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desultory-novice · 1 year

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Another Lightning Round!

This time, we're answering:

-Borb Feet -Shadow Dedede and The Mirror World's Dream Fountain -Kirby Royalty -Soul of Kirby?! -Forgiving the "unforgivable" Dream Friends (a lo~ng post for an old ask!)

Hee hee! I'll tell you what, anon, at first, I wasn't sure how to take this comment (something I mentioned on stream) because getting good at drawing feet on the internet is... well...you know!

But given I myself started this by pointing out how bad I was at it with Galacta Knight, I really do appreciate the compliment! Next on my list.... borb hands. I've seen so many people draw Kirby's n-nubs (?) in ways that really make them look so marshmallow-y and fun!

Hello?! That idea of the Star Rod never getting repaired after Shadow Dedede broke it?! Fantastic! Imagine it drying up, and of course, the effects something like that would have on the mirror world!

(Has anyone else stumbled across that gorgeous but haunting series of "bad end" pictures a certain Kirby fan artist did on Twitter? I remember one had Dedede with a dried up Dream Fountain. That's very much what I'm visualizing here!)

Now, I vague~ly recall that there's some debate about the "darkness in his heart" part of the Shadow Dedede pause screen? That the English version says it is Shadow Dedede who has to overcome his darkness whereas in the original, it is OUR Dedede who has to overcome his "shadow" that being Shadow Dedede.

...But just because it isn't saying that Shadow Dedede is trying to overcome something doesn't mean he doesn't represent a painful mark in both Dedede's histories. And such a "mistake" (unknown at the time) is an excellent possibility!

Lastly, thank you! The steady influx of lore and theories everyone drops into my inbox reminds me of my favorite parts of fandom in the old days and is a major treat!

This is NEAT! While they may not have known about each other in the past, you bring up a great point that after so many games, these various planets (dimensions? in the case of Fluff) are forging bonds with each other. Everyone likes the Galactic Star Alliance from the anime, right? What's interesting is that we kind of have a basis for such an "alliance" forming in our current Kirby-game verse!

Kirby has helped these monarchs get in contact with each other, becoming a link across multiple planets. So I think the idea of them getting together and talking now, in the present~post-game of Forgotten Land is a possibility! Let each other know if any suspicious activity is happening or if everyone is still doing all right.

Although that reminds me of something that came up in the stream... Since King Dedede is the "self-proclaimed" ruler of Dream Land... is there an ACTUAL ruler of Dream Land/Popstar waiting in the wings? Waiting for their return? Or sealed away even? (D-Dark Nebula, is that you?)

Either way, a meeting between those 5 sounds both intense and fun! I would love to come back to this idea with a sketch or illustration of some kind!

I'm digging into the backlog for some of these. Also, I can't believe I never answered this one?! Sorry if this ask is too old even for you, @emeraldcoloredwinter

(I'm also sorry in case I did in fact answer it in the past and can't find it - because Tumblr's search is really unreliable. If I repeat myself here, I'm sorry. If not and this turns out to be relevant...great!)

Frankly, I would love to see all kinds of soul lore expanded upon in future games. Partly because I have my headcanons as to why Sectonia/Pres. Haltmann died for realz versus why Marx and Magolor came back and if we get more tidbits, I can come closer to completing my conspiracy corkboard!!

(As well as figure out just where Drawcia lays in the current state of "canon." And maybe figure out some stuff about Zero, Zero 2 and the Dark Matters and what happened to them!)

On the one hand, I feel like Void did a rea~lly bang up job at feeling like you were battling the soul of Kirby. Or at least "a Kirby." I mean, seeing Kirby's face appear on Void, with all those childish movement patterns and that smile before defeat?

But Void was also composed of a variety of thoughts and feelings, so it wasn't exactly our Kirby. Then we've got the Shadow Kirby battles in Kirby Fighters 2, which also come somewhat close in concept, as you're fighting someone with the same ability set as you. That would be another good way to do it, I think.

But it still doesn't quite scratch that itch, does it? ... Now, I feel silly that I can't remember if this is a real thing or I'm just combining a bunch of games in my head (I-I may be old but I'm decades away from the point where I should have to fear being senile!!) but watching some Castlevania longplays... there was a part of one of the games where you go through one of the old castles, right? Maybe it wasn't in black and white, but it is in my memories.

And Kirby had a part like that too, in one of the games! At least, I think it did...? (Okay, maybe I AM going senile...)

:cough: That aside, something like those visuals above when combined with the feelings evoked by the 8-bit nostalgia portion of Void Termina's The Star Conquering Traveler Suite...

I can only imagine it would be sad. Maybe it would involve some kind of sacrifice or some kind of origin story. A time-travel game even? Something that takes us back to our favorite hero's beginnings. Despite it inevitably being THE penultimate fight, I can't picture it being a big dramatic battle so much as one of those interactive cutscenes, or something with never-seen-before-now gameplay elements. But it would feel like a true goodbye to the Kirby series. Oh, it might be able to continue on past that, just like things didn't end after the Star Allies completion picture either.

...But expect a lot of fears (and tears!) of something happening when it finally did.

Personally, I can't help but think Kirby's Soul would look like Retro Kirby or Popopo from Twinkle Popo. It might not even be called "Kirby's Soul" but have a more archetypical name like "Soul of a Traveler" or "Soul of Youth."

...Soul of the Spring Breeze.

Another super old one. Gah, me and my slowness... The sad thing is, I had nine~ty percent of this written out a while ago but just didn't know how to finish it. I'm so sorry about that, @vexx-ation !

It was a really good ask though and I'm glad I gave it another shot. Now then, I think that in large part, this would boil down to who was most harmed by those characters and in what ways!

[Dark Meta Knight]

Dark Meta Knight is the biggest mystery because... DMK refuses (or can't) talk to anyone so we know nothing about his feelings. And we don't even know how he returned the first time after death (?)

Meta Knight is the one DMK has arguably hurt the most (excluding maybe Kirby) but I feel like Meta Knight is also the one who needs nothing from DMK to understand forgive them. It really all depends on where Dark Meta Knight is coming from. Was DMK a willing agent in Dark Mind's takeover? Then Meta Knight would be more hard on/untrusting of his shadow for certain. But being his mirror counterpart, I think he would take it as a sign of something lacking in himself. That he is only one step away from making such a turn. But if you, like me, think that the placement of certain objects and events in Amazing Mirror (Radish Ruins as DMK's "stage" and Shadow Kirby showing up one last time before you face off against DMK) are indicative that something more subtle is going on, Meta Knight may not even require an apology from DMK at all. Either DMK was manipulated or was attempting to manipulate the situation in the Mirror World's favor. In which case Meta would just silently nod and go on with his day.

Then there's King Dedede, who, at least in his own parallel mode, was seemingly attacked at random by DMK. That certainly puts them off on a wrong start, but I also think that Dedede would be able to eventually laugh it off and compare it some of his Meta Knight's more belligerent actions in the past (something that would probably fluster Meta Knight, as he wouldn't expect that comparison, mirror counterpart or no.) IE: I find it hard to believe the guy with a wrestling ring in his castle would hold an ambush against somebody for long, especially as he won.

It would take Bandee probably a bit to come to terms with the scary version of someone he most likely respects, but DMK has his cute (?) side too (like in his idle animation) so I think Bandee could come to accept DMK, especially after both Meta Knight and Dedede express that they no longer hold any hard feelings toward the dark knight.

Kirby would probably be the closest thing to a "holdout" here, only because Dark Meta DID ambush two of his friends (depending on the timelines) and he'd want to know that's not going to happen again. Afterwards though? DMK's right to be a part of the group is never questioned again!

[Susie]

Susie... ahhh, Susie. Let's just note that all the classic Susie discourse disclaimers go here and remind everyone once more that they're on a Susie-friendly blog and to some of you, what I am going to say may come off as being exceptionally "light" on Susie's crimes. It is what it is, however. If you want a brutal takedown of Susie, there are dozens of other blogs who will give it, I am certain. I can only go in-depth on things from my view of my Kirby-verse.

In random order: Bandee was the only one to not be incapacitated for large chunks of Planet Robobot's story and I believe that were the game to be remade in the modern style (or even had it been released on more powerful hardware than the 3DS) Bandee would have been a second player character just like in Forgotten Land. And if we assume that of him, then we can assume Bandee would have been exposed to Susie's entire plotline same as Kirby.

Bandee is, at least in the novel-verse (and it's not a bad HC in general) the most empathetic member of the Dream Team. Bandee can sympathize with and care about just about anyone. And Bandee might have been wondering if there was something going on with Susie before even Kirby started to see the cracks in the secretary's facade of corporate perfection.

While Bandee wouldn't like the things she, her father, and the HWC have done to Popstar, I think that once he sees where she's come from, his own anger would be tempered down. That everything reverts at the end (ironic (?) that everything is almost "magically healed" except the Haltmann's shattered family bonds) would be enough of a relief for Bandee that I think he could move on to looking at Susie as just a person. (And isn't he the one in the novel who gives her the pocketwatch back or am I mis-remembering that?)

I actually think Susie "as a friend" could be more intimidating to Bandee that Susie as an enemy. She's a sympathetic enemy. As a friend, she might be a considered too "extra" for the small warrior Dee! XD

On that note...I don't know why, but in most cases, I just see King Dedede as being very forgiving toward people in trouble. Oh, he will grumble about it to no end! But I don't see him EVER hurting anyone while they're down.

Of course, Dedede was also unconscious for 99% of Planet Robobot. Was he even awake when his DNA was stolen? Does he know? I mean, not knowing wouldn't be great at all, but I can't help but think that more than being harvested and bottled, his biggest concern, just based on his priorities, would be that his castle got destroyed AGAIN. Why can't the poor man keep a castle?! He didn't even do anything this time!! (Even the Halberd made it!) So, yeah, imagine a confrontation with Susie and Dedede and Susie tries to imagine all the things Dedede is going to call her out for and no, he's just upset about his castle getting wrecked. Susie is surprised he even cares about that "dinky, dusty old thing" and thus, a shouting match begins.

But again, I don't think it would last for too long. I think the things Dedede and Susie would clash on would be petty things. Dedede is pretty manly in his interests and Susie is very girly. They're blue and pink, even. I think Dedede would forget or just plain ol' not care about Susie's more "human rights" crimes and make MOUNTAINS out of the little things. Although they do share a love of machinery, and that might be something that would bring peace to the VERY petty disagreements. At least until Susie chastises Dedede for using "old parts" while Dedede goes on an old man rant about how those old parts are three times as reliable as all this easy to break new stuff! (Dedede is the equivalent of the guy who put his first car together by hand. Susie is the "born plugged in" type.) So, yes, they fight, but not for the reasons you think. ^^;

...As for Meta Knight, I think countless paragraphs have already been written on these two and most people know where I fall about now. Meta Knight, whether we saw it happen on screen or not, was able to figure out what Susie's deal was faster than anyone else, and while he didn't care for having his autonomy stolen (not to mention, I can't imagine he liked all the bulk of his un-asked for cybernetic upgrades. Mecha Knight is a tank. A stark contrast to Meta Knight's fast "here and away" style.) But if anyone in the entire FRANCHISE understands that sometimes your morals take a backseat for your goals, it would be him and now that the dust has cleared and the HWC was on the losing side with Susie as it's sole survivor (speaking brutally) there's no reason to be angry with her anymore. That said, I believe that, much like happens in the fandom, Meta Knight probably gets questioned fairly often (by people who know) if he's upset at Susie, with some not believing its possible he wouldn't be. But I really think to him, it's just something that happens when you're pushed into a corner.

What Meta Knight would care about is not what Susie has done in her past (to him) but what she does now.

...That said, I think he will find an "excuse" to be somewhere else when she looks at him with stars in her eyes and a wrench in her hand. (I am a firm believer that the Star Allies scene is meant to be taken comically, not seriously. I have nothing against Mecha Knight unwanted modification angst but that scene should not be your sole "proof" such a thing exists.)

And of course, as for Kirby, Kirby has already accepted Susie. He ran to her side when she was injured. He agreed with her request to stop Star Dream, and he accepted her invader armor. There's nothing else to forgive. Acceptance is freely given.

Lastly...

[Marx]

Marx is the silly one. Very silly. I think, on my first draft of this post (I made the choice to write it again from scratch rather than base it on my previous version, so that it was up to date with my current feelings) I took the concept of Marx and forgiveness very seriously, but then I booted up Star Stacker (SNES) again and remembered that the story began because one day, Dedede saw a sparkling star flying through the sky and decided, "I'm gonna shoot it with a cannon!" So, in case this needs to be restated...

The people of Dream Land are absolutely buck wild.

Probably, due to the comparisons with his spiritual successor Magolor, there's been a casual attempt to try and make a bigger deal out of the "ship in a bottle" events of Milky Way Wishes.

I don't want to be a hypocrite here. I'm a huge fan of "Let's try to expand on Marx's backstory, personality, and motivations using every tiny scrap we've got" and I do so relatively shamelessly. I love the idea that there might have been buckets and buckets of angst and pathos behind his decision to trick Kirby into bringing Galactic Nova into Popstar's orbit so he could kick our beloved puffball into the darkness of space and wish to make the planet his own...

...but do I think that those acts in a vacuum are on the same scale as what all the other big, bad, last bosses have done?

Not really.

Well, not like the modern villains. Marx is a bit more like Dark Meta Knight or Daroach in the breadth of his bad guy-ness. His act harmed very few people in practice. It could have gone on to harm more eventually, had it succeeded. It might have even been devastating! Similar to if Dark Mind's reach was allowed to expand into the peaceful non-Mirror Popstar. Or if Dark Daroach went on to rule as the second coming of the Lord of the Netherworld!

But... it wasn't. The clown's dreams lasted only a few brief minutes. To the people on the surface, Nova exploding probably looked like no more than a shooting star. ("Everyone make a wish!")

...The only person Marx needs forgiveness from, then, is Kirby. And that is the story of several hundred different fanfics and fan theories and frankly, I enjoy all of them because the ~potential~ dynamic these two characters share is one of my favorite things in the series.

And, leaving the "middle" of that journey for we, the fan creators to come up with, I believe we can at least say that, in the end, the two seem to have made up successfully.

...Now, there's still the question of would the rest of the Dream Team LIKE Marx or forgive him upon hearing what he did! I think Meta Knight would be wary of him for a lot of reasons. He's unexpected and uncontrollable. He hopped in to attack the group during the Star Allies credit sequence. But Meta Knight also (in an alternate timeline) thought wishing on Galactic Nova for a ridiculously selfish wish was a perfectly sane thing to do so I gather he would have little issue with Marx's ambitions, if not his actions. And as for his attempted murder of Kirby, Meta Knight is :cough: also guilty of that so yeahhhh. Maybe he doesn't LOVE the jester's antics or even tolerate them, but he wouldn't decry them from a moral high ground...?

I personally love the idea that King Dedede is headache-inducingly familiar with Marx. I like the idea that Marx might have even gotten his title of "jester" thanks to King Dedede. According to the Dedede Encyclopedia entries on twitter, Dedede had no idea about Marx's attempted takeover of Popstar nor did he know about Marx's "true form." Thus, it's easy to imagine that to Dedede, Marx is nothing more than another cute, silly resident of Dream Land, like the Waddle Dees. He may even treat Marx with the same paternal kindness he gives the Waddle Dees. At least until Marx goes a step too far!

TLDR, I love the version of their relationship as implied in the Kirby Storybooks, where Marx is one of "those troublesome kids" who teams up with Kirby to play harmless pranks on Dedede. It's so crazy wholesome, something that you can't always say about Marx!

...Lastly, Bandee... Oh, empathetic little Bandee. I feel like Bandee would probably be the one to eye Marx the most critically. Because Bandee has eyes on the ground level to NOT be fooled like Dedede nor so extreme that he can't hold Marx accountable like Meta Knight. I think Bandee is probably the closest to Kirby in seeing Marx for who Marx really is, but doesn't have the "complex" relationship Kirby and Marx does that inspires Kirby to forgive him no matter what he does.

Not that I think they fight or don't get along, necessarily. (In fact, the sudden spike (?) in MarDee - am I spelling that right? - shippers has rekindled my interesting in their dynamic) But I do think that while Marx is giving everyone his "Who? Meeee?" eyes, Bandee is off on the side giving Marx a narrow-eyed look of "You don't fool me."

But again, I think that honesty may be something that could turn into a kind of closeness they don't have with others! Plus, biased, but I also completely love, love, love the idea that the one Waddle Dee who is tired of being "just a Waddle Dee" and the one Noddy who is tired of being "just a Noddy" have an understanding that none of the naturally over-powered residents of Popstar can ever understand.

It's possible to write them as rivals or enemies. These two, quite frankly, could be very cool together in a variety of ways!

#Kirby #Shadow Dedede #Dark Meta Knight #Susie Haltmann #Marx Kirby #King Dedede #Bandanna Waddle Dee #Meta Knight #Dess Rambling #Dess Theories #Dess Quick Asks

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toujokaname · 4 months

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Game master / Episode 22

Author: Akira

Characters: HiMERU, Rinne, Niki, Aira, Kohaku

"But you see, Akan-san's already dead."

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[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: Matrix Stage

HiMERU: Did you do all of this to return the favor of those people?

Rinne: Is that the Great Detective Merumeru's deduction? Well, if you wanna call it returning the favor, maybe?

Even now, I'm still actively working as an idol, surrounded by reliable companions.

I wanted to show off my cute little brother and my precious unit.

It's like a kid bragging to his mom about something shiny he found on the roadside.

Showing how well I've grown. Ain't that the greatest way to repay the producer who raised me?

HiMERU: When you talk about the producer who raised you, do you mean AkanP, who was in charge of you?

Rinne: Of course you'd be looking into that.

But you see, Akan-san's already dead.

Niki: Eh...?

T-Then, who was the Akan-san I just met earlier? Huh, a ghost?!

Rinne: Not a chance. Ghosts ain't real, you know that, right? Good grief, I swear, this is why middle school dropouts are—

Niki: R-Rinne-kun, you haven't even been to elementary school?!

Rinne: Right. Anyway, what I meant was that, in the eyes of the public, Akan-san's dead.

Aira: What does that mean...?

Kohaku: That really is all you've been sayin' lately, Rabu-han ♪

Rinne: There was that ghost story, right? About the staff of a paranormal TV show disappearing in the Amagi Village.

That was about Akan-san.

There was actually such a plan for a paranormal show. Akan-san pitched it, got the green light, and they went full throttle on the production.

If there's any lie in the ghost story I told you, it's that Akan-san was the only staff member involved.

She said she'd do some preliminary investigation before the actual shooting, and went to the Amagi Village alone.

And then, she disappeared.

That's how it's viewed by the public. Legally, if someone's missing for a long time, they're declared dead, right?

And so, Akan-san died. Or, more accurately, it was made to look that way.

Besides, from the get-go, the Amagi Village, like "Hoshijima" in Okinawa, was designated as a forbidden area by the God who ruled the idol industry.

So, while that might not be the case anymore, going against the rules set by God was taboo.

HiMERU: ......

Rinne: Because she violated such a taboo, no one searched for Akan-san's whereabouts—the program's project was treated as if it was never real.

No, it was as if Akan-san's very existence had been wiped out, like it was never there to begin with.

In reality, Akan-san wasn't what you'd call a great producer. Nobody would've been troubled if she disappeared.

Since any unnecessary meddling would be considered suspicious, her work history hasn't been erased and may still be floating around on the internet.

Akan-san disappeared. With just that half-baked explanation, everyone readily accepted it, and this story was forgotten. At the same time, probing into the matter became taboo.

With that in mind, I arranged for Akan-san's disappearance—her societal death.

Aira: Why would you do such a thing...?

Rinne: You get it, don't you? You've all been ridiculed as "inferior students" and "problem children."

We were lucky enough to make a comeback against all odds. But there were plenty of others who didn't.

Even in the summer restoration chaos, many vanished. We really were just the lucky ones.

By chance, we happened to win the gamble.

Rinne: Akan-san couldn't win. Thoroughly ridiculed as a useless producer, a landmine producer, she was sidelined at work, never to recover, left stranded.

Unable to continue working as a producer, the job she loved so much, she lost all hope to keep on living.

When Akan-san was in that state, I gave her a second chance at life. It was my way of repaying all that she had done for me.

Akan-san was declared dead to the public, and moved to my hometown.

She's still living well even now. She found a new job, got married, and even had a child in our hometown.

Incidentally, that child's name is Takashi, the same one Otouto-kun ran into.

Rinne: He's the spitting image of us. Or rather, of Otouto-kun, right?

It looks like we're pretty close relatives, so we look alike thanks to our strong Amagi blood ♪

Because of that, our dumbass father seems to dote on him, rambling in his sleep about wishing he could make him the next head instead of useless me.

Kid seems to be keen on it himself; there's talk he's idolizing the current head, yours truly. They should just cut it out, though, being the monarch of a village of backwardness that's slowly rotting away.

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#akira #event story #matrix #himeru #rinne #niki #aira #kohaku

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kendrixtermina · 10 months

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Misleading Claims about Gaza I’ve seen flying around

So I want to speak to a set of claims I’ve seen flying around that, while not 100% lies, get presented in a hugely misleading way.

I, a rando with an internet connection, was able to find with a simple google & wikipedia search that they were severely taken out of context.

1. They threw a gay person off a roof

Never happened.

This is a clear echo off of roof-related execution done by ISIS meaning to conflate the orgs in the mind of an uneducated westerner who doesn’t know how ME political groups are different.

There was indeed one (1) case of a person being accused of being gay & then executed (not by being thrown off a roof) – but that was among a long list of other crimes, & their relatives say it’s a pretext/slander to cover internal hamas power struggle.

Not great, part of a larger tendency to be repressive toward some rival factions, but hardly „systematic persecution and executions of gays“.

While it’s not exactly Amsterdam, there is no systematic or legally encoded persecution. There are cases of ppl being shunned or kicked out by their family, but you can say the same about, say, Alabama.

I’ve come across various posts by LBTQ people who travelled there and were not especially harassed. One even wore a flag pin.

A common thing you hear is that ppl are too busy just surviving & ending their more general oppression to worry too much about stuff like holding a pride march.

2. It’s forbidden to teach the holocaust in Gaza

This should have you very suspicious if you’re aware how little control Palestinians actually have over their education system and how they’re often handed textbooks with pro-zionist curriculums that present the Nakba as good (!) - to the point that arab students in mixed town hear their teachers call them the „enemy“ & younger palestinian educators often have not heard of famous palestinian writers & poets.

Indeed the claim probably goes back to a single dispute about a single UN course on human rights where Hamas officials expressed concerns about a curriculum that might include the holocaust for fear of indoctrination & zionist propaganda.

(Not an unreasonable fear, if you’re aware of the racist textbooks issue.)

During the discourse, there was an individual Hamas official who made some statement to the effect that the holocaust was probably just another lie made up by the Zionist to justify taking their country.

The man hasn’t been in power for years, btw (a good thing, seeing as he seems ignorant & incendiary) – genuine L for that guy & Hamas for hiring him. Not defending him at all, that guy is an idiot. But its NOT a comprehensive ban on the subject at all (indeed many Palestinians you see online seem quite well-informed)

But note how the claim is often presented in a way to evoke western neo-nazis who have long been motivated to explain away the biggest argument as to why their ideology is a bad idea.

Can you really compare these situations, though?

Make no mistake: The holocaust defo happened.

But why do I know this? Because I’ve read books by survivors as well as accounts of US & russian soldiers who found the mess. I’ve been to Dachau on a school trip & the walls of the gas chambers still had nail marks on them. I’ve been to that house in prague where all the walls are covered in victim’s names. My grandmother saw the infamous auschwitz human skin lamp with her own eyeballs. Heck, her father in law narrowly survived by jumping out of one of those death trains.

Now, does an older arab guy in a besieged, impoverished enclave have access to that proof? It’s not like he can travel to europe & go to a museum.

Also, as someone who went to an european school, I remember being told precious little about the middle east and some of it was stereotypic bullshit. So why would an arab guy living under a much worse-funded education system know much more about european history?

He’s used to the zionists spouting 2+2 = 5 lies, propaganda & spin all the time, so if he doesn’t know a lot about europe, he might jump to the conclusion that this thing they use to justify the conquest of his home is probably a lie as well.

Quite different from an european neo nazi denying mountains of proof out of wounded pride. (or because he actually thinks it was nbd but can’t say so publicly)

It’s kinda like the way radfems refuse to believe that men aren’t making up all their problems...

Again, it’s an L for that hamas guy, kids have nothing to fear from learning accurate facts about foreign countries, I'll always be against censorship & pro free information.

But one (1) idiot politician saying something offensive does NOT equal the subject being explicitly banned from discussion in all gazan schools.

The claim also leaves out the context that since Hamas also provides schooling & welfare there’s a bit of a rivalry/power struggle between it & the aid orgs (golly gee, I wonder why a population utterly abandoned by the international community would distrust foreigners...)

Something that was very telling about the post is „liberate gaza so they can finally learn about the holocaust!“ like its this all-important thing - I mean, it IS very important… if you’re european or jewish, cause in that case it massively impacted your civilization and your own family history. But it wasn’t the only mass murder nor the worst by method (rwanda) or number (stalinist purges) & doesn’t have this magic objective value, europe isn’t the navel of the earth & the ppl aren’t wrong not to want eurocentrism shoved down their throats.

I do think everyone should be taught about the evils of discrimination but probably a more natural place to start might be the armenian genocide, since Palestine used to be Ottoman. Or examples of discrimination in the arab world (including against jews)

I mean in that instance the guy was most likely being paranoid & advancing some power strugle agenda, & I’d say he was in the wrong, but the touchiness & concern about indoctrination has a reason & one instance of complaining about one course does NOT equal a general ban on the subject in schools. (many of which, are, after all, run by international orgs)

Frankly, a people living in a walled ghetto probably already know more about the evils of discrimination than anyone who doesn’t.

Also, it’s very ironic for Israel to go accusing others of denying atrocities when even mentioning the Nakba can cost you your academic career.

There’s no Israeli teens going to Nakba Museum and indeed school books portraying it as good that are forced on the arabs as well.

Imagine if a Romani, Jewish or Polish person in modern day Germany were forced to look upon textbooks full of common Nazi apologia like „Hitler built the Motorways“, „But Dresden!“ and „We only lost WWI cause the socialists backstabbed us!“ (For the record, all of those are all bullshit.)

3. When Israeli settlers pulled out of Gaza, the first thing they did is raze the synagogues

Again, this is deliberately phrased to remind westerners or diasporic jews of neo-nazis throwing molotovs and the like (if only our governments did as much against those as they’re presently doing to slander anti-war protesters… ), to trigger immediate sympathy for Israel & portray gazans as a bunch of vandalizing hatecrimers.

As the previous claims, this is „very loosely based on a true story“ as in it technically did happen but there’s a lot of context missing, such as:

Israel demolished TONS of Mosques & Christian Churches during the Nakba, or worse, turned them into warehouses bars & factories.

Settlers did horrific violence to ppl in Gaza. In one example, a house was burned with a toddler still inside. Settlers mocked & harassed the kid’s grandfather

When they pulled out, they destroyed the entire settlement, infrastructure & farming equipment so the locals couldn’t use it

They even considered destroying the synagogues themselves but then left them as the only buildings standing & tried to have them declared unesco heritage (possibly a ploy to maintain a presence in the strip after all or leave a backdoor to return, creating a strategic incentive to destroy them so the settlers wouldn’t have an excuse to come back)

We are talking about blocky cement structures a new as the settlements, NOT historic buildings (unlike the destroyed Mosques & Churches)

religious symbols & cultic objects were removed when the settlers left. Obviously. Why would they possibly leave it?

So what do we have left?

Some people vented their rage at empty concrete buildings that had no religious items in them, had no history and were never going to be used again. - which they were somewhat justified as seeing as symbols of domination leaving their mark on „their“ home, like a cat’s territorial piss markings, so it might as well be interpreted as an act of defiance against colonial power.

Still technically vandalism against a religious building, not very diplomatic, do not recommend etc.

but at the same time rather different from the idea suggested by „the first thing they did is raze the synagogues“… for once thing, there was nothing else left to raze cause the Israelis already did it themselves, it was retaliation for Palestinian sacral buildings being trashed & a response to finding out that israelis would destroy good farm tools rather than let them have it, and it was an interchangeable concrete block empty of actual synagogue stuff. - whereas without the context you are probably imaging hooligans singling out the synagogues out of useful, intact buildings, a unique historic building being thrashed or the cultic objects & holy books being broken & desacrated, similar to historic cases of nazi arson or russian pogroms. That just didn't happen.

The double standard, too, is very telling: This act of vandalism means gazans are evil hatecrimers out to get all the jews & means they can't be negotiated or made peace with, but Israelis’ much more widespread & systematic destruction of churches & mosques is assigned no such interpretation. Golly gee I wonder why.

Again, the point here is NOT to portray local government as perfect & flawless (what government is?) or to say that none of this stuff was bad. But sporadic events are being inflated into nonexistent systemic patterns, as well as misrepresented to appeal to very particular tropes & cliches to blatantly manipulate ya'lls emotional reactions.

#gaza #free gaza #palestine #free palestine #israel #zonism #hasbara

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kiruuuuu · 4 years

Text

Doc/Lion oneshot in which Lion suffers from the consequences of being tortured. (Rating M, hella angst + some comfort, ~3.3k words) - written for @renegad3spectre! Thank you a ton for commissioning me, I really really enjoyed this prompt, just took it and ran with it. It was a pleasure, all the love to you 🧡🧡🧡

Horrifically, it’s his grandfather delivering the blows.

He’s got fond memories of him, of sweets smuggled into his pocket, repeated stories ever-changing from one retelling to the next, quiet banter loud enough for him to hear but muffled enough that he suppressed his own laughter. He smelled of books and wood and old people, and that must’ve been it – the building had held a heavy, stale air which probably triggered the association, unwanted as it is.

So now the creature in his head, the remnant, the ghost haunting his mind wears his grandpa’s face like it owned it, like it had absolutely any right. It hurts more this way. It hurts to be called a disgrace, worthless, useless. It hurts to be disowned, it hurts to hear I have no grandson and it hurts to be accused of killing them, you killed them, your hand held the scalpel and this particular voice coming from his grandfather’s mouth is even more disturbing.

Who do you work for, he yells, unforgiving, merciless, and now his features shift, skin discolouring and eyes sinking into their holes to make way for nothing but darkness, and soon it’s the familiar sight of a brutal, faceless monster, concealed by a mask, surrounded by others looking exactly like him, supported by clones. Where are they, they scream at him in unison, who else. And he wants to answer, wants so desperately to reply to make it stop, is willing to give up anything, everything, if only it means this unbearable noise in his head quiets down. But his thoughts are made of tar, spread slowly and directionless, impossible to wade through. Words elude him, fade like smoke whenever he attempts to grasp them, endeavours to put this horrendous suffering into a single sentence.

Not like any expression he knows would be sufficient to describe this torture.

He doesn’t know what’s real. At times, he’s losing himself in a loud beat and a steaming crowd, coloured lights sweeping overhead and music seeping into his bones, and he knows he needs to reunite with his friends to keep partying, keep the night alive. It’s convincing enough he can taste the cheap drinks in his throat and feels naked, sweaty arms brush over his own on the dance floor – and the next second a blinding light pierces his skull and there are too many people around him he doesn’t know. They sound alarmed, eyes wide, and it sparks an instant, shrieking panic: something is wrong and he has no idea what it is. The strangers refuse to let him go, hold him down, and he tries to explain while the sterile stench they exude causes his stomach to churn and turn.

Most of the time, his ears are filled with accusations. The source is constantly evolving but what stays is the nauseating sense of dread. His heart races against the rest of his bodily functions and easily wins every time since his senses are sluggish, his perception unreliable and his thoughts wrapped in cotton. Grimaces of fury are persistent companions, and though he can’t put a name to all of them, their familiarity cuts deep. His mother, his former friends, his father, his sister. Alexis. Claire. The guy he met in Marseille who pretended to be his friend. Doc. Thatcher. An abomination from that cursed city Lion tries so hard to forget. Doc. The masked entity, omniscient, omnipotent, terrifying. Alexis. Doc.

He understands.

Why people would betray their loved ones, their country, their morals – he understands now, and the realisation is as chilling as the experience. He begged to be able to tell them. Begged for his life, begged for his life to be taken. Begged for peace as opposed to the chaos inside him, and he knows now most people have no idea what chaos really means. They humanise it, award it positive or negative qualities yet Lion would tell them it’s neither malevolent nor merciful. It just is. Against it, he is nothing, smaller than a speck of dust, utterly inconsequential and unimportant: in the face of true chaos, he’s meaningless. All he can do is hope he survives it.

The room is empty, his eyes tell him, and his ears tell him the same, but his brain is convinced of someone’s presence, just out of sight. Pitiful noises fill the barren, bleak chamber and they come from him, but at least they summon another human. A human with Doc’s face, and then with a mask, and then it’s Doc’s face again. Lion buries his fingernails so deep into his arm he tastes copper on his lips and pleads for him to stay. He sounds like a broken record, this voice isn’t his, the syllables barely intelligible among the dry heaving and the sobs. Music starts playing, a loud riff reminiscent of his teenager years, signifying rebellion and freedom and the worst fucking period of his entire life, and Doc says your hand held the scalpel and he’s gone again.

More, he implored as if anything he said would sway them, yes, please. And he looked at the needle and hated it, despised himself for craving it like this, abhorred the ones who turned him into this, and simultaneously he needed. He needed it so much. Without it, he was broken.

His throat is hoarse from screaming, so the visions morphed from atrocious to tragic until he had no more tears left to cry, and then they went for the very core of him. And this, too, he understands now: why anyone would go above God and decide existence isn’t worth it anymore. If he’s being tested, he’ll gladly fail as long as it means silence. If he’s being punished, he’s ready to receive eternal punishment for it can’t be any worse than this.

Someone is calling his name. The man – the men – knew it because he told them, it was one of the many things he told them, so he fights tooth and nail to continue drifting in this vegetative state, but it grows ever more insistent and strips away the layers of mud obstructing his consciousness, leaving him no choice. He can’t remember what it’s like, to have a choice, to choose.

Long words are being thrown at him. He deciphers none and yet an image forms below his eyelids, less blurry with every new description. The professional tone of voice pushes him gently back to his days of studying, a time filled with diligence and the hope to make a difference, and his despairing brain latches on to the information like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood.

Delirium, the familiar voice lists, agitation, seizures, anxiety, hallucinations. Too many syllables to fully absorb, and still he deconstructs them halfway. The mask wouldn’t know them. And if it did, it wouldn’t use them around him.

He’s safe.

He must be, it’s the only valid conclusion, but why does his existence still hurt this much? Why is the world shaking, why is he slowly drifting away from everything he ever held dear, from his life, this earth, himself?

They have Alexis. The realisation jolts through him like an electric shock. He needs to rescue him somehow, together with the people by his side, yet he can’t shoot at the maniacally cackling crowd running away from him because he’s not sure which one of them has him, and he can’t risk hitting his own son. Risk harming his most important footprint on this world. The masked grimace tells him he’ll be too late, and besides, it was his own fault anyway: Lion willingly told them about Alexis’ whereabouts in exchange for his next fix.

And he did do that. He did that. These are the consequences of his own actions, his punishment for complying with minimal resistance instead of staying strong, remembering his training. He sacrificed his son for something this trivial. Offered him up in exchange for complacency. Put himself first.

People are screaming, Claire, his colleagues, his family, and he knows he must interfere if his life is meant to be worth anything anymore, and there’s a small voice inside his head, an old companion. Full of vitriol, pulling at threads to make him come undone, scratching at scabs to cause scars, widening holes so he’s incomplete. It suggests a scenario and with petrifying speed, he’s there to live it.

He has a choice. On the one side is his son, gagged, tears in his eyes, struggling against his restraints. On the other side is –

There’s a –

It’s a syringe.

“-s alright. You’re alright. Take a breath, Flament. You’re safe, you have nothing to worry about. Do you need to throw up?”

Paying no attention to the words, Lion is flailing, sitting up abruptly and touching his legs to check whether they’re still there, touches his face and feels blind panic flare up the moment he spots the object in the crook of his arm. He’s narrowly stopped from ripping it out by an iron grip against which he struggles wildly, demanding to be let go, knocking something over and shattering it.

The vice-like grip never once wavers, and gradually his surroundings begin to sink in. He’s in a hospital, it seems, and the person by his side is none other than Doc, trusty (your hand held the scalpel) Doc who’d never let a patient suffer more than absolutely necessary. Bleeding heart Doc. Doc with his stoic face which barely contains the rage undoubtedly roaring in his chest (and is it directed at Lion?).

From one second to the next, Lion deflates and sinks back into the pillows, thoroughly fatigued. His adrenaline wears off quickly and makes way for uncomfortable nausea and the sensation of itching limbs. He needs to move, needs to shake off this horrible feeling of having slept a decade, but he doesn’t trust his body. The hand finally lets go of his wrist and leaves behind a print even lighter than Lion’s skin already is.

“Alexis is safe, too”, Doc assures him.

Lion jumps at this. How does he know? His throat closes and opens, produces a dry rasp and forces him to cough. Next to him, Doc is waiting patiently. “Where is he?”, Lion eventually gets out.

“At home. He never left.” He sounds composed despite the storm clouds visible in his expression, so Lion isn’t the intended recipient of his cold fury. “You kept calling for him, so I figured you must be worried. But there’s no need for concern.”

“What happened?”

Doc pauses for a few seconds. “We apprehended the ones responsible. Fortunately, we intercepted their outgoing messages, so what little information you gave them never reached anyone else.”

If this was true, Lion could exonerate himself. He also takes note of how Doc is silent about the before. He must guess Lion remembers being captured, remembers what they did to him. Bruises on his body are evidence for some of it, and the hellish trip tells the rest of the story. “How much did I say?”

“Doesn’t matter. We caught it.”

“How much?”

“You shouldn’t worry about -”

“Gustave!”, Lion roars, desperate to be either condemned or redeemed. He needs to know, must know so he can better assess his own mental strength. So he knows what to confess. So he can pray for forgiveness.

Doc’s lips are a thin line. “I don’t know. Grace and Mark had an agreement with Harry not to disclose any details. He says it’s standard procedure to prevent potential animosity.”

Not good enough. He’ll never be able to look Alexis in the eyes again if it turns out he did mention him. How much of his memories are real, how much were part of his nightmares? “What about my son?”, he whispers and Doc just shakes his head.

“As I said: I don’t know. Try to get some rest, Flament.”

Just as he exits the room, Lion spots the deep scratches on Doc’s forearm. Please stay, just please, he yells at Doc in his head, unable to bend his lips around the words. Don’t leave me alone. Don’t leave me.

He starts crying again.

So weak is he that the tears won’t stop, can’t stop, a broken silhouette in the shape of a man. Fragmented, just like his thoughts. He can’t remember ever feeling this terrible, hasn’t felt this frail and fragile in forever. His body doesn’t feel like home.

No time that night is spent sleeping. Restless, he crawls out of bed, explores the room that isn’t his while dragging his IV stand along, lets his eyes wander over pages not belonging to him, books left on his nightstand on accident probably, and doesn’t absorb a single word.

Once his thoughts are his own again, he utilises them with newfound fervour. He requests his phone and types until his thumbs hurt, types and deletes, corrects, amends, reinvents.

This is a theme in his life, an endlessly repeating circle: arrogance begets punishment. A boastful adolescent loses his innocence by nearly terminating an unborn life, by indulging vices too great for him to understand. A reformed young man deeming himself competent is burdened with death and riddled with blame (your hand held the scalpel).

A man, feeling invincible, having repaired bridges, full of empathy, is beaten bloody and broken.

He hasn’t updated his will in years – a symptom of a much more dangerous cause. Rainbow instilled a delusion of grandeur in him, promised him a future, coloured his life vibrantly and provided a new motto. Not me. He won’t be killed in the line of duty, not with these people by his side. He’ll be fine. Whatever happens, he’ll be fine.

This was a close call. Targeted and much more efficient than Six anticipated, or else Lion never would’ve been captured in the first place. If this is a sign, it couldn’t be any clearer: he’s not only not invincible, he’s delicate. This was just one weakness they could’ve exploited, Alexis obviously being another, his family as well. He won’t be as cocky when embarking on a mission from now on, and he’ll try to convey to the others how easy it is not to return.

It’s an earth-shattering wakeup call.

And so he types until the letters blur before his eyes, and says things which needed saying years ago. And he vows that this change in perspective will be a permanent one – he’ll never open himself up like this anymore. He’ll stay alert. He’ll fend off complacency.

And then Montagne is by his side and says a thing too chilling to be true. He’s gone, it drips from his lips like poison, and Lion knows with absolute certainty that it’s the truth. Doc accompanied him on the mission, Lion failed him, only he was saved. Endless protest is shushed by a sad shake of the head, a head with a face so ashen Lion can tell he’s not the only one filled with sorrow at the news.

There’s so much left unsaid between them, so much admiration and respect bottled up in order to show no weakness, and now he knows it’s useless to suppress emotion due to pride. Neither of them had managed to move on and now that Lion was willing to offer introspection and the admittance of possible mistakes in the shape of good intentions and the only course of action he saw, Doc would never be able to accept any of it.

Doc would never tell him he did a good job again. He’d never show him this grim smile again, the one he wore whenever he was satisfied with Lion’s work despite the outcome, laced with pride almost – or maybe this is wishful thinking, because after all they’ve lived through, a part of Lion still craves his approval so desperately that every positive word makes him glow from the inside, only he’s gone now, and Lion will never tell him –

“Olivier.”

Drenched in sweat, a pounding headache and with trembling limbs, he wakes up. Still in the hospital, still with Doc by his side. Of course: his demons have been depriving him of all things positive in his life, so why not him too? Nightmares know no bounds and refuse to accept Doc is sacred.

The other man is flushed slightly, dressed immaculately as always, but most importantly: alive. His gaze is turned downward to where Lion is gripping his wrist so tightly his knuckles are white. “I’m here”, Doc says gently. “You can let go. I’m here.”

Lion considers complying, though when it registers that Doc called him by first name, all he does is loosen his grip. “I dreamt you died”, he admits, staring up at the irregular patterns on the ceiling. He couldn’t ever convey this emotionless void Doc’s death caused in him, the utter emptiness – somehow, it was as if he’d lost his life’s goal. Which is insane, because his aim is to better the world. Not win Doc over.

“I could tell”, says Doc.

He must’ve been distraught, calling out in his sleep, reaching for his colleague. A question occurs to him which he should’ve asked sooner: “Is everyone else alright?”

“Yes.” Hesitation. “Ying has a black eye. When we came, they were currently depriving you.”

Lion figured as much. “I need to apologise to her.”

“You weren’t yourself.” Doc’s eyes meet his. “That wasn’t you.”

His relief must be palpable. Hearing it from Doc’s mouth doesn’t make it true, but it drowns out that malicious voice which never fucking shuts up. Giving up their secrets, thirsting for a meritless high, attacking blindly – even himself: he’s more than that, and knowing Doc is fully aware of this causes him to fight back tears of gratitude. “No. It wasn’t.”

After a moment of silence, Doc’s arm twists around and offers his hand, which Lion immediately accepts. For now, there’s no second-guessing motives, no long deliberation as to whether Doc is helping a co-worker, a friend, someone more than that, whether he’s volunteering support or understanding or something else entirely. All he knows is: the hand is warm, so warm it spreads a soft calmness all throughout him.

“I brought you music.” Doc indicates an old iPod on the bedside table next to the stack of books (which has grown), a vase with flowers and a few cards. Lion either failed to notice them before or they’re a recent addition. “Dominic helped with the selection.”

This is good news. Lion hopes for unfamiliar bands – he’s not sure what kind of reaction the ones from his youth might trigger in this state.

“And I spoke with Harry.” The segue is too casual. Lion has become proficient at reading between the lines with Doc, and he translates it as I gave him a stern talking to. “He said to tell you the information you gave was deemed ‘insignificant’.”

The wording doesn’t escape him: there’s no certainty in what -

“And you didn’t even mention Alexis.”

Lion takes a deep breath.

Between the constant pressure against his temples, the rolling stomach and nauseating dizziness, he’s felt better, but trusting Doc’s words to be true settles something inside him. Doc wouldn’t lie about this. “Thank you”, Lion replies and hopes his earnest gratitude is audible.

There’s so much to say between them his thoughts are going haywire considering just a fraction of it. All their arguments are ultimately the same as Lion’s treason: insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Something invisible connects them and it should be time to drag it to the surface, but not now. Not when he’s barely begun to heal from his outside and inside wounds.

Instead, he asks: “Will you stay a little longer?”

This time, Doc nods and remains where he is, a bastion of calm. And when Lion squeezes his hand, Doc returns the gesture and it’s all he needs for the moment.

It’s enough.

#rainbow six siege #doc #lion #doc/lion #fanfic #oneshot #commissions #my internet search history is very suspicious now #they're tired of dancing after this #there's more important things than beating around the bush

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cryptidcircuslife · 3 years

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Hi unofficial compilation of Getting Away From A Place tips

this is tailored to a specific situation so please do your own research for stuff more specific to you

running away tips subreddit

Short Term Preparation:

These are the things you can prepare now if you have to get out fast and unexpectedly

Do not tell anyone about your plan other than those directly involved in helping you.

Make a plan for your cash. You don't want to access an account your family can access or freeze. Slowly withdraw money and hide it if it's at risk of being taken. Withdrawing it all the day you leave will raise a red flag and have you on camera (atm or bank), if you even have time. As a legal adult, you may be able to get away with this because you aren't doing anything against the law. Just make sure to do it before your family finds out about you leaving. When you leave, if you don’t want to be traced- don’t use cards.

For hiding paper cash- you know your house and its occupants best. Determine what objects you have that won't be thrown away or tampered with by someone, and if they have a hollow space, store it. I used to use opaque pill bottles, hidden pockets or bindings in notebooks, the linings of old dvd or game cases, water bottles, gum cases, (all of these put in clothing or backpack pockets), opening the lining of coats and backpacks and hiding it inside of that, inside of hygeine products like the hollow part of a deodorant stick. Inside old electronics. in the stuffing of a plushie. Underneath the insoles of shoes you dont wear often.

Even if your money isn't at risk of being taken, store some of it separately anyway for emergencies.

I heard the bare minimum for running away with no destination or job is $1k. Judge for yourself your needs.

Get a backpack. Waterproof/resistant is better, but any is good. Don't pack it yet, so you don't arouse suspicion. But test out packing it to see if everything fits, and unpack it. Modify some hidden compartments so that when you travel, you will have places to hide your IDs and Cash- it's necessary so no one steals it. You want to travel light, regardless of your situation, because packing and carrying a ton of stuff takes time and you don't always have time on the day you leave.

Get a secondary bag. I learned the hard way that a backpack doesn't fit everything you'll need. Especially with amenities, food, clothing, personal possessions.... A duffel bag, one of those canvas grocery bags. A tote. Something to hold by hand.

Packing lists for running away are surprisingly similar to emergency evacuation pack lists.

Clothes to pack: 1 short sleeve shirt. 1 long sleeve shirt. 1 pair of pants. 7 sock pairs. 7 underwear pairs. 1 jacket. Some winter gear if you can, because nights will always be cold especially if you are stuck outside.

Hygeine to pack: deodorant. toothpaste. toothbrush. floss. baking soda if you’ll be on the road for a long time. Special products you may need- cream for a skin condition, sunscreen. I recommend a small essential oil bottle as a bug repellent, and some have antibacterial properties to help you/your clothes not smell musty af, and they're safe on the skin.

Must-haves to pack: you should have your social security card and another form of ID, like a state ID or drivers license. Pass port if you have one, and birth certificate or a copy if you can. Your cash. A map of your state/region.

Valuables to pack: bring a few things to keep you entertained that are small. A small book, or a notebook and pen. Try not for anything too heavy or bulky. Any survival gear you may own (sewing kits, first aid, multitools, matches, lighters).

If you will be staying outside, get a sleeping bag. Thermal blanket for cold temps.

Food to pack: bring healthy nonperishable food. Junk food won't do much for you on the move. Go for granola/protein bars, dried fruit, meat bars, jars of nut butters, canned food. A water bottle. Bring all medication you need.

Stuff to wear on you: go for baggy and multi-pocketed stuff. Don't wear your favorite clothing if you don't want to be identified, and make sure they blend well into the environment. Grey is the most unnoticeable color, then black, then neutrals. If identification isn't a problem, only wear and pack your favorite things. Wear comfortable and travel safe shirt and pants. Wear a hoodie or tie it around your waist so it doesnt take up bag space. A hat. Keep some cash in a hidden pocket if you can. Wear comfortable sneakers you can move around in for a long time and is good for the weather of where you live. Keep your self defense on you - knives, pepper spray, etc. (and learn the laws for those in your area)

Note: Storing some of these supplies around or in hiding places won't be too weird. Keeping the 'valuables' in the backpack won't be too strange to anyone either. Keeping everything nearby so you can quickly dump everything in the bags and go is a good idea. But Do Not Pack the clothes until the day you leave. clothes are a warning signal for leaving. And you cannot let them find out about your plans, especially if you are in a dangerous place.

Last note: know these are flexible to you. You can add or change stuff, as long as you have the most important things.

Long Term:

These are the things you can prepare for better

Save as much money as possible. You can secretly sell things.

Research more about what you may experience, be that attaining financial independence or how to train hop and live on the streets temporarily. Look at other people's tips for running away, or their experiences. Research moving out tips. Research specific to your area or where you will be headed. Libraries, shelters, charities, support organizations, 24-hour restaurants and locations. Research ticket prices, gas prices, etc. Apartment search. Be sure to remove those from your history. Cleaning it entirely may be suspicious if someone monitors that.

Build a budget and a food plan for how you will use your savings on the road.

As an adult, if you manage to get hired secretly for a job in your target location, you can apply for housing there, too. You will get set move-in dates and can give dates you can start working that work with your runaway schedule.

If you're running away as a minor, you can't stay with friends. However, as an adult you can. If someone is trying to find you, you'll have to be careful still.

If you need to leave fake trails because someone might search for you, there are some excellent resources by people trying to hide from domestic violence. The main tips are leaving fake trails in cities far away from wherever you will be- job applications you have no intention of following through on, apartment applications, phone calls, internet searches, purchases, etc. These can go more in-depth.

If you will be tracked, figure out how to get a burner phone. These are pretty cheap, and so are their service plans. You may want to consider this anyway to pay for your own service if your phone is taken off the existing one. Write down phone numbers you want to keep.

Make sure you have the proper amounts of medications you will need.

Be careful with this one, but figure out if you have any smaller hard-to-replace valuables that you want to bring to your new life but can't pack for your method of travel or might get stolen. Only do this if you have a place you are going to, and are going to get a job and housing there. Make a plan with a trusted friend to hold on to a few things you cannot carry in your bags and arrange for them to be mailed or picked up later. Only do this with one or two things that are easy to carry, because you will need to get it to them somehow, right? dont do this if you don't have the methods or the time before your runaway day. A good example is that I don't want to replace my laptop but I can't tow it through town and across state lines on a train. my friend can take care of it until I am settled.

Tie off any loose ends that you need to. This can be waiting for a responsibility to be gone, waiting for a last paycheck, or attending something you wanted to go to one last time.

Delete old accounts, and eventually deleting your emails and social media associated with your identity.

Note: The best thing you can do with time is make your supplies as efficient as possible, and plan. plan plan plan.

Schedule your leave date. or a range of leaving dates. But know sometimes it can be unpredictable. Make it a day when no one is home- especially if it's a dangerous situation.

On Runaway Day:

Hopefully you have a small window of time where you are alone.

Make sure you’re wearing all your runaway clothes you have prepared.

Pack your backpack and duffel bag quickly.

Leave a note, even if you don't want to. This is important, because you don't want a search for you because someone thought you were kidnapped or murdered. This way, officials can pretty much ignore it since it was voluntary.

Don’t look nervous or afraid while you are out, since that’ll draw unwanted attention.

If you made a plan for someone to pick you up, or to meet someone, make sure they are punctual. Don't meet right in front of your house if possible. Go a few streets away or somewhere less noticeable. Again, make sure whatever you bring is easy to carry so you move fast and no one tries to steal it.

If unfortunately you have to leave very quickly and haphazardly, leave anything not immediately important to survival behind.

Buy your burner phone with cash. Add your written numbers to the contacts. Create your new email and social media from there. If you're hiding, don't take pictures of yourself. Don't use your real name or information. Keep private accounts, and don't interact with anyone who will give you away.

If you have other travel plans, make your way there. Head to your safe places, your shelter, wherever you have planned. You are in your new life.

Once You Are Out:

Take care of your immediate needs. Find resources for food, water, and shelter.

Start accessing any support resources, regardless of what your situation is. In a town I lived in, there was an LGBTQ+ resource center that had entertainment/food/clothing/education clubs/showering/laundry/other amenities and programs for both lgbtq+ and homeless youth. I also took part in a gift drive for a specific minority that I qualified as, which gave me a lot of food.

Start working towards your future goals. Start job searching, and from there being able to secure housing. Start making friends. build a support structure. i hope it goes well

Rebuild your supplies and closet when you have the location security to do so.

#runaway #running away #runaway help #runaway tips #running away help #running away tips #abuse survival

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leonard-cohen-the-second · 3 years

Link

Pairing: Alcina x Reader

Fandom: Resident Evil Village

Rating: Explicit

Story Summary: Fresh on the rebound, you are backpacking through all of Europe's Vineyards with your camera. Your field of depth couldn't possibly have included what was in store for you at Lady Dimitrescu's Castle in the middle of the night, or in the days to follow.

Chapter Snippet: Alcina asked to play with your phone one day while you were busy reading with Bela. When you came back she had that secret smile of surprise for you.

“What?” She frowns. “What, my Lady? Did you do something with my phone?”

She looks askance and hands it back to you. You feel your stomach sink at the internet tabs open. Urban Dictionary? Porntube? What on earth did she search for? Why is she halfway through purchasing a salad spinner?

“Did you find what you were looking for?” She glances away again and now you’re suspicious. “What exactly were you looking for?” You wave the phone. “You know I can look at your search history.”

Alcina looks embarrassed.

“No, I was not aware of that, pet. I was just looking for more up-to-date terms for certain things because you claim my vernacular is a bit… dated.”

You glance back down at Urban Dictionary where there is a very incorrect definition of Sugar Lips.

“Sooo… what did you learn?”

She sighs in exasperation and clutches her forehead in shame.

#Alcina Dimitrescu #Resident Evil Village #RE8 #Alcina x Reader #Fanfiction #Lady Dimitrescu #Donna Beneviento #Dimitrescu family

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spectrumspace · 3 years

Text

PSA regarding donation posts

I recently got an ask requesting I reblog someone’s mutual aid post.

Now, you know I typically don’t do this. I recently made a voluntary exception for a friend. I got the ask I believe the following morning, so my initial thought was that this was a follower hoping they can get me to make that same exception, but again, I hate sharing these, so I decided to sleep on it and wait for. . . something, I don’t know, a sign?

Then I got another ask, from someone totally different, which I guess is exactly the sign I was looking for, because that made me suspicious.

I had the sense to try checking the tags here, and what do you know, someone says they’ve been getting asks from blogs barely a month old asking for the same thing.

I checked both blogs and realized. . . hm, they were all made this February! And post otherwise very generic impersonal aesthetic stuff! And they don’t follow me.

Not only that, but in retrospect, the asks are worded very similarly, and so are the descriptions of the actual blogs.

Honestly, if it hadn’t been for that second ask, I probably would’ve reblogged the first one eventually. The username/PFP’s look very legit, and at least a minimal amount of effort was put into making a presentable dashboard preview of their blog.

If you get asks from total strangers asking you to reblog their mutual aid fundraiser posts, check them first. Save your disposable income for the people who really, truly need it and for funding causes you believe in.

Make sure the blog has a posting history of more than just a few weeks (click the “. . .” button to see a post’s date, or view the blog archive at [url,tumblr,com/archive] (these can be faked but that takes more effort than is worth for a disposable scam account). On top of that, reverse image search any pictures in the post. There’s a good chance they’re stolen from other donation posts.

I know we all want to be good people and help each other all we can, and we absolutely should, but unfortunately, it is very easy to lie over the internet. It’s one of the first things you’re told, but that’s also why it’s easy to forget.

I am warning you all about this not to take money out of the hands of people who need it, but so that it can go to people that are genuinely being screwed over by the system we’re forced to live in, and not those who are stepping all over them to manipulate you and take advantage of your kindness.

Please help each other, don’t let this dissuade you from doing so. Trust and cooperation is important, and this means being able to identify bad actors. And if you find you do need to rely on the support of others to get through your situation, whether it’s chronic illness or mental health or systematic inequality or just a plain old budget problem, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

To the people who sent me these asks: If you can send me, I don’t know, a photo of your pet/yourself with my username on it with the sentence “I, URL, made the donation post for XYZ and I am not a scammer. @[me]”, I will reblog your post twice to make up for the libel (and won’t share the image, I promise), but otherwise, I’m sorry, the evidence is stacked against you and you’re asking the wrong person.

And if you are trying to take advantage of people’s goodwill? If you are sowing the seeds of distrust and taking money away from people who genuinely need help, all just to make a quick buck? Go to hell.

#spectrum speaks

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escapewithbts · 3 years

Text

Secrets in a Foreign Language - Jungkook (Part One)

So I’m not entirely sure if this is going to be just a couple parts or a small series, I kind of just came up with it randomly! I also couldn’t think of a better title so bear with me please haha nevertheless I hope you enjoy! I loved writing this beginning so far!

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>>next

You fiddled with the keys in your hand, searching for the one you marked for this particular unit. Finally, you found the correct one, pushing it into the lock and opening the front door with a click. It looked like pretty much every other apartment in the building, modern with a large living space, open concept kitchen with stainless steel appliances, large windows that looked over the city of Seoul. Just another multi-million dollar home you could only ever afford in your dreams.

Yet here you were, entering the home of an individual who could afford such a space in their reality... because it was your job to clean it. Yes, you were a housekeeper for the company who owned this apartment building; one of the most expensive places to live in all of South Korea.

You had moved here to Seoul from your home country abroad in search of change. A new adventure? Something to push you out of your comfort zone? Really you were just extremely bored back home; sick of the same routines, the same people, the career you didn’t enjoy. So, before you could talk yourself out of it, you contacted a job agency based in Seoul, South Korea whose mission was to find jobs for foreigners who spoke little to no Korean (aka you). And that is approximately how you landed this gig. Only a few months in and your Korean had significantly improved (requiring basic necessities like, you know, food and toilet paper, forced you to learn how to acquire said items in this new language) and you weren’t hating this job at all. You were alone most of the time, cleaning wasn’t too difficult since you have been doing it your whole life, and because it was for such a wealthy company the pay wasn’t bad either. Was it what you wanted to do for the rest of your life? Probably not. But it paid the bills and still left some income for exploration of your new home country.

And honestly, the most difficult part of it all was the scheduling. Sometimes you had limited time to clean a home based on the person’s day, sometimes you had an excessive number of units to clean in one day and wondered how exactly you were going to finish them all. But once you came into a routine that stuck you quickly found a pace for yourself that worked perfectly.

And since you were entering the homes of some of Korea’s wealthiest and most famous, the contract and background check for the position were quite lengthy. For example, you couldn’t touch anything unnecessary in their homes, couldn’t snoop around (obviously, you wouldn’t do that for a “regular” person anyway?), you weren’t even allowed to use their bathroom if you had to. The company had contacted all your previous employers, colleagues, some friends, even randomly requested internet browsing history a couple times! (I guess they wanted to make sure you weren’t a crazy stalker “fan” some K-pop groups you had heard about having, or a spy for another company’s CEO). The process was rather insane in your opinion, but alas, you passed, and honestly, the fact that you were a foreigner who didn’t speak much Korean probably helped your case. And to be fair, you really didn’t care about whose house you were in, you were just thankful to have acquired a job after your decision to move across the world that happened on a whim.

This particular unit was actually decorated quite nicely. It was more minimal style, with modern furniture that still felt warm and inviting. You figured it must be the home of someone younger, probably mid-twenties like you, but you also got the feeling they didn’t spend much time here. It was already in fairly immaculate shape (thankfully, it was your last job of the day, so you knew it was going to be quick) and didn’t seem very lived in in general. You couldn’t help but notice what looked like speakers and recording equipment shoved into the corner of the room. This place must belong to a musician or producer of some sort, you thought. You shrugged and turned back to where you had entered, lugging your cleaning supplies in through the front door. Then you put in your wireless headphones, pulled on your rubber gloves, and began by dusting around the surfaces of the living room.

Not long after you had started, you were in the bathroom off the guestroom wiping down the sink. A sudden sound of what you thought was the loud slam of a door shutting startled you. Your head shot up and you stopped what you were doing to remove an earphone from one of your ears. Immediately you heard the raised voice of a young woman coming from down the hall, followed by a quieter one from a man. Your heart started racing. Were you in the wrong unit? Had you read the schedule incorrectly? Did you get the address mixed up? You frantically pulled your phone from your back pocket to check the schedule that came directly from management. Yes, the date matched, it was Tuesday. Yes, the time matched, 2 in the afternoon. And the address was correct, too. So why were there people suddenly in the home? Did they know you were here? This had never happened before in the short time you had been doing this job, so you had no idea what to do. Continue working like you didn’t realize they were here? Make your presence known so you don’t seem like you’re being suspicious? Were you going to get in trouble with the company? Certainly not if you were just following the schedule, right? Your mind was going a mile a minute.

Then before you could quite make up your mind, the voices sounded even closer, and you could only make out a little bit of what they were saying, especially since your Korean wasn’t great yet.

“Why didn’t you go with me?... What were you thinking?” you heard the woman’s voice say (or something like that so you thought?) She sounded angry.

“I don’t know…” the man replied, followed by something else you couldn’t comprehend. He was still a lot quieter than her.

She spoke again.

“What are people going to say, Jungkook?”

You froze.

Jungkook.

Jungkook? Of BTS?

Okay, so you weren’t a crazy stalker fan or anything, but it was impossible to avoid knowing about the K-pop group BTS. They were literally everywhere around Seoul. Commercials on tv, billboards all over the city, posters on the subway trains… their faces even appeared on the coffee drink you had every morning for goodness sake! Since you kept seeing them, after you had gotten the job, you researched them a little bit. Their music was good, they seemed like genuine people, but never did you think you would be in one of their houses. There were hundreds of Korean businessmen, executives, celebrities, and only 7 members of BTS. Honestly, what were the chances?

Pretty good apparently. Fuck.

“I’m your girlfriend, Jungkook,” she continued annoyingly.

Ah, that’s right. In your brief research you had read he was seeing another idol. What was her name again?

“No, Cho-hee,” Jungkook replied.

Oh right. Kim Cho-hee. You remember now.

“You’re my pretend girlfriend.”

Your heart stopped.

Oh fuck! You definitely weren’t supposed to hear that. You had to show yourself now. That’s it, your decision was made for the sake of your career.

You quietly walked out of the room and found the two of them in the hallway with their backs turned to you. Just as Cho-hee was opening her mouth to respond you cleared your throat.

They both whipped around at your sudden sound. Yep, it was them alright. You recognized them immediately. They stared at you stunned for a second before Cho-hee spoke up.

“Who are you?!” she practically barked in Korean, taking a few steps towards you with her long slim legs, her large brown eyes wide, her dark hair whipping around her shoulders, her pale skin painted with a red hue.

“I, uh, I’m…” you stuttered, attempting to find the correct Korean words but failing miserably from being put on the spot.

Jungkook calmly put his hand around Cho-hee’s arm and pulled her back slightly.

“She the housekeeper,” he answered in Korean for you. Yes, that was the word you were looking for. “I don’t think she speaks Korean.”

Not well, anyway, thanks Jungkook.

He turned toward you, his dark brown eyes finding yours. Your stomach flipped from nervousness.

“You speak English?” he asked timidly in your native tongue.

All you could do was nod.

He let out a sigh of relief and said something you didn’t understand to Cho-hee, causing her to step back and a look of relief to wash over her face, too.

It was then that you realized they probably thought you didn’t understand their conversation. That you didn’t know the meaning of any of it. Should you come clean and tell them you understood? Particularly the “pretend girlfriend” stuff?

Cho-hee turned back toward the main room and beckoned at Jungkook.

“Come on, let the help continue working.”

Oof. ‘The help’. You definitely understood that. You knew cleaning the homes of rich people meant you may run into some entitlement, but dang, you didn’t think someone would make it so obvious, language barrier or not.

You winced.

Jungkook cocked his head, a confused look on his face. But then he shook it off.

“I think…” he said hesitantly in English, then shook his head to correct himself, “Ah um no, I thought you were here on Wednesday?”

You shook your head.

“No, um, my schedule says Tuesday. So, unless it’s wrong then…”

Jungkook put two fingers to the bridge of his nose in thought.

“Aiishh, no you are right, I’m sorry. I’m not here very often so I never can remember which day.”

You began taking off your gloves.

“It’s-it’s okay, I can go, come back at a better time…”

He waved his hands in front of him in protest.

“No, no, stay, continue, please. I don’t want to be an... interrupt... interruption? That’s the right word?” a blush formed on his face as he chuckled at himself.

You smiled. Cute.

“Yes, that’s right. Thank you. I’m almost done, I promise.”

He smiled at you again and nodded.

“Jungkook-ah!” Cho-hee yelled from the kitchen.

Jungkook then bowed to you and whispered a quick “thank you” before disappearing into the other room.

You hadn’t realized how tense your body had become until you they were out of your sight and you released your muscles with a deep breath.

You quickly decided to keep their conversation to yourself; no point in letting them know you accidentally heard every word and understood, right? You wouldn’t tell anyone, after all it wasn’t your business. Still, there was that thing you felt for not speaking up right away. What was this feeling again? Oh yeah. Guilt. You tried to shake it off and just continued scrubbing.

There were, thankfully, no more loud conversations between the two of them while you cleaned, but just as you were finishing up in the last room of the home you heard the front door open and close. Were you by yourself again? You listened for noises. Silence. You couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief.

However, upon stumbling back into the kitchen with all your cleaning supplies you noticed Jungkook sitting on a stool at the kitchen island. He was scrolling through his phone and eating a bowl of cereal. He jumped when he saw you, clutching his tattoo covered hand to his chest.

“Holy shit, I forgot you were here,” he stated breathlessly.

Your face turned hot.

“Sorry, I’m... sorry for startling you. And again, for being here while you’re here; the, um, schedule mix up, I’m, uh, not sure what happened…” you stumbled over your words. Real smooth.

He waved his hand while shoving another spoonful of cereal and milk into his mouth.

“No, no, really, it’s my fault. I forget the schedule sometimes.”

You shrugged and nodded.

“Yes, well, I imagine you’re pretty busy most of the time.”

Shit. The words fell out of your mouth before you could stop them. Weren’t you not supposed to know who he was? You mentally smacked yourself in the forehead.

He didn’t seem bothered though, he just replied with a nod and a small “mhmm”, as if to say, ‘you’re not wrong’.

You started walking towards the front door to leave (before you could get yourself in even more trouble), but right as you did so Jungkook lifted the cereal box up from its place on the counter, looked at you and asked, “Want some?”

You stopped in your tracks and hesitated.

“Umm… I’m not sure… I’m allowed?”

You felt silly for saying this as you were a grown ass adult, but you knew it was true. There were so many rules put in place with this job, and they hadn’t quite gotten to the clause about eating the client’s cereal.

Jungkook stood up and walked around to the cupboard, pulling a bowl down from the shelf and grabbing a spoon from the drawer.

He placed them at the spot across from him and gave you a small smile before sitting back down.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. Your secret is safe with me.”

He ran his fingers along his lips like a zipper which made you both laugh.

“That is my favorite cereal…” you admitted, putting your things on the floor and walking over to the stool.

As you were sitting down, Jungkook began pouring the milk into your bowl. You stared at it confusingly, caught off guard for a second. Not cereal first? He read your expression immediately.

“I know, I am weird, I put milk first, okay?”

You put your hands up and laughed, a blush on both your faces.

“I didn’t say anything,” you retaliated.

Jungkook jokingly narrowed his eyes at you as he poured in the cereal, a grin still across his lips.

“I saw it in your face.”

You chuckled nervously and looked down at your now full bowl, taking a spoonful up to your mouth.

“What’s your name?” Jungkook suddenly asked.

You swallowed before answering.

“(y/n).”

There was a pause.

“What’s… yours?” you asked coyly, wondering if you could get away with pretend naivety.

Jungkook cocked his head and let a breathy giggle out his nose as he chewed, it scrunching and creating wrinkles.

“Hmm... my name is… Park Jimin.”

You snorted, thankful that no milk shot out your nose.

He laughed at that, his perfect teeth on display.

Clearly, he was testing you. Two could play at that game.

“Oh yeah? Well then it’s nice to meet you, Jimin.”

He didn’t break eye contact with you as he took another bite.

“You too, (y/n).”

You smiled and shook your head, looking down to fill your spoon once more.

The two of you continued eating, just causally chatting, mostly about you and your move to Korea and your life back in your home country. Jungkook seemed so shy and sweet, the complete counterpart to his “pretend” girlfriend.

Your stomach flipped at the memory of the conversation you had overheard. You had almost forgot about it by now, wrapped up in the random moment of eating cereal with Jungkook. The guilty feeling returned. You knew you had to let him know, especially after how kind he has been to you. He could hate you, that was okay, it’s not like you had anything to lose.

Oh, except your job.

You dropped your spoon into the now empty bowl and took a deep breath.

“Umm... I have to tell you something…” you began before you could chicken out from this awkward conversation you were about to have with basically a stranger.

He put his bowl to his lips and slurped the milk while simultaneously looking up at you, waiting for you to continue.

“I speak some Korean. And I heard your conversation earlier… with, um, Cho-hee, and I understood… well, most of it,” he slowly placed his bowl back on the counter in front of him and stared at you with wide eyes, his lips slightly parted open, “But I-I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry, I just wasn’t sure what to do, and I-I swear I will keep it to myself and never mention it ever again; I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear anything, okay? Seriously. I promise.”

He didn’t say anything, and you couldn’t read the expression on his face. He stared off into space for a minute, then stood up and grabbed the empty bowls, walking them over to the sink and placing them inside. His back was to you as he hunched over, his hands supporting him on either side. Your heart was beating a mile a minute, your hands getting sweaty as you fiddled with your fingers.

“I really am sorry,” you whimpered softly, “Please, please don’t have me fired.”

He turned back to you, a surprised look on his face, his doe eyes wide.

“What? Why would I do that?”

You looked down.

“I don’t know… for not telling you I heard right away. For listening. For… being here while you’re here.”

Jungkook sighed and ran a hand through his long black hair, then shut his eyes tightly.

“I’m not worried you tell anyone, it’s okay. I have been thinking about… trying to end it anyway.”

He opened his eyes again and suddenly looked tired and worried. But you didn’t want to pry. It really wasn’t your place.

“Okay.”

Was all you could come up with to respond.

He glanced at you briefly and gave you a shy side smile.

“So, I don’t tell anyone you ate with me, you don’t tell I have a fake girlfriend?” he said jokingly, knowing he was the one who persuaded you to eat with him in the first place.

You chuckled and stuck out your hand.

“Yeah. Deal?”

He put his hand in yours. It was warm and felt so strong against your small one.

“Deal.”

You were so thankful he didn’t seem upset about the whole thing. In fact, he almost seemed relieved that someone else knew now. In this short time spent with him you knew you were leaving with only high praises and positive thoughts of Jeon Jungkook.

“Well, I better get going,” you said, standing up from the stool. You grabbed all your supplies and looked back up him.

“Thank you, um, for the cereal and being so understanding about everything.”

He nodded at you.

“I will remember your schedule next time and not disturb you by being here, okay?”

You smiled.

“You didn’t disturb me, but okay.”

“Tuesdays at…umm what time do you get here?” he put his fingers between his brows in thought again.

“2pm.”

He grinned at you and gave you a thumbs up.

“Okay! Okay okay! I got it! Let’s get it!”

You laughed and he chuckled embarrassingly.

“Well it was nice to meet you, Jungkook. Take care.”

You gave him a little wave as you went to the front door, opening it and stepping out.

“You too, (y/n),” he called after you, “I’ll see you around.”

>>next

Masterlist

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boldlyanxious · 4 years

Text

Remember when

Part 25: Unresolved

RW masterlist

All fic masterlist

Tim was grateful that the mission was wrapping up. It had clearly been a set up, but not for them. It would probably make the drug ring even more difficult to track down since they had gone to such lengths to move the whole production, but that would be a problem for another day. Every one of the families, even the ones at locations they had not been aware of, had moved into their houses within the last week as part of a program to provide affordable housing for in need single parent families. He felt bad for all of them considering they were all pawns as part of a much larger scheme but he was far too worried about Marinette to be overly concerned about them now that they were all safe.

Without having captured even one person associated with the drug ring and having exhausted all their known locations, Tim feared they may not be able to find her quickly. He did not know what they could have possibly wanted with her unless they were sure she was Rouge Gorge and thought she had information about them. Although he chilled at the thought that they may have figured out exactly how much information about the drug ring had come from her. She had managed to be in the wrong place at the right time enough to give them all of the major leads they had followed throughout the case.

Oracle was attempting to trace her phone but having no luck. It was no more than he expected. Her phone was basically a burner phone. He had never seen for sure but he suspected she kept no information on it and that she took measures to make sure it had no way to be tracked. For all he knew she could be being held at her apartment. He had no idea where she lived, just that it was within walking distance of her work. That was only a guess based on knowing she had no car and had always walked to meet up with him.

He was dejected as he prepared to head back to the base. He didn’t know what would happen when they all arrived back there. Nothing had been resolved from the recent upheaval. They all were just ignoring their interpersonal issues in order to take care of the immediate issue with the coordinated attack on the drug ring. But the radio chatter even while they were all busy was not nearly as easy going as it tended to be when they were all getting along. He might be channeling Jason because he just wanted to punch someone until he had answers. Maybe he shouldn’t head back while feeling that way in case he decided to punch Batman. Even if he was working on learning more about her work as Rouge Gorge, Tim felt she would not be in this position if it were not for the threats.

---

He was still in the room but he remained silent. He was somewhere behind where she was sitting. There was no other movement in the house. Marinette suspected everyone else had left to deal with whatever excitement had everyone moving around this evening. He hadn’t even asked her many questions at all. She suspected he was just trying to make her nervous so she would just spill everything but without knowing what he knew telling him anything could be very bad for her. She couldn’t do anything that would risk the miraculous box even if it was herself she was risking. It was a few minutes before movement from another person proved her wrong about everyone else being out of the house. A hushed conversation took place behind her before she was once again approached by the man in charge.

When he came over to where she was, he was holding her laptop. She wasn’t sure what kind of information an expert might be able to get from it. She used it mostly for her online sales or for listening to music and watching shows. She kept no pictures or any information about who she was in France or at all really. She was fastidious about leaving no trace of herself online anywhere it could be found. She had not even used her name in any legal or official capacity since she had run from the hospital there. Everything she did was over the internet using passwords and fake log ins. She was especially careful with her recent communication with Adrien. She preferred using email with a hidden location so he wouldn't know she was still in Gotham; she wasn’t sure how effective that would be from her phone. She also tried to clear her history frequently but she could see he had it on the website where her orders came in so she had clearly missed something.

“Even the most careful person leaves a trace somewhere, but this is the only history my best guy could find on your laptop.”

“I don’t know what you are looking for but those beaded headbands are really cute.”

“I had thought you could get me information to stop annoying interference in my business, but clearly you are hiding far more than a secret night life.”

“Maybe I’m just a very boring person. I don't have information. I work, I play Mecha Strike and I sleep.”

“No, it is more than that. You are completely hidden. Your work. Your apartment. Your life is all completely anonymous. Who are you hiding from?”

"I told you, I'm a private person."

"We shall see when I get you to tell me about yourself. I wonder if your apparent concern for children is greater than your desire to hide things from me."

"I don't even know what that means."

He leaned in close to her. He held her still bound hands so they pressed against her. She couldn't even shift to move away from him as he leaned over spoke low right next to her ear.

"I know you are the masked girl and you were very worried about the children that night. You were more concerned for them than for yourself. My men are on their way to see them now unless you have anything you want to tell me."

---

“This isn’t over,” Jason said into the comms once he and Arsenal had gotten away from the warehouse and they could safely speak.

“Wrap it up for the night. We will regroup later.” Batman said.

“I have a lot to compile before I even know where to start with finding more locations for the drug ring. But I’m starting with any more information on where the missing girl is. I’m searching cameras near where we think she lives for any suspicious behavior or known associates of the ring.” Oracle explained.

“No, you don’t understand,” Arsenal spoke this time, “Penguin had the bulk of the force out working for him tonight.Penguin just ordered his men to attack. Falcone was taken and all his men at the warehouse are dead.”

“We should deal with this immediately if we want to keep it from getting out of hand. Penguin likely intends to kill Falcone but would want to do it publicly.” Jason added.

“Agreed. Regroup at Wayne Tower to form a plan. Oracle, see if you can find any movement we can start with.” Batman said.

Tags

@theymakeupfairies | @emjrabbitwolf | @vixen-uchiha | @trythisagainlove

#maribat #timinette #timari #boldlyanxious

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luidilovins · 3 years

Note

You should turn your post on the Uncanny Valley into a book or something. I am not even kidding, it's brilliant and sorely needed information. Thank you for it.

Tbh its just speculative that the uncanny valley is an inherent biological trait and not cultural or a learned behavior at the moment. A good example would be the cultural phenomenon of colorophobia where in the US we have a longer history of using clowns in our horror pop culture genres than countries like Japan.

Clown entertainment has been around since the Egytian times and maybe some people have always been freaked out by them it honestly just takes one director or author to have an disproportionately irrational fear and good cinematography skills to convince people that they SHOULD hate clowns just as much, (I could say the same about the movie Jaws but thats a bit of a tangent,) or a memorable event that damages the public's trust in something that SHOULD be innocent or harmless. (A good examples being the John Wayne Gacy trials.)

Clowns are also thought to be in the uncanney valley so ita a fairly good argument on cultural phenomenon versus genetic traits. Up until aroud the 60s-70s clowns were actually fairly well liked by the US general public and a lot of older generation still find a fondness in it that would scare the living shit out of their grandchildren.

As far as evidence that I may be right about the "uncanney valley might be because of rabies" theory, there has been a small case study suggesting that the movements of a non-human robot that trigger the effect in us, is also present in people with parkinsons but the sample size is too small for me to be thoroughly convinced.

And don't be mistaken I also dislike this concept because saying that ableism is an inherent human trait is just as bad as saying racism is an inherent human trait. There is little to gain from distrust in the disabled and little historical evidence to suggest it was common or beneficial to discard disabled people. Disabled people's remains have been found time and time again to live to incredibly long livea and be cared for, and participate in their communities. I'm highly critical of this particular case study and I take it with a grain of salt because its on cosmo, but evidence of human disabilities and compassion can be sourced by actual bones and it's been placed on VERY credible sources. NPR, NBC, Discovery, Nat Geo, NY Times, literally the clostest you can get to creme of the crop news articles on DOZENS of accounts and if you have a goddam problem then pay for a tour to the Smithsonian, find an archeologist and coherse them into showing you the bones and then explain phorensics to you because you probably wouldn't understand unless you too were a phorensic archeologist yourself.

What I DO BELIEVE tho is that if the uncanny valley is a legitimate inherent trait, that like most evolutionary traits, it made it this far for this long because it somehow served us benificially. And the biggest benifit I can think of is identifying neuro-infectious diseases because they can spread agressivley, many of them lead to death or lasting effects and are fucking MISERABLE to catch. We're talking brain swelling, fevers, uncontrollable vomiting, tremors, hallucinations, motor and vocal tics, difficulty swallowing, seizures. This could all happen because they eat infected deer meat or because of one bad fox bite. It's miserable if you survive and horrifying if you dont. Rabies can survive in your muscle tissue for years before infecting your brain and once it does usually you only live for about 5-10 days in and out of concious knowledge that you're going to die painfully, and disease aggrivated psychosis. It would be hard to pinpoint the causation because the amout of time before full blown infection would vary too much to assosiate for a long time. So your only option is to hone in on telltale signs.

The disabled people who would suffer from herdeditary or developmental neurological disorders run the risk of prejudice from mistaken identity, but if a human is part of a community, and doesn't die within a week from having a wobbly head, it would sooner or later become apparent that they're not dangerous. I think nowadays culturally people don't press to learn more about disabled people due to social and political prejudice and never fucking grow up past that. Mistaken identity or not. You learn about people from the patterns of their behaviors so even ones that seem abnormal to you become a normal recognizable pattern for them. Fancy that.

We don't get grossed out by chimps or gorillas, who are even more distant cousins, and the proof that we don't have a search and destroy button for anything immediatly related to us is a bunch of bullshit can be found in almost every human's blood on earth. And not just neanderthals, but denisovans as well. And that's not even accounting for genetic backtracking the crossbreeding of other sapiens species before we were whittled down to just the three. What makes the tweet even stupider is that when neandertals still roamed the earth humans were shorter, hardier, and overall more rough looking so we looked even indistinguished then. We Also Chewed On Bones and neandertals handled cold climates better than us based on a study on chest cavity density and, skull nasal intake and heat circulation, providing genetic diversity and the upper hand in survival in the tundras or mountainous regions spanning over Eurasia. If it wasn't for humans fucking neandertals we might not have been able to spread over the contient or diversify the way we did.

So my full hypothesis is that if the uncanny valley is a genetic inherent human trait it was used to benifit people from catching agressive diseases in a time where the benifit of fearing a group member with rabies outweighed the cost of fearing a group member with a disability like parkinsons.

WHAT PISSED ME OFF was the idea that we are DESIGNED to be unwary of our evolutionary cousins could easily be used for white supremacist spaces to justify racism BECAUSE IT ALREADY HAS

So that one tweet that might seem like a quirky thinkpiece in my eyes is just fuel for eugenics trend round whatever number we're on. It's like we don't fucking learn. It would be REALLY easy to retool the concept that it's natural for people to be fearful of whatever the bullshit definition of sub-humans are. Claiming that black people were sub-human thus deserving of mistrust and submission to white ownership worked like a fucking charm.

Maybe if I go to college and major in psyche/socio/civics it'll be my college thesis. Right now I'm more of a hobbyist than anything, but what I DO know is that anyone can make an untested hypothesis to combat another untested hypothesis and it should hold just as much goddamn value. I combatted the idea that the idea that human othering was funneled into an unconfirmed effect that causes disgust and terror based on non-human sapiens is in fact racist and gave what is in my opinion a more evoluntionary practical approach to the uncanney valley.

The generalized links that I used APARENTLY weren't good enough for some people but aparently a single tweet that says "hur dur heedle dee uncanney valley exists because of human cousins" was taken at face value even tho it was probably tapped out in five seconds without regards to the reproccussions. I find a huge discomfort that less than studious links about the evolution of monkey social behaviors that I used as a guideline to explaining my concerns became the focal point for people to nitpick without even having the gall to "well actually" on the subject. That absolute ravaging NEED to rip apart at it and devolve into name calling because I MENTIONED racism is fucking suspicious and I don't trust it. I had to stop looking at the responses because some people were only reblogging and arguing with barely half of my argument and i was getting nowhere fast.

There were a few people that made actual points with cited sources that made their own rebuttle arguments. That I respect. It's just as valid an argument as mine and I'm ALWAYS willing to take on more credible sources to strengthen my stance or gain perspective.

But it's the utter dismissal of a concerning concept that just seeped into the subtext that gnawed at my gut. Some people on top of hating the linked sources I provided, admitted they didn't read it, refused to read between the lines to purposfully misinterpret or derail my main points, and detract that my claim that the tweet was a result of systemic white supremacy saturated into modern science was a bunch of bullshit because I claimed that 1500s anglos invented racism.

The thing is we did invent the racism that we fucking currently subscribe to.

We practice the science that we formulated based on our own social prejudice. Real people die from this.

We remain uncritical of our own theorums that we postulate then pat ourselves on the back like we're philosophical geniuses even though racism is a family heirloom with a new paint job.

We preach the eugenics ideals that we pulled out of our asses to benifit from fearmongering, promises of national security and unpaied labor.

White supremacists create subtext with the intention of it being consumed by accident or in ways that seem palatable.

Fuck.

That.

I don't hate the person who wrote the tweet. Chances are that they gave the tweet as much thought as they took the time to write it and went on their day as a fun little thinkpiece. Everyone on the internet does it. But its that kind of thinking error that needs to be adressed as a progression of historic and scientific prejudice that gets rehashed, recycled and untouched and continually damages and is weaponized against marginalized people. I am not wrong for taking it seriously especially when a bunch of people were sitting around nodding their heads just as effortlessly.

I don't owe the internet any more sources than the tweet. I don't owe anyone on the internet a full scientific ananysis. And the people's reaction to what I had to say was actually what further convinced me I might have hit the nail on the head.

#answered asks #uncanny valley effect #eugenics #fuck white supremacy #systemic racism #racism #negative #slavery #luidilovins

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accioecho · 4 years

Text

Tkem novel 11

Chapter 14 - “Calling out your name”

Gon had asked Yeong to let Tae-Eul go for the day so she could have a few hours of freedom.

Seated inside the spacious helicopter, Gon looked out the window as the aircraft gradually gained altitude. Tae-Eul would be probably strolling through the streets of the capital by now. She would be discovering how different the Kingdom’s version of Busan was from the Republic’s version of the same city.

Turning his head away from the window, Gon fished through his pockets and pulled out his phone. As soon as he opened the browser, the recent search history popped up on the screen. He was happy to have this little piece of Tae-Eul with him, wondering what went through her mind while looking through the list of searched terms.

“Lee Gon”

“Lee Gon martial arts”

“Queen”

“Lee Gon’s ex”

Gon burst out laughing. Secretary Mo who was busy looking at reports— looked up, startled at the sudden sound. Not wanting to bring any more attention to him, Gon cleared his throat, his eyes focusing back on the screen. What he saw next made his jaw clench.

“Koo Seo-Ryeong.”

The internet was crawling with rumors about them, it likely led Tae-Eul to look up the current prime minister.

The last encounter he had with Seo-Ryeong left a sour taste in his mouth. Slightly worried, he hoped Tae-Eul didn’t get any wrong idea. He kept on scrolling, new search items coming up.

“Spicy fried chicken”

“Police officer wage”

“Kingdom of Corea map”

“Busan to Seoul KTX train”

It looked like she had been curious about a lot of things. Then again, he himself had spent days in a library during his stay in the Republic, reading dozens of books and immersing himself in the nation’s recent history.

Gon tilted his head at the word “KTX”, foreign to him. His face froze at what came up next.

“King Lee Ho”

“Prince Lee Lim”

These were words with heavy meaning, bringing to the surface painful memories. A grief so intimate yet shared by every single citizen of the Kingdom that Tae-Eul was now privy to.

Gon sat still and let the cold, artificial air gently blow through his hair.

——

Lost in her thoughts, Tae-Eul mindlessly walked toward her final destination, one of the main reasons she travelled the long way from Busan to Seoul. She could recognize the familiar streets of her neighborhood. If this was the Republic of Korea, there should be a convenient store somewhere near, but she didn’t see any.

There was one thing she was curious about ever since she set foot in Gon’s world. If this was truly a parallel universe, with people sharing the same face albeit with different personalities… then perhaps, maybe, her mom existed in this world somewhere. Perhaps this universe was a bit more lucky and had sparred her life.

If she was alive, Tae-Eul wished to see her, just once.

Instead of seeing the easily recognizable facade of the Taekwondo center, what looked like to be a traditional medicine clinic stood in place of her house. It was a whole other building altogether, with different colors and a different front door. The courtyard where Maximus had once taken shelter was gone too.

It was now dark out, the sun long gone and the chilly November air setting in. Tae-Eul was reluctant to leave. Refusing to give up, she finally rang the doorbell.

A woman she had never met before opened the front gate.

“Jeong Do-In. He’s a Taekwondo instructor at a Taekwondo center, do you happen to know him by chance?” Tae-Eul asked.

“I don’t know anyone by that name.” The lady replied, confused.

“Then… How about a woman named Ahn Bong-Hui? Do you know her? Her face looks really similar to mine… Have you ever seen her?” She tried again, voice wavering.

“Ahn Bong-Hui? No I haven’t. We’ve lived here for 30 years. Why? Did they say they lived here?”

Tae-Eul’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. A tiny, irrational voice in her head had hoped to meet her. She tried to reason herself. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Even if she had met her mom and dad, they would have been completely different people. They would only have the same face, but would be complete strangers to her.

Overwhelmed by the longing to see her mom once more, she hadn’t thought this all the way through.

A flashback of that fateful night came up to her mind. The complete stranger that was once Gon, crossing Gwanghwamun square in determined strides and taking her in his arms, eyes never leaving her face.

“… No never mind, thank you.” Tae-Eul said goodbye. She turned on her heels and walked away wearily.

——

Yeong swallowed a sigh and ushered Tae-Eul to KU building’s rooftop. Gon’s helicopter awaited them on the helipad, its propellers still in motion. Tae-Eul looked at the man who stood across from her, his coat flapping in the wind. His tall figure stood out in the dark, open surroundings of the city behind. Tae-Eul bit her lower lip. She didn’t expect to be so happy to see him, she almost called out his name. She really wanted to wave at him.

This. This moment.

Seeing him again almost made her forget about the vain search for her mom.

Gon joined her in a few short strides and looked at her in concern, his eyes roaming over her and making sure she was okay, worry evident. His expression eased once when he saw she was fine.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

“Yes.”

“Seventeen times.”

“Yes.”

Gon let out a small chuckle at Tae-Eul’s obvious embarrassment. He had no idea how she managed to find a way to reach him. He only knew that if it weren’t for his security team notifying him about the calls, he would have gone straight to Busan.

He had asked Yeong to keep a close eye on her so he knew she was safe. Still, as soon as he was told that Tae-Eul was looking for him, he turned the helicopter around. He was glad she called. It meant he got to see her sooner.

“I thought you were going to stay in Busan. Why did you come so far? Did you get to find Ahn Bong-Hui?” Gon asked.

How did he know that? Tae-Eul threw a sharp, sideway glance at Yeong.

“How long were you following me? You should have lent me more money if you were there all along.”

“Who is she? The person you came all the way to this world to look for.”

“My mom.” Her voice trembled. “If this is a parallel world… and since Na-Ri and Eun-Sup are both here, although I might not exist, my mother could still be alive. I know she is someone else, but I didn’t want her to be sick in this world… I only have memories of her from when she was five. So I just wanted to watch her from afar. Just for a few minutes. That’s why I came here.”

“You should have told me.”

“I was just curious. But she wasn’t there.”

There was no other person who could understand better the sadness left by an absent parent than Gon. He shared her grief. Even if he didn’t understand what she went through, he would still feel her pain.

“Anyway. I had fun today because of you.” Tae-Eul said brightly, changing the topic. She didn’t want Gon to look at her like that, with eyes full of sorrow. And she certainly didn’t want to bring down the mood with talks about her mom. She managed just fine on her own so far. She just wanted to make the best of her trip here and ease her curiosity.

“Is that why you searched for KTX? I was wondering what it was.”

“Search…?”

“The auto-save function told me. You were curious about a lot of things. Why were you curious about Lee Gon ex-girlfriend? Didn’t you think that I never had a girlfriend?”

“Why would you read that?”

“You looked up Prime Minister Koo as well.”

“That was because… because I heard she was the youngest female Prime Minister. I only looked up her name because I was amazed by that. Why? Do you feel guilty? Looks like you see her often.”

“I meet her every Friday.” Granted, it was only to talk about state affairs.

Tae-Eul swallowed the lump in her throat. It was her turn to say something back.

The wind blew sharply around them and the sound of an approaching helicopter could be heard, growing louder and louder. Sure enough, another helicopter landed next to Gon’s.

“Why two helicopters? Are we leaving separately?” Tae-Eul asked.

Gon threw a hard glance at the unexpected new aircraft and glanced back at Yeong in confirmation. Yeong was rapidly talking to his walkie talkie and nodded at Gon.

“Yes, it’s Prime Minister Koo. She probably got a report your helicopter landed in Seoul.”

It was exactly that. As soon as Seo-Ryung heard the news that the royal helicopter had landed on KU Building, she had menacingly ordered her staff to prepare her own flight.

Why would the King come to Seoul in the middle of the night when he should have been in Busan? Seo-Ryung’s gut feeling made her want to find out the reason.

The door of the helicopter opened, and Seo-Ryung came out wearing an elegant white suit. There was no hesitancy in her stride as she confidently came up to them.

“Did you have an appointment with her?” Tae-Eul asked, eyes focused on the charismatic Head of State.

“No way. I came to pick you up.”

“But I have to keep a low profile.”

Tae-Eul was right. Still, her words pierced through him painfully.

“If they see you, just who will they think you are?” He asked.

“Don’t worry. I’ll try not to look too suspicious.”

“You are a fool. The situation is already quite suspicious.” Gon was cut short by Seo-Ryung who stopped next to them and bowed down in greeting.

“I’m seeing you in an unexpected hour, in an unexpected place, with an unexpected person, Your Majesty.”

“You’re right. And you’ve put me in an awkward situation. This is a very personal occasion. I should’ve given you a heads-up since you would be notified of this. I’m sorry I kept you at work.” Gon didn’t try to hide his annoyance. She was clearly unwelcome here.

Completely disregarding Gon, Seo-Ryung let out a bright laugh.

“When it comes to the country’s affairs, personal occasions are business too, and you are my country Pyeha.”

It was a bit exaggerated. Gon wore a patient expression while Seo-Ryeong kept on smiling brightly.

Tae-Eul looked back and forth between the two of them. She could easily recognize the delicate gaze she saw on the pictures gracing the many news articles that came up during her brief internet search session.

This flawless, elegant woman that coveted Gon could not be compared to her.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Koo Seo-Ryung, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Corea.” Seo-Ryong turned towards Tae-Eul, meeting her gaze and extending her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m a big fan.” Tae-Eul grabbed her hand.

“I’m flattered to have such a young and beautiful fan. May I ask your name?”

“I’m just… I’m a traveler. I’m honored just to be able to see you like this. I’m leaving soon.”

Gon winced upon hearing that she would leave soon. Too focused on the conversation with Seo-Ryung, Tae-Eul didn’t notice Gon flinching.

“This is my first time in the Kingdom of Corea, I feel like I’m in a storybook.” Tae-Eul went on.

“It’s your first time here, but you speak our language very well.”

“Well… I studied liberal arts.”

Gon burst out laughing at Tae-Eul’s reply. This was unlike him. Seo-Ryung carefully appraised the situation. Gon kept staring down at Tae-Eul, looking like a very smitten man. Seo-Ryung’s instincts were right. This was no ordinary situation.

On the other hand, Gon was still trying to stifle down a laugh. He had made fun quips before, teasing Tae-Eul about being a liberal arts major, and this was how she made use of it.

“Let’s call it a day, Prime Minister Koo. I don’t have much time today.” Gon put an end to the night’s impromptu meeting.

“You have a long journey ahead. After you, Your Majesty. I will send you off.”

“Okay then, see you on Friday.” Gon said with a short nod.

Gon turned and walked toward the helicopter. Tae-Eul bowed down to Seo-Ryung and followed him. Under the full moon’s luminous glow, Seo-Ryeong glared furiously at Gon and Tae-Eul’s departing forms.

— —

Fully dressed in his Navy uniform, Yeong came into the dressing room with Tae-Eul in tow. She also looked like she was ready to leave. She had picked up her belongings and wore the same clothes she was wearing the night she came to his world.

Fully clothed in his Navy suit, Tae-Eul stared at Gon with trembling eyes. Keenly aware of her stunned gaze, Gon gave her the badge he had been carefully keeping for the past 25 years.

“I will give this one to you. It seems it was supposed to be passed on to you. I hope this doesn’t put you in trouble.”

Tae-Eul shook her head.

“So you were in the Navy?”

“I left the military as a Navy Lieutenant. I’m not sure if you’ll believe this, but I’m the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Corea.”

“I believe you.”

“Finally.”

They both smiled, ignoring the heavy atmosphere surrounding them.

“You said your country was about to go to war with Japan. So this is what was happening in the Kingdom of Corea.”

“The Royal Family puts on military uniforms at the most honorable time. It means we will certainly win. I will come back to you with honor. It won’t take long.”

Tae-Eul longed to grab Gon’s perfectly white sleeve. If he didn’t leave in the first place, there would be no reason to wait for him to come back. But she didn’t become a courageous police officer for nothing. She had to get rid of these kind of thoughts, it didn’t suit her. Tae-Eul swallowed nervously.

“… come back?”

“Will you wait for me?”

“See you again, Lee Gon.”

It felt strange and entrancing to hear his name aloud.

Tae-Eul, calling his name.

He would engrave this moment deep in his heart.

“I thought my name was not supposed to be spoken, but I guess it was only meant to be spoken by you.”

— —

Misc.

In the helicopter on their way back to Busan, Secretary Mo quietly observes the couple seated across from her and realizes the huge implications of Tae-Eul’s presence. This is the first time she sees Gon acting like this. When Gon grabs Tae-Eul’s hand and starts to write in her palm, Secretary Mo feels like she’s intruding a very private moment, and can’t help but look away.

#tkem #the king eternal monarch #lee gon #lee min ho #jeong tae-eul #kim go eun #tkem novels #it's been a crazy couple of weeks #as Rihanna says so eloquently #work work work work work #buuut we're now back on our regular schedule #how have you guys been?#let's talk about Gon 'I guess my name was only meant to be spoken by you'#seriously #is this guy for real

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fuckingrealityshifting · 4 years

Note

About religions that are incompatible with shifting, Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to shift because of how they interpret Luke 11:24-26. Meditation techniques that clear the head are considered invitations for demon possession, and are considered a form of spiritism. If a member is found doing that kind of thing, it could lead to shunning and excommunication. Any JWs who want to shift should be careful that they’re not discovered.

I did not know that, thank you very much for telling me!

I’m so sorry because I know/think this is disrespectful but,, please be careful in that religion if you’re part of it because it’s,, such a cult. I love y’all and want you to be safe!!

How to hide you’re a shifter

You do not need to hide you’re a shifter unless there’s a reason. I cannot stress this enough. Do not hide unless there is a significant reason.

Please do not get in the habit of hiding it without reason. Shifting isn’t wrong, it’s not evil, and I’d rather not accidentally encourage secretive, worrying behavior about what we’re doing. Someone pointed out that telling shifters absolutely not to tell anyone is cultish behavior and I agree.

You can tell as many people you want if you know they’re tolerant. You can tell anyone if you know they won’t put you in danger, mentally or physically or anything. Just be safe.

But if you’re in a situation you need to hide shifting or spirituality or any activity online for your safety, here are some tips off the top of my head/stuff I remember from the Internet that you can feel free to correct me on:

Incognito

Now, I don’t think Incognito mode hides your activity from the router history tech savvy people can check. But, search history vanishes from your device, I believe.

Use different browsers

Keep the automatic or a more recognizable one—safari, chrome, whichever—and download another one to use for more sensitive stuff like shifting. Don’t keep it on the bar of favorite or easily accessible apps. If someone checks your search history, they’ll be more likely to only check the obvious one. Personally, I use DuckDuckGo or Ecosia. Also hide the sensitive browser tab in other app folders if you can.

Clear your search history only of suspicious stuff

Don’t clear your entire search history—that looks suspicious when it’s squeaky clean when someone is trying to check. Try and go through and clear only spirituality, magickal, and shifting pages, and the search history page itself. Try to clear it often so you don’t miss something. Maybe clear at the end of every day or every couple hours.

Drown out unhideable stuff

You’re in a shifting discord? Join a bunch of discords the people around you would approve of. Try and place the shifting one not at the exact end but fairly close to it, it’s like a magic spot where people really start to skim when you’re scrolling through a bunch of stuff. Same applies for amino, etc. You have an app for meditation? Use a shortcut that opens the app, make it look like a calculator or a background app or soemthing, match name it’s name to the fake app icon. If it’s a calculator probably don’t put it next to your actual calculator. If you can’t shortcut the app, or even if you can, hide it in a mobile game folder or something, near the bottom of the screen and after swiping a few times, or hide it in a folder with boring background apps and make sure to name it utilities or whatever. Surround it with similarly colored apps.

Vpn?

This is probably more for anonymous browsing online but it might possibly hide it from the router history? I am really not sure though, so go and search it yourself.

Free wifi places?

I think if you’re connected to a different wifi network it won’t show on your router? Still don’t quote me on that. So maybe (assuming COVID is safe in your area) go for a walk, sit around a Starbucks or something, and use the free wifi to search about spirituality and shifting and such.

Proxy website?

I don’t understand what a proxy website or whatever is so I have no idea of this is legitimate or not but this website talks about it??

#shifting #shiftblr #reality shifting #jehovah’s witnesses #anti jehovah’s witnesses #is that what I should tag??#does it need to be tagged???#privacy #online safety tips #online safety #unreality #cult mention #cult cw #religion cw #religion mention #privacy tips

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yinyanchan · 4 years

Text

You Can’t Run

Yandere Tidbit... Wonder which skeleton it could be? Warning slight gore and blood.

This was terrifying.

To anyone else it looked like a pleasant welcome. A giant beautiful bouquet of some of the prettiest and most expensive flowers you had ever seen. Set beside it was a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine you couldn't pronounce. A giant box lay in wait with eye-catching ribbons and bow.

A beautiful envelope with your name, in pretty calligraphy, laid waiting for you to read the letter within.

You knew better than to think it was your airbnb hosts to set something up this extravagant.

Tears blurred your vision and you could feel yourself trembling.

No one was supposed to know you were here for this exact reason.

Collapsing on the ground as you sobbed in utter dismay.

You had been so careful. Your automated time clock to put in a few weeks of vacation. It would adjust your schedules accordingly. Reject if someone else was requesting the same time before you. So you hadn't told a single soul.

You didn't go to any travel agency. Knew even better to research air b&bs on your phone and home network. Made sure that your weekly trip to the library was a "by chance" something to look up on the internet you had found while reading a book there. The book was about coin values of coins you did already have. Made sure coins were in your search history and incognito purchased your airbnb and to pick up your tickets at the airport. Printed all the information you needed and it never left you. Along with some coin prints. The papers that were important you kept in a special pocket in your purse making it look like you were trying to cram all the papers in at once… so if anyone looked they would only find coin papers. You made sure no one had seen you or anyone was close enough to see what you were up to.

Friends and family had no clue what you were up to. Social media didn't have an inkling either. Just you, yourself, and I.

Then you left like you were going to work. parked. Quickly change clothes then wait for your Taxi, you had called from the front counter phone. Then left for the airport. Taxi girl was sweet and didn't ask questions just casually chatting with you. Paid in cash with a good tip. Then the airport was practically a breeze. You picked up your tickets at the counter and paid in cash. You packed light and dressed for the scanning process and hopped on your flight to freedom.

Your car rental was paid in cash. You had enough for groceries and anything else you wanted to do. To a quaint little cabin in the woods. You were free from your stalker.

Then you open the door to this.

It was a little more over the top from the usual presents you've been getting.

You knew better than to ignore them. You would wake up to find them by your bedside table… and since you were practically in the middle of nowhere… by yourself… no one knows where you are… you don't want any bad consequences of not interacting with your… gifts.

You left your cell phone so it wouldn't be traced… the air b&b had an emergency phone only. Reaching out and grasping the envelope tightly in your shaking grasp.

Opening it. It began.

MY DEAREST LOVE,

HOW THOUGHTFUL YOU WERE TO BOOK US A GETAWAY DELIGHT. IT WAS DEFINITELY A SURPRISE AND RATHER SNEAKY OF YOU. THOUGH I AM THOROUGHLY JAPED, I WILL NOT GO DOWN SO EASILY!!! I HAVE JAPED YOU INSTEAD! NOW WE HAVE ALL THIS TIME TOGETHER THAT I CAN'T WAIT TO ENJOY!!! ALSO THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO PAY FOR MY HOME IS YOUR HOME!

Wait… this was his home!!!?

You flew out here into the middle of nowhere how was he stalking you in your town!?... It was an airbnb… he didn’t need to stay here all the time.

All the reviews for this place was 5 star ratings for impeccable cleanliness and great care.

Of course your stalker would have a cabin in the middle of the woods. You just didn't know who he or she was…. Wait, you try to think back on the listing for the owner's names. There were two.

You couldn't seem to remember them. You walked around to the giant box and faltered in your reach.

A feeling of dread overcame you… The box was leaking… suspiciously red.

Gathering some resolve you peer into the box and see the familiar faces you had met on your getaway staring blankly and cold back at you.

Their heads just thrown in a box…. Where were their bodies?

WHEN? WHERE? AND HOW!?

Staring in absolute horror you didn’t notice the figure approaching you.

“DO NOT WORRY! IT WILL NOT STAIN! I JUST DIDN’T LIKE THAT THEY GOT SO MUCH TIME WITH YOU TODAY.” You jump and turn around. Eyes widening in fear at the lumbering skeleton monster in front of you.

You recognize him.

“P-Papyrus?”

It’s the monster mascot himself with a sweet beaming smile and holding up two wine glasses.

“P-please.. I..” You don’t know what to do or say as he leans forward and plants a chaste kiss on your forehead… making you freeze entirely.

“EVER SINCE I SAW YOUR FRIEND REQUEST… I KNEW INSTANTLY YOU WERE THE ONE.” Your eyes widen in fear. You had sent that because he was such a cute goofy skeleton on his live interviews. You friended him to get any updates as he would post monster news as well… how… did he really go over all his friend requests himself on his page!? AND THEN THINK YOU WERE HIS!? AS WELL AS MURDERING PEOPLE YOU JUST RANDOMLY MET TRYING TO GET AWAY!!?

You look back at the box and know you are about to throw up/pass out because this is too overwhelming… but if you do pass out… you’d be at his complete mercy.

Of which you are sure he doesn’t have any.

“I KNOW IT DOESN’T SEEM RIGHT BUT I JUST GET SO MAD… BUT NEVER AT YOU! MY SWEET Y/N, LET US END THIS GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE!” He smiles broadly after a grim look crosses briefly over his features.

Handing you a wine glass and looking expectantly for you to take it.

Glancing around you are trying to think of your options… no one knows you’re here.

Only your stalker knows where you are at right now… and he has proven to be very dangerous… and he’s right here in front of you.

You know you are shaking… how could you not be terrified?

“I WILL MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE! NOW LET’S MAKE OUR DATEMATE STATUS OFFICIAL TO A TOAST! THEN SPEND OUR LITTLE GETAWAY IN ROMANTIC BLISS!” The glass is thrust towards you again, his grin becoming a little more manic.

You are far more terrified at what he will do to you… if you refuse.

Trembling you take the glass and his cheery grin that gained the support of monsters and humans alike unfurls.

“SPLENDID! NYEH HEH!” He grabs the wine and pours some in your glass and his.

A beautiful red wine.

“A TOAST TO OUR FUTURE TOGETHER MY LOVE!” He raises his glass and cheers. You awkwardly raise yours… trying not to spill it.

He lowers his to sip and you try not to get all over yourself.

“NOT LIKE YOU’D BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF IT ANYWAY.” He chuckles with little nyeh hehs.

“BECAUSE I WILL ALWAYS BE ABLE TO FIND YOU. I WILL ALWAYS BE ABLE TO CATCH YOU.” Papyrus takes a gloves hand and runs it through your hair as you shake. Tears running down your face.

That horrible sinking feeling you can’t escape...

“YOU CAN’T RUN.”

#oneshots Reader/?Skeleton

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contacttwo681 · 3 years

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Best Dating App For Professionals Over 40

Best Free Dating App For Over 40s

Best Dating Site For Professionals Over 40

Best Dating App For Professionals Over 40 2019

OkCupid's basic services are free to use, and upgraded features start at $4.95 per month. Tinder: One of the most popular dating apps, Tinder was once known as a hookup app for people not looking for long-term commitment. But for many people over 50 Tinder has become a more traditional way to meet and connect. Best dating sites and apps for people over 40 — and which ones to avoid. Find love again (or for the first time.). EliteSingles utilizes a bunch of algorithms to find you a professional match. After a lot of trail and error, here's my unfiltered take on the best dating apps for women over 40, from Bumble to Hinge to eHarmony. Since 2007, Zoosk has distinguished itself as a high-tech dating site and app for singles looking to socialize and pick up dates on the fly. It has over 40 million members and sees over 3 million messages exchanged per day.

It is impossible to stop time and go back to the past. It has turned out that older people mostly search via the internet “what are the best free online dating sites for over 40?” because they are still single. That happens due to one important factor.

Single Sites For Over 40

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When you become older, it is much more difficult to meet new people, especially to marry. It is truly half of life. Many have managed to achieve something in their lives, maybe even several marriages and divorces. However, love is something eternal. That is why there are plenty of over 40 dating sites for singles over 40. They provide various opportunities for communication in order to find love. There a 40-year-old woman can easily start dating a man over forty that have never married. Everyone deserves to be loved, and you also will definitely find it: over 40 dating websites will help you with it.

Characteristics of Best Dating Sites for Over 40

The industry of online dating has developed tremendously, and now there even free dating services for over 40. All of them are different, with their strong and weak sides. It is necessary to define whether a over 40 website is good or not. That is why there are some common standards that the best dating websites for over 40 must match. Some features are very common, but they also must be implemented in a proper way. Here is their overview.

Easy to Use

An over 40 dating website should not be complicated. It must have a simple infrastructure that every new member will be able to easily use. With well-thought-out website design, even not tech-savvy users will be able to easily find future husbands and wives.

Free Registration Process

Registration should be free. It allows new members to try the service and decide if to continue or not. In addition, in enlarges the number of members, thus improves the chances of perfect matching. The sign-up process also should not be able to be done through social networks as it may lead to leakage of personal information. It is also should include verification by email to decrease the number of fake accounts. Most scammers do not want to waste much time, and email verification can be a small obstacle to a part of them.

Well-Thought-Out Questionnaire

It is common knowledge that it is difficult to write about yourself from scratch, and this can disinterest new members for further over 40 dating steps. As a solution, there are questionnaires. Most internet users like answering different questions about themselves instead of writing personal info. It allows to quickly fill in important information. Hence, over the forties dating sites develop their own questions to save users’ time and make it easier to find people with the same interests. They are not obligatory. You can skip this process and provide information about yourself later when you would like to.

Communication Tools

Probably, the most important thing in the over 40 dating process is communication. On the best over 40 dating sites, you should be able to express your emotions and feelings, which means that sending only emails is not a solution. There just must be tools for communication, such as:

Live Chat With Instant Messages

The possibility of chatting in real-time greatly improves the relationship between people.

Voice Calls

Talking is very important as you can hear most of the emotions and understand how a person reacts to what you say.

Video Calls

Real-time communication with video helps to see if all the photos are too altered and how a person looks like. It is recommended to have at least several video calls before meeting offline.

Translation Services

Mostly members communicate with someone from a foreign country. It means that they may not know some common language. Therefore, the translation service will help to erase this language gap between people.

24/7 Customer Support

In case of some troubles, a customer support team should be there. It must be available 24/7 due to the fact that members from different countries live in different time zones. You may contact them for sure if you have some concerns like:

Registration process;

Suspicious behavior of a member;

Search tools usage;

Payment issues;

How to start a conversation and you need some tips on how to do that;

Amount of profiles.

Speaking of singles over 40 dating sites, you must understand that they have a vast network that attracts new users from all over the world. You can find members from oversees countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe. It has become a wonderful community of single men and women. On such over 40 dating platform, it is much easier to find a person due to your preferences and create a lovely couple.

Profiles Quality

Over 40 dating websites can be rated by the quality of users’ profiles. They must include:

Photos of a person that are not fake;

Initial user info: name, country, age, nationality etc;

Self-description of personality, hobbies, world view, and favorite things;

Expectations from a future partner.

Additionally, some members may upload short videos about themselves

Premium online dating platforms check if the provided information is up-to-date and is not going to mislead other members.

Safety

The most important thing while using any kind of over 40 dating platform is safety. There is a special management team that checks if the members are likely to be scammers. It has turned out that most female accounts are used to deceive people. Even after registration and member validation, checkups do not end. Security team continues to monitor these users, and if any of them will ask for money, send spam, or behave inappropriately, they will ban this account. It is necessary to mention that over 40 international dating websites cannot guarantee 100% safety. Hence, they inform their members with what to do in case of fraud and suspicious behavior of members according to security guidelines.

Pricing

You should know that for most of the features on over 40 dating websites you will have to pay. However, you may forget about subscriptions. They proved their inconvenience as users do not spend most of the time that they have paid for. There is a new tendency of credit system where you buy specific currency on to find single professionals over 40. The most pleasant side of this system is that you will spend credits only when you use something. It does not bind you to the time, and you can use free over forty dating services when you want. Moreover, there are discounts for loyal members. Speaking of payment methods, you will be definitely able to use:

Visa

MasterCard

Discover

Maestro credit, debit, prepaid or gift card

PayPal is also available for some countries

Additional Services

Dating websites for over 40 often provide additional services to improve communication and relationships between members. They help to erase the borders between people, and it can be done by using:

Present Delivery Service

It can help you to express your feelings by sending a present to a person you like. This delivery service can make it even in a different part of the world. It takes up to 8 working days, and in the end, you will receive a photo report. Among the gifts that you can send are:

Toys

Chocolate

Perfumes

Flowers

Jewelry

Smartphones

Offline Dating Service

Over 40 dating service can help you to organize an offline date if the person you like also agrees. It allows being sure that the date will definitely happen. However, bear in mind that you will have to pay for accommodation and flight by yourself.

Exchange of Personal Contacts

This service allows both people to receive phone numbers of each other, so they can continue to talk outside the over 40 dating platform. It can be used only if communication is going well and the two are not against of doing this.

Best Free Dating Sites for Over 40

On the internet, you can find different best places to meet women over 40. However, these definitely match the above-mentioned features that indicate their high quality. You will not regret using them.

VictoriaHearts.com

Amazing over 40 plus places that will surprise you with the simplicity of usage. With quick registration, the initial questionnaire, and a powerful search tool, new members easily find nice people to talk and date.

Valentime.com

Wonderful over 40 international dating platform that has a high rate of women from Eastern Europe. It has an excellent 24/7 customer support that helps not only with some problems but also can help in online dating.

MatchTruly.com

This over 40 website is considered to be one of the best in quality of member profiles and safety. It has a long history of successful matchings of people from different countries.

Conclusion

Best Free Dating App For Over 40s

While searching for the best dating websites for over 40, you should remember all important qualities that they must have. This is how over 40 dating platforms can prove their usefulness and safety. Age does not matter; everyone deserves to find love.

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Looking for different dating sites?

Table of Contents

Best online dating apps and sites for over 40 singles

When it comes to dating men and women over 40, many middle-aged singles might be worried about getting back into a relationship. Whether they are recently divorced or single, professionals focusing on their careers, or looking after kids, there are many reasons over 40 singles wait to date.

Whether you are a professional who wants to start dating or a divorced, single parent looking to try dating, there are options. Many people are dating with kids as well. You can also find matches for friendship, but of course romance and love are the focus.

Hitting your mid-life period doesn’t mean that your dating is done. There are now plenty of over 40 dating apps and websites, allowing you to enjoy 40+ dating like never before! Here are some of the best over 40 dating app / sites today:

OkCupid

OkCupid is one of the leading dating websites and apps for helping you to match with new, like minded users who are also in their forties. They offer free registration and a way to link in through Facebook as well, making set up your profile easier than ever before.

Filter your searches for a partner based on a variety of topics, such as interests, physical appearance, location, and more! You can also take the time to make meaningful connections via their chat and messaging and arrange dates with people who are a perfect match for you.

To top it all off, they offer an excellent app for anyone who is on the go and looking for a new dating relationship while still maintaining a busy lifestyle.

Match.com

One of the largest and best apps for people looking to start a new relationship with men and women across the United States.

Match is especially great for people who are looking to utilize the full extent of an advanced matching service, including filtering out the types of single over 40 people who they may not want to date. This means you can be specific about dating people who are focused on their careers, have children, or are looking to meet someone that shares a specific hobby.

EHarmony

Launched in 2000, Eharmony is one of the leading online dating services for serious relationships, especially with the over 40 crowd that wants to take the time to find true love with help from one of the best sites for dating.

Start a relationship on your own terms with the help of Eharmony, connecting people through the use of advanced filtering, profile creation, and some of best matching services on the market today.

They do offer free registration when you sign up, but you can only view your matches with this level of subscription. You will need a paying account to make use of all the features that Eharmony has to offer.

What to consider when you start dating in your forties

Dating in your forties means that you are bringing experience and baggage into a place where you may not be used to having both. Many things will be the same as when you were younger, but not everything.

For many, the big issue with dating in later life is that there may be children involved. While a partner having kids is a possibility, it shouldn’t put you off. If the family is welcoming, it can be a rewarding experience. Plus, children are especially good at giving you a signal if your match is truly good.

For people who are dealing with loss, there may be the issue of living in the shadow of the partner who’s passed on. Whether you do it to a date or they do it to you, the important thing is to remember that you should stop with this kind of comparison.

Ultimately, the relationship you share with someone will be different from the one they had. No better or worse, just different. And maybe even the best one.

Finally, you may also have financial concerns, particularly if you’ve been through a divorce. However, letting your money rule your love-life is a sure-fire way to scupper any future romance. Sometimes, you just have to roll the dice and see what happens.

What are Pros & Cons to middle-age dating?

Best Dating Site For Professionals Over 40

Pros

You’re far more likely to have similar interests and similar life experiences.

You won’t have to suffer never-ending conversations about the latest music, or which social media platforms are the best

You can concentrate on enjoying the important things in life for the two of you

Couples in their 40s tend to favor quality over quantity when it comes to sexual encounters

Cons

Odds are that you will have other obligations to look after, ranging from work to children

You may not always be your date’s priority, especially if they have kids

With Covid, traditional ways of meeting up and mingling are severely limited, so you both will have to adapt

People who date when they are older are likely to move things quickly, especially if there are kids involved. Sometimes this is okay, but it isn’t always the best way to move a relationship forward

What you can do to make over 40 dating successful

Making the world of dating work for you and being successful at it requires that you understand what you want and need out of a dating relationship from the start. If you are looking for love, then it will take time but be patient and with the right app you can make dating work.

Click here for more tips and guides on Over-40 Dating

You should understand that not every potential match you’re paired up with is going to be right for you. The best dating apps are a great way to get to know someone before you take the plunge and meet up, but there’s no need to compromise on what you want right from the start.

State your preferences from the outset. If you don’t want to date someone with children, then don’t beat about the bush: state it on your profile page. There’s no sense in being coy about what you want from your online experience and your honesty could well be seen as attractive.

Best Dating App For Professionals Over 40 2019

This will also help to make your dating experiences much better and far more successful.

Remember, if you’re convinced that you’re too old to start dating again, then you’ll likely self-sabotage your own efforts to find love. Avoid this. Other users looking at dating sites for over 40 singles are all at similar age to you and trying to enjoy dating. You can too.

Of course, be sure that you’re ready. If you’ve come out of a divorce, you might feel like diving back into the pool out of some sort of sense of injustice. Dating sites are there to help you find new love, not to try and exorcise the ghosts of a previous relationship.

Finally, be honest. Profile pictures can be misleading and if you manage to bag yourself a face-to-face date, you don’t want your match to find you unrecognizable. If you have wrinkles, have put on weight, or have gone bald, embrace it. There’s someone for everyone.

If you are unsure, you can also try to be friends with them over Facebook or try to reach them by email in a way that is outside of the dating site. This is good for confirmation that they are who they say they are, as well.

Why are dating services for the over 40 crowd working and on the rise?

You don’t need to see the popularity of dating for people over 40 on social media sites like Facebook to know that more people are enjoying online dating. Millennials in their forties have found sites and apps like OkCupid, Match.com, EHarmony, and even Tinder are the best way to date.

Of course, there are sites which help make these kinds of online dating service experiences more niche. For example, you could try Coffee Meets Bagel or Zoosk for niche dating opportunities with the 40+ crowd.

Part of what makes them so attractive is the fact that you can date online from the comfort of your own home. With Covid on the rise and such a threat, dating with a mobile app or on a website not only feels convenient, it’s safer too.

For anyone who is older, regardless of whether you want to find love, friendship, or a middle age romance that is flexible, online dating is the place to go. A good online dating service will help you to meet the person you can love.

You will meet a lot of millennials and people from all walks of life, including LGBT communities and others. These sites are great for making friends and finding out new things about yourself as well.

Thanks to advanced algorithms that pay attention to personality tests you fill out, as well as what you put into your user profile, finding a significant other to fall in love with has never been as exciting or as successful! Try the best over 40 dating sites and find true love!

Interested in Reviews for the following Dating Sites?

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where-dreamers-go · 5 years

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“Part 2 - Protecting The Document” Riley Poole x Reader

(A/N: Requested. And we’re back with a continuation of the Riley Poole x Reader series! After finding The Charlotte, it’s time to convince others that the Declaration of Independence is in danger. Team up with your friends Ben Gates and Riley Poole for more adventure.

Check out Part One.

Word Count: 8,580)

Washington D.C. — J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building

“Man….I’m still sweating from being in there.” You said, pulling at your clothes.

“Well, you said that you didn’t want to be sitting in the van alone because you’d look suspicious,” Ben reasoned as the three of you walked out of the government building.

“I know. I know.”

“Relax. You haven’t done anything. Besides, you have the most innocent face between the three of us.”

“Hey,” Riley whined as the three of you walked outside.

Equally spaced trees lined the sidewalks ahead of you. Heading back towards the van the three of you were a little put off by multiple visits to government buildings. The cold and concrete that gave off the essence of aloof.

“Is it really so hard to believe that someone’s gonna try to steal the Declaration of Independence?” Riley asked, peeved.

“The FBI gets ten thousands of tips a week. They’re not gonna worry about something they’re sure is safe.” Ben answered, hands shoved into his jean pockets.

“But anyone that can do anything is gonna think we’re crazy.” Riley stopped before reaching the street. “Anyone crazy enough to believe us isn’t gonna want to help.”

“We don’t need someone crazy. But one step short of crazy, what do you get?” Ben asked, turning to the two of you.

Riley laughed, “obsessed.”

“Passionate.” Ben corrected and turned back to go to the van.

“So…,” you glanced over at Riley, “we have to find someone who loves the Declaration?”

“Obsessively.” Riley murmured.

. . .

National Archives waiting room.

Quiet halls and cushioned chairs. It was like waiting in a dentist’s office for your name to be called. The three of you sat in identical wooden chairs, lined up in front of a wall; although yours was beside an end table. It was hopefully the last stop for the day. You did have work to do to bring in the money somehow. That day just happened to be dedicated to an immensely important document.

“Excuse me.” Ben reached across Riley to pick up a black and blue pamphlet off of the receptionist’s desk.

70TH NATIONAL ARCHIVES ANNIVERSARY GALA

Ben opened the bifold to find it was an invitation. Details were scripted in smaller font.

Huh, you thought, my friend from (school) invited me there.

The door in front of all of you opened, the assistant peeked out.

“Doctor Chase can see you now, Mister Brown.”

“Thank you.” Ben said, raising from his chair.

“Mister Brown?” Riley asked in a hushed tone.

Ben leaned in closer to whisper, “The family name doesn’t get a lot of respect in the academic community.”

“Huh. Being kept down by the man.”

The men walked passed the dark wooden door before you.

“A very cute man.” Riley stopped abruptly.

You peeked between your friends.

That is most definitely not a man, you thought.

The three of you stood in front of a large desk, already on routine as you were all acknowledged.

“Thank you.” The blonde woman hung up the telephone. Presumably, Doctor Chase.

Well, this is going to be fun, you thought, watching as your friends stood straighter.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” she greeted. “And good afternoon.” She repeated as you moved over to Riley’s right hand side as you were given an extra chair to place beside the pair in front of the desk.

You smiled.

“Hi.” Riley half-bowed.

“Abigail Chase.” She reached over to shake hands with Ben.

“Paul Brown.” Ben introduced himself as. All the while Riley watched, a bit on his toes.

“Nice to meet you.”

She then shook hands with Riley.

“Bill,” Riley fumbled, barely.

“Nice to meet you, Bill.” Doctor Chase said formally before turning her attention to you.

“(Random name),” you said, shaking her hand.

“Nice to meet you, (Random name).” She returned her gaze to Ben. “How may I help you?”

Ben immediately pointed at her and stated, “Your accent. Pennsylvania Dutch?”

“Saxony German.”

“You’re not American?” Riley asked, eyebrows pinched together.

“Oh, I am an American.” She said, walking back to her chair. “I just wasn’t born here. Please don’t touch that!”

You spun around to see Ben’s fingers already a hair’s width away from a small display.

Dude, really? Tell me you didn’t. He always has to touch, you thought.

“Sorry. A neat collection. George Washington’s campaign buttons.” Ben pointed at the two rows of about a quarter sized buttons. “You’re missing the 1789 inaugural, though. I found one once.”

Doctor Chase nodded with a soft smile. Impressed, perhaps.

“That’s very fortunate for you. Now, you told my assistant that this was an urgent matter.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ben followed suit as all of you took your seats. “Well, I’m gonna get straight to the point. Someone’s gonna steal the Declaration of Independence.”

She did not say a word in response. Finally looking to Riley for any other explanation.

There was a long moment of silence before Riley spoke up, “It’s true.”

Doctor Chase looked down.

“I think I’d better put you gentlemen in touch with the FBI.” She said.

“We’ve been to the FBI.” Ben quickly added.

“And?”

“They assured us that the Declaration cannot possibly be stolen.” Riley answered tiredly.

“They’re right.”

“My friends and I are less certain.” Ben countered. “However, if we were given the privilege of examining the document…”

Doctor Chase gave him a look to which he challenged with one of his own.

Here we go, you thought as you leaned against the arm of the chair.

Ben continued, “we would be able to tell you for certain if it were actually in any danger.”

She leaned back in a stance that read: humor me.

“What do you think you’re gonna find?” She asked.

You held your breath.

“We believe that there’s an…encryption on the back.” Ben nodded, satisfied with his word use.

“An encryption, like a code?” She glanced between the three of you.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Of what?”

“A…cartograph.”

“A map.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“A map of what?”

Riley adjusted his jacket as he put his head down. You on the other hand, tried not to move a muscle.

Ben had definitely met his match with this one.

“The location of…,” Ben cleared his throat, “…of hidden items of historic and intrinsic value.”

Doctor Chase was leaning over her desk at that point and glanced up.

“A treasure map?”

“That’s where we lost the FBI.” Riley smiled, finally looking up again.

“You’re treasure-hunters, aren’t you?” She looked between the three of you with narrowed eyes.

You and Riley turned towards Ben as you both shifted in your seats.

Flippin’ explain, Ben, you thought.

“We’re more like treasure-protectors.” Ben corrected to the best of his ability to scramble the last stitch effort.

“Mr. Brown, I have personally seen the back of the Declaration of Independence, and I promise you, the only thing there is a notation that reads, ‘Original Declaration of Independence, dated’…”

“‘Four of July, 1776.’ Yes, ma’am.”

She smiled and said, “but no map.”

You could sense as Ben fully looked over at you and Riley. The pair of you refused to meet his gaze. You were more than positive that the two of you were mentally chanting for Ben not to say what you knew was coming next.

Exhaling, Ben still remained silent for a few more precious moments before opening his mouth again.

“It’s invisible.”

“Oh. Right.” Doctor Chase whispered.

You outwardly cringed.

She thinks we’re nuts, you thought, wanting nothing more than to go home.

The lady asked many questions and had an arsenal of sass.

“And that’s where we lost the Department of Homeland Security.” Riley sighed, his gaze at his feet.

There was more uncomfortable silence in the room as three people clung onto hope.

“What led you to assure there’s this invisible map?” She asked.

“We found an engraving on the stem of a 200-year old pipe.”

“Owned by Freemasons.” Riley piped up.

“May I see the pipe?”

“We don’t have it.”

She leaned in closer and asked in a hushed tone, “did Big Foot take it?”

OKAY, you thought, done.

“It was nice meeting you.” Ben stated as he stood from the chair.

Doctor Chase eyed your best friend with humor and interest.

“Nice to meet you, too.” She said.

You quickly rose out of your own seat, ready to leave.

“And, you know,” Ben said, gesturing to the Washington buttons. “That really is a nice collection. Must have taken you a long time to hunt down all that history.”

She smiled once more and the three of you left her office with as much dignity as ones could muster after failing to have one person believe your story.

Ben lead the way out and soon into the large open area where historical documents were on display. Visitors walked and stood around in their own worlds. Their conversations were white noise.

Would anyone believe any of you? Just one?

Sighing, you walked alongside Riley, shoes almost shuffling across the reflective floor.

“If it’s any consolation, you had me convinced,” Riley said to Ben.

“It’s not.” Ben answered from two paces ahead.

“I was thinking, what if we go public, paster the story all over the Internet? It’s not like we have our reputations to worry about. Although I don’t think that’s exactly gonna scare Ian away.”

“But at least people would know.” You stated.

Three of you stood in front of a glass case, gazing down at the one thing that needed protecting and could lead the three of you to the next clue to the Templar’s treasure. Light shining around it for easy viewing.

“183 years of searching, and I’m three feet away,” Ben sighed and looked to the pair of you. “Of all the words written here about freedom, there’s a line here that’s at the heart of all the others.” He looked down to read, “‘But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government and provide new guards for their future security.’ People don’t talk that way any more.”

“Beautiful, huh.” Riley murmured with crossed arms. “No idea what you said.”

“It means, if there’s something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.”

Quiet filled the space between friends, history spoke loud enough to be heard by those willing, and thoughts were fixed.

Ben exhaled.

“I’m gonna steal it.”

“What?” You and Riley asked in the same moment.

“I’m gonna steal the Declaration of Independence.”

Ben walked off in long strides as Riley laughed before seeing that Ben was still moving forward.

You and Riley quickly exchanged looks of growing horror.

“Ben?” Riley called after his friend.

The two of you fast-walked across the floor and passed everyday visitors with growing anxieties.

. . .

Steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

With a heavy heart, you sat beside Riley on the hard concrete steps. Figuring out that your shared best friend wanted to steal and have it be the Declaration of Independence was not easy to digest.

Ben stood before the two of you with his idea stubbornly set, the Washington Monument as his backdrop.

“This is…huge.” Riley stated from your right, hands together. “It’s prison huge. You are gonna go to prison, you know that?”

“Yeah, probably.” Ben said with hands on his hips and accepting his fate.

“So that would bother most people.”

“It sure as heck bothers me,” you spoke. “Why risk it?”

“Ian’s gonna try and steal it. And if he succeeds, he’ll destroy the Declaration.” Ben reasoned. “The fact is, the only way to protect the Declaration is to steal it.”

You stared off into the distance. Bright blue skies and few white clouds made for a beautiful day. Beautiful and a recklessly tiring day. You didn’t even know what to do with your hands at that point, wanting to curl up in a chair or hit your head against a wall. You had options.

“It’s upside down.” Ben sat down on Riley’s right, “I don’t think there’s a choice.”

“Heh, Ben,” Riley stood up with gesturing hands, “for God’s stakes, it’s like stealing a national monument. Okay?” He had pointed across the reflective water. “It’s like stealing him.” He gestured behind Ben to where Lincoln’s statue sat. “It can’t be done. Not shouldn’t be done. It can’t be done. Let me prove it to you.”

You looked to Riley and said, “I’ll buy you dinner for a week if you do.”

Ben made a noise in his throat.

. . .

Library of Congress

Tall curved ceiling, circular room, and reading material for eons.

Each of you had gathered more than a handful volumes, which took longer than your feet would have liked. Pouring over and through various pages, arguments were being built silently. Having found an unoccupied area, the three of you had been scanning and reading for more than an hour.

You and Ben sat opposite Riley, who had since placed his glasses on as he stood. Ready to prove his point with a blue pen in hand, he meant business.

You sighed quietly to yourself as you rested your chin on your hands, ready to listen.

Have his eyes always been that blue?

Ben nudged you under the table before giving you a knowing look as you glanced over at him.

You retracted, shifting your eyes because there were multiple possible reasons for that look. Grumbling, you flipped back a page in one of the volumes that sat beside your elbow.

“Okay, Ben, pay attention,” Riley whispered. “I’ve brought you to the Library of Congress. Why? Because it’s the biggest library in the world. Over twenty million books. And they’re all saying the same exact thing: listen to Riley.”

Ben sat quietly as his friend annunciated each word.

“What we have here, my friend is an entire layout of the archives. Short of builders’ blueprints. You’ve got construction orders, phone lines, water and sewage—it’s all here.” Riley lifted up documents as he named them. “Now, when the Declaration is on display, okay, it is surrounded by guards and video monitors and a little family from Iowa and little kids on their eighth grade field trip. And beneath an inch of bulletproof glass is an army of sensors and heat monitors that will go off if someone gets too close with a high fever.”

The sensors would definitely be problematic, you thought.

“Now,” he flipped the page, “when it’s not on display, it is lowered into a four-foot-thick concrete, steel-plated vault…that happens to be equipped with an electronic combination lock and biometric access-denial systems.” Riley stood straight, satisfied with his argument.

“You know, Thomas Edison tried and failed nearly two thousand times to develop the carbonized cotton-thread filament for the incandescent light bulb.” Ben spoke calmly.

Here we go, you thought.

“Edison?” Riley asked quietly.

“When asked about it, he said, ‘I didn’t fail, I found out two thousand ways how not to make a light bulb.’ But he only needed to find one way to make it work.” Ben handed over a book with a small thump. “The Preservation Room. Enjoy. Go ahead.”

Ben intertwined his hands together, eyebrows raised in waiting.

Riley gingerly took the book and sat down to have a look.

“Do you know what the Preservation Room is for?” Ben asked.

“Delicious jams and jellies?”

You smiled as Riley peered up for a moment.

“No. That’s where they clean, repair and maintain all the documents and the storage housings when they’re not on display or in the vault. Now, when the case needs work they take it out of the vault, directly across the hall and into the Preservation Room. The best time for us, or Ian, to steal it would be during the gala this weekend when the guards are distracted by the VIPs upstairs. But we’ll make our way to the Preservation Room, where there’s much less security.”

Ben rested back with a hand covering his growing smile.

The Gala? You thought as you lowered your arms onto the table, looking between your friends.

“Huh….Well, if Ian..” Riley flipped a page in the book. “Preservation…hmmm…The gala, huh? This might be possible.”

“It might.” He nodded.

“Oh, boy.” You sighed.

“Mmm, no dinner,” Riley mumbled.

“Nope. Not even a piece of gum.”

. . .

The three of you had about a week worth of preparation in about a day. There was a lot of detail work to be completed ahead of time, however the group of you were managing well.

A day after leaving the Library of Congress and you all had your work cut out for you.

Riley was out in the subway working his electronic magic to give him eyes into the National Archives’ security feed. Needing to gain a recording of an empty Preservation room and its hallway that lead into it. Couldn’t let Ben be seen. Riley would be the eyes overseeing it all.

Earlier, Ben had advised you to call the old friend of yours from school who had invited you to the Gala prior to going to the Arctic Circle. Ben needed you for backup and as a lookout while out on the VIP floor. It would be easier for you to already have guest access regardless of the amount of security.

“Ben, I’m not the kind of person to ask…to…to be a tag along. They like that I don’t do that. I like it too and I’m not getting someone else involved with illegal activity.”

“They won’t be involved,” he said. “They probably still want to spend time with you. They know you love history. Right?”

“Yeah.”

“And they had already invited you over a month ago, right?”

“Darn you.” You said with a deadpanned expression.

He smiled.

You grabbed your phone and headed out to your own apartment down the hall.

Your stomach twisted at the thought of what you were doing.

“Darn it.” You called your friend as you sat onto the couch.

The entire phone call consisted of letting them know you were back in town, asking how they were, and if they still needed company to the Gala. It was extremely last minute, you knew and expressed as much. Luck on your side, they were more than happy that you could join them. No one else was free that night as it turned out.

After the call, you texted a quick message to Ben and Riley, how you were a plus one at the Gala.

Tossing your phone onto the couch, you walked to your room. It was time to take out your formal wear after all. That would be the easiest part of your day. Grabbing supplies and materials to bring over to Ben’s apartment to set up where you all would examine the Declaration without contaminating it was next. List in hand, you just had to find what you already had and buy the rest. Thankfully, out of the three of you most of the supplies did not have to be bought.

Late into the afternoon, Ben organized papers of information he already knew he needed. Scans of the Silence Dogood Letters sat comfortably in a folder. Book opened and microwave meal heated, Ben was reading up on the Declaration’s encasement. He was in charge of getting it out safely.

You stood on furniture as you secured plastic sheets to the ceiling. It was then that you sort of wished that the ceilings were a tad lower.

After eating, Ben went out to grab some photos of the custodial services ID card at the National Archives building. He was not away long, soon he had returned and was using Adobe Photoshop to create his own ID. All the while you were trying to keep the multiple plastic sheets from overlapping too much. Sometimes one just had to be off angled instead of hanging straight down to the floor. At least Riley had a good laugh at your minor complaints while he brought in the EDS suits and air filtration system.

Over at Ben’s apartment, again, you were setting up the final touches.

“I’ve been in the art club. I’ve been in FBLA. I got this.” You said, giving yourself a proper pep talk. “Plus I’m a perfectionist…”

“That’s not a bad thing.” Ben said as he wrote a note to accompany the campaign button.

“Oh and this is my vacuum cleaner not yours. So don’t even think about it.”

A desk sat surrounded by plastic sheets, each sheet clipped together at their seams that reached to the ceiling. Admittedly, you had to go out and buy more clips. You kept the table lamp still on the desk. Riley had shown up earlier to help set up the two large lights above the setup to see everything and anything clearly. A handheld blue light and all of the liquid treatments you all might need alongside extra glasses cluttered half of the desk.

By nightfall, Ben was cleaning the Washington’s campaign buttons and testing how to reveal prints. All the while he allowed you to raid his snacks. You deserved it.

It was very nice of him to gift Doctor Chase with the last button she needed, but also something more as what was planned for the Gala.

“Hey, don’t touch anything on that table until tomorrow. Got it?”

“Will do,” Ben said, giving you a quick hug before you left.

All that there was left to do was get ready for the next day. The day of the Gala when the three of you started your plans. Setting off the heat sensors around the Declaration of Independence was first.

. . .

The skies were dark and the gala indoors was bright as day.

As of more than two hours, you were already with your friend, the one who invited you to the gala. You thought the red carpet leading up the stairs was a bit much, however you at least enjoyed your time with your friend. Enjoying one another’s company without needing to spend every second talking. There were a lot of attendees and donors dressed in their finest. If it hadn’t been for the plan, you probably would had liked attending a decorative gala.

You had an earpiece in one ear to hear both Ben and Riley. You had thought against it with the microphone, however the three of you realized that you really needed to know what was happening and when to leave. So an earpiece you had.

Avoiding Doctor Chase the entirety you were present was a dance in stealth. She knew you by a fake name, your friend who brought you as a guest knew who you really were. You wanted to avoid any mishaps and awkwardness at all costs. That was one of your main priorities along side keeping an eye out for trouble and being the closest one that could help Ben if he needed.

As with most parties, you were introduced to people. This time you vaguely remembered names. Your mind and attention was elsewhere. Although you hoped that you would not need to remember their entire names for the future.

Era themed costumes of the orchestra were a highlight. They played beautifully, the overhead lights shining over them. You stood beside a table draped in white cloth as your friend sipped at their beverage.

Spotting movement in your peripheral vision, you peered over. Ben entered at the opposite end of the room with two tall glasses in hand as he made his way further in.

You turned on your earpiece.

Ben walked towards Doctor Chase with his head held high.

“Is (Y/N) there?” Came Riley’s voice.

“Yeah,” Ben peered over at you from across the groups of mingling people, seeing as you put a hand behind you back—a signal. “Their earpiece is definitely on.”

“Who’s with them?”

Ben cleared his throat as he reached Doctor Chase.

“For you.”

“Oh, Mister Brown.” She said.

“Doctor Chase.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Is that that hot girl?” Riley’s voice cut in. “How does she look?”

It took a second, but you stopped yourself from making a side comment. There was no need to have your generous friend asking why you were talking to yourself. It was not the time for that. Although it wasn’t time for Riley to be asking those sort of questions either.

“I made a last-minute donation. A big one,” Ben continued.

“Well, on that subject,” Doctor Chase added, “thank you for your wonderful gift.”

“Oh, you did get it? Good.”

“Yes, thank you. You know, I really couldn’t accept something like that normally, but…I really want it.”

“Well, you needed it.”

“Come on, Romeo,” Riley piped up, “get outta there.”

Your friend beside you was whispering something about some man’s tie as you were peeking over at Ben and Doctor Chase. Riley was right, Ben needed to get-a-steppin’.

“I have been wondering, though,” Doctor Chase said, “what the engraving indicated on the pipe that Big Foot took.”

Are they flirting? You thought, as your friend introduced you to a pair of smiling donors.

“Hi.” Another man’s voice came into your ear, “Here you go.”

“Oh, Doctor Herbert,” Chase spoke, “this is Mister Brown.”

“Hi,” said the taller man also approaching Doctor Chase with two glasses.

“Hi there.” Ben greeted shortly.

“Who’s the stiff?” Riley asked suddenly.

You snickered. Earning a raised eyebrow from the people around you, you waved it off with a shake of your head and a cough.

“Here, why don’t you let me take that?” Ben asked as he delicately took ahold of the glass’ base from the lady, “So you can take that off his hands.”

“Thank you.”

“A toast, yeah? To high treason,” Ben declared. “That’s what these men were committing when they signed the Declarations. Had we lost the war, they would have been hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered, and—Oh! Oh, my personal favorite—and had their entrails cuts out and burned!”

There he is, you thought. Perhaps a little much. Just a little.

You fully turned to see Ben for yourself. He indeed had his glass held high between a lady and gentleman. Ben then continued.

“So, here’s to the men who did what was considered wrong in order to do what they knew was right.” He nodded. “What they knew was right.”

In roughly three seconds he downed his drink.

You could sense his anxiety from where you stood. None of you knew how the night would turn out. Saving and protecting the Declaration from Ian was top priority. What happened to the three of you was up in the air.

“Well, good night.”

“Good night.”

In quick strides, Ben had finally left the party with the two glasses. Only one was needed. Ben went onwards to the next stage of the plan. Out of sight.

You hoped that the men’s restroom was unoccupied given the science experiment he was about to conduct.

“This better work.” Riley said.

Ben was alone. Any news from him would be given as it developed, hopefully. Extracting Doctor Chase’s fingerprints was vital to getting anywhere near the Declaration. To saving it. Stealing it.

As a waiter passed, your friend offered you a drink again, but you declined. You wanted a clear head even though your worry was increasing. You planned on drinking plenty of water when you got back to the apartment.

“How does it look?” Riley asked.

“It’s working. It’s working…” Ben answered in a hushed tone.

Thank goodness, you turned your gaze back to the musicians.

“Unbelievable.” Riley muttered.

The musicians struck up another song while you were waiting as Ben was undoubtedly making his way out of the restroom. He was following each step perfectly, as expected. There was some sort of sliding mechanics that sounded in your ear, but not much after that.

“We’re in the elevator.” Ben said.

You breathed a sigh of relief. Your friend offered you a strange-looking appetizer but you graciously declined. They only laughed.

“Okay. I’m gonna turn off the surveillance cameras. Ready?” Riley’s voice kept you both constantly updated. “In five, four, three…Now.”

You bit your lip, eyes downcast to the waxed floor.

“Ben Gates,” Riley announced, “you are now the Invisible Man.”

Hearing your best friends’ voices in one ear and a party-gathering in the other was definitely a way to spend your night. Thankfully, you did not mind…half of it anyway.

“I’m here.” Ben’s voice announced.

“Give me the letters for her password. What do yah got for me?” Riley asked. “Hit me with it.”

“A-E-F-G…L-O-R-V-Y.”

“Anagrams being listed. Okay. Top results: ‘A glove fry’. ‘A very golf’. ‘Fargo levy’. ‘Gravy floe’. ‘Valey frog’. Also ‘Ago fly rev’. ‘Grove fly a’. ‘Are fly gov’. ‘Era fly gov’. ‘Elf gov ray’.”

“It’s ‘Valley Forge’.”

“‘Valley For…’. I don’t have that on my computer.”

“It’s ‘Valley Forge’—she pressed the E and L twice.”

Well, I’ll be darn, you thought as you shifted your weight onto your other leg. You were more than a little antsy, but at least you weren’t hounded with conversations.

Door movement sounded in your ear.

“We’re in.”

“Hello.”

You could only imagine what Riley was seeing on his computer through the security cameras let alone what Ben was seeing in person. Breathing a sigh of relief, you knew that at least things were going perfectly according to plan.

“Ben you’re doing great,” Riley said.

Your fingers fidgeted against the table cloth.

That’s a lot of bolts screwed in, you thought as one of your ears was filled with the noise of a small power tool.

“Ben, pick it up. You got about one—”

You frowned.

“I lost my feed.”

“What?”

“I lost my feed, Ben. I don’t know where anyone is. I-I have nothing. Ben, I have no—Ben, I have nothing. Get out of there. Get out of there now.”

The room seemed to grow intensely warm and your hands became uncomfortably clammy. You needed to go. You needed to leave.

“I’m taking the whole thing. I’ll get it out in the elevator.”

“What are you talking—? Is it heavy?” Riley asked.

Scrambling to grab your phone out of your hidden pocket was proving a bit difficult. Hands shaking, you were doing your best to keep your breathing in check.

Deep breathes, you thought even as you felt your friend’s eyes on you. Taking out your phone, you looked at it, not giving them a chance to see it. Staring at the small screen, you waited a few seconds as you pretended to read.

Zip bing bing

Zip bing

Sounds of glass shattering made you jump. It didn’t sound right.

“Is everything alright?” Your friend asked.

You nodded, “I have to go. My family needs me.”

“What was that?” Riley’s voice asked in your ear. He could not see what was happening around Ben.

“I have to go. My (family member) is calling me again for technical support.” You rambled out quickly.

Bizz zing

“Who’s shooting?” Riley asked through the earpiece.

Bizzing bizzink

“Are you still there? Ben?”

“I’m in the elevator. Ian’s here. There was, uh, shooting.”

“I hate that guy.”

You breathed and said to your concerned friend in front of you at the table, “They were calling when I was getting ready. They expect me to see what’s on screen. I’m so sorry.”

“No, no. It’s fine.” They said, watching as you stepped away from them.

“Thank you again for inviting me.” You shoved the phone in your pocket and consciously kept your pace even.

“Of course.” Their voice trailed behind you.

Once you were out of the main room, you took quick strides to where you had entered. Eyes trained forward. There would be no distractions nor obstacles. You were leaving with a lot of cardio exercise.

Your heart soared as you exited the doors and were greeted with the crisp night air. It helped after using stairs. Going down the steps in seconds, you made your way around the building. Shoes padding along to the rapid beat of your heart.

Finally at the back of the building near the employee entrance, you focused your sights on the familiar apple colored van. Sanctuary. You did not have to keep a slow or steady pace while outside. No one else was around.

“Riley!” You called out as you finished crossing the empty street. “Open up,” you hit the back doors.

A door swung open, Riley’s relieved and anxious face greeting you.

“You’re good? You heard everything?”

“Yeah,” you hopped inside and closed the door behind you.

“Ben needs to get out of there,” Riley said going into the front seat, headset still on.

“I know. Freakin’ Ian.”

Immediately, you spotted an extra pair of shoes and socks you had given Riley to hold on for you. They weren’t difficult to spot on the shelving of the van, everything else was tech. You proceeded to change shoes.

After removing your earpiece and placing it amongst Riley’s belongings, you stood between the two front seats. You leaned on the driver’s chair as you looked out the window.

“Thank you for bringing my shoes.”

“Sure.” Riley looked up at you, “Uh, have you worn that before? You haven’t worn that before.”

“I don’t exactly wear formal wear around the apartment, Riley.”

“It’s nice. You look…you look nice.”

“Thank you.”

Both of you were looking out the windows then. Waiting for your best friend to exit the building safely.

“Where do you think Ian is?” You asked.

“Don’t know. Ben just better hurry up.”

“Yeah.” You did you best to try to reign back and calm your breathing. “Everything’s going to be fine. Everything’s going to be fine.” You kept your gaze out the windows, no sign of movement. Yet.

“Ben. Where are you?” Riley asked, tapping his shoes from the driver’s seat. Hands tapping atop of the wheel, he was more than a little tense.

You gave his shoulder a light squeeze. It was hardly enough to give you comfort given the situation.

“Where are you?” Riley sung uncomfortably.

Riley’s head turned to the left. He had spotted Ben making his way onto the dark street. The brunette turned the key and started the van. Lights illuminated the pavement.

All while your gaze was set on blonde hair and a dark formal gown.

Oh, crap, no, you thought. No, no, no.

Again, Riley looked out the side window as he set his hands on the steering wheel. There was a pause in his movements.

“Ben, the…uh,” Riley sunk in his seat, “the mean Declaration lady’s behind you.”

You maneuvered to stand behind the driver’s seat and out of sight. Your hands clinging to Riley’s shoulders. You turned around as Ben had opened the back door to the van.

“Just get in here, dang it,” you hissed to Ben.

“Hey.” The voice of Doctor Chase entered the night.

Ben shut the back door.

“No,” you dropped your forehead against the back of the driver’s seat.

The three of you needed to bail, leave, haul butt out.

Why did she have to follow him out? Why?

“What are they saying?” You whispered.

Ben was using up valuable seconds. Precious time.

“Stop chatting and get in the van.” Riley said through clenched teeth.

They were still idly chitchatting. You weren’t sure how long you and Riley could last being quiet in the van.

Sirens sounded off from the National Archives building.

You cursed mentally. A lot.

“Oh my God,” Riley murmured.

“Oh, my God! You did not…?” Doctor Chase’s voice carried over into the van.

You stood up straight and just then proceeded to lean over the chair as your heart sank. That and basically everything else seemed to crumble.

The sirens continued to blare loudly into the night.

“Security! Over here!”

Riley leaned forward to look out the side window.

“Security! Over here! Security!”

“Ohh,” Riley sunk back into his seat.

“Crap, she knows?” You cringed.

There she was, out there knowing exactly what the three of you did.

Click

You and Riley flinched.

Ben had opened the passenger door and was hastily getting inside.

“Go.” Ben stated as he shut the door.

Riley took off his headset.

“We can’t just let her go!” Riley pointed outside.

“We can. Go!”

Doctor Chase continued to make her way, not fast enough, towards the building with the document. The document you were certainly going to get in trouble for.

“Lady,” you said. “They can’t hear you fr—.”

“Wait. No, hold it. Hold it!” Ben stretched out his hand as the three of you watched a blue food truck headed straight for Doctor chase.

It was then that your stomach truly dropped.

The van came to a screeching halt in front of her.

“Oh, bad. Bad, bad, bad!” Ben was out of the passenger’s side in seconds. As he rounded towards the hood, shots were fired out of the blue van and onto the hood. Ben ducked to safety.

Just as men were grabbing for Doctor Chase, shots came to the driver’s side of the van. You and Riley ducked as glass shattered. The driver’s window broken.

“That’s…” Riley’s voiced as he sat up.

“Go! Go!” Ben had already made it back into the passenger’s seat.

An innocent life on the line and the Declaration of Independence, Riley put the van in drive. Slamming on the gas pedal, he made a U-turn on the empty lanes.

Staring out the windshield, you could hear sirens passing near the building.

“Once we catch them what do we do?” Riley asked, hands at ten and two.

“I’m working on it.” Ben answered.

“Right turn, right turn.”

You clung to the driver’s seat as your shoes did their best to stay in one place.

Close behind the food truck, horns sounded ahead. They turned right, dodging a trash truck. Riley did the same.

“Eeee,” your left shoulder hit the inside of the van.

But that was easier than what you saw in front of you. Construction work on the road.

“Ah!” The bouncing of the van was enough to loosen your grip on the seat and the next time the van’s tires made contact with the ground, so did your side with the floor of the van. “OW.”

“You okay?” Ben asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” you clambered up to your feet. Only to fall back down with the next bump in the road.

“Skidding, skidding, skidding.” Riley’s voice narrated as the jolts and bumps subsided.

A tight grip onto the passenger’s seat, you stood up.

Outside, the food truck’s back doors swung open.

“Whoa!” You exclaimed as you watched Doctor Chase on the left door as it moved above the road.

“Oh, no.” Ben leaned forward.

“Holy Lord.” Riley stared as he focused on driving.

Of all of the things that could happen to the three of you, you hadn’t thought of someone dangling over the street in the middle of a car chase.

You all ducked as one of Ian’s men started shooting at the three of you, bullets ricochetting off of the van.

This was an entire different level you had not been planning on this morning.

The shooting stopped and Ben climbed into the back of the van. With the whole seatbelt in hand, he slid open the side door and leaned out of it.

You stood behind Riley’s seat again, holding on to the chair with a death grip and with feet planted to the flooring.

“Get me next to her,” Ben shouted.

Riley swerved onto the oncoming lane as you were more than prepared to snatch Ben back into the van, just in case.

The door of the food truck hung above the double lines of the road as Doctor Chase hung from it. Pavement passing underneath her each millisecond.

Riley drove up beside her as Ben was in view of her.

Two loud, deep horns alerted you to look out the front windshield.

“Riley!” You shouted as you saw the white bus approaching down the lane you were all in.

The food truck’s brakes hissed and Riley affectively swerved all of you to the left, out of the path of the bus. As soon as the bus was passed, Riley steered the van close to Doctor Chase once more. Ben stretched out of the van as he reached for her. Their hands touched, but the door swung closed, taking her away.

“NO! Ah!” Her cries carried out as the door swung back towards Ben.

Come on, come on, you pleaded.

“Abigail!” Ben called as they were soon close enough to grab onto one another. “Come on. Jump.” The pair of them fell back into the van as gun fire resounded, Ben slamming against you to where you were squished into the corner between the van’s interior and the front seat. Luckily, Riley kept an organized pile of blankets and soft items right behind his seat.

You turned in time to see Ben leap over Doctor Chase’s form and immediately shut the side door as Riley took the next street with screeching tires.

“Ohmygod,” you pulled yourself up to stand.

The streets were calm and quiet.

Ben moved to kneel in front of Doctor Chase as she sat. They both appeared to be unhurt.

“Are you all right?” Ben asked her.

“No! Those lunatics—!” Doctor Chase said, frazzled.

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“You are all lunatics!”

“Are you hungry?”

“What?” She tilted her head at him as her voice raised in pitch.

“Are you all right?”

“Still a little on edge from being shot at, but I’ll be okay. Thanks for asking.” Riley answered, still driving as he looked back.

You placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, the feel of the fabric was grounding in a way.

“Yeah, well, I’m not all right. Those men have the Declaration of Independence!” Abigail exclaimed looking from Riley, to you, to Ben.

“She lost it?” Riley shouted, both of you turning to look back at her.

Ben meanwhile reached over to one of the shelves where Riley kept his assortments of cords and wiring. He pulled out a large tube that might hold art prints or posters.

“They don’t have it,” Ben said as he unscrewed the lid and tilted to reveal its contents. The Declaration of Independence. “See? Okay? Now could you please stop shouting?”

It was safe after all.

How’d I miss that?

Your shoulders relaxed about a good three inches from where you were holding them.

“Give me that!” Doctor Chase went to snatch the document from where it peeked out from the container.

Ben was quick to pull the document away from her grasp and pointed at her.

“You’re still shouting. And it’s really starting to annoy. You’d do well, Doctor Chase, to be a bit more civilized in this instance.”

You watched as he sat down to properly close the lid as another cylinder of a maroon color leaned against him.

“If this is the real one, what did they get?” She moved closer to him. Closer to the document.

“A souvenir. I thought it'd be a good idea to have a duplicate. It turned out I was right. I actually had to pay for the souvenir and the real one, so you owe me thirty-five dollars plus tax.”

“Genius,” Riley snickered happily.

“Who were those men?” Doctor Chase asked.

“Just the guys we warned you were gonna steal the Declaration.” Ben looked to her.

“And you didn't believe us.” Riley pointed out as he continued driving.

“We did the only thing we could do to keep it safe.”

“Verdammt! Give me that!” Abigail shouted as she attempted to snatch the document again out of Ben’s grasp. She failed.

“You know something? You're shouting again.” Ben said calmly.

“I'm pretty sure she was swearing, too.” Riley piped up.

“Yup.” You added.

“Well, we probably deserve that.” Ben sighed in the passenger’s seat.

“After what we just went through, I have a few choice words too.”

You leaned against the chair more. Tired of standing as you were, you already had Doctor Chase beside you and sitting next to her was not something that would help with your discomfort. No one else was supposed to be involved. After the sneaking around, shooting, car chase, and saving Doctor Chase; you were more than antsy. Relieved that you all saved her and the document, but antsy. If she tried anything on you in some weird attempt to get the Declaration or change Riley’s driving—there’d be a brawl in the back of the van. Well, there was a lot of technology back there that wasn’t yours…so, perhaps not. You hoped. It didn’t seem realistic either nor anything you would want to do.

“There is not a treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence.” Doctor Chase sighed, visibly done with the entire situation. She sat close, just behind and just between the front seats.

“And there's no chance anyone can steal this,” Ben shook the containers that held the Declaration, “either. I leveled with you one hundred percent. Everything I told you was the truth.”

“I want that document, Mister Brown.”

“Okay, my name's not Brown. It’s Gates. I leveled with you ninety-eight percent.”

“Wait a minute, did you just say ‘Gates’?” She looked at him closely and then towards Riley who kept his head trained forward. It was after she glanced over at you that she then whipped her head in Ben’s direction again with hand gestures. “Gates? You're that family with the conspiracy theory about the Founding Fathers?”

“It's not a conspiracy theory.”

“Per se.” Riley said.

“You know what? I take it back. You're not liars. You're insane.”

“Gee…thanks,” you looked back to the woman before returning to watch the open road.

You couldn’t wait until the three of you got back to the apartment, but there was the speed bump called Abigail sitting beside you. Closing your eyes, you hoped that the drive home would be a little shorter.

It didn’t help that she also knew what the three of you intended to do with the document. She wasn’t too fond of treasure being involved or stealing the document, or…basically every little thing you all had done and were intending to do. You couldn’t blame her for that.

“You can't seriously intend to run chemical tests on the Declaration of Independence in the back of a moving van.” Doctor Chase said, her tone strict, again.

“We have a clean-room environment all set up. EDS suits, a particulate air filtration system, the whole shebang.” Riley explained in ease. The confidence was admiring.

You smiled.

“Really?” Doctor Chase asked.

Is she impressed? That’s new.

“We can't go back there.” Ben said.

“What? Why not?” Riley asked.

Call it a feeling in your gut, call it knowing your best friend. Your jaw set.

“What,” you slowly turned your head in Ben’s direction, “did you do?”

He shortly explained, while adverting eye contact, what he had done.

“What?” You exclaimed.

“A credit-card slip?” Riley took an audible breath. “Dude, we're on the grid. Do you have an—They’ll have your records from forever. They gonna have my records from forever. (Y/N)’s records—”

“I know. I know. It's only a matter of minutes before the FBI shows up at my front door.” Ben.

You groaned, slumping against the headrest.

“What do we do?” Riley asked quickly and firmly as he drove.

“We need those letters.” Ben said.

“What letters?” Doctor Chase asked, curious.

“You know, get off the road, ta-take a right.”

“What letters?”

. . .

Having done exactly as instructed, Riley had parked the van off the road on green grass by some water. It was dark and quite honestly, you had no idea what part of the city you were even in. Riley had moved onto the passenger’s seat, leaning his arms out of the rolled-down window. You had taken the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat, happy to sit after brushing off shattered glass of course. Doctor Chase sat at the opening of the side door, watching as Ben paced a new path in the lush grass.

“What letters? You have the original Silence Dogood letters? Did you steal those, too?” She asked.

“We have scans of the originals. Quiet, please.” Ben said, pacing back and forth in front of her.

“How'd you get scans?”

“I know the person who has the originals. Now shush.”

You leaned your head against the seat, wondering when you’d all be back on the road. It wasn’t a mystery where you all had to drive next.

“Why do you need them?”

“She really can't shut her mouth, can she?” Ben asked Riley and you. Not receiving more than a hand gesture and a shrug, he turned back to Doctor Chase. “I'll tell you what, look. I will let you hold onto this if you'll promise to shut up, please. Thank you.”

He had given her the document, his annoyance and anxiety reaching it’s peak. His feet carrying him in small circles again in the grass.

“Ben, you know what you have to do.” Riley said.

“I know what to do.” Ben turned back to the van. “I'm just trying to think of anything else we could do.”

“Well, not to be a...nudge, but you do realize how many people we have after us. We probably have our own satellite by now.”

Ben went for another lap, turning away.

“It took you all of two seconds to decide to steal the Declaration of Independence.”

“Yeah, but I didn't think I was gonna have to personally to tell my dad about it.”

“Guys!” You shouted, leaping out of the seat as Doctor Chase took off at a run with the document.

“Hey, not cool! Not cool!” Ben caught up to her in no time and grabbed her.

You and Riley stood beside the van, watching as your friend handled the situation, but still on standby.

“Let me go!” She struggled until he did as she asked once he had the container in hand.

“Okay. You're let go. Go, shoo.” He gestured for her to leave.

“I'm not going. Not without the Declaration.” She grabbed the cylinder again.

“You're not going with the Declaration.” He yanked it out of her hands and slung its strap over his shoulder.

“Yes, I am. I'm not letting it out of my sight, so I'm going.”

“Wait. You're not going with us with the Declaration.”

“Yes, I am.” She tugged on the strap, pulling him to her.

“No, you're not.” Ben said, very close to her face.

Good grief, at this rate she’ll never leave us alone, you thought. Strange and alarming considering their constant tension.

“Look, if you wanted to leave me behind, you shouldn't have told me where you were going.”

Wha—?

You groaned, also hearing as Riley threw his head back against the side of the van.

“I wanna go home,” you grumbled to yourself.

“Take me with you,” Riley murmured.

“I live in the same building as Ben.”

~~~~~

(That concludes Part Two - Protecting The Document. I hope you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it. I’m excited to move on throughout the story of the movie National Treasure. How do you think relationships will change now that the friends’ plans have be altered? Let me know! All the best!

If you love my writings and want to support me, I have a Ko-Fi where you can buy me a coffee. I would be eternally grateful. coffee

Best wishes and happy reading.)

~~~~~

DreamerDragon Tags: @imacuteprincess @gingerlaserbeam @cubedtriangle

PART 3

#National treasure fanfiction #Riley Poole #Riley Poole x Reader #Riley Poole x Reader series #National Treasure #disney #Riley Poole imagine #Riley Poole imagines #where dreamers go #requested #Happy Valentine's Day

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