toots or m’not gonna let you cum. just gotta keep being a good girl for me, can ya do that? can ya reach back here and give daddy a kiss?”

❧ so you gather all your strength as you strain your upper half to face him, tears falling down your cheeks as you reach for his lips

❧ it’s anything but what you’re expecting— slow and passionate. full of the love and softness as he batters your pussy and let’s you moan into his mouth

❧ “such a fucking good girl for me, knew you were in there somewhere. my pretty doll just needed to be reminded of her place, huh? fuck your self back on— thaaaat’s it.”

❧ but every time you’re about to cum he’s pulling his fingers out and spanking your pussy

❧ the frustration builds as you thrash around

❧ whining that “s’not fuckin fair!”

❧ “keep strugglin and i’ll really give you something to cry about.”

❧ his harsh tone makes you come to a halt, eyes red & legs shaking from being pulled back from the edge so many times

❧ and as soon as you still and meet his gaze he’s bullying his digits back into your sore pussy again

(bonus)

❧ “go ahead and cum for me, baby. been so good— yeah, cream all over my fingers…goooood fuckin girl.”

❧ sometimes instead of edging you jonny gives you exactly what you want…he’ll let you cum and he’s not gonna stop till you can’t cum anymore.

❧ “keep on fucking whining like you didn’t ask for this, y/n.”

❧ your chest is pressed against his and he’s got a death grip on your waist

❧ the only sound in the room is your loud cries and the sloppy fucking of his fingers into you

❧ your ass high in the air as he drills your pussy, pulling orgasm after orgasm out of your tired body

❧ “keep still-stop goddamn squirmin!”

❧ it’s barked into your ear, chops scratching your skin as he roughly grabs your jaw and forces your eyes to meet

❧ “i swear to god if keep moving i’ll strap the hitachi to your clit and leave you here all night.”

❧ before you can respond he’s setting a lightening quick pace, pussy spasming round him once again

❧ “fuuuck give it to me, darlin. you can keep going, come on and show me how good this pussy cums for me.”

❧ he only does it as an end to an orgasm ban (when you break a rule so he doesn’t let you cum for a certain amount of time..not even by yourself)

❧ you have to seriously piss schlatt off for him to ban you (he loves your pussy too much)

❧ but when he does…

❧ he’s not touching your pussy at all

❧ not gonna let you touch it either

❧ not even allowed to have your clit played with when it’s a punishment fuck

❧ you have to get off from the anal alone and if you don’t…that’s not his problem lmao

❧ maybe next time you’ll listen and behave for him…

❧ till then he’s using your ass as a fleshlight and lettin your week-long neglected pussy leak out so much it covers your thighs & all of his lower half

(bonus)

❧ “oh goddamn it, babydoll. didn’t know i could get you to squirt without even touching your pussy..imma have to do it again.”

late night car shenanigans one two

❧ it started off so innocent 🥲

❧ jonny asking if you wanted to ride around and listen to music with him at 3 am

❧ it’s a usual thing you two do together when you couldn’t sleep so you didn’t think much of it

❧ so you slipped on a tank top & a cardigan with a cute new mini skirt to match

❧ little did you know that skirt is your boyfriend’s new found kryptonite

❧ so now the skirt’s bunched around your waist

❧ your back’s pressed half against the door half against the passenger seat with your boyfriend’s fingers deep inside your pussy as he speeds down the interstate

❧ the loud bass that’s usually filled the car is silent

❧ schlatt wants to be sure he can hear his favorite symphony— your noises accompanied by the sounds of your wet pussy

(bonus)

❧ “whatcha want to eat, love? i know cumming like that had to make you work up an appetite.”

❧ “don’t worry about me i’ll eat my favorite meal at home. it’s hot and ready whenever i want.” (yes he’d make a little caesar’s joke about ur coochie tell me i’m wrong)

❧ camping with chuckle sandwich seemed like a good idea

❧ till you were drunk in the woods and only 10 feet away from your friends in tents

❧ “j-jonny we can’t..not with them right there.”

❧ “come on doll, they won’t even notice.”

❧ “you and i both know i can’t stay quiet enough for that..baby please.”

❧ as tipsy as he is he knows you’re right..so he sneaks you two out of the tent

❧ he grabs two new beers and leads you back to the parking lot of the forrest

❧ once you’re in the car it’s game over

❧ you’re both insatiable as you make out on his lap

❧ in your drunken kiss you knock the sun visor down and a pre-rolled blunt falls between you two on your laps

❧ you bite your lip as you look between the blunt and your boyfriend..hoping he catches your drift

❧ he catches that shit.

❧ so now your getting railed in the passenger seat as schlatt leans over you and shotguns the smoke into your mouth

❧ the feeling of being cross faded adds so much to being fucked

❧ you’re so sensitive it’s insane

❧ schlatt swears he’s never heard you making these types of noises before

❧ doesn’t even care about the carpet burn that’s starting to form on his knees

❧ the feeling of being crossed and inside of you is enough to make him speed up is thrusts

❧ you’re so lost in each other you don’t realize the sun starting to rise

❧ so lost in the sauce jonny just turns his phone off to stop it from ringing (he doesn’t even check to see who it is RIP)

❧ or hear the footsteps and calls of your names nearing the parking lot

❧ or when your friends finally knock on the car door they’re met with a porn star level performance from you both

❧ you’ll blame it on the substances later because right now nothing is gonna stop you both from covering the seat in another load of your almost future children

(bonus)

❧ “do you think they know?”

❧ schlatt gives you a small smile and kiss to the forehead

❧ “of course not, doll”

❧ you settle at the news, anxiety leaving your body

❧ “we DEFINITELY know.”

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queerism1969 · 2 years

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What are some semi-harsh truths you have for people who are new to transitioning?

I don’t mean sharing depressing statistics that they’re likely already aware of. I mean things that might be difficult to internalize but are important to know for the most stable experience possible.

Your transition will cause disappointment. Not of yourself, but of people you had hoped were better. Those are ‘them’ problems, not ‘you’ problems. You will most likely have to outgrow people.

Hormones helped with the emotional aspects of depression and anxiety, but you still have all the bad habits and thought patterns that are associated. It takes work to fully heal

Dysphoria does lessen overall but that can make some sources of it feel worse

You don't know what all your dysphorias are, or how strong they are. Dysphoria is a type of pain, and the brain is only able to perceive so much pain at a time. When you clear out the biggest problem, you'll be able to see the next. It may come as a hell of a surprise.

If you require a medical transition, SERIOUSLY DO YOUR RESEARCH ON SURGEONS. While there are some great surgeons out there, there are DEFINITELY bad ones too. There are extremely dangerous "medical providers" who falsely advertise their expertise. THOROUGHLY read the wiki page in /Transgender_Surgeries

There are a whole bunch of places you can't really go to anymore. And I don't just mean Russia or Saudi, I mean many suburbs, rural areas, or any neighborhoods that aren't already quite progressive.

Just because someone's trans doesn't mean they aren't transphobic, get to know people before you come out to them

You will lose friends, some might be openly against it others might just drift away just be prepared to lose some of your friends not all but some.

Transition is not a cure-all for all your problems, it might help with something like depression and certainly dysphoria. But there are some problems that will still be there

Take lots of pictures even if you feel ugly. You'll want those later just as a boost to see how far you have come.

For my trans-women friends, it is dangerous to be alone with a man who you don't know, even in public.

Carry pepper spray, carry a firearm, learn how to throw a punch, stay with your group, and never go home with a stranger.

Throwing other trans people under the bus, especially less "acceptable" or "palatable" trans people, in order to make cis people respect you is bullshit.

Do not be afraid to switch therapists and doctors if one doesn't feel right.

Most people don't know shit about being trans or how transitioning works. Get ready for the most disgustingly intrusive questions you can imagine.

Never read the comments. There's no point in getting into battles, I know you want to, but LGBT education is EXHAUSTING, people are hostile for no reason. They are scared of you and hate you because they don't know you. Remember: it doesn't have to be your job to educate people.

Trans people are a really easy target for hate politics because we strongly depend on other people (doctors who prescribe our meds, surgeons, government for name change stuff) and it's very easy to take them away from you.

Cis people will tell you that you'll "regret transitioning" or that you're making a mistake because they cannot even comprehend something like dysphoria, their greatest fear is having their sex permanently altered, which would be dysphoric for them, and they think everyone else is like that.

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mariacallous · 1 month

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ODESA, Ukraine—In his office overlooking Odesa’s Pivdennyi Port on the Black Sea, Viktor Berestenko smiled contentedly at the half-dozen large international cargo ships just beyond the harbor. “It’s as beautiful as your first kiss,” said the grinning president of the Association of International Freight Forwarders of Ukraine. Speaking to Foreign Policy in late March Berestenko was only too happy to inform me that Ukraine’s three free ports—all in and around Odesa—are operating 24/7, and that the country’s grain exports are back to prewar levels.

The restoration of Black Sea trade is a major breakthrough for Ukraine, in stark contrast to the losses it has endured this year on the eastern fronts. In the Black Sea theater, Ukraine has pulled off the unthinkable: beating back the esteemed Russian Navy even though it has next to no naval force of its own.

From the tiny swath of coastline around Odesa, Ukraine has stymied Moscow’s attempt to landlock and hobble its economy by rendering it unable to market its voluminous agricultural exports. In the spring of 2022, the Russian military barricaded Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and brought exports to a standstill. This forced Ukraine to shift to land routes to market its goods and caused worldwide grain prices to spike, which raised concerns about famine in the Middle East and Africa. Today, Russia still occupies 16 Ukrainian ports. But the Black Sea front looks more hopeful for Ukraine than at any time since the war’s onset more than two years ago.

The Ukrainian fleet lost 80 percent of its vessels after the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014. But, relying a combination of missile systems and unmanned drone boats guided by advanced GPS and cameras, Ukraine’s armed forces claim to have crippled a third of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. They have also upended the Russian supply lines that serve thousands of troops in the occupied areas of southern Ukraine.

On March 24, Ukraine landed another blow, reportedly using U.K.- or French-made air-to-surface missiles, taking out two large Russian landing ships and other infrastructure near the occupied Crimean port city of Sevastopol. Russia’s fleet has suffered such a drubbing that it prompted the firing of its top admiral, Nikolai Yevmenov, in mid-March. Today, Russia’s remaining ships are in docked in berths along the far side of the Crimean Peninsula, out of sight but not entirely out of Ukraine’s reach.

“Russia wanted to turn the Black Sea into a big Russian lake. But Ukraine reversed it,” said Volodymyr Dubovyk, the director of the Center for International Studies at the Odesa Mechnikov National University. “Russian ships today don’t venture into the northwest of the Black Sea.”

This cover has enabled Ukraine to improvise a sea corridor that begins in Odesa and hugs the safe shores of NATO members Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey as ships travel southwest en route to the Bosphorus Strait, through which most Black Sea trade passes. Exploiting a bumper crop, Ukraine is now exporting as much grain—corn, wheat, and barley—as it did before the war, as well as other goods, and has opened its Odesan ports for nighttime business to handle yet more. Prior to the war, Ukraine traded more grain than the entire European Union and supplied half of the globally traded sunflower oil, as well as iron ore and fertilizer, according to Bloomberg.

“This is enormously important for Ukraine’s economy, for the Odesa region, and for our future,” said Sergey Yakubovskiy, an economist at Odesa National University. “We have to do everything to keep this route open and reliable.”

Ukraine’s asymmetric Black Sea strategy relies ever more upon Ukraine-made drone boats—known as uncrewed surface vessels (USVs)—that speed across the water beneath Russian radar carrying up to 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of explosives. These projectiles have sunk or disabled some of the 24 lost Russian warships, evidence that Ukraine’s domestic arms production has been stepped up and is increasingly consequential in the absence of anticipated U.S. and European assistance. According to the Guardian, there are currently 200 drone manufacturing companies in Ukraine, some of them bankrolled by crowdfunding campaigns. In December 2023, they delivered 50 times as many robotic explosives as in the entire year of 2022, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.

Ukraine’s strategy is to maintain its presence in the Black Sea with the prospect of soon acquiring the longer-range missiles that it needs to hit Crimea itself and Russia proper beyond it, Dubovyk said. For Ukraine, he explained, the pressing issue is what comes next. “Crimea is in play, and if Ukraine can put more pressure on Russia there, it can make the occupation untenable. It would change the war’s logic if Russia couldn’t supply the eastern fronts from Crimea,” he said.

Russia’s response has been to target Odesa’s ports, energy infrastructure, and housing blocks with ballistic missiles. Seldom does a day pass without air raid sirens in the port city, which send its residents scrambling into their cellars. In March alone, Russian attacks killed 32 civilians.

One would think that the new coastal sea route would obviate Ukraine’s need to access EU markets via land, namely through Central Europe, and thus ameliorate the friction it has caused between the Central Europeans and Ukraine. Following Russia’s invasion, the EU allowed Ukraine tariff-free access to its markets, which had the effect of undermining the Visegrad Group states’ own grain trade and prompting farmers to take to the streets in anger, above all in Poland. Now, logically, trade could revert to its previous routes and the injurious tiff come to an end.

Not so quickly, explained Yakubovskiy, the economist. He pointed out that Ukraine’s new sea corridor is a temporary and unsanctioned byway, possible now only as a result of Russia’s naval weakness and an informal agreement between Russia and Ukraine not to target civilian shipping. It could end at any moment, he said.

As for Russia, it is not likely to improve its Black Sea positions soon. This is because Turkey controls the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits, and Ankara has chosen to adhere to the letter of the 1936 Montreux Convention, which prohibits the passage of warships through the straights into the Black Sea in a time of war. Russia thus has no way of getting reinforcements to its ports.

The upshot of Russia’s retreat from Black Sea waters and Turkey’s control of the straits has put Ankara in the driver’s seat. Whether Ukraine maintains its new trade route thus depends, to some extent, on Turkey.

In the past, Ankara has shown itself deft at using leverage to promote its own interests, whatever they may be. It could turn Viktor Berestenko’s bliss into a short-lived fling.

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ramrodd · 8 months

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Why does Secretary-General António Guterres said "without strong global institutions “multipolarity could be a factor for escalating geostrategic tensions, with tragic consequences.”?

COMMENTARY

What he is saying is that the toxic political polarization being generated by all things January 6 majority is an incubator for the global Nazification associated with all things William F. Buckley and is a strategically fraught circumstance, with China getting silly about Taiwan and Russia and Ukraine engaged in a end game that needs to be shut down by a United Nations enforced cease fire sponsored by Biden.

Let me illustrate with an identical situation, internationally, when Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay blunted Clinton’s ability to prevent a nasty little genocide from getting any traction in Bosnia. Just like the January 6 insurgency, Newty and Delay were trying to overturn and election because Clinton’s economics were fixing the mess the Reagan Bush administrations left for Clinton to clean up,,

Gingrich was Speaker of the House because of the political strategy of GOPAC which is based on the Trotsky-inspire political strategy of the anti-war movement that led to the Chicago Police riots in 1968 He was doing the same thing with the native white supremacist agenda anywhere the Presbyterian Church is and put together his Contract with American victory with the people who stormed the Capitol on January 6 and emerged during the Obama administration as the Tea Party wing of the Jim Crow Bigotry of Woodrow Wilson and Lost Cause fans of “A Nation is Born. And while Newty and DeLay were preferring charges for consensual sex in the Oval Office, the Christians in Bosnia began killing their Muslim neighbors for being Muslims.

And the “Diplomat-speak for Dummies” version of Guterres's statement is that the January 6 majority is doing the same thing as part of Trump’s treason and it is far more dangerous now than the avoidable genocide in Bosnia.

I don’t know what effect Tommy Tuberville’s obstruction of national security will have, downstream, but it will not be something good for America. When Gingrich and Delay were fucking with Linton’s ability to direct his full attention on bin Ladin, to say nothing of the avoidable genocide of Bosna. Tommy Tuberville represents the people who want to dismantle the administrative state until it fails like American in Atlas Shrugged so they can take over and buy America for salvage prices.

What Jack Smith is engaged in is defense of the Republic from enemies, foreign and domestic. The January 6 majority are domestic enemies of the US Constitution and are the people causing the problems that are increasing the avoidable and unnecessary risks to American national security, if not global de-Nazification and the organic society of Herbert Spencer and Hegel.

The 14th Amendment has been the obvious solution since January 6. Super Tuesday will not interfere with Trump’s court schedule in the least. He will be able to consolidate all his fund raising around his legal defense.

Here’s the thing: Clinton is the only President since Nixon and Eisenhower who understood Clausewitz. He should have shared a Nobel Peace Prize with the French Foreign Legion UN blue Helmets who put on a demonstration of tactical Peace Keeping the pun out the nasty little genocide that Newty and DeLay encouraged to happen with an empty impeachment. The only Bike Pence moment Lindsey Graham ever performed in his contribution to the January 6 majority was voting against impeachment in committee, where it should have died.

If you are woke, just remember that Dan Sickles was the Tommy Tuberville of Gettysburg. The leadership cadre of the January 6 majority has been running America on the basis of Tommy Tuberville’s command of military issues since the Hollywood John Birch Society came to Washington with Reagan and began inflicting their Ivy League Socialism as the law of the land ever since. The collapse of commercial airline service last Christmas is just one example of the damage being done below decs.

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xtruss · 1 year

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Leaders | Frozen Out: Europe Faces an Enduring Crisis of Energy and Geopolitics

This will weaken it and threaten its global position

Folks! It’s all hegemonic, hypocritical and dirty politics of the United States, UK, Germany, France, EU, North Atlantic Terrorist Organization (NATO) and their Scrotums Licker Puppet Allies. It has nothing to do with Russia.

— The Economist | November 24, 2022

If you ask Europe’s friends around the world what they think of the old continent’s prospects they often respond with two emotions. One is admiration. In the struggle to help Ukraine and resist Russian aggression, Europe has displayed unity, grit and a principled willingness to bear enormous costs. But the second is alarm. A brutal economic squeeze will pose a test of Europe’s resilience in 2023 and beyond. There is a growing fear that the recasting of the global energy system, American economic populism and geopolitical rifts threaten the long-run competitiveness of the European Union and non-members, including Britain. It is not just the continent’s prosperity that is at risk, the health of the transatlantic alliance is, too.

Don’t be fooled by the rush of good news from Europe in the past few weeks. Energy prices are down from the summer and a run of good weather means that gas storage is nearly full. But the energy crisis still poses dangers. Gas prices are six times higher than their long-run average. On November 22nd Russia threatened to throttle the last operational pipeline to Europe, even as missile attacks caused emergency power cuts across Ukraine. Europe’s gas storage will need to be refilled once again in 2023, this time without any piped Russian gas whatsoever.

Vladimir Putin’s energy weapon will exact a toll beyond Ukraine. Our modelling suggests that, in a normal winter, a 10% rise in real energy prices is associated with a 0.6% increase in deaths. Hence the energy crunch this year could cause over 100,000 extra deaths of elderly people across Europe. If so, Mr Putin’s energy weapon could take more lives outside Ukraine than his artillery, missiles and drones do directly within it. That is one more reason why Ukraine’s resistance to Russia is Europe’s fight, too.

The war is also creating financial vulnerabilities. Energy inflation is spilling over into the rest of Europe’s economy, creating an acute dilemma for the European Central Bank. It needs to raise interest rates to control prices. But if it goes too far it could destabilise the euro zone’s weaker members, not least indebted Italy.

Even as the energy crisis rages, the war has exposed a vulnerability in Europe’s business model. Too many of Europe’s industrial firms, especially German ones, have relied on abundant energy inputs from Russia. Plenty of companies have also become more dependent on another autocracy, China, as an end market. The prospect of severed relations with Russia, structurally higher costs and a decoupling of the West and China has meant a reckoning in many boardrooms.

That fear has been amplified by America’s economic nationalism which threatens to draw activity across the Atlantic in a whirlwind of subsidies and protectionism. President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act involves $400bn of handouts for energy, manufacturing and transport and includes make-in-America provisions. In many ways the scheme resembles the industrial policies that China has pursued for decades. As the other two pillars of the world economy become more interventionist and protectionist, Europe, with its quaint insistence on upholding World Trade Organisation rules on free trade, looks like a sucker.

Already, companies are reacting to the subsidies. Northvolt, a prized Swedish battery startup, has said that it wants to expand production in America. Iberdrola, a Spanish energy company, is investing twice as much in America as in the European Union. Many bosses warn that the combination of expensive energy and American subsidies leaves Europe at risk of mass deindustrialisation. basf, a German chemicals giant, recently unveiled plans to shrink its European operations “permanently”. It does not help that Europe is ageing faster than America, too.

Losing investment makes Europe poorer and feeds into a sense of declining economic vigour. Compared with its pre-covid gdp trajectory, Europe has done worse than any other economic bloc. Of the world’s 100 most valuable firms, only 14 are European. Politicians will be tempted to chuck out the rule book and respond with subsidies of their own in an escalating arms race of corporate goodies. Germany’s economy minister has accused America of “hoovering up investments”. President Emmanuel Macron of France has called for “a European wake-up”.

Thus the subsidy row is also feeding tensions between America and Europe. America’s financial and military support for Ukraine vastly exceeds Europe’s, and as it pivots to Asia to meet the challenge from China, America resents the eu’s failure to pay for its own security. Most members of nato have failed to meet the goal of spending 2% of gdp on defence. The eu was staggeringly naive about Russian aggression. Although the war caused America and Europe to unite after the ruptures of the Trump years, the danger is that a long conflict and economic tensions will gradually pull them apart again. Mr Putin and China’s president, Xi Jinping, would love that.

To avoid a dangerous rift, America must see the bigger picture. Mr Biden’s protectionism threatens to drain Europe of vitality even as America props up Ukraine’s army, and armadas of tankers cross the Atlantic to supply Europe’s energy. The chief aim of Bidenomics is to stop China dominating key industries: America has no strategic interest in siphoning European investment. It should make European firms eligible for its energy subsidies, and integrate transatlantic energy markets more deeply.

Europe, meanwhile, needs to protect its economy against the energy squeeze. Schemes that rightly aim to subsidise consumers and firms for their basic energy needs should curb demand by charging higher prices at the margin, as in Germany. To lower long-run energy prices Europe should accelerate the renewables revolution, while keeping energy markets open to competition. It also needs to adapt to a new security reality. That means spending more on defence so that it can take up the burden as America shifts its gaze towards Asia.

Besides admiration and alarm, the other emotion governing transatlantic relations is frustration. America is irritated by Europe’s economic torpor and its failure to defend itself; Europe is outraged by America’s economic populism. But just as Europe must not be divided by the war, so it is vital that the most powerful democratic alliance in history adapts—and endures. ■

— This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline "Frozen Out"

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flightegypt36 · 2 years

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Visa For China

Those holding emergency, momentary, or different informal passports or travel documents usually are not eligible, with the exception of these holding a Brunei Certificate of Identity. Nationals of Russia , besides these holding diplomatic or official/service passports, are eligible for the visa exemption program, with a duration of stay of as a lot as 21 days. Philippine travelers may even be required to fill out an arrival card, and provide immigration officers at the port of entry with proof of lodge reservations or an handle and contact particulars for where they are going to be staying in Taiwan. Philippine travelers will not be eligible for other visa-relaxation measures formally accorded as quickly as the visa-free trial is launched on November 1. The issuance of multiple-entry visas, nevertheless, is not automated and have to be voluntarily requested by the applicant. On 18 March 2018, Ministry of Public Security and National Immigration Bureau announced, the visa waiver coverage might be prolonged to nationals of the following 59 nations since 1 May 2018. Citizens of these international locations don't need a visa in the event that they solely go to Hainan Island and stay no extra than 30 days. Failure to observe the instructions exactly will probably lead to rejection of the appliance. Note, if touring through non-public constitution the charter's manifest should suffice. Foreigners going from Hong Kong to Shenzhen for a Business Trip can enjoy a 5-days Visa after they arrive; identical for Foreigners going from Macao to Zhuhai for a Business Trip can get pleasure from a 3-days Visa when they arrive. Consider engaging a global mobility associate to make certain that you and your staff enter China on the right visa. For those who are not within the above category, please do not try applying. During COVID occasions you don’t want to leave China all visa transfers are potential. Taiwan Work Visa And Permit You ought to visit the official web site of Chinese embassy, consulate or CVASC to verify whether or not it accepts utility by mail or not. Wait occasions for non-immigrant visa appointments will remain significantly longer than usual as we work via our backlogs and prioritize services for U.S. residents and immigrant visa candidates. We sincerely regret the hardship and inconvenience these wait instances could cause. While we deeply regret the frustrations created by this example, demand for appointments is far outstripping our resources and the Consulate expects to be dealing with backlogs and delays for the foreseeable future. If any errors are discovered, they need to contact the Chinese Visa Application Service Facility instantly. The Chinese Visa Application Service Facility will attempt its best to help them with modification or re-issuance of the visa. 1.6 “Clients” refers to any individual or a 3rd get together approved by the previous submitting a Chinese visa utility to the Chinese Visa Application Service Facility, together with individuals, travel agencies or different businesses. four.3 The Application Centre could collect Clients' Personal Information by way of phone, e mail, fax, application paperwork , online software system, online appointment system, video monitoring system and other media. Note that the Customer Service Center requires 2 weeks to process any appointment request previous to it reaching the International Office. Security checks can take anyplace from three business days to 3 months or extra, however most are approved in three to four weeks. https://www.chinavisa.com.tw/china-visa/ of the above-mentioned international locations who plan to travel and apply for a new visa stamp should be conscious of the potential for security clearances and plan for attainable delays. On November 29, 2016, airways might not present a boarding pass to a traveler who has a maximum validity (10-year) B1/B2, B1 or B2 visa in a People’s Republic of China-issued passport who doesn't have a sound EVUS enrollment recorded in their system. We anticipate that the vast majority of EVUS enrollments shall be processed and permitted within minutes. EVUS is designed to replace a traveler’s biographic and admissibility data on a periodic basis (every two years, or after acquiring a new passport and/or maximum validity (10-year) U.S. visa). However, you'll be unable to journey to the United States after November 29, 2016 until you have additionally enrolled in EVUS. How To Get A Chinese Visa In Hong Kong In 2020 The utilization fee of the seventy two or 144-hour TWOV scheme varies considerably relying on the port of entry. An immigration official in Kunming even said that it could take "a few weeks" earlier than they can see the subsequent passenger to utilize TWOV. The 5-year allow, which additionally serves because the de facto ID card in Mainland China, could be applied from journey companies in Taiwan and CTS in Hong Kong or Macau. Holders of the allow are allowed to enter Mainland China for any purpose and remain in Mainland China until the expiration date of the permit . Those who've settled in Mainland China, nevertheless, may elect to resume their permits in Mainland China, and so they can continue to reside in Mainland China supplied that their permits do not expire. A 30-day keep for each visit to Hong Kong can additionally be permitted with the power of the allow. There is a provision for Citizens from 74 international locations (including Canada, the united states, Mexico, U.K., Japan, India, and different E.U. countries) to enter Macao without making use of for a visa. The solely condition in which you can travel to China with the 2 passports is if the visa on the old passport is valid. The personal details on the two passports, like your name, birth date, nationality, and sex, are the identical. The data in the a name for participation consists of your full names, date of start, gender, passport number, and citizenship. You need to offer the official Chinese PU letter, and the invitation letter from the company in China. In this case, the more entries you have, the dearer the visa. For nations similar to Canada, U.S, and the U.K., there is a fastened fee regardless of the number of entries. Foreigners who wish to completely reside in China want to apply for this visa. Your choice must be the one that's appropriate on your scenario. Apply China Vacationer & Enterprise Visa Services San Diego, California For example, if applying for a visa with 6 months validity, a quantity of entries, and 30 days of each keep, the remaining validity of the passport should be no less than 7 months. Users making inquiries as regards visa application course of nonetheless shouldn't ask or reveal the passport number or private info while interacting by way of e mail with VFS GLOBAL and/or its third get together service providers/ vendors. Instead use of software reference number is beneficial. This can embody a replica of their legitimate driver’s license or authorities issued photo ID. A legitimate signed passport with no less than six months validity remaining and no much less than two blank visa page. We are a privately owned group that simplifies government-related passport data throughout all states. We created this mega-resource not as a end result of we love getting a passport, however because we grew tired of standing in lengthy lines on the passport agencies. To obtain a piece visa , you must have an employment license or a work permit issued by the Chinese authorities. But you have to apply to get a Residence Permit inside 30 days of entry into China. China visa type M is out there for foreigners who intend to go to China for commerce and commercial activities on behalf of their non-Chinese employer. You should also receive an invitation into the country by a China-based business to get this visa. It’s usually a single-entry visa whose typical period of stay is days. Please submit your visa utility well upfront to insure your visa is accredited in time. China Travel Service, Journey Company China, Tour Operators China China Travel International Investment Hong Kong Limited, an investment holding company, provides travel and tourism services. Its Hotel Operations section provides hotel lodging, and meals and beverage companies in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China. It also operates golf golf equipment; trades in laptop tools and provides pc companies; and offers journey and air ticketing company, entry allow handling company, gasoline provide, ship repairing, and logistics and courier companies. In addition, the corporate is involved in property investment; software program system improvement; and transport and shipping management actions, in addition to conference and exhibition operations. We are a Beijing primarily based actual travel agency with a lot expertise in offering the Tianjin Xingang Port private transfer service in addition to Beijing excursions. Founded in 2004, it expanded into a totally travel business generally identified as Silkroadtrips. And is now one of the largest adventure travel corporations in China specializing in lively strolling, trekking and cycling excursions. Jenny’s Shanghai excursions is a perfect possibility for these vacationers who would like to take their time strolling via the old streets of Shanghai and hearing the history and tradition behind every place from a neighborhood. What I’d love to do right here is offer you a list of beneficial China travel companies that may serve you whether you’re doing a cross-country, multi-city tour otherwise you just want to discover a day-trip in no matter metropolis you’ll be visiting. Tour-Beijing.Com is a reliable travel company based mostly in Beijing offering on-line Beijing journey consultancy as nicely as land association in your precise travel in Beijing. We have been providing online Beijing journey service because the year 22-August-2000. Over the years we have gained much expertise in serving our useful shoppers who wish to journey Beijing in style. Unlike many different tour operators, our head office is predicated in China. We invest on ongoing Research and Development to make sure the most effective experiences for our shoppers. And our native colleagues constantly update us on the latest advances in tourism infrastructure and give enter enabling us to repeatedly improve our tour packages. Tourism Bureau of the provinces, municipalities and autonomous areas is directly beneath the central authorities. Tourism Bureau is the administration management of native tourism vacation spot, which by the local Party committee, government and National Tourism Administration of the dual leadership. It is answerable for the administrative administration of tourism planning, administration and coordination. Newest Travel Information For China In many countries, the fee relies on the number of entries permitted in your visa. In this case, the extra entries you've, the more expensive the visa. For international locations corresponding to Canada, U.S, and the U.K., there is a mounted payment regardless of the variety of entries. Relatives and members of the family of foreigners studying or working in China can apply for the S Visa. Group visas can be found to tourists traveling in teams of 5 or more. This group should arrive, keep, and depart together—please examine our web page here on more particulars. As of August 1, 2015, travelers to China must meet a new requirement to discourage the chance of polio. Upon entry, you should present Chinese officials a polio vaccine certificate that's legitimate within the past 12 months . The Application Centre accepts no obligation of taking good care of any passport if clients fail to collect the paperwork earlier than the expiry of the visa. To show your function has been filled legitimately and to proceed your visa software, you’ll want to show that your employer has accomplished their duties in informing the authorities. There are a number of completely different variations of the documents which can be utilized for this, including getting a foreigner’s employment permit and an invite letter from your employer. The choices open to you depend upon the function sort and the way lengthy you intend to stay in China. If you are planning a trip abroad and you are in doubt as as to whether you need a visa or not, all the time verify along with your destination's embassy to verify what documents you should gain entry. Visitors must apply roughly one month before their trip; they received't be granted a visa on the port of entry. U.S. citizens planning to go to China's mainland must apply for an entry visa through the Chinese Embassy or Consulate-General. What Is The Major Purpose Of Your Go To To China And Which Is Probably The Most Appropriate Visa Class On Your Utility Unfortunately, I didn’t understand that originally–I thought I might stay till the visa’s expiration date. So now the PSB desires me to pay a fine of 11,000 RMB for overstaying. I am a U.S. citizen doing a Master’s diploma on a Chinese Government Scholarship at a Chinese University in Shanghai. For example, if a mid-career pupil visa applicant for an MBA merely indicates her duties at her financial institution as “administration, calculate budget” and is passive at the interview, the consul could additionally be lower than impressed. It was once for “visiting family and friends” and now it is just for visiting family . At this date last yr it was still okay to get pals to invite you. Notify ISS of the next changes and request an up to date I-20. Keep each I-20 in your everlasting record, even after you graduate. Do not discard the old ones, even from earlier schools. Official U S Department Of State Visa Appointment Service Starting 31 December 2021, all appointments in the Philippine Embassy in Seoul for passport utility and renewal will solely be made by way of the Department of Foreign Affairs-Philippines Global Online Appointment System . Please note that appointments for passport applications worldwide can solely be made by way of the DFA GOAS system. Please click on this link to obtain an appointment through the net appointment system. The processing payment is $4.00, and if you're permitted, there's an extra $10.00 authorization cost. Transit C-1, D, and C-1/D visas are for crewmembers of sea vessels or international airlines traveling to the united states A group of scammers used bots to accumulate and resell passport software appointments from the us Department of State, which was pressured to take its appointment system offline. Be certain to select the proper appointment sort – “Passport services” or “Request notarial and other services” – as failure to do so may result in rescheduling. If you reschedule greater than once, then you may be required to pay a model new visa application charge as a penalty. To apply for an appointment waiver, you should either choose the choice online or call the VAC the place you are applying. The VAC will verify whether you would possibly be eligible for a visa interview waiver and they will let you realize whether or not you'll nonetheless must schedule an appointment or not. Also, there are some visa categories which do not qualify for an appointment waiver. These are the applicants who need to get an E-3, T, U, H-1, or blanket L-1 visa.

#台胞證

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felicitysmoaksx · 2 years

Text

JJ’s Fic Masterlist Updated 7/29/23

Marvel Comics

The One Where Tony Survives (Alt Endgame Universe) || WIP (Series)

A Handful of Moments I Wished I Could Change (And a Tongue like a Nightmare that Cut like a Blade) || Complete || One Shot

Two Worlds (One Family) || Complete || One Shot

The Darcy Lewis Chonicles (Series)

Just Tony || Darcy Lewis and Tony Stark || One Shot

Julie and The Phantoms

Found a Time and Space || WIP || Multi-Chapter || Juke & Williex

In These Small Hours (Series) || Complete

Hollywood Tragedy Aftermath || Complete || Bobby | Trevor Wilson Centric

Do You Hear That Love? || Complete || One Shot || Willie x Alex

Melancholy Kaleidoscope || Complete || One Shot || Julie x Luke

Little Wonders (These Twists and Turns of Fate) || Complete || One Shot || Julie x Luke and Willie x Alex

One Chicago

You Held Me Up on Your Shoulders Way Up High || Chicago Med and Chicago Fire || WIP || Multi-Chapter || Sarah Reese and Kelly Severide

It Was a One Night Stand Until I Woke Up Next to You || Chicago PD || WIP (Series)

It Was a One Night Stand Until I Woke Up Next to You || WIP || Multi-Chapter || Jay Halstead x Kim Burgess

Blood Thicker Than Water || One Shot || Complete || Jay Halstead x Kim Burgess

Married But As Friends (Series) Chicago Med || Complete

Delicate || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

You Could Still See the Best in Me || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Cause I Clutched Your Arms like Stairway Railings || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Freeze Time, Baby Rewind || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Friends Don't Look at Friends That Way || Chicago Med || Complete || Multi-Chapter || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Come Back Be Here (Series) || Complete

Never Stop || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Guilty by Association || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

If I Drift in the Wrong Direction (You Turn the Tide) || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

You & Me || Chicago Med || Complete || Multi-Chapter || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Reader Imagines (Series)

Apartment Fire || One Chicago || Complete || One Shot || Jay Halstead & Disabled fem!reader Halstead sibling

Doctor Visit || One Chicago || Complete || One Shot || Halstead brothers Will & Jay Halstead & Disabled fem!reader Halstead sibling, and Manstead if you squint

One Chicago Soulmate AU || WIP (Series)

Your Words (Burned into My Skin) || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

In Your Eyes (and it all makes sense) || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Sweet Nothing (All You Wanted From Me Was) || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Long Story Short || WIP (Series)

Rare as a Glimmer of a Comet || Chicago Med || Complete || One Shot || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Voight Family Values || WIP (Series)

Yeah, I Just Wanna Take You Home || Chicago Med || Complete || Multi-Chapter || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Hold On, I Still Want You || Chicago Med || Complete || Multi-Chapter || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

Bottled Up Feelings are Silently Screaming (You Were Breaking Down) || Chicago Med || WIP || Multi-Chapter || Sarah Reese x Connor Rhodes

DC TV

What Happened in Russia, Didn’t Stay in Russia || Arrow || Oliver x Felicity (An AU season 2 rewrite) || WIP (Series)

You’ll Always Be My Girl (or Felicity’s first scar and Oliver’s lecture) || Complete || One Shot

Slade’s Promise (Or Oliver’s Overprotective But with Good Reason) || Compete || One Shot

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hohoz · 3 years

Text

The ones that suffer the most

I wanted to talk about this for a long time.

I’m a Resident evil addicted, I finished almost every RE game released and I must say that Capcom made some poor choices regarding Jill and Chris, they are EASILY the most mistreated characters in RE Franchise.

But let’s explain why is that:

Jill and Chris are survivors, they had to survive in a mansion with a lot of puzzles and zombies, while looking for items that could help them to progress and find a way to reach Brad.

When they arrive at STARS Office, they are revolted that Umbrella did all that under their noses and innocents were dying because of that and they explained EVERYTHING in a report - but Irons made that go away.

In the ORIGINAL RE3 we had this special file (Jill’s Diary)

August 7th Two weeks have passed since that day. My wounds have been healed, but I just can't forget it. For most people, it's history now. But for me, whenever I close my eyes, it all comes back clearly. Zombies eating people's flesh and the screams of my teammates dying. No, the wounds in my heart are not healed yet...

August 13th Chris has been causing a lot of trouble recently. What's with him? He seldom talks to the other police members and is constantly irritated. The other day, he punched Elran of the Boy's Crime department just for accidentally splashing Chris's face with coffee. I immediately stopped Chris, but when he saw me he just gave me a wink and walked away. I wonder what happened to him...

August 15th Midnight. Chris, who has been on a leave of absence for a "vacation," called me so I visited his apartment. As soon as I walked into his room, he showed me a couple of pieces of paper. They were part of a virus research report entitled as simply as "G". Then Chris told me that, "The nightmare still continues." He went on to say that, "It's not over yet." Ever since that day, he has been fighting all by himself without rest, without even telling me.

August 24th Chris left the town today to go to Europe. Barry told me that he would send his family to Canada and then he would follow Chris. I decided to remain in Raccoon City for a while because I know that the research facility in this city will be very important to this entire case. In a month or so, I'll be joining with them somewhere in Europe. That's when my real battle begins...

For some weird reason this file isn’t available in RE3 Remake.

But ok, here we see that Chris was doing some investigation - in the RE2RMK you could see this letter that Chris left in a way that normal people wouldn't understand - the only thing that Claire says is that “doesnt look like him” but how normies would understand what Chris is like is he is not well represented in media ??????????????????

And Jill had all the detective work in her wall.

So far so good - we understand the basics about them - they are Special police force, the elite, they had a traumatic experience and they survived to tell the story.

Some problems until now:

Jill had a MAJOR personality change in RE3 RMK- I honestly like most of that, she is a badass in the originals and she is a badass in the rmk but I still dislike the fact that she swears all the time (specially because in RE1, RE Rev, RE5 she doesn't do that)

We can tell a lot about her personality just looking at her room, but I still miss some stuff (I had expectations - so this is not a real problem. but still) like a Vinyl player (since she is probably into classical music), some letters from her father so new players can understand her origin and why is she so good in lockpicking and more about her dog (she had a pic in the original that could’ve been her boyfriend but it was replaced by a dog in RE2 rmk but in RE3 Rmk there in no dog)

Okay - after you finish the game the only thing we see is this:

In my opinion this is Chris since he is always associated with Green colors while Jill is associated with blue.

So my speculation here is that she found him while in the original we had this:

This is not a major chance but still is important (lore of course - duh) but the problem here is that while Jill is looking for him - Code Veronica is happening.

So I can only assume two things, they did not show him because they DON’T HAVE A FACE FOR HIM or I am wrong and that is Jill, but if that is Jill so why there is no decent epilogue like the original ?

Okay, now we are arriving in the real trouble area

I will do RE5 first and the Wii and Rev1 (even tho those two comes first in the lore)

RESIDENT EVIL 5

So before the game was release we had some propaganda, including this:

So have in mind that Jill was dead, I thought that she died and RE5 would explain that shit.

But in the beginning we see that Chris is looking for her and have in mind that Chris HAD A MAJOR CHANCE IN HIS APPEARANCE, and I’m not talking about his muscles.

I will not address Chris in CV since he was good in that game but I the team that made CV also made the original, it had CONSISTENCE.

Here we have Chris, he’s THE classical american soldier protagonist from Hollywood in the 80′s/90′s and he had some omage to TOPGUN

He also shares some traits with his sister

A major trait here is that HE HAS BLUE EYES, typical good looking soldier from US.

and now let’s have a look at Chris in RE5...

Yeah... I still hate this face even tho I love his Character in this game, this ugly a** monkey looking mf and he had a lot of steroids

So we have some lore to him in RE5, Jill and Chris went to a mansion looking for Spencer (one of the fathers of Umbrella and the one that was behind project Wesker, he wanted to do this Virus so he could live forever, so RE has a good lore, it’s not just about zombies) but when they found him, he was dead and Wesker was by his side, in a fight Jill sacrificed herself to save Chris’s life.

Chris started doing mission after mission because her body was never found, and he made a name for himself, he became a ‘legend’ inside BSAA and you can see that in the beginning of RE5.

The reason behind the muscles was probably to fight Wesker mano to mano but still is not well made, it really felt weird playing for the first time.

So now we have a problem here, there is thing that you use in a narrative that is to make someone strong af powerless, and they did that to Jill. (a good example of this is in TWD- Ricky is a fucking legend and Negan made him powerless in the face of a event)

Jill was used in a Boss fight and that is it... She is not in the game as a character, she is being manipulated and her whole design was changed, she looks like Nina from Tekken. WTF. - BTW, the fact that Wesker had mind control over her created 1000 fics of sex

So that is it, my main problem here isnt Jill itself, but it’s the fact that they used her character as a boss even tho she is the heroine, she never appears in RE lore again until some guy inside Capcom said “Well people are asking about Jill so let’s place a file in Rev2 saying that she is in rehab”

The only time that she appears again is in a 3DS NINTENDO ONLY game, it felt that Capcom simply don’t care about her character.

By the way Revelations 1 is a great game and was adaptable some years later for PC and consoles

But you think that this is bad, wait until we arrive at RESIDENT EVIL 6

When I learned that Jill was not in RE6 I was mad... But after I played that game I said “thank you God” that game was bad, transformers kind of bad, it had bad writing, the lore was all over the place and Chris was the one that suffered the most in this game.

He was responsible for the death of an entire squad, suffered amnesia and people still wanted him in the command

THEY MADE HIM AN ALCOHOLIC

The golden boy of BSAA reduced to THIS.

By the way, the director said that HE WANTED TO KILL CHRIS IN THIS GAME to SUBVERT EXPECTATIONS - so if you liked Piers now that he died only because of that.

So now let’s analyse what we know:

The first 2 main characters are not well represented in media until RE6, they don’t know how to re introduce Jill in the games and Chris was reduced to a normal guy at a Russian bar;

But it gets worse...

Capcom LOVE Leon, we know that. he is always the hero, he is the protagonist in almost every movie and he is always the cool guy so when he get’s a new model, he looks like this:

But When Chris get’s a new face he look like this:

WHO DAFUQ ARE U, no offense to the model but he has NEGATIVE JAW LINE.

And still he doesn't look like Claire’s brother, there is no blue/green eyes and he looks younger that he was in 6 (and 6 still uses that ugly character model)

But let’s go in the lore- we HAVE 0 info on Jill in RE6 / RE7 and no sight of her in RE8

And speaking of which, they tried to make Chris the bad guy in the trailer so when we play we see “Ohhhh he was not the bad guy, that happened and that is why he did that”

But still...

If they are going to do that to his character don’t use this character, shit ! Do something with that Wesker’s son that made 0 sense in RE6 but leave Chris out of this - it really feels that they simply don’t know how to treat him right

And you may think that I may be complaining a lot because of his appearance

But this is him in RE8

(to me this is some random dude from Russia)

And this is him in RE:Verse (that is going to be release TOGETHER)

So this tells me that they have 0 clue of how to handle his looks

Jill got RE3Rmk but it felt like a cheap game compared to RE2Rmk where the original RE3 was SO MUCH BETTER

And this is bad because there are so many new fans joining the fandom only to see 2 great characters suffering from poor director’s choices.

I’m sorry about this rant, if you like Chris face and looks its okay, really, but dont tell me that Chris from 5/6/8 is the same from 1/CV and if you think im wrong about Jill its fine, but she is an amazing character that could have so much more impact in RE universe (I mean, she never even appeared in a RE movie - animations)

But it’s sad to see so many characters that receive good representation in media and good games/lore while Jill get’s almost none and Chris is handled like random face guy.

I was going to talk a little bit more about Rev 1 and RE Umbrella Chronicles but there is no need since Im mad right now and it seems that Capcom has 0 interest in making Code Veronica and Umbrella’s fall after that since their fav boy Leon need a rmk in RE4 even tho RE4 is not that old.

Bonus:

Fun fact: Chris served in the Air force, so yeah, to me even Tom Cruise looks more like Chris than Chris from the games

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qqueenofhades · 3 years

Note

... Remember the Russian Revolution au? Which ended with Fedyor's sister very sick and Fedyor searching for Ivan in hopes of getting help for her from him? Fedyor finding Ivan and offering to do "anything" in exchange for his sister's medical treatment? Ivan secretly wanting Fedyor, but refusing to take what he wants like that? Soooo... I would also like the big the big 3 of your coming projects to happen, but... y'know... just.... wanted to bring this au up again... ;)

Behold, the oft-requested follow-up to the first two Russian Revolution au ficlets. Ahem.

Fedyor does not sleep that night. He does not even think about sleeping. He only leaves the army headquarters long enough to think hard about what he is proposing to do, wonder if it is worth it, and decide that it is. Katya needs the medicine, he has no other recourse, and he is categorically unwilling to return home to his family as a failure, when they have placed all their trust and hope in him. Ivan has hinted that he might be able to obtain it, and so that, no matter what it takes, is what Fedyor will have to get him to do. And for that…

He knows that he is not unattractive. He has dark eyes, dark hair, a dimpled smile, a personable and friendly manner that, in happier times, attracted the attention of many an eligible young lady who wished to ice skate or promenade around the park or take a carriage ride, as courting Russian couples are wont to do. However, while Fedyor was perfectly happy to chat with ladies, or escort them to a ball, or fulfill his essential chivalric duty, he was not otherwise interested in wooing them. It was partly for that reason that he signed up to the military, where an enterprising young man can have other opportunities in the darkness of the barracks. So long as his family was kept conveniently unaware.

For all that the Bolsheviks have overthrown the government without a clear plan as to what to do next, and accordingly plunged them all into this miserable civil war, Fedyor does secretly sympathize with certain of their beliefs on the remaking of family life. They say that marriage is outdated and bourgeoisie, that monogamy is unnatural, that women should not be subject to patriarchal systems, and that homosexuality is an equally valid state of nature. Such a possibility of sexual classification and divergence is much discussed in Europe these days, and there is even a small but growing scholarly literature, written by eminent scientists. Sexual Inversion by Havelock Ellis, published in 1896, argues that the man-loving man is indeed even a possibly improved form of human, associated with superior intellectual and artistic achievement, and that nothing about his attachment is wrong or abnormal. Two years before that, Edward Carpenter wrote Homogenic Love, and in 1900, the German Elisar von Kupffer published an anthology of homosexual poetry, Lieblingminne und Freundesliebe in der Weltliteratur. Such texts are relatively easy for an educated, French- and English- speaking young Russian intellectual, such as Fedyor Mikhailovich Kaminsky, to lay his hands on. He is not sure what can come of it, but at least he knows that he is not alone.

The question remains as to Ivan Ivanovich Sakharov’s proclivities. Unless Fedyor is very much mistaken, Ivan was at least considering the possibility of accepting his offer, and turned it down for honorable, moral reasons, feeling it unjust to sexually extort a young gentleman in exchange for his sister’s care, rather than physical horror at the idea of such a coupling. If he’s a Bolshevik, he’s probably acceptably tolerant of their philosophy on an abstract level, but it’s less clear as to whether that extends to its personal practice. If Fedyor turns up in his bunkhouse – which, come to think of it, is probably shared, curse these Bolsheviks and their dratted communality, highly inconvenient for a midnight seduction attempt – scantily clad and willing, will Ivan’s objections hold out then? Or… or what?

Fedyor doesn’t know, but the uncertainty adds to the frisson of shameful excitement, rather than detracting from it. He searches through the streets of Chelyabinsk for some bread (it does not seem in much greater supply than in Nizhny Novgorod) and waits for the sun to go down. In March, the days, though getting steadily longer, are still short and chilly, and it’s bitingly cold when it gets dark. Then he pulls up his muffler, tells himself not to be unduly precious about it, and heads for the makeshift army quarters on Kirovka Street.

The buildings in downtown are beautiful, built in the Russian Revival style of neo-Byzantinian splendor, though the onion-domed Orthodox churches have all been converted into stables and armories, and anything that whiffs of an ideology contrary to the Red one has been economically discarded. Fedyor reaches the door, knocks, and when a disgruntled sergeant comes to answer it, expecting him to be a soldier out too late and in line for a ticking-off, Fedyor raises his hands apologetically. “I’ve come to join up,” he says. “The great socialist cause of the world’s workers is the only true one for a patriotic Russian man, and I vow it my full allegiance, if you will have me. I was speaking to my friend earlier, Ivan Ivanovich, and he suggested it. Is he still here?”

The sergeant eyes him squiggle-eyed, but they cannot afford to look gift horses too closely in the mouth, or turn aside willing recruits. It takes a while, but he shouts for someone who shouts for someone else, and this finally produces the startled personage of Ivan Sakharov, who clearly thought it was for the last time when they parted several hours ago. Upon sight of Fedyor, he stops short, looking alarmed, angry, and wary all at once. “What are you – ?”

“Can we talk?” Fedyor is resolved to do this, he truly is, but he feels it best to get it over with before that wavers in any degree. Whether he wants it too little does not seem like the problem; on the contrary, he fears that he wants it too much, and if he stops to reflect on it or delude himself with any nonsensical notions of it being more than once, that can only hurt the cause. “Somewhere… private?”

Ivan hesitates, as if asking to commune out of sight of the others is tantamount to heresy (though it’s not as if these damn hypocrites didn’t plot in secret, away from their own countrymen, for months and months, Fedyor thinks angrily). Then he jerks his head. “Fine. Five minutes. This way.”

He leads Fedyor up a few narrow, creaking staircases, past closed doors that echo with snorting and snoring and coughing, the cacophony of his comrades, none of whom seem to be enjoying their glorious victory quite as much as they thought. Ivan, however, appears to be sufficiently high-ranking in the Red Guards that the room they finally arrive at, though not much larger than a closet, is at least private. It reminds Fedyor forcibly of Ivan’s room back in St. Petersburg, the one they slept in together, that first night after the Winter Palace. It sounds more intimate in his recollections than it actually was. Nothing happened, of course. But Ivan was kind to offer it, kind when he did not need to be, when a young tsarist soldier alone in the ferment of riot and revolution, such as Fedyor was, would not be likely to see the new red dawn. It is that which Fedyor keeps in mind as he shuts the door with assumed casualness, then turns around, meets Ivan’s eye in a significant fashion, and shrugs off his coat, cap, and muffler. Then, unmistakably, starts to unbutton his shirt.

He has almost gotten to the bottom by the time Ivan, who is staring at him as if he’s lost his marbles (it is unclear if this is an encouraging fashion or not) finally recovers his sense. He strides forward and covers Fedyor’s hands with his own large, callused rifleman’s fingers, sending a shock of attraction burning through Fedyor from head to toe, along with the death of any more illusion that he could continue to be casual about this. “What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Fedyor’s throat is as dry as a bone, but he forces himself to speak. “I said that I would do anything for my sister’s care, if you would help.”

He lingers suggestively on the word anything, just as he did before, in case there was any doubt (as if the undressing wasn’t enough) what he means here. Ivan looks like a cornered bear, but as his eyes catch Fedyor’s and flick across the lean, muscled torso thus revealed beneath the shirt, he swallows hard and has to glance away. The attraction trembles silently in the air between them, tense as a piano string, tuned to snapping. In the old days, that is, when people played pianos, and did not burn them for firewood, as Fedyor’s parents were preparing to do with theirs when he left home. It chokes raw and painful in his throat. He is attracted to Ivan – desperately attracted, in fact – and yet he still hates what the Bolsheviks have done, even if the Romanovs and the Provisional Government were no better. The deposed Tsar Nicholas II is under house arrest with his wife and five children, the four tsarevnas and the tsarevich, in Yekaterinburg. Little sick Alexei Romanov, whose hemophilia opened the door for Grigori Rasputin to control the queen, the royal household, the government of Russia, and so bring about the end of their house. He was like something from a fairytale monster, that Grisha. The rumors of his death, not quite two years ago in December 1916, is that it almost did not happen, he was so hard to kill. A demon. A beast.

“You cannot do this,” Ivan says, his voice too rough, his eyes still struggling to remain decorously averted. “It is not – it is not right.”

“Not right?” Fedyor flares. “So a little spot of armed treason and overthrowing the man who, however deficient he might be, was the heir of one of the oldest and greatest empires in the world? That part was entirely aboveboard, but this, when you want this – don’t lie to me, I’m well aware you do – to help my sister? That would be a sin?!”

Ivan backs up a step, glancing around shiftily. These walls are thin, and he clearly does not want his beloved brothers-in-arms to hear this. “Fedyor Mikhailovich – ”

“Have me.” Fedyor is done playing games. “I’m here, I’m yours for the taking. You can do whatever you want to me, as long as you give me the medicine at the end.”

For a long, spellbound moment, he thinks Ivan is on the brink of agreeing. Then once again, he shakes his head. “No,” he says. “I could not in good conscience consent to this. But I will fetch you the medicine. You do not have to give me anything in return.”

Fedyor gawks at him, shocked – and, it must be confessed, more than a little disappointed. “I thought it was fair trade,” he says. “Tit for tat.”

“It is…” Ivan shakes his head, eyes once more straying to Fedyor’s bare chest. “Button your shirt up,” he says, half-laughing, not angry, breathless and soft. “It is very distracting.”

“Good.” Fedyor takes another step. “I think you deserve it, you obnoxious bastard.”

“Be that as it may.” At least Ivan has the good sense not to dispute it. “I cannot do this,” he repeats, more gently. “You are a fine young man, Fedyor Mikhailovich. Perhaps in another life… but it would not be honorable to trade your virtue for this.”

“My virtue?” Fedyor has to laugh. “What makes you think I have that?”

Once again, Ivan wavers. But to give him (loathing) credit, he will not be swayed. “Button it,” he repeats. “I will arrange to have the money and medicine sent by your lodging by tomorrow, if you give me an address in the city.”

“I don’t have one.” Fedyor folds his arms. “Only here.”

Ivan looks even more startled. His lips part, he takes a step forward, and for a brief, wild, exquisite yearning of an instant, Fedyor thinks he is actually going to kiss him. They’re almost close enough – not quite, but almost – for it to happen. Then Ivan says, “Your family must be very proud of you.”

“I…” It catches in his throat. “I don’t know. I hope.”

“I would,” Ivan says. “I would be.”

And that, somehow, is all that seems to matter. Even as Fedyor spends a night in Ivan’s narrow camp cot of a bed, Ivan insisting on taking the hard floor out of an excess of gallantry, an echo of their first night in St. Petersburg. Ivan does as ordered, gives Fedyor some rubles and some medicine and a train ticket back home to Nizhny Novgorod. He personally escorts Fedyor to the train station to make sure he does not come to grief, then stands on the platform, staring after him like Vronsky watching Anna leave one more time. The train begins to huff and puff, spitting soot and embers, and Fedyor keeps his nose pressed to the glass, leaving a smudge, until long after, as it seems he is never destined to do anything but, Ivan Ivanovich Sakharov has vanished into the mist.

#heartrender husbands #fivan #fivan ff #ivan x fedyor #russian revolution au

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apollodrome · 3 years

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1- the logical thinking indicates that the most probably option is usually the correct option, for example, if a man has lung cancer the most likely option is that is lung cancer is related to his tabaquism, the same aplly on this case, if a person with morbid obesity has some kind of circulation problem then the most likely option is that is related to the weight of that person, now about your question, if you wanna know how morbid obesity relates to health problems then my answer is

2 - read a goddanm biology book (or just google it), the answer is right there, you dont need to ask a random person on the internet about that, and guess what, you cannot put links into asks so im unable to give you the link to any kind of article explaining that, if you wanna know the corelation then just search morbid obesity on wikipedia.

---

This ask is about this post where a woman's health issues are blamed by doctors on her weight, so she loses the weight, and when doctors see that her health issues have not gotten better, but have gotten worse, they order tests that they should have ordered months ago.

I think you misunderstand the point of the post. Let's take the obesity out of this. A woman goes to the doctor for severe cramps, sleepiness during the day, memory and balance problems. Doctors refuse to treat her. That's all there is to this issue - a woman has gone to a medical professional with a set of symptoms, and the medical professional did not test her for the conditions that have the above symptoms.

You give me an example in your ask of smokers having an increased risk of lung cancer, so let's apply this analogy here. A smoker goes to the doctor and says, "doctor, I have difficulty breathing, a painful cough that doesn't go away for months, I lost 50 pounds in less than a month, pain in my hands, fingers and chest." These are very common symptoms of lung cancer. So, what you're advocating for, is that the doctor should refuse to order any tests for the patient, tell them to stop smoking, and send them on their way. We know that some health risks are associated with obesity, in the same way that lung cancer is associated with smoking, so should we not be testing those people for those diseases more often?

People whose father has died of heart disease are at more risk of heart disease, so we test those people for heart disease when they mention they have symptoms. People whose family has ADHD are more at risk of having ADHD, so we test those people for ADHD when they mention they have symptoms. Why is obesity any different? If a disease has already developed, losing weight will do nothing except for decrease that initial risk, but it's past that already if they HAVE THE DISEASE. They have to be treated for the disease. Thin people can get heart attacks, and non smokers can get lung cancer or develop asthma, so why do those people go to the doctor with those symptoms and get tested, and obese people don't?

In some of your replies on that post, you have used this Wikipedia page as your source. On the same page, it says,

"While a majority of obese individuals at any given time are attempting to lose weight and often successful, research shows that maintaining that weight loss over the long term proves to be rare." (Wikipedia includes a reference for this, I've linked it here).

I am using the same research you are using to argue my point. If an obese individual walks into a doctor's office with symptoms of a heart condition, and is told to lose weight, they are basically sentenced to death. As we can see above, long term weight loss may lead to more health risks, and is actually very rare in most people (less than 1 in 100 obese people manage to lose the weight and stay at the new weight), and so if a doctor tells an obese person not to come back until she has lost all of the weight, she may actually die before she comes back to the doctor.

Obesity is an issue, and does increase the risks of some conditions. However, according to the same Wikipedia article you and I have both been using,

"obesity has individual, socioeconomic, and environmental causes, including diet, physical activity, automation, urbanization, genetic susceptibility, medications, mental disorders, economic policies, endocrine disorders, and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals."

I don't want to assume you're enough of a heartless monster to say "obese people brought this on themselves and therefore deserve to suffer and die due to medical malpractice" as a response to my above point, but JUST IN CASE YOU WERE, that's a whole lot of people you're condemning. You're condemning children who grow up in poverty and whose parents can only afford McDonald's (cheaper than vegetables in the USA), you're condemning my uncle, who had a deadly thyroid issue that wasn't treated in time (he grew up in Soviet Russia) and messed up his metabolism so bad he currently exercises for 3 hours a day but is still extremely overweight. You're condemning people with pcos, people with hyperthyroidism, people with eating disorders and depression. All of those people, in your opinion, do not deserve medical treatment.

With what we now know, let's summarise.

Fact 1: people who are obese have a higher risk of developing certain disorders, in the same way that someone with a family history of heart problems may develop heart problems, however, no disease is directly CAUSED by obesity and obesity alone. If that were the case, thin people wouldn't get those diseases at all, but I know many thin people with narcolepsy, cancers, and heart issues.

Fact 2: obesity can be caused by many factors, not just eating a lot of junk food. I've already mentioned hyperthyroidism, eating disorders, pcos, and poverty as some of those factors, but there are more. A lot of those factors are not the fault of the obese individual. We also know that once someone is already obese, keeping off weight that they lose is extremely difficult and takes a long time.

Fact 3: when a smoker goes to the doctor with symptoms of lung cancer, they are told to stop smoking, but they are also SCREENED FOR LUNG CANCER and TREATED IF THERE IS LUNG CANCER PRESENT.

Fact 4: according to the woman in the original post, she went to the doctor with symptoms of narcolepsy and other issues, was told to lose weight, BUT WAS NOT TESTED FOR THE DISEASES SHE IS AT RISK FOR, OR TREATED.

Do you see my point now? Yes, obesity is linked to diseases, but that should mean that people who are obese are screened and treated MORE OFTEN, not less or god forbid not treated at all. Preventing obesity by exercising and eating well is something we should definitely do ON A GLOBAL SCALE (better mental health help for people with depression/eating disorders, cheaper vegetables for people in poverty, more education, less fast food places), to decrease our risk of the diseases that obesity is associated with increasing the risk for (type two diabetes, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, certain cancers), but if someone is already obese, weight loss is no longer a cure, and actual treatment needs to be administered. Weight loss was never a cure, it is a PREVENTATIVE MEASURE, and not even a good one according to the evidence I've provided above. Healthy eating and exercise are good preventative measures, but they do not always contribute to weight loss. So why do doctors prescribe weight loss in the form of pills and calorie restriction, rather than eating HEALTHY and exercising? ALSO, if weight loss was a cure, non-obese cancer patients, non-obese people with narcolepsy, and non-obese people with eating disorders would also be told to lose weight rather than given treatment. So why is weight loss the ONLY treatment doctors give obese people? Obesity is much more complicated than a person just eating a lot of junk and getting fat, that's not how it works.

You know how we "eliminate the most probable option"? WE TEST THE PATIENT FOR IT, AND IF THE TEST COMES BACK NEGATIVE WE ELIMINATE THE OPTION. Why was the woman in the post not tested, and why do you advocate for this? Why do you think a group of people deserves medical attention less than others?

Here's another analogy. Wearing a mask and staying six feet away from others is a PREVENTATIVE MEASURE for covid. When a person already has covid, they are not told to wear a mask and stay six feet away from others. They are put in a hospital and treated. What you are advocating for is akin to sending a person with covid symptoms away with a mask, and not treating them at all.

To summarise: correlation is not causation, all people deserve medical help (people who are turned away from doctors a LOT are women, people of colour, and fat people. Medical discrimination needs to be eradicated in all of those cases) and you are in no position to decide who deserves to be treated and who doesn't.

I'm not overweight myself. I just care about people receiving the medical treatment they need and deserve, regardless of what they look like or what other conditions they already may have. I recommend really looking at yourself and examining the biases you have against fat folks, and figuring out how to become better as a person. You seem to enjoy giving unsolicited medical advice, so here's some from me: stop being a dick.

#apollo answers #fatphobia #death tw #mentions of covid 19 tw #i hope they read and understand this #fat shaming

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ranjish-hi-sahih · 3 years

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let’s talk about the deaths in Vincenzo, shall we? pt.2

i was so scared that they were gonna go the whole route of this is too gruesome to show on tv and that we can’t have a women tortured *how scandalous*. but holy hell, man they went for it. and poetic justice at its best, huh.

next up on our list is ms. choi, the evil queen if you will. she is our main villain’s right hand man, meaning she puts into action his orders. now we don’t get any reason, any justification for why she is the way she is. the writers don’t give us an overused plot about how her childhood was bad so she became bad or how she’s just someone after money. choi’s evil is not explained or reasoned by emotional trauma nor the appeal of material wealth. meaning she is just what it says on the box. evil. not for the sake of but maybe despite all of it. a lot of people were put off by the fact that the writers gave han-seok psychopathy and called it lazy writing. they argued that why couldn't he be evil just because. well i would argue that they already gave us that character in choi. choi became the agent that facilitated the deaths of so many and she commemorated those deaths by doing that frankly nauseating zumba routine. she danced while others wept. similarly her death is representative of that. her feet that rejoiced while others suffered-mutilated. she is bathed in gasoline (?) and then set on fire as vincenzo walks away all while that horrendous music plays in the background. she was rarely an audience to the deaths she had caused so no one is an audience to hers. i imagine that fire had the power of all the curses thrown at her by the families of the bereaved. and fuck, it must have hurt like a bitch but no one can say she didn't deserve it.

moving on to our big bad villain who is neither big nor bad, mr. jang han-seok. vincenzo calls him a kid and well that sums up what i think of him. he profited off of the pain and suffering of others. dad, his brother, those that worked for him. it is then quite apt that a bird feeds off of him, pecks his still warm corpse. humans can’t directly benefit from his death. he is not worth it but a bird sure can. he became fodder in his death. also birds are usually associated with death, especially back ones that imply mourning. also the whole russian mafia tactic thing. han-seok loved speaking english in his mad moments. he is from the states. historically who’s been america’s no.1 enemy? russia. maybe i’m reading too much into it but seems a bit too specific if you ask me. his death is long, painful, brutally drawn out but most importantly mechanical. he loved pulling the strings, didn’t he. well boy how do you like it now. it is also disgustingly pathetic that even in the face of iminent death all he can offer is money.

if y’all wanna know more read edgar allen poe’s the raven. i don’t want to comment on han-seok’s psychopathy because i hold no authority on that topic. though from what i do know, they portrayed his psychopathy pretty well.

the onus, it is said falls onto the second party when engaged with a psychopath and on that note, next one will be about our baby boy han-seo. it’ll take me a while to calm down and write that so...wish me luck.

#vincenzo #i have thoughts #death meta ?#bear with me

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theparanormalperiodical · 3 years

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Top 10 Scariest Haunted & Cursed Cars You Don’t Want To See In Your Rear View

The Flying Dutchman is an age-old ghost story.

It’s cherished. It’s the OG. It’s an urban legend we can trace back as far as the 17th century.

Supposedly containing the spirits of sailors that died at sea and sighted throughout imperial history, it is a myth we still pass down through the generations via word of mouth.

But this is not the only ship associated with the paranormal.

From the Caleuche to the Queen Mary, vessels glowing with a ghostly green aura or containing lost spirits are supposedly still sailing the seven seas.

This isn’t the 17th century.

As the years went by, advancements in travel did, too.

Humans no longer travel mainly by boat. They started taking trains and they started using cars.

And so a new era of ghostlore was born: the phantom vehicle.

They’re the cursed cars that have driven through striking moments in our history. They’re the apparitions of trains that choo-choo on the anniversary of tragic events.

They’re haunted ‘n’ haunting.

And we’re going to talk about them.

*revvs engine*

*stalls*

*finally gets in the right gear*

What is a phantom vehicle?

This is a vehicle that operates with no driver. It doesn’t just relate to cars operating all by themself, it is actually a term used in the insurance industry.

But back to the spooky.

The role of cars, trains n’ planes in ghostlore extends much further than forgetting to put your handbrake on your mum’s new VW Beetle when you snuck out to the pub after curfew.

Yeah, you can’t blame that dent where it backed up into the streetlight on a lost soul.

The paranormal phenomena associated with phantom vehicles is not just about cars driven by invisible spirits, however. The stories vary, whether it’s claims of mysterious curses killing all those that got behind the wheel, ghostly figures appearing near where they are stationed, or cars appearing in the rearview mirror and then vanishing into thin air.

Here’s the thing: cars, trains and motorcycles have grounded themselves mainly in modern urban legends. But ghost stories?

They aren’t as well known. They should be.

As cars amongst other forms of transport are commonplace in our daily lives, many tragic tales involve them.

When car production and ownership soared in 20th century America, the phantom vehicle took grip here first. It then began to traverse borders, migrating and evolving as it travelled most - notably to Asia. But such claims crop up all over the world.

Some of the most significant moments of our history involve cars. They have seen enough pain - and enough passengers - to surely capture some essence of the human spirit?

They’ve been owned by the dead, guided people to their final fate and transported the bodies back to resting places. That being said, human spirits are not the only entities mentioned in some of these tales.

All of these theories have been thrown up in the face of history, tragedy and the unexplained.

Black Volga

We start with an urban legend. The sort that is unfortunately based on an all-too-true story.

Throughout Russia, eastern Europe, Greece and Mongolia children are often told the tale of a black GAZ-21 car that slowly rolls through the streets looking for people to abduct. As with most urban legends, it encompassed local fears that came with the time. And most of these were rooted in prejudice.

The people behind the wheel were named as either priests, nuns, Jews, communists, the mafia, vampires or satanists. So, anyone the teller of the tale didn’t like.

The car is believed to be jet black with white rims and white curtains. Of course, this varies.

The most popular victims were children supposedly used to help cure the diseases of rich Westerners or Arabs, or for organ theft. If children weren’t being nicked to help cure leukemia, the car would rock up to simply kill innocent people.

Alternative versions talk of a more demonic version of the car (featuring horns and ‘666’ on the license plate cause, you know, less is more). In this case, the driver might ask a passer-by for the time before killing them when they came up to answer, or the time the passer-by gave would be the time they’d die the next day.

If Black Volga happens to roll down your street, simply answer ‘it’s god’s time’ and they’ll speed off into the distance.

The legend of Black Volga might not be based on actual satanists or even involve the devil himself. But it can be traced back to one of the darker chapters in eastern European and Russian history:

The GAZ-M1 cars were actively used by an internal Soviet ministry for mass repression. But the nature of the car kidnapping children is based on the predatory behaviour of the head of this ministry, Lavrentiy Beria.

During WW2, he would be driven around the streets of Moscow and merely point at various young women. They’d be smuggled away to his mansion to be brutalised by this known sexual predator.

The Lincoln Special

The circumstances surrounding Abraham Lincoln’s death were just as mysterious as what happened after it. Lincoln had his own encounters with the paranormal, predicting his own death and appearing in his old office long after he died.

But legend has it you can still see his funeral procession every year.

In 1865, The Lincoln Special finally hit the train tracks holding the body of Lincoln and his young son (who died a few years prior and was to be reburied with his father). It left Washington DC on April 21st 1865 for a 12 day journey to Illinois, leaving mourners up and down the country an opportunity to say goodbye to their president.

On the anniversary of the 12-day journey, people report witnessing a ghostly, white train glowing in the distance and hear a whistle call out to the darkness.

One of the most famous accounts of this was recited in the Wichita Herald in 1879 with a former switchman of the Hudson River Railroad:

“It was the night of April 24, 1866, as far as I can remember, that I first saw it. It was a phantom train. I was at my switch station and had a good while to wait before the next regular train was due I was about to retire into my little house when I heard a sullen, rumbling sound that gave me warning of the approach of a train.

Looking down the road I saw a headlight whose power and intensity I had never seen equaled in my experience of thirty years. There was a chill about the air that I couldn’t understand.”

He then went on to describe in detail the black procession including the people that were riding it. He claimed he saw it twice more after this sighting.

JFK’s Limousine

Lincoln was not the only US president to be on the other side of an assassin’s gun. And he was not the only one to have a vehicle draped in paranormal mystery.

If you don’t know the full story of Kennedy’s final moments, let me bring you up to speed: on November 22nd 1963, JFK and his wife rode in the back of a 1961 Lincoln 74A Convertible through Texas. However, Lee Harvey Oswald, a disturbed ex-marine that had been in-and-out of altercations with the law shot JFK and the governor of Texas, killing the president.

The Lincoln was still kept in service 8 years after his death with a colour change and greater safety precautions put in place so as to not remind the public of what took place in that car.

It can be seen in the Henry Ford Museum where it has been on display since 1978. But an apparition dressed in grey is often seen lingering near it, especially near November and the anniversary of the shooting.

Bullet Baba

This one is odd. Like, really odd.

In 1988, Om Singh Rathore lost control of his motorbike whilst travelling to Chotila (India) and he hit a tree. He died instantly - but the motorbike fell into a nearby ditch.

The morning after, the motorbike was taken to the police station. But when the dawn of a new day came, the police had a surprise on their hands. The bike was nowhere to be seen.

It was found back at the site of the accident.

So, they took it back, emptying the fuel tank and locking it up at the police station to make sure no one was tampering with the vehicle and taking it back to the site of the accident.

But it happened again. Every time they brought it back to the station, by the morning it would return to the ditch it was found in. The locals quickly got wind of the story, believing it to be a miracle and worshipping the ‘Bullet Bike’.

They even built a temple to worship it. Those that visit the shrine pray to the bike and its owner to protect them in their travels. Those that fail to pray are allegedly in for a difficult and dangerous journey.

The Golden Eagle

Turns out the 60s was crawling with cursed cars. But this 1964 Dodge 330 was not the site of a murder - it’s believed to be the killer itself.

Legend has it it started out as a police car in Maine. Three officers drove it, and all of them died.

Of course, police officers do a dangerous job. Death is probably common in their line of duty. But they didn’t meet their fate behind the wheel. They all went on to murder their entire family before they turned the gun on themselves.

It was then purchased by an elderly man before being sold yet again to the current owner. These latter owners so far have remained unscathed. But in the 80s and 90s, it took yet more victims.

During these decades, local members of the church attempted to vandalise it. And they met their end in very unique ways.

One was hit by lightning. Another was decapitated by an 18-wheeler. One child who was dared to simply tough the car in 2008 followed the example of the former police officers and murdered their entire family before setting the house alight.

At the behest of the local church, the car was dismembered and sent to junkyards to prevent it from taking any more lives. But the current owner, Wendy Allen, claims it hasn’t given up on its evil purpose just yet. Doors will fling open on the highway, seat belts will be released randomly, and the steering wheel jams on occasion.

The Taxis Of Japan

Following the devastation of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami which claimed 20,000 lives, there was a dramatic surge in reported paranormal phenomena.

People claimed to be visited by mysterious people who would leave a trail of water in their wake after vanishing, others said they were possessed by the spirits of those killed by the natural disaster.

Whether these sightings were credible or not is not for us to say; this was a form of national mourning for a tragic event. But it was taxi drivers who reported the most perplexing phenomena.

Whilst driving through a hard-hit area of Japan in the early morning summer heat, one was hailed by a young woman who looked rather odd. She wore a heavy winter coat and her hair was drenched. She then asked to be taken to Minamihama which too had been ravaged by the tsunami.

“That area is almost empty. Are you sure?”

She replied: “Have I died?”

The cab driver turned around to see the young woman had vanished.

He was the only one in the car.

Numerous cab drivers have reported similar stories from which they are asked to take passengers to locations, arrive there and realise there is no one on the back seat.

This chimes closely with the Japanese ghostlore. Their ghosts (yurei) are as a result of unfinished business or not being laid to rest. The number missing still stands at above 2500 people ten years on.

The Organ Thefts Of South Korea

585 miles from Japan, another terrifying tale involving taxis unfolded.

And this urban legend is probably one you’ve already heard. Around 1999, numerous websites and forums across the internet reported strange stories of passengers picked up by taxi drivers…

And then waking up days later minus a kidney.

Rumour has it passengers would be drugged with a needle to the neck, have their kidney surgically removed and then often wake up in a random location, such as in the middle of a farm field.

Interestingly enough, these sort of urban legends run rampant in the summer months in South Korea - as opposed to the Autumn months in Western countries. Even their horror films hit the cinema in the warmer season and not nearer Halloween.

The Jumping Car Of Cape Town

The Renault Megane was once a staple car on UK roads. It’s a decent family size vehicle that wouldn’t break the bank. But over in South Africa, it amassed a rather different reputation in 2004.

One night, this car turned on by itself and began ‘jumping’ back and forth all by itself across a family's backyard. Multiple witnesses came forward including two police officers. No one could explain it. How could a car with no keys in the ignition and the parking brake on do this?

Unless, of course, a dark force was at play...

Renault later claimed a rusty starter cable was probably the cause of strange activity. But what about the revving of the engine? It was as if something had its foot down on the gas pedal.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s Limousine

JFK was not the only political figure whose car would bear the memory of his murder. But the thing is, what happened after Ferdinand was killed would lead to 21 million more deaths, to simplify a complex war.

Ferdinand and his wife were shot by a Bosnian anarchist in 1914, triggering WW1. But the limo saw more death than this historic assassination.

It would go on to have 15 different owners after this incident. And there were 6 accidents and 13 deaths to follow.

The first man to own it - an Austrian general, Potiorek - went mad simply driving it through Vienna. The next owner, the governor of Yugoslavia, lived through 4 car accidents and lost an arm. He was convinced it was cursed and then decided to sell it to a friend.

The friend was dead within 6 months after a car accident.

Several more would be killed in its wake, whether the result of suicides or collisions. By 1926, it was taken to the War History Museum of Vienna where (thankfully) it has not taken any more lives.

The Vauxhall Astra Of Surrey

We end with one final tragic tale of loss.

On December 11th 2002, the UK police began to receive numerous calls reporting a crash on the A3 in Surrey. Multiple eyewitnesses saw the headlights of a car veering off the road and were concerned about the driver.

But when the police turned up, they saw something quite perplexing. Yes, a car had veered off the road. But this car had been there for months.

5 months.

The police found a Vauxhall Astra nose down in a ditch and covered in mossy undergrowth. Inside was a decomposing human body.

Was this a spirit trying to draw attention to his unburied body?

Some say you can see the accident repeat itself, with headlights swerving off the A3 often reported to no avail. However, as a very popular road that goes through Surrey right up to central London, accidents are very common.

Have you ever seen a phantom vehicle?

Let me know in a comment below!

While you’re there, make sure you like and reblog this post. Want to hear an article about the paranormal every Saturday? Hit follow as well!

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mariacallous · 3 months

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One week after Alexey Navalny’s death, the Russian authorities have yet to release his body to his family. While state investigators did allow his mother to see the body in person, they used the occasion to try to pressure her into agreeing to a secret funeral, openly admitting that they fear the situation’s potential to mobilize protesters. But despite the government’s repeated attempts to intimidate Lyudmila Navalnaya into submission, she and her son’s team of activists have remained steadfast in their mission to recover his body and learn the truth about his death. Meduza sums up the latest developments.

On Thursday, the Russian authorities allowed Alexey Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, to see her son’s body for the first time since his death on February 16. In a video published on Navalny’s YouTube channel, Lyudmila said that investigators took her to the morgue in secret and had her sign her son’s death certificate. They also claimed to have established his cause of death and showed her the medical examiner’s report, which reportedly states that Navalny died of “natural causes.” When Navalnaya asked investigators to hand over her son’s body, they threatened to “do something” with it if she didn’t agree to a secret burial, she said.

Inspector Voropaev told me openly: “Time is not on your side — the corpse is decomposing.” I don’t want any special treatment, I just want everything to be done according to the law. I demand that my son’s body be handed over to me immediately.

‘No ceremony or traditions’

On Friday, investigators called Navalny’s mother and gave her an ultimatum: either she could agree to a secret burial, with no public funeral, or they would bury him on the grounds of the prison where he died. They gave her three hours to decide. Navalnaya refused to comply with the ultimatum and demanded that the authorities follow Russian law.

Legally, state investigators are required to release the body of the deceased within two days after the cause of death is established. Navalny’s team says that based on the documents his mother saw, this two-day period will end on Saturday.

Shortly after Navalny’s team reported the authorities’ threat, his mother’s legal team filed a request with the Investigative Committee branch in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug to open a criminal case against the local investigators refusing to release Navalny’s body.

The statement notes that a state investigator told Lyudmila Navalnaya that even though her son’s cause of death had been established, “officials want the burial to be held in secret, with no ceremony or traditions.” It also says that on February 22, an investigator threatened to “carry out unlawful actions with the body” to “prevent its burial.”

Also on Friday, Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, published a video message calling on Russian security officials to share any information they have about the circumstances of Navalny’s death. “If you feel the same pain that we feel, write to us,” Zhdanov said, adding that the organization will provide 20,000 euros ($21,643) and emigration assistance to anyone who provides “valuable and complete” information. He later raised the reward to 50,000 euros ($54,125).

Blurring the truth

As Navalny’s family and associates continued fighting to get his body released, a fabricated audio recording, purportedly from Navalny’s mother, began circulating on social media. Ilya Ber, head of the fact-checking project Provereno Media, was the first to report on the fake voice message.

The recording starts with a voice addressing Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, by name and ends with the words: “I despise you and forbid you from exploiting the name of my son, my child.”

Ber believes the audio message was created using a neural network. “The voice only vaguely resembles Lyudmila Navalnaya’s because there was hardly anything to train the neural network on,” Ber noted. In his opinion, the fake recording was created based on Lyudmila’s video message from earlier this week in which she demanded that Putin hand over her son’s body. According to Ber, the recording was published on Thursday on a Telegram channel connected to Russian propagandist Kristina Potupchik. It was then spread by pro-war channels and other propagandists.

In the wake of Navalny’s death, fake messages attributed to him or to his family are not only being used in smear campaigns but also being spread by scammers. Earlier this week, fraudsters posing as Navalny supporters circulated a photo of a fake letter they claimed the politician sent to his wife shortly before his death. The letter describes an investment scheme Navalny was allegedly planning to “ensure the country’s financial well-being” and urges people to send their money so they can get in on the “opportunity.” The post includes a link that allegedly allows victims to download the “initiative” and start “earning” — but actually leads to a website run by the scammers.

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freudensteins-monster · 3 years

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You Say “Mad Scientist” Like It’s A Bad Thing

Based on my own tumblr post: 3am thoughts… Has anyone written Jane Foster as a mad scientist, I mean like a villain?

Chaotic neutral Darcy and Jane featuring modern/human SHIELD Agent Bucky.

Available on AO3.

Content Warnings: Implied/Referenced Torture, Aftermath of Torture, Amnesia, Memory Suppressing Machine | The Chair (Marvel), Dark, Sort Of, Ambiguous/Open Ending...

In a world full of megalomaniacs, straight up supervillains, and fricking aliens, mad scientists were a dime a dozen. Dr Foster was one such scientist who was quickly moving from mildly irritating to SHIELD’s Most Wanted.

Dr Foster’s gimmick was portals. She first gained international attention when she claimed responsibility (via an untraceable Instagram account, @dr-mthrfckng-foster) for diverting LA’s 405 to a dirt road in rural Australia. Then came a string of impossible robberies – bank vaults and the private collections of the world's richest assholes stripped bare in seconds. Then she created a portal that caused an Indonesian typhoon to bear down on Wall Street, flooding the trading floor. And then she robbed a top secret government black site of some classified technology.

And that’s when Director Nick Fury made finding and stopping Dr Foster SHIELD’s number one priority.

Agent James Barnes had been stuck on suspension for two weeks, with two more to go, and was itching to get back into the field. He had way too much free time on his hands: he’d caught up on his sleep and everything in his Netflix queue. He’d cleaned out his refrigerator, done laundry and enough meal prep to last him until next month. He’d caught up with his family, cleaned his whole goddamn apartment twice, and now he was well and truly bored.

He was out for his fifth run of the week (and it wasn’t even Wednesday) when his work phone rang.

“Thank Christ,” he muttered before answering.

“Barnes.”

“It’s Hill. How’s the arm?”

“Fine,” Barnes grunted, rotating his metal shoulder irritably. “You got something for me?”

“Are you up for a recon mission?”

Usually he would have protested. He headed tactical units. He was an elite ‘first through the door’ kind of field agent. Not that he couldn’t be stealthy and patient - he’d been a sniper in the army for christ's sake - but going unnoticed in public was kind of a problem for him these days; he’d have to wear jackets and gloves in the middle of August to hide his prosthetic for starters.

On the other hand, his mother had been calling him every second day to feed him carb-heavy meals in exchange for help around the house, all while dropping not-so-subtle hints that he should start dating again. Requests for more grandchildren couldn’t be far behind.

“I’ll be there in thirty.”

Thirty-five minutes later Agent Barnes was back at his desk at SHIELD HQ perusing through the increasingly large file of one Dr Jane Foster.

She had been a brilliant student and had earned a PhD in Astrophysics from Culver University by the age of 25. By all accounts she should have been one of the leading researchers in her field, and if doctoral programs handed out superlatives Dr Foster’s would have been “Most Likely To Win a Nobel Prize By 30”.

Unfortunately for Dr Foster, and the rest of the world, she had been forced from that path by a sexist tenured professor who publicly denounced her theories, and the woman herself, as crazy, discredited her published work, and used his influence to ensure she was denied all of the more lucrative research grants.

When federal agents went to interview him after the 405 incident they found his office looking like a tornado had gone through it and the professor himself was nowhere to be found. A few weeks later he stumbled into a US Embassy in Russia after being found wandering in from the forests outside Vladivostok, half mad and still decrying the evils of allowing women into scientific fields.

He had been placed into witness protection and promptly admitted into a psychiatric facility under his new name, and was being monitored by several undercover agents in case Dr Foster felt like punishing him some more.

Anyone else who had a part in ruining Dr Foster’s legitimate career was also under surveillance, as was her mother in London, a terrified ex-boyfriend in Boston, and a handful of known associates, though Dr Foster hadn’t been in contact with any of them in years.

SHIELD and other federal agencies had tried the usual methods of tracking down a rogue mad scientist. They tried to find out where her base of operations was, firstly by looking for any properties in her name, but Dr Foster had been a broke student with an impressive amount of debt (until the day she decided to wipe it, and the rest of Culver’s student debt, out). So if she had property it would definitely not be in her legal name and all but impossible to trace back to her. Then they tried to look for drains on the powergrid. However she managed to generate her portals - SHIELD scientists still hadn’t figured that out - it surely had to be using huge amounts of electricity. So far they’d found six grow labs and two server rooms running illegal god-knows-what, but no Dr Foster.

Agent Barnes read the file twice, reviewed all the transcripts of the interviews with her known associates, and came to one very important conclusion: she had an accomplice.

As smart as Dr Foster was there was nothing in her academic history to suggest that she had a background in computer science that would account for the notable hacks and the untraceable nature of her activities. To add to that several interviewees had made passing remarks about her not having a cell phone for most of her academic career, and how she had zero interest in social media.

Two days later, after getting the okay for a field trip from Hill, Agent Barnes made his way to Culver University to speak to anyone who had even the vaguest recollection of Dr Foster. And that’s how he learnt about the intern.

He’d started by dropping by one of the physics labs where Dr Foster had spent most of her time, and by pure chance met a doctoral candidate who remembered her, and her intern.

“I think her name was Darlene. Glasses. Always on her phone.”

…which led him to the academic advisor who put the two of them together...

“Darcy. Darcy Lewis. She was actually a PoliSci major but left it too late and Dr Foster’s internship was the only one available. She had only been working with her for a few weeks before… before Dr Foster’s funding was revoked and she was asked to leave.”

...who pointed him to one of Darcy’s former professors…

“Average student. Good debater. Often late, and always had a coffee in her hand.”

...who gave him a few names of some former classmates who might remember her…

“Not the worst person to be stuck with on a group assignment. Pulled her weight. Obsessed with her stupid iPod.”

“I swear she lived off pop tarts and coffee. And not Starbucks either. Some stupid hipster chain.”

“Deja Brew. Serious problem. Went through one of those loyalty punch cards every week. Always complained about having to go home for the holidays and resort to big chain coffee shops.”

...which had him driving out to Darcy Lewis’ hometown, located a few hours south of Roanoke, Virginia, stopping first at the local high school to speak to the school principal…

“She’d always been good with computers but wasn’t allowed to use them at home for some reason so she spent a lot of time at the local library using theirs. We had to suspend her once. One of her classmates accused her of accepting payment from other students to hack the school’s records and alter their grades. Their grades were definitely getting altered, but we couldn’t get any concrete proof it was her.”

...who was able to find a photo of 16 year old Darcy in an old yearbook and told him what bar he could find Darcy’s mother in.

“She knows not to come to me if she’s in the shit, because I would call the cops in a heartbeat. Especially after that stunt she pulled before she went off to college…”

“What stunt was that, Ms Bennett?” Agent Barnes asked patiently, hoping he wouldn’t have to enable her alcoholism to get some useful information.

“I made some mistakes, okay,” she slurred defensively. “I was having an affair with my boss. Don’t know how Darcy knew. She told her stepfather but he didn’t believe her. Then a few weeks later we went out to dinner for my boss’s birthday... all the tv’s in the bar start showing security camera footage of us falling into offices and motel rooms. Took her all of a minute to ruin two marriages and a law firm.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he replied diplomatically. “Is there anyone she could turn to for help? Her father, perhaps.”

“He died when she was about twelve. They were as thick as thieves,” she recalled with a tinge of bitterness.

“Was there any place that was special to them? Someone she might go to ground?”

She shook her head. “He used to rent this old cabin near the Catskills off a buddy of his every other year. Winter or summer, Darcy loved it. But it's long gone. Forest fire, I think, the year before his accident.”

Back in his car Agent Barnes reviewed the data points.

Dr Foster had a base of operations somewhere. Had to be private, and as best SHIELD could guess it must be off the grid and Dr Foster must be generating her own power.

Dr Foster was a space nut at heart, and while an abandoned observatory might be too much to ask for, she’d probably want somewhere with minimal light pollution.

And while they could portal anywhere, neither of them spoke any other languages and had no familiarity with any international locations, so they were most likely still State-side. (Dr Foster’s mother had moved to London when Jane was twenty-three, but she’d never found the time to visit.)

Miss Lewis was familiar with the Catskills area. A base of operations there could be very isolated.

Dr Foster was most likely building and modifying her own own equipment so she had to be able to access materials. Sure, she could portal to her local hardware store, but having Darcy drive into the nearest town for supplies would attract less attention.

Miss Lewis had an addiction to coffee procured from Deja Brew, a small hipster chain with only a handful of locations along on the east coast. While she could have found another way to get her caffeine fix, people were creatures of habit.

Miss Lewis was also known for stocking up on poptarts. In one of the only images of the other side of one of Dr Foster’s portals there was what appeared to be, if one squinted, a box of limited edition pop tarts on a counter.

He plugged it all into SHIELD fancy search engines and got a few results back. The most promising was an abandoned ski chalet turned abandoned research station halfway up a mountain, an hour drive away from an up and coming tourist town, whose main street hosted a Deja Brew cafe. They also had a small mom and pop hardware store, as well as a post office, and a grocery store that had still been selling pumpkin pie pop tarts around the time Dr Foster’s portal had been caught on camera.

Agent Barnes came to with a groan. The flesh of his shoulder where it met his prosthetic felt like it was on fire, and he was pretty sure he could smell fried wiring.

The research station had come up in SHIELD’s initial search for a potential mad scientist's lair, but had been dismissed for not using any power and for not sending back any heat signature readings. Perhaps they’d found a way to fool the scanners. Or maybe they just weren’t in the day the readings were taken. Whatever the reason, Agent Barnes had a good feeling about it. He filled his tank up at the nearest gas station and got on the highway, forgoing checking in at the Triskelion on his way past in favour of driving all night. He’d call Hill when he had something solid.

** *** **

“Fuck…”

He willed his eyes open and came face to face with Darth Vader.

Barnes reeled back at the sound of the synthesized voice. “Who sent you? Who do you work for?! The Rebellion?”

“What the fuck!”

It took him until his eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lighting to realise that Darth Vader was wearing a grey knit dress and black tights. Darth Vader laughed and ripped off his mask to reveal a smiling bespectacled brunette underneath. The accomplice. Darcy Lewis.

“Sorry, I was just messing with you, dude,” she teased, tossing the mask over her shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to do that. But seriously, who do you work for? Who knows you’re here?”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” he lied. “I was just camping in the woods, man. I saw the lights and decided to check it out,” he rambled in a lazy Canadian accent. “How the hell did I get here? Did you electrocute me?”

He used his not-quite fake panic to test the limits of his restraints. He’d been strapped into some sort of junkstore barber chair, with thick metal shackles locked around his wrists, ankles, and chest. His metal arm could probably make quick work of them but the damn thing was not responding. His panic became a little less fake.

“Just camping, huh?” she echoed back with a raised eyebrow, leaning forward to the point where Barnes couldn’t avoid getting a good look down her top and the 15-carat pink diamond (worth about 40mil and reported stolen in one of Dr Foster’s vault heists two months ago) hanging around her neck. “So that wasn’t you poking around town this morning?” she asked pointedly, drawing his attention to the wall of monitors he hadn’t noticed showing various street cameras around the town. “I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere, dude. You got into town bright and early in a beat up looking truck with plates that didn’t exist two weeks ago and started flashing my yearbook photo around. So, who do you work for?”

He levelled his best steely-eyed agent stare at her and switched back to his native pissed-off Brooklynite accent. “I ain’t tellin you shit, sweetheart.”

“C’mon now,” she cooed, taking a seat on his lap. “Who do you work for? FBI? Interpol? SHIELD? Crawford County Library Services? Listen, I was totally going to return Eat Pray Love, but we had to skip town in a hurry and it got lost in the move. I will totally pay to replace it.”

Years of training (and regular poker games with the Black Widow) had taught him to school his features, even if that last one threw him for a loop.

“Nothing? You sure you don’t want to talk to me? Fine,” she whined. “Jane!”

It was only then that Barnes switched his focus from his captor to his surroundings and realised that there was another occupant puttering about on the other side of the large telescope that took pride of place on a hydraulic platform underneath the research station's retractable roof. The infamous Dr Foster.

“Jane!”

“What?” came the irritated reply.

“Come over here and practise your monologue. Look! You’ve got a captive audience and everything!” she announced, laughing at her own joke.

“I don’t have time, Darcy,” the disgruntled voice argued.

“Hey! I spent two days writing up that monologue, the least you can do is spend twenty-five minutes reading it out loud so I can make sure it doesn’t make you sound too much like a cartoon villain.”

“Twenty-five minutes?! Are you kidding me?” Dr Foster stormed out from behind the telescope to wave a wrench at her assistant. She looked less put together than her ID photo, appearing to be long overdue for both a shower and a nap. “I’m in the middle of something. I’ve almost figured the problem with the mobile portal generator, and… Darcy, why is there a man tied to a chair in my lab?”

“This man?” Darcy snorted, taking Barnes’s chin in her hands and wiggling it about. “This is the intruder. You remember the intruder alert, like fifteen minutes ago? Lots of flashing lights and alarms? Well, I found this guy passed out on the lawn. For most people, hitting my force field would be like getting lightly tased, but this bad boy,” she continued, tapping a fingernail against his dead metal arm, “meant you ended up getting the full 50,000 volts to your heart. Thanks for letting me practice my CPR by the way,” she added with a wink.

“It’s not a force field, Darcy. It’s a glorified invisible pet fence, upsized and modified so it reacts to the electrical impulses in the human body.”

“It keeps people out; I’m calling it a force field.”

This was definitely the weirdest interrogation he had endured by a large margin, Barnes mused as he followed their bickering like a pingpong game.

“Who is he, Darcy?” Jane sighed wearily. “What is he doing here?”

“Fiiiine. Janey, meet Agent James Barnes of SHIELD.”

“What?! SHIELD?!!”Jane screeched. “Why did you bring him here?”

“He found us, Jane. What was I supposed to do?”

“Something other than bringing him inside our secret hideout.”

“I am not killing him and burying him in the woods; I just did my nails.”

Jane scowled, turning the full force of her overtired fury on James. “Why can’t you SHIELD issue jackbooted thugs just leave me alone? Can’t you understand how important my work is? I am challenging the very foundations of modern science - of the laws of the universe! I am on the verge of a breakthrough! And if you or Nick Fury think you can stop me, you’ve got another thing coming!”

Before his mouth could betray him and ask how the hell they knew his boss Darcy spoke up.

“A little off script, but I like the energy, Jane. Very much the mad scientist vibe we’re going for. But next time, try not to make it so personal – we’ve got to hide the target of our frustrations, remember? Instead of saying “SHIELD” say “government”, instead of saying “Nick Fury” say “president”.”

“Right, right,” Jane nodded absently, tapping the side of her head with the wrench she had just been waving around like a weapon.

“Now, go back to work. I’ll handle this.”

“Okay, thanks Darce. Oh, have you seen my soldering iron around?”

“It’s in the locked cabinet because you’re not allowed to use it unsupervised, you know that. Gimme ten minutes, I’ll bring it to you.”

Jane wandered back to her side of the observatory, muttering under her breath, leaving Barnes at Darcy’s mercy.

“She’s not the criminal mastermind here, is she?” he wondered, his eyes roaming over the strange cupcake of a woman in his lap.

“Not exactly,” Darcy admitted. “I mean, it’s not like she set out to be a mad scientist. I kind of rebranded her after that little freeway incident.”

“Rebranded?”

“Yeah. She was in a bad way after New Mexico and then when the first live test of her portal engine went a little sideways I didn’t want dudebros on the internet coming after her, so I changed the narrative. Instead of ��girl scientist makes mistake, should stick to making sandwiches’ I changed it to ‘Dr Foster, genius astrophysicist, causes chaos, totally on purpose.’”

“And all those robberies?”

“I may have encouraged that. I’m all for sticking it to the one percenters, and Jane needed to fund her experiments somehow,” she added with a shrug.

“So Jane’s the absent-minded professor and you’re the brains behind this operation, huh?”

Darcy laughed and slid out of his lap causing a distracting amount of friction. “I’m really not. So you, Coulson, and Fury should be really, really scared.”

“How do you know those names?” he had to know, cover be damned.

“You don’t know? Of course you don’t,” she huffed. “Fury and his clearance levels. I’d tell you to ask him about New Mexico sometime, but you’re not going to be able to.”

“Why not? What are you going to do to me?” Barnes fretted, unable to ignore the sinking feeling that he was in big trouble; she wouldn’t have told him anything if she intended on letting him walk out of here.

“Oh, relax. I’m not going to kill you. I’m just gonna scramble your brain a little.”

She circled his chair, flipping switches as she went, and something behind him started humming ominously.

“So, admittedly I didn’t major in hard sciences. I had an ex who did, but he also fancied himself something of a cat burglar, so when he went to jail I liberated all his college textbooks and gave myself a crash course in electrical engineering. And it helped that those HYDRA designs were really easy to follow.”

“HYDRA?” Barnes cursed.

HYDRA had been the scientific branch of the Nazi regime and believed that discovery required (human) experimentation. They were supposedly eradicated at the end of WWII but Project Paperclip saved some of HYDRA’s greatest minds, giving them immunity in exchange for their genius. If Foster or, more worryingly, Darcy had aligned themselves with some surviving HYDRA faction the results could be catastrophic.

“Yeah, I found them in that SHIELD warehouse when we recovered Jane’s stolen research.”

“What are you talking about?”

“They just call it ‘The Chair’, which is totally not creepy at all,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “And this is the Halo,” she added, drawing Barnes’s attention to the whirring circle of metal that was lowering itself over his head.

“What the hell are you doing?” he shouted, renewing his efforts to break free of his restraints. “Get that piece of scrap metal the fuck away from me!”

“Hey! Don’t mock my work. It may look like I raided a junkyard for the components - and I did - but my welding game is on point. It’s totally safe. Mostly safe. It’s just going to send focused electrical pulses to your…” she paused to consult some smudged writing on her hand, “hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.”

The Halo stopped moving and two metal plates extended, pressing against the sides of his head, holding it like a vice.

“Please… don’t do this,” he begged as she approached him with a rubber mouthguard.

“C’mon, open wide. You don’t want to end up braindead and unable to chew your food,” she jested, waving the thing in front of him. “Oh, just one question before I fry your brain,” she added just when he was about to give in. “How did you find us? I was so careful,” she whined.

Agent Barnes, terrified as he was, still managed to look smug at his small, short lived success. “Deja Brew coffee.”

“Curses!” she wailed theatrically. “Betrayed by my one true love!”

Darcy huffed and quickly returned her attention to the matter at hand.

“Thanks for that,” she said with a smile as she forced him to bite down on the mouthguard. “I’ll know better for next time. Start making my own coffee at home… but it never tastes as good,” she muttered to herself.

She stepped away from him and bent down to pick up a similarly frankensteined industrial remote with long wires snaking back to the chair and a clichéd big red button at its centre. He began struggling anew, screaming around the foul tasting rubber, begging for mercy.

She took great delight in his terrified expression and put on her best supervillain voice, “Give my regards to Nick Fury.”

Nick Fury observed his agent from behind a two way mirror as he sat behind a table in an interrogation room. Barnes had been sitting there for the past hour as still as a statue, except for his unfocused eyes which flitted about the room.

In true horror movie fashion, Agent Barnes’ screams echoed down the mountainside like an avalanche, sending animals fleeing in terror for miles around.

** *** **

Local LEO’s had found him wandering aimlessly down a stretch of highway just outside the ruins of what had previously been Puente Antiguo, New Mexico, and ten minutes after they ran his prints Agent Romanoff had been on a quinjet to collect him. She’d been directed to the nearest hospital and found him sitting up on a bed but not responding or reacting to any of the medical staff as they buzzed around him. Agent Romanoff took a cautious step forward and held her breath as his unfocused eyes settled on her.

“Hello James...”

An excruciating minute later the veil lifted and he attempted a smile.

“Hey Tasha.”

She’d brought him back to base and dragged him to SHIELD’s medical bay for more tests - not that Barnes put up much of a fight, in fact he was terrifyingly compliant. The SHIELD doctors confirmed what the New Mexico doctors suspected: the bruising and electrical burns around his temples and his memory loss were indicative of some back alley version of electroshock therapy. His memories should come back in time - how long was anybody’s guess - but for the moment Agent James Barnes had no memory of the last four weeks.

Fury picked up a tablet with depressingly little information on its screen and stepped into the room, waiting for Barnes eyes to focus on him before taking a seat.

“Agent Barnes.”

“Director.”

“I know you’re probably sick of questions by now, but I have a few more for you, if that’s alright.”

“Yeah, sure…”

It rankled Fury to no end how meak and passive Barnes seemed. Heaven help him, he missed the argumentative sonofabitch.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Being called into your office.”

“What for?”

“I punched Rumlow.”

“Why?”

“He was bragging about taking advantage of a drunk woman at a club when he was last on leave. He didn’t like me calling out his shitty behaviour. He punched me, I punched him back.”

Fury sighed. He hadn't gotten a straight answer out of Barnes at the time of the incident and he couldn’t feel happy about getting one now.

“Do you remember what happened once I called you into my office?”

His brow creased and his eyes zipped back and forth like the carriage of a printer as his mind searched for the elusive memory.

“You suspended me?”

“I did,” Fury confirmed. “For a whole month. But two weeks into it I pulled you in for a special assignment.”

Barnes tensed, shrinking in on himself. The confusion about his lost time seemed to be the only thing that got under his skin, but only when someone brought it up. Once the moment passed he forgot to be concerned about it.

Fury took pity on him. “For the past two weeks I had you running down leads on the whereabouts of Dr Jane Foster.”

“The scientist with the portals? Did she do this to me?”

“It’s not exactly her MO, but then again no law enforcement agency’s ever managed to have a confrontation with her. Never had the chance. Those portals of hers let her keep at a distance. You might have been the first person to have a face to face with her, but I can’t confirm it because I don’t know where the hell you were when this happened,” he grumbled, letting a little more of his usual exasperated tone filter through. “You missed check in by two days. The last we heard from you, you were at Culver running down leads on what you said was a potential accomplice. We found your car in Tromso, Norway, a day after you were found on the side of a road in New Mexico. You don’t appear on any security footage or speed cameras in the area. There’s no activity on your work or personal credit cards. Your activity logs on our highly secure system for the last two weeks are nonexistent, as are your call logs on your work phone. Even the messages you sent Romanoff from your personal phone complaining about your assignment have since been deleted - from her phone too. She’s real pissed about it. As far as your digital footprint is concerned you disappeared from a gas station outside Roanoke, Virginia, last week - do you know how weird it is to know you were headed out towards a place called Roanoke only to up and vanish?” He sighed at Barnes’ painful silence. “Is there anything you can remember, anything at all about Dr Foster or her accomplice? Anything that will help us catch up to you without talking to everyone on campus to figure out what you discovered?”

Barnes’ brow creased in painful confusion.

“I think… I think I saw Darth Vadar.”

Director Fury blinked. “Right…” He took a deep breath to stop himself from venting his frustrations at Barnes, the sorry bastard looked like a kicked puppy as it was. Instead he got up and tapped the tablet against the metal tabletop harder than strictly necessary. “Well, I’ll just go put out a BOLO out for Darth Vadar then.”

“Okay,” Barnes murmured, and promptly zoned out again.

Agent Romanoff exited the viewing room looking uncharacteristically unsettled.

“I want a full detail on him at all times,” Fury ordered as he stormed off towards the elevators. Hill had just stepped off and was looking even more grim than usual. “Until his memories come back he’s vulnerable, and once they do he’ll be a target.”

“I’ll get a STRIKE team on it. Not Rumlow’s.”

“Get another one along with any assets currently not on assignment. Flood that campus, interrogate everybody. I wanna know who the hell Dr Foster’s accomplice is, and I wanna know yesterday. Understood?”

“I think we might have more pressing concerns, sir,” Hill reported, tapping at her tablet as it beeped erratically. “Coulson’s said there’s an issue with the Tesseract. Dr. Selvig read an energy surge from it fifteen minutes ago.”

“NASA didn't authorise Selvig to test phase,” he grunted, taking the tablet from Hill.

“He wasn't testing it, he wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous advancement.”

“Motherfucker.”

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