#hoax threat letter

[animestsstuff2]

A Dragon's beauty

barbarian Bakugou X Reader

master list part 6? content warning: cursing, threats, fire, this is kinda long! Sorry🤍

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Bakugou stood tall with his arms crossed as he stared at your father. He had just left you with your elder sister.

“Please sit Bakugou, has Kya been giving you trouble?” Endeavor asked as he watched the blonde sit at his desk before him. Bakugou shook his head as he pulled out the letter and handed it to him.

“We received yesterday. They took Touya and want Kya” Bakugoy stated and Endeavor nodded, pulling the same letter from a drawer in his desk to show Bakugou.

“I assume they plan to use Touya as some barter, to force us into their hand” Bakugoy nodded, agreeing with Endeavor’s analysis.

"What about Kya?, want her too" he asked, wondering if Endeavor had an explanation for it.

"I am not sure why they want Kya, there is nothing special about her" Endeavor mumbled, breaking eye contact with Bakugou.

"magic, letter said about her magic" His voice was firmer as he leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at the man who just lied to him. Endeavor met Bakugou eyes again, sighing.

"I am not able to give you the information you want Bakugou. I know why they want Kya but I that is something I cannot share" he told the blonde boy who gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

"my wife!, should know why they want her, she have magic?" he growled, it was the only plausible explanation for Katsuki but you were so small and feeble barely even able to lift buckets of water or too many logs for the fire. Endeavor sighed, he never wanted to acknowledge what resided in you, the reason why his wife, your mother, died that day.

"Bakugou..Kya is not normal and not just because she may possess magic. You can see how weak she is, yes?" Bakugou nodded and Endeavor continued.

"when Rei fell pregnant with Kya she became extremely ill and grew weaker and weaker as the pregnancy continued. I got physicians, scholars, academics and even witches to her aid but not one could place the illness, until a letter appeared addressed for Rei and I. This letter addressed from no one knew all about Rei and her sickness, down to every last symptom and claimed to know why. Our family lineage has always had strong connections with fire magic, myself, Touya and Shoto all possess some form and strength of it. This letter, however, claimed that Kya would surpass us all with a power that would either save our kingdom or bring about its destruction" Endeavor paused, gauging Bakugou's reaction before continuing.

"I didn't believe it, believing it was some hoax as the writer asked to be invited for Kya's birth. I ignored the signs the letter told, the future symptoms it predicted, the weather it warned of and the omen that would be Kya's birth. Rei died almost immediately after Kya was born, it was like she had lost her life months ago and her body was just the vessel for Kya. Kya, when she was born.." he trailed off, eyes shutting as he remembered the chilling day.

"when she was born, she didn't cry like a normal babe, didn't make any noise or indiction she was alive. I held her in my arms but all I seen was two white eyes staring back, my child didn't feel like mine. I-I felt like I was in the presence of something else, something far stronger than me radiating from a babe"

"she doesn't seem powerful? more weak" Bakugou commented, confused as Endeavor had visibly shuddered when talking about your birth.

"Her power manifested when she turned two, I-I don't know what happened, it was so quick but Touya and Natsuo were in the courtyard with her in the grass and suddenly she was in the air, eyes white. a glow emitting from her small body. she fell back down moments later, Touya caught her. Her power continued to grow stronger, if she threw a tantrum the castle would shake. The courtyard split one day and lava bubbled up from the crack after Touya teased her too much. I had a witch come and seal her power away. A Todoroki has never had so much raw power, let alone a female, she is the first female in my lineage to have magic abilities" Bakugou's eyes widened, he heard some witches could null magic abilities for periods of time but to seal it away was unbeknownst to him.

"she does not know of this power?" Bakugou asked and Endeavor shook his head. Bakugou sighed, leaning back. what the fuck have I married?.

"tell her today" Bakugou mumbled as he got up from his seat. Endeavor shot up, shoulders squared and tensed.

"No! Kya can never know about her power. She will not be able to control it and will ruin the kingdom!' Endeavor snapped, Bakugou glared at the king feeling the tension thicken in the room as both men stood on edge.

"She need to know. I tell her, you cannot stop me" He growled as he turned on his heel, ready to march out. A fiery ball flew by Bakugou, heating his face and singeing part of his hair as it scorned the door he was about to grab. Bakugou looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowed as he rested his hand on the door handle.

"Do not challenge me old man. I will kill you" He stated, malice laced in his tone as he swung the door open and slammed it shut after him. Endeavor rushed out after the blonde who had already disappeared. Endeavor turned seeing Iida standing at the door.

"where did he go Iida?" he asked.

"he headed straight then left sir, would you like me to catch up with him?" Iida asked, turning to the king.

"No, find Fuyumi and Kya and bring them to the courtyard, find them before he does" Iida nodded and took off, as part of the elite royal guard he too had powers. His family had superspeed, nothing could compete with them.

Bakugou stomped down the hallway, grumbling to himself as he thought of what he was just told, of course you couldn't be normal, of course the Todoroki family had to have another dark secret hidden in the walls of this castle. He didn't know what to do, your involvement in this war made it all the more complicated. He never thought of you potentially being kidnapped nor wanted, sure you were his wife but that was just on paper. The care he felt for you was little.

Bakugou returned to the courtyard to find you there with your siblings, all sitting circled in the grass as you leaned against Shoto. A large smile on your face, giggling at a story your elder brother was telling. Bakugou stepped onto the grass, catching Shoto's eye.

"Kya, come we are leaving" He stated, Your eyes met his and you opened your mouth to protest, wanting to stay a little longer but the narrowed red eyes made you quickly shut it, not wanting to anger the blonde. You stood up moving to walk over to Bakugou when Fuyumi grabbed your arm.

"S-she can stay for dinner? there is more than enough for both of you" She stuttered, looking at Bakugou who only shook his head.

"No, we leave now. Kya, come" He ordered and Fuyumi pulled you into a tight hug. Her brothers standing up too, Natsuo narrowing his eyes at Bakugou's rudeness. You pulled away from Fuyumi and walked over to Katsuki, keeping your head down.

Bakugou grabbed your hand in his and began to walk away from the siblings when Iida rushed in, blocking his path.

"Im sorry Sir Bakugou! but king Endeavor has requested I not let you leave just yet" He informed, blocking the exit to the courtyard. Bakugou gritted his teeth, of course that tyrant would pull something like this.

"No, we leave now" Bakugou growled, palm heating as he tightened his hold on your arm making you wince.

"I-I cannot let you do that sir, King Endeavor explicitly ordered-"

"It is alright Iida. I can handle it from here, thank you for catching up with him" Endeavor's voice boomed from behind Iida. Bakugou's narrowed eyes immediately zoning in on the king

"father, what is going on?" Shoto asked, the tension between the two men before him was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"nothing to concern yourself with Shoto. Kya here is staying for a few days like we discussed, isn't that right Bakugou?" Endeavor hummed, stepping out into the courtyard. You looked up at Bakugou expectantly.

"No, we leaving now. Endeavor I already warned you" he growled as he pulled you to the side going to move around the king when fire was shot at the ground in front of you both, making Bakugou still and you gasp as you looked at your father. A small flame radiating in the palm of his hand.

"Bakugou if you leave with her I will wage attack on your tribe and you will lose, leave her here" Bakugou growled at the challenge and let you go. He removed his cape, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward

"Dragon blood clan will never lose to you. You Endeavor are too old for threats, let Kya and I leave" He snapped. You watched fearfully from your sisters hold at the interaction. Your father literally had fire in his palm. He was controlling it. magic is real.

"Father what is the meaning of this?!" Shoto yelled, stepping between the tense men and facing his father.

“This does not concern you Shoto!” He yelled.

“If it involves Kya, it involves me!” He retorted, stepping towards his father. Bakugou looked between everyone angry at your fathers actions he seen your wide fear filled eyes.

“Kya has magic Shoto, Endeavor sealed it away” Bakugou stated, eyes meeting Endeavors wild ones. Your eyes widened at Bakugou’s admission and Shoto’s head flicked between you and his father.

“Kya can wield magic? I thought Touya and I were the only ones within our family!” He asked as he stared at his father. Endeavors lips pulled into a thin line as his eyes narrowed in at Bakugou.

“He is lying Shoto, dont believe him” he growled. The flame in his hand burning brighter. Shoto eyes were wide with confusion as he turned to Bakugou.

“Is it true? Can she truly wield magic” he asked and Bakugou nodded.

“A letter came from Shigaraki’s people. They want Kya for her magic, it is more powerful than any” Shoto was in disbelief as he turned to face you. You watched as your father began shouting, Shoto began shouting, Bakugou and Natsuo both joined in.

Fuyumi held you tighter, too tight as you breath quickened, shallow and short, voices blurred into one as they pierced your head. You hated this, hated this noise and it was all because of you. Your eyes looking over to your father whose flame burned brighter, magic was real? And you possessed some? And the enemies wanted you? Your entire world and way of life had been uprooted in the space of 7 days, 7 hard and exhausting days. You were thrown into an unknown territory with unknown people.

It was all too much.

“Stop! Stop it everyone, just be quiet!” You screamed, pulling your arms from Fuyumi as the ground below everyone shook, birds escaping the trees within the courtyard as small bushes trembled and rocks danced on the ground. Everyone fell quiet and all eyes were on you.

You stared back, eyes wide and wild. Your hair strewn over your face and shoulders messily as your chest caved with each heavy breath. You ran past your father. Iida reached out to grab you but you swatted your hand, making no contact yet he was forced back as you ran from everyone. They all stood quiet at the powerful magic you just produced. Bakugou looked to Endeavor for an answer

“You said her magic was sealed” he stated, pulling his cape back on and stepping towards your father whose skin had paled. The flame in his hand no more

“Iida, find Keigo. I need him here” Endeavor turned and walked off leaving the rest to stand confused.

Bakugou was next, going down the hallway the way you went. Shoto quickly followed and do did Natsuo and Fuyumi. They went everywhere, your room, the library all the small hideaways you used to use to hide from your fathers wrath but to no avail. You were not there.

You weren’t in the castle anymore having ran up to the stables and into the paddock with your horse, taking him with just his bridle and following the old path down into the small apple acre just behind the castle. A place even your siblings didn’t really know of.

[mightyflamethrower]

Nobody wants to hear this because of the implications, but oh well: Joe Biden’s security regime deliberately and with malice aforethought created the conditions that led to an assassin shooting Donald Trump in the head. It is by the grace of God that he lived and our nation is not currently in the midst of a violent civil war.

They deliberately starved Trump’s security team of the resources it needed. And they did it repeatedly, over many weeks and months. With Trump’s security detail understaffed, under-resourced, and stretched to its limits, Biden’s security regime diverted even more resources to a hastily planned Jill Biden event that just happened to be in the area.

Biden’s security regime then ordered the most obvious assassination perch in the entire area to remain outside the main security perimeter. Furthermore, Biden’s Secret Service director ordered law enforcement and counter-snipers OFF the roof that the assassin used.

If that weren’t enough, Biden’s security regime also refused to block line of sight from the assasssin’s perch to Trump’s location. When law enforcement radioed in a suspicious person using a laser range finder at the building and even took photos of him, nothing was done to detain the assassin.

The assassin was so obviously a threat that bystanders at the event begged law enforcement to stop him, but nothing happened. And even as snipers on the roof near Trump saw a gunman on the roof, Biden’s security regime refused to have agents immediately surround Trump and remove him from the stage to protect him from being shot.

Given the lies and nonsense from both Biden’s DHS secretary and his Secret Service director, it’s increasingly difficult to believe this was a just a series of independent mistakes. In contrast, when you look at the entire picture, what you see better resembles a deliberate plan to make Trump vulnerable but to appear at first glance to be just a couple of innocent mistakes. And when you add in how little information we’ve been given about the about the shooter—apparently the only person on earth not on the Internet—you begin to wonder if maybe a group of people at a different three-letter agency might have been working on a parallel track to find and encourage people to take action against Trump at the very same time he was kept vulnerable by Biden’s regime.

We know this happens, because the FBI did it with Gretchen Whitmer: it recruited and urged disturbed individuals to buy weapons and put together a plan to kidnap her. In that case, the FBI wanted a story it could use to slime right-wingers. So it created the story itself.

What happens when an agency like that, or maybe even another three-letter agency, decides instead that it’s had enough of Trump? Some former FBI employees might even call it an “insurance policy.” So who was the shooter talking to in the hours, days, and weeks ahead of the event? Who was he meeting with? Did anyone suggest or nudge or urge him to go to the Trump rally in Butler? Did anyone suggest or point out to him the building he eventually used? Was he told at any time to not worry about security?

The FBI told us almost immediately that while it couldn’t open the assassin’s phone, it knew he acted alone. That’s kind of strange, when you think about it. They told us almost immediately that they identified him by DNA, despite him having no criminal record. They also said they found explosives in his car. Why didn’t they just identify him by his plates or registration or next of kin identification? That’s pretty weird, too.

At some point you just have to say enough with the lies. We saw what they did with the Russia hoax. We saw the Kavanaugh hoax. We saw the COVID origin hoax. We saw the Ukraine hoax, the stolen election, the J6 op, and then the armed Mar-a-Lago raid and the myriad illegal cases against Trump. They called him Hitler. They said he was an existential threat. They said he would destroy democracy. They said he was the most dangerous person on earth. Then the denied him security. The kept the rooftop open. They watched the shooter and did nothing. They kept Trump on that stage. And they didn’t do a damn thing until after he had been shot in the head. And we’re all supposed to believe it was just an innocent oopsie?

[ayeforscotland]

Was there ever like an IRA but for Scotland?

Not really, there was one (1) guy called Adam Busby who claimed to be leader of the Scottish National Liberation Army (SNLA) and he did a lot of hoax letter bomb threats against literally everyone under the sun.

I’m not even entirely sure if he was Scottish himself. He served in the British army and then coordinated his threats from Ireland.

So no, nothing comparable to the IRA.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The FBI and NYPD are investigating a letter containing a death threat and white powder that was mailed to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is investigating former President Donald Trump, law-enforcement sources told NBC News.

The letter was addressed to Bragg and said, “ALVIN: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!” the sources said. It contained a small amount of white powder.

There were no evacuations or injuries, officials said.

In a statement, the DA's office said the letter “was immediately contained and that the NYPD Emergency Service Unit and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection determined there was no dangerous substance.”

Markings on the envelope indicate it was mailed from Orlando, Florida earlier this week, the sources said. It was postmarked on Tuesday, the sources said.

The letter comes in the wake of Trump announcing — falsely — that he would be arrested in the probe this past Tuesday and that people should "protest." His rhetoric has become more heated in the days since, including warning on his social media website early Friday of "potential death and destruction" if the DA indicts him.

Russian email accounts sent a series of hoax bomb threats targeting the Manhattan district attorney and court buildings for three straight days this week amid a grand jury investigation of former President Donald Trump.

The unsubstantiated threats, now under investigation by the New York Police Department and FBI, were emailed to local government officials at a Manhattan community board, according to police. They came from Russian email addresses in the early morning hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, listing government buildings and schools as the targets of alleged pipe bombs, according to the local board official who received them.

"The FBI told me that they appear to be coming from Russia," said Susan Stetzer, district manager of Community Board 3, who read the emails to Law360 Friday. The board received four email threats over the three days, often sent from @mail.ru domains under different names, she said. The NYPD confirmed the board was the recipient of the original bomb threat on Tuesday.

The FBI declined to comment.

Separately on Friday, a suspicious white powder was delivered to the offices of District Attorney Alvin Bragg in an envelope marked "Alvin," according to the NYPD.

A spokesperson for the district attorney said that "it was immediately contained and that the NYPD Emergency Service Unit and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection determined there was no dangerous substance."

The emailed bomb threats did not mention Trump or the grand jury mulling indicting him for an illegal hush money payment allegedly designed to tip the 2016 election in his favor, the local official said. Still, they used language that echoed his recent attacks on the case, referring to "the downfall of our country" and stating, "You people are destroying America."

The grand jury is considering a possible indictment of Trump on charges that he directed his former attorney Michael Cohen to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to bury her claims of an affair before the 2016 presidential election, and covered up Cohen's reimbursement as legal fees.

An FBI and special counsel investigation of interference in the 2016 election found that Russia engaged in a sprawling online campaign to manipulate public perceptions in favor of Trump. The investigation found that Trump did not conspire with Russia.

Stetzer said she first reported the bomb threats Tuesday morning by contacting local police precincts and dialing 911. Since then, she has been in regular contact with the FBI.

"Now when I get them, which I haven't today, I just forward it to the FBI," Stetzer said late Friday morning.

In response to questions, NYPD said it had one threat on file for Tuesday of an email "sent from an unidentified individual who stated they are placing various explosive devices at locations throughout the city. There are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing."

Beginning last weekend, Trump called for protests of Bragg's investigation with increasingly heated language as he criticized the possible charges against him and incorrectly predicted he would be arrested on Tuesday.

Among a dozen posts on Truth Social about Bragg posted Thursday, Trump called the district attorney an "animal" and "human scum," compared him to Joseph Stalin and the Gestapo, and said, "He is doing the work of Anarchists and the Devil, who want our Country to fail." Trump also posted a link with an image of him holding a baseball bat beside an image of Bragg's head.

"You're still allowed to self-defend in this Country!" Trump posted Wednesday, additionally claiming that anti-fascist "lunatics" are infiltrating conservative gatherings.

Early Friday morning, Trump said that "potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country? Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely hates the USA!"

The New York City bomb threats used similar rhetoric.

A threat sent Thursday that targeted the district attorney's office and schools said: "You people are disgusting degenerates. Fuck you and fuck everything you stand for. You are responsible for the downfall of our country and you will die," Stetzer said, quoting from the email.

One threat Wednesday read: "Evacuate before the bombs go off. You people are destroying America so we will destroy you," according to Stetzer.

Stetzer declined to share the emails directly with Law360.

The threats have led to heightened security at the court buildings in Lower Manhattan, which have included regular sweeps for bombs and a more visible presence of police officers and court officers along with barricades surrounding the entrances to the district attorney's office.

The district attorney's office has declined to comment on the threats.

Meanwhile, a Manhattan federal judge presiding over a writer's civil defamation and rape suit against Trump on Thursday ruled that jurors in the case will remain anonymous, drawing a link between the former president's recent rhetoric and threats to public safety.

"Mr. Trump's quite recent reaction to what he perceived as an imminent threat of indictment by a grand jury sitting virtually next door to this court was to encourage 'protest' and to urge people to 'take our country back.' That reaction reportedly has been perceived by some as incitement to violence," U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan wrote. "And it bears mention that Mr. Trump repeatedly has attacked courts, judges, various law enforcement officials and other public officials, and even individual jurors in other matters."

Judge Kaplan noted, however, that "it matters not whether Mr. Trump incited violence in either a legal or a factual sense. The point is whether jurors will perceive themselves to be at risk."

Joe Tacopina, a criminal defense attorney for Trump, told Law360 Thursday, "We have no problem with the ruling," but declined to comment on the social media posts or threats.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 3, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JAN 4, 2024

If yesterday was a news storm, today was a lot of follow-up.

Tensions in the Middle East continue to tighten with the explosion of two bombs at a ceremony today honoring prominent Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on the fourth anniversary of his death from a U.S. drone strike in Iraq. At least 95 people were killed. No one has claimed responsibility for the bombings. Iran-backed militias, including Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, are aligned against Israel.

Meanwhile, today the U.S. and twelve allies warned the Houthis to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea or face military action. Since December 19, Houthi rebels have hit more than 23 ships in the crucial passage. ​​“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” the countries said. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell today said that the world must “impose” a solution to the Middle East war before it expands. 

At home, at least eight U.S. state houses had to evacuate today. According to Andy Rose of CNN, an emailed bomb threat was sent to state officers in 23 states. Law enforcement officers found no explosives and the Federal Bureau of Investigation has called the threats a hoax. It is not clear who was behind the threats.

Aside from today’s threats, the dramatic rise of violence in our politics since former president Trump entered political life is reshaping the country. In Vox yesterday, Zach Beauchamp noted that mayors, federal judges, public health officials, election workers, and even school board members, officials who previously had gone about their business without much attention, are facing unprecedented threats. Before 2020, threats against election workers were virtually nonexistent, Beauchamp notes; now they are so frequent that 11% of election workers surveyed by the Brennan Center for Justice are “very or somewhat likely” to  leave their jobs before the 2024 election. 

While attacks on election workers and political officials show Trump’s attempt to erode faith in our electoral system, Beauchamp notes that another key aspect of today’s violence has been to threaten Republicans to fall in line behind Trump. The fear of physical violence from Trump supporters kept certain Republicans from voting to convict him after his impeachments. MAGA Republican threats against other Republicans insufficiently supportive of Trump have led party members to swing publicly behind a leader that many of them privately oppose. 

That pressure has reduced the formerly grand old Republican Party to a vehicle for promoting Trump.  

Today, Representative Tom Emmer (R-MN), whose bid for the House speakership Trump torpedoed just weeks ago, became the latest to endorse Trump for president as party leadership lines up behind him. 

The decision of the right-wing Fifth Circuit today illustrated what the Trump leadership of the MAGA party means for the majority of the country. Three Republican judges, two appointed by Trump, ruled that hospital emergency rooms don’t have to perform life-saving abortions in states that have passed antiabortion laws.

After the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion, Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services reminded hospitals that accept Medicare money that under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), they had to provide care to stabilize patients in a medical emergency, including abortion care, regardless of state law.

Texas sued, and the Fifth Circuit has agreed, saying that the EMTALA does not preempt Texas law. 

Today’s news also highlighted the MAGA plan for immigration. House leaders have refused to pass legislation providing additional funds to help Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion until the measure also contains their own immigration policies, patterned on Trump’s. Although President Biden has asked for additional funding for the border since he took office and has said he will offer significant concessions in negotiations even though those concessions will anger progressive Democrats, House Republicans say they will reject any compromise and will insist on their own policies. 

Those measures include significantly narrowing asylum programs or even ending them altogether, outlawing the electronic application system the Biden administration put in place to require appointments to apply for asylum, ending parole programs for Afghan and Ukrainian refugees, and taking private property to build a border wall. Their plan has no provision for creating a pathway to citizenship for so-called Dreamers, those brought to the U.S. as children, although a strong majority of Americans support such a pathway.

Now House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says the House conference does not want and will not accept a compromise, such as the one senators are working on; they want a complete change of policy. That is, the Republicans in the House, who have a majority of two, are bowing to their far-right members and insisting that until that faction’s policies are put in place over those of the Senate and the president, they will refuse to fund Ukraine, whose defense from Russian aggression is key to our own national security. 

It’s a wild power grab. And it is apparently being done with an eye to 2024. Representative Troy Nehls (R-TX) said to Manu Raju, Melanie Zanona, and Lauren Fox of CNN, “Let me tell you, I’m not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden’s approval rating.”

As CNN anchor and chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto noted, “This would leave Ukraine—currently under its worst bombardment since the start of the Russian invasion—very much out in the cold.”

Finally, today is the 65th anniversary of Alaska’s joining the Union as the 49th state. In order to convince Congress and the president to make their territory a state, Alaskans had to overcome concerns on the part of President Dwight D. Eisenhower that, because the territory bordered the Soviet Union, its admission as a state might compromise national security.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[forensicated]

Smiffina Episodes - Episode 143

We pick up from last episode with the bomb planted at the cinema and the first lot of uniform arriving with Gina to sweep the cinema. Gina's trying to sort evacuation of approx 100 plus people in the targeted screening. The manager is dumbfounded - they've been treating it as a hoax. Surely better to act like it's real and be wrong than the alternative? In the staff not acting, the people inside screen 3 are starting to get messages after the bomb warning is announced by the radio station who received the threat and they start to evacuate. The police try and assist it, however a little girl gets injured in the crush.

I'm amazed that they're only evacuating one screen and y'know - not the entire bloody building! Are only the people in that one screen getting the messages/calls about it? If you heard that there's a potential bomb in a building you were in, would you stick around? After all, how do you know how big/small it is? Why are they thinking it will only take out the one screen potentially? Also this is series 19 which aired August 2003. Yes it's 2 years prior to the 7/7 bombing in London but it is almost 2 years from 9/11. And in 2001 there'd been 5 terrorist bombs centered around London planted by The Real IRA.

CAD is inundated with calls. Smithy asks CSU to act as the call divert to reassure and to gather intelligence. Cathy agrees with a rather breathy and I imagine in her mind seductive "we're all yours" but given what we know about Cathy now - it's much more creepy.

Gina requests Smithy organise back up to her at the cinema. When the room is free, Gina asks Reg and Gabriel with Mickey and cinema staff to search it but not to touch any device if they find one. A male member of staff spots what looks like a bomb gaffertaped to one of the chairs. As they move slowly and carefully to alert Gina, the device explodes, sending everyone hitting the ground, injuring Mickey's shoulder initially and the male staff member and rendering Honey unconcious. As if she's not hurt enough, Gabriel has to perform CPR on her.

Gina updates the station and she and Smithy notify the relevant groups and divert more back up. FINALLY they start to evacuate the full building. Gina spots a woman smoking outsides and asks her to blow her smoke in her direction 😂 before she speaks to the press about the bombing and asks people to call in if they have any info.

"Puff it this way, darlin'!"

Gary, hopelessly in love with Honey, is worried about her and is angry that he's not getting more information about her and that Gina has asked Ruby not to update unless there's new information. Loose lips and all that - he ends up telling Gabriel about what he did for Gina after the little car accident a few episodes back, arming Gabriel with blackmail material right as he needs it, before he gets dispatched to an assault case.

The assault case leads him to St Hughes and Ruby where he can manipulate and intimidate her even more as she waits for Honey to come round. As they do, it becomes clear that the male member of staff is actually the bomber... and as they find him, he's sat at the side of Honey's bed with another bomb inside his bag. All because noone realises 'what he's worth' because he has 'more to offer than being an usher'. He wanted the police calling to the cinema so he could learn from them first hand because he's adamant he can be a police officer - but he was rejected.

After he and Ruby talk the bomber down and arrest him, Gina is very impressed and asks Ruby to reconsider her resignation, ripping the letter up without even reading it. (The second of Gabriel's infamously millions chances after Ruby reluctantly covered for him after he set one of her school friends up) . Gabriel sees this through the window and thinks he's gotten away scott free - however Ruby can't live with herself and she confesses to Gina that she lied on the stand. She knows she's committed perjury and that it means the end for her career... but she can't cover up any longer. After seeing Ruby out, Gina is desperate for a smoke and luckily finds one of her old cigarillo ends in an ashtray in her office, sneakily lighting it. After she's finished she goes to find Gabriel, seeing through all his bluster and telling him she knows exactly what he did.

Although it's not spoken, unfortunately for Gina, he knows exactly what Smithy got Gary to do without Gina's knowledge. She already told Gary she was keeping quiet for his and Smithy's sakes which gives Gabriel the perfect leverage to stop her making Ruby's confession public and reporting him... She does become aware that Gabriel knows next episode however. He applys for a driving course at Hendon and tells her he has a clean license including no drink driving convictions and she puts two and two together and nails Gary.

[xtruss]

British Muslim Children Reassert Their Right To Pray In School

— Penny Rabiger | January 31, 2024

There are those in education circles not surprised to see that the high priestess of populist polarisation narratives, Katharine Birbalsingh, founding headteacher of a school in Brent, London, has hit the news again. This time, it is in relation to a High Court challenge by a student over the banning of Muslim prayer on the premises of the school.

The name of Michaela Community School suggests it professes to serve the local population, so it is interesting to note the school’s local community context. According to the 2021 Census, the second largest religious population in the borough is Muslim at 21.4%, with the proportion of Christians at 38.8%. Hindus make up 15.6% of the community; there are about 4% who are Jewish, Buddhist, Jain or Sikh, and the rest have either ‘no religion’ or did not state. Nationally, that ‘no religion’ category stands at 37% compared with Brent’s 13.6% so as school communities go, it would be pretty accurate to say that it is one where religion might be assumed to be integral to people��s identities and sense of belonging.

This prayer ban case has exposed two seemingly distinct themes, one of which is the place of prayer and religion in our schools. There are those that would have a complete ban on all forms of religion in schools, whatever religious character that may be. This might be tricky considering that one third of state-funded schools in England are faith schools, 68% of which are Church of England schools and 30% Roman Catholic.

Michaela Community School Taken To High Court Over Prayer Ban

However, few may be aware that since The Education Act 1944, all state schools in England and Wales no matter their religious character, are legally required to provide acts of ‘broadly Christian’ daily ‘worship’. People might not also be aware that simultaneously, this legal duty has been condemned by the United Nations as a breach of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the National Governance Association has called for a ban since 2018.

As is apparent, the idea of banning religious prayer of any kind is a deeply divided topic, and one that should not be implemented without careful consultation with members of the school community with particular attention to the local and national contexts. Not only was the decision-making on the part of the school governing board described by the student’s lawyer as “remarkably poor, littered with factual errors and paid no weight to the serious risk of alienating Muslim students”, no consultation with the school community took place before the ban was implemented - nor since.

Perhaps most stark about this case however, is the way that narratives around it have delivered yet another Islamophobic moral panic and racially-charged existential angst which plays to the general post-colonial melancholy exacerbated by Brexit and which surges every time Britishness is pitched as being under threat by the idea that there is a stealthy infiltration of Islam into our schools.

Poster referring to the news story of a school banning prayer ritual

One high profile example is the Trojan Horse affair in Birmingham in 2013, which started with a hoax letter claiming there was an ‘Islamist’ takeover of a school. This same letter ultimately led to significant changes to policy and law through the UK government’s counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategies, even though it is widely believed to have been a manufactured story designed to systematically vilify Birmingham’s Muslim community. When 15 year old Shamima Begum was groomed online and trafficked to Syria in 2015 to become an Islamic State child bride, little did she know that she would end up in a war zone, giving birth to and losing three babies. Labelled as a terrorist, Begum’s UK citizenship was removed rather than bringing her home to overcome the incredible trauma she has experienced. Muslim students local to her school in Bethnal Green, London, also reported that the knock-on effect for them has been to feel targeted and under pressure as potential threats to British security.

The testimony of colourful descriptions provided by Birbalsingh include consternation at what she describes as ‘ritualistic prayer’ which was ‘visible from the street’. She recounts events taking place as creeping infiltration, domination and ‘Islamic bullying’ which was a risk to the school community. Birbalsingh’s justification of the ban exposes the fusion between these two themes: the place of prayer in schools and the perception of Islam as an encroaching threat to Britishness.

The irony is that Michaela’s self-image as the ‘strictest school in Britain’ includes pride in its absolute control over its students of the sort that is often insinuated as what is oppressive about some religious regimes. Routines are strict and scrupulously enforced at set times during the school day. Physical deportment is rigorously monitored and sanctions given if children aren’t sitting up, leaning forward, smiling, nodding their heads and tracking the teacher with their eyes. Social interaction is strictly managed as well. Lunchtime conversation is structured around a ‘family’ set meal which everyone must eat and only daily prescribed approved topics for discussion are allowed. These are started and stopped at regular intervals with a series of hand claps or other audible cues. Teachers supervise ‘guided socialisation’ in the playground to control and monitor group mixing - and all of this is part of the fundamental nationalist culture and ethos of the school where “children of all races and religions buy into something bigger than themselves: our country”.

You might conclude that Birbalsingh’s methods could be seen as cultish, coercive and deploying intimidation in the same way that she describes students’ growing interest in their faith through prayer and observance. When a school allows no room for self-expression and teaches that race and religion need to be erased in the name of a nationalist pride in Britain, is it any wonder that British Muslim children would reassert their right to Britishness in multicultural, multi-religious Brent by turning to their faith and realigning their social, moral and spiritual compass?

— The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Islam Channel.

[kudosmyhero]

Transformers (vol. 1) #15: I, Robot Master

Read Date: April 09, 2023 Cover Date: April 1986 ● Writer: Bob Budiansky ● Penciler: Don Perlin ● Inker: Keith Williams ● Colorist: Nel Yomtov ● Letterer: Janice Chiang ● Editor: Mike Carlin ◦ Michael Higgins ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● Megatron is hangry! ● Megatron is… out of gas? ● this is kind of an interesting reason to have this so-called “Robot-Master”—to keep the public from panicking too much. the idea is the public can accept a single human villain better than they can accept a race of sentient giant robots

● ok, this image of Megatron is a little terrifying…

● 👏👏👏

Synopsis: Megatron has come to an Easter Wyoming coal mile in a desperate search for fuel, however, he runs out of power before he can get any and freezes in place. While in Oregon, Walter Barnett meets with his superiors at III, where they ask him to do something to create a smoke screen to give the public an "enemy" associated with the frequent robot rampages so that the public doesn't go into a hysteria. After going over the most recent incidents, including Megatron's attack on the coal mine, they invited G.B. Blackrock to talk to them about his experience with the robots. When Blackrock attempts to explain a distinction between the Autobots and Decepticons, director Forest Forsythe interrupts him and thanks him for his time and sees him out. Forsythe tells his men that while there is evidence to support this he wants them to treat all robots as potential threats and gives his men 48 hours to come up with a cover story on who controls the robots to prevent public panic.

Barnett returns home to his wife and son, he scolds the boy for leaving a mess, however stops when he notices the boy has a Marvel Comic book called Robot Master, which features a villain who controls robots. Intrigued he decides to take a trip to New York City and pay a visit to the writer of the series, Donny Finkleberg. At the offices of Marvel Comics the next day, Donny is fired due to inability to write stories that sell. He ends up running into Barnett in the lobby who offers him a proposition. The two come up with the idea to create a real life Robot Master to give a more plausible reason for the robot attacks to the general public, who would find the notion of alien robots from another world to impossible to believe. Barnett then offers him 40 thousand dollars to not only help create the role of the real life Robot Master but to also play the part.

While aboard the Ark, Bumblebee, Skids, and Tracks return from a fruitless patrol and report to Optimus Prime. They are then all called into the communications room by Wheeljack who shows them a televised news report of a self-proclaimed "Robot Master" who is claiming responsibility for the robot attacks. Unaware of the government's hoax, the Autobots are puzzled by this story. While at the headquarters of Blackrock Enterprises, G.B. Blackrock knows exactly what's going on and is furious. With the phony broadcast over, Finkleberg is thanked by Barnett for his work. The next day reporters swam G.B. Blackrock's home to have him confirm the news. He denies ever seeing the Robot Master before the broadcast the previous night but declines to comment. Spotting Bumblebee parked in the driveway he decides to take this vehicle instead. As Bumblebee drives Blackrock to work, Blackrock explains the situation and the government's attempt to cover things up and tells the small Autobot that he will try to convince them to work with the Autobots.

At the headquarters of III, Forsythe is angered when the media has gotten footage of the deactivated Megatron out in the Wyoming coal pit. However, Barnett realizes that they can still capitalize on this and offers Finkleberg more money to reprise his role of Robot Master once more. The news also gets to the Autobots who rush off to the site to prevent Megatron from being reactivated. While on an information gathering mission Soundwave, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw and Ravage hear the news about Megatron's body and also rush to the site in order to revive their former leader.

III arrives there first and begins setting up camera crews to do another Robot Master broadcast when they are interrupted by G.B. Blackrock who begs them to consider the idea that there are two robot faction and that they should be telling the public the truth. Barnett tells Blackrock to butt out of their affairs, Blackrock warns them that they are playing with fire and that if the Decepticons figure out he's posing as their controller they'll surely kill him.

When the Autobots arrive the military attache that has accompanied III attacks them head on, but despite Blackrock's demands and the Autobots lack of aggressive action, the military continues to keep them at bay. While they are busy with the Autobots, Soundwave, and his cassettes arrive and revive Megatron with fuel. Megatron then simply blasts away all the tanks sending the military and the Autobots fleeing from the scene. When Laserbeak recognizes Donny Finkleberg, it brings him to Megatron and Soundwave explains who he is. Megatron is furious and is about to kill Finkleberg when Donny appeals to him by saying that they can use the Robot Master persona to turn the public against the Autobots and convince them that all Transformers are the same.

Sure enough, Megatron agrees and a broadcast promoting the idea that the Robot Master is real and that he controls every Transformer is broadcast across the country. With the broadcast over, Finkleberg relaxes by lighting a cigarette by striking a match on Megatron's foot while gloating about how sweet a deal he has. Megatron is not amused at being used as a strike pad and threatens Donny that if he smokes another cigarette he will kill him.

(https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Transformers_Vol_1_15)

Fan Art: Bumblebee by Novanim

Accompanying Podcasts: ● Transformers Chronicles - episode 15

● Transformers University - episode 30

[j-graysonlibrary]

Fort Heaven Chapter 28

Title: Fort Heaven

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 69K

Genres: Suspense, investigative, drama, LGBT+

Available on: Kobo and my website

Synopsis: Some call it a hoax. Others claim it’s a cult. But, to Evon and his friend Yasmine, two online journalists, Fort Heaven is the subject of their latest story. Along for the assignment is cameraman and not-so-secret crush of Evon’s: Russet. With a drunken, murky night in their recent history, things are especially tense between them but, of course, personal matters take a backseat when the interviews start. The trio speaks to ex-members of Fort Heaven and, while some of the accounts are shocking, the job remains just that: A job. That is until one of the women they interviewed, along with her daughter, goes missing. It soon becomes clear that not only is Fort Heaven a real threat but Evon and his friends are being watched. And what started as a simple cash-grab article is now a matter of life and death.

Full chapter 28 under the cut

Chapter 28

The images from the computer were projected onto a large, white sheet in front of Evon, Russet, and Yasmine. Jackson and Nichole had been withheld from the so called “meeting” since the both of them only appeared in small portions of the videos. As the footage went on, it became clear to the guards that the three of them in particular were involved and was the reason they were being questioned as a unit.

They’d viewed these videos days ago and were just now playing them in front of the trio almost as a torture in and of itself. It wouldn’t be easy to dispute certain facts or try to sugar coat things when they had possession of hard evidence to the contrary.

While—technically—nothing in the footage suggested malicious intent, there was still a lot of negative talk and a biased outlook on Fort Heaven.

The last clip played and it had been filmed just about a week ago. Their voices were quiet but still audible as they discussed their plans concerning the threatening letter that led them to be captured.

Even if it had been only a handful of days ago, they looked on in agony as it felt like at least a month had already passed them by.

In that video they were scared, yes, but they had yet to be branded. They didn’t yet know what it was like to sleep on the ground in the cold or to only have one meal a day. In comparison, it was definitely a more desirable time.

“Ring any bells?” Cameron, the guard closest to them that had been the one mostly in charge of their interrogations thus far, asked. He held a baton in his hand and used it to point to the sheet. “Would you still like to attest that you didn’t have the intent of attacking our church in your documentary?”

None of them looked at each other—Yasmine and Evon looked down while Russet stared at the man with cold eyes.

“I want to know whose idea it was,” the man continued, “who was the one who initially wanted to start this crusade?”

There was no answer.

Yasmine knew she had to answer. It was her fault, she felt, since she had convinced Evon of it and Russet was strung along because Evon pulled him into it. So, she decided, she was responsible.

But before she could confess, Evon spoke up. “It was mutual. We all thought of it.”

Cameron chuckled to himself and tapped the end of the baton against the palm of his free hand. “Trying to stick together, huh?” He shook his head. “That never lasts long. Eventually you’ll turn on each other—I’ve seen it many times.”

“ No we won’t,” Evon snapped back. He locked eyes with the man and didn’t waver. “We’d never turn on each other.”

“Oh? Well then…” He turned to look at one of the guards standing by the entrance to the tent. “Get me a bucket of water.”

“You…are you going to water-board us…?”  Yasmine asked the question the two men were thinking.

“You’ll see.”

“It won’t make any difference,” Russet said quietly. “We won’t betray each other.”

“Mhmmm, sure.”

After a short break, the other guard came back with a bucket of water in his arms. Some sloshed out of the sides which caused the man to visibly stiffen with discomfort. By his body language and the expression on his face, the water in the bucket was very cold.

So it was to be water-boarding in ice water, Evon thought. Surely it would add a more stressful element to it but he was prepared to endure it. Even if his pain tolerance was low and he was scared out of his wits, he would persevere.

The two guards whispered back and forth before Cameron nodded and approached the trio. He didn’t say a word before he threw a small wave of water on all three of them. It instantly drenched them but, worse than anything, was the shock of the cold.

Evon let out a yell as it felt as though a million tiny daggers were thrust into his skin all over and all at once. Yasmine shivered violently and Russet just looked shocked.

“Now get out and go back to your tents. Your meal for the day will be ready shortly.” Cameron looked between them with a smile.

“That’s it?” Russet asked, sounding much more put together than he felt.

“Yes. That’s it.” The smug grin only grew bigger.

Even though they were let go, there was no relief. Outside, the chill of the wind hit them and their wet skin and sent a painful sensation through them that was close to crippling. Yasmine clasped her arms across her chest desperate for warmth, feeling the effects possibly worse than the other two—not that they weren’t suffering as well.

Back where they had spent most of their time and where they slept, they found Jackson and Nichole. The two were in the middle of a conversation but stopped upon seeing them walking closer. Nichole’s eyes darted between them, trying to find sign of injury and Jackson focused more on Yasmine.

“Why are you soaked?” He asked as she knelt down beside him.

“He threw a bucket of water on us,” Russet answered and then winced. Water droplets streamed from his hair down onto his neck.

“You have to get dry fast,” Nichole said with worry in her voice, “I’ve seen this before. They’ll soak people down and leave them wet all through the night. It can be deadly if it you’re not careful.”

“It’s not like we can change,” Evon mentioned and took after Yasmine’s example and crossed his arms. “Or start a fire.”

“We’ll just have to huddle together,” she replied.

“No. You’ll get wet too.”

“I don’t care.” That surprised him. Not that Evon assumed she was heartless or anything but because he didn’t realize she cared for them enough to do that.

“Come on,” Jackson whispered, already on board with the plan. He pulled Yasmine closer to him and wrapped an arm around her. He hardly had enough muscle and body fat on him to warm himself but he wanted to share it anyway. As much as Yasmine had done for him, he wanted to give back.

“Evon on the other side,” Nichole directed. She had him sit beside Jackson so she could be between him and Russet, offering each a side of her that was, at the very least, dry.

The cold and wet press of the fabric and skin against their already cold bodies was unpleasant to say the least but, eventually, a bit of warmth formed between each of them. It wasn’t much but it was something to focus on when a new chill would come over them.

It lasted until morning. There was no conversation between the group huddle and also, for the first time, no visit from Willow in the middle of the night. It was quite concerning but their current situation kept them from wondering too much about it.

Maybe she’d just fallen asleep or had been moved to an inconvenient shift. She was in the best position among them so they didn’t worry all too much. And, especially, not when the trio was taken back to the same tent as the day before.

The footage was shown again from the very beginning and the same questions were asked. If their clothes and hair weren’t still a little damp then they may have started to question having déjà vu. Evon was confused and a bit disoriented while Yasmine just wanted it to end and willed her consciousness to leave this place. Russet, however, had a slow and painful revelation.

This was going to happen on a daily basis until one of them owned up to being fully responsible or if they ganged up on each other. He kept it to himself—even after another bucket of water was splashed over them.

His theory was proven true on the third day when his videos started once more from the beginning. This time, Evon and Yasmine also realized what was happening.

“Come on…” Yasmine pleaded, not caring if she sounded pathetic. Her skin had turned a pale purple compared to her normal dark complexion and she knew it was a matter of time before something irreversible happened to her body. “Just stop. We’re not going to cave.”

“I thought you might say that,” Cameron retaliated with a smirk. He seemed to truly enjoy hurting them—something none of them, especially Evon could wrap their minds around. Sure, they were bad people in the view of Fort Heaven but the whole situation remained ineffable.

Cameron walked to the entrance of the tent, stuck his head out and waved before retreating back in. After a few seconds, another person entered.

Willow.

She didn’t seem all too well herself but her face went grim when she saw who was being tortured. She didn’t move or say anything as the male guard placed a flog in her hand.

The straps on it were longer than what one could find at a sex shop and the material was definitely not as gentle. Thin leather strings with shards of sharp plastic edges weaved through them were definitely not something anyone would willingly consent to being slapped with.

Willow looked down at the tool in her hand and her stomach dropped. It felt more like a test than her presence during Cindy’s torture and she was afraid if she failed this time that it would her undoing. Yet, to not fail, she had put effort into hurting the people who she wanted to save.

“Let’s add an extra element today,” Cameron spoke and walked back in front of the three. “Water…” His eyes flickered back to Willow, “And some lacerations.”

Russet narrowed his eyes at the man and spat, “fuck you.”

Naturally that only worked to please him. He grabbed the bucket of water he’d set to the side since they arrived and paused. The reactionary flinch from all of them made him chuckle and, the second Evon glanced back up, he threw the water.

It was hard to hold back the screams and Yasmine felt herself breaking down into tears.

“Now…anyone willing to confess to being the mastermind of this project?”

After their mutual silence, the man looked to Willow and nodded. She gulped, forcing down any feelings of hesitation. There was no way to apologize or even warn them before she made the first strike but she hope they understood.

The flog sliced down across Yasmine’s back. The woman fell forward and screamed—blood immediately rose to the surface despite how chilled her body was.

“Nothing?” Cameron asked as he kneeled down closer to their eye level. His gaze shifted from her to Russet. “What about you? It was your camera. Maybe it was your idea too?”

Before he could respond, Willow was signaled to act and she brought the flog down onto his back. Her teeth clenched together hard as his body jerked in response to the pain. He was still trying not to react and to keep it together but everyone could see that he was breaking.

“Well if not you then…” the man settled on Evon and Evon tensed up. He knew it was coming and, judging by the reaction of his friends, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to bear it.

“WAIT!” Russet screamed before taking a ragged breath. “It was me—you were right. I thought the whole thing up, I used them by saying they could use it for their blog but I really wanted it for my film career.” The words spilled out of a mile a minute.

Cameron grinned and rose to his feet. “Well, well, I have to say…I didn’t think you’d be the one to break.”

“He’s lying,” Evon said with a pained expression. He was clearly close to tears and his limbs shook from both the cold and his nerves. “It was me. He—I made him come along…”

“Shut up, Evon—don’t try to be a martyr…”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing!”

Russet shook his head. “It was me,” he said, much more calmly to Cameron, “Do whatever you want just don’t hurt Evon. He never had any ill intent with the church it was all me.”

Again, the man laughed at his pain. “Don’t hurt Evon, huh?” His eyes darted up and he gave Willow the look she was dreading.

With a sharp inhale, she offered a silent apology and flogged the man in the middle. His scream mixed with Russet’s own and Yasmine’s sobs crushed her on the inside. She was sure she’d continue to hear it in her head continuously—possible for the rest of her life.

“Alright,” Cameron said suddenly and with his eyes on Willow, “help me grab him and take him to the main building. You two are free to go back to your tent mates.”

Willow grabbed one of Russet’s arms while Cameron took the other and they pulled him up to his feet. She avoided looking at any of them—she couldn’t. Especially not Evon.

“Don’t take him…” Evon pleaded, “Please, don’t take him there…Russet—Russ…” His words whittled down to soft sobs and begging as they took Russet out of the tent. He attempted to get up and follow but his body wouldn’t cooperate with his will.

They all knew what going to the main building meant—Willow more than any of them. Evon knew it was where the individualized torture happened and Yasmine knew that every prisoner that she saw go in there never came back out. Russet knew those things too but he hoped his sacrifice wasn’t in vain and that they would focus on him instead of the other two.

Being killed was a risk he was willing to take to save someone he cared for.

Willow assisted in shackling him to the wall in the basement and was then dismissed. The interrogation and torture probably wouldn’t continue until the next day—she had found that they preferred to make the prisoner a mental wreck by having them wait alone overnight. The anticipation and dread of the following day kept them from sleeping or even shutting down their mind enough to rest.

She gave a look to the man as she left the room. Her colleague was with her so she still couldn’t say she was sorry. She simply had to hope that she could convey it with her eyes.

[tylynnsblog]

Post 3

1. Bloody Mary is the urban legend of conjuring up a spirit by chanting the name “Bloody Mary” three times using a mirror and holding a candle. The legend states that after numerously chanting a spirit appears in the mirror and the results may vary. By this I mean, the spirit could be good or bad, depending on the tale. This story has been changed over time and adapted by different medias. For example, Bloody Mary has different ritual names like, “Hell Mary” and “Marry Worth”. It’s conventions are the mirror, spirits, chanting, candles.

2. Chain letters are emotional driven stories intended to spread to a large audience. The chain is continuously growing that can’t be stopped permanently. The types of chain letters are hoaxes or urban legends. Hoaxes attempt to trick users and urban legends are made to warn others of a threat or claim to let others know important information. It’s conventions are messages,audience,text,platform.

3. The princess and the pea is the fairytale story of a prince trying to find a true princess. This story has been changed over time. The story was a folktale that originated from Sweden and it was also a book made in the 19th century. It’s conventions are houses, mattresses, pea, prince, princess, love, marriage.

[heykav]

Man held for hoax threat letter to IAF station Source link

[teyvat-writer]

Phantom of the Opera AU

A/N: Ok so I was watching a PV for Cantarella and one of the comments said it reminded them of The Phantom of the Opera so I looked at the Wiki synopsis and then had immediate brain rot. This is v scuffed quality I'm sorry </3.

TW - stalking, murder, (kind of) Stockholm syndrome, abduction, reader is mentioned to be wearing makeup but is GN (it’s theater, everyone wears makeup tbh)

The moon is veiled by clouds and the air is crisp, carrying a chill that permeates the skin and festers within the bones. And yet, here you are, kneeling before the grave of your late father. A bouquet of roses sits between you and the stone slab.

"It's been a while since I last visited, no?"

You don't expect an answer, yet still speak all the same. It's more comfortable than sitting and staring at the cool stone slab engraved with your father's name. As you sit, you don't notice the shadowy figure approaching, yet the shock of adrenaline through your system tells you to flee. Adrenaline spikes the air upon hearing the bowing of a violin. It's a shrill sound, not enough to be grating, but enough to cause your heart to leap into your throat. There's something familiar about the tune, you know you've heard it before, but you can't quite place the name. You look around wildly to find the music's source, eyes snagging on a tall figure standing under a nearby tree. They’re obscured by the tree's shade in the soft moonlight, yet you can discern a faint shimmer where their face presumably is.

"Hello?"

No response. Electing to keep to your wits, you get up and make your way to the cemetery's gate, periodically glancing behind you to ensure the mystery person wasn't following you until you've stepped through the open gate. You sprint back home, only to toss and turn in your attempts to sleep.

Just where had you heard that song?

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

Ernesto reads over the letter, a scowl twisting his rugged features.

“Beatriz, come look at this.”

The theater’s co-owner saunters over to Ernesto’s side, placing a hand on the desk and leaning down to read the letter.

“In all likelihood, it’s nothing more than a hoax. In poor taste, yes, but a hoax nonetheless.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

Ernesto crumples the letter then tosses it into a nearby waste bin.

“I agree that they're a fantastic singer, though.”

The premier of Faust falls upon the Teatro della Pergola, its owners having forgotten entirely about the threat of a curse. Box five is filled with guests and the lead actress, Laura, is in a dressing room preparing herself. You’re holed up in your dressing room, adjusting your hair and makeup. Something moves in your periphery, making your flesh rise into goose pimples. It reminds you entirely too much of the incident at the graveyard.

“Who’s there? You shouldn’t be here, you know?”

You feel stupid for even saying anything, as you’re answered by near defeaning silence-

With the fluttering of cloth, you’ve been tackled to the ground. You land on your side, the only barrier between you and potentially fracturing a rib being someone’s arms wrapped around you.

“Let me go!” You try wriggling out of his grasp to no avail, your wild swinging of fists and kicking doing nothing. You feel rough ropes encircling your wrists, tied snuggly.

“Release me or I’ll have security-” your mouth is covered with a cloth and he begins to gather you into his arms, hand firmly clasped over your mouth. He sprints to the opposite side of the room, pressing into something on the wall you can't quite see that causes a portion of the wall to fold inward like a door. Beyond is a dark, narrow set of steep stairs. He steps inside, shouldering the 'door' closed before descending with you in their arms.

Onstage, the curtains open and Laura gracefully steps on stage, opening her mouth to deliver her opening lines-

All that comes out is a croak, as though she were a toad. The audience is shocked, silence settling over the theater. Something creaks and groans, then a chandelier falls, plummeting into the crowd. It lands with a near deafening crash, the very floor shaking from the impact. Blood begins seeping from under the chandelier.

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

How long had you been down here?

"Mio caro…" He croons, voice smooth as silk. The door hinges groan in protest as it creaks open, his signature white porcelain mask adorned with intricate golden detailing gleams in the low candle light. You look at him from where you're seated on the bed, lips pressed into a thin line, refusing to say anything. He stalks towards you, his single, visible eye trained on you, unblinking. He's standing in front of you, now, lithe fingers ghosting against your cheek. He leans down to eye level, iris nearly drowned out by his dilated pupil. You're disgusted- how could this monster who abducted you look at you as though you were lovers?! In outrage, you make a wild swing for his face, colliding with porcelain. The mask flies off and surprisingly doesn't shatter, only landing with a loud clatter that rings in your ears in the deafening silence after. You aren't sure if you should be repulsed or if you should pity the poor man before you- Scar tissue extends out from the crater of his right eye socket, like the limbs of a sea beast emerging from a whirlpool.

"Well… This certainly complicates things."

He sighs, picking his mask up and eyeing it before placing it back on his face.

"Ah, where are my manners? My name is Stefano."

He does a small bow, and you aren't sure whether you're intrigued or want to smack his mask off again for having the audacity to act so cordial towards you after holding you captive for who-knows-how-long.

"H- how long have I been here?"

"About a week." You balk at his response- A week? A whole damn week?!

"Let me go!"

He doesn't even look as though he's considering your demand, so you try a softer approach.

"Please just let me go, I'll do whatever you want, just.. please." His single-eyed gaze softens, and he looks to the floor.

"Only on one condition;" He reaches into an unseen pocket in his cloak.

"You will wear my ring and stay faithful to me."

The polished gold gleams in the candle, like a small ray of sun. The crimson diamond adorning the ring casts fractals of light upon the walls that dance and shimmer as though you were underwater. Desperate for freedom, you hold your hand out.

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

"His right eye was… oh, God, it was mangled! Like a horrible crater of flesh!” Sebastian soothingly rubs your back as you recount your experience of being abducted.

“I’ll help you get away, get you far, far away from that man.” He offers, solemn but genuine.

“Thank you…”

“Let’s enact our plan tomorrow. After you perform, I’ll be backstage to watch over you and escort you out.” You nod, hope swelling in your heart and yet, you can’t help but feel that something is horribly wrong.

The final showing of Faust is upon you, and you wait at the edge of the stage with a pounding heart, rushing blood the only sound you can register.

All goes smoothly, your voice echoing through the theater, seraphic. Yet, something is keeping you from relaxing fully. The thought that the ‘phantom’ is still lurking in the shadows is disquieting, you looking over your shoulder every few seconds when off stage. Your cue comes, and you step back onto stage, opening your mouth to deliver your lines-

Only to be whisked away, back into the dark labyrinth.

Sebastian jolts out of his seat upon watching you disappear. He clambers towards the stairs leading backstage, stopped only by a tap on the shoulder. Agitated, he turns, glaring at the stranger.

“What do you want?!”

“Call me Oda. I know where he took them.” It takes a moment for the words to register in Sebastian’s racing mind but ultimately, he nods, hoping this man is true to his word.

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

“Who the hell builds this shit?” Sebastian’s voice echoes faintly in the dark, stone corridors. It’s damp and chilly, something strangely musky in the air. They come upon a vast room, almost impossible in its geometry. Nearly every inch of the room is covered in mirrors.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian. We have to go through, there’s no other way.” Oda remarks sternly. Sebastian huffs in annoyance, grabbing the other’s hand.

“Let’s stick together. Who knows what’ll happen if we get separated.”

They descend into the shining labyrinth.

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

“I thought we had an agreement-”

“You didn’t hold up your end of it.” Stefano’s voice is cold, yet possesses a searing edge.

“Wha-”

“Don’t think I don’t know of your plan to leave here, to leave me!” He hisses, accent thickening with fury. You’re silent, mulling over your response. You… care about this man, on some level- pity, really. Not even his family had loved him, and some part of you pities him to the point you do love him.

“Since I cannot have you, I’ll ensure no one can.”

“Stefano, please-”

“I’ll take this whole Godforsaken theater with me.”

“No, please! I’ll marry you, I’ll be yours forever-!” You faintly hear Sebastian’s voice, calling your name.

“Sebastian? Sebastian, where are you?!” You cry. You turn back to Stefano.

“Please, I’ll do as you want, just let him and everyone else go!” You’re crying at this point, sobs shaking your body. Stefano embraces you in an attempt to sooth you, pressing delicate kisses to the top of your head. You aren’t sure what overcomes you in that moment, but you pull away, reaching up and discarding his mask, caressing the part of his face it covered. You press a soft kiss to his thin lips, feeling him go rigid from shock. You observe his expression as you pull away, his single, icy blue eye wide, pupil a mere pinprick of obsidian. A single tear slides down his cheek, leading the procession to come. He pulls you closer, trembling.

“Mio caro…”

The door swings open, Sebastian glowering in the doorway. You give him a meek wave, ignoring his baffled expression. Oda comes up behind him.

“It appears he’s finally found love after all these years.”

“Promise me, caro, promise me you’ll return my ring on the day I die.”

“Of course.” You whisper, foreheads pressed together. You kiss him one last time before rising and joining Sebastian.

“Goodbye, Stefano.”

𝄥𝄞 —————— ♪ —————— 𝄇

It’s been a couple years, and yet you can’t bear to forget him. At night, when you close your eyes, you envision him in all his twisted elegance. Not once did you forget your promise. Now, you’re tossing and turning when suddenly, there’s a knock on your door. You open it, revealing Oda standing before you with a solemn gaze.

“It’s time.”

You both head over to the Teatro della Pergola and he leads you into the labyrinth below, navigating as though he himself lived there. You help him haul Stefano’s corpse to the middle of a lush field. Once the hole is dug, you gently lay him within it, tears stinging your eyes. You push the dirt back into place, Oda planting a simple wooden cross into the disturbed soil. Hesitantly, you slip the ring off, placing it upon the fresh mound of dirt.

[j-graysonlibrary]

Fort Heaven Chapter 26

Title: Fort Heaven

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 69K

Genres: Suspense, investigative, drama, LGBT+

Available on: Kobo and my website

Synopsis: Some call it a hoax. Others claim it’s a cult. But, to Evon and his friend Yasmine, two online journalists, Fort Heaven is the subject of their latest story. Along for the assignment is cameraman and not-so-secret crush of Evon’s: Russet. With a drunken, murky night in their recent history, things are especially tense between them but, of course, personal matters take a backseat when the interviews start. The trio speaks to ex-members of Fort Heaven and, while some of the accounts are shocking, the job remains just that: A job. That is until one of the women they interviewed, along with her daughter, goes missing. It soon becomes clear that not only is Fort Heaven a real threat but Evon and his friends are being watched. And what started as a simple cash-grab article is now a matter of life and death.

Full chapter 26 under the cut

Chapter 26

There was no telling whether Cindy was still alive or not in the basement since Willow hadn’t gone back. Stewart and William had proceeded with the torture on their own and she stayed in the barracks—sick. Every time she stood, she was lightheaded and every time she ate, she would throw it back up.

She was, however, forced to write up a report of the incident to send in to Simon.

“February 26 2018,

 Prisoner 25400, Cindy Oswell, was taken to the interrogation chamber after several accusations of knowing Willow Vosch Renee. Guards Stewart and William accompanied newest guard Willow and Stewart delivered the punishment. To force Miss Oswell to understand her place, a dog was brought into the chambers—having taken enhancement drugs intended for human males…

Miss Oswell still claims to know Willow. Reasons are unknown. Stewart suggests reassignment for Willow but first, the presence of Simon the Usurper of Evil is requested to assess the situation.

--Camp #3”

Willow looked over the letter which was written by her own hand but was a voice very different from her own. It was best to distance herself as much as possible. To try to remove all of her emotional bonds to the situation.

She closed her eyes and sent the report with only the hope that Simon or Seth would heed her words and move her somewhere else. If she could only use Seth’s odd infatuation with her to her benefit…

The next day came accompanied by the arrival of the leaders. Both Simon and Seth showed in response to the report and Willow met them at the front with Stewart and William. While the two men looked quite nervous to be in the presence of their leaders, Willow felt relief for the first time in ages.

It was the two of them—Simon especially—that she should hate more than anyone but, at the moment, they were the only two people she could hope to be of help.

“Where’s the prisoner?” Simon asked immediately, only looking toward the male guards. Willow studied his face to try to gauge his feelings but it was difficult—she started to doubt whether he was there for her at all.

William and Stewart led him off toward the main building with haste and Seth was left standing there, giving his full attention to his fiancée. He, unlike his father, was very easy to read in the moment.

He was concerned.

She looked up at him and gulped. “…Seth…,” she began but faltered to continue. The man before her said nothing before taking a step forward and pulling her into his arms.

It was a tight hug but not a suffocating one—like the kind of embrace you would give a loved one you hadn’t seen in years. She lightly settled her hands on his back, just so he could feel that she was hugging him back. The last thing she needed was to show any sign that her relationship with him was fake.

“I’m so sorry…” Seth mumbled against her neck. His breath was warm and his voice sounded weaker than she’d ever heard it.

He really felt bad.

“It’s not your fault,” Willow responded, finding her words to be genuine which surprised her. “I’m sorry that I can’t handle this…”

“No,” Seth rebutted with more energy and pulled back. He held her at arm’s length and looked into her eyes intensely. “My father did this on purpose to try to break you. He wanted you to fail.”

Though it shouldn’t have been a huge shock, it still took Willow by surprise. “…What?”

“His ‘test’ was to make you crumble under pressure. He knows what these places are like and…”

She took his pause to cut in. “You don’t endorse these camps, do you, Seth? You think he’s wrong…”

“Shhh,” he hissed and pulled her in closer once more. “It’s not that simple. I agree that some of this stuff is necessary but he takes it way too far…and besides, a place like this is nowhere for a sweet girl like you to be anyway. I never wanted you to have to see this side of the church.”

So that’s what it was about, she thought. With a sigh, Willow responded, “What’s going to happen now…?”

Seth didn’t look away from her but shook his head. “I don’t know.”

That wasn’t reassuring at all, she thought. If even the “Son of God” couldn’t give her words of comfort then she knew things were bleak. At best, she would go back to one of the main buildings and continue work there, and, at worst, she would held prisoner at one of the camps for not being able to accomplish her task properly.

“Come on,” Seth whispered and began to gently pull at her hand, “let’s go sit somewhere. Relax.”

It was perhaps easy for him to do so but, for Willow, walking past all of the starving and dying prisoners to go and “relax” was nothing short of impossible. Her eyes stayed on them as she walked by and her chest ached knowing that, in all of those people’s minds, she was as evil as the rest of them.

***

The sun rose and Nichole slowly moved from body to body and woke everyone. Jackson’s eyes opened first and he, momentarily, forgot where he was before the scenery registered in his brain. He shot up and immediately started to tremble at the realization he was back in hell.

Yasmine was next and she quickly went to comforting the man. “It’s going to be fine…how’s your back?”

“…throbbing,�� he answered quietly. “What about yours?”

“It’s alright,” she answered with a false smile. “I’ll make it.”

Russet woke by the sound of their whispers before Nichole could reach him. He silently looked around and then closed his eyes. Just like Jackson, he had been hoping, for just a second, that he was magically somewhere else. He touched Evon’s shoulder and rubbed his thumb into the fabric of his shirt.

“Is he okay?” Nichole asked, looking over but not getting much closer.

“I think his body is still fighting the shock…” Russet answered her but didn’t take his eyes off of Evon. His hand slipped down his shoulder and then up to his neck, lightly touching his skin. It was those soft touches that got through to him.

His eyelids twitched and his brow furrowed. He was most likely registering the physical pain first.

“Evon,” Russet spoke his name in a low voice before leaning in closer to him, “Can you move…? Speak?”

The younger man reluctantly moved his hand out to grab onto what was closest to him. That just happened to be Russet’s forearm. “It hurts…”

“I know,” he whispered back. “I know…”

Evon gulped and opened his eyes, feeling the dread set in even worse than it had the previous day. “Ahhh…damnit…”

“Don’t push yourself,” Nichole said as she scooted closer. “Lay low and you’ll be able to rest more and recuperate. If you stand out, complain, or show signs of being in pain, things will only get worse.”

“So just silently do everything that’s asked of us? Indefinitely?” Russet asked, raising his voice.

Nichole frowned and argued, “Yes. What else?”

“You mean you haven’t even tried to think of escaping?”

“It’s not possible…”

“Jackson escaped,” Yasmine interrupted. She still had the man partly in her arms and she glanced down at him with hope. “He made it out once…”

“Lucky break,” he responded with a defeated sigh. “They probably put more security measures in place afterward too…”

“There has to be something,” Yasmine said with a frown.

“I agree,” Russet spoke with a look over at the woman. They hardly ever agreed on anything and they silently acknowledged that between themselves.

“I think we’d have to know a lot more about the layout…the guards and their habits.” Evon spoke up and then groaned. He fisted his hand against the ground and took a moment to get through the throbbing pain that came over him in a wave. Through partly gritted teeth, he continued, “It will take days to think of a plan.”

“Can we last days?” Yasmine asked with uncharacteristic skepticism in her voice.

“I have,” Nichole stated. “Weeks even or months, I’m not sure. I’ve gotten by under the radar so far…maybe you guys can too…”

“Not me,” Jackson said and actually pulled himself away from Yasmine. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “I won’t be surprised when they drag me to the interrogation chamber and kill me.”

“Don’t…” Yasmine whispered.

“It’s true,” he responded, “But if it gets you all time to figure something out then I won’t fight it.”

“You don’t have to be a martyr for us,” Russet snapped at him but not out of anger. “No one needs to be a martyr, okay? We get through this together. No sacrifices.”

Evon finally managed to pull himself up and only slightly leaned against Russet for support. “I think we can do it…after all, Willow’s still out there fighting too.”

“Willow?” Nichole’s attention quickly shifted. “My Willow?”

“Yeah,” he answered, “She showed up after you and your mother disappeared. Then she infiltrated Fort Heaven to try to find you.”

The last remaining bit of light left the woman’s body and she visibly deflated. “…Why…? Why would she do that..?”

“She loves you,” Yasmine answered her, stating the obvious.

“Well is she okay?”

“We, um…” Russet cleared his throat, “We’re not completely sure. She is still alive as of the other day—we know that.”

“Oh my God…” Nichole covered her face. “Willow…you idiot.”

***

“Willow, can I speak with you for a minute?” Simon asked her as he finally reappeared from his trip with the other guards.

She watched him, still unable to tell his state of mind, but nodded. “Okay…”

Once she was up, she followed him to the outskirts of the camp, past the fence. His silence was unnerving but she kept her posture firm and her facial expression blank.

“I spoke with Cindy Oswell,” he said as he stopped. His eyes settled onto Willow’s. “Want to know what she said about you?”

“…I’m not sure,” she answered with honesty.

Simon smirked. “She insisted she knows you. That you’re best friends with her daughter, Nichole. Another sinner who was imprisoned by us recently. Are you familiar with that name?”

Willow immediately shook her head. “No. I don’t know any Nichole Oswells….”

“Then you won’t mind being transferred to her camp?”

It was unbearably difficult to keep her face from showing her true feelings. All of her willpower was focused into the simple action of maintaining a straight, uncaring expression.

“No. I don’t mind.”

“Good,” Simon said with a smile, “Cindy also apologized to her daughter in the last few moments of her life. If you want to pass that message along to her daughter then that’s up to you.”

“She’s dead?” it came out of Willow before she could stop it.

“Yes,” he responded as if it were nothing. “Is there a problem?”

“No, of course not,” She struggled to say. “And I don’t need to know the details. Neither does her daughter. It won’t make any difference, right?”

Simon smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “Atta girl.”

[bookrecsource]

if you like this, read this (august 2022)

hello lovelies! i’m wishing everyone a happy last month of summer and sending immense thank yous to everyone that started following me! the biggest of hugs to you all mwah <3 im kicking off this blog with a series i hope to post on the first of every month as a guide for all people that find themselves in an incurable slump after reading a book they love or are just looking to scratch a similar itch! without further ado, please read on for a quick explanation of each and see under the cut for more in depth summaries

this month i offer you a romance pairing! they are both so similar in that they’re both new adult and have almost identical plots however one is contemporary and the other is historical. i found them both delightful and you can read on under the cut for more in depth synopses. any other recommendations like these are welcome and encouraged in the comments and tags :)

to have and to hoax follows a married couple in the regency era that started as a love match but have been mysteriously on the outs with each other for years. they got into a huge fight that left them isolated from each other but over the course of the novel we watch them untangle the origin of their predicament and grow closer once again through a series of shenanigans meant to poke the other’s buttons.

you deserve each other takes a more modern spin and follows a couple that is engaged but has fallen out of love. neither wants to be the one to call off their engagement and therefore be responsible for handling all the wedding payments so they enter a standoff to see who can make the other crack first. as they see this hostile plan through they end up remembering why they fell for each other in the first place.

to have and to hoax official synopsis:

Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.

Their once-passionate love match has been reduced to one of cold, detached politeness. But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. She’s outraged. He’s confused. And the distance between them has never been more apparent.

Wanting to teach her estranged husband a lesson, Violet decides to feign an illness of her own. James quickly sees through it, but he decides to play along in an ever-escalating game of manipulation, featuring actors masquerading as doctors, threats of Swiss sanitariums, faux mistresses—and a lot of flirtation between a husband and wife who might not hate each other as much as they thought. Will the two be able to overcome four years of hurt or will they continue to deny the spark between them?

With charm, wit, and heart in spades, To Have and to Hoax is a fresh and eminently entertaining romantic comedy—perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory and Julia Quinn.

you deserve each other official synopsis:

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves—and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

[bestiarium]

The Acarus electricus, or man-made insects [19th century hoax]

In 1836, a British scientist named Andrew Crosse had created life from nothing. He had succeeding in building strange mites in his laboratory by means of electricity and weird crystal formations – or rather, that is what the newspapers at the time claimed. 

In reality, he did nothing of the sort, and was actually conducting an experiment to see if silica crystal formations could be artificially formed by means of electrical currents. Tiny white spots appeared on the crystals instead, and over time they grew into small, hairy animals: insects had formed, seemingly out of nothing, from the electrical shocks (small note: mites are not actually insects, but were considered insects at the time and therefore described as such by Crosse).

Receiving the same results after multiple attempts, he could not explain the appearance of these animals, as the equipment was supposed to be sterile and the experiment was conducted in a closed, caustic environment. An amateur physicist attempted to redo the experiment and invariably ended up with mites – but only when he added electrical currents. Without the electricity, no mites showed up.

Crosse, however, was a man of science and never actually claimed that he had created the little arthropods himself. Instead, he assumed the animals originated from minuscule eggs that somehow got on his equipment.

Unfortunately for him, however, the rumours of a synthetic, man-made lifeform that was created in a laboratory quickly gained traction and spread throughout England. Local newspapers were quick to jump on the amazing story of a man-made species and the poor man was harassed and received many angry letters and threats from people who accused him of playing God and called him a blasphemer, a reviler of religion, a disturber of peace and an atheist. 

Even today, Crosse’s controversial experiment remains a popular subject among fans of occult and esoteric stories, although the common opinion today is that his tools were (obviously) contaminated with mites. Mites of the Acari subclass are very tiny, after all, and could have forced their way into enclosures that were incorrectly thought to be hermetically sealed.

Source: Gould, R. T., 1929, Oddities: a book of unexplained facts. You can read the 1966 revised edition here. (image 1: illustration by Philip Baynes for “The Electric Vampire” by F. H. Power, a 1910 short story in The London Magazine. It was inspired by the Acarus electricus, but was written as fiction. You can find it here, for those who want to read it. ) (image 2: a drawing of the mites, dubbed Acarus electricus, from the 1849 work “lectures on electricity” by H. M. Noad, reproduced by Rupert Gould in 1929)