#for the record no official time of death was announced

[metamatar]

October 10, 2022

Amit Kumar had everything going for him. After graduating in engineering and landing a decent job, Amit wanted to settle down with his childhood sweetheart Renu. The couple had known each other since Class IX and dreamt of a life together. The only difficulty was that Renu belonged to a Brahmin family and Amit was a Dalit.

With their homes barely a kilometre apart in Garhwa district of Jharkhand, Renu knew her family would never approve of the match. The couple decided to run away and tie the knot in another State. And thus began their tale of unending harassment and tragedy.

The couple married at a temple in Dehradun and got their marriage registered there. They had just about settled down at Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh when, in a midnight raid, the Uttar Pradesh police took away Renu, claiming that she had been abducted. Amit and Renu have not seen or spoken to each other since that fateful night of August 13, 2021.

Amit’s life has been a quagmire of legal battles and dismissed habeas corpus petitions since then. “I fear my wife is no more,” he told The Hindu.

Activists say such tragic situations can be avoided if couples like Amit and Renu are provided safe houses and special protection by the State governments as mandated by the Supreme Court.

According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of “honour killings” in the country was 24, 25 and 33 in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand topped the list in 2021 and 2020, while Manipur was on top in 2019.

The government in 2021 informed Parliament that there were 145 “honour killing” incidents in the country between 2017 and 2019.

Interestingly, though the NCRB report attributed only 25 deaths to “honour killings” in 2020, it said there were 27 deaths due to casteism and 1,558 due to “illicit relationship”. Similarly, in 2021, 33 deaths were listed under “honour killings”, but 1,544 and 1,532 under “illicit relationship” and “love affairs”, respectively.

So far, only Delhi, Haryana and Punjab have safe houses for inter-faith and inter-religious couples. Kerala has only announced the setting up of a safe house.

In fact, only 21 States have said that they have complied with the Supreme Court directives, which means that they have asked the police officers concerned of a State for strict compliance, according to Dhanak for Humanity, a non-governmental organisation which works with such couples, helping them solemnise their marriages and providing legal support.

The Supreme Court had in 2018 directed that safe houses be set up in every district as well as a special cell in States for couples facing opposition from families and community.

Gaurav Yadav, an engineer from IIT Chennai, said he was working with survivors of “honour crimes” and couples who are in hiding to petition the government for more safe houses across the country.

“Soon we will form an official grouping and petition the government to follow the Supreme Court directives on safe houses and special cells,” Mr. Yadav said, adding that he had organised a convention regarding the same in Delhi recently.

He said though couples had been demanding that safe houses be set up, the State administrations had looked the other way.

An example is of Ravikant Chandrawanshi and Alisha, who had a harrowing time getting married under the Special Marriage Act in Chhattisgarh.

The inter-faith couple at first decided to elope and marry in Bilaspur. However, a lack of support system and security, including finances, saw them return home in Kawardha within four days.

“As my wife’s family were well to do and politically connected, they kept up the pressure on us. Finally, we had to take legal recourse and approached the High Court asking them to direct the State administration to provide the mandated safe house and police protection.

“However, we were informed that there was no safe house and Alisha had to go to a sakhi centre or a women’s safe house,” Mr. Chandravanshi said.

Though the couple approached the highest of authorities, they were not given any police protection either and had to go into hiding for around six months after their marriage.

According to Asif Iqbal of Dhanak for Humanity, most States send the girl to a Nari Niketan after couples approach them. “It is here that the girl is the most insecure as her family mostly approaches her and puts pressure to go back. Many a time, this also leads to what is known as honour killing of the girl”.

Sanjay Sachadev of Love Commandoes, an organisation which rescues and shelters such couples, said, “The need of the hour is safe houses across the country. In almost every case, the police try and send the girl to a women’s shelter and the boy is left to fend for himself.”

A couple who are staying in a Delhi safe house and did not wish to be identified said that they could not have thought of living together had it not been for the security of the safe house.

Mr. Iqbal, whose organisation has helped many couples seek legal recourse to stay together and get married, said that of the distress calls he receives, the most were from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

[covid-safer-hotties]

With the toll of new COVID-19 infections regularly topping 1 million a day and weekly deaths creeping toward the 1,000 mark, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a campaign aimed not at protecting the public from this ongoing pandemic, now in its fifth year, but at washing its hands of responsibility.

CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen held a press conference August 23 to review the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage the public to get their winter COVID-19, RSV and flu vaccines once they are made available. While bluntly acknowledging that “COVID is with us,” she tried unconvincingly to assure reporters and viewers that “we have the tools to protect ourselves.” She then added, as a way of shifting the blame, “We just need to use them!”

Dr. Cohen was silent on who was responsible for the failure of most Americans to get booster shots or otherwise protect themselves from a disease, which can be fatal for many and cause lifelong debilitation for many more.

She could have named the Democratic administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, which ended the COVID-19 emergency more than a year ago and treats the pandemic as a thing of the past. She could have named Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, the promoter of quack remedies like ivermectin and bleach, who recently welcomed into his campaign the anti-vaxxer and enemy of science and public health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

And if she had been equipped with a mirror—and a conscience—she could have pointed to herself and other top CDC officials, who have collaborated in the anti-scientific rampage to shut down both mitigation efforts and even elementary data collection on cases of illness, hospitalization and death.

Most importantly (and therefore least likely) she could have acknowledged that within the framework of the capitalist system, the profits of giant banks and corporations are far more important than the lives of human beings. That is the meaning of the incessant claims that schools, factories, public transportation and facilities must be kept open, to save “the economy,” despite the inevitable spread of the infection as a result.

Dr. Cohen, like her predecessors and colleagues at the top of the public health establishment, puts political pressures above science and medicine. The nearly hour-long briefing was simply political theater, where a panel of experts attempted to place the public health agency in the best light despite acknowledging the monumental number of daily infections that have seen hospitalizations and fatalities climb.

Meanwhile, schools across multiple states have announced closures—affecting thousands—just as the new academic year has begun, in response to mass infections among faculty and students.

So far this year, more than 26,000 Americans have died from acute COVID-19 complications, and more than 800 per week are being killed by a preventable infection, a figure 20 percent higher than last year this time. At the current rate, it is expected that between 50,000 to 60,000 Americans will die from COVID-19 in 2024, a rate two to three times higher than fatalities from flu. However, these do not take into consideration excess deaths, and given the complete dismantling of the reporting systems, these figures are known undercounts.

Such figures could only appear low in comparison to the colossal death toll of the first three years of the pandemic, when 352,000 died in 2020, 464,000 in 2021 and 260,000 in 2022. In 2023, 76,000 COVID-19 deaths were recorded. All these numbers are underestimates, as excess mortality figures are considerably higher. The cumulative death toll from COVID-19 is likely well over 1.4 million in the United States and approaching 30 million worldwide.

Neither did the panel address any concerns over the fact that millions continue to suffer from Long COVID, which has taken a significant toll on the health of Americans and the world over. It bears mentioning that a recent study noted that 410 million people across the world have had Long COVID with a $1 trillion impact on global GDP. Yet, no treatment for this condition exists. Without health insurance and means, issues of brain fog, chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances become part of one’s physiognomy.

Much about Dr. Cohen’s characterization of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is deeply flawed and should have been taken up by the press, who remained silent on the matter. First and foremost, her claim, in response to a direct question that COVID-19 “is endemic,” is completely misleading.

An infection is endemic when it is contained, not spreading uncontrolled and not causing significant impact on the society. COVID-19 is none of these. It remains a pandemic, with new waves of infections where millions are being infected daily by a virus whose mutation far outstrips the efforts of public health agencies and pharmaceutical companies to provide vaccines, medicines and mitigation practices. It continues to cause large-scale social disruption, economic loss and general hardship.

The opposition of both capitalist parties to any significant effort to fight the pandemic was on display last week. The Democratic National Convention, like its Republican counterpart in July, was a massive superspreader event, with thousands of delegates and media personnel congregating in an enclosed arena, where there was continuous cheering, shouting and singing. There are already anecdotal reports of widespread sickness in state delegations returning from Chicago.

As for the Republicans, Trump staged his appearance with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday afternoon, beaming as Kennedy announced he was folding up his independent presidential campaign and endorsing the ex-president and would-be dictator. Kennedy said he was working with Trump on staffing agencies like the CDC, NIH, FDA and USDA from the standpoint of ending the “chronic disease crisis.” By this he means, of course, ending efforts to fight diseases and letting children, the elderly, and the entire American population suffer the consequences.

Fundamentally, all large epidemics and pandemics are serious social issues that require broad-scale infection control in place to disrupt and prevent disease. And with respect to COVID-19 and all future pandemics, these require an international collaborative perspective.

In 2024 so far, 179 million people were infected in the United States, a total that is eventually expected to surpass 2023, when more than 248 million Americans, or three-quarters of the population, caught COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels throughout the pandemic suggest that there have been more than 1.1 billion infections in the United States, between three and four for every person in the country.

This begs the question how are those most vulnerable, such as the elderly, immunocompromised, and those with chronic disabling medical conditions, which represent a significant portion of the population, to protect themselves from perpetual mass infection?

For the CDC director to present public health efforts as a matter of individual, personal choice is a gross falsification of reality. The policy of mass infection has been forced on the population.

As for having the tools to protect themselves, what is being offered are simply vaccines and more vaccines as a means to prevent COVID-19. As the WSWS recently noted, “Despite the limitations, the uptake of the vaccines is vital for the health of the population. The shots have a strong, proven safety record and do prevent severe disease and potentially reduce the risk of Long COVID, as studies have indicated. However, they do not prevent infections and the immunity they offer is short-lived given the constant mutation of the virus.”

The vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna carry a cost of $120 to $130 per shot. In some regions, these can be as high as $160 or even $200. However, the rescinding in March of $4.3 billion from the Department of Health and Human Services in COVID-19 supplemental funding means access to free vaccines for the 26 million uninsured and tens of millions more underinsured, essentially all from working class families, will only mean that the vaccination campaign will simply languish as it did last year when only 7 million Americans accepted the boosters within six weeks of their delivery to pharmacies.

As for other tools in their toolbox, Cohen refers to anti-viral treatments like Paxlovid, which are regularly being denied to patients by their physicians or when they actually are given a prescription, face the daunting price tag of $1,300 to $2,400 per course because their insurance denies them coverage. Meanwhile, repurposed medications like Metformin, a drug that treats diabetes, which has shown anti-viral properties and shown in randomized trials to reduce COVID-19 viral loads and decrease risk of Long COVID, remain unmentioned. In particular, this raises the question of why there are so few tools in the toolbox, and why some are being removed, such as the ability to wear N95 masks in public.

The arrest of an 18-year-old New York man in Nassau County on Tuesday who was wearing a black ski mask utilizing the recently passed mask-ban legislation will only embolden police departments and threaten the public who face possible detentions and arrest simply on charges of police suspicion.

At the Democratic National Convention, guidance was issued forbidding mask wearing by attendees unless “it was necessary due to a disability” and this at the discretion of security.

[bumbumzumzum1996]

Shining 1998 - 2005 History

Suicide, self-destruction and the abuse of the human flesh & mind, these three topics are the main issues dealt with in Shining's music. The band has since its very beginning (1996) been cursed and the individuals within suffered from enormous problems because of the fact that the band still lives on. Actually this might be the explanation for so why many people being kicked out of the band one by one until the year of 2000, and still the band stood in obscurity. During the earlier period of the band, Kvarforth gathered a temporary line-up and released the 7" vinyl "Submit To Selfdestruction" in 1998 through his own label, Selbsmord Sevices. In the year of 2000 Kvarforth finally managed to sum up the minds of two others in order to record the debut full-length album, "SHINING I - Within Deep Dark Chambers" with guest member Classen from Bethlehem on vocals. This very line-up, minus Classen, lasted until two months after the recording of the second album in 2001, "SHINING II - Livets Ändhållplats", which showed Kvarforth taking over vocals full-time. By now Tusk decided to leave for several personal reasons and was replaced by his younger brother Phil A. Cirone one month later. Wedebrand soon also left the band, though Kvarforth never did suffer from his absence, on the contrary as he a few months later on was replaced by the drummer of drummers, namely Hellhammer from the legendary Mayhem. Inisis suffered a short lived stint with the band during the recording of their third album. By this point, Shining also signed with Avantgarde Music and in late 2002 released their third album "SHINING III - Angst, Självdestruktivitetens Emissarie". The year is 2005 and SHINING are now officially allied with the highly repected french record label Osmose Productions. Kvarforth did about one year ago announce the death of the band due to many unpleasant circumstances which have been prominent the past years both within the band and around him personally but now, with a basically entirely new line-up of Ludvig Hvit (of Spiritual Beggars, Firebird) on drums, John Doe (of Craft, Twin Earth) on guitar, Hallander on bass and Casado on guitar. The reason for this new line-up is simply because there is a need to play live which never would have worked out in long terms with the previous members considering the distance inbetween them.

TO BE CONTINUED…

[girlactionfigure]

Here's a story for you about how the news industry works.

Earlier tonight, the group that invaded Israel, massacred 1000+ people, burned families to death in their homes, took hostages back to Gaza, and recorded it all with GoPros – this group announced that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza, killing hundreds.

Then, instead of waiting for more information from the Israeli side, the editors of the world's most important media outlets said to themselves: "This is enough for us. Let's run with it."

Headlines screamed that Israel bombed a hospital. Push notifications were sent to MILLIONS of people.

CNN push: "Hundreds of people may have been killed in an Israeli strike on a Gaza City hospital, according to the Palestinian health ministry"

BBC push: "Hundreds feared dead or injured in Israeli air strike on hospital in Gaza, Palestinian officials say"

NYT push: "At least 500 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike at a Gaza hospital, the Palestinian Health Ministry said"

Do you see what they did there?

They put the dramatic news in the beginning of the sentence and then they cited the source at the end so that the assertion is technically true. The Palestinian Health Ministry DID say that.

The thing is, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza is a Hamas institution.

What do you call people who amplify Hamas propaganda not just as news, but as the top news story in the world?

There is no way that a professional military such as the Israel Defense Forces can give an instant answer about a catastrophe in enemy territory during a war. It took around two or three hours for the IDF to share the results of its initial investigation – that the explosion at the hospital was a due to a rocket launched by Islamic Jihad that malfunctioned and crashed back into Gaza. More evidence is coming out as I write this.

The sad fact is that it appears that hundreds of Palestinians are dead at a hospital because terrorists in Gaza tried to fire rockets at Israelis and ended up hitting their own people. It's unbearably stupid and tragic.

None of this is new, unfortunately. Journalists in the Middle East know – they absolutely know – that a significant percentage of Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s rockets misfire and crash into residential areas of Gaza. 

I've attached a famous example. This video is from May 2022. It shows a live broadcast of a rocket being launched from a residential area of Gaza. The rocket malfunctions, turns sideways, and crashes into the city. The overexcited broadcaster tries to pretend that nothing unusual happened and asks the camera man to turn away. The video went viral at the time. There are other known instances where this happened. 

These rockets are designed to kill people. Don't act surprised when they do.

I say all of this to remind you to treat breaking news from Gaza with caution, even if it's unpopular to do so.

Daniel Rubenstein

[human-encounters-diary]

Day 1

We have stopped on planet 23-08 in Mechuilian system. I have never been fond of this particular planet, but we were there on a mission. Our Vitrichl has heard that one of the bargainers resident on this planet is in posession of a prisoner that the Vitrichl seems quite interested in.

Apparently, this low bargainer has been able to aqcuire a prisoner of the terrestrial species that calls themselves "human". I was not familiar with this species, but the Vitrichl informed me that, apparently, these "humans" are a highly advanced life form that have managed to survive on a death planet for thousands of years and even develop a civilization and rather primitive forms of space craft technology.

I firstly not believed what he described, since usually, death planet species do not develop far and are doomed for eventual extinction. That was, until Vitrichl informed me that these "humans" are part of the system 31ł-43. If you are not familiar with the characteristics of system 31ł-43, this system is known as one of the deadliest in all of the galaxies. It is made up of entirely unhabited (and for most species, unhabitable) planets except for one, Terra, or "Earth", as the inhabitants apparently call it. Terrans, or "humans", for some unfathomable reason, seem to be rather fond of their death planet and have shown no signs -besides rather primitive space missions to neighbouring planets - of intending to leave their planet or system. Everyone who is aware of this species deem this for the best.

It is the first time that I had heard of someone out of a so-called "death district" coming to this part of the galaxy, so I had my slight suspicions that this may be a hoax.

But alas, I was wrong. We retrieved the prisoner and Vitrichl officially announced them as our "new crew member". After this announcement, Vitrichl informed me that he had decided that I should watch this "human". To learn their characteristics, their customs and observe their behaviour, in order to deem whether or not this "human" could be trusted, given that there was little known about their species.

I am now unofficial "human-watcher", and I have decided it would be best to keep a record of my observations for future reference.

[lilghostiequinni]

Podium & Champagne Kisses

Main Masterlist Lando Masterlist

Pairing: Hamilton! F1 Mercedes racer!female oc (Layana) x Lando Norris

Warnings: Fluffy,

Summary: For the first time in history, there is no photo finish that can choose the winner of a Formula One Grand Prix. It becomes less about the win and more about the champange.

Requested: NO / yes

2024 - Silverstone

Lewis Hamilton stood before a few interviews talking about his emotional, record-breaking 9th win at his home race of Silverstone.

His sister had gotten to him even before their father, toughing her arms around Lewis, tears streaming down her face.

When the hug was over, she looked at him, and he nodded. She moved out of the way for their father, then went over to Lando and hugged him, having a long-time friendship with the McLaren driver.

But now, Lewis drew back to the present after talking to his team for a few minutes, he was told it was okay to make the announcement of his replacement in the 2025 season.

He stood in front of the interviewer and the microphone; the question he was asked was, "Who would you like to replace at Mercedes next season?"

"Well, there are a few different answers to that question on who I would like to replace me because there are many great drivers who have and are being considered, and I was given the okay by the team and Toto to tell who would be replacing me. It was a long and lengthy decision on who. It was decided that my little sister, Layana, would be taking over my seat; she actually doesn't know yet that she's being offered the seat. So, Surprise!" Lewis said at length.

The interviewer expressed surprise, as did Layana, who was inside the Mercedes garage watching the interviews.

When Lewis got back to the garage, he told his sister that what he said was true, that she was, in fact, the new driver for Mercedes with George come 2025.

The week between Silverstone and Hungary, the contract between Mercedes and Layana Hamilton became official, and it was announced that Layana Hamilton would be taking her brother, Lewis's seat at Mercedes in 2025.

It was accompanied by an article detailing the career that Layana had followed.

The article/

Layana Hamilton's rise to Formula One seat in Mercedes

Layana Hamilton started her career in karting alongside other drivers such as Lando Norris, George Russell, and Alex Albon. She raced in Formula 2 alongside both drivers, opting out of joining the 2019 season of Formula One. She entirely changed motorsports for the 2019 season, opting to be a backup reserve driver for McLaren F1 but pursuing the season in the sport of MotoGP, the motorcycle version of Formula One.

In 2020, Hamilton returned to the sport of Formula One as a reserve driver for McLaren. During the 2020 season, she had gone off to the 24-hour Le Mans race, replacing Norman Nato in the Rebellion Racing at the last minute.

In 2021, Layana returned as a reserve driver, actually being able to race in Silverstone for a sick Daniel Riccardo and again in Russia.

2022 wasn't much different than 2020, having just been a reserve driver and again racing in the 24-hour Le Mans, changing teams to the Toyota Gazoo Racing, replacing Mike Conway for the race after what happened about 2 days before the race.

In the 2023 season of Formula One, Hamilton was offered a death at McLaren F1, which she did not take again, opting instead to move to the new McLaren team in the latest endeavor of the F1 Academy, eventually winning the season. She was also added to Ferrari AF Corse at the last minute in place of James Calado.

In the latest season of 2024, she moved from McLaren to Mercedes in F1 Academy and is again leading the championship. Layana also again competed in the 24-hour Le Mans race and, for the second time, with the winning team of Ferrari AF Corse.

So, it can be expected for great things from Layana Hamilton in the coming 2025 season.

Layana Hamilton celebrated her contract signing at Mercedes with her long-time boyfriend, Lando Norris. She went out and celebrated and partied because she got a seat.

She was ready, though before she offered, she wasn't ready. It didn't feel right each time she offered, and this time it felt right, it felt different.

Lando had been with her through it all. He knew the circumstances of other seasons that she turned down in previous seasons.

Lando knew why it didn't feel right each time. It was because of Lewis. He knew that it was different because of her brother, it wasn't some team offering her a contract like the last two times, it was her rock for the better part of her life, her big brother that offering her something she wanted.

2025 - Silverstone

It was Layana's first home race.

Her nerves were almost getting the better of her when arms wrapped around her from behind.

"It's okay, love. Just breathe. Come on. In. Out," It was Lando, Layana knew just from the tone of his voice.

Layana followed him with her breathing, calming down with each breath.

The race started with Lando at the pole and Layana at the second.

Before the end of the first lap, Layana was leading, and Lando had fallen behind Max into second.

5 laps to go, and Layana and Lando had been switching lead of the race the whole race.

When the chequered flag waved, it was a tie.

Lando and Layana crossed the finish at the same time. Not even a photo finish could determine the winner. The stewards determined that they both won.

"And the winner of the 2025 Silverstone, for the first time in history, is a tie. The winners are Layana Hamilton, for her maiden win in Formula One, and Lando Norris, for his first win at his home Grand Prix.

After that, there were bottles of champagne and kisses til there was no air in their lungs.

There was also the publication of Layana and Lando's relationship when he kissed her on the podium.

A/N: Follower Cele 1, here. I'm a little behind. I know that's what I'm doing today.

Tags: @poppyflower-22 @samantha-chicago @barcelonaloverf1life @tallrock35 @ellen3101 @llando4norris @hellothere9597

If you want to be removed from a tag list, let me know so I don't keep tagging you. If you are striked through, I don't know if you want to be tagged, but just let me know if you want me to continue or stop

[lokisgoodgirl]

Public Relations [Avenger!Loki x Fem. Reader]

Part of the Hostile F*cks Collection A link to my Masterlist is here Summary: A carefully planned PR appearance goes awry. Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI. Asshole Loki! returns. Language. Smuttish. (w/c 2.1k) A/N: This is the Hostile F*cks Collection epilogue. I just really really wanted this. 🤣

The heat from the set lights was making you sweat. A live studio audience sat forward in their seats, hanging onto your every word. Onto Loki’s every word. So far he had been very well behaved, following Rogers detailed instructions to the letter. Polite. Friendly. Charming. Restrained. He had stuck to the script religiously. And that was what you were worried about.

“I gotta say when the press release came out it wasn’t a huge surprise – we all saw the infamous red carpet moment at Cannes huh?!” The man across his desk smarmed relentlessly with teeth an unnatural shade of white against his deep tan. He hadn't wasted time before referencing the time Loki had squeezed your ass in full view of a wall of paparazzi a few months prior. Your eyes darted to the god lounging beside you, totally at ease. He ran a hand though his hair, a soft smile and a chuckle playing feigned embarrassment to perfection. “You guys have such great chemistry - such a connection.” the sanctimonious asshat crooned, swivelling towards the audience who cheered in approval. News of your relationship had been officially announced earlier in the week – and it was time for the PR tour. The man swung back to face you both. “So tell me, has it always been that way?” The aching smile stretched on your face widened as you began to nod. “-Hardly.” Loki cut in. “She despised me. Couldn’t stand me. Always had a certain look in her eye like she wanted to hit me with a blunt object. It was quite hilarious.” You snapped towards the god, practised smile faltering as you threw him a death glare. “Oh, look! There it is now.” he quipped, relaxing back against the red armchair with fingertips crested together. Your hand flew to Loki’s knee amid a sea of giggles at your expense, digging in as you chuckled through gritted teeth. “He’s exaggerating.” you smiled. “Ohhh...I don’t think so.” the host drawled through a shit-eating grin, as a montage began to play on the screen to his side. Your stomach churned, watching a selection of newsreels and phone recordings from the early days of your dalliances. Endless clips of you rolling your eyes in Loki’s direction, your stare narrowed behind him as he charmed the press– and one particular damning shot of you staring shamelessly at his ass. The host cocked an eyebrow as you squirmed. Loki’s fingers intertwined with yours, lifting your death grip from his knee. He raised the back of your hand to his lips with a calculated kiss, shooting you a wink before lowering it back to his thigh. The crowd clapped and cooed. “It’s alright, darling Agent. We’re among friends. Isn’t that right?” The crowd clapped again, the cheers louder. God, he was insufferable when he was like this.

You cleared your throat, lowering your lashes and looking back at the host with devilish intent. Two could play at this game. “He made it his mission to be the biggest arsehole on the face of the planet.” you purred.

“-on most planets, actually. It’s a point of pride.” Loki interjected. The audience laughed. You shook your head with a puff. “No it was targeted” you snipped, not letting your gaze break from the host’s wide eyes as Loki huffed theatrically behind you. “He had all these...outfits. And the things he would say and the games, god it drove me mad.” “-yes, mad.” Loki smarmed playfully, placing his hands behind his head as he widened his legs against the arms of the chair. “Mad with lust, perhaps.” Your eyes flickered briefly to the audience, an elevated sea of faces turned in covert whispers and giggles to their companions. Desire was thick in the room, sexual energy pulsating in electric waves. A shared erotic experience that hung on Loki’s every movement. On his every syllable. “Tell us more about these outfits.” You looked back to the host with a coy smile. It was clear Loki was feigning some level of shyness by the coquettish squeaks rising from the crowd. Crossing your legs, you turned your body towards the desk. “Oh, well, it all started with a wetsuit…” A mass of voices ooo’ed. The collective mental imagery may as well have been projected on the wall. “A particularly slutty caftan, catholic priest vestments I’m sorry to say...and some extremely tight fencing pants among others.” you said, leaning your chin against your palm. “What in the world are fencing pants?” the interviewer gasped, before flashing the nearest camera a knowing grin. Christ, he was really laying it on thick. His eyebrows wriggled suggestively to the lens, as Loki straightened. The screaming was sudden and entirely predictable. You didn’t even have to look to know that your lover’s body was sizzling with seidr, green sparks rolling down his perfect form to reveal the aforementioned fencing pants. “Well heckers, as our mutual friend Captain Rogers would say.” The host fanned his face as he spoke while the audience lost their minds. And honestly, you couldn't blame them. With reluctance, you turned to face your lover, his thighs still sprawled wide in the chair. A long finger grazed his bottom lip, the rest curled covering a smile as he shot you a sultry wink. A pair of black fencing pants clung to his bulging muscles beneath the set lights, every dent and ripple highlighted in obscene definition. Loki’s thighs squeezed. God, they were so thick and delicious and perfect...it was all you could not to drool alongside the audience. He had forgone a shirt beneath the ensemble on this occasion, because of course he had. Thick straps were set tight like liquorice against luminously fair skin. He was wearing the socks though, you noticed. He loved those slutty socks. Chiselled abs tightened as he straightened again, rolling his shoulders back while the crowd continued to bay. This might not have been quite the PR event Rogers had in mind but you had to give it to Loki, he knew his fans. “For posterity, they are a type of training attire for the sword arts which I have grown rather fond of in your realm.” Loki drawled, sweeping his hair to expose that devastating profile to the onlookers. “Simultaneously form fitting and with enough elasticity to accommodate lunges and...other things.” He looked to you with an unmistakeable hunger which made your stomach flip. The host cleared his throat, a disappointed hum from the audience vibrating as Loki’s magic shimmered, transforming him back into his Saville Row suit. “Well frankly I can see why she never stood a chance.” the man behind the desk muttered slyly. You could feel your cheeks heating again.

“I will admit it was rather difficult to have her confess her inevitable feelings for me-” “Excuse me, I was difficult?” you gasped. “Well...yes.” Loki laughed, bringing a foot to rest on his knee. “You’re the one that won’t use my actual name in public.” you scoffed. The host leant forward, relishing the brewing tiff. “Ah, I was going to ask about that – it’s always ‘Agent’ this and ‘Agent’ that, what gives Mr Laufeyson?” You rolled your eyes, as Loki cast a coy glance in your direction. “Well to be frank...I do it to annoy her.” he admitted, a smile making his dimples flash. You nodded in confirmation towards the grinning audience. “But if she’s honest with herself, she loves it.” Loki inspected his nails before impaling you with another stare that made your breath hitch. “She finds it arousing. Don’t you...Agent?” he smirked. You brought your hands up in surrender as the crowd cheered, loving every toe-curling second of this ridiculous late-night shitstorm. “I think what Loki is trying to say, is that we’re like any other couple, really-” “-we’re not.” Loki interjected with an incredulous snort. “-and we have our...disagreements and quirks and suchlike, but you know...we love each other so -it works.” you continued un-phased, smiling sweetly to the host. His smug, botoxed grin made you want to punch him in the face. Landing this interview might even get him an Emmy. He tilted his head, a set of troubling sincerity descending on his features. “I have to ask though, what’s it like knowing that your relationship has a shelf life. Not to be indelicate but there’s an elephant in the room here with the god-normie lifespan situation.” You sucked your lips between your teeth, biting back the words that Steve would most definitely have an issue with – even past the watershed. The gentle sound of Loki’s mischievous laughter cut through the red haze swirling behind your eyes. You could tell he was shaking his head in the way that only he did when he knew he had the upper hand. You weren't sure which was worse. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, it is rather a hard concept to get your naïve mind around – but there is a simple solution.” he said. You suddenly felt Loki’s fingers slide around your waist, the firm pressure of the tips digging into your side centring you while you took a breath. “Oh?” the host goaded. “Care to share this simple solution?” There was silence from the audience as they hung on Loki’s imminent explanation. You looked away from the fool holding the cards to your infuriating lover, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he gazed into your eyes. As though you were the only people in existence. “She could marry me.” The crowd screamed. You blinked several times as the room turned to a ball of white noise. Loki's longing stare broke, snapping towards the audience with a dazzling smile. He patted down the enthusiasm with one ceremonial hand.

“In the event of such a union on Asgard and by tradition, my beloved Agent here would become a demi-goddess in her own right, with the life-span to match.” he grinned towards the host, while you continued to stare at him open-mouthed. “I take it from the look on her face that this is new information for her?” the host laughed. Loki hummed mysteriously, reclining back against the seat. “Yes, well – whenever I try to convince her of such a thing– we never quite make it as far as the details. If you catch my drift.”

“You’ve asked before? And she’s turned you down?” The interviewer gasped at the implication of the world’s most eligible figure being knocked back. Your heart thundered. “Now hold on-” you spluttered, switching between the men trying to outdo each other in being the most insufferable. “First off...he’s the god of mischief and it’s very difficult to take anything he says seriously and second-” “-My darling here would doubtless become the goddess of overthinking and inciting exasperation.” Loki chuckled, patting your leg. You grimaced, a wordless warning passing from your eyes to his. Loki cleared his throat, sensing danger. “But that is a conversation for another time.”

The next five minutes passed in an inane blur of scripted pleasantries. By the time you reached the green room, your fury had reached boiling point. “What the fuck was that, Loki?” you hissed, trying to keep your voice down. The crowd was still clapping while they tried to clear the set for the next guests. Even Rogers couldn’t argue with the buzz this would generate. Loki meandered over to the drinks trolley, inspecting a bottle of scotch. “You know very well what I want, my love. It seemed like the perfect time to let me finish the sentence without one of your well-timed sexual ambushes.” he purred, raising an eyebrow. Without another word, you strode over; pulling him into a hungry kiss. It was a messy clash of teeth and tongue, simmering anger and desire over-spilling in breathy moans as you pushed him back against the rattling drinks trolley. Loki grunted, hoisting your legs possessively around his hips one after another. He manoeuvring you easily against the opposing wall, colliding against the forest green plaster with a soft thump. The root of his solid cock pressed furiously against your stomach, stretching achingly against the trousers. “Marry me.” he growled, dark embers of his voice seeping into the crevices of your soul like smoke. His chin was tilted down, only a sliver of iris visible at the edge of his pupils beneath a fan of dark lashes. Loki’s jawline was set, bladed cheekbones taut as the muscle in his cheek twitched. The tell of all-consuming desire that he held only for you. “Why? So you can irritate me for all eternity?” you panted, feeling Loki’s fingers pull at the band of your flimsy underwear. He scoffed before you heard a rip. “Hardly eternity darling. Only several millennia or so.” You pulled his tie towards you in a fist, the aching pressure of his kiss filling you with everything you ever needed. Would any amount of time be enough? You weren't sure. His fingertips ran over your temples, carding through your hair with fervent urgency as you melted into him. The two of you broke apart with a gasp. Loki’s forehead pressed to yours, the dark curls hanging by your cheeks buffeted by shallow breaths. One of his palms spread against the wall behind you, fingers curling down the plaster. “Marry me.” he repeated solemnly. The words trembled with a rare sincerity.

“I hate you, Loki Laufeyson.” you murmured, grazing the loaded words lovingly against his chin. You sucked his bottom lip between your teeth, a hiss of desire from his throat making you buck against his hips. “I love you too...Agent.” he purred darkly, sealing your unspoken answer with a kiss.

A/N: And that's it! It it! Thank you SO MUCH for chumming me on this lil journey, you're amazing 💖 Tags @meowmeow-motherfucker @muddyorbsblr @imalovernotahater @avengersalways @littledark11 @lokikissesmyforehead @simplyholl @fictive-sl0th @thedistractedagglomeration @loveroflokiforpoeticjustice @coldnique @holdmytesseract @jaidenhawke @silverfire475 @vbecker10 @imalovernotahater @thomase1 @morriggannlostinfandoms @marygoddessofmischief @sebstanwhore @peacefulpianist @maple-seed @yelkmelk @wheredafandomat @mistress-ofmagic @infinitystoner @goblingirlsarah @ozymdias @peaches1958 @your-taste-on-my-lips @lokidokieokie @kikster606 @peachyjinx @tbhiddlestan83 @trickster-maiden @skymoonandstardust @justjoanne242 @sidepartskinnyjeans @ladyofthestayingpower @wolfmoonmusic @brittbax @smolvenger @lunarnights95 @superficialdomina @kaleenjackson @fictional-hooman @psychospore @littlespaceyelf

[chadfallout76podcast]

"Deah Shroud!: A Nick Valentine Mystery" EXPLAINED and AMA

It never occurred to me to do this last year, but a lot of people have asked me questions about our Fallout 4 play in the last year in the Discord, so I wanted to open an AMA but also explain "Death Shroud!" and some of the broader themes involved in it.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Part 1: Pre-production

Before I get into the story, I wanted to explain how this production even came about. Over the years after working together on some official community projects with Wes Johnson through Bethesda, we became good friends. I took a couple of his acting classes and he talked about the Fallout For Hope charity initiative I started and asked for help in organizing the gaming community for his Alzheimer's Association fundraiser. The idea was to host a month-long digital event of discussion panels, game shows, improv and a play with as many different voices of video games, film and TV as we could round up. In our second year of his VoiceAPalooza fundraiser, I wanted to do an original old time radio show and see if could bring back as many of the cast that we could from Fallout 4. It was Wes who first suggested an adventure with his Silver Shroud character (that he voiced in Fallout 4's radio plays) teaming up with Nick Valentine (voiced by the amazing Stephen Russell). Valentine is, for me, one of the best written, unique companions in Fallout lore.

So, I reached out to Stephen Russell who had joined us before for charity work and he was all in on bringing Nick Valentine back to life! After that things moved fast with Bethesda's Pete Hines and Emil Pagliarulo joining us to have some fun for a good cause. We tried to get EVERY companion from Fallout 4 that we could, but schedule wrangling is tough, and some people are just impossible to track down or find. Matt Mercer would've loved to have joined us as Macready, but unfortunately scheduling didn't work, so the best we could manage would be a holotape (the only reason our snarky gun running merc had to take the big sleep in the story).

After having everyone plugged in to reprise characters, it was time to put fingers to keys and find the story...

Part 2: The Deep Lore

The origin of this story started with a thought: how would the NPC's and characters we love perceive modification of their universe by us? We, as players aren't the true creators of this universe or these characters (Bethesda is). If anything, we the players are the equivalent of "lesser gods", reshaping it in new ways, unexpected and subjective ways, and sometimes even chaotic ways (I'm looking at you avalanche of adult mods with realistic jiggle physics and Thomas the Tank Engine Vertibird).

It started with a mental image of the small ways in which we start out modding games, or even the first mods we (using the "Engine of Creation) actually create. I had a mental image of Magnolia doing her thing, singing away sultry in a crowded and smoky third rail when she looks one way, back the next and sees new curtains. A subtle thing, something a little startling, but in a universe where recreational drug use is met with a YEEE YEEEE WHEEEE...a change you simply dismiss as being overtired or a little too juiced.

I'm a sucker for old time radio. I grew up listening to classic radio horrors like The Whistler, Suspense, and Lights Out on vinyl records and cassette tapes when I'd spend summers with my grandmother on a little island off the coast of Canada. Getting the tone, feeling and sound to stage an old-time radio show was the easiest part of this whole process...it's baked into my brain lol. The key of course is finding the right narrative voice.

Enter: Bill Lobley. If you play Fallout 76, he is the announcer for the "Tales from the West Virginia Hills" holotapes, but before that he's a prolific voice actor, maybe best known for his role as the truly vile Jeremiah Fink in Bioshock: Infinite. He has a FANTASTIC transatlantic voice for old time radio and was perfect as narrator in the script.

Part 3: What Is Going On?!?!

I had the base idea, the voices to pull it off, but what was the meaning and message of the whole thing? I always start there. From a meta experience level, the story is about dealing with subjective reality that’s being torn apart. After Fallout 4 launched in vanilla, we the players changed that world and reshaped it with mods. The small changes in perceived reality are meant for the omniscient player (us) and are not meant to be perceived by the characters themselves...and yet, what if they were? And if they were...WHY?! The answer was right in front of me: there's a difference between something born into a world and something MADE into a world.

You take someone like Magnolia or Nick, both synths, that obviously weren’t naturally born from two people. They were conceived as an idea...a human idea sure, but still they were made, not born. Without even needing to say in the script, the Trickster from the Grognak comic books who shouldn't exist yet does IS also an idea. Some MADE into a world but not born...a different world sure, but still the creation of it. Nick, Magnolia, any synth as ideas themselves would sense that the world was wrong and being changed in a way no one else would because of fundamentally who they are and what they represent.

Everything that unfolds is because Nora as a keystone event in the Commonwealth, a focal point of the causal nexus making her a unique entity in that world. A causal nexus is the link between a cause and its resulting effects and ignore the science mumbo jumbo, because here's an example of how that works:

The Sole Survivor, Nora, listened to Kent's message, chose to answer him and put on the outfit of the Silver Shroud. As a unique figure she shifted perceived reality of everyone in the Commonwealth by becoming the Silver Shroud, acting like him and making people believe that a fictional character exists.

Unfettered belief and faith in an idea = manifested reality.

Rejected belief and faith in the idea = dispels that reality.

This HAS happened before in Fallout lore in the instance of people with horrifying backstories and personal tragedies choosing to become someone else such as the Mechanist (Fallout 3 and Fallout 4) or even the Ant-Agonizer (Fallout 3). This time however it was a unique figure who did this, a figure fated and meant to reshape the Commonwealth for good, bad or ugly.

This opened a door, the door through which another figure could influence and enter a new universe provided it take the form of something already in it...a reality side-step into the form of the Mechanist. Concurrently, the moment that happened, reality counterbalanced by making the Silver Shroud who was already believed to be real BECOME real as the ying to the Mechanist/Trickster's yang.

Now at home in reality, the Trickster found himself very much alive and unbound by story but had very little power to do much at all. He needed something more, an idea and faith that already existed in the Commonwealth with the infinite universe of ideas made, but not born like himself. His goal wasn't power, it was to sow chaos, reshaping reality into a realm for any and every idea despite the consequences to reality itself.

So what did he need? The belief in the Old Gods and a focus point of belief in the idea: a staff. The universe is as adaptive as it is remarkable and where the Mechanist had its opposite: the Silver Shroud, the Trickster needed its twin: enter Sheogorath...because what better staff to tear apart and reshape reality than the Staff of Sheogorath. There is a quest added in the new Skyrim Anniversary Edition in which you can build it for yourself with a few items: Branch of the Tree of Shades, Ciirta's Eye, Fork of Horripilation. In this universe it would have to fashioned with things FROM this universe.

Two eyes were needed:

The eye of a True Believer: Kent Connolly

The eye of a True Seer: Mama Murphy

Affixed to the top of a staff of the purest heartwood from a Twice Born Tree. Living wood from Harold, born a man who eventually mutated into a living tree.

Lastly, it had to be soaked in the tears of ages end: barrels of radiated blessed waters courtesy of the Cult of Atom.

The Trickster had no magic of his own in this universe in which to act, but thankfully courtesy of some powerful allies, he was able to make contact with shadowy cults and worshippers of the old gods who gave him the name of someone truly of faith in the old magic to make all of this work: Jebediah Blackhall, who in this spin of the universe did unfortunately get his hands on the cursed book: the Krivbeknah.

Finding allies was all too easy, as the events post main quest left the Commonwealth changed. To many, the Sole Survivor and his/her companions would be hailed as heroes. To others, they would be villains, particularly in light of what Nora CHOSE to do to the Railroad to end the synth threat for good. That's a lot of blood on the hands of heroes...

As the Mechanist/Trickster, Blackall and the Lombardos began using the staff, its changes and shifts in reality rippled backwards through time, as changing one specific thing would change its entire existence. You change some curtains and the manufacturer of those curtains only every made one pattern...the world object becomes changed universally. Tapping into the Engine of Creation to make these changes, leaves anyone MADE not born aware of them as they don't fit into the design as it shifts around them. Nick, Danse, Magnolia would all feel and see it, be thrown off for a bit before settling into the changed reality state.

At the climax when everything starts falling apart and you get everyone from GlaDOS and the Joker strolling on in, the only way to end it all is to separate the Trickster from the Staff and restore the saved intended state of reality. The Silver Shroud finds himself powerless against the Trickster...only someone from this universe would be able to intercede, hard wired into the Engine of Creation itself as an existing element connected throughout its framework and history. After sending the Trickster off packing to the moon (thanks GlaDOS), but its a little too late for reality. It collapses around them, finding themselves elsewhere...the point between the mind, creation and the outcome of reality.

After the Shroud fades away, Nick has the power and choice to roll the universe, his universe back along the tapestry of choices that led him here. They all were haunted by the choices they made the first time around, something Nora couldn't live with...that ultimately led her relationship with Danse to fall apart. So Nick decides to go back further, as far back as he can go and he finds himself back in his office with Ellie waking him up.

There are consequences to what he's done, that he's not yet aware of, ones that will become clear in our next episode. The synths remember, as he remembers...Danse, Magnolia and everyone else remembers the fall of the Institute. They all find themselves at their starting point, moving towards their intended fated position to encounter the Sole Survivor. For Nick? He's starting down the path that will led him to be held prisoner and meet the Sole Survivor for the first time.

As he'll soon discover however, things don't play out the same way this time. Moreover, while he was rolling back reality to an early saved state, he made a huge mistake and completely forgot about something and someone so incredibly important...

You'll have to wait to see what that is...

[thesleepyfable]

~ SWTD: Still Here AU Part 11: ~

In Times of War:

Last chapter before the official Rescue Arc begins.

TW: War, PTSD and Death.

'Attention, all personnel. Message from the mainland has stated that the rescue will be here by 13:00 hours. I repeat 13:00 hours. Gather your belongings and prepare closing down.'

Roper had to admit. He found great joy in making an announcement instead of Rennick.

It was a busy yet strange morning for Beria. The crew ate their breakfast as they worked on getting the rig closed. None of them had done this before. Only gotten themselves ready in swapping shifts or leaving it stable enough for another set of crew to arrive. They'd all been trained, but it was the case of remembering.

Roy, Caz, Finlay, and eventually Innes and Muir worked on moving food from the pantry and into the containers. Leave nothing purchased from Cadal's pockets behind. The last thing you want is to be in debt to them. Brodie and Raffs focused on The Stack with the help of Engineering and Pontoons. There is no need for an explosion now. Luck was on their side, and they'd like to keep it that way.

O'Connor left the Pontoons to Fergus. He accompanied Rennick to Administration to collect all the important documents Beria will need. Despite Rennick seemingly hating everyone, O'Connor was someone he always tolerated. He was one of the few who never got a verbal beatdown and knew to stay in his lane. Plus, working in the depths of the rig meant the pair never saw each other. Just quick acknowledgement as they entered the canteen. Currently, the pair sat outside the building, eating their breakfast in mostly silence.

'I can't believe we're doing this,' Rennick muttered as he chewed through the sausage barm that dripped grease and tomato ketchup. He never knew how hungry he was until his infection. Before, Rennick just survived on coffee and stress. He often wondered how he hadn't dropped dead from it all. 'Sneaking us back to the mainland and hoping they let us go.' Of course, it was McLeary's idea.

'If you have a better idea, then I'm all ears.'

'No. But...' Rennick did not have any other ideas. 'Operation Spy?' Once again, of course it was McLeary. 'We're not spies, Dónal. Look at us.' He pointed to him. 'Tinker.' He pointed to Dobbie, who was walking by. 'Tailor.' He pointed to Innes. 'Soldier.' He pointed to himself. 'Twat.'

O'Connor tried not to laugh through the sip of his coffee. Then, it hit him.

'Did you say my first name, Davey?'

'Oh get fucked, O'Connor. Of course I know your name. I know everyone's first, middle, that you don't have, and last name.' He tossed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth. 'Now, get your specks on and help me.'

Like the old fud he was, Rennick sulked towards his office to begin the search for documents. With a last sip of coffee, O'Connor followed. Good thing, too, because he side-stepped a tendril Rennick was going to use to drag the older man along. 'Alright. Alright.'

'Well, move it.'

Apart from the knocked over books, Rennick's office was practically untouched. Might be because The Shape didn't make it this far before dying. O'Connor went first, put on his round glasses, and began to shift through.

'Surely, they wouldn't need half of this?'

'You'd be surprised,' Rennick scoffed. 'They'll want all of our documents and any damage updates.' He paused. 'Which I never reported.'

'What could you even put in a report now? Beria damaged from an ancient entity we drilled through and royally pissed off?'

Okay, Rennick had to chuckle at that. Just one chuckle, though.

O'Connor continued to shuffle. From daily records to first aid and payments. All were needed. He tucked the most recent file of contracts under his arm and slid the rest of the files towards Rennick, who lingered halfway through the door. O'Connor went to stand, but a glint from a picture frame caught his eye. It sat on a shelf under the desk, and curiosity got the best of him. The resemblance was undeniable. Of course it was Rennick. He was younger. Early 30s. Leaning against a military jeep with two other blokes. They all held their issued rifles with wide smiles and dripping with sweat as they wrapped cloth around their foreheads. Rennick wasn't wearing a shirt, where a tattoo could be seen on his upper arm. What it was was hard to tell due to the angle. O'Connor glanced to his manager, who was shuffling through the files. He slowly walked over and offered the frame. 'I don't think you should leave this behind, eh?'

Rennick looked up from the paperwork, and his eyes widened. He gently took the photo and gazed at the memory. The same feeling from yesterday came back. The nostalgic feeling and the yearning to be young again. O'Connor noticed the hurt look in Rennick's eyes as he dazed off into the past.

The day was a scorcher, expected for the desert. As the soldiers could finally take a break and check their equipment, Rennick was called over by the men who stood beside him. George and Kenneth. The trio had been thick as thieves, and George was going to make sure this was a memory to keep. Rich lad from Cornwall. Always had the best technology. The camera was a birthday gift from home. He gave it to a clearly bored Officer, who had to be walked through how it even worked. Rennick remembered rolling his eyes. He was always impatient.

'Come on, whilst we're still young!'

'Young?' Geroge called as he jogged over. 'I thought Churchill dragged you out of a retirement home, Rennick?'

'By the end of this war, I'll be frog-marched into one.' The three wrapped one arm around each other's shoulder and raised their rifles with the other.

'Say Churchill!'

'Churchill!'

Click

'Africa?'

Rennick snapped back to reality. 'Yeah. We'd just captured Fort Capuzzo. What about you? I never saw you there.'

'I was never in Africa.' O'Connor leaned against the desk. 'I was in Dunkirk.'

'Oh, you poor fuck.' The pair shared a chuckle.

'What happened to the others?'

'Kenneth went to join the R.A.F,' Rennick explained. 'George and I went home at the end of it all and stayed in touch.' A pause. 'He died from a heart attack four years ago. Lucky bastard.'

'And Kenneth?'

'Haven't the foggiest.' If he had to guess, he was either dead or the one sitting in a retirement home. But, enough about that. Rennick focused his attention on O'Connor. 'Didn't agree with Ireland kicking their feet up with The Swiss and Spaniards?'

'Yep. It wasn't right. We were at war. Lives were at stake, and I had a job to do.' With a brief story to tell, O'Connor lit a cigarette. He knew Rennick wasn't a smoker. 'I was a driver. You felt so powerful driving troops across France's fields and roads, avoiding enemy fire. Younger me saw this as an adventure.' Like Rennick, a look of nostalgia washed over him. Then, the hurt look crept in his eyes. 'Until I got too cocky and sent the us into a death trap.'

The crushing pain of the jeep landing on his leg ran through his body. It was a feeling that would never leave. Some would say having a constant limp for the rest of your life was enough punishment, but for O'Connor, it was when he saw...

'Nigel? Nigel? Answer me, please. Get this jeep off me.'

'NIGEL!'

The pair fell silent. They looked at each other for some form of comfort. There was no need for clarification. War was Hell, but there were good moments. It's how you stayed sane. The toughest challenge for both men was returning to civilian life. But, here they were after thirty years. They had to be thankful for that.

Rennick broke eye contact and huffed. 'Well, let's get out of here.' No reason to dwell on the past. Rennick went to move. And he couldn't. Whenever he tried to move his head and 'arm' out of the doorway, he just lightly shook the office. He was stuck. 'One moment. Just...J...' Nope. Completely stuck. 'Can you help me?' He looked at O'Connor, who was trying with every fibre of his being to not laugh. Which lasted about five seconds. He let out a scream-laugh, leaning on his knees and sounding like a dying pterodactyl. It was the mood booster he needed.

O'Connor's laugh must be contagious because Rennick just started to laugh along. His was a hysterical cackle in comparison. Everyone on Deck heard the pair, and Muir could see what the problem was, thanks to his height, causing him to snort.

Through their laughs, O'Connor leaned against Rennick's head and helped him shuffle the arm out, which was causing the block. If he could get himself in, then he could get himself out. Once free, Rennick pulled backwards, causing O'Connor to trip onto the handrailing, but still they laughed.

When all was said and done, they began to head for the Deck.

'So, what was your tattoo?'

'That's something I'm taking to the grave, Mr. O'Connor.'

[aois-amaterasu-painting]

Gekirock Live Report - 2024.05.27 Toyosu PIT

Regarding death. And regarding life as well. Through their 22 years of activity up to this point, the GazettE can be said to be a band that has consistently portrayed views on life and death, depicting heavy and intense soundscapes as well as profoundly serene scenes that are the complete opposite. Looking back now, when the album 'DIM' was released in 2009, RUKI (Vo) said in an interview, "We created this album based on the premise of not escaping from anything, including the weight of death and the realities that happen every day." Yes, the GazettE has always been a band that chooses not to escape.

REITA (Ba) suddenly passed away on April 15th, leaving behind a post on social media expressing his wish for "the GazettE to be eternal." The next day, the official website announced the news, and the day after that, RUKI, Uruha (Gt), Aoi (Gt), and Kai (Dr) sent a message to their fans. Just 10 days later, on April 25th, they announced a memorial concert, "HERESY LIMITED 'SIX GUN'S'," to be held at Toyosu PIT on May 27th, REITA's birthday. Their swift response was not an act of escape from the immediate events, but rather the result of facing REITA head-on without even taking time to grieve. (By the way, "SIX GUN'S" refers to the five members and the fans as the sixth member, a phrase used previously as a live title.)

"The usual way of the GazettE's live shows is a place where everyone can let go of their feelings of helplessness and pain from their daily lives. That's what our live shows are about. So today, it's okay for you to cry or go wild. We, all the members, will accept all of your emotions, carry them, and lead you with all our might. That's the resolve with which I sing...!" (RUKI)

First, the concert opened with "LAST SONG," which includes the lyrics "You taught me all the reasons for me to keep living." During "TOMORROW NEVER DIES," RUKI repeatedly looked up at the stage ceiling while singing the lyrics "Can you hear me?" The song "Chijou (痴情)," which REITA publicly stated as one of his favorites, was firmly included in the setlist. In "Hyena," REITA's shouts resonated throughout the venue from the pre-recorded audio as usual. During "Miseinen," RUKI shouted loudly, "On Bass, REITA!" before the bass solo, which was met with applause from the audience. In "Shunsetsu no Koro," during the customary scene where all members except Kai gather at the front of the stage in the latter half of the song, Aoi kept a space for REITA. There are countless examples to mention, but it can be said that tonight's live performance was a memorial for REITA, yet it was filled with moments where REITA's presence was undeniably felt.

"Let me say something that we have all agreed upon as a band. From now on, the GazettE will not have any bassist other than REITA. We will never stop using REITA's sound from our past live recordings, and even for new works, we will continue to use REITA's bass and equipment to the fullest extent, respecting his wishes," (RUKI). After these words, they announced that they would perform again at Toyosu PIT on September 12th, and the last song they played was "UNFINISHED." The lyrics "I want to show you the future" can also be seen as the collective intention of the GazettE. Long live the GazettE.

[nika-vincent]

Some of our reflections on the development of Halsin's personality in Bg3. Long post warning.

I can say that this post is something like a continuation of my previous one, which was devoted mainly to romance with Halsin. This time I gathered some more thoughts from my recent discussions with the guys who love this wonderful character, but this time the main topic will be the development of Halsin's personality in the game. Some things about romance will also be mentioned here a little, the moments we found in the game files, and a few more facts from the datamine. So if you haven't completed the game and don't want to get spoilers, then I suggest skipping this article for now. We will be very happy if this review can also help Larian to see some points that could be supplemented or repaired with patches and also look at how the players perceive our beloved bear and what they would like to see with him in the future.

I would like to start by saying that if we compare Minthara and Halsin in terms of the degree of personality development throughout the game, Minthara is prescribed better and even has her own different ways: to change herself for the better or to remain a bad girl. And I'm not gonna say that she doesn't deserve this because most players choose the path of good and there is no point in investing in the development of her character. Not at all. On the contrary, it shows that it is important for developers to take into account every detail in the game, and if players want to play the game differently for a change, they will discover a lot of new things and say: "Oh, dude! Minthara turns out to be not as bad as she seemed at first glance!". And this is really a wonderful move by Larian, which doesn't allow players to get bored and makes them look at situations and the characters themselves differently. (And by the way, if some character is in the minority according to the preferences of the players, this does not mean that it deserves to receive poor development.)

As for Halsin in this case, at the moment not only his romantic content is missing, but also his very development as a character and a full-fledged companion. This can be explained by the fact that he was probably recently added as a companion, and there simply wasn't time for him to prescribe more things that would reveal his character and potential to the fullest. Considering Sven Winke's recent post on Twitter, where he announced that Larian will again involve voice actors to record new content, there is a chance that these flaws will be fixed in patches and Halsin will get more interactive scenes than those he has now. (As far as I know, Minthara is also suffers from a lack of romantic content, as does Halsin, so I suggest waiting for now and following the official news from Larian …)

It's sad to see that new players who don't experience early access called Halsin a rather boring companion compared to others. However, players from early access spoke about him much higher and more positively, otherwise he wouldn't have become one of the popular characters of the community. So, why did this happen? I can explain this by saying that at that time Halsin was just something like an episodic character that we just had to rescue from the goblin camp and he would tell us everything he knows about our parasite and where we should go for further answers then. (And for an episodic character, that would be enough.) After that, we witness how he scolds Kagha because of the rite of thorns. And I think a particularly strong point was that in the case of Arabella's death, Halsin says in raised tones: "As for the Idol? It's nothing compared to life! A mere object, next to one nature's creations! You showed no pity, no remorse. I cannot absolve you!" I've seen people write admiring comments like: "Until that moment, I thought I couldn't love him even more!". The way he expresses his thoughts, shows concern, compassion, or regret and disappointment mixed with anger (because of the death of a little girl that Kagha allowed) - all this showed us the traits of Halsin's character and caused emotions among the players. Someone thought he was too soft, and someone admired his kindness. And that's how it should work, so that the character evokes different or even contradictory emotions in people, anything but boredom or the feeling that something is missing. This is what makes the character interesting, we want to learn more about him, see how he will behave in other situations and especially how he will react to the Baldur Gate City itself. And I can also note that we were particularly interested in his story with Ketheric Thorm, which he tells us about after the Tiefling party, as well as what he feels guilty about and what unfinished business he mentioned.

Unfortunately, much of what concerned Halsin's personal growth in the release version of the game remained not fully disclosed and seemed unfinished, especially in act 3. His quest during act 2 was challenging from a gameplay point of view, but from a story one it was quite touching and helped us learn a little more about Halsin's past and that the spirit of the land named Thaniel was his only childhood friend. We also learned a little about his parents, as well as the reason why he became the archdruid.

But the story of the shadow curse still remained as if unsaid, and also we didn't see any of his interactions with Ketheriс Thorm, which I think deserved to be realized, and were not limited to Halsin's stories only about Ketheric if we ask him. An interesting fact is that for a long time there were hints in the datamine that Ketheric's daughter Isobel died because of Halsin (correct me if I made a mistake somewhere, please). And I remember, I saw there that Isobel was killed by the spear 'Sorrow', the same spear that we can get in the secret vault in the emerald grove. Not to mention that in Halsin's room we can even find his diaries, in which Isobel was mentioned several times. This would have added a lot of intrigue and special opportunities for Halsin's interactions in the plot of Act 2 itself, but for some reason it remained behind the scenes and even if we ask Isobel about how she died, she cannot remember her killer. Although there are some special dialogues between Halsin and Isobel in the game files themselves at the moment, but there are none of them during the gameplay. I dunno why it was necessary to cut or change these things, and it is not for me to decide what to do here after all. But in my humble opinion, it would have added fire to Halsin's plot in act 2. I would regard this as a fact that even such a good and kind character as Halsin can make mistakes, has his own shortcomings and even dark sides. Therefore, before the release of the game, I had high expectations that Halsin would play a much bigger plot role in Act 2 because of these intrigues between him, Ketheric and Isobel than what we have in the game at the moment. The feeling of the whole story being left unsaid is still present in Act 2, but who knows, maybe it can be improved in patches?

When Halsin became our full-fledged companion in the game, we got new options for the dialogues, but very few of his interactions in the future. It's as if the development of his personality in the second act ended along with his quest. Remember what wonderful scenes with companions in Act 1 we watched over and over again when we stayed overnight in the camp. It helped us to get to know them better, to love someone or hate someone. Halsin definitely should not be deprived of this, we still want to get to know him so that later we can draw conclusions about him in Act 3 and help him find his own path, as it was with the other companions. We got to know our companions during acts 1 and 2 to see the end result of what we experienced together in act 3.

What confuses me is that the developers seem to have paid more attention to his sexuality than the development of his personality instead (not to mention that scandalous story of his sexual slavery to drows in his past, and he only tells us about it after we sleep with the drow twins in a brothel in his company). This looks especially sad for romance, because it looks like Tav fell in love with Halsin more for his sexy muscular body, and not for what kind of person he is. After all, even in real life, we fall in love with someone not for having a fine big booty, but for how a person presents themself to the world and how they treats us. I want to add here one quote that I just remembered: 'Personality is much more important, because the external beauty of a person is taken away by old age, but the beauty of the soul will remain forever.'

In act 3, at the moment, Halsin reveals much less, but we can still see some hints. After he appoints a successor to the Emerald grove in his place, and after we help heal the lands from the shadow curse, Halsin apparently has a conflict with himself about finding a new goal. He notes that he does not like the city of Baldur's Gate, he is saddened by the fate of orphans here, he would also like people to see a friend in nature. And there are also curious moments in his reasoning about shadow druids and their methods. But all this remains so far only at the level of discussions and comments that pop up sometimes. And we can only find out at the very end that he decided to find a new goal in helping people and orphans from the city in Thaniel's world. And you know, it's a really great idea, but I have this feeling again that in act 3 we missed a lot before he came to find this goal in his ending. The idea of his personal path still remained unfinished to the end. I also heard that he was supposed to have some kind of quest with a druid circle in the city, well, let's see if we'll have a chance to see it in patches.

Сomparing Halsin with the rest of the party, he still looks pretty unfinished in terms of development by the end of the game. Because each companion has their own personal options for the path of development, which we are able to influence, and we can notice the difference in the change in the character of a certain companion comparing with what they were in act 1 and what they became by the end of act 3. We can see what Shadowheart can be like if she rejects Shar, or what she will be like in the future if she becomes a dark justiciar. Astarion can remain as a spawn, but at the same time preserving himself as a person and not turn into the likeness of Cazador, whom he hated so much. Or we can help him become a Vampire Lord and the power will intoxicate him so much that he will even begin to dream of taking the city itself in the end. Even Minthara, the companion opposite to Halsin, also has her own personal path of development. But with Halsin himself, unfortunately, this is happening pretty weakly at the moment...

We have been discussing a lot lately what would help for the development of Halsin's personality, so that he could be on a par with the rest of the companions. And I'll start with an excellent thought from my dear friend @merrinla, which would give an excellent opportunity for the development of his personal path, which at the moment in the game looks somewhat unfinished (but I still believe in the power of patches, official writers and the love of fans!❤).

Considering that his background is labeled 'outlander', this makes him a person who grew up in a wild environment, wandering a lot, living in harmony with nature, free as the wind. And even his best friend is the spirit of the land, not from the ordinary people. In his youth, he lived this life, unencumbered by responsibilities, exactly before the crisis moment happened, which was a shadow curse that abruptly changed his usual life. And for 100 years, his goal was to heal the lands from this curse. Plus, his duties as an archdruid piled up here and he didn't have time for his own desires at all. "I was forgetting who I was," as he once told us. After the events in Act 2, he does not seem to be eager to return to the emerald grove, but keeps in touch with Francesca to find out news from there. He speaks quite critically about the city of Baldur's Gate, but he has a desire to help people here and make life in the city better. And I think it would be appropriate here to let Tav tell him something like: 'You know, Halsin, it's not for nothing that people say that everything can be found in Baldur's Gate. Maybe you can find yourself here too?' and also try to change his views on the civilized world, because at the moment he is not familiar with this world too well, and we could help him adapt, convince him that the city itself is not so bad, and find himself here. Even the romance with him will look great with this option.

So it would be a suitable solution if Halsin also had his own development paths: 1 - if he trusts our advice and assistance in adapting to the city, which will allow him to become more civilized. 2 - we agree that he is right in his critical views on the city and civilization, and ultimately he decides to remain an outlander.

I think that even his ending with the orphans could also look different depending on the choice of his personal path, as well as in the case of the romance with him. This is a really great idea, and thank you @merrinla so much for sharing it with me!🙏❤

I would also like to give my comment about Halsin's role in our party. Considering that we have often witnessed conflicts between our companions, in Halsin I see something like scales holding the balance. Someone like the 'father' of our party, an adult wise mentor with whom we could consult about our experiences and ask for his advice. And I would also be very happy to see how he will try to calm our companions in case of any conflict.😂 His wisdom and mentoring experience just have to play a role in our party. If we go on a romance path with him, I would really like him to let us know that he will always listen to us at any moment and support us. Maybe we could even unobtrusively take his hand in return for a while to show how much it means to us. It would also be nice if Thaniel could communicate more with Halsin in the camp, and, in the case of romance, in a dialogue with us, he would notice that Halsin cares about us. These cute moments and his modesty suit Halsin much more than excessive sexual innuendos.

I dunno if Larian will do something about the fact that in the game files Halsin should have received more interactions with Isobel. But I think it would be great and intriguing. And interactions with Ketheric would also be perfect here (Girls, don't start a fight until I find my popcorn😅). And it also seemed strange to me that Halsin had no reaction to Zevlor's betrayal. Maybe it's a bug or just another flaw, who knows. But it would also be good to get this scene, even if he was at our party at the time of the showdown with Zevlor. Maybe it would be nice to organize some kind of his reaction to Nightsong, too, given that Halsin learned about her from Aradin, but he thought she was an artifact, not a living angel. Some interactions with our pets in the camp, I think they should be for Halsin too. (Let him stroke Scratch's belly, haha) And also… the arm wrestling scene of Minsc and Halsin when? Just imagine how funny it might look, 'cause even the dialogue with Minsc about it was hilarious.😁

That's all for today! Thank you guys for reading this review to the end, and also join us in discussions in the feedback about Halsin of the official Larian's discord club! I wish great success to Larian and I thank them for creating this wonderful game for us, which unites people and allows us to discuss many things. We love you and hope that you will also succeed in your future projects, and I also wish you good luck and inspiration in working on new content for BG3!❤🙏

[rainboneish]

i lied, i can’t wait until the official release, so have an absolutely massive text dump about what i think about chapter 267 and what i think could happen from here considering the newest developments:

okay i’ve decided… i like the fact that nobara is back, and i do think that it doesn’t contradict anything that has been previously established (her survival was very deliberately left as a possibility in a decently believable way)

the way she went down (and what Nitta said about her status) was open ended enough, no complaints there (especially comparing her “departure” (to quote gege) to Nanami’s and Mahito’s line wondering if he could drop her with one hit since he couldn’t do that with Nanami if he wasn’t already on the verge of death, it’s more than a bit of a Checkov’s gun, which is why so many people were already theorizing that she would return the way she did)

i also think that Megumi and Yuji’s conversation about her being as ambiguous as it was is not outside of the realm of realism, since it was only a couple days after she went down (so around 2 months earlier than the point when she woke up) so if her status at that moment was “comatose on life support and very unlikely to wake up”, so almost the same status Yuji last saw her in (plus considering the time Tsumiki spent in a coma makes it more likely for Megumi to sort of struggle to state the fact out loud)

however…

while I understand that gege might have deliberately avoided mentioning her status so that she would surprise us the way she did Sukuna, i think that it would feel less like a deus ex machina if they had mentioned her at least one more time, either by having Yuji (or anyone) visit her sickbed during the month’s preparation for the showdown, or by having Gojo allude to SOMETHING at any point where Yuji wasn’t present (be it at the airport, while talking to Ijichi before the fight, the same way that Yuta said that he would put Inumaki to work set up the recorder scene)

it didn’t have to be anything that would necessarily confirm her status or a direct mention of her, it could have been an unlabeled hospital bed at some point or something equally vague

i just personally would have liked having another connecting dot for her return around the time when seeds for similar surprising events were planted to make it fit a tad better

anyway, all that said and done, now to the return itself: Loved it, the whole chapter was very well executed and the build up in the chapter itself was very good

it does feel a little out of character for the tone of the series itself (gege has a habit of not letting the good guys win anything without it feeling bittersweet or pulling the rug right from under them (and us) at the last second (the fight against the death paintings with Yuji’s grief after, Mahito being absorbed, Kenjaku starting the culling games just as Yuki’s appearance gave people hope, the whole Tsumiki twist just when we thought they were getting out, the way Gojo died just when they thought he won etc)

because of that i am SO SCARED RIGHT NOW (which i’m sure he did on purpose)… everything looks like we are lined up for 3 to live (if gojo stays dead, which i hope he does, as much as i love him, the guy’s last words are that he is happy he went out the way he did and that he hopes his afterlife vision is real, LET HIM REST, he wouldn’t want to survive in exchange for Yuji or Megumi’s death (also having another character come back from the “dead”, especially one that is properly established to be dead, at this point feels like it would cheapen the concept of death in the series))

now, if this is how it ends, and this chapter was officially announced as the climax of the battle in advance so that’s likely, especially with the condition sukuna was in at the end, you won’t catch me complaining (i’m not THAT kind of shonen fan, griping over on twt about how it’s bad writing if we get a happy ending, these kids have been through ENOUGH, let them have time to grow older together, they never even managed to get to first name basis)

however: we do have another 4 chapters left…

and that leaves us with the option that if gege decides to be evil (like he often is) we could dramatically go from having unexpectedly reached the final “3 live 1 dies “ configuration, giving us a sense of security, to a fear of reaching the dreaded “only one survivor” option

Now, I previously made a different too long post about why either of the boys being the lone survivor would both be equally good story telling for a bittersweet ending to this story (see here)

now, i’m going to exclude the option of Nobara dying because her coming back just to be killed a chapter or two later would be stupid (plus the only way i can see that happening is if Uraume suddenly shows up at the dam after having killed Hakari and taken a train which… yeah… ), so that would automatically make her the lone survivor (again, already talked about the reasons why either of they boys dying works, though i will say that her return would strengthen Megumi’s will to live)

Nobara is more independent as a character than either of the boys, as far as her motivations go. She is the one character (out of the three of them) who viewed being a sorcerer as a job (think about her asking Momo is her life is just a job during their fight), more than having it directly tied into her purpose in life, which is something a lot of the adult survivors have in common. She has people outside of jujutsu society that she would like to see again (to be blunt, she has other friends and family, unlike the other two, plus she didn’t go through the additional trauma that made the other two cling to each other even more)

while she would definitely grieve them immensely, she has the resilience to grow around that grief, if both Megumi and Yuji should somehow die with Sukuna.

Again, i don’t think this is the most likely outcome, especially considering that gege said that he hopes the ending will make people happy which dead main characters don’t tend to do, but i do think that this is definitely an option i can’t dismiss out of hand until Sukuna is officially dead

edit: another point in favour of the happy ending is of course, the whole "jjk is about breaking the cycle" theory, which is reinforced by the "cycling curse" line on the second to last page of this chapter

[planetaryaether]

Master Post of Blackrock Resources/Information

Every once-in-a-while I’ll get people asking about various pieces of lore or content regarding Blackrock, so I have decided to aggregate it all in one place to make things easier on everyone. If there is anything I have missed, just let me know and I would be happy to track it down and add it! Special thanks to  @fictitiousdreamer,  yogurtyogitup, and @gonic2 for helping gather information!

If anyone knows where I can find old (like 2013/2014) JingleJam streams please lmk! That is the last major place I need to check for info!

Series Playlist Additional Relevant Moments Duncan’s Lab Episodes 3, 10, and 34 (Set Before the Prequels) Duncan’s Lab Episode 64 (After S2E4 of Blackrock) Feed The World Episode 8 (Sometime Between S2 & S3)

Blackrock Songs: "Our Blackrock Story Carries On" - Lyrics ”Sjin and Duncan are Going to Die” "Baby It's Cold Outside” "Blackrock’s Back” Version 1 and 2, Lyrics Zoey's Official Blackrock Playlist Post Functional Zoey’s Playlist (original has broken links) “Do You Want to Craft a Golem” Origin Text Post Enderboy - Lyrics Engineering “Duncan, Why Did You Plant That Bomb?” (based on “Fries” from Adventure Time) Lyrics "Remember You" Not technically Blackrock but it had a BlackRock caption so I am including it for completeness "Blackrock Bunch" Text post "Fresh Princess" Non-Canon Text post

End of Series Lore Posts: End of Series Announcement Post  Zoey Related Lore  (URLs linked are broken, fixed link here, thanks @emimations) End of Series Lore Rest of Cabertown Plotline Nilesy’s Baby Jim Journal

Rythian Lore: Personality in 5 Words Hair Streak Changing Eye Color Used To Know Science Physical Description Who Knows What's Under the Mask Cost of Magic Living Without EE Feelings on Simon/Lewis Cape Origin Official Headcanons Rythian Journal (Gametee) Lore

Zoey: Face Markings Origin of the Mushroom Theme Robot Arm Jailhouse 6 Art Jailhouse 6 Sketches Season 3 Pre-episode post On Returning to the Enclave Disarming the Nuke Additional (unused) Score Fear of the End Zoey Supercomputer Official HC More Jeff Computer Stuff Mushroom Stew/Soup Mechanics

Teep: Inclusion of Teep Teep Vs Ringo Use of Creative Mode Accidental Deaths

Duncan: Forcefield Setup Forcefield Scene Recording Keeping an Eye on Duncan S3 Duncan Planting the Nuke

End Lore: Characterization of the Princess  Enderbane Lore Enderbane Supplemental Enderdragon Rebirth

Misc Lore: 10 Year Anniversary Stream Highlights (various lore/behind-the-scenes info) Baby Jim Origin Baby Jim Origin 2 Almost Cannibalism NewPool Build How Death Works Name of the World Accidental Destruction of Cabertown Rebuilding of Cabertown Realm Of Dawn’s Relationship to the Brightlands Blackrock S1-S3 Posters Blackrock 3.5 Poster (Supernatural Themed) Season 3 Design Concept

Collaborations/Relevant Other Series Lore: Sips Co Enderman Near Flux Buddies Collaboration Near Early Nuke Detonation Canon Status of Other Series Bow to Kill Ender Dragon (KirbyCraft) named after Zoey Second Sips Co Factory MB Zoey vs Blackrock Zoey

The Princess Short Story: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Fun/Noncanon Asks/Moments: Cabertown Fathersday Textpost Umbrella Rythian Hypothetical Jailhouse 6 Tour Fishton Origins

Part 2 of the Master Post Since I Hit the Link Limit (lol)

[loredwy]

Havent seen it around here, so here are some politician's reactions to the official announcement of Maduro winning the Venezuelan elections.

[Logo] Presidency of the Republic, Costa Rica Government.

The Government of Costa Rica categorically repudiates the proclamation of Nicolás Maduro as president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which we consider fraudulent. We will work with the democratic governments of the continent and international organizations to ensure that the sacred will of the Venezuelan people is respected.

— Rodrigo Chaves Robles, President of the Republic of Costa Rica

Not this way! It was an open secret. They were going to “win” regardless of the actual results. The process up to election day and counting was clearly flawed. You cannot recognize a triumph if you do not trust the form and mechanisms used to achieve it.

— Luis Lacalle Pou, President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay

The Maduro regime must understand that the results it publishes are difficult to believe. The international community, and especially the Venezuelan people, including the millions of Venezuelans in exile, demand total transparency of the records and the process, and for international observers not committed to the government to attest to the veracity of the results.

From Chile we will not recognize any result that is not verifiable.

— Gabriel Boric Font, President of the Republic of Chile

As the Government of Chile, we make a firm call for the will of the Venezuelan people to be respected and for the results of the presidential election to be guaranteed. These are decisive hours in Venezuela and democracy must prevail above all.

— Alberto van Klaveren, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile

I condemn in all its extremes the sum of irregularities with the intention of fraud on the part of the government of Venezuela.

Peru will not accept the violation of the popular will of the Venezuelan people.

Given the very serious official announcements of the Venezuelan electoral authorities, the immediate call for consultations of the Peruvian ambassador accredited to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been arranged.

Several countries in the region are coordinating joint actions so that the will of the Venezuelan people expressed yesterday is undoubtedly respected. There is no going back, take as long as it takes. Our ambassador in Venezuela, called in for consultations, leaves Caracas today.

— Javier González-Olaechea, Chancellor of Peru

Panama joins to the generalized rejection regarding the electoral result in Vzla. We aspired for the popular will to be respected and such a situation was not expected. We will act individually and collectively in favor of Venezuelan democracy. We will announce measures that we will adopt in accordance with inter-American rules in the coming hours.

— José Raúl Mulino, President of the Republic of Panama

DICTATOR MADURO, OUT!!!

Venezuelans chose to end the communist dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro. The data announce a crushing victory for the opposition and the world is waiting for him to recognize defeat after years of socialism, misery, decadence and death.

Argentina is not going to recognize another fraud, and hopes that the Armed Forces this time will defend democracy and the popular will.

Freedom Advances in Latin America.

— Javier Milei, President of the Argentine Republic

Throughout the region, there are politicians who try to cling to power and seek to rob our citizens of peace. That is what we are facing; that is the danger of dictatorship, and today we are witnessing how one more of them tries to take hope away from millions of Venezuelans.

Ecuador had the opportunity to prevent the interests of a few from prevailing over the will of millions. Venezuela deserves that opportunity; therefore, I have requested our foreign minister to take the necessary steps to convene the Permanent Council of the OAS to address the delicate situation in Venezuela.

— Daniel Noboa Azin, President of the Republic of Ecuador

Venezuela deserves transparent, accurate results that adhere to the will of its people.

We receive the results announced by the CNE with many doubts. For this reason, the reports of the electoral observation missions are essential, which today, more than ever, must defend the vote of Venezuelans.

— Bernardo Arévalo, President of the Republic of Guatemala

[workersolidarity]

[ 📹 A man burns alive in a Palestinian tent in an area filled with displaced civilians and journalists inside the compound of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip on Monday. The strike was responsible for killing one citizen and wounding a number of others. ]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

GAZA GENOCIDE DAY 290: BORREL SAYS EU TO TAKE ACTION AFTER ICJ ADVISORY DECISION, ISRAELI OCCUPATION ANNOUNCES THE CONFIRMATION OF THE DEATHS OF TWO HOSTAGES IN GAZA, NEW GROUND OFFENSIVE IN KHAN YUNIS DISPLACES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIANS, GENOCIDE CONTINUES ANOTHER DAY

On 290th day of the Israeli occupation's ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of 3 new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of no less than 23 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, while another 91 others were wounded over the previous 24-hours.

It should be noted that as a result of the constant Israeli bombardment of Gaza's healthcare system, infrastructure, residential and commercial buildings, local paramedic and civil defense crews are unable to recover countless hundreds, even thousands of victims who remain trapped under the rubble, or whose bodies remain strewn across the streets of Gaza.

This leaves the official death toll vastly undercounted as Gaza's healthcare officials are unable to accurately tally those killed and maimed in this genocide, which must be kept in mind when considering the scale of the mass murder.

The European Union's High Representative of the Union of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, declared on Monday that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is unacceptable, and emphasized the EU's support for implementing the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) advisory decision demanding the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces and settlements from the occupied West Bank of Palestine.

Borrell then said that relations between the EU and the Israeli entity cannot continue as normal under the current situation.

"Israel can interpret history as it wishes, but respect for international law is binding," the European Union's Foreign Policy Chief added, stating that the EU would discuss how to apply the Court's decision in Gaza.

In more news on Monday, July 22nd, the Israeli occupation army has renewed a ground offensive into the eastern neighborhoods of the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, following four months of maneuvers by the 98th Division of the occupation army before its eventual withdrawal last April.

Since then, the occupation army has been gathering intelligence about a supposed renewed presence of the Hamas resistance movement, and attempts by the resistance group to restore its military strength.

The army claims that this renewed strength, and the rebuilding of its fortifications in Khan Yunis, is the reason for their latest ground incursions into the area.

Palestinian witnesses reported seeing occupation army Merkava tanks enter the eastern suburbs of Khan Yunis City, into the evacuated area, where occupation military vehicles where seen penetrating the town of Abasan Al-Kabira, along with other neighborhoods east of the city.

According to reporting on the maneuvers, at least 37 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Israeli occupation's ongoing bombing of Khan Yunis since dawn this morning.

At the same time, the Zionist army ordered the evacuation of more than 400'000 displaced Palestinian civilians and local residents from neighborhoods east of Khan Yunis this morning, while tens of thousands have already fled the area.

Witnesses stated seeing thousands of Palestinians fleeing towards central Khan Yunis and its western suburbs.

Reporting in the Palestinian media outlet Ma'an News Agency cited an Israeli military spokesperson as saying "The evacuations are being carried out through text messages, recorded voice messages, phone calls, Arabic-language media broadcasts and announcements."

In more news on Monday, Hebrew-language media outlets are reporting that two Israeli prisoners, who were being held by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, were confirmed to be killed in their custody.

The two hostages, who the occupation media claims were killed by Hamas, were Alex Danzig and Gaev Buchstab, who were kidnapped by the resistance group and taken back to Gaza on October 7th, 2023, while their bodies continue to be held by the resistance group.

The announcement said the decision to acknowledge the two hostages as dead was made after gathering intelligence information, and was approved by a committee made up of experts from the Ministry of Health, working in conjunction with the Ministry of Religion and the Israeli police.

Reporting on Israeli Channel-12 News states that the circumstances leading to their deaths continue to be investigated by professionals from various fields.

Previously, the Hamas resistance movement announced the deaths of the two hostages back in March of this year, which they say resulted from the Israeli occupation forces' bombing raids and a shortage of medicines.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) confirmed in a post to the social media platform X on Sunday that "malnutrition in Gaza poses a major risk to pregnant women and newborns amid an increase in stillbirths, low-weight babies, emaciation and delayed growth."

The post went on to say that "it has become increasingly common for low-weight babies to be born in Gaza," adding that "Malnutrition in Gaza poses a major risk to pregnant women and newborns, amid an increase in stillbirths, low-birth-weight babies, and others suffering from emaciation and delayed growth."

In a separate and unrelated post on X, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, said that the Israeli occupation forces opened heavy fire on at a United Nations convoy heading to Gaza City, stating that "While there are no casualties, our teams had to duck and take cover."

Lazzarini said the incident took place on Sunday, and said that the UN teams had been traveling in "clearly marked UN armoured cars" and were wearing "UN vests".

The UNRWA Chief stated that "One vehicle received at least five bullets while waiting just ahead of the Israeli Forces’ checkpoint south of Wadi Gaza. The car was severely damaged, it left the convoy. The teams re-assembled and finally reached Gaza City."

"Like all other similar UN movements, this movement was coordinated and approved by the Israeli Authorities," Lazzarini said of the incident.

"Humanitarian aid workers are NOT a target," Lazzarini concluded, adding that "those responsible must be held accountable."

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation's genocide seemingly goes on endlessly in Gaza, with the occupation army continuing to target civilian housing and infrastructure, with ongoing bombing and shelling pummeling various axis of the Strip.

In one example, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) bombed a residential house in the Qizan Al-Najjar neighborhood, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of 3 Palestinians, including two children, and wounding a number of others.

Another occupation airstrike targeted a mosque in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, wounding several citizens.

Following the previous strike, occupation artillery shelling targeted a residential home belonging to the Qadan family, next to Al-Saddiqin Mosque, north of the town of Beit Lahiya, in the north Gaza Strip, leading to the death a citizen and injuring several others.

Zionist warplanes also bombed a gathering of civilians in the Mirage area, north of the city of Rafah, south of Gaza, killing two Palestinians and wounding a number of others who were transferred to the Nasser medical complex in Khan Yunis.

Later on, occupation fighter jets went on to bomb a civilian residence belonging to the Batash family on Nakhal Street in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, while Zionist aircraft also bombed a house in the University College area, south of Gaza City, resulting in a fire.

Additionally, Israeli warplanes bombed a residential house belonging to the Jadallah family, west of Khan Yunis, killing one citizen and wounded at least 5 others.

Similarly, a young girl was killed, and 6 other citizens wounded, when occupation fighter jets bombed the Al-Raqab family home in the town of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis.

The Israeli occupation's atrocities continued into Monday morning when the occupation army detonated two entire residential blocks in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, as well as the al-Hay al-Saud areas, west of Rafah City, resulting in thick plumes of smoke and dust rising into the air from the sites.

Witnesses report seeing large numbers of Israeli quadcopter drones flying over areas of central Gaza, specifically in the skies over the Al-Nuseirat Camp.

Meanwhile, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital announced the death of a child named Maryam Mustafa al-Khatib, who succumbed to injuries sustained in the Israeli bombing of an apartment in the Nuseirat Camp.

It was also reported that occupation fighter jets launched two raids in the vicinity of the University College in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, and a third raid east of the city.

Paramedics with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported the recovery of 3 martyrs and several wounded civilians as a result of an Israeli missile strike on a residential apartment belonging to the Batsh family, on Al-Nakhl Street in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, while the dead and wounded were transported to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the city.

Zionist warplanes also bombed a gathering of civilians in the vicinity of Al-Albeen Mosque in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, killing one Palestinian and wounding a number of others.

The crimes of the Zionist entity didn't end there, occupation aircraft also bombarded a residential house in the city of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of two civilians and wounding several others.

In yet another war crime of the Israeli occupation, Zionist warplanes bombed a tent for journalists inside the compound for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, killing one citizen and injuring a number of others.

The Civil Defense Authority is also reporting the strike, stating that one death and several injuries, including critical cases, occured after occupation forces targeted the tent of journalists inside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital compound.

Palestinian medical sources are also reporting the death toll from intensive Israeli shelling of the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, has risen to more than 40, which they say coincides with the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians, along with catastrophic humanitarian and medical conditions.

The Nasser medical complex in Khan Yunis City says it has received hundreds of dead bodies and wounded residents over the last three hours as the occupation army continues hammering the city with constant shelling and airstrikes.

In statement, the medical sources told official Palestinian news agency WAFA News that "We are losing the lives of patients and the injured due to lack of capabilities. We do not have the minimum requirements and supplies to treat the wounded."

The hospital is also calling for "urgent" blood donations for the wounded and sick inside the complex, due to a severe shortage of blood units.

Their source is also cited as saying that the blood shortage "poses a serious threat to the lives of patients and the injured, in light of the ongoing massacres carried out by the occupation forces against innocents and civilians."

In the meantime, in central Gaza, medical sources with Al-Awda Hospital told Anadolu News Agency that two citizens were killed, and a third wounded, after Zionist fighter jets bombed a gathering of civilians on Salah al-Din Street, northeast of the Al-Nuseirat Camp.

Local sources say that mass displacement is again occuring towards areas west of Khan Yunis after the start of the occupation's maneuvers into the east of the city, with most heading towards the Al-Mawasi area after evacuation orders were given by the occupation.

As a result of the Israeli occupation's ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, the endlessly rising death toll now exceeds 39'006 Palestinians killed, including at least 10'000 women and well over 15'000 children, while another 89'818 others have been wounded since the start of the current round of Zionist aggression, beginning with the events of October 7th, 2023.

This brings the total number of casualties to 128'824, or the equivalent of 5.6% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents.

July 22nd, 2024.

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@WorkerSolidarityNews

[princessmisery666]

Live In My Memory, You'll Always Be There.

Summary: Not long after moving to San Diego with your fiancé, Jake, he’s declared missing in action. The Dagger Squad rallies around you as you grieve his loss, and you grow closer to one particular member of the team than you ever imagined.

Warnings/Genres/Troupes: angst, character death mentioned, grief, fluff, unexpected love, smut, loss of parents (mentioned).  

W/C: 6.3k - too many to be the drabble it was supposed to be. 

Characters: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin, female reader (no use of Y/N), Dagger Squad.

Pairing: Rooster x female reader (you - no use of Y/N, no descriptions of body type or ethnicity). Hangman x female reader.

Notes: No use of Y/N, but the reader has nicknames. Inspired by Pearl Harbor. 

A/N: @justagirlinafandomworld sent me the title for the made-up fic titles. Thank you!!

Betas: the wonderful @deanwinchesterswitch // all mistakes are mine.

Graphics: made by me.

Master Lists: Top Gun Maverick // All The Fandoms

Live in My Memory, You'll Always Be There

A bang stirs Bradley from his sleep, but he doesn’t move, unsure if he’s dreaming. A growl of thunder rumbles in the distance, and he wonders if that’s what woke him.

He rolls onto his back, pushing the sheet down to his waist, seeking the cooler air of the room.

A second louder knock sounds. He jumps from his bed and rushes out of the room as the rain grows heavier, pelting the windows.

It can’t be work-related. The navy would have called, not sent someone to get him.

He flicks on the light in the hallway, interrupting the urgent insistence of the third knock. Bradley scrambles to unlock the door, finally pulling it open as a flash of lighting breaks across the sky. 

You stand a few steps off his porch, rain-soaked clothes and hair clinging to your skin, but it doesn’t hide the agony behind your tears. 

“I …I,” you hiccup, chin shaking, “I didn’t know where else to go.”

The water dripping from you seems to drag your remaining strength with it, and your legs buckle. Bradley leaps toward you, but he’s too late. You're in a heap on the ground.

He cradles you, rocking back and forth while your throat-scratching roars of pain nearly rival the storm’s rage.

“They announced it,” you stutter, voice shaking, “officially declared it. Jake’s gone.”

Bradley doesn’t tell you it will be okay. He doesn’t promise you that one day it will be. It won’t ever be the same again.

No one truly understands loss until it happens to them. Jake’s officially been missing in action, declared dead, for six months. Search and rescue had found debris from his jet but no body. They made assumptions, but the truth was they had no idea. 

His family held a funeral, a coffin filled with memories. You couldn’t bring yourself to put your engagement ring beside the vinyl record of the song that became yours, the catalyst of your relationship. They’d buried the mementos, but you couldn’t bury him. Not completely.

It was a beautiful send-off, held in Fightertown, like Jake would have wanted, and Penny gracefully offered up The Hard Deck for the wake.

Jake was everywhere in that place, his name on top of all the scoreboards, pictures scattered around the walls from different occasions; birthdays, promotions, retirements, a Thanksgiving that he couldn’t make it home.

Jake had always said there was no family like a found family. But you hadn’t realized the depth of his words until recently. Understandably, you’ve been a wreck, inconsolable at times, but you’ve barely been alone since he’s been gone. The Dagger squad adopted you as one of their own, though they hadn’t known you very long before Jake’s untimely demise. 

You feel close to Jake here, but it is also suffocating, knowing the memories will never be added to, that the life you planned to live with him in San Diego is no more.

You leave his parents to be gracious hosts and find a quiet spot by the ocean. 

Is Jake still out there? Hurt and alone in some foreign land while people are reminiscing about him. It’s possible, right?

You hear his footsteps disrupting the sand before Rooster appears at your side, dropping to the ground next to you. You glance over to see his jacket open, shirt unbuttoned, and a slight glassy shine to his eyes. You’d seen him doing shots with Coyote earlier. If anyone feels the loss as much as you, it’s Coyote.

“Stupid question time,” Rooster sing-songs in a game-show host voice. “How you doin’?”

“Can I give you a stupid answer?” you ask. 

“As long as you give me a truthful one after,” he says, handing over his bottle of beer.

“Like I’m about to kill the next person who tells me Jake’s in a better place,” you admit, taking a drink.

“We all know Jake wasn’t the nicest guy.” Bradley says, nudging you with his shoulder, “Except when it comes to you. If he’s anywhere, he’s making plans with the Devil to open a flying school in Hell.”

Your unexpected laughter shoots beer out of your mouth. Rooster scolds you, “Hey, hey,” taking back the bottle, “don’t be wasting perfectly good alcohol, woman!”

You laugh together for a moment, and when it naturally teeters off, silence descends.

Bradley has been a constant for you in the weeks since Jake has been gone. He’s close friends with grief. He understands it more than most. You are old friends with it, too, having lost your parents, but you never felt like an orphan. Jake’s family treated you as one of their own.

“Can I ask you something?” Bradley asks, interrupting your thoughts as he shifts in the sand. 

“Another stupid question?”

He turns his head to look at you, and his expression is sobering. “A serious one,” he takes a deep breath, “why did you come to me that day? The day they announced it, why me?”

“Coyote was the one to break the news to me, to tell me Jake was missing in action. I think he felt like it was his duty, but he couldn’t face me after that.” You sigh at the memory, hurting just as much for Coyote as yourself. “I think he blamed himself because he was supposed to be with Jake that day, but his jet had some technical fault. The rest of you took turns to ensure I was never alone. Did you work out some kind of rota?”

He chuckles, confirming, “Phoenix’s idea.” 

“Fanboy and Payback tried to distract me with movies, tv shows, magazines, anything but talk about Jake. Bob and Phoenix kept me busy, made sure I was taking care of myself, and helped me with laundry, grocery shopping, and cooking. I guess you got the short straw because you were always on your own,” you laugh, trying to lighten the mood. 

He shakes his head, “I made sure it was just us. I know what it’s like to be surrounded by people and still feel alone. I wanted to save you from that.” 

“And you did. You are the only one who didn’t say stuff that you're supposed to say. You made jokes like the one you just made. You were honest and understanding. You asked me what I needed. Whenever I said nothing, you’d hug me and just let me be. That’s why most nights I cried myself to sleep on you.” 

He says nothing but shuffles over in the sand to put his arm around your shoulders.

You rest your head on him, “With you, I never had to put on a brave face and pretend I wasn’t delusional that I still had some hope he’d come back. I never had to fake it that I wasn’t angry at Jake for leaving me.”

“You never have to pretend anything with me,” he says, kissing your head gently.

It’s a beautiful balmy day. The Bronco is freshly washed and gleaming in the golden sunlight, a cooler full of snacks secured in the back. Bradley, being the seasoned road-tripper that he is, has created an award-worthy playlist. He won’t tell you anything about the surprise he has planned, but a smile has been plastered on his face since he knocked on your door. He’s singing along with the current tune and looks like something out of a beer commercial with his Aviators, bronzed skin, and slight sheen of sweat. 

You stop for lunch at a diner on the edge of the Mojave desert, and you laugh harder than you have for a long time when Bradley tells the story of his disastrous first date. The combined laughter and Bradley’s slight embarrassment help you ignore the flutter of nervous butterflies that vie for attention when a fleeting thought that perhaps, in another lifetime, this could be classified as a date and not just Rooster trying to distract you from the significance of the day's date.

The reminder makes you pause. Should you be laughing as much as you are when today should have been your wedding day? 

You drop your eyes from Bradley’s when he reaches across the table for your hand and squeezes it tightly. He must have seen the guilt you feel in your expression. “Jake would want you to be happy.”

“I know.” 

“Actually, he’d make some cocky comment about you settling for less ‘cause there’s no one like him,” Rooster rolls his eyes, “but he’d want you to be happy, not clinging onto the past.” 

You laugh, “Y’know, for someone who wasn’t Jake’s biggest fan, you sure know him pretty well.”

“I’m just observant,” Bradley defends with a jesting tone. “I wasn’t obsessed with him or anything.” 

“I mean, no one would blame you,” you laugh, “he was a good-looking guy.” 

The realization hits you like a slap to the face, and you abruptly cut off your laughter covering your mouth with your hand. You’d referred to Jake in the past tense.

You thought you still had a sliver of hope that Jake would return with that smug smile and a wild tale of survival. It was why you remained in Fightertown, or so you told yourself, but perhaps hope isn’t the only reason you have begun to think of San Diego as home. 

The sympathy in Bradley’s eyes makes your chest ache, and with a featherlight touch, he takes your hand again, stroking your finger, where until a few days ago, your engagement ring had lived. 

“You took it off,” he notices.

“It was time,” you say, feeling the sorrow wash through you, “at least I thought it was,” you shrug, smiling mirthlessly as a warm tear lands on your cheek. 

Smiling softly, Bradley swipes it away. “It doesn’t mean you stopped loving him, but the promises you were prepared to make don’t matter anymore now that he’s gone. You can’t keep holding onto a future you have no hope of living in. Believe me, I tried, and it kills you a little bit more each day.”

A day hasn’t passed that you haven’t thought about Jake, an unwanted memory resurfacing at the worst time, or a fantasy of a lost future playing out while you were supposed to be focused on something else. It happens when you least expect it. Like now, something creeps into your subconscious, and then it’s all you can hear - a song, the song that started your relationship with Jake. 

“Can we leave?” You ask, forcing a smile to your lips. 

Rooster watches you for a second and then shakes his head. “Running from it doesn’t help,” he says.

“This song,” you sigh, “is the reason me and Jake got together.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I can’t-” you choke, taking a breath in an attempt to stop the memory from playing out in your mind, but all it does is steal your ability to breathe. It’s too difficult to remember a time when Jake was so young, full of life, and had a future.

“Breeze,” Bradley soothes, gently lifting your head to meet his eyes. “Breathe with me.” He takes a deep breath, his chest puffing, and slowly releases it when you follow his lead. “Don’t run from it. Embrace it, feel it.”

If I lay here, if I just lay here. Would you lay with me and just forget the world - the song continues, and you take a second to let the emotion wash through you before you explain.

“I don’t know how much Jake told you, but me and his twin sister, Jules, were best friends. Still are.” you correct quickly. Just because you've lost Jake doesn't mean you’ve lost your family. “We lived across the street our whole lives, went to the same schools, then my parents died two weeks before I started college. I had to identify their bodies because we had no other family. Jules was with me the entire time. Before I even had a chance to figure out what would happen to me, the Seresins had already arranged for me to stay with them.”

“So you lived with Jake before you were together?” Rooster asks. “And you still dated him?” 

You laugh along with him. “It most certainly wasn’t love at first sight. But the first spring break of college, we saw each other again, and things kinda happened organically,” you explain, getting lost in the memory of how your relationship with Jake started.

It was soon to be Mrs. Seresin’s 50th birthday, and a party was to be had, much to the dismay of the older siblings. Jules and Jake had complained their first spring break should be spent letting loose with friends and doing what college kids do. Jacob Senior had given one stern speech, and no more complaints had been made.

The Seresin house was always a lively one. Returning from college for Spring Break, you’d expected nothing less. Except the place was dead silent when you left your room after your shower.

“Hello?” you call out, walking to the kitchen. 

A note on the island counter informs you that Jackie and Jacob were out finalizing party arrangements and then meeting friends for dinner. Jenny, the youngest Seresin, was at the mall and then going to a sleepover. You already knew Jules was with Harvey and not likely to be home until tomorrow, seeing as they hadn’t seen each other for a while. Jake was always coming and going, so you ignored his absence.

Peace and quiet were just what you needed. You had a paper due three days after spring break, and you weren’t about to leave it until the last minute and then stress about getting it done.

Bringing a snack and a soda to your room, you left the door open, letting the air flow through while you worked on your paper. You were in the thick of it, fingers flowing across your keyboard, feeling good about the words pouring onto the page.

“S’up, Jellybean.” 

“Geez, Jake!” you jumped, twisting in your chair with your hand over your heart. “Lurk much.”

He laughed, resting against the door frame. Winking, he said, “Though there are better ways to do it, I like getting your pulse racing.” 

His teasing was nothing new, but something in his demeanor pointed toward it being more than friendly banter. College had been good for him, mentally and physically. Being away from the tyrant that was Jacob Senior had done him the world of good. Though he never lacked self-assurance, he now radiated confidence. Well-defined muscles and bulkier physic were an obvious payoff of what must have been many hours in the gym. 

Your eyes dragged down his naked torso, watching as a bead of sweat trickled into the waistband of his shorts. You caught yourself before any drool escaped and feigned nonchalance rolling your eyes and turning back to your computer.

“Please tell me you're not studying!” He leaned over your shoulder, looking at your screen before you could reply. “You do know it’s Spring Break, right?”

“Some of us need to study,” you said, “we can’t all just wing it and still get top grades.” 

Jackie had bragged at dinner last night about Jake being top of his class like anyone had expected anything less.

“You're the smartest person I know,” he countered.

Something had changed. You felt the shift almost immediately upon seeing Jake for the first time in seven months after you’d arrived home. He’d been looking at you differently, like he was now, a softness to his eyes as if he’s trying to say more than his words. 

You cleared your throat and turned away. “With the company you keep, that’s not the compliment you think it is,” you chuckled. 

“Okay,” he laughed, “you got me there. I set the bar too low, but you know what I mean. You need to take a break, let loose, and have some fun.”

“I have fun,” you sneered, “when I don’t have a ten thousand-word essay due in less than two weeks.”

“Okay, you twisted my arm,” Jake said, “I’ll help you, but on one condition.” 

“I don’t need help.” 

He ignored you, turning on the radio and cranking the volume while Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol played. “Dance with me,” he said, taking your hand and guiding you out of the chair.

You followed to the middle of the room with minimal complaint and let him pull you into a dancer’s stance. “You're all sweaty,” you whined, feeling his sticky chest pressed against your thin tank top.

“Sorry,” he laughed but leaned closer to press his cheek to yours. “Went for a run before Dad could start in on the lectures.”

You felt for him. Nothing Jake ever did was good enough. “You know his Navy buddies are coming to the party, right?”

He sighed heavily as he swayed you both to the beat. “I know. I’ve been warned to be on my best behavior. He’s already got my future carved in stone.”

You'd been unsure how to help him, though you desperately wished you could. “It’s not all that bad. You’ll look good in dress whites.”

He spun you away from him, and an incredulous but teasing look cocked his brow. “Please, I will look amazing in dress whites.”

You rolled your eyes as he tugged you back in close and slipped his arms around your waist this time, and you wrapped yours around his neck. The dance continued in contemplative silence until the end of the song.

Still holding you, Jake pulled back to look into your eyes, an earnest vulnerability in his, “You’ll come to visit me wherever I end up, right?”

“Just try and stop me.” 

“After that, we pretty much spent the whole break together, just hanging out and talking, so obviously, my paper was late,” you remember, smiling fondly. “Then the same song came on at the party. He sought me out and took me to the dance floor. When the song finished, he kissed me for the first time in front of everyone.”

“Smooth bastard,” Rooster compliments. 

You laugh. “Jackie was ecstatic, practically in tears. She said everyone always knew we’d end up together.”

“And you did,” Bradley reminds you, “it may not have been the forever you planned on, but it was the time you had that counts, right?” 

You swipe the tears off your cheek, “Okay, enough sad stuff. I thought today was about forgetting.” 

“Damn it, my plan has been foiled.” he rolls his eyes as if it’s the most inconvenient thing but reaches over to catch another tear. “Was it at least working?”

“It was,” you say, “and I’m sure you can make me forget again.”

You pull into the hanger, and it becomes clear what the day's activity is. You take the hand Bradley offers to help you out of the Bronco, and he holds yours so delicately that butterflies dance up to your throat.

“You know I’m afraid of flying, right?” you remind him, taking in the sight of the P-51. 

He does know. It has been a running joke amongst the Dagger squad. The self-proclaimed king of the sky, Jake Seresin’s fiance, is afraid of flying. 

“Do you trust me?” he asks, with such a sincere smile you’d lie even if the answer were no just to keep that smile on his face.

“Yes.” 

“It’s a short flight,” he says, “and I won’t do any crazy loops or anything.” 

You chuckle but give him a skeptical look. “Hilarious.”

“I got you, Breeze,” he promises. 

He does have you, and he’s proven that more than once in the last few months. 

“Are you ever going to tell me why you call me that?” you ask, holding down your skirt as you climb into the cockpit of the aircraft. 

He’d given you the call sign a few weeks after meeting you but never told you why. Jake had claimed he knew but said it was a sacred thing and that the person who bestowed it upon you had to be the one to explain why. It also felt fitting that Rooster had been the one to dub Jake, Hangman. 

“I will,” Bradley shrugs, “when I think you’re ready to hear it,” giving you a bashful grin as he climbs into the seat in front of you.

The flight itself is uneventful, but the sensation is exhilarating. Bradley only speaks a few times to make sure you’re okay and ask if he can tilt the plane to show you the sights below, deep canyons and big horned sheep.

“Okay,” Bradley’s voice crackles through your headset. “I’m gonna set her down.” 

“What! Here?” 

You are still in the middle of the desert, cliff tops and canyons as far as the eye can see. No runway or landing strip unless he plans to land on I-40. 

“Trust me,” he says.

The plane bounces once, kicking up red dust and rolling to a stop. “Wasn’t sure I could pull that off,” he jokes, shutting off the engine.

“Jerk,” you laugh.

He helps you out of the cockpit and onto the wing, turning to help you again when he’s on the ground. You sit on the wing, shuffling to the edge, and Rooster holds his arms out, ready to catch you.

“Don’t let me fall,” you say. 

His smile falters for a brief second, but he promises, “Never.” 

You jump, and he catches you, arms wrapping around your waist as he stumbles back a step. You pull him against you, wrapping your arms around his neck, and he relaxes into you.

Now that you’re on the ground, you can see the makeshift runway that’s been trodden down over time.

“As much as I’d love to stay like this,” Bradley whispers, exhaling the regret from his tone, “we’re going to miss it if we don’t get going.” 

There’s no point in asking what it is. He won't tell you, so you wait for him to reach into the cockpit, take out a backpack and then lead the way up a slim path.

It isn’t far to walk, but you’re out of breath by the time you reach what you hope is the top of the mountain. Bradley sets down an old green-colored blanket, handing you a bottle of water once you’re comfortable.

“Mav used to bring me here,” Rooster explains, breaking a long silence. You turn to look at him, but he’s gazing out across the vast desert. “Before I could fly myself, he’d bring me here, and we’d just sit and watch that.” He points toward the horizon. Your eyes follow his finger, and the sight steals your breath. 

The very edge of the sun touches the horizon, and the sky explodes into an oil painting of pinks and oranges that look close enough to touch.

“I always feel closer to my Dad here.” he twists to look at you, and you reluctantly drag your focus from the sunset to him. “Sometimes, I pretend he’s the one in control of the sunset, to remind me that I made it through another day without him.” He shrugs, smiling mirthlessly, “I come here a lot to talk to him. It helps me figure stuff out.”

Lifting his arm, you shuffle closer to him. He gently kisses your hair as you rest your head on his collarbone, his arm slipping around your shoulders.

“Thank you for bringing me here.” 

“I, um,” he clears his throat, an excuse to give himself a moment to contemplate how to say what he needs to. “I have ulterior motives,” he confesses, but his fix on the sunset remains steadfast when you lift your head again. “And I thought it might soften the blow.” He sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face, and seems shocked when you slip your hand beneath his.

You grip his hand tight, encouraging him. “Just tell me.”

He stares earnestly into your eyes, and you see the sorrow behind them before he softly says, “I was supposed to be with Jake that day.” Confusion pulls your brow tight, and he interprets it as you needing further explanation. “When Coyote’s jet was grounded, they asked me to accompany Jake instead. We had a stupid argument that morning, and it wasn’t a direct order, so I told them no, that Jake could handle it on his own. Jake got this smug look like he thought I was afraid or something, and I had the thought that hopefully, soon, karma would catch up to him and take him down a peg or two.”

You chuckle, “Sounds like Jake.”

“Breeze,” he protests, “I should’ve been with him.”

You swallow down the lump of emotion, imagining losing Jake and Bradley. You certainly wouldn’t have survived the loss of Jake without Bradley. The emotional trauma of neither of them being in your life is fathomless. “Then I would’ve lost you both.”

“Or I could’ve done something, brought him back to you.”

“Don’t do that,” you warn. “You have nothing to feel guilty for, Bradley. You don’t know what happened. You don’t know that you could have helped him. And maybe in some weird way, you have helped him.”

It’s his turn to look confused, and you smile lightly.

“You’ve helped me survive losing Jake, helped me see that there are still beautiful sunsets to be seen and a life to live, and you didn’t need to bring me here to do that, Rooster. You’ve shown me every day for the last few months. Jake is with me every day, he’s alive in my memory and will always be there, but you’ve shown me that I can keep moving forward. Some days you’ve been the only thing to keep me moving.”

You can’t bring yourself to look directly at him for fear he’ll see right through you. In your mind, it’s too soon to fall for someone else, but there’s no doubt in your heart that you are in love with Bradley Bradshaw. A part of you worries that it's a reaction to your grief, yet it doesn’t feel like a reaction. It feels right.

“Breeze, look at me.”

You're uncertain if it's pity or understanding in his tone, but either way, you don’t do as he asked. You’ve lost enough. You can’t bear to lose Bradley too.

He decides for you, gripping your chin with his fingers, gentle yet assertive, guiding your head upward to meet his eyes.

You expect him to say something profoundly sweet, but he sighs, closing his eyes. “I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to you.”

You don’t want to, but you should put some distance between you. Apparently sensing your withdrawal, he acts before you can move so much as a millimeter, his breath mixing with your own.

“Should I stop?” he whispers against your lips. 

“No.” You move in and make the connection he seems reluctant to, lips tentatively meeting, hesitant to linger for too long.

Bradley pulls away first, resting his forehead against yours, “If this is weird for you…” he trails off. 

“It’s not,” you say with certainty. “Is it for you?”

“No.” His hand squeezes your hip. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you,” he confesses and pecks your lips again. “And that sounds awful ‘cause you were with Jake, but…” 

You press a finger to his lips to silence him, leaning back to look at him. “I get it. I’ve wanted to do it for a long time too.”

He’s not so hesitant this time, dipping to kiss you again. It’s tender and sweet, how a first kiss should be. You feel giddy with anticipation of something new and unexpected, but simultaneously it somehow feels familiar. Breathlessly, you both pull apart.

“Are you okay?” he asks, concern written all over his face.

“Yes, no,” you shake your head. “Yes. I just…are we crazy?”

He shrugs, “Maybe. But I’m okay with being a little crazy.” 

You laugh and drop your gaze, taking a deep breath. 

“Breeze,” he says softly. “There’s no pressure here. We can pretend it never happened and go back to being friends if that’s what you want.” 

You frown, slightly offended at his suggestion. Yes, you’re friends, but now there’s something deeper - a connection you can’t quite explain. “No, that's not what I want. It’s all a little overwhelming, but I know, without a doubt, I want this. I want you.” 

He smiles sheepishly. “Okay, but I need to know it’s more than a way to forget. I need it to be more than that.”

“It is. It’s so much more than that. It feels…” You're not sure how to describe it, but Rooster finds the word for you. 

“Right.”

The beautiful scenery is forgotten, and all you focus on is each other, the anticipation and excitement of exploring something new. You exchange timid kisses and tender caresses. Rooster leans over you, gently laying you flat to hover above you.

“It’s gonna get cold soon,” he worries, “wanna head back?” 

You shake your head, “Can we stay a while?”

He answers with an eager kiss. His lips are soft, and you hum with satisfaction when his tongue traces yours, seeking permission to deepen it.

He groans at the inviting warmth of your mouth, and your tongues meet, settling into a slow natural rhythm.

He releases you long enough for you to pull his shirt off and growls into your mouth when your nails scrape his stomach and back. Bradley is still cautious but follows your lead, letting his hands explore your body, groping and kneading your breasts through your shirt.

Now that you’ve accepted your feelings and given yourself and Bradley permission to pursue this new aspect of your relationship, a sense of urgency takes over. You need to feel him everywhere. Turning onto your side, you throw your leg over him and use him as leverage to pull yourself closer. You can feel all of him now, and it stokes the flame of your desire.

You roll your hips to rub yourself against his stiff cock. The friction of his jeans against your core is frustratingly not enough. You reach down between your bodies, rubbing over his shaft before popping the button on his jeans. 

Bradley breaks the kiss, panting to catch his breath, and pulls back enough to be able to look into your eyes. 

“We don’t have to,” you say, suddenly slightly embarrassed. “Not here if you don’t want to.” 

“I want to,” he says, “but are you sure this is the right time?”

“Yes. I don’t want to wait any longer. Where has waiting ever gotten us?” You ask bitterly. Waiting is a waste of time and makes the future even more uncertain. You don’t want to wait and miss out on something wonderful. “Let’s make this the right time for us.”

He kisses you again, gripping your hip, tugging you with him as he rolls onto his back, an invitation to straddle his lap that you accept willingly. 

You both get in each other’s way, trying to unfasten his jeans. Until Bradley decides he’d rather be touching you, he pushes your panties to the side to slip his fingers through your folds, coating his fingers in your slick before he breaches your entrance with two, his thumb circles your clit, and you feel the pressure already building.

It’s clumsy and awkward, but he lifts up enough for you to shuffle his pants off his hips while pumping his fingers inside you, pushing as deep as he can go and rubbing your pulsing clit.

“Are you sure about this?” he pants, “I can stop.”

In answer, your walls clench, and you twitch through your orgasm. “Don’t stop.”

You're empty for a matter of seconds before his cock replaces his fingers, and you slide down his length, both groaning out the gratification of a complete connection. 

Stones dig into your knees through the flimsy blanket, but it barely registers when Bradley starts to move - slowly at first, rolling his hips to help you stretch to his size. He takes hold of your sides, and you lift and push back against his thrusts. The rhythm gets harder and faster with every snap of hips, and your whimpers and whines drown out Bradley’s grunts and moans.

“Oh shit.” Shuddering, you bite down on Bradley’s shoulder as you come for a second time. It spurs him on, his movements becoming desperate as he chases his end. 

He wraps a hand under your jaw and holds your head up to look at him. “You got one more in you?” he asks, and you nod. “Then, come with me.” 

Slipping your hand between your bodies to tease your clit, the coil tightens again as Bradley pounds into you. He claims your mouth as his movements stutter, and with one last powerful thrust, your walls clamp around him as he ruts his release inside you.

Bradley can’t stop smiling. It’s not just the residual endorphins coursing through him after a particularly intense orgasm. It’s you, leaning against the Bronco, smiling, almost shyly, back at him.

“Did you plan this, Mr. Bradshaw?” you tease, eyeing him suspiciously as he removes his soiled pants.

“The sex, no,” he says with a smug chuckle, pulling on a clean pair of jeans. “If the moment presented itself,”  he admits, stepping into your space and pinning you between him and the truck, “I promised myself I’d kiss you.”

He fulfills the promise again, kissing you breathless and only pulling away when your phone rings. 

Bradley curses the interruption, reaching into the car to pick it up. “Phoenix,” he says, reading the Caller I.D. and handing it over.

He watches as your thumb hovers over the answer button. You’ve never been able to lie very well, and you're probably worried Phoenix will be able to hear the change in your voice and figure out what happened.

You decline the call and smile up at him. “I wanna stay in the bubble a while longer,” you confess, “we can tell them when we get back.” 

“Fine by me,” he agrees, delivering a swift kiss as his phone starts ringing. He shrugs it off, declining the call, “Bob. They're probably wondering where we are and if we’re gonna make it to quiz night.”

“Not sure we will,” you say, checking your watch. 

“We’ll definitely miss the quiz,” he nods, “but I can probably get us back for last-call.” 

“Show me what you got, Bradshaw,” you wink.

Bradley breaks the speed limit a few times on the way home, but true to his word, you make it with fifteen minutes to spare before Penny usually calls for the last orders. 

The happy haze of the day still lingers, and you don’t want it dampened by a crowded bar and a possible scene. You’ve discussed telling the team, but neither of you is sure how they’ll react to the news, though you both acknowledge neither of you has been subtle in trying to hide your feelings. Bradley doesn’t want to lie to them, and you agree, but you also don’t want to deliver the news with an audience of strangers.

“You sure you wanna do this tonight?” Bradley asks, kissing you softly, still tucked up in the safety of the Bronco.

“We have to,” you say. “It’ll be worse if they catch us.” 

“You say that like we’re doing something wrong.” 

“We’re not, but if they find out some other way, they’ll think we think we're doing something wrong.” 

He nods, “I’ll go get them and some drinks. Meet you on the beach in five?”

The kiss is sweet and tender and lasts long enough that you're bordering on being caught if someone walks by. Reluctantly you part ways. 

Bradley’s barely in the door before Phoenix and Bob are in his face. 

“Where have you been?” Phoenix asks, blocking his path to the bar. 

“We’ve been calling you,” Bob says. “Is Breeze with you?”

Rooster’s guilty tell-all smile takes on a life of its own, and he can’t contain it until Phoenix scolds him with a look.  

“What?” Bradley asks.

“Oh, shit, Rooster, you didn’t,” Phoenix sighs.

“Didn’t what?”

“You know what!” she grits, “You and Breeze.” 

“It’s not a big deal,” he shrugs, trying to step around them.  

Phoenix blocks him again, a firm hand on his chest. “Hangman’s back.”

It’s late, and the beach is quiet. You stand staring out at the ocean, enjoying the calm before everything potentially blows up. 

It’s a siren call, it has to be that or your slight guilt playing tricks on you, but you hear it, Jake calling your name.

“Jellybean!” he calls, and it grows in urgency the closer it gets. You realize it’s not coming from the ocean but behind you, and you spin around. 

Jake runs toward you, thinner and not as toned as he once was, but there’s no mistaking that it's him, flanked by Coyote, Fanboy, and Payback.

He crashes into you, caging you in his arms, but you're too shocked to react, barely bringing your arms up to hug him back before he pulls away to look at you. 

“Jake.” 

“It’s really me, baby,” he says, “I’m back. I went home, but they said you’d stayed here.” His smile grows wide and watery, “You didn’t give up on me. You knew I’d come back. That’s why you stayed. I fought to get back to you, and you waited for me.”

“Jake,” you gasp, “you’re here,” tears laced with shock, relief, and guilt pool in your eyes.

“I couldn’t miss our wedding daycould I?” Jake smirks.

The back door to The Hard Deck bursts open, and you watch as Rooster frantically searches the beach for you. He finds you, looking as shocked as you feel, and before you know what's happening, Jake cups your face and draws you to his lips.

Look a handy reblog button. Reblogs are the fuel creators need to continue creating.

A/N: I do have plans for part 2 but the muses aren't complying at the moment so for now, this is a one-shot. Who would you want to end up with? Rooster or Hangman?

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