#in that case it needs to both hide his identity and be recognizable in its own right

[qwortywarrior]

“Burn.”

[ratinthedeadhouse]

Forbidden Love

My heart is devoted to the one I shouldn’t love...

Fyodor x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Trying to keep it fluff.

"... A demon you say?" You question with hesitation, pale face bearing a frown as you try to put all the puzzles together. "That man is the super ability user and a terrorist that Yokohama is so desperate to catch? The very man, I spent countless evenings going to museums and libraries with? The very man with his astonishing diamond brain had helped me solve several murder cases?"

Silence settled between you and other Special Division Forces agents who glared at you with fear or utter confusion.

Nobody knew of your accidental connection with Fyodor Dostoevsky, or simply known as Demon Fyodor, and it sure was a surprise to you when your (e/c) eyes noticed a familiar face on all the screens and papers in the office with a screaming title: 'Wanted Criminal. Terrorist. Fyodor Dostoevsky. Highest rank ability user. Ability unknown.'

You honestly had no idea who the mysterious slender man was when you first met him at the museum. He looked charmingly tired, sharp purple eyes looked deeply into your soul while you both stood, rather awkwardly, near a woodblock painting that depicted the suffering of young children and women. Their weak bodies engulfed by flames, others were drowning in the peaceful veil of water. Despite the horrible scenario the colours united in harmony making you both stare at it for longer than you should have.

"The choice of the colour pallet... It mocks their suffering" you stated after a while, rather talking to yourself but hoping, subconsciously, that a curious stranger with a funny white hat would respond to your comment. To your amusement he did.

"Mhm," he nodded at first, pinching his chin like philosophers do while thinking and then slowly added: "Maybe the painter wanted to tell us that not all sufferings are recognizable at first glance. I noticed when walking up to the painting, the bright colours made me think of happiness and kindness, however, now that we stand closer to it we see that their very souls are in terrible agony" Fyodor's voice was soft like moonlight rays with a gentle touch of a foreign accent.

"I suppose... It depicts life itself. We never know how much one suffers due to the façade they’re putting" you said with a sad smile. At this very moment you looked delightful, Fyodor found a strange pleasure in watching your serious face merging into a saddened frown. And oh, he did it on purpose. He could've chosen a less explicit interpretation of the absurd painting but in his calculated mind he knew that this version would strike you the most... And he was right.

You still didn't move from the tiny painting, twirling a strand of your silky, (h/c) hair around your finger, beautiful eyes glued to the painting but your thoughts wandered far away. 

It took one glance from Fyodor to understand your entire being, no matter how complicated you think of yourself - to him you are an open book, and he could not resist the urge to live the faint mark on one of those innocent, white pages. 

“I apologize if my interpretations upset you, miss...” started Fyodor with a polite smile curving upon his frail face, but was interrupted by your sudden enthusiastic reply:

“Oh, please don’t apologize. One is a fool if they are not moved or hurt by art” your voice was gentle and soft and Fyodor couldn’t help but love your words. 

Perhaps you two were more similar than he thought at first. In any case, enchanted by your watchful careful eyes, your smile and graceful movements of your hands, your speech and voice - he couldn’t just let you go like that, out of his sight. 

A man tilted his head sideways a little, looking pleasantly amused, letting his dark locks fall upon his cheek, gently. “It seems that I found a charming lady who shares a similar view on things with me” something bittersweet hid in his words but it didn’t matter to you. 

With a small, delightful laugh you move your right hand forward: “My name is, (y/n). A pleasure to meet you” 

Expecting a handshake you watched as the man in a long dark cape came closer, gently grabbed your pale small hand and softly kissed the back of your hand;

“A beautiful name for a beautiful lady” he murmured watching how your pupils dilate. “My name is Fyodor. Would you agree to spend the rest of the evening in my company?”

Walking around with a stranger whom you’ve just met seemed like a ridiculous idea... But you felt safe around him, although his eyes were dark as a bottomless well, you agreed but made a promise to yourself to stay on guard. However, he cast away all your suspicions in just a few hours. 

You became good friends, discussing ancient Myths and modern poetry embarked on philosophical journeys sitting in the dim corner of the library simply enjoying the presence of each other. He even played his cello for you under the mocking bright moon. His words and the depths of thought sometimes caught you off guard however, you were able to track his line of thoughts and in return challenged him with your endless and charming affection. 

Fyodor never learnt what the word love truly meant. He could explain its psychological and physiological effect but never experienced it himself. He was in absolute control over his feelings and that is why he felt confused when you would meet him with a bright, loving smile that changed into a slightly concerned frown when you noticed dark eye-bags on his face. Why did you notice it? Why did you care? Who gave you the power to capture his heart so suddenly and so... wrongly? 

For the first time in a long while, Dostoevsky felt as if he made a dreadful mistake. At first, he thought of you as a pawn. Easy to move and easy to get rid of. But you reminded him of himself... yet you were so much better! Despite your intellect and wittiness, you had a warm, loving heart, that even accepted a demon like him. It all changed when you finally opened up to him about your placement of work. That’s when he realised how forbidden your relationship would be. Soon you would find out anyway about his identity, his goals and... it would wound you. Deeply. 

Soon he stopped coming to the museum where you two would usually meet. You remember that day. You took his favourite tea from the shop and held it in your cold hands while the hot drink burnt your fingers. 

‘He will never come again’

You felt as if you lost a piece of your heart. But you never cried about it and kept all the memories of the mysterious man named Fyodor close to your heart, or rather what was left of your heart. 

But now it all makes sense. The puzzle is complete. You stand in the room full of your colleagues who proceed to glare at you in silent amusement and your heart leapt in ecstasy. The adrenaline rushed through your blood as your cheeks turned red - you felt like the main character of your own story, engaged in a forbidden relationship with the demon himself. 

You didn’t care about the consequences but on entering the Special Prison for the restrained Ability Users, shadows of doubt crept within your heart. 

“Please wait here, ma’am. You sure you want to interrogate him?”

“Yes” 

“In terms of emergency, we won’t be able to assist you immediately... ” 

“I understand”

The heavy door was shut behind you, a metal desk was drilled into the floor and so were the chairs. No windows - just solid rock walls that reminded you of a medieval dungeon, except there were no cracks at all. Finally, you heard footsteps and another door before you was opened. 

“Good afternoon, Fyodor,” you said in a strict tone trying to hide your excitement as much as you could. 

His lilac eyes widened in surprise, thin lips parted as he watched you right there before him. In his head, he tried to process why you came out of your way to see him? Did he not abandon you back then? Did you not realise what a hateful creature he was? 

“(Y/n)... Why are you here?” he questioned curiously. 

You were now completely alone in the interrogation - underground cell. He watched you come closer to him with a soft smile looking with kindness into his soulless eyes... 

“Why, you ask? Because I love you. That is the only concept you failed to fully understand. Monsters have hearts as well, they just need to learn how to love” words fell softly from your rosy lips while Fyodor closed his eyes and chuckled to himself. 

“Talking to you is pure joy (y/n)! Love is the ultimate atonement of all human sins. Even a Devil needs someone to love him at the end of his immortal life...“

“... Angels did fight for Faust’s soul at the end, despite all his reckless deeds” you added referencing the work of a German poet, Goethe. 

Fyodor sighed. He reached his slender cold hand towards you and you grabbed it without hesitation. 

“Will you be... my angel, (y/n)?”

You nodded raising your bright eyes at him. A soft kiss was placed upon your forehead before he hugged you letting you bury your face in his shoulder. You were like a blooming flower in his deadly grip... but he would never hurt you. Ever. 

People say the forbidden fruit is sweet... But is it so for the forbidden love that burns like fire?

 lmao part 2 is gonna be saddddd (if I get the motivation to even write it) 

[worldburnrp]

“It was a maddening image —

Little by little, the rooftop space filled up with guests. It’s impossible for a rum-sponsored party not to turn lively; and certainly, it has. While some are happy with their drinks and stay in the venue, drinking and dancing their spirits away — others choose to venture out, either returning to their rooms or getting lost in the maze that are the corridors of The Mark hotel.

In either case, the night is light and young, and there’s not a worry in their minds.

Little do they know however, that in the shadows, the Syndicate awaits.

— and the only way to whip it was to hang on until dusk —

Although the night had been planned to exhaustion, it’d been all but a coincidence that the operation had fallen on the same date as the party launch. It’s a blessing, at the same time that it’s a curse; more people circulating the area isn’t ideal — but a sea of potential issues isn’t so much so, if they’re impaired to begin with.

130 million dollars, gone up in flames. But they ought to make their money back, somehow.

So here the Syndicate hides, and at around 10:30, they strike. Swift and professional as ever, they go completely unnoticed — and they will take all that they can.

A highly effective heist, right under their noses. Those 130 million earned back in just a night.

No wild cards, no action that isn’t necessary, were the instructions given. Money, jewelry, art, anything of true value — that’s what they’re after. Designed as a victimless crime as far as bloodshed goes, the Syndicate still accounts for all. No issue, lest you get in their way.

— and banish the ghosts with rum.”

Unfortunately however, some unlucky few have. As instructed, should anyone be a concern, be it that they’re found in their rooms or other areas in the midst of the operation — they should be neutralized, by whatever means necessary. All with still keeping their anonymity, and succeeding at their tasks.

The pairs that have crossed paths are:

Ludovica Malatesta and Rus Ralston

Nora Vidal and Lee Malkovich

Zafar and Mathias Cain

Vir Zafar and Ibrahim Ziani

Abel Rousseau and Nik Erykssen

Oliver Wright and Jin Yoo

Tima El-Masri and Audra Smythe-Priestley

Avi Grover and Samar Burman

Max Szczesny and Enzo Principe

Karolina Erykssen and Samar Burman

OOC Info:

Part Two out of Three.

Part two will run for a few days, to allow for everyone to comfortably write their interactions in time; an update will be made both on the blog and discord for subsequent parts.  

There is no requirement that people drop previous event threads set during Part 1 — but we encourage everyone to prioritize Part 2. This can be either through new fresh threads, or shifting your Part 1 thread into Part 2.

For characters not involved in the conflict, there are no restrictions to replying to starters (or continuing things) from Part 1, unless they were posted by someone, or are written with someone involved in the conflict. In that case, those starters may no longer be replied to. You’re also free to start any new things with other non-conflict characters as you wish.

If you wish to have any injuries (be them major or minor) or heavy impacting plots happen involving your character, please contact the admins so we can include it into the narrative.

Those in the conflict are encouraged to come up with scenarios where, mid-robbery, one would have the other held hostage. Be it at a hotel room, in some hidden office, or anywhere that is far from view and where there would be plenty to steal. They’re on a mission, after all. As always, if you have trouble coming up with ideas, the admins are always willing to help.

At the end of this post, we offer challenges to the guests. However, those are simply suggested interactions — and even if you choose to write it, your character is not limited to just writing those.

SYNDICATE CHARACTERS:

[ ALL SYNDICATE MEMBERS ARE WEARING NEUTRAL BLACK CLOTHING AND MASKS. IF THEIR CLOTHES WEREN’T NEUTRAL AT THE PARTY, THEN AT THIS POINT THEY WOULD HAVE CHANGED. NOTHING ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE (THAT THEY CAN CONTROL) SHOULD BE RECOGNIZABLE. EVEN IF ENCOUNTERING SOMEONE THEY HAVE MET BEFORE, THEY ARE TOLD TO KEEP THEIR IDENTITIES SECRET TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITIES. ]

For Syndicate members especially, Part 2 should be prioritized so that plots can flow easily.

If you have Part 1 threads, we won’t ask that you drop them, but that you work your way into finishing them — with your characters, above all, keeping in mind that they have a job to do. It might be a night of fun for everyone else, but not them.

From now on, you can only interact with other Syndicate members, or the character you were paired with.

You can write as many mid-robbery threads with your fellow Syndicate members as your heart desires. Interactions amongst them are allowed, and absolutely encouraged!

As far as the rest of the party goes, you may only interact with the character yours was paired with, as one is the other’s hostage.

Your character should be focused in the robbery itself and collecting valuable goods. Anyone they’ve encountered is damage control.

Important: this is meant to be an incredibly secretive and smooth operation. Get in, get out, without causing disturbance. The main party should not have any inkling or knowledge that this is happening.

POINTS AND CHALLENGES:

Syndicate members and conflict volunteers will each earn 20 points for writing their paired threads. (It doesn’t matter if one character ‘wrote’ the starter; both members will be awarded points.)

All remaining characters will earn 20 points for completing the challenges prompted below. They are not mandatory, but we will reward you if you choose to go forth with them.

The points above will be awarded at the end of the event, to account for any starters going unanswered or quickly dropped, as we wish to be as fair as possible.

Surprise! We’re also rewarding conflict volunteers with 30 points for being wonderful team players and allowing us to use their characters for this plot. We adore you and appreciate you, so here’s a small gesture to reflect that!

CHALLENGES:

Jennifer Callaghan recognizes Izaak Walker from his internet presence, and attempts to strike an interview, or even a comment. Izaak knows it’s unadvisable to go forth with it, given all the rum ingested tonight.

Andrea Galán has been avoiding Aaron Keaton, until they cross paths. There’s an inkling or knowledge of her involvement with crime, and tensions rise.

Gideon Hayes is spotted by an off duty Joaquim Borges whilst trying to deal — be it to a random guest, or worst yet, the very detective himself.

Danvir Persaud thinks he recognizes Laith Hassan, from briefly crossing paths in the law-and-lawful world. There’s no reason for a sketch artist and a lawyer to engage however, until now — that they’re both trying to get a vending machine to work.

Renata Cervantes-Müller and Úrsula Villa are both powerful women in their own right — except that they share far different ideals, and defend different people. It’s been easy to avoid one another thus far, until the elevator doors fail, locking them in.

A dentist and the state’s most prominent politician walk into a... bathroom. It’s a classic, slightly awkward, run-in. Except this time, it involves Nicholas Bergeron — and Julian Berkeley.

Jakob Cervantes-Müller is a busy man, and the things keeping him busy aren’t the kindest. For prevention (and future endeavors), he needs a lawyer — and he’s heard Adam Starke is one of the best. What a coincidence, that their drinks just got mixed up at the bar.

Constance Romero, the Cartel’s informant manager, is always on the lookout for future contacts. Like some other select people, she’d heard of Lev Movska’s defection from The Brotherhood — and hell if she isn’t going to try and get all of that knowledge into archive for them. The enemy of my enemy, as they say.

With too much rum in their system, Lola Villarin and Diego Romero end up wandering — testing every other room for unlocked doors. Eventually, they make it into a suite; it’s all fun and games, until the lock won’t allow them back out.

Hazel Arthur and Ryan Fitzgerald barely look at each other, when touching up their make-up in the lobby’s bathroom. But they have to acknowledge each other’s presence when they realize they’re locked in — and Hazel hasn’t heard back from her partner in far too long.

They’d both had the same idea — the hotel’s fire escape as the perfect spot for a smoke break. Hans Starke and Zuleika Sandoval are now forced to share the space (that both claim to have found first).

Bob Bekker and Aera Paek, different positions at different publications. One man with success in his horizon, and a woman who can grant anyone it. It’s a throw-away conversation until the words fact checker come to rise. The best paper, after all, is the most accurate one — would this man do her the favor of failing, in exchange for a brighter future?

Araceli Aguilar suddenly stops Heather Hyeon Seo in the middle of the lobby, with an unwarranted prediction of her future. Even if Heather doesn’t believe in it, it’s intriguing enough that she must hear more.

Rahi Kumar is well known for his love of the sky, preferring to gaze upwards towards the heavens; it is this exact preference, that sends him careening into Andel Kenza, who scurries away from a main party room, clutching what appears to be an empty bottle of rum, a strange substance congealed on its base. The pair stare at another another - a stalemate. 

Erin Katz was never a woman to wait for opportunity to simply knock on her door - she prefers to kick it in herself, a stiletto crashing through wooden panels. JJ Baptiste is a man who can make or break you in this city, and with the intriguing wallet she’s just found on the floor, she thinks she’s got enough leverage to earn his ear as he lords over a table in the back of the bar.

Moon Subin is currently scouting the media world, looking for new voices to either support his agenda in the press — or to simply gain insight. It’s unclear which Maureen Keaton could be, yet... but it’s worth a try.

FINAL NOTES

1 — If by any chance your pairing partner, or your challenge partner doesn’t get back to you — please contact the main page and we will rearrange things so that you may still write it! No one will be left without some event fun, we promise.

2 — If you’ve missed the window to volunteer your character for conflict, or you have joined recently and didn’t know about it, you can shoot the main page a message and we will do our very best to include you into the action. Only main page messages, please — as Discord will be hard to keep track of.

3 — As always, the admins are only a message away should you have any questions.

Part 2 interactions are now open. Have fun!

[spurgie-cousin]

WHW In Memoriam: Unarmed, Murdered Black Americans from History

(Content Warning: Violence, murder, abuse, racism)

So this is definitely not the same kind of ‘weird’ history I usually post about (and it’s not Wednesday quite yet), but in light of the George Floyd verdict I thought it was important to take a moment to remember some of the unarmed, murdered black Americans throughout our history, most of whom have never received justice. Whether their lives were taken by the police or violent, racist vigilantes, their memories should always be a reminder that though we’ve come a long way, we still have a long, long way to go. 

This is in no way a comprehensive list, in fact I start at Emmett Till because the *known* lynchings pre-1955 are too numerous to include in one, two, ten posts. I know I will not have room to include even everyone post 1955 (god there are so many) but please know that all of them, from the unknown to the infamous, from our country’s beginning to today, matter the same.

“History, despite it’s wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” - Maya Angelou

 1. Emmett Louis Till

Born: July 25, 1941, Chicago, IL Died: August 28, 1955, Money, MS

Emmett Till was a 14 year-old child from Chicago visiting relatives over his summer break in August of 1955. Unfamiliar with the strictly racist social codes in the American south, he spoke to a white woman at a grocery store, and was accused of flirting with her. A few nights later her husband and his brother abducted Till, brutally beat and mutilated him, and then shot him before letting his body sink into a river. When he was found, his body was barely recognizable even to his mother. 

In an act of grief and defiance, his mother held a highly-publicized, open casket funeral to show the brutality of what had happened to her child to the world. 

It’s believed that before her death, Carolyn Bryant, the woman from the grocery store, recanted key details from her original story, including that Till whistled or flirted with her. 

2. James Earl Chaney

Born: May 30, 1943, Meridian, Mississippi Died: June 21, 1964, Philadelphia, Mississippi

James Chaney was a 21 year old field/social worker working for Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He was murdered along with two colleagues, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, by the Ku Klux Klan while they were in Mississippi investigating the burning of a church. The 3 were pulled over by a patrol car being followed by 2 cars full of Klan members, who shot Goodman and Schwerner, beat Chaney, and then shot him 3 times. 

3. Michael Donald

Born: July 24, 1961, Mobile, Alabama Died: March 21, 1981, Mobile, Alabama

Michael Donald was a 20 year-old who on March 21st, 1981 was walking down the street after purchasing cigarettes for his sister. He was chosen at random by a car full of Ku Klux Klan members, angry that a recent Klan members court case had been declared a mistrial. He was beat, hung, and his throat was slit, and was left hanging dead from a tree in a secluded, wooded area. 

Three Klansmen were convicted of Donald's murder. Henry Hays was sentenced to death and executed in the electric chair in 1997. James Knowles and Benjamin Cox were sentenced to life in prison. A civil suit against the United Klans of America caused their bankruptcy.

4. Yusef Kirriem Hawkins

Born: March 19, 1973, Brooklyn, NY Died:  August 23, 1989, Brooklyn, NY

Yusef Hawkins was a 16-year-old black teenager who was shot to death on August 23, 1989, in Bensonhurst, a predominantly Italian-American working-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Hawkins, his younger brother, and two friends were attacked by a crowd of 10 to 30 white youths, with at least seven of them wielding baseball bats. One, armed with a handgun, shot Hawkins twice in the chest, killing him. Hawkins and his brother were in the neighborhood to inquire about a used car. 

5. Nicholas Heyward Jr.

Born: August 26th, 1981 Died: September 27th, 1994

13-year-old Nicholas Heyward Jr. was playing cops and robbers inside the stairwell of a Brooklyn apartment building when officer Brian George mistook the boy’s toy gun for a real gun and shot him in the stomach, killing him. 

6. Amadou Diallo

Born: September 2, 1975, Liberia Died: February 4, 1999, NYC, New York

In the early morning of February 4, Diallo was standing near his building after returning from a meal. At about 12:40 a.m., officers Edward McMellon, Sean Carroll, Kenneth Boss and Richard Murphy were looking for an alleged serial rapist in the Soundview section of the Bronx. While driving down Wheeler Avenue, the police officer stopped his unidentified car and interrogated Diallo, who was in front of his apartment. When they ordered Diallo to show his hands, he supposedly ran into the apartment and reached into his pocket to show his wallet. Soon afterwards the four officers fired 41 shots with semi-automatic pistols, fatally hitting Diallo 19 times. Eye witness Sherrie Elliott stated that the police continued to shoot even though Diallo is already down and that McMellon is still shooting even though he is lying on the ground.

7. Kendra Sarie James

Born:  December 24, 1981 Died: May 5, 2003, Portland, Oregon

21-year-old Kendra Sarie James was shot and killed by Portland Officer Scott McCollister when she attempted to flee a traffic stop for a minor violation. Portland police initially said it appeared the car had run over the officer's foot but he did not receive medical attention at the scene or at Northeast Precinct. Police repeatedly refused to identify the alleged traffic violation that caused them to stop James and two companions in the car. Police had taken the driver out of the car and was checking his identity when they saw James slide into the Chevrolet’s driver’s seat. Both officers, while standing on the driver’s side of the car, struggled with James to stop her from driving away. One of them fired a taser gun at her to subdue her. McCollister fired a single round from his 9 mm service pistol at James, killing her.

8. Deaunta T. Farrow

Born: September 7, 1994, West Memphis, Arkansas Died: June 22, 2007, West Memphis, Arkansas

On the night of his death, Deaunta Farrow was walking with his 14-year-old cousin from Farrow’s home to the nearby Steeplechase Apartments where Nash lived.  Along the way the two made a stop at a gas station where they purchased soda pop and chips from the station’s convenience store, and continued down the street. Farrow and Nash turned up the street leading to Nash’s apartment.  At that point two undercover West Memphis police officers, Jimmy Evans and Sammis, who were on a stakeout in a narcotics investigation, appeared from a nearby dumpster.  According to some eyewitnesses, the two police officers confronted the young men and soon afterwards Sammis, noticed something bulging in the 12-year-old’s coat pocket.  As Farrow removed the item, Sammis shot and killed him.

9. Rekia Boyd

Born: November 5, 1989, Chicago, IL Died: March 21, 2012

On the night of her death, Rekia Boyd was hanging out with friends at Douglas Park on Chicago’s West Side at a party listening to music while having a few drinks. Around 1:00 am, Boyd and some of her friends walked to a nearby liquor store. Around the same time, officer Dante Servin was just finishing his shift on his second job. He was off duty, heading to a fast food restaurant for a hamburger, but Servin drove to Douglas Park after a citizen called police about a noise complaint. Servin saw Boyd and her friends and later claimed they were arguing in an alley. Whether Servin calmly approached Boyd and her friends or was rude and aggressive is still debated. One of Boyd’s friends, Antonio Cross, claimed that Servin attempted to buy drugs from the group. When Cross told Servin to “get his crackhead ass out of here,” Servin pulled a gun, stuck it out of the window of his car and fired into the group, hitting Boyd in the head. She was instantly killed.

10. Eric Garner 

Born: September 15, 1970, NYC, New York Died: July 17, 2014, NYC, New York

On July 17th, 2014, NYPD officers approached Eric Garner on suspicion of selling single cigarettes from packs without tax stamps. After Garner told the police that he was tired of being harassed and that he was not selling cigarettes, the officers attempted to arrest Garner. When Pantaleo placed his hands on Garner, Garner pulled his arms away. Pantaleo then placed his arm around Garner's neck and wrestled him to the ground. With multiple officers pinning him down, Garner repeated the words "I can't breathe" 11 times while lying face down on the sidewalk. After Garner lost consciousness, he remained lying on the sidewalk for seven minutes while the officers waited for an ambulance to arrive. Garner was pronounced dead at an area hospital approximately one hour later.

11. Breonna Taylor

Born: June 5, 1993, Grand Rapids, Michigan Died: March 13, 2020, Louisville, Kentucky

A narcotics investigation regarding suspected drug dealer Jamarcus Glover, led detectives to Breonna Taylor’s residence in the South End. Glover was a previous acquaintance of Taylor and she was under suspicion for using her home to his receive mail, hide his drugs, and stash money earned from his drug sales. Taylor, who was 26, at the time, lived in a Springfield Drive apartment with her 27-year-old boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Taylor and Walker were asleep in bed, on the night of March 13, 2020, when they were awakened by a loud banging at the front door. Taylor called out, asking who was there, but heard no response. Walker, a licensed and registered gun owner, armed himself and headed towards the front door, when it suddenly came off its hinges.

Under a “no-knock” search warrant, Louisville Metro Police Department Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Brett Hankinson, and Officer Myles Cosgrove, all in plainclothes, stormed into the apartment. Taylor’s boyfriend Walker, thinking this was a home invasion robbery, fired one shot in self-defense. Sgt. Mattingly was hit in the leg, and in response, the other officers opened fire, releasing more than twenty rounds into the apartment. Taylor was shot eight times and collapsed in the hallway of her apartment. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

12. Daunte Demetrius Wright

Died: April 11, 2021 (20 years old)

On April 11 of this year, Daunte Demetrius Wright was fatally shot by police officer Kimberly Ann Potter during a traffic stop and attempted arrest for an outstanding arrest warrant in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. After a brief struggle with officers, Wright was shot at close range by Potter, who had confused her gun with her taser. Officers pulled Wright out of his car and administered CPR, but were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

[gloves94]

To Be So Lonely [Draco Malfoy] 29

Rating: M Pairings: Draco Malfoy/OC   Chapter warnings:  None

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

MY MASTER-LIST

The authentic Alastor Moody watched in his night robes. He sat on the floor at the edge of the inside of the wooden chest. The man sat with his arms crossed over his chest. The only thing probably worse than being unwillingly locked inside of a trunk was being locked inside of a trunk with a teenager.

An angry one at that.

He then watched the student run against the wall with a rageful scream and tackle it down with her shoulder. She slid down the wall painfully heaving before rising, stumbling back, and trying again. He guessed her shoulder was probably wounded by now, if not a couple of strikes away from being dislocated.

“Give it up, kid,” He called from his corner. “It’s useless. The only way out is in,” He said pessimistically.

“I’m not giving up!” She grunted with pain. “I’m not giving up. I’m getting out of here-“ She heaved furiously, looking up at the unending darkness above the two. “There has to be another way out…” She said more to herself.  

“Who-“ Her dark eyes moved from a nonexistent exit back to the Auror’s. “Who was that? If you’re Moody then, who-?” she was frustrated at her loss of words.

“Barty Crouch Jr.,” Alastor sat up and uncrossed his arms. He would’ve walked if he could, but Crouch had his leg. “Most unpleasant slimeball. Scum of the scum that walks this Earth. Death Eater and loyal to You-Know-Who until the end. Caught me slippin’ in my retirement,” Moody finished his sentence by cursing words Nel hadn’t even heard before. The trunk was pitch black. She couldn’t see just how filthy the man was with unkempt hair and a growing beard from being locked in here so long.

He also couldn’t distinguish the features of the Slytherin.

If he could’ve been immediately able to distinguish just who he was in the room with.

“And what do they want with you?” He asked gruffly.

“The hell should I know. I’m just an orphan.”

If he could’ve seen the constellation in her face in the shape of Ophiuchus, he would’ve immediately known just who was locked inside of the trunk with him.

Harry Potter sat in the office of Professor Alastor Moody, crying. He was alone processing the events of the Third Task of the Tournament.

Cedric was dead.

Voldemort was back.

Nel was missing.

Probably dead too.

He had seen Cedric’s life flash before his eyes. The Dark Lord had touched him. Cursed his blood to be shared between the two. Everything had gone to hell. He pinched the bridge of his nose and remove his glasses to wipe his tears from his swollen eyes.

His head jolted up when Moody’s door slammed behind him as he entered the room. Startled, he looked at the Professor.

In the same room, inside of the chest, the missing student attentively listened to the conversation that Harry and Barty Crouch Jr. were having. It sounded muffled and distant. Words were inaudible beyond recognition, but the voices were clear.

“That sounds…” Nel said, pressing her ear against the wall. “It’s Moody-“ She looked back at the miserable man slumped in the corner. His silhouette was barely recognizable in the darkness. “Well- not you- and that’s- That’s got to be Harry!” She exclaimed.

“HELP!” She shouted at the top of her lungs. “HELP!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. So loud her throat ached.

“It’s useless,” Moody grumbled.

“It’s not,” She croaked, keeping her eyes on the darkness above her. There had to be a way out. Most charmed objects have a way in or out in case their casters become trapped inside of them, but how would she get out without her wand?

“HELP!” She shouted desperately. Feeling the wall, she could feel the leather interior and, burying her nails into it attempted to climb it.

“Even if you do climb it, you’ll never get out. There’s a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and Merlin knows how many more trunks.” The retired Auror explained.

“I don’t care,” She spat, continuing to attempt her climb.

“I’ll claw through the walls if I have to,” She said determinedly.  

Climbing two steps up, she lost her grip and collapsed on the floor.

“Told ya,” Moody said snidely.

“I don’t care!” She shouted angrily, removing one of her shoes and tossing it against the wall. “I won’t let them get away with it!” She heaved, holding her other shoe in her hand. “I prefer death to whatever it is they’ll do to us.”

Holding the loafer in her hands, she looked at it intensely and focused. She needed something to climb to the top. She focused all of her energy on the old shoe. Closing her eyes, almost squashing it between her hands, moody looked at her oddly. Without a wand, it was harder to channel magic, but it wasn’t impossible.

A popping sound inside the barrel and an identical copy of the shoe appeared out of thin air.

Then another.

And another.

Followed by several more.

“What did you do?” Moody pressed his back against the wall as he heard the popping sound in the room and the thud the shoes would make when dropping to the ground.

“Uh-,” Nel stepped back, almost tripping over one of the hundreds of shoes on the ground. “I-I think I messed up,” She said, struggling as the shoes reached up to her knees.

“What did you do?!” Moody screamed in horror as he prepared to drown in a sea of multiplying shoes.

“I wanted to turn the shoe into a ladder, but I think I-“ She stumbled, trying to reach for the older man.

“Gemino Curse? You stupid girl!” He clung to her shoulder and hoisted himself up. “We will suffocate!”

Meanwhile outside.

“Harry, get away from there!” Dumbledore said, pushing Harry behind him and the other Hogwarts professors.

Moody and Nel were pressed up against the ceiling, slowly being crushed by the mountains of shoes.

“Out of all things you could multiply- you chose a pair of smelly shoes?” Moody grimaced at the way he was going out. Out of all the ways to die, this was probably the most undignified one.

“I thought I could climb the laced up!”

Just then, a bright light spilled into the inside of the trunk. Dozens of shoes spilled out of it, followed by a brown-haired teenager and the real and the Alastor Moody.

“Ms. Saintday! Alastor! Are you alright?” Dumbledore asked, stepping back.

Professor Snape stepped forward and picked up his student by the upper arm, pushing her behind him. With one quick look, the Slytherin determined she was shaken but otherwise looked unharmed. His glare was scolding, but there was some relief in his brown eyes.

“I’m sorry, Albus,” Mad-Eye lamented, dropping his head. “I’m just glad to be out of that hellish place.”

“Ms. Saintday,” McGonagall rushed to the student and took her face in her hold hands. “Are you alright?” She asked kindly.

Dumbledore kept his eye on Moody. Snape held his wand raised and pointed at the impostor.

The young Slytherin nodded weakly and, looking past the Gryffindor professor, seethed when looking at the disfigured man that was once again morphing into somebody else across the room. Crouch twitched relentlessly, making strange noises as he did. Nel didn’t even hear what Harry said to her when he stood beside her.  

The impostor’s eyepiece fell to the wooden floor and continued to twitch in every direction as Barty Crouch Junior revealed himself.

“Seems like we now know who’s been raiding your pantry for Polyjuice potion, Severus,” Dumbledore said.

“Son of a bitch,” Moody coughed. “Caught me off-guard.” The man pressed his back against the chest as he sat on the edge of the room.

Crouch reminded Elowen of a snake. A slithering creature with a darting tongue who hissed when threatened.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” He said, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a skull and snake marking on his arm. The man began cackling. The mark on his arm danced, and its dark pigment shined in the dim light.

“The Dark Mark.”

‘What was that horrible thing?’

Harry flinched, bringing a hand to his forehead at the immediate pain he felt. He didn’t need to have this explained. It was his mark. He felt the same pain he had as when Voldemort had laid his hand on him.

“Your arm Harry,” Dumbledore reached for the Chosen One’s arm. Looking down at her arm. Elowen felt the need to hide it. Crouch had sliced her arm in the same place where he had the mark. She didn’t want to know what type of ill omen this was.

“You know what this means don’t you?” Crouch began. His lip curled into a malicious sneer. “He’s back,” He flipped a hair from his forehead. “Lord Voldemort has returned.”

His words rang loudly, and the air in the room suddenly felt heavy at the horrid revelation. Crouch’s beady eyes focused on the girl’s.

“And he’s come back for what’s rightful his,” he threatened.

Nel flinched, shrinking slightly. Without a second thought, Snape stood between the two, blocking sight of his student. From behind, Moody looked at the girl’s dirty face. He thought he could recognize a peculiar curse mark on her features.

“You took me!” Elowen sidestepped around Snape. “You locked me up!” Boldly or very foolishly, the girl stepped towards the man. Professor McGonagall held her back, failing as the girl slipped from her gentle grip. Harry’s reach and grasp was stronger as he held her back with his hands on her shoulders. “Both you and Ellar Lestrange!” She shook Harry’s grip off. Dumbledore observed the scene. His twinkling eyes were waiting for something unexpected to happen anything. Regardless the Headmaster did not move.

“The two of you assaulted, attacked and… then you,” She grew silent. Unaware of the vile intentions the two men held.

Crouch cackled madly, and the Slytherin felt her anger begin to boil. She wanted to hurt Crouch. She wanted to hurt him as much as he had hurt her. Tie him to a chair, stand above him and terrify him until he pissed himself. Maybe set him on fire.

The feeling of being powerless. Elowen felt as if she’d hit a wall. She was powerless against him, against the Lestranges, and against Cordelia Wool.

It was humiliating. Harry’s grip loosened around his friend, and he gave her an odd look.

“Lestrange?” McGonagall asked.

“Bastard,” Mad-Eye cough. It didn’t matter which one she was referring to. All the Lestranges were equally rotten in his eyes. Pureblood scum.

“Yes,” Nel answered quickly. “Ellar Lestrange,” She wanted them to know his name. “Former student. He killed Simon Kominsky. He’s been in on the plan with Crouch the whole time.”

Dumbledore didn’t question her this time.

“Send an owl to Azkaban,” He said to McGonagall. “I think they’ll find they’re missing a prisoner or two.”

Instead of looking intimidated, Crouch beamed with pride. “I’ll be welcomed back like a hero.” He grinned, cherishing the moment.

“Pucker up, Barty. Dementors will be thrilled to see you,” Moody called.

Crouch seemed unfazed at Moody’s threat, and this filled Nel with rage. The son of a bitch even though he was above the law and death. Perhaps she didn’t have her magic, but she would always have her muscle.

“Not if I can help it!” She lunched forward, ready to bite, claw and strike Crouch. However, McGonagall pulled her back from the arm, scolding her. “Ms. Saintday!” She said, horrified. “Come along with me, Elowen,” She said to the barefoot teen. “We’ve got to take you to Madame Pomfrey at once,” She said, trying to usher her out of the room.

Crouch laughed loudly. “Ah! Go on, dead girl, strike me,” He cried out.

The Slytherin protested, looking over her shoulder. “I’m fine!” She raised her voice. “Completely and utterly fine!”

“Dead girl?” Moody said to himself, turning. He looked at Dumbledore oddly as the pieces all aligned in his head. Moody instantly knew just what was happening and who this child was. The only thing he couldn’t figure out was just what in the world was Albus planning...

Nel wanted to meet Snape’s eyes, but instead, the Professor lingered behind, stabbing his wand into Crouch’s twisted face. Hatred was reflected on the Slytherin’s eyes as he looked down at the vermin he was threading on. Moody remained behind.

Outside McGonagall wrapped an arm around the student’s shoulders as she led her away. She didn’t take her rudeness personally. The girl was clearly in a state of shock. Minerva was just relieved the situation hadn’t escalated. Losing one student in one day was one thing, but two?

Dumbledore exited the room with Harry. The Gryffindor looked over his shoulder, hoping that his friend would be looking back at him instead, her eyes were glued to the floor, and she walked in small steps as Professor McGonagall guided her to the Hospital Room.

Nel hadn’t thought of how long she had been gone. McGonagall looked overly concerned. Her eyebrows were turned up in worry. The Professor let out a small breath of relief as they made their way downstairs.

“Oh, Elowen. We were all so worried,” She spoke as she picked up her pace. “After what happened to that poor boy, we all thought you…” The Professor went silent.

“Thought what?” Nel asked sharply, looking at her concerned expression. She still couldn’t believe they had allowed this to happen. She had been missing for a day, or who knows how many hours, and nobody had come looking for her. Oh, but Harry. She thought bitterly. Looking back, the only reason they had found her, and Moody was probably because Harry was in a room and in danger. If he hadn’t been there… Only the stars know what would’ve happened. Looking over her shoulder, she realized Harry and Dumbledore were gone.

‘Fuck, if Harry went missing for a minute, the world would probably end.’

“Well,” McGonagall began with discomfort. “We thought you’d been killed dear,” she said gravely.

Elowen had no reaction to this. Yes, Ellar had killed people before. She had gotten really lucky this time. However, Simon hadn’t been that lucky…

“Maybe Simon can find some peace now,” She muttered absentmindedly thinking the older witch had been referring to the ghost in the Quidditch field.

She felt great relief after having confessed about Ellar’s abuse. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. This was grave enough, and she had heard what Dumbledore had said about Azkaban. This time consequences would be severe. There was no way the rat-faced git would be able to lawyer his way out of this one.

The two were walking by the Great Hall, nearing the Hospital room at this point. Who knew what time it was. It was night. The castle was dark except for the few torches that lit the school corridors.

“Nel,” The Professor began slowly, acknowledging her preferred name. She slowed down the pace to a halt. The Slytherin looked at her with confusion. She had never seen the Professor look so hesitant before speaking. Minerva measured her words with scrutiny and care. “There has been an accident,” She wanted to say. However, Cedric Diggory’s death had been no accident. McGonagall didn’t think the two had a relationship. Still, these things had to be handled carefully.

She placed a soft touch on the girl’s shoulder before delivering the hard news. “Cedric Diggory has passed,” she spoke in a gentle tone.

Nel’s dark eyes narrowed with further confusion. She then let out a small laugh. “Passed what?” She asked, perplexed, eyes lighting with excitement. She had even forgotten about the Triwizard Tournament. “Did he pass the final task? Did he win the Tournament?”

Or did Harry win? He hadn’t looked very elated when she saw him only a few moments ago. What had he even been doing in Moody’s office?

“No.” This time Professor McGonagall reached for both of her hands. She held them in hers and patted one lightly, “Dear, Cedric is dead.”

Nel was in denial. The news didn’t sink. Maybe she didn’t want them to. She pretended not to see the defeated look on McGonagall’s eyes or the somber edge to her voice. “Yeah, dead tired, I bet,” She smiled a little, hoping the Professor would return the gesture.

She didn’t.

Instead, the Professor continued. Nel’s face began breaking, her chin quivering, nostrils beginning to flare. Her stomach dropped, and she suddenly felt cold.

It wasn’t true.

It couldn’t be true.

“Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort.”

It was the last day of school.

Startled, twitching awake, Nel sat up, her vision still blurry as everything that happened the previous day came rushing back to her.

“You’re awake,” She ignored the voice.

She was in the hospital room. She could still remember the conversation she had had with Professor McGonagall just a few hours ago. Fragments and pieces of memories from the night before in which the Professor consoled her about Cedric’s death. Nel cried until the point where she couldn’t speak anymore, and Madame Pomfrey gave her a sleeping draught.

She let out a whimper and brought both of her hands up to bury her face into. Her eyes felt crusty. They were swollen and dry, and her nostrils were scratchy.

“I’m sorry,” The voice spoke again. Lowering her hands after a moment, she turned to face Harry, who was sitting at the foot of her bed in the Hospital Room. His head was lowered, tone was low with sorrow.

The Slytherin climbed on her knees and hugged them, shrinking to the opposite side of the bed. She noticed she had been changed into a pair of her old striped pajamas. They were worn and old, with tattered holes on the sleeves. Not that any of that mattered at the moment.

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” She let out a dry sob.

Professor McGonagall had explained to her what had happened in the Third Task of the Tournament. She had also explained that Harry had been the only witness to the crime. “I can’t believe-“ Her voice faded again, breaking into a high pitch.

“Please tell me he didn’t suffer Harry,” She looked at her hands. Harry looked at her heartbroken expression. “Please!” She cried out to him.

“He didn’t,” Harry was quick to answer. It was almost rehearsed. It was something he couldn’t possibly know. No matter how many people asked him, Harry wouldn’t go into detail. He wouldn’t talk about Voldemort or about what had transpired in the graveyard. Even the room looked darker, grayer with the foul weather of the day.

“Is there…” Nel cleared her raspy throat. “Do you know if there’s a spell to bring people back from the dead?”

As far as Harry knew, there wasn’t. It was one of the first rules of magic. Once you’re dead, well, you’re dead. Unless you become a ghost. He never had entirely understood how that worked. Then again, he reasoned not many wizards did either. “Not that I know of,” he answered, sniffling and wiping the tip of his nose. If he did, bet his parents would be with him today.

Both shared a long silence. Harry in mourning. Nel wondering if she could contact the dead with a Ouija Board.

“He spoke of you,” Harry said, breaking the silence.

“What?” She froze, stopping her dead crying.

“He said he was expecting his most loyal servant to deliver you to him,” Harry wanted to say. “I think something went wrong with their plan,” he reasoned, alluding to Crouch and Lestrange’s plan. ‘Oh, he meant Voldemort. Not Cedric.’

“Ellar was trying to get me to follow him into the maze,” Nel sighed. The worst part was that if he had played his cards right. If he had dedicated himself to wooing her and keeping her tightly wrapped around her finger from the beginning, she would’ve followed him to the ends of the world. She hated herself for that.

“That’s where the portkey was,” Harry explained. “The one that took us to the graveyard.”

Everything was making sense now. That’s what the Lestrange’s had been planning all year long. However, the question still lingered. Why would the Lord of Death care for a nobody like Nel?

However, there was one person who knew the answer and would tell.

“Harry, I need to see him,” She squeaked, leaning forward. Reaching out to him and holding on to his sleeve tightly. Up this close, she could some of the wounds from the previous day.

“Who?” Harry asked, confused.

“Sirius,” She clarified. Nel had a feeling Snape knew more than he was letting on, but for some reason, the old bat was withholding information from her, and there was no way he was cracking any time soon. “Please,” She pleaded with Harry. She could’ve begged him to let her see and or speak to Sirius Black.

Harry could see the desperation in her eyes.

“I’ve been trying not to think about it, but I can’t stop thinking about it,” her voice broke as her eyes began to water once again. “I need to know why that man wants me. I need to know who I am,” She let out a shaky breath. “I need to know what they did to me. Why they did it. Why?” Her grip tightened.

Harry was supposed to deny the whereabouts or even the fact he had any communication with his godfather. “I’ll see what I can do,” he agreed.

She didn’t hesitate in lunging her arms around him, holding him in a thankful embrace. She buried her face on his shoulder. As per usual, Harry couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the gesture.

Unknowing to the two, a pair of silver eyes watched bitterly from the Hospital Wing entrance. The Slytherin’s hands balled into fists at what he considered to be the horrifying scene he was witnessing. Of course, it had to be Potter.

Nel’s eyes turned to Draco, who remained composed despite his wild jealousy churning and internally nagging at him.  

However, his composure was short-lived.

“You’re a dead man, Potter!” Draco stormed in, whipping his wand out.

Harry raised his in defense. Nel pulled away from Harry unbothered. Malfoy was the least of her problems right now. Harry cleared his throat, his face a little red at the girl’s gesture.

“Malfoy!” Nel exclaimed, shooting deathly daggers at the boy. She spoke to him the way you would speak to a dog when you want him to behave.  

Draco was angry. Of course, Potter gets to show off and win the Tournament, Potter catches Barty Crouch Jr. in the act and has him sent to Azkaban, and then he makes a move on his girl?

It wasn’t going to happen. Not on his watch.

Harry then remembered he had seen Mr. Malfoy at the graveyard. Groveling as one of Voldemort’s most loyal servants. He couldn’t stand the sight of Malfoy. Who knew just how much Draco knew about the incident. “I have to go,” Harry said and shot a menacing look in Malfoy’s direction. Harry’s green eyes had turned into slits. That slimy weasel and his cowardly father, both would be troublesome. Draco was involved in all of this. Harry had to be careful with whatever he trusted Elowen with, considering how close the two Slytherins were. Did she know his family was on Voldemort’s side?

“You better watch it, Malfoy,” Harry spat. It was a threat. This time Harry didn’t stand back awkwardly. He seethed in newfound anger, not removing his eyes from Draco’s silver ones.

“What is your problem, Draco?” She confronted angrily once Harry left.

This was the last thing she needed at the moment. Another useless fight. It was a waste of time.

Harry looked back at his friend, and she nodded that it was okay to leave, so he left, but not before shooting Draco one last glare. Nel looked in between the two, confused. Had she missed something?

Harry looked back to see Malfoy walking stiffly to stand beside the girl’s hospital bed.

He was dressed in a black suit and straight black pants. Neatly groomed. His cologne announced his arrival before his presence. It looked more like he was going to a business meeting than to visit a friend at the hospital.

Draco was silent. He was still angry. He gave her a stern look and couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth and speak to her.  

He wasn’t the person she wanted to see right now. Especially not after the tantrum he had just thrown. The only thing she cared about was seeing Sirius Black, talking to him, getting to the bottom of this horrible nightmare, and maybe finding a way to see Cedric again.

Draco remained quiet. Little did Nel know about the raging storm that was happening in his head and about everything he had done for her before coming here.

Trying to control her emotions, she wiped her face, took a deep breath, and brushed all of her brown hair out of her swollen face with her fingers.

“Came to mooch off my gifts?” She offered sarcastically, barely looking back at the little flowers and candies next to her bed.

He didn’t say a word.

This was uncharacteristic of him. You usually hated Malfoy for opening his mouth, not for remaining so oddly silent. “You can have some if you like,” She motioned towards them, hoping he would crack. Had he just come here to stare at her? He almost looked sick. What was his problem? Why was he acting so weird?

 “Not the lemon pastries, but anything else really. I mean, I’m not going to eat-“ She babbled nervously at his loud silence not bearing his quietness. Anxiety got the best of her as she toyed with the bedsheets, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious. She was in her most disgusting pajamas. Draco slept in fresh silk while she slept in something even a moth wouldn’t chew on. It was something that made her feel ashamed and embarrassed.

Draco opened his mouth to speak, and the silence in the room felt more remarkable after he spoke. The fact the two were alone in the suffocating room with the palpable tension was painful.

She really wished he had given her some sort of warning before opening his mouth.

“I fancy you,” he admitted boldly.

His hands inside his pockets. Eyes steady as he kept his fixed gaze on her shocked one. She remained silent at his confession. Her expression was unreadable.

Now it was her turn to grow silent.

She lowered her head in embarrassment and continued to anxiously fidget with the sheets on the bed, suddenly wanting to hide under them and vanish. In a cleverer state, she would’ve pretended to faint just to avoid the awkwardness that was to follow.

God, this was so awkward, so painful. She flashbacked to what Daphne had suggested. She had been right. She flashbacked to the Yule Ball to all of the years of torture she had endured just so that he could have her attention. She also thought about those rare moments the two shared together. Draco could be nice, he could be a friend, he was sort of handsome, but then again- She looked at the childish way he had just stormed in and threatened Harry. The way he could be so demanding and selfish was a turn off. Besides, it would never work out between the two. His parents would never approve of her or her socioeconomic status. Even less when they were most likely planning on delivering her to the Dark Lord like Ellar had been.

“As in, I like you.” He elaborated on his emotion. “As more than friends.”

What if this is what it was all about?

Since Ellar had failed in his task of delivering her to Lord Voldemort, it had fallen on Draco to do so. Could that be it?

But how did she feel about him? She turned away from him, her dry eyes beginning to sting. She hoped he wouldn’t notice.

Draco was in turmoil. Malfoy Sr. Had always taught his son ‘Nobody says no to a Malfoy,’ and if someone did, he had insisted never to take no for an answer. Here, Draco had a feeling he had met somebody that would say no to a Malfoy.

“I don’t like you” she avoided his stung expression.

Despite her rejection, he remained standing tall, unwavering. Either he didn’t believe her, or as he had been taught, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“So,” he began appearing calm. “What are we going to do about it?” He attempted to negotiate.

“We?” She looked at him in horrific surprise. In his head they were already together. We, as in collective, as in us. As in Us vs. Them. A fat tear slid down her face. Why was he saying this to her? Was he toying with her?

Perhaps, Ellar was right, and he really was just playing with her. Draco’s family was well known for fraternizing with You-Know-Who, and after what had happened with that psychopath— what if he was just the same? Could she really trust him?

What if all of this time, he had also been trying to manipulate her. Open wounds from Ellar’s emotional abuse suddenly stung as fear made her act out aggressively.

“There is no we, there is no us. You have tortured me for the last four almost five years, and you expect me to fancy you-“ She spat at him livid before letting out a rueful laugh. Nel didn’t know what came over her - perhaps it had been all of these years of pent-up rage. Maybe it was the fear, stress, and loss of the last twenty-four hours.

“How- “ She demanded to know where his emotions stemmed from, “Why?”

Why on Earth would somebody like him look at someone like her?

He had so much to lose with this attraction – she, on the other hand, had nothing.

Malfoy visibly flinched at the harshness of her tone. His hostile walls slowly beginning to build up once again.

“You know why,” he said quietly, almost with remorse.

“No. I can’t for the life of me figure that one out.”

She couldn’t trust him.

“I know you. I see you,” he insisted.

“No, you don’t,” She retorted, eyes welling with angry tears for what seemed to be like the hundred time in the day. If there was one thing Malfoy was good at was making her cry. He seemed to be an expert at it, not even struggling to manage to drain canals of tears from her sorrowful eyes.

Malfoy started to become just as frustrated. Leaning forward, he grabbed both of her arms, and she inched backward, away from him; instead, he pulled her towards him and held her tightly, dropping his body on the bed sitting next to her.

“I know you better than anybody else. Don’t deny it. I’ve seen parts of you they haven’t seen. The good, the bad, and especially the ugly,” He said, shooting her a look. She avoided meeting his eyes. Nel knew that if she looked at him, she would cave, and she can’t. She refuses to.

Reaching for her face, he turned her hoping she’d look at him, but her gaze remained lowered. Nel looked hurt, wounded, with tears welled in her glassy eyes.  

He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her face.

“I can’t trust you,” She admitted weakly in an icy tone that made her own heart twist. She wanted to trust him, but couldn’t find herself willing to do it.

Despite everything, he had been told and taught. Draco accepted the rejection. He let go of her and leaned back, sitting at the edge of the bed at the foot with wounded pride.

He didn’t even move when he heard the loud screaming and rushed footsteps entering the hospital wing.

“Nel!” It was Tracey and Daphne both didn’t seem to care that Draco was there. Both were too concerned with their friend to acknowledge that she did not look pleased to see them. The two Slytherins were crying. The tension between the blonde and the brunette could be cut and sliced with a dull knife.

The girls immediately tackled their friend into a hug, one from each side, cradling her body and stroking her hair.

“We’re so glad’ you’re okay!”

“God, we were worried sick!”

Draco inconspicuously stood up and lingered by the end of the bed. He scratched the tip of his nose. Still taking in her rejection before walking away without a word of goodbye.

“Merlin. After what happened to Cedric- we didn’t know if you- if you!” Tracey’s voice broke as she hugged her best friend tightly, burying her tears into her shoulder.

“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Daphne said, genuinely sounding relieved.

Tracey and Daphne pulled away and exchanged eye contact. Both wondered why their friend remained silent. Still shocked by Malfoy’s confession.

“We’re also really sorry for what we did,” Tracey was the first to apologize.

“For what I did,” Daphne stressed. “I shouldn’t have told. I’m really sorry. We really are knob heads.” Daphne bombarded as she profusely apologized. “I’m just glad the Lestranges are all going to be locked away in Azkaban now.”

Boom. Another bomb dropped.

“What?” She didn’t realize her voice was so dry. It cracked when she opened her mouth, crying out like a rusty squeezebox.

“After everything he did to you and Crouch’s confession, the Ministry, the Ministry of Magic, is investigated and trying Ellar Lestrange for the possible murder of Sulk- of Simon—- they took him to Azkaban that same day where he waits for trial,” Daphne explained. “And his mother-“ Tracey arched her eyebrows.

“There was an anonymous tip to the Ministry of Dark Artifacts found in the Lestrange household and of her unwavering support to You-Know-Who. Their home was raided some time ago. Since the Ministry is on edge because of what happened yesterday, and his mother was taken to Azkaban. There she also waits for trial.”

Nel was paralyzed by the news. Her eyes looked in between her friends and focused on Malfoy’s back as he walked out of the room.

It had been him.

She had no evidence. No way of proving it, but she knew he had done this.

Draco exited out of it the room.

Daphne looked back at him. “Didn’t - didn’t Draco mention it?” She asked, just as confused, also turning to look at his retreating back.

“He was so worried,” Tracey added. “I don’t think I had ever seen him like that,” Daphne admitted. “He even went as far as getting his father involved. Hogwarts almost shut down!” Tracey exclaimed.

“I don’t think I saw him eat either,” Daphne said. “Theodore said he didn’t return to the dormitory last night.”

“Hogwarts would’ve probably shut down if we hadn’t found you. One student in the Tournament - well, there are risks involved, but another taken and disappeared?” She reasoned.

Draco had done all that? She couldn’t believe it. “Even gave us quite a mouthful-“

Nel had stopped listening at this point. He even tried to fix things between her and her friends? It was then that she remembered. Yesterday at the Quidditch arena. That’s exactly what he had been doing. He did everything he promised he would do. He got rid of Cloelia, he took care of Lestrange, he even mended her friendship with the other Slytherins. Maybe he really did care about her.

Both Tracey and Daphne looked confused as the barefoot girl leaped out of her bed and ran outside of the hospital room. She was so focused on finding the blond she didn’t even acknowledge Theodore who was walking in holding a bouquet of flowers. Several gasps could be heard as she crossed the school. Whispering too. It was the girl that had been taking. The girl that could talk to snakes. Slytherin’s heir. The girl that did school favor’s for pay. She probably looked ridiculous running around the school in her pajamas. She was heaving by the time she turned down the corridor and spotted him in the distance headed towards the Slytherin Common Room. She saw his blonde head descend down the stairs. Without warning with remorseful tears, she ran towards him, her feet patting against the floor before she threw her arms and embraced him from behind.

He remained still, unmoving, and could feel her face burrow into his back. She held him tightly, tighter than she had probably ever held anyone in her life, as she cried. Her hands squeezed his torso tightly.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized. Her voice sounded weak, almost like a squeak.

She took in his scent, the way his jacket felt, the way he stood so stiffly.

His hand reached for hers and curled around her fingers. Despite it, he did not turn for her. She held his hand back, and their fingers intertwined.

“I know.”

She hadn’t even considered his feelings. After everything, he had done for her.

Maybe she could trust him. Maybe they could make things work. Maybe she liked the way he smelled. Maybe she thought he was more than sort of handsome. Maybe she liked spending time with him. Maybe she genuinely liked him when he wasn’t being a royal prick.

Maybe, just maybe she could fancy the Slytherin back as much as he fancied her.

“Draco,” She said his name.

Letting go of him, he turned around still standing in the stairs with an intrigued expression and looked at her. He hadn’t let go of her hand. She had been more than clear with her rejection. Draco was close to snapping and harshly demanding if she had returned to further humiliate him. However, the dazed look on her face told him otherwise. Stepping up a stair, grabbing the lapel of his black suit jacket, she pulled him in and kissed him.

END of YEAR 4

AN: Woooooo this year was so long. I can’t believe we are through The Goblet of Fire. Funfact this was actually the first scene I imagined.

Thank you so much for everybody that takes the time to message me. It means a lot. I’m glad you’re enjoying the story. I know it’s a very – erm – different story than the others. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it before, but I always found it very interesting how Harry, despite all of his abuse and suffering, always chose kindness. I wanted to play with a character that did the opposite and was the antithesis of that.

Thank you, Happy Valentine’s Day <3 Much Love, - G

Any predictions or theories for Year 5? ;)

[haberdashing]

And Freedom’s A Fairy Tale Lie (7/?)

When Michael is transformed just before killing Jon, the face the Distortion next wears is one much more familiar to Jon than that of Helen Richardson.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7

on AO3

“God, do I- do I miss being chased? That’s depressing. No, it’s… I just miss feeling like I’m moving, like I-”

Jon’s post-statement ramblings were suddenly disrupted by the sound of knocking on his door. Jon shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind a bit before speaking up.

“Come i-”

As Jon started to speak, he noticed that the door to his office was still cracked open, that nobody was visible in the doorway beyond. A quick glance revealed that the knocking he’d heard was in fact from a different door, a door that hadn’t been there a moment ago, a distinctly yellow door.

“Come in.” Jon said, his voice a bit more somber than before, as he watched Martin’s door loudly creak open.

Martin looked the same as before--still recognizable as the Martin Blackwood Jon knew so well, still visibly distorted enough to be recognizably not that Martin Blackwood after all. The top of his head nearly brushed against the ceiling of Jon’s office.

“What do you want?” Jon did try not to sound quite as annoyed as he felt, both to be disrupted mid-work in the first place (though truth be told, when wasn’t he in the middle of work these days?) and to have to confront the thing that still insisted on taking the form of the archival assistant it had eaten-

Alright, so he didn’t try that hard not to sound annoyed. So sue him.

(It was easier for him to romanticize Martin, distortions and all, when he wasn’t face to face with him--with it?)

“Not sure.” The voice was soft, low, and slightly uncertain. It sounded like Martin’s voice, the one Jon knew so well. “To talk?”

“You’re keeping his face, then.” Jon tried to make it sound nonchalant, like a simple statement of facts. Jon wasn’t sure that he succeeded.

“I am Martin.”

“Don’t pretend to be people I know. Knew.” The mask hiding Jon’s frustration and contempt was rapidly slipping off, and he couldn’t quite find it in himself to care.

“I’m not pretending!”

“You’re not Martin Blackwood.”

“I wasn’t Michael, either.”

Jon took a breath before continuing, mostly in the hopes that it would help him think straight. When it came to Martin--when it came to the Distortion, he could use all the help with thinking straight that he could get. “Who do you see? When you, you look at yourself? There are mirrors in those... corridors of yours. What do you see?”

“I don’t.” The response came without hesitation, quick, simple, and matter-of-fact in tone.

“...why are you here?”

“I-I’m not... entirely sure?” Martin smiled at that, and it almost looked right, looked like one of those shaky nervous smiles he used to shoot Jon sometimes when he’d made a minor misstep in archival work. Almost. The teeth still looked slightly off, though. “I’m... having trouble. I don’t think I was meant to be Martin.”

“I’m... I don’t understand.” God, Jon had been starting to feel like he had a grasp on the world around him, finally, after Gerry’s briefing on the fears, and now... what was it about Martin, about the Distortion, that seemed to turn his understanding of the world upside-down so quickly every time they interacted?

“Neither do I.” Martin didn’t seem to have the same problem, though. He didn’t overthink his responses, apparently, though Martin still stumbled over words now and then. “Michael was... pulling away. His anger was interfering. I don’t, I don’t think I have a choice but to be Martin. Self is difficult.”

Martin’s last sentence sounded bitter, but the bitterness didn’t seem directed at Jon, at least, which he supposed was better than the alternative. Besides, at least it showed some emotion.

“Michael, he, uh, he, he wasn’t meant to be you, either, though, was he?”

“No.” Another reply both unutterably simple and yet devastatingly complicated.

Jon wanted so badly to ask more questions, to ask why this case was different then, what the problem was with it being Martin if being Michael hadn’t been a problem, but he also knew he had to pick his questions carefully, knew that asking the Distortion about itself, trying to figure the Distortion out, was just fighting a losing battle...

Another question, then. One less directly focused on the identity of the being before him.

“...so...” Jon drew his speech out, enunciating each word as clearly as he could, trying to put what power he could into then. “Why are you here?”

“...I took someone.” Martin curling in on itself, on doing everything in his power to seem as small and nonthreatening as possible despite himself, was a familiar enough gesture at least, though Jon wasn’t sure he’d seen it carried out to quite this extent before; besides, it was one thing for a person to do it when they reached about six feet, and it was entirely another to act ashamed and try to hide one’s height when that height reached... nine feet? Ten, perhaps? It was impossible for this Martin to hide himself, to look small and innocuous, and any attempt at doing the same only served to highlight that impossibility.

“You t- wh... l-like Michael ate you?”

“I took a man, wandering the halls of an old tenement. He’s dead now, he never even came close to finding me. It was nourishing, but...”

“But?” Jon’s voice was a bit harsher than it probably needed to be, a bit sharper, but right in that moment, he didn’t mind it in the slightest.

“I didn’t like it.”

“You d-” Jon let out a long sigh, tried to make his voice a bit less hostile. He wasn’t sure what he wanted his relationship with- with Martin to be, now, but he wasn’t entirely aiming for “hostile.” Not entirely. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“I feel... wrong... I feel this-”

“Why are you telling me this?” Jon wasn’t calm and collected this time, wasn’t trying to carefully draw an answer out with his powers, wasn’t sure he’d understand any answer he got if he did. It just... it didn’t make sense, not even by the Distortion’s standards, not even the sense-not-sense that permeated its very being.

“Something happened when I became Martin. He wasn’t right, he wasn’t ready.”

“I don’t...” Jon let the sentence trail off as Martin started to speak again; the meaning of his half-finished statement was clear enough, he figured, even if the situation that prompted it was far from it.

“Before, talking to you made Martin feel better.”

“You’re not-” Jon paused, shifted gears, a shaky laugh emerging as the meaning of Martin’s claims actually set in. “No, it didn’t. It really didn’t.”

Martin put its too-large hands on its hips. “Excuse me?”

“I... I know Martin better than that, know how we talked to each other better than that. And I am, in fact, self-aware enough to know that...” Jon let out a low sigh. “...that how I talked to him can’t have helped his mood any, and you won’t be convincing me otherwise.”

“You weren’t nice to him, no, but...” Martin sucked in a breath through its teeth, a gesture that was painfully, annoyingly Martin. “Martin still liked to hear you. It’s all rather complicated, really.”

“I’m sure it was, but unless you care to actually explain the kind of ‘complication’ that might get Martin of all people to seek me out for some sort of, of comfort or-”

Jon’s voice rose with every word he spoke, but he barely noticed his steady increase in volume until his speech was disrupted by the soft but clear sound of a door creaking open--not the yellow door that Martin was still standing in front of, but the ordinary brown door leading from Jon’s office to the archives, the door he had thoughtlessly left cracked open.

Jon hadn’t been sure who (what?) he’d expected to see in the doorway when he glanced open, but he certainly hadn’t been expecting Tim to be standing there, shooting Martin a wide-eyed stare, his hands shaking violently as they clutched the metal doorknob as if for dear life.

Martin’s own eyes widened at the sight, as did his smile, growing into one that made Jon’s mouth ache just looking at it.

“Hello, Tim. Fancy seeing you here.”

[carrollstreetstation]

wolfenstein 3D: a level-by-level breakdown

(note: due to the extreme simplicity of wolfenstein’s design ethos, i will be forgoing screenshots, with a few exceptions. you’ve seen one wolf3d screenshot, you’ve seen them all. if you would like to see the game in action, i recommend this LP.)

EPISODE ONE: ESCAPE FROM WOLFENSTEIN

the iconic shareware episode, and the only one available for free -- thus often the only one many people played. like many others, i'd only ever played the shareware episode, but it's still just as captivating as it once was all those years ago. in terms of design aesthetic, wolfenstein 3D may be somewhat primitive and abstract by today's standards, though it's worth mentioning that there are occasional attempts at realistic touches such as the dog kennel in E1L1. the basic premise is identical to that of the original classic: you've been taken captive in the dungeons of the nazi-occupied castle wolfenstein, and it's up to you to get out.

E1L1 the classic first level. we begin in medias res, with you already having been captured and now attempting your escape. there's a dead guard in front of you, and you're armed with a knife, and the guard's luger, 8 rounds in the magazine, and a pumping soundtrack to get you primed for nazi murder. a somewhat linear affair save for a quick side trip into the kennels. savvy players who know their secrets can find the elevator to the secret level behind not one, but two secrets at the very end of the map.

E1 SECRET if you're brave enough to try this secret level, the difficulty takes a major leap upwards as MP40-toting SS guards join the regular grunts in defending this huge maze, which seems like an underground cave system, perhaps beneath the bottom levels of the castle proper. creepy music serenades you as you navigate the tunnels, and it seems like every corridor has at least one secret to be found. cool fakeout ambush if you choose the wrong exit door at the end.

E1L2 whether or not you did the secret level, SS goons are here as well. not the biggest maze in the world, but a huge chunk of it is entirely optional. aside from a big kitchen area, kennels and a prison there's a pair of big torture chambers too, full of the skeletons adrian carmack drew to get a rise out of the suits at formgen who were nervous about the violence.

E1L3 another maze of torture rooms, prison cells and officer's quarters. an optional series of boxy rooms is largely featureless but if you know where to look you can find a secret treasure vault.

E1L4 while mostly still a fairly featureless series of rooms, this does feature a few points of interest, for example the wood-carved swastika that dominates a room on the southern end of the map, as well as one of the rare secrets that actually gives itself away by the puddle of water before it, suggesting a leak of some kind.

E1L5 the heat turns up quite a bit for this one, with enemies around every corner, especially on higher difficulties. you'll have more than one chance to just unload with the chaingun until everyone's dead. it also features an enormous secret area -- probably the biggest in the episode -- that's full of treasure, ammo -- and guards.

E1L6 not the longest or most complex level, but there's plenty of nazis to murder in this nearly entirely red-brick complex of mostly straight hallways and round rooms. you'll have to go one way for the key, then another for the exit. a cute little barracks with plenty of treasure is the standout landmark here. watch out for the SS ambush right by the exit.

E1L7 one of the few levels in this episode we can conclusively attribute to one of the designers, tom hall in this case, thanks to a comment he'd made that was published in the hint manual. in it he describes the central landmark of the map, a long hallway lined with gaps in the walls, the gaps filled with impassable columns. behind them are large rooms filled with guards, and traversing the hallway is basically a gauntlet as a small army of troops fire upon you from behind the columns. reaching them is a matter of following the hallways around to the rooms they're in, but once they're alert they'll start spreading out, making tracking them down difficult. it's a cool idea and an early example of the kind of creative level design that we would later see in doom.

E1L8 another all-brick affair, save for a little bit of wood paneling and a grey stone barracks area in the northwest corner. a very short level all told, surprisingly light on resistance for so late in the episode. features the first appearance of what i've in recent years taken to calling the "trash eagle."

E1L9 the end of the episode is just as iconic as its beginning, a massive entrance hall devoid of enemies... save one. hans grosse, an enormous teutonic bastard in full body armor, greets you with a cursory "GUTEN TAG" before unloading on you with two chainguns. dealing with him requires ducking for cover when he's firing and dumping your ammo on him when he's not. after what seems like almost all of your ammo he'll go down like a sack of hammers, giving you the key to the exit, and the iconic escape cutscene. if you need ammo or health, there's a secret along the western wall full of both.

final thoughts:

an iconic episode, right up there with "knee deep in the dead" or "dimension of the doomed" in terms of its recognizability. sure, the texture usage is rather limited and the level design, cute attempts at imitating real-world spaces aside, is as abstract as any in those days, but for a lot of people, the first level alone could probably be done in their sleep. while there's only three kinds of enemies through the entire episode, they're often cleverly placed to keep you on your toes. this is just a taste of what's to come.

EPISODE TWO: OPERATION EISENFAUST

after the limited offering of the shareware episode, the full game promises a bigger experience, with more textures, more enemies, more music, more of everything that made wolf3D so great. the level design gets more complex as now you'll often have to find two keys instead of just one. now that you're free from wolfenstein, it's time to resume your mission, infiltrating castle hollehammer where the evil dr. schabbs' laboratory is supposed to be, and find out what he's been doing in there. episode two thus starts off by introducing you to the mutant, a reanimated soldier carrying cleavers in both hands and a gun in his chest. absolutely silent, he's an inhumanly fast shot and if you're not careful he'll get the drop on you, ending your mission prematurely.

E2L1 the origins of the horror theme that has been a part of the franchise all these years starts here with another level by tom hall, as you infiltrate the castle via some kind of sewer entrance. the first few rooms are empty, and you think maybe you've gotten in unnoticed... but open the wrong door and say hello to your first mutant. how well you do in this level depends on whether you find the MP40 and ammo cache across from the entrance -- or the hidden chaingun. nice touch with the starry background on the wall behind you at the start -- it gives a sense that this isn't just another bunch of random abstract hallways, but a real place with a real outside world. it's not fooling anyone, obviously, but it's a good touch of realism in a time when "realism" consisted of a square room with a table sprite in the middle.

E2 SECRET a very tiny level with a few mutants... or is it? push in the right place and the level opens up significantly, with a boatload of treasure to be found. the mutants didn't bother waiting for you and have killed some of their nazi handlers, as the corpses on the floor indicate.

E2L2 after a brief portion in the sewers, you find the exit -- marked by warning signs, presumably to keep people out of the sewers where the mutants'll get 'em. it's sealed off too, requiring you to push a wall to get out. the rest of the level is a fairly bog-standard level with three quarters of a swastika being the only distinguishing feature. i think tom hall did this one as he comments on being able to see out a window early on.

E2L3 it's not the sewers, but you wouldn't know it for all the slimy wall textures. the opening section is simple enough, but the level likes to play around with secrets. an entire secret area is visible beyond rows of columns, but to get there you have to take the long way around. there's more secret areas within the first one, each one getting better and better, until finally culminating in a mess of SS. and if that's not bad enough, the silver key is guarded by mutants, lying in wait. tom, you're an asshole.

E2L4 not a complex level from tom here, split mostly into two sections with a third, circular room in the middle. a lot of doors open immediately into dead ends; others have mutants behind them. a holding area for mutants quickly turns into a shitshow when killing the lone guard alerts the monsters hiding in their cells and they come out for blood.

E2L5 well, it's a nazi castle, i suppose it makes sense to have a level shaped like a swastika. each "arm" of the swastika is done up in a different theme, from the slimy rock walls we've seen a lot of this episode, to a red brick stronghold of sorts, to blue stone dungeon, to wood-paneling. you can basically skip most of this episode by going to three rooms max, but you miss out on a lot of nazi murder and items to find.

E2L6 opening up in a cave-like area very similar to the secret level from the first episode, only this one is full of mutants. the big maze in the southeast can be navigated by following the bloodstains -- a neat touch that seems like something tom hall would do. the elevator doors at the end present an interesting dillemma -- which one is the exit, and which one is the mutant ambush?

E2L7 an odd level. it's just a few rooms and the exit elevator... unless you find the secret that opens up the entire rest of the map. it's still not the biggest map you'll ever play, but it's a respectable 5 minutes or so of nazi slaughter... until you get to the mutant cave in the southwest corner, where the nazis have already been slaughtered.

E2L8 another odd level, this one is infamous for being half made up of a large maze of 2x2 rooms and pushwalls. push your way through and you can find 1-ups, hans grosse clones (or maybe they're his brothers), treasure, or a sign saying CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF. this sign was part of a contest, if you did what it instructed you would win a prize. however, thanks to cheat and mapping programs the sign was found almost immediately, and the contest was canceled. in some later versions, the sign is replaced by a 1-up and some garbage. the rest of the map isn't as memorable, though it does have a nice little barracks in the southeast.

E2L9 another boss arena, the laboratory of the evil dr. schabbs. metal walls and warning signs tell you this is a high-tech place (well, for the 1940s anyway) and every room is quite large. other than schabbs, mutants are the only other occupants, coming at you in a wave before the mad doctor himself attacks, throwing hypodermic needles full of his monster serum at you. if you die to schabb's flying needles, instead of the usual beat-up face, BJ's skin turns white, just like one of the mutants. killing schabbs triggers an instant replay of his death animation, which is funny.

final thoughts: the second episode turns up the heat significantly. the mutants prove themselves to be a serious threat, their silence and frightening firing speed making them incredibly dangerous. the horror theme is pretty strong at multiple points in the episode, which is impressive given how primitive the game is compared to even doom. clever use of enemy corpse sprites and blood-spattered textures offer some interesting environmental storytelling. schabbs himself embodies the worst aspects of the nazi regime, that of mad science and human experimentation -- so of course taking him down is satisfying, despite how easy he is. (letting his mutants do the work for him -- so typical!)

EPISODE THREE: DIE, FUHRER, DIE!

the third episode, and technically the final one of the early version of the game until the nocturnal missions were added. as the name suggests, your mission is to kill hitler. who doesn't wanna kill hitler? well, nazis probably. but fuck 'em. anyway rather than crumbling old castles, dank dungeons and evil labs, episode three is set in a massive bunker beneath the reichstag, akin to the plot of "beyond castle wolfenstein." don't expect adolf to calmly let you bomb his conference room this time, though...

E3L1 the entrance to hitler's bunker is a small set of rooms that offers light resistance -- a few guards and SS, plus the very first officer in the game, who moves fast and fires faster. he's not as much of a threat as the mutant, but he's still quick on the draw. poke around a bit and you'll find the secret dungeon complete with machine gun for the taking. the music is a bit of fun, a very simple tune that has a morse code message playing in the background:

TO BIG BAD WOLF DE LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD ELIMINATE HITLER IMPERATIVE COMPLETE MISSION WITHIN 24 HOURS OUT

E3L2 this is the first level that we can be pretty sure is john romero's if his commentary in the hint guide is anything to go by. it's a relatively tiny level, split off into two parts, with the exit very close to the start position but locked off. the key is in the southern area of the map, but the northern portion doesn't offer much and is completely optional -- a deliberate fakeout on romero's part.

E3L3 another short map by romero, this one opens with three doors to choose from. two eventually lead to the same place, while the third takes you to one of the keys you'll need. the other key is guarded in the northern part of the map. similar to romero's tendency to stick an enemy in the exit room in doom, an officer greets you on your way to the elevator.

E3L4 romero's short-form maps continue here (i wonder if these maps were made early in the game's development?) it also continues the trend of most of the episode 3 maps being largely white stone walls with the occasional brick, dungeon or wood to break up the monotony. finding the key isn't enough -- the door opens to a wall that turns out to be pushable.

E3L5 another short-and-sweet level, this one centering the action mostly around a red brick complex inside a large grey stone room. though this one does feature a long, twisty passage that ends in little more than a medkit and an SS goon.

E3L6 tom hall brings his personal brand of weirdness to episode three with this level that opens with a locked door immediately to your left. going forward is a repeat of his old favorite trick of putting enemies and items behind barriers where they can shoot you but you can't reach them, not without a little secret-searching anyway. there's also the enormous maze of reinforced steel to the north which offers little in the way of resistance but is incredibly confusing without a map. there's also another key that can be gotten on the sly by going around and entering the closet it's in via a pushwall in back.

E3L7 jesus christ, tom. "abstract" is the theme for this level, a mess of curving hallways, rooms in the shape of tom hall and john romero's initials, a secret that's easy to break before you even find it, a ludicrously large, featureless secret maze, and *another* secret at the end of said maze. the final secret is worth it though, as it takes you to the secret level...

E3 SECRET it's pacman. in first person. with some nazis thrown in. that is literally the entirety of the level. avoid the ghosts, get the treasure, find the exit. it's honestly an adorable tribute to such a classic game from a game that has since become nearly as much of a classic itself.

E3L8 the final level before hitler, and the nazis throw everything they've got to stop you. tom hall starts this level by putting you in an empty room; only pushing the right wall will take you into a large, swastika-shaped corridor. SS and officers are everywhere; side rooms will have enemies coming at you from all sides, and they've put up barricades that you'll have to work your way around. and just when you think you've cracked it, and you're at the end, you open the elevator door and there's an officer right there waiting for you -- which doesn't happen often.

E3L9 this is it: the final battle with hitler! aesthetically it's not terribly different from the rest of the episode, but it does introduce us to one of the best fakeouts in a video game. all that buildup and when we finally do meet hitler, he's dressed in robes and shooting fireballs at you -- could it be that the old monster is a magician? well, he's playing a trick on you alright: it's a mannequin with a flamethrower, and when shot down you can hear hitler's evil laugh in the distance. hitler himself is a fairly straightforward boss fight, first in a war mech, and then when that's destroyed he comes after you himself with a pair of chainguns. his death animation is even better than the one at the end of bionic commando.

final thoughts: for the third episode of the original trilogy, design-wise it's a bit disappointing. the texture use is quite monotonous, the levels are pretty short and simple. alone or in small groups, the officer isn't nearly as menacing an enemy as the mutant, which is absent from this episode. the pac-man secret level is an amusing diversion at least. the real value in this episode is the battle against hitler -- that death animation is a treat.

EPISODE FOUR: A DARK SECRET

after the initial success of wolfenstein 3D, apogee software founder scott miller convinced id software to make another trilogy of episodes after finding out that a new level could be cranked out at a rate of one per day. smirkingly titled "the nocturnal missions," this prequel trilogy involves a plot to wage chemical warfare on the allies, and so episode four opens with BJ infiltrating a chemical weapons research facility. we can expect the usual castley goodness as envisioned mostly by tom hall, which promises a slightly more visually interesting experience than hitler's bunker.

E4L1 tom's crafted a cute little castle entrance with a big foyer and dining hall, and a little cavern of sorts in the southwest corner leading to the exit. not the most heartpounding of levels, but at this early stage you'll be ill-equipped to deal with the amount of SS and officers thrown at you, especially on higher difficulties. thus it's an early hint as to the focus on increased difficulty for the nocturnal missions.

E4L2 another tom hall joint, this one has a strong castle design, being ringed on all sides by a single long hallway with a number of rooms in the center. popping off a firearm here will alert enemies on the other side of the map, making exploration dangerous as you're likely to be snuck up on.

E4L3 the level starts off with a huge offering of health and ammo. normally when seeing a smorgasboard like this, it raises one's hackles as it signifies the arrival of a boss enemy. however, none is to be found -- but there *are* a big gaggle of enemies further down the corridor, up to 23 at once. it's quite the impressive ambush.

E4 SECRET sure, you *could* try to fight your way through the whopping seventy-five officers (on all difficulties!) who staff this level. the secret ammo stash at the start is the only thing that would make it even possible. but it's clear stealth was in mind when this puzzle map was designed, the idea being going behind the officers' backs. the official hint guide says that if you follow the path it designated you won't be seen, but this is unfortunately untrue as three will spot you either way, forcing you to hurry.

E4L4 tom gives us a relatively small level that, aside from a cave maze on the eastern side, also features an "art gallery" full of admiring officers. it's like the secret level in miniature, much more manageable with up to 14 officers waiting to run in front of your chaingun. there's also the choice between a secret room full of health, or a secret room full of ammo, and which one you get is dependant on which way you push a wall.

E4L5 tom hall has crafted a large cavern system that seems to be filled with officers. there's also a moment where a horde of guard dogs come at you en masse, and if you're not careful they can catch you in a pincer movement. there's multiple elevators as well, but all but one are inaccessible.

E4L6 tom hall's predilection for mimicking real-world spaces in doom (as in episode two of that game as well as parts of doom 2) can be seen in wolfenstein 3D as well. this level's example of that is the multiple elevators from the previous stage can be seen here too. but perhaps the standout feature of this level is the strange series of thin hallways behind a long row of doors, most of them containing officers and items. it's a good example of the abstract weirdness that has long been a staple of early FPS level design.

E4L7 fairly standard level. a long central hallway divides the east and west sides; it's filled with enemies, and tom hall has exploited the enemy behavior of being able to open locked doors to create an opportunity for players to get through without needing the key -- though if it closes behind them, there's no turning back.

E4L8 another tom hall joint, this one has a lot of tricky encounters that make the standard guards actually dangerous for once. it's the same trick as the dogs in E4L6 -- a big winding maze that makes it easy for the enemy to get behind you. there's a similar area full of officers where it's possible to sneak past some of them -- or bypass them entirely, if you find the right secret.

E4L9 the boss level is a cruel twist on the usual method. all the health and ammo are behind locked doors in the boss room; the keys are guarded by a single grunt who will alert a small army of SS and officers in the next room. however, the final boss, otto giftmacher, is not a threat at all, firing a slow-moving missile that's easily dodged. if you came in already loaded for bear you don't even need to deal with his goons.

final thoughts: episode four is a good display of tom hall's somewhat mean-spirited level design, and i say that in a good way. it's clear he took the opportunity to up the difficulty for the expansion, and that includes throwing in officers by the boatload. in general, though, the level design has started to become increasingly abstract. otherwise, a good start for the nocturnal missions.

EPISODE FIVE: TRAIL OF THE MADMAN

the fifth episode introduces us to castle erlagen (though the hint guide seems to think that was the site of episode four -- maybe both are true) as we hunt for the plans to the nazis' chemical warfare campaign. most of these levels are from romero, who has a somewhat tighter, more abstract design ethos to tom hall's more freewheeling, quasi-realistic style -- something that would be evident later in doom as well.

E5L1 the dungeons of castle erlagen start you off light, mostly guards and a few SS. john romero has crafted a relatively short level, the majority of the action being in a series of rooms off a long hallway that separates the bottom half of the map from a few large rooms connected by narrow tunnels. the final room is a very romero-esque ambush.

E5L2 romero has a penchant for a very sectional level design and we can see an example of it here, where you're dropped in the middle of the map and it's split across four areas in four directions, forcing you to explore until you find the key and the exit. he's also put in a devious deathtrap to the west -- a gauntlet of SS guards for a handful of treasure that honestly is not worth it, which may be the point.

E5L3 another short and sweet romero level -- but heavily guarded. the exit is right behind the entrance, and a number of goons stand watch. if you're low on ammo, you may be running into problems -- but romero has thoughtfully made the secrets extremely obvious, and both will give you everything you could ever want.

E5L4 similar to E5L2, only incredibly symmetrical, this is a wheel-and-spoke design that plops you in the center and it's up to you to clear out a series of nine rooms connected by hallways. as is becoming a pattern, the path is filled with enemies, so it's up to you to be quick on the draw to mow them down the moment the door opens.

E5L5 romero's hub-style design again, only a bit more freewheeling. notable encounters include the "art gallery" in the southeast corner full of dogs, and a similar mini-maze in the northwest occupied by SS and officers. romero has a talent for making maps that seem larger than they really are. the secret exit, however, is well-hidden.

E5 SECRET more hub-style design, though with an evil twist. other than a few central rooms the entirety of the map is made up of long narrow corridors with nazis on patrol. this leads to a tense few minutes as you navigate these tunnels always knowing that if an enemy comes around the corner, you won't have any cover.

E5L6 a rare attempt from romero to make something that feels like a real-world space, the core of this map is a complex of rooms surrounded by a large cavern that encircles three-quarters of the map. the complex itself isn't particularly unusual or, well, complex, though interestingly one of the three doors leading to the room that itself leads to the exit is of a different lock from the others. you still need the silver key, though.

E5L7 back to the hub design. the enemy count is climbing ever higher, romero throws goons at you every step of the way. a major encounter is in the northwestern room where a row of doors all lead to the same room, with a swarm of officers and SS goons hiding just behind to come at you in a wave. the final room is an ornate hallway lined with SS guards, giving a sense that we're getting ever closer to our goal.

E5L8 the penultimate level of episode five is a quick-and-dirty map that splits off into three zones. the biggest heat of the level is probably in the southwest, a maze of corridors full of bad guys that can and will wind up wandering behind you unless you're careful. and when you get through that mess, there's an ambush in the key room. interestingly, you can see the exit door at the very beginning -- but it's behind a barricade, requiring you to find the key to get to the other side.

E5L9 the boss arena is pretty straightforward -- a huge room divided in three by rows of walls. gretel grosse, sister of hans, is your target for this mission, and she behaves exactly the same as hans. taking her out is a snap, but you'd better stock up before opening the door she guards, as the command room that's your final goal is filled with nazi goons. cute re-use of the "yeah!" animation.

final thoughts: episode five is romero at his best. it's a fast-paced little jaunt that offers plenty of nazis to mow down by the boatload, giving a hint of what doom would be like. though he overuses the hub-style level design, it at least gives a little bit of structure to an otherwise freewheeling, abstract mapping style.

EPISODE SIX: CONFRONTATION

the final episode of the game is a bit of a hodgepodge, featuring work from john romero, tom hall, and, surprisingly, robert prince, the man behind the music for most of apogee and id's output between 1991 and 1996, including, but not limited to: wolfenstein 3D (duh), rise of the triad, duke nukem II and 3D, and of course doom. the story goes, now that the allies know where the general behind the upcoming chemical warfare campaign is located, they send BJ into castle heidenheim. with three mappers contributing to this level we can expect a mixture of styles, and given that this is the very last episode of the game, resistance is likely to be fierce.

E6L1 jesus christ, tom. 95% of this map is extremely long hallways, lined with niches in which officers hide. it takes forever to advance and you're constantly getting caught on architecture. you start the episode with the exit right in front of you, and you have to make an insanely long detour just to get to it. awful map.

E6L2 robert prince makes his level design debut with this weird outing. it starts off similar to the previous level's endless hallways, but at least in this case gunfire will make most of the hiding enemies come after you. after that is a series of hallways that spiral in on themselves, at the center of which is the exit. it's like this episode was designed to annoy me.

E6L3 jesus christ, robert. it's a maze of swastikas. every room is a fucking swastika, and they interlink with each other. it's just... fucking madness. it blows my mind. this is what i'm talking about when it comes to how old FPS games seemed to just get by on pure abstraction. in that regard, duke nukem 3D should be considered a fucking revelation. this map is a pain to navigate too, though not as bad as the first two.

E6 SECRET romero and hall both did this level. it's a very romero-style level at its core -- a central hub with four separate areas, each with a different theme. tackling more than one is optional, because at the end of each one is another grosse brother holding a key to the exit in the central room. to the east is a nightmare zone of a vine-choked maze -- visibility is borderline zero and it's full of mutants(!) and officers. a better bet would be the more straightforward boss arena to the west, though the mazes to the north and south aren't too bad. though, work your way too deep into the pushwall maze and you'll run into a familiar ghost, because this map wasn't gimmicky enough.

E6L4 though the hint guide doesn't say one way or another save for tom hall making a completely random e. e. cummings reference, this has hall's style all over it. It's mostly a series of random rooms connected via one hallway or tunnel or another. Compared to the rest of the episode so far, this level's banality is honestly a blessing.

E6L5 i'm pretty sure tom hall did this one as well. the big setpiece is a long, wide hallway with enemies hidden in the niches in the wall -- something i was tired of before the end of the first level. there's also a couple of nearly-identical shootouts in big rooms for possession of the keys. pretty basic level all told.

E6L6 yeah, i can tell this is a romero map, even without the hint guide telling me. it's got two of his most defining features in his nocturnal missions level design: absolute fucking chaos, and a tight level design with a core conceit. on its surface it resembles the spiral maze from robert prince's first level, but this is much bigger, and *much* more packed with enemies, all of whom come after you from the first shot fired. actually quite fun.

E6L7 tom and his fucking mazes strike again. after a rough initiation (more of the hallway/hidden enemies business) and a big central chamber with officers shooting at you from side rooms, you're treated to a nightmare world of endless mazes. if you're brave enough, you can even venture into a secret vine maze, which, while not as dangerous as the one in the secret level, is still plenty annoying and not really worth the hassle.

E6L8 it's hard to say whose level this is, but i'm going to guess it's romero's. it's two underground complexes split by a single long cave tunnel that curls around and between them in a backwards S fashion, which would suggest tom hall, but the abundance of enemies and the relatively compact room arrangement says john romero. whoever did it, this is a pretty linear affair -- first you clear out the northern complex, room by room, then grab the key. then you take out the southern complex and reach the exit. simple.

E6L9 the final boss of the nocturnal missions, and the nazis throw everything they've got at you. i'm reasonably certain this is a romero level, because the evil general is guarded by a baying horde of fascists who come at you from all directions. it's as if they looked at how sparsely populated the previous boss levels were and decided this deserved a bit more of a finale. it makes for some cool carnage, but you'll likely run into trouble unless you're secret-savvy.

final thoughts: "mixed bag" is an understatement. this episode feels like where the dregs of the design team's ideas went. guest designer robert prince should have stuck to music. there are a few cool bits, but in general the sixth episode is a low note, and a bit of a disappointment after the ludicrously fun fifth episode.

[grimmseye]

Kill Your Heroes (Chapter 2)

Fandom: Critical Role

Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast, Mollymauk Tealeaf & Jester, Mollymauk, Mollymauk Tealeaf & The Mighty Nein

Chapter Characters: Mollymauk Teafleaf, Caleb Widogast, Jester 

Other Tags: Superhero AU, Reporter!Mollymauk, Vigilante!Caleb, 

(Read on Ao3) (Chapter 1)

Mollymauk will never understand those people who hate to see photos of themselves. He can only smirk with pride as he watches the numbers go up, the name he’s made for himself calling out and letting viewers know exactly where to head when they need the up-close source. Several deposits have gone into his account, news stations vying to broadcast his footage. No one gets as close as Mollymauk dares, so no one but the luckiest get the shots he brings to the table.

‘New Hero: Firebird?’ is the approximation of every headline he clicks past. He’s pleased as the cat that got the canary, feet up on the couch as a crockpot roils in the kitchen. A few batches of those will guarantee quick meals for the next few days, save them the money that takeout would cost.

The new villain, now promptly beaten to a pulp with the combined power of four heroes (really by the type Yasha got there it was just to hold the guy down as they cuffed him) had been dubbed Beholder in an instant. Molly’s always had a good sense for names — what sounds dramatic, what gets a glitter in the eyes.

He clicks from site to site, video to video. There’s one that makes him pause as he’s clicking through, eyebrows raising as his head cocks to one side.

‘The Return of Verbrennen?’

He cocks an eyebrow, crunching down on the trail mix he’d deemed to be a good breakfast. A blurry still from his camera is presented on screen: the cat-masked individual. It’s from the moment he was put on his feet, camera still rolling, distant enough from the man to actually get a good shot.

The picture shrinks, two news anchors on the screen now. His tail twitches as he listens, impatient for them to get to the point of it all.

“It’s hard to say is this is him or not,” one anchor is saying. “Fire isn’t exactly an unusual power. The Scourgers were almost indistinguishable from each other — we don’t even know their voices. I think people are jumping the gun with this one.”

“That’s fair. As much as I hope it’s true, the last we say of Verbrennen seemed pretty final.” A new picture comes up. Burning building. Large building. A new picture: collapsed, glass and rubble. A disaster. “We did extend a question to the remaining Scourgers and the Cerberus Assembly, but they have yet to comment on this new arrival.”

“And as far as we know, he’s not associated with any organization. Making him a vigilante — the first Zadash has seen in quite some time. How the sanctioned agencies are going to receive him is still unknown but —”

Mollymauk gets bored. He sets down his phone with a roll of his eyes. Names, names, names. Verbrennon means nothing to him, just names thrown around without explanations. He could look it up, of course, but Molly’s not much of the reading sort. He can blabber just fine into a microphone, but drivelings are to be heard, not read.

He’s reluctantly tapping in the name, unsure how its spelled, when a rapraprap at the door catches his ear. Mollymauk perks up, an amused grin on his face. “Yasha?” He calls. “You forget your keys again?”

She’s only got patrol this morning, could be done early. They’re always amped up after villain attacks, keep the citizens calm. Deal with the idiot criminals who think their petty theft won’t be noticed.

The voice on the other side of the door, though, is not Yasha’s. “Er, no. This is not… Yasha.”

Oh. It’s the neighbor Molly never sees, the one with the Zemnian accent. Lots of those around lately, he muses, a bit of a grin on his face. Old neighbor, new hero. He’s heard a bit of chatter surrounding the man: elusive, seen at odd hours of the night, nervous demeanor. Never clean shaven, allegedly. Molly had always assumed he was on the run from the mob or something of that like.

So of course he cracks the door open to get a look at the complex’s very own cryptid. With such a reputation preceding him, Mollymauk is more than a little disappointed to find someone who is clean-shaven, even handsome standing at the door. And then he remembers that a handsome man at his door isn’t actually anything to be upset about, and he gives a friendly grin as he sweeps open the door and leans against its frame.

“Good morning,” he greets, amiable as always.

Mister Cryptid doesn’t say a word. He just stares for a long, long while, eyes wide and jaw slightly slack. Perhaps Molly gets the best of both worlds — handsome and a weirdo. It’s a good day.

And then the man recovers. He clears his throat, shakes his head. “Pardon me,” he gulps. “You just, ah… have I seen you somewhere before?”

“Almost certainly,” Mollymauk laughs. “Though if you have, I think you’d remember it just fine so — actually, maybe not? Doesn’t matter, you have now.”

“That is true,” he murmurs, still blinking as though he were dazed. “Um, my apologies. My name is, ah, Caleb. You haven’t — I do realize that this is against regulations, but he is a perfectly good cat — have you seen Frumpkin — have you seen my cat, Frumpkin, around by any chance?”

“Brown tabby?” Molly asks, remembering the cat from yesterday. “Bushy tail?”

“ Ja, yes, that’s the one.” Caleb gives a smile of sheer relief.

“Haven’t seen ‘em,” he chirps. Unfortunately for him, that soft smile immediately falls into shock, annoyance, and then resignation. He winces, hastily adds, “Ah, don’t look like that. I’m just pulling your tail — so to speak, Mister Caleb. I saw him yesterday afternoon, just hanging around in the hall. Nothing since then.”

“Scheisse.” Caleb sighs. “Well, thank you. Don’t, ah, I will probably be setting some old clothing out to try to lead him back home. Cats are quite good at finding their way around but in case he gets lost…”

“Sure thing.” Molly gives a wry grin. “I promise I won’t report you for dirty laundry in the hall. Might want to let the old lady know, though. Three doors on the left — no, on the right. Definitely the right.” He gives a wave of his hand just to make sure. “She’s a bit of a crotchety old bitch until you get on her good side.Tip? Compliment her nails, she always gets the acrylics with the french tips and you don’t spend that kind of money unless you want to get a compliment.”

The guy is still just blinking at him, slow and baffled. He licks his lips, mumbles, “Okay. I will do that, thank you. And, ah, if you do see my cat, just knock on my door. I am right across the hallway.” And he does point to the door across from Molly’s, room nine on this floor.

“Good to know.” His tail curls behind him. “Good luck in finding your cat then, Mister Caleb. It was nice meeting you!”

“It — it was nice to meet you as well.” Caleb ducks his head, backing up towards his door. Molly gives a little wave before turning around, pulling the door shut with his tail.

He stretches out, a faint smile on his face. A bit disappointing, maybe, that there’s not some rando across the hall with a machete. But Caleb seems nice enough. And, he supposes, he gets enough excitement just from living in Zadash. At least that trouble earns him some coin.

  On Fridays, Mollymauk meets with Sugar-Bomb.

Secret identities can be difficult for tieflings, except that apparently Sugar-Bomb can disguise herself. Different skin tones — he’s seen blue, red, purple, bright pink, neon yellow. Different horn shapes. Different tail structures. Taller, shorter, younger, older — no one can keep track of her, except by her distinctive costume, a cotton-candy pink and blue.

Today, Sugar-Bomb is shade deep shade of violet, her hair buzzed into an undercut. She’s not wearing a mask because she doesn’t need to, Molly wouldn’t be able to recognize her anyway.

Yellow eyes brighten at the sight of him. “Hello, Molly!” She beams, flouncing towards him and scooping him into a hug. He laughs as she lifts him clear off his feet. Her horns are in upward twists today, framing the bun of her hair.

“Hello, Sugar,” he laughs, delighted as she twirls him and then drops him back on his feet. Their tails twine loosely as they stroll into the coffee shop. Not a soul is aware of the hero in their midst.

They order their usual drinks, Sugar’s loaded with sugar, Molly’s just as elaborate. He’s sure the staff would hate them if they didn’t drop an extra copper into the tip jar. The two of them slide into a little booth, Molly saying, “Yasha’s got patrol today. I’m sure Lionheart is trailing after her as usual.”

Secret identities are also funny things. He doesn’t know who Sugar-Bomb is, and he doesn’t intend to ask. Sugar knows who Yasha is, though, and Yasha knows she knows, because they see each other around so frequently that it’s impossible to not realize that the large civilian human woman who hangs around Molly is the same as the hero with all the same traits.

He thinks it’s only a matter of time before Sugar-Bomb wears her actual face to their litle dates — gods know it was Mollymauk who dissuaded her from outing herself from the get-go. People might not look at her and pin down the cotton candy hero, but Mollymauk is recognizable. Everyone knows his face. It’s the reason he doesn’t get Storm Herald on camera very often, it’s the reason they don’t greet each other with the same familiarity that Sugar does when masks are on. Someone as colorful as Mollymauk knows how to keep attention where he wants it.

“I think they’re cute, don’t you?” Sugar sighs, leaning her chin on her hand. “Do you think she’s ever going to notice?”

“Who, Yash?” Molly snorts. “Hard to say. She’s not oblivious, but at the same time, Lionheart’s kind of…”

“Constipated?”

The two of them dissolve into snickers, Molly hiding his behind a hand, Sugar loud and raucous. “That’s the word,” Molly chuckles. “Yeah — yeah. Uh, I mean… even if Yasha did know, I’m not sure if she’s going to go for it? They get along, like — I mean, you’ve seen the footage.”

“They’re pretty badass together,” Sugar nods.

“Yeah, yeah. I know — I think? — that I’m not either of their slice of pie but I can appreciate. It’s kind of hard to say, gender’s fake.” He and Sugar have had this conversation a dozen times and it always ends in headaches. Molly would freely admit he has some jealousy over her ability to just alter her body at will. “ Regardless, I don’t know if she’s looking for a relationship right now. Between her job and me —”

“And you?” A grin.

“Oh, I’m a handful.”

“She has very big hands though.” Sugar beams as Molly chokes on his drink, covering his mouth laughing. “And I can help! I’m always willing to hold your hand, Molly.”

“You make me blush.” And it’s the truth. There’s a warmth on his cheeks from happiness. Simple zest for living, and loving. He loves Yasha, he loves Sugar-Bomb, he loves being here with them.

And in that moment, of course, Sugar’s phone starts to buzz. They both go quiet, they both know which phone that is. She mumbles something under her breath as she pulls her phone out, eyes flicking over the screen. Her face darkens.

“Shit,” she curses. Her head lifts, lower lip stuck out in apology. “I’m sorry, Molly…”

“Don’t worry, dear,” he waves her off. “You go do your thing. I’ll be right behind you, anyway.” He winks. It’ll be on a phone instead of a camera, but footage is footage. “Actually, would you mind giving me a lift there?” “Oh, yeah, sure!” She smiles. “I gotta get changed first, though.” Sugar-Bomb scoots out of their booth, snagging her drink with her tail to pull it into her hand before heading out. Molly idles a few minutes until the emergency sirens start to wail. Phones go a-buzz, villain alert near the Signet Wall. Then it’s time to go.

Mollymauk keeps an eye out on the rooftops. He sees a flash of red and heads for it, dipping into the alleyways. Sugar-Bomb is there at once, leaping down to meet him, sticking the landing with no apparent trouble. She’s changed to a red tiefling, short horns that curve up and back, a thin, spaded tail. “Ready to go?” She grins, and then promptly throws Mollymauk over her shoulder.

He laughs, trusting her to get a good grip on him as she pushes off and scales the wall, taking them to the rooftop and leaping over the streets of Zadash. Most heroes figure out some form of mobility — those that can’t fly or sprint stick sirens on a motorcycle and gun it.

They head for the far end of the city, flitting around the Tri-Spires that loom over the populace and then further. An attack on Zadash’s sect of the Righteous Brand is a gutsy move. The fact that there’s even an alert, though — that’s concerning. Most villains know better than to stage an attack where the heroes are so clustered together. Most villains would be put down without a thought trying such a thing.

Before he’s prepared, Sugar-Bomb is coming to a halt. She on the edge of a roof, steps back and sets Molly on his feet. “Whoa,” she blinks, as Molly steps up to get a glimpse at what she’d seen. “The fuck is up with them?”

Molly gets his phone recording immediately. There are figures far below, moving through the streets. “They’re not running, that’s… weird,” he frowns, not even slipping into the right persona. The camera zooms somewhat, only getting a blurry figure on the screen as civilians amble below at a slow pace. “Why the hell aren’t they running? The attack’s at the Wall, right?” He turns the camera, just to catch the plume of dust that marks the disaster zone. It’s not frighteningly close, but enough that any person in their right mind would be moving away, fast.

He pauses the video as Sugar-Bomb starts to speak, her voice low. “That is super weird. I would have gotten a dismissal if, you know, they got the bad guy.” She checks her phone just in case, shakes her head. Her ears tilt down, tail curling in a nervous manner.

“Wanna check it out?” Molly suggests. She looks at him, and then she smiles. Molly gets an arm around her shoulders, letting her carry him down the walls of two buildings and back onto the pavement of the wide alley.

They crouch low. He’s not sure exactly how Sugar-Bomb’s illusions work, but she seems to pull the shadows around them, her form in his peripheral growing dull despite the bright colors she’s donned.

On the main boulevard, just down a block, he can see what looks to be a human shuffling towards them. They move at a slow pace, head hanging down, legs almost shambling. Molly looks to Sugar-Bomb, the two of them exchanging deep frowns. “I’m gonna go check it out,” he whispers. After a beat, she nods, and he slips out of hiding with his video rolling.

He makes sure to capture the person as they trudge down the block, calling out, “Excuse me! Hello, are you doing alright?”

They lift their head, looking to Mollymauk. For a moment, their gaze is distant, and then it sharpens, fixed on him. They keep moving forward.

He turns his head, getting a sweep of the area. They’re not the only person around, two more are further down the block, one walking in the street, all having paused now to look at the source of the noise. “Hello?” He calls again. “What’s — what’s going on? There’s an evac alert, you know.”

They start moving towards him. The one up the block keeps up their pace, the two further down turn around. “Well that’s just weird,” Molly mutters, edging towards the one that’s alone. He can see Sugar-Bomb still crouched low, eyes intent on him. His head turns, looking full in the face of the human. A woman, short hair, older face. Her gaze is distant, but fixed on him at the same time. She keeps moving — definitely towards him now, not just along her path.

“Okay. Well, these people are either on something or are in some kind of a trance, and I’m not sure I like either option,” Molly mutters, more out of habit than anything. He stays still, wary gaze on the woman as she approaches. The other three are still further back, still out of range.

The woman slows. About four paces from Mollymauk, she stops. Her breath swells slow, deep.

Her head rears up. From hanging low, it’s suddenly tilted towards the sky, her jaws parting to reveal yellowed, serrated teeth. And then she shrieks and lunges for him.

“Fuck!” Molly backpedals. Two steps and then Sugar-Bomb is at his side, tail pressing against his stomach, pressing him out of the way as she pulls the hammer from her back and swings. It impacts the woman in the stomach, her breath choking out of her, stumbling back with a horrid gasp.

Sugar-Bomb grabs Molly and bolts, hoisting him into a fireman’s carry that has him fumbling for his phone, gasping out, “Sugar-Bomb saves my ass as usual. Those people look zombified — oh, gods —!”

They round a corner, and stumble into a small hoard. Humans, elves, dragonborn, without discrimination there are sallow, stumbling, sharp-toothed beings that crane their heads around and then immediately swerve around to advance upon them. “Oh, fuck,” Sugar-Bomb gulps, bouncing back and away. “That is a lot of zombies.”

“Up, up, up,” Molly gasps. She reels back, just in time for one of these things to reach out and swipe at her with gnarled, yellow nails. “Down! Put me down, you need your — ”

She dumps him onto the ground without question, Molly landing on his ass. Her hammer is in her grip and she’s swinging hard, planted defensively in front of him. The first one falls with another rattling wheeze of pain. It’s just one among a couple dozen. A hand closes on Molly’s tail, and he jerks back, scrabbling up to his feet only to yelp as a hand gets ahold of his jacket and pulls him back down.

“Molly!” Sugar-Bomb’s voice is a rough cry. More hands are grasping at him. He kicks hard, foot cracks one in the jaw. Two hands off, two more holding fast, clawing, pulling. Sugar-Bomb slams them in the side with her hammer, the body a ragdoll tossed into the street.

And in this time, they’ve clustered and advanced, several dozen of these veritable zombies now swarming them. Sugar-Bomb grabs him by the jacket, yanking him up by his coat, ears pinned back, tail lashing, hammer in her grasp, Molly’s eyes darting back and forth searching for a single thing he could use to be more than dead weight to her —

And then a wall of flames erupts in his face.

[sethnakht]

DIE kept me up for two nights with racing thoughts, so this is me banishing - binding - them. Spoilers beneath the cut.

Part of me is groaning at myself for reading meaning into the character's names. And yet they do seem telling.

Chuck is the character constantly chuckling who never seems to chuck it; of course he plays the in-game Fool. Solomon, author of the game as far as we know, shares attributes with the Solomon of history and lore - he chooses to play Master and is a bit of a magician, invoking the game into reality the first time, controlling the one magical object we have seen cross worlds, the D20. Also, his name shortens to Sol like the sun and old chemical sign for gold, fittingly for the "golden child" around whom the others - Ash and Isabelle in particular - revolve. And to whom they all owe their lives, Ash implies, in many a literal sense.

All of the characters are intriguing. In this context, it's the two siblings I'd like to talk about in particular.

DIE #1, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Stephanie Hans, lettering by Clayton Cowles

Dominic's childhood nickname was Ash. Where did this nickname come from? Sol's mother says some nasty things about him as a child that could be coming from a place of wild grief but could also be true. Certainly it's notable that Sol and Ash share a birthday, gold and sun on the one hand, black ash - ash being a product of what is set on fire (”I’m burning up”, he says, touching the die) - on the other. Dominic, moreover, apparently means “belonging to God” or "of the Master" - suggesting a role subsidiary to the Master, the role Sol plays.

The siblings can also be compared and contrasted. Angela and Ash both wear black, fittingly in his case, surprisingly, perhaps, in hers. Angela's red cape and accessories are a notable difference. There are implied oppositions in their names, too - angel, on the one hand, ash reminiscent of hell on the other - but their dress also suggests similarities, and the name “belonging to God” could also be read as another tie.

Both siblings are also the only characters so far (as far as I can recall) to show physical evidence of their time in the game. Angela has a stump for an arm that she keeps partly hidden under a cape. Dominic has a faded red mark on his chest that he ordinarily hides in public, but that we glimpse in a private moment:

If these marks are hidden, to some extent, it would seem that Ash and Angela have nonetheless also chosen to dress like their characters in the game (unlike Matt, Isabelle, and Chuck). Ash is immediately recognizable as the character in all-black, as the Dictator with an openly visible bright red mark and some sort of stone? embedded into her chest. (One could imagine the faded star-like scar on Ash as the result of having the stone taken out.) Angela also remains dressed in black and a red cape as Neo, only with a cybernetic arm attached to her stump.

I'm especially fascinated by Neo's/Angela's arm. Did she lose her real arm to a cybernetic replacement by asking as a child to be a "cyberpunk" character? Is this her own envisioned character design or did the game - or Sol - choose it for her? Or did she simply lose the arm in the course of living the game, thus becoming more like the cyberpunk character in actuality? Choice and determinism are clearly themes here, together with the question of identity.

On that note, there are striking resemblances between the identities chosen for roleplay and the real-life jobs - roles - of the five who returned. Most of the "gang" is working some facet of gameplay, as though they couldn't quite leave that part of them behind, as though this is who they are. 

Matt teaches statistics, which in a game regulated by dice will likely prove useful. 

Angela codes games in some capacity, cyber-punk in at least the former sense. We don’t know much about the nature of this reality, but she might be best-equipped to probe its underpinnings.

Ash, who dictates throughout the issue in the sense of determining what can be dictated, what can be said, who is our primary narrator and thus editor, who in the game plans and controls the geas prohibiting certain speech, works in marketing. A job that involves persuading people to buy things they don't want or need, persuading people into actions, and dictating the narrative that is told about something on the market (actually I have no idea what marketing entails, this is me speculating). 

Chuck makes his money writing fantasy novels that get made into films; he's the one who games the game, who learned to exploit the game, who still acts like a fool, like time cannot touch him and who also seems to be a real creep. (Chuck disturbs me, I think, not because he marries a woman twenty years his junior, but because he marries her as a kind of substitute for a girl whose name he never learned in school, a girl he idolized as an image; with him, the ethics of substitution and simulation are a pressing question.)

Isabelle also specializes in storytelling, but could be considered Chuck's opposite in some sense. She doesn't write stories for money, she teaches literature to kids and thus probably also teaches criticism (a form of binding gods, perhaps); she certainly critiques herself for not being "woke" as a kid herself. Isabelle has also already criticized Ash / Dictator for making choices that led to their ending up back in the game, setting up an interesting dynamic between the leader who dictates and the critic who sees what isn’t said. But this most critical of the five has also seemingly forgotten some aspects of gaming - where she was quick to correct Chuck for referring to the singular of dice as dice when they were sixteen, she herself is corrected by Ash for making that error in the present.

Anyway. I loved this first issue [edit: tumblr deleted the cut for some reason, sorry!]

[cryptobully-blog]

Planning For The Crypto Price Recovery | Hacked.com

http://cryptobully.com/planning-for-the-crypto-price-recovery-hacked-com/

Planning For The Crypto Price Recovery | Hacked.com

Bitcoin fell below $8,000 this week. There have been many articles saying that we will be stuck in a “purgatory” following the bear market, as compared with previous bitcoin cycles. I usually don’t agree with technical people, but they could also be right from a fundamental perspective. New buyers aren’t going to be joining when the SEC is trying to arrest people for trying to start a business. The purgatory could be us waiting on the sidelines until the rules are set. We need the American public.

Eight percent of Americans are invested in cryptocurrency, and 4% will be “joining eventually,” according to recent data. Seventeen percent American Millennials own cryptocurrency. That is absolutely nothing. The main reasoning behind why the other 83% don’t own it is because it is “too complicated”. I know people who have put large sums into the cryptocurrency market and don’t understand what distributed ledgers have to do with bitcoin. Lack of knowledge is a very silly problem to have, especially when the benefits are so apparent.

Coins can provide the security that credit cards can’t. In 2016, there were over 15 million identity thefts related to credit cards in America alone. That is one in 16 people who were affected. All of us know that these credit card numbers are constantly being bought and sold on the dark web. There is nothing for these people to take hold of if everyone is transacting with coins. You have private wallet addresses, sure. But you can’t pay for something in a private wallet address. I have said before, paying for something in Litecoin was a very pleasant experience. They gave me a QR code, I snapped it with my smartphone, and the transaction was done. No expiration dates or CVC codes being inputted into websites/swiped over and over again.

American Regulations

As it stands, the true way in America to offer a coin is through a regulation D offering. Regulation D offerings cannot be listed on crypto exchanges, and accredited investors must only exchange it with other accredited investors. The Regulation D offering legal fees range in the 6 Figures (priced in USD). This is called a barrier to entry. Millennials have not had access to high paying jobs yet, as only 16% have saved more than $100,000 in some capacity. They aren’t going to blow it all on an ICO regulation fee.

This is what led me to see how drastically different other countries were handling blockchain technology and its use cases. My first stop in Singapore was refreshing! They were actively trying to encourage blockchain in their financial services sector through federal incentive programs (ITMs). With a population of roughly 5 million, they have the ability to adapt to change very quickly. Their prime minister is close to holding a weekly talk show on the subject. In my opinion, this country would be very hard to beat in terms of favorable conditions for cryptocurrency investors and investments.

My next stop is Switzerland. The country that many have considered a haven for all things banking and discretion, Switzerland has been the trusted holder of valuable things for hundreds of years. Their history in global banking is what makes them such an interesting choice for an ICO. As a politically neutral country, they have the ability to connect many financial pieces that other countries are too emotional to do. Cryptocurrency seems to be flourishing within Switzerland, giving rise to the first Crypto Valley.

Background

The first modern Swiss banks were established in 1741 to manage the wealth of Swiss mercenaries (fought for foreign armies for pay) and merchants. Some of the banks are still recognizable on hedge fund DDQs – Lombard Odier (1796) and Pictet Group (1805).

Today, the banking industry accounts for 11.6% of GDP, and employs over 100,000 people both domestically and abroad. It is estimated in 2016 the Swiss banking sector managed over $6 trillion dollars in a variety of different account types and instruments. In 2007, that figure was $2.7 trillion – a record in those days. Countries around the world rely on Switzerland so much, they decided to make it all of their hubs. The Bank of International Settlements acts as the conduit between all member central banks. It was founded and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.

The country’s formal relationship with cryptocurrency began in 2013 and has since evolved into a set of ICO rules that were provided to us 2/2018 by FINMA, the regulatory watchdog of Switzerland. Blockchain has shown to be of great interest to the country, as there are plenty of things that I am sure they would like to enhance about their banking and transaction processes with an AUM of over $6 trillion.

Legal Rules

Banking Law of 1934

The law that made everyone love Switzerland was passed in 1934. These laws made it a criminal act to reveal the name of a bank account holder. The bank accounts are numbered, and they reserve the right never to reveal the identity of an account holder to tax authorities or foreign regulators. Also conveniently in Swiss law is the difference between tax evasion versus tax fraud. To put it simply, they believed the former was tolerable.

This law was challenged in 2007 after whistle blower Bradley Birkenfeld outlined just how large Switzerland’s underground economy was becoming. His report showed the UBS was actively soliciting tax evasion strategies to American clients, even going as far as bringing encrypted computers into the country.

The aftermath caused Switzerland to make the unprecedented decision to provide documentation via UBS of thousands of tax evaders from the United States. Over time, the G20 countries led the charge to demand treaties to be signed with Switzerland to cooperate with tax regulators, and to abolish the differences between tax evasion and fraud. The United States eventually left the final blow for themselves, in which they forced a new Swiss law in 2014 to make bankers work with tax authorities according to Foreign Account Compliance Act.

The regulatory body that was born out of debate was the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In their Mission Statement they encourage “soft laws,” but treaties may be necessary. Clearly, that was the case for the Swiss. Now the focus has shifted to the new place for foreigners to take their money and hide it: Singapore. That will be wishful thinking, as Singapore’s response to the global community was to enhance security measures to protect client identities, not limit it. Overall, the global game of hide and seek continues.

Regulators

FINMA

This is eerily similar to MAS in Singapore. Enacted in 2007, FINMA merged all financial regulation under one roof to provide a unified front for the entire industry within the country. Because UBS and Credit Suisse are so vital to the country’s economy, they have dedicated teams working with each company to ensure there is an open dialogue between the government to resolve issues immediately. The trend with these crypto-friendly countries is they have one single regulatory body.

An example of their nimble structure was in the UBS tax evasion scandal. FIMMA was entrusted by the Swiss government to be the intermediary between UBS and the US Government. They dictated the terms of providing names of US citizen tax evaders. FINMA was eventually halted by a Swiss administrative court from releasing all names, but this tale is for future reference on just how much power they have within the country to dictate outcomes.

The U.S. has more than five regulatory bodies, all of which need funding and a seat at the table. With such a rapid development like cryptocurrency, I am always looking at how many agencies have power over it. The FBI shut down Mt. Gox, the SEC has handed out subpoenas to ICOs and Hedge Funds, and the IRS has gone after Coinbase. I could keep going. Each one needs their head on a stick to bring back for the meeting on budgets for the next year. Those heads on a stick are presented to people who have been running campaigns on bank money since the start of their careers, clearly this system isn’t going to produce innovative financial infrastructures before countries like Singapore and Switzerland. 

VQF

The SRO who seems to be taking the lead on cryptocurrency within the country. They were established in 1998 in Zug to oversee and educate anti-money laundering practices within the country. Read the following for more:

“In addition, since 2009 the VQF has also exercised the function of an Industry Organisation for Asset Managers (BOVV) with professional rules of conduct officially recognised by FINMA. As such, the VQF contributes towards protecting and strengthening the interests of financial intermediaries and their investors, as well as the interests of Switzerland as a financial centre.”

Their role changed in 2009, now gaining the ability to oversee and regulate financial intermediaries and their investors. The laws were almost designed for blockchain and ICO regulation. According to FINMA rules, you must either be under their direct supervision, or an SRO’s. This SRO seems to be very crypto-friendly. Their main concern is Anti Money Laundering, and other than that they are not designed to intervene.

Government Timeline

2013

Spring/Fall

Niklas Nikolajsen founded Bitcoin Suisse AG, a bank, wealth manager, and service provider for the cryptocurrency community within the country. Based out of Zug, Switzerland, Bitcoin Suisse is the first company regulated under VQF. This was an unprecedented decision by the SRO to allow digital asset banking to be conducted in the country, especially when you take into account the immaturity of the market at the time. Bitcoin Suisse also had a network of ATMs that were within Zurich, but remained offline until full government approval (ATMs were approved by FINMA).

Winter

The government of Switzerland considered adding bitcoin to its list of foreign currencies allowed to be transacted within the country. This would ensure Bitcoin Suisse’s perpetual existence within the country, along with giving the government powers to regulate it as such.

2014

June

In response to the postulates (requests for information) from parliament, the Swiss Federal Council stated that virtual currencies are “not in a legal vacuum” and their regulation was not needed at this time. To me, this was an even better answer than what the pro-bitcoin people were hoping for. The government was going to allow this all to pan out before definitions and labels

2015

Franz Gruter, a Swiss Parliament official, filed multiple motions to change the definition of a bank to make it easier for cryptocurrency companies to do business. His main point of contact was Xapo (Wallet provider) CEO Wences Cesares, who was working with regulators on moving his business to the country. For half of 2015, Gruter kept his motions live. This was in annoyance of the government, who repeatedly told him they were not interested in making such large changes.

In June, Cesares and Gruter were approached by FINMA personnel who told them that they would soon be releasing regulations that were designed to open up the barriers to entry for blockchain company operations. Gruter rescinded his motions.

FINMA did not disappoint. They began to offer “fin-tech licenses” to businesses, with capital requirements of $300,000 to remain within compliance. The rules of Fin-tech licenses? Here is FINMA’s response:

“Leaving institutions free to implement the requirements in a way that takes account of their differing business models and of the particular risks associated with them.”

Couldn’t get more free and open than that, can you?

2016

The local government in Zug, Switzerland proved to be the first city that wanted in on the revenue that blockchain companies were beginning to produce. In an effort to appeal to the nature of a “de-centralized” utopia, they began to accept up to 200 CHF in Bitcoin to pay for government services. There were only 10-15 transactions within the year, but this was the marketing piece that Zug needed early on to attract talent.

CODE is Born

Centrally Organized Distributed Entity, or CODE, was created by a consortium of blockchain professionals now living in Switzerland. The focus was to try to create a legally complaint ICO framework that FINMA/VQF would approve as a legal way to operate. The Ethereum Foundation, Consensys Project, and Zug law firm MME were the co-authors. By the end of 2016, there were 12 projects using the CODE framework to operate their blockchain companies in Switzerland.

2017

Crypto Valley Assocation

The same folks who created CODE wanted to formalize it. This consortium of cryptocurrency and blockchain professionals were getting country-wide support from FINMA, VQF, the Swiss Government, and the many different entrepreneurs now working within their framework. The result was the Crypto Valley Association. Their website describes the launch in the following terms:

“In January 2017 the Crypto Valley Association was established as a professional organization to coordinate, accelerate, and scale the further development of Crypto Valley into the world’s best ecosystem for crypto technologies and businesses. The founding members included Bitcoin Suisse, Bussmann Advisory, iprotus, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Luxoft, Monetas, and Thomson Reuters.”

The Swiss incumbents were able to create something very quickly that the government accepted. This association would be the conduit between the blockchain community and government officials that were trying to regulate them. This does NOT exist in any other country, especially in this type of format. The Swiss listen to their citizens. They want to help.

Personal Taxes

The government clarified once again that they would be joining Spain in saying that Bitcoin is not subject to VAT. The opinion of accountants in December 2017 is that all cryptocurrencies would not be subject to capital gains, but they would also not be able to report losses as well. The government still deemed it to be a reportable asset on tax bills each year. American taxation is still supposed to be charged at full capital gains rates.

2018

January

With more than 500 individual and corporate partners apart of CVA, it was time to upgrade CODE ICO Procedures into something more formal. In January 2018, CVA produced the updated code of conduct for all Swiss cryptocurrency and blockchain companies. Although not explicitly said, this was approved FINMA, who has been working with CVA exclusively on regulation. The following quote from the Crypto Valley Association provides more:

“The Code calls on all organizations running an ICO to be fully transparent about all details pertaining to the process. Importantly, these details should be disclosed in a manner that can be easily understood even by those that are not technologically sophisticated. This includes being clear about how funds raised are intended to be used and how the token will function, as well as providing a clear risk assessment for the underlying technology.”

This is the widely accepted definition of a utility token. They want to make sure KYC and AML procedures are bank-level quality, but they are widely accepting global crowdfunding. If this code of conduct remains, it will be one of the most liberal interpretations of digital currency, especially with no capital gains taxes in the secondary market!

February/March

When any country like the U.S. begins to crack down on cryptocurrency, it prompts all of the other countries to re-evaluate their positions. One Swiss Finance Minister even said “I am just waiting for Washington to call Bern and ask what the hell we are doing in Zug.” The CVA has remained strong, and the government has not tried to disrupt the framework that they are building alongside regulators.

In February, FINMA came out with their own ICO guidance for companies that were interested in starting in the country. Still having an autonomous feel, the agency defined three different tokens, which are as follows:

Payment tokens are synonymous with cryptocurrencies and have no further functions or links to other development projects. Tokens may in some cases only develop the necessary functionality and become accepted as a means of payment over a period of time.

Utility tokens are tokens which are intended to provide digital access to an application or service.

Asset tokens represent assets such as participations in real physical underlyings, companies, or earnings streams, or an entitlement to dividends or interest payments. In terms of their economic function, the tokens are analogous to equities, bonds or derivatives.

In true Swiss fashion, FINMA let the door open just like its difference between “Tax Fraud” and “Tax Evasion.” They wanted utility tokens to still have a chance to be offered, but also needed to differentiate between coins that were blatantly either tied to hard assets or only for means of payment.

Conclusion

Swiss regulators have been doing cryptocurrency related work for years now. Each industry within the country has FINMA as its parent, but also has the freedom to work under direct guidance of an SRO that wants them to make money. VQF AND CVA are the two main contributors to policy in the country, and I can only hope that remains. These people aren’t trying to create a decentralized world filled with Monero and money laundering. They are just trying to conduct their businesses to serve the needs of a gigantic population struggling to find a home.

The differences between Switzerland and Singapore are surprisingly pretty large. MAS is not of the same level of intimacy as VQF. The SRO is literally located in Zug, and their indirect job is to keep the crypto guys happy. I like the level of care Swiss authorities have put into not only their regulation, but their dialogue. The 20 year-old genius from Russia, Vitalik Buterin, was immediately welcomed into the country via the Ethereum Foundation, and given an opportunity to give his opinion on how token offerings ought to be conducted. That type of outreach is not common, especially during blockchain infancy in 2014.

If I had to choose between the two, I would choose Singapore if I was not living there, and Switzerland if I was. Singapore just recently upgraded their account holder secrecy laws, and their ICO structure is purposely free-wheeling. They only care about AML and KYC. It seems as if Switzerland is being forced to regulate incrementally more, as their relationship with the United States is a crucial one.

On the other side of the coin (no pun intended), Switzerland’s infrastructure is designed to be resilient, and the amount of support you would get in a community like Zug is like nothing Singapore can offer right now. This isn’t just a meet-up group at a high end hotel; CVA is a quasi-regulatory body headed by the same people who started the blockchain commerce boom. It is an awfully good group to be close to during your design and implementation process.

This is not a recommendation to buy or sell cryptocurrency. Market looks like crap right now anyway. Please be safe, and always be on the lookout for government announcements. These are what is really affecting the market right now, and it is best to be prepared. Best of luck- @raijincrypto.

Featured image courtesy of Shutterstock.

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